In the afternoon the wind even increased in violence, the
snowstorms became more frequent, and the sky was dark and overcast.
We had service at eleven and again at four. The sun set cold and
stormy, promising a wild night. At times the shore was quite hidden by
the snowstorms, though only a few cables' lengths off.
_Monday, February 19th_.--The wind and weather became worse than ever,
and, as time was precious, Tom decided to retrace our steps for a
short distance and go through the Bungo Channel, between the islands
of Sikok and Kiusiu, instead of going out to sea through the
Simono-seki Straits, as, in the latter case, the gale would be right
in our teeth, and we should make but little progress. Now we shall be
under the shelter of Kiusiu and the Linschoten and Luchu islands for
at least two days, and so make a fair wind of it. Steering due south,
too, we may hope to be soon out of this horrid weather. The only
drawback to this plan is that we shall miss seeing Nagasaki, which I
much regret. There are no great sights there, but the scenery is
pretty, and the place is interesting owing to the fact that it was the
first and for many years the only, port open to foreigners, and also
the scene of the cruel murders of Christians and the site of the
beautiful island of Pappenberg.
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