THE GULF. 



19 



With evening it fell dead calm, while the sea continued 

 to roll mountain high, and the goelette for the following 

 twenty-four hours was tossed about like a cork in a boil- 

 ing pot. 



Both bread and water were becoming scarce, and we 

 were put upon an allowance of the latter. After the ces- 

 sation of the norte the sky became perfectly clear, and 

 the weather warm, with glorious moonlight nights. The 

 lightness and variableness of the wind, however, had al- 

 lowed us to make but little way; the more so, as we 

 were, during the calms, at the mercy of the powerful cur- 

 rents in these seas. 



To cut a long story short, you may imagine us on the 

 afternoon of the fifth day from the date of our mishap, 

 orice more within sight of land ; and approaching our 

 anchorage with feelings which you can well conceive, 

 when you recollect the heartburning we had before ex- 

 perienced, and the hopelessness of a speedy communica- 

 tion with the shore, combined with the present state of 

 the vessel, the nausea which we could not but feel at our 

 prolonged forced contact with the most godless and aban- 

 doned set of human beings I ever was in company with ; 

 and more than all, the fact that the signs of another norte 

 had been thickening around during the day, and now at 

 the approach of night were becoming too evident to 

 admit of misinterpretation. Upon one subject we were 

 all agreed this time, that if we left the Halcyon without a 

 rag, we would not let another opportunity slip through 

 our fingers. Well, our signal was once more fluttering 

 in the wind, and we came to our old anchoring ground. 

 One or two of our former neighbours were also seen re- 

 gaining their port — the greater part were yet missing. 

 With what anxiety we directed our eyes to the bar ! An 

 hour went by, evening with its menace narrowed the 

 horizon ; the wind which had brought us in blew stifFer 

 and stiffer. I had begun to give up my hope, for, without 

 being able to account for it, I had indulged a little — and 

 had as a duty begun to school myself into resignation to 

 the will of God, whatever that might be — when two 

 specks were seen in the breakers, and shortly we saw 



