ll our troubles.

By constant labour, and using a variety of contrivances, we at length
finished our bark, but in such a manner that I may safely assert, a
similar bottom never before swam on the sea. Our boat also was launched
on the 9th September; and our bark being now in a fair way of being
completed, it remained to consider what provisions we could get to
support us during our voyage, all our stock being one cask of beef, five
or six bushels of _farina de poa_, or cassada flour, and four or five
live hogs. I made several experiments to preserve both fish and seal,
but found that this could not be done without salt. At length we fell
upon a contrivance for curing conger eels, by splitting them, taking out
their backbones, dipping them in sea-water, and then drying them in a
great smoke; but as no other fish could be cured in a similar manner,
our fishers were directed to catch as many congers as they could. At
this time several of our people who had not hitherto done any work,
began to repent of their folly, as they grew weary of living on this
island, and now offered their services to go a-fishing, making some idle
excuses for being so long idle, asking my pardon, and promising not to
lose a moment in future. The new boat was sent to try her fortune, and
returned at night with a great parcel of various kinds of fish, among
which were about 200 congers, which was a good beginning, and which were
divided among the tents to be cured. Our boat was carefully hauled on
shore every night, and strictly guarded, to prevent any of our people
from stealing her, and making their escape. By her means also, Mr
Brooks, our only diver, tried what could be recovered from that part of
the wreck which had not been drifted on shore; but could only weigh one
small gun, and two pieces of a large church candlestick, belonging to
our owners.

Our boat was daily employed in fishing, for which purpose the armourer
supplied hooks; and our men made abundance of lines of twisted ribbons,
a great quantity of which had been driven on shore. Others of the men
were employed in making twine stuff for rigging, patching up old canvass
for sails, and a variety of other necessary contrivances to enable us to
put to sea; and our cooper put our casks in order; and at length we set
up our masts, which were tolerably well rigged, and our bark made a
decent figure. My spirits were however much damped, by the extreme
difficulty of caulking her tight, as her