Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/113

 the Master both obserued the true eleuation of the Pole, whereby they knew by what course to recouer the Sreights. Wherewithall our captaine and Master were so reuiued, and gaue such comfortable speeches to the company, that euery man reioiced, as though we had receuied a pleasant deliuerance. The next day being the 11 of October, we saw Cabo Deseado being the cape on the South shore (the North shore is nothing but a company of dangerous rocks, Isles, and sholds.) This cape being within two leages to leeward off vs, our master greatly doubted, that we could not double the same: whereupon the captaine told him: You see there is no remedy, either we must double it, or before noon we must die: therefore loose your sails, and let vs put it to Gods mercy. The master being a man of good spirit resolutely made quicke dispatch and set saile. Our sailes had not bene halfe an houre aboord, but the footrope of our foresaile brake, so that nothing held but the oylet holes. The seas continually brake ouer the ships poope, and flew into the sailes with such violence, that we still expected the tearing of our sayles, or ouersetting of our ship, and withall to our vtter discomfort, wee perceiued that wee fell still more and more to leeward, so that wee could not double the cape: wee were nowe come within halfe a mile of the cape, and so neere the shore, that the countersuffe of the sea would rebound against the shippes side, so that wee were much dismayed with the horror of our present ende. Beeing thus at the very pinch of death, the winde and Seas raging beyond measure, our Master veared some of the maine sheate; and whether it was by that occasion, or by some current, or by the wonderfull power of God, as wee verily thinke it was, the ship quickened her way, and shot past that rocke, where wee thought shee should haue shored.

Then between the cape and the poynt there was a little bay; so that wee were somewhat farther from the shoare: and when we were come so farre as the cape, wee yeelded to death: yet our good God the Father of all mercies deliuered vs, and wee doubled the cape about the length of our shippe, or very little more. Being shot past the cape, we presently tooke in our sayles, which onely God had preserued vnto vs: and when we were shot in betweene the high lands, the wind blowing trade, without any inch of sayle, we spooned before the sea, three men being not able to guide the helme, and in sixe houres wee were put