June 1829. 



SAIL FllOM POUT GALLANT. 



245 



partly falling, but quite against his consent. What he did by 

 accident, we were obliged to do, because there was no alter- 

 native ; so away we slid, one after another, like so many sledges 

 upon Russian ice-hills, holding the instruments as we could, 

 by one hand, while the other was employed to check or steady 

 us. With a little more of this sort of work, and some strug- 

 gling through the wood at the bottom, we reached the shore, 

 where a boat was waiting for us, and at about eight arrived on 

 board, in a half- wet, half-frozen condition.^ 



" 19th. Every thing was brought on board, the ship un- 

 moored, and all made ready for our departure next morning. 



" 20th. Sailed from Port Gallant, leaving the Adelaide to 

 rate her chronometers, and rejoin us before leaving the Strait. 

 In the evening we anchored in Elizabeth Bay, after a severe 

 day's struggle against a strong and contrary wind, with much 

 rain, 



"21st. Blowing hard again this morning from the N.W., 

 with a great deal of rain. W^eighed and made sail under reefed 

 courses and treble reefed topsails, but the wind and tide were 

 more than a match for us, so we stood across into Whale 

 Sound, and worked up under the lee of Carlos Island, finding 

 the tide there rather in our favour. The ' willLwaws"' (I know 

 no better name for the sudden gusts that come off the high 

 land) gave us some trouble, occasionally laying us almost on 

 our beam ends. At half past two I was induced to anchor 

 under the lee of the south-east extremity of Carlos Island, 

 and thought our day's work was repaid by a snug position close 

 to a weather-shore, besides having made some little progress ; 

 but after dark the wind became more violent, and a williwaw 

 drove us out into deep water. We set the storm sails, which, 

 with the weather-tide, known to be then making strongly, I 

 hoped would take her a-head sufficiently to clear Rupert Island 

 (lying under our lee), and all hands then went to the capstan ; 

 but while heaving-in the cable, our bower anchor again caught 

 the ground and brought us up. We veered away cable 



* The wristbands of our shirts, and all our outer clothes, were coated 

 with ice, while our inner clothing was wet through. 



