This sad accident constrained de Weert to quit the straits, which he did on the 21st January, having a S.W. wind, chopping sometimes round to E.N.E. having now spent nine months in those seas, in a dangerous and dismal condition. In the afternoon of that day, having got into the main sea, they allowed their boat to go adrift, being rendered quite unserviceable by the late storms. The 24th in the morning, they found three small islands to windward, not marked in any maps, which they named the _Sebaldine Islands_. These are in lat. 50° 40' S. sixty leagues from the continent,[91] and contained abundance of penguins; but they could not catch any, having no boat. On the 1st February, a seaman was condemned to be hanged, for having stolen a bottle of wine and a bag of rice from the hold; and, when just about to be turned off, he was pardoned at the intercession of the crew, on condition that they should not again beg the life of any one found guilty of stealing provisions. In the evening of the 3d the same person was found drunk, and consequently must have again stolen wine, and was convicted of having stolen both wine and victuals, for which he was now hanged, and his body thrown into the sea. [Footnote 91: In vol. VIII. p. 68, note 3, these Sebaldines have been already noticed as the north-westermost of the Falklands.--E.] They passed the line on the 15th March; and their wine being now reduced to one pipe, that was reserved for the use of the sick, and no more was allowed to the crew. The 28th they saw Cape Monte on the coast of Guinea, when the captain was much displeased with the pilots, for having steered a different course from what he had directed. The seamen also were discontented with the captain, who would not land, because he had no boat, and only one anchor: but, being satisfied that he had biscuit enough for four months, at a quarter of a pound daily to each man, and two ounces of rice, he made the ship's head be turned to seawards. In the night of the 1st April, they discovered some fire at a distance, thinking it were a ship; but when day broke, it was known to have been on the shore, towards which they had been insensibly driven by the current. By this time their whole stock of penguins was expended, and they must have been reduced to a very small allowance of biscuit and rice for their whole sustenance, but during five weeks that they steered along the coast of Africa, making very little progress in consequence of calms, they caught abundance of many kinds of fish, both large and small. Being uncertain how long they might remain on the coast, and fearing the want of provisions, de Weert ordered a small boat to be built by the pilot, who had been bred a ship-carpenter. This boat was finished in twelve days; but they had no need of her, for the wind became fair on the 24th April, and they made sail in the direction of the Açores.