However, whilst rounding Cape Horn, in the coldest weather I ever
experienced, we were only too happy to throw them over us
during the nights.
One morning we were awakened by a great confusion on deck. Our ship was
ploughing through a quantity of broken ice. That same afternoon, we
sighted an immense iceberg about ten miles from us. Its size may be
imagined from the fact, that, although we were sailing at a rate of ten
knots an hour, we kept it in sight till dark. This was on the 3rd of
December.
We soon rounded the Horn, and had some very rough weather. One of the
sailors fell off the jib-boom; and the cry of "man overboard" made our
hearts beat with horror. Every sail was on; we were running right
before the wind, and the waves were mountains high, a boat must have
been swamped; and long before we could "bout ship", he had sunk to
rise no more.
After rounding Cape Horn, we made rapid progress; by Christmas Day, we
were in the Tropics. It was not kept with much joviality, for water and
food were running scarce. Provisions were so dear in Melbourne,
that they had laid in a short allowance of everything, and our captain
had not anticipated half so many passengers. We tried, therefore, to
put into St. Helena, but contrary winds preventing us, we sailed back
again to the South American coast, and anchored off Pernambuco.
