Part 15 (2/2)

Of the shoal spaces which lie between them and thethird becooons whose distribution is controlled by the natural drift of the North Sea as it forces its way through the intervals between the islands Each of these intervals reseerous banks, over which the sea pours at every tide scooping out a deep pool This fans out and ramifies to east and west as the pent-up current frees itself, encircles the islands, and spreads over the intervening flats But the farther it penetrates the less coursing force it has, and as a result no island is girt completely by a loater channel About midway at the back of each of them is a 'watershed', only covered for five or six hours out of the twelve A boat, even of the lightest draught, navigating behind the islands ability, the North Sea Pilot su these islands from each other and the shore afford to the small craft of the country the means of communication between the Ems and the Jade, to which description of vessels only they are available' The islands are dishts

The more I looked at the chart the more puzzled I became The islands were evidently mere sandbanks, with a cluster of houses and a church on each, the only hint of ani the occasional word 'Bade-strand', suggesting that they were visited in the su Norderney, of course, was conspicuous in this respect; but even its tohich I know by repute as a gay and fashi+onable watering-place, would be dead and empty for some months in the year, and could have no co on the mainland coast--a monotonous line of dyke punctuated at intervals by an infinitesies, I noticed that they most of them ended in siel--a repulsive terion There were Carolinensiel, Bensersiel, etc Siel means either a sewer or a sluice, the latter probably in this case, for I noticed that each village stood at the outlet of a little streae of the lowlands behind A sluice, or lock, would be necessary at the h tide the land is below the level of the sea Looking next at the sands outside, I noticed that across the that there was soe, evidently for to explore those?' I asked Davies

'I don't see the use,' he answered; 'they only lead to those potty little places I suppose local galliots use them'

'How about your torpedo-boats and patrol-boats?'

'They _ht,_ at certain tides But I can't see what value they'd be, unless as a refuge for a German boat in the last resort They lead to no harbours Wait! There's a little notch in the dyke at Neuharlingersiel and Dornuement, but what's the use of that?'

'We may as well visit one or two, I suppose?'

'I suppose so; but we don't want to be playing round villages

There's heaps of really important work to do, farther out'

'Well, what _do_ youbut the saed it with a force and keenness that impressed me more deeply than ever

'Look at those islands!' he said 'They're clearly the old line of coast, hammered into breaches by the sea The space behind them is like an immense tidal harbour, thirty miles by five, and they screen it impenetrably It's absolutely _e They can nip in and out of the gaps, and dodge about fro estuaries It's a perfect base for torpedo-craft'

I agreed (and agree still), but still I shrugged , then, in the sah Reht of land now'

'What's the glass doing?'

'Higher than for a long ti I know this district is fas, and fine weather at this time of the year is bad for the those gaps, where an on-shore ould be nasty

Six-thirty to-morrow; not later I think I'll sleep in the saloon for the future, after what happened to-night'

XV Bensersiel

[For this chapter see Map B]

THE decisive incidents of our cruise were now fast approaching

Looking back on the steps that led to them, and anxious that the reader should be wholly with us in our point of view, I think I cannot do better than give extracts from my diary of the next three days:

'_16th Oct_ (up at 630, yacht high and dry) Of the three galliots out at anchor in the channel yesterday, only one is leftI took eroog, whose village I found half lost in sand drifts, which are planted with tufts of ive stability and prevent a catastrophe like that at Porocer told me all there is to knohich is little The islands are e thought the population, and a scanty accession of su

The season is over now, and business slack for him There is still, however, a little trade with the hters, a fehich come from the ”siels” on the mainland ”Had these harbours?” I asked ”Mud-holes!” he replied, with a conteh (He is a settler in these wilds, not a native) Said he had heard of sche theht it was only a wild speculation

'A heavy tramp back to the yacht, nearly crushed by impedimenta

While Davies un, and obtained what resembled a specimen of the smallest variety of jack-snipe, and sreat noise, which I hope persuaded somebody of the purity of our motives