132 cook's FIRST VOYAGE JUNE, 



cut off from all commerce with mankind, except the 

 naked savages who prowled the desert, and who per- 

 haps were some of the most rude and uncivilized 

 upon the earth. 



To those only who have waited in a state of such 

 suspense, death has approached in all his terrors ; 

 and as the dreadful moment that was to determine 

 our fate came on, every one saw his own sensations 

 pictured in the countenances of his companions : 

 however, the capstan and windlace were manned 

 with as many hands as could be spared from the 

 pumps, and the ship floating about twenty minutes 

 after ten o'clock, the effort was made, and she was 

 heaved into deep water. It was some comfort to 

 find that she did not now admit more water than she 

 had done upon the rock ; and though, by the gain- 

 ing of the leak upon the pumps, there was no less 

 than three feet nine inches water in the hold, yet 

 the men did not relinquish their labour, and we held 

 the water as it were at bay ; but having now en- 

 dured excessive fatigue of body and agitation of 

 mind for more than four-and-twenty hours, and 

 having but little hope of succeeding at last, they 

 began to flag : none of them could work at the 

 pump more than five or six minutes together, and 

 then, being totally exhausted, they threw themselves 

 down upon the deck, though a stream of water was 

 running over it from the pumps between three and 

 four inches deep ; when those who succeeded them 

 had worked their spell, and were exhausted in their 

 tur>n, they threw themselves down in the same man- 

 ner, and the others started up again, and renewed 

 their labour ; thus relieving each other till an acci- 

 dent was very near putting an end to their efforts at 

 once. The planking which lines the inside of the 

 ship's bottom is called the ceiling, and between this, 

 and the outside planking, there is a space of about 

 eighteen inches : the man who till this time had 

 attended the well to take the depth of water, had 



