rust in God,
who is merciful, and who, from one hour to another, would come with his
mercy and give them fair weather, and that they should not talk like
people who distrusted the mercy of God. But, although the captain-major
always spoke to them these and other words of great encouragement, they
did not cease from their loud clamor and protestations that he would give
an account to God of their deaths of which he would be the cause, and of
the leaving desolate their wives and children; all this accompanied by
weeping and cries, and calls to God for mercy.

While they went on this way with their souls in their mouths, the sea
began to go down a little, and the wind also, so that the ships could
approach to speak one another, and all clamored with loud cries that they
should put about to seek some place where they could refit the ships, as
they could not keep them afloat with the pumps. The crews of the other
ships spoke with more audacity, saying that the captain-major was but one
man, and they were many; and they feared death, while the captains
did not fear it, nor took any account of losing their lives. The
captain-major chose that the two other ships should know his design, and
he said and swore by the life of the King his sovereign that from the
spot where he then was he had not to turn back one span's breadth, even
though the ships were laden with gold, unless he got information of that
which they had come to seek, and that even if he had near there a very
good port he would not go ashore, lest some of them should retire to a
certain death on shore, allowing themselves to remain there, rather than
go on with the ships trusting to the mercy of God, in which they had such
small reliance that they made such exclamations from the weakness of
their hearts, as if they were not Portuguese; on which account he would
undeceive them all, for to Portugal they would not return unless they
brought word to the King of that which he had so strongly commended to
them, and that he took the same account of death as did any one of them.

While they were at this point a sudden wind arose, with so great a
concussion of thunder and darkness, and a stronger blast than they had
yet experienced, and the sea rose so much that the ships could not see
one another, except when they were upheaved by the seas, when they seemed
to be among the clouds. They hung out lights so as not to part company,
for the anxiety and fear which the captain-majo