violence, that the
sea flowed into the ship uninterruptedly from the windward, and their
speedy destruction seemed quite inevitable; so that they were now of
opinion their only chance of safety was by cutting away the mainmast, which
might lighten the ship. This was done therefore immediately; and a large
wave fortunately carried the mast and yard clear away, by which the ship
worked with considerably less strain and violence. The wind and waves too,
now became less violent, and they again baled out the water. But now the
mast was gone, the ship would no longer keep upright, and lay quite over on
one side, so that the water ran into her in torrents; and the people, being
quite exhausted with labour and want of food, had not strength remaining to
clear out the water.

In this desperate situation, expecting every moment that the vessel would
sink or go to pieces, they came to the resolution of endeavouring to save
themselves in the boats, of which the larger held only forty-seven men, and
the smaller twenty-one. Quirini had the choice of either of the boats, and
at last went with his servants, into the larger boat, in which the officers
had embarked. They took with them a stock of provisions; and on the 17th
December, the winds and waves having somewhat moderated, they quitted their
unfortunate ship. Among other costly articles of commerce, the ship was
laden with 800 casks of Malmsey wine, and a great quantity of sweet-scented
Cyprus wood, with pepper and ginger. On the following night, the small boat
in which twenty-one of the crew were embarked, was separated from them by
the violence of the storm, and they never heard of her more. Those in the
larger boat were obliged to throw overboard most of their stock of wine and
provisions, and all their clothes except those they had on, in order if
possible to lighten her a little. As the weather proved fair for some time,
they steered to the eastwards, in hopes of getting as they thought to
Iceland; but the wind again chopping about, drove them about at its will,
and they were quite ignorant whereabouts they were.

Their liquor now began to fail, and many of the people being quite
exhausted with incessant labour, long watchings, and the other hardships
they had undergone, and through scarcity of provisions, a great number of
them died. So great particularly was the scarcity of drink, that the
allowance for each man was only a fourth part of a moderate cupful once in
twenty-fo