74 STOPPED BY THE PACK. 



pursue, for the most furious gale that it has evei 

 been my fortune to encounter broke suddenly upon 

 us, and left us no alternative but to seek shelter under 

 the coast. Our position was now one of great danger. 

 The heavy pack which we had passed the night previ- 

 ous lay to leeward of us, and was even visible from 

 the mast-head, thus shutting off retreat in that direc- 

 tion, even should our necessities give us no choice but 

 to run before the wind. 



The entries of my diary will perhaps best exhibit 



the ineffectual struggle which followed : — 



> 



August 28th, 3 o'clock, P. M. 



Blowing frightfully. We have run in under the 

 coast, and are partly sheltered by it, and trying hard 

 to find an anchorage. But for the protection of the 

 land we could not show a stitch of canvas. We are 

 about three miles from Sutherland Island, which lies 

 close to Cape Alexander, on its south side, but we 

 have ceased to gain any thing upon it. We can carry 

 so little sail that the schooner will not work to wind- 

 ward ; besides, here under the coast, the wind comes 

 only in squalls. If we can only get in between the 

 island and the mainland we shall be all right. I have 

 not been in bed since the day before leaving Tessuis- 

 sak, and during these six days I have snatched only 

 now and then a little sleep. If our anchor once gets 

 a clutch on the bottom I shall make up for lost time. 



I ought to have been more cautious, and sought 

 shelter sooner. A heavy white cloud hanging over 

 Cape Alexander (Jensen calls it a "table-cloth") 

 warned me of the approaching gale, but then I did 

 not think it would come upon us with such fury. 



It is a perfect hurricane. My chief fear is that we 



