FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   525   526   527   528   529   530   531   532   533   534   535   536   537   538   539   540   541   542   >>  
ese out of four that we saw, and caught some young ones, which we afterwards let go. After discovering and sounding this cove, I sent Lieutenant Clerke, who commanded the other boat, on board, with orders to remove the ship into this place, while I proceeded farther up the inlet. I presently saw that the land we were under, which disjoined the two arms, as mentioned before, was an island, at the north end of which the two channels united. After this I hastened on board, and found every thing in readiness to weigh, which was accordingly done, and all the boats sent ahead to tow the ship round the point. But at that moment a light breeze came in from the sea too scant to fill our sails, so that we were obliged to drop the anchor again, for fear of falling upon the point, and to carry out a kedge to windward. That being done, we hove up the anchor, warped up to, and weighed the kedge, and proceeding round the point under our stay-sails; there anchored with the best bower in twenty fathoms; and moored with the other bower, which lay to the north, in thirteen fathoms. In this position we were shut in from the sea by the point above-mentioned, which was in one with the extremity of the inlet to the east. Some islets, off the next point above us, covered us from the N.W., from which quarter the wind had the greatest fetch, and our distance from the shore was about one-third of a mile. Thus situated we went to work, to clear a place to fill water, to cut wood, and to set up a tent for the reception of a guard, which was thought necessary, as we had already discovered that, barren as this country is, it was not without people, though we had not yet seen any. Mr Wales also got his observatory and instruments on shore; but it was with the greatest difficulty he could find a place of sufficient stability, and clear of the mountains, which every where surrounded us, to set them up in; and at last he was obliged to content himself with the top of a rock not more than nine feet over. Next day I sent Lieutenants Clerke and Pickersgill, accompanied by some of the other officers, to examine and draw a sketch of the channel on the other side of the island; and I went myself in another boat, accompanied by the botanists, to survey the northern parts of the sound. In my way I landed on the point of a low isle covered with herbage, part of which had been lately burnt: We likewise saw a hut, signs sufficient that people were in the neigh
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   525   526   527   528   529   530   531   532   533   534   535   536   537   538   539   540   541   542   >>  



Top keywords:

obliged

 

people

 

accompanied

 

sufficient

 
greatest
 
island
 

covered

 

anchor

 

fathoms

 

Clerke


mentioned

 

observatory

 

instruments

 

mountains

 

difficulty

 

stability

 

surrounded

 
thought
 

reception

 

discovered


barren
 
caught
 

country

 

landed

 

botanists

 

survey

 

northern

 
herbage
 

likewise

 

Lieutenants


sketch

 
channel
 

examine

 
Pickersgill
 

officers

 

content

 
proceeded
 
breeze
 

farther

 

remove


windward

 

falling

 

orders

 

presently

 

readiness

 

hastened

 
united
 

channels

 
moment
 

disjoined