The Wind Continued Westerly, And The Weather And Sea Less Rough
Since The Day On Which We Shipped The Heavy
Sea, and we were
making great progress under studding-sails, with our light sails
all set, keeping a little to
The eastward of south; for the captain,
depending upon westerly winds off the Cape, had kept so far to the
westward, that though we were within about five hundred miles of
the latitude of Cape Horn, we were nearly seventeen hundred miles
to the westward of it. Through the rest of the week, we continued
on with a fair wind, gradually, as we got more to the southward,
keeping a more easterly course, and bringing the wind on our
larboard quarter, until -
Sunday, June 26th, when, having a fine, clear day, the captain
got a lunar observation, as well as his meridian altitude, which
made us in lat. 47° 50' S., long. 113° 49' W.; Cape Horn bearing,
according to my calculation, E. S. E. 1/2 E., and distant eighteen
hundred miles.
Monday, June 27th. During the first part of this day, the wind
continued fair, and, as we were going before it, it did not feel
very cold, so that we kept at work on deck, in our common clothes
and round jackets. Our watch had an afternoon watch below, for the
first time since leaving San Diego, and having inquired of the third
mate what the latitude was at noon, and made our usual guesses as
to the time she would need, to be up with the Horn, we turned-
in, for a nap. We were sleeping away "at the rates of knots,"
when three knocks on the scuttle, and "All hands ahoy!" started
us from our berths. What could be the matter? It did not appear
to be blowing hard, and looking up through the scuttle, we could
see that it was a clear day, overhead; yet the watch were taking
in sail.
We thought there must be a sail in sight, and that we were about
to heave-to and speak her; and were just congratulating ourselves
upon it - for we had seen neither sail nor land since we had
left port - when we heard the mate's voice on deck, (he turned-in
"all standing," and was always on deck the moment he was called,)
singing out to the men who were taking in the studding-sails, and
asking where his watch were. We did not wait for a second call,
but tumbled up the ladder; and there, on the starboard bow, was a
bank of mist, covering sea and sky, and driving directly for us.
I had seen the same before, in my passage round in the Pilgrim,
and knew what it meant, and that there was no time to be lost.
We had nothing on but thin clothes, yet there was not a moment
to spare, and at it we went.
The boys of the other watch were in the tops, taking in the top-
gallant studding-sails, and the lower and topmast studding-sails
were coming down by the run.
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