Xavier mildly reprehended Veglio for his little faith, and told him nothing was impossible to God.  “The confidence which I have in the Divine mercy,” said he, “gives me hope, that they whom I have put under the protection of the Holy Virgin, and for whose sake I have vowed to say three masses to our Lady of the Mountain, shall not perish.”  After this he urged Gama to send up to the scuttle for discovery:  Gama, to satisfy the man of God, went ’up himself with a seaman, and after having looked round him for the space of half an hour, neither he nor the other could see any thing.  In the mean time Xavier, whose stomach was turned with the tossing of the ship, and who had been two days and three nights without eating, was taken with a violent head-ach, and such a giddiness, that he could scarcely stand.  One of the Portuguese merchants, called Ferdinand Mendez Pinto, desired him to repose a little while, and offered him his cabin; Xavier, who, by the spirit of mortification, usually lay upon the deck, accepted his courtesy; and desired this further favour, that the servant of this merchant, who was a Chinese, might watch before the door, that none might interrupt his rest.

The intention of the Father was not to give the least refreshment to his body; he set himself again to prayers, and it was affirmed by the Chinese servant, that from seven in the morning, when he retired, he had been constantly on his knees until the evening, groaning in the agony of his spirit, and shedding tears.  He came out from his retirement after sunset, and once more enquired of the pilot, if they had not seen the chalop, which could not possibly be far distant.  The pilot replied, that it was in vain to think of her, and that it was impossible for her to resist so furious a tempest; but in case that, by some wonderful accident, or rather by some miracle, she had been preserved, she must of necessity be at fifty leagues distance from the ship.  It is the propriety of Christian confidence to remain unshaken and secure, when human reason leaves us destitute of hope.  The Saint acknowledged the pilot to have spoken judiciously, and yet doubted not but the chalop would return.  He constantly maintained that she could not be far off, and pressed him to send up to the scuttle before the dusk.  The pilot, less out of complaisance to the Father, than out of his desire to undeceive him, went up himself, and could discover nothing.  Xavier, without any regard to the affirmation of the pilot, instantly desired the captain to lower the sails, that the chalop might more easily come up with the ship.  The authority of the holy man carried it, above the reasons of the pilot; the sail-yard was lowered, and a stop was made for almost three hours:  but at length the passengers grew weary, as not being able any longer to bear the rolling of the ship, and one and all cried out to sail.  The Father upbraided them with their impatience; and himself laid hold on the sail-yard, to hinder the seamen from spreading the sails; and leaning his head over it, broke out into sighs and sobbings, and poured out a deluge of tears.