But another accident brought us to a necessity of further business with
these people, and indeed we had like to have put an end to our lives
and adventures all at once among them; for, about three days after our
putting out to sea from the place where we had that skirmish, we
were attacked by a violent storm of wind from the south, or rather a
hurricane of wind from all the points southward, for it blew in a most
desperate and furious manner from the S.E. to the S.W., one minute at
one point, and then instantly turning about again to another point,
but with the same violence; nor were we able to work the ship in that
condition, so that the ship I was in split three top-sails, and at last
brought the main-top-mast by the board; and, in a word, we were once or
twice driven right ashore; and one time, had not the wind shifted the
very moment it did, we had been dashed in a thousand pieces upon a great
ledge of rocks which lay off about half-a-league from the shore; but,
as I have said, the wind shifting very often, and at that time coming
to the E.S.E., we stretched off, and got above a league more sea-room in
half-an-hour. After that, it blew with some fury S.W. by S., then S.W.
by W., and put us back again a great way to the eastward of the ledge
of rocks, where we found a great opening between the rocks and the land,
and endeavoured to come to an anchor there, but we found there was no
ground fit to anchor in, and that we should lose our anchors, there
being nothing but rocks. We stood through the opening, which held about
four leagues. The storm continued, and now we found a dreadful foul
shore, and knew not what course to take. We looked out very narrowly
for some river or creek or bay, where we might run in, and come to an
anchor, but found none a great while. At length we saw a great headland
lie out far south into the sea, and that to such a length, that, in
short, we saw plainly that, if the wind held where it was, we could not
weather it, so we ran in as much under the lee of the point as we could,
and came to an anchor in about twelve fathom water.
But the wind veering again in the night, and blowing exceedingly hard,
our anchors came home, and the ship drove till the rudder struck against
the ground; and had the ship gone half her length farther she had been
lost, and every one of us with her. But our sheet-anchor held its own,
and we heaved in some of the cable, to get clear of the ground we had
struck upon. It was by this only cable that we rode it out all night;
and towards morning we thought the wind abated a little; and it was well
for us that it was so, for, in spite of what our sheet-anchor did for
us, we found the ship fast aground in the morning, to our very great
surprise and amazement.
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