The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
give way to the stronger party, and plundered of every thing, without
attempting to make the least resistance.
We resumed our work in the afternoon, and the next day, rigged the
foremast; the head of which being rather too small for the cap, the
carpenter went to work to fix a piece on one side, to fill up the vacant
space. In cutting into the mast-head for this purpose, and examining the
state of it, both cheeks were found to be so rotten that there was no
possibility of repairing them; and it became necessary to get the mast
out, and to fix new ones upon it. It was evident that one of the cheeks
had been defective at the first, and that the unsound part had been cut
out, and a piece put in, which had not only weakened the mast-head, but
had, in a great measure, been the occasion of rotting every other part
of both cheeks. Thus, when we were almost ready to put to sea, we had
all our work to do over again; and, what was still more provoking, an
additional repair was to be undertaken, which would require some time to
be completed. But, as there was no remedy, we immediately set about it.
It was fortunate for the voyage that these defects were discovered, when
we were in a place where the materials requisite were to be procured.
For, amongst the drift-wood in the cove where the ships lay, were some
small seasoned trees very fit for our purpose. One of these was pitched
upon; and the carpenters began, without loss of time, to make out of it
two new cheeks.
In the morning of the 7th, we got the foremast out, and hauled it
ashore; and the carpenters of the ships were set to work upon it. Some
parts of the lower standing rigging having been found to be very much
decayed, as we had time now to put them in order, while the carpenters
were repairing the foremast, I ordered a new set of main-rigging to be
fitted, and a more perfect set of fore-rigging to be selected out of the
best parts of the old.
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