340 GLOOMY WEATHER. [CHAP.V. 



feudal castles frowning over a level waste. 

 After attendance at divine service, I was in- 

 formed by the officer of the watch that the ship 

 had settled down three inches forward, but an 

 alteration so trifling was not apparent on deck ; 

 and, what was far more consolatory was the fact 

 that the leak had taken up so much, as to make 

 it an easy task to keep it free with one pump, 

 used four or five times a day. At noon the 

 weather was thick and gloomy, with light rain, 

 the temperature being 35° + . Drizzling rain, 

 ultimately succeeded by snow, fell during most 

 of the night, and at daylight of May 15th water 

 could be made out from the crow's-nest, extend- 

 ing from south-east to west. The thermometer 

 did not fall lower than 29°+ during the night, 

 and began to rise rapidly after 8 h a. m. For the 

 first time this season the sails, which had been 

 wetted by the late rain, were loosed to dry. 

 The land was dimly visible and the sky still 

 overcast, but the same dark horizontal clouds 

 were always seen to the south-west. The breeze 

 freshened as the day declined, and some lanes of 

 water displayed themselves to the southward as 

 usual. 



May 16th. When the land could be made 

 out, it was seen that we had set more to the 

 south, and by noon we were opposite the rounded 

 rocky hill, which had formed the terminating 



