One of the great events of a sea voyage is the taking on of a pilot, and that occurs when a few days out from land. The pilot who brings a vessel across the Atlantic does not take it into the harbor, unless, as is sometimes the case, a pilot cannot be picked up because of the density of the fog. In that event the one who steers the ship across the ocean _must_ take it into port; but he would rather not do so, for navigation is both difficult and dangerous the nearer one gets to land. The new pilot is taken aboard to superintend the steering of the vessel into port, and during the time he has charge of it the whole responsibility of getting her into port safely rests upon him. He knows where to locate the bad places, and makes a business of trying to escape them. Passengers watch faithfully for the appearance of the pilot boat, and a great deal of time is consumed in that way. The pilot boat is small, and has one white sail; on the sail is painted a number in black. For instance, number nine, or number thirteen is to be seen plainly. The passengers sometimes thought the pilot boat was slow in putting in an appearance. They were over-anxious, you see; but in due time the little boat was seen away off in the distance bobbing up and down with the waves; sometimes it was lost sight of entirely; only for a little time, however, for the next wave brought it in full view, and a chorus of voices called out, “There she is, almost here.” How small it seemed compared with the Aller, and the waves tossed it about as though it were a mere feather. At times they almost overwhelmed it; but the sturdy seamen had strong nerve, and they handled the little craft as though the task was a light one, still steering in the direction of the great Atlantic steamer. Can you imagine the boat coming nearer and nearer the Aller? I can; and in my mind I see the seamen throw the rope overboard to them; they catch it, are drawn closer and closer to the side of the great ship where the long rope ladder hangs. O how anxious we feel! What if he should make a misstep? And we turned away from the railing where the crowd stood watching. It took the man but a little while to climb to the top of the ladder, and before we were aware of it he was standing on deck. We looked at him with surprise, and he bade us the time of day. No sooner was the new pilot on deck than we found ourselves steaming away. Just how soon he commenced work we do not know; but we settled down quietly, feeling satisfied that if all was well with us only a few days would pass before our feet would tread upon dry land again.