Jethou; or, Crusoe Life in the Channel IslesSuffling, Ernest R. (Ernest Richard)
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Jethou; or, Crusoe Life in the Channel Isles
Suffling, Ernest R. (Ernest Richard)
Channel Islands; Jethou
When morning dawned the dear old chalk cliffs of Dover were looking down
upon our little cockle-shell, as she rose upon each glittering wave, and
looking up at those gigantic white cliffs, we seemed really to be at
home. Here was England at last, and I could not resist the temptation of
running into the harbour to once more put foot on my native land. We got
in about seven, and had a stroll about the hilly old place, then went to
a dining-room and had such a breakfast as my slim purse would afford. We
then gave "Begum" (who looked after the vessel while we were away) a run
ashore for half an hour, while we trimmed up and made all snug.
At about half-past nine on the 6th we left the harbour in brilliant
sunshine, Ramsgate and Margate looking gay with their flags, yachts,
bathing machines, white houses, and throngs of holiday makers. The water
round the English coast looks hardly clean enough to bathe in after the
limpid crystal we had been used to at Jethou. It struck us as looking
peculiarly chalky and turbid, but a few days reconciled us to what we
shall in future have to put up with.
We kept close in to the North Foreland, to avoid the dreaded Goodwin
Sands, as we did not wish to leave the bones of the "Happy Return," with
her valuable cargo, upon them.
From the Foreland we took a straight course across the Thames estuary,
for what we thought was Walton Naze, but as we had no compass, and were
quite out of sight of land, we made a slight error, and about dusk found
ourselves close in with the shore. Not knowing where we were, as a fog
from the land had come bowling along over the calm sea, we entered a
pretty little bay, and dropped anchor for the night.
While we were preparing supper and wondering where we had got to, as
there was not a house, church, or other landmark in sight, we felt a
bump against our quarter, and immediately after a head appeared above
our side, with a "Good evening, mates; I thought as how you might want
summat from the town, so I jest put off to ye, seeing ye were strangers
like."
"Very good of you indeed, my man. Make fast and come aboard."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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