Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/340

282 nearly overcome us, and here we found the wool and oakum, or fothering, which had relieved us in so unexpected a manner.

The effect of this coral rock upon her bottom is difficult to describe, but more to believe; it had cut through her plank and deep into one of her timbers, smoothing the gashes still before it, so that the whole might easily be imagined to have been cut with an axe.

Myself employed all day in laying in plants; the people who were sent to the other side of the water to shoot pigeons, saw an animal as large as a greyhound, of a mouse colour, and very swift; they also saw many Indian houses, and a brook of fresh water.

24th. Gathering plants, and hearing descriptions of the animal, which is now seen by everybody. A seaman who had been out in the woods brought home the description of an animal he had seen, composed in so seamanlike a style that I cannot help mentioning it; "it was (says he) about as large and much like a one-gallon cagg, as black as the devil, and had two horns on its head; it went but slowly, but I dared not touch it."

25th. In gathering plants to-day I had the good fortune to see the beast so much talked of, though but imperfectly; he was not only like a greyhound in size and running, but had a tail as long as any greyhound's; what to liken him to I could not tell, nothing that I have seen at all resembles him.

26th. Since the ship has been hauled ashore, the water has, of course, all gone backwards; and my plants, which for safety had been stowed in the bread room, were this day found under water. Nobody had warned me of this danger, which never once entered my head. The mischief, however, was now done, so I set to work to remedy it to the best of my power. The day was scarcely long enough to get them