One Of
Our Hands, Too, Had Unluckily Fallen Upon A Half Of An Old Newspaper
Which Contained An Account Of
The passage, through the straits, of a
Boston brig, called, I think, the Peruvian, in which she lost every
cable
And anchor she had, got aground twice, and arrived at
Valparaiso in distress. This was set off against the account of
the A. J. Donelson, and led us to look forward with less confidence
to the passage, especially as no one on board had ever been through,
and the captain had no very perfect charts. However, we were spared
any further experience on the point; for the next day, when we must
have been near the Cape of Pillars, which is the south-west point
of the mouth of the straits, a gale set in from the eastward, with a
heavy fog, so that we could not see half of the ship's length ahead.
This, of course, put an end to the project, for the present; for a
thick fog and a gale blowing dead ahead are not the most favorable
circumstances for the passage of difficult and dangerous straits.
This weather, too, seemed likely to last for some time, and we
could not think of beating about the mouth of the straits for a
week or two, waiting for a favorable opportunity; so we braced up
on the larboard tack, put the ship's head due south, and struck
her off for Cape Horn again.
CHAPTER XXXII
ICE AGAIN - A BEAUTIFUL AFTERNOON - CAPE HORN - "LAND HO!" - HEADING FOR HOME
In our first attempt to double the Cape, when we came up to the
latitude of it, we were nearly seventeen hundred miles to the
westward, but, in running for the straits of Magellan, we stood so
far to the eastward, that we made our second attempt at a distance
of not more than four or five hundred miles; and we had great hopes,
by this means, to run clear of the ice; thinking that the easterly
gales, which had prevailed for a long time, would have driven it
to the westward. With the wind about two points free, the yards
braced in a little, and two close-reefed topsails and a reefed
foresail on the ship, we made great way toward the southward and,
almost every watch, when we came on deck, the air seemed to grow
colder, and the sea to run higher. Still, we saw no ice, and had
great hopes of going clear of it altogether, when, one afternoon,
about three o'clock, while we were taking a siesta during our
watch below, "All hands!" was called in a loud and fearful voice.
"Tumble up here, men! - tumble up! - don't stop for your clothes -
before we're upon it!" We sprang out of our berths and hurried
upon deck.
The loud, sharp voice of the captain was heard giving orders,
as though for life or death, and we ran aft to the braces,
not waiting to look ahead, for not a moment was to be lost.
The helm was hard up, the after yards shaking, and the ship
in the act of wearing.
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