_Dangerous Situation of the Ship in her Course from Trinity Bay to
Endeavour River_.[80]
[Footnote 80: We have now to relate some of the most remarkable
incidents in the history of nautical deliverances. These, however, the
philosophical composure of Dr Hawkesworth's creed did not allow him to
particularize, with that acknowledgment of providential interposition,
which those who have actually been in such dangers, are, in general,
strongly enough, and, it may be safely affirmed, sincerely inclined to
offer. It would be unjust not to hear him in defence of his own opinions
and conduct in the matter. It is given with all the candour that becomes
a man who chuses to think for himself, and at the same time with as much
boldness as entitles him to _generous_ treatment from those who think
themselves bound to oppose him. The passage may seem long for a note,
but no one will object to it _as such_, who sets a value on correctness
of sentiment on the subject of which it treats.
"I have now only to request," says he, "of such of my readers as may be
disposed to censure me for not having attributed any of the critical
escapes from danger that I have recorded, to the particular
interposition of Providence, that they would, in this particular, allow
me the right o£ private judgment, which I claim with the greater
confidence, as the very same principle which would have determined them
to have done it, has determined me to the contrary. As I firmly believe
the divine precept delivered by the Author of Christianity, 'there is
not a sparrow falls to the ground without my Father,' and cannot admit
the agency of chance in the government of the world, I must necessarily
refer every event to one cause, as well the danger as the escape, as
well the sufferings as the enjoyments of life: and for this opinion, I
have, among other respectable authorities, that of the Bible. 'Shall
we,' says Job, 'receive good from the hand of God, and shall we not
receive evil?' The Supreme Being is equally wise and benevolent in the
dispensation of both evil and good, as means of effecting ultimate
purposes worthy of his ineffable perfections; so that whether we
consider ourselves as Christians or philosophers, we must acknowledge
that he deserves blessing not more when he gives than when he takes
away. If the fall of a sparrow, as well as its preservation, is imputed
to Providence, why not the fall as well as the preservation of a man?
And why should we attribute to Providence only what appears to be good
in its immediate effect, when we suppose that the whole concatenation of
events, whether the preservation or destruction of particular parts,
tends ultimately to the good of the whole? The same voice commissions
the winds to plough up the deep, which at the appointed time rebukes
them, saying, 'Peace, be still.' If the adorable Author and Preserver of
Nature was such a being as Baal is represented to have been by the
prophet, when he derided his worshippers; if he was sometimes on a
journey, and sometimes asleep, we might with propriety say that a fire
_happened_ to break out, or a storm to rise, but that by the
interposition of Providence life was preserved, expressions which imply
that the mischief had one origin, and the remedy another; but such
language certainly derogates, from the honour of the great Universal
Cause, who, acting through all duration, and subsisting in all space,
fills immensity with his presence, and eternity with his power.
"It will perhaps be said, that in particular instances evil necessarily
results from that constitution of things which is best upon the whole,
and that Providence occasionally interferes, and supplies the defects of
the constitution in these particulars; but this notion will appear not
to be supported by those facts which are said to be providential; it
will always be found that Providence interposes too late, and only
moderates the mischief which it might have prevented. But who can
suppose an extraordinary interposition of Providence to supply
particular defects in the constitution of Nature, who sees those defects
supplied but in part? It is true, that when the Endeavour was upon the
rock off the coast of New Holland, the wind ceased, and that otherwise
she must have been beaten to pieces; but either the subsiding of the
wind was a mere natural event, If it was a natural event, Providence is
out of the question, at least we can with no more propriety say that
providentially the wind ceased, than that providentially the sun rose in
the morning. If it was not a mere natural event, but produced by an
extraordinary interposition, correcting a defect in the constitution of
nature, tending to mischief, it will lie upon those who maintain the
position, to shew, why an extraordinary interposition did not take place
rather to prevent the ship's striking, than to prevent her being beaten
to pieces after she had struck. A very slight impulse upon the ship's
course would have caused her to steer clear of the rock; and if all
things were not equally easy to Omnipotence, we should say that this
might have been done with less difficulty than a calm could be produced
by suspending the general laws of Nature, which had brought on the gale.
"I have, however, paid my homage to the Supreme Being, consonant to my
own ideas of his agency and perfections; and those who are of opinion
that my notions are erroneous, must allow, that he who does what he
thinks to be right, and abstains from what he thinks to be wrong,
acquits himself equally of moral obligation, whether his opinions are
false or true."
Such are the concluding observations in Dr Hawkesworth's General
Introduction to this work. That they have a most specious and rational
aspect, cannot be denied, with the exception of scarcely any thing more
than the last paragraph, in which it is implied, most erroneously, that
the conviction of being right is a sufficient evidence that one is
so,--a sentiment not more certainly the result of ignorance of human
nature in its present condition, than it is the potential source of
almost every immorality and mischief that have degraded or destroyed our
species. But conceding entirely the principles contended for by Dr H.,
it may be demonstrated, that a directly contrary conclusion is their
proper legitimate issue, and that too, independent of any consideration
of other parts of our moral system, which, however, it will be found, in
point of fact, are more concerned than even our reason in the influence
exerted over our conduct. Neither time nor place admits the discussion
of the topic; and to the intelligent reader, this will seem quite
unnecessary, when he recollects a single principle, and follows it out
into its just consequences, viz. That as the Supreme Being is the cause
of all things, and is equally wise and benevolent in the dispensation of
both evil and good, so is he entitled to the homage, the fear, and love
of those whom he has created with faculties competent to the
understanding, in any degree, of his ineffable perfections; and in
consequence, his actions or dispensations become to them the proper
indications of the qualities of mind with which they ought to adore him.
It follows, that though alike proceeding from his benevolence or wisdom,
good and evil must be differently accepted by them, as really intended
for different, though perfectly consistent purposes. The humiliation
therefore of affliction, and the fervour of joy, are alike becoming them
on different occasions. We find accordingly, that in the constitution he
has given us, there is ample provision made for both, and that he acts
in perfect consistency with that constitution: And thus we may cordially
join in the sentiment of Mr Gibbon (ay, Mr Gibbon!) on another occasion:
"The satirist may laugh, the philosopher may preach; but reason herself
will respect the prejudices and habits which have been consecrated by
the experience of mankind." But Dr H., we see, is not content with the
dictates of reason; he calls in another aid to maintain this exercise of
private judgment. Has he appealed to Scripture? Then to Scripture he
shall go. But perhaps it may be said to him, as a popish priest,
defending the doctrine of purgatory, said to a protestant, who did not
relish it, "He may go farther, and fare worse. The language of the Bible
seems not to concur in the propriety of the Doctor's philosophic apathy
in such occurrences. The Psalmist, it may be safely affirmed, knew as
much of human nature as the Doctor, and was as well acquainted too with
what was becoming worship. He, however, differs egregiously in opinion.
In the 107th psalm, which so beautifully describes the manifold
goodness, and yet the varying providences of the Most High, we find a
passage which strikingly applies to such a case as we have been
contemplating, and which, at the same time, points out the natural and
highly proper emotions which result from it. "They that go down to the
sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of
the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth and raiseth the
stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to
heaven, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because
of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and
all their wisdom is swallowed up. Then they cry unto the Lord in their
trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the
storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad
because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh
that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful
works to the children of men!" Almost every word of this gives the lie
to the practical consequences of our Doctor's theory. It would be
invidious to oppress him with any other of the numerous such like
instances which this book presents. He appears to make much of the
obvious impropriety of using such terms as _happened_, in speaking of
certain events. But this is childish; for every one knows that by such
terms is expressed merely our ignorance of the series or train of
operations by which those events are brought to pass. They are used in
respect of ourselves, not by any means in reference to the Deity. But
there is something vastly worse than childishness, in his insinuation as
to what Omnipotence might do in preventing, not remedying evils. They
breathe a spirit of malevolent disaffection, which is indeed but very
imperfectly smothered in the decent language of conjectural
propositions. A sounder philosophy than his own would have told Dr H. in
the words of Bacon, that "the prerogative of God extendeth as well to
the reason, as to the will of man;" and that therefore it became him
humbly to contemplate what God _has_ done, rather than to speculate as
to what he _might have_ done. In nothing, however, has he so monstrously
blundered, as in hinting, that if an event is natural, therefore
Providence is out of the question in effecting it; and that, on the
other hand, if it is not natural, therefore even a benevolent
Providence, that has interposed to remedy the evils of it, is faulty in
not having been earlier at work to prevent its occurrence altogether.
This is sophistry of the worst kind. A single remark may be sufficient
to silence it. Nature is the regular operation of an intelligent
Providence; and natural events are the individual instances of it; but
it does not follow, either that events which to us seem irregular, are
therefore uninfluenced by the same Agent, or that the addition of the
word _mere_ to the word _natural_, can signify any thing else than the
presumption of him, who chuses to exercise his right of private judgment
in using it, to exclude entirely the consideration of a Providence. This
is the more extraordinary in Dr H, because in his letter to Mr
Dalrymple, who had taxed him with some errors on this subject, he
affirms his belief to be "that the Supreme Being is perpetually
operating," and "that he is the cause of _all_ events,"--propositions
certainly not very reconcileable with what he says here as to mere
natural events. It is, however, very like the inconsistencies of a man
who esteems his own conviction of consciousness of the rectitude of his
opinions, so highly, as to make him comparatively indifferent whether
they are false or true. Taking the view of the subject, then, which such
an admission offers, the question is readily solved, but not to the
credit of Dr H.'s judgment. If the Supreme Being is continually
operating, and is the cause of _all_ things, then the Supreme Being is
the only providence, and providence is concerned in every event. But
according to the constitution which this providence has given us,
different events produce different effects on us, and these, on the same
principle, are also in the order of providence; and besides, we have the
advice of an inspired writer to this purport. "In the day of prosperity
be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider." It will be difficult
to shew that any prosperity is so blissful to the human heart as
redemption from death, in whatever sense we take the word; or that any
joy is so rational as that which expresses itself in gratitude to God,
the author of the blessing enjoyed. The converse of the text may be
similarly applied. That is the greatest adversity that most threatens
life (for all that a man hath will he give for it); and that is the most
suitable consideration that teaches to acknowledge the hand that smites,
and produces humble submission to the blow,--that leads a man, to say
with Job of old, "I have heard of thee (0 Lord) by the hearing of the
ear; but now mine eye seeth thee: Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent
in dust and ashes."--E.]
Hitherto we had safely navigated this dangerous coast, where the sea in
all parts conceals shoals that suddenly project from the shore, and
rocks that rise abruptly like a pyramid from the bottom, for an extent
of two-and-twenty degrees of latitude, more than one thousand three
hundred miles; and therefore hitherto none of the names which
distinguish the several parts of the country that we saw, are memorials
of distress; but here we became acquainted with misfortune, and we
therefore called the point which we had just seen farthest to the
northward, _Cape Tribulation_. This cape lies in latitude l6° 6' S. and
longitude 214° 39' W. We steered along the shore N. by W. at the
distance of between three and four leagues, having from fourteen to
twelve, and ten fathom water: In the offing we saw two islands, which
lie in latitude 16° S. and about six or seven leagues from the main. At
six in the evening, the northermost land in sight bore N. by W. 1/2 W.
and two low woody islands, which some of us took to be rocks above
water, bore N. 1/2 W. At this time we shortened sail and hauled off
shore E.N.E. and N.E. by E. close upon a wind; for it was my design to
stretch off all night, as well to avoid the danger we saw a-head, as to
see whether any islands lay in the offing, especially as we were now
near the latitude assigned to the islands which were discovered by
Quiros, and which some geographers, for what reason I know not, have
thought fit to join to this land. We had the advantage of a fine breeze,
and a cleat moonlight night, and in standing off from six till near nine
o'clock, we deepened our water from fourteen to twenty-one fathom; but
while we were at supper it suddenly shoaled, and we fell into twelve,
ten, and eight fathom, within the space of a few minutes. I immediately
ordered every body to their station, and all was ready to put about and
come to an anchor; but meeting at the next cast of the lead with deep
water again, we concluded that we had gone over the tail of the shoals
which we had seen at sun-set, and that all danger was past. Before ten,
we had twenty and one-and-twenty fathom, and this depth continuing, the
gentlemen left the deck in great tranquillity, and went to bed; but a
few minutes before eleven, the water shallowed at once from twenty to
seventeen fathom, and before the lead could be cast again, the ship
struck, and remained immoveable, except by the heaving of the surge,
that beat her against the crags of the rock upon which she lay. In a few
moments every body was upon the deck, with countenances which
sufficiently expressed the horrors of our situation. We had stood off
the shore three hours and a half, with a pleasant breeze, and therefore
knew that we could not be very near it, and we had too much reason to
conclude that we were upon a rock of coral, which is more fatal than any
other, because the points of it are sharp, and every part of the surface
so rough as to grind away whatever is rubbed against it, even with the
gentlest motion. In this situation all the sails were immediately taken
in, and the boats hoisted out to examine the depth of water round the
ship. We soon discovered that our fears had not aggravated our
misfortune, and that the vessel had been lifted over a ledge of the
rock, and lay in a hollow within it: In some places there was from three
to four fathom, and in others not so many feet. The ship lay with her
head to the N.E.; and at the distance of about thirty yards on the
starboard side, the water deepened to eight, ten, and twelve fathom. As
soon as the long-boat was out, we struck our yards and topmasts, and
carried out the stream anchor on the starboard bow, got the coasting
anchor and cable into the boat, and were going to carry it out the same
way; but upon sounding a second time round the ship, the water was found
to be deepest astern: the anchor therefore was carried out from the
starboard quarter instead of the starboard bow, that is, from the stern
instead of the head, and having taken ground, our utmost force was
applied to the capstern, hoping that if the anchor did not come home,
the ship would be got off; but, to our great misfortune and
disappointment, we could not move her. During all this time she
continued to beat with great violence against the rock, so that it was
with the utmost difficulty that we kept upon our legs; and to complete
the scene of distress, we saw by the light of the moon the
sheathing-boards from the bottom of the vessel floating away all round
her, and at last her false keel, so that every moment was making way for
the sea to rush in which was to swallow us up. We had now no chance but
to lighten her, and we had lost the opportunity of doing that to the
greatest advantage, for unhappily we went on shore just at high water,
and by this time it had considerably fallen, so that after she should be
lightened so as to draw as much less water as the water had sunk, we
should be but in the same situation as at first; and the only
alleviation of this circumstance was, that as the tide ebbed the ship
settled to the rocks, and was not beaten against them with so much
violence. We had indeed some hope from the next tide, but it was
doubtful whether she would hold together so long, especially as the rock
kept grating her bottom under the starboard bow with such force as to be
heard in the fore store-room. This, however, was no time to indulge
conjecture, nor was any effort remitted in despair of success. That no
time might be lost, the water was immediately started in the hold, and
pumped up; six of our guns, being all we had upon the deck, our iron and
stone ballast, casks, hoop staves, oil jars, decayed stores, and many
other things that lay in the way of heavier materials, were thrown
overboard with the utmost expedition, every one exerting himself with an
alacrity almost approaching to cheerfulness, without the least repining
or discontent; yet the men were so far imprest with a sense of their
situation, that not an oath was heard among them, the habit of
profaneness, however strong, being instantly subdued by the dread of
incurring guilt when death seemed to be so near.
While we were thus employed, day broke upon us, and we saw the land at
about eight leagues distance, without any island in the intermediate
space, upon which, if the ship should have gone to pieces, we might have
been set ashore by the boats, and from which they might have taken us by
different turns to the main: The wind however gradually died away, and
early in the forenoon it was a dead calm; if it had blown hard, the ship
must inevitably have been destroyed. At eleven in the forenoon we
expected high water, and anchors were got out, and every thing made
ready for another effort to heave her off if she should float; but, to
our inexpressible surprise and concern, she did not float by a foot and
a half, though we had lightened her near fifty ton, so much did the day
tide fall short of that in the night. We now proceeded to lighten her
still more, and threw overboard every thing that it was possible for us
to spare: Hitherto she had not admitted much water, but as the tide
fell, it rushed in so fast, that two pumps, incessantly worked, could
scarcely keep her free. At two o'clock, she lay heeling two or three
streaks to starboard, and the pinnace, which lay under her bows, touched
the ground; we had now no hope but from the tide at midnight, and to
prepare for it we carried out our two bower anchors, one on the
starboard quarter, and the other right a-stern, got the blocks and
tackle which were to give us a purchase upon the cables in order, and
brought the falls, or ends of them, in abaft, straining them tight, that
the next effort might operate upon the ship, and by shortening the
length of the cable between that and the anchors, drew her off the ledge
upon which she rested, towards the deep water. About five o'clock in the
afternoon, we observed the tide begin to rise, but we observed at the
same time that the leak increased to a most alarming degree, so that
two, more pumps were manned, but unhappily only one of them, would work;
three of the pumps, however, were kept going, and at nine o'clock the
ship righted, but the leak had gained upon us so considerably, that it
was imagined she must go to the bottom as soon as she ceased to be
supported by the rock: This was a dreadful circumstance, so that we
anticipated the floating of the ship not as an earnest of deliverance,
but as an event that would probably precipitate our destruction. We well
knew that our boats were not capable of carrying us all on shore, and
that when the dreadful crisis should arrive, as all command and
subordination would be at an end, a contest for preference would
probably ensue, that would increase even the horrors of shipwreck, and
terminate in the destruction of us all by the hands of each other; yet
we knew that if any should be left on board to perish in the waves, they
would probably suffer less upon the whole than those who should get on
shore, without any lasting or effectual defence against the natives, in
a country where even nets and fire-arms would scarcely furnish them with
food; and where, if they should find the means of subsistence, they must
be condemned to languish out the remainder of life in a desolate
wilderness, without the possession, or even hope, of any domestic
comfort, and cut off from all commerce with mankind, except the naked
savages who prowled the desert, and who perhaps were some of the most
rude and uncivilized upon the earth.
To those only who have waited in a state of such suspense, Death has
approached in all his tenors; and as the dreadful moment that was to
determine our fate came on, every one saw his own sensations pictured in
the countenances of his companions: However, the capstan and wind-lace
were manned with as many hands as could be spared from the pumps, and
the ship floating about twenty minutes after ten o'clock, the effort was
made, and she was heaved into deep water. It was some comfort to find
that she did not now admit more water than she had done upon the rock;
and though by the gaining of the leak upon the pumps, there was no less
than three feet nine inches water in the hold, yet the men did not
relinquish their labour, and we held the water as it were at bay; but
having now endured excessive fatigue of body and agitation of mind for
more than four-and-twenty hours, and having but little hope of
succeeding at last, they began to flag: None of them could work at the
pump more than five or six minutes together, and then, being totally
exhausted, they threw themselves down upon the deck, though a stream of
water was running over it from the pumps between three and four inches
deep; when those who succeeded them had worked their spell, and were
exhausted in their turn, they threw themselves down in the same manner,
and the others started up again, and renewed their labour; thus
relieving each other till an accident was very near putting an end to
their efforts at once. The planking which lines the inside of the ship's
bottom is called the ceiling, and between this and the outside planking
there is a space of about eighteen inches: The man who till this time
had attended the well to take the depth of water, had taken it only to
the ceiling, and gave the measure accordingly; but he being now
relieved, the person who came in his stead reckoned the depth to the
outside planking, by which it appeared in a few minutes to have gained
upon the pumps eighteen inches, the difference between the planking
without and within. Upon this even the bravest was upon the point of
giving up his labour with his hope, and in a few minutes every thing
would have been involved in all the confusion of despair. But this
accident, however dreadful in its first consequences, was eventually the
cause of our preservation. The mistake was soon detected, and the sudden
joy which every man felt upon finding his situation better than his
fears had suggested, operated like a charm, and seemed to possess him
with a strong belief that scarcely any real danger remained. New
confidence and new hope, however founded, inspired new vigour; and
though our state was the same as when the men first began to slacken in
their labour, through weariness and despondency, they now renewed their
efforts with such alacrity and spirit, that before eight o'clock in the
morning the leak was so far from having gained upon the pumps, that the
pumps had gained considerably upon the leak. Every body now talked of
getting the ship into some harbour, as a thing not to be doubted, and as
hands could be spared from the pumps, they were employed in getting up
the anchors: The stream anchor and best bower we had taken on board; but
it was found impossible to save the little bower, and therefore it was
cut away at a whole cable; we lost also the cable of the stream anchor
among the rocks; but in our situation these were trifles which scarcely
attracted our notice. Our next business was to get up the fore top-mast,
and fore-yard, and warp the ship to the south-east, and at eleven,
having now a breeze from the sea, we once more got under sail and stood
for the land.
It was however impossible long to continue the labour by which the pumps
had been made to gain upon the leak, and as the exact situation of it
could not be discovered, we had no hope of stopping it within. In this
situation, Mr Monkhouse, one of my midshipmen, came to me and proposed
an expedient that he had seen used on board a merchant ship, which
sprung a leak that admitted above four feet water an hour, and which by
this expedient was brought safely from Virginia to London; the master
having such confidence in it, that he took her out of harbour, knowing
her condition, and did not think it worth while to wait till the leak
could be otherwise stopped. To this man, therefore, the care of the
expedient, which is called fothering the ship, was immediately
committed, four or five of the people being appointed to assist him, and
he performed it in this manner: He took a lower studding sail, and
having mixed together a large quantity of oakum and wool, chopped pretty
small, he stitched it down in handfuls upon the sail, as lightly as
possible, and over this he spread the dung of our sheep and other filth;
but horse dung, if we had had it, would have been better. When the sail
was thus prepared, it was hauled under the ship's bottom by ropes, which
kept it extended, and when it came under the leak, the suction which
carried in the water, carried in with it the oakum and wool from the
surface of the sail, which in other parts the water was not sufficiently
agitated to wash off.[81] By the success of this expedient, our leak was
so far reduced, that instead of gaining upon three pumps, it was easily
kept under with one. This was a new source of confidence and comfort;
the people could scarcely have expressed more joy if they had been
already in port; and their views were so far from being limited to
running the ship ashore in some harbour, either of an island or the
main, and building a vessel out of her materials to carry us to the East
Indies, which had so lately been the utmost object of our hope, that
nothing was now thought of but ranging along the shore in search of a
convenient place to repair the damage she had sustained, and then
prosecuting the voyage upon the same plan as if nothing had happened.
Upon this occasion I must observe, both in justice and gratitude to the
ship's company, and the gentlemen on board, that although in the midst
of our distress every one seemed to have a just sense of his danger, yet
no passionate exclamations, or frantic gestures, were to be heard or
seen; every one appeared to have the perfect possession of his mind, and
everyone exerted himself to the uttermost, with a quiet and patient
perseverance, equally distant from the tumultuous violence of terror,
and the gloomy inactivity of despair.[82]
[Footnote 81: A somewhat different account of the operation called
fothering a vessel, is given in the Encyclopædia Britannica. The
expedient does not appear to be adopted. The importance of the benefit
intended by it is so great, as to justify the most sedulous care to
bring the principle within the range of a seaman's professional studies.
It is somewhat singular that Cook was not acquainted with it.--E.]
[Footnote 82: With the modesty of real worth, Cook expends his eulogium
on his companions in danger, without seeming to reserve the smallest
consideration for his own dignified behaviour in such extreme peril. Who
can doubt, that the conduct of the crew was in unison with the fortitude
and intelligence of their commander? It is on such occasions that the
effects of discipline are most conspicuous. In common occurrences, the
mere attention to rules is amply sufficient to call forth our esteem.
What shall we say of their merit, who, in such untoward emergencies,
extend the influence of beneficial authority beyond the force of some of
the strongest passions that agitate our frame?--E.]
In the mean time, having light airs at E.S.E. we got up the main
top-mast, and main-yard, and kept edging in for the land, till about six
o'clock in the evening, when we came to an anchor in seventeen fathom
water, at the distance of seven leagues from the shore, and one from the
ledge of rocks upon which we had struck.
This ledge or shoal lies in latitude 15° 45' S., and between six and
seven leagues from the main. It is not however the only shoal on this
part of the coast, especially to the northward; and at this time we saw
one to the southward, the tail of which we passed over, when we had
uneven soundings about two hours before we struck. A part of this shoal
is always above water, and has the appearance of white sand: A part also
of that upon which we had lain is dry at low water, and in that place
consists of sand stones, but all the rest of it is a coral rock.
Whilst we lay at anchor for the night, we found that the ship made about
fifteen inches water an hour, from which no immediate danger was to be
apprehended; and at six o'clock in the morning we weighed and stood to
the N.W., still edging in for the land with a gentle breeze at S.S.E. At
nine we passed close without two small islands that lie in latitude 15°
41' S., and about four leagues from the main: To reach these islands
had, in the height of our distress, been the object of our hope, or
perhaps rather of our wishes, and therefore I called them _Hope
Islands_. At noon we were about three leagues from the land, and in
latitude 15° 37' S.; the northermost part of the main in sight bore N.
30 W.; and Hope Islands extended from S. 30 E. to S. 40 E. In this
situation we had twelve fathom water, and several sand banks without us.
At this time the leak had not increased; but that we might be prepared
for all events, we got the sail ready for another fothering. In the
afternoon, having a gentle breeze at S.E. by E., I sent out the master
with two boats, as well to sound a-head of the ship as to look out for a
harbour where we might repair our defects, and put the ship in a proper
trim. At three o'clock we saw an opening that had the appearance of an
harbour, and stood off and on while the boats examined it, but they soon
found that there was not depth of water in it sufficient for the ship.
When it was near sun-set, there being many shoals about us, we anchored
in four fathom, at the distance of about two miles from the shore, the
land extending from N. 1/2 E. to S. by E. 1/2 E. The pinnace was still
out with one of the mates; but at nine o'clock she returned, and
reported, that about two leagues to leeward she had discovered just
such a harbour as we wanted, in which there was a sufficient rise of
water, and every other convenience that could be desired, either for
laying the ship ashore, or heading her down.
In consequence of this information, I weighed at six o'clock in the
morning, and having sent two boats a-head, to lie upon the shoals that
we saw in our way, we ran down to the place; but notwithstanding our
precaution, we were once in three fathom water. As soon as these shoals
were passed, I sent the boats to lie in the channel that led to the
harbour, and by this time it began to blow. It was happy for us that a
place of refuge was at hand; for we soon found that the ship would not
work, having twice missed stays: Oar situation, however, though it might
have been much worse, was not without danger; we were entangled among
shoals, and I had great reason to fear being driven to leeward before
the boats could place themselves so as to prescribe our course. I
therefore anchored in four fathom, about a mile from the shore, and then
made the signal for the boats to come on board. When this was done, I
went myself and buoyed the channel, which I found very narrow; the
harbour also I found smaller than I expected, but most excellently
adapted to our purpose; and it is remarkable, that in the whole course
of our voyage we had seen no place which, in our present circumstances,
could have afforded us the same relief. At noon, our latitude was 15°
26' S. During all the rest of this day, and the whole night, it blew too
fresh for us to venture from our anchor and run into the harbour; and
for our farther security, we got down the top-gallant yards, unbent the
main-sail and some of the small sails; got down the
fore-top-gallant-mast, and the jibb-boom, and sprit-sail, with a view to
lighten the ship forwards as much as possible, in order to come at her
leak, which we supposed to be somewhere in that part; for in all the joy
of our unexpected deliverance, we had not forgot that at this time there
was nothing but a lock of wool between us and destruction. The gale
continuing, we kept our station all the 15th. On the 16th, it was
somewhat more moderate; and about six o'clock in the morning we hove the
cable short, with a design to get under sail, but were obliged to
desist, and veer it out again. It is remarkable that the sea-breeze,
which blew fresh when we anchored, continued to do so almost every day
white we stayed here; it was calm only while we were upon the rock,
except once; and even the gale that afterwards wafted us to the shore,
would then certainly have beaten us to pieces. In the evening of the
preceding day, we had observed a fire near the beach over against us;
and, as it would be necessary for us to stay some time in this place, we
were not without hope of making an acquaintance with the people. We saw
more fires upon the hills to-day, and with our glasses discovered four
Indians going along the shore, who stopped and made two fires; but for
what purpose it was impossible we should guess.
The scurvy now began to make its appearance among us, with many
formidable symptoms. Our poor Indian, Tupia, who had some time before
complained that his gums were sore and swelled, and who had taken
plentifully of our lemon juice by the surgeon's direction, had now livid
spots upon his legs, and other indubitable testimonies that the disease
had made a rapid progress, notwithstanding all our remedies, among which
the bark had been liberally administered. Mr Green, our astronomer, was
also declining; and these, among other circumstances, embittered the
delay which prevented our going ashore.
In the morning of the 17th, though the wind was still fresh, we ventured
to weigh, and push in for the harbour; but in doing this we twice run
the ship aground: The first time she went off without any trouble, but
the second time she stuck fast. We now got down the fore-yard, fore
top-masts, and booms, and taking them overboard, made a raft of them
alongside of the ship. The tide was happily rising, and about one
o'clock in the afternoon she floated. We soon warped her into the
harbour, and having moored her alongside of a steep beach to the south,
we got the anchors, cables, and all the hawsers on shore before night.