Travels through the states of North America and the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, during the years 1795, 1796, and 1797

Page 255

TRAVELS THROU_GH UPPER CANADA: azure {ky and gentle breezes which h::td favoured us the preceding d~y, we had thick hazy weather, and every appearance in the heavens m­dicated that before many hours were over we {hould have to conte~d wi h fomc of thofe dangcrou_s {lorms that arc fo frequent on Lake Ene. It was not long indeed ere the winds began to blow, and the waves to rife in a tremendous m:1nner, and we foon became fpcCl:ator of a num­ber of thofe confufcd and di[gufl:ing fccnes which a gale of wind never fail to occafion in a [mall veffcl crowded with paffcngers. A number of old French ladies, who w re going to fee their grandchildren in Lower Canada, and who now for the fi.dl: time in their lives found themfelves 011 the water, occupied the cabin. The hold of the vc!Id, boarded from end to end, aml divided 1imply by a fail fufpendcd from nc of the beams, was filled on one fide with !leeragc pafTengcrs, amongft which were feveral women and children; and on the cppofite one with paf­fengers who had paid cabin price, but were unable to get any better ac­commodation, amongfl: which number was our party. Not including either the old ladies in the cabin, or the !leerage paifengers, we fat down to dinner each day twenty-fix in number, which circumfbnce, wl1en I inform you that the veffel was only feventy tons burthen, will bcfi: enable you to conceive how much we mufi have been crowded. The greater part of the paffengers, drooping under fea-ficknefs, begged for heaven's fake that the captain would put back; but bent upon per­forming his voyage with expedition, which was a matter of the utmofl: confequence indeed, now that the feafon was fo far advanced, and there was a poffibility that he might be blocked up by the ice on his return, he was deaf to their entreaties. What the earnefl: entreaties, however, of the pafiengers could not effect, the ftorm foon compelled him to. It was found abfolutely neceHary to feek for a place of !helter to avoid its fury; and accordingly the helm having been ordered up, we made the befi: of our way back again to the iil:mds, in a b~y between two of which we call: anchor. This bay, fituated between the Bafs Hlands, which are among the largefi: in the clufier, is called, from 1ts being fo frequently refortc~ to by veifels that meet with contrary winds IN GREAT DANGER 0 F SHIPWRECK. wind in going down the lake, Put-in-Bay, vulgarly termed by the failors Pudding Bay. Here we lay fecurcly lJ1elt red by the land until four o'clock the next morning, when the watch upon deck g::lVe the alarm that the ve{]\;1 was driving from her anchor, and going £.1fl: towards the {here. The captain ftarted up, and perceiving that the wind had {hiftcd, and the land no longer afforded any proteCtion to tbe veffel, he immediately gave orders to flip the cable, and hoifl: the jib, in order to wear the veflel round, and thus get free, if poffiblc, of the lJwre. In the hurry and con­fufion of the moment, ho\;..rever, the mainfail w:-ts hoifled at the fame time with the jib, the vcfiel was put aback, and nothing could have faved her from going at once on {bore but the letting fall of another anchor infiantaneoufly. I can only account for this unfortunate mif­take by fuppofing that the men were not fufnciently roufcd from their flumbers, on coming upon deck, to hear difl:inCtly the word of com­mand. Only one man had been left to keep the watch, as it was thought that the veifel was riding in perfeCt fafety, and from the time th~t the alarm was firi1 given until the anchor was dropped fcarcely four mi­nutes elapfed. The dawn of day only enabled us to fee all the danger of our fituation. We were within one hundred yards of a rocky lee {hore, and depending upon one anchor, which, if the gale increafed, the captain feared very much would not hold. The day was wet and fqually, and the appea~:­ance of the :fky gave ns every reafon to imagine that the weather, in­ftead of growing moderate, would become frill more tempeiluous than it either was or had been; neverthelefs, buoyed up by hope, and by a good fhare of animal fpirits, we cat our breakJafl:s regardlefs of the im­pending d:mger, and afterwards fat down to a game of cards; but fcarcely had we played for one hour when the difmal cry was heard of, " All " hands aloft," as the veffel was again drifting towards the {bore. The day being very cold, I had thrown a blanket over my {boulders, and had fafiened it round my waifl with a girdle, in the Indian failiion; but being incapable of managing it like an Indian, I !lopped to difcncumber myfelf of it before I went on deck, fo that, as it happened, I was the lafl: man • 3 II 2 below • ..