he anchor up, and found both the flukes
broken off; till three o'clock we had no ground, and then we drove into
sixteen fathom, at the entrance of Saint Jerom's Sound; as it still blew
a storm, we immediately let go the best bower, and veered to half a
cable. The anchor brought the ship up at so critical a moment, that we
had but five fathom, and even that depth was among breakers. We let go
the small bower under foot, and at five, finding the tide set to the
westward, and the weather more moderate, we got up both the anchors, and
kept working to windward. At ten we found the tide setting again
strongly to the eastward, and we therefore sent the boat back to seek
for an anchoring-place, which she found in a bay on the north shore,
about four miles to the eastward of Cape Quod, and a little way within
some small islands: We endeavoured to get into this bay, but the tide
rushed out of it with such violence, that we found it impossible, and at
noon bore away for York Road, at the entrance of Bachelor's River, where
we anchored about an hour afterwards.

[Footnote 30: "The streights are here four leagues over, and it is
difficult to get any anchorage, on account of the unevenness and
irregularity of the bottom, which in several places close to the shore
has from twenty to fifty fathoms water, and in other parts no ground is
to be found with a line of a hundred and fifty fathoms."]

At six o'clock the next morning, we weighed and worked with the tide,
which set the same as the day before, but we could not gain an
anchoring-place, so that at noon we bore away for York Road again. I
took this opportunity to go up Bachelor's River in my jolly-boat, as
high as I could, which was about four miles: In some places I found it
very wide and deep, and the water was good, but near the mouth it is so
shallow at low water, that even a small boat cannot get into it.

At six o'clock on the 5th we weighed again, and at eight, it being stark
calm, we sent the boats a-head to tow; at eleven, however, the tide set
so strong from the westward, that we could not gain the bay on the north
shore, which the boat had found for us on the 4th, and which was an
excellent harbour, fit to receive five or six sail: We were therefore
obliged to anchor upon a bank, in forty-five fathom, with the stream
anchor, Cape Quod bearing W.S.W. distant five or six miles, the south
point of the island that lies to the east of the cape, being just in one
with the pit