26 



A DIARY OF THE 



Talcahuana, where the sea rose thirty feet,) might 

 have swept us away; and the probabiUty of a visit 

 from the hostile southern Indians, who the pre- 

 ceding year had plundered of every article the 

 unfortunate crews of four merchantmen, wrecked 

 upon the coast, left us only the uncheering pro- 

 spect of equivocal hospitality from our northern 

 neighbours, — a barbarous race who murder the 

 adults, and sell for slaves the infant children, of 

 their captured enemies. Fires were made, and 

 some salt pork cooked for our suppers ; each also 

 receiving an allowance of rum. A watch, con- 

 sisting of an officer, a midshipman, and a pro- 

 portion of the men under arms, was established 

 for the night, and rest anxiously sought for on 

 the sand under our canvass. 



May 22. — Daylight saw all hands, who were 

 not disabled from previous exhaustion, hard at 

 work in tautening the hawsers from the wreck 

 to the shore, working the pumps, and getting 

 on shore our stream-anchor, which, after some 

 difficulty, was buried in the sand, and backed 

 with a gunslide : to it we bent the chain and 

 hemp stream-cables, which were brought to the 

 capstan on board \ and, by keeping a strain on 

 them, the hull continued, from the force of the 



