s, this Ship escaped; and left us all, from
the Commander to the Cabin-boys (who had a hard time of it that night,
you may be sure), in the most doleful Dumps.

Strong gales to the 1st of January. This being New-Year's Day, every
officer was wished a Merry New Year by our Trumpets and Hautboys; and we
had a large tub of Punch, hot, upon the Quarter-deck, where every man in
the Ship had above a Pint to his share, and drank to our Owners' and
Friends' healths in Great Britain, to a Happy New Year, a good Voyage,
plenty of Plunder (Wo is me for that Homeward-bound Frenchman from the
Southern Seas!), and a Safe Return. And then we bore down on our
Consorts and gave them three Huzzas, wishing them the like.

Now, it being very raw cold Weather, we very much dreaded scudding upon
Ice; so we fired Guns as Signals for the _Hope_ and _Delight_ to bring
to, and on the 5th of January brought ourselves to, under the same
reefed Topsails. We feared at one time, from our Consorts having an
Ensign in their Maintopmast shrouds, as a Signal of Distress, that they
had sprung their Mainmast; so we made the Large again, our Ship working
very well in a mighty great sea. When we were able to get within Hail of
our Consorts, we asked them how they did, and how they had come to hoist
the Wretched Rag. They answered, Pretty well, but that they had shipped
a great deal of Water in lying by, and being forced to put before the
wind, the Sea had broke in at the Cabin Windows, filling the Steerage
and Waist, and was like to have spoiled several Men; but, Heaven be
thanked! all else was indifferent well with 'em; only it was intolerably
Cold, and everything Wet. Captain Blokes sent me on board the _Delight_
in our Yall, and I found them in a very disorderly Pickle, with all
their Clothes a-drying: the Ship and Rigging covered with 'em from the
Deck to the Maintop. They got six of their Guns into the Hold, to make
the Ship lively.

Aboard the _Marquis_ died, on the 8th, John Veale, a Landsman, having
lain ill a Fortnight, and had a Swelling in the Legs ever since he left
the Island of Grande. At nine at night we buried him; and this was the
first we had lost by Sickness since we left England. Until the 15th,
cloudy Weather with Squalls of Rain, and fresh Gales at S.W. We now
accounted ourselves round Cape Horn, and so in the South Seas. The
French ships that first came to trade in these seas were wont to come
through the Straits of Magellan; but Exp