and and allowed to proceed on his way.

Urged forward by a brisk trade-wind, to which we exposed every possible
stitch of canvas, the little squadron made short miles of it, arriving,
at three o'clock in the morning, off Port a l'Ecu; where, at a distance
of about a mile off the shore and some two miles from the harbour of
Jean Rabel on the one hand, and Port au Paix on the other, the trade-
wind encountering the land-breeze, we ran into a calm. A carefully-
masked lantern was now exhibited on board the _Hermione_, the utmost
caution being observed to prevent its light being seen from the shore,
and at the same moment our launch, pinnace, and first and second
cutters, the two former each carrying a boat's gun in the bows, were
ordered away.

To Mr Reid, who, in conjunction with Lieutenant Burdwood of the
_Penelope_, had been closeted with the skipper for at least two hours
previously, was intrusted the command of one division of the boats which
was about to be sent away, Lieutenant Burdwood being placed at the head
of the other division. Mr Reid went, of course, in our launch; Mr
Douglas commanded the pinnace; Farmer, a master's mate, was put in
charge of the first cutter; and, to my supreme surprise and
gratification, I was instructed to take charge of the second.

In less than five minutes, so well planned had been Captain Pigot's
arrangements, our boats were joined by the rest of the flotilla; and,
the whole having been quietly but rapidly marshalled by Mr Reid into
two divisions, our muffled oars dropped simultaneously into the water,
and we departed on our several ways.

Mr Burdwood, with his division, consisting of four boats from the
_Mermaid_, two from the _Drake_, and two from his own vessel, pulled
briskly away to the eastward, his destination being, as I shortly
afterwards learned, Port au Paix, whilst the division to which I
belonged headed west for Jean Rabel.

The night was fine, but very dark; a broad belt of dappled cloud
overspreading almost the entire heavens, and permitting only an isolated
star or two to twinkle feebly through it here and there. A couple of
miles in the offing the trade-wind was blowing briskly, and inshore of
us, at a distance of less than a quarter of a mile, the land-breeze was
roaring down off the hills with the strength of half a gale. Where the
two met there occurred a narrow belt of calm, broken into momentarily by
an eddying puff of wind, now warm, as the trade-wind