rd, and an odour strongly suggestive of bacon
and eggs, which was wafted upwards from the companion, informed me that
he had entered upon the duties of the less dignified but equally
important part of his combined self-appointment.

We made a hearty breakfast off the aforesaid bacon and eggs, with _soft
tack_ laid in the day before, and washed all down with some most
excellent coffee, in the concoction of which beverage Bob was an adept,
and then, as soon as he had washed up, and put matters to rights in his
pantry, and made arrangements for dinner, I went below and turned in
until noon.

When I went upon deck again, I found that the breeze had softened down
very considerably, and we were slipping along barely five knots through
the water. Our big neighbour, the ship, could do nothing with us in
such light airs, and he was now a good six miles astern.

During the afternoon, the wind dropped still more, and by eight o'clock
in the evening we had little more than steerage-way.

The water was absolutely without a ripple; our sails flapped, the main-
boom swung inboard with every heave of the little craft over the long,
gentle undulations of the ground-swell; and the different vessels in
sight were heading to all points of the compass.

It was, to all appearance, stark calm; yet there must have been a light
though imperceptible air, for on looking over the bows there was a
smooth unbroken ripple stretching away on each side, showing that we
were moving through the water still, though very gently; and the fact
that the little craft answered her helm was additional testimony to the
same effect.

During the night a little air came out from off the land, and we mended
our pace somewhat; but it was not until the following noon that we got
fairly abreast of Saint Catherine's Point.

About eight o'clock the same evening, the wind still being light, we
were abreast of the Needles; about a couple of miles to the westward of
them, and apparently steering pretty nearly the same course as
ourselves, we saw a cutter yacht about our own size.

By midnight we were abreast of Durlstone Head, and had gained so much
upon the other cutter that we could make out that she had a large and
apparently a very merry party on board. Hearty peals of laughter came
frequently across the water towards us from her, and occasionally a
song, generally with a good rattling chorus.

We continued to creep up to her, and at length got abreast of and