“The busy waters, multitudinous,
     Lip the dry beach, and rippling every pool,
     Embathe the limpets in their swirling cool,
     And plash upon the rocks, returning thus
     To their old haunts with pleasure tremulous.”

I loved every rock and tree, and felt loath to part from them, for they were all old friends to me.

I almost forgot to mention that after altering and painting our noble craft, we re-christened her the “Happy Return,” trusting that a good name might give us a good voyage, and I am glad to say such proved to be the case.

We calculated the distance from Jethou to Great Yarmouth to be about three hundred and fifty miles, but before our voyage was finished we found we had greatly under-estimated the actual course; but apart from the wish of getting to the journey’s end, we had a most enjoyable time of it.  We calculated the trip would take us about five days, if the weather were at all favourable, and in this we were not far out.  Perhaps a few details of the trip may be of interest to my readers, for a voyage across the channel is not often undertaken in such a small vessel.

As I have stated, we left Jethou about noon on the 3rd, and rounded the southern end of hilly Herm, then we laid our course so as to pass between Alderney and Cape La Hogue, but for fear of rocks gave the cape a rather wide berth, so that about three o’clock we had Alderney a couple of miles off on our weather beam.  I was laughing at Alec about his yarn of the “Dewdrop,” when an idea occurred to me.

“What do you say to a glass of ale at the tavern you put up at in Braye for those eleven days, eh, Alec?”

“Just the thing.  I have not tasted a glass for months.”

“Nor I,” I replied.  “Swing her round,” and putting the helm over, we made for Braye Harbour to get a glass of beer.  The wind being south-west was somewhat against us, but in an hour we were lying safely in the little harbour, not far from the shore end of the great breakwater, which is nearly a mile in length.  We had two glasses of ale each and no more, and having verified Alec’s yarn of the “Dewdrop,” which was substantially correct, once more embarked, and with a fair wind cut through the water at a smart race.  Rounding Cape La Hogue we were fortunate to get the tide in our favour, and by sunrise on the 4th could just make out the entrance to Havre, from which we were some seven or eight miles distant, and passing Fecamp, were abreast of Dieppe at three p.m.

So far we had done remarkably well, and I proposed to Alec, that as I had a little money, we should go ashore and have a civilized dinner and a look round the town; but he took a different view of the matter, and advocated keeping on as long as the wind favoured us, and to this I readily assented, as the wind was now somewhat unsteady.

“Begum” seemed quite to enjoy the fun as well as ourselves, and made himself quite at home, though I have no doubt he would have thoroughly enjoyed a run ashore, and, as luck would have it, that night he had it.