VOYAGE TO ALGEKIA. 157 



In our rehearsals Elliot stood beside me, watch in 

 hand, and furnished with a lantern. He called out at 

 the end of each interval, while I moved from telescope 

 to finder, from finder to polariscope, from polariscope 

 to naked eye, from naked eye back to finder, from 

 finder to telescope, abandoning the instrument finally 

 to observe the retreating shadow. All this we went 

 over twenty times, while looking at the actual sun, and 

 keeping him in the middle of the field. It was my 

 object to render the repetition of the lesson so mechan- 

 ical as to leave no room for flurry, forgetfulness, or 

 excitement. Volition was not to be called upon, nor 

 judgment exercised, but a well-beaten path of routine 

 was to be followed. Had the opportunity occurred, I 

 think the programme would have been strictly carried 

 out. 



But the opportunity did not occur. For several days 

 the weather had been ill-natured. We had wind so strong 

 as to render the hawsers at the stern of the ' Urgent ' as 

 rigid as iron, and to destroy the navigating lieutenant's 

 sleep. We had clouds, a thunder-storm, and some rain. 

 Still the hope was held out that the atmosphere would 

 cleanse itself, and if it did we were promised air of 

 extraordinary limpidity. Early on the 22nd we were 

 all at our posts. Spaces of blue in the early morning 

 gave us some encouragement, but all depended on the 

 relation of these spaces to the surrounding clouds. 

 Which of them were to grow as the day advanced ? 

 The wind was high, and to secure the steadiness of my 

 instrument I was forced to retreat behind a projection 

 of the bastionet, place stones upon its stand, and, 

 further, to avail myself of the shelter of a sail. My 

 practised men fastened the sail at the top, and loaded 

 it with boulders at the bottom. It was tried severely, 

 but it stood firm. 



