104 
CRUISE OF E.M.S. CHALLENGER . 
on which, with the meat of six others subsequently killed by 
me, we lived till the 10th December. The goats I found had 
increased to nineteen during the winter. Returning on the 
10th December to our house, we arrived at the conclusion 
that our stay on the island would be prolonged, and repaired 
our thatch, weeded the garden, gathered the early potatoes, 
planted, and put things in order. 
I have omitted to state that in fine weather, in summer, 
we fished from our boat with good success, and after her 
loss, from a rock to which we waded at low water, and thus 
changed our diet. In winter time the occasions on which 
it was possible to fish did not exceed three or four times ; 
the weather and surf preventing our reaching the rock, and 
the fish avoided the beach during heavy seas. 
Whilst on the west side during this month, we were 
visited by an American whaler (schooner), which sent in two 
boats to fish, and from her we procured five pounds of 
tobacco, three shirts, twenty-five pounds of flour, and six 
or seven pounds of molasses, in return for six small seal 
skins. The Themis was expected, or we should have gone 
away in this schooner. On the 19th December we were 
aroused by firing and shouting, to find our Tristan neigh- 
bours once more among us. They had spent nine days on 
the west side of the island, had procured forty seals and one 
sea-elephant ; and two seals from Nightingale Island, where 
they had spent a couple of days. One of our casks on the 
west side they had taken to stow blubber in, and we received 
a small quantity of flour in exchange. After staying half 
an hour, they left, telling us that the Themis would visit 
Tristan the following month, and afterwards Inaccessible 
Island. Although anxious to leave, I was not desirous, 
except as a last resource, to go to Tristan ; and buoyed up 
by the hope, again revived, of an early visit from the 
Themis, my brother and I remained on the island. This was 
the last communication with us until the arrival of the 
