Page:The crater; or, Vulcan's peak.djvu/359

This page needs to be proofread.

OR, VULCAN S PEAK. 110 had all sprouted, and promised soon to enclose the dwell ing in a grove. Some fifty acres had been tilled, more or less thoroughly, and timothy was already growing that was breast-high. Clover looked well, too, as did everything else ; the guano having lost none of its virtue since the late arrivals. The governor sent back the Anne, with instructions to prepare room for the immigrants in the government dwell ing, which, luckily, was large enough to receive them all. He waited with the Rancocus, however, for the Henlopen to come in and anchor. He then went on board this brig, and took a look at the stock. Saunders, a discreet, sen sible man, so well understood the importance of adding to the physical force of the colony, in the way of brutes, that he had even strained the point to bring as many mares and cows as he could stow. He had put on board twenty-five of the last, and twenty of the first; all purchased at Valpa raiso. The weather had been so mild, that no injury had happened to the beasts, but the length of the passage had so far exhausted the supplies that not a mouthful of food had the poor animals tasted for the twenty-four hours before they got in. The water, too, was scarce, and anything but sweet. For a month everything had been on short allow ance, and the suffering creatures must have been enchanted to smell the land. Smell it they certainly did ; for such a lowing, and neighing, and fretting did they keep up, when the governor got alongside of the brig, that he could no* endure the sight of their misery, but determined at once to The brig was anchored within two hundred yards of a fine sandy beach, on which there were several runs of deli cious water, and which communicated directly with a meadow of grass, as high as a man s breast. A bargain was soon made with Dunks ; and the two crews, that of the Rancocus, as well as that of the brig, were set to work without delay to hoist out every creature having a hoof, that was on board the Henlopen. As slings were all ready, little delay was necessary, but a mare soon rose through the hatchway, was swung over the vessel s side, and was lowered into the water. A very simple contrivance re leased the creature from the slings, and off it swam, making the best of its way towards the land. In three minutes the