282 AUSTRALIA CHAP, XII 
nearly overcome us, and here we found the wool and oakum, 
or fothering, which had relieved us in so unexpected a 
manner. 
The effect of this coral rock upon her bottom is difficult 
to describe, but more to believe; it had cut through her 
plank and deep into one of her timbers, smoothing the 
gashes still before it, so that the whole might easily be 
imagined to have been cut with an axe.? 
Myself employed all day in laying in plants; the 
people who were sent to the other side of the water to 
shoot pigeons, saw an animal as large as a greyhound, of a 
mouse colour, and very swift ;” they also saw many Indian 
houses, and a brook of fresh water. 
24th. Gathering plants, and hearing descriptions of the 
animal, which is now seen by everybody. A seaman who 
had been out in the woods brought home the description of 
an animal he had seen, composed in so seamanlike a style 
that I cannot help mentioning it; “it was (says he) about 
as large and much like a one-gallon cagg, as black as the 
devil, and had two horns on its head; it went but slowly, 
but I dared not touch it.” 
25th. In gathering plants to-day I had the good fortune 
to see the beast so much talked of, though but imperfectly ; 
he was not only like a greyhound in size and running, but 
had a tail as long as any greyhound’s; what to liken 
him to I could not tell, nothing that I have seen at all 
resembles him. 
26th. Since the ship has been hauled ashore, the water 
has, of course, all gone backwards; and my plants, which 
for safety had been stowed in the bread room, were this day 
found under water. Nobody had warned me of this danger, 
which never once entered my head. The mischief, however, 
was now done, so J set to work to remedy it to the best of 
my power. The day was scarcely long enough to get them 
1 «*The manner these planks were damaged—or cut out, as I may say—is 
hardly credible ; scarce a Splinter was to be seen, but the whole was cut away 
as if it had been done by the Hands of Man with a blunt-edge Tool.”— 
Wharton’s Cook, p. 280. 2 A kangaroo. 
