tinous winds,
And 'twixt the green sea and the azur'd vault
Set roaring war.

SHAKSPEARE.

At day-break, the vessels of La Tour and Stanhope spread their sails to
a light wind, which bore them slowly from the harbor of St. John's. The
fort long lingered in their view, and the richly wooded shores and
fertile fields gradually receded, as the rising sun began to shed its
radiance on the luxuriant landscape. But the morning, which had burst
forth in brightness, was soon overcast with clouds; and the light, which
had shone so cheeringly on hill and valley, like the last gleams of
departing hope, became shrouded in gloom and darkness. Still, however,
they kept on their course; and by degrees the wind grew stronger, and
the dead calm of the sea was agitated by its increasing violence.

The confines of Acadia, which were then undefined, stretched along the
borders of the bay, presenting a vast and uncultivated tract, varying
through every shade of sterility and verdure; from the bare and
beetling promontory, which defied the encroaching tide, the desert
plain, and dark morass, to the impervious forest, the sloping upland,
and the green valley, watered by its countless streams. A transient
sun-beam, at times, gilded this variegated prospect, and again the
flitting clouds chequered it with their dark shadows, till the dense
vapor, which hung over the water, at length arose, and formed an
impenetrable veil, excluding every object from the sight.

Night closed in prematurely; the ships parted company, and, in the
increasing darkness, there was little prospect of joining again; nor was
it possible for either to ascertain the situation of its partner. La
Tour's vessel had out-sailed the other, through the day; and he had so
often navigated the bay, and rivers of the coast, that every isle and
headland were perfectly familiar to him. But Stanhope had little
practical knowledge of its localities, and, not caring to trust
implicitly to his pilot, he proceeded with the utmost caution, sounding
at convenient distances, lest he should deviate from the usual course,
and run aground on rocks, or in shallow water. Though with little chance
of success, he caused lights to be hung out, hoping they might attract
the attention of La Tour; but their rays could not penetrate the heavy
mist, which concealed even the nearest objects from observation. Signal
guns were also fired at intervals, but their report mingled with the
s