I made no scruple about
confiscating these skins, which were taken on board the ship.
I next went to the island, on which I found one man dying with a
grape-shot wound, and evidence that a considerable party had left it,
as soon as they felt our fire. This party had probably gone outside
the island, but it was getting too late to follow. On my return, I met
the ship coming out, Captain Marble being determined not to trust her
inside another night. The wind was getting light, and, the tides
running fiercely in that high latitude, we were glad to make an offing
again while there was still day. The success with the skins greatly
mollified the new captain, who declared to me that, after he had
hanged Smudge in sight of his own shores, he should "feel something
like himself again."
We passed the night under our top-sails, standing off and on, with the
wind steady, but light, at the southward. Next morning, the duty of
the ship went on as usual, until the men had breakfasted, when we
stood again into the bay. This time, we hove-to so as to get one of
the buoys, when we dropped the stream, leaving the top-sails set. We
then hove up the anchor, securing the range of cable that was bent to
it. Both of the anchors, and their ranges of cable, were thus
recovered; the ends of the last being entered at the hawse-holes, and
the pieces spliced.
Pages:
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365