One of those continued and heavy squalls common to the coast set in on the next day. They are foretold by the rapid falling of the mercury, and by the wind at first blowing from the south-west with the greatest intensity from eight to twelve hours, and then, shifting to the opposite point of the compass, we would have a second edition of about the same duration; the north-easterly gusts being always accompanied with torrents of rain, unequalled in violence by any I ever saw elsewhere. This weather would sometimes last for weeks without an interval of a pleasant day, and then be followed by a thick mist, which enveloped everything for five or six days more; thus precluding the possibility of whaling or the performance of other duties. Some idea of this miserable weather may be formed, when I state that during the four months we continued on the coast we were hove-to for fifty-eight days, and at least half as many more we were prevented from whaling by the density of the fog. Whenever our barometer foretold such weather, we shortened sail, until we had nothing spread but a close-reefed main topsail, main spencer, and foretopmast staysail: with this canvass we generally managed to sweat it out; although on two occasions we found even this sail too much, and were compelled to clew up the main topsail, and heave the ship to under the main spencer. On another occasion we heard a clap, like the discharge of a gun, and, hurrying forward, we found our foretopmast staysail blown into shreds. Of course, little was to be done whilst Boreas was giving vent to his wrath in this turbulent manner. During the watches on deck it was really as much as one could do to look out for himself. Then there was the rigging to keep in repair, preventer-topsail braces to shift and reeve, besides taking in and putting out the boats: with these, in themselves trifling jobs, the watch on deck generally became thoroughly soaked before it was their turn to go below; and then an anxious period was spent in awaiting a gleam of sunshine to dry their clothes. The weather being cold, to use their own expression, “water was wet”; and being in the line of a sea coming aboard was neither safe nor comfortable. We passed the time away, however, sleeping day after day about sixteen hours out of twenty-four.