But On The 5th November The Wind Shifting To
The East And South-East, Prevented Them From Entering The English Channel,
And Forced Them Beyond The Scilly Islands.
The wind now again increased in
violence, and on the 10th November carried the rudder a second time from
its hinges.
They slung it by means of ropes to the quarters of the ship,
but it soon broke loose, and was dragged after the ship for three days,
when, by exerting their utmost efforts, it was again made fast. The vessel
now drove continually farther from land; and as the crew consumed the
victuals and drink without bounds or moderation, two or three of the men
were appointed to guard the provisions, with orders to distribute regular
shares to each person on board twice a day, Quirini himself not excepted.
As a substitute for their disabled rudder, they constructed, by the advice
of the carpenter, out of some spare masts and yards, two rudders with
triangular boarded ends, in order to steady the course of the vessel. These
being properly fastened proved highly serviceable, and inspired them with
fresh hopes of safety; but, by the extreme violence of the winds and waves,
this their last refuge was torn away. On the 26th of November the storm
increased to such extreme violence, that they expected every moment to
founder, and had no doubt this was to have proved the last day of their
lives. By degrees, indeed, the storm abated; but they were driven out to
sea to the W.N.W., and the sails, from being perpetually fatigued by the
rain and wind, were now torn to shivers; and though they put up new ones,
they were soon likewise destroyed. The ship now drove without either sails
or rudder, at the mercy of the winds and waves, and was filled by the sea
which continually beat over it; insomuch that the crew, worn out with
constant labour, anxiety, and watching, were scarcely able to keep the
water under. On heaving the lead they found water at 80 fathoms; on which
they spliced all their four cables on end, and rode at anchor for the space
of forty hours; when one of die crew, terrified at the dreadful working of
the ship occasioned by the winds and waves, cut the cable at the
forecastle, and the ship now drove about as before. On the 4th December,
four large waves broke in succession over their ill-fated vessel, and
filled it so full of water that it seemed just ready to sink. By exerting
their utmost strength and resolution, the crew baled the water out, though
it reached to their waists, and at length succeeded in emptying the vessel
entirely. On the 7th, the tempest increased with such violence, that the
sea flowed into the ship uninterruptedly from the windward, and their
speedy destruction seemed quite inevitable; so that they were now of
opinion their only chance of safety was by cutting away the mainmast, which
might lighten the ship. This was done therefore immediately; and a large
wave fortunately carried the mast and yard clear away, by which the ship
worked with considerably less strain and violence. The wind and waves too,
now became less violent, and they again baled out the water. But now the
mast was gone, the ship would no longer keep upright, and lay quite over on
one side, so that the water ran into her in torrents; and the people, being
quite exhausted with labour and want of food, had not strength remaining to
clear out the water.
In this desperate situation, expecting every moment that the vessel would
sink or go to pieces, they came to the resolution of endeavouring to save
themselves in the boats, of which the larger held only forty-seven men, and
the smaller twenty-one. Quirini had the choice of either of the boats, and
at last went with his servants, into the larger boat, in which the officers
had embarked. They took with them a stock of provisions; and on the 17th
December, the winds and waves having somewhat moderated, they quitted their
unfortunate ship. Among other costly articles of commerce, the ship was
laden with 800 casks of Malmsey wine, and a great quantity of sweet-scented
Cyprus wood, with pepper and ginger. On the following night, the small boat
in which twenty-one of the crew were embarked, was separated from them by
the violence of the storm, and they never heard of her more. Those in the
larger boat were obliged to throw overboard most of their stock of wine and
provisions, and all their clothes except those they had on, in order if
possible to lighten her a little. As the weather proved fair for some time,
they steered to the eastwards, in hopes of getting as they thought to
Iceland; but the wind again chopping about, drove them about at its will,
and they were quite ignorant whereabouts they were.
Their liquor now began to fail, and many of the people being quite
exhausted with incessant labour, long watchings, and the other hardships
they had undergone, and through scarcity of provisions, a great number of
them died. So great particularly was the scarcity of drink, that the
allowance for each man was only a fourth part of a moderate cupful once in
twenty-four hours. They were better provided with salted meat, cheese, and
biscuit; but this dry and salt food excited an intolerable thirst, which
they had no means to quench; in consequence of which some of them died
suddenly, and without having exhibited any previous symptoms of illness;
and it was particularly observed, that those were first carried off who had
formerly lived in the most intemperate manner, and had given themselves up
to drunkenness, or had continually indulged themselves in hovering over the
fire. Though these had the external appearance of being strong and healthy,
they were least able to endure the hardships they had now to suffer, and
two or three of them used to die in a day.
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