by the August storm, he was able to realize that the goal
of his search for the coast of Asia, or at least for an
open passage to the west, might lie before him, but that,
for the time being, it was beyond his reach.

Turning back, the party rejoined the ships which had
drifted helplessly before the wind some twelve miles down
the shore. Arrived on board, Cartier called together his
sailing-master, pilots, and mates to discuss what was to
be done. They agreed that the contrary winds forbade
further exploration. The season was already late; the
coast of France was far away; within a few weeks the
great gales of the equinox would be upon them. Accordingly
the company decided to turn back. Soon the ships were
heading along the northern shore of the Gulf, and with
the boisterous wind behind them were running rapidly
towards the east. They sailed towards the Newfoundland
shore, caught sight of the Double Cape and then, heading
north again, came to Blanc Sablon on August 9. Here they
lay for a few days to prepare for the homeward voyage,
and on August 15 they were under way once more for the
passage of Belle Isle and the open sea.

'And after that, upon August 15,' so ends Cartier's
narrative, 'being the feast of the Assumption of our
Lady, after that we had heard service, we altogether
departed from the port of Blanc Sablon, and with a happy
and prosperous weather we came into the middle of the
sea that is between Newfoundland and Brittany, in which
place we were tossed and turmoiled three days long with