Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

RETURN TO ENGLAND.
279
On the first of March we put to sea again,
the season being already far advanced for pass¬
ing Cape Horn. The next day we went to
an allowance of a quart of water a day for
each man, which continued the whole pass¬
age. We were obliged to stand a long way
to the westward; and went to the northward
of Juan Fernandez above a degree, before we
had a wind that we could make any southing
with. On the 25th, in the latitude of 46 de¬
grees, we met with a violent hard gale at
west, which obliged us to lie to under a reefed
mainsail for some days; and before we got
round the Cape, we had many very hard
gales, with a prodigious sea and constant
thick snow; and after being so long in so de¬
lightful a climate as Chili, the cold was almost
insupportable. After doubling the Cape, we
got but slowly to the northward ; and, indeed,
at the best of times, the ship never went above
six knots; for she was a heavy-going vessel.
On the 27th of May we crossed the line;
when, finding that our water was grown ex¬
tremely short, and that it would be almost
impossible to reach Europe without a supply,
it was resolved to bear away for Martinico.
On the 29th of June, in the morning, we made