THE BOAT JOURNEY 
AVe stood in towards the sliore to look for a landiiig-place, 
and presently we could see the green tussock-grass on the 
ledges above the surf -beaten rocks. Ahead of us and to the 
south, blind rollers showed the presence of uncharted reefs along 
the coast. Here and there the hungry rocks were close to the 
surface, and over them the great Avaves broke, swirling viciously 
and spouting thirty and forty feet into the au\ The rocky coast 
appeared to descend sheer to the sea. Our need of water and rest 
was welliiigh despera te, but to have attempted a landing at that 
time would have been suicidal. Night was drawing near, and 
the weather indications were not favourable. There was nothing 
for it but to haul off till the following morning, so we stood 
away on the starboard tack until we had made what appeared 
to be a safe offing. Then we hove to in the high westerly swell. 
The hom^s passed slowly as we waited the dawn, which would 
herald, we fondly hoped, the last stage of our journey. Our 
thirst was a torment and we could scarcely toucli our food ; 
the cold seemed to strike right through our weakened bodies. 
At 5 a.m. the Avind shifted to the north-west and quickly 
increased to one of the worst hurricanes anv of us had ever 
experienced. A great cross-sea Avas running, and the wind 
simply shrieked as it tore the tops off the waves and converted 
the whole seascape into a haze of driA'ing spray. DoAvn into 
valleys, up to tossing heights, straining until her seams opened, 
SAVung our little boat, brave still but labom'ing heavily. We 
kncAV that the Avind and set of the sea Avas driAang us ashore, 
but we could do nothing. The dawn shoAved us a storm-torn 
ocean, and the morning passed Avithout bringing us a sight of 
the land ; but at 1 p.m., through a rift in the flying mists, we 
got a ghmpse of the huge crags of the island and realized that 
OUT position had become desperate. We were on a dead lee 
shore, and aa^c could gauge om' approach to the unseen clifis 
by the roar of the breakers against the sheer walls of rock. I 
ordered the double-reefed mainsail to be set in the hope that we 
might claw off, and this attempt increased the strain upon the 
boat. The James Caird Avas bumping heavily, and the AA^ater was 
pouring in eA^erjnvhere. Our thirst was forgotten in the realiza- 
tion of our imminent danger, as we baled unceasingly, and 
M ' 177 
