of her main-mast, 12 feet below the trussel-trees, fired a gun as a
signal of distress; on which we brought to, and waited for her; and,
after enquiring into, and hearing the cause, we sent them on board two
carpenters to assist in fishing and securing it; but the carpenters in
concert, having viewed and considered the damage, reported, the next
day, that the mast was unfit to stand, and would not bear repairing; but
that it must be shortened 26 feet from the head, and the top-mast be set
on the stump. This, therefore, was concluded on, and ordered
accordingly.
The 23d, we found our own main-top-mast sprung in the wake of the cap;
whereupon, we reefed it 20 inches, that is, we lowered it so much, and
secured it there, and fleeted and set up the shrouds and back-stays.
The 24th, in the evening, we got the top-mast down, and put up another
in its place, and a man falling overboard, we brought the ship to, and
took him up safe; likewise, the slings of our crossjack-yards being
broke, we fixed new ones, and the next day got up the fore-top-gallant
mast and yard.
The 27th, we made the Gloucester signal, and sent our boat on board of
her.
The 28th, we received from the Gloucester half an anchor-stock, for a
farther security to the fore-mast.
The 29th, the Gloucester finished her jury-mast, and made sail on it.
Nothing farther remarkable till
July 1st, we had fresh gales, and cloudy weather, with some lightning.
The 2d, we unbent the fore-sail, and bent another. We had, not only now,
but for almost our whole passage, abundance of birds of prey, also
flying fish, which are their proper food, and vast quantities of
skipjacks, albicores, &c. whereof we took a great number, which
contributed much to our refreshment after the loss of the tortoises,
that generally leave all ships about twenty or thirty leagues off the
land. I think this the more worthy of notice, because Dampier, Rogers,
Cook, Cowley, and most other voyagers, some of whom have been not only
once, but several times on this voyage, have reported, that they never
saw a fish or fowl in this whole run. I will not say, as Mr. Cook
frequently does, when any other person’s account does not happen to
square exactly with what himself has observed, viz. “What credit is to
be given to such authors?” never making allowances for contingencies
which might or might not happen, and which would better have displayed
his own impartiality, than a dogmatical condemnation of every other
person, without examination. For my part, I readily believe and
conclude, that this difference in our observations and accounts is
really occasioned by the different seasons of the year in which we
happened to perform this passage; it being a known truth, and confirmed
by the experience of thousands in all ages, that most fish have their
different seasons for their different rendezvouses.
The 10th, we saw three gannets, or, as they call them in Scotland,
soland geese; being, by what I can learn from the most intelligent of
that nation whom I have conversed with, and who often have opportunity
to observe them in several different parts, of one and the same species;
we likewise saw some sea weeds; both which circumstances made us imagine
that some islands or shoals were not far off, those fowls never being
observed to fly very far out to sea.
The 10th, we unbent the fore top-sail, and bent another.
The 12th, at noon, we were, by my account, 180 deg. 11 min. to the
westward of the meridian of London, which is just 11 min. more than half
round the globe, for which reason I note it. We were at this time, by my
account, 1429 leagues distant from the port of Acapulco.
From this time till the 16th we had fresh gales, with squalls and rain.
The 17th and 18th, we had moderate and cloudy weather.
The 19 and 20th, fresh gales, with abundance of rain. We made this
observation, that, with rainy weather, or even slight transient showers,
the fish bit more freely, and were caught in greater numbers, than with
fair weather; which made our fishermen the more attentive at such times.
It was likewise remarked, that the Gloucester, when they could find
opportunity to fish, had always much greater success than we; whether
their fishermen had more art than ours, or whatever else occasioned it,
the fact is true. They had also a better way of disposing of them, when
taken, if I may be allowed to judge, than we; for Capt. Mitchell
constantly ordered several boys, who were very dexterous at it, to catch
fish for the ship’s company, especially the sick; and those were very
justly and regularly divided among them: whereas our fishermen were left
at liberty to make their advantage of what they took, and to prey upon
their suffering shipmates; and they took care not to overslip the
opportunity, for the least fish you could purchase of them would cost
you a bottle of brandy; which, at this time, was worth four, or perhaps
six, and sometimes even eight shillings, or half a guinea; and you must
be very thankful, and acknowledge yourself to be highly obliged into the
bargain, or else expect none next time, and very often fail of it
notwithstanding. About this time our people began to die very fast, and,
I believe, above five parts out of six of the ship’s company were ill,
and expected to follow in a short time. Those, whose breath was any ways
affected, dropt off immediately; but those, who were attacked first in
the more remote parts of the body, languished generally a month or six
weeks; the distemper advancing, in the mean time, towards the lungs, by
a very regular and sensible approach. As I was myself one of those who
were severely afflicted in this latter manner, I shall give such an
account of its progress, as I found by experience in myself, and
corroborated by the similar report of my fellow-sufferers. I was first
taken, about the beginning of this month, with a slight pain on the
joint of my left great toe; but, having hurt that a little while before,
I imagined it to be the effect of that hurt, and minded it the
less--(but here I shall observe, once for all, that if ever any part of
the body had received a bruise, strain, or contusion, if not perfectly
cured, the scurvy was sure to attack that part first); but, in a little
time, a large black spot appearing on the part affected, with very
intense pains at the bone, gave me to understand my case. I now took
physic often, by way of prevention, but to little purpose: several hard
nodes now began to rise in my legs, thighs, and arms, and not only many
more black spots appeared in the skin, but those spread, till my legs
and thighs were for the most part as black as a negroe; and this
accompanied with such excessive pains in the joints of the knees,
ancles, and toes, as I thought, before I experienced them, that human
nature could never have supported. It next advanced to the mouth; all my
teeth were presently loose, and my gums, over-charged with extravasated
blood, fell down almost quite over my teeth: this occasioned my breath
to smell much, yet without affecting my lungs; but, I believe, one week
more at sea would have ended me, and less than a month more, all the
rest. One thing was very remarkable, and likewise universal, which was,
that, when the distemper had far prevailed, if the afflicted person lay
quiet in his hammock, he seemed to be perfectly well and hearty; but, if
he was removed out of it, on any necessity, he immediately fainted away;
and this was always a sure sign of the party’s dissolution.
Since our passing Cape Horn, our surgeon, Henry Ettrick, who was a very
good practical surgeon, had been very busy in digesting a theory of
scurvies, wherein he enumerated many cases very particularly, having
been allowed to open and examine as many bodies as were abundantly
sufficient for that purpose. His system was principally grounded on the
observations made on a long passage in a very cold climate. He took
abundance of pains to prove, by many instances, that the tone of the
blood was broken by the cold nipping air, and rendered so thin, as to be
unfit for circulation, or any other of the uses of life; and being thus
deprived of a proper force and vigour, stagnation and death must
necessarily ensue. From this supposition, he had laid it down as an
infallible rule, that food of a glutinous nature, such as salt fish,
bread, and several sorts of grain, were alone proper on such voyages. As
for liquids, I know not which he had pitched on, as the most salutary,
on this occasion. But this passage, in a very hot climate, where the
symptoms were not only more dreadful, but the mortality much more quick
and fatal, in proportion to the number of people, put our scheming
doctor to a sad non-plus: he could not account for this on the same
principles with the other; nay, they must be, in a manner, diametrically
opposite. All this obliged him at last (though he was still endeavouring
to reconcile contradictions), to own, that, though some of the
concurrent causes of this disease were plain enough, yet the grand cause
was certainly the long continuance at sea, or an entire secret; and that
no cure but the shore would ever be effectual. The Commodore, on this
great mortality, having by him a quantity of Ward’s pills and drops, in
order to experience whether they would be of any use, first tried them
on himself, and then gave what he had left to the surgeon, to administer
to such of the sick people as were willing to take them. The surgeon
would not recommend them to any person, but several took them; though I
know of none who believed they were of any service to them. They worked
most people who took them very violently, both by vomit and stool: after
which, as several told me, they would seem to be a little easier, tho’
weaker, for perhaps a day or two, but then they always relapsed, and
became worse than before; and this, together with the inefficacy of all
that our surgeons could do in the case, sufficiently shewed the vanity
of attempting the cure of this distemper at sea.
And here, before I quit this subject, I shall endeavour to remove a
prejudice, under which the afflicted have long severely suffered; and
that is, from the notion generally prevalent, that none but the lazy are
attacked with this disorder; whereas, the direct contrary is the truth;
our experience having abundantly shewn, that the most laborious, active,
stirring persons were oftenest seized with this disease; and the
continuation of their labour, instead of curing, only helped to kill
them the sooner.
Many undeniable instances might be given of this in our voyage; and, if
future voyagers will give themselves the trouble of observing this
hereafter, I am certain that the event will correspond with my
assertion; nor does this distemper, in a general way, incline people to
indolence, till it is come to that height, that, at the least motion,
the person is ready to faint. It is certain, that, if the person
afflicted desires to lengthen out his life as long as he can, his best
way is to stir as little as possible. This I have seen verified by many
instances.
The 23d and 24th, we reefed and repaired our rigging, which had suffered
much in the variable weather.
The 26th, being, according to our reckoning, 300 leagues from the
Ladrones, we met with a westerly wind, which did not come about again in
four days. This was a most dispiriting incident, as we were all that
while forced to lie to, the current insensibly driving us out of our
course.
The 27th, our gunner, Henry Kipps, died of the scurvy, being one of the
most able-bodied men, as well as the most active in the ship: he had
taken Ward’s medicines once or twice.
On the 28th, we had calms with much rain, and received from the
Gloucester 20 casks of flour, and four of groats. Having here an
occasion of mentioning flour, it may not be amiss to take notice, that
since our departure from Juan Fernandez, the principal officers had
always soft bread new baked, the biscuit being so much worm-eaten, it
was scarce any thing but dust, and a little blow would reduce it to that
state immediately. Our beef and pork were likewise very rusty and
rotten; and the surgeon endeavoured to persuade us from eating it,
alledging it was, though a slow, yet a sure poison; but very little
other food being to be had, we were reduced to a very deplorable
condition.
The 29th, in the morning, the Gloucester’s fore-cap splitting, her
fore-top-mast came by the board, and, in its fall, meeting with the
fore-yard, broke it in the slings. As she was hereby rendered incapable
of making any sail for some time, we were under a necessity, as soon as
a gale sprung up, to take her in tow, and near 20 of the healthiest and
ablest of our seamen were removed from the duty of our own ship, and
were continued eight or ten days together to assist in repairing her
damages; but these things, mortifying as we thought them, were only the
commencement of our misfortunes; for, scarce had our people finished
their business in the Gloucester before we met with a most violent storm
from the western board, which obliged us to lie to. This storm lasted
from the 10th to the 13th of August, attended with rain, thunder, and
lightning, and such a lofty and dangerous sea as I have seldom seen, and
could not have believed in latitudes between the Tropics, especially for
such a long duration. Most of the time we lay to, we drove to the
northward; abundance of our people died daily; and, the ship proving
very leaky, every person who could stir, the principal officers not
excepted, was obliged to take his turn at the pumps, and all little
enough to keep us above water.
The 13th of August, at 10 in the morning, the Gloucester made a signal
of distress, and, being to windward, bore down towards us; but we
observed she was long in wearing, rolled very much, and made bad
steerage. About half an hour after noon they spoke with us, and told us
that they were so leaky that they must quit their ship; that they had
seven feet water in the hold; and that all the men they had capable of
stirring were quite exhausted with pumping, and could work no longer.
This was an additional misfortune, and seemed to be without resource;
for, whilst the Gloucester’s crew were thus enfeebled, our own sick were
now so much increased, and those who still remained in health so
over-fatigued with labour, that it was impossible for us to lend them
any aid: all, therefore, that could be done was to send our boat on
board for a more particular account of the ship’s condition; as it was
soon suspected, that the taking her people on board us, and then
destroying the Gloucester, was the only measure that could be prosecuted
in the present emergency both for the preservation of their lives and of
our own.
Our boat soon returned with a representation of the melancholy state of
the Gloucester, and of her several defects, signed by Capt. Mitchell and
all his officers; by which it appeared, that the ship was decayed in
every part; that her crew was greatly reduced; that there remained alive
no more than 77 men, officers included, 18 boys, and two prisoners; that
of the whole number, only 16 men and 11 boys were capable of keeping the
deck, and several of these very infirm; that the water was so deep in
the hold, that those who were yet alive were starving, and could neither
come at fresh water nor provisions.
From this representation, which was in no one instance exaggerated, the
Commodore sent immediately an order to Capt. Mitchell, to bring his
people on board the Centurion, and to take out such stores as could most
easily be come at, among which he was very desirous of saving two
cables, and a steel-anchor; but the ship rolled so much, and the men
were so excessively fatigued, that it was with the greatest difficulty
the prize-money was secured (the prize-goods amounting to many thousand
pounds being abandoned): nor could any more provisions be got at, than
five casks of flour (three of which were spoiled by the salt-water), a
small quantity of brandy, and some living stock. Even this little
business was so languishingly performed, that two days were wasted in
the execution, during which time three or four of the sick perished on
being moved.
As the weather was now calm, and we were uncertain how far distant we
might be from Guam, a settlement in possession of the enemy, to whom the
wreck of such a ship with guns and ammunition on board would have been a
very valuable acquisition, the Commodore judged the most effectual way
to prevent her from falling into their hands was to set on fire: and
accordingly, as soon as the Captain and his Officers had quitted her,
the combustibles placed for that purpose were lighted, and she continued
burning the whole night, and at six the next morning she blew up. Thus
perished his Majesty’s ship the Gloucester; and now, it might have been
expected, that, being freed from the embarrassment in which her frequent
disasters had involved us, we should have proceeded on our way much
brisker than we had hitherto done. However, we were soon taught, that
our anxieties were not yet to be relieved.
We were at this time in the utmost distress; the ship considerably
lumbered with prize-goods, and the small room we had left thronged with
the sick, whose numbers were now very much increased with those from the
Gloucester; the dirt, nauseousness, and stench, almost every where
intolerable; more people daily disabled with the disease; no sign of
land, nor but very little wind, and that not fair but variable; very bad
provisions and water, and the ship very leaky; and, though we discovered
the leak to be in her bows on each side the stern, it lay in such a
manner that we could not stop it, nay the attempting it rather made it
worse. In this distress we made the best of every little spurt of wind.
Nothing farther remarkable happened till Sunday the 22d, when, about
eight in the evening, we discovered two islands, one bearing W. half S.
and the other S. W. by W. at the distance of about 10 leagues. We were
overjoyed at this sight, and stood toward them with all our sail; but,
there being little wind, we did not get near them till the next day
about noon, when being about three miles off the largest and most
promising of them, which appeared very hilly and full of trees, we sent
on shore one of our Lieutenants in the cutter to make discoveries, who
returned at nine in the evening, and gave us but a very indifferent
account of the shore. The trees were mostly cocoa-nut-trees, of which
there were prodigious quantities; about 60 cocoa-nuts they brought on
board with them, but they could find no water, nor any good place to
anchor in: on this account it was thought fit to stand further to the
southward, for some more proper place. This was a severe disappointment
to most of the sick, who, on the sight of land, (or hearing that we were
so near it) had begun sensibly to revive: but as persons in such
circumstances are soon driven to despond, when an aid they had depended
upon deserts them, so this disappointment destroyed our hopes, and
increased our dejection. We feared, that, if we met with more islands in
the same run, they might be either as bad, worse, or inhabited by our
enemies the Spaniards, who, in our weak condition, might easily be able
to hinder us from proper refreshments: add to this, how near many of us
were to death, and how little we could expect to survive any time in
searching for other islands. I know not whether these were the general
thoughts of the sick, but I must own they were mine, and made our
situation at that time appear ten times worse to me than at any other in
the whole course of our voyage. I was indeed very ill, and my illness
might possibly occasion every thing to appear in its worst light, yet I
never was one of those who were frightened at the apprehension, or even
the visible approach of death; it had no unreasonable terrors in any of
its prospects to me; and I always could, and I hope always shall be
ready to meet it with calmness and perfect resignation: but I believe
the healthiest and stoutest at that time had probably the greatest
apprehensions; and I have since heard it from many of those, that they
expected all to have perished, had we been so little as three weeks
longer at sea; and I much question whether they were not right in that
imagination.
On the 26th, at five in the morning, we saw three other islands, bearing
from S. E. by S. to N. E. the middlemost of the three, which was the
largest, due E.
The 27th, at three in the afternoon, being got pretty near the shore of
the middlemost island, we sent our cutter and pinnace in-shore for
discovery. At four the pinnace came off, and brought with her an Indian
paroo, with a Spaniard and four Indians, whom they took in her. They
likewise told us, that they had in-shore a small bark of about 16 tons,
and between 20 and 30 more people on the island, all of whom had been
sent there from Guam to kill cattle and hogs, and make jerked beef, and
cacao-nut-oil, &c. for the Spanish garrison there; and that there are
constantly people sent on that account, who, after some months stay at
that place, are relieved by fresh parties for the same purpose. We
secured both bark and paroo, together with all the Indians who fell into
our hands, to hinder their carrying intelligence of us to the Spaniards
at Guam. One of those Indians was a carpenter by trade, and his father
was one of the principal builders at Manilla. This young man, having
been ill used by the Governor at Guam, voluntarily entered with us, and
became one of our carpenter’s crew, and proved a very useful handy
fellow.
The Spaniard being examined as to the state of the island we were now
approaching, the account he gave surprized even our most sanguine hopes;
and, tho’ uninhabited, he said, it wanted none of those accommodations
with which the best cultivated countries are furnished. On mustering up
our whole force, as we drew near, all the hands we could collect capable
of any kind of duty, even on the most pressing occasions, amounted to no
more than 71 men, officers included. This number, inconsiderable as it
may seem, were all of the united crews of the Centurion, Gloucester, and
Trial, that could move without being assisted, notwithstanding that,
when we left England, they consisted of near 1000 men.
When we had entered the road, our first business, after furling the
sails and securing the ship, was to provide an hospital on shore for the
sick; but the officer and seamen who were sent upon this service,
returned joyfully, and acquainted us, that the Indians on shore had
saved them that trouble, and had provided for us better than we could
have done for ourselves; for, having erected a number of little cabbins
for their accommodation during their residence on the island, and one in
particular, which they made use of by way of storehouse to stow their
provisions in, there could be nothing more suitably adapted for the
reception both of the sick and the healthy than these erections.
Accordingly, we instantly began sending ashore as many of the sick as
could possibly be conveyed, among which number I myself was one; I say,
as many as could possibly be conveyed; for we were all so extremely
feeble and helpless, that we were no otherwise to be landed than by
being carried in our hammocks, both in and out of the boats, on mens
shoulders, in which service both the Commodore himself and his officers
very humanely assisted; and, indeed, they were almost the only persons
on board capable of performing it; the healthiest seamen being so much
enfeebled, that they had but just strength enough left to help
themselves.