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Patagonia Bookshelf

Rev. Robert Hunt at San Gregorio, 1845
Diary kept by the missionary companion of Captain Allen Gardiner

December 1844

Dec. 10th

Outward Voyage

Ship's Log

January 1845

Jan. 2nd Jan. 31st

February 1845

Feb. 6th Feb. 17th Feb. 20th Feb. 21st Feb. 22nd Feb. 23rd Feb. 24th Feb. 25th Feb. 26th Feb. 27th Feb. 28th

March 1845

Mar. 1st Mar. 2nd Mar. 3rd Mar. 4th Mar. 5th Mar. 6th Mar. 7th Mar. 8th Mar. 9th Mar. 10th Mar. 11th Mar. 14th Mar. 15th Mar. 16th Mar. 17th Mar. 18th Mar. 19th Mar. 20th Mar. 21st

June 1845

Jun. 15th Jun. 21st Jun. 28th Jun. 29th Jun. 30th

July 1845

Jul. 1st

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Sunday, February 23rd, 1845

[morning] We attempted to reach the vessel for the sake of performing the Services, but the boat was swamped and filled by the surf as we were attempting to get off. We came to shore wet enough and I, having no change of clothes on shore, determined to return to the house and go to bed after sending a note requesting Captain Boyse to send me some dry clothes, if the wind permitted. Here Captain Gardiner perseveringly attempted to dictate what I should say and what I should do on this perfectly personal and private matter. I therefore politely and mildly requested, that he would allow me to act according to my own judgement in such matters. Upon which he apologised as he had done once before, though not in the presence of those before whom the harsh expression was uttered. However, I find that this propensity to domination is a habit which I think he knows to be a failing and mourns over. I shall therefore bear with him to the utmost limit of duty to myself and to my position; though, as I told him, if his behaviour left me with as little influence and respect in the eyes of the Patagonians as it had done in the sight of the crew of the Rosalie, one of whom had insulted me, in consequence of his hasty behaviour to me, I might as well be at home for any good that I could effect among them.

About noon of this day the weather moderated. Captain Gardiner went aboard and took my note to Captain Boyse, who came himself with a boat, bringing my clothes and a message from Captain Gardiner intimating that he wished to see me aboard. I therefore went, much against my will, as the Sunday Service was over and I did not care about dinner. We had scarcely left the shore before the wind freshened very much and our little boat was in great jeopardy, being obliged to make all sail in the eye of the wind, to prevent our being driven out to sea. We were nearly upset several times by sudden gusts of wind; on these occasions the water rushed over the side of the boat in a fearful manner and we were more than once half full; there was also a heavy anchor in the boat, as a necessary ballast to prevent the wind from throwing us over; being lashed to the bottom, this anchor would have sunk us immediately if we had taken in much more water.

Although we ran these risks by keeping up all possible sail, in order to fetch the ship, still we could not beat sufficiently to windward to effect our object and we were obliged to pass her within about 100 yards without being able to render us any assistance, although they attempted to do so by letting the jolly boat drift toward us with a rope, but it did not come far enough. Of course, in such a rough sea and wind they did not put any hands into her. Our next effort was to reach them by tacking, which in this case was a critical operation, not only on account of the wind and sea, but also because the ballast anchor was necessarily lashed as much as possible to the windward side of the boat to counteract the force of the wind; this could not be shifted before the tack, consequently it remained for some time acting with, instead of contrary, to the wind. In this manner we remained tacking about for two or three hours, all hands in the vessel looking anxiously for what should happen, Captain Boyse saying that he remembered with sorrow that he could not swim, the second Mate saying we were "likely to go to Kingdom Come" and every one of ourselves, as well as on board the Rosalie, wishing we could get out of our danger.

During a great part of this time the sea was beating over us on one side and running into us on the other, keeping some of the men baling with buckets as fast as possible in order to keep us from quite filling. In consequence of some of the hands being thus employed, Captain Boyse entrusted me with the most important rope in the boat saying "Now Mr. Hunt, you must hold that rope with the grip of death." I understood that to slacken this rope, which was attached to the Mainsail Boom, would give the wind less power to blow us over on our broadside and consequently diminish the danger of being filled with water; but on the other hand it would have given us less power to beat to windward and increased the danger of our being driven out to sea in this little open boat. I therefore determined I would not intentionally either slacken or make it more taut without Captain Boyse's directions.

While doing my best to keep it at its proper tension by twisting it once round the seat and holding the end in my hand, for it could not be tied, as, if it were not slackened at the very moment when necessary, we should certainly quite fill. While doing this I was often tossed from side to side by the pitching of the boat and once a sea struck her so violently as to make her give a sudden lurch which knocked me off my feet and laid me at full length at the bottom of the boat; but not exactly so either, for at the same moment there came a puff of wind, which almost laid her on her broadside and the water rushing in fast, I might be said to be as much on the water as on the bottom of the boat; nevertheless, I did not let go the rope or allow it to slip an inch, at which, when the danger was over, Captain Boyse heartily laughed.

Upon this occasion I thought myself within half an hour of eternity and could not refrain from speaking to the hands in the boat of the folly and wickedness of their profane and thoughtless swearing etc.; to which Captain Boyse replied that it was so much a habit with some of them that, if they were drowning they could utter some such expression every time their heads came above the water. I had previously protested twice against this wicked practice in some sermons that I wrote for the crew; and in private conversations with Captain Boyse, I so far convinced him of the impropriety of it, as to induce him to endeavour to leave it off and there was a manifest improvement in this respect in some of the crew.

After passing the ship in several ineffectual attempts to near her, we at length succeeded in coming sufficiently near to catch a rope which was thrown towards us; and so we pulled under the lee of the vessel and jumped aboard, being warmly congratulated by all. In the evening Captain Gardiner and I returned ashore and slept in our wooden house. Captain Gardiner made arrangements with Captain Boyse to have one of the crew set out with him and the Lagoon Indian early on Monday morning in order to find the Patagonians.