272 



TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON, 



\August^ 



the planks were so thick and the smoke so unbearable that 

 it could not be effected, as no man could remain in the 

 lazaretto to make more than a couple of blows. The cabin 

 table was therefore removed, and a hole attempted to be cut 

 in the cabin floor, so as to be able to pour water immediately 

 on the seat of the fire, which appeared to be where the balsam 

 was stowed. This took some time, owing to the suffocating 

 smoke, which also continued to pour in dense volumes out 

 of the hatchv/ay. Seeing that there was now little chance of 

 our being able to extinguish the fire, the Captain thought it 

 prudent to secure our own safety, and called all hands to get 

 out the boats, and such necessaries as we should want, in case 

 of being obliged to take to them. The long-boat vv^as stowed 

 on deck, and of course required some time to get it afloat. 

 The gig was hung on davits on the quarter, and was easily 

 let down. All nov/ were in great activity. Many little 

 necessaries had to be hunted up from their hiding-places. 

 The cook was sent for corks to plug the holes in the bottoms 

 of the boats. Now no one knew where a rudder had been 

 put away; now the thowl-pins were missing. The oars had 

 to be searched for, and spars to serve as masts, with propor- 

 tionate sails, spare canvas, twine, cordage, tow-ropes, sail- 

 needles, nails and tacks, carpenters' tools, etc. The Captain 

 was looking after his chronometer, sextant, barometer, charts, 

 compasses, and books of navigation ; the seamen were getting 

 their clothes into huge canvas bags; all were lugging about 

 pilot-coats, blankets, south-westers, and oilskin coats and 

 trousers ; and I went down into the cabin, now suffocatingly 

 hot and full of smoke, to see what was worth saving. I got 

 my watch and a small tin box containing some shirts and a 

 couple of old note-books, with some drawings of plants and 

 animals, and scrambled up with them on deck. Many clothes 

 and a large portfolio of drawings and sketches remained in my 

 berth ; but I did not care to venture down again, and in fact 

 felt a kind of apathy about saving anything, that I can now 

 hardly account for. On deck the crew were still busy at the 

 boats; two barrels of bread were got in, a lot of raw pork, 

 some ham and cases of preserved meats, some wine and a 

 large cask of water. The cask had to be lowered into the 

 boat empty, for feai of any accident, and after being securely 

 fixed in its place, filled with buckets from those on board.- 



