The  day  after  the  holidays  began  I  saw  a  canal-boat
lading  at  the  wharf,  and  finding  she  was  bound  for
London  I  told  Fred  of  it.  But  he  said  we  had  better
wait  for  a  barge,  and  that  there  would  be  one  on  Thurs-
day. "  Or  if  you  don't  think  you  can  be  ready  by  then,
we  can  wait  for  the  next,"  he  added.  He  seemed  quite
willing  to  wait,  but  (remembering  that  the  captain's
preparations  for  his  longest  voyage  had  only  taken  him
eighteen  and  a  half  minutes  by  the  chronometer,  which
was  afterwards  damaged  in  the  diving-bell  accident,  and
which  I  had  seen  with  my  own  eyes,  in  confirmation  of
the  story)  I  said  I  should  be  ready  any  time  at  half  an
hour's  notice,  and  Thursday  was  fixed  as  the  day  of  our
departure.
To  facilitate  matters  it  was  decided  that  Fred  should
invite  me  to  spend  Wednesday  with  him,  and  to  stay
all  night,  for  the  barge  was  to  start  at  half-past  six
o'clock  on  Thursday  morning.
