On that very night, however, such a tempest of wind and of rain came
upon us that I was not the only one who believed the Susan Constant must
be crushed like an eggshell under the great mountains of water which
at times rolled completely over her, so flooding the decks that but few
could venture out to do whatsoever of work was needed to keep the ship
afloat. After this fierce tempest, when the Lord permitted that even our
pinnace should ride in safety, it was believed that we were come near
to the new world, and by day and by night the seamen stood at the rail,
throwing the lead every few minutes in order to discover if we were
venturing into shoal water.
Nathaniel and I used to stand by watching them, and wishing that we
might be allowed to throw the line, but never quite getting up our
courage to say so, knowing full well we should probably make a tangle of
it.