went. The head of the schooner was got round to the westward, her sails
were trimmed to the breeze, and the schooner jogged along quietly in the
wake of the ship until the latter was out of sight.

In due time, that is, in about thirty-five days after having spoken the
ship James Monroe, for the wind was westerly nearly the whole time, the
schooner Codhook reached the Grand Bank. Neither the navigator nor the
crew would consent to remain there any great length of time indeed, for
various reasons, all were anxious to return to Marblehead. In about
a fortnight afterwards they reached the port from which they started,
after an absence of about two months, having had a glorious cruise, but
bringing home a slender fare.

Uncle Jonas was laughed at until the day of his death; but he always
warded off the ridicule by declaring that no fishing schooner had ever
before reached Cape Clear from Massachusetts Bay in fourteen days from
leaving port!

We crossed the Grand Bank in the brig Joseph, and proceeded on our way
towards Cape Cod. But meeting with south-west winds after passing the
Isle of Sable, we were forced to the northward on the coast of Nova
Scotia. Here we were enveloped in fogs of a density which seemed
appalling. Unable to obtain a meridian observation of the sun, and swept
about by unknown currents, we were uncertain of our latitude, and more
than once came near wrecking the brig on that dangerous iron-bound
shore.

After beating to windward a few days, the wind hauled us to the
southward and eastward, the fog towards noon, to a very considerable
extent, dispersed, and Captain Allen obtained a meridian altitude of the
sun, the horizon being as he erroneously thought, well defined. Having
thus determined the latitude to his satisfaction, he ordered the brig
to be steered about west-south-west, which, he supposed, would carry us
round Cape Sable, clear of all danger.

This cape is well known as the southern extremity of Nova Scotia,
a dangerous point, on which, notwithstanding the lighthouse on its
extremity, many vessels have been wrecked, and a countless number of
lives have been lost. The fog again gathered around the brig soon after
the sun had passed the meridian, and became so dense that for several
hour it was impossible to perceive any object, even at the distance
of twenty yards from the vessel. But Captain Allen, confident in the
correctness of his latitude by observation, manifested no anxiety, and