A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
Here we remained till five o'clock in the morning of the 17th, when we
weighed, and towed out of the road. At nine, though we had a fine breeze
at west, the ship was carried with great violence by a current towards
the south shore: The boats were all towing a-head, and the sails asleep,
yet we drove so close to the rock, that the oars of the boats were
entangled in the weeds. In this manner we were hurried along near three
quarters of an hour, expecting every moment to be dashed to pieces
against the cliff, from which we were seldom farther than a ship's
length, and very often not half so much. We sounded on both sides, and
found that next the shore we had from fourteen to twenty fathom, and on
the other side of the ship no bottom: As all our efforts were
ineffectual, we resigned ourselves to our fate, and waited the event in
a state of suspense very little different from despair. At length,
however, we opened Saint David's Sound, and a current that rushed out of
it set us into the mid-channel. During all this time the Swallow was on
the north shore, and consequently could know nothing of our danger till
it was past. We now sent the boats out to look for an anchoring-place;
and at noon Cape Quod bore N.N.E. and Saint David's head S.E.
About one o'clock the boats returned, having found an anchoring-place in
a small bay, to which we gave the name of Butler's Bay, it having been
discovered by Mr Butler, one of the mates. It lies to the west of
Rider's Bay on the south shore of the streight, which is here about two
miles wide. We ran in with the tide which set fast to the westward, and
anchored in sixteen fathom water. The extremes of the bay from W. by N.
to N.1/2 W. are about a quarter of a mile asunder; a small rivulet, at
the distance of somewhat less than two cables' length, bore S.1/2 W. and
Cape Quod N. at the distance of four miles. At this time the Swallow was
at anchor in Island Bay on the north shore, at about six miles distance.
I now sent all the boats out to sound round the ship and in the
neighbouring bays; and they returned with an account that they could
find no place fit to receive the ship, neither could any such place be
found between Cape Quod and Cape Notch.
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