176.7. rate: as thefe appearances were very threatening, I flood in
. May' . again towards the ifland in hopes, o f meeting with the boat;
Sunday 17. jjUt though we ran in as clofe as we durft, we faw nothing
o f her. In the mean time night came on, which the thick-
nefs of the weather rendered extremely dark, the gale in-
creafed, and it began to rain with great violence: in this
fituation I lay to under a balanced mizen, firing guns, and
burning falfe fires, as a guide to the boat; and not being
able to account for her delay, I fuffered the molt diftrefsful
anxiety, and had indeed but too much reafbn to fear that
fhe was loft. About feven o’clock, however, to my un-
fpeakable fatisfaftion fhe came fafe along-fide, and as I had
long feen a florin gathering, which I expected every moment
to burft upon us, we got her in with all pollible expedition.
It was indeed happy for us all that no time was loft,
for before fhe could be got into her place, the fquall came
on, which in a moment laid the fhip down in a furprifing
manner, and broke the mizen ga ff juft where the fail was
reefed; fo that i f another minute had palled before the boat
had been got in, we mull inevitably have loft her, and every
foul on board would have perifhed. This wind and weather
continued till midnight, when it became fomewhat
more moderate, fo that we were able to fet our courfes and
top-fails. In the mean time I had enquired o f Mr. Gower
how it came to be fo long before he returned to the fhip,
and he told me, that after he had got to the place where he
intended to fill the calks, three o f the boat’s crew had fwum
afhore with them for that purpofe; but that within a few
minutes, the furf had rifen fo high, and broke with fuch
fury on the fhore, that it was impolfible for them to get
back to the boat: that being unwilling to leave them behind,
efpecially as they were ftark naked, he had waited in hopes
that an opportunity might be found for their .coming on
boardj
board; but that being intimidated by the appearance o f the
weather, and the uncommon darknefs of the night, he had
at laft, with whatever reluctance, been obliged to come on
board without them. The fituation o f thefe poor fellows
now furnilhed another fubject of folicitude and anxiety;
they were naked, upon a defolate ifland, at a great diftance
from the watering-place where their fhip-mates had a tent,
without food, and without Ihelter, in a night o f violent and
incefiant rain, with fuch thunder and lightning as in Europe
is altogether unknown. In the evening of the 19th, however,
I had the fatisfadtion to receive them on board, and to
hear an account o f their adventures from their own lips:
As long as it was light they flattered themfelves, like their
friends in the boat, that they fhould find an opportunity to
return on board her \ but afterwards, when the darknefs of
the night was broken only by the flaflies o f lightning, and
the tempeft became every, moment more violent, they knew
that to reach the boat was impofliblfe, i f it ftill remained in .
its ftation ; and that moft probably the people on board had
provided for their own fafety, by returning on board the
fh ip : to reach the tent o f their fhip-mates, during the darknefs
and tempeft, was equally beyond their power, and they
were reduced to the neceflity of palling fuch a night, in
fuch a place, without the leaft defence againft either the
rain or the cold, which now began to be feverely felt.
Neceflity is faid to be ingenious, and they contrived to procure
a temporary fuccedaneum both for apparel and a Ihed,
by lying one upon another, each man alternately placing
himfelf between the other two ; in this fituation it may eafily
be believed that they longed; moft ardently for the dawn, and
as foon as it appeared they fet out for the tent: they were
obliged however to make their way along the fea-lhore, for
the inland country was impaflable; nor was this the worft,
for