Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

DESERTION OF CAPTAIN CHEAP. 117
seriously of putting it in execution; in ordel
to which, a message was sent to the deserters,
who had seated themselves on the other side
of the neighbouring Lagoon, to sound them,
whether they were inclined to join the Captain
in liis undertaking ; and if they were, to bring
them over to him. For this set, the party
who had gone off in the long-boat had left ahalf
allowance proportion of the common stock of
provision. These men, upon the proposal,
readily agreed to join their commander; and
being conducted to him, increased our num¬
ber to twenty. The boats which remained in
our possession to carry off all these people,
were only the barge and yawl, two very crazy
bottoms; the broadside of the last was entirely
out, and the first had suffered much in the
variety of bad weather she had gone through,
and was sadly out of repair. And now our
carpenter was gone from us, we had no re¬
medy for these misfortunes, but the little skill
we had gained from him. However, we made
tolerable shift to patch up the boats for our
purpose. In the height of our distresses,
when hunger, which seems to include and
absorb all others, was most prevailing, we
were cheered with the appearance, once more,