was not at all intoxicating, but kept them very cool and
orderly.

And now the officers began to consider of all the articles necessary
for the fitting out the bark; when it was found, that the tents on
shore, and the spare cordage accidentally left there by the Centurion,
together with the sails and rigging already belonging to the bark,
would serve to rig her indifferently well, when she was lengthened.
As they had tallow in plenty, they proposed to pay her bottom with
a mixture of tallow and lime, which it was known was well adapted to
that purpose; so that with respect to her equipment, she would not
have been very defective. There was, however, one exception, which
would have proved extremely inconvenient, and that was her size; for
as they could not make her quite forty tun burthen, she would have
been incapable of containing half the crew below the deck, and must
have been so top-heavy, that if they were all at the same time on
deck, there would be no small hazard of her oversetting; but this was
a difficulty not to be removed, as they could not augment her beyond
the size already proposed. After the manner of rigging and fitting up
the bark was considered and regulated, the next essential point to be
thought on was, how to procure a sufficient stock of provisions for
their voyage; and here they were greatly at a loss what course to
take; for they had neither grain nor bread of any kind on shore, their
bread-fruit, which would not keep at sea, having all along supplied
its place; and though they had live cattle enough, yet they had no
salt to cure beef for a sea-store, nor would meat take salt in that
climate. Indeed, they had preserved a small quantity of jerked beef,
which they found upon the place at their landing, but this was greatly
disproportioned to the run of near six hundred leagues, which they
were to engage in, and to the number of hands they should have on
board. It was at last, however, resolved to take on board as many
cocoa-nuts as they possibly could; to make the most of their jerked
beef, by a very sparing distribution of it, and to endeavour to supply
their want of bread by rice; to furnish themselves with which, it was
proposed, when the bark was fitted up, to make an expedition to the
island of Rota, where they were told that the Spaniards had large
plantations of rice under the care of the Indian inhabitants: But as
this last measure was to be executed by force, it became necessary
to exami