d always he was
told of a scarcity of food still farther north. So the voyage had been
continued in that direction along a coast that ever grew wilder,
grander, and more inhospitable.

In the meantime Cabot was delighted at the opportunities thus given him
for getting acquainted with the country, and made short exploring trips
from every port at which they touched. From some of these he came back
sadly bitten by the insect pests of the interior, and from others he
brought quantities of blueberries, pigeon berries that looked and
tasted like wild cranberries, or yellow, raspberry-like "bake apples,"
resembling the salmon berries of Alaska. Also he picked up numerous
rock and mineral specimens that he afterwards carefully labelled.

Finally, when they had passed the last fishing station of which they
had any knowledge, and had only the missions to look forward to, they
were overtaken, while far out at sea, by a furious gale that sorely
buffeted them for twenty-four hours, and, in spite of their strenuous
efforts, drove them towards the coast. The gale was accompanied by
stinging sleet and blinding snow squalls, and at length blew with such
violence that they could no longer show the smallest patch of canvas.

In this emergency White constructed a sea anchor, by means of which he
hoped to prolong their struggle for at least a few hours. It was
hardly got overboard, however, before a giant surge snapped its cable
and hurled the little craft helplessly towards the crash and smother
with which the furious seas warred against an iron coast.

In addition to the other perils surrounding our lads, the gloom of
impending night was upon them, and they could only dimly distinguish
the towering cliffs against which they expected shortly to be dashed.
Both of them stood by the tiller, grimly silent, and using the last of
their strength to keep their craft head on, for in the trough of that
awful sea she would have rolled over like a log. Neither of them
flinched nor showed a sign of fear, though both fully realised the fate
awaiting them.

At last, with the send of a giant billow, the little schooner was flung
bodily into the roaring whiteness, and, with hearts that seemed already
to have ceased their beating, the poor lads braced themselves for the
final shock. To their unbounded amazement the "Sea Bee," instead of
dashing against the cliffs, appeared to pass directly into them as
though they were but shadows of a solid s