[Footnote 105: Giants indeed; for thigh bones of ten or eleven feet long, and these are the longest in the human body, would argue men of thirty-one feet high!--E.]
On the 17th December, the Unity was laid ashore on King's island, in order to clean her bottom, and next day the Horn was hauled on shore for the same purpose, but providentially at the distance of about 200 yards from her consort: For, on the 19th, while burning a fire of dry reeds under the Horn, which was necessary for the object in view, the flame caught hold of the ship, and they were forced to see her burn without being able to do any thing to extinguish the fire, as they were at least fifty feet from the water side. They launched the Unity at high water on the 20th, and next day carried on board all the iron-work, anchors, cannon, and whatever else they had been able to save belonging to the Horn.
On the 25th some holes full of fresh water were found, which was white and muddy, yet well tasted, and of which a great quantity was carried on board, in small casks on the men's shoulders. At this place, they found great numbers of sea lions, the young of which are good to eat. This creature is nearly as big as a small horse, their heads resembling lions, and the males having long manes on their necks of tough coarse hair; but the females have no manes, and are only half as large as the males. They are a bold and fierce animal, and only to be destroyed by musket shot.
January 18th, 1616, they departed from Port Desire: and on the 18th, being in lat. 51° S they saw the Sebaldine [or Faulkland] islands, as laid down by de Weert. The 20th, being in lat. 53° S. and by estimation twenty leagues to the South of the Straits of Magellan, they observed a strong current running to the S.W. The 22d the wind was uncertain, and shifting, and the water had a white appearance, as if they had been within the land; and holding on their course, S. by W. they saw land that same day, bearing from them W. and W.S.W. and quickly afterwards saw other land to the south. Then attempting, by an E.S.E. course, to get beyond the land, they were constrained to take in their topsails, by the wind blowing hard at north. In the forenoon of the 24th they saw land to starboard, at the distance of a league, stretching out to the east and south, having very high hills all covered with snow. They then saw other land bearing east from the former, which likewise was high and rugged. According to estimation, these two lands lay about eight leagues asunder, and they guessed there might be a good passage between them, because of a brisk current which ran to the southward in the direction of that opening. At noon they made their latitude 54° 46',[106] and stood towards the before-mentioned opening, but were delayed by a calm. At this place they saw a prodigious multitude of penguins, and such numbers of whales that they had to proceed with much caution, being afraid they might injure their ship by running against them.
[Footnote 106: They were here obviously approaching the Straits of Le Maire, discovered on the present occasion, the northern opening of which is in lat. 54° 40' S. the southern in 55° S. and the longitude 65° 15' W. from Greenwich.--E.]
In the forenoon of the 25th they got close in with the eastern land, and upon its north side, which stretched E.S.E. as far as the eye could carry. This they named States Land, and to that which lay westward of the opening they gave the name of Maurice Land.[107] The land on both sides seemed entirely bare of trees and shrubs, but had abundance of good roads and sandy bays, with great store of fish, porpoises, penguins and other birds. Having a north wind at their entrance into this passage, they directed their course S.S.W. and going at a brisk rate, they were at noon in lat. 55° 36' S. and then held a S.W. course with a brisk gale. The land on the south side of the passage or Straits of Le Maire, and west side, to which they gave the name of Maurice Land, [being the east side of the Terra del Fuego] appeared to run W.S.W. and S.W. as far as they could see, and was all a very rugged, uneven, and rocky coast. In the evening, having the wind at S.W. they steered S. meeting with prodigious large waves, rolling along before the wind; and, from the depth of the water to leeward, which appeared by very evident signs, they were fully convinced that they had the great South Sea open before them, into which they had now almost made their way by a new passage of their own discovering.
[Footnote 107: The former of these names is still retained, but not the latter; the land on the west of the Straits of Le Maire being Terra del Fuego; and the cape at the N.W. of the straits mouths is now called Cape St Vincent, while the S.W. point is named Cape St Diego.--E.]
At this place the sea-mews were larger than swans, their wings when extended measuring six feet from tip to tip. These often alighted on the ship, and were so tame as to allow themselves to be taken by hand, without even attempting to escape. The 26th at noon they made their latitude 57° S. where they were assailed by a brisk storm at W.S.W. the sea running very high, and of a blue colour. They still held their course to the southwards, but changed at night to the N.W. in which direction they saw very high land. At noon of the 27th they were in 56° 51' S. the weather being very cold, with hail and rain, and the wind at W. and W. by S. The 28th they had great billows rolling from the west, and were at noon in 56° 48' S. The 29th having the wind at N.E. they steered S.W. and came in sight of two islands W.S.W. of their course, beset all round with cliffs. They got to these islands at noon, giving the name of Barnevelt's Islands, and found their latitude to be 57° S.[108] "Being unable to sail above them, they held their course to the north; and taking a N.W. course in the evening from Barnevelt's islands, they saw land N.W. and N.N.W. from them, being the lofty mountainous land covered with snow, which lies to the south of the straits of Magellan, [called Terra del Fuego,] and which ends in a sharp point, to which they gave the name of Cape Horn, which is in lat. 57° 48' S."[109]
[Footnote 108: Only 56°, so that by some inaccuracy of instruments or calculation, the observations of the latitude, in this voyage, seem all considerably too high.--E.]
[Footnote 109: The course in the text within inverted commas, from Barnevelt's islands to Cape Horn, is evidently erroneously stated. It ought to have run thus. "Being unable to pass to the north of these islands, they held their course S.W. seeing land on the N.W. and N.N.W. of their course, which ended in a sharp point, which they named Cape Horn."--Cape Horn is in lat. 56° 15' S. and long. 67° 45' W. from Greenwich.--E.]