he utmost expedition. At this time also, the captain of the Tryal
represented that his pumps were so bad, and his ship made so much
water, that he was scarcely able to keep her free; wherefore the
commodore ordered him a pump, ready fitted, from the Centurion. It was
very fortunate, both for the Gloucester and Tryal, that the weather
proved more favourable that day, than for many days both before and
after; since by this means they were enabled to receive the assistance
which seemed so essential for their preservation, and which they
could scarcely have procured at any other time, as it would have been
extremely hazardous to have ventured a boat on board.

Next day, being the 1st of April, the weather returned to its
customary bias; the sky looking dark and gloomy, and the wind
beginning to freshen and to blow in squalls; yet it was not so
boisterous as to prevent us carrying our top-sails close reefed,
but its appearance evidently prognosticated that a still more severe
tempest was at hand. Accordingly, on the 3d of April, there came on a
storm, which, both in its violence and duration, for it lasted three
days, exceeded all we had hitherto experienced. In its first onset,
we received a furious shock from a sea, which broke upon our larboard
quarter, where it stove in the quarter gallery, and rushed into the
ship like a deluge. Our rigging suffered also extremely from the blow;
among the rest, one of the straps of the main dead-eyes was broken, as
were likewise a main shroud and a puttock shroud; so that, to ease the
stress upon the masts and shrouds, we had to lower both our main and
fore yards, and to furl all our sails. We lay in this posture for
three days, when, the storm somewhat abating, we ventured to make sail
under our courses only. Even this would not avail us long; for
next day, being the 7th, we had another hard gale, accompanied with
lightning and rain, which obliged as to lie-to all night.

It was really wonderful, notwithstanding the severe weather we
endured, that no extraordinary accident had happened to any of the
squadron since the Gloucester broke her main-yard. But this good
fortune now no longer attended us, for, at three next morning, several
guns were fired to leeward as signals of distress, on which the
commodore made the signal for the squadron to bring to. At day-break
we saw the Wager a considerable way to leeward of any of the other
ships, and soon perceived that she had lost her mizen-ma