THE ATLANTIC. 141 



had received from Mr. Valentine. He, how- 1S24. 

 ever, gave me a better report of Captain October. 

 Parry, and that he was seen to the westward 

 of the ice at the end of July. The mate pro- 

 mised to wait two hom's for our letters ; but 

 the moment he got on board, the North Pole 

 went in stays, and stood off from us on the 

 other tack ; we could not come up with her, 

 and she soon ran us out of sight. 



A heavy e.n.e. gale blew all the 23d, and 

 the sea, which washed over all, stove in our 

 hammock-boards on the bow and quarter, and 

 flooded the lower deck. The weather fell to 

 a dead calm on the 24th, and as the sea con- 

 tinued as high as ever, we pitched bow and 

 taffril under ; but we now knew from expe- 

 rience, that the seas we took in aft could not 

 injure us, otherwise than by flooding the 

 decks, for our ports were sufficient to dis- 

 charge it. During: this time two barks were 

 seen to the eastward, apparently in company, 

 and under low sail, and many of us were of 

 opinion that they resembled the Hecla and 

 Fury. At two P.M. a sudden and most vio- 

 lent squall came down from the e.x.e., and 

 brought us in a moment under the trysails. 

 It continued undiminished until the evening 

 of the 25th, when it moderated, and the sky 



