ST. AUGUSTIN TO BAHAMA ISLANDS 257 



suddenly, mariners have a not ungrounded fear of the 

 Gulf Stream, and are always glad when they have 

 passed it. 



In the Gulf Stream of this region it is the common 

 tradition that no bottom is to be found with the lead; 

 the causes may be in part the strength of the current, 

 in part also the deeper washing-out of the sea-bottom 

 so occasioned, these explanations being the most prob- 

 able where the current is most narrowly restricted. 



Towards midnight (31st March) the wind veered 

 to the north-west, and pretty soon was blowing hard; 

 we were obliged to close reef the main-sail. The wind 

 having laid, sprang up again from the south-east, 

 directly in our teeth ; and remained so until the 3rd of 

 April, during which time we made but little way, not- 

 withstanding that while the wind was favorable we 

 had come a good part of our voyage, covering in one 

 night (before the n. w. mentioned) 115 English miles, 

 by our skipper's reckoning. The contrary wind kept 

 our little ship continually in violent motion. Between- 

 times there was calm; the 3rd of April, about seven 

 o'clock in the evening, a dreadful thunder-cloud rose 

 suddenly over us. In the greatest haste our few sails 

 were reefed. The storm passed over rapidly, sparing 

 us its worst fury. Such thunder-squalls are usually 

 very fearful in this region and often dangerous to 

 small vessels. They rage and blow for a quarter or 

 half an hour as if they would lift vessels out of the 

 water, falling so suddenly upon them that the neces- 

 sary measures of precaution cannot be gone about. 

 After the storm, the wind was quite laid, and then to 

 our gratification blew again from the north-west, so 



