At two, P. M., we again kept off before the wind, leaving the land
on our quarter, and at sun-down, it was out of sight. It was here that
I first saw one of those singular things called catamarans. They are
composed of logs lashed together upon the water; have one large
sail, are quite fast, and, strange as it may seem, are trusted as good
sea boats. We saw several, with from one to three men in each,
boldly putting out to sea, after it had become almost dark. The
Indians go out in them after fish, and as the weather is regular in
certain seasons, they have no fear. After taking a new departure
from Olinda, we kept off on our way to Cape Horn.
We met with nothing remarkable until we were in the latitude of
the river La Plata. Here there are violent gales from the southwest,
called Pamperos, which are very destructive to the shipping in the
river, and are felt for many leagues at sea. They are usually preceded
by lightning. The captain told the mates to keep a bright lookout, and
if they saw lightning at the south-west, to take in sail at once. We
got the first touch of one during my watch on deck.
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