of them now. We'll have dropped them and
the city out of sight by daylight, and the flood will not begin to run
up till then. But I fear unless the wind hardens down with the dawn
we'll have to bring up to an anchor when the flood makes. Tides run very
hard in these narrow seas. Aye, and there are some shrewdish tide-rips
round my Tin Islands, as you shall see when we reach them."

There were many fearful glances backwards when day came and showed the
waters, and the burning mountains that hemmed them in beyond the shores.
All seemed to expect some navy of Phorenice to come surging up to take
them back to servitude and starvation in the squalid wards of the city;
and I confess ingenuously that I was with them in all truth when they
swore they would fight the ship till she sank beneath them, before they
would obey another of the commands of Phorenice. However, their brave
heroics were displayed to no small purpose. For the full flow of the
tide we hung in our place, barely moving past the land, but yet not
seeing either oar or sail; and then, when the tide turned, away we went
once more with speed, mightily comforted.

Tob's woman must needs bring drink on deck, and bid all pour libations
to her as a future queen. But Tob cuffed her back into the after-castle,
slamming to the hatch behind her heels, and bidding the crew send the
liquor down their dusty throats. "We are done with that foolery," said
he. "My Lord Deucalion will be king of this new kingdom we shall
build in the Tin Islands, and a right proper king he'll make, as you
untravelled ones would know, if you'd sailed the outer seas with him as
I have done." Beneath which I read a regret, but said nothing, having
made my plans from the moment of stepping on board, as will appear on a
later sheet.

So on down the great estuary we made our way, and though it pleasured
the others on board when they saw that the seas were desolate of sails,
it saddened me when I recalled how once the waters had been whitened
with the glut of shipping.

They had started off on their voyage with a bare two days' provision
in their equipment, and so, of necessity even after leaving the great
estuary, we were forced to voyage coastwise, putting into every likely
river and sheltered beach to slay fish and meat for future victualling.
"And when the winter comes," said Tob, "as its gales will be heavier
than this old ship can stomach, I had determined to haul up and make a
permanent camp