was an old fishing cabin,
constructed of whale bone, and some seal-skin moccasins; for these rocks
offer not a single tree to the view, and are frequented solely by the
vessels which pursue the whale fishery in the southern seas. We found,
however, two head-boards with inscriptions in English, marking the spot
where two men had been interred: as the letters were nearly obliterated,
we carved new ones on fresh pieces of board procured from the ship. This
pious attention to two dead men nearly proved fatal to a greater number
of the living; for all the casks having been filled and sent on board,
the captain gave orders to re-embark, and without troubling himself to
inquire if this order had been executed or not, caused the anchor to be
weighed on the morning of the 11th, while I and some of my companions
were engaged in erecting the inscriptions of which I have spoken, others
were cutting grass for the hogs, and Messrs M'Dougall and D. Stuart had
gone to the south side of the isle to look for game. The roaring of the
sea against the rock-bound shore prevented them from hearing the gun,
and they did not rejoin us till the vessel was already at sea. We then
lost no time, but pushed off, being eight in number, with our little
boat, only twenty feet keel. We rowed with all our might, but gained
nothing upon the vessel. We were losing sight of the islands at last,
and our case seemed desperate. While we paused, and were debating what
course to pursue, as we had no compass, we observed the ship tacking and
standing toward us. In fine after rowing for three hours and a half, in
an excited state of feeling not easily described, we succeeded in
regaining the vessel, and were taken on board at about three o'clock
P.M.

Having related this trait of malice on the part of our captain, I shall
be permitted to make some remarks on his character. Jonathan Thorn was
brought up in the naval service of his country, and had distinguished
himself in a battle fought between the Americans and the Turks at
Tripoli, some years before: he held the rank of first lieutenant. He
was a strict disciplinarian, of a quick and passionate temper,
accustomed to exact obedience, considering nothing but duty, and giving
himself no trouble about the murmurs of his crew, taking counsel of
nobody, and following Mr. Astor's instructions to the letter. Such was
the man who had been selected to command our ship. His haughty manners,
his rough and overbearing dispos