34 SUFFERINGS AND ESCAPES OF 
some idea of their extent." This affecting 
document is in existence, in the possession 
of his daughters, and is much blotted and 
weather-stained. 
On the 8th, the weather was calm and fair, 
which gave the voyagers an opportunity of 
drying their clothes, and cleaning out the 
boat. Mr. Bligh also amused " all hands," 
by relating to them a description of New 
Guinea, and New Holland, and supplying 
them with every information in his power, 
that in case any fatal accident should happen 
to him, the survivors might be able to pursue 
their course to Timor; of which place they 
had before known nothing, except by name. 
At this date the whole day's allowance to 
each was an ounce and a half of pork, half 
a pint of cocoa-nut milk, an ounce of bread 
and a tea-spoonful of rum. " Hitherto," 
says Bligh, " I had issued the allowance 
by guess ; but I now made a pair of scales 
with two cocoa-nut shells ; and having acci- 
dentally some pistol-balls in the boat, twenty- 
five of which weighed one pound, or sixteen 
ounces, I adopted one of these balls as 
the proportion of weight that each person 
