JUNE 1770 FOTHERING THE SHIP 277 
country or conversing with any but savages, perhaps the most 
uncivilised in the world. 
The dreadful time now approached, and the anxiety in 
everybody’s countenance was visible enough. The capstan 
and windlass were manned, and they began to heave; the 
fear of death now stared us in the face; hopes we had none 
but of being able to keep the ship afloat till we could run 
her ashore on some part of the main where out of her 
materials we might build a vessel large enough to carry us 
to the East Indies. At ten o'clock she floated, and was in a 
few minutes hauled into deep water, where to our great satis- 
faction she made no more water than she had done, which 
was indeed full as much as we could manage, though there 
was no one in the ship but who willingly exerted his utmost 
strength. 
The people who had been twenty-four hours at exceedingly 
hard work now began to flag; I myself, unused to labour, 
was much fatigued, and had lain down to take a little rest 
when I was awakened about twelve with the alarming news 
of the water having gained so much upon the pumps that 
the ship had four feet of water in her hold. Add to this 
that a regular land breeze blew off the coast, so that all 
hopes of running her ashore were totally cut off. This, 
however, acted upon every one like a charm: rest was no 
more thought of, but the pumps went with unwearied vigour 
till the water was all out, which was done in a much shorter 
time than was expected; and upon examination it was 
found that she never had half so much water in her as was 
thought, the carpenter having made a mistake in sounding 
the pumps. 
We now began to have some hopes, and talked of getting 
the ship into some harbour when we could spare hands from 
the pumps to get up our anchors; one bower, however, we 
cut away, but got up the other and three small anchors, far 
more valuable to us than the bowers, as we were obliged im- 
mediately to warp her to windward that we might take 
advantage of the sea breeze to run in-shore, 
One of our midshipmen now proposed an expedient which 
