WHERE ARE WE RUNNING TO ? 
259 
through the fog ; hut we had expected to discover it 
before breakfast, and it was now getting toward noon, 
and there was still nothing to be seen but fog, fog, and 
occasionally a heavy-winged sea-bird breaking through 
its dense folds, hovering over us for a moment, and then 
darting away from sight as suddenly as it had appeared. 
“We were going along very fast, too, for the ‘old 
John,’ — at least eight or nine knots the hour; for the 
wind and sea were both astern, and, like any other col- 
lection of matter, she could not have stood still under 
such circumstances had she been so disposed. Besides, 
we had also got up steam that morning, and the boiling 
water under her Dutch galliot-like stern told that the 
propeller was also lending a hand to urge her ahead. ITo 
wonder, then, that she waddled along through the water 
and fog at the above unusual rate. 
“This unusual rate was a very pleasant thing as long 
as we had reason to suppose that we were steering the 
right course, for the faster we went on said right course 
the sooner we should arrive at our port of shelter; but, 
after we had run for an hour or two beyond the time 
I when we should have sighted the northeast point, we 
began to get anxious and to fear that we might be run- 
ning blindfold toward some rock beyond the cape, or 
upon some shelterless lee shore, which might at any mo- 
ment be discovered with unpleasant suddenness; in either 
of which cases it would have been a ‘clew up and fuiT 
game with the ‘old John’ and all connected with her. 
The captain and Carnes, therefore, put their heads toge- 
ther over the imperfect chart, and concluded to change 
^ur course so as to sight the land along which we were 
