388 N A R R A T I V E OF A N
C if A P. the wind, with a reef in the. fore-fail,y y v » f # „t hHe fea r. unn'ing
. mountains high, and conftantly breaking, over the veffel
—pumps going day and night ; foon after which we
faluted the Alarm frigate from Holland, whidv.campLi-
ment they returned. .
At length, the weather becoming fair, we were carried
within foundings, on the 19th, when we hove the lead in
ninety fathom water; but the wind fhifting to the..N, E.
with foul weather, we beat about in the chops o f the
Channel, till the morning o f the 21ft, when at half paft
one a iignal gun was fired for the other veflel, that
we faw the light off Scilly; and at four o’clock P. M. got
the pilot on board.
Having been becalmed two days off Dover,, it was the
27th before we firft faw the Dutch coaft: here we purchafed
fome excellent fifh from a Scbevelin boat, with which we
entertained the whole crew, though during this.fea voyage
no fhip’s company could be better provided.
Having kept off fhore during the night, we at laft
doubled Keykduyn and the Helder.; and on the 28th, at
three o’clock P. M. both Ihips, under a difeharge of nine
guns, dropped anchor in the Texel roads.
On the 30th, having paffed the fmall ifland o f Urk, in
the Zuyder Sea, which is the only rock in the province o f
Holland, both veflels running before the wind with a
fine breeze, premeditatedly ftuck faff upon the Pampus—'
this is a large bank of foft mire, covered with Ihoal* water,
and not far from Amfterdam, which it naturally protects.
lik e
E X P E D I T I O N T O S U R I N A M . 389
like a barrier‘from* all foreign' invaders; fince all ihips CHAP,
whatever muff either be lifted over or dragged through v XXX* ,
fjiis'bank of mud.
Thefirft-ismone'by finirio’g ’two conóave veffels, called
camelA, which,, being chaiiied.together .under the bottom
of-an Indiaman or man-of-war, of whatever burthen, the /
Water is pumped out. o f them, when riling,'gradually to
thhvfurface with their burthen, they carry it to where
them is.t.Qrbe found fufficient depth to keep it afioat. '
The fècond method is praótifed on' ffnaller yeffels, and
copfifts pi-half a dozen fail boats, calléd water-manakins, :
rowing them' through- the mud, which can mover' be
done but,whep}|fraight befpfe the wind: at which time
no^onl-y the Ihip itfelf, but "thé; boatsS that /have her in
tow, muff crowd all the fail they poffibly can eajrry.
On the morningjof the.31ft, having been becalmed all
night, a frefh breeze at E.-again fprung up,- when we
fired „a gun~as ;a ’ fignal, and five or fix water-manakins
inftantlycame off, by the help of which we were dragged
over the Pampus, not at the rate of fourteen knots an
hour, but at that of fourteen hours a knot, fince we did
not get clear öf it in lefs than three days, failing, though
not four mites in length: however,. I moft'confefs,-that
the laft day we had.fcarcely any windat all.-
During this tedious paffage, it was'no bad entertainment,
to obferve the contfaft between fome newly-arrived
Norwegians and u s ; thofe people fitting upon deck in
their