Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/87

nesday, the 17th, to quote the log, “Strong breezes and squally. Made and shortened sail as required, and lay-to till daylight; then stood in for the harbor, to come to an anchor in 4½ fathoms water, clay bottom,” The harbor was in Banks Peninsula, but whether or not it was Akaroa is a moot point. Some persons are of opinion it was Port Levy. At any rate, wherever it was, they found a convenient place for hauling the brig ashore, and, stripping off the copper, found several bad places. Wherever the harbor was, it must have been close to Akaroa, for on March 27th we read that two boats were sent to “Wangaloor,” as it is spelt, and on April 15th a boat was sent to Pigeon Bay to cut spars for a house. On the 18th of April they commenced building a house of “timber and flags,” the latter, no doubt, being raupo. Maoris helped them at the work. On the 27th of the same month the American ships Friendship and Nile arrived. From this time whales seem to have been very plentiful, for there are almost daily records of their being taken. The Caroline, ship, Captain Cherry, arrived on May 20th, so the harbor, wherever it was, must have been quite lively. Some of the whales gave them a good deal of trouble, for we hear of the boats being stove in, and of narrow escapes; but fish, as they called them, were very numerous indeed, no less than ten being caught in one week.

On Friday, July 15th, they finished their shore works, and all hands were employed getting ready the vessel for sea, and on the 16th they sailed. They got a number of whales outside, and returned to the harbor to try them out. At length, on Sunday, the 24th of the same month, the vessel put to sea, The voyage back to Sydney was very uneventful and quiet, and on the 9th of August the pilot came on board, and the same evening the good brig Bee, with her valuable freight, dropped anchor in Sydney Harbor.