A VISIT TO SOME STRANGE PLACES. 113 



within the harbour. Down went the anchor, and she 

 was fast — anchored for the first time since leaving New 

 Bedford seven months before. Here we were shut out 

 entirely from the outer world, for I doubt greatly whether 

 even a passing dhow could have seen us from sea- 

 ward. We were not here for rest, however, but wood 

 and water ; so while one party was supplied with well- 

 sharpened axes, and sent on shore to cut down such 

 small trees as would serve our turn, another party was 

 busily employed getting out a number of big casks for 

 the serious business of watering. The cooper knocked 

 off the second or quarter hoops from each of these 

 casks, and drove them on again with two " beckets " 

 or loops of rope firmly jammed under each of them in 

 such a manner that the loops were in line with each 

 other on each side of the bunghole. They were then 

 lowered overboard, and a long rope rove through all 

 the beckets. When this was done, the whole number 

 of casks floated end to end, upright and secure. We 

 towed them ashore to where, by the skipper's directions, 

 at about fifty yards from high-water mark, a spring of 

 beautiful water bubbled out of the side of a mass of 

 rock, losing itself in a deep crevice below. Lovely 

 ferns, rare orchids, and trailing plants of many kinds 

 surrounded this fairy-like spot in the wildest profusion, 

 making a tangle of greenery that we had considerable 

 trouble to clear away. Having done so, we led a long 

 canvas hose from the spot whence the water flowed 

 down to the shore where the casks floated. The chief 

 officer, with great ingenuity, rigged up an arrangement 

 whereby the hose, which had a square mouth about a 

 foot wide, was held up to the rock, saving us the labour 

 of baling and filling by hand. So we were able to rest 



