ATTEMPTS TO REACH THE SHORE. 239 



September 17th. The winds were very light, and we often 

 had to pull the boat. I was at the coxswain's feet conning 

 Hie boat. 



At daylight we got ten feet of water, and soon after saw 

 a low beach. We made two attempts to land through the 

 breakers, but could not get within a mile of the shore. The 

 land trended north and south, and I said that we were 

 evidently south of Barkin, and that if there was water 

 enough we might fetch it that night from the southward, as 

 we had a good breeze about east. With a view to finding 

 the captain and Chipp we stood up the coast, hoping to reach 

 Barkin before dark. 



The condition of the party on this morning was very bad. 

 Leach and Lauderback were disabled with swollen legs, the 

 skin having broken in many places, and most of the others 

 were badly off. We had been in the boat ninety-six hours 

 and wet all the time. I had taken the precaution twice 

 during that time to pull off my moccasins, to wring out my 

 stockings and to rub my feet, in order to restore circulation. 

 I advised the others to do the same, but the most of them 

 unfortunately did not take the advice. I also beat the devil's 

 tattoo almost all the time to keep up the circulation ; so the 

 next morning 1 was the best man in the party on my feet. 



After going to the northward about thirty minutes we saw 

 two low points of swamp land, and it was evident that we 

 were at the mouth of a swamp river. We had a talk, and I 

 advised getting ashore as quickly as possible and drying our 

 things out. So we entered this river with a, leading wind, 

 the current being very strong. We got as much as five 

 fathoms in the middle of the river, but it shoaled very rapidly 

 on either side of mid-channel. It was four or five miles 

 wide, but we could not get within a mile of either beach. I 

 advised standing up the river until noon, and then to decide 

 fully what we should do. When that time arrived I said 

 we were probably in a swamp river, about thirty or forty 

 miles south of Barkin ; the wind was east, and if we turned 

 back we would have to beat out, but would have the current 



