The raft was completed, as well as the difficulties that we had to overcome would permit, in seven days; and the water, with a cask of pork and some biscuit, being put upon it, we all followed; but it was not sufficiently buoyant for all; that is, it was not light enough to keep us up; so the greater part of us returned to the wreck, leaving upon the raft, the captain, Mr. Moore; the surgeon, Mr. Grant; Captain and Mrs. Doyley, and their two children; their black nurse, a native of India; and Mr. Armstrong, with two seamen, named Lowine and Berry; who determined to remain on it all night.
In the morning, however, we found the rope by which the raft had been made fast to the stern or back part of the vessel was cut, and we could see nothing of our late companions.
It is probable that the uncomfortable situation in which they were placed, up to their waists in water, induced Captain Moore to cut the rope, and trust to the wind and sea to carry them to a place of safety. The gale had abated, and the sea lulled, during the time we were making the raft.
The unhappy crew got on the raft, cut the rope and bade adieu to the wreck of the Charles Eaton.
See page [17].
Those who had returned on board set to work to make another raft of the ship’s topmasts, lashed or tightly tied together with rope. A topmast is the top joint of a mast. We also made a sail of some of the cloth of the ship’s cargo.
We worked with the greatest diligence, but did not complete it for about a week. We then got upon it, with all the food we could get, which was only a few pieces of damaged biscuit; we cut the rope, and bade adieu to the wreck of the Charles Eaton.
What our feelings were at that time, I can scarcely describe. The fear that the adventure we had undertaken would not turn out to advantage; the certainty of death if we remained; the hope of again reaching our native country, were each brought in turn to mind, and acting upon our already half-starved condition, made us almost incapable of using the little strength of which we had not been deprived, and we took our places on the raft in a silence which showed the height of our despair.
The vessel that we saw with her masts standing, was too far off to windward for us to reach; I do not think a boat could have been rowed up to her, against the wind and tide, which were both against us, and the current running very strong, so we gave up the idea as hopeless.
As soon as we had cast off, we set our sail, and steered along with the wind; but our raft was so heavy and deep that the progress we made was very slow. We drifted, rather than sailed, and that at a rate of not more than a mile or a mile and a half an hour.