Whyna to be in the same vessel with me. The next day
Captain Irving came on board to tell me that he had two more men down
with the fever, and that he wished I could give them some assistance
in getting his cargo on board, which I did, and before night the Amy
was loaded up to the hatchways, and there still remained a considerate
number of elephants' teeth on shore in the hut where he received them.
I therefore determined, as his crew were evidently sickening fast,
that he should sail immediately, and that I would take the remainder
of the ivory on board of the schooner and follow him, giving him a
rendezvous to wait at until I joined him, that we might proceed home
in company. That night three of my men were ill.

I was on board of the Amy, and had been talking with Whyna, who wanted
to know why I did not sleep on board of the vessel. I told her that I
could not, but that we were to go to England directly, and that I was
living on board of the schooner. Captain Irving weighed at daybreak,
and in an hour was out of the river, and as I was as anxious to be
clear of such an unhealthy spot, I manned my boats and went on shore
for the ivory that was left. I found that it would take the whole of
the day to embark it, as we had to go two miles further up the river
than the depth of water would permit the vessel to do; for the ivory
was in a hut close to the king's house. I had sent off four
boat-loads, and it being then noon, I went off with the fifth myself,
that I might get my dinner, leaving the second mate to attend on
shore, and taking with me the first mate who messed in the cabin. As
we were in the middle of the stream, the boat struck against a stump
of a tree, as we supposed, and knocked so large a hole in the bow that
she began to fill. I immediately ordered the men to pull for the
nearest point, which was on the opposite side of the river, that we
might ground the boat to prevent her sinking.

The first mate, who was a very active man, finding that the elephants'
teeth prevented his reaching the bow of the boat, and stuffing into it
some oakum which he had found in the stern sheets, sounded with the
boat-hook, and finding that there was not more than three feet of
water where we were pulling, jumped over the bows to push the oakum
into the hole; but the poor fellow had not been a few seconds in the
water, when he gave a shriek, and we perceived that a large shark had
snapped him in two. This was a sad mishap, and