We stayed two days, the only incident of interest being a visit to the United States ship Wilmington, which had put in here with a broken crank shaft on her way home from Shanghai. The captain and some of his officers, in turn, visited us.

The Course of the Quest, Outwards and Inwards

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Our work done, we set out, and on a perfect evening proceeded along the coast of the island, which is very picturesque. The land is terraced, and there is evidently a considerable amount of intensive cultivation. Pretty little villages nestle in its hollows, and windmills are dotted all about the hills. The Quest proceeded smoothly. The sea was calm, and in the still air of this lovely summer evening one felt that nothing could be more perfect and that one could go on and on for ever. We had had so much bad weather and our trip throughout had been so arduous that we felt this respite all the more.

I had hoped on leaving the Azores to run immediately into westerly winds, but for some days we had light north-easters. The wind finally came round to north-west and blew up strongly on our beam. The ocean gathered itself up for one more fling at us, but it was but a half-hearted one; we were homeward bound, and what did we care? In a few days we should be in England, and though I have experienced many goings and comings since those unforgettable first ones, the parting never seems to lose its hurt nor the home-coming its thrill.

God gave all men all earth to love,

But since our hearts are small,

Ordained for each one spot should prove