DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70303#0480
442 ADVENTURES of the crew of the wager.
from whence grow two large fins like feet, and two out
of the breast, by means of which they climb shocks and
precipices, though they delight to sleep near the shore.
Some were fourteen feet long, and very fat; but their
ordinary length is eight feet. The flesh of the young
ones is almost as white as lamb, and tolerable eating.—
From shoulder to tail they taper like a fish; and when
the females give suck they sit on their hinder fins, Their
hair is of different colours, and vgry sleek when they
come out of the sea.
Our provisions were not very difficult to be had, and
tye were supplied with wood from a coppice about seven
miles off. We generally had a hot supper, and passed
the time as cheerfully as fellows in our circumstances
could expect; but we knew we could not take a settled
abode in this'place, and could perceive no trace of in-
habitants having ever been there; for the bay being
deep, and shoal water, no ships probably ever put into
it, unless forced by stress of weather, and then they
must have been inevitably wrecked. . Nothing in short,
remained but to make a second attempt for the river Plate.
Having therefore laid in a proper stock, we set out
again towards the latter end of May. In three days we
travelled about seventy miles, when a violent storm came,
pn, accompanied with rain, thunder, and lightning,
•which continued all night. We found no place of shel-
ter, and had nothing to cover us but a seal-skin jacket;
we were half dead with cold. We feared that our pro-
visions would not hold out, having met with no kind of
supply by the way, and that to proceed farther would
only be lengthening our journey back again. Now for
the first time we had like to have disagreed, even to part-
ing; some being for pushing on at all events. However,
we jointly at last, concluded on making the best of our
way back again once more.
Being
from whence grow two large fins like feet, and two out
of the breast, by means of which they climb shocks and
precipices, though they delight to sleep near the shore.
Some were fourteen feet long, and very fat; but their
ordinary length is eight feet. The flesh of the young
ones is almost as white as lamb, and tolerable eating.—
From shoulder to tail they taper like a fish; and when
the females give suck they sit on their hinder fins, Their
hair is of different colours, and vgry sleek when they
come out of the sea.
Our provisions were not very difficult to be had, and
tye were supplied with wood from a coppice about seven
miles off. We generally had a hot supper, and passed
the time as cheerfully as fellows in our circumstances
could expect; but we knew we could not take a settled
abode in this'place, and could perceive no trace of in-
habitants having ever been there; for the bay being
deep, and shoal water, no ships probably ever put into
it, unless forced by stress of weather, and then they
must have been inevitably wrecked. . Nothing in short,
remained but to make a second attempt for the river Plate.
Having therefore laid in a proper stock, we set out
again towards the latter end of May. In three days we
travelled about seventy miles, when a violent storm came,
pn, accompanied with rain, thunder, and lightning,
•which continued all night. We found no place of shel-
ter, and had nothing to cover us but a seal-skin jacket;
we were half dead with cold. We feared that our pro-
visions would not hold out, having met with no kind of
supply by the way, and that to proceed farther would
only be lengthening our journey back again. Now for
the first time we had like to have disagreed, even to part-
ing; some being for pushing on at all events. However,
we jointly at last, concluded on making the best of our
way back again once more.
Being