The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-12-09

his heavy batteries he refused to sup
ply their wants, or indeed to have anything
at all to do with them in an amicable way.
Nevertheless, they allowed an envoy from
the shore on board the Maurice, where he
soon wormed himself completely into their
confidence Under his direction they at
tempted landing, and fell into an ambus-
cade, from which they extricated them
selves with the loss of one man killed, two
taken prisoners, and eight wounded. These
last were subjected to singular process,
much in vogue among sea goers, and known
under the name of psalming. 1t was 4
very simple matter. The missile was
extracted and the hurt anointed while
somebody read psalm-in st. Jerome S
Latin, of course-over the patient. Strange
to say, this remedy proved quite as effec-
tual as others more approved of by the
faculty. The captives were returned in a
day or two, with a view of tempting the
Dutch into some other imprudence. But
by this time their eyes were somewhat
opened, and the bait failed. Finding that
no good was to be gained by remaining in
Rio, Van MORT dismissed his Portuguese
adviser, whose true character he does not
seem to have suspected, and left the har-
Dor. He cruised among the neighbering
islands for a fortnight longer-fowling,
fishing, gathering herbs, and collecting
water. On the 9th of February, 1863,
six men padded in a canoe to the mainland,
where they were attacked by troop of
Indians, who slew two and carried off the
others-probably to eat them. This loss
Van MORT seems to have regarded as Il
hint to take himself off for he instantly
made sail.
The squadron steered southwark for
three weeks. But being INSTRUCTED by
contrary winds and harassed by frequent
storms 4 council then decided that they
should go northward again. Northward,
accordingly, they steered for St. Helena
But after beating about for twenty days
they found that they could not make the
! island. They then went in search of the
Matin Vas rocks, and missed them too.-
Afterwards they started in chase of a GER
tain mythic island called Portuguese Assem-
sion, which has long since disappeared
from the charts of the Atlantic; but of
course they never caught sight Of it, Dur
ing this uncertain navigation disease spread
fearfully among the crew, three or four of
them, on all average, dying every day. At
/ last they sighted land on the 21st of April.
/ 1t was one of the Martin Vas rocks, but
this they did not know. Its appearance,
however, was SO repulsive that they bore
away to the westward pursued by troop
of sharks. On the 30th they saw the main
land near the Rio Douce, and attempted to
/ go ashore. The Portuguese, however,
mustered in force to oppose them; so they
/ put to sea again with heavy hearts. Two
days later they reached all islet about
| league in circuit and as much from the
continent. Itwas not an inviting spot,
containing only few palm trees, a little
heritage, and scant supply of water But
they had no alternative So they anchored
and hurried the sick ashore, several of
/ them dying on the way. The change
proved eminently beneficial. Within fiji
teen days all but five of the worst cases
were perfectly well.
/ At this islet they dismantled and burnt
one of the yachts which had become unsea-
worthy. They sailed south again on the
21st of June, and reached the neighborhood
of Rio by the 30th. There they spent a
fortnight, taking in wood and water, with
out seeing or being seen by the Portuguese &.
On the Goth of September they entered
Port Desire in Patagonia, and, taking
advantage Of the first spring tide, laid their
| vessels high and dry on the beach. Ncces-
sary repairs and the capture of seals and
penguins for sea- stores occupied them pr city
closely for another month, during W hch
they saw nothing of the natives. The lat
ter was annoying, for the hope of Sc eing
the giants-11 feet l.igh, according to one
report-was one of the great attractior.s of
the voyage. o'wever, Van Mort, SCOUT
ing the countr !, once stumbled into the
midst OF group of Patagonians who SEEM
ed to have risen out of the earth. Only
two oil tn e seamen, one severely wounded,
succeed ed in regaining the boats. The
/ other three were found dead on the strand
STUCK all over with arrows. Nor, while
larnenting this mishap, could their COM
rades refrain from admiring the vigor with
) which the barbarian shafts had been pro-
PEELED, most Of them having pierced the
victims from side to side. This was their
! first and last view of the giants.
Nine days afterward they sailed again.
anchoring on the 9TH of November undei
Cape Virgin, at the eastern entrance Of
Magellan's straits. This celebrated pas S
was decidedly the leading plague of OIL
world navigators. The Norwegian mae l.
strom had been something Of terror in
it's time; SO had Cape Raj and its pretty
little cluster of man traps, the Penmarks;
while the stormy promontory had coucheI
for generations like a nightmare on the
breast of naval enterprise. But Magellan
reduced all these to comparative insis.niti-
canoe. No sooner had the channel that
bears his name been discovered tina II it
took its place at once and forever as, par
excellence, the DOGGY of the seas. Mo dern
experience indeed has shorn it of many
terrors. But, with its gloomy shores, its
incomprehensible Winds and still more tan
talizing currents, it is still sufficiently for
midable. 1t opens about the centre of the
bay, of which Cape Virgin forms the
northern extremity. The entrance is a
narrow r.ass, running east and west some
three les across, and about ten in length.
| This pass ends in a circular gulf, me;lsur-
| ing Thirty miles or whereabouts from side
to side In the western side of this gulf
opens second gut very similar to the first.
f, And from thence the channel flows like
| some mighty river, southwark for one hun
dred miles, and west north-westward for
nigh two hundred more, until it terminates
| among the numerous islands that rise like
! a barrier between it and the Pacific.
The Dutchmen spent just twenty da Us