CHAPTER III.
Good-by to the American coast--Off Sable Island in a fog--In the open sea--The man in the moon takes an interest in the voyage--The first fit of loneliness--The _Spray_ encounters _La Vaguisa_--A bottle of wine from the Spaniard--A bout of words with the captain of the _Java_--The steamship _Olympia_ spoken--Arrival at the Azores.
I now stowed all my goods securely, for the boisterous Atlantic was before me, and I sent the topmast down, knowing that the _Spray_ would be the wholesomer with it on deck.

Then I gave the lanyards a pull and hitched them afresh, and saw that the gammon was secure, also that the boat was lashed, for even in summer one may meet with bad weather in the crossing.
In fact, many weeks of bad weather had prevailed.

On July 1, however, after a rude gale, the wind came out nor'west and clear, propitious for a good run.

On the following day, the head sea having gone down, I sailed from Yarmouth, and let go my last hold on America.

The log of my first day on the Atlantic in the _Spray_ reads briefly: "9:30 A.M.
sailed from Yarmouth.