CHAPTER XV. 



From Marble Island to Churchill. 



rain, wind, fog and heavy seas — rolling and pitching, and 

 waiting for fine weather — sea-sickness — arrival at 

 churchill — cheering prospect. 



Wc^jfe^pE left Marble Island at seven o'clock on the evening of 

 ^MiM'Uk Tuesday, September 2nd, and steamed towards Chur- 



1 flill 



VJ) D$ |f chill. The sky had become covered with clouds, the 

 I. - <L S^^} evening was cold, but there was as yet only a light 

 breeze and smooth water. This pleasant state of the weather, how- 

 ever, did not long continue. Before midnight the seas were rolling 

 high and the Neptune was labouring in the swell. With each ad- 

 vancing hour the wind became stronger, and the vessel rolled and 

 pitched with great violence. 



We reached a point off the mouth of the Churchill before day- 

 light on Thursday morning, but the furious storm of wind and rain 

 which characterized nearly every mile of our voyage from Marble 

 Island, was still raging. It had grown worse instead of better. 

 The wind was blowing at the rate of forty and forty-five miles an 

 hour. 



It was impossible to approach the coast while the weather was- 

 so thick, therefore the Neptune was laid to, and allowed to beat 

 about with her bow to the gale all day Thursday, the 4th, all night 

 Thursday night, all day Friday, the 5th, and I was going to say, all 

 night Friday night. The only exception to this was that during 

 Friday night we approached nearer to the coast, in the hope of 

 being able to make an entrance on Saturday morning. At six 

 o'clock, a.m., we sighted Knight's Hill beacon, which is twenty-five 

 miles south of Churchill harbour. At ten o'clock we were off the 



