Vol. II, Pt. I] VAN DENBURGH—GALAPAGOS TORTOISES 



349 



water it sank when we got the tortoise aboard, and he floated 

 off while we struggled in the water. Luckily, King was on 

 the beach, for he cannot swim. Williams struck out for shore, 

 while Beck and I tried to turn the boat over, for by this time 

 the swells had rolled it bottom up. The current was too 

 strong for Williams to make the beach, so he came back to the 

 boat. With his assistance we righted it, and, getting two oars 

 that were stuck under the seats. Beck sculled and I pulled till 

 we got near the rocks. Then I swam ashore with the painter 

 and pulled the boat in, so Beck and Williams got ashore. We 

 tried to pull the boat along the rocks to the beach, but the 

 swell was so heavy that it was smashed into a thousand pieces. 

 All that we saved was the painter and two oars. I had left 

 most of my clothes on the beach, so only lost a shirt and a hat. 

 Williams lost all of his collecting outfit, canteen, etc. 



By this time it was five o'clock, so we put on what clothes 

 we had left, and made back along the coast, while our tortoises 

 were drifting away out at sea. We had anything but a pleasant 

 walk back. I had lost my shirt, and the thorns and cactus 

 spines felt anything but pleasant. We traveled on till about 

 eight o'clock, when we saw a light on the water and hailed 

 the other boat. The boys on the ship, seeing nothing of us, 

 had put off to the rescue in the second boat with some ropes 

 and life preservers. They soon found out that we were all 

 safe. W^e told them to go to the Cove and pick us up, as the 

 surf was too high elsewhere. We got to the Cove about the 

 same time as the boat, and got safely aboard a little after nine. 

 Beck says he is going to get what tortoises he can. and pull 

 out as soon as possible. /\11 hands are anxious to leave, and 

 I won't shed any tears myself. 



March 18, 1906. — Still anchored at the Cove. \\'e sighted 

 the two tortoises drifting down the coast and, putting out 

 the boat, rescued both of them. One was badly battered 

 up, and evidently had been knocked up against the rocks 

 by the surf. We also picked up several pieces of our skiff. 

 The tortoises had been in the water about eighteen hours, and 

 seemed none the worse for it. They would stick their heads 

 out of the water occasionally and look around while they 

 floated along like corks, nearly all the carapace being out of 

 the water. We still keep on the lookout for wreckage, and 



