»767. As I heard nothing more o f the anchor and rope for which
December.^ j ^lid been in treaty, I made all ready for fea. The (hip’s
Saturday 5. company had continued healthy and fober, and been ferved
with frefh beef every day, from the time of our firft coming
to an anchor in the Road ; we had alfo fome beef, and a live
Tuefday 8.
ox, to carryout with us. We had now only one man upon
the fick lift, except a feaman, who had been afflifted with
rheumatic pains ever fince our leaving the Streight o f Magellan:
and at fix o’clock in the morning, o f Tuefday the
8th o f December, after a (lay of juft one week, we fet fail.
Friday 1 1. On the n th , at noon, we were off a fmall illand called the
Saturday 1 z.
Cap, between the coafts of Sumatra and Java, and feveral o f
our people fell down with colds and fluxes'. ■ The next day, a
Dutch boat came on board, and fold us fome turtle, which
was ferved to the (hip’s company. At night, being at the
diftance of about two miles from the Java lhore, we faw an
incredible number o f lights upon the beach, which we fup-
pofed were intended to draw the fifh near it, as we had feen
the fame appearance at other places.
Monday i/j
Tuefday 15.
On Monday the 14th, we anchored off Prince’s Illand, and
began to take in wood and water. The next morning, the
natives came in with turtle, poultry, and hog-deer, which
we bought at a reafonable price. We continued here, fitting
Saturday 19. the (hip for the fea, till the 19th, during which time many
Sunday 20«
of the people began to complain of intermitting diforders,
fomething like an ague. At fix o’clock the next morning,
having completed our wood, and taken on board feventy-fix
tons of water, we made fail.
While we lay here, one of the feamen fell from the main
yard into the barge, which lay along-fide the (hip. His
body was dreadfully bruifed, and many o f his bones were
broken: it happened alfo, that in his fall he ftruck two other
men.
men,- one of whom was fo much hurt that he continued
fpeechlefs till the 24th, and then died, though the other had
only one of his toes broken. We hadnow no lefs than fixteen
upon the fick lift, and by the id of January, the num-
her was increafed to f or t ywe had buried three, among
whom was the Quarter-Mafter, George Lewis, who was a
diligent, fober man, and the more ufeful, as he fpoke both
the Spanifti and, Portuguefe languages. The difeafes by
which we fuffered, were fluxes, and fevers of the putrid
kind, which are always contagious, and, for that reafon
alone, would be more fatal onboard a (hip than any other.
The Surgeon’s mate was very foon laid up, and tliofe who
were appointed to attend the fick, were always taken ill in a
day or tw o after they had been upon that fervice. To remedy
this evil, as much as it was in my power, I made a
very large birth for the fick, by removing a great number' of
people from below to th e 'h a lf deck, which I hung with
painted canvafs^ keeping it conftantly clean, and direfting it
to be wafhed with vinegar, and fumigated once or twice a
day. Our water was well tailed, and was kept conftantly
ventilated ; ,a large piece of iron alfo, ufed for the melting
of tar, and called a loggerhead, was heated red hot, and
quenched in it before it was given out to be drank. The
fick had alfo wine inftead of grog, and falep or fago every
morning for breakfaft: two days in a week they had mutfon
broth, and had a fowl or two given them on the intermediate
days; they had, befides, plenty o f rice and fugar,
and frequently malt melhcd ; fo that perhaps people in a
fickly (hip had never fo many refrefiiments before: the Surgeon
alfo was indefatigable ; yet, with all thefe advantages,
the ficlcnefs on board gained ground. In the mean time, to
ag g ravate our misfortune, the (hip made more than three
P p 2 feet: