Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/47

 O SURVEY O! THE INTERTROPICAL under our stern, the anchor was dropped, with- out my ascertaining the quality of the bottom, which was ards found to be of a very questionable nature. The Dick, having dropped her anchor within forty yards of us, was lying so close as to pre- vent our veering more cable than sixty fathoms, but as we appeared to ride tolerably easy with a sheer to starboard, while the Dick rode on the opposite sheer, we remained as we were: to prevent accident, the yards were braced so that we should cast clear of the Dick if we parted, a precaution which was most happily taken. As soon as the distressing accident that had occurred was known on board the Dick, Dr. Arm- strong, a surgeon of the navy and a passenger in that ship, hastened on board to assist Mr. Montgomery in dressing Mr. Roe's hurt, which I found, to my inexpressible satisfaction, was not so.grievous. as might have been expected: his fall was, most providentially, broken twice;' first by the spritsail brace, and secondly by some planks from the Frederick's wreck, which had fortunately been placed across the forecastle bul- wark over the cat.heads: his head struck tim edge of the plank and broke his fall, but it cut a very deep wound over the right temple.. This

�