Page:Wonderful and surprising narrative of Capt. John Inglefield.pdf/7

 of the cock-pit; an immense quantity of staves, wood, and part of the lining of the ship were thrown overboard, that if the water should again appear in the hold, we might have no impediment in bailing. All the guns were thrown overboard, the fore-mast secured, and the machine which was to be similar to the one with which the Ipswich was steered, was in great forwardness, so that I was in hopes, the moderate weather certain, that I should be able to steer the ship by noon the following day, and at least save the people on some of the western islands. Had we had any other ship in company with us, I should have thought it my duty to have quitted the Centaur this day.

This night the people got some rest by relieving the watches, but in the morning (the 21st) we had the mortification to find that the weather again threatned, and by noon blew a storm. The ship laboured greatly, and the water appeared in the fore and after- holds, and increased; the carpenter also informed me that the leathers were consumed, and likewise that the chains of the pumps, by constant exertion, and the friction of the coals, were nearly rendered useless. As we had now no other resource but bailing, I gave orders that scuttles should be cut through the deck to introduce more buckets into the hold, and all the sail-makers were employed night and day in making canvass buckets, and the orlop-deck having fallen in on the larboard side, I ordered the sheetcable to be roused over-board; the wind at this time was at W. and being on the larboard tack, many schemes had been practised to wear the ship, that we might drive into a less boisterous latitude, as well as approach the western islands, but none succeeded, and having a weak carpenter’s crew, they were hardly sufficient to attend the pumps, so that we could not make any progress with the steering machine.

Another sail had been thrummed and got over, but we did not find its use; indeed there was no prospect but in change of weather. A large leak had been discovered and stopt in the fore-hold, and another in the lady-hold, but the ship appeared so weak from her labour, that it was clear she could not last long: the after-cock-pit had fallen in, the fore-cock-pit the same, with all the store-rooms