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centre, as near as would be consistent with safety, in order to take advantage of the Westerly winds which he knew he would find South of the centre, and by which he could lay his course for Yokohama and make good time. This would have been all right had the gale travelled North as he supposed, but the sequel in this case shows that seamen should never form hasty conclusions in cases where deliberation may be employed to advantage.
If the captain had hove the ship to at once, and awaited the first change of wind, he would have discovered that the gale did not—as he supposed—travel North, for in that case the shift would have been to the left of N.N.E. and not to the right as it actually occurred; but urged on I presume by zeal and ambition to make a quick passage, and do well for his owners, he kept on under a heavy press of canvas until spars and rigging threatened to give way, and the strain upon these momentarily increasing, he was compelled to heave to, which he did on the port tack, evidently still thinking he was in the left hand semicircle. But he was not long left in doubt as to his position for his falling barometer, the rapidly increasing force of the squalls, and the shortening of the intervals between them, the approach of darker and denser clouds, and the appearance of lightning in great quantities all told the story of the centre coming rearer the ship, and the idea evidently just occurred to the captain, that the gale was not travelling North as he supposed but coming to the Westward, and that he was heading nearly for the centre, as he at once wore ship and put her on the Starboard tack (the proper tack).
During the first 12 hours of the gale the ship sailed and drifted 118 miles S. 66° E. nearly E. S. E., (equal to 96 miles measured on the cord of the arc through which she passed) and towards the centre, until within 86 miles of the latter she was put on the starboard tack.
If this had been done at the beginning of the gale, she would not have approached the centre nearer than 150 miles; for the winds drawing to the Eastward, as the gale advanced to the Westward, she would have made no drift
