Chap. 1 Sebald d£ 9/eert. 41 
on board •, and the Fidelity was obliged • to do the fame : 
Captain de Weert was failing clofe after the Admiral, who 
was before, when an Accident happened in the great 
Yacht, that had the Wind of the Fidelity , which obliged 
him to furl his Sails, and lie by with the Yacht, and the 
Fidelity , that had loft her Sloop. The Admiral continued 
his Courfe, thinking the other Ships failed after him, and 
that the Fog hindered the Watch from feeing them ; but the 
Vice-admiral, who followed them, was alfo obliged to furl 
his Sails; immediately after, the Fog was fo thick, that 
they could not one fee another, though they kept clofe 
together. September 8. the Two Yachts loft their Ships, 
but thefe Three kept together till the next Day •, then the 
Admiral gave the Signal to fail with all the Sails, thinking 
Two Yachts were gone before. Two or Three Hours 
after they difcovered them, and ftaid for them, with great 
Joy. When they were joined again, Dircks Geritfz fent 
the Pinnace, or the Pofiilion , to the Admiral, to defire 
him to fend him his Carpenters ; but he could not, becaufe 
they were fick : However, thofe of Captain de Weert and 
de Cordes went, which proved a great Damage to their 
Ships, viz. the Faith , and the Fidelity ; for they never faw 
their Carpenters again, the Wind fhifting on a fudden : 
Then the Sea began to be fo ftormy, that the Yacht was 
forced to furl her Sails again, as well as the Vice-admiral 
alfo, who was ahead of the Faith ; and the Fidelity did the 
like: But in the Night the Yacht, and the Vice-admiral, 
put up their Sails again, without making any Signal that 
was feen by the Two other Ships, who continued to lie by, 
being perfuaded that the Vice-admiral, and the Yacht, did 
the fame. But, when the Day came on, the Captains of 
the Two firft Ships were extremely troubled, at not feeing 
the Two other Ships : Be Weert was very much concerned 
to have noMafterwith him, and but Two old Pilots, with 
a few Seamen, who were fick and weak through the Cold 
and Dampnefs of the Weather, though they had a good 
Fire Night and Day. 
17. On the 1 6th, the North-eaft Wind was fo violent, 
that the Two Ships were every Moment in Danger of 
finking. The Gallery of the Faith cracked above an 
Inch, and the Waves of the Sea beat fo much upon the 
Fidelity , that the Seamen were in Water above the Knees. 
The other Ship was in no lefs Danger ; for fhe had fprung 
a Leak, and fo full of Water, that they were obliged to 
pump Night and Day, and could hardly preferve her. 
At lafc, after an exaft Search, they found the Leak, and 
ftopt it. Thefe Two Ships were Twenty-four Hours in 
this deplorable Condition in the South Sea, fpooning all 
the while, and going without Sails ; befides that the 
Seamen were difcon tented, and grumbled, though each of 
them had Two Ounces of dry Fifh a Day, and a reafon- 
able Share of Bifcuit. But they were fo hungry, that this 
was not fufficient. They ufed to fill their Bellies with 
Muflfels in the Streight, and could not brook the want of 
them, fo that the Captains had much ado to pacify them. 
The 26th in the Night, they fell in with the Coaft upon 
the North Side of the Streight by a Miftake ; for they 
thought they were Twenty Leagues off the Land. In 
the Morning, the Crew of the Faith , difcovering the 
Land, were in great Danger ; for the Wind driving the 
Ship towards the Coaft, they faw Two Rocks juft before 
them, which they could not avoid, but by doubling them. 
The Fidelity ^ that was a great Way before, and now lay by, 
had not been fo expofed ; for, having difcovered the Rocks 
in time, fire failed on the other Side. They were Three 
Leagues off the Streight when they faw the Land, and the 
Wefterly W r ind blowing fo hard, that they could not bear 
off, the Two Captains refolved to get into the Streight 
again, to find a good Road, and flay for a fair Wind. 
Then they did not doubt, but they might overtake the 
other Ships, which could not be far gone, feeing they had 
agreed together, that, in cafe of any Accident, they fhould 
ftay Two Months in the Eland of Santa Maria one for 
another. About Evening they arrived in the Southerly 
Point of the Mouth of the Streight, and were driven by 
the Currents Six or Seven Leagues off into the Streight, 
where they anchored in a very good Road, and had pretty 
fair Weather till the laft of September : Then the furious 
Guffs of South- v/eftcrly Winds forced them to drop 
Numb. IV. 
Three Anchors. The Summer approaching, they were 
in Llopes of fairer Weather ; but, for the Two Months 
time they ftaid there, they had fcarce a fair Day to dry 
their Sails. They called that Bay the Bay of Frouble t becaufe 
they endured therein for Twenty Days the greateft Trouble 
and Danger imaginable, being obliged continually to go 
afhore to fetch fome ferry Nourifhment, fuch as a few 
Birds, and fome Muffels and Snails, that they found in the 
Rocks. 
18. October 18. the Two Ships, not being able to fub- 
fift any longer in that Bay, failed again a League farther 
into the Streight, where they found a better Bay than the 
laft, and caft Anchor upon the Coaft, The 22d, they 
were in Danger of perilhing by a violent Storm ; but, 
about the Break of Day, a Calm Succeeded. The conftant 
Work of the Seamen was to go afhore to get fome 
Vidluals, when it was low Water, and to fetch in fome 
Wood and frefh Water, when the Tide came in ; fo that 
they had no time to dry themfelves, though they had a 
good Fire Night and Day : In a Word, during the whole 
Nine Months they fpent in that Streight, they had fcarce 
an Opportunity to take the Sails off the Yards to dry them, 
fo frequent were the Returns of Rain and Storms. In fo 
deplorable a Condition they waited for better Weather ; 
but, in the mean time, were expofed to Wet, Cold, high 
Winds, and fuch other Inconveniences, which kept them 
continually at Work. But, after all, they did better by 
failing into the Main, which was finooth, and where no- 
thing was to be feared but Winds ; whereas, if they had 
anchored in any Place, they would have been expofed to 
the Surges and violent Waves of the Sea, and the Anchors 
could not preferve them from imminent Danger. The chief 
Caufe of the Seamens murmuring was, that fome of 
them gave out, that there would not be Bifcuit enough for 
their Return into Holland , if they continued here longer. 
The Captain, having Notice of it, went intothe Bread-room, 
and came out of it with a chearful Countenance ; and told 
the Seamen, that there were Bifcuit and Provifions enough 
for Eight Months, though, in Faff, there were not Pro- 
vifions for above Four Months. But the Captain was 
refolved to ftay rather a whole Year for the fair Weather, 
than to go ; and, in cafe the Weather fhould continue as 
bad as it was, he defigned rather to fail to the Eafi Indies 
to look for the Fleet. At length, after they had ftaid in 
the Streight till the 2d of December , the Wind turned 
North-eaft, and immediately they weighed Anchor. But, 
being got ready to fail, they could not get oft' into the 
Main, becaufe of the Whirlwinds rifing between the Hills 
and the Bottom of the Bay. The Faith was driven fo 
near the Land, that one could ftep to the Shore from the 
Gallery, fo that they were in great Danger, and would ha^e 
certainly been loft, if the Wind had continued ftrong. The 
next Day the Storm was quite over, and, at Ebb-water, 
the Two Ships got out of the Bay, which they called the 
Clofe Bay : But they went out inaufpicioufty •, for, after 
that, they never caft Anchor together, and that very Day 
they anchored Three Leagues farther under the Wind than 
they had done before, and at a League off one from 
another. 
19. The 8th, they endured a more violent Storm than 
ever ; the Wind was fo ftrong, that the Waves were Some- 
times higher than the Mails ; and the Storm lafted Two 
Days. Ontheioth, the Wind finking, Captain de Weert 
went into his Sloop, in order to board the Fidelity , but, 
having doubled the Point, he faw no Ship, or any Signs 
of a Shipwreck ; fo he went back, full of Sorrow. The 
next Day, he rowed towards a Gulph, where he faw a Mail 
near a low Point. Then his Sorrow gave place to Joy ; 
for he went on board the Fidelity , and told them what Ap- 
prehenfions he had been under. He was obliged to leave 
his little Boat, to help to hale the Anchors and the Cables, 
which the Fidelity had loft. Then he took his Leave, in 
order to return to his own Ship •, but he little imagined, 
that it was the laft Farewel, and that he fhould never fee 
Captain de Cordes again. The frequent Storms, and other 
Inconveniencies, having difcouraged the Seamen, who were 
out of Hopes of ever returning into Holland , and who 
thought they fhould ftarve for want of Provifions, Captain 
de Weert , the next Day, which was Sunday , invited them 
M * ' all. 
