PORTEK^S dOURNAL. 



219 



ings, the crew eommenced repairing the rigging, and bring- 

 ing wood and water on board. The weather was exceed- 

 ingly warm during the night, and the- thermometer mostij 

 stood at S3\ of Fahrenheit. In the course of the following 

 day, upwards of one hundred canoes came off to the ship, 

 loaded with several kinds of fruit and vegetables ; but Cap- 

 tain Tucker peremptorily forbade any person on board 

 trading with them. Sick as he was, lieut. Gamble could 

 not gain permission to moisten his parched lips with the 

 juice of an orange, nor Mi\ Lathrop, (Captain Whitte- 

 more's mate) who had subsisted for more than two monthsj 

 upon a scanty allowance of salt beef and pork, to purchase 

 a pineapple, which one of the natives offered him for some 

 trifle in his hand. What were the strange motives which 

 induced Captain Tucker to adopt such a preposterous 

 course of conduct, I am at a loss to conceive. Being in- 

 formed on the morning of the 20th, that this very original 

 commander had ordered the prisoners to assist in hoisting 

 the water-casks on board, lieut. Gamble immediately ap- 

 prized them, that it was perfectly optional to obey or diso- 

 bey the order ; and that therefore they might retire, if they 

 chose, from the work. The poor fellows, however, had 

 been promised an additional supply of food, as a reward 

 for their labour, and their allowance being but scanty, they 

 preferred remaining at work. The next day, one of the 

 men who had charge of the wooding party, came off m 

 haste to the ship, and informed Captain Tucker that two of 

 his comrades had made their escape. Captain Tucker ap- 

 peared greatly surprised, seeing he had appointed a guard 

 of marines to attend the parties on shore, for the express 

 purpose of preventing desertion. A number of Otaheitans, 

 however, were immediately sent in pursuit of the fugitives^ 

 and at three o'clock in the afternoon, one of them was ap- 

 prehended, and brought on board. The same day. Cap- 

 tain Tucker was so good as to appoint his gunner factor to 

 the ship's company, for trading with the natives : but as 

 the ship weighed anchor at 10 o'clock the next morning, no 

 time was allowed to notify the natives of this indulgence; 

 and, of course, it was perfectly useless. Had it been other- 

 wise, the company might have provided themselves with a 

 stock of fruit and vegetables for a long voyage, which they 

 were now obliged to undertake in a comparatively dis- 



