128 THE HEAD OF THE AUSTRALIAN BIGHT 



During this day we rigged up outriggers, and they 

 proved to be useful, and helped us to lay what we 

 considered a better course for our " desired haven." 

 Previously to the use of these aids we had to be much 

 more careful to dodge the heavy seas, for often we 

 expected to be swamped. 



On the morning of the 29th we had the first rain that 

 fell upon us during our cruise, in the shape of a series of 

 heavy squalls with violent showers. The squalls bothered 

 us greatly: but notwithstanding the great labour of the 

 little vessel (her movement was too jerky to be termed a 

 roll), we saved more than a dozen gallons of the best water 

 we had tasted since the Adelaide supply was exhausted. 

 This was collected in a tarpaulin spread over the waist 

 of the Swan. The canvas was first lashed across this 

 dangerous space as a protection ; but when the storm beat 

 a hollow in it, and the rain settled therein, we took the 

 hint with the result that a couple of kegs were collected 

 during the day. It is worth noting that if it had not been 

 for this unexpected supply we should not have had 

 sufficient to last us until we sighted land. 



On the last day of the month the weather moderated 

 considerably ; but for the next four days we had what 

 sailors call dirty weather, that is gusty squalls, with nasty 

 chopping seas that caused the boat to work fearfully and 

 make several inches of water in an hour. The boy, or the 

 cook, was, therefore, nearly constantly working our small 

 hand-pump, and all of us suffered greatly from exhaustion. 

 Not one of us had more than an hour's consecutive sleep 

 during a period of eight days, and that short doze was 

 only taken at long intervals, when extreme exhaustion 

 rendered the frame incapable of further endurance, and 

 the tired man dropped where he stood, and instantly slept, 

 in spite of his sodden clothes. For the water somehow 

 found its way under the oilskins, and when the man was 

 heated with exertion quite a cloud of steam rose from his 

 body. 



This was no time for nice behaviour ; and when the 

 sudden occasion arose, as it did all too frequently, a heavy 



