THE LUBECKER AND IIIS WIFE THE CHANNEL. 303 



tlie thunder-storms so frequent there, we had the most 

 beautiful weather in the world, with a fresh S. Yv^. 

 wind, inspiring cheerfulness and good spirits. We 

 amused ourselves in the mornings with books or chess, 

 and in the evenings playing whist yviih a dummy, the 

 time passing rapidly and agreeably. Sometimes, by 

 way of a change in our amusements, the American wife 

 cuffed her Liibeck husband, or threw some household 

 utensil at his head ; sometimes the Texan landholder 

 got drunk, and talked all kinds of nonsense. Thus 

 there was no awful pause in our entertainments, up to 

 the time of arriving in the channel on the 1st of Septem- 

 ber, when a cutter came alongside, and sold us fresh 

 fish and potatoes, which we enjoyed very much after all 

 the salt provisions. 



It was too thick to see the land, but after dark we 

 made out a light-house on the coast of England, and 

 afterwards another on that of Normandy. The next 

 day was still foggy, and the wind against us ; later, a 

 pleasant breeze sprung up from the westward, dispersed 

 the fog, displaying the chalky cliffs of Albion in all the 

 splendor of the setting sun ; — hundreds of vessels were 

 in sight, while the sea was almost as smooth as a lake. 

 I mounted aloft to feast my eyes undisturbed, on old, 

 beloved, long-desired Europe, which seemed to open 

 her arms with a friendly smile to welcome back the 

 wanderer. 



I remained till the darkness hid the prospect from 

 my sight. At midnight the wind changed again, and 

 we had to beat to windward ; as the day was cleai;, Ave 

 could make out people walking at Brighton, and the 

 long rows of bathing-machines on the beach. We also 



