,7's9. and tracked the''boat into fhelter ;-for the wind blowing
JuN E* , frelb without, and the ground being rocky, it wits notfafe
to truft her at a'grapnel, lelt Ihefhöuld'be blown to fe s : I
was, therefore, obliged to let -her ground in the coiirfe of
• the ebb. From appearanêès,*J expedited that if werfemdned
till night we Ihould meet with ■ turtleas^ we öifeövered
recent tracks of them.Innumerable* birds of thé noddy-
kind made^tbie ifland their reftrng-place ;;!fb that We had
reafon to flatter, óiirfelvés’with hopes'of getting. fupplies
in greater abundance than it -had hitherto been' in our
power. Our fituation was at leaft four leagues diftant from
tM-maini. We were on’ the north^Wefternmoft.'of .'föiir
fmall keys, which were furrounded by a feef of rocks
connected % fand-banks^ except between the^two ribr-
thernmoft; and there likewifedt was dry at low w a t e r thé
whole forming a.lagoon ifland, into which the-tide flowed:
at this entrance I kept the boat.
AsvHfual, I fen't parties away in' fèarch o f fupplies, -but,
to our great dif^phintmeht, we pould’only^get -a.fe^'cfötJaé
and lome dolichos : with thefê,-and thé dyfters -we had
brought I made hp &'mefs'fG&< dinner,
with the addition óf a fmall quantity of bread. “ '
- 4 Towards noon, Nelfon, and fome others, Who 'haflïb'ëéfi
to the éafternmoft key, returned; but Nelfon was in fo
Weak a condition, that he was obliged to. be - fuppoifed by
two piCT...il5fe'C»inplailit.#aS a violetït 'hëat in his bnwëls;
a lofs of fight, much drdught, and an inabflfty tö walk.
This I found was öcöaflonéd l ^ fiisfcihgmnahlbt^fhppört
the heat of thé fu n / and-that, when he '-W«&!fatigué® and
faint, inftead of’retiring into the fhade to refiy he had è&h-
tinued to attempt more than his ftrength was\ equal to.
I was glad to find that hë had no fever; :and. it was hbw
that
that the littlp wine, which; f -h^d, fp, carefully- faved, be-
came of real ufe. I gave it in very fmall quantities, with ( __—„
fome pff and he -i^n hegan to;
’recover., .The. boatfy? ain and* c,arpentbh,ififo' were ill, and
complained;»of h^a^-aeh, -aj^d fickpqfs rpf\ the- ftomach.
Others,, who had not* had any-eyacyatipp.by ftool, became ■
fhockipgly difjmffed^wjith the-.te^gfjnus.; jfe that - there
'syerphut.feWjWithout' epmglain|Si|, ;An .ideajprp^a^Ied, that
tfle ficknefs^ofthe boatfgain -^nd.^oarpenter t '^asnbcpa-
fjqned^Y gating thg'dolhhT^cnMy^lj/fyhWever, aPff$Torne b r others,
whp had .taken;the; famerfood, felt■ np,inconvenience
; but tjhg; truth W.^ii^hal^paany ^ff^he people had
gat.en a large .quantity <^, them* raw,; and. «I^plfon informed
me, that theyjWere. c©nffently..,feazing‘ himggyh.eneyer a |.
berry was foundptp; knpjy; i f itpAja§tg?y>d\to -e^hp-fp' t^at ^t1
would notthave;been Thrprifing,if many*of them, had ;been
really poifonedf ’v
| Our dinner Was not To wpl! relifhed ||gj|at- -Sunday1 Ifland,
becaufe.we had, mixed .the,, dpli®hos,,\¥ith our- -„flew.- . The
oyfters and^iip* howevevwnte eaten hjfevefry except
Nelfon, whpnxl fed:, With’ a, few fmall .pieces of „bread fopkgd
in-half !a glafs pfjwine, and he.eonMnued. 'to mend,. ;->,y
r^ in my ,w.ilk round fhje/ifland, X found feyer^cpcparhut
fhplls, the remains o f aijb©ld wigwam; and thp backs, of two
turtle,-hut no-fign of any quadruped«• One, of dhe pepple
found three fea-fowl’s bgg^v, hi
iy gAbip common. ©nrfpcb fpptj>,;^eifojl'is little othpJi than
fand, ,yet< it.prQdueeidifmall toa-tipes, andTomf others, that
we were not acquainted, witho.i'Xhere werepfifh. in.theda-
goom, but We .could■ not. catch. any. Opr wants,, they^pre,
were, hot .likely tjpibb fupplied here,- not fpyeis^.with water
for our daily, expen ce u neverthelefs. I determined to wait