In the morning we caught another booby, so that Providence seemed to be
relieving our wants in a very extraordinary manner. Towards noon we
passed a great many pieces of the branches of trees, some of which
appeared to have been no long time in the water. I had a good
observation for the latitude, and found my situation to be in 13 deg. 41'
S; my longitude, by account, from Tofoa, 37 deg. 13' W; course S 85 deg. W, 112
miles. Every person was now overjoyed at the addition to their dinner,
which I distributed as I had done in the evening; giving the blood to
those who were the most in want of food.
To make our bread a little savoury we frequently dipped it in salt
water; but for my own part I generally broke mine into small pieces, and
eat it in my allowance of water, out of a cocoa-nut shell, with a spoon,
economically avoiding to take too large a piece at a time, so that I was
as long at dinner as if it had been a much more plentiful meal.
[Sidenote: Wednesday 27.]
Wednesday, May the 27th. Fresh breezes south-easterly, and fine weather.
The weather was now serene, but unhappily we found ourselves unable to
bear the sun's heat; many of us suffering a languor and faintness, which
made life indifferent. We were, however, so fortunate as to catch two
boobies to-day; their stomachs contained several flying-fish and small
cuttlefish, all of which I saved to be divided for dinner.
We passed much drift wood, and saw many birds; I therefore did not
hesitate to pronounce that we were near the reefs of New Holland, and
assured every one I would make the coast without delay, in the parallel
we were in, and range the reef till I found an opening, through which we
might get into smooth water, and pick up some supplies. From my
recollection of captain Cook's survey of this coast, I considered the
direction of it to be N W, and I was therefore satisfied that, with the
wind to the southward of E, I could always clear any dangers.
[Sidenote: 1789. MAY 27.]
At noon I observed in latitude 13 deg. 26' S; course since yesterday N 82 deg.
W; distance 109 miles; longitude made 39 deg. 4' W. After writing my
account, I divided the two birds with their entrails, and the contents
of their maws, into 18 portions, and, as the prize was a very valuable
one, it was divided as before, by calling out Who shall have this? so
that to-day, with the allowance of a 25th of a pound of bread at
breakfast, and another at dinner, with the proportion of water, I was
happy to see that every person thought he had feasted.
[Sidenote: Thursday 28.]
Thursday, May the 28th. Fresh breezes and fair weather; wind E S E and
E.
In the evening we saw a gannet; and the clouds remained so fixed in the
west, that I had little doubt of our being near to New Holland; and
every person, after taking his allowance of water for supper, began to
divert himself with conversing on the probability of what we should
find.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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