292 PKAIRIE AND FOREST. 



At breakfast our captain expressed much satisfac- 

 tion at the bad weather having passed, and particularly 

 at its being so unusually calm, for he much feared, 

 what with the usual incorrectness of dead reckoning 

 and strong tides which exist to a greater extent here 

 than probably in any other portion of the globe that 

 he was some way off his course. On taking soundings, 

 the depth indicated by the lead-line and the composi- 

 tion of the bottom so completely differed from what 

 we expected that there scarcely remained a doubt that 

 we were astray ; still we were drifting very rapidly to 

 the north-west, the fog, if anything, growing denser. 

 About eleven, our captain having given the look-out 

 strict injunctions to keep his e} r es open while he 

 again went below to examine his chart, I followed 

 suit. I could scarcely have been in the cabin over 

 five minutes when the schooner received a severe 

 shock, which caused me to rush on deck. We had 

 struck a rock forward, a little to starboard of the 

 stem, but the tide had fortunately swung us round 

 clear, and we were drifting on as if nothing had 

 happened. On sounding, we found we were making 

 water rapidly, faster than the pumps could throw it 

 out. True, we had the boats, and our danger was 

 trifling, but the security of the gallant craft was immi- 

 nent. Not a word of anger did the captain permit to 

 escape his lips, but accepted all as destiny. Scarcely 

 twenty minutes had we been in this uncertain state 

 when a gentle breeze sprang up and the fog rapidly 

 lifted, giving 'us an observation, and disclosing a pano- 

 rama never to be forgotten. Tier after tier of sterile 

 hills overtopped each other to the north, grand in 

 their bold and fantastic outline, while a white sandy 



