wich Pier to Leigh has never been done yet by a Leigh bawley under
six hours, though it has been pretty close several times. We have got
the springs on now, and with the wind from the north-east we should run
the six hours very close, if we didn't beat it. There are two or three
of them can go faster than the _Bessy_ close-hauled, but running free I
doubt if there is one can touch her."

"We will make a start at seven," Ben said. "We shall take the last of
the ebb down to Walton, and then catch the flood and have it at its full
strength by the time we are opposite Clacton."

Jack was delighted at the thought of spending a Sunday at home with his
mother; but though it was not for him to give an opinion, he agreed with
Tom Hoskins that they were likely to have a dusting on the way up. The
sun had gone down angry and threatening; the stars could be only seen
occasionally through driving masses of cloud, and even at her snug
anchorage the _Bessy_ was rolling heavily.

Jack was out soon after dawn. There was a haze over sea and sky, and the
wind was blowing strongly; it was from the north-west now, but Jack
thought that it was likely to draw round to the quarter his uncle had
predicted. "There must be a heavy sea on now all the way from the Swin
Middle to the Nore with the wind meeting a lee tide," he said to
himself; "but of course when the ebb is done it will smooth down a bit,
and will be all right if the weather does not come on too thick. A fog
is bad enough and a gale is bad enough, but when you get the two
together I would rather be at home and in bed by a long way than on
board the _Bessy_."

"Well, Jack, what do you make out of the weather?" Ben Tripper asked, as
he came out from the fo'castle.

"It looks rather wild, uncle; but I think the wind is working round to
the north of east, just as you thought it would last night."

"Yes; I think it is," Ben said, surveying the sky. "Well, get the fire
alight at once, Jack, and get breakfast ready; we will have our meal
before we start. We shall have enough to do when we are once under way.
I will run down to the Naze anyhow, and then we shall see what it is
like outside. If we don't like its looks we can pop back anyhow; and
shall have lost nothing, for there is no shooting nets to-day, that is
quite certain."

The topmast was lowered, small jib and foresail got up, and two reefs
put in the mainsail; then they began to get up the anchor.

"What! are you going up