God knows how my vessel escaped.
The sloop at last reached inside of small islands that sheltered her in smooth water.

Then I climbed the mast to survey the wild scene astern.

The great naturalist Darwin looked over this seascape from the deck of the _Beagle,_ and wrote in his journal, "Any landsman seeing the Milky Way would have nightmare for a week." He might have added, "or seaman" as well.
The _Spray's_ good luck followed fast.

I discovered, as she sailed along through a labyrinth of islands, that she was in the Cockburn Channel, which leads into the Strait of Magellan at a point opposite Cape Froward, and that she was already passing Thieves' Bay, suggestively named.

And at night, March 8, behold, she was at anchor in a snug cove at the Turn! Every heart-beat on the _Spray_ now counted thanks.
Here I pondered on the events of the last few days, and, strangely enough, instead of feeling rested from sitting or lying down, I now began to feel jaded and worn; but a hot meal of venison stew soon put me right, so that I could sleep.