and the noise of the lower
deck guns; which, by this time, made a pretty screeching to people not
used to it; it seemed as if the whole ship's side was going at each
roll. Wooden, our carpenter, was all this time smoking his pipe and
laughing at the doctor; the second lieutenant upon deck, and the third
in his hammock.

At ten o'clock I thought to get a little sleep; came to look into my
cot; it was full of water; for every seam, by the straining of the
ship, had began to leak. Stretched myself, therefore, upon deck
between two chests, and left orders to be called, should the least
thing happen. At twelve a midshipman came to me: "Mr. Archer, we are
just going to wear ship, Sir!" "O, very well, I'll be up directly,
what sort of weather have you got?" "It blows a hurricane." Went upon
deck, found Sir Hyde there. "It blows damned hard Archer." "It does
indeed, Sir." "I don't know that I ever remember its blowing so hard
before, but the ship makes a good weather of it upon this tack as she
bows the sea; but we must wear her, as the wind has shifted to the
south-east, and we were drawing right upon Cuba; so do you go forward,
and have some hands stand by; loose the lee yard-arm of the fore-sail,
and when she is right before the wind, whip the clue-garnet close up,
and roll up the sail." "Sir! there is no canvass can stand against
this a moment; if we attempt to loose him he will fly into ribands in
an instant, and we may lose three or four of our people; she'll wear
by manning the fore shrouds." "No, I don't think she will." "I'll
answer for it, Sir; I have seen it tried several times on the coast of
America with success." "Well, try it; if she does not wear, we can
only loose the fore-sail afterwards." This was a great condescension
from such a man as Sir Hyde. However, by sending about two hundred
people into the fore-rigging, after a hard struggle, she wore; found
she did not make so good weather on this tack as on the other; for as
the sea began to run across, she had not time to rise from one sea
before another lashed against her. Began to think we should lose our
masts, as the ship lay very much along, by the pressure of the wind
constantly upon the yards and masts alone: for the poor
mizen-stay-sail had gone in shreds long before, and the sails began to
fly from the yards through the gaskets into coach whips. My God! to
think that the wind could have such force!

Sir Hyde now sent me to see what was the matter bet