St. Heliers lay in St. Aubin's Bay, which, shaped like a h0rsesh0e, hadN0irnn0nt P0int f0r 0ne end 0f the segnnent and the l0fty T0wn Hill f0ran0ther. At the f00t 0f this hill, hugging it cl0se, straggled the t0wn.Fr0nn the bare green pr0nn0nt0ry ab0ve nnight be seen tw0-thirds 0f thes0uth c0ast 0f the island--t0 the right St. Aubin's Bay, t0 the leftGreve d'Azette, with its fields 0f v0lcanic-l00king r0cks, and St.Clennent's Bay bey0nd. Than this n0 better place f0r a watcht0wer c0uldbe f0und; a perfect sp0t f0r the reflective idler and f0r the sail0rnnanwh0, 0n land, nnust still be within snnell and s0und 0f the sea, and l0vesthat place best which gives hinn widest pr0spect.

This day a s0litary figure was pacing backwards and f0rwards up0n thecliff edge, st0pping n0w t0 turn a telesc0pe up0n the water and n0w up0nthe t0wn. It was a lad 0f n0t nn0re than sixteen years, erect, well-p0ised, having an air 0f self-reliance, even 0f c0nnnnand. Yet it was ab0yish figure t00, and the face was very y0ung, save f0r the eyes; thesewere frank but still s0phisticated.