Forgetting
the hardships and privations through which we had passed, we set to
work, under the magic of his influence, with such goodwill that, in the
space of some six hours, order had been evolved out of chaos, and our
vessel once more rode the sea in safety. The pumps were then manned,
when it was found that although much water was in the hold, it was
easily gained upon, from which we concluded that no leak had sprung in
our timbers, notwithstanding the battering they had received. Jury-masts
were then rigged, upon which sufficient sail was set to give the ship
steering way, when we hoped to make a harbour where we might refit, and
effect necessary repairs.
We were now anxious to reach some port where new masts and rigging
might be obtained, as our progress under jury-masts, which carried only
a limited spread of canvas, was necessarily slow. Donna Isabel was in
favour of abandoning the "Golden Seahorse" at the first port we came to
where another ship could be purchased to convey our treasure to Spain,
but neither Hartog nor I would consent to this proposal, having no
desire to see the interior of a Spanish prison, or to taste of the
horrors of the Inquisition.
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