On the 17th the cutter was again sent for water; and, when she returned, the Lieutenant reported, that the violent rains which had fallen in the night, had brought down such a deluge of water, that the people on shore narrowly escaped drowning, after losing several of the casks. Mr. Gower, the Lieutenant, having seen many rivulets of water produced by the rain which had fallen in the night, proposed to go and fill the casks; but he had not been long gone, before the weather began to wear a very threatening appearance, and it thundered and lightned to a degree beyond description. The ship now kept as near the shore as possible, and as it was grown quite dark, they were very apprehensive that the long-boat was lost, but she happily came a-longside just in time to prevent the destruction of her whole crew; for she had scarce been hoisted over the ship’s side a moment, before such a violent squall came on, as must inevitably have sunk her. Mr. Gower reported, that three of the sailors having swam on shore with the casks, just before the storm began, he was under a necessity, however unwilling, of leaving them behind, exposed, naked as they were, to thunder, lightning, rain and hunger.
These men returned to the ship, on the evening of the 19th, and gave an account how they had passed the melancholy interval.--While day-light continued they hoped for an opportunity of regaining the boat; but when the darkness and cold of the night advanced, they began to consider how they should abide the inclemency of the weather; when necessity suggested an expedient that ingenuity might have sought in vain:--they laid, alternately, each between the two other, thus procuring at once the partial comforts of a house and a fire. As soon as the day broke they proceeded by the sea-shore towards the tent: but being repeatedly impeded by high points of land, they swam round them, at such a distance, to avoid the rocks, that they were scarcely in less danger from the sharks: happily, however, they escaped every danger, and were received at the watering-place with a degree of pleasure that does honour to the humanity of their brother tars; part of whose cloths and provisions were instantly appropriated to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. When these men returned on board, they were indulged with a whole night’s rest, and the next morning were perfectly well. The reader will no doubt be pleased to be informed, that these were three of the nine men who swam ashore at Madeira, for a skinful of liquor.
This day such a quantity of fish was taken by the boat, with hooks and lines only, as was equal to the consumption of the whole crew. On the 20th the ship, which had been some time standing off and on near the shore, came again to an anchor, when the long-boat being sent out, procured, in a short time, an ample supply of fish. During the night, and all the following day, they had extreme bad weather; but, as soon as it became moderately calm, three seamen were sent on shore to kill seals, and make oil of their fat, for the use of the lamps.
On the 22d in the morning (after a stormy night) the boats being sent on shore, returned with a number of pintado birds, which were obtained from the inhabitants, who said that, when the wind blew briskly in the night, these birds flew into the fire in amazing numbers; so that they catched several hundreds the preceding night. On the 23d as much water was got off as the weather would permit of, but several casks were lost by the violence of the surf. The weather now grew so bad that the Captain was impatient to sail: he therefore gave orders for all the people on shore to come on board. At this time the ship drove from her moorings, dragging the anchor after her, till she got into deep water. They now lay to under bare poles, waiting for the boats, while the violence of the wind carried the water higher than the mast-head. In the evening the long-boat with ten of the men were taken on board; but there yet remained the cutter, with the Lieutenant and eighteen men. The weather becoming more moderate about midnight, the ship stood in for land, and at ten the next morning was near the shore, but the cutter was not to be seen; about noon however she was discovered close under land, and in three hours time her crew got on board. These people endeavoured to come off in the evening, but had no sooner left the shore than their cutter was almost filled with water, and narrowly escaped sinking: at length she regained the shore, where she remained all night: in the morning it was concluded, that the ship had perished in the storm, and the crew, having taken proper methods to secure the boat, proposed to wait till the summer, when they hoped she might be able to carry them to the Island of Juan Fernandes:--but these thoughts were now lost in the joy of their happy deliverance.
The island of Masafuero is of a triangular form, about 22 miles in circumference, and, at a distance, has the appearance of a single rock; there is good anchorage on many parts of the coast, and the island abounds with goats. Wood and water are plenty, but difficult to be procured, on account of the violence of the surf. Cod, hallibut, coal-fish, and cray-fish are to be catched in great numbers; and seals are so numerous, that Captain Carteret thinks, the killing of thousands could make no apparent difference in their numbers. The mountain cabbage grows on the island, which likewise abounds in birds, among which are hawks of a very large size.
Captain Carteret having left the Island of Masafuero, sailed to the north, with the hope of getting the south-east trade-wind; and, having got more to the north than he first proposed, he looked out for the Islands of St. Ambrose and St. Felix, which he missed through the erroneous printed accounts of their latitudes and longitudes. They likewise searched for the continent, which in the charts is called Davis’s Land; but which Mr. Carteret gives many reasons for supposing has no existence.
This search was continued till the 17th of June, which is the depth of winter, when the weather was dark and cold, with sleet, rain, thunder and lightning. The gloom was so constant, that they had seldom sun-shine enough to make an observation, yet were necessitated to carry all the sail possible, that they might not perish with hunger before the ship should reach some port, where they might procure a supply of necessaries.
On the 2d of July they discovered an island, which was well clothed with trees, and down the side of which ran a stream of fresh water. It appeared to be about five miles in circumference, and was called PITCAIRN’S ISLAND, from the name of a young gentleman who first saw it.
On the 4th the ship admitted a great quantity of water, and was otherwise in a very shattered condition, from the rough seas she had encountered. The crew now likewise began to be much afflicted with the scurvy; though they were, happily, well supplied with water, an abundance of the rain-water being catched by means of an awning lined with painted canvas.
On the 11th Captain Carteret gave the name of the BISHOP OF OSNABURGH’S ISLAND, to a low piece of land discovered this day, which was well cloathed with verdure. On the 12th they saw two other small islands, on one of which the boat’s crew landed, and found birds so tame, as to be taken without the least difficulty. The other island was about 15 miles distance; but neither of them afforded either water or vegetables. They were called the DUKE OF GLOUCESTER’S ISLANDS; and Captain Carteret supposes them to be the same land which was seen by Quiros.
From this period till the 22d of the month they had alternate storms and calms; and on this day judged themselves five thousand four hundred miles from the continent of America; yet in all this run they had seen no signs of a southern continent.
As the scurvy was now daily encreasing among the seamen; and as the weather was bad, and the ship in a crazy condition, the Captain determined to steer such a course as might most probably tend to the preservation of the vessel and the crew. In consequence of this resolution he stood to the northward, in the hope of having the advantage of the trade-wind, and reaching some island, where he might be furnished with the necessary refreshments.
On the 25th they saw great flocks of birds, which induced them to think that they were near land, but they could not discover any. On the 3d of August great numbers of sea-birds were seen; and on this day the current was observed to set strongly to the southward, though it had hitherto ran in a contrary direction; whence the Captain concluded, that the passage between New Zealand and New Holland opened in this latitude, which was ten degrees eighteen minutes south, and the longitude 177 degrees 30 minutes east.
On the 10th of this month the ship sprung a leak, in a part which they could not come at to repair; so that their situation was truly alarming; but two days afterwards they discovered land, which gave fresh spirits to the almost desponding crew. The Captain observed seven islands, and sailed towards two of them, which lay very near together: in the evening they came to an anchor near the largest of them, on which were seen two of the natives, who were negroes, with woolly heads, and wore no kind of clothing.