ten o'clock
We knew that the land called Terra del Fuego was , in truth , a cluster of islands , intersected by various channels and passages , into which ships had occasionally ventured , though their navigation had never led to any other results than some immaterial discoveries in geography . That we were entering one of these passages , and under favourable circumstances , though so purely accidental , was the common belief ; and it only remained to look out for the best anchorage , while we had day-light . Fortunately , as we drove into the bay , or passage , or what ever it was , the tempest lifted less spray from the water , and , owing to this and other causes , the atmosphere gradually grew clearer . By ten o'clock , we could see fully a league , though I can hardly say that the wind blew less fiercely than before . As for sea , there was none , or next to none ; the water being as smooth as in a river . The day drew on , and we began to feel increased uneasiness at the novelty of our situation . Our hope and expectation were to find some anchorage ; but to obtain this it was indispensable also to find a lee .