cceeding
billow threatened immediate destruction.

The horrors of our situation increased; the man on the out-look
called out that he saw breakers a-head in every direction, and escape
appeared to be next to impossible. My crew of Scottish Islanders,
however, continued their painful exertions without evincing the
apprehensions they must have felt, by a murmur. The crisis was now at
hand. We approached so near to the breakers that it was impossible to
avoid them; and the men lay on their oars, expecting the next moment
would be their last.

In such a situation the thoughts of even the most depraved naturally
carry them beyond the limits of time; and by these thoughts, I
believe, the soul of every one was absorbed; yet the men lost not
their presence of mind. Suddenly, the voice of the look-out was heard
amid the roar of the breakers, calling our attention to a dark breach
in the line of foam that stretched out before us, which he fancied to
be a channel between the rocks. A few desperate strokes brought us
to the spot, when, to our unspeakable joy, we found it to answer the
man's conjecture; but, so narrow was the passage, that the oars on
both sides of the boat struck the rocks; a minute afterwards we found
ourselves becalmed and in safety. The boat being moored, and the men
ordered to watch by turns, we lay down to sleep, as we best could,
supperless, and without having tasted food since early dawn.

The wind still blew fresh on the ensuing morning; but we found, to
our great satisfaction, that we had entered a kind of channel that
lay along the shore, where we were protected from the storm by the
innumerable rocky islets that stretched along the mainland. Regarding
the labyrinth of islands through which we had effected a passage
in the darkness, we were struck with wonder at our escape; and felt
convinced that the hand of Providence alone could have guided us
through such perils in safety.

CHAPTER V.

ESQUIMAUX ARRIVE FROM THE NORTH SHORE OF HUDSON'S STRAIT, ON
A RAFT--DESPATCH FROM THE GOVERNOR--DISTRESS OF THE
ESQUIMAUX--FORWARD PROVISIONS TO MR. E----. RETURN OF THE
PARTY--THEIR DEPLORABLE CONDITION.

We reached Fort Chimo on the 20th September. A greater number of
Esquimaux were assembled about the post than I had yet seen; and among
them I was astonished to find a family from the north side of the
Strait, and still more astonished when I learned the way they had
crossed--a raft f