TO THE BLUFF, AND UOME. 373 



bit in the world on the port tack, so that every stitch was 

 drawing, we began our long easterly stretch to the Horn, 

 homeward bound at last. 



Favoured by wind and weather, we made an average 

 run of one hundred and eighty miles per day for many 

 days, paying no attention to " great circle sailing," since 

 in such a slow ship the net gain to be secured by going 

 to a high latitude was very small, but dodging comfort- 

 ably along on about the parallel of 48° S., until it became 

 necessary to draw down towards " Cape Stiff," as that 

 dreaded extremity of South America, Cape Horn, is 

 familiarly called by seamen. As we did so, icebergs 

 became numerous, at one time over seventy being in 

 sight at once. Some of them were of immense size — one, 

 indeed, that could hardly be fitly described as an iceberg, 

 but more properly an ice-field, with many bergs rising 

 out of it, being over sixty miles long, while some of its 

 towering peaks were estimated at from five hundred to 

 one thousand feet high. Happily, the weather kept 

 clear; for icebergs and fog make a combination truly 

 appalling to the sailor, especially if there be much 

 wind blowing. 



Needless, perhaps, to say, our look-out was of the 

 best, for all hands had a double interest in the safety of 

 the ship. Perhaps it may be thought that any man 

 would have so much regard for the safety of his life that 

 he would not think of sleeping on his look-out ; but I can 

 assure my readers that, strange as it may seem, such is 

 not the case. I have known men who could never be 

 trusted not to go to sleep, no matter how great the 

 danger. This is so well recognized in merchant ships 

 that nearly every officer acts as if there was no look-out 

 at all forward, in case his supposed watchman should 

 be having a surreptitious doze. 



