242 JOURNAL OF GALLEGO. 



were left without any sail. We employed las frescadas (blankets?) 

 for sails, and thus we went this day. Soon the wind lessened, and 

 we hoisted the fore-sail and coursed north-east until the next day, 

 which was the last day of October,'" 



The " Capitana," to which ship the narrative for a time alone 

 refers, was now in 29° N. lat. A very strong north-east wind, last- 

 ing until November 4th, drove them to the south-east in latitude 26°. 

 These north-easterly winds continued to prevail ; and being unable 

 to sail close to the wind, the Spaniards could not keep their latitude 

 and were being driven from their course, to the south-east.^ " We 

 were," .... as Gallego writes, . . . . " much wearied and suffered 

 from hunger and thirst, as they did not allow us more than half a 

 pint of stinking water and eight ounces of biscuit, a few very black 

 beans, and oil ; besides which there was nothing else in the ship. 

 Many of our peo]Dle were unable from weakness to eat any more 

 food, A soldier, who had gambled with his allowance of water and 

 had lost it, became desperate with thirst and cried out all the day. 

 Being without a boat, we could do nothing on approaching a harbour. 

 We resolved to trust that God would send us the means of help. 

 He provided for us in His great mercy, and on the day of St. Isabel 

 (November 19th) he gave us a (fair) wind, and we sailed in the lati- 

 tude of 28° and up to 30". This weather lasted until the 26th of 

 November, and we were 125 leagues further on our voyage." 



During the first week of December they experienced foul winds 

 and thick weather : but on the 9th the wind went round to the 

 south-south-east ; and they reached the latitude of 31° on the 12th. 

 Signs of the vicinity of land were now observed, such as sea-birds 

 and a goose. A sailor leapt into the sea after a floating piece of a 

 pine, and brought it on board, in order to bring fair weather. Rain 

 fell, and enough water was collected for three days. At length the 

 land was sighted by the watchful eye of Gallego. " It was the eve of 



our Lady the Virgin " he writes " and whilst standing 



at the side of the ship, I saw the land. Some of us, who despaired 

 to see it, said that it could not be the land. Sailing through the 

 night, two hours before the dawn we found ourselves close to two 

 islets that lay a league from the mainland in latitude 30° north of 

 the Equinoctial. 



2 " 



1 Figueroa iu his account tells us that they rigged a jury-mast, making use of a top-mast 

 for this purpose. , 



-Gallego here observes that the clay before the land was sighted, the needle remained 

 pointhig north. 



