196 SEA-SIDE STUDIES. 



a state of uncertainty to that of safety, but not wholly ; 

 for these islets and rocks edge this Sound in an 

 extremely pretty and very different manner from any- 

 thino; I had seen before. The sides of these little 

 islands continue their greenness to the brim of the 

 water, where they are either surrounded by rocks of 

 different shapes, which start up here and there as you 

 advance, like so many enchanted castles, or by a verge 

 of sand of the brightest colour." 



If this was the passage made during gentle May, 

 surely we were very fortunate, in blustering March, to 

 have got over all our troubles in six hours. Shorter, 

 our passage undeniably was ; whether it was also 

 sweeter, remains a problem, towards the solution of 

 which I will say thus much, — that under no extension 

 of euphuism could it be called sweet. In the first 

 place, there had been no breakfast to begin the day ; 

 and the Ariadne offered nothing in the culinary de- 

 partment. Cheering Souchong, or aromatic Mocha, 

 to warm the matutinal ventrals, was not to be thought 

 of; we were even lucky to have a dry biscuit to munch 

 in philosophic resignation. Deprived thus of our 

 natural fortifications against the advancing enemy, we 

 were further disabled by the rain, which forced us to 

 descend into the cabin, and get into our berths. In 

 these exiguous spaces we remained until the joyful 

 tidings of arrival flooded us with sudden energy, and 

 flung the past hours from us like a hideous dream. 

 Except during the brief intervals of sleep and semi- 

 delirimn, those hours were not pleasant. The cold, not 



