iS49 VOYAGE OF THE RATTLESNAKE 45 



altered by the untimely death of Captain Stanley on 

 March 13, and the Rattlesnake sailed for England direct 

 in May 1850. 



There was a great monotony about these cruises, par- 

 ticularly to those who were not constantly engaged in the 

 active work of surveying. The ship sailed slowly from place 

 to place, hunting out reefs and islets ; a stay of a few days 

 would be made at some lonely island, while charting ex- 

 peditions went out in the boats or supplies of water and 

 fresh fruits were laid in. On the second expedition there 

 were two cases of scurvy on board by the time the mail 

 from Sydney reached the ship at Cape York with letters 

 and lime-juice, the first reminder of civilisation for four 

 months and a half. On this cruise there was an unusual 

 piece of interest in Kennedy's ill-fated expedition, which 

 the Rattlesnake landed in Rockingham Bay, and trusted 

 to meet again at Cape York. Happy it was for Huxley that 

 his duties forbade him to accept Kennedy's proposal to 

 join the expedition. After months of weary struggles in 

 the dense scrub, Kennedy himself, who had pushed on 

 for help with his faithful black man Jacky, was speared 

 by the natives when almost in sight of Cape York ; Jack 

 barely managed to make his way there through his 

 enemies, and guided a party to the rescue of the two 

 starved and exhausted survivors of the disease-stricken 

 camp by the Sugarloaf Hill. It was barely time. An- 

 other hour, and they too would have been killed by the 

 crowd of blackfellows who hovered about in hopes of 

 booty, and were only dispersed for a moment by the res- 

 cue party. 



On the third cruise there were a few adventures more 

 directly touching the Rattlesnake. Twice the landing par- 

 ties, including Huxley, were within an ace of coming to 

 blows with the islanders of the Louisiades, and on one 

 occasion a portly member of the gun-room, being cut off 

 by these black gentry, only saved his life by parting with 

 all his clothes as presents to them, and keeping them amused 

 by an impromptu dance in a state of nature under the 

 broiling sun, until a party came to his relief. At Cape 



