e seas outside were not at all smooth, but
a Newlyn-built boat does not make much account of mere seas, and soon
after midday we dropped anchor in Plymouth Cattewater, and went ashore for
our letters.

We were sworn to reach home next day, and somehow we forgot to study the
barometer, which was doing its best to warn us. The weather was dirtier
than ever and the wind harder. But we had grown accustomed to this: and
persuaded ourselves that, once outside of the Rame, we could make a pretty
fetch of it for home and cover the distance at our best speed--which
indeed we did. But I confess that as we passed beyond the breakwater, and
met the Plymouth trawlers running back for shelter, I began to wonder
rather uneasily how the barometer might be behaving, and even dallied with
the resolution to go below and see. We were well dressed down, however--
double-reefed mainsail, reefed mizzen, foresail and storm jib--and after
our beating at Salcombe none of us felt inclined to raise the question of
putting back. There was nothing to hurt, as yet: the boat was shaking off
the water like a duck, and making capital weather of it; we told each
other that once beyond the Rame, with the sea on our quarter, we should do
handsomely. And the gale--the newspapers called it a hurricane, but it
was merely a gale--waited patiently until we were committed to it. Half
an hour later we took in the mizzen, and, soon after, the foresail: and
even so, and close-hauled, were abreast of Looe Island just forty-seven
minutes after passing the Rame--nine miles. For a 28-ton cruiser this
will be allowed to be fair going. For my own part I could have wished it
faster: not from any desire to break 'records,' but because, should
anything happen to our gear, we were uncomfortably close to a lee-shore,
and the best behaved of boats could not stand up against the incessant
shoreward thrust of the big seas crossing us. Also, to make matters
worse, the shore itself now and then vanished in the 'dirt.' On the
whole, therefore, it was not too soon for us that we opened the harbour
and:

"Saw on Palatinus
The white porch of our home,"

Though these were three or four times hidden from us by the seas over
which we toppled through the harbour's mouth and into quiet water.
While the sails were stowing I climbed down the ladder and sat in front of
the barometer, and wondered how I should like this sort of thing if I had
to go through it oft