We Were Now Within Half A
Mile Of The Cape, And So Near Shore That The Counter Surge Of The Sea So
Rebounded Against The Side Of Our Ship, That The Horrors Of Our
Situation Were Undescribably Awful.
While in this utmost extremity, the
wind and the sea raging beyond measure, and momentarily expecting to be
driven
Upon the rocks, our master veered away some of the main-sheet:
Whether owing to this, or by some counter current, or by the wonderful
interposition of God, our ship quickened her way and shot past the rock,
where we all thought she must have perished. Between this and the cape
there was a small bay, so that we were now somewhat farther from the
shore; but on coming to the cape, we again looked for nothing but
instant death; yet God, the father of mercy, delivered us, and we
doubled the cape little more than the length of our ship. When past the
cape, we took in all our sails, and, being between the high lands, the
wind blowing trade, or steadily in the direction of the straits, we
spooned before the sea under bare poles, three men being unable to
manage the helm, and in six hours we were driven twenty-five leagues
within the straits.
In this time we freed our ship from water, and when we had rested a
while, our men became unable to move, their sinews being stiff, and
their flesh as if dead. Many of them were so covered and eaten with
lice, that there lay clusters of them in their flesh as large as peas,
yea, some as big as beans.
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