Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 17.djvu/392



384 LETTERS OF ELIHU WRIGHT

and returned to the ship with water. Griffis had a small bag of bread and had to walk across a considerable of a flat of land to reach the tent but did not reach there and they thought him to be on board the ship and those wooding and watering thought he was at the tent. They did not miss him till one or two days after they inquired of the inhabitants (who are generally savage) and were informed of a dead body lying near when they passed. They went to look and found his body. He appeared to have his scull broken and plundered of his clothes. The Equator lost one man, drowned by turning over the boat in the breakers on a bar when they were boating off wood. We spoke Ship Marcus of Sagharbor the 3rd of Feb. 6 mo. out; 200 bis. Boat had one man killed the first whale. The whale struck the boat and threw a turn of the line over his head and dragged him forward to the chocks of the boat. He lived just six hours. Ship Alexander has lost two boys. The Plowboy, all well; 500 bis. last news. We had pretty contrary wind from Bunavista around the Cape, very hot and calm on the line (at Nov. 1st). The weather off Cape Horn was very rugged and the sea boisterous. We made Statten land off C. Horn the 8th Dec. Its tops well covered with snow. We were about 40 days off Cape Horn, 20 of which we were from 56 to 60 South, the days 18^2 hours long. There was not more than two hours darkness. It was so light through the night as to be able to read on deck, although cloudy. W T e had a very severe gale off the Cape the 19th Capt. Weeks said he never knew the blow harder. We lay too under staysails & close reeft maintopsails. We were obliged to take in the S. S. Our boats were all taken in but one. The ship was rolling her boat davies under every swell while we were on the yard. She washt every coil of riging off the pins to the leeward, but it lasted but about 30 hours. We had another after we doubled the Cape in Lat. 41 South, more severe, if possible, than the other, but not so sharp sea, but since we have got up on the tropic the weather is as pleas ant as man ever enjoyed. S. E. winds.