THE GREAT EASTERN 157 



mournfully groping our way through the wet grey 

 fog, not at all sure where we were, with one consort 

 lost and the other faintly answering the roar of 

 our great whistle through the mist. As to the ship 

 which was to meet us, and pioneer us up the deep 

 channel, we did not know if we should come within 

 twenty miles of her ; when suddenly up went the 

 fog, out came the sun and there, straight ahead 

 was the Wm, Cory our pioneer, and a little dancing 

 boat, the Gulnare, sending signals of welcome with 

 many-coloured flags. Since then we have been 

 steaming in a grand procession ; but now at 

 2 A.M. the fog has fallen, and the great roaring 

 whistle calls up the distant answering notes all 

 around us. Shall we, or shall we not find the 

 buoy ? 



' July 13. — All yesterday we lay in the damp 

 dripping fog, with whistles all round and guns 

 firing so that we might not bump up against one 

 another. This little delay has let us get our 

 reports into tolerable order. We are now at 7 

 o'clock getting the cable end again, with the main 

 cable buoy close to us.' 



A telegram of July 20 : 'I have received your 

 four welcome letters. The Americans are charming 

 people.' 



