laded, bold with them.[91] wee had
very colde weather and about the 3 of december wee passed a cape,
called cape Frea, lieing to the South of Terra Fogoe, in the lattd.
59 deg. 30' South.[92] wee finde here about 4 degrees variation, but downe
in 35 and 40 wee had 11 and 12 and 13 degrees variation. wee weir
something fearfull of Halling to close into shore, being not
acquainted did not know what danger might be, yett would very
willingly have save [seen?] the Land, that wee might have beene the
better satisfied where we weir. twas very thick weather, that wee
could seldom take an observation. we Indeavord to make the Cape Horne
but we weir gott so far to the Southwards.[93] Yett we beleive we weir
not very farr off shore, for we had thousands of birds about us. the 9
day of December we had a good observation and found our selves to be
in South lattd. 58 deg. 5'. we had the winds att N.E. and N.E. and b.N.,
fine handsome topp saile gailes, sometimes a shower of Snow and
Sleete, but miserable colde. now our wines and brandy stand us in
greate Steade and is the thing under god that keepes us alive. we
stands to the Southward, haling S.E. and S.E. and B.E. After wee had
our last observation, which was 58 deg. 5', when we thought by our Dead
reconning that we weir in the lattd. of 60 or better, wee Steerd away
due East.[94] we had but little Night, the Daylight was hardly shett
in att all. we standing to the Eastwards saw 3 or 4 greate Islands of
Ice and Snow, as we thought, of a good high and very colde about them.
from this Cape their are lying 3 or 4 Islands called the Berlingos,
which I am to think are those wee tooke to be the Islands of Ice, for
thay are all kiver'd with Snow, and the Burlingos lyeth by the globe
in the lattd. of 59 deg. 00'.[95] One Night as wee weare getting about the
land, some men gott merry, Especially the capt. and his Mess, which
caused some words to arise between the capt. and Some of the company,
in so much that thay fell to blowes, but the capt. runns into his
cabbon and fetches out a Pistoll laden, and comeing to one of Our
Peopple, by name Richard Hendricks, fier'd itt off as he thought att
his Head, but itt pleased god itt mist his head and grased on his
neck. the next morning wee found the shott placed in one of the Dead
Eyes of the maine shroudes, which was but Jus[t] behinde him. the
capt. thought he had kil'd the man, cryed out, "Armes, their was one
dead," and he would have kill more