CHAPTER IV.

Transactions in Dusky Bay, with an Account of several Interviews with the Inhabitants.

1773 March

As I did not like the place we had anchored in, I sent Lieutenant Pickersgill over to the S.E. side of the bay, to search for a better; and I went myself to the other side, for the same purpose, where I met with an exceedingly snug harbour, but nothing else worthy of notice.  Mr Pickersgill reported, upon his return, that he had found a good harbour, with every conveniency.  As I liked the situation of this, better than the other of my own finding, I determined to go there in the morning.  The fishing-boat was very successful; returning with fish sufficient for all hands for supper; and, in a few hours in the morning, caught as many as served for dinner.  This gave us certain hopes of being plentifully supplied with this article.  Nor did the shores and woods appear less destitute of wild fowl; so that we hoped to enjoy with ease, what, in our situation, might be called the luxuries of life.  This determined me to stay some time in this bay, in order to examine it thoroughly; as no one had ever landed before, on any of the southern parts of this country.

On the 27th, at nine o’clock in the morning, we got under sail with a light breeze at S.W., and working over to Pickersgill harbour, entered it by a channel scarcely twice the width of the ship; and in a small creek, moored head and stern, so near the shore as to reach it with a brow or stage, which nature had in a manner prepared for us in a large tree, whose end or top reached our gunwale.  Wood, for fuel and other purposes, was here so convenient, that our yards were locked in the branches of the trees; and, about 100 yards from our stern, was a fine stream of freshwater.  Thus situated, we began to clear places in the woods, in order to set up the astronomer’s observatory, the forge to repair our iron-work, tents for the sail-makers and coopers to repair the sails and casks in; to land our empty casks, to fill water, and to cut down wood for fuel; all of which were absolutely necessary occupations.  We also began to brew beer from the branches or leaves of a tree, which much resembles the American black-spruce.  From the knowledge I had of this tree, and the similarity it bore to the spruce, I judged that, with the addition of inspissated juice of wort and molasses, it would make a very wholesome beer, and supply the want of vegetables, which this place did not afford; and the event proved that I was not mistaken.

Now I have mentioned the inspissated juice of wort, it will not be amiss, in this place, to inform the reader, that I had made several trials of it since I left the Cape of Good Hope, and found it to answer in a cold climate, beyond all expectation.  The juice, diluted in warm water, in the proportion of twelve parts water to one part juice, made a very good and well-tasted small-beer.  Some juice which I had of Mr Pelham’s own preparing, would bear sixteen parts water.  By making use of warm-water, (which I think ought always to be done,) and keeping it in a warm place, if the weather be cold, no difficulty will be found in fermenting it.  A little grounds of either small or strong-beer, will answer as well as yeast.