yard
forrard, Mister Mate!)--an' a West-countryman's allowance, for sure!"
He rubbed his sea-scarred hands together, beamed jovially, as though a
'West-countryman's allowance' were pleasant fare.... "Th' glass
started fallin' here about two--(Well--the mainyard!--a bit more o' th'
lower tawps'l-brace, Mister!)--two o'clock yesterday afternoon--(How's
the compass, Capten? Half a point! Keep 'er nor'-east b' nor', when
she comes to it, m' lad!)--an' it's been droppin' steady ever since.
Lot o' craft put in for shelter sin'--(Check in th' foreyards now, will
'ee?)--since th' marnin', an' the Carrick Roads 'll be like West India
Dock on a wet Friday. A good job the fog's lifted. Gad! we had it
thick this marnin'. We boarded a barque off th' Dodman.... Thought he
was south o' th' Lizard, he did, an' was steerin' nor'-east t' make
Falmouth! A good job we sighted 'im, or he'd a bin--(Well--th'
foreyard, Mister!)--hard upon th' Bizzie's Shoal, I reckon."

The look-out reported a light ahead.

"'St. Ant'ny's, Capten," said our pilot. "Will 'ee give 'er th' main
to'galns'l, an' we'll be gettin' on?"

XXIV

FALMOUTH FOR ORDERS

High dawn broke on a scene of storm, on the waters of Falmouth Bay,
white-lashed and curling, on great ragged storm-clouds racing
feather-edged over the downs and wooded slopes that environ the fairest
harbour of all England.

To us, so long habited to the lone outlook of sea and sky, the scene
held much of interest, and, from the first grey break of morning, our
eyes went a-roving over the windy prospect, seeing incident and novelty
at every turn. In the great Bay, many ships lay anchored, head to
wind, at straining cables. Laden ships with trim spars and rigging,
red-rusty of hull, and lifting at every scend to the rough sea, the
foul green underbody of long voyaging; tall clippers, clean and freshly
painted without, but showing, in disorder of gear and rigging, the mark
of the hastily equipped outward bound coasters, steam and sail,
plunging and fretting at short anchor or riding to the swell in
sheltered creeks; lumbermen, with high deck loads bleached and whitened
by wind and salt-spume of a winter passage; drifters and pilot
cruisers, sea trawlers, banksmen--a gathering of many craft that the
great west wind had turned to seek a shelter.

Riding with the fleet, we lay to double anchor. Overhead the high wind
whistled eerily through spar and cordage--a furious blast that now