Fun is fun, but furling one yard-arm of a course, at a
time, off Cape Horn, is no better than man-killing."
During the greater part of the next two days, the wind was pretty
steady from the southward. We had evidently made great progress, and
had good hope of being soon up with the Cape, if we were not there
already. We could put but little confidence in our reckoning, as there
had been no opportunities for an observation, and we had drifted too
much to allow of our dead reckoning being anywhere near the mark. If
it would clear off enough to give a chance for an observation, or if
we could make land, we should know where we were; and upon these,
and the chances of falling in with a sail from the eastward, we
depended almost entirely.
Friday, July 22d. This day we had a steady gale from the
southward, and stood on under close sail, with the yards eased a
little by the weather braces, the clouds lifting a little, and showing
signs of breaking away. In the afternoon, I was below with Mr. H---
the third mate, and two others, filling the bread locker in the
steerage from the casks, when a bright gleam of sunshine broke out and
shone down the companion-way and through the sky-light, lighting up
everything below, and sending a warm glow through the heart of every
one.
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