ANCHORS DOWN THE WELCOME. 105 



In the afternoon^ having well weighed in my 1824. 

 mind all the circumstances of our distressed Sept. 

 situation, I turned the hands up and informed 

 them, that ^* having now lost all our hower 

 anchors, and chains, and being in consequence 

 unable to bring up in any part of the Wel- 

 come ; being exposed to the sets of a tremen- 

 dous tide-way and constant heavy gales, one 

 of which was now rapidly sweeping us back 

 to the southward, and being yet above eighty 

 miles from Repulse Bay, wdth the shores lead- 

 ing to which we were unacquainted; our 

 compasses useless, and it being impossible to 

 continue under sail with any degree of safety 

 in these dark twelve-hour nights, with the too 

 often experienced certainty that the ship could 

 not beat off a lee-shore even in moderate wea- 

 ther, I had determined on making southing, 

 to clear the narroAvs of the Welcome, after 

 which I should decide on some plan for our 

 future operations." 



I could not, however, put my intention of 

 bearing up into immediate execution, in conse- 

 quence of the still continued gale, and the ina- 

 bility of the Griper to scud in any sea. We 

 therefore passed the night in wearing and 

 making short boards, guided entirely by the 



