17?8 THE PACIFIC OCEAN". 253 



was evident that one of the cheeks had been defective 

 at the first, and that the unsound part had been cut 

 out, and a piece put in, which had not only weak- 

 ened the mast-head, but had, in a great measure, 

 been the occasion of rotting every other part of both 

 cheeks. Thus, when we were almost ready to put 

 to sea, we had all our work to do over again ; and, 

 what was still more provoking, an additional repair 

 was to be undertaken, which would require some 

 time to be completed. But, as there was no remedy, 

 we immediately set about it. It was fortunate for 

 the voyage that these defects were discovered, when 

 we were in a place where the materials requisite were 

 to be procured. For, amongst the drift-wood in the 

 cove where the ships lay, were some small seasoned 

 trees very fit for our purpose. One of these was 

 pitched upon ; and the carpenters began, without loss 

 of time, to make out of it two new cheeks. 



In the morning of the 7th, we got the foremast 

 out, and hauled it ashore ; and the carpenters of the 

 ships were set to work upon it. Some parts of the 

 lower standing rigging having been found to be very 

 much decayed, as we had time now to put them in 

 order, while the carpenters were repairing the fore- 

 mast, I ordered a new set of main-rigging to be fitted, 

 and a more perfect set of fore-rigging to be selected 

 out of the best parts of the old. 



From the time of our putting into the Sound till 

 now, the weather had been exceedingly fine, without 

 either wind or rain. That comfort, at the very mo- 

 ment when the continuance of it would have been of 

 most service, was withdrawn. In the morning of the 

 Sth, the wind freshened at south-east, attended with 

 thick hazy weather and rain. In the afternoon the 

 wind increased ; and toward the evening it blew very 

 hard indeed. It came, in excessively heavy squalls, 

 from over the high land on the opposite shore, right 

 into the cove ; and, though the ships were very well 

 moored, put them in some danger. These tempest- 



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