revented from rising to any height, they
were still dissatisfied and terrified.

On Sunday, September 23d, a brisk gale sprung up west-northwest, with a
rolling sea, such as the people had wished for. Three hours before noon
a turtle-dove was observed to fly over the ship; toward evening an
alcatras, a river fowl, and several white birds were seen flying about,
and some crabs were observed among the weeds. Next day another alcatras
was seen and several small birds which came from the west. Numbers of
small fishes were seen swimming about, some of which were struck with
harpoons, as they would not bite at the hook.

The more that the tokens mentioned above were observed, and found not
to be followed by the so anxiously looked-for land, the more the people
became fearful of the event and entered into cabals against the admiral,
who they said was desirous to make himself a great lord at the expense
of their danger. They represented that they had already sufficiently
performed their duty in adventuring farther from land and all possibility
of succor than had ever been done before, and that they ought not to
proceed on the voyage to their manifest destruction. If they did they
would soon have reason to repent their temerity, as provisions would soon
fall short, the ships were already faulty and would soon fail, and it
would be extremely difficult to get back so far as they had already gone.
None could condemn them in their own opinion for now turning back,
but all must consider them as brave men for having gone upon such an
enterprise and venturing so far. That the admiral was a foreigner who
had no favor at court; and as so many wise and learned men had already
condemned his opinions and enterprise as visionary and impossible, there
would be none to favor or defend him, and they were sure to find more
credit if they accused him of ignorance and mismanagement than he would
do, whatsoever he might now say for himself against them.

Some even proceeded so far as to propose, in case the admiral should
refuse to acquiesce in their proposals, that they might make a short end
of all disputes by throwing him overboard; after which they could give
out that he had fallen over while making his observations, and no one
would ever think of inquiring into the truth. They thus went on day after
day, muttering, complaining, and consulting together; and though the
admiral was not fully aware of the extent of their cabals, he was not
entir