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390 GREENLAND VOYAGE. 
tide; so that, had the breeze continued, we should 
have been benefited by the ensuing ebb coming 
out of the Firth of Clyde, and Loch Fine; but 
the wind unfortunately died away, and it fell 
stark calm. Ihe ebb now beginning to run, first 
swept us to the westward, clear of the Mull of 
Can tyre, and then towards the WNW., with an 
alarming velocity. In fifteen or twenty minutes, 
the bearing of the Mull Light changed from 
N b E., to E b N. Being now completely at the 
mercy of the tide, and in deep water, we could 
only sound occasionally, and have all in readiness 
for bringing up, if we seemed to be falling into 
danger; but the extreme darkness of the night, 
and fierceness of the tide, defied all ordinary pre¬ 
cautions. At this very anxious and critical pe¬ 
riod, a loud roaring was heard towards the north, 
which was at first mistaken for breakers on the 
shore. It was the effect, however, of a fresh of 
wind that fortunately sprung up from the north¬ 
ward. The ship’s head being turned to the SSE., 
we attempted to sail up channel; but such was the 
rapidity of the tide, that, for four or five hours, 
when making five and a-half or six knots way 
through the water, we did not alter the bearing 
of the Mull light on the beam, above half a point, 
.and probably did not gain a furlong of ground 
A.t day-light the tide began to slack,- and we 
