porter's journal! 



179 



this day found sick ; several with a severe attack of the 

 dysentery, and others with pain in the head and joints. 

 The next day the wind continued fresh, and the squalls, at 

 intervals, more severe. At the close of the afternoon, two 

 of the ships parted their halsers, and caused considerable 

 trouble before they could again be secured. One of the 

 white men, who was left on the island to trade with the 

 natives, called upon lieut. Gamble, saying that he laboured 

 under a violent attack of the dysentery, with the usual pain 

 in the head and joints. He was immediately given a 

 powerful emetic, and directed to take a dose of rhubarb 

 as soon as it began to operate. This completely restored 

 him to health in a few days. The squalls continued on the 

 18th, accompanied with frequent showers of rain. In the 

 morning, Isaac Coffin, who deserted from the Essex, the 

 day previous to her sailing, was brought down to the en- 

 campment from the valley, by one of the traders, who had 

 been sent in quest of him, and confined in irons on board 

 one of the ships. The Typccs and Happahs made frequent 

 inquiries of the traders, relative to the force under the 

 command of lieut. Gamble, and were told that it amounted 

 to one hundred men. Had they been aware of the fact, 

 however, that the Am.ericans could not muster even thirty 

 men altogether, and that a number of them were in ill 

 health, there can be no doubt, as subsequent events will 

 show, that they would have attacked them at once in their 

 canoes. The Havvough tribe still manifested a great de- 

 gree of friendship and good order. 



The rain ceased on the 20th, and the weather became 

 quite clear and sultry. Lieut. Gamble was informed, that 

 during the latter part of December, and the months of 

 January and February, they have here frequent squalls of 

 wind, and very often torrents of rain. Indeed, from the 

 17th of December, 1813, until the 1st of May, 1814, (the 

 period of his departure,) scarcely a day passed without 

 rain, and high winds from the N. E. The sick were all 

 recovering, except Pettinger, a Marine, who was greatly 

 debilitated by an obstinate wound in the left thigh. 



It was now deemed prudent to take more effectual mea- 

 sures for the defence of themselves and the ships. To 

 this end, all hands were employed in landing six cannon 

 from the Seringapatam, and mounting them behind the 



