I occupied myself with mopping the seats, and generally "swabbing her up," as Hall called it, so that in due time we were ready to sail, well provisioned and well equipped, on our eventful voyage.
Up went the sail; we watched it first flap wildly, and then swell proudly in the wind as the sheet rope was drawn in, and Hall's hand put round the helm.

Then, after a little coquetting, as if she were loth to act as desired without coaxing, she rose lightly to the rippling waves, and glided forward on her way.
"Adams," said Hall, "you'd better make yourself snug up in the bows; Hutton, sit where you are, and be ready to help me with the sail when we tack.

Charlie, old boy, come down astern, beside me; sit a little farther over, Hutton.

Now she's trim." Trim she was, and a strange feeling of exhilaration filled my breast as we now darted forward before the steady breeze, dancing over the waves with a merry splash, tossing them to either side of our prow, and listening to them as they gurgled musically under our keel.
"There's Neil!" cried Charlie, as we passed the coastguards' boathouse, "spying at us through the telescope." "Let him spy," laughed Hall; "I dare say he'd like to be coming too.
It's slow work for those fellows, always hanging about doing nothing." "What's he waving about ?" inquired I from the bows, for we could see that the sailor had put down his glass, and was apparently trying to catch our attention by his gesticulations.
Hall looked attentively for a moment, and then said-- "Oh, I see, he's pointing up at the flagstaff to show us the wind's in the north-east.

I suppose he thinks no one knows that but himself." "Let's see," said Hutton, "we are going north-west, aren't we ?" "Yes, so we shall be able to make use of the wind both ways, with a little tacking." "He's shouting something now," said Charlie, with his eyes still on Neil.
"Oh, he's an old woman," said Hall, laughing; "he's always wanting to tell you this and that, as if no one knew anything about sailing but himself." And he took off his hat and waved it ceremoniously to the old sailor, who continued shouting and beckoning all the while, though without avail, for the only words that came to us across the water were "fresh" and "afternoon," and we were not much enlightened by them.
"I'm afraid he's fresh in the morning," laughed Hutton.
A short sail brought us to the bar mouth, over which, as the tide was in and the sea quiet, we passed without difficulty, although Hall had bade us have the oars ready in case of emergency, should it be necessary to lower our sail in crossing.