Augustus for about three hours. He then came below with the
good news that he had obtained permission to go about the brig as he
pleased anywhere forward of the mainmast, and that he had been ordered
to sleep, as usual, in the forecastle. He brought me, too, a good
dinner, and a plentiful supply of water. The brig was still cruising for
the vessel from the Cape Verds, and a sail was now in sight, which was
thought to be the one in question. As the events of the ensuing eight
days were of little importance, and had no direct bearing upon the main
incidents of my narrative, I will here throw them into the form of a
journal, as I do not wish to omit them altogether.

July 3. Augustus furnished me with three blankets, with which I
contrived a comfortable bed in my hiding-place. No one came below,
except my companion, during the day. Tiger took his station in the
berth just by the aperture, and slept heavily, as if not yet entirely
recovered from the effects of his sickness. Toward night a flaw of wind
struck the brig before sail could be taken in, and very nearly capsized
her. The puff died away immediately, however, and no damage was done
beyond the splitting of the foretopsail. Dirk Peters treated Augustus
all this day with great kindness and entered into a long conversation
with him respecting the Pacific Ocean, and the islands he had visited
in that region. He asked him whether he would not like to go with the
mutineers on a kind of exploring and pleasure voyage in those quarters,
and said that the men were gradually coming over to the mate's views.
To this Augustus thought it best to reply that he would be glad to go
on such an adventure, since nothing better could be done, and that any
thing was preferable to a piratical life.

July 4th. The vessel in sight proved to be a small brig from Liverpool,
and was allowed to pass unmolested. Augustus spent most of his time
on deck, with a view of obtaining all the information in his power
respecting the intentions of the mutineers. They had frequent and
violent quarrels among themselves, in one of which a harpooner, Jim
Bonner, was thrown overboard. The party of the mate was gaining ground.
Jim Bonner belonged to the cook's gang, of which Peters was a partisan.

July 5th. About daybreak there came on a stiff breeze from the west,
which at noon freshened into a gale, so that the brig could carry
nothing more than her trysail and foresail. In taking in the
foretopsail, Simms