XXII. 



The return from Etretat Inventory A serious culprit The worst foe of 

 the Dutchman A selfish rascal The sponges of the Channel Homeric 

 combat between a negro and a sponge Clams A Chinaman in a shell 

 Signs of bad weather A recollection of some martyrs of duty Old 

 mariner and true sailors. 



AFTER an excursion of two days, conscientiously 

 devoted to the examination of Etretat and the neigh- 

 bourhood the Manhole, the Cauldron, the Needles, 

 as well as the great springs at Bruneval they com- 

 menced their homeward journey on hoard of the 

 Albatross. With one of those sudden changes so 

 frequent on the coasts of the Channel, the wind now 

 blew from N.E. to S.W., bringing with it great banks 

 of clouds. The surface of the water, slightly agitated 

 by a swell, receiving no longer the rays of the sun, 

 had become of a more glaucous colour. Sky overcast, 

 breeze slight, as the sailors say. 



However, old Lucas when he was consulted, had 

 not any hesitation in giving the signal for departure. 

 " A leading wind to come with, and a leading wind 

 to return with ! Why, the v^eather is made expressly 



