x or eight months before they could be
ready to get the pinnace into the water, and it now wanted but six to
the stormy season. At the western, or leeward, extremity of the island,
the little craft would be under the lee of the crater, which would form
a sort of breakwater, and might be the means of preventing it from being
washed away. Then the rock, just at that spot, was three or four feet
higher than at any other point, sufficiently near the sea to admit of
launching with ease; and the two advantages united, induced our young
'reefer' to incur the labour of transporting the materials the distance
named, in reference to foregoing them. The raft, however, was put in
requisition, and the entire frame, with a few of the planks necessary
for a commencement, was carried round at one load.

Previously to laying the keel of the pinnace, Mark named it the
Neshamony, after a creek that was nearly opposite to the Rancocus,
another inlet of the Delaware, that had given its name to the ship from
the circumstance that Friend Abraham White had been born on its low
banks. The means of averting the pains and penalties of working in the
sun, were also attended to, as indeed the great preliminary measure in
this new enterprise. To this end, the raft was again put in requisition;
an old main-course was got out of the sail-room, and lowered upon the
raft; spare spars were cut to the necessary length, and thrown into the
water, to be towed down in company; ropes, &c., were provided, and Bob
sailed anew on this voyage. It was a work of a good deal of labour to
get the raft to windward, towing having been resorted to as the easiest
process, but a trip to leeward was soon made. In twenty minutes after
this cargo had left the ship, it reached its point of destination.

The only time when our men could work at even their awning, were two
hours early in the morning, and as many after the sun had got very low,
or had absolutely set. Eight holes had to be drilled into the lava, to a
depth of two feet each. Gunpowder, in very small quantities, was used,
or these holes could not have been made in a twelvemonth. But by
drilling with a crowbar a foot or two into the rock, and charging the
cavity with a very small portion of powder, the lava was cracked, when
the stones rather easily were raised by means of the picks and crows.
Some idea may be formed of the amount of labour that was expended on
this, the first step in the new task, by the circumstan