14 
CRITICAL POSITION. 
at seeing the wreck of the boat on the bank, when he 
should come down the river, a hawser was made fast, 
and though perfectly useless, we dragged her off by 
main force. 
This unfortunate accident caused great loss of time 
and expenditure of steam; so that when we had 
arrived at the lowest reach of the river — having con- 
tinuous banks — it was already half ebb-tide, and as 
the channel was shallow and intricate, there was great 
danger of our being detained all night in this, the 
very worst part of the river, wdiicli would doubtless 
have cost the lives of many. Already had the 
retreating tide left the arching roots of the mangrove — 
r/iyzo/i/iom— dripping with the slimy fetid remains of 
animal and vegetable matter, rife with threatening 
fevers. This was opposite to Louis Oreek^^ and is 
jierhaps the most difficult part of the river, where, 
ceasing to be confined by firm banks, the water is 
diffused among the mangroves, and leaves in conse- 
quence, but little to scour a channel in the natural 
course of the stream, winch though broad is much 
obstructed by shallows. No person knew the right 
channel but Commander W. Allen, who had already 
passed through it three times, besides having pre- 
viously examined it in a boat. Pie was now fortu- 
nately well enough to pilot the vessel by stationing 
himself on the bowsprit, with a leadsman on each bow, 
