In
about a week, they had cut enough to last us a year, and the third
mate, with myself and three others, were sent over in a large,
schooner-rigged, open launch, which we had hired of the mission, to
take in the wood, and bring it to the ship. We left the ship about
noon, but, owing to a strong head wind, and a tide, which here runs
four or five knots, did not get into the harbor, formed by two
points of the island, where the boats lie, until sundown. No sooner
had we come-to, than a strong south-easter, which had been threatening
us all day, set in, with heavy rain and a chilly atmosphere. We were
in rather a bad situation: an open boat, a heavy rain, and a long
night; for in winter, in this latitude, it was dark nearly fifteen
hours. Taking a small skiff which we had brought with us, we went
ashore, but found no shelter, for everything was open to the rain, and
collecting a little wood, which we found by lifting up the leaves
and brush, and a few muscles, we put aboard again, and made the best
preparations in our power for passing the night. We unbent the
mainsail, and formed an awning with it over the after part of the
boat, made a bed of wet logs of wood, and, with our jackets on, lay
down, about six o'clock, to sleep.
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