38 TONGA TABOO. 



The repairs were made, as has been stated, in Mossman's Cove, on 

 the north shore of the harbour of Sydney, one of the many natural 

 docks that nature has provided for this harbour. The ship was laid 

 aground, so as to expose her whole fore-foot, during the ebb tide. 

 The damage which she had sustained has been before spoken of; the 

 stem was literally worn to within an inch and a half of the wood- 

 ends. After repairing this, by scraping the stem and putting on a 

 new cut- water, they made use of a diving apparatus to place the new 

 braces, and mend the copper that was broken. 



Although they were removed some distance from Sydney and its vile 

 grog-shops, despite the utmost caution to prevent the crew from pro- 

 curing spirits, it was found that a plan had been formed to supply them 

 with it. In a hut near by lived an Irishman, familiarly called Paddy, 

 who acted as a kind of suttler, in supplying the messes of the officers 

 and men with fresh bread and milk, and also doing the washing. After 

 a few days it was discovered that the men were obtaining some extra 

 allowance of spirits, and suspicions naturally enough fell on Paddy 

 as the cause of this irregularity, and its consequent disturbances. 

 Orders were therefore given to search him, on his next visit to the 

 ship ; this fully confirmed the suspicion, and his presence on board 

 was at once interdicted. 



Paddy had no idea of being thus defeated in reaping his harvest 

 from the ship's company ; he therefore enlisted in his service a man, 

 if possible, of a worse character than himself, whom he kept con- 

 stantly supplied with rum, brandy, and gin from Sydney, and made 

 it known to the crew that he was ready to furnish his former custo- 

 mers. The men soon managed, under various pretexts, to visit his hut, 

 and supply themselves at the expense of their clothing, or some other 

 equivalent. This new arrangement succeeded for a time, but was at 

 length detected, and the nuisance wholly stopped; steps were also 

 taken for the punishment of the offenders, by making a complaint 

 against them, which caused the apprehension of Paddy and his 

 partner, and he was required to pay a fine of £ 30, or be imprisoned 

 for six months. 



Paddy was not the only annoyance they had to encounter. 

 Another was the poisonous snakes that infest the secluded nooks 

 of Mossman's Bay, numbers of which were daily seen near the 

 ship ; among them was one resembling the diamond-snake, of a light 

 silvery colour, about eighteen inches in length, and as thick as the 

 little finger : these are very numerous, and it is very desirable to 



