leagues in length. As these
Straits are often considered as the boundary between the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans, and as we presumed we had nothing now before us but an
open sea till we arrived on those opulent coasts where all our hopes and
wishes centred, we could not help flattering ourselves that the greatest
difficulty of our passage was now at an end, and that our most sanguine
dreams were upon the point of being realised, and hence we indulged our
imaginations in those romantic schemes which the fancied possession of
the Chilean gold and Peruvian silver might be conceived to inspire. These
joyous ideas were heightened by the brightness of the sky and the
serenity of the weather, which was indeed most remarkably pleasing; for
though the winter was now advancing apace, yet the morning of this day,
in its brilliancy and mildness, gave place to none we had seen since our
departure from England. Thus animated by these delusions, we traversed
these memorable Straits, ignorant of the dreadful calamities that were
then impending, and just ready to break upon us; ignorant that the time
drew near when the squadron would be separated never to unite again, and
that this day of our passage was the last cheerful day that the greatest
part of us would ever live to enjoy.

(*Note. The Equator is the zero (0 degrees) of latitude. The latitude
becomes higher as one proceeds to the poles (90 degrees).)

CHAPTER 6.
HEAVY GALES--A LONG BATTLE WITH WIND AND SEA--THE CENTURION LOSES HER CONSORTS.

We had scarcely reached the southern extremity of the straits of le
Maire, when our flattering hopes were instantly lost in the apprehensions
of immediate destruction. For before the sternmost ships of the squadron
were clear of the Straits, the serenity of the sky was suddenly changed,
and gave us all the presages of an impending storm; and immediately the
wind shifted to the southward, and blew in such violent squalls that we
were obliged to hand our topsails and reef our mainsail. The tide, too,
which had hitherto favoured us, now turned against us and drove us to the
eastward with prodigious rapidity, so that we were in great anxiety for
the Wager and the Anna pink, the two sternmost vessels, fearing they
would be dashed to pieces against the shore of Staten Land. Nor were our
apprehensions without foundation, for it was with the utmost difficulty
they escaped. And now the whole squadron, instead of pursuing their
intended course to t