Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0294
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[Page 294]
290.
Endeavours Rocks
that the Pinnace touchd ground as he lay under the ships bows ready to take in an anchor, after this the tide began to rise & as it rose the ship workd violently upon the rocks so that by 2 she began to make water & increasd very fast. at night the tide almost floated her but she made water so fast that three pumps hard workd could but just keep her clear & the 4th absolutely refusd to deliver a drop of water. Now in my own opinion I intirely gave up the ship & packing up what I thought I might save prepard myself for the worst.
The most critical part of our distress now aproachd the ship was almost afloat & every thing ready to get her into deep water but she leakd so fast that with all our pumps we could just keep her free if (as was probable) she should make more water when hauld off she must sink & we well knew that our boats were not capable of carrying us all ashore so that some probably the most of us must be drownd a better fate maybe than those would have who should get ashore without arms to defend themselves from the Indians or provide themselves with