CHA P. IV. Tranfactions while the Ship was refitting in Endeavour IN the morning of Monday the 18th, a stage was made from the fhip to the shore, which was fo bold that she floated at twenty-feet diftance: two tents, were also fet up, one for the sick, and the other for ftores and provisions, which were landed in the course of the day. We also landed all the empty water cafks, and part of the ftores. As foon as the tent for the fick was got ready for their reception, they were fent afhore to the number of eight or nine, and the boat was dispatched to haul the feine, in hopes of procuring fome fish for their refreshment; but fhe returned without fuccefs. In the mean time, I climbed one of the highest hills among those that overlooked the harbour, which afforded by no means a comfortable profpect: the low land near the river is wholly over-run with mangroves, among which the falt-water flows every tide; and the high land appeared to be every where ftoney and barren. In the mean time Mr. Banks had alfo taken a walk up the country, and met with the frames of feveral old Indian houses, and places where they had dreffed fhell-fish; but they feemed not to have been frequented for fome months. Tupia, who had employed himself in angling, and lived intirely upon what he caught, recovered in a furprising degree; but Mr. Green still continued to be extremely ill. VOL. III. U The 1770. June. Tuckday 19. Wednef. 20. The next morning I got the four remaining guns out of the hold, and mounted them upon the quarter-deck; I also got a fpare anchor, and anchor-stock afhore, and the remaining part of the ftores and ballaft that were in the hold: fet up the fmith's forge, and employed the armourer and his mate to make nails and other neceffaries for the repair of the ship. In the afternoon, all the officers' ftores and the ground tier of water were got out; fo that nothing remained in the fore and main hold, but the coals, and a small quantity of flone ballaft. This day Mr. Banks croffed the river to take a view of the country on the other fide: he found it confift principally of fand-hills, where he faw fome Indian houses, which appeared to have been very lately inhabited. In his walk, he met with vaft flocks of pigeons and crows of the pigeons, which were exceedingly beautiful, he shot several; but the crows, which were exactly like thofe in England, were fo fhy that he could not get within reach of them. On the 20th, we landed the powder, and got out the ftone ballaft and wood, which brought the fhip's draught of water to eight feet ten inches forward, and thirteen feet abaft; and this I thought, with the difference that would be made by trimming the coals aft, would be fufficient; for I found that the water rofe and fell perpendicularly eight feer at the fpring-tides: but as foon as the coals were trimmed from over the leak, we could hear the water rufh in a little abaft the foremaft, about three feet from the keel: this determined me to clear the hold intirely. This evening, Mr. Banks obferved that in many parts of the inlet there were large quantities of pumice ftones, which lay at a confiderable distance above high-water mark; whither they might have been carried either by the freshes or extraordinary high tides, for there could be no doubt but that they came from the fea. The 1770, June. The next morning we went early to work, and by four o'clock in the afternoon had got out all the coals, caft the moorings loofe, and warped the fhip a little higher up the Thursday 21, harbour to a place which I thought most convenient for lay+ ing her afhore in order to stop the leak. Her draught of water forward was now feven feet nine inches, and abaft thirteen feet fix inches. At eight o'clock, it being highwater, I hauled her bow close afhore; but kept her ftern afloat, because I was afraid of neiping her; it was however neceffary to lay the whole of her as near the ground as poffible. At two o'clock in the morning of the 22d, the tide left her, Friday 22. and gave us an opportunity to examine the leak, which we found to be at her floor heads, a little before the starboard fore-chains. In this place the rocks had made their way through four planks, and even into the timbers; three more planks were much damaged, and the appearance of these breaches was very extraordinary: there was not a splinter to be feen, but all was as fmooth, as if the whole had been cut away by an inftrument: the timbers in this place were happily very close, and if they had not, it would have been abfolutely impoffible to have faved the ship. But after all, her prefervation depended upon a circumftance ftill more remarkable: in one of the holes, which was big enough to have funk us, if we had had eight pumps inftead of four, and been able to keep them inceffantly going, was in great meafure plugged up by a fragment of the rock, which, after having made the wound, was left flicking in it; fo that the water which at firft had gained upon our pumps, was what came in at the interftices, between the ftone and the edges of the hole that received it. We found alfo feveral pieces of the fothering, which had made their way between the timbers, U 2 1770. June. Friday 22. Saturday, 23. timbers, and in a great measure ftopped those parts of the The next morning, I sent a boat to haul the feine; but at noon it returned with only three fish, and yet we faw them in plenty leaping about the harbour. This day the carpenter finished the repairs that were necessary on the ftarboard fide; and at nine o'clock in the evening, we heeled the ship the other way, and hauled her off about two feet for fear of neiping. This day almost every body had seen the animal which the pigeon-shooters had brought an account of the day before; and one of the seamen, who had been rambling in the woods, told us at his return, that he verily believed he |