We left Sydney, March 21st, in a large open boat, of twenty-nine feet six inches extreme length over all, and ten feet beam, belonging to William Farrel and Richard Parsons, for the Five Islands, to take in cedar. The crew consisted of Richard Parsons, John Finnegan, John Thompson and myself. We had a considerable quantity of provisions, flour, pork, &c., for the purpose of buying cedar, and four gallons of water and five of rum.
About four o’clock the same evening, when within seven or eight miles of our destination, a violent gale came on from the west, which forced us to lower all sail, and keep the boat before the sea. The night came on with heavy rain and in- creasing wind, but we did not lose sight of land till shut out by darkness. The gale continued with unabated violence for five days, when it moderated; but the sea continued to run so very high, that we were still obliged to keep the boat before it, without being able to carry any sail till the eleventh day, viz, 2nd April, when the sea being much fallen, we made sail, supposing that the current had drifted us to the southward, and that we were then off Van Diemen’s Land.
We had no compass, but we steered by the sun, as near as we could guess, a N.W. course, expecting very soon to make the land in the neighbourhood of the Five Islands, our original destination. Our small stock of water was totally expended on the second day, and the rain we caught in the commencement of the gale was so spoiled by salt water, that we were forced to throw it away.
Our sufferings were dreadful for the following thirteen days, having nothing to drink but rum. We were almost unable to speak, and could with difficulty understand each other. John Thompson, a Scotchman, the best hand in the boat (having been an old man of war’s man) had become quite delirious from drinking salt water, and was totally useless to us.
On the fifteenth day (6th April), a heavy shower of rain fell, and our sails being lowered and spread, we caught about a bucket and a half; but from the sails having been so much drenched with salt-water, it was almost useless to us.
On the eighteenth day (9th April), a light mizzling rain fell, when we caught a bucket-full, which was much better. Thompson recovered a little on getting some of it, but still continued severely purged and otherwise affected by the salt water he had drunk.
We still continued steering the same course, N.W. as we imagined, till the nineteenth day (10th April), when about eleven o’clock a.m. John Finnegan having gone up to the mast-head, said that he saw land right ahead, which he declared to be the headland of Port Stephen, he having formerly worked there; but not being able to credit him, I went up to the mast-head myself, and, after looking earnestly for some time, was unable to determine whether it was land or a cloud: however, we determined to steer for it; but towards evening we lost sight of it entirely.
Thompson was at this time very bad, and Finnegan had become quite deaf; while Parsons and myself, though not so bad, were hardly able to speak or move: a dreadful lassitude came over us, and it was with much difficulty we could keep our watch of two hours each. We continued in this state till the twenty-first day (12th April), when at daylight, it being my watch, I distinctly saw land ahead, which, as the morning advanced, appeared to be three or four islands. We made all sail for them.
Thompson, on hearing this joyful news, apparently revived a little; we had been obliged to bind him hand and foot, three or four days before, to prevent his jumping overboard, being completely deranged: his feet were now untied, when he immediately came aft to me, imagining we had already been on shore, and entreated for God’s sake I would give him fresh water. When he found I was not able to comply with his request, he became worse; raving in the most incoherent manner, saying he had just dined with his family in Scotland, &c.: he then lay down near the well, and in the course of an hour expired.
We now stood on for the land till about ten o’clock, p.m., when, expecting to get on shore at daylight next morning, we hove the boat to, being then, according to our judgment, about an hour’s run from the shore. We saw plainly the natives round their fires, and intended to keep clear of them, if possible, the next day.
About mid- night the boat struck on a reef of rocks, but being light, the heave of the sea carried her over it without damage; and when daylight broke, we found we had drifted so far to sea that the land was barely visible: however, we had a fine fresh favourable breeze and smooth water, and again steered for the same land, and by sunset were within two or three miles of shore, but a little to the north of the place where we hove to the night before. We were, however, fearful of venturing on shore on account of the natives, whom we again distinctly saw; we therefore kept on through the night, steering north.
In the morning the wind was light and the water smooth, and we were close in with the shore. I now saw plainly a run of fresh water trickling through the beach, and proposed to take the boat’s running rigging and make it fast to the keg, and swim ashore with it, by which means they could haul the fresh water on board; but this was objected to by Parsons, who being half-owner of the boat, was afraid of her being lost; we therefore continued our course all day, and towards evening Parsons declared he was dying, and that he must have fresh water if the boat was lost. We therefore looked out for a place to run her ashore or land, but the breakers and swell prevented us; so we continued our course all that night under easy sail.
Thompson’s body had continued on board all this time, as we constantly expected to be able to land and bury it: it now, however, began to grow offensive, and we consulted whether we should not throw it overboard. This was agreed to after some altercation. He was then searched, and in his waistcoat we found his ticket-of-leave sewed up. Parsons then bound a handkerchief over his face, and he was thrown overboard. He had been kept so long11 that he swam as light as a cork on the water. We continued the whole of this day, the twenty-fourth (15th April), running along shore to the northward, without being able to effect a landing; and during the night we ran on the same course under easy sail.
The next morning Finnegan, who was at the helm, said he saw a bight in which we could anchor, with a stream of fresh water running in it. We accordingly steered into it, the water being tolerably smooth, and let go our anchor at about half or quarter of a mile from the shore, and paved out about forty fathoms of cable to let her drift further in. I then stripped, and having made the running rigging fast to the keg, jumped over and attempted to swim for the shore; but I was so weak and exhausted that, what with the little surf, and what with the keg, I was in the water near an hour and a half before I could succeed in landing; but no sooner did my foot touch the ground than I ran to the fresh water, and lying down by it, I drank like a horse. I then returned to the beach for the keg, which I again left and ran back for another drink. This happened three or four times; and when I attempted to fill the keg, I was quite unable to do it, from weakness and the quantity of water I had swallowed.
In the meantime it began to blow very fresh from the eastward, and my companions called loudly to me to come on board to assist in hauling the boat off; but the surf ran so high, and my weakness was such, that I did not dare to venture again into the water: I therefore called to them, as the breeze freshened, to cut the cable and let her run ashore. This, after some time, they did; and with the help of a little swimming, both got safe on shore.
The boat grounded on the sandy beach, and in less than five minutes her bottom was stove in. The eagerness of my companions for fresh water even exceeded mine. I had brought on shore a pint tin pot to fill the keg: Parsons emptied this thirteen times in succession; while Finnegan lay down in the water and drank to such excess that his stomach could not retain it, but threw it all up again. This he repeated four several times. We had all of us stripped off our clothes for the purpose of swimming on shore, and the surf now ran so high, that it was impossible to approach the boat for the purpose of getting them; so that we were all perfectly naked, with the exception of an old rug jacket that Finnegan picked up next morning.