The captain sent a man aloft at six A. M. to look for land. In fifteen
minutes he called down, Land ho! It was Roccas Keys, one of the eastern
projections of South America, about four miles from us. The white
rollers soon showed themselves, with rocks behind the breakers. It was
a pleasant sight in the morning sun, a relief after seeing nothing for
a long time but the seemingly endless waters. A current had set in, but
we were still in fifty fathoms of water. After watching the breakers
an hour they disappeared. At four P. M. the captain thinking that we
were too near the shore to pass Cape St. Rocque and Cape St. Augustine,
tacked for two and a half hours, which made him feel sure of clearing
the land in the night.