Saturday 1.6.
At day-break, though- we were at a good diftance from
the fliore, I fent the cutter to get off a- load o f water, before
the furf Ihould be fo great upon thé beach as to prevent her
landing: About ten o’clock, the wind came to- the N.N.E.,
whieh'enabled'us to get within a little diftance o f the watering
place, and we might have: recovered our anchoring
ground upon the bank from which we had been driven, but
the weather had fp bad an appearance, and the gale frefliened
fo faft, that we did not think it prudent to venture: we
brought to, however, as near the fliore as poffible, for the-
advantage of fmooth water to unload the. cutter, which foon
after came along-ftde with twelve calks of water.. As foon
as we had taken thefe on board, I fent the cutter again for
another freight, and as we were at a very little.diftance from-,
land, I ventured to fend our long-boat, a clumfey, heavy,
four-oared veffel, with provifions for . the people on fliore,
and orders to bring back a.load of water, i f flié could get
it: as-foon as thefe boats weredifpatched, we made a. tack
off to keep our ground. At noon it blew hard, with heavy
rain arid thick weather, and at one, as we were Handing in
again, wé law the boats running along the fliore, for the
lee part of thé ïfland, this fide being, open to' the wind. ;.‘we
therefore followed them, and brought to as. near the fliore
as poffible, to favour their coming on board : they prefently
made towards us, and we hoifted them in, but th e fe a was
now f ifén fó high, that in doing.it they received conliderable
damage, and we foon. learnt, that, they found the iur£ fo
great as not to be able even to land their empty water-calks.
We continued to lie to, under a balanced mizen^ off the lee
part of the illand all the afternoon, and althpjigh all.hands
had been conftantly employed ever fin.ce the fliip had been
driven off her anchoring ground, the carpenters worked all
night in repairing the boats,
3 At
At four o’clock in the morning, the illand bore weft o f us, 1767. ,
being four leagues diftant, and right to windward: we had '---- .---- ‘
® ® - . 1 » 1 1 Sunday 17'.- now a fine gale and fmooth water, and about ten o clock,
we fetched very near to the foutli part of it, and with the
help of the boat made the ftnp tack. As it was not probable
that with fuch a veflel we could regain the anchoring-
ground, I took advantage of our being fo near the fliore,
though at a.good diftance from the watering-place, to fend
the cutter for another load. In the mean time I ftood on
and off with the fliip, and about four o’clock in the afternoon
the cutter brought her freight o f water on hoard. I
enquired of the Lieutenant after the people on fliore, and he
told me, that the violent rain which had fallen in the night,
had fuddenly brought down fuch torrents of water through
the hollow or gully where they had taken up their fiation,
that they were in the utmoft danger of being fwept away
before it, and though with great difficulty they faved them-
felves, feveral of the calks were intirely loft. It was now too
late for the boat to make another turn to the place where
we had hitherto got our water; hut Mr. Erafmus Gower, the'
Lieutenant, whofe diligence and ability in all our dangers-
and diftrefs I cannot fufficieutly commend, having, as lie-
returned with the cutter, obferved tliat many runs' of water-
had been made by the night’s rain, on that part of the illand'
which was neareft to us, and knowing how impatient I was-
of delay, offered to go thither with the boat, and fill as-
many calks as Ihe could bring back. I gladly accepted this
offer, Mr. Gower went away in- the boat, and in tile mean
time I made a tack off with the fliip ; but before they had
been gone an hour, the weather began to grow gloomy, and
the wind to freftien, a heavy blaek cloud at the fame time
fettled over the illand fo as to hide the tops of the hills, and
foon after it begarr to thunder and lighten at a dreadful
rater;