76
l 76S- at the diftance o f about three leagues. The fouth fhore in
March. ■ 0
<---- ---- r this place had a very bad appearance, many funken rocks
Tuefday 26. about it to a confiderable diftance, upon which the fea
breaks very high. At four the weather became very thick,
and in lefs than half an hour we faw the fouth fhore at the
diftance of about a mile,, but could get no anchoring-place;
we therefore tacked, and flood over to the north lhore. At
half an hour after fix I made the Tamar’s fignal to come
under our Item, and ordered her to keep ahead o f us all
night, and to fhow lights, and fire a gun every time fhe
changed her tack- At feven, it cleared up for a moment
juft.tp fhow us_the north fhore, bearing W. by N.; we tacked
immediately, and at eight the wind fhifted from N. N. W. to
W. N, W. and blew with great violence. Our fituation was'
now v,eiy alarming; the ftprm increafed every minute, the
weather was extremely thick, the rain feemed to threaten
another deluge, we had a long, dark night before us, we
were in a narrow channel, and furrounded on every fide by
rocks and breakers. We attempted to d e w up the mizen-
topfail, but before this fervice could be done it was blown
all to rags : we then brought to, with the main and fore-top-
fail clofe reefed, and upon the cap, keeping the fhip-’s head
to the fouth weft ; but there being a prodigious fea, it broke
over us fo often that the whole deck was alrnoft continually
■ under water. -At nine, by an accidental breaking o f the fog,
we faw the high Cape on the north fhore that has been juft
mentioned, bearing eaft, at about a mile diftance, hut had
entirely loft fight of the Tamar. .At half an hour after three
Wtdsef. 27. in thq morning, we fuddenly perceived ourfelves clofe to a
high land on the fouth fhore, upon which we wore, and
brought to to the northward. The gale ftill continued, i f
poffible, with increafing violence, and the rain poured down
in tqrrents, fo that we were, in a manner, immerfed in water,
ter, and expected every moment to-be among, the breakers. 1.765.
The long wifhed-for day at length broke, but the weather ■ MaKh~ ■
was ftill fo thick that no land was to be feen, though we v,elinefd-271
knew it could not be far diftant, till after fix, when we faw
the fouth fhore at about the diftance of two miles; and foon
after, to our great fatisfaftion, we faw the Tamar: at this
time Cape Monday bore S. E. diftant about four miles, and
the violence o f the gale not abating, we bore away. About
feven, both fhips came to an anchor in the bay which lies to
the eaftward o f Cape Monday, notwithftanding the fea that
rolled in ; for we were glad to get anchorage any where.
We had now been twice within four leagues o f Tuefday’s
Bay, at the weftern entrance o f the Streight, and had been
twice driven back ten or twelve leagues by fuch ftorms as
we had now juft experienced. When the feafon is fo far advanced
as it was when we attempted the paffage of this
Streight, it is ai moft difficult and dangerous undertaking, as
it blows a hurricane incefTantly night and day, and the rain
is as violent and conftant as the wind, with fuch fogs as
often render it impoffible to difcover any object at the diftance
o f twice the fhip’s length. This day our beft bower
cable being quite rubbed to pieces, we cut it into junk, and
bent a new one, which we rounded with old rigging eight
fathom from the anchor,
In the afternoon of the day following, the Tamar parted Thmfday ij,
a new beft bower cable, it being cut by the rock, and drove
over to the eaft fide o f the bay, where fhe was brought up at
a very little diftance from fome rocks, againft which fhe
mult otherwife have been dallied to pieces.
At feven o’clock in the morning of the 29th, we weighed Friday 29.
and found our fmall bower cable very much rubbed by the
foul ground, fo that we were obliged to cut no lefs than fix
and