278 FROM GUAHON TO ST. HELENA. 



tude 3^5° 36\ A violent gust of wind from the 

 west obliged us hastily to take in the sails, not to 

 lose our mast ; the rain poured down in torrents, 

 the thunder rolled awfully over our heads ; to the 

 right and left the lightning fell around us into the 

 sea, but our Rurick was protected by God. Such 

 squalls are said to be frequent at the Cape of Good 

 Hope ; and the mariner has reason to dread them, 

 as with the least negligence the ship may go to the 

 bottom. 



The 27th. After we had been detained near the 

 Cape for some days by violent storms from south- 

 west, the wind veered to the east, and we were 

 already to-day off the bank. I had taken my 

 course to its outermost edge, to take advantage of 

 the powder of the current, which runs to the west. 

 Our meridian observation gave for the latitude 

 35° 18' ; longitude 337° 4'. We found the current 

 seventy-two miles to the south-west 66°^ therefore 

 three miles an hour. 



The 29th. At noon, when we were in latitude 

 34° 55\ longitude 339° 2', we descried at the same 

 time high land in north-east 32°, and north-east 

 10", lying to the east of Cape Lagulas. 



The 30th. At noon we doubled the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and steered along the coast to Table 

 Bay. At six o'clock Robben Island was distant 

 from us fourteen miles, lying north-east 73°. There 

 was but a little wind, and we but slowly ap- 

 proached the channel which is formed by Robben 



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