ed ourselves in the clothes of Captain
Frere and the pilot, we left the brig at sundown, lying with her channel
plates nearly under water.

"The wind freshening during the night, our launch, which might, indeed,
be termed a long-boat, having been fitted with mast, bowsprit, and main
boom, began to be very uneasy, shipping two seas one after the other.
The plan we could devise was to sit, four of us about, in the stern
sheets, with our backs to the sea, to prevent the water pooping us. This
itself was enough to exhaust the strongest men. The day, however, made
us some amends for the dreadful night. Land was not more than ten miles
from us; approaching as nearly as we could with safety, we hauled our
wind, and ran along in, trusting to find some harbour. At half-past two
we sighted a bay of very curious appearance, having two large rocks at
the entrance, resembling pyramids. Shiers, Russen, and Fair landed, in
hopes of discovering fresh water, of which we stood much in need. Before
long they returned, stating that they had found an Indian hut, inside
of which were some rude earthenware vessels. Fearful of surprise, we lay
off the shore all that night, and putting into the bay very early in the
morning, killed a seal. This was the first fresh meat I had tasted for
four years. It seemed strange to eat it under such circumstances. We
cooked the flippers, heart, and liver for breakfast, giving some to
a cat which we had taken with us out of the brig, for I would not,
willingly, allow even that animal to perish. After breakfast, we got
under weigh; and we had scarcely been out half an hour when we had a
fresh breeze, which carried us along at the rate of seven knots an hour,
running from bay to bay to find inhabitants. Steering along the shore,
as the sun went down, we suddenly heard the bellowing of a bullock, and
James Barker, whom, from his violent conduct, I thought incapable of
such sentiment, burst into tears.

"In about two hours we perceived great fires on the beach and let go
anchor in nineteen fathoms of water. We lay awake all that night. In the
morning, we rowed further inshore, and moored the boat to some seaweed.
As soon as the inhabitants caught sight of us, they came down to the
beach. I distributed needles and thread among the Indians, and on my
saying 'Valdivia,' a woman instantly pointed towards a tongue of land to
the southward, holding up three fingers, and crying 'leaghos'! which I
conjectured to be thre