171 the Pacific Ocean, 



69 



order it otherwise ; and many centuries hence may see the Galli- 

 pagos as thickly inhabited by the human species as any other 

 part of the world. At present, they are only fit for tortoises, 

 guanas, lizards, snakes, &c. Nature has created them elsewhere, 

 and why could she not do it as well at those islands ? 



There was one fact, which was noticed by myself and many 

 others, the day preceding the departure of the goats, that must 

 lead us to believe that something more than chance directed their 

 movements. It was observed that they all drank an unusual quan- 

 tity of water ; the old W elch goat particularly did not seem satis- 

 fied until she had drank upwards of half a gallon, (which for a 

 goat, it must be admitted, is an extraordinary draught,) and the 

 others a quantity not far short of it, which seems as though they 

 had determined to provide themselves with a supply that would 

 enable them to reach the mountains. This fact, which bears 

 something the appearance of the marvellous, I do aver to be as 

 strictly true as any other I have stated, and in no one instance 

 have I exaggerated, or gone beyond the bounds of strict veracity. 



On the ^^d I reached Banks'* Bay, and directed the prizes to 

 proceed into the cove. 



\ 



CHAPTER X. 



Galllpagos Islands; Departure for Washington Islands. 



On the 24th, I stretched in towards the cove, to meet the boats 

 which I expected off with the crews of the Seringapatam and 

 New-Zealander, and at one o'clock discovered them on a sand 

 beach on Narborough, where they had landed to await our com- 

 ing in. About an hour afterwards they came on board, with 

 twenty- one men from the two ships. We had now got to the 

 entrance of the passage between Narborough and Albemarle. A 

 steady breeze from the northwest, and a current setting from the 

 same quarter, as well as a desire of looking into the cove, to see 

 in what order the prizes had been secured, altogether tempted 

 me to endeavour to go through the passage. In this I could per- 

 ceive no danger whatever, nor had I ever heard of the existence 

 of any, except what arose from the violence of the current, and a 

 reef off the southeast part of Narborough. Accordingly, all sail 

 was made ; but, contrary to my expectations, the wind died away 

 at sunset, and shifted a-head, leaving us nearly becalmed until 

 after dark, when a brisk breeze sprang up from the southwest, 

 with which, after great anxiety and uneasiness on my part, we 

 succeeded in beating through. But this anxiety was unnecessary, 

 as the })a^5sage is as safe as any other that is liable to sudden 



