Page 79
An.1683
Tornadoes, or Thunder-fhowers.
We had but little wind after we got out, and ve- ry hot weather with fome fierce Tornadoe's, common- ly rifing out of the N. E. which brought Thunder, Lightening and Rain. Thefe did not laft long ; fometimes not a quarter of an hour; and then the wind would fhuffle about to the Southward again, and fall flat calm, for thefe Tornadoe's commonly come againft the wind that is then blowing, as our Thunder-Clouds are often obferved to do in En- gland ; but the Tornadoe's I fhall defcribe more large- ly in my Chapter of Winds in the Appendix to this Book. At this time many of our men were taken with Feavers; yet we loft but one. While we lay in the calms we caught feveral great Sharks; fome- times 2 or 3 in a day, and eat them all, boyling and fqueezing them dry, and then ftewing them with Vinegar, Pepper, &c. for we had but little flefh a- board. We took the benefit of every Tornado, which came fometimes 3 or 4 in a day, and carried what Sail we could to get to the Southward, for we had but little wind when they were over ; and thofe fmall winds between the Tornadoe's were much a- gainft us, at S. by E. and S. S. E. till we paft the Equinoctial Line, which we croft about a degree to the Eaftward of the Meridian of the Ifle of St. Jago, off the Cape-Verd Iflands.
At firft we could fcarce lye S. W. but being got a degree to the Southward of the Line, the wind veer'd more Eafterly, and then we ftemm'd S. W. by S. and as we got farther to the Southward, fo the wind came about to the Eaftward and frefhen- ed upon us. In the Lat. of 3 S. we had the wind at E. in the Lat. of 5, we had it at E. S. E. where it ftood a confiderable time, and blew a frefh top gallant gale. We then made the beft ufe of it; fteering on briskly with all the Sail we could make ; and this wind by the 18 of Jan. carried us into the Lat. of 36 South. In all this time we met with nothing