CROSSING THE CHANNEL. 145 



This is one of the two routes which take you across the 

 Channel in the narrowest part, thus giving a smaller por- 

 tion of the journey to be made by steamer on the sea 

 than the other routes which cross the Channel lower down, 

 where it is wider. The other passage leading across the 

 narrow part of the Channel is from Dover to Calais. This 

 last was far the most usual route in ancient times, when 

 steam-boats were unknown, and the passage was, accord- 

 ingly, always made by sailing vessels, which did not pre- 

 tend to leave port at fixed hours, but only when wind and 

 tide favored. 



Now, of these two routes, the passage by Dover and 

 Calais is the most romantic in two respects first, on ac- 

 count of the quaint and antique character of the two 

 towns, and the many very interesting historical associa- 

 tions connected with them; and, secondly, from the fact 

 that, as the boat by that route leaves every day at a fixed 

 hour, whatever is the state of the tide, and as the water in 

 the harbor there, as in most of the other harbors on the 

 shores of the Channel, is never very deep, and is nearly all 

 out at low tide, it happens that, when the tide is low at the 

 appointed hour of sailing, the steamer necessarily goes out 

 of the harbor some time before, and remains outside, in deep 

 water, until the hour arrives, and then the passengers go out 

 in a small boat to go on board. 



John thought it would be a very interesting adventure 

 for him to go on board in this way in a small boat, and for 

 that reason was inclined to take the Dover route. 



But then he did not know, and he had no ready means 

 of ascertaining, whether the tide would be low or not at 

 the time of sailing on the following day ; and if it should 

 not be, he saw that he should lose his desired adventure, 

 and would have to go on board in the tame and common- 

 place way of walking over a plank from the pier. 



