7? L O R D A N S O N ’S V O Y A G E
now and then we ventured to make fail, with our courfes double-
reefed ; and the weather proving more tolerable, would perhaps
encourage us to fet our top-lads; after which the wind, without
any previous notice,- would return upon us with redoubled force,
and would in an.inftant tear our fails from the yards. And, that no
circumftance might be wanting which could aggrandize our diftrefs,
thefe Mads generally brought with them a great quantity o f fnow
and fleet, which eafed our rigging, and froze our faijs, thereby
rendering them and our cordage brittle, and apt to fnap upon the
fljghteft ftrain; adding great difficulty and labour to the working
o f tire Ihip, benumbing the limbs of our people, and making .them
incapable pf exerting themfelyes with their ufual aftivity, and even
difabling many o f them, by mortifying their toes and fingers. It
were, indeed, endlefs to enumerate , the various difafters o f different
kinds which befel u s ; and I lhall only mention the mpft material,
which will fufficiently evince the calamitous condition o f the
whole Iquadron, during the courfe of this navigation.
It was on the 7th o f March, as hath been already oMerved, that
we palled Streights L e Maire, and were immediately afterwards
driven to the eaftward by a violent llorm, and the force o f the
current, which fet that way. For the four or five fucceeding days
we had hard gales o f wind from the fame quarter, with a moft
prodigious fwell ; fo that though we flood, during all that time,
towards the S. YV, yet we had no realbn to imagine we had made
any way to the weftward. In this interval we had frequent fqualls
o f rain and fnow, and flopped great quantities of water; after
which, for three or four days, though the feas ran mountains high
yet the weather was rather more moderate: but, on the 18th, we
had again ftrong'gales o f wind, with extreme cold; and at mid-
night the main top-fail Iplit, and one o f the llraps of the main
dead-eyes broke. From hence, to the 23d, the weather was more
favourable, though often intermixed with rain and fleet, and fome
hard gales; but, as the waves did not- fubfide, the flop, by labouring
iq this lofty fea, was now grown fo loofe in her upper works,
that
that (he let in the water at every learn; fo that every part within-
board was conftantly expofed to. the lea water, and Icareely any of
the Officers ever lay in dry beds. Indeed, it was very rare that two
nights ever palled, without many o f them being driven from their
beds by the deluge of water that came in upon them.
On the 23d,, we had a moll violent ftorm of wind, hail, and
rain, with a very great lea; and though we handed the main top-
fail before the height of the (quail, yet we found the yard fprung
and loon after the foot-rope of the main-lail breaking, the main-
fail itfelf Iplit infta-ntly into rags, and, in fpite of our endeavours to-
lave it, much the greater part of it was blown over-board. On this*
the Commodore made the fignal for the fquadron to bring-to; and
the ftorm at length flattening to a calm, we had an opportunity of
getting down our main top-lail-yard, to put the Carpenters to work
upon.it, and of repairing, our rigging; after which, having bent
a new main-fail, we got under fail again, with a moderate breeze:
but in lefs than twenty-four hours we were attacked by another
ftorm, {till more furious than the former ; for it proved: a perfeit
hurricane, and reduced us to the neceffity of lyiugrto under our
bare poles, As our Ihip kept the wind better than any o f the reft,
we were obliged, in the afternoon, to wear Ihip, in order to join
the fquadron to the leeward, which otherwife we fliould have been
in dauver of lofing in the night; and, as we dared-not venture any
fail abroad, we were obliged to make ufe of an expedient, which
anfwered our pUrpofe : this was, putting the helm a-weather, and
manning the fore-lhrouds. But though, this method proved fuc-
cefsful for the end intended, yet, in the execution Of it, one of our
ableft feamen was canted over-board: we perceived that, notwith-
ftailding the prodigious agitation of the waves,-he fwam very ftrong,
and it was with the utmoft- concern, that we found ourfelvesi incapable
of affifting him; indeed, we were the more grieved at his
unhappy fate, as we loft fight of him ftruggling with the waves;.
and- conceived, from the manner in which he fwam, that' he might
eontinu©