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 fast to leeward ; and, on rounding a point, the 
recoil of the sea from the rocks was so great that they 
were with difficulty, kept from foundering. We looked 
in vain for a sheltered bay to land in; but, at length, 
being unable to weather another point, we were obliged 
to put ashore on the open beach, which, fortunatety, 
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 the 11th, almost the whole party 
went out to hunt, but they returned in the evening 
