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FORTiVR S JOURNAL. 



her a crew who had been accustomed to the whahng busi- 

 ness, and placed the ship in the charge of Mr. Adams, the 

 chaplain, with directions to try out and stow away the oil 

 with all possible expedition. But that he might do it more 

 conveniently, I directed him to bear up for the harbour 

 where the other prizes lay, (which I have called Port Ren- 

 dezvous,) and where I intended to run with the Essex. 

 But the wind growing light, and having a strong current 

 against me, 1 was not enabled to get abreast the harbour 

 until ten o'clock at night ; and not conceiving it prudent to 

 run in, I stood through the sound into Banks' Bay. This 

 I was the more strongly induced to do, as lieutenant Gam- 

 ble had come olFin his boat to the Essex, and informed me 

 that the lookout had reported that he had heard several 

 guns to the northv/ard the day before ; and that, since my 

 departure, a ship had appeared in Banks' Bay at three dif- 

 ferent times. But on comparing the dates of her appear- 

 ance with the logbook of the Sir Andrew Hammond, it 

 proved to be her. The guns I could not so well account 

 for, nor could 1 for the appearance of a fresh whale carcase 

 that had lately come into the bay. I therefore took a look 

 in the offing ; but, perceiving no vessels, I beat up for Port 

 Rendezvous against a fresh land breeze, and anchored 

 there in fifteen fathoms water, a little outside of all the 

 prizes, being one and a half cables' length distant from 

 each side of the harbour, and two and a half or three ca- 

 bles' length from the bottom of the port. I here moored 

 head and stern, and lay perfectly secure from all winds. 

 The officers and crews of the prizes, as may naturally be 

 supposed, were greatly rejoiced to see me, as they were 

 heartily tired of being confined to this most desolate and 

 dreary place, where the only sounds to be heard were the 

 screechings of the sea-fowls, and the melancholy bowlings 

 of the seals. Their rest was much disturbed the few first 

 nights of their arrival there, but after that the seals aban- 

 doned their haunts ; and even their absence was regretted, 

 as their noise, disagreeable as it was, served to break in 

 upon that irksome monotony, which, for the want of occu- 

 pation and amusement, became to them insupportable. 



The time was now arriving for me to expect lieutenant 

 Downes. I therefore determined to fill up my water and 

 provisions from my prizes, and wait until the 2d day of 



