144 cook's FIRST VOYAGE JUNE, 



ing gone about the floor-heads abreast of the main- 

 mast, and part of a plank a little damaged ; but all 

 agreed that she had received no other material injury. 

 The loss of her sheathing alone was a great misfortune, 

 as the worm would now be let into her bottom, which 

 might expose us to great inconvenience and danger ; 

 but as I knew no remedy for the mischief but heaving 

 her down, which would be a work of immense labour 

 and long time, if practicable at all in our present si- 

 tuation, I was obliged to be content. The carpen- 

 ters however continued to work under her bottom in 

 the evening till they were prevented by the tide ; the 

 morning tide did not ebb out far enough to permit 

 them to work at all, for we had only one tolerable 

 high and low tide in four-and-twenty hours, as indeed 

 we had experienced when we lay upon the rock. 

 The position of the ship, which threw the water in 

 her abaft, was very near depriving the world of all 

 the knowledge w 7 hich Mr. Banks had endured so 

 much labour, and so many risks, to procure ; for he had 

 removed the curious collection of plants which he had 

 made during the whole voyage, into the bread-room, 

 which lies in the after-part of the ship, as a place of 

 the greatest security ; and nobody having thought of 

 the danger to which laying her head so much higher 

 than the stern would expose them, they were this day 

 found under water. Most of them however were, by 

 indefatigable care and attention, restored to a state 

 of preservation, but some were entirely spoilt and 

 destroyed. 



The 25th was employed in filling water and over- 

 hauling the rigging; and at low water the carpenters 

 finished the repairs under the larboard bow, and 

 every other place which the tide would permit them 

 to come at : some casks were then lashed under her 

 bows to facilitate her floating ; and at night, when it 

 was high water, we endeavoured to heave her off, but 

 without success, for some of the casks that were 

 lashed to her gave way. 



