118
POST CAPTAINS OF 1823.
at Cape Dobbs, bore north, distant about 30 miles. On the 11th, at noon, we stood into 33 fathoms, at about 8 miles from Southampton Island; soon after, I brought up with the stream at 5 miles from the beach. The American shore was at this time visible from the mast-head, about 30 miles distant, and extending from N.W. to W.N.W. with a broad apparent opening, probably the entrance of the ‘Wager River,’ between its extreme points. The night being very fine, I determined on running slowly at 5 or 6 miles’ distance from the land, which appeared to trend N.b.W., and to be guided by the regularity of the soundings, which at midnight had increased from 33 to 40 fathoms. Up to this period, we had steered by the moon and polar-star.
“We now gradually began shoaling to 32, 30, 26, and, at 4 a.m., to 22 fathoms; when, fancying we were near some part of Southampton Island, which we had not yet seen, I kept away a couple of points; but, at 4-30, saw steep, rocky, and broken land, with many rugged islets off it, on our larboard bow, to which we must have been swept by some very rapid current or indraft; from its appearance, as it was not continuous to the southward, but trended away westerly, I am led to suppose it to have been Cape Montague, which is said to bound the northern entrance to the ‘Wager.’ As the breeze freshened at daylight from the N.E. and we were only in 17 fathoms, rocky bottom, I tacked at 5 a.m., and made all the sail we could carry, to work out of the indraft. We got but slowly off; for being so much below her bearings, the ship would not stand up under much sail, and towards noon saw Southampton Island, to the eastward, about 18 miles. I was, for a time, in hopes of getting under its lee; but the wind soon increased to a gale, with cutting showers of sleet, and a sea began to arise. At such a moment as this, we had fresh cause to deplore the extreme dulness of the Griper’s sailing; for though almost any other vessel would have worked off this lee shore, we made little or no progress on a wind, but remained actually pitching fore-castle under, with scarcely steerage way. We, however, persevered in our endeavours to make easting under fore-sail and close-reefed main-top-sail; but at 1-30 p.m., with our head N.N.W., we quickly shoaled from 30 to 20 fathoms, and, as we could not see a quarter of a mile round us, in consequence of the heavy snow, I turned the hands up to be in readiness for wearing; but the next cast gave 10, and I therefore luffed-to, and let go both bower-anchors, which brought her up with 70 and 80 fathoms of cable. I then let go the sheet-anchor under foot. From the time of striking low soundings until this was done, the sails furled, and lower-yards and top-masts struck, half an hour had not elapsed. We now perceived that the tide was setting past us from the N.E., at the rate of two knots on the surface; but by its action on the lead-line, and even the deep-sea lead, which it swept from the bottom, it was running at a far more rapid rate beneath. This, in addition to the heavy set of the sea, strained the ship very much, and the bitts and windlass complained a great deal; the