Cartier had now, evidently enough, come back again to the side of the great Gulf from which he had started, but, judging rightly that the way to the west might lie beyond the Anticosti coast, he continued on his voyage along that shore.

Yet with every day progress became more difficult.

As the ships approached the narrower waters between the west end of Anticosti and the mainland they met powerful tides and baffling currents.

The wind, too, had turned against them and blew fiercely from the west.
For five days the intrepid mariners fought against the storms and currents that checked their advance.

They were already in sight of what seemed after long searching to be the opening of the westward passage.
But the fierce wind from the west so beat against them that the clumsy vessels could make no progress against it.