His CAPTORS. 267 



Between Scylla and Charybdis. Edge of the Gulf Stream. 



We suddenly emerged from the warm water 

 of the Gulf Stream right into the mist and cold 

 of George's Bank, and a heavy northeast gale, 

 in which we had to lay to during a most tem- 

 pestuous night, and were drifted a long ways 

 to leeward, so as to be in no little danger, un- 

 certain as we needs must be of our whereabouts, 

 and our sails being so old and rotten that it 

 would have been impossible to beat off a lee 

 shore. (Another ship and two schooners were 

 wrecked upon the shoal in this same gale.) 

 Day before yesterday there were occasional 

 glimpses of the sun, just enough to give us 

 doubtful observations, as his disk could be 

 caught behind the dense flying scud, 



Dim through the horizontal misty air, 

 Shorn of his beams. 



But there has been blue sky visible only once 

 since getting out of the Gulf. It was a dense 

 Scotch mist, or else a downright rain all the 

 time, and quite as cold here in May as off Cape 

 Horn in January. 



Sabbath night, however, after a day of al- 

 most entire calm, 



Sounding on our dim and perilous way, 



through fog and cold, a favorable breeze sprang 



