We had not been at anchor here above two hours, before the wind veered to N.E., with which we weighed; but the anchor was hardly at the bows before it shifted to the south.  With this we could but just lead out of the bay, and then bore away for the Sound under all the sail we could set; having the advantage, or rather disadvantage, of an increasing gale, which already blew too hard.  We hauled up into the Sound just at dark, after making two boards, in which most of our sails were split; and anchored in eighteen fathoms water, between the White Rocks and the N.W. shore.

The next morning the gale abated, and was succeeded by a few hours calm; after that a breeze sprang up at N.W., with which we weighed and ran up into Ship Cove, where we did not find the Adventure, as was expected.

    [1] “The water in Dr Lind’s wind-gage was depressed 8-10ths of an inch
    at times.”—­W.

“Though we were situated under the lee of a high and mountainous coast, yet the waves rose to a vast height, ran prodigiously long, and were dispersed into vapour as they broke by the violence of the storm.  The whole surface of the sea was by this means rendered hazy, and as the sun shone out in a cloudless sky, the white foam was perfectly dazzling.  The fury of the wind still increased so as to tear to pieces the only sail which we had hitherto dared to shew, and we rolled about at the mercy of the waves, frequently shipping great quantities of water, which fell with prodigious force on the decks, and broke all that stood in the way.  The continual strain slackened all the rigging and ropes in the ship, and loosened every thing, insomuch that it gradually gave way, and presented to our eyes a general scene of confusion.  In one of the deepest rolls the arm-chest on the quarter- deck was torn out of its place and overset, leaning against the rails to leeward.  A young gentleman, Mr Hood, who happened to be just then to leeward of it, providentially escaped by bending down when he saw the chest falling, so as to remain unhurt in the angle which it formed with the rail.  The confusion of the elements did not scare every bird away from us:  From time to time a black shearwater hovered over the ruffled surface of the sea, and artfully withstood the force of the tempest, by keeping under the lee of the high tops of the waves.  The aspect of the ocean was at once magnificent and terrific:  Now on the summit of a broad and heavy billow, we overlooked an immeasurable expanse of sea, furrowed into numberless deep channels:  Now, on a sudden, the wave broke under us, and we plunged into a deep and dreary valley, whilst a fresh mountain rose to windward with a foaming crest, and threatened to overwhelm us.  The night coming on was not without new horrors, especially for those who had not been bred up to a seafaring life.  In the captain’s cabin, the windows were taken out and replaced by the dead-lights, to guard against the intrusion of the waves in