Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hastily concluding that it was a spring, or that the water had filtered in, we baled it all out as
well as a dozen or twenty buckets of mud and rubbish, hoping by night to have a good sup-
ply of clean water. I then went on board to breakfast, leaving my two men to make a bam-
boo raft to carry us on shore and back without wading. I had scarcely finished when our
cable broke, and we bumped against the rocks. Luckily it was smooth and calm, and no
damage was done. We searched for and got up our anchor, and found that the cable had been
cut by grating all night upon the coral. Had it given way in the night, we might have drifted
out to sea without our anchor, or been seriously damaged. In the evening we went to fetch
water from the well, when, greatly to our dismay, we found nothing but a little liquid mud at
the bottom, and it then became evident that the hole was one which had been made to col-
lect rain water, and would never fill again as long as the present drought continued. As we
did not know what we might suffer for want of water, we filled our jar with this muddy stuff
so that it might settle. In the afternoon I crossed over to the other side of the island, and
made a large fire, in order that our men might see we were still there.
The next day (24th) I determined to have another search for water; and when the tide was
out rounded a rocky point and went to the extremity of the island without finding any sign
of the smallest stream. On our way back, noticing a very small dry bed of a watercourse, I
went up it to explore, although everything was so dry that my men loudly declared it was
useless to expect water there; but a little way up I was rewarded by finding a few pints in a
small pool. We searched higher up in every hole and channel where water marks appeared,
but could find not a drop more. Sending one of my men for a large jar and teacup, we
searched along the beach till we found signs of another dry watercourse, and on ascending
this were so fortunate as to discover two deep sheltered rock-holes containing several gal-
lons of water, enough to fill all our jars. When the cup came we enjoyed a good drink of the
cool pure water, and before we left had carried away, I believe, every drop on the island.
In the evening a good-sized prau appeared in sight, making apparently for the island
where our men were left, and we had some hopes they might be seen and picked up, but it
passed along mid-channel, and did not notice the signals we tried to make. I was now,
however, pretty easy as to the fate of the men. There was plenty of sago on our rocky island,
and there would probably be some on the flat one they were left on. They had choppers, and
could cut down a tree and make sago, and would most likely find sufficient water by dig-
ging. Shell-fish were abundant, and they would be able to manage very well till some boat
should touch there, or till I could send and fetch them. The next day we devoted to cutting
wood, filling up our jars with all the water we could find, and making ready to sail in the
evening. I shot a small lory closely resembling a common species at Ternate, and a glossy
