The Governor, who seems to have been most polite and
obliging to everybody, permitted two Portuguese sailors to be entered on
her muster-roll, which brought her crew up to twelve. Soon after leaving
port, one of the seamen became ill, and as his temperature rose very high
the commander gave orders for him to be immediately isolated, though he
was fortunately cured in four days. The food served to the men then
underwent some alteration. It was thought that oatmeal was too heating in
the humid weather of the tropics, and tea was substituted for it at
breakfast, wine supplemented with spruce beer being issued instead of
spirits. Not one man fell sick afterwards.
As the ship neared the Equator various cross-currents were frequently met
with, and "heavy squalls with rain" and a very disagreeable sea arose,
the result of a sudden change of wind from north-north-east to south-west
and south-south-west. The Lady Nelson pitched and rolled considerably,
and nearly every one on board was sea-sick. On the 6th it fell calm
again.
At 6 A.M. on the 9th a schooner was sighted, and shortly afterward a
brig, which stood towards the ship. Believing that the latter was an
enemy, Grant was glad when a storm hid her from view. On the 10th,
however, a glimpse of the brig was again caught, and on the 13th two more
sail were descried standing to the westward, but they finally
disappeared. The Lady Nelson was now surrounded by flying-fish and
tropical birds in great numbers, the latter being of the species
mentioned by Captain Cook as seen by him when he traversed this route.
On May 16th a long, heavy swell was experienced with light airs, and the
sea took a luminous appearance. A spell of bad weather followed, ending
on the 23rd, when, the day being fine, the boats were lowered and the
keels overhauled and repaired, and it was then found that a new piece of
wood which had been put on the after keel at Port Praya was missing. Not
having sufficient timber on board to repair it as before, the keel was
let farther down in the well and a breadth of planking was joined to it
with iron hooping and nails, with the result that it extended three feet
below the vessel.
On the 28th, when nearing Rio de Janeiro, an inspection was made of the
bread and water, and as the latter was found to be in good condition
Grant decided not to enter the port. Some of the bread was a little
damaged by leakage into the bread room, but a more water-tight place for
storing it was soon found.
