242 Thirty Years 



wind and heavy sea. The privation of food, under 

 which our voyagers were then laboring, absorbed every 

 other terror ; otherwise the most powerful persuasion 

 could not, have induced them to attempt such a tra- 

 verse. It was with the utmost difficulty that the 

 canoes were kept from turning their broadsides to the 

 waves, though we sometimes steered with all the pad- 

 dles. One of them narrowly escaped being overset by 

 this accident, happening, in mid-channel, where the 

 waves were so high that the mast-head of our canoe 

 was often hid from the other, though it was sailing 

 within hail. 



The traverse, however, was made ; we were then 

 near a high rocky lee shore, on which a heavy surf was 

 beating. The wind being on the beam, the canoes 

 drifted last to leeward ; and, od rounding a point, the 

 recoil of tin; sea from the rocks was so greal that they 

 were with difficulty kept from foundering. We looked 

 in vain for a sheltered bay to land in ; but. at length, 

 bi LDg unable io weather another point, we were obliged 

 to put ashore on the open beacli, which, fortunate!), 



was sandy at this spot. The debarkation was effected 



without further injury than the splitting of the head 



of the second canoe, which was easily repaired. 



Our encampment being near to the place where we 

 killed the deer on tic L lth, almost the whole party 



went out io hunt, hut they returned in the evening 



