THE VOYAGE. 5 



assured us, to keep up our already wavering courage, 

 that there was a pretty heavy sea running outside. 

 However, we were booked for the voyage, and were 

 not going to retreat because it might have a dash of 

 adventure: indeed, the heroism of one of the party 

 was so strung up by the exciting prospect, that he 

 boldly intimated his purpose of joining the search for 

 Franklin, after this expedition. 



So at length we stowed ourselves ' in the stern- 

 sheets ; the peak was hoisted, the jib was set, the 

 mainsail trimmed; another pull upon the peak-hal- 

 yards, the jib and main sheets tautened, and here we 

 were with the red sails as flat as a pancake, facing 

 the westerly breeze, and pitching and rolling in the 

 wash of the sea, which is always more than ordinarily 

 uproarious off the harbour's mouth just at the turn of 

 the tide. 



The little boat ploughed and dug through the 

 green and foaming waves, quivering now and then 

 as one struck her broadside in a way that rather put 

 a damper upon our mirth. Before she had made one 

 short tack, and before we were well abreast of the 

 flag-staff that crowns Capstone Hill, an envious sea 

 curled up its green head right over the quarter, and 

 broke upon us, drenching us as completely as if we 

 had invaded its domain instead of its intruding into 

 ours. A pretty pickle this to begin an eight hours' 

 voyage with! and very comforting to the stomachs, 

 already receiving awful warnings of what was about 

 to be. We all grew as mute as mice in no time: 



