inconsiderable gales compared with the violence of these winds, which
raised such short and at the same time such mountainous waves as greatly
surpassed in danger all seas known in any other part of the globe. And it
was not without great reason that this unusual appearance filled us with
continual terror, for had any one of these waves broke fairly over us, it
must in all probability have sent us to the bottom.

SEAS MOUNTAINS HIGH.

It was on the 7th of March, as has been already observed, that we passed
Straits le Maire, and were immediately afterwards driven to the eastward
by a violent storm and the force of the current which set that way. For
the four or five succeeding days we had hard gales of wind from the same
quarter, with a most prodigious swell; so that though we stood, during
all that time, towards the south-west, yet we had no reason to imagine we
had made any way to the westward. In this interval we had frequent
squalls of rain and snow, and shipped great quantities of water; after
which for three or four days, though the seas ran mountains high, yet the
weather was rather more moderate. But on the 18th we had again strong
gales of wind with extreme cold. From hence to the 23rd the weather was
more favourable, though often intermixed with rain and sleet, and some
hard gales; but as the waves did not subside, the ship, by labouring in
this lofty sea, was now grown so loose in her upper works that she let in
the water at every seam; so that every part within board was constantly
exposed to the sea-water, and scarcely any of the officers ever lay in
dry beds. Indeed, it was very rare that two nights ever passed without
many of them being driven from their beds by the deluge of water that
came upon them.

On the 23rd we had a most violent storm of wind, hail, and rain, with a