admirals, Cloudesley Shovel and George Rooke, commanded the men
of war which formed the convoy. The passage was tedious and
disagreeable. During many hours the fleet was becalmed off the
Godwin Sands; and it was not till the fifth day that the
soundings proved the coast of Holland to be near. The sea fog was
so thick that no land could be seen; and it was not thought safe
for the ships to proceed further in the darkness. William, tired
out by the voyage, and impatient to be once more in his beloved
country, determined to land in an open boat. The noblemen who
were in his train tried to dissuade him from risking so valuable
a life; but, when they found that his mind was made up, they
insisted on sharing the danger. That danger proved more serious
than they had expected. It had been supposed that in an hour the
party would be on shore. But great masses of floating ice impeded
the progress of the skiff; the night came on; the fog grew
thicker; the waves broke over the King and the courtiers. Once
the keel struck on a sand bank, and was with great difficulty got
off. The hardiest mariners showed some signs of uneasiness. But
William, through the whole night, was as composed as if he had
been in the drawingroom at Kensington. "For shame," he said to
one of the dismayed sailors "are you afraid to die in my
company?" A bold Dutch seaman ventured to spring out, and, with
great difficulty, swam and scrambled through breakers, ice and
mud, to firm ground. Here he discharged a musket and lighted a
fire as a signal that he was safe. None of his fellow passengers,
however, thought it prudent to follow his example. They lay
tossing in sight of the flame which he had kindled, till the
first pale light of a January morning showed them that they were
close to the island of Goree. The King and his Lords, stiff with
cold and covered with icicles, gladly landed to warm and rest