122 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



bit of plank as a stand-by in case of capsize. Once 

 I saw him pull his jacket off for a swim ashore when 

 well out of soundings. Put all this together, and 

 you will understand my friend to have been of a 

 temperament nervous as touching the water. How- 

 ever, he was a very good fellow ; more particularly 

 one to whom I least feared to communicate any little 

 romantic episode that might turn up. A good deal 

 in this way I had already told him ; and, far from 

 laughing at me, he had seriously set himself to help 

 me at my need. 



"We settled then that we should go together to take 

 this last day's sail out of the Wave, and to make the 

 most of the ladies' society before the act of severing 

 should take place. It would be difficult to say what 

 were the hopes that seemed to peep out at me from 

 the prospect of our arrangement ; but plainly enough 

 I did encourage the hope of some good that was to 

 come of it. Perhaps I was brightened up by the 

 change for the better that my lively and somewhat 

 whimsical friend had introduced into my morning 

 society. Certainly he was much wittier, and more 

 amusing than my own thoughts, which had been my 

 only companionship before. At any rate, having 

 once agreed to the convention, I set about the prepa- 

 ration of myself and my traps with a good will. The 

 day was lovely, and by happy accident not too hot 

 A light breeze was springing up, which would carry 

 us nicely out of the harbour. The only difficulty in 



