The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
After the ship was hauled ashore, all the water that came into her of
course went backwards; so that although she was dry forwards, she had
nine feet water abaft: as in this part therefore her bottom could not be
examined on the inside, I took the advantage of the tide being out this
evening to get the master and two of the men to go under her, and
examine her whole larboard side without. They found the sheathing gone
about the floor-heads abreast of the main-mast, and part of a plank a
little damaged; but all agreed that she had received no other material
injury. The loss of her sheathing alone was a great misfortune, as the
worm would now be let into her bottom, which might expose us to great
inconvenience and danger; but as I knew no remedy for the mischief but
heaving her down, which would be a work of immense labour and long time,
if practicable at all in our present situation, I was obliged to be
content. The carpenters however continued to work under her bottom in
the evening till they were prevented by the tide; the morning tide did
not ebb out far enough to permit them to work at all, for we had only
one tolerable high and low tide in four-and-twenty hours, as indeed we
had experienced when we lay upon the rock. The position of the ship,
which threw the water in her abaft, was very near depriving the world of
all the knowledge which Mr. Banks had endured so much labour, and so
many risks, to procure; for he had removed the curious collection of
plants which he had made during the whole voyage, into the bread-room,
which lies in the after-part of the ship, as a place of the greatest
security; and nobody having thought of the danger to which laying her
head so much higher than the stern would expose them, they were this day
found under water. Most of them however were, by indefatigable care and
attention, restored to a state of preservation, but some were entirely
spoilt and destroyed.
The 25th was employed in filling water and overhauling the rigging; and
at low water the carpenters finished the repairs under the larboard bow,
and every other place which the tide would permit them to come at: some
casks were then lashed under her bows to facilitate her floating; and at
night, when it was high water, we endeavoured to heave her off, but
without success, for some of the casks that were lashed to her gave way.
The morning of the 26th was employed in getting more casks ready for the
same purpose, and in the afternoon we lashed no less than eight and
thirty under the ship’s bottom, but to our great mortification these
also proved ineffectual, and we found ourselves reduced to the necessity
of waiting till the next spring-tide.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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