April 18^7. 



RETURN TO MONTE VIDEO. 



8S 



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 mouthy 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. 



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