portion of their toil, at the same time that they increased my sincere
esteem for him, were nothing more than what I expected from one who had
endeavoured by every means in his power to contribute to the success of
that enterprise upon which he had embarked. But although I have said
thus much of the exhausted condition of the men, I would by no means be
understood to say that they flagged for a moment, or that a single
murmur escaped them. No reluctance was visible, no complaint was heard,
but there was that in their aspect and appearance which they could not
hide, and which I could not mistake. We re-entered the river on the 13th
under as fair prospects as we could have desired. The gale which had
blown with such violence in the morning gradually abated, and a steady
breeze enabled us to pass our first encampment, by availing ourselves of
it as long as daylight continued.

_Feb. 18th._ The breezes that had so much assisted us from the lake
upwards, had now lost their influence, or failed to reach to the
distance we had gained. Calms succeeded them, and obliged us to labour
continually at the oars. We lost ground fast, and it was astonishing to
remark how soon the men's spirits drooped again under their first
efforts. They fancied the boat pulled heavily and that her bottom was
foul, but such was not the case. The current was not so strong as when
we passed down, since the river had evidently fallen more than a foot,
and was so shallow in several places that we were obliged to haul the
boat over them. On these occasions we were necessarily obliged to get
out of her into the water, and had afterwards to sit still and to allow
the sun to dry our clothes upon us. The unemployed consequently envied
those at the oars, as they sat shivering in their dripping clothes.

I have omitted to mention one remarkable trait of the good disposition
of all the men while on the coast. Our sugar had held out to that point;