THE STEAM APPARATUS. 175 



engine. The feeding-pipe was out of repair ; 

 there was also a leak somewhere, but it could 

 not be detected : each time that the steam was 

 up and the boilers filled, the men were obliged 

 to keep the pumps going, in consequence of the 

 water in the hold. Our disaster was peculiarly 

 unfortunate, as we were then in the most un- 

 healthy country possible, and at the same time 

 I had the mate, engineer, carpenter, and boats- 

 wain, with three blacks, on the sick-list. One 

 week had been lost in waiting for oil, and from 

 the failure of the engine. 



The following morning the cylinder was hove 

 on deck and examined. An opening was dis- 

 covered betwixt the bottom and side of it, which 

 was thought to be one of the causes of our 

 failures. The aperture was filled, and the cylin- 

 der screwed up : the process of doing this occu- 

 pied us the whole day. 



At daylight on December 18th, steam was got 

 up by our two black firemen, the engineer being 

 ill : but unfortunately it escaped from some 

 quarter or other, and, as usual, filled the engine- 

 room and all parts of the vessel with steam, and 

 all attempts to work the engine appeared to be 

 useless. My determination, therefore, seeing the 



