142 SICKNESS ON BOARD THE ALBURKAH. 



two kedges were now carried out astern, and we 

 hove her off about ten feet clear of the bank, 

 when the kedges came home, and she drifted on 

 again in a worse position than before. We set 

 to work and discharged more cargo, by which we 

 lightened her to four and a half feet on an even 

 keel. In the evening I received a note from Mr. 

 Lander, informing me that he was seized with in- 

 termittent fever, and that he despaired of Lieut. 

 Allen, whose head he said was much affected, 

 and that Captain Hill was confined to his bed. 



On the 28th, I was feverish and unwell all day. 

 The men were employed using every means to 

 get the vessel off, but in vain. The sands kept 

 shifting, and no anchor would hold in them. 

 This morning the vessel was aground, head and 

 stern, the current bubbling and roaring beneath 

 her for about twenty feet amidships, where there 

 was twelve feet water. She now appeared to be 

 hard and fast amidships, the current running like 

 a sluice under her fore and after body : indeed, it 

 was some matter of surprise to me that she was 

 not broken fairly in two. 



In the evening I felt very unwell, and consi- 

 dered that I was about to have a relapse. Dr. 

 Briggs was in the same state. I took an emetic 



