d as if they would be shaken out of the ship. The commander
wished to speak the stranger, on the chance of her being lately from
England, and able to give us fresher intelligence than we possessed. He
had ordered a boat to be got ready to be sent away, when, on looking at
the barometer, he found that it was falling, while a bank of clouds was
seen to be rising to the north-west.

"Hold fast with the boat," he said; "before she can return, we may have
a gale down upon us."

We had not long to wait for it; and in half an hour or so we were
dashing through the water under close-reefed topsails, heeling over with
the wind from the north-west till the water came rushing in through the
lee ports. The master, who had been on the coast before, recommended
that, in order not to lose ground, we should run for the Gulf of Penas;
where we could find shelter under the lee of an island, or get into one
of the snug ports of the mainland. The ship's head was accordingly kept
to the eastward. The sail we had seen was also standing in the same
direction, probably with the same object in view. We guessed,
therefore, that she was also bound to the northward, and wished to avoid
being driven back. Mudge expressed his satisfaction that we had not
stood away on the other tack.

"If we had, we should have run a chance of being blown back again round
the Cape into the Atlantic," he observed. "Not every captain, however,
would venture to stand in for the land as we are doing; we must keep our
eyes open and the lead going, or we may chance to run the ship on shore.
But as yonder vessel probably knows her way, we shall have her as a
guide, and may hope to find shelter without difficulty."

We quickly overhauled the stranger, which proved to be a barque; and
from her appearance, as we caught sight of her hull, there was no doubt
that she was a South Sea whaler, and that, consequently, she was likely
to be well acquainted with the coast. As we stood on, we caught sight
of an extensive chain of islands, stretching out from the mainland on
our larboard bow. Gradually they appeared more and more abeam, while
ahead rose up several lofty and rugged peaks. The stranger still kept
the lead; and following her, we at length found ourselves in an
extensive bay, completely sheltered from the gale blowing without.
Being now in perfectly smooth water, and the commander considering it
not prudent to run farther in, we furled sails, and brought up so