148 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA ! 
I | 
thunder, and we were expecting that the boat 
would be overwhelmed by some one or other 
of them every instant, when luckily a large 
wave, that rolled on a little farther than the 
rest without breaking into a foam, set us again 
afloat and the oarsmen making at that moment 
the most vigorous exertions, we once more got 
into deep water;* it was not, however, until 
after many minutes that we were safely out of 
the tremendous surf. A boat, with a pair of 
oars only, that attempted to follow us, was 
overwhelmed in an instant by a wave which 
broke over her: it was in vain to think of 
attempting to give any assistance to her crew, 
and we were obliged for a time to endure the 
painful thought that they might be struggling 
with death within a few yards of us; but be- 
fore we lost sight of the shore we had the sa¬ 
tisfaction of beholding them all standing in 
safety on the beach, which they had reached 
by swimming. 
After having been detained about seven days 
zt Fort Erie, the wind veered about in our fa¬ 
vour, the signal gun was fired, the passengers 
repaired on board, and at half an hour before 
sun-set we launched forth into the lake. It 
was much such another evening as that on 
which we left Kingston ; the vast lake, bound¬ 
ed only by the horizon, glowed with the rich 
warm tints that were reflected in its unruffled 
