THE TRUCK SYSTEM 87 



knows if he has " tacked ship," and is on the Lord's 

 side, or on the other side. Often they say, " I should 

 like to be" ; almost never, "I hope I am." 



For visiting places inaccessible to the ship, from 

 the fact that they lay among dangerous rocks, or 

 up narrow creeks, or because they only offered shelter 

 to small boats, we had taken with us a twenty-five 

 foot whale-boat, the Alfred, which we rigged with 

 two lug-sails and a jib. In this we made many 

 journeys. Once we capsized her ; once lost our way 

 in the fog, and had a nasty half-hour, with wind 

 rising, and fearing we were making out to sea as we 

 ran before it, till the thunder of the surf warned us 

 of the land, and the bottom of towering cliffs, white 

 with Atlantic breakers, broke suddenly into view. 

 We had to abandon the boat that night, and walk 

 home over the hills; but we managed to fetch her 

 home, close-reefed under shelter of the back of the 

 islands, next day. It so happened that where we 

 landed two or three couples wanted marrying. No 

 chance had offered for several years, so one couple 

 determined at once to return to the ship with us for 

 that ceremony, as we had at the time a visiting 

 minister on board. It was late at night before we 

 got there, but we decided (i) any hour was better 

 than none, and (2) that in a lonely harbour, on a 

 solitary ship (and as they already had three chil- 

 dren), " pronouncing the banns might be dispensed 

 with." So we adjourned to the cabin, and proceeded 

 to business at once. The skipper was best man and 



