BEACH THE BOATS.
As the sun sank so freshened the breeze, until it blew a good half gale of wind, and everything gave indications of approaching foul weather. This was no coast to be on during a stormy night in heavily laden whale-boats; and as it now began to grow dark I determined at all hazards to beach rather than be driven out to sea in a gale of wind. I accordingly ran my boat in through the surf, leaving the other one outside to see what success we had before they made the attempt.
BOAT SWAMPED IN BEACHING.
The surf was very heavy but the men behaved steadily and well; and through it we went, dancing along like a cork in a mill-pond; at last one huge roller caught us, all hands gave way, and we were hurried along on the top of the swelling billow, which then suddenly fell under us and broke; in a moment after we had grounded, and although still upwards of two hundred yards from the shore, we all jumped out to haul the boat up, but ere we could move our heavily laden whaler beyond a few yards breaker after breaker came tumbling in and completely swamped it. We continued to haul away and presently found ourselves swimming. In fact the whole coast hereabouts was fronted by a kind of bar of sand, distant about two hundred yards from the shore, with not more than two feet water on it. Between this and the shore the water was tolerably smooth and two fathoms deep. It was upon this outer bar that we had struck, and the other boat experienced the same fate as ourselves. We of course passed a miserable night in our drenched and wretched state; but it was at all events some comfort, when we heard during the night the boisterous wind blowing outside, to feel that we were safe ashore.
DAMAGE TO OUR PROVISIONS.
March 8.
As soon as we had sufficient light for the purpose I proceeded to examine the stores. The flour was not very good at starting; it had been packed in small bags, that being the most convenient form to have it in both for stowing and transporting it on men's shoulders; and in the hurricane which we had experienced on Dorre Island this flour had got thoroughly soaked: from that period to the present time it had been constantly wet with salt water; last night's adventures completed its disasters and it was now quite spoilt and an unwholesome article of food; but having nothing else to eat we were forced to satisfy ourselves with it, and I directed it to be dried in the sun and then carefully repacked. The wind was from the south-south-west, about half a gale, and there was such a tremendous surf on the shore that to launch the boats was impossible. I therefore started to look for water and to explore the country.
SEARCH FOR WATER.
The point we had landed at was immediately at the base of some bare sandhills, about four hundred feet high. These are the hills which are visible from the high land of Dorre Island on the opposite side of the bay: it struck me that from their great height and their porous nature there was a probability of our finding water by digging, even in this apparently sandy desert; I therefore selected a spot at the foot of the highest hill, in the bare sand, and ordered a well to be opened. Our efforts were crowned with success; the well had not been sunk more than four or five feet when we came to a coarse gravelly sand, saturated with water, which was perfectly sweet and good; and when the well was sunk about two or three feet deeper the water poured in so fast that there would have been no difficulty in watering a ship at this point.
APPEARANCE OF A LAKE. EXAMINATION OF IT.