84 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
ocean ; and consequently thought it advisable to increase the al¬ 
lowance of water, in order that the crew might be enabled to 
spare enough to afford them tea, morning and evening, as I was 
convinced it would conduce as much to their health as their 
comfort; and when I communicated to them this arrangement, I 
took an opportunity of thanking them for their good conduct, 
during our boisterous and unpleasant passage around the cape; 
encouraged them to a continuance of it, by holding out prospects 
of indulgence to those, who should so distinguish themselves; 
and, as some thefts had been committed, for which the perpetra¬ 
tors were then under the punishment of wearing a yoke, I gave a 
general pardon, on condition that the first offender brought to 
the gang-way should receive three dozen lashes. 
It was with no little joy, we now saw ourselves fairly in the 
Pacific ocean, and calculating on a speedy end to all our suffer¬ 
ings; we began also to form our projects for annoying the enemy, 
and had already equipped, in imagination, one of their vessels of 14 
or 16 guns, and manned from the Essex, to cruize against their 
commerce; indeed, various were the schemes we formed at this 
time for injuring them, and had, in fancy, immense wealth to re¬ 
turn with to our country : and, as the gale continued to blow from 
the S.W., every hour seemed to brighten our prospects and give 
us fresh spirits ; and on the last of February, being in the latitude 
of 50° S., the wind became moderate and shifted to the northward, 
the sea smooth, and every prospect of mild and pleasant weather. 
I consequently determined to replace the guns, and get the spars 
on the spar-deck; but before we had effected this, the wind had 
freshened up to a gale, and by noon had reduced us to our storm 
stay-sail and close-reefed main-top-sail ; it, in the afternoon, 
hauled around to the westward, and blew with a fury far exceed¬ 
ing any thing we had yet experienced, bringing with it such a 
tremendous sea, as to threaten us every moment with destruction, 
and appalled the stoutest heart on board. To attempt to convey 
an idea of the fury of this gale by description, would be fruitless; 
let it suffice to say, that it was rarely equalled, and I am sure 
never was exceeded. Our sails, our standing and running rigging, 
from the succession of bad weather, had become so damaged, as 
