34 
FRESHWATER GATE. 
wandered about the neighbourhood all day, and shot a 
stray smumer snipe or two, and two or three old crows. 
At Freshwater Gate there is but one inn, and, unfortu- 
nately, its ' all ' of beds was occupied however, there is a 
little square building belonging to the same establishment, 
but disconnected, and situated farther down the beach ; and 
in this the accommodating landlady made up three beds : 
here, after making an agreement with two fishermen for 
the services of themselves and their boat at three o'clock 
the next morning, we turned m for the night, — the 
chambermaid fastening the door outside with a wooden 
button, to keep us from harm : other fastening there was 
none. It may be supposed we did not sleep very soundly ; 
the incessant roar of the sea, as its waves broke on the 
shingly beach, and approached within a few yards of where 
we lay ; the odd fastening of our apartment ; tales of smug- 
glers and pirates, which we had been listening to ; and the 
anticipation of a novel and exciting sport, furnished us 
amply with amusement and talking materials, until, at 
half-past two, one of the fishermen unbuttoned our door, 
and expressed himself at our service. 
We were soon ancle-deep on a beach, over which a 
long swell was alternately forcing forwards a multitude of 
pebbles, or drawing them with it as it retired towards the 
ocean, and producing an incessant and monotonous rattle, 
none the more pleasing to our ears, that we had been 
compelled to listen to it for the last five hours. The night 
air still blew cold and clammy from over the expanse of 
waters ; and though the first blush of morning was visible 
to landward, over the sea all was gloom. The fishermen 
pushed off the boat, and in a minute they were steadily 
labouring against a heavy swell and a rising tide we 
