Continuation of the Endeavour’s Distress. 89 
Jailing or effectual defence again!: the natives, in a country, 
w :ere eve nets and fire-arms would fcarcely furnifn them with 
food ; and where, if they fhould find the means of fubfiiience, 
they muft be con lemned to languilh out the remainder of life 
in a deiohte wildernefs, without the poffellion, or even hope, 
of an/ domeftic comfort, and cut off from all commerce with 
mankind, except the naked favages who prowled the defert, 
an d who perhaps were fome of the moll rude and uncivilized 
upon the earth. 
To thofe only who have waited in a flate of fuch fufpenfe, 
death has approached in all its terrors ; and as the dreadful, 
moment that was to determine our fate came on, every onefaw 
his own fenfations pictured in the countenances of his compa- 
nions : however, the capilern and windiace were m-Jined with, 
as many hands as could be fpared from the pumps, and the 
flap floating about twenty minutes after ten o’clock, the effort 
was made, and Ihe was heaved into deep water. It was fome 
comfort to find that fhe did not now admit more water than 
fhe had do e upon the rock ; and though, by the gaining of 
the leak upon the pumps, there was no lefs than three feet 
nine inches water in the hold, yet the men did not relinquish 
their labour, and we held the water as it were at bay ; but 
havi tg now endured exceffive fatigue of body, and agitation 
of the mind, for more than four and twenty hours, and having 
but little hope of fucceeding at lait, they began to flag : none 
of them could work at Me pump more than five or fix minutes 
together, and then, being totally exhauiteJ, they threw them- 
felves down upon deck, though a ftream of water was running 
over it from the pumps between three and four inches deep ; 
when thofe who fucceeded them had worked their fpell, and 
were exhaulled in their turn, they threw themfelves down in 
the fame manner, and the others flaited up again, and renewed 
their labour ; thus relieving each other till an accident was 
very near putting an end to their efforts at once. The plank- 
ing which lines the inlide gf the fhip’s bottom is called the 
cieling, and between this, and the outfide planking, there is 
a fpace of about eighteen inches : the man who till this time 
had attended the well to take the depth of water, had taken it 
only to the cieling, and gave the meafure accordingly ; but he 
being now relieved, the perfon who came in his Head, reckon- 
ed the depth to the outfide planking, by which it appeared in 
a fev minutes to have gained upon the pumps eighteen inches : 
the difference between the planking without and within. 
Upon this, even the bravefl was upon the point of giving up 
his labour with his hope, and in & few minutes every thing 
would have been involved in all the confufion of defoair. But 
thi' accident, however dreadful in its firfl confequences, was 
eventually the caufe of our prefervation : the midake was fcon 
K 3 dete&edy 
