WATERING-CEEEK ON SOUTH-EAST ISLAND. 207 



stretched between two yards and rounded at tlie sides. 

 The sail when not in use is rolled uj) and laid along- 

 the platform — when hoisted it stretches obliquely 

 upwards across the mast^ confined by the stays^ 

 with the lower and foremost corner restino* on the 

 stage and the tack secured to the foot of the mast. 

 Both ends being* alike^ the mast central^ and the 

 sail larg'e and manag'eable^ a canoe of this descrij)- 

 tion is well adapted for working* to windward. 

 Tacking* is simply and expeditiously performed by 

 letting* g'o the tack^ hauling* upon the sheet^ and 

 converting- one into the other. The larg*e steering- 

 paddles are eig'ht or nine feet long*^ with an oblong* 

 rounded blade of half that leno-th. 



June 2Qth. — Yesterday afternoon the Eattlesnake 

 was removed to the neighbourhood of the proposed 

 watering*-place on South-east Island^ and anchored 

 in seventeen fathoms^ mud^ a mile off shore. Soon 

 after daylight I accompanied Captain Stanley and 

 a party in two boats to ascend the neighbouring- 

 creek and determine whether a practicable watering- 

 place existed there. For several hundred yards 

 above the entrance we found the channel preserving 

 a nearly uniform width of about fifteen yards^ with 

 low muddy shores covered with mangroves^ some 

 of which attained the unusual dimensions of 60 to 

 80 feet in height^ with a circumference at the base 

 of 6 to 8 feet. To this succeeded durino- our 

 upward progress a low bank of red clay backed by 

 risino- o-round and tanoied brush, with very laro-e 



