th em ©tit fome- ftrong liquor; bu t as they- were unable to
find any thing to eat, their em.pti.nefs and h a rd fatigue had'
made the liquor operate on their heads, fo that on their retu
rn back th ey were very noify and elated ; Captain W i l son
therefore now fubmitted to his officers, wh ethe r it
would not he adyifahLe to Have all the liquor that remain
ed aboard the veffel, left our people,.becoming inadvertently
intoxicated-,, might be difpofed to quarrel" among them-
felves, or engage in difputes with the- natives .;, or. from
another motive, equally important to the common; fafety, left
th é natives themfelves,. h a v in g already found their w a y to
the: fhip,. m igh t difcover the-ftrong liquors, w h ich f ig y , would'
he tempted to drink o f too freely,, and, from, never bavasag
before tafted o f fpirits, migh t g row infuriated, and induced:-,
to commit fome outrage- w i th our people, and thereby draw
on a. g eneral contcft and difunion. The. officers, univ.erfally
approved the propofiüön, and defired. Captain W ilson.
.would the n ex t morning make their wifhes on this matter
k n ow n to all. the. ffiip’s-- com p an y ;. w h ich was done v ery,
-early,.at the time* the boatfwain. called, all hands: to:-work,.
T h e Captain; to ld them, he had fomething to lay before
th em , in which, their future welfare,, nay perhaps their, fu tu
re prefervation,: was_ moft materially invo lved; he then
fubmitted to their judgment th e meafure. upon, w h ich he
and his officers had deliberated the; preceding- evening:;-
urged, .the propriety -of it to them in very forcible terms1, as;
TH E PE L EW I S L A N D S -391
’M M p t would- he ft - author ize f i e - hop© o f ge tting away
f rom -them prefent iituatioti, and fe e in g '©ace m o re their
«wvffiL .conn-tty, and thofe, w h o wefie dear .to *them; and -en^
deavoured to convince them, that how e ve r -reluctantly tfeey
mi^ h t ^ield ko 'the propolit&ug, yo t f i e vhs-ifci'sfied th a t
•the underftandihg. o f e^fyiMdividrual among them m i# ,,
on ipefle&i&foperceive it was a- meaftire ahfoifttely nfecfeftary
to foe adopted. g U p on wh ich 1 ah th e bailors,-w-fth th e ut-moft
■ uttani-mfty, and w ith one- voices deOlar©d, that howe ve r -they
•might fiiffer from fhe deprivation 'M f i e aetuftnmed recruit
ftrong' -liquor, ye t, f e e in g fd&fibte jth a t h a v in g ac-
cefs to - it,»they^imghknbf at wi^a^l i&retfon
th ey, to their lafting honour as men, gave their full afteUt ,
to f i g 'C a p ta iii| j propofal, and ‘% d , .thpy w e jq ready to go*:
immediately to f i e fhip, and ftave e very ye ffeko f liquos on,
hoard w h ic h , on th is day, th ey confcientioufly performed g
e y e r y cafk:'waS;,ftaved, and fo fc ru p u lou fly did;, they- execute,
th eir t r a i l , that there, was not a ffingle man amongft them
w h o would, take, or. tafte a fa rew e ll glafs o f ,any liquor.—
Cirqumftanced, as f i e f e poor, fellows were,, n o f iin g . but a
long and-well-trained difeipline, and the real a ffe t io n th e y
bore their Commander, could have produced the fortitude-
and fteady firmnefs w h ich th e y fe ftified on this pccafion;
■ aiffii certainly n o f i in g could more exhilarate f i e fpirits! o f their
officers, or more endear the men to them, than this conqueft
th ey fhewed over themfelves— W h a t indeed was there not
I : Mm
v g u s m