WRECK OF THE CHALLENGER. 55 



in order that, on the arrival of the consul, no 

 time might be lost in deciding on our future 

 operation as concerned the Leubu, the captain 

 at 10 A. M. despatched two officers, with a guide 

 from the Chilino party, to examine the entrance 

 of that river, with reference to forming an en- 

 campment there, and to the possibiUty of being 

 able to embark from it. Every hour now sens- 

 ibly proved to us the impossibihty of remaining 

 on our present ground. We had been dependent 

 on the wreck for fire-wood, the quantity of 

 which we had burnt was very great. Our spars, 

 from their usefulness as tent-poles and as part 

 of the barricades, we could not suffer to be cut 

 up ; parties, therefore, daily foraged the ship 

 and beach for whatever was to be got at to sup- 

 ply the wants of the cooks : our distance from 

 the wood on the hills was too great to send there, 

 besides the risk of separating our force. The 

 surf continued heavy, and the appearance of the 

 weather to seaward squally and unsettled ; the 

 ship was working very much in her top sides, 

 and sinking deep forward. 



A pest, which eventually became very de- 

 structive and annoying to us, had now begun to 

 trouble us, in the shape of a multitude of a large 



E 4 



