In Short, Words Are Wanting To Express The Wretched Condition
In Which We Now Were, Or Our Astonishment At Our Unexpected And
Unfortunate Shipwreck.
SECTION III.
Residence on the Island of Juan Fernandez.
Having all got on shore in the evening, my officers gathered around me
to bear me company, and to devise measures for procuring necessaries out
of the wreck; and having lighted a fire, wrapped themselves up in what
they could get, and slept very soundly, notwithstanding the coldness of
the weather, and our hopeless situation. I would have set the people to
work that very night, in endeavouring to save what we could from the
wreck, but they were so dispersed that we could not gather them
together, and all opportunity was lost of saving any thing, except some
of our fire-arms. But while the people were employed in building tents,
and making other preparations for their residence on the island, the
wreck was entirely destroyed, and every thing in her was lost, except
one cask of beef and one of farina de pao, which were washed on shore.
Thus all our provisions were gone, and every thing else that might have
been useful. I had saved 1100 dollars belonging to the owners, which
happened to be in my chest in the great cabin, all the rest of their
treasure being in the bottom of the bread-room for security, which
consequently could not be come at.
I now took some pains to find out a convenient place in which to set up
my tent, and at length found a commodious spot of ground not half a mile
from the sea, having a fine stream of water on each side, with trees
close at hand for firing, and building our huts. The people settled
around me as well as they could, and as the cold season was coming on,
some thatched their huts, while others covered theirs with the skins of
seals and sea-lions. Others again satisfied themselves with water-butts,
in which they slept under cover of trees. Having thus secured ourselves
from the weather, we used to pass our time in the evenings around a
great fire before my tent, where my officers usually assembled,
employing themselves in roasting cray-fish in the embers; sometimes
bewailing our unhappy fate, and sinking into despondency; and at other
times feeding ourselves with hopes that something might yet be done to
set us again afloat. On this subject I first consulted with the
carpenter, who answered, that he could not make bricks without straw,
and then walked from me in a surly humour. From him I went to the
armourer, and asked what he could do for us in his way that might
contribute to build a small vessel. To this he answered, that he hoped
he could do all the iron work, as he had fortunately saved his bellows
from the wreck, with four or five spadoes or Spanish swords, which
would afford him steel, and there could be no want of iron along shore;
besides, that we should doubtless find many useful things when we came
to work in good earnest. He desired therefore, that I would get some
charcoal made for him, while he set up his forge.
Upon this encouragement, I called all hands together, and explained to
them the great probability there was of our being able to build a vessel
sufficient to transport us from this island; but that it would be a
laborious task, and must require their united best endeavours. To this
they all consented, and promised to work with great diligence, begging
me to give them directions how to proceed. I then ordered the men who
had axes on shore, before the wreck, to cut wood for making charcoal,
while the rest went down to the wreck to get the boltsprit ashore, of
which I proposed to make the keel of our intended vessel; and I
prevailed on the carpenter to go with me, to fix upon the properest
place for building. The people found a great many useful materials about
the wreck; and among the rest the topmast, which had been washed on
shore, and was of the greatest importance.
We laid the blocks for building upon on the 8th June, and had the
boltsprit ready at hand to lay down as the keel; when the carpenter
turned short round upon me, and swore an oath that he would not strike
another stroke on the work, for he would be slave to nobody, and thought
himself now on a footing with myself. I was at first angry, but came at
length to an agreement with him, to give him a four-pistole piece as
soon as the stern and stern-posts were up, and 100 dollars when the bark
was finished, and the money to be committed to the keeping of any one he
chose to name. This being settled, he went to work upon the keel, which
was to be thirty feet long; the breadth of our bark, by the beam,
sixteen feet, and her hold seven feet deep. In two months we made a
tolerable shew, owing in a great measure to the ingenuity of Poppleston,
our armourer, who never lost a minute in working with his hands, or
contriving in his head. He made us a small double-headed maul, hammers,
chisels, and a sort of gimblets or wimbles, which performed very well.
He even made a bullet-mould, and an instrument to bore cartouch-boxes,
which he made from the trucks of our gun-carriages, covering them with
seal-skins, and contrived to make them not only convenient, but neat. He
contrived to execute any iron-work wanted by the carpenter, and even
finished a large serviceable boat, of which we stood much in need.
In the beginning of this great work the people behaved themselves very
well, half of them working regularly one day, and the other half the
next, seeming every day to grow easier under our misfortunes.
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