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2 6 8 CHANNEL i s l a n d s :
long low curve, stretched the French coast, terminating
in Cape La Hogue ; and about six miles to the
left, were seen the Casket light houses, whose white
towers, erected on the formidable rocks against whose
perils they are the guarantee, seemed like dwellings,
resting on the ocean. There is a feeling of great
solitariness, and even, of solemnity begotten, in looking
around, from the cross bench of a small boat,
almost out of sight of land.
I dare say the boatmen felt nothing of this. As
the sun got lower, they tugged the harder,—anxious
as they said, to make Alderney before dark : not on
their account, but on mine ; for supposing I had heard
a good deal of the dangers of Alderney, they probably
concluded, that I was not perfectly at my ease ; and
they kept now and then repeating to me, in their own
indifferent French, “ Monsieur, jour et nuit, c'est la
même chose pour nous,”—that was to say, that they
knew the navigation so well, that it signified nothing
whether it was dark or light when they got into the
swinge. For my part never having seen the swinge,
I felt no great dread of it ; and it was so calm, and
mild, and beautiful, that darkness seemed scarcely to
have any thing of terror in it.
Notwithstanding all the exertions we made, it fell
almost dark before we reached the coast; and when
we entered the swinge, there was just light enough to
see that its dangers had not been exaggerated. Suddenly,
from the calmest vrater, we were plunged into
an ugly plashy sea ; dancing and breaking, as if there
were rocks not a foot from the surface. I was just
able to see, that iu some places, there were currents,
like cataracts; and in others, singular wide hollows
and eddies like whirlpools ; while at no great distance,
I could occasionally perceive the black heads of rocks,
appearing and disappearing, as the swell of the
troubled sea rose and fell among them ; and still the
boatmen continued their consolatory sentence, “jour
et nuit, c'est la même chose pour nous.” It soon became
as dark as it is on any March moonless night; but I
felt secure in the knowledge and skill of the boatmen
: and about an hour after dark, something black,
and square, and high, appeared on our bow, which
turned out to be the back of the harbour, which we
soon after—but apparently with great straining at the
oars—safely entered : and from what the boatmen
now told me, I had reason to congratulate myself, not
on escape from danger,—for I do not suppose there
was any ; but from considerable inconvenience. Owing
to our protracted voyage, the tide had already
began to turn ; and if we had been half an hour later,
or had not been favoured by a light breeze which
sprung up when it fell dark, no efforts could have
carried us into Alderney ; and we should have been
obliged to have submitted to be carried again through
the swinge as we came; aud to have passed the night
as we best could.
Alderney does not boast of inns ; there is indeed,
the “ Jolly T a r” close to the harbour; but having
learnt that there was a respectable lodging house in
the town,—which lies up a steep ascent, about half a
mile from the harbour,—thither I accordingly walked,
preceded by my boatmen, who had charge of the mail
from Guernsey. I had no great difficulty in finding
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