m.,
through a rift in the flying mists, we got a glimpse of the huge crags
of the island and realized that our position had become desperate. We
were on a dead lee shore, and we could gauge our approach to the unseen
cliffs by the roar of the breakers against the sheer walls of rock. I
ordered the double-reefed mainsail to be set in the hope that we might
claw off, and this attempt increased the strain upon the boat. The
'James Caird' was bumping heavily, and the water was pouring in
everywhere. Our thirst was forgotten in the realization of our
imminent danger, as we baled unceasingly, and adjusted our weights from
time to time; occasional glimpses showed that the shore was nearer. I
knew that Annewkow Island lay to the south of us, but our small and
badly marked chart showed uncertain reefs in the passage between the
island and the mainland, and I dared not trust it, though as a last
resort we could try to lie under the lee of the island. The afternoon
wore away as we edged down the coast, with the thunder of the breakers
in our ears. The approach of evening found us still some distance from
Annewkow Island, and, dimly in the twilight, we could see a snow-capped
mountain looming above us. The chance of surviving the night, with the
driving gale and the implacable sea forcing us on to the lee shore,
seemed small.
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