, ADVENTURES BY LAND* AND SEA. 183 
meat left, and at this rate of travel two weeks would 
take us to Churchill. By carefully rationing ourselves 
we had meat enough to last for five or six days, and the 
balance of the time could, if necessary, be spent without. 
provisions. 
On the night of the 15th, however, being camped upon 
a little sand island in the mouth of Corbet’s Inlet, our 
hopes were blighted by the approach of a gale, and all 
the next day we lay imprisoned upon the sand-bar 
without any fresh water to drink. Toward evening the 
wind was accompanied by a chilling rain, which continued 
all night and the greater part of the next morning. On 
the following afternoon the wind suddenly fell, and 
though a heavy sea continued to roll in from the east, 
the waves ceased to break. 
Fearing to lose one hour when it was possible to 
travel, we launched our canoes upon the heaving bosom 
of the deep and started across the mouth of the inlet on 
an eight-mile traverse. As we passed out beyond the 
shelter of the island we found the seas running fearfully 
high, but so long as they did not break upon us we had 
httle to fear, and this would not likely occur unless the 
wind should spring up again ; but when we were well out 
in the middle of the inlet that is just what did occur. 
The wind began to rise from exactly the opposite quarter, 
and speedily increased in force, whipping the crests off 
the waves in such a way as to make things appear any- 
thing but reassuring. Our situation was indeed perilous. 
Every effort was made to guide the canoes soas to brook 
least danger, but in spite of all we could do the seas 
dashed in upon us, and it looked as if we would never 
reach the shore. 
