We Had To Keep Rowing All Night, The Land Breezes Being Too Weak
To Enable Us To Sail Against The Current.
During the afternoon of
the 21st we had an hour's fair wind, which soon changed into a
heavy squall with rain, and my clumsy men let the mainsail get
taken aback and nearly upset us, tearing the sail; and, what was
worse, losing an hour's fair wind.
The night was calm, and we
made little progress.
On the 22d we had light head-winds. A little before noon we
passed, with the assistance of our oars, the Paciencia Straits,
the narrowest part of the channel between Batchian and Gilolo.
These were well named by the early Portuguese navigators, as the
currents are very strong, and there are so many eddies, that even
with a fair wind vessels are often quite unable to pass through
them. In the afternoon a strong north wind (dead ahead) obliged
us to anchor twice. At nigh it was calm, and we crept along
slowly with our oars.
On the 23d we still had the wind ahead, or calms. We then crossed
over again to the mainland of Gilolo by the advice of our Gani
men, who knew the coast well. Just as we got across we had
another northerly squall with rain, and had to anchor on the edge
of a coral reef for the night. I called up my men about three on
the morning of the 24th, but there was no wind to help us, and we
rowed along slowly.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 340 of 412
Words from 91551 to 91808
of 111511
