April 1827. RETURN TO MONTE VIDEO. 85 
mission to land obtained it. On one occasion, however, we 
had nearly suffered for this indulgence, which was conducive 
to the men’s health, and seldom abused: for one of them 
having made a fire at a little distance from the tents, the flames 
spread, and the exertions of all hands, for three hours, only 
Just prevented it from communicating to the tents. On another 
occasion, two men set out on a shooting excursion, intending 
to cross the river Sedger, against doing which there had been 
no particular orders, as such a proceeding was scarcely contem- 
plated. Having reached the bank near its mouth, and searched 
for a fordable place unsuccessfully, they launched a log of 
wood, and sitting astride, without providing themselves with 
a pole or paddle, pushed off from the shore, supposing it would 
go across; but, on reaching the middle of the stream, it was 
soon carried, by the current, out of the river, into the bay. One 
man, Gilly, seeing that the log was still floating away with the 
ebb tide, plunged in, and just reached the shore south of the 
river, in a very exhausted state; the other, Rix, unable to 
swim, kept his place, and was carried out to sea on a voyage 
that might have been fatal, had he not been seen from the ship, 
and saved by a boat. 
Before leaving Port Famine we hauled one of our boats 
ashore, and left her (as we thought) securely hidden among 
the trees. 
Being now ready to sail, and only waiting for wind, the 
officers of both ships, twenty-seven in number, dined together 
on shore. 
a 
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