110 PLEASANT LITTLE BAY. 



boat. A beautiful pump, which we had got from 

 the Petrel^ had been left behind, strongly against my 

 wishes and request. Stacy, who was always a willing 

 fellow, commenced baling out ; and having thrown off 

 my coat, which was saturated, I assisted him. , We 

 w^orked hard, I using my hat and he the bucket, and 

 vice versa. Had such another sea come on board be- 

 fore the boat was baled, we must have been swamped. 

 Everyone was drenched save Mr. Young, who was for- 

 ward by the mast. The alarm gave the finishing 

 stroke to the Makololos, who were certain all was 

 over. It required the greatest skill and attention to 

 steer the boat without taking in any more water ; and 

 there is little doubt that had the man at the helm been 

 any other than a cool, steady, and experienced hand, 

 we might never have returned to tell the story. But 

 Reid was there, and he was ^' the right man in the 

 right place." About one o'clock the wind began to 

 abate, and both storm and sea went down as rapidly 

 as they had risen. 



On rounding the point we turned into a nice little 

 bay, with a beautiful sandy beach, a spot where there 

 would have been shelter from any storm coming from 

 the southward. What would we not have given for 

 it any time during the last few hours ! Here we 

 landed, and as everything in the after part of the boat 

 was drenched, clothes, bedding, and pieces of cloth 

 soon covered the beach, being spread out to dry. I 

 feel certain that each of us thanked Providence from 

 the bottom of our hearts, as jumping from the boat 

 we experienced the delightful sensation generally felt 

 in the soles of the feet when they touch terra firma 



