Before They Could Reach Their Camping-Place, The Water
Was So Rough That Some Of The Men Had An Unusual Experience, - Seasickness.
They Passed A Disagreeable Night On A Narrow, Rocky Bench Of Land.
Next Day They Say:
"Fortunately for us, the tide did not rise as high as our camp
during the night; but being accompanied
By high winds from
the south, the canoes, which we could not place beyond its reach,
were filled with water, and were saved with much difficulty.
Our position was very uncomfortable, but as it was impossible
to move from it, we waited for a change of weather.
It rained, however, during the whole day, and at two o'clock
in the afternoon the flood tide set in, accompanied by a high
wind from the south, which, about four o'clock, shifted to
the southwest and blew almost a gale directly from the sea.
The immense waves now broke over the place where we were camped;
the large trees, some of them five or six feet thick,
which had lodged at the point, were drifted over our camp,
and the utmost vigilance of every man could scarcely save our
canoes from being crushed to pieces. We remained in the water,
and drenched with rain, during the rest of the day, our only food
being some dried fish and some rain-water which we caught.
Yet, though wet and cold, and some of them sick from using salt water,
the men were cheerful, and full of anxiety to see more of the ocean.
The rain continued all night."
This was the beginning of troubles. Next day, the wind having lulled,
the party set forth again, only to be beaten back and compelled to take
to the shore again. This was their experience for several days.
For example, under date of the eleventh the journal says: -
"The wind was still high from the southwest, and drove the waves
against the shore with great fury; the rain too fell in torrents,
and not only drenched us to the skin, but loosened the stones
on the hillsides, which then came rolling down upon us.
In this comfortless situation we remained all day, wet, cold,
with nothing but dried fish to satisfy our hunger; the canoes
in one place at the mercy of the waves, the baggage in another,
and all the men scattered on floating logs, or sheltering
themselves in the crevices of the rocks and hillsides.
A hunter was despatched in hopes of finding some fresh meat;
but the hills were so steep, and so covered with undergrowth
and fallen timber, that he could not penetrate them, and he was
forced to return."
And this is the record for the next day: -
"About three o'clock a tremendous gale of wind arose accompanied
with lightning, thunder, and hail: at six it lightened up for a
short time, but a violent rain soon began, and lasted through the day.
During the storm, one of our boats, secured by being sunk with great
quantities of stone, got loose, but, drifting against a rock,
was recovered without having received much injury.
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