Page:Narrative of a Voyage around the World - 1843.djvu/140

88 About six the following morning a breeze enabled us to get out. We were visited by the greater part of the canoes; but the chief and his lady, who had taken tea with us, and finished by asking for a little warm gin and water, were probably too sleepy to pay us a visit at this early hour.

About nine the breeze giving us too great a velocity for the canoes, and their saleable articles being expended, one by one they gradually dropped off and left us to pursue our course. We found some difficulty in gaining a fair offing, and stood in until the last moment of daylight, in order to ensure a long tack after eight p.m.

At half-past seven I left the deck, after the deep sea cast was given "no bottom;" but I was not quite satisfied that I ought to credit it. However, as I had great objections to discuss the matter with the mate in charge of the watch, I thought possibly that the next cast he would be more attentive. I had hardly been seated in my cabin five minutes, when breakers ahead and under the lee were reported, and the first lieutenant being on deck, relieved him from charge, and prepared for putting her about. On reaching the deck, I found her behaving well, and by timely humouring with the helm, she was safely stayed. After the sails were full, and with the wind abeam, the influence of the roller swell, within which we were, was such that she barely reached out. The least depth we found after she was tacked, and had gone several times her