"I was up in the town looking after my wife, who is sick, and clean forgot you till it was dark.

Then I ran down and found the boat hadn't returned, so I got the crew together and we came out to look for you, though we had little hope of finding you.

It was lucky for you we did, and for the rest of them too, for so it chanced that we were but half a mile away when the ship fired her first gun, just as we had given you up and determined to go back; so on we came straight here.

Another ten minutes and we should have been too late.

We are making for Ramsgate now.