Nothing  worth  relating  happened  till  we  arrived  within 300  leagues  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  when  the  ship  struck  with amazing  force  against  (as  we  supposed)  a  rock ;    however,  upon heaving  the  lead,  we  could  find  no  bottom,  even  with  300 fathoms.  What  made  this  circumstance  the  more  wonderful, and,  indeed,  beyond  all  comprehension,  was,  that  the  violence of  the  shock  was  such  that  we  lost  our  rudder,  broke  our  bow- sprit in  the  middle,  and  split  all  our  masts  from  top  to  bottom, two  of  which  went  by  the  board ;  a  poor  fellow,  who  was  aloft, furling  the  main-sheet,  was  flung  at  least  three  leagues  from the  ship ;  but  he  fortunately  saved  his  life,  by  laying  hold  of the  bill  of  a  large  sea-gull,  who  brought  him  back,  and  lodged him  on  the  very  spot  from  whence  he  was  thrown.  Another proof  of  the  violence  of  the  shock  was  the  force  with  which the  people  between  decks  were  driven  against  floors  above  them; my  head,  particularly,  was  pressed  into  my  stomach,  where  it continued  some  months  before  it  recovered its  natural  situation

- Chapter 7