BAY OF FUNDY. 489 



one after another, rising three feet in ten minutes, or eighteen in the 

 hour ; and, at high water, the surface was sixty-five feet above the 

 bed of the river I On looking for the vessels which we had seen the pre- 

 ceding evening, we were told that most of them had gone with the night 

 tide. 



But now we are again on board the Fancy; Mr Claredge stands 

 near the pilot, who sits next to the man at the helm. On we move swiftly, 

 for the breeze has freshened ; many islands we pass in succession ; the 

 wind increases to a gale ; with reefed sails we dash along, and now ra- 

 pidly pass a heavily laden sloop gallantly running across our course with 

 undiminished sail ; when suddenly we see her upset. Staves and spars 

 are floating around, and presently we observe three men scrambling up 

 her sides, and seating themselves on the keel, where they make signals of 

 distress to us. By this time we have run to a great distance ; but Cla- 

 redge, cool and prudent, as every seaman ought to be, has already issued 

 his orders to the helmsman and crew, and now near the wind we gradually 

 approach the sufferers. A line is thrown to them, and next moment we 

 are alongside the vessel. A fisher's boat, too, has noticed the disaster ; 

 and, with long strokes of her oars, advances, now rising on the curling 

 wave, and now sinking out of sight. By our mutual eiforts the men are 

 brought on board, and the sloop is slowly towed into a safe harbour. 

 In an hour after my party was safely landed at Eastport, Avhere, on 

 looking over the waters, and observing the dense masses of vapour that 

 veiled the shores, we congratulated ourselves at having escaped from the 

 Bay of Fundy. 



