472 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



But just as we rejoiced in this, the lad heaving the 

 lead sang out, * By the mark two ' (fathoms), and again 

 we were bewildered. 



The course was mid-channel, as marked on the chart, 

 yet it was only 12 feet, and shoaled to the east and 

 deepened to the west, instead of vice versa. The fact 

 was that the chart was utterly unreliable, and the channel 

 most inefficiently laid down. 



For weary hours of day and night the ship tacked on 

 and off the shallows trying to run out to the northward. 



Then a dead calm followed, suddenly succeeded by a 

 N.W. wind. 



We had tacked far south of No. 4 beacon in order to 

 fetch up the deep water, and now our tacks had to be 

 made close up to the wind in order to get out past 

 No. 3 without striking an outlying shoal at the east end. 



August 3. 



Tuesday, the 3rd of August. It is perhaps in vain 

 to attempt thoroughly to describe the twistings and 

 manoeuvres of our ship, the constant and monotonous 

 ' By the mark ' so many fathoms of the lad at the lead, 

 or the no small dread we had of running aground — as 

 we often shaved the sandy bottom with only two feet 

 of water under our keel — and the constantly-recurring 

 perplexity caused by an incorrect chart and vague un- 

 business-like directions. 



Suffice it to say, that we at last got out to the north, 

 having the beacons on our right and left hands. 



The men were almost done up with fatigue, and so 

 were the Captain and the old mate, Mr. Bolton, one 

 of the men actually sleeping on his feet ; and Seebohm 

 and I did not dream of turning in, so exciting was this 

 hunt for blue water and a deep sounding. The lads 

 had not slept since Saturday morning save for an hour 



