evening, the wind became more moderate, and though it
was then too late to fetch off any water, we got out one of
1.767*
May. o u t ; for being very folicitous to give the boats time to W67*
Thurfday 21. ^ koatS) ancj fent three men on fhore, right abreaft of the
fhip, to kill feals, and make oil of their fat, for burning in
lamps and other ufes on board the fhip.
Friday 22. The wind blew very hard the next morning, as it had
done all night, but being at W. N. W. which was off the
land, we fent the boats away foon after it was light, and
about ten, they returned'with each o f them a load o f water,
and a great number o f pintado birds: thefe birds they got
from the people on fhore, who told them, that when a gale
o f wind happened in the night they flew fafter into their
fire than they could well take them out, fo that during the
gale o f the laft night, they got no lefs than feven hundred
of them. The boats were employed in getting water on
board all this day, although the furf was fo great that feve-
ral o f the cafks were ftaved and loft: they were fent out
tamrday 23. again a little before it was light the next day, and by feven
o’clock a few cafks only were wanting to complete our flock.
The threatening appearances of the weather made me now
very impatient to get the people on board, with the cafks
that were Hill at the watering-place; as foon therefore as
the boats were cleared o f their loading, I difpatched them
again, with orders to bring o ff all the hands, with the
tent, and every thing elfe that was on fhore, with all'
poflible expedition. From this time the wind increafed
very faft, and by eleven o’clock it blew fo hard, with
violent gufts from the land, that the fhip began to drive
off the b an k : we heaved the fmall anchor up, and got
it in out of the way o f the other; the gale ftill increafed»
but as it was right off the land, I was in no pain about
the fhip, which continued to drive, ftill dragging the anchor
through the fand, with two. hundred fathom o f cable
outj
bring all on board before we were quite off the bank, f
would not weigh. At two o’clock, however, the anchor Saturda)' 2>
was quite off the ground, and the fhip was in deep water s
we were now therefore obliged to bring the cable to the
capftern, and with great difficulty we got the anchor up.
The gufts off »the land were fo violent that, not daring to
fhow any canvas, we lay to under our bare poles, and the
water was frequently torn up, and whirled round in the air
much higher than our maft heads. As the fhip now drove
from the iftand at a great rate, and night was coming on, I
began to be in great pain for the boats, in which, befides my
Lieutenantj.tbere were eight and twenty of my beftmen; but
juft in the dufk o f the evening, I perceived one of them fcud-
ding before the Teas, arid making towards the fh ip : this
proved to be the longboat, which in fpight o f all the efforts
o f thofe on board, had been forced-from her grappling, and
driven off the land. We took the beft opportunity that offered
to get her on board, but notwithftanding all our care,
fhe received confiderable damage as we were hoifting her
in. She had on hoard ten o f my people, who informed me,
that when .they were firft driven from the fhore, they had
fome fire-wood on board, but that they were obliged to
throw that, and every thing elfe, into the fea, to lighten the
boat. As we had yet feen nothing o f the cutter, and had
reafon to fear that fhe alfo, with the tents, and the other
eighteen people, befides the Lieutenant, had been driven off
the ifland, I gave her up for loft; knowing that if the night,
which was now at hand, fhould overtake her in fuch a ftorm,
fhe muft inevitably perifh. It was however poflible that
the people might be afhore, and therefore that i f the boat
lhould be loft, they might ftill be preferved ; for this reafon,
I determined to regain the land as foon as poflible. At mid-
U, u 2 night,