302 A VOYAGE TO Book IX. 



they had feen a fhoal of fifh, which had probably 

 drawn fuch numbers toorether. 



On the 14th the wind variable betwixt the 

 W. N. W. and S. W. and our latitude 48® 12', we 

 began to be fenfible of an agreeable change in the 

 temperature of the air ; in the day time it was not 

 cold upon deck, and at , night the cabins were 

 warm. On the 1 5th we had a frefli gale at W. N. W. 

 and N.W. with a hollow fea, which continued the two 

 following days being the i6th and 17th, the weather 

 was very hazy, fudden fhowers frequent, and the 

 fame number of birds flill continued. On the i6th 

 the marquis d' Antin came along fide and told us, 

 that the fliip had fprung a leak, and that they had 

 laboured the whole night to flop it, having, after a 

 long fearch, found it to proceed from a hole made 

 by the rats in one of her quarters near the water's 

 edge. This obliged them to heel the fhip in order 

 to ftop it, and the other two flackened fail that llie 

 might come up with them. On the 17th we faw 

 many large whales, feveral of which played round 

 the Ihip for a confiderable time. 



The wind during the laft day was at S. E. and at 

 S. S. E. but moclerate ; the fea fmocth, with fhowers 

 of rain when we found ourfelves in the latitude of 

 44^ 30^ and 25^ 13' E. of Conception, and faw 

 feveral flights of birds both of the large and fmall: 

 fpecies, but different in colour from any we had feen 

 before, being intirely white. 



The water now incrSafed fo prod igiou fly in our 

 fliip, that for fome days our men had been almoft 

 continually labouring at the pump, which quite ex- 

 haufted their fpirjts ; and all of us under the greatefl 

 apprehenfions of perifhing. Nor was this a fudden 

 panic, the water fometimes increafing fo fuddenly, 

 that notwithflanding all our efforts it feemed to gain 

 vpon us. We obferved that the principal leaks were 

 iS^t the head and ftern, and the 19th proving a fine day, 



we 



