DRIVEN BACK BY STORMS 115 



afternoon we began to run only under the spanker, because we 

 were already tolerably far from land and, on account of the 

 west wind, need not fear being driven on the land. 



On September 26, although the west wind died down some- 

 what, the sea remained turbulent, and we were now already 

 three days retreating towards the southeast. 



On September 27 we again had a very violent storm from the 

 southeast, which, however, after an hour veered to the west and 

 continued with extreme violence. Every now and then we could 

 hear the wind rush as if out of a narrow passage, with such 

 terrible whistling, raging, and blustering that we were every 

 minute in danger of losing masts or rudder or else of seeing the 

 vessel itself damaged by the force of the waves, which pounded 

 it as when cannons are fired, so that we were expecting every 

 moment the last stroke and death. Even the old and experienced 

 pilot, Andreas Hesselberg,^^'* could not recall among the experi- 

 ences of his fifty years at sea having passed through a storm 

 which even resembled it. 



On the 28th of September the storm continued with even 

 greater violence, together with hail, lightning, and rain. We were 

 now for the fifth day being continuously driven back towards 

 the southeast. 



On the 29th it seemed throughout the day as if it might abate. 

 Towards 10 o'clock at night, however, the wind, suddenly shift- 

 ing to the southeast, once more heralded a most terrific storm, 

 then shifted again to west, and continued as before. 



On the 30th, about five o'clock in the morning, we encountered 

 a storm from the southwest of such redoubled violence as we 

 never have experienced before or since; we could not imagine 

 that it could be greater or that we should be able to stand it out. 

 Every moment we expected the destruction of our vessel, and 

 no one could lie down, sit up, or stand. Nobody was able to 

 remain at his post; we were drifting under the might of God 

 whither the angry heavens willed to send us. Half of our crew 

 lay sick and weak, the other half were of necessity able-bodied 



2" On the spelling of this name, see above, footnote 33, last paragraph. 



