TO RIO DE JAN EI no. 



9 



The violence of the wind increased, and when the morning came 

 the scene was much changed : the sky was, indeed, free from clouds, 

 but gloomy, and as if involved in smoke, and though the sun shone, 

 the storm raged with redoubled fury. Our ship, which lay quite on 

 one side, contended with a few sails against the wind ; and about 

 ten in the morning we were off the light-house of Dungeness. All 

 the passengers were sick in the cabin, where a melancholy silence was 

 interrupted only by the howling of the storm among the rigging, and 

 by the dreadful roaring and dashing of the agitated waves. The 

 captain, who exerted all his efforts to continue the voyage, was at 

 length compelled to tack about, and again to direct his course to Deal. 

 The violence of the storm now acted favourably on our vessel ; for 

 with only a few small sails set, we flew with such rapidity, that in 

 a short time we traversed the same distance which we had spent the 

 whole night in advancing. A brig, which sailed in company with 

 us, was constantly covered with the waves, while we, being on board 

 a higher-built vessel, remained pretty dry. 



We arrived off Deal, but we sailed with such rapidity, that in 

 order to avoid running on shore, we were obliged to cast anchor 

 with all possible speed ; this however could not be done without much 

 trouble, for the violent friction of the cable, as it was veered out, 

 produced such a heat that it began to smoke, and would certainly 

 have caught fire, had it not been cooled by the water, which the 

 sailors poured upon it in torrents. At length the enormous anchor 

 reached the bottom, and we saw ourselves happily delivered from this 

 danger. Our ship, which was one of the best and strongest built, had 

 fortunately good new cables and excellent tackling. The number of 

 vessels that we found at anchor here, consoled us in some measure for 

 our loss of time ; all the larger ships had struck their topmasts and 

 yards, as a security against the storm, and the men of war had 

 thrown out two anchors. 



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