[pattbksok] sir HUMPHREY GILBERT'S EXPEDITION 121 



the idea even grotesquely so is that this must have taken place directly 

 in the face of wind and sea. It had been '-blowing vehemently" from 

 the south bringing the full swell of the Atlantic from the same direction. 

 We can understand how under such influences the mariners should tind 

 themselves driven considerably farther north than they counted on, but 

 how could they drift or be driven so far to the south ? 



Farther, when we come to examine the details given of this part of 

 the voyage, we will see that they are entirely irreconcilable with the idea 

 of the wreck of the ''Delight" having taken place on Sable Island, and 

 that some part of the coast of the island ef Cape Breton must have been 

 the scene of the event. Let it be noted that both Clarke and Hayes 

 agree that they had been sailing all the night previous west southwest,' 

 with a strong southerly gale. With such a wind their course would 

 probably be even more northerly than they calculated. But taking it 

 as Avest northwest, if they struck Sable Island it must have been on the 

 south side. Now passing some minor points, which render this incredible, 

 we note that the description given of the place where they struck is 

 inconsistent with the idea of its having taken place there. The writer 

 says that they fell among shoals or flats as he calls them, where the 

 leading vessel drawing only fourteen feet of water went aground, and 

 where on sounding they found seven, five, or only four fathoms of water 

 with deeper places at distances of three or four times the vessel's length. 

 Certainly this is not a description of the south shore of Sable Island. 

 There are on it no shoals or flats. It slopes gradually to deep water 

 except as crossed by three bars over which the sea breaks heavily, when 

 there is any sea ninning.- 



Still farther I venture to affirm that no mariner at all acquainted 

 with that shore will ever believe it possible for the " Hinde " and the 

 " Squirrel," and the " Delight " boat to have beat off from it to sea. 

 Even in ordinary weather vessels do not anchor on that side of the island, 

 and landing is only attempted under special circumstances after a 

 continuance of northerly wind and fine weather. But with a southerly 

 gale blowing all night and driving the sea upon that side of the island for 

 vessels so close upon the shore that one drawing fourteen feet of water 

 was completely wrecked, to work off to sea in the wind's eye, as they 

 express it, would by any Nova Scotia sea captain, or Acadian or New 

 England fisherman be regarded as an achievement as practicable as a 

 voyage to the moon. 



1 The mate of the " Hinde " makes their course, however, northwest by west, or 

 one point more to the north. 



2 In mj' paper on Sable Island, published in the Transactions of the Royal Society 

 of Canada for 1894, the misplacement of a comma has altered the meaning of a 

 sentence on this subject. It is there said " Beside these bars, at each extremity of 

 the island there are three shoals or ridges parallel with the shore." The comma 

 .should have been after " island " and not after " bars." 



