ElvDORADO 303 



off to afford a hope of reaching it, and if they were 

 successful, what could they do in their destitute state? 

 The poor success of the schooner in beating up to the 

 north, her leaky condition, that made it necessary for 

 all hands to take their turn at the pump that never 

 rested, and her sails and rigging becoming every da\' 

 more dilapidated and unserviceable gave small hope 

 that they could look farther north for succor ; certainly 

 not with the large number of passengers on board. A 

 vote was taken and forty-eight resolved to take their 

 chances on shore with such necessities as they could 

 carry on their backs. This included nearlv all the able 

 bodied passengers. Some of them were too much ex- 

 hausted from long continued sea-sickness and starva- 

 tion to endure the hardship that "would be necessarily 

 encountered. 



There were still left four days' rations of water to 

 those remaining on board, allowing a pint a day to 

 each person. A landing was effected on the 28th of 

 May. under the protection of a point of rocks. They 

 reached shore in safety and set out in different direc- 

 tions for water. Nearly all were landed before dark, 

 and each boat-load was swamped in the surf, but a 

 fire was built on the shore and all were rendered rea- 

 sonably comfortable. 



Those who landed first had exi)l()red the country 

 about five miles in every direction, but Lhey reported 

 no signs of water. There was no time to be lost. They 

 each had a bottle of the bitter water from the schooner 

 and that was their only resource, until they should 

 find more. They set out the same evening and trav- 

 eled about three miles, and, unable to proceed further 

 from the darkness, thev laid down U])on the top of a 



