Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Finding on my map a group of three small islands, twenty-five miles north of Poppa, I re-
solved, if possible, to rest there a day or two. We could lay our boat's head N.E. by N.; but a
heavy sea from the eastward so continually beat us off our course, and we made so much
leeway, that I found it would be as much as we could do to reach them. It was a delicate
point to keep our head in the best direction, neither so close to the wind as to stop our way,
or so free as to carry us too far to leeward. I continually directed the steersman myself, and
by incessant vigilance succeeded, just at sunset, in bringing our boat to an anchor under the
lee of the southern point of one of the islands. The anchorage was, however, by no means
good, there being a fringing coral reef, dry at low water, beyond which, on a bottom strewn
with masses of coral, we were obliged to anchor. We had now been incessantly tossing
about for four days in our small undecked boat, with constant disappointments and anxiety,
and it was a great comfort to have a night of quiet and comparative safety. My old pilot had
never left the helm for more than an hour at a time, when one of the others would relieve
him for a little sleep; so I determined the next morning to look out for a secure and conveni-
ent harbour, and rest on shore for a day.
In the morning, finding it would be necessary for us to get round a rocky point, I wanted
my men to go on shore and cut jungle-rope, by which to secure us from being again drifted
away, as the wind was directly off shore. I unfortunately, however, allowed myself to be
overruled by the pilot and crew, who all declared that it was the easiest thing possible, and
that they would row the boat round the point in a few minutes. They accordingly got up the
anchor, set the jib, and began rowing; but, just as I had feared, we drifted rapidly off shore,
and had to drop anchor again in deeper water, and much farther off. The two best men, a
Papuan and a Malay, now swam on shore, each carrying a hatchet, and went into the jungle
to seek creepers for rope. After about an hour our anchor loosed hold, and began to drag.
This alarmed me greatly, and we let go our spare anchor, and, by running out all our cable,
appeared tolerably secure again. We were now most anxious for the return of the men, and
were going to fire our muskets to recall them, when we observed them on the beach, some
way off, and almost immediately our anchors again slipped, and we drifted slowly away into
deep water. We instantly seized the oars, but found we could not counteract the wind and
current, and our frantic cries to the men were not heard till we had got a long way off, as
they seemed to be hunting for shell-fish on the beach. Very soon, however, they stared at us,
and in a few minutes seemed to comprehend their situation; for they rushed down into the
water, as if to swim off, but again returned on shore, as if afraid to make the attempt. We
had drawn up our anchors at first not to check our rowing; but now, finding we could do
nothing, we let them both hang down by the full length of the cables. This stopped our way
