CAPTAIN VERSUS CREW 387 



ground-colour became pure white, profusely spotted all 

 over with very small and very pale pink spots. Very few 

 authentic eggs of this species are even now known. 



I saw several redpolls and bramblings, but did not dis- 

 cover their nests. I found a nest of the fieldfare, and 

 another of the redwing ; the eggs of the fieldfare were 

 highly incubated, and those of the redwing still more so, 

 indeed two of them were hatched. 



We spent the whole of the following day in getting 

 our stores and baggage comfortably stowed on board the 

 Ibis. A smart breeze from the north still blew, keeping 

 us clear of the mosquitoes. The river had fallen so much, 

 that the Thames lay high and dry on the sand, and we: 

 could walk ashore without any difficulty. 



The next day the captain mustered his men in the 

 cabin, and had a somewhat unsatisfactory interview with 

 them. I had seen upon my arrival at the Kureika that 

 the captain was not popular with the crew. The British 

 sailor is a peculiar character, for ever exercising the 

 Englishman's favourite privilege of grumbling. Probably 

 Captain Wiggins had been unfortunate in the selection 

 of his scratch crew. So far as I could learn the men had 

 shown jealousy of each other, had taken every possible 

 occasion to grumble at their food, and at their work, but 

 they certainly had laboured in the most spirited way upon 

 the two occasions we had run aground, though now there 

 did not seem to be a man among them who had any pluck 

 left. Right or wrong, they appeared to have lost all faith 

 in their leader. They were in a complete panic at the 

 idea of the captain attempting to go to sea in the Ibis. 

 The captain and his men had evidently been at logger- 

 heads some time ; to some extent this was the former's 

 fault ; he had not sufficient tact. Captain Wiggins was 

 a very agreeable travelling companion, one with whom it 



