exerted in our endeavours to leave the island.
Accordingly we soon found a remedy for our sickness, which was nothing but
the effects of famine, and were greatly restored by food. The provision was
equally distributed among us all, and served us for the remainder of our
stay here.

We began to grow extremely impatient to leave the island, as the days were
now nearly at their longest, and about Midsummer in these parts; but as to
the weather, there seems to be little difference in a difference of
seasons. Accordingly, on the 15th of December, the day being tolerable, we
told Captain Cheap we thought it a fine opportunity to run across the bay.
But he first desired two or three of us to accompany him to our place of
observation, the top of Mount Misery, when, looking through his
perspective, he observed to us that the sea ran very high without. However,
this had no weight with the people, who were desirous, at all events, to be
gone. I should here observe, that Captain Cheap's plan was, if possible, to
get to the island of Chiloe, and if we found any vessel there, to board her
immediately and cut her out. This he might certainly have done with ease,
had it been his good fortune to get round with the boats.

We now launched both boats, and got every thing on board of them as quick
as possible. Captain Cheap, the surgeon, and myself, were in the barge with
nine men, and, Lieutenant Hamilton and Mr Campbell in the yawl with six. I
steered the barge, and Mr Campbell the yawl; but we had not been two hours
at sea before the wind shifted more to the westward and began to blow very
hard, and the sea ran extremely high, so that we could no longer keep our
heads towards the cape or headland we had designed for. This cape we had
had a view of, in one of the intervals of fair weather during our abode on
the island, from Mount Misery; and it seemed to be distant between twenty
and thirty leagues from us. We were now obliged to bear away right before
the wind. Though the yawl was not far from us, we could see nothing of her,
except now and then upon the top of a mountainous sea. In both the boats
the men were obliged to sit as close as possible, to receive the seas on
their backs, to prevent their filling us, which was what we every moment
expected. We were obliged to throw every thing overboard to lighten the
boats, all our beef, and even the grapnel, to prevent sinking. Night was
coming on, and we were running on a lee-shore fast, w