ised to God in his heart not to turn back a
single span's breadth of the way which he had made; that on that account
they should not speak in that wise, as he would throw into the sea
whomsoever spoke such things. At which the crew, in despair, abandoned
themselves to the chances of the sea, which was broken up with the
increase of the tempest and rising of the gale, which many times chopped
round, and blew from all parts, and at times fell; so that the ships were
in great peril from their great laboring in the waves, which ran very
high. Then the storm would again break with such fury that the seas rose
toward the sky, and fell back in heavy showers which flooded the ships.
The storm raging thus violently, the danger was doubled; for suddenly the
wind died out, so that the ships lay dead between the waves, lurching
so heavily that they took in water on both sides; and the men made
themselves fast not to fall from one side to the other; and everything in
the ships was breaking up, so that all cried to God for mercy.

Before long the sea came in with more violence, which increased their
misfortune, with the great difficulty of working the pumps; for they were
taking in much water, which entered both above and below; so they had no
repose for either soul or body, and the crews began to sicken and die of
their great hardships. At this the pilot and masters and all the people
poured out cries and lamentations to the captains, urgently requiring
them to put back and seek an escape from death, which they were certain
of meeting with by their own will if they did not put about. To which the
captains gave no other reply than that they would do no such thing unless
the captain-major did it. The captain-major, seeing the clamors of his
crew, answered them with brave words, saying that he had already told
them that backward he would not go, even though he saw a hundred deaths
before his eyes; thus he had vowed to God; and let them look to it that
it was not reasonable that they should lose all the labors which they had
gone through up to this time; that the Lord, who had delivered them until
now, would have mercy upon them; they should remember that they had
already doubled the Cape of Storms and were in the region which they had
come to seek, to discover India, on accomplishing which, and returning to
Portugal, they would gain such great honor and recompenses from the King
of Portugal for their children; and they should put their t