9 0 A V O Y A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
777*.
November«
Ponto nox incubât atra,
Præfentemque viris intentant omnia mortem. VIRGIL.
For what obfcured light the heav’ns did grant,
Did but convey unto their fearful minds
A doubtful warrant of immediate death. Sha ke spe ar e .
The chain-pumps were now cleared* and our failors
laboured at them with great alacrity ; at laft one of them
luckily difcovered that the water came in through a fcuttle
(or window) in the boatfwain’s ftore-room, which not having
been fecured againft the tempeftuous fouthern ocean, had
been ftaved in by the force of the waves. It was immediately
repaired, and clofely fhut up, arid we efcaped for
this time with the greateft part of the clothes and effects
of the failors and officers thoroughly foaked in fait
water. We fliould have found it difficult, i f not utterly
impoffible, to clear the ffiip of the water, if the midffiipman
had not providentially awaked before it had gained too
much upon us : the prefence of mind of our officers, and
the fpirit of our feamen would have been exerted in vain,
and we rnuft perhaps have gone down to the bottom, in
the midft of a very dark night and turbulent ocean, which
would have effectually prevented our confort from giving
us affiftance. A didribution of fiffiing-hooks and lines
was made about this time to every perfon on board, as it
was uncertain how foon we might meet with land, and
confequently with an opportunity of making ufe of them.
■ ■ The
The flormy weather continued, intermixed with freauent ,77*-
. i December.
rains and fogs, till the fifth of December *, when we fet the Slt“rday s'
top-gallant fails for the firft time, after leaving the Cape of
Good Hope, and obferved the latitude at nbon, in 4 70 10"
fouth. In the afternoon, however, the fhowers returned,
and a weftern fwel'l announced a wind from that quarter,
which adtually came on during night, blowing at about
S. W. and chilled the air fo coniiderably, that the thermometer
funk from 4 40 to 38 0 during the night, and fome
fnow began to fall the next morning. The wind foon
encreafed to a ftorm again ; fo that on the 7th in the Monday*,
afternoon, we had only a fingle fail fet. A variety of
birds of the petrel and tern genus, had attended us in
greater or leffer numbers ever fince we had left the Cape,
and the high fea and winds feemed to have no other influence
on them, than that of bringing more of them
about us. The principal forts were the Cape-petrel, or ■
pintada (procellaria capenfis), and the blue petrel, fo called
from its having a blueilh-grey colour, and a band of
blackiffi feathers acrofs the whole wing. We likewife
faw the two before mentioned fpecies of albatrofles f from
time to time, together with a third, lefs than the others
which we named the footy, and our failors called the
• W e had loft fix targe hog« of our live flock, and fome Iheep, during this
uncomfortable weather. ' °
I Seep. 51.
N 2 quaker