ose on to daylight, as
Captain Billings had sanguinely reckoned, it was long past eight bells
and the hour of breakfast, to which we were both again invited into the
cabin, before we neared the headland marking the bay sufficiently for us
to heave to and signal for the pilot's boat to come off and fetch him.

We were not long detained, however.

Hardly had the _Esmeralda's_ main-topsail been backed, ere a smart
little cutter came sailing out towards us, with the familiar "P" and her
number displayed on her spanker; so Sam hastened to bid his last
farewell to me, making ready to accompany the pilot ashore.

"Good-bye, my cockbird," said he, wringing my hand with a grip that made
it wince again, a tremble the while in his voice and something
suspiciously like a tear in his eye. "Keep honest, and do your duty,
and never forget your father, laddie, nor old Sam Pengelly, who'll be
right glad to see you again when you return from this v'yage!"

"Good-bye, and God reward you, Sam, for all your kindness to me," I
returned, almost breaking down, and having to exercise all my self-
command in order not to make an exhibition of myself before my new
shipmates. "I'll be certain to come and see you and Jane the moment I
touch English ground again."

"All right, my hearty, fare thee well," said he, stepping into the boat
of the pilot after that worthy, while the _Esmeralda's_ sails were let
fill again on the vessel resuming her course down the Bristol Channel;
but, as I bent over the taffrail, and waved my hand to Sam for the last
time, I could hear his parting hail in the distance, sounding as loud
almost as if he were alongside.

"Good-bye, my laddie, and good luck to the _Esmeralda_ on her v'yage.
Cap'en Billings, remember the b'y!"

"Aye, aye, my hearty, so I will," shouted out the skipper, cordially.
"Good luck to you, Pengelly!" and then the pilot made in for the land,
and the ship's yards were squared. The royals were soon afterwards sent
aloft, the wind having sprung up again steadily, still from the nor'-
east, as the tide began to make, and we ran now before it, almost
sailing free, so as to pass to the southwards of Lundy Island and
weather Hartland Point, on our way out into the open sea.

Captain Billings, seeing the wind so favourable, instead of hugging the
land, determined to make all the westing he could at this the very
outset of our voyage, in order to avoid the cross currents hanging about
the chops of