Dec. 29. Saturday afternoon the captain said, “We shall see land before
dark.” At sunset our hope was fulfilled. We saw, fifteen miles off,
a high hill in New Chili, formerly a part of Patagonia. We tacked and
ran S. W. instead of N. W. To-day the head wind beat us within twelve
miles of land, and again we had to tack. We must do it once more this
evening. The captain evidently has a great strain on his mind, though
he says but little. He keeps on deck a large part of the time of late,
leaving little or nothing to the mates.