118 STUDIES OF NATURE 



At two o'clock of the next day we start upon 

 the return voyage. At seven in the evening we 

 again sight the Isle of Man ; and note, as we 

 draw near to it, the gradual development of 

 colour and of marking in the green fields and on 

 the rocky shore. We pass so close that even in 

 the twilight we can see people walking on the 

 beach, and a man dragging a boat to the top 

 of the shingle. 



As we pass the Point of Ayre, the northern 

 extremity of the Isle of Man, the lamp in the 

 lighthouse is being lit, and the beams flash 

 across the darkening water. At the same time 

 the ship's lights are hauled up, and I hear the 

 cry, ' The look-out is set, sir.' That means that 

 I must give up my 'coign of vantage' on the 

 forecastle deck to an old seaman who will watch 

 there alone, and undisturbed. It is a fine thing 

 to observe the descent of night on the open sea. 

 The sun has gone, and the sky is partially 

 clouded, but from open spaces a light still falls. 



