Early this morning we had finished burying our stores. The wind had freshened considerably about daylight, and throughout the day it blew nearly a gale from the south-east; it now looked so foul that I feared a long period of bad weather was about to commence. My own party, as well as the crews of the boats which came off from the whaler, had during the hurry and confusion incident on landing made very free with our supply of water, and as, from the appearance of the island, I felt very doubtful whether we should find any more, I put all hands on an allowance of two pints and a half a day, and then employed the men thus: one party under the direction of Mr. Walker worked at constructing a still, by means of which we might obtain fresh water from salt; another made various attempts to sink a well; whilst the native, another man, and myself traversed the island in search of a supply from the surface. At night the result of our efforts were recounted, when it appeared that Mr. Walker had, by an ingenious contrivance, managed to have such a still constructed that we might hope, by means of it, if kept constantly working, to obtain just water enough to keep us alive. The party who had tried to sink a well had invariably been stopped by hard limestone rock in every place they had tried, and all their attempts to penetrate it by means of a cold chisel and pickaxe had proved abortive. The party which had been out with me searching for water had not seen the slightest sign which indicated its presence on the island: we had taken a spade with us, but wherever we dug had come down upon the solid rock. Under these circumstances I reduced the allowance to two pints a day. February 27. This morning it still blew nearly a gale of wind from the south-east. The men were occupied in the same manner as yesterday; but towards noon the wind moderated a little, and as we could find no water I resolved to make an effort to creep along shore to the southward. LOSS OF A BOAT IN REEMBARKING. My boat was soon launched in safety, but the Paul Pry, Mr. Walker's boat, was not so fortunate; the water in the bay deepened rapidly from the steepness of the bank, and the steersman, who was keeping her bow on whilst the crew were launching, got frightened from the depth of water and the violence of the surf, and let go his hold; when the next surf threw the boat broadside on to the sea and, there being nearly half a ton weight of stores in her, and the wind at this juncture unfortunately freshening, she was in the course of two or three minutes knocked completely to pieces. By this mischance all the stores in the boat were lost, and nothing but a few planks and some articles of clothing were recovered. I placed my own boat at anchor in a little cove for the night and, leaving two men in her as keepers, the rest of us swam ashore through the surf to render what assistance we could.