JUAN FERNANDEZ--THE TRIAL REJOINS.
THE SEARCH FOR JUAN FERNANDEZ.
It were endless to recite minutely the various disasters, fatigues, and
terrors which we encountered on this coast; all these went on increasing
till the 22nd of May, at which time the fury of all the storms which we
had hitherto encountered seemed to be combined, and to have conspired our
destruction. In this hurricane almost all our sails were split, and great
part of our standing rigging broken; and, about eight in the evening, a
mountainous overgrown sea took us upon our starboard quarter, and gave us
so prodigious a shock that several of our shrouds broke with the jerk, by
which our masts were greatly endangered. Our ballast and stores, too,
were so strangely shifted that the ship heeled afterwards two streaks to
port. Indeed, it was a most tremendous blow, and we were thrown into the
utmost consternation from the apprehension of instantly foundering. This
was the last effort of that stormy climate, for in a day or two we found
the weather more moderate than we had yet experienced since our passing
Straits le Maire. And now having cruised in vain for more than a
fortnight in quest of the other ships of the squadron, it was resolved to
take advantage of the present favourable season and the offing we had
made from this terrible coast, and to make the best of our way for the
island of Juan Fernandez.* For though our next rendezvous was appointed
off the harbour of Baldivia, yet as we had hitherto seen none of our
companions at this first rendezvous, it was not to be supposed that any
of them would be found at the second; indeed, we had the greatest reason
to suspect that all but ourselves had perished. Besides, we were by this
time reduced to so low a condition that, instead of attempting to attack
the places of the enemy, our utmost hopes could only suggest to us the
possibility of saving the ship, and some part of the remaining enfeebled
crew, by our speedy arrival at Juan Fernandez; for this was the only road
in that part of the world where there was any probability of our
recovering our sick or refitting our vessel, and consequently our getting
thither was the only chance we had left to avoid perishing at sea.
(*Note. 'Juan Fernandez.' This island which is 13 miles long by 4 miles
broad, now belongs to Chili. It was discovered in 1563 by Juan Fernandez.
As it was unoccupied it was a favourite resort of the buccaneers
throughout the seventeenth century, as well as of English squadrons
despatched like those of Dampier and Anson, to prey on Spanish commerce,
and needing to refit and water after the long voyage round Cape Horn. The
Spaniards at last occupied it in 1750, in self-defence. It was here that
Alexander Selkirk was put ashore in 1704.)
Our deplorable situation, then, allowing no room for deliberation, we
stood for the island of Juan Fernandez. On the 28th of May, being nearly
in the parallel upon which it is laid down, we had great expectations of
seeing it; but not finding it in the position in which the charts had
taught us to expect it, we began to fear that we had got too far to the
westward; and therefore, though the Commodore himself was strongly
persuaded that he saw it on the morning of the 28th, yet his officers
believing it to be only a cloud, to which opinion the haziness of the
weather gave some kind of countenance, it was on a consultation resolved
to stand to the eastward in the parallel of the island; as it was certain
that by this course we should either fall in with the island, if we were
already to the westward of it, or should at least make the mainland of
Chili, whence we might take a new departure, and assure ourselves, by
running to the westward afterwards, of not missing the island a second
time.
On the 30th of May we had a view of the continent of Chili, distant
about twelve or thirteen leagues. It gave us great uneasiness to find
that we had so needlessly altered our course when we were, in all
probability, just upon the point of making the island; for the mortality
amongst us was now increased to a most dreadful degree, and those who
remained alive were utterly dispirited by this new disappointment and the
prospect of their longer continuance at sea. Our water, too, began to
grow scarce, so that a general dejection prevailed amongst us, which
added much to the virulence of the disease, and destroyed numbers of our
best men; and to all these calamities there was added this vexatious
circumstance that when, after having got sight of the main, we tacked and
stood to the westward in quest of the island, we were so much delayed by
calms and contrary winds that it cost us nine days to regain the westing
which, when we stood to the eastward, we ran down in two. In this
desponding condition, with a crazy ship, a great scarcity of water, and a
crew so universally diseased that there were not above ten foremast men
in a watch capable of doing duty, and even some of these lame and unable
to go aloft; under these disheartening circumstances, I say, we stood to
the westward; and on the 9th of June, at daybreak, we at last discovered
the long-wished-for island of Juan Fernandez.
It appeared to be a mountainous place, extremely ragged and irregular;
yet as it was land and, the land we sought for, it was to us a most
agreeable sight. For at this place only we could hope to put a period to
those terrible calamities we had so long struggled with, which had
already swept away above half our crew, and which, had we continued a few
days longer at sea, would inevitably have completed our destruction. For
we were by this time reduced to so helpless a condition, that out of two
hundred and odd men who remained alive, we could not, taking all our
watches together, muster hands enough to work the ship on an emergency,
though we included the officers, their servants, and the boys.
The wind being northerly when we first made the island, we kept plying
all that day and the next night, in order to get in with the land; and
wearing the ship in the middle watch, we had a melancholy instance of the
most incredible debility of our people; for the lieutenant could muster
no more than two quarter-masters and six foremast men capable of working;
so that without the assistance of the officers, servants, and boys, it
might have proved impossible for us to have reached the island after we
had got sight of it; and even with this assistance they were two hours in
trimming the sails. To so wretched a condition was a 60-gun ship reduced,
which had passed Straits le Maire but three months before, with between
four hundred and five hundred men, almost all of them in health and
vigour.
EVEN GRASS A DAINTY.
However, on the 10th, in the afternoon, we got under the lee of the
island, and kept ranging along it at about two miles' distance, in order
to look out for the proper anchorage, which was described to be in a bay
on the north side. But at last the night closed upon us before we had
satisfied ourselves which was the proper bay to anchor in, and therefore
we resolved to send our boat next morning to discover the road. At four
in the morning the cutter was despatched with our third lieutenant to
find out the bay we were in search of, who returned again at noon with
the boat laden with seals and grass; for though the island abounded with
better vegetables, yet the boat's crew, in their short stay, had not met
with them; and they well knew that even grass would prove a dainty, and,
indeed, it was all soon and eagerly devoured. The seals, too, were
considered as fresh provision, but as yet were not much admired, though
they grew afterwards into more repute; for what rendered them less
valuable at this juncture was the prodigious quantity of excellent fish
which the people on board had taken during the absence of the boat.
The cutter, in this expedition, had discovered the bay where we intended
to anchor, which we found was to the westward of our present station; and
the next morning we steered along shore till we came abreast of the point
that forms the eastern part of the bay. On opening the bay, the wind,
that had befriended us thus far, shifted, and blew from thence in
squalls; but by means of the headway we had got, we luffed close in, till
the anchor brought us up in fifty-six fathoms. Soon after we had thus got
to our new berth, we discovered a sail, which we made no doubt was one of
our squadron; and on its nearer approach, we found it to be the Trial
sloop. We immediately sent some of our hands on board her, by whose
assistance she was brought to an anchor between us and the land. We soon
found that the sloop had not been exempted from those calamities which we
had so severely felt; for her commander, Captain Saunders, waiting on the
Commodore, informed him that out of his small complement he had buried
thirty-four of his men; and those that remained were so universally
afflicted with the scurvy that only himself, his lieutenant, and three of
his men were able to stand by the sails.