The Antelope continued on her way all that night, and on the next morning the boys found the weather unchanged.  Breakfast passed, and two or three hours went on.  The boys were scattered about the decks, in a languid way, looking out over the water, when suddenly a cry from Pat, who was in the bows, aroused all of them.  Immediately before them rose a lofty shore, covered in the distance with dark trees, but terminating at the water’s edge in frowning rocks.  A light-house stood here, upon which they had come so suddenly that, before they were over their first surprise, they were almost near enough to toss a biscuit ashore.

“Wal, now, I call that thar pooty slick sailin,” exclaimed Captain Corbet, glancing at the lighthouse with sparkling eyes.  “I tell you what it is, boys, you don’t find many men in this here day an age that can leave Manan at dusk, when the old fog mill is hard at work, and travel all night in the thickest fog ever seen, with tide agin him half the time, an steer through that thar fog, an agin that thar tide, so as to hit the light-house as slick as that.  Talk about your scientific navigation—­wouldn’t I like to see what one of them thar scientific captings would do with his vessel last night on sech a track as I run over!  Wouldn’t I like to run a race with him? an ef I did, wouldn’t I make a pile to leave and bequeath to the infant when his aged parient air buried beneath the cold ground?”

While Captain Corbet was speaking, the schooner sailed past the light-house, and the thick fog closed around her once more.  On one side, however, they could see the dim outline of the shore on their right.  On they sailed for about a quarter of a mile, when suddenly the fog vanished, and, with scarce a moment’s notice, there burst upon them a blaze of sunlight, while overhead appeared the glory of the blue sky.  The suddenness of that transition forced a cry of astonishment from all.  They had shot forth so quickly from the fog into the sunlight that it seemed like magic.

They found themselves sailing along a strait about a mile in width, with shores on each side that were as high as Blomidon.  On the right the heights sloped up steep, and were covered with trees of rich dark verdure, while on the other side the slope was bolder and wilder.  Houses appeared upon the shore, and roads, and cultivated trees.  This strait was several miles in length, and led into a broad and magnificent basin.

Here, in this basin, appeared an enchanting view.  A sheet of water extended before their eyes about sixteen miles in length and five in breadth.  All around were lofty shores, fertile, well tilled, covered with verdurous trees and luxuriant vegetation.  The green of the shores was dotted with white houses, while the blue of the water was flecked with snowy sails.  Immediately on the right there appeared a circular sweep of shore, on which arose a village whose houses were intermingled with green trees.