PERIL IN A STORM. 
305 
The dark and heavy atmosphere obscuring the 
sun, prevented our discerning the land, and ren¬ 
dered us unconscious of the direction in which 
the storm was driving us. We took down our 
large sails, leaving only a small one in the fore¬ 
part of the boat, merely to keep it steady. 
The tempest increasing, the natives were 
alarmed, and during the occasional intervals in 
which the wind abated its violence, the rain came 
down in tremendous torrents. The rain calmed 
in a degree the broken and agitated surface of the 
ocean, that raged with threatening violence. Our 
boat being but small, not above eighteen feet long, 
and her edge, when the sea had been smooth, 
not more than a foot or eighteen inches above 
its surface; every wave that broke near, threw its 
spray over us, and each billow, in striking our 
little bark, forced part of its foaming waters over 
the bow or the sides. Happily, we had a bucket 
on board, by means of which we were able to bale 
out the water. 
In this state we continued, I suppose, about two 
hours, hoping that the clouds would disperse, and 
the winds abate ; but, instead of this, the storm 
seemed to increase, and with it our danger. Most 
of the natives sat down in the bottom of the boat; 
and, under the influence of fear, either §hut their 
eyes, or covered them with their hands, expecting 
every moment that the waves would close over us. 
We were not unconscious of our peril, and, as a 
last resort, took down our little sail and our mast, 
tied the masts, bowsprit, and oars together in a 
bundle, with one end of a strong rope, and, fast¬ 
ening the other end to the bow of our boat, threw 
them into the sea. The bundle of masts, oars, &c., 
acted as a kind of buoy, or floating anchor ; and 
II. x 
