JOURNAL OF GALLEGO. 197 



otherwise mentioned. During the 27th and -iSth of December they 

 stood to the west-north-west for GO leagues ; and on the two follow- 

 ing days they steered west-by-north for 62 leagues, reaching the 

 latitude ot 6i°. It is here recorded that the needle was deflected a 

 third of a point to the north-west. On the last day of the year they 

 sailed 30 leagues to the west, experiencing strong currents. 



Hitherto no signs of land had been observed, and, inconsequence, 

 symptoms of uneasiness showed themselves amongst the crews. As 

 they sailed along, they were led in their imaginations to believe that 

 they were always on the point of making the land ; but no land 

 appeared. " The pilots told me," writes Gallego in his journal, " that 

 I was the only person who was not disheartened after having sailed 

 so many leagues without seeing land : and when I told them that 

 they would suffer no ill and that, with the favour of God, they would 

 see the land at the end of January, they all kept silent and made no 

 reply." 



The 1st of January, 1567, found the Spanish voyagers steeiing 

 west along the parallel of 6i° ; and in accordance with the opinions 

 of his fellow pilots, Gallego kept this course until the 7th, traversing 

 in the time about 125 leagues.^ They now experienced unsettled 

 weather, the wind shifting to the north and subsequently to the 

 north-east. Although steering west-by-south, they did not change 

 their latitude as much as they expected; and, on the 10th, after 

 accomplishing 30 leagues on this course during the past three days 

 they found their latitude in 6^°. During the 11th and 12th with a 

 very favoui-able wind they sailed 55 leagues to the west on the same 

 •parallel. Heavy rain-squalls here overtook them ; and they ran 

 along under easy sail. 



" On this day," writes Gallego, " they signalled from the " Almir- 

 anta" (the general's ship) to ask where the land should be. I 

 leplied that it lay, in my opinion, 800 leagues away ; and that at 

 all events we should not sight it until the end of the month. 

 At this time some of the people began to doubt whether we should 

 ever see the land. But I always told them that, if God was with 

 them, it would be His pleasure that they should not suffer ill." 

 During the 13th they steered west 25 leagues and found themselves 

 in the parallel of 6°. On the following day they ran in the same 



'■ For one day, Saturday the 3rd, there is no record in the Journal of the distance run. 

 To allow for this omission, I have taken 18 leagues as being tlie average daily run during 

 this week. 



