Page:Narrative of a Voyage around the World - 1843.djvu/86

 38 At length, on the morning of the 22 April, we succeeded in passing Kellett out in his gig by six We had no serviceable whale-boat remaining, and one of our gigs was therefore sent. She swamped in a heavy roller, but the officer, Mr. Speck, mate, and crew, having been selected for the duty and well prepared, swam in with the connecting line fast to our cutter, which was moored without the danger limit. They also succeeded in bringing in the boat, but bilged. A cask containing implements was then hauled in, into which the clothes and instruments were packed and sent off by the line to the cutter. Having repaired our boat rapidly, we made an attempt, and fortunately passed without a spray.

The body of the coxswain was not found, although the shores were searched daily. It is probable that he was taken by the sharks, as he was a light hand and expert swimmer.

"Port of Libertad." One would naturally expect from this title that something pretending to a bay, or deep indentation at least, would have warranted the appellation. But a straight sandy beach, between two slightly projecting ledges of rock about one mile asunder, forms the playa of Libertad: it is law and interest only that have made it a port.

At times the bay is smooth, but the substratum at the beach being of large smooth boulders of compact basalt, the instant the surf rises they are freed from their sandy covering, and a dangerous moving