580 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



of one place, and putting it into 

 anotlier, catting up some rope for 

 oakum and caulking lier as well 

 as we could. VVe were forced to 

 cut up our shirts to assist in caulk- 

 ing her, as we had not oakum 

 enough. Our tools consisted of a 

 knife, a large stone for a hammer, 

 and a piece of wood for a caulk- 

 ing iron. By the time we had 

 completed our job, the rain had 

 ceased, and the face of the heavens 

 began to assume a different ap- 

 pearance. We went to the Bhur- 

 mans' house to dine. After dinner 

 the Bhurmans pressed us much to 

 go on board and get them a bag 

 or two of rice, as during our stay 

 on the island we had almost eaten 

 up their stock. They said, if we 

 would give them a little rice, they 

 would help to catch turtle for us. 

 We could not object to their pro- 

 posal, as we had been living on 

 their provisions so long. Wc cotdd 

 get no turtles till night ; and the 

 Aveather seeming fine, in the even- 

 ing about half an hour before sun- 

 set we launched our boat and 

 pulled for the brig : but so much 

 had she suffered on the rocks, that 

 we were forced to have one man 

 constantly at work to bale out the 

 water, which came in very rapidly. 

 At sunset we were in the brigs 

 -vvake, pulling for her. We ob- 

 served the people on board veering 

 a buoy astern to us, but had the 

 mortification to see ourselves go 

 astern as fast as the buoy did. 

 They could give us no assistance 

 from on board, for they had no 

 boat, and had two anchors down. 

 If they had cut, they certainly 

 nmst have been on the rocks be- 

 fore they could have been able to 

 manage the vessel. About an 

 hour after daik W'<i §a,yv two lights ; 



one wc supposed to be the vessel's, 

 the other, from its largeness, we 

 imagined to be on shore. We 

 pulled towards the one we took 

 for the brig's. In about half an 

 hour we were extremely alarmed 

 by losing botli the lights. We 

 knew not which way to puUj to 

 lay-to was impossible, and we had 

 no hope but in Providence, who is 

 ever attentive to the exertions of 

 unhappy men. We kept pulling 

 and baling all night ; once or 

 twice we heard breakers very loud, 

 and we anxiously waited for the 

 morning to know our situation, 

 particularly as the niglit was 

 cloudy and squally. 



At day-light on the 8th we were 

 much surprised to be just insight 

 of high land to the northward. 

 We judged it to be the northward 

 by the sun's rising, for we had no 

 comjjass in the boat. The wind 

 we found to be northerly — we in 

 with our oars, up with the fore- 

 mast, and set the only sail we had 

 — we stood to the eastward all 

 day, and at sunset put about, and 

 stood to the westward — we still 

 saw the land, but it appeared fur- 

 ther off — about midnight finding 

 ourselves in rollers we tacked and 

 stood to the eastward — it blew 

 fresh and rather squally, and we 

 were obliged to reef the sail. 



Wlien day broke on the 9th, to 

 our mortification thei-e was no 

 land in sight. The Captain and 1 

 consulted what was best to be 

 done, and expecting that we should 

 have the wind fresh from the E. 

 and N.E. judged it best to make a 

 fair wind of it, and run for the 

 Coromandel coast. At noon we 

 up helm, and went with a flowing 

 sheet to the westward in hopes of 

 crossing the bay in five days, or 



else 



