Wolf Rock
and the Land's End, striking across the bight made by Mount's Bay in
order to save the way we would have lost if he had taken the inshore
track, like most coasters--and, indeed, as he would have been obliged to
do if it had been foggy or rough, which, fortunately for us, it wasn't.

By sunrise next morning we had fetched within a couple of miles of the
Longships; when, bracing round the schooner's topsail yard and sailing
close-hauled, with the wind nearly on our bow, we ran for Lundy Island
in the British Channel.

I never saw any little craft behave better than the schooner did now,
sailing on a bowline being her best point of speed, as is the case with
most fore and aft rigged vessels. She almost "ate into the wind's eye;"
and, although the distance was over a hundred miles from the Longships,
she was up to Lundy by nightfall, on this, the second day after leaving
home.

From this point, however, we had to beat up all the way to Cardiff, as
the easterly wind was blowing straight down the Bristol Channel, and
consequently dead in our teeth, as soon as we began to bear up. It was
a case of tack and tack about--first a long leg over to the Mumbles on
the starboard tack, followed by a corresponding reach towards Dunkery
Beacon on the port hand; backwards and forwards, see-saw, turn and turn
about, until, finally, we rounded Penarth Heads, arriving at our
destination on the afternoon of our fourth day from Plymouth.

We got to Cardiff none too early, either.

The _Esmeralda_ having completed loading in her cargo sooner than the
owners had expected, had cast-off from the jetty and was now lying in
the stream off the harbour. She was quite ready to start on her voyage,
and seemed longing to be on the move, for her topsails were hanging
loose and the courses were in the brails, so that they could be let fall
and sheeted home at a moment's notice.

We could see this for ourselves, as we rounded close under the vessel's
stern when running into the harbour; and further particulars of the
ship's readiness to set sail we learnt at the agent's ashore, with whom
Sam Pengelly had been in communication for some time, unknown to me,
with reference to having me articled as a first-class apprentice in one
of their best ships. The good-hearted fellow, too, without my
knowledge, although I learnt this later on, had entered into an
agreement to pay a good round sum as a premium for me in order that I
might have accommo