17s?-. of nearly the fame iize, do the fame thing under the fhip's
ftern. Our people-killed and fent off feveral o f the goats,
Sunday zK wj1jej1 we tp0UgPt: as good as the bell venifon in England >
and I obferved, that one of them appeared to have been
caught and marked, its right ear being flit in a manner that
could not have happened by accident.. We h a d a lfo fifh in
fuch plenty, that one boat would, with hooks and lines,
catch, in a few hours, as much as would ferve a large fhip’s
company two days: they were o f various forts, all excellent
in their kind, and many o f them weighed from twenty to
thirty pounds.
This evening, the furf-running very high, the gunner and
one o f the feamen who were on fhore with the waterers,
were afraid to venture off, and the boat therefore, when flie
came on board the laft time, left them behind her.
'Monday 29. The next day we found a more convenient watering-place,
about a mile and a half to the northward of the fliip, and
about the middle-way between the north and fouth points of
the ifland, there being at this place lefs furf than where the
boats firft went on fhore. The tide here fet twelve hours to the
northward, and twelve to the fouthward, which we found
very Convenient, for as the wind was foutherly, with a great
fwell, the boats could not otherwife have got on board with
their water. We got off ten tons o f water from the new
watering-place this day, and in the afternoon, I fent a boat
to fetch off the gunner and feaman, who had been left on
fhore at the old watering-place the night before; but the
fu r f was {till fo great, that the feaman, who could not
fwim, was afraid to venture: he was therefore again left
• behind, and the gunner flayed with him.
As foon as this was reported to me, I fent another boat to
inform them that as, by the appearances of the weather,
there
there was reafon to believe it would foon blow hard, I was 1765.
afraid I might be driven off the bank in the night, the eon- . Aprl1' .
fequence of which would be that they muft be left behind p B l 29'
upon the ifland. When the boat came to the furf, the
people on board delivered my meffage, upon which the
gunner fwam through the furf, and got on board her ; but
the feaman, though he had a cork jacket , on, faid he was
fure he fhould be drowned i f he attempted to get off to the
boat, and that, chufing rather to die a natural death, he
was determined at all events to remain upon the ifland : he
then took an affectionate leave of the people, wifhing them
all happinefs, and the people on board returned his good
wifhes. One o f the midfhipmen, however, juft as the boat
was about to return, took the end of a rope in his hand,
jumped into the fea, and fwam through the furf to the
beach, where poor John ftill, continued ruminating upon
his iituation, in a dejeCted attitude, and with a moft difcon-
folate length o f countenance. The midfhipman began to
expoftulate with him upon the ftrange refolution he had
taken, and in the mean time having made a running knot
in his rope, he dexteroufly contrived to throw it round his
body, calling out to his companions in the boat, who had
hold o f the other end of it, to haul aw a y ; they inftantly
took the hint, and the poor feceder was very foon dragged
through the furf into the boat: he had, however, fwallowcd
fo great a quantity o f water, that he was to all appearance
dead, but being held up by the heels, he foon recovered his
fpeech and motion, and was perfectly well the next day. In
the evening, I removed Captain Mouat from the Tamar,
and appointed him Captain of the Dolphin, under m e ; Mr.
Cumming, my Firft Lieutenant, I appointed Captain of the
Tamar, taking Mr. Carteret, her Firft Lieutenant, on board
Vo l . I. N in