THE OCEAN VOYAGE 89 



the summit of yonder cloud. But I do not want to enter 

 the realm of dreams, and therefore will return to the 

 diary of my voyage. 



We had arrived in the channel on June the 17th about 

 two o'clock in the afternoon. The wind blew from the 

 North and we turned our course toward the West. We 

 soon came so close to Calais that it was not only possible 

 for us to distinguish the steeples and houses of this quaint 

 little town, but even the masts of the ships in the harbor, 

 notwithstanding the unfavorable weather, which only 

 permitted us to recognize that part of the English coast 

 which stretches from North Foreland to Dover Castle. The 

 wind did not permit us to approach it any closer than two 

 miles, so that one could see no more than the gigantic 

 outline of its rocky walls. At sun-set the wind calmed 

 down completely and the evening was so beautiful that 

 even the victims of seasickness crawled out of their cells 

 to enjoy the splendid view. From starboard one could 

 observe the English coast, whose bluish rocks were a fit 

 part in the unusual scenery of the evening, while the set- 

 ting sun shed its golden rays over the terraces of the 

 chalk rocks of Cape Grisnez. About us was the channel, 

 smooth and silent as the mirror of a lake upon which 

 the soft gliding of the vessel could hardly be heard. The 

 night covered the scene by and by with her star-spangled 

 heavens, and when we at last turned toward our berths 

 we had reached Dungeness, the red lights of which were 

 plainly visible to our view. From the Northeast shone 

 the bright fires of Dover, which towers upon the high 

 coast; behind us, toward the East, we saw the brilliant 

 fires of Grisnez and further South sparkled the blaze of 

 Boulogne. The greater part of the following day we had 

 contrary Western winds which compelled us to make 

 short cruises. The cold and foggy air did not make our 

 trip through the channel much more agreeable than that 

 of the Elbe and North Sea, though we had occasion to 

 see some very interesting sights. 



Early the next morning, Wednesday, the 18th, on which 

 the beauty of the night before had still left its imprint, 



