Page:Memoirs of a Huguenot Family.djvu/256

 six knots the hour. We see many sea-hogs. We had no right observation. The method of taking an observation at sea:— You see first as high as you can the latitude you think yourself in: then you fix your veins; and then look for the horizon. You must observe that if the shade of the sun comes to the upper part of the slit of the horizon vein, and that the sun is at his full height, and that you see your horizon through the slit of the horizon vein, then you are assured of a good observation. You must begin to look before the sun is at his full height, that you may see him at the highest, and you must continue till you find him declining; and when you find the sun declining, you must leave off observing. Then take off the degrees of the quadrant, and look in the table for the sun's declination, which you must subtract from your latitude by observation, and the remainder will be the latitude of the place you are in. Now as the sun is going from us, we subtract, but when he comes to us, we must add.

20th Dec.—Wind S.W., very stormy; and not being able to bear sail, we lowered our fore-sail and put a reef in our mainsail, and so lay under our mizzen, driving to the north-east all night. The weather thick, and in the morning rainy, which assuaged somewhat the winds; but the greatness of the sea made us to continue under our mizzen-sail. We shipped some water, and see thousands of sea-hogs. We lay to the westward of the Azores, where, commonly, there is bad weather.

25th, Christmas.—Wind W. by N., very stormy and rainy. Not able to carry any sail, so we lay by under our mizzen. A mighty sea. Remained so all day and night, and made but an ordinary Christmas. Peas as hard as shot for breakfast.