In The Morning No Fires Were To Be Seen Which Was Rather Odd,
As Besides This Nearest Fire, Last Night
There were several others in
sight...A.M. I got a large board hung up at the entrance of the
Road to
the well or spring on which was painted, in oil colours, directions for
any stranger how to get to the watering-place...
"Friday, 25th December. At noon suddenly taken with most violent squall
at West...this hurricane of wind increased so rapidly and with such fury
that we were obliged to let go the best bower and till all 3 anchors bore
the strain she dragged a little, struck top-gallant-mast. This squall
continued for 4 hours, then settled into a westerly gale with constant
thunder and lightning and at intervals very hard rain and also more sea
than I supposed possible in this cove. At 11 P.M. parted our warp, my
uneasiness at this was not a little however the S.B.* (* Small bower,
that is the port bower.) a little relieved by best bower held on at
night...
"Saturday, 26th December. From noon till 3 P.M. the gale continued to
increase and a sea got up still higher than it had yet been at any time
since the gale began...Made all as snug as possible for riding out the
gale, the hardest by far I ever saw in this country, and as it blew dead
on the shore outside nothing less than the greatest providence could have
saved us had we got to sea either of the times I attempted it.
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