PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
15$ 
had caused me to visit those islands, and which had been formed 
on information that could not be doubted ; and I determined not 
to leave the Gallapagos so long as there remained a hope of find¬ 
ing a British vessel among them. The current continued to 
carry us with great rapidity to the north-west, and light and baf¬ 
fling winds, but more frequently calms, only served to increase 
our impatience, and dampen all our hopes of recovering our lost 
ground; for we had, by the 28th April, been drifted as far to the 
north as 1° 8', notwithstanding every exertion we could make to get 
to the southward, by keeping on the most advantageous tacks. Our 
wood and our water, two articles of the highest importance to us, 
began to grow short, and there scarcely remained a hope of find¬ 
ing any of the latter article at any of the islands, unless it could 
be had at James’; and of this I had my doubts, although it has 
been asserted by some, that it furnishes it in considerable quanti¬ 
fies. I however determined to visit it, not with an expectation of 
procuring water, but with a hope of finding there some English 
vessels, as I thought it not improbable that they might have put 
in there to take on board wood and tortoises, and were waiting for 
a change of current to enable them to reach Banks’ Bay. Under 
every circumstance, I considered it advisable to endeavour to 
reach James’ Island, and should I prove unsuccessful there, de¬ 
termined to extend my search among the groupe; for I could 
not be persuaded that they were entirely abandoned by the 
whalers. 
At day-light on the morning of the 29th, I was roused from 
my cot, where I passed a sleepless and anxious night, by the cry 
of “ sail ho /” ^ sail ho was re-echoed through the ship, and in a 
moment all hands were on deck. The strange sail proved to be 
a large ship, bearing west, to which we gave chase ; and in an 
hour afterwards W'e discovered two others, bearing south-west, 
equally large in their appearance. I had no doubts of their being 
British whale-ships; and as I was certain that toward mid-day, 
as usual, it would fall calm, I felt confident we should succeed 
in taking the whole of them. I continued my pursuit of the first 
discovered vessel, and at 9 o’clock spoke her under British co¬ 
lours. She proved to be the British whale-ship Montezuma, 
