238 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
snakes, See. Nature has created them elsewhere, and why could 
she not do it as well at those islands ? 
There was one fact, which was noticed by myself and many 
others, the day preceding the departure of the goats, and must lead 
us to believe that something more than chance directed their 
movements. It was observed that they all drank an unusual quan¬ 
tity of water ; the old Welch goat particularly did not seem satis¬ 
fied until she had drunk upwards of half a gallon (which for a goat, 
it must be admitted, is an extraordinary quantity), and the others 
a quantity not far short of it, which seems as though they had de¬ 
termined to provide themselves with a supply to enable them to 
reach the mountains ; and this fact, which (if we take into consid¬ 
eration the extraordinary sagacity of the goat) bears something 
the appearance of the marvellous, I do aver to be as strictly true 
as any other I have stated, and in no one instance have I exagge¬ 
rated or gone beyond the bounds of strict veracity. 
I now made the best of my way for Banks’ Bay in company 
with my prizes, and fixed on the small cove inside of Narborough 
as a rendezvous for them in case of separation, as it now was my 
design to leave them there until I made a short cruize among the 
islands, in order to make myself acquainted with all their resour¬ 
ces, and with the hope of falling in with some of the enemy’s ves¬ 
sels. I had also the design of leaving instructions for lieutenant 
Downes at Charles’ and Hood’s Islands, similar to those left at 
James’, that, in case he should fail in finding my letters in one 
place, there might be a chance of his finding them in another, and 
thus our meeting be rendered more certain. 
On the 22d I reached Banks’ Bay, and directed the prizes to 
proceed into the cove, with the following orders, which will suf¬ 
ficiently explain the arrangements made, as well as my future 
designs ; after which I stood out of the bay. 
U. S. Frigate Essex, 
Banks’ Bay, 21st August, 1813. 
Sir, 
You will proceed to the cove with the Greenwich, and moor 
her agreeably to the instructions already given you. The crew 
