.MTI4NQ.MTAzNDg2

it tho it was blown away in 15 minutes. As soon as she was before it she righted and scuded along before it at the rate of 12 knots it had blowed so hard that the sea could not rise into waves but was lifted up in spray so much so that whilst on the fore yard I was dripping wet with salt water. it was difficult to hold on aloft. at last it moderated and the sea began to rise we set a new main topsail to steady her. but two of her main deck guns got adrift there were a lot of fellows asleep just to leeward of them and when they broke loose they rolled on to them it was horrible to hear the cries of the crushed men who were not killed some cursing themselves their country their saints and their God. now you know sir that cholows dont sleep in hammochs so we had no means to Chock them except with a few Hammocks that belonged to the Englishmen and Americans. soon the gun deck was deserted and at every roll of the ship these guns threatened to knock the sides out of her we could feel her quiver to her bows No one dare venture below there was the guns adrift dashing in bulkheads down stancheons and out ports and threatening to beat the sides out of her already the sea was pouring the gun deck ports and the birth deck was all afloat and if some thing was not done we would most certainly go down or be knocked to pieces by our own guns. The Capt who was a brave man called a few men and officers around them all volunteers each took a hammock a billet of wood or coil of rope you could only use one hand for the ship rolled so one hand had to clasp the Coil line which was rove fore and aft on all decks. after great exertions they were at last secured the Carpenter [?] in new ports but it was sad to think of what it cost us our Capt had both legs crushed off above the knees and three or four Americans or Englishmen had been jammed to death against the side of the ship the command then fell on a Portuguese the gale abated we had fine weather bent new sails and repaired our damages run out the guns at their proper places, one morning just as the drum beat off it was hardly daylight it was the start watch on deck and I was stationed at the main tack. we were on the last tack and the only place we had any nettings was the gangway as the cholous all sleep on sheep skins a small vessel was seen ahead we were going about 4 knots. She had no colors flying and was standing down for us. all of our men had clustered in the lee gangway to stow their sheep skins and on the gun deck every body was looking out of the ports. She ranged up so close to us that we luffed to keep our main yard from catching her as soon as she got ahead she rounded up {?Buenos ayrean?] colors