26 Cordova's Voyage of Discover!/ 



signals to his companions, who soon arrived; and, in a short 

 time, the ship was covered with Indians. 



They resembled those we had seen in Port Famine, in lan- 

 guage, dress, and manners, but seemed to show m.ore activity 

 and vigour in their actions than the others. They demonstrated 

 the utmost indifference at the sight of our vessel, and of so 

 many things entirely new to them ; and, from what we observed 

 at that time, as well as from what we learned during our resi-, 

 dence in Port S. Joseph, we were more and more convinced of 

 their miserable state of existence. 



At 8f A.M. on the turn of the tide, which till then had set 

 slowly to the SE. we set sail for Port S. Joseph. At 2 p.m. 

 the natives left us, who had remained until that time on-board,, 

 perfectly quiet and contented ; and, having understood our di- 

 rection, they went on before us in their canoes. 



From the time that we anchored on the N. of Point S. Maria, 

 six leagues to the northward of Point S. Anna, at Port Famine, 

 we had not perceived any considerable setting of the currents 

 or tides ; so that our way hitherto had been made good merely 

 by force of tacking, and aojainst the wind. 



At three ?.M. of the SOth we succeeded in anchoring^ in the 

 bay or road of Cape Galan, that cape bearing S. 78^ W. and 

 about half a mile fi-om the east shore of the bay ; where we re- 

 mained, without any remarkable occurrence, until the ^d Fe- 

 bruary, employing the time in taking a draught of the bay, and 

 in adding to our stock of wood and water. At nighty some 

 cfHcers being on-shore with the launch making astronomical ob- 

 servations, the wind freshened zo much, with dreadful squalls, 

 that we expected every moment to be driven from our anchors ; 

 w^e therefore immediately let go a second, in the firm determi- 

 nation to hazard all we had on-board sooner than to abandon 

 those who were on-shore ; at the same time making ready to 

 get under sail, in case, as we expected, our cables should give 

 way; although, in that event, it Vi^ould have been next to im- 

 possible to have avoided falling on the rocks close to leeward, 

 on which we heard the waves dashing with fury, which, toge- 

 ther with the darkness of the night, increased the horror of so 

 cruel a situation. We can safely affirm, that the wind this night 

 was the most violent that we met with in these parts ; and that 

 our cables must certainly have failed, had not the tide happened 

 to set in a different direction from that of the wind, which 

 came over the high mountains. This storm abated somewhat 

 at day-break ; but, in a few hours afterwards, returned with 

 great fury, and so continued for two days together. This event 

 having taught us how much we were exposed while lying in the 



