Accordingly, On The 30th November, We Entered The
Channel Which Divides The Island Of Chiloe From The Main Land Of Chili,
And Stood In For The Harbour Of Chacao Under French Colours, Intending
To Have Attacked The Towns Of Chacao And Calibuco By Surprise.
Our
pilot, however, seemed as much a stranger to the navigation here as I
was, and as the wind began to blow fresh with thick weather, I came to
anchor in thirteen fathoms, at ten in the morning, between the point of
Carelampo and the small island of Pedro Nunez.
Soon after coming to
anchor, the tide made outwards with prodigious rapidity, and the wind
increased greatly, between which the sea became very boisterous, all the
channel in which we lay appearing one continued breach or surf. Our ship
consequently made a vast strain on her cable, which parted at two in the
afternoon, and we could have no hopes to recover our anchor, as the buoy
had been staved and sunk about an hour before we were thus set adrift. I
did not think it adviseable to risk another anchor, and therefore
immediately crossed over for the island of Chiloe, in a boisterous gale
with thick rainy weather, surrounded on all hands with seeming shoals,
and in a manner bewildered in an unknown navigation. When within a mile
of Chiloe, we ranged along shore to the southward,[257] in hope of
discovering the town of Chacao. We passed two commodious bays, which had
no appearance of any town, and came to a point of land marked by a high
pyramidal rock.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 712 of 825
Words from 193449 to 193714
of 224764
