“Land-falls,” added Spike, perceiving that the shipmaster's relict was a little at fault. “Thank you, sir; the hint is quite welcome. His landfalls, also, were often in his mouth.” “What is a land-fall, aunty?” inquired Rose--“It appears a strange term to be used by one who lives on the water.” “Oh! there is no end to the curiosities of sailors! A 'land-fall,' my dear, means a shipwreck, of course. To fall on the land, and a very unpleasant fall it is, when a vessel should keep on the water. I've heard of dreadful land-falls in my day, in which hundreds of souls have been swept into eternity, in an instant.” “Yes; yes, Madam Budd--there are such accidents truly, and serious things be they to encounter,” answered Spike, hemming a little to clear his throat, as was much his practice whenever the widow ran into any unusually extravagant blunder; “yes, serious things to encounter. But the land-fall that I mean is a different sort of thing; being, as you well know, what we say when we come in sight of land, a'ter a v'y'ge; or, meaning the land we may happen first to see. The departure is the beginning of our calculation when we lose sight of the last cape or headland, and the land-fall closes it, by letting us know where we are, at the other end of our journey, as you probably remember.” “Is there not such a thing as clearing out in navigation?” asked Rose, quickly, willing to cover a little confusion that was manifest in her aunt's manner. “Not exactly in navigation, Miss Rose, but clearing out, with honest folk, ought to come first, and navigation a'terwards. Clearing out means going through the Custom-House, accordin' to law.” “And the Molly Swash has cleared out, I hope?” “Sartain--a more lawful clearance was never given in Wall Street; it's for Key West and a market. I did think of making it Havana and a market, but port-charges are lightest at Key West.” “Then Key West is the place to which we are bound?” “It ought to be, agreeable to papers; though vessels sometimes miss the ports for which they clear.” Rose put no more questions; and her aunt, being conscious that she had not appeared to advantage in the affair of the “land-fall,” was also disposed to be silent. Spike and Mulford had their attention drawn to the vessel, and the conversation dropped.