256
ARRIVAL OF H.M.S. CARYSFORT.
[Chap. IX.
1842
public stores; for this act of great kindness we all felt most thankful to him.
The merchant at Rio, of whom we had purchased these things, afterwards sent a small vessel on speculation, laden with an additional quantity of those articles of which he thought us likely to be in want; but, from her never having been since heard of, it is to be feared that she foundered in one of the heavy gales which occurred about the time of her expected arrival at the Falklands, and that all hands, amongst whom was the merchant's brother, perished.
June 24.Early the next morning, I went to pay my respects to Lord George Paulet, taking with me Mr. Tucker, master of the Erebus, to pilot the Carysfort into the inner harbour. There was a light adverse wind, but aided by a flowing tide, and admirably manœuvred, she worked through the narrows, and anchored close to the Erebus in the afternoon. It was no small gratification to us to have it in our power to transfer to them a quantity of fresh beef, which our hunting party had sent in that morning, more especially as they could not have obtained any from the government store; and by putting our crews on salt provisions for a few days, which was rather a treat than a privation to them, we were enabled to keep the Carysfort fully supplied during the too brief period of her stay. The pleasure of again meeting with our brother officers, after having been so long deprived of such society, few people can understand, except those