he faster
we pulled the less distance we should have to go. We were about
half-way between the cutter and the ship, when a bank of mist came
rolling slowly along from the southern horizon, the opposite extremities
seeming to close in, till a circle was formed around us, still, however,
having the cutter and the ship within its confines. On we rowed, the
circle growing smaller and smaller, till, by the time we reached the
ship, our own vessel was completely shrouded from view. As I knew
exactly where she was, that did not trouble me. The ship proved to be
the one I was sent to board--the _Ajax_, I think, was her name.

I delivered my despatches. The master asked me down into the cabin to
take a glass of wine, which it would have been against the principles of
a midshipman to refuse. I took two or three, and ate some cold chicken
and ham into the bargain. There were, I remember, a number of
passengers, who were very civil, and some gave me letters to take on
shore; indeed it is just possible that one of the reasons why I was so
hospitably entertained was that time might be obtained to finish and
close the said letters. At last the package of farewells, last words,
and before-forgotten directions, being ready, I tumbled with it into the
boat, and shoved off to return to the cutter.

I calculated that she bore about north-north-west from the ship; and not
having a compass, the last thing I did was to take a careful glance at
the one on board. I then pulled away, thinking that I should not lose
sight of the merchantman before we got hold of our own craft. In about
ten minutes I found that I was not a little mistaken. I had told
Stretcher, who was pulling stroke-oar, to keep his eye on the ship,
while I, meantime, was looking out for the cutter. Every moment I
expected to see her; but, as we advanced, the fog appeared to rise up
with redoubled thickness around us; and my difficulty was still further
increased when Jack Stretcher exclaimed--

"I can't see the ship nowhere, sir! She was there not a moment ago, and
just as I passed my hand over my brow, she was gone."

"Well, we must pull on," I exclaimed. "If we keep the breeze on the
starboard quarter, we cannot be far wrong."

However, not many minutes afterwards, the wind, true to its proverbial
character of fickleness, died away, and we were left without any guide
by which to steer our course across the trackless deep. Still we pulled
on, I fancied, in t