70 
COMPLETION OF ARRANGEMENTS 
had been fitted up as an armoury, which took away consi- 
derably from her capacity of stowage. The small boat 
would still, therefore, be necessary, and she w T as accord- 
ingly re-laid, for half the dimensions of the large boat, and 
in three days was alongside her consort in the river. Thus, 
in seven days we had put together a boat, twenty-seven 
feet in length, had felled a tree from the forest, with which 
we had built a second of half the size, had painted both, 
and had them at a temporary wharf ready for loading. 
Such would not have been the case had not our hearts been 
in the work, as the weather was close and sultry, and we 
found it a task of extreme labour. In the intervals between 
the hours of work, I prepared my despatches for the Go- 
vernor, and when they were closed, it only remained for 
me to select six hands, the number I intended should ac- 
company me down the river, and to load the boats, ere we 
should once more proceed in the further obedience of our 
instructions. 
It was impossible that I could do without Clayton, whose 
perseverance and industry had mainly contributed to 
the building of the boats ; of the other prisoners, I chose 
Mulholland and Macnamee; leaving the rest in charge 
of Robert Harris, whose steady conduct had merited my 
approbation. My servant, Harris, Hopkinson, and Fraser, 
of course, made up the crews. The boats were loaded in 
the evening of Jan. 6th, as it had been necessary to give 
the paint a little time to dry. On the 4th, I had sent Clay- 
ton and Mulholland to the nearest cypress range for a mast 
