hey were in hopes of fair weather; yet during two months that they
remained in the straits, they scarcely had a fair day in which to dry
their sails. For twenty days that they remained in this bay, to which
they gave the name of the _Bay of Trouble_, they endured incredible
hardships, being forced to go on shore daily in search of a few birds,
which, with muscles and snails found upon the rocks, formed their sorry
subsistence. Being unable to subsist any longer in that bay, they set
sail on the 18th October, and found a better bay about a league farther
within the straits. The 22d they were nearly destroyed by a violent
storm, but the weather became calm next day. The constant employment of
the seamen was to go on shore in search of muscles for their sustenance
at low water, and when the tide was in to fetch wood and fresh water, so
that they had no time to dry themselves, though they kept up a good fire
continually. In short, during the whole nine months spent in these
straits, now and formerly, they scarcely had an opportunity once to dry
their sails, so frequent were the returns of rain and storms. The men
also were exposed to wet, cold, and high winds, which kept them
continually uncomfortable, and always at work. The seamen now began to
murmur, alleging there would not be enough of biscuit for their return
to Holland, if they remained here any longer. Having notice of this, de
Weert went into the bread-room, as if to examine their store; and, on
coming out, he declared, with a cheerful countenance, there was enough
of biscuit and other provisions for eight months, though in fact there
was not more than sufficient for four.

At length, on the 2d December, the wind changed to the N.E. and they
immediately weighed anchor, but could not get out into the South Sea,
owing to whirlwinds rising from between the high hills and the bottom of
the bay. The Faith was driven at one time so near the shore that a
person might have stepped ashore from her gallery, and had certainly
been lost if the wind had not abated. Next day, the storm being over,
the two ships got out of Close bay, as they called it, with the ebb, but
they never afterwards anchored together, and that day they cast anchor
at the distance of a league from each other. The 8th of December they
had a more violent storm than ever, which lasted two days, and during
which the waves rose sometimes higher than the masts. The storm abating
on the 10th, de Weert went in his