4 EXPEDITION INTO 



seas breaking' over her^ oblig-ed the tailor to seal up liis family 

 hermetically ; heavy lurches during- the nig'ht ejected us from 

 our narrow precincts^ and more than once brought my 

 companion^ who slept in a shelf above me^ and myself, into 

 awkward and violent collision ; whilst the rolling- during- the 

 day repeatedly swept the table^ and deposited the viands in 

 our laps. Being- the whole time within sig-ht of land, no 

 observations were taken, and on the afternoon of the eig-hth 

 day we entered St. Francis' Bay, in mistake for that of 

 Alg-oa, not discovering- our error until we were about to let 

 g'O the anchor. The opinions on the subject were various 

 and conflicting-. The tailor, who had made the voyage before, 

 courageously ascended the mast-head, in spite of the remon- 

 strances of his love-sick spouse, to make an attempt at 

 recognition ; and regaining the deck gravely asserted that 

 we were in Plettemberg's Bay, nearly two degrees to the 

 westward. Doubts being entertained of the soundness of 

 his opinion, we were consulted. The chart was produced, 

 and being satisfied that we were close to Cape Becif, a 

 dangerous reef of rocks, we advised the ship to be hove to j 

 but sail having been again made during the night, we con- 

 trived to weather the point, and having- narrowly escaped 

 foundering on the Bird Islands, floundered by good fortune 

 into the harbour of Port Elizabeth. 



