OF SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND. 



71 



rapidly, and driving bodily down on the shoal, is^- 

 I therefore kept away a couple of points, a August. 

 plan we now constantly followed, as it was the 

 only method of keeping head-way on the 

 ship in even a moderate sea ; and it was more 

 to our advantage than making eight points lee- 

 way. By so doing we made a little south- 

 west offing, but were so uneasy, that I expected 

 the masts to go every moment, and all hands 

 were kept on deck in readiness. The tiller 

 broke twice adrift, and two men were bruised*. 

 Standing all night s.s.w., the wind came 

 round and moderated from south-west on the 

 morning of the 30th, but a turbulent short sea 

 was still running. We then kept as nearly 

 N.w.b.N. as our very uncertain compasses, and 

 an occasional glimpse of the sun, would per- 

 mit. At four A.M. the land of Southampton, 

 still a lee-shore, was seen very distant in the 

 north-east. At dawn we obtained the latitude 

 and sights, so that if this land is the south- 

 west extreme of the Island of Southampton, 

 (and we had seen nothing to disprove it,) Cape 

 Southampton is laid doAvn 2° to the westward 



* From the extraordinary action of the sea, and our 

 known position, it is evident that a constant " race" is to 

 be found off this spot, and subsequent experience has 

 confirmed this conjecture. 



