222 SICKNESS AMONG THE PEOPLE. 
Pitcairn, we bore up, and soon sighted the island 
again. It was thick dirty weather, and as we 
stood in, no boat came off; so we thought they 
could not communicate. We stood off and on 
for a few hours, thinking that the weather would 
moderate, and then bore round, intending to fire 
a gun or two, and then away. But just then I 
caught the flash of an oar, and said, ' There's 
the boat, Sir.' For some time the flag-lieutenant 
and others wanted to persuade us it was a rock, 
but as it rose on each wave I said that, ' it was 
a living rock, then.' 
" At last they were convinced, so we hove to, 
and five of them came on board in their whale- 
boat. They had a sad tale to tell ; all were sick 
on shore, having been attacked, the day after we 
sailed, with the influenza. As it was bad dirty 
weather, we hoisted the boat in, and stood off and 
on for the night. We gave the poor fellows a 
good supper, and they related all their woes. It 
was decided that early the next morning, the 
Captain, Doctor Palmer, and myself, should land, 
and see what was to be done. In the mean 
time we got ready a quantity of tea, sugar, 
biscuit, &c., for them. On Sunday morning we 
landed, and found most of the poor things in 
bed. Some, not so bad as the others, got up to 
receive us. The Doctor visited, and did all he 
could to relieve them ; three or four of the cases 
he found very bad, and he would willingly have 
remained three or four days; but as he had 
given directions, and done all he could, the 
Admiral decided to leave. 
" You can hardly think how sad it was, seeing 
