CHAPTER XVII

More Stores from the Wreck

I rose with the first crowing of the cock, descended the ladder, and set about skinning the kangaroo, taking care not to deface its beautiful smooth coat; but I advanced so slowly in the business, that my family were assembled about me, and calling out Famine! before I had finished my work. Breakfast over, I ordered Fritz to get ready for Tent House, where we should prepare the boat, and again proceed to the vessel.

We took Ernest and Jack a little way with us, and then I sent them back with a message to their mother, which I had not the resolution to deliver myself—that we might be forced to pass the night on board the vessel, and not return till the evening of the following day. It was most essential to get out of it, if yet afloat, all that could be saved, as a moment might complete its destruction.

We got into the boat, and, gaining the current, quickly cleared Safety Bay, and reached the vessel, whose open side offered us an ample space to get on board. When we had fastened our boat, our first care was to select fit materials to construct a raft. Our boat of staves had neither room nor solidity enough to carry a considerable burden; we therefore looked about, and found a sufficient number of water-casks, which appeared to me proper for my new enterprise. We emptied them, replaced the bungs carefully, and threw the casks overboard, after securing them with ropes and cramps, so as to keep them together at the vessel’s side: this completed, we placed a sufficient number of planks upon them to form a firm and commodious platform, or deck, to which we added a gun-wale of a foot in depth all round, to secure the lading. Thus we contrived a handsome raft, in which we could stow thrice as much as in our boat. This laborious task had taken up the whole day; we scarcely allowed ourselves a minute to eat some cold meat we had provided, that we might not lose any time in looking for the provisions on board the vessel. In the evening, Fritz and I were so weary, that it would have been impossible for us to row back to land; so having taken all due precaution in case of a storm, we lay down in the captain’s cabin, on a good elastic mattress, which induced such sound repose, that our prudent design to watch in turn, for fear of accident, was forgotten, and we both slept heavily, side by side, till broad daylight opened our eyes. We rose, and actively set to work to load our raft.

We began with stripping the cabin of its doors and windows, with their appendages; next we secured the carpenter’s and gunner’s chests, containing all their tools and implements: those we could remove with levers and rollers were put entire upon the raft, and we took out of the others what rendered them too heavy. One of the captain’s chests was filled with costly articles, which, no doubt, he meant to dispose of to the opulent planters of Port Jackson, or among the savages. In the collection were several gold and silver watches, snuff-boxes of all descriptions, buckles, shirt-buttons, necklaces, rings; in short, an abundance of all the trifles of European luxury. But the discovery that delighted me most was a chest containing some dozens of young plants of every species of European fruits, which had been carefully packed in moss for transportation. I perceived pear, plum, almond, peach, apple, apricot, chestnut trees, and vine shoots. We discovered a number of bars of iron, and large pigs of lead, grinding-stones, cart-wheels ready for mounting, a complete set of farrier’s instruments, tongs, shovels, ploughshares, rolls of iron and copper wire, sacks full of maize, pease, oats, vetches, and even a little handmill. The vessel had been freighted with everything likely to be useful in an infant colony so distant. We found a saw-mill in a separated state, but each piece numbered, and so accurately fitted that nothing was easier than to put it together for use.

We with difficulty and hard labour finished our loading, having added a large fishing-net, quite new, and the vessel’s great compass. With the net, Fritz found two harpoons and a rope-windlass, such as they use in the whale-fishery. He asked me to let him place the harpoons, tied to the end of the rope, over the bow of our tub-boat, and thus be in readiness in case of seeing any large fish; and I indulged him in his fancy.

Having completely executed our undertaking, we stepped into the tub-boat, and pushed out for the current, drawing our raft triumphantly after us with a stout rope, which we had been careful to fasten securely at its head.