they were prevented.  That they presented them with some bread, tobacco, and a few toys, pointing at the same time to some guanicoes and ostriches, and making signs that they wanted them as provisions, but that they could not make themselves understood; that finding they could obtain no refreshment, they rowed along the shore in search of fresh water, but that, seeing no appearance of a rivulet, they returned on board.

At six o’clock the next morning, we weighed, the Swallow being still a-head, and at noon we anchored in Possession Bay, having twelve fathom, with a clean sandy bottom.  Point Possession at this time bore east, distant three leagues; the Asses Ears west, and the entrance of the Narrows S.W. 1/2 W.:  The bottom of the bay, which was the nearest land to the ship, was distant about three miles.  We saw a great number of Indians upon the Point, and at night, large fires on the Terra del Fuego shore.

From this time, to the 22d, we had strong gales and heavy seas, so that we got on but slowly; and we now anchored in 18 fathom, with a muddy bottom.  The Asses Ears bore N.W. by W. 1/2 W. Point Possession N.E. by E. and the point of the Narrows, on the south side, S.S.W. distant between three and four leagues.  In this situation, our longitude, by observation, was 70 deg. 20’ W. latitude 52 deg. 30’ S. The tide here sets S.E. by S. and N.E. by N. at the rate of about three knots an hour; the water rises four-and-twenty feet, and at this time it was high water at four in the morning.

In the morning of the 23d, we made sail, turning to windward, but the tide was so strong, that the Swallow was set one way, the Dolphin another, and the store-ship a third:  There was a fresh breeze, but not one of the vessels would answer her helm.  We had various soundings, and saw the rippling in the middle ground:  In these circumstances, sometimes backing, sometimes filling, we entered the first Narrows.  About six o’clock in the evening, the tide being done, we anchored on the south shore, in forty fathom with a sandy bottom; the Swallow anchored on the north shore, and the store-ship not a cable’s length from a sand-bank, about two miles to the eastward.  The streight here is only three miles wide, and at midnight, the tide being slack, we weighed and towed the ship through.  A breeze sprung up soon afterwards, which continued till seven in the morning, and then died away.  We steered from the first Narrows to the second S.W. and had nineteen fathom, with a muddy bottom.  At eight we anchored two leagues from the shore, in 24 fathom, Cape Gregory bearing W. 1/2 N. and Sweepstakes Foreland S.W. 1/2 W. The tide here ran seven knots an hour, and such bores sometimes came down, with immense quantities of weeds, that we expected every moment to be adrift.