They Are
Composed Of Logs Lashed Together Upon The Water; Have One Large Sail,
Are Quite Fast, And, Strange As It May Seem, Are Trusted As Good
Sea Boats.
We saw several, with from one to three men in each,
boldly putting out to sea, after it had become almost dark.
The Indians go out in them after fish, and as the weather is
regular in certain seasons, they have no fear. After taking a
new departure from Olinda, we kept off on our way to Cape Horn.
We met with nothing remarkable until we were in the latitude of the
river La Plata. Here there are violent gales from the south-west,
called Pomperos, which are very destructive to the shipping in the
river, and are felt for many leagues at sea. They are usually
preceded by lightning. The captain told the mates to keep a bright
look-out, and if they saw lightning at the south-west, to take in
sail at once. We got the first touch of one during my watch on deck.
I was walking in the lee gangway, and thought that I saw lightning
on the lee bow. I told the second mate, who came over and looked
out for some time. It was very black in the south-west, and in
about ten minutes we saw a distinct flash. The wind, which had
been south-east, had now left us, and it was dead calm. We sprang
aloft immediately and furled the royals and top-gallant-sails,
and took in the flying jib, hauled up the mainsail and trysail,
squared the after yards, and awaited the attack.
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