SEND PRINCE GEORGE TO SINGAPORE. 417 



two or three miles one of the boys was obliged to 

 convert himself into an out-rigger to prevent its 

 capsizing. This he did by throwing a rope over 

 the short stanchion serving for a mast, and standing 

 on the gunwale and holding the ends of the rope, 

 he leant straight out to windward over the water. 



On reaching the ship, I found, to my surprise as 

 well as gratification, that we were to stay atSourabaya 

 instead of going on to Singapore. Captain Black- 

 wood was moved to this determination, I believe, 

 by the superior advantages to be obtained in the 

 ship-yard of Mr. M'Clelland for the repairs that 

 we required, compared with anything obtainable at 

 Singapore. The Prince George was to go on to 

 Singapore, both to take up the wrecked people we 

 had brought from Torres Strait,* and to get our 

 mails and dispatches and join us again here. As 

 the hotel was full at present, four or five of us de- 

 termined to get a small house on shore during our 

 stay. We found much difficulty in this ; and were 

 at last obliged to put up with one in a narrow back 

 street. It stood, however, in a small court -yard, 

 surrounded by high w r alls, and had sufficient con- 

 veniences for such a temporary residence as we 

 required. There was a long sitting-room, four bed- 

 rooms, a cook-house, and servants' house, bath-room, 

 and a long out-house, where I could get ashore, 

 arrange, examine and re-pack all my specimens, 



• These were the crew of the Lady Gray wrecked on the Alert 

 reefs, who came to us in Torres Strait in their boats. 



VOL. I. 2 E 



