"Since Captain Kendall desires that the first lieutenant and Duncan should be heard, we will continue the examination till to-morrow," added the principal, rising from his chair.
The hearing was adjourned, and Paul returned to his room.
CHAPTER XVII.
MORE ABOUT THE DIKES AND DITCHES.
The pilot of the ship was discharged at eight o'clock in the evening, and the two vessels stood on their course to the northward, with a fresh breeze from the south-west. They kept just outside of the continuous chains of shoals on the coast, but for nearly the whole time within sight of the numerous lighthouses which mark the various entrances of the Scheldt and the Maas. The masters on duty were kept very busy in consulting the charts and the sailing directions; but at one o'clock the squadron was off the Brielle Gat, which is the deepest entrance to the river.
There are two principal passages by which vessels may reach Rotterdam from the sea. At the mouth of the Maas, or of the river which includes the Rhine, Waal, and Maas, there is a large island called the Voorne. At the north of it is the Brielle Gat, which is the most direct sea passage to the city; but the bar at its mouth has only seven and a half feet of water at low tide. At the south of the island is the Goeree Gat, by which the largest ships must enter, passing through the island in a canal.
The Dutch pilot who boarded the ship, after learning her draught, declared that she could go over the bar of the Brielle Gat, and both vessels went up by this passage. At five o'clock in the morning the squadron came to anchor in the broad bay before the city of Rotterdam.
Paul Kendall, free from all care, and not much disturbed by the cloud which hung over him, had turned out early to see the sights on the river. He had a splendid prospect of windmills, dikes, and ditches. The Dutch pilot spoke intelligible English, and the young inquirer laid him under contribution for his stores of knowledge. Paul asked a great many questions, which the pilot good-naturedly answered.
Vlaardingen, the principal port engaged in the herring fishery, was pointed out to him. Every year this place sends out about a hundred and fifty vessels, or more than one half of the whole number engaged in this branch of the fisheries. On the 10th or 11th of June, in each year, the officers of the herring fleet go to the Stadhuis, or town hall, and take the prescribed oath to observe the laws regulating the fisheries of Holland. Three days later they hoist their flags on board, and go to church to pray for a season of success. On the following day, which is kept as a holiday in the town, the fleet sails. The fishing season ends on the 1st of November.