right ahead and it being but two miles distant, we were all under the
most dreadful apprehensions of running on shore; which, had either the
wind blown from its usual quarter with its wonted vigour, or had not the
moon suddenly shone out, not a ship amongst us could possibly have
avoided. But the wind, which some few hours before blew in squalls from
the south-west, having fortunately shifted to west-north-west, we were
enabled to stand to the southward, and to clear ourselves of this
unexpected danger; so that by noon we had gained an offing of near twenty
leagues.

By the latitude of this land we fell in with, it was agreed to be a part
of Tierra del Fuego, near the southern outlet of the Straits of Magellan.
It was indeed most wonderful that the currents should have driven us to
the eastward with such strength; for the whole squadron esteemed
themselves upwards of ten degrees more westerly than this land. And now,
instead of having our labours and anxieties relieved by approaching a
warmer climate and more tranquil seas, we were to steer again to the
southward, and again to combat those western blasts which had so often
terrified us; and this, too, when we were weakened by our men falling
sick and dying apace, and when our spirits, dejected by a long
continuance at sea, and by our late disappointment, were much less
capable of supporting us in the various difficulties which we could not
but expect in this new undertaking. Add to all this, too, the
discouragement we received by the diminution of the strength of the
squadron; for three days before this we lost sight of the Severn and the
Pearl in the morning; and though we spread our ships, and beat about for
some time, yet we never saw them more; whence we had apprehensions that
they too might have fallen in with this land in the night, and, being
less favoured by the wind and the moon than we were, might have run on
shore and have perished.