'The days are growing short. Sunset is soon after five, and an hour
later it is too dark to see booms and buoys distinctly. The tides
also are awkward just now.

(I exclude all the technicalities that I can, but the reader should
take note that the tide-table is very important henceforward.)

'High-water at morning and evening is between five and six--just at
twilight. For the night, we groped with the lead into the Muschel
Balge, the tributary channel which laps round the inside of
Spiekeroog, and lay in two fathoms, clear of the outer swell, but
rolling a little when the ebb set in strong against the wind.

'A galliot passed us, going west, just as we were stowing sails; too
dark to see her name. Later, we saw her anchor-light higher up our
channel.

'The great event of the day has been the sighting of a small German
gunboat, steaming slowly west along the coast. That was about
half-past four, when we were sounding along the Harle.

'Davies identified her at once as the Blitz, Commander von Brüning's
gunboat. We wondered if he recognized the Dulcibella, but, anyway,
she seemed to take no notice of us and steamed slowly on. We quite
expected to fall in with her when we came to the islands, but the
actual sight of her has excited us a good deal. She is an ugly,
cranky little vessel, painted grey, with one funnel. Davis is
contemptuous about her low freeboard forward; says he would rather go
to sea in the Dulce. He has her dimensions and armament (learnt from