A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

"Though we were situated under the lee of a high and mountainous coast, yet the waves rose to avast height, ran prodigiously long, and were dispersed into vapour as they broke by the violence ofthe storm. The whole surface of the sea was by this means rendered hazy, and as the sun shone out ina cloudless sky, the white foam was perfectly dazzling. The fury of the wind still increased so as totear to pieces the only sail which we had hitherto dared to shew, and we rolled about at the mercy ofthe waves, frequently shipping great quantities of water, which fell with prodigious force on thedecks, and broke all that stood in the way. The continual strain slackened all the rigging and ropes inthe ship, and loosened every thing, insomuch that it gradually gave way, and presented to our eyes ageneral scene of confusion. In one of the deepest rolls the arm-chest on the quarter- deck was tornout of its place and overset, leaning against the rails to leeward. A young gentleman, Mr Hood, whohappened to be just then to leeward of it, providentially escaped by bending down when he saw thechest falling, so as to remain unhurt in the angle which it formed with the rail. The confusion of theelements did not scare every bird away from us: From time to time a black shearwater hovered overthe ruffled surface of the sea, and artfully withstood the force of the tempest, by keeping under thelee of the high tops of the waves. The aspect of the ocean was at once magnificent and terrific: Nowon the summit of a broad and heavy billow, we overlooked an immeasurable expanse of sea,furrowed into numberless deep channels: Now, on a sudden, the wave broke under us, and weplunged into a deep and dreary valley, whilst a fresh mountain rose to windward with a foamingcrest, and threatened to overwhelm us. The night coming on was not without new horrors, especiallyfor those who had not been bred up to a seafaring life. In the captain's cabin, the windows weretaken out and replaced by the dead-lights, to guard against the intrusion of the waves in wearing theship. This operation disturbed from its retreat a scorpion, which had lain concealed in a chink, andwas probably brought on board with fruit from the islands. Our friend Maheine assured us that it washarmless, but its appearance alone was horrid enough to fill the mind with apprehensions. In theother cabins the beds were perfectly soaked in water, whilst the tremendous roar of the waves, thecreaking of the timbers, and the rolling motion, deprived us of all hopes of repose. To complete thiscatalogue of horrors, we heard the voices of sailors from time to time louder than the blusteringwinds, or the raging ocean itself, uttering horrible vollies of curses and oaths."--G.F.The storm continued all the day without the least intermission. In the evening we bore down to look for theAdventure, she being out of sight to leeward, and after running the distance we supposed her to be off,brought to again without seeing her; it being so very hazy and thick in the horizon, that we could not see amile round us, occasioned by the spray of the sea being lifted up to a great height by the force of the wind.At midnight the gale abated; soon after fell little wind; and at last shifted to S.W., when we wore, set thecourses and top-sails close-reefed, and stood in for the land. Soon after the wind freshened and fixed atsouth; but as the Adventure was some distance a-stern, we lay by for her till eight o'clock, when we bothmade all sail, and steered N. by W. 1/2 W. for the Strait. At noon observed in 42° 27' south, Cape Palliser,by judgment, bore north, distant seventeen leagues. This favourable wind was not of sufficient duration; inthe afternoon it fell by little and little, and at length to a calm; this at ten o'clock was succeeded by a freshbreeze from the north, with which we stretched to the westward.At three o'clock next morning, we were pretty well in with Cape Campbell on the west side of the Strait,when we tacked, and stretched over for Cape Palliser, under courses and close-reefed top-sails, having thewind at N.W., a very strong gale and fair weather. At noon, we tacked and stretched to S.W., with the lastmentionedCape bearing west, distant four or five leagues. In the afternoon, the gale increased in such amanner as brought us under our courses. We continued to stretch to the S.W. till midnight, when we wore,and set close-reefed top-sails.On the 28th, at eight o'clock in the morning, we wore, and stood again to the S.W. till noon, when we wereobliged to lie-to under the fore-sail. At this time the high land over Cape Campbell bore west, distant ten or