ble of acting, they
would have carried the boat on shore as soon as we made the island of
Timor, without considering that landing among the natives, at a distance
from the European settlement, might have been as dangerous as among any
other Indians.

The quantity of provisions with which we left the ship, was not more
than we should have consumed in five days, had there been no necessity
for husbanding our stock. The mutineers must naturally have concluded
that we could have no other place of refuge than the Friendly Islands;
for it was not likely they should imagine, that, so poorly equipped as
we were in every respect, there could have been a possibility of our
attempting to return homewards: much less will they suspect that the
account of their villany has already reached their native country.

[Sidenote: 1789. JUNE 14.]

When I reflect how providentially our lives were saved at Tofoa, by the
Indians delaying their attack, and that, with scarce any thing to
support life, we crossed a sea of more than 1200 leagues, without
shelter from the inclemency of the weather; when I reflect that in an
open boat, with so much stormy weather, we escaped foundering, that not
any of us were taken off by disease, that we had the great good fortune
to pass the unfriendly natives of other countries without accident, and
at last happily to meet with the most friendly and best of people to
relieve our distresses; I say, when I reflect on all these wonderful
escapes, the remembrance of such great mercies enables me to bear, with
resignation and chearfulness, the failure of an expedition, the success
of which I had so much at heart, and which was frustrated at a time when
I was congratulating myself on the fairest prospect of being able to
complete it in a manner that would fully have answered the intention of
his Majesty, and the honourable promoters of so benevolent a plan.

With respect to the preservation of our health, during a course of 16
days of heavy and almost continual rain, I would recommend to every one
in a similar situation the method we practised, which is to dip their
cloaths in the salt-water, and wring them out, as often as they become
filled with rain; it was the only resource we had, and I believe was of
the greatest service to us, for it felt more like a change of dry
cloaths than could well be imagined. We had occasion to do this so
often, that at length all our cloaths were wrung to pieces: for, except
the few