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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44193 ***
+
+                           BYRON'S NARRATIVE
+                            OF THE LOSS OF
+                               THE WAGER
+
+                     WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT
+           DISTRESSES SUFFERED BY HIMSELF AND HIS COMPANIONS
+           ON THE COAST OF PATAGONIA FROM THE YEAR 1740 TILL
+                     THEIR ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND 1746
+
+                                LONDON
+                    HENRY LEGGATT & CO 85 CORNHILL
+
+                              MDCCCXXXII
+
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                    PRINTED BY BRADBURY AND EVANS,
+                           BOUVERIE STREET.
+
+
+
+
+                            ADVERTISEMENT.
+
+
+At a time when every thing connected with the name of Byron is regarded
+with such general interest, it is a subject of surprise and regret that
+no popular edition should exist of the Narrative of Commodore Byron.
+Indeed, to procure any copy at all of the work requires some research
+and trouble. To supply this deficiency is the object of the present
+publishers.
+
+To the admirers of the illustrious Poet, the Narrative of the
+sufferings of his grandfather will, on more than one account,
+be acceptable. In the Poems, it is often, whether humorously or
+pathetically, alluded to; for instance, in the mournfully beautiful
+stanzas to his sister, written soon after he left England for the last
+time, he says,
+
+    "A strange doom is thy father's son's, and past
+    Recalling, as it lies beyond redress;
+    Reversed for him _our grandsire's fate_ of yore,
+    He had _no rest at sea_, nor I on shore!"
+
+Again, in a different mood, in Don Juan, after having carried his hero
+through the horrors of a shipwreck, as disastrous and fatal in itself
+and its consequences as his imagination could conceive, he observes--
+
+                      "----for none
+    Had suffered more--his hardships were comparative
+    To those related in my grand-dad's Narrative."
+
+To which passage he appends the following note:--"Admiral Byron was
+remarkable for never making a voyage without a tempest. He was known
+to the sailors by the facetious name of 'foul-weather Jack.'" Indeed,
+to this narrative the poet is indebted for many of the incidents in
+that surpassing description of "the dangers of the sea." The awful
+"whispering" in which, according to the Admiral, the men communicated
+their first horrid thoughts of putting one of their number to death for
+the support of the rest, is admirably preserved and amplified in Don
+Juan:
+
+    "At length one whispered his companion, who
+    Whispered another, and thus it went round,
+    And then into a hoarser murmur grew,
+    An ominous and wild, and desperate sound,
+    And then his comrade's thought each sufferer knew,
+    'Twas but his own, suppressed till now, he found:
+    And out they spoke of lots for flesh and blood,
+    And who should die to be his fellow's food."
+
+The germ of the conception of the cave-scenes, so beautifully described
+in the poem, will also be found here; the fondness of Juan for his
+favourite dog, the voracity with which he devoured the long-withheld
+food, and many other incidents, were suggested by this Narrative.[1]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 1:
+Captain Inglefield's account of the loss of the Centaur, (in
+September, 1782), furnished Byron with many of those trivial incidents,
+which, as the poet well knew, render a story, to use Gibbon's words,
+"circumstancial and animated," instead of "vague and languid;" the
+"eternal difference between fiction and truth." The behaviour of the
+sailors before the sinking of the ship; some lashing themselves in
+their hammocks, some putting on their best clothes; the sail made
+of blankets; the ragged piece of sheet with which they caught the
+rain-water; the words used by the man who first saw the land, &c. &c.,
+are all faithfully copied or slightly altered from Inglefield.]
+
+To those who would study the character of Lord Byron; discover what
+qualities of his nature were derived from his ancestors, and what were
+peculiarly his own; who would trace the effect produced on his writings
+by early tastes, habits, and associations, the narrative will afford
+ample material for observation.
+
+Mr. Moore,--who, in paying to genius that tribute which genius alone
+can fully pay, has shewn how thoroughly he understood the character
+of the poet (a character, perhaps, after all to be _felt_ rather than
+_explained_), how well he appreciated his virtues and the peculiar
+circumstances attendant on genius, which palliate, if they do not
+excuse, his foibles,--remarks, that Lord Byron "strikingly combined,
+in his own nature, some of the best and perhaps worst qualities that
+lie scattered through the various characters of his predecessors;
+the generosity, the love of enterprise, the high-mindedness of some
+of the better spirits of his race, with the irregular passions, the
+eccentricity, and daring recklessness of the world's opinion, that so
+much characterised others." In the character then of the most famous
+of those "better spirits," as exemplified in his own narrative of his
+sufferings and adventures, we may discern the source of many of the
+amiable qualities which descended to and adorned the immortal poet.
+We shall observe in both the same frankness, generosity, affability,
+love of excitement, the same mildness, and unassuming modesty. But
+the contrasts of their characters we shall find even more striking
+than the resemblances. We shall see in the sailor the ease and
+contentedness of spirit arising from its agreement with the sphere
+it moves in--the soul harmonizing with the situation--the man with
+the circumstances--the Supply equivalent to the Demand. We shall see
+in the poet the "high instincts of a creature moving about in worlds
+not realized"--the large expectancies, the high anticipations,
+unfulfilled and unanswered; the discontent, the jarring of a being not
+_at one_ with the place of its existence, panting for something above
+it, aspiring "beyond the fitting medium of desire." We shall see him
+inordinately yearning after affection and happiness, yet enveloped,
+as it were, in a nervous network of sensibility, feelingly alive to
+every the faintest manifestation of slight, neglect, unkindness,--to
+all that causes sorrow and pain: we shall see the co-existence of
+these qualities producing necessarily disappointment and disgust; the
+very capability of enjoying the good, unfitting him for the endurance
+of the ill; the power of imagination heightening the beauties of the
+ideal, the keenness of perception aggravating the defects of the real;
+the consequent struggles for existence in a wounded spirit between
+"feelings unemployed," affections unreturned, and the bitterness
+or apathy they engender--between original benevolence and acquired
+misanthropy. We shall see the sailor habitually yielding himself to
+the guidance and authority of others, unhesitatingly acknowledging,
+and, as a matter of course, complying with, the established relations,
+laws, and customs of society; submitting without repining, question,
+or surprise, to the vicissitudes of fortune; patient of hardship,
+uncomplaining of Circumstance. The poet, from the pride of Mind,
+accustomed ever to decide for itself, to act and reflect always,
+obstinately questioning even Destiny and Fate; bidding haughty
+defiance to their Ruler, or yielding with sullen indifference or
+gloomy repining; if confessing the necessity of compliance, hardly
+resigned. We shall find the sailor sustaining his cheerfulness in
+every situation; the poet, plunging, perhaps from constitutional
+melancholy, into misery; acted upon by that strong attraction, that
+irresistible impulse towards the dark and the sad, that capability,
+strikingly described by himself, of "learning to love despair." We
+shall see throughout the difference between the continual presence and
+the comparative absence of consciousness, that power by which Self,
+rising as it were above itself, makes itself the subject of microscopic
+observation. In the writings especially, of each, we shall observe
+the operations of these opposite properties. The sailor writes on,
+unaware and thoughtless of the effect of what he writes: the poet,
+in his letters particularly, seems to know intuitively the effect on
+others of every word he sets down; he reads their thoughts, he hears
+their remarks as he writes; and this knowledge, so immediate that its
+effects on his style seem almost unintentional, continually modifies
+his expressions, giving the appearance of affectation to what is
+no more than a natural result of his quick perception and extreme
+sensitiveness. In every action, too, of the poet, important or trivial,
+the working of this principle, so hard to be discovered in the sailor,
+is equally evident. He looks always to the effect: nothing seems done
+solely for itself: the love of admiration, of being remarkable, of
+standing alone, however disguised, may almost always be detected.
+Finally, we shall not fail to observe throughout, the contrast
+between the single and the "many-sided" mind; between the ordinary
+and the extraordinary; between the Mortal made immortal by force of
+circumstances; the Immortal, in spite of circumstances, asserting and
+maintaining his inborn immortality.
+
+Yet, enhanced as the interest attaching to this narrative is, by the
+connection of its author with one of the greatest of the master-minds
+of these latter days, it is a work which of itself may well demand
+and obtain our attention and regard. The incidents it relates are
+peculiarly of that complexion which has caused it to be remarked (as
+Byron himself has somewhere) that Fiction, however wonderful, must
+often yield to Truth. It is a striking specimen of the romance of real
+life. The spectacle of a member of an old and noble family, accustomed
+to the comforts and luxuries that attend high birth, reduced to the
+necessity, at one time, of beating his _shirt_ in order to crush the
+vermin it was useless to attempt to get rid of by washing; and at
+another, of making a meal (eagerly, as he himself confesses,) of the
+putrid remains of a favourite dog, is as well calculated to excite the
+curiosity of the observer of mankind as to gratify the taste of the
+reader of romance. And if the extraordinary nature of the incidents
+themselves arouse our wonder, the manner in which they are related will
+insure and fix our sympathy. The simple, unaffected style, slightly
+tinged with the quaintness of old phraseology; the total absence of
+any thing like striving after effect; the apparent unconsciousness of
+the narrator that he must be the object of admiration or pity; the
+freedom from all attempts to disguise some feelings, or to affect and
+assume others; the modesty, the frankness, which characterize this
+narration, while they give additional interest to the work itself,
+afford indisputable testimony to the amiableness of the author. To
+have imitated so correctly this natural style, is one of the highest
+triumphs of the genius of Defoe, in his romance of Robinson Crusoe.
+
+Considered, then, either as an useful appendage to the Works and Life
+of Byron; as an aid in forming an estimate of his character; or as
+an account of sufferings and adventures which would appear suitable
+rather to a romance than to a journal of events actually experienced;
+an illustration of the strange vicissitudes human life may undergo, of
+the extremities and hardships human nature may bear; or, in short, as a
+specimen of simple and beautiful writing, this work can scarcely fail
+of affording delight and gratification to the reader.
+
+
+
+
+JOHN BYRON, the second son of William, the fourth Lord Byron, by his
+third wife, was born at Newstead Abbey, November 8th, 1723, and at an
+early age entered as a midshipman in the British navy. He still held
+that rank in 1740, when the expedition to the South Sea against the
+Spaniards took place under the command of Commodore Anson. The Wager,
+Captain Cheap, to which Mr. Byron belonged, was separated from the rest
+of the squadron, and wrecked on a desert island to the southward of
+Chiloe (47° south lat.) After encountering the most dreadful sufferings
+from famine, a small number of the crew, including the Captain and
+Mr. Byron, reached the isle of Chiloe, and surrendered themselves
+prisoners to the Spaniards. They were afterwards removed to Chili,
+and detained some time at Valparaiso and St. Jago; but were at length
+allowed to return to England, where they arrived after an absence of
+more than five years. At a subsequent period, Mr. Byron published
+his "Narrative." The young seaman was not deterred by his misfortunes
+from pursuing his naval career; he returned to the service of his
+country, and commanded the America, in Boscawen's action off Cape
+Lagos, August 18, 1759. His skill and enterprising spirit afterwards
+occasioned his appointment to the command of an expedition fitted out
+to make discoveries in the South Sea.[2] He sailed from England, June
+21st, 1764, and having circumnavigated the globe, returned home in
+May, 1766. Several islands were explored in this voyage, which were
+afterwards visited by Bougainville and Cooke; and experiments were
+also made to determine the accuracy of Harrison's time-keeper, and
+its consequent value as a means of ascertaining the longitude. This
+officer subsequently was made an admiral, and commanded in the West
+Indies during the American war. Admiral Byron was much beloved in the
+navy, more so, perhaps, than any other officer except Nelson. He died
+in 1798, leaving one son, John, who dying before his uncle, Lord Byron,
+the title of the latter descended to his only son, George Gordon, the
+poet.
+
+[FOOTNOTE 2:
+Byron's ship in this expedition was the Dolphin: she was the second
+ship ever coppered in the British navy.]
+
+
+
+
+                           BYRON'S NARRATIVE
+                                OF THE
+                          _Loss of the Wager._
+
+
+The equipment and destination of the squadron fitted out in the year
+1740, of which Commodore Anson had the command, being sufficiently
+known from the ample and well-penned relation of it under his
+direction, I shall recite no particulars that are to be found in
+that work. But it may be necessary, for the better understanding the
+disastrous fate of the Wager, the subject of the following sheets, to
+repeat the remark, that a strange infatuation seemed to prevail in the
+whole conduct of this embarkation. For though it was unaccountably
+detained till the season for its sailing was past, no proper use was
+made of that time, which should have been employed in providing a
+suitable force of sailors and soldiery; nor was there a due attention
+given to other requisites for so peculiar and extensive a destination.
+
+This neglect not only rendered the expedition abortive in its principal
+object, but most materially affected the condition of each particular
+ship; and none so fatally as the Wager, which being an old Indiaman
+brought into the service on this occasion, was now fitted out as a
+man of war; but being made to serve as a store ship, was deeply laden
+with all kinds of careening geer, military and other stores, for the
+use of the other ships; and, what is more, crowded with bale goods,
+and encumbered with merchandise. A ship of this quality and condition
+could not be expected to work with that readiness and ease which was
+necessary for her security and preservation in those heavy seas with
+which she was to encounter. Her crew consisted of men pressed from
+long voyages to be sent upon a distant and hazardous service: on the
+other hand, all her land-forces were no more than a poor detachment of
+infirm and decrepid invalids from Chelsea hospital, desponding under
+the apprehensions of a long voyage. It is not then to be wondered,
+that Captain Kid, under whose command the ship sailed out of the port,
+should in his last moments presage her ill success, though nothing very
+material happened during his command.
+
+At his death he was succeeded by Captain Cheap, who still, without any
+accident, kept company with the squadron till we had almost gained
+the southernmost mouth of Straits Le Maire; when, being the sternmost
+ship, we were, by the sudden shifting of the wind to the southward,
+and the turn of the tide, very near being wrecked upon the rocks of
+Staten Land; which, notwithstanding, having weathered, contrary to the
+expectation of the rest of the squadron, we endeavoured all in our
+power to make up our lost way and regain our station. This we effected,
+and proceeded on our voyage, keeping company with the rest of the ships
+for some time; when, by a great roll of a hollow sea, we carried away
+our mizen mast, all the chain plates to windward being broken. Soon
+after, hard gales at west coming on with a prodigious swell, there
+broke a heavy sea in upon the ship, which stove our boats, and filled
+us for some time.
+
+These accidents were the more disheartening, as our carpenter was on
+board the Gloucester, and detained there by the incessant tempestuous
+weather, and sea impracticable for boats. In a few days he returned,
+and supplied the loss of the mizen-mast by a lower studding-sail boom;
+but this expedient, together with the patching up of our rigging, was
+a poor temporary relief to us. We were soon obliged to cut away our
+best bower anchor to ease the fore-mast, the shrouds and chain plates
+of which were all broken, and the ship in all parts in a most crazy
+condition.
+
+Thus shattered and disabled, a single ship, (for we had now lost sight
+of our squadron) we had the additional mortification to find ourselves
+bearing for the land on a lee shore, having thus far persevered in
+the course we held, from an error in conjecture; for the weather was
+unfavourable for observation, and there are no charts of that part
+of the coast. When those officers who first perceived their mistake,
+endeavoured to persuade the captain to alter his course, and bear
+away, for the greater surety, to the westward, he persisted in making
+directly, as he thought, for the island of Socoro; and to such as dared
+from time to time to deliver their doubts of being entangled with the
+land stretching to the westward, he replied, that he thought himself in
+no case at liberty to deviate from his orders; and that the absence of
+his ship from the first place of rendezvous, would entirely frustrate
+the whole squadron in the first object of their attack, and possibly
+decide upon the fortune of the whole expedition. For the better
+understanding the force of his reasoning, it is necessary to explain,
+that the island of Socoro is in the neighbourhood of Baldivia, the
+capture of which place could not be effected without the junction of
+that ship, which carried the ordnance and military stores.
+
+The knowledge of the great importance of giving so early and unexpected
+a blow to the Spaniards, determined the captain to make the shortest
+way to the point in view; and that rigid adherence to orders from which
+he thought himself in no case at liberty to depart, begot in him a
+stubborn defiance of all difficulties, and took away from him those
+apprehensions, which so justly alarmed all such as, from an ignorance
+of the orders, had nothing present to their minds but the dangers of a
+lee shore.[3]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 3:
+
+Captain Cheap has been suspected of a design of going on the
+Spanish coast without the Commodore; but no part of his conduct seems
+to authorise, in the least, such a suspicion. The author who brings
+this heavy charge against him, is equally mistaken in imagining that
+Captain Cheap had not instructions to sail to this island, and that
+the Commodore did neither go nor send thither, to inform himself if
+any of the squadron were there. This appears from the orders delivered
+to the captains of the squadron, the day before they sailed from St.
+Catherine's (L. Anson's Voyage, B.I.C. 6.); from the orders of the
+council of war held on board the Centurion, in the bay of St. Julian,
+(C. 7.); and from the conduct of the Commodore (C. 10.) who cruized
+(with the utmost hazard) more than a fortnight off the isle of Socoro,
+and along the coast in its neighbourhood. It was the second rendezvous
+at Baldivia, and not that at Socoro, that the Commodore was forced by
+necessity to neglect.]
+
+We had for some time been sensible of our approach to the land, from
+no other tokens than those of weeds and birds, which are the usual
+indications of nearing the coast; but at length we had an imperfect
+view of an eminence, which we conjectured to be one of the mountains
+of the Cordilleras. This, however, was not so distinctly seen but
+that many conceived it to be the effect of imagination: but if the
+captain was persuaded of the nearness of our danger, it was now too
+late to remedy it; for at this time the straps of the fore jeer
+blocks breaking, the fore-yard came down; and the greatest part of
+the men being disabled through fatigue and sickness, it was some time
+before it could be got up again. The few hands who were employed in
+this business now plainly saw the land on the larboard beam, bearing
+N.W., upon which the ship was driving bodily. Orders were then given
+immediately by the captain to sway the fore-yard up, and set the
+fore-sail; which done, we wore ship with her head to the southward, and
+endeavoured to crowd her off from the land: but the weather, from being
+exceedingly tempestuous, blowing now a perfect hurricane, and right in
+upon the shore, rendered our endeavours (for we were now only twelve
+hands fit for duty) entirely fruitless. The night came on, dreadful
+beyond description, in which, attempting to throw out our topsails to
+claw off the shore, they were immediately blown from the yards.
+
+In the morning, about four o'clock, the ship struck. The shock we
+received upon this occasion, though very great, being not unlike the
+blow of a heavy sea, such as in the series of preceding storms we had
+often experienced, was taken for the same; but we were soon undeceived
+by her striking again more violently than before, which laid her upon
+her beam ends, the sea making a fair breach over her. Every person that
+now could stir was presently upon the quarter-deck; and many even of
+those were alert upon this occasion, that had not showed their faces
+upon deck for above two months before: several poor wretches, who were
+in the last stage of the scurvy, and who could not get out of their
+hammocks, were immediately drowned.
+
+In this dreadful situation she lay for some little time, every soul
+on board looking upon the present minute as his last; for there was
+nothing; to be seen but breakers all around us. However, a mountainous
+sea hove her off from thence, but she presently struck again, and broke
+her tiller. In this terrifying and critical juncture, to have observed
+all the various modes of horror operating according to the several
+characters and complexions amongst us, it was necessary that the
+observer himself should have been free from all impressions of danger.
+Instances there were, however, of behaviour so very remarkable, they
+could not escape the notice of any one who was not entirely bereaved
+of his senses; for some were in this condition to all intents and
+purposes; particularly one, in the ravings of despair brought upon him,
+was seen stalking about the deck, flourishing a cutlass over his head
+and calling himself king of the country, and striking every body he
+came near, till his companions, seeing no other security against his
+tyranny, knocked him down. Some, reduced before by long sickness and
+the scurvy, became on this occasion as it were petrified and bereaved
+of all sense, like inanimate logs, and were bandied to and fro by the
+jerks and rolls of the ship, without exerting any efforts to help
+themselves. So terrible was the scene of foaming breakers around us,
+that one of the bravest men we had could not help expressing his dismay
+at it, saying it was too shocking a sight to bear; and would have
+thrown himself over the rails of the quarter-deck into the sea, had
+he not been prevented: but at the same time there were not wanting
+those who preserved a presence of mind truly heroic. The man at the
+helm, though both rudder and tiller were gone, kept his station; and
+being asked by one of the officers, if the ship would steer or not,
+first took his time to make trial by the wheel, and then answered with
+as much respect and coolness as if the ship had been in the greatest
+safety; and immediately after applied himself with his usual serenity
+to his duty, persuaded it did not become him to desert it as long as
+the ship kept together. Mr. Jones, mate, who now survives not only
+this wreck, but that of the Litchfield man of war upon the coast of
+Barbary, at the time when the ship was in the most imminent danger,
+not only shewed himself undaunted, but endeavoured to inspire the same
+resolution in the men; saying, "My friends, let us not be discouraged:
+did you never see a ship amongst breakers before? Let us try to push
+her through them. Come, lend a hand; here is a sheet, and here is a
+brace; lay hold; I don't doubt but we may stick her yet near enough
+to the land to save our lives." This had so good an effect, that many
+who before were half dead, seemed active again, and now went to work
+in earnest. This Mr. Jones did purely to keep up the spirits of the
+people as long as possible; for he often said afterwards, he thought
+there was not the least chance of a single man being saved. We now
+ran in between an opening of the breakers, steering by the sheets and
+braces, when providentially we stuck fast between two great rocks; that
+to windward sheltering us in some measure from the violence of the
+sea. We immediately cut away the main and foremast; but the ship kept
+beating in such a manner, that we imagined she could hold together but
+a very little while. The day now broke, and the weather, that had been
+extremely thick, cleared away for a few moments, and gave us a glimpse
+of the land not far from us. We now thought of nothing but saving our
+lives. To get the boats out, as our masts were gone, was a work of some
+time; which when accomplished, many were ready to jump into the first,
+by which means they narrowly escaped perishing before they reached the
+shore. I now went to Captain Cheap (who had the misfortune to dislocate
+his shoulder by a fall the day before, as he was going forward to get
+the fore-yard swayed up), and asked him if he would not go on shore;
+but he told me, as he had done before, that he would be the last to
+leave the ship; and he ordered me to assist in getting the men out as
+soon as possible. I had been with him very often from the time the ship
+first struck, as he desired I would, to acquaint him with every thing
+that passed; and I particularly remarked, that he gave his orders at
+that time with as much coolness as ever he had done during the former
+part of the voyage.
+
+The scene was now greatly changed; for many who but a few minutes
+before had shewn the strongest signs of despair, and were on their
+knees praying for mercy, imagining they were now not in that immediate
+danger, grew very riotous, broke open every chest and box that was
+at hand, stove in the heads of casks of brandy and wine as they were
+borne up to the hatchways, and got so drunk, that several of them
+were drowned on board, and lay floating about the decks for some days
+after. Before I left the ship, I went down to my chest, which was at
+the bulkhead of the wardroom, in order to save some little matters, if
+possible; but whilst I was there the ship thumped with such violence,
+and the water came in so fast, that I was forced to get upon the
+quarter-deck again, without saving a single rag but what was upon my
+back. The boatswain and some of the people would not leave the ship so
+long as there was any liquor to be got at; upon which Captain Cheap
+suffered himself to be helped out of his bed, put into the boat, and
+carried on shore.
+
+It is natural to think, that to men thus upon the point of perishing
+by shipwreck, the getting to land was the highest attainment of
+their wishes; undoubtedly it was a desirable event; yet, all things
+considered, our condition was but little mended by the change.
+Whichever way we looked, a scene of horror presented itself: on one
+side the wreck (in which was all that we had in the world to support
+and subsist us), together with a boisterous sea, presented us with
+the most dreary prospect; on the other, the land did not wear a much
+more favourable appearance: desolate and barren, without sign of
+culture, we could hope to receive little other benefit from it than the
+preservation it afforded us from the sea. It must be confessed this was
+a great and merciful deliverance from immediate destruction; but then
+we had wet, cold, and hunger, to struggle with, and no visible remedy
+against any of these evils. Exerting ourselves, however, though faint,
+benumbed, and almost helpless, to find some wretched covert against
+the extreme inclemency of the weather, we discovered an Indian hut, at
+a small distance from the beach, within a wood, in which as many as
+possible, without distinction, crowded themselves, the night coming on
+exceedingly tempestuous and rainy. But here our situation was such
+as to exclude all rest and refreshment by sleep from most of us; for
+besides that we pressed upon one another extremely, we were not without
+our alarms and apprehensions of being attacked by the Indians, from a
+discovery we made of some of their lances and other arms in our hut;
+and our uncertainty of their strength and disposition, gave alarm to
+our imagination, and kept us in continual anxiety.
+
+In this miserable hovel, one of our company, a lieutenant of invalids,
+died this night; and of those who for want of room took shelter under
+a great tree, which stood them in very little stead, two more perished
+by the severity of that cold and rainy night. In the morning, the calls
+of hunger, which had been hitherto suppressed by our attention to more
+immediate dangers and difficulties, were now become too importunate to
+be resisted. We had most of us fasted eight and forty hours, some more;
+it was time, therefore, to make inquiry among ourselves what store of
+sustenance had been brought from the wreck by the providence of some,
+and what could be procured on the island by the industry of others:
+but the produce of the one amounted to no more than two or three
+pounds of biscuit dust reserved in a bag; and all the success of those
+who ventured abroad, the weather being still exceedingly bad, was to
+kill one sea-gull, and pick some wild cellery. These, therefore, were
+immediately put into a pot, with the addition of a large quantity of
+water, and made into a kind of soup, of which each partook as far as
+it would go; but we had no sooner thrown this down than we were seized
+with the most painful sickness at our stomachs, violent reachings,
+swoonings, and other symptoms of being poisoned. This was imputed to
+various causes, but in general to the herbs we made use of, in the
+nature and quality of which we fancied ourselves mistaken; but a little
+further inquiry let us into the real occasion of it, which was no other
+than this: the biscuit dust was the sweepings of the bread-room, but
+the bag in which they were put had been a tobacco bag; the contents
+of which not being entirely taken out, what remained mixed with the
+biscuit-dust, and proved a strong emetic.
+
+We were in all about a hundred and forty who had got to shore; but
+some few remained still on board, detained either by drunkenness, or
+a view of pillaging the wreck, among which was the boatswain. These
+were visited by an officer in the yawl, who was to endeavour to prevail
+upon them to join the rest; but finding them in the greatest disorder,
+and disposed to mutiny, he was obliged to desist from his purpose and
+return without them. Though we were very desirous, and our necessities
+required that we should take some survey of the land we were upon; yet
+being strongly pre-possessed that the savages were retired but some
+little distance from us, and waited to see us divided, our parties did
+not make this day, any great excursions from the hut; but as far as
+we went, we found it very morassy and unpromising. The spot which we
+occupied was a bay formed by hilly promontories, that to the north so
+exceeding steep, that in order to ascend it (for there was no going
+round, the bottom being washed by the sea), we were at the labour
+of cutting steps. This, which we called Mount Misery, was of use to
+us in taking some observations afterwards, when the weather would
+permit: the southern promontory was not so inaccessible. Beyond this,
+I, with some others, having reached another bay, found driven ashore
+some parts of the wreck, but no kind of provision; nor did we meet
+with any shell-fish, which we were chiefly in search of. We therefore
+returned to the rest, and for that day made no other repast than what
+the wild cellery afforded us. The ensuing night proved exceedingly
+tempestuous; and, the sea running very high, threatened those on board
+with immediate destruction by the parting of the wreck. They then were
+as solicitous to get ashore, as they were before obstinate in refusing
+the assistance we sent them; and when they found the boat did not come
+to their relief at the instant they expected it, without considering
+how impracticable a thing it was to send it them in such a sea, they
+fired one of the quarter-deck guns at the hut; the ball of which did
+but just pass over the covering of it, and was plainly heard by the
+captain and us who were within. Another attempt, therefore, was made
+to bring these madmen to land, which, however, by the violence of the
+sea, and other impediments, occasioned by the mast that lay alongside,
+proved ineffectual. This unavoidable delay made the people on board
+outrageous: they fell to beating every thing to pieces that fell in
+the way; and, carrying their intemperance to the greatest excess,
+broke open chests and cabins for plunder that could be of no use to
+them: and so earnest were they in this wantonness of theft, that one
+man had evidently been murdered on account of some division of the
+spoil, or for the sake of the share that fell to him, having all the
+marks of a strangled corpse. One thing in this outrage they seemed
+particularly attentive to, which was, to provide themselves with arms
+and ammunition, in order to support them in putting their mutinous
+designs in execution, and asserting their claim to a lawless exemption
+from the authority of their officers, which they pretended must cease
+with the loss of the ship. But of these arms, which we stood in great
+need of, they were soon bereaved, upon coming ashore, by the resolution
+of Captain Cheap and Lieutenant Hamilton of the marines. Among these
+mutineers which had been left on board, as I observed before, was the
+boatswain; who, instead of exerting the authority he had over the
+rest, to keep them within bounds as much as possible, was himself a
+ringleader in their riot: him, without respect to the figure he then
+made, for he was in laced clothes, Captain Cheap, by a blow well laid
+on with his cane, felled to the ground. It was scarce possible to
+refrain from laughter at the whimsical appearance these fellows made,
+who, having rifled the chests of the officers' best suits, had put them
+on over their greasy trowsers and dirty checked shirts. They were soon
+stripped of their finery, as they had before been obliged to resign
+their arms.
+
+The incessant rains, and exceeding cold weather in this climate,
+rendered it impossible for us to subsist long without shelter; and
+the hut being much too little to receive us all, it was necessary
+to fall upon some expedient, without delay, which might serve our
+purpose: accordingly the gunner, carpenter, and some more, turning
+the cutter keel upwards, and fixing it upon props, made no despicable
+habitation. Having thus established some sort of settlement, we had
+the more leisure to look about us, and to make our researches with
+greater accuracy than we had before, after such supplies as the most
+desolate coasts are seldom unfurnished with. Accordingly we soon
+provided ourselves with some sea-fowl, and found limpets, muscles, and
+other shell-fish in tolerable abundance; but this rummaging of the
+shore was now becoming extremely irksome to those who had any feeling,
+by the bodies of our drowned people thrown among the rocks, some of
+which were hideous spectacles, from the mangled condition they were in
+by the violent surf that drove in upon the coast. These horrors were
+overcome by the distresses of our people, who were even glad of the
+occasion of killing the gallinazo (the carrion crow of that country),
+while preying on these carcases, in order to make a meal of them. But
+a provision by no means proportionable to the number of mouths to be
+fed, could, by our utmost industry, be acquired from that part of the
+island we had hitherto traversed: therefore, till we were in a capacity
+of making more distant excursions, the wreck was to be applied to as
+often as possible, for such supplies as could be got out of her. But as
+this was a very precarious fund in its present situation, and at best
+could not last us long; considering too that it was very uncertain how
+long we might be detained upon this island the stores and provision
+we were so fortunate as to retrieve, were not only to be dealt out
+with the most frugal economy, but a sufficient quantity, if possible,
+laid by to fit us out, whenever we could agree upon any method of
+transporting ourselves from this dreary spot. The difficulties we had
+to encounter in these visits to the wreck, cannot be easily described;
+for no part of it being above water except the quarter-deck and part
+of the fore-castle, we were usually obliged to purchase such things as
+were within reach, by means of large hooks fastened to poles, in which
+business we were much incommoded by the dead bodies floating between
+decks.
+
+In order to secure what we thus got, in a manner to answer the ends
+and purposes above-mentioned, Captain Cheap ordered a store tent to
+be erected near his hut as a repository, from which nothing was to
+be dealt out but in the measure and proportion agreed upon by the
+officers; and though it was very hard upon us petty officers, who
+were fatigued with hunting all day in quest of food, to defend this
+tent from invasion by night, no other means could be devised for this
+purpose so effectual as the committing this charge to our care; and we
+were accordingly ordered to divide the task equally between us. Yet,
+notwithstanding our utmost vigilance and care, frequent robberies
+were committed upon our trust, the tent being accessible in more
+than one place. And one night, when I had the watch, hearing a stir
+within, I came unawares upon the thief, and presenting a pistol to his
+breast, obliged him to submit to be tied up to a post till I had an
+opportunity of securing him more effectually. Depredations continued
+to be made on our reserved stock, notwithstanding the great hazard
+attending such attempts; for our common safety made it necessary to
+punish them with the utmost rigour. This will not be wondered at,
+when it is known how little the allowance which might consistently be
+dispensed from thence, was proportionable to our common exigencies; so
+that our daily and nightly task of roving after food, was not in the
+least relaxed thereby; and all put together was so far from answering
+our necessities, that many at this time perished with hunger. A boy,
+when no other eatables could be found, having picked up the liver of
+one of the drowned men (whose carcase had been torn to pieces by the
+force with which the sea drove it among the rocks), was with difficulty
+withheld from making a meal of it. The men were so assiduous in their
+research after the few things which drove from the wreck, that in order
+to have no sharers of their good fortune, they examined the shore no
+less by night than by day; so that many of those who were less alert,
+or not so fortunate as their neighbours, perished with hunger, or were
+driven to the last extremity. It must be observed, that on the 14th of
+May we were cast away, and it was not till the 25th of this month that
+provision was served regularly from the store tent.
+
+The land we were now settled upon was about 90 leagues to the
+northward of the western mouth of the straits of Magellan, in the
+latitude of between 47 and 48° south, from whence we could plainly
+see the Cordilleras; and by two Lagoons on the north and south of us,
+stretching towards those mountains, we conjectured it was an island.
+But as yet we had no means of informing ourselves perfectly, whether
+it was an island or the main; for besides that the inland parts at a
+little distance from us seemed impracticable from the exceeding great
+thickness of the wood, we had hitherto been in such confusion and want
+(each finding full employment for his time, in scraping together a
+wretched subsistence, and providing shelter against the cold and rain),
+that no party could be formed to go upon discoveries. The climate and
+season too were utterly unfavourable to adventurers, and the coast, as
+far as our eye could stretch seaward, a scene of such dismal breakers
+as would discourage the most daring from making attempts in small
+boats. Nor were we assisted in our enquiries by any observation that
+could be made from that eminence we called Mount Misery, toward land,
+our prospect that way being intercepted by still higher hills and
+lofty woods: we had therefore no other expedient, by means of which
+to come at this knowledge, but by fitting out one of our ship's boats
+upon some discovery, to inform us of our situation. Our long-boat
+was still on board the wreck; therefore a number of hands were now
+dispatched to cut the gunwale of the ship, in order to get her out.
+Whilst we were employed in this business, there appeared three canoes
+of Indians paddling towards us: they had come round the point from the
+southern Lagoons. It was some time before we could prevail upon them
+to lay aside their fears and approach us; which at length they were
+induced to do by the signs of friendship we made them, and by shewing
+some bale-goods, which they accepted, and suffered themselves to be
+conducted to the captain, who made them, likewise, some presents. They
+were strangely affected with the novelty thereof; but chiefly when
+shewn the looking-glass, in which the beholder could not conceive it to
+be his own face that was represented, but that of some other behind it,
+which he therefore went round to the back of the glass to find out.
+
+These people were of a small stature, very swarthy, having long,
+black, coarse hair, hanging over their faces. It was evident, from
+their great surprise, and every part of their behaviour, as well as
+their not having one thing in their possession which could be derived
+from white people, that they had never seen such. Their clothing
+was nothing but a bit of some beast's skin about their waists, and
+something woven from feathers over the shoulders; and as they uttered
+no word of any language we had ever heard, nor had any method of making
+themselves understood, we presumed they could have had no intercourse
+with Europeans. These savages, who upon their departure left us a few
+muscles, returned in two days, and surprised us by bringing three
+sheep. From whence they could procure animals in a part of the world
+so distant from any Spanish settlement, cut off from all communication
+with the Spaniards by an inaccessible coast and unprofitable country,
+is difficult to conceive. Certain it is, that we saw no such creatures,
+nor ever heard of any such, from the Straits of Magellan, till we got
+into the neighbourhood of Chiloe: it must be by some strange accident
+that these creatures came into their possession; but what that was, we
+never could learn from them. At this interview we bartered with them
+for a dog or two, which we roasted and eat. In a few days after, they
+made us another visit, and bringing their wives with them, took up
+their abode with us for some days; then again left us.
+
+Whenever the weather permitted, which was now grown something drier,
+but exceeding cold, we employed ourselves about the wreck, from which
+we had, at sundry times, recovered several articles of provision
+and liquor: these were deposited in the store-tent. Ill-humour and
+discontent, from the difficulties we laboured under in procuring
+subsistence, and the little prospect there was of any amendment in our
+condition, was now breaking out apace. In some it shewed itself by a
+separation of settlement and habitation; in others, by a resolution of
+leaving the captain entirely, and making a wild journey by themselves,
+without determining upon any plan whatever. For my own part, seeing
+it was the fashion, and liking none of their parties, I built a
+little hut just big enough for myself and a poor Indian dog I found
+in the woods, who could shift for himself along shore, at low water,
+by getting limpets. This creature grew so fond of me, and faithful,
+that he would suffer nobody to come near the hut without biting them.
+Besides those seceders I mentioned, some laid a scheme of deserting us
+entirely: these were in number ten; the greatest part of them a most
+desperate and abandoned crew, who, to strike a notable stroke before
+they went off, placed half a barrel of gunpowder close to the captain's
+hut, laid a train to it, and were just preparing to perpetrate their
+wicked design of blowing up their commander, when they were with
+difficulty dissuaded from it by one who had some bowels and remorse of
+conscience left in him. These wretches, after rambling for some time in
+the woods, and finding it impracticable to get off, for they were then
+convinced that we were not upon the main, as they had imagined when
+they first left us, but upon an island within four or five leagues of
+it, returned and settled about a league from us; however, they were
+still determined, as soon as they could procure craft fit for their
+purpose, to get to the main. But before they could effect this, we
+found means to prevail upon the armourer and one of the carpenter's
+crew,--two very useful men to us, who had imprudently joined them,--to
+come over again to their duty. The rest, (one or two excepted) having
+built a punt, and converted the hull of one of the ship's masts into a
+canoe, went away up one of the Lagoons, and never were heard of more.
+
+These being a desperate and factious set, did not distress us much
+by their departure, but rather added to our future security: one in
+particular, James Mitchell by name, we had all the reason in the
+world to think had committed no less than two murders since the loss
+of our ship; one on the person found strangled on board, another on
+the body of a man whom we discovered among some bushes upon Mount
+Misery, stabbed in several places, and shockingly mangled. This
+diminution of our numbers was succeeded by an unfortunate accident
+much more affecting in its consequences, I mean the death of Mr.
+Cozens, midshipman; in relating which with the necessary impartiality
+and exactness, I think myself obliged to be more than ordinarily
+particular. Having one day, among other things, got a cask of peas out
+of the wreck, about which I was almost constantly employed, I brought
+it to shore in the yawl; when having landed it, the captain came down
+upon the beach, and bid me to go up to some of the tents and order
+hands to come down and roll it up; but finding none except Mr. Cozens,
+I delivered him the orders, who immediately came down to the captain,
+where I left them when I returned to the wreck. Upon my coming on
+shore again, I found that Mr. Cozens was put under confinement by the
+captain, for being drunk and giving him abusive language: however,
+he was soon after released. A day or two after, he had some dispute
+with the surgeon, and came to blows: all these things incensed the
+captain greatly against him. I believe this unfortunate man was kept
+warm with liquor, and set on by some ill-designing persons; for, when
+sober, I never knew a better natured man, or one more inoffensive. Some
+little time after, at the hour of serving out provisions, Mr. Cozens
+was at the store tent; and having, it seems, lately had a quarrel with
+the purser, and now some words arising between them, the latter told
+him he was come to mutiny; and without any further ceremony, fired a
+pistol at his head, which narrowly missed him. The captain, hearing
+the report of a pistol, and perhaps the purser's words, that Cozens
+was come to mutiny, ran out of his hut with a cocked pistol in his
+hand, and, without asking any questions, immediately shot him through
+the head. I was at this time in my hut, as the weather was extremely
+bad; but running out upon the alarm of this firing, the first thing
+I saw was Mr. Cozens on the ground, weltering in his blood: he was
+sensible, and took me by the hand, as he did several others, shaking
+his head, as if he meant to take leave of us. If Mr. Cozens' behaviour
+to his captain was indecent and provoking, the captain's, on the other
+hand, was rash and hasty: if the first was wanting in that respect
+and observance which is due from a petty officer to his commander,
+the latter was still more unadvised in the method he took for the
+enforcement of his authority; of which, indeed, he was jealous to the
+last degree, and which he saw daily declining, and ready to be trampled
+upon. His mistaken apprehension of a mutinous design in Mr. Cozens,
+the sole motive of this rash action, was so far from answering the end
+he proposed by it, that the men, who before were much dissatisfied and
+uneasy, were by this unfortunate step thrown almost into open sedition
+and revolt. It was evident that the people, who ran out of their tents,
+alarmed by the report of fire-arms, though they disguised their real
+sentiments for the present, were extremely affected at this catastrophe
+of Mr. Cozens (for he was greatly beloved by them): their minds were
+now exasperated, and it was to be apprehended, that their resentment,
+which was smothered for the present, would shortly shew itself in
+some desperate enterprise. The unhappy victim, who lay weltering in
+his blood on the ground before them, seemed to absorb their whole
+attention; the eyes of all were fixed upon him; and visible marks of
+the deepest concern appeared in the countenances of the spectators.
+The persuasion the captain was under, at the time he shot Mr. Cozens,
+that his intentions were mutinous, together with a jealousy of the
+diminution of his authority, occasioned also his behaving with less
+compassion and tenderness towards him afterwards than was consistent
+with the unhappy condition of the poor sufferer: for when it was begged
+as a favour by his mess-mates, that Mr. Cozens might be removed to
+their tent, though a necessary thing in his dangerous situation, yet
+it was not permitted; but the poor wretch was suffered to languish on
+the ground some days, with no other covering than a bit of canvass
+thrown over some bushes, where he died. But to return to our story:
+the Captain, addressing himself to the people thus assembled, told
+them, that it was his resolution to maintain his command over them as
+usual, which still remained in as much force as ever; and then ordered
+them all to return to their respective tents, with which order they
+instantly complied. Now we had saved the long-boat from the wreck, and
+got it in our possession, there was nothing that seemed so necessary
+towards the advancing our delivery from this desolate place, as the
+new modelling this vessel so as to have room for all those who were
+inclined to go off in her, and to put her in a condition to bear the
+stormy seas we must of course encounter. We therefore hauled her up,
+and having placed her upon blocks, sawed her in two, in order to
+lengthen her about twelve feet by the keel. For this purpose, all
+those who could be spared from the more immediate task of procuring
+subsistence, were employed in fitting and shaping timber as the
+carpenter directed them; I say, in procuring subsistence, because the
+weather lately having been very tempestuous, and the wreck working
+much, had disgorged a great part of her contents, which were every
+where dispersed about the shore.
+
+We now sent frequent parties up the Lagoons, which sometimes succeeded
+in getting some sea-fowl for us. The Indians appearing again in the
+offing we put off our yawl, in order to frustrate any design they
+might have of going up the Lagoon towards the deserters, who would
+have availed themselves of some of their canoes to have got upon the
+main. Having conducted them in, we found that their intention was to
+settle among us, for they had brought their wives and children with
+them, in all about fifty persons, who immediately set about building
+themselves wigwams, and seemed much reconciled to our company; and,
+could we have entertained them as we ought, they would have been of
+great assistance to us, who were yet extremely put to it to subsist
+ourselves, being a hundred in number; but the men, now subject to
+little or no control, endeavoured to seduce their wives, which gave
+the Indians such offence, that in a short time they found means to
+depart, taking every thing along with them; and we, being sensible
+of the cause, never expected to see them return again. The carpenter
+having made some progress in his work upon the long-boat, in which
+he was enabled to proceed tolerably, by the tools and other articles
+of his business retrieved from the wreck, the men began to think of
+the course they should take to get home; or rather, having borrowed
+Sir John Narborough's Voyage of Captain Cheap, by the application of
+Mr. Bulkely, which book he saw me reading one day in my tent, they,
+immediately upon perusing it, concluded upon making their voyage home
+by the Straits of Magellan. This plan was proposed to the captain,
+who by no means approved of it, his design being to go northwards,
+with a view of seizing a ship of the enemy's, by which means he might
+join the Commodore: at present, therefore, here it rested. But the
+men were in high spirits from the prospect they had of getting off
+in the long-boat, overlooking all the difficulties and hazards of a
+voyage almost impracticable, and caressing the carpenter, who indeed
+was an excellent workman, and deserved all the encouragement they
+could give him. The Indians having left us, and the weather continuing
+tempestuous and rainy, the distresses of the people for want of food
+become insupportable. Our number, which was at first one hundred and
+forty-five, was now reduced to one hundred, and chiefly by famine,
+which put the rest upon all shifts and devices to support themselves.
+One day, when I was at home in my hut with my Indian dog, a party came
+to my door, and told me their necessities were such, that they must
+eat the creature or starve. Though their plea was urgent, I could not
+help using some arguments to endeavour to dissuade them from killing
+him, as his faithful services and fondness deserved it at my hands;
+but, without weighing my arguments, they took him away by force and
+killed him; upon which, thinking that I had at least as good a right to
+a share as the rest, I sat down with them, and partook of their repast.
+Three weeks after that I was glad to make a meal of his paws and skin,
+which, upon recollecting the spot where they had killed him, I found
+thrown aside and rotten. The pressing calls of hunger drove our men to
+their wit's end, and put them upon a variety of devices to satisfy it.
+Among the ingenious this way, one Phips, a boatswain's mate, having
+got a water puncheon, scuttled it; then lashing two logs, one on each
+side, set out in quest of adventures in this extraordinary and original
+piece of embarkation. By this means he would frequently, when all the
+rest were starving, provide himself with wild fowl; and it must have
+been very bad weather indeed which could deter him from putting out
+to sea when his occasions required. Sometimes he would venture far
+out in the offing, and be absent the whole of the day: at last, it
+was his misfortune, at a great distance from shore, to be overset by
+a heavy sea; but being near a rock, though no swimmer, he managed so
+as to scramble to it, and with great difficulty ascended it: there he
+remained two days with very little hopes of any relief, for he was too
+far off to be seen from shore; but fortunately a boat, having put off
+and gone in quest of wild fowl that way, discovered him making such
+signals as he was able, and brought him back to the island. But this
+accident did not so discourage him but that soon after, having procured
+an ox's hide, used on board for sifting powder, and called a gunner's
+hide, by the assistance of some hoops he formed something like a canoe,
+in which he made several successful voyages. When the weather would
+permit us, we seldom failed of getting some wild fowl, though never in
+any plenty, by putting off with our boats; but this most inhospitable
+climate is not only deprived of the sun for the most part, by a thick,
+rainy atmosphere, but is also visited by almost incessant tempests. It
+must be confessed, we reaped some benefit from these hard gales and
+overgrown seas, which drove several things ashore; but there was no
+dependence on such accidental relief; and we were always alert to avail
+ourselves of every interval of fair weather, though so little to be
+depended on, that we were often unexpectedly and to our peril overtaken
+by a sudden change. In one of our excursions I, with two more, in a
+wretched punt of our own making, had no sooner landed at our station
+upon a high rock, than the punt was driven loose by a sudden squall;
+and had not one of the men, at the risk of his life, jumped into the
+sea and swam on board her, we must in all probability have perished;
+for we were more than three leagues from the island at the time. Among
+the birds we generally shot, was the painted goose, whose plumage is
+variegated with the most lively colours; and a bird much larger than
+a goose, which we called the race-horse, from the velocity with which
+it moved upon the surface of the water, in a sort of half flying, half
+running motion. But we were not so successful in our endeavours by
+land; for though we sometimes got pretty far into the woods, we met
+with very few birds in all our walks. We never saw but three woodcocks,
+two of which were killed by Mr. Hamilton, and one by myself. These,
+with some humming-birds, and a large kind of robin redbreast, were the
+only feathered inhabitants of this island, excepting a small bird with
+two very long feathers in his tail, which was generally seen amongst
+the rocks, and was so tame, that I have had them rest upon my shoulder
+whilst I have been gathering shell-fish. Indeed, we were visited by
+many birds of prey, some very large; but these only occasionally, and,
+as we imagined, allured by some dead whale in the neighbourhood, which
+was once seen. However, if we were so fortunate as to kill one of them,
+we thought ourselves very well off. In one of my walks, seeing a bird
+of this latter kind upon an eminence, I endeavoured to come upon it
+unperceived with my gun, by means of the woods which lay at the back of
+that eminence; but when I had proceeded so far in the wood as to think
+I was in a line with it, I heard a growling close by me, which made me
+think it advisable to retire as soon as possible; the woods were so
+gloomy I could see nothing; but as I retired, this noise followed me
+close till I had got out of them. Some of our men did assure me, that
+they had seen a very large beast in the woods; but their description
+of it was too imperfect to be relied upon. The wood here is chiefly
+of the aromatic kind; the iron wood, a wood of a very deep red hue,
+and another, of an exceeding bright yellow. All the low spots are very
+swampy; but what we thought strange, upon the summits of the highest
+hills were found beds of shells, a foot or two thick.
+
+The long-boat being near finished, some of our company were selected
+to go out in the barge, in order to reconnoitre the coast to the
+southward, which might assist us in the navigation we were going upon.
+This party consisted of Mr. Bulkely, Mr. Jones, the purser, myself,
+and ten men. The first night, we put into a good harbour, a few leagues
+to the southward of Wager's Island; where finding a large bitch big
+with puppies, we regaled upon them. In this expedition we had our usual
+bad weather, and breaking seas, which were grown to such a height the
+third day, that we were obliged, through distress, to push in at the
+first inlet we saw at hand. This we had no sooner entered, than we
+were presented with a view of a fine bay, in which having secured the
+barge, we went ashore; but the weather being very rainy, and finding
+nothing to subsist upon, we pitched a bell tent, which we had brought
+with us, in the wood opposite to where the barge lay. As this tent was
+not large enough to contain us all, I proposed to four of the people
+to go to the end of the bay, about two miles distant from the bell
+tent, to occupy the skeleton of an old Indian wigwam, which I had
+discovered in a walk that way upon our first landing. This we covered
+to windward with sea-weed; and lighting a fire, laid ourselves down,
+in hopes of finding a remedy for our hunger in sleep; but we had not
+long composed ourselves before one of our company was disturbed by the
+blowing of some animal at his face, and upon opening his eyes, was not
+a little astonished to see, by the glimmering of the fire, a large
+beast standing over him. He had presence of mind enough to snatch a
+brand from the fire, which was now very low, and thrust it at the nose
+of the animal, who thereupon made off: this done, the man awoke us,
+and related, with horror in his countenance, the narrow escape he had
+had of being devoured. But though we were under no small apprehensions
+of another visit from this animal, yet our fatigue and heaviness was
+greater than our fears; and we once more composed ourselves to rest,
+and slept the remainder of the night without any further disturbance.
+In the morning, we were not a little anxious to know how our companions
+had fared; and this anxiety was increased upon tracing the footsteps
+of the beast in the sand, in a direction towards the bell tent. The
+impression was deep and plain, of a large round foot, well furnished
+with claws. Upon our acquainting the people in the tent with the
+circumstances of our story, we found that they too had been visited
+by the same unwelcome guest, which they had driven away by much the
+same expedient. We now returned from this cruise, with a strong gale,
+to Wager's Island; having found it impracticable to make farther
+discoveries in the barge, on so dangerous a coast, and in such heavy
+seas. Here we soon discovered, by the quarters of dogs hanging up, that
+the Indians had brought a fresh supply to our market. Upon enquiry, we
+found that there had been six canoes of them, who, among other methods
+of taking fish, had taught their dogs to drive the fish into a corner
+of some pond, or lake, from whence they were easily taken out, by the
+skill and address of these savages. The old cabal, during our absence,
+had been frequently revived; the debates of which generally ended in
+riot and drunkenness. This cabal was chiefly held in a large tent,
+which the people belonging to it had taken some pains to make snug and
+convenient, and lined with bales of broad cloth driven from the wreck.
+Eighteen of the stoutest fellows of the ship's company had possession
+of this tent, from whence were dispatched committees to the Captain,
+with the resolutions they had taken with regard to their departure;
+but oftener for liquor. Their determination was to go in the long-boat
+to the southward, by the straits of Magellan; and the point they were
+labouring, was to prevail upon the Captain to accompany them. But
+though he had fixed upon a quite different plan, which was to go to
+the northward, yet he thought it politic, at present, seemingly to
+acquiesce with them, in order to keep them quiet. When they began to
+stipulate with him, that he should be under some restrictions in point
+of command, and should do nothing without consulting his officers, he
+insisted upon the full exercise of his authority as before. This broke
+all measures between them, and they were from this time determined he
+should go with them, whether he would or no. A better pretence they
+could not have for effecting this design, than the unfortunate affair
+of Mr. Cozens; which they therefore made use of for seizing his person,
+and putting him under confinement, in order to bring him to his trial
+in England. The long-boat was now launched, and ready for sailing,
+and all the men embarked, except Captain Pemberton, with a party of
+marines, whom he had drawn up upon the beach with the intention of
+conducting Captain Cheap on board; but he was at length persuaded to
+desist from this resolution by Mr. Bulkely. The men too, finding they
+were straitened for room, and that their stock of provision would
+not admit of their taking supernumeraries aboard, were now no less
+strenuous for his enlargement, and being left to his option of staying
+behind. Therefore, after having distributed their share in the reserved
+stock of provision, which was very small, we departed, leaving Captain
+Cheap, Mr. Hamilton of the marines, and the surgeon, upon the island.
+I had all along been in the dark as to the turn this affair would take;
+and not in the least suspecting but that it was determined Captain
+Cheap should be taken with us, readily embarked under that persuasion;
+but when I found that this design, which was so seriously carried on
+to the last, was suddenly dropped, I was determined, upon the first
+opportunity, to leave them; which was at this instant impossible for
+me to do, the long-boat lying some distance off shore, at anchor. We
+were in all eighty-one, when we left the island, distributed into the
+long-boat, cutter, and barge; fifty-nine on board the first, twelve
+in the second, in the last, ten. It was our purpose to put into some
+harbour, if possible, every evening, as we were in no condition to keep
+those terrible seas long; for without other assistance, our stock of
+provisions was no more than might have been consumed in a few days;
+our water was chiefly contained in a few powder-barrels; our flour was
+to be lengthened out by a mixture of sea-weed; and our other supplies
+depended upon the success of our guns, and industry among the rocks.
+Captain Pemberton having brought on board his men, we weighed; but a
+sudden squall of wind having split our foresail, we with difficulty
+cleared the rocks, by means of our boats, bore away for a sandy bay,
+on the south side of the Lagoon, and anchored in ten fathom. The next
+morning we got under way; but it blowing hard at W. by N. with a
+great swell, we put into a small bay again, well sheltered by a ledge
+of rocks without us. At this time, it was thought necessary to send
+the barge away back to Cheap's bay, for some spare canvass, which
+was imagined would be soon wanted. I thought this a good opportunity
+of returning, and therefore made one with those who went upon this
+business in the barge. We were no sooner clear of the long-boat, than
+all those in the boat with me declared they had the same intention.
+When we arrived at the island, we were extremely welcome to Captain
+Cheap. The next day, I asked him leave to try if I could prevail upon
+those in the long-boat to give us our share of provision: this he
+granted; but said if we went in the barge, they would certainly take
+her from us. I told him my design was to walk it, and only desired the
+boat might land me upon the main, and wait for me till I came back. I
+had the most dreadful journey of it imaginable, through thick woods
+and swamps all the way; but I might as well have spared myself that
+trouble, as it was to no manner of purpose; for they would not give
+me, nor any one of us that left them, a single ounce of provisions of
+any kind. I therefore returned, and after that made a second attempt;
+but all in vain. They even threatened, if we did not return with the
+barge, they would fetch her by force. It is impossible to conceive the
+distressed situation we were now in, at the time of the long-boat's
+departure. I do not mention this event as the occasion of it; by which,
+if we who were left on the island experienced any alteration at all,
+it was for the better; and which, in all probability, had it been
+deferred, might have been fatal to the greatest part of us; but at
+this time, the subsistence on which we had hitherto chiefly depended,
+which was the shell-fish, were every where along shore eat up; and
+as to stock saved from the wreck, it may be guessed what the amount
+of that might be, when the share allotted to the Captain, Lieutenant
+Hamilton, and the surgeon, was no more than six pieces of beef, as many
+of pork, and ninety pounds of flour. As to myself, and those that left
+the long-boat, it was the least revenge they thought they could take
+of us to withhold our provision from us, though at the same time it
+was hard and unjust. For a day or two after our return, there was some
+little pittance dealt out to us, yet it was upon the foot of favour;
+and we were soon left to our usual industry for a farther supply. This
+was now exerted to very little purpose, for the reason before assigned;
+to which may be added, the wreck was now blown up, all her upper works
+gone, and no hopes of any valuable driftage from her for the future.
+A weed called slaugh, fried in the tallow of some candles we had
+saved, and wild cellery, were our only fare; by which our strength was
+so much impaired, that we could scarcely crawl. It was my misfortune
+too, to labour under a severe flux, by which I was reduced to a very
+feeble state; so that in attempting to traverse the rocks in search of
+shell-fish, I fell from one into very deep water, and with difficulty
+saved my life by swimming. As the Captain was now freed, by the
+departure of the long-boat, from the riotous applications, menaces, and
+disturbance of an unruly crew, and left at liberty to follow the plan
+he had resolved upon, of going northward, he began to think seriously
+of putting it in execution; in order to which, a message was sent to
+the deserters, who had seated themselves on the other side of the
+neighbouring Lagoon, to sound them, whether they were inclined to join
+the Captain in his undertaking; and if they were, to bring them over
+to him. For this set, the party gone off in the long-boat had left
+an half allowance proportion of the common stock of provision. These
+men, upon the proposal, readily agreed to join their commander; and
+being conducted to him, increased our number to twenty. The boats which
+remained in our possession to carry off all these people, were only the
+barge and yawl, two very crazy bottoms; the broadside of the last was
+entirely out, and the first had suffered much in the variety of bad
+weather she had gone through, and was sadly out of repair. And now our
+carpenter was gone from us, we had no remedy for these misfortunes, but
+the little skill we had gained from him. However, we made tolerable
+shift to patch up the boats for our purpose. In the height of our
+distresses, when hunger, which seems to include and absorb all others,
+was most prevailing, we were cheered with the appearance, once more,
+of our friendly Indians, as we thought, from whom we hoped for some
+relief; but as the consideration was wanting, for which alone they
+would part with their commodities, we were not at all benefitted by
+their stay, which was very short. The little reserve too of flour made
+by the Captain for our sea-stock when we should leave the island, was
+now diminished by theft: the thieves, who were three of our men, were
+however soon discovered, and two of them apprehended; but the third
+made his escape to the woods. Considering the pressing state of our
+necessities, this theft was looked upon as a most heinous crime, and
+therefore required an extraordinary punishment: accordingly the Captain
+ordered these delinquents to be severely whipped, and then to be
+banished to an island at some distance from us; but before this latter
+part of the sentence could be put in execution, one of them fled; but
+the other was put alone upon a barren island, which afforded not the
+least shelter; however, we, in compassion, and contrary to order,
+patched him up a bit of a hut, and kindled him a fire, and then left
+the poor wretch to shift for himself. In two or three days after, going
+to the island in our boat with some little refreshment, such as our
+miserable circumstances would admit of, and with an intent of bringing
+him back, we found him dead and stiff. I was now reduced to the lowest
+condition by my illness, which was increased by the vile stuff I eat,
+when we were favoured by a fair day, a thing very extraordinary in this
+climate. We instantly took the advantage of it, and once more visited
+the last remains of the wreck,--her bottom. Here our pains were repaid
+with the great good fortune of hooking up three casks of beef, which
+were brought safe to shore. This providential supply could not have
+happened at a more seasonable time than now, when we were afflicted
+with the greatest dearth we had ever experienced, and the little
+strength we had remaining was to be exerted in our endeavours to leave
+the island. Accordingly we soon found a remedy for our sickness, which
+was nothing but the effects of famine, and were greatly restored by
+food. The provision was equally distributed among us all, and served us
+for the remainder of our stay here.
+
+We began to grow extremely impatient to leave the island, as the
+days were now nearly at their longest, and about midsummer in these
+parts; but as to the weather, there seems to be little difference in a
+difference of seasons. Accordingly, on the 15th of December, the day
+being tolerable, we told Captain Cheap we thought it a fine opportunity
+to run across the bay. But he first desired two or three of us to
+accompany him to our place of observation, the top of Mount Misery;
+when looking through his perspective, he observed to us that the sea
+ran very high without. However, this had no weight with the people, who
+were desirous, at all events, to be gone. I should here observe, that
+Captain Cheap's plan was, if possible, to get to the island of Chiloe;
+and if we found any vessel there, to board her immediately, and cut
+her out. This he might certainly have done with ease, had it been his
+good fortune to get round with the boats. We now launched both boats,
+and got every thing on board of them as quick as possible. Captain
+Cheap, the surgeon, and myself, were in the barge with nine men; and
+Lieutenant Hamilton and Mr. Campbell in the yawl with six. I steered
+the barge, and Mr. Campbell the yawl; but we had not been two hours at
+sea before the wind shifted more to the westward, and began to blow
+very hard, and the sea ran extremely high; so that we could no longer
+keep our heads towards the cape or headland we had designed for. This
+cape we had had a view of in one of the intervals of fair weather,
+during our abode on the island, from Mount Misery; and it seemed to be
+distant between twenty and thirty leagues from us. We were now obliged
+to bear away right before the wind. Though the yawl was not far from
+us, we could see nothing of her, except now and then, upon the top of
+a mountainous sea. In both the boats, the men were obliged to sit as
+close as possible, to receive the seas on their backs, to prevent their
+filling us, which was what we every moment expected. We were obliged
+to throw everything overboard, to lighten the boats, all our beef, and
+even the grapnel, to prevent sinking. Night was coming on, and we
+were running on a lee-shore fast, where the sea broke in a frightful
+manner. Not one amongst us imagined it possible for boats to live in
+such a sea. In this situation, as we neared the shore, expecting to
+be beat to pieces by the first breaker, we perceived a small opening
+between the rocks, which we stood for, and found a very narrow passage
+between them, which brought us into a harbour for the boats as calm
+and smooth as a mill-pond. The yawl had got in before us, and our joy
+was great at meeting again after so unexpected a deliverance. Here we
+secured the boats, and ascended a rock. It rained excessively hard all
+the first part of the night, and was extremely cold; and though we had
+not a dry thread about us, and no wood could be found for firing, we
+were obliged to pass the night in that uncomfortable situation, without
+any covering, shivering in our wet clothes. The frost coming on with
+the morning, it was impossible for any of us to get a moment's sleep;
+and having flung overboard our provision the day before, there being
+no prospect of finding anything to eat on this coast, in the morning we
+pulled out of the cove; but found so great a sea without, that we could
+make but little of it. After tugging all day, towards night we put in
+among some small islands, landed upon one of them, and found it a mere
+swamp. As the weather was the same, we passed this night much as we had
+done the preceding; sea-tangle was all we could get to eat at first,
+but the next day we had better luck; the surgeon shot a goose, and we
+found materials for a good fire. We were confined here three or four
+days, the weather all that time proving so bad that we could not put
+out. As soon as it grew moderate, we left this place, and shaped our
+course to the northward; and perceiving a large opening between very
+high land and a low point, we steered for it; and when got that length,
+found a large bay, down which we rowed, flattering ourselves there
+might be a passage that way; but towards night we came to the bottom of
+the bay, and finding no outlet, we were obliged to return the same way
+we came, having met with nothing the whole day to alleviate our hunger.
+
+Next night we put into a little cove, which, from the great quantity
+of red-wood found there, we called Redwood Cove. Leaving this place in
+the morning, we had the wind southerly, blowing fresh, by which we made
+much way that day, to the northward. Towards evening we were in with a
+pretty large island. Putting ashore on it, we found it clothed with the
+finest trees we had ever seen, their stems running up to a prodigious
+height, without knot or branch, and as straight as cedars: the leaf
+of these trees resemble the myrtle leaf, only somewhat larger. I have
+seen trees larger than these in circumference, on the coast of Guinea,
+and there only; but for a length of stem, which gradually tapering,
+I have no where met with any to compare to them. The wood was of a
+hard substance, and, if not too heavy, would have made good masts; the
+dimensions of some of these trees being equal to a main-mast of a first
+rate man-of-war. The shore was covered with driftwood of a very large
+size; most of it cedar, which makes a brisk fire; but is so subject to
+snap and fly, that when we awoke in the morning, after a sound sleep,
+we found our clothes singed in many places with the sparks, and covered
+with splinters.
+
+The next morning being calm, we rowed out; but as soon as clear of
+the island, we found a great swell from the westward; we rowed to the
+bottom of a very large bay, which was to the northward of us, the land
+very low, and we were in hopes of finding some inlet through, but did
+not; so kept along shore to the westward. This part, which I take to be
+above fifty leagues from Wager Island, is the very bottom of the large
+bay it lies in. Here was the only passage to be found, which (if we
+could by any means have got information of it) would have saved us much
+fruitless labour. Of this passage I shall have occasion to say more
+hereafter.
+
+Having at this time an off-shore wind, we kept the land close on board,
+till we came to a head-land: it was near night before we got abreast
+of the headland, and opening it discovered a very large bay to the
+northward, and another headland to the westward, at a great distance.
+We endeavoured to cut short our passage to it by crossing, which is
+very seldom to be effected, in these overgrown seas, by boats: and this
+we experienced now; for the wind springing up, and beginning to blow
+fresh, we were obliged to put back towards the first headland, into a
+small cove, just big enough to shelter the two boats. Here an accident
+happened that alarmed us much. After securing our boats, we climbed up
+a rock scarcely large enough to contain our numbers: having nothing to
+eat, we betook ourselves to our usual receipt for hunger, which was
+going to sleep. We accordingly made a fire, and stowed ourselves round
+it as well as we could; but two of our men being incommoded for want of
+room, went a little way from us, into a small nook, over which a great
+cliff hung, and served them for a canopy. In the middle of the night
+we were awakened with a terrible rumbling, which we apprehended to
+be nothing less than the shock of an earthquake, which we had before
+experienced in these parts; and this conjecture we had reason to think
+not ill founded, upon hearing hollow groans and cries as of men half
+swallowed up. We immediately got up, and ran to the place from whence
+the cries came, and then we were put out of all doubt as to the opinion
+we had formed of this accident; for here we found the two men almost
+buried under loose stones and earth: but upon a little farther enquiry
+we were undeceived as to the cause we had imputed this noise to, which
+we found to be occasioned by the sudden giving way of the impending
+cliff, which fell a little beyond our people, carrying trees and rocks
+with it, and loose earth; the latter of which fell in part on our men,
+whom we with some pains rescued from their uneasy situation, from which
+they escaped with some bruises. The next morning we got out early, and
+the wind being westerly, rowed the whole day for the headland we had
+seen the night before; but when we had got that length could find no
+harbour, but were obliged to go into a sandy bay, and lay the whole
+night upon our oars; and a most dreadful one it proved, blowing and
+raining very hard. Here we were so pinched with hunger, that we eat the
+shoes off our feet, which consisted of raw seal skin. In the morning
+we got out of the bay; but the incessant foul weather had overcome us,
+and we began to be indifferent as to what befel us; and the boats,
+in the night, making into a bay, we nearly lost the yawl, a breaker
+having filled her, and driven her ashore upon the beach. This, by some
+of our accounts, was Christmas-day; but our accounts had so often been
+interrupted by our distresses, that there was no depending upon them.
+Upon seeing the yawl in this imminent danger, the barge stood off, and
+went into another bay to the northward of it, where it was smoother
+lying; but there was no possibility of getting on shore. In the night
+the yawl joined us again. The next day was so bad, that we despaired
+reaching the headland, so rowed down the bay in hopes of getting some
+seal, as that animal had been seen the day before, but met with no
+success; so returned to the same bay we had been in the night before,
+where the surf having abated somewhat, we went ashore, and picked up a
+few shell-fish. In the morning, we got on board early, and ran along
+shore to the westward, for about three leagues, in order to get round a
+cape, which was the westernmost land we could see. It blew very hard,
+and there ran such a sea, that we heartily wished ourselves back again,
+and accordingly made the best of our way for that bay which we had left
+in the morning; but before we could reach it night came on, and we
+passed a most dismal one, lying upon our oars.
+
+The weather continuing very bad, we put in for the shore in the
+morning, where we found nothing but tangle and sea-weed. We now passed
+some days roving about for provisions, as the weather was too bad to
+make another attempt to get round the cape as yet. We found some fine
+Lagoons towards the head of the bay; and in them killed some seal, and
+got a good quantity of shell-fish, which was a great relief to us.
+We now made a second attempt to double the cape; but when we got the
+length of it, and passed the first headland, for it consists of three
+of an equal height, we got into a sea that was horrid; for it ran all
+in heaps, like the Race of Portland, but much worse. We were happy to
+put back again to the old place, with little hopes of ever getting
+round this cape.
+
+Next day, the weather proving very bad, all hands went ashore to
+procure some sustenance, except two in each boat, which were left as
+boat-keepers; this office we took by turns; and it was now my lot to be
+upon this duty with another man. The yawl lay within us at a grapnel;
+in the night it blew very hard, and a great sea tumbled in upon the
+shore; but being extremely fatigued, we in the boats went to sleep,
+notwithstanding, however, I was at last awakened by the uncommon motion
+of the boat, and the roaring of the breakers every where about us. At
+the same time I heard a shrieking, like to that of persons in distress;
+I looked out, and saw the yawl canted bottom upwards by a sea, and
+soon afterwards disappeared. One of our men, whose name was William
+Rose, a quarter-master, was drowned; the other was thrown ashore by
+the surf, with his head buried in the sand; but by the immediate
+assistance of the people on shore, was saved. As for us in the barge,
+we expected the same fate every moment; for the sea broke a long way
+without us. However we got her head to it, and hove up our grapnel, or
+should rather say kellick, which we had made to serve in the room of
+our grapnel, hove overboard some time before, to lighten the boat. By
+this means we used our utmost efforts to pull her without the breakers
+some way, and then let go our kellick again. Here we lay all the next
+day, in a great sea, not knowing what would be our fate. To add to our
+mortification, we could see our companions in tolerable plight ashore,
+eating seal, while we were starving with hunger and cold. For this
+month past, we had not known what it was to have a dry thread about us.
+
+The next day being something more moderate, we ventured in with the
+barge, as near as we could to the shore, and our companions threw us
+some seal's liver; which having eat greedily, we were seized with
+excessive sickness, which affected us so much, that our skin peeled off
+from head to foot.
+
+Whilst the people were on shore here, Mr. Hamilton met with a large
+seal, or sea-lion, and fired a brace of balls into him, upon which the
+animal turned upon him open-mouthed; but presently fixing his bayonet,
+he thrust it down its throat, with a good part of the barrel of the
+gun, which the creature bit in two seemingly with as much ease as if it
+had been a twig. Notwithstanding the wounds it received, it eluded all
+farther efforts to kill it, and got clear off.
+
+I call this animal a large seal, or sea-lion, because it resembles a
+seal in many particulars; but then it exceeds it so much in size,
+as to be sufficiently determined, by that distinction only, to be
+of another species. Mr. Walter, in Lord Anson's Voyage, has given a
+particular description of those which are seen about Juan Fernandes;
+but they have in other climates, different appearances as well as
+different qualities, as we had occasion to observe in this, and a
+late voyage I made. However, as so much already has been said of
+the sea-lion, I shall only mention two peculiarities; one relative
+to its appearance, and the other to its properties of action, which
+distinguish it from those described by him. Those I saw, were without
+that snout, or trunk, hanging below the end of the upper jaw; but then
+the males were furnished with a large shaggy mane, which gave them a
+most formidable appearance. And, whereas, he says, those he saw were
+unwieldy, and easily destroyed: we found some, on the contrary, that
+lay at a mile's distance from the water, which came down upon us, when
+disturbed, with such impetuosity, that it was as much as we could do to
+get out of their way; and when attacked, would turn upon us with great
+agility.
+
+Having lost the yawl, and being too many for the barge to carry off, we
+were compelled to leave four of our men behind. They were all marines,
+who seemed to have no objection to the determination made with regard
+to them, so exceedingly disheartened and worn out were they with the
+distresses and dangers they had already gone through. And, indeed, I
+believe it would have been a matter of indifference to the greatest
+part of the rest, whether they should embark, or take their chance.
+The captain distributed to these poor fellows arms and ammunition, and
+some other necessaries. When we parted, they stood upon the beach,
+giving us three cheers, and called out, God bless the king. We saw them
+a little after, setting out upon their forlorn hope, and helping one
+another over a hideous tract of rocks; but considering the difficulties
+attending this only way of travelling left them--for the woods are
+impracticable, from their thickness, and the deep swamp everywhere to
+be met in them--considering too, that the coast here is rendered so
+inhospitable, by the heavy seas that are constantly tumbling upon it,
+as not to afford even a little shell-fish, it is probable that all met
+with a miserable end.
+
+We rowed along shore to the westward, in order to make one more attempt
+to double the cape: when abreast of the first headland there ran such
+a sea, that we expected, every instant, the boat would go down. But
+as the preservation of life had now, in a great measure, lost its
+actuating principle upon us, we still kept pushing through it, till we
+opened a bay to the northward. In all my life, I never saw so dreadful
+a sea as drove in here; it began to break at more than half a mile
+from the shore. Perceiving now that it was impossible for any boat to
+get round, the men lay upon their oars till the boat was very near
+the breakers, the mountainous swell that then ran, heaving her in at
+a great rate. I thought it was their intention to put an end to their
+lives and misery at once; but nobody spoke for some time. At last,
+Captain Cheap told them, they must either perish immediately, or pull
+stoutly for it to get off the shore; but they might do as they pleased.
+They chose, however, to exert themselves a little, and after infinite
+difficulty, got round the headland again, giving up all thoughts of
+making any further attempt to double the cape. It was night before we
+could get back to the bay, where we were compelled to leave four of our
+men, in order to save, if possible, the remainder; for we must all have
+certainly perished, if more than sixteen had been crowded into so small
+a boat. This bay we named Marine Bay. When we had returned to this bay,
+we found the surf ran so high, that we were obliged to lay upon our
+oars all night; and it was now resolved to go back to Wager's Island,
+there to linger out a miserable life, as we had not the least prospect
+of returning home.
+
+But before we set out, in consequence of this resolution, it was
+necessary, if possible, to get some little stock of seal to support us
+in a passage, upon which, wherever we might put in, we were not likely
+to meet with any supply. Accordingly, it was determined to go up that
+Lagoon in which we had before got some seal, to provide ourselves with
+some more; but we did not leave the bay till we had made some search
+after the unhappy marines we had left on shore. Could we have found
+them, we had now agreed to take them on board again, though it would
+have been the certain destruction of us all. This, at another time,
+would have been mere madness; but we were now resigned to our fate,
+which we none of us thought far off; however, there was nothing to be
+seen of them, and no traces but a musket on the beach.
+
+Upon returning up the Lagoon, we were so fortunate as to kill some
+seal, which we boiled, and laid in the boat for sea-stock. While we
+were ranging along shore in detached parties in quest of this, and
+whatever other eatable might come in our way, our surgeon, who was
+then by himself, discovered a pretty large hole, which seemed to lead
+to some den, or repository, within the rocks. It was not so rude, or
+natural, but that there were some signs of its having been cleared,
+and made more accessible by industry. The surgeon for some time
+hesitated whether he should venture in, from his uncertainty as to the
+reception he might meet with from any inhabitant; but his curiosity
+getting the better of his fears, he determined to go in; which he
+did upon his hands and knees, as the passage was too low for him to
+enter otherwise. After having proceeded a considerable way thus, he
+arrived at a spacious chamber; but whether hollowed out by hands, or
+natural, he could not be positive. The light into this chamber was
+conveyed through a hole at the top; in the midst was a kind of bier,
+made of sticks laid crossways, supported by props of about five foot
+in height. Upon this bier, five or six bodies were extended; which,
+in appearance, had been deposited there a long time, but had suffered
+no decay or diminution. They were without covering, and the flesh of
+these bodies was become perfectly dry and hard; which, whether done by
+any art, or secret, the savages may be possessed of, or occasioned
+by any drying virtue in the air of the cave, could not be guessed.
+Indeed, the surgeon, finding nothing there to eat, which was the chief
+inducement for his creeping into this hole, did not amuse himself with
+long disquisitions, or make that accurate examination which he would
+have done at another time; but crawling out as he came in, he went and
+told the first he met of what he had seen. Some had the curiosity to
+go in likewise. I had forgot to mention that there was another range
+of bodies, deposited in the same manner, upon another platform under
+the bier. Probably this was the burial place of their great men, called
+caciques; but from whence they could be brought we were utterly at
+a loss to conceive, there being no traces of any Indian settlement
+hereabout. We had seen no savage since we left the island, or observed
+any marks in the coves, or bays to the northward, where we had
+touched,--such as of fire-places, or old wigwams, which they never fail
+of leaving behind them; and it is very probable, from the violent seas
+that are always beating upon this coast, its deformed aspect, and the
+very swampy soil that every where borders upon it, that it is little
+frequented.
+
+We now crossed the first bay for the headland we left on Christmas-day,
+much dejected; for under our former sufferings, we were in some measure
+supported with the hopes that, as we advanced, however little, they
+were so much the nearer the termination; but now our prospect was
+dismal and dispiriting, indeed, as we had the same difficulties and
+dangers to encounter, not only without any flattering views to lessen
+them, but under the aggravating circumstance of their leading to an
+inevitable and miserable death; for we could not possibly conceive that
+the fate of starving could be avoided by any human means, upon that
+desolate island we were returning to. The shell-fish, which was the
+only subsistence that island had hitherto afforded in any measure, was
+exhausted; and the Indians had shewn themselves so little affected by
+the common incitements of compassion, that we had no hopes to build
+upon any impressions of that sort in them. They had already refused
+to barter their dogs with us, for want of a valuable commodity on
+our side; so that it is wonderful we did not give ourselves up to
+despondency, and lay aside all farther attempts; but we were supported
+by that invisible power, who can make the most untoward circumstances
+subservient to his gracious purposes.
+
+At this time, our usual bad weather attended us; the night too set in
+long before we could reach the cove we before had taken shelter in;
+so that we were obliged to keep the boat's head to the sea all night,
+the sea every where a-stern of us, running over hideous breakers. In
+the morning, we designed standing over for that island in which we
+had observed those straight and lofty trees before mentioned, and
+which Captain Cheap named Montrose Island; but as soon as we opened
+the headland to the westward of us, a sudden squall took the boat,
+and very near overset her. We were instantly full of water; but by
+baling with our hats and hands, and any thing that would hold water, we
+with difficulty freed her. Under this alarming circumstance, we found
+it advisable to return back and put into the cove, which the night
+before we were prevented getting into. We were detained here two or
+three days, by exceeding bad weather; so that, had we not fortunately
+provided ourselves with some seal, we must have starved, for this place
+afforded us nothing.
+
+At length we reached Montrose Island. This is by much the best and
+pleasantest spot we had seen in this part of the world; though it has
+nothing on it eatable but some berries, which resembled gooseberries
+in flavour: they are of a black hue, and grow in swampy ground; and
+the bush or tree that bears them is much taller than that of our
+gooseberries. We remained here some time, living upon these berries,
+and the remainder of our seal, which was now grown quite rotten. Our
+two or three first attempts to put out from this island were without
+success, the tempestuous weather obliging us so often to put back
+again. One of our people was much inclined to remain here, thinking it
+as least as good a place as Wager's Island to end his days upon; but
+he was obliged to go off with them. We had not been long out before it
+began to blow a storm of wind; and the mist came on so thick, that we
+could not see the land, and were at a loss which way to steer; but we
+heard the sea, which ran exceedingly high, breaking near us; upon which
+we immediately hauled aft the sheet, and hardly weathered the breakers
+by a boat's length. At the same time we shipped a sea that nearly
+filled us: it struck us with that violence, as to throw me, and one or
+two more, down into the bottom of the boat, where we were half drowned
+before we could get up again. This was one of the most extraordinary
+escapes we had in the course of this expedition; for Captain Cheap, and
+every one else, had entirely given themselves up for lost. However,
+it pleased God that we got that evening into Redwood Cove, where the
+weather continued so bad all night, we could keep no fire in to dry
+ourselves with; but there being no other alternative for us, but to
+stay here and starve, or put to sea again, we chose the latter, and
+put out in the morning again, though the weather was very little
+mended. In three or four days after, we arrived at our old station,
+Wager's Island; but in such a miserable plight, that though we thought
+our condition upon setting out would not admit of any additional
+circumstance of misery, yet it was to be envied in comparison of what
+we now suffered, so worn and reduced were we by fatigue and hunger;
+having eat nothing for some days but sea-weed and tangle. Upon this
+expedition, we had been out, by our account, just two months; in which
+we had rounded, backwards and forwards, the great bay formed to the
+northward by that high land we had observed from Mount Misery.
+
+The first thing we did upon our arrival, was to secure the barge, as
+this was our sole dependence for any relief that might offer by sea;
+which done, we repaired to our huts, which formed a kind of village
+or street, consisting of several irregular habitations; some of which
+being covered by a kind of brush-wood thatch, afforded tolerable
+shelter against the inclemency of the weather. Among these, there was
+one which we observed with some surprise to be nailed up. We broke
+it open, and found some iron work, picked out with much pains from
+those pieces of the wreck which were driven ashore. We concluded from
+hence, that the Indians who had been here in our absence, were not of
+that tribe with which we had some commerce before, who seemed to set
+no value upon iron, but from some other quarter; and must have had
+communication with the Spaniards, from whom they had learned the value
+and use of that commodity. Thieving from strangers is a commendable
+talent among savages in general, and bespeaks an address which they
+much admire; though the strictest honesty, with regard to the property
+of each other, is observed among them. There is no doubt but they
+ransacked all our houses; but the men had taken care, before they went
+off in the long-boat, to strip them of their most valuable furniture;
+that is, the bales of cloth used for lining, and converted them into
+trowsers and watch-coats. Upon farther search, we found, thrown aside
+in the bushes, at the back of one of the huts, some pieces of seal, in
+a very putrid condition; which, however, our stomachs were far from
+loathing. The next business, which the people set about very seriously,
+was to proceed to Mount Misery, and bury the corpse of the murdered
+person, mentioned to have been discovered there some little time after
+our being cast away; for to the neglect of this necessary tribute to
+that unfortunate person, the men assigned all their ill-success upon
+the late expedition.
+
+That common people in general are addicted to superstitious conceits,
+is an observation founded on experience; and the reason is evident:
+but I cannot allow that common seamen are more so than others of the
+lower class. In the most enlightened ages of antiquity, we find it to
+have been the popular opinion, that the spirits of the dead were not at
+rest till their bodies were interred; and that they did not cease to
+haunt and trouble those who had neglected this duty to the departed.
+This is still believed by the vulgar, in most countries; and in our
+men, this persuasion was much heightened by the melancholy condition
+they were reduced to; and was farther confirmed by an occurrence which
+happened some little time before we went upon our last expedition.
+One night we were alarmed with a strange cry, which resembled that
+of a man drowning. Many of us ran out of our huts towards the place
+from whence the noise proceeded, which was not far off shore; where
+we could perceive, but not distinctly (for it was then moonlight), an
+appearance like that of a man swimming half out of water. The noise
+that this creature uttered was so unlike that of any animal they had
+heard before, that it made a great impression upon the men; and they
+frequently recalled this apparition at the time of their distresses,
+with reflections on the neglect of the office they were now fulfilling.
+
+We were soon driven again to the greatest straits for want of something
+to subsist upon, by the extreme bad weather that now set in upon us.
+Wild celery was all we could procure, which raked our stomachs instead
+of assuaging our hunger. That dreadful and last resource of men, in
+not much worse circumstances than ours, of consigning one man to death
+for the support of the rest, began to be mentioned in whispers; and
+indeed there were some among us who, by eating what they found raw,
+were become little better than cannibals. But fortunately for us, and
+opportunely to prevent this horrid proceeding, Mr. Hamilton, at this
+time, found some rotten pieces of beef, cast up by the sea at some
+miles distance from the huts, which he, though a temptation which few
+would have resisted in parallel circumstances, scorned to conceal from
+the rest; but generously distributed among us.
+
+A few days after, the mystery of the nailing up of the hut, and what
+had been doing by the Indians upon the island in our absence, was
+partly explained to us; for about the fifteenth day after our return,
+there came a party of Indians to the island in two canoes, who were not
+a little surprised to find us here again. Among these, was an Indian of
+the tribe of the Chonos, who live in the neighbourhood of Chiloe.[4]
+He talked the Spanish language, but with that savage accent which
+renders it almost unintelligible to any but those who are adepts in
+that language. He was likewise a cacique, or leading man of his tribe;
+which authority was confirmed to him by the Spaniards; for he carried
+the usual badge and mark of distinction by which the Spaniards, and
+their dependents, hold their military and civil employments, which is a
+stick with a silver head. These badges, of which the Indians are very
+vain, at once serve to retain the cacique in the strongest attachment
+to the Spanish government, and give him greater weight with his own
+dependents: yet, withal, he is the merest slave, and has not one thing
+he can call his own. This report of our shipwreck (as we supposed)
+having reached the Chonos, by means of the intermediate tribes, which
+handed it to one another, from those Indians who first visited us;
+this cacique was either sent to learn the truth of the rumour, or
+having first got the intelligence, set out with a view of making some
+advantage of the wreck, and appropriating such iron-work as he could
+gather from it to his own use: for that metal is become very valuable
+to those savages, since their commerce with the Spaniards has taught
+them to apply it to several purposes. But as the secreting any thing
+from a rapacious Spanish rey, or governor (even an old rusty nail),
+by any of their Indian dependents, is a very dangerous offence, he
+was careful to conceal the little prize he had made, till he could
+conveniently carry it away; for in order to make friends of these
+savages, we had left their hoard untouched.
+
+[FOOTNOTE 4:
+
+Chiloe is an island on the western coast of America, about the 43rd
+deg. of S. latitude; and the southernmost settlement under the Spanish
+jurisdiction on that coast.]
+
+Our surgeon, Mr. Elliot, being master of a few Spanish words, made
+himself so far understood by the cacique as to let him know, that
+our intention was to reach some of the Spanish settlements, if we
+could; that we were unacquainted with the best and safest way, and
+what tract was most likely to afford us subsistence in our journey;
+promising, if he would undertake to conduct us in the barge, he should
+have it, and every thing in it, for his trouble, as soon as it had
+served our present occasions. To these conditions the cacique, after
+much persuasion, at length agreed. Accordingly, having made the best
+preparation we could, we embarked on board the barge to the number of
+fifteen, including the cacique, whose name was Martin, and his servant
+Emanuel. We were, indeed, sixteen, when we returned from our last
+fruitless attempt to get off the island; but we had buried two since
+that, who perished with hunger; and a marine, having committed theft,
+run away to avoid the punishment his crime deserved, and hid himself
+in the woods; since which he was never heard of. We now put off,
+accompanied with the two Indian canoes; in one of which was a savage,
+with his two wives, who had an air of dignity superior to the rest, and
+was handsome in his person. He had his hut, during his stay with us,
+separate from the other Indians, who seemed to pay him extraordinary
+respect; but in two or three nights, these Indians, being independent
+of the Spaniards, and living somewhere to the southward of our Chono
+guide, left us to proceed on our journey by ourselves.
+
+The first night we lay at an island destitute of all refreshment; where
+having found some shelter for our boat, and made ourselves a fire, we
+slept by it. The next night we were more unfortunate, though our wants
+were increasing; for having run to the westward of Montross island, we
+found no shelter for the barge; but were under the necessity of lying
+upon our oars, suffering the most extreme pangs of hunger. The next
+day brought us to the bottom of a great bay, where the Indian guide
+had left his family, a wife and two children, in a hut. Here we staid
+two or three days, during which we were constantly employed in ranging
+along shore in quest of shell-fish.
+
+We now again proceeded on our voyage, having received on board the
+family of our guide, who conducted us to a river, the stream of which
+was so rapid, that after our utmost efforts from morning to evening, we
+gained little upon the current, and at last were obliged to desist from
+our attempt and return. I had hitherto steered the boat; but one of our
+men sinking under the fatigue, expired soon after, which obliged me to
+take the oar in his room, and row against this heart-breaking stream.
+Whilst I was thus employed, one of our men whose name was John Bosman,
+though hitherto the stoutest man among us, fell from his seat under
+the thwarts, complaining that his strength was quite exhausted for
+want of food, and that he should die very shortly. As he lay in this
+condition, he would every now and then break out in the most pathetic
+wishes for some little sustenance; that two or three mouthfuls might be
+the means of saving his life. The Captain, at this time, had a large
+piece of boiled seal by him, and was the only one that was provided
+with any thing like a meal; but we were become so hardened against the
+impressions of others' sufferings by our own; so familiarized to scenes
+of this, and every other kind of misery; that the poor man's dying
+entreaties were vain. I sat next to him when he dropped, and having a
+few dried shell-fish (about five or six) in my pocket, from time to
+time put one in his mouth, which served only to prolong his pains; from
+which, however, soon after my little supply failed, he was released
+by death. For this, and another man I mentioned a little before to
+have expired under the like circumstances, when we returned from this
+unsuccessful enterprise, we made a grave in the sands.
+
+It would have redounded greatly to the tenderness and humanity of
+Captain Cheap, if at this time he had remitted somewhat of that
+attention he shewed to self-preservation; which is hardly allowable
+but where the consequence of relieving others must be immediately
+and manifestly fatal to ourselves; but I would venture to affirm,
+that in these last affecting exigencies, as well as some others, a
+sparing perhaps adequate to the emergency, might have been admitted
+consistently with a due regard to his own necessities. The Captain had
+better opportunities for recruiting his stock than any of us; for his
+rank was considered by the Indian as a reason for supplying him when he
+would not find a bit for us. Upon the evening of the day in which these
+disasters happened, the Captain producing a large piece of boiled seal,
+suffered no one to partake with him but the surgeon, who was the only
+man in favour at this time. We did not expect, indeed, any relief from
+him in our present condition; for we had a few small muscles and herbs
+to eat; but the men could not help expressing the greatest indignation
+at his neglect of the deceased; saying that he deserved to be deserted
+by the rest for his savage behaviour.
+
+The endeavouring to pass up this river was for us, who had so long
+struggled with hunger, a most unseasonable attempt; by which we were
+harassed to a degree that threatened to be fatal to more of us; but our
+guide, without any respect to the condition our hardships had reduced
+us to, was very solicitous for us to go that way, which possibly he
+had gone before in light canoes; but for such a boat as ours was
+impracticable. We conceived, therefore, at that time, that this was
+some short cut, which was to bring us forward in our voyage; but we
+had reason to think afterwards, that the greater probability there was
+of his getting the barge, which was the wages of his undertaking, safe
+to his settlement by this, rather than another course, was his motive
+for preferring it to the way we took afterwards, where there was a
+carrying place of considerable length, over which it would have been
+impossible to have carried our boat.
+
+The country hereabouts wears the most uncouth, desolate, and rugged
+aspect imaginable; it is so circumstanced, as to discourage the most
+sanguine adventurers from attempts to settle it: were it for no other
+reason than the constant heavy rains, or rather torrents, which pour
+down here, and the vast sea and surf which the prevailing westerly
+winds impel upon this coast, it must be rendered inhospitable. All
+entrance into the woods is not only extremely difficult, but hazardous;
+not from any assaults you are likely to meet with from wild beasts;
+for even these could hardly find convenient harbour here; but from the
+deep swamp, which is the reigning soil of this country, and in which
+the woods may be said rather to float than grow; so that, except upon a
+range of deformed broken rocks which form the sea-coast, the traveller
+cannot find sound footing any where. With this unpromising scene
+before us we were now setting out in search of food, which nothing but
+the most pressing instances of hunger could induce us to do: we had,
+indeed, the young Indian servant to our cacique for our conductor, who
+was left by him to shew us where the shell-fish was most plenty. The
+cacique was gone with the rest of his family, in the canoe, with a view
+of getting some seal, upon a trip which would detain him from us three
+or four days.
+
+After searching the coast some time with very little success, we
+began to think of returning to the barge; but six of the men, with
+the Indian, having advanced some few paces before the officers, got
+into the boat first; which they had no sooner done than they put off,
+and left us, to return no more. And now all the difficulties we had
+hitherto endured, seemed light in comparison of what we expected to
+suffer from this treachery of our men, who, with the boat, had taken
+away every thing that might be the means of preserving our lives. The
+little clothes we had saved from the wreck, our muskets and ammunition
+were gone, except a little powder, which must be preserved for kindling
+fires, and one gun, which I had, and was now become useless for want of
+ammunition; and all these wants were now come upon us at a time when we
+could not be worse situated for supplying them. Yet under these dismal
+and forlorn appearances was our delivery now preparing; and from these
+hopeless circumstances were we to draw hereafter an instance scarce
+to be paralleled, of the unsearchable ways of Providence. It was at
+that time little suspected by us, that the barge, in which we founded
+all our hopes of escaping from this savage coast, would certainly have
+proved the fatal cause of detaining us till we were consumed by the
+labour and hardships requisite to row her round the capes and great
+headlands; for it was impossible to carry her by land, as we did the
+boats of the Indians. At present, no condition could be worse that we
+thought ours to be: there ran at this time a very high sea, which
+breaking with great fury upon this coast, made it very improbable that
+sustenance in any proportion to our wants could be found upon it; yet,
+unpromising as this prospect was, and though little succour could be
+expected from this quarter, I could not help, as I strolled along shore
+from the rest, casting my eyes towards the sea. Continuing thus to look
+out, I thought I saw something now and then upon the top of a sea that
+looked black, which upon observing still more intently, I imagined at
+last to be a canoe; but reflecting afterwards how unusual it was for
+Indians to venture out in so mountainous a sea, and at such a distance
+from the land, I concluded myself to be deceived. However, its nearer
+approach convinced me, beyond all doubt, of its being a canoe; but that
+it could not put in any where hereabouts, but intended for some other
+part of the coast. I ran back as fast as I could to my companions, and
+acquainted them with what I had seen. The despondency they were in
+would not allow them to give credit to it at first; but afterwards,
+being convinced that it was as I reported it, we were all in the
+greatest hurry to strip off some of our rags to make a signal withal,
+which we fixed upon a long pole. This had the desired effect: the
+people in the canoe seeing the signal, made towards the land at about
+two mile distance from us; for no boat could approach the land where we
+were: there they put into a small cove, sheltered by a large ledge of
+rocks without, which broke the violence of the sea. Captain Cheap and
+I walked along shore, and got to the cove about the time they landed.
+Here we found the persons arrived in this canoe, to be our Indian guide
+and his wife, who had left us some days before. He would have asked us
+many questions; but neither Captain Cheap nor I understanding Spanish
+at that time, we took him along with us to the surgeon, whom we had
+left so ill that he could hardly raise himself from the ground. When
+the Indian began to confer with the surgeon, the first question was,
+What was become of the barge and his companion? and as he could give
+him no satisfactory answer to this question, the Indian took it for
+granted that Emanuel was murdered by us, and that he and his family ran
+the same risk; upon which he was preparing to provide for his security,
+by leaving us directly. The surgeon seeing this, did all in his
+power to pacify him, and convince him of the unreasonableness of his
+apprehensions; which he at length found means to do, by assuring him
+that the Indian would come to no harm, but that he would soon see him
+return safe; which providentially, and beyond our expectation, happened
+accordingly; for in a few days after, Emanuel having contrived to make
+his escape from the people in the barge, returned by ways that were
+impassable to any creature but an Indian. All that we could learn from
+Emanuel relative to his escape was, that he took the first opportunity
+of leaving them; which was upon their putting into a bay somewhere to
+the westward.
+
+We had but one gun among us, and that was a small fowling-piece of
+mine; no ammunition but a few charges of powder I had about me; and
+as the Indian was very desirous of returning to the place where he had
+left his wife and canoe, Captain Cheap desired I would go with him and
+watch over him all night, to prevent his getting away. Accordingly I
+set out with him; and when he and his family betook themselves to rest
+in the little wigwam they had made for that purpose, I kept my station
+as centinel over them all night.
+
+The next morning Captain Cheap, Mr. Hamilton, and the surgeon, joined
+us: the latter, by illness, being reduced to the most feeble condition,
+was supported by Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Campbell. After holding some
+little consultation together, as to the best manner of proceeding in
+our journey, it was agreed, that the Indian should haul his canoe, with
+our assistance, over land, quite across the island we were then upon,
+and put her into a bay on the other side, from whence he was to go in
+quest of some other Indians, by whom he expected to be joined; but as
+his canoe was too small to carry more than three or four persons, he
+thought it advisable to take only Captain Cheap and myself with him,
+and to leave his wife and children as pledges with our companions till
+his return.
+
+As it was matter of uncertainty whether we should ever recover the
+barge or not, which was stipulated, on our side, to become the property
+of the cacique, upon his fulfilling his engagements with us; the
+inducements we now made use of to prevail upon him to proceed with us
+in our journey were, that he should have my fowling-piece, some little
+matters in the possession of Captain Cheap, and that we would use our
+interest to procure him some small pecuniary reward.
+
+We were now to set off in the canoe, in which I was to assist him in
+rowing. Accordingly, putting from this island, we rowed hard all this
+day and the next, without any thing to eat but a scrap of seal, a very
+small portion of which fell to my share. About two hours after the
+close of the day, we put ashore, where we discovered six or seven
+wigwams. For my part, my strength was so exhausted with fatigue and
+hunger, that it would have been impossible for me to have held out
+another day at this toilsome work. As soon as we landed, the Indian
+conducted Captain Cheap with him into a wigwam; but I was left to shift
+for myself.
+
+Thus left, I was for some time at a loss what I had best do; for
+knowing that in the variety of dispositions observable among the
+Indians, the surly and savage temper is the most prevalent, I had good
+reason to conclude, that if I obtruded myself upon them, my reception
+would be but indifferent. Necessity, however, put me upon the risk;
+I accordingly pushed into the next wigwam upon my hands and knees;
+for the entrance into these kind of buildings is too low to admit of
+any other manner of getting into them. To give a short description of
+these temporary houses, called wigwams, may not be improper here, for
+the satisfaction of those who never saw any; especially as they differ
+somewhat from those of North America, which are more generally known
+from the numerous accounts of that country.
+
+When the Indians of this part of the world have occasion to stop any
+where in their rambles, if it be only for a night or two, the men, who
+take this business upon them, while the women are employed in much
+more laborious offices, such as diving in the sea for sea-eggs, and
+searching the rocks for shell-fish, getting fuel, &c., repair to the
+woods, and cutting a sufficient number of tall, strait branches, fix
+them in an irregular kind of circle, of uncertain dimensions; which
+having done, they bend the extremities of these branches so as to meet
+in a centre at top, where they bind them by a kind of woodbine, called
+supple-jack, which they split by holding it in their teeth. This frame,
+or skeleton of a hut, is made tight against the weather with a covering
+of boughs and bark; but as the bark is not got without some trouble,
+they generally take it with them when they remove, putting it at the
+bottom of their canoes: the rest of the wigwam they leave standing.
+The fire is made in the middle of the wigwam, round which they sit upon
+boughs; and as there is no vent for the smoke, besides the door-way,
+which is very low, except through some crevices, which cannot easily be
+stopped, they are not a little incommoded on that account; and the eyes
+of some of them are much affected by it.
+
+But to return: in this wigwam, into which I took the liberty to
+introduce myself, I found only two women, who, upon first seeing a
+figure they were not accustomed to, and such a figure too as I then
+made, were struck with astonishment. They were sitting by a fire, to
+which I approached without any apology. However inclined I might have
+been to make one, my ignorance of their language made it impossible to
+attempt it. One of these women appeared to be young, and very handsome
+for an Indian; the other old, and as frightful as it is possible to
+conceive any thing in human shape to be. Having stared at me some
+little time, they both went out; and I, without any farther ceremony,
+sat me down by the fire to warm myself, and dry the rags I wore. Yet I
+cannot say my situation was very easy, as I expected every instant to
+see two or three men come in and thrust me out, if they did not deal
+with me in a rougher manner.
+
+Soon after the two women came in again, having, as I supposed,
+conferred with the Indian, our conductor; and appearing to be in great
+good-humour, began to chatter and laugh immoderately. Perceiving the
+wet and cold condition I was in, they seemed to have compassion on
+me, and the old woman went out and brought some wood, with which she
+made a good fire; but my hunger being impatient, I could not forbear
+expressing my desire that they would extend their hospitality a little
+further, and bring me something to eat. They soon comprehended my
+meaning, and the younger beginning to rummage under some pieces of bark
+that lay in the corner of the wigwam, produced a fine large fish: this
+they presently put upon the fire to broil; and when it was just warm
+through, they made a sign for me to eat. They had no need to repeat
+the invitation; I fell to, and dispatched it in so short a time, that
+I was in hopes they would comprehend, without further tokens, that I
+was ready for another; but it was of no consequence, for their stock of
+eatables was entirely exhausted.
+
+After sitting some time in conference together, in which conversation
+I could bear no part, the women made some signs to me to lay down and
+go to sleep, first having strewed some dry boughs upon the ground. I
+laid myself down, and soon fell fast asleep; and about three or four
+hours after awaking, I found myself covered with a bit of blanket, made
+of the down of birds, which the women usually wear about their waist.
+The young woman, who had carefully covered me, whilst sleeping, with
+her own blanket, was lying close by me: the old woman lay on the other
+side of her. The fire was low, and almost burnt out; but as soon as
+they found me awake they renewed it, by putting on more fuel. What I
+had hitherto eat served only to sharpen my appetite; I could not help,
+therefore, being earnest with them to get me some more victuals. Having
+understood my necessities, they talked together some little time;
+after which getting up, they both went out, taking with them a couple
+of dogs, which they train to assist them in fishing. After an hour's
+absence, they came in trembling with cold, and their hair streaming
+with water, and brought two fish; which having broiled, they gave me
+the largest share; and then we all laid down as before to rest.
+
+In the morning my curiosity led me to visit the neighbouring wigwams,
+in which were only one or two men; the rest of the inhabitants were all
+women and children. I then proceeded to enquire after Captain Cheap and
+our Indian guide, whom I found in the wigwam they at first occupied:
+the authority of the cacique had procured the Captain no despicable
+entertainment. We could not learn what business the men, whose wives
+and children were here left behind, were gone out upon; but as they
+seldom or never go upon fishing-parties (for they have no hunting here)
+without their wives, who take the most laborious part of this pursuit
+upon themselves, it is probable they were gone upon some warlike
+expedition, in which they use bows and arrows sometimes, but always
+the lance. This weapon they throw with great dexterity and force, and
+never stir abroad without it. About this time their return was looked
+for; a hearing by no means pleasant to me; I was, therefore, determined
+to enjoy myself as long as they were absent, and make the most of the
+good fare I was possessed of; to the pleasure of which I thought a
+little cleanliness might in some measure contribute; I therefore went
+to a brook, and taking off my shirt, which might be said to be alive
+with vermin, set myself about to wash it; which having done as well
+as I could, and hung on a bush to dry, I heard a bustle about the
+wigwams; and soon perceived that the women were preparing to depart,
+having stripped their wigwams of their bark covering, and carried it
+into their canoes. Putting on, therefore, my shirt just as it was, I
+hastened to join them, having a great desire of being present at one of
+their fishing parties.
+
+It was my lot to be put into the canoe with my two patronesses, and
+some others who assisted in rowing; we were in all four canoes. After
+rowing some time, they gained such an offing as they required, where
+the water here was about eight or ten fathom deep, and there lay upon
+their oars. And now the youngest of the two women, taking a basket in
+her mouth, jumped overboard, and diving to the bottom, continued under
+water an amazing time: when she had filled the basket with sea-eggs,
+she came up to the boat-side; and delivering it so filled to the other
+women in the boat, they took out the contents, and returned it to her.
+The diver, then, after having taken a short time to breathe, went down
+and up again with the same success; and so several times for the space
+of half an hour. It seems as if Providence had endued this people
+with a kind of amphibious nature, as the sea is the only source from
+whence almost all their subsistence is derived. This element too,
+being here very boisterous, and falling with a most heavy surf upon a
+rugged coast, very little, except some seal, is to be got any where
+but in the quiet bosom of the deep. What occasions this reflection is
+the early propensity I had so frequently observed in the children of
+these savages to this occupation; who, even at the age of three years,
+might be seen crawling upon their hands and knees among the rocks and
+breakers; from which they would tumble themselves into the sea without
+regard to the cold, which is here often intense; and showing no fear of
+the noise and roaring of the surf.
+
+This sea-egg is a shell-fish, from which several prickles project in
+all directions, by means whereof it removes itself from place to place.
+In it are found four or five yolks, resembling the inner divisions of
+an orange, which are of a very nutritive quality, and excellent flavour.
+
+The water was at this time extremely cold; and when the divers got
+into the boats, they seemed greatly benumbed; and it is usual with
+them after this exercise, if they are near enough their wigwams, to
+run to the fire; to which presenting one side, they rub and chafe it
+for some time; then turning the other, use it in the same manner,
+till the circulation of the blood is restored. This practice, if it
+has no worse effect, must occasion their being more susceptible of
+the impressions of cold, than if they waited the gradual advances of
+their natural warmth in the open air. I leave it to the decision of the
+gentlemen of the faculty, whether this too hasty approach to the fire
+may not subject them to a disorder I observed among them, called the
+elephantiasis, or swelling of the legs.[5]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 5:
+
+There are two very different disorders incident to the human body,
+which bear the same name, derived from some resemblance they hold with
+different parts of the animal so well known in the countries to which
+these disorders are peculiar. That which was first so named is the
+leprosy, which brings a scurf on the skin not unlike the hide of an
+elephant. The other affects the patient with such enormous swellings of
+the legs and feet, that they give the idea of those shapeless pillars
+which support that creature; and therefore this disease has also been
+called elephantiasis by the Arabian physicians; who, together with the
+Malabarians, among whom it is endemial, attribute it to the drinking
+bad waters, and the too sudden transitions from heat to cold.]
+
+The divers having returned to their boats, we continued to row till
+towards evening, when we landed upon a low point. As soon as the canoes
+were hauled up, they employed themselves in erecting their wigwams,
+which they dispatch with great address and quickness. I still enjoyed
+the protection of my two good Indian women, who made me their guest
+here as before; they first regaled me with sea-eggs, and then went out
+upon another kind of fishery by the means of dogs and nets. These dogs
+are a cur-like looking animal, but very sagacious, and easily trained
+to this business. Though in appearance an uncomfortable sort of sport,
+yet they engage in it readily, seem to enjoy it much, and express
+their eagerness by barking every time they raise their heads above the
+water to breathe. The net is held by two Indians, who get into the
+water; then the dogs, taking a large compass, dive after the fish, and
+drive them into the net; but it is only in particular places that the
+fish are taken in this manner. At the close of the evening, the women
+brought in two fish, which served us for supper; and then we reposed
+ourselves as before. Here we remained all the next day; and the morning
+after embarked again, and rowed till noon; then landing, we descried
+the canoes of the Indian men, who had been some time expected from an
+expedition they had been upon. This was soon to make a great alteration
+in the situation of my affairs, a presage of which I could read in the
+melancholy countenance of my young hostess. She endeavoured to express
+herself in very earnest terms to me; but I had not yet acquired a
+competent knowledge of the Indian language to understand her.
+
+As soon as the men were landed, she and the old Indian woman went up,
+not without some marks of dread upon them, to an elderly Indian man,
+whose remarkable surly and stern countenance was well calculated to
+raise such sensations in his dependents. He seemed to be a cacique, or
+chief man among them, by the airs of importance he assumed to himself,
+and the deference paid him by the rest. After some little conference
+passed between these Indians, and our cacique conductor, of which,
+most probably, the circumstances of our history, and the occasion of
+our coming here, might be the chief subject, for they fixed their
+eyes constantly upon us, they applied themselves to building their
+wigwams. I now understood that the two Indian women with whom I had
+sojourned, were wives to this chieftain, though one was young enough to
+be his daughter; and as far as I could learn, did really stand in the
+different relations to him both of daughter and wife. It was easy to be
+perceived that all did not go well between them at this time: either
+that he was not satisfied with the answers that they returned him to
+his questions, or that he suspected some misconduct on their side; for
+presently after, breaking out into savage fury, he took the young one
+up in his arms, and threw her with violence against the stones; but his
+brutal resentment did not stop here, he beat her afterwards in a cruel
+manner. I could not see this treatment of my benefactress without the
+highest concern for her, and rage against the author of it; especially
+as the natural jealousy of these people gave occasion to think that
+it was on my account she suffered. I could hardly suppress the first
+emotions of my resentment, which prompted me to return him his
+barbarity in his own kind; but besides that this might have drawn upon
+her fresh marks of his severity, it was neither politic, nor indeed in
+my power, to have done it to any good purpose at this time.
+
+Our cacique now made us understand that we must embark directly, in the
+same canoe which brought us, and return to our companions; and that
+the Indians we were about to leave, would join us in a few days, when
+we should all set out in a body, in order to proceed to the northward.
+In our way back, nothing very material happened; but upon our arrival,
+which was the next day, we found Mr. Elliot, the surgeon, in a very bad
+way; his illness had been continually increasing since we left him. Mr.
+Hamilton and Mr. Campbell were almost starved, having fared very ill
+since we left them: a few sea-eggs were all the subsistence they had
+lived upon; and these procured by the cacique's wife, in the manner I
+mentioned before. This woman was the very reverse of my hostess; and as
+she found her husband was of so much consequence to us, took upon her
+with much haughtiness, and treated us as dependents and slaves. He was
+not more engaging in his carriage towards us; he would give no part of
+what he had to spare to any but Captain Cheap, whom his interest led
+him to prefer to the rest, though our wants were often greater. The
+captain, on his part, contributed to keep us in this abject situation,
+by approving this distinction the cacique showed to him. Had he treated
+us with not quite so much distance, the cacique might have been more
+regardful of our wants. The little regard and attention which our
+necessitous condition drew from Captain Cheap, may be imputed likewise,
+in some measure, to the effects of a mind soured by a series of crosses
+and disappointments; which, indeed, had operated on us all to a great
+neglect of each other, and sometimes of ourselves.
+
+We were not suffered to be in the same wigwam with the cacique and his
+wife; which, if we had had any countenance from Captain Cheap, would
+not have been refused. What we had made for ourselves was in such a
+bungling manner, that it scarce deserved the name even of this wretched
+sort of habitation. But our untoward circumstances now found some
+relief in the arrival of the Indians we waited for; who brought with
+them some seal, a small portion of which fell to our share. A night
+or two after they sent out some of their young men, who procured us a
+quantity of a very delicate kind of birds, called shags and cormorants.
+Their manner of taking these birds resembles something a sport called
+bat fowling. They find out their haunts among the rocks and cliffs in
+the night, when taking with them torches made of the bark of the birch
+tree, which is common here, and grows to a very large size, (this bark
+has a very unctuous quality, and emits a bright and clear light, and in
+the northern parts of America is used frequently instead of a candle,)
+they bring the boat's side as near as possible to the rocks, under the
+roosting-places of these birds; then waving their lights backwards and
+forwards, the birds are dazzled and confounded so as to fall into the
+canoe, where they are instantly knocked on the head with a short stick
+the Indians take with them for that purpose.
+
+Seals are taken in some less frequented parts of these coasts, with
+great ease; but when their haunts have been two or three times
+disturbed, they soon learn to provide for their safety, by repairing to
+the water upon the first alarm. This is the case with them hereabouts;
+but as they frequently raise their heads above water, either to breathe
+or look about them, I have seen an Indian at this interval, throw his
+lance with such dexterity as to strike the animal through both its
+eyes, at a great distance; and it is very seldom that they miss their
+aim.
+
+As we were wholly unacquainted with these methods of providing food
+for ourselves, and were without arms and ammunition, we were driven
+to the utmost straits; and found ourselves rather in worse condition
+than we had been at any time before. For the Indians having now nothing
+to fear from us, we found we had nothing to expect from them upon any
+other motive. Accordingly, if ever they did relieve us, it was through
+caprice; for at most times they would shew themselves unconcerned at
+our greatest distresses. But the good Indian women, whose friendship
+I had experienced before, continued, from time to time, their good
+offices to me. Though I was not suffered to enter their wigwams, they
+would find opportunities of throwing in my way such scraps as they
+could secrete from their husbands. The obligation I was under to them
+on this account was great, as the hazard they ran in conferring these
+favours was little less than death. The men, unrestrained by any
+laws or ties of conscience, in the management of their own families,
+exercise a most despotic authority over their wives, whom they consider
+in the same view as any other part of their property, and dispose of
+them accordingly: even their common treatment of them is cruel; for
+though the toil and hazard of procuring food lies entirely upon the
+women, yet they are not suffered to touch any part of it till the
+husband is satisfied; and then he assigns them their portion, which is
+generally very scanty, and such as he has not a stomach for himself.
+This arbitrary proceeding, with respect to their own families, is not
+peculiar to this people only. I have had occasion to observe it in
+more instances than this I have mentioned, among many other nations of
+savages I have since seen.
+
+These Indians are of a middling stature, well set, and very active;
+and make their way among the rocks with an amazing agility. Their
+feet, by this kind of exercise, contract a callosity which renders
+the use of shoes quite unnecessary to them. But before I conclude the
+few observations I have to make on a people so confined in all their
+notions and habits, it may be expected I should say something of their
+religion; but as their gross ignorance is in nothing more conspicuous,
+and as we found it advisable to keep out of their way when the fits
+of devotion came upon them, which is rather frantic than religious,
+the reader can expect very little satisfaction on this head. Accident
+has sometimes made me unavoidably a spectator of scenes I should have
+chosen to have withdrawn myself from; and so far I am instructed. As
+there are no fixed seasons for their religious exercises, the younger
+people wait till the elders find themselves devoutly disposed; who
+begin the ceremony by several deep and dismal groans, which rise
+gradually to a hideous kind of singing, from which they proceed to
+enthusiasm, and work themselves into a disposition that borders on
+madness; for suddenly jumping up, they snatch firebrands from the fire,
+put them in their mouths, and run about burning every body they come
+near: at other times, it is a custom with them to wound one another
+with sharp muscle-shells till they are besmeared with blood. These
+orgies continue till those who preside in them foam at the mouth, grow
+faint, are exhausted with fatigue, and dissolve in a profusion of
+sweat. When the men drop their part in this frenzy, the women take it
+up, acting over again much the same kind of wild scene, except that
+they rather outdo the men in shrieks and noise. Our cacique, who had
+been reclaimed from these abominations by the Spaniards, and just knew
+the exterior form of crossing himself, pretended to be much offended
+at these profane ceremonies, and that he would have died sooner than
+have partaken of them. Among other expressions of disapprobation, he
+declared that whilst the savages solemnized these horrid rites, he
+never failed to hear strange and uncommon noises in the woods, and to
+see frightful visions; and assured us, that the devil was the chief
+actor among them upon these occasions.
+
+It might be about the middle of March, that we embarked with these
+Indians. They separated our little company entirely, not putting any
+two of us together in the same canoe. The oar was my lot, as usual,
+as also Mr. Campbell's; Mr. Hamilton could not row, and Captain Cheap
+was out of the question; our surgeon was more dead than alive at the
+time, and lay at the bottom of the canoe he was in. The weather coming
+on too bad for their canoes to keep the sea, we landed again, without
+making great progress that day. Here Mr. Elliot, our surgeon, died. At
+our first setting out, he promised the fairest for holding out, being
+a very strong, active young man: he had gone through an infinite deal
+of fatigue, as Mr. Hamilton and he were the best shots amongst us, and
+whilst our ammunition lasted never spared themselves, and in a great
+measure provided for the rest; but he died the death many others had
+done before him, being quite starved. We scraped a hole for him in the
+sand, and buried him in the best manner we could. Here I must relate a
+little anecdote of our Christian cacique. He and his wife had gone off,
+at some distance from the shore, in their canoe, when she dived for
+sea-eggs; but not meeting with great success, they returned a good deal
+out of humour. A little boy of theirs, about three years old, whom they
+appeared to be dotingly fond of, watching for his father and mother's
+return, ran into the surf to meet them: the father handed a basket of
+sea-eggs to the child, which being too heavy for him to carry, he let
+it fall; upon which the father jumped out of the canoe, and catching
+the boy up in his arms, dashed him with the utmost violence against
+the stones. The poor little creature lay motionless and bleeding, and
+in that condition was taken up by the mother; but died soon after. She
+appeared inconsolable for some time; but the brute his father shewed
+little concern about it. A day or two after we put to sea again, and
+crossed the great bay I mentioned we had been to the bottom of, when
+we first hauled away to the westward. The land here was very low and
+sandy, with something like the mouth of a river which discharged itself
+into the sea; and which had been taken no notice of by us before, as
+it was so shallow that the Indians were obliged to take every thing
+out of their canoes, and carry it over the neck of land, and then haul
+the boats over into a river, which at this part of it was very broad,
+more resembling a lake than a river. We rowed up it for four or five
+leagues, and then took into a branch of it, that ran first to the
+eastward, and then to the northward: here it became much narrower, and
+the stream excessively rapid, so that we made but little way, though
+we worked very hard. At night we landed upon its banks, and had a most
+uncomfortable lodging, it being a perfect swamp; and we had nothing to
+cover us, though it rained very hard. The Indians were little better
+off than we, as there was no wood here to make their wigwams; so that
+all they could do was to prop up the bark they carry in the bottom
+of their canoes with their oars, and shelter themselves as well as
+they could to leeward of it. They, knowing the difficulties that were
+to be encountered here, had provided themselves with some seal; but
+we had not the least morsel to eat, after the heavy fatigues of the
+day, excepting a sort of root we saw some of the Indians make use of,
+which was very disagreeable to the taste. We laboured all the next
+day against the stream, and fared as we had done the day before. The
+next day brought us to the carrying-place. Here was plenty of wood;
+but nothing to be got for sustenance. The first thing the Indians did
+was to take every thing out of their canoes; and after hauling them
+ashore, they made their wigwams. We passed this night, as generally we
+had done, under a tree; but what we suffered at this time is not easily
+to be expressed. I had been three days at the oar without any kind of
+nourishment, but the wretched root I mentioned before. I had no shirt,
+as mine was rotted off by bits, and we were devoured by vermin. All
+my clothes consisted of an old short grieko, which is something like
+a bearskin, with a piece of a waistcoat under it, which once had been
+of red cloth, both which I had on when I was cast away; I had a ragged
+pair of trowsers, without either shoe or stocking. The first thing
+the Indians did in the morning was to take their canoes to pieces:
+and here, for the information of the reader, it will be necessary
+to describe the structure of these boats, which are extremely well
+calculated for the use of these Indians, as they are frequently obliged
+to carry them over land a long way together, through thick woods, to
+avoid doubling capes and headlands in seas where no open boat could
+live. They generally consist of five pieces, or planks; one for the
+bottom, and two for each side; and as these people have no iron tools,
+the labour must be great in hacking a single plank out of a large tree
+with shells and flints, though with the help of fire. Along the edges
+of the plank they make small holes, at about an inch from one to the
+other, and sew them together with the supple-jack, or woodbine; but as
+these holes are not filled up by the substance of the woodbine, their
+boats would be immediately full of water if they had not a method of
+preventing it. They do this very effectually by the bark of a tree,
+which they first steep in water for some time, and then beat it between
+two stones till it answers the use of oakum, and then chinse each hole
+so well, that they do not admit of the least water coming through,
+and are easily taken asunder and put together again. When they have
+occasion to go over land, as at this time, each man or woman carries a
+plank; whereas it would be impossible for them to drag a heavy boat
+entire. Every body had something to carry except Captain Cheap; and he
+was obliged to be assisted, or never would have got over this march;
+for a worse than this, I believe, never was made. He, with the others,
+set out some time before me. I waited for two Indians, who belonged to
+the canoe I came in; and who remained to carry over the last of the
+things from the side we were on. I had a piece of wet heavy canvas,
+which belonged to Captain Cheap, with a bit of stinking seal wrapped
+in it (which had been given him that morning by some of the Indians)
+to carry upon my head, which was a sufficient weight for a strong man
+in health, through such roads, and a grievous burthen to one in my
+condition. Our way was through a thick wood, the bottom of which was
+a mere quagmire, most part of it up to our knees, and often to our
+middle; and every now and then we had a large tree to get over, for
+they often lay directly in our road. Besides this, we were continually
+treading upon the stumps of trees, which were not to be avoided, as
+they were covered with water; and having neither shoe nor stocking, my
+feet and legs were frequently torn and wounded. Before I had got half
+a mile, the two Indians had left me; and making the best of my way,
+lest they should be all gone before I got to the other side, I fell
+off a tree that crossed the road, into a very deep swamp, where I very
+narrowly escaped drowning, by the weight of the burthen I had on my
+head. It was a long while before I could extricate myself from this
+difficulty; and when I did my strength was quite exhausted. I sat down
+under a tree, and there gave way to melancholy reflections. However,
+as I was sensible these reflections would answer no end, they did not
+last long. I got up, and marking a great tree, I there deposited my
+load, not being able to carry it any farther, and set out to join my
+company. It was some hours before I reached my companions. I found them
+sitting under a tree, and sat myself down by them without speaking a
+word; nor did they speak to me, as I remember, for some time; when
+Captain Cheap, breaking silence, began to ask after the seal and piece
+of canvas. I told him the disaster I had met with, which he might have
+easily guessed by the condition the rags I had on were in, as well as
+having my feet and ancles cut to pieces: but instead of compassion
+for my sufferings, I heard nothing but grumbling from every one, for
+the irreparable loss they had sustained by me. I made no answer; but
+after resting myself a little, I got up and struck into the wood, and
+walked back at least five miles to the tree I had marked, and returned
+just time enough to deliver it before my companions embarked, with the
+Indians, upon a great lake, the opposite part of which seemed to wash
+the foot of the Cordilleras. I wanted to embark with them; but was
+given to understand I was to wait for some other Indians that were to
+follow them. I knew not where these Indians were to come from: I was
+left alone upon the beach, and night was at hand. They left me not
+even a morsel of the stinking seal that I had suffered so much about.
+I kept my eyes upon the boats as long as I could distinguish them;
+and then returned into the wood, and sat myself down upon the root
+of a tree, having eat nothing the whole day but the stem of a plant
+which resembles that of an artichoke, which is of a juicy consistence,
+and acid taste. Quite worn out with fatigue, I soon fell asleep;
+and awaking before day, I thought I heard some voices at no great
+distance from me. As the day appeared, looking further into the wood, I
+perceived a wigwam, and immediately made towards it; but the reception
+I met with was not at all agreeable; for stooping to get into it, I
+presently received two or three kicks in my face, and at the same time
+heard the sound of voices seemingly in anger; which made me retire, and
+wait at the foot of a tree, where I remained till an old woman peeped
+out, and made signs to me to draw near. I obeyed very readily, and
+went into the wigwam: in it were three men and two women; one young
+man seemed to have great respect shewn to him by the rest, though he
+was the most miserable object I ever saw. He was a perfect skeleton,
+and covered with sores from head to foot. I was happy to sit a moment
+by their fire, as I was quite benumbed with cold. The old woman took
+out a piece of seal, holding one part of it between her feet, and the
+other end in her teeth, and then cut off some thin slices with a sharp
+shell, and distributed them about to the other Indians. She then put
+a bit on the fire, taking a piece of fat in her mouth, which she kept
+chewing, every now and then spirting some of it on the piece that was
+warming upon the fire; for they never do more with it than warm it
+through. When it was ready, she gave me a little bit, which I swallowed
+whole, being almost starved. As these Indians were all strangers to me,
+I did not know which way they were going; and indeed it was now become
+quite indifferent to me which way I went, whether to the northward
+or southward, so that they would but take me with them, and give me
+something to eat. However, to make them comprehend me, I pointed first
+to the southward, and after to the lake, and I soon understood they
+were going to the northward. They all went out together, excepting the
+sick Indian, and took up the plank of the canoe, which lay near the
+wigwam, and carried it to the beach, and presently put it together;
+and getting every thing into it, they put me to the oar. We rowed
+across the lake to the mouth of a very rapid river, where we put
+ashore for that night, not daring to get any way down in the dark;
+as it required the greatest skill, even in the day, to avoid running
+foul of the stumps and roots of trees, of which this river was full.
+I passed a melancholy night, as they would not suffer me to come near
+the wigwam they had made; nor did they give me the least bit of any
+one thing to eat since we embarked. In the morning we set off again.
+The weather proved extremely bad the whole day. We went down the river
+at an amazing rate; and just before night they put ashore upon a stony
+beach. They hauled the canoe up, and all disappeared in a moment, and
+I was left quite alone: it rained violently, and was very dark. I
+thought it was as well to lay down upon the beach, half side in water,
+as to get into a swamp under a dropping tree. In this dismal situation
+I fell asleep, and awaked three or four hours after in such agonies
+with the cramp, that I thought I must die upon the spot. I attempted
+several times to raise myself upon my legs, but could not. At last I
+made shift to get upon my knees, and looking towards the wood I saw
+a great fire at some distance from me. I was a long time crawling to
+it; and when I reached it, I threw myself almost into it, in hopes of
+finding some relief from the pain I suffered. This intrusion gave great
+offence to the Indians, who immediately got up, kicking and beating me
+till they drove me some distance from it; however I contrived a little
+after to place myself so as to receive some warmth from it, by which I
+got rid of the cramp. In the morning we left this place, and were soon
+after out of the river. Being now at sea again, the Indians intended
+putting ashore at the first convenient place, to look for shell-fish,
+their stock of provisions having been quite exhausted for some time.
+At low water we landed upon a spot that seemed to promise well; and
+here we found plenty of limpets. Though at this time starving, I did
+not attempt to eat one, lest I should lose a moment in gathering them;
+not knowing how soon the Indians might be going again. I had almost
+filled my hat when I saw them returning to the canoe. I made what haste
+I could to her; for I believe they would have made no conscience of
+leaving me behind. I sat down to my oar again, placing my hat close to
+me, every now and then eating a limpet. The Indians were employed the
+same way, when one of them, seeing me throw the shells overboard, spoke
+to the rest in a violent passion; and getting up, fell upon me, and
+seizing me by an old ragged handkerchief I had about my neck, almost
+throttled me; whilst another took me by the legs, and was going to
+throw me overboard, if the old woman had not prevented them. I was all
+this time entirely ignorant by what means I had given offence, till I
+observed that the Indians, after eating the limpets, carefully put the
+shells in a heap at the bottom of the canoe. I then concluded there
+was some superstition about throwing these shells into the sea, my
+ignorance of which had very nearly cost me my life. I was resolved to
+eat no more limpets till we landed, which we did some time after upon
+an island. I then took notice that the Indians brought all their shells
+ashore, and laid them above high water mark. Here, as I was going to
+eat a large bunch of berries I had gathered from a tree, for they
+looked very tempting, one of the Indians snatched them out of my hand
+and threw them away, making me to understand that they were poisonous.
+Thus, in all probability, did these people now save my life, who, a few
+hours before, were going to take it from me for throwing away a shell.
+
+In two days after, I joined my companions again; but do not remember
+that there was the least joy shewn on either side at meeting. At
+this place was a very large canoe belonging to our guide, which would
+have required at least six men to the oar to have made any kind of
+expedition: instead of that, there was only Campbell and myself,
+besides the Indian, his companion, or servant, to row, the cacique
+himself never touching an oar, but sitting with his wife all the time
+much at his ease. Mr. Hamilton continued in the same canoe he had
+been in all along, and which still was to keep us company some way
+further, though many of the others had left us. This was dreadful hard
+work to such poor starved wretches as we were, to be slaving at the
+oar all day long in such a heavy boat; and this inhuman fellow would
+never give us a scrap to eat, excepting when he took so much seal that
+he could not contrive to carry it all away with him, which happened
+very seldom. After working like galley-slaves all day, towards night,
+when we landed, instead of taking any rest, Mr. Campbell and I were
+sometimes obliged to go miles along shore to get a few shell-fish;
+and just as we had made a little fire in order to dress them, he has
+commanded us into the boat again, and kept us rowing the whole night
+without ever landing. It is impossible for me to describe the miserable
+state we were reduced to: our bodies were so emaciated, that we hardly
+appeared the figures of men. It has often happened to me in the coldest
+night, both in hail and snow, where we had nothing but an open beach
+to lie down upon, in order to procure a little rest, that I have been
+obliged to pull off the few rags I had on, as it was impossible to get
+a moment's sleep with them on for the vermin that swarmed about them;
+though I used, as often as I had time, to take my clothes off, and
+putting them upon a large stone, beat them with another, in hopes of
+killing hundreds at once; for it was endless work to pick them off.
+What we suffered from this, was ten times worse even than hunger. But
+we were clean in comparison to Captain Cheap; for I could compare
+his body to nothing but an ant-hill, with thousands of those insects
+crawling over it; for he was now past attempting to rid himself in the
+least from this torment, as he had quite lost himself, not recollecting
+our names that were about him, or even his own. His beard was as long
+as a hermit's: that and his face being covered with train-oil and dirt,
+from having long accustomed himself to sleep upon a bag, by the way of
+a pillow, in which he kept the pieces of stinking seal. This prudent
+method he took to prevent our getting at it whilst he slept. His legs
+were as big as mill-posts, though his body appeared nothing but skin
+and bone.
+
+One day we fell in with about forty Indians, who came down to the beach
+we landed on, curiously painted. Our cacique seemed to understand but
+little of their language, and it sounded to us very different from
+what we had heard before. However, they made us comprehend that a ship
+had been upon the coast not far from where we then were, and that she
+had a red flag: this we understood some time after to have been the
+Anne pink, whose adventures are particularly related in Lord Anson's
+voyage; and we passed through the very harbour she had lain in.
+
+As there was but one small canoe that intended to accompany us any
+longer, and that in which Mr. Hamilton had been to this time, intended
+to proceed no farther to the northward, our cacique proposed to him to
+come into our canoe, which he refused, as the insolence of this fellow
+was to him insupportable; he therefore rather chose to remain where he
+was, till chance should throw in his way some other means of getting
+forward: so here we left him; and it was some months before we saw him
+again.
+
+We now got on, by very slow degrees, to the northward; and as the
+difficulties and hardships we daily went through would only be a
+repetition of those already mentioned, I shall say no more, but that
+at last we reached an island, about thirty leagues to the southward
+of Chiloe. Here we remained two days for a favourable opportunity to
+cross the bay, the very thoughts of which seemed to frighten our
+cacique out of his senses; and, indeed, there was great reason for his
+apprehensions; for there ran a most dreadful hollow sea, dangerous,
+indeed, for any open boat whatever, but a thousand times more for such
+a crazy vessel as we were in. He at length mustered up resolution
+enough to attempt it, first having crossed himself for an hour
+together, and made a kind of lug-sail out of the bits of blankets they
+wore about them, sewed together with split supple jacks. We then put
+off, and a terrible passage we had. The bottom plank of the canoe was
+split, which opened upon every sea; and the water continually rushing
+over the gunnel, I may say that we were in a manner full the whole
+way over, though all hands were employed in baling without ceasing
+a moment. As we drew near the shore, the cacique was eager to land,
+having been terrified to that degree with this run, that if it had not
+been for us, every soul must have perished; for he had very near got
+in amongst the breakers, where the sea drove with such violence upon
+the rocks, that not even an Indian could have escaped, especially as
+it was in the night. We kept off till we got into smooth water, and
+landed upon the island of Chiloe; though in a part of it that was
+not inhabited. Here we staid all the next day, in a very heavy snow,
+to recover ourselves a little after our fatigue; but the cold was so
+excessive, having neither shoe nor stocking, we thought we should have
+lost our feet; and Captain Cheap was so ill, that if he had had but a
+few leagues further to have gone without relief, he could not have held
+out. It pleased God now that our sufferings, in a great measure, were
+drawing to an end.
+
+What things our cacique had brought with him from the wreck, he here
+buried under ground, in order to conceal them from the Spaniards, who
+would not have left him a rusty nail if they had known of it. Towards
+evening, we set off again; and about nine the same night, to our great
+joy, we observed something that had the appearance of a house. It
+belonged to an acquaintance of our cacique; and as he was possessed of
+my fowling-piece, and we had preserved about one charge of powder, he
+made us load it for him, and desired we would show him how to discharge
+it; upon which, standing up, and holding his head from it as far as
+possible, he fired, and fell back into the bottom of the canoe. The
+Indians belonging to the house, not in the least used to fire-arms,
+ran out and hid themselves in the woods. But after some time, one
+of them, bolder than the rest, got upon a hill, and hollowed to us,
+asking who and what we were. Our cacique now made himself known, and
+they presently came down to the boat, bringing with them some fish,
+and plenty of potatoes. This was the most comfortable meal we had made
+for many long months; and as soon as this was over, we rowed about two
+miles farther to a little village, where we landed. Here our cacique
+presently awoke all the inhabitants by the noise he made, and obliged
+one of them to open his door to us, and immediately to make a large
+fire; for the weather was very severe, this being the month of June,
+the depth of winter in this part of the world. The Indians now flocked
+thick about us, and seemed to have great compassion for us, as our
+cacique related to them what part he knew of our history. They knew not
+what countrymen we were, nor could our guide inform them; for he had
+often asked us if we were French, Dutch, or English, the only nations
+he had ever heard of besides the Spaniards. We always answered we were
+from Grande Bretagne, which he could make nothing of; for we were
+afraid, if he knew us to be English, as he had heard that nation was at
+war with the Spaniards, he never would have conducted us to Chiloe.
+
+These good-natured compassionate creatures seemed to vie with each
+other who should take the most care of us. They made a bed of
+sheepskins close to the fire, for Captain Cheap, and laid him upon
+it; and indeed, had it not been for the kind assistance he now met
+with, he could not have survived three days longer. Though it was now
+about midnight, they went out and killed a sheep, of which they made
+broth, and baked a large cake of barley-meal. Any body may imagine what
+a treat this was to wretches who had not tasted a bit of bread, or
+any wholesome diet, for such a length of time. After we could eat no
+longer, we went to sleep about the fire, which the Indians took good
+care to keep up. In the morning, the women came from far and near, each
+bringing with her something. Almost every one had a pipkin in her hand,
+containing either fowls or mutton made into broth, potatoes, eggs, or
+other eatables. We fell to work as if we had eat nothing in the night,
+and employed ourselves so for the best part of the day. In the evening,
+the men filled our house, bringing with them some jars of a liquor they
+called chicha, made of barley-meal, and not very unlike our oat-ale
+in taste, which will intoxicate those who drink a sufficient quantity
+of it; for a little has no effect. As soon as the drink was out, a
+fresh supply of victuals was brought in; and in this manner we passed
+the whole time we remained with these hospitable Indians. They are a
+strong well-made people, extremely well featured, both men and women,
+and vastly neat in their persons. The men's dress is called by them
+a puncho, which is a square piece of cloth, generally in stripes of
+different colours, with a slit in the middle of it wide enough to let
+their heads through, so that it hangs on their shoulders, half of it
+falling before, and the other behind them: under this they wear a short
+kind of flannel shirt without sleeves or neck. They have wide-knee'd
+breeches, something like the Dutch seamen, and on their legs a sort
+of knit buskins without any feet to them; but never any shoes. Their
+hair is always combed very smooth, and tied very tight up in a great
+bunch close to the neck: some wear a very neat hat of their own making,
+and others go without. The women wear a shift like the men's shirts,
+without sleeves; and over it a square piece of cloth, which they fasten
+before with a large silver pin, and a petticoat of different stripes:
+they take as much care of their hair as the men; and both have always
+a kind of fillet bound very tight about the forehead, and made fast
+behind: in short, these people are as cleanly as the several savage
+nations we had met with before were beastly. Upon our first coming
+here, they had dispatched a messenger to the Spanish corregidore at
+Castro, a town a considerable distance from hence, to inform him of
+our arrival. At the end of three days, this man returned with an order
+to the chief caciques of these Indians we were amongst, to carry us
+directly to a certain place, where there would be a party of soldiers
+to receive us. These poor people now seemed to be under great concern
+for us, hearing by the messenger the preparations that were making
+to receive us; for they stand in vast dread of the Spanish soldiery.
+They were very desirous of knowing what countrymen we were. We told
+them we were English, and at that time at war with the Spaniards; upon
+which they appeared fonder of us than ever; and I verily believe, if
+they durst, would have concealed us amongst them, lest we should come
+to any harm. They are so far from being in the Spanish interest,
+that they detest the very name of a Spaniard. And, indeed, I am not
+surprised at it; for they are kept under such subjection, and such a
+laborious slavery, by mere dint of hard usage and punishments, that it
+appears to me the most absurd thing in the world, that the Spaniards
+should rely upon these people for assistance upon any emergency. We
+embarked in the evening, and it was night before we got to the place
+where we were to be delivered up to the Spanish guard. We were met
+by three or four officers, and a number of soldiers, all with their
+spados drawn, who surrounded us as if they had the most formidable
+enemy to take charge of, instead of three poor helpless wretches,
+who, notwithstanding the good living we had met with amongst these
+kind Indians, could hardly support ourselves. They carried us to the
+top of a hill, and there put us under a shed; for it consisted of a
+thatched roof, without any sides or walls, being quite open; and here
+we were to lay upon the cold ground. All sorts of people now came to
+stare at us as a sight; but the Indian women never came empty-handed;
+they always brought with them either fowls, mutton, or some kind of
+provision to us; so that we lived well enough. However, we found a
+very sensible difference between the treatment we had met with from
+the Indians, and what we now experienced from the Spaniards. With the
+former, we were quite at liberty to do as we pleased; but here, if we
+only went ten yards to attempt at getting rid of some of the vermin
+that devoured us, we had two soldiers, with drawn spados, to attend us.
+About the third day, a Jesuit from Castro came to see us; not from a
+motive of compassion, but from a report spread by our Indian cacique,
+that we had some things of great value about us. Having by chance seen
+Captain Cheap pull out a gold repeating watch, the first thing the good
+father did was to lug out of his pocket a bottle of brandy, and give
+us a dram, in order to open our hearts. He then came roundly to the
+point, asking us if we had saved no watches or rings. Captain Cheap
+declared he had nothing, never suspecting that the Indian had seen his
+watch, having, as he thought, always taken great care to conceal it
+from him; but knowing that Campbel had a silver watch, which had been
+the property of our surgeon, he desired him to make it a present to
+the jesuit, telling him, at the same time, that as these people had
+great power and authority, it might be of service to us hereafter.
+This Campbel very unwillingly did, and received from the father, not
+long after, a pitiful present, not a quarter part of the value of the
+rim of the watch. We understood afterwards, that this had come to the
+governor's ears, who was highly offended at it, as thinking that if
+any thing of that sort had been to be had, it was his due; and did not
+spare the jesuits in the least upon the occasion. Soon after this, the
+officer of the guard informed us there was an order come to carry us to
+Castro. In the evening, we were conducted to the water-side, and put
+into a large periago; and there were several more, to attend us, full
+of soldiers. About eight o'clock at night, we were off the town. The
+boats all laid upon their oars, and there was a great deal of ceremony
+used in hailing and asking for the keys, as if it had been a regular
+fortification. After some time, we landed; but could see neither gates
+nor walls, nor any thing that had the appearance of a garrison. As
+we walked up a steep hill into the town, the way was lined with men
+who had broomsticks upon their shoulders instead of muskets, and a
+lighted match in their hands. When we came to the corregidore's house,
+we found it full of people. He was an old man, very tall, with a long
+cloak on, a tie-wig without any curl, and a spado of immense length
+by his side. He received us in great state and form; but as we had no
+interpreter, we understood little or nothing of the questions he asked
+us. He ordered a table to be spread for us with cold ham and fowls;
+which we three only sat down to, and in a short time dispatched more
+than ten men with common appetites would have done. It is amazing,
+that our eating to that excess we had done, from the time we first got
+amongst these kind Indians, had not killed us; we were never satisfied,
+and used to take all opportunities, for some months after, of filling
+our pockets when we were not seen, that we might get up two or three
+times in the night to cram ourselves. Captain Cheap used to declare,
+that he was quite ashamed of himself. After supper, the corregidore
+carried us to the jesuits' college, attended by the soldiers, and all
+the rabble of the town. This was intended, at present, for our prison,
+till orders were received from the governor, who resided at Chaco,
+above thirty leagues from this place. When we got to the college, the
+corregidore desired the father provincial, as they styled him, or
+head of the jesuits here, to find out what religion we were of, or
+whether we had any or not. He then retired, the gates were shut, and
+we were conducted to a cell. We found in it something like beds spread
+on the floor, and an old ragged shirt a-piece, but clean, which was
+of infinite service to us; nor did eating at first give me half the
+satisfaction this treasure of an old shirt did. Though this college
+was large, there were but four jesuits in it, nor were there any more
+of that order upon the island. In the morning Captain Cheap was sent
+for by the father provincial: their conversation was carried on in
+Latin, perhaps not the best on either side; however, they made shift to
+understand one another. When he returned, he told us the good fathers
+were still harping upon what things of value we might have saved and
+concealed about us; and that if we had any thing of that sort, we could
+not do better than let them have it. Religion seemed to be quite out
+of the question at present; but a day or two after the corregidore
+being informed that we were heretics, he desired these jesuits would
+convert us; but one of them told him it was a mere joke to attempt
+it, as we could have no inducement upon that island to change our
+religion, but that when we got to Chili, in such a delightful country
+as that was, where there was nothing but diversions and amusements,
+we should be converted fast enough. We kept close to our cell till the
+bell rang for dinner, when we were conducted into a hall, where there
+was one table for the fathers, and another for us. After a very long
+Latin prayer, we sat down and eat what was put before us, without a
+single word passing at either table. As soon as we had finished, there
+was another long prayer, which, however, did not appear so tedious as
+the first; and then we retired to our cell again. In this manner we
+passed eight days without ever stirring out; all which time one might
+have imagined one's-self out of the world; for excepting the bell
+for dinner, a silence reigned throughout the whole, as if the place
+had been uninhabited. A little before dark, on the eighth evening,
+we heard a violent knocking at the gate, which was no sooner opened
+than there entered a young officer booted and spurred, who acquainted
+the fathers that he was sent by the governor to conduct us to Chaco.
+This young man was the governor's son; by which means he obtained
+a commission next in authority, upon this island, to his father. He
+ought to have been kept at school, for he was a vain, empty coxcomb,
+much disliked by the people of the island. After taking leave of the
+jesuits, who I imagined were not sorry to be rid of us, after finding
+their expectations balked, we set out, having about thirty soldiers on
+horseback to attend us. We rode about eight miles that night, when we
+came to an Estancia, or farm-house, belonging to an old lady who had
+two handsome daughters. Here we were very well entertained, and the
+good old lady seemed to have great compassion for us. She asked the
+governor's son if he thought his father would have any objection to my
+passing a month with her at her farm. As she was a person of rank in
+this island, he said he would acquaint his father with her request,
+and made no doubt but he would grant it. I observed our soldiers,
+when they came into the house, had none of them any shoes on, but
+wore buskins, like the Indians, without any feet to them. They all
+had monstrous great spurs, some of silver and others of copper, which
+made a rattling when they walked like chains. They were all stout,
+strong-looking men, as the Spaniards, natives of the island, in general
+are. After a good supper, we had sheepskins laid near the fire for us
+to sleep on. Early in the morning we mounted again, and after riding
+some miles across the country, we came to the water-side, where we
+found several periagos waiting for us, with some officers in them. Most
+of the soldiers dismounted and embarked with us, a few only being sent
+round with the horses. It was three days before we arrived at Chaco,
+as the tides between this island and the main are so rapid that no
+boat can stem them. The same precaution was taken here as at Castro;
+we passed through a whole lane of soldiers, armed as I mentioned those
+to have been before, excepting a few, who really had matchlocks, the
+only fire-arms they have here. The soldiers, upon our journey, had
+given a pompous account of el Palacio del Rey, or the king's palace,
+as they styled the governor's house, and therefore we expected to see
+something very magnificent; but it was nothing better than a large
+thatched barn, partitioned off into several rooms. The governor was
+sitting at a large table covered with a piece of red serge, having
+all the principal officers about him. After some time he made us sit
+down, attempting to converse with us by his linguist, who was a stupid
+old fellow, that could neither talk English nor Spanish, but said he
+was born in England, had resided above forty years in that country,
+and having formerly been a buccaneer, was taken by the Spaniards near
+Panama. The governor kept us to supper, and then we were conducted
+across the court to our apartment, which was a place that had served
+to keep the fire wood for the governor's kitchen; however, as it was
+dry over head, we thought ourselves extremely well lodged. There was a
+soldier placed at the door with a drawn spado in his hand, to prevent
+our stirring out; which was quite unnecessary, as we knew not where to
+go if we had been at liberty. One of these soldiers took a great fancy
+to my ragged grieko, which had still some thousands about it; and in
+exchange gave me an old puncho, the sort of garment with a hole in the
+middle to put one's head through, as above related to be worn by the
+Indians; and for the little bit of my waistcoat that remained, he gave
+me a pair of breeches. I now should have thought myself very handsomely
+equipped, if I had had but another shirt. The next day, about noon,
+the governor sent for us, and we dined at his table; after which we
+returned to our lodging, where we were never alone, for every body was
+curious to see us. We passed about a week in this manner, when the
+sentinel was taken off, and we were allowed to look about us a little,
+though not to go out of the palace, as they were pleased to call it.
+We dined every day with the governor; but were not very fond of his
+fast days, which succeeded each other too quickly. I contrived to make
+friends with his steward and cook, by which means I always carried my
+pockets full to my apartment, where I passed my time very agreeably.
+Soon after, we had leave to walk about the town, or go wherever we
+pleased. Every house was open to us; and though it was but an hour
+after we had dined, they always spread a table, thinking we never could
+eat enough after what we had suffered; and we were much of the same
+opinion. They are, in general, a charitable, good sort of people, but
+very ignorant, and governed by their priests, who make them believe
+just what they please. The Indian language is chiefly spoken here,
+even by the Spaniards one amongst another; and they say they think it
+a finer language than their own. The women have fine complexions, and
+many of them are very handsome; they have good voices, and can strum
+a little upon the guitar; but they have an ugly custom of smoking
+tobacco, which is a very scarce commodity here; and therefore is looked
+upon as a great treat when they meet at one another's houses. The lady
+of the house comes in with a large wooden pipe crammed with tobacco;
+and after taking two or three hearty whiffs, she holds her head under
+her cloak lest any of the smoke should escape, and then swallows it;
+some time after you see it coming out of her nose and ears. She then
+hands the pipe to the next lady, who does the same, till it has gone
+through the whole company. Their houses are but very mean, as will
+be easily imagined by what I have said of the governor's. They make
+their fire in the middle of their rooms, but have no chimneys; there
+is a small hole at each end of the roof to let the smoke out. It is
+only the better sort of people that eat bread made of wheat, as they
+grow but very little here, and they have no mills to grind it; but
+then they have great plenty of the finest potatoes in the world:
+these are always roasted in the ashes, then scraped, and served up at
+meals instead of bread. They breed abundance of swine, as they supply
+both Chili and Peru with hams. They are in no want of sheep, but are
+not overstocked with cows; owing, in a great measure, to their own
+indolence in not clearing away the woods, which if they would be at the
+pains to do, they might have sufficient pasture. Their trade consists
+in hams, hogs-lard, which is used throughout all South America instead
+of butter; cedar plank, which the Indians are continually employed in
+cutting quite to the foot of the Cordilleras; little carved boxes,
+which the Spanish ladies use to put their work in; carpets, quilts,
+and punchos neatly embroidered all round; for these, both in Chili
+and Peru, are used by the people of the first fashion, as well as the
+inferior sort, by way of riding-dress, and are esteemed to be much more
+convenient for a horseman than any kind of coat whatever.
+
+They have what they call an annual ship from Lima, as they never expect
+more than one in the year; though sometimes it happens that two have
+come, and at other times they have been two or three years without any.
+When this happens they are greatly distressed, as this ship brings
+them baize, cloth, linens, hats, ribbons, tobacco, sugar, brandy, and
+wine; but this latter article is chiefly for the use of the churches:
+matte, an herb from Paraguay, used all over South America instead
+of tea, is also a necessary article. This ship's cargo is chiefly
+consigned to the jesuits, who have more Indians employed for them
+than all the rest of the inhabitants together, and of course engross
+almost the whole trade. There is no money current in this island. If
+any person wants a few yards of linen, a little sugar, tobacco, or any
+other thing brought from Peru, he gives so many cedar planks, hams, or
+punchos, in exchange. Some time after we had been here, a snow arrived
+in the harbour from Lima, which occasioned great joy amongst the
+inhabitants, as they had no ship the year before, from the alarm Lord
+Anson had given upon the coast. This was not the annual vessel, but one
+of those that I mentioned before which come unexpectedly. The captain
+of her was an old man, well known upon the island, who had traded here
+once in two or three years, for more than thirty years past. He had a
+remarkable large head, and therefore was commonly known by a nick-name
+they had given him of Cabuço de Toro, or Bull's-head. He had not been
+here a week before he came to the governor, and told him, with a most
+melancholy countenance, that he had not slept a wink since he came
+into the harbour, as the governor was pleased to allow three English
+prisoners liberty to walk about instead of confining them; and that
+he expected every moment they would board his vessel, and carry her
+away: this he said when he had above thirty hands aboard. The governor
+assured him he would be answerable for us, and that he might sleep in
+quiet; though at the same time he could not help laughing at the man,
+as all the people in the town did. These assurances did not satisfy
+the captain: he used the utmost dispatch in disposing of his cargo,
+and put to sea again, not thinking himself safe till he had lost sight
+of the island. It was about three months after us that Mr. Hamilton
+was brought in by a party that the governor had sent to the southward
+on purpose to fetch him. He was in a wretched condition upon his first
+arrival, but soon recovered with the good living he found here.
+
+It is usual for the governor to make a tour, every year, through the
+several districts belonging to his government: on this occasion he took
+us with him. The first place he visited was Carelmapo, on the main; and
+from thence to Castro. At these places he holds a kind of court; all
+the chief caciques meeting him, and informing him of what has passed
+since his last visit, and receiving fresh orders for the year to come.
+At Castro we had the same liberty we enjoyed at Chaco, and visited
+every body. It seemed they had forgot all the ceremony used upon our
+first landing here, which was with an intent to make us believe it
+was strongly fortified; for now they let us see plainly that they had
+neither fort nor gun. At Chaco they had a little earthen fort, with
+a small ditch palisadoed round it, and a few old honey-combed guns
+without carriages, and which do not defend the harbour in the least.
+Whilst we were at Castro, the old lady, (at whose house we lay the
+first night upon leaving the jesuits' college) sent to the governor,
+and begged I might be allowed to come to her for a few weeks: this
+was granted; and accordingly I went and passed about three weeks with
+her very happily, as she seemed to be as fond of me as if I had been
+her own son. She was very unwilling to part with me again; but as the
+governor was soon to return to Chaco, he sent for me, and I left my
+benefactress with regret.
+
+Amongst the houses we visited at Castro, there was one belonging to
+an old priest, who was esteemed one of the richest persons upon the
+island. He had a niece, of whom he was extremely fond, and who was to
+inherit all he possessed. He had taken a great deal of pains with her
+education, and she was reckoned one of the most accomplished young
+ladies of Chiloe. Her person was good, though she could not be called
+a regular beauty. This young lady did me the honour to take more notice
+of me than I deserved, and proposed to her uncle to convert me, and
+afterwards begged his consent to marry me. As the old man doted upon
+her, he readily agreed to it; and accordingly on the next visit I made
+him, acquainted me with the young lady's proposal, and his approbation
+of it, taking me at the same time into a room where there were several
+chests and boxes, which he unlocked; first shewing me what a number of
+fine clothes his niece had, and then his own wardrobe, which he said
+should be mine at his death. Amongst other things, he produced a piece
+of linen, which he said should immediately be made up into shirts for
+me. I own this last article was a great temptation to me; however, I
+had the resolution to withstand it, and made the best excuses I could
+for not accepting of the honour they intended me; for by this time I
+could speak Spanish well enough to make myself understood.
+
+Amongst the Indians who had come to meet the governor here, there
+were some caciques of those Indians who had treated us so kindly at
+our first landing upon Chiloe. One of these, a young man, had been
+guilty of some offence, and was put in irons, and threatened to be
+more severely punished. We could not learn his crime, or whether the
+governor did not do it in a great measure to shew us his power over
+these Indian chiefs: however, we were under great concern for this
+young man, who had been extremely kind to us, and begged Captain Cheap
+to intercede with the governor for him. This he did, and the cacique
+was released; the governor acquainting him at the same time, with great
+warmth, that it was to us only he owed it, or otherwise he would have
+made a severe example of him. The young man seemed to have been in no
+dread of farther punishment, as I believe he felt all a man could do
+from the indignity of being put in irons in the public square, before
+all his brother caciques and many hundreds of other Indians. I thought
+this was not a very politic step of the governor, as the cacique
+came after to Captain Cheap to thank him for his goodness, and in all
+probability would remember the English for some time after; and not
+only he, but all the other caciques who had been witnesses of it, and
+who seemed to feel, if possible, even more than the young man himself
+did. We now returned to Chaco, and the governor told me, when the
+annual ship came, which they expected in December, we should be sent
+in her to Chili. We felt several earthquakes while we were here. One
+day as I happened to be upon a visit at a house where I was very well
+acquainted, an Indian came in, who lived at many leagues distance from
+this town, and who had made this journey in order to purchase some
+little trifles he wanted; amongst other things, he had bought some
+prints of saints. Very proud of these, he produced them, and put them
+into the hands of the women, who very devoutly first crossed themselves
+with them, and afterwards kissed them; then gave them to me, saying at
+the same time, they supposed such a heretic as I was would refuse to
+kiss them. They were right in their conjectures: I returned them to the
+Indian without going through that ceremony. At that very instant, there
+happened a violent shock of an earthquake, which they imputed entirely
+to the anger of the saints; and all quitted the house as fast as they
+could, lest it should fall upon their heads. For my part, I made the
+best of my way home for fear of being knocked on the head, when out of
+the house, by the rabble, who looked on me as the cause of all this
+mischief, and did not return to that house again till I thought this
+affair was forgotten.
+
+Here is a very good harbour; but the entrance is very dangerous for
+those who are unacquainted with it, as the tides are so extremely
+rapid, and there are sunken rocks in the mid-channel. The island is
+above seventy leagues round; and the body of it lies in about 40° 20'
+south, and is the most southern settlement the Spaniards have in these
+seas. Their summer is of no long duration, and most of the year round
+they have hard gales of wind and much rain. Opposite the island,
+upon the Cordilleras, there is a volcano, which, at times, burns with
+great fury, and is subject to violent eruptions. One of these alarmed
+the whole island, whilst we were here: it sounded in the night like
+great guns. In the morning, the governor mounted his horse, and rode
+backwards and forwards from his house to the earthen fort, saying
+it was the English coming in, but that he would give them a warm
+reception; meaning, I suppose, that he would have left them a good fire
+in his house; for I am certain he would soon have been in the woods, if
+he had seen any thing like an English ship coming in.
+
+Women of the first fashion here seldom wear shoes or stockings in the
+house, but only keep them to wear upon particular occasions. I have
+often seen them coming to the church, which stood opposite to the
+governor's house, barelegged, walking through mud and water; and at the
+church door put on their shoes and stockings, and pull them off again
+when they came out. Though they are in general handsome, and have good
+complexions, yet many of them paint in so ridiculous a manner, that it
+is impossible to help laughing in their faces when you see them. The
+governor we found here was a native of Chili. The government, which
+is appointed by that presidency, is for three years; which appears to
+be a long banishment to them, as their appointments are but small,
+though they make the most of it. The towns of Castro and Chaco, consist
+only of scattered houses, without a regular street; though both have
+their places or squares, as almost all Spanish towns have. Chaco is
+very thinly inhabited, excepting at the time the Lima ship arrives;
+then they flock thither from all parts of the island, to purchase what
+little matters they want; and as soon as that is done, retire to their
+estancias, or farms. It was about the middle of December this ship came
+in; and the second of January, 1742-3, we embarked on board of her.
+She was bound to Valparaiso. We got out to sea with some difficulty,
+having been driven by the strength of the tide very near those sunken
+rocks mentioned before. We found a great sea without; and as the ship
+was as deep as any laden collier, her decks were continually well
+washed. She was a fine vessel, of about two hundred and fifty tons. The
+timber the ships of this country are built of is excellent, as they
+last a prodigious time; for they assured us that the vessel we were
+then in had been built above forty years. The captain was a Spaniard,
+and knew not the least of sea affairs; the second captain, or master,
+the boatswain, and his mate, were all three Frenchmen, and very good
+seamen; the pilot was a Mulatto, and all the rest of the crew were
+Indians and Negroes. The latter were all slaves and stout fellows; but
+never suffered to go aloft, lest they should fall overboard, and the
+owners lose so much money by it. The Indians were active, brisk men,
+and very good seamen for that climate. We had on board the head of the
+jesuits as passenger. He and Captain Cheap were admitted into the great
+cabin, and messed with the captain and his chaplain. As for us, we were
+obliged to rough it the whole passage; that is, when we were tired we
+lay down upon the quarter-deck, in the open air, and slept as well as
+we could; but that was nothing to us, who had been used to fare so much
+worse. We lived well, eating with the master and boatswain, who always
+had their meals upon the quarter-deck, and drank brandy at them as we
+do small beer; and all the rest of the day were smoking cigars.
+
+The fifth day we made the land four or five leagues to the southward
+of Valparaiso; and soon after falling calm, a great western swell
+hurried us in very fast towards the shore. We dropped the lead several
+times, but had such deep water we could not anchor. They were all much
+alarmed, when the jesuit came out of the cabin for the first time,
+having been sea-sick the whole passage. As soon as he was informed of
+the danger, he went back into the cabin, and brought out the image of
+some saint, which he desired might be hung up in the mizen-shrouds;
+which being done, he kept threatening it, that if we had not a breeze
+of wind soon, he would certainly throw it overboard. Soon after,
+we had a little wind from off the land, when the jesuit carried the
+image back with an air of great triumph, saying he was certain that we
+should not be without wind long, though he had given himself over for
+lost some time before it came. Next morning we anchored in the port of
+Valparaiso. In that part which is opposite to the fort, ships lay so
+near the land, that they have generally three anchors ashore, as there
+is eight or ten fathom close to; and the flaws come off the hills with
+such violence, that if it was not for this method of securing them,
+they would be blown out. This is only in summer time, for in the winter
+months no ships ever attempt to come in here; the northerly winds then
+prevail, and drive in such a sea that they must soon be ashore. The
+Spanish captain waited upon the governor of the fort, and informed him
+that he had four English prisoners on board. We were ordered ashore in
+the afternoon, and were received as we got upon the beach, by a file
+of soldiers, with their bayonets fixed, who surrounded us, and then
+marched up to the fort, attended by a numerous mob. We were carried
+before the governor, whose house was full of officers. He was blind,
+asked a few questions, and then spoke of nothing but the strength of
+the garrison he commanded, and desired to know if we had observed that
+all the lower battery was brass guns. We were immediately after, by his
+order, put into the condemned hole. There was nothing but four bare
+walls, excepting a heap of lime that filled one third of it, and made
+the place swarm with fleas in such a manner that we were presently
+covered with them. Some of Admiral Pizarro's soldiers were here in
+garrison that had been landed from his ships at Buenos Ayres, as he
+could not get round Cape Horn. A centinel's box was placed at our door,
+and we had always a soldier with his bayonet fixed, to prevent our
+stirring out. The curiosity of the people was such, that our prison
+was continually full from morning till night, by which the soldiers
+made a pretty penny, as they took money from every person for the
+sight. In a few days, Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were ordered up
+to St. Jago, as they were known to be officers by having saved their
+commissions; but Mr. Campbell and I were to continue in prison. Captain
+Cheap expressed great concern when he left us; he told me it was what
+he had all along dreaded, that they would separate us when we got into
+this country; but he assured me, if he was permitted to speak to the
+president, that he would never leave soliciting him till he obtained
+a grant for me to be sent up to him. No sooner were they gone than we
+fared very badly. A common soldier, who was ordered to provide for us
+by the governor, brought us each, once a day, a few potatoes mixed with
+hot water. The other soldiers of the garrison, as well as the people
+who flocked to see us, took notice of it, and told the soldier it was
+cruel to treat us in that manner. His answer was, "The governor allows
+me but half a real a day for each of these men; what can I do? It is
+he that is to blame: I am shocked every time I bring them this scanty
+pittance, though even that could not be provided for the money he gives
+them." We from this time lived much better, and the soldier brought us
+even wine and fruit. We took it for granted, that our case had been
+represented to the governor, and that he had increased our pay. As to
+the first, we were right in our conjectures; it had been mentioned to
+him, that it was impossible we could subsist on what he allowed; and
+his answer to it was, that we might starve; for we should have no more
+from him, and that he believed he should never be repaid even that.
+This charitable speech of the governor was made known every where, and
+now almost every one who came to see us gave us something; even the
+mule-drivers would take out their tobacco pouch, in which they kept
+their money, and give us half a real. All this we would have given to
+our soldier, but he never would receive a farthing from us, telling us
+we might still want it; and the whole time we were there, which was
+some weeks, he laid aside half his daily pay to supply us, though he
+had a wife and six children, and never could have the least hope or
+expectation of any recompence. However, two years after this, I had
+the singular pleasure of making him some return, when my circumstances
+were much better than his. One night, when we were locked up, there
+happened a dreadful shock of an earthquake. We expected, every moment,
+the roof and walls of our prison to fall in upon us, and crush us to
+pieces; and what added to the horror of it was, the noise of chains and
+imprecations in the next prison which joined to ours, where there were
+near seventy felons heavily loaded with irons, who are kept here to
+work upon the fortifications, as in other countries they are condemned
+to the gallies. A few days after this, we were told an order was come
+from the president to the governor to send us up to St. Jago, which is
+ninety miles from Valparaiso, and is the capital of Chili. There were
+at this time several ships in the port from Lima delivering their
+cargoes; so that almost every day there were large droves of mules
+going up to St. Jago with the goods. The governor sent for one of the
+master-carriers, and ordered him to take us up with him. The man asked
+him how he was to be paid our expences, as he should be five days upon
+the road. The governor told him he might get that as he could, for he
+would not advance him a single farthing. After taking leave of our
+friendly soldier, who even now brought us some little matters to carry
+with us, we set out, and travelled about fourteen miles the first day,
+and lay at night in the open field, which is always the custom of these
+people, stopping where there is plenty of pasture and good water for
+the mules. The next morning we passed over a high mountain, called
+Zapata; and then crossing a large plain, we passed another mountain,
+very difficult for the mules, who each carried two heavy bales: there
+were above a hundred of them in this drove. The mules of Chili are the
+finest in the world; and though they are continually upon the road,
+and have nothing but what they pick up at nights, they are as fat and
+sleek as high-fed horses in England. The fourth night we lay upon a
+plain in sight of St. Jago, and not above four leagues from it. The
+next day, as we moved towards the city, our master-carrier, who was
+naturally well disposed, and had been very kind to us all the way upon
+the road, advised me, very seriously, not to think of remaining in
+St. Jago, where he said there was nothing but extravagance, vice, and
+folly, but to proceed on with them as mule-driver, which, he said, I
+should soon be very expert at; and that they led an innocent and happy
+life, far preferable to any enjoyment such a great city as that before
+us could afford. I thanked him, and told him I was very much obliged
+to him; but that I would try the city first, and if I did not like it,
+I would accept of the offer he was so good to make me. The thing that
+gave him this high opinion of me was, that as he had been so civil to
+us, I was very officious in assisting to drive in those mules that
+strayed from the rest upon those large plains we passed over; and this
+I thought was the least I could do towards making some returns for the
+obligations we were under to him.
+
+When we got into St. Jago, the carrier delivered us to the captain of
+the guard, at the palace gate; and he soon after introduced us to the
+president, Don Joseph Manso, who received us very civilly, and then
+sent us to the house where Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were. We
+found them extremely well lodged at the house of a Scotch physician,
+whose name was Don Patricio Gedd. This gentleman had been a long time
+in this city, and was greatly esteemed by the Spaniards, as well for
+his abilities in his profession, as his humane disposition. He no
+sooner heard that there were four English prisoners arrived in that
+country, than he waited upon the president, and begged they might
+be lodged at his house. This was granted; and had we been his own
+brothers, we could not have met with a more friendly reception; and
+during two years that we were with him, his constant study was to make
+every thing as agreeable to us as possible. We were greatly distressed
+to think of the expence he was at upon our account; but it was in vain
+for us to argue with him about it. In short, to sum up his character in
+a few words, there never was a man of more extensive humanity. Two or
+three days after our arrival, the president sent Mr. Campbell and me
+an invitation to dine with him, where we were to meet Admiral Pizarro
+and his officers. This was a cruel stroke upon us, as we had not any
+clothes fit to appear in, and dared not refuse the invitation. The
+next day, a Spanish officer belonging to Admiral Pizarro's squadron,
+whose name was Don Manuel de Guiror, came and made us an offer of two
+thousand dollars. This generous Spaniard made this offer without any
+view of ever being repaid, but purely out of a compassionate motive
+of relieving us in our present distress. We returned him all the
+acknowledgments his uncommon generous behaviour merited, and accepted
+of six hundred dollars only, upon his receiving our draught for that
+sum upon the English consul at Lisbon. We now got ourselves decently
+clothed after the Spanish fashion; and as we were upon our parole, we
+went out where we pleased to divert ourselves.
+
+This city is situated about 33 degrees and 30 minutes, south
+latitude, at the west foot of the immense chain of mountains called
+the Cordilleras. It stands on a most beautiful plain of about thirty
+leagues extent. It was founded by Don Pedro de Baldivia, the conqueror
+of Chili. The plan of it was marked out by him in squares, like Lima;
+and almost every house belonging to people of any fashion, has a large
+court before it, with great gates, and a garden behind. There is a
+little rivulet, neatly faced with stone, runs through every street;
+by which they can cool the streets, or water their gardens, when
+they please. The whole town is extremely well paved. Their gardens
+are full of noble orange-trees and floripondies, with all sorts of
+flowers, which perfume the houses, and even the whole city. Much about
+the middle of it, is the great square, called the Plaça Real, or the
+Royal Square; there are eight avenues leading into it. The west side
+contains the cathedral and the bishop's palace; the north side is the
+president's palace, the royal court, the council house, and the prison;
+the south side is a row of piazzas, the whole length of which are
+shops, and over it a gallery to see the bull-feasts; the east side has
+some large houses belonging to people of distinction; and in the middle
+is a large fountain, with a brass bason. The houses have, in general,
+only a ground floor, upon account of the frequent earthquakes; but they
+make a handsome appearance. The churches are rich in gilding as well
+as in plate: that of the jesuits is reckoned an exceeding good piece
+of architecture; but it is too high built for a country so subject to
+earthquakes, and where it has frequently happened that thousands of
+people have been swallowed up at once. There is a hill, or rather high
+rock, at the east end of the city, called St. Lucia, from the top
+of which you have a view of all the city, and the country about for
+many leagues, affording a very delightful landscape. Their estancias,
+or country houses, are very pleasant, having generally a fine grove
+of olive trees, with large vineyards to them. The Chili wine, in my
+opinion, is full as good as Madeira, and made in such quantities that
+it is sold extremely cheap. The soil of this country is so fertile,
+that the husbandmen have very little trouble; for they do but in a
+manner scratch up the ground, and without any kind of manure it yields
+an hundred fold. Without doubt the wheat of Chili is the finest in the
+world, and the fruits are all excellent in their kinds. Beef and mutton
+are so cheap, that you may have a good cow for three dollars, and a
+fat sheep for two shillings. Their horses are extraordinary good; and
+though some of them go at a great price, you may have a very good one
+for four dollars, or about eighteen shillings of our money. It must
+be a very poor Indian who has not his four or five horses; and there
+are no better horsemen in the world than the Chileans; and that is not
+surprising, for they never choose to go a hundred yards on foot. They
+have always their laço fixed to their saddle: the laço is a long thong
+of leather, at the end of which they make a sliding noose. It is of
+more general use to them than any weapon whatever; for with this they
+are sure of catching either horse or wild bull, upon full gallop, by
+any foot they please. Their horses are all trained to this, and the
+moment they find the thong straitened, as the other end is always made
+fast to the saddle, the horse immediately turns short, and throwing
+the beast thus caught, the huntsman wounds or secures him in what
+manner he may think proper. These people are so dexterous, that they
+will take from the ground a glove or handkerchief, while their horse
+is upon full stretch; and I have seen them jump upon the back of the
+wildest bull, and all the efforts of the beast could not throw them.
+This country produces all sorts of metals; it is famous for gold,
+silver, iron, tin, lead, and quicksilver, but some of these they do not
+understand working, especially quicksilver. With copper they supply
+all Peru, and send, likewise, a great deal to Europe. The climate of
+Chili is, I believe, the finest in the world. What they call their
+winter does not last three months; and even that is very moderate, as
+may be imagined by their manner of building, for they have no chimneys
+in their houses. All the rest of the year is delightful; for though
+from ten or eleven in the morning till five in the afternoon, it is
+very hot, yet the evenings and mornings are very cool and pleasant; and
+in the hottest time of the year, it is from six in the evening till
+two or three in the morning, that the people of this country meet to
+divert themselves with music and other entertainments, at which there
+is plenty of cooling liquors, as they are well supplied with ice from
+the neighbouring Cordilleras. At these assemblies, many intrigues are
+carried on; for they think of nothing else throughout the year. Their
+fandangoes are very agreeable; the women dance inimitably well, and
+very gracefully. They are all born with an ear for music, and most of
+them have delightful voices; and all play upon the guitar and harp.
+The latter, at first, appears a very aukward instrument for a woman;
+yet that prejudice is soon got over, and they far excel any other
+nation upon it. They are extremely complaisant and polite; and when
+asked either to play, dance, or sing, they do it without a moment's
+hesitation, and that with an exceeding good grace. They have many
+figure-dances; but what they take most delight in, are more like our
+hornpipes than any thing else I can compare them to; and upon these
+occasions they shew surprising activity. The women are remarkably
+handsome, and very extravagant in their dress. Their hair, which is
+as thick as is possible to be conceived, they wear of a vast length,
+without any other ornament upon the head than a few flowers; they plait
+it behind in four plaits, and twist them round a bodkin, at each end
+of which is a diamond rose. Their shifts are all over lace, as is a
+little tight waistcoat they wear over them. Their petticoats are open
+before, and lap over, and have commonly three rows of very rich lace
+of gold or silver. In winter they have an upper waistcoat of cloth of
+gold or silver; and in summer, of the finest linen, covered all over
+with the finest Flanders lace. The sleeves of these are immensely
+wide. Over all this, when the air is cool, they have a mantle, which
+is only of bays, of the finest colours, round which there is abundance
+of lace. When they go abroad, they wear a veil, which is so contrived
+that one eye is only seen. Their feet are very small, and they value
+themselves as much upon it as the Chinese do. Their shoes are pinked
+and cut; their stockings silk, with gold and silver clocks; and they
+love to have the end of an embroidered garter hang a little below the
+petticoat. They have fine sparkling eyes, ready wit, a great deal of
+good nature, and a strong disposition to gallantry.
+
+By the description of one house you have an idea of all the rest. You
+first come into a large court, on one side of which is the stable: you
+then enter a hall; on one side of that is a large room, about twenty
+feet wide, and near forty feet long; the side next the window is the
+estrado, which runs the whole length of the room. The estrado is a
+platform, raised about five or six inches above the floor, and is
+covered with carpets and velvet cushions for the women to sit on, which
+they do after the Moorish fashion, cross-legged. The chairs for the
+men are covered with printed leather. At the end of the estrado, there
+is an alcove, where the bed stands; and there is always a vast deal of
+the sheets hanging out, with a profusion of lace to them, and the same
+on the pillows. They have a false door to the alcove, which sometimes
+is very convenient. Besides, there are generally two other rooms, one
+within another; and the kitchen and other offices are detached from the
+house, either at one side or the end of the garden.
+
+The ladies are fond of having their Mulatto female slaves dressed
+almost as well as themselves in every respect, excepting jewels, in
+which they indulge themselves to the utmost extravagance. Paraguay
+tea, which they call Matte, as I mentioned before, is always drunk
+twice a-day: this is brought upon a large silver salver, with four
+legs raised upon it, to receive a little cup made out of a small
+calabash, or gourd, and tipped with silver. They put the herb first
+into this, and add what sugar they please, and a little orange juice;
+and then pour hot water on them, and drink it immediately, through the
+conveyance of a long silver tube, at the end of which there is a round
+strainer, to prevent the herb getting through. And here it is reckoned
+a piece of politeness for the lady to suck the tube two or three times
+first, and then give it the stranger to drink without wiping it.
+
+They eat every thing so highly seasoned with red pepper, that those
+who are not used to it, upon the first mouthful would imagine their
+throats on fire for an hour afterwards; and it is a common custom here,
+though you have the greatest plenty at your own table, to have two or
+three Mulatto girls come in at the time you dine, bringing, in a little
+silver plate, some of these high-seasoned ragouts, with a compliment
+from Donna such-a-one, who desires you will eat a little bit of what
+she has sent you; which must be done before her Mulatto's face, or it
+would be deemed a great affront. Had this been the fashion at Chiloe,
+we should never have offended; but sometimes here we could have wished
+this ceremony omitted.
+
+The president never asked any of us a second time to his table. He
+expected us once a fortnight to be at his levee, which we never failed;
+and he always received us very politely. He was a man of a very amiable
+character, and much respected by every body in Chili, and some time
+after we left that country, was appointed viceroy of Peru.
+
+We had leave, whenever we asked it, to make an excursion into the
+country for ten or twelve days at a time; which we did sometimes
+to a very pleasant spot belonging to Don Joseph Dunose, a French
+gentleman, and a very sensible, well-bred man, who had married a
+very agreeable lady at St. Jago, with a very good fortune. We also
+sometimes had invitations from the Spaniards to their country-houses.
+We had a numerous acquaintance in the city, and in general received
+many civilities from the inhabitants. There are a great many people
+of fashion, and very good families from Old Spain settled here. A
+lady lived next door to us, whose name was Donna Francisca Giron;
+and as my name sounded something like it, she would have it that we
+were Parientes. She had a daughter, a very fine young woman, who both
+played and sung remarkably well: she was reckoned the finest voice in
+St. Jago. They saw a great deal of company, and we were welcome to
+her house whenever we pleased. We were a long time in this country,
+but we passed it very agreeably. The president alone goes with four
+horses to his coach; but the common vehicle here is a calash, or
+kind of vis-à-vis, drawn by one mule only. Bull-feasts are a common
+diversion here, and they far surpass anything of that kind I ever saw
+at Lisbon, or any where else. Indeed, it is amazing to see the activity
+and dexterity of those who attack the bulls. It is always done here
+by those only who follow it as a trade, for it is too dangerous to be
+practised as a diversion; as a proof of which, it is found that though
+some may hold out longer than others, there are few who constantly
+practice it, that die a natural death. The bulls are always the wildest
+that can be brought in from the mountains or forests, and have nothing
+on their horns to prevent their piercing a man the first stroke, as
+they have at Lisbon. I have seen a man, when the bull came at him with
+the utmost fury, spring directly over the beast's head, and perform
+this feat several times, and at last jump on his back, and there sit
+a considerable time, the bull the whole time attempting every means
+to throw him. But though this practitioner was successful, several
+accidents happened while I was there. The ladies, at these feasts, are
+always dressed as fine as possible; and, I imagine, go rather to be
+admired than to receive any amusement from a sight that one should
+think would give them pain. Another amusement for the ladies here, are
+the nights of their great processions, when they go out veiled; and as
+in that dress they cannot be known, they amuse themselves in talking
+to people much in the manner that is done at our masquerades. One
+night in Lent, as I was standing close to the houses as the procession
+went by, and having nothing but a thin waistcoat on under my cloak,
+and happening to have my arm out, a lady came by, and gave me a pinch
+with so good a will, that I thought she had taken the piece out; and,
+indeed, I carried the marks for a long time after. I durst not take
+the least notice of this at the time; for had I made any disturbance,
+I should have been knocked on the head. This kind lady immediately
+after mixed with the crowd, and I never could find out who had done
+me that favour. I have seen fifty or sixty penitents following these
+processions; they wear a long white garment with a long train to it,
+and high caps of the same, which fall down before, and cover all their
+faces, having only two small holes for their eyes; so that they are
+never known. Their backs are bare, and they lash themselves with a
+cat-o'-nine-tails till the long train behind is covered all over with
+blood. Others follow them with great heavy crosses upon their backs;
+so that they groan under the weight as they walk barefooted, and often
+faint away. The streets swarm with friars of all the different orders.
+The president has always a guard at his palace regularly clothed. The
+rest of their forces consists of militia, who are numerous.
+
+All European goods are very dear. English cloth, of fourteen or fifteen
+shillings a yard, sells there for ten or eleven dollars; and every
+other article in proportion. We found many Spaniards here that had
+been taken by Commodore Anson, and had been for some time prisoners on
+board the Centurion. They all spoke in the highest terms of the kind
+treatment they had received; and it is natural to imagine, that it was
+chiefly owing to that laudable example of humanity, our reception here
+was so good. They had never had anything but privateers and buccaneers
+amongst them before, who handled their prisoners very roughly; so that
+the Spaniards in general, both of Peru and Chili, had the greatest
+dread of being taken by the English; but some of them told us, that
+they were so happy on board the Centurion, that they should not have
+been sorry if the Commodore had taken them with him to England. After
+we had been here some time, Mr. Campbell changed his religion, and of
+course left us. At the end of two years, the president sent for us,
+and informed us a French ship from Lima, bound to Spain, had put into
+Valparaiso, and that we should embark in her. After taking leave of our
+good friend Mr. Gedd, and all our acquaintance at St. Jago, we set out
+for Valparaiso, mules and a guide being provided for us. I had forgot
+to say before, that Captain Cheap had been allowed by the president
+six reals a day, and we had four for our maintenance the whole time we
+were at St. Jago, which money we took up as we wanted it. Our journey
+back was much pleasanter than we found it when we were first brought
+hither, as we had now no mules to drive. The first person I met, upon
+our entrance into Valparaiso, was the poor soldier whom I mentioned to
+have been so kind to us when we were imprisoned in the fort. I now made
+him a little present, which, as it came quite unexpected, made him very
+happy. We took lodgings till the ship was ready to sail, and diverted
+ourselves as we pleased, having the good fortune, at this time, to have
+nothing to do with the governor or his fort. The town is but a poor
+little place; there are, indeed, a good many storehouses built by the
+water side for the reception of goods from the shipping.
+
+About the 20th of December, 1744, we embarked on board the Lys frigate,
+belonging to St. Malo. She was a ship of four hundred and twenty
+tons, sixteen guns, and sixty men. She had several passengers on
+board; and amongst the rest, Don George Juan, a man of very superior
+abilities, (and since that time well known in England) who, with Don
+Antonio Ulloa, had been several years in Peru, upon a design of
+measuring some degrees of the meridian near the equator. We were now
+bound to Conception, in order to join three other French ships that
+were likewise bound home. As this was a time of the year when the
+southerly winds prevail upon this coast, we stood off a long way to the
+westward, making the island of Juan Fernandez. We did not get into the
+bay of Conception till the 6th of January, 1745, where we anchored at
+Talcaguana, and there found the Louis Erasme, the Marquis d'Antin, and
+the Delivrance, the three French ships that we were to accompany. It is
+but sixty leagues from Valparaiso to Conception, though we had been so
+long making this passage; but there is no beating up, near the shore,
+against the southerly wind, which is the trade at this season, as you
+are sure to have a lee-current; so that the quickest way of making a
+passage is to stand off a hundred and twenty or thirty leagues from the
+land.
+
+The bay of Conception is a large, fine bay; but there are several
+shoals in it, and only two good anchoring-places, though a ship may
+anchor within a quarter of a league of the town; but this only in the
+very fine months, as you lay much exposed. The best anchoring-place is
+Talcaguana, the southernmost neck of the bay, in five or six fathom
+water, good holding ground, and where you are sheltered from the
+northerly winds. The town has no other defence than a low battery,
+which only commands the anchoring-place before it. The country is
+extremely pleasant, and affords the greatest plenty of provisions of
+all kinds. In some excursions we made daily from Talcaguana, we saw
+great numbers of very large snakes; but we were told they were quite
+harmless. I have read some former accounts of Chili, by the jesuits,
+wherein they tell you that no venomous creature is to be found in it,
+and that they even made the experiment of bringing bugs here, which
+died immediately; but I never was in any place that swarmed with them
+so much as St. Jago; and they have a large spider there, whose bite
+is so venomous, that I have seen from it some of the most shocking
+sights I ever saw in my life; and it certainly proves mortal if proper
+remedies are not applied in time. I was once bit by one on the cheek,
+whilst asleep, and, presently after, all that part of my face turned
+as black as ink. I was cured by the application of a bluish kind of
+stone (the same, perhaps, they call the serpent-stone in the East
+Indies, and which is a composition). The stone stuck, for some time,
+of itself on my face, and dropping off, was put into milk till it had
+digested the poison it had extracted, and then applied again till the
+pain abated, and I was soon afterwards well. Whilst the ships remained
+at Conception, the people were employed in killing cattle and salting
+them for the voyage; and every ship took on board as many bullocks
+and sheep as their decks could well hold; and having completed their
+business here, they sailed the 27th of January; but about eight days
+after our ship sprung a very dangerous leak forward; but so low,
+that there was no possibility of stopping it without returning into
+port, and lightening her till they could come at it. Accordingly we
+separated from the other ships, and made the best of our way for
+Valparaiso, keeping all hands at the pump night and day, passengers
+and all. However, as it happened, this proved a lucky circumstance
+for the Lys, as the three other ships were taken; and this certainly
+would have been her fate likewise, had she kept company with the rest.
+As soon as we got into port, they lightened the ship forwards, and
+brought her by the stern till they came at the leak, which was soon
+stopped. They made all the dispatch possible in completing the water
+again. Whilst at Valparaiso, we had one of the most violent shocks of
+an earthquake that we had ever felt yet. On the first of March we put
+to sea again, the season being already far advanced for passing Cape
+Horn. The next day we went to an allowance of a quart of water a day
+for each man, which continued the whole passage. We were obliged to
+stand a long way to the westward; and went to the northward of Juan
+Fernandez above a degree, before we had a wind that we could make any
+southing with. On the 25th, in the latitude of 46 degrees, we met with
+a violent hard gale at west, which obliged us to lie to under a reefed
+mainsail for some days; and before we got round the Cape, we had many
+very hard gales, with a prodigious sea and constant thick snow; and
+after being so long in so delightful a climate as Chili, the cold was
+almost insupportable. After doubling the Cape, we got but slowly to
+the northward; and, indeed, at the best of times, the ship never went
+above six knots; for she was a heavy-going thing. On the 27th of May
+we crossed the line; when finding that our water was grown extremely
+short, and that it would be almost impossible to reach Europe without
+a supply, it was resolved to bear away for Martinico. On the 29th of
+June, in the morning, we made the Island of Tobago, and then shaped
+a course for Martinico; and on the first of July, by our reckonings,
+expected to see it, but were disappointed. This was imputed to the
+currents, which, whether they had set the ship to the eastward or
+westward, nobody could tell; but upon looking over the charts, it
+was imagined, if the current had driven her to the westward, it must
+have been among the Granadillos, which was thought impossible without
+seeing any of them, as they are so near together, and a most dangerous
+place for rocks. It was then concluded we were to the eastward, and
+accordingly we steered S.W. by W., but having run this course for above
+thirty leagues, and no land appearing, it was resolved to stand to the
+northward till we should gain the latitude of Porto Rico, and on the
+4th in the evening we made that island; so that it was now certain the
+ship had been hustled through the Granadillos in the night, which was,
+without doubt, as extraordinary a passage as ever ship made. It was
+now resolved to go between the islands of Porto Rico and St. Domingo
+for Cape François, therefore we lay to that night. In the morning, we
+made sail along shore; and about ten o'clock, as I was walking the
+quarter-deck, Captain Cheap came out of the cabin, and told me he had
+just seen a beef-barrel go by the ship; that he was sure it had but
+lately been thrown overboard, and that he would venture any wager we
+saw an English cruizer before long. In about half an hour after we saw
+two sail to leeward, from off the quarter-deck; for they kept no look
+out from the mast-head, and we presently observed they were in chace
+of us. The French and Spaniards on board now began to grow a good deal
+alarmed, when it fell stark calm; but not before the ships had neared
+us so much, that we plainly discerned them to be English men of war;
+the one a two-decker, the other a twenty-gun ship. The French had
+now thoughts, when a breeze should spring up, of running the ship on
+shore upon Porto Rico, but when they came to consider what a set of
+banditti inhabited that island, and that in all probability they would
+have their throats cut for the sake of plundering the wreck, they were
+resolved to take their chance, and stand to the northward between the
+two islands. In the evening, a fresh breeze sprung up, and we shaped
+a course accordingly. The two ships had it presently afterwards, and
+neared us amazingly fast. Now every body on board gave themselves up;
+the officers were busy in their cabins, filling their pockets with
+what was most valuable; the men put on their best clothes, and many of
+them came to me with little lumps of gold, desiring I would take them,
+as they said they had much rather I should benefit by them, whom they
+were acquainted with, than those that chased them. I told them there
+was time enough, though I thought they were as surely taken as if the
+English had been already on board. A fine moonlight night came on, and
+we expected every moment to see the ships along-side of us; but we saw
+nothing of them in the night, and, to our great astonishment, in the
+morning no ships were to be seen even from the mast-head. Thus did
+these two cruizers lose one of the richest prizes, by not chasing an
+hour or two longer. There were near two millions of dollars on board,
+besides a valuable cargo. On the eighth, at six in the morning, we were
+off Cape La Grange; and, what is very remarkable, the French at Cape
+François told us afterwards that was the only day they ever remembered,
+since the war, that the Cape had been without one or two English
+privateers cruising off it; and but the evening before, two of them had
+taken two outward bound St. Domingo men, and had gone with them for
+Jamaica; so that this ship might be justly esteemed a most lucky one.
+In the afternoon we came to an anchor in Cape François harbour.
+
+In this long run we had not buried a single man; nor do I remember that
+there was one sick the whole passage; but at this place many were taken
+ill, and three or four died; for there is no part of the West Indies
+more unhealthy than this; yet the country is beautiful, and extremely
+well cultivated. After being here some time, the governor ordered us to
+wait upon him, which we did; when he took no more notice of us than if
+we had been his slaves, never asking us even to sit down.
+
+Towards the end of August, a French squadron of five men of war came
+in, commanded by Monsieur L'Etanducre, who were to convoy the trade
+to France. Neither he nor his officers ever took any kind of notice
+of Captain Cheap, though we met them every day ashore. One evening,
+as we were going aboard with the captain of our ship, a midshipman
+belonging to Monsieur L'Etanducre, jumped into our boat, and ordered
+the people to carry him on board the ship he belonged to, leaving us
+to wait upon the beach for two hours before the boat returned. On the
+sixth of September we put to sea, in company with the five men of war,
+and about fifty sail of merchant-men. On the eighth we made the Cayco
+Grande; and the next day a Jamaica privateer, a large fine sloop, hove
+in sight, keeping a little to windward of the convoy, resolving to pick
+up one or two of them in the night, if possible. This obliged Monsieur
+L'Etanducre to send a frigate to speak to all the convoy, and order
+them to keep close to him in the night; which they did, and in such a
+manner, that sometimes seven or eight of them were on board one another
+together; by which they received much damage; and to repair which,
+the whole squadron was obliged to lay to sometimes for a whole day.
+The privateer kept her station, jogging on with the fleet. At last,
+the commodore ordered two of his best-going ships to chase her. She
+appeared to take no notice of them till they were pretty near her, and
+then would make sail and be out of sight presently. The chasing ships
+no sooner returned, than the privateer was in company again. As by this
+every night some accident happened to some of the convoy by keeping so
+close together, a fine ship of thirty guns, belonging to Marseilles,
+hauled out a little to windward of the rest of the fleet; which
+L'Etanducre perceiving in the morning, ordered the frigate to bring the
+captain of her on board of him; and then making a signal for all the
+convoy to close to him, he fired a gun, and hoisted a red flag at the
+ensign staff; and immediately after the captain of the merchant-man
+was run up to the main-yard-arm, and from thence ducked three times. He
+was then sent on board his ship again, with orders to keep his colours
+flying the whole day, in order to distinguish him from the rest. We
+were then told, that the person who was treated in this cruel manner,
+was a young man of an exceeding good family in the south of France,
+and likewise a man of great spirit; and that he would not fail to call
+Monsieur L'Etanducre to account when an opportunity should offer; and
+the affair made much noise in France afterwards. One day, the ship
+we were in happened to be out of her station, by sailing so heavily,
+when the commodore made the signal to speak to our captain, who seemed
+frightened out of his wits. When we came near him, he began with the
+grossest abuse, threatening our captain, that if ever he was out of his
+station again, he would serve him as he had done the other. This rigid
+discipline, however, preserved the convoy; for though the privateer
+kept company a long time, she was not so fortunate as to meet with the
+reward of her perseverance.
+
+On the 27th of October, in the evening, we made Cape Ortegal; and on
+the 31st, came to an anchor in Brest road. The Lys having so valuable
+a cargo on board, was towed into the harbour the next morning, and
+lashed alongside one of their men of war. The money was soon landed;
+and the officers and men, who had been so many years absent from
+their native country, were glad to get on shore. Nobody remained on
+board but a man or two to look after the ship, and we three English
+prisoners who had no leave to go ashore. The weather was extremely
+cold, and felt particularly so to us, who had been so long used to hot
+climates; and what made it still worse, we were very thinly clad. We
+had neither fire nor candle; for they were allowed on board of no ship
+in the harbour, for fear of accidents, being close to their magazines
+in the dock-yard. Some of the officers belonging to the ship were so
+kind to send us off victuals every day, or we might have starved; for
+Monsieur L'Intendant never sent us even a message; and though there was
+a very large squadron of men of war fitting out at that time, not one
+officer belonging to them ever came near Captain Cheap. From five in
+the evening we were obliged to sit in the dark; and if we chose to have
+any supper, it was necessary to place it very near us before that time,
+or we never could have found it. We had passed seven or eight days in
+this melancholy manner, when one morning a kind of row-galley came
+alongside, with a number of English prisoners belonging to two large
+privateers the French had taken. We were ordered into the same boat
+with them, and were carried four leagues up the river to Landernaw. At
+this town we were upon our parole; so took the best lodgings we could
+get, and lived very well for three months, when an order came from
+the court of Spain to allow us to return home by the first ship that
+offered. Upon this, hearing there was a Dutch ship at Morlaix ready to
+sail, we took horses and travelled to that town, where we were obliged
+to remain six weeks, before we had an opportunity of getting away. At
+last we agreed with the master of a Dutch dogger to land us at Dover,
+and paid him beforehand. When we had got down the river into the road,
+a French privateer that was almost ready to sail upon a cruize, hailed
+the Dutchman, and told him to come to an anchor; and that if he offered
+to sail before him, he would sink him. This he was forced to comply
+with, and lay three days in the road, cursing the Frenchman, who at
+the end of that time put to sea, and then we were at liberty to do the
+same. We had a long uncomfortable passage. About the ninth day, before
+sunset, we saw Dover, and reminded the Dutchman of his agreement to
+land us there. He said he would; but instead of that, in the morning
+we were off the coast of France. We complained loudly of this piece of
+villany, and insisted upon his returning to land us, when an English
+man of war appeared to windward, and presently bore down to us. She
+sent her boat on board with an officer, who informed us the ship he
+came from was the Squirrel, commanded by Captain Masterson. We went on
+board of her, and Captain Masterson immediately sent one of the cutters
+he had with him, to land us at Dover, where we arrived that afternoon,
+and directly set out for Canterbury upon post-horses; but Captain Cheap
+was so tired by the time he got there, that he could proceed no further
+that night. The next morning he still found himself so much fatigued,
+that he could ride no longer; therefore it was agreed that he and Mr.
+Hamilton should take a post-chaise, and that I should ride; but here an
+unlucky difficulty was started; for upon sharing the little money we
+had, it was found to be not sufficient to pay the charges to London;
+and my proportion fell so short, that it was, by calculation, barely
+enough to pay for horses, without a farthing for eating a bit upon the
+road, or even for the very turnpikes. Those I was obliged to defraud,
+by riding as hard as I could through them all, not paying the least
+regard to the men, who called out to stop me. The want of refreshment
+I bore as well as I could. When I got to the Borough, I took a coach
+and drove to Marlborough-street, where my friends had lived when I left
+England; but when I came there, I found the house shut up. Having been
+absent so many years, and in all that time never having heard a word
+from home, I knew not who was dead or who was living, or where to go
+next; or even how to pay the coachman. I recollected a linen-draper's
+shop, not far from thence, which our family had used. I therefore drove
+there next, and making myself known, they paid the coachman. I then
+enquired after our family, and was told my sister had married Lord
+Carlisle, and was at that time in Soho-square. I immediately walked
+to the house, and knocked at the door; but the porter not liking my
+figure, which was half French, half Spanish, with the addition of a
+large pair of boots covered with dirt, he was going to shut the door in
+my face; but I prevailed with him to let me come in.
+
+I need not acquaint my readers with what surprise and joy my sister
+received me. She immediately furnished me with money sufficient to
+appear like the rest of my countrymen; till that time I could not be
+properly said to have finished all the extraordinary scenes which a
+series of unfortunate adventures had kept me in for the space of five
+years and upwards.
+
+
+                               THE END.
+
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                 BRADBURY AND EVANS, BOUVERIE-STREET.
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+                         Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Maintained original spelling, hypenation and punctuation.
+
+Obvious printer errors have been corrected.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the
+Wager, by John Byron
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44193 ***
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+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44193 ***</div>
+
+<h1 class="center">
+BYRON'S NARRATIVE<br />
+OF THE LOSS OF<br />
+THE WAGER</h1>
+
+<p class="subhead">WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT<br />
+DISTRESSES SUFFERED BY HIMSELF AND HIS COMPANIONS<br />
+ON THE COAST OF PATAGONIA FROM THE YEAR 1740 TILL<br />
+THEIR ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND 1746</p>
+
+<p class="bold">LONDON</p>
+<p class="center">HENRY LEGGATT &amp; CO 85 CORNHILL</p>
+<hr class="r15" />
+<p class="subhead">MDCCCXXXII</p>
+
+<p class="footer">
+LONDON:<br />
+PRINTED BY BRADBURY AND EVANS,<br />
+BOUVERIE STREET.<br />
+</p>
+
+
+<h2>ADVERTISEMENT.</h2>
+
+
+<p>At a time when every thing connected with
+the name of Byron is regarded with such general
+interest, it is a subject of surprise and regret
+that no popular edition should exist of the
+Narrative of Commodore Byron. Indeed, to
+procure any copy at all of the work requires
+some research and trouble. To supply this
+deficiency is the object of the present publishers.</p>
+
+<p>To the admirers of the illustrious Poet, the
+Narrative of the sufferings of his grandfather
+will, on more than one account, be acceptable.
+In the Poems, it is often, whether humorously
+or pathetically, alluded to; for instance, in
+the mournfully beautiful stanzas to his sister,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span>
+written soon after he left England for the last
+time, he says,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">"A strange doom is thy father's son's, and past<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Recalling, as it lies beyond redress;<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Reversed for him <i>our grandsire's fate</i> of yore,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Had <i>no rest at sea</i>, nor I on shore!"<br /></span>
+<span><br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Again, in a different mood, in Don Juan,
+after having carried his hero through the horrors
+of a shipwreck, as disastrous and fatal in itself
+and its consequences as his imagination could
+conceive, he observes&mdash;</p>
+
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i9">"&mdash;&mdash;for none<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Had suffered more&mdash;his hardships were comparative<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">To those related in my grand-dad's Narrative."<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+</div></div>
+
+<p>To which passage he appends the following
+note:&mdash;"Admiral Byron was remarkable for
+never making a voyage without a tempest. He
+was known to the sailors by the facetious name
+of 'foul-weather Jack.'" Indeed, to this narrative
+the poet is indebted for many of the incidents
+in that surpassing description of "the
+dangers of the sea." The awful "whispering"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span>
+in which, according to the Admiral, the men
+communicated their first horrid thoughts of putting
+one of their number to death for the support
+of the rest, is admirably preserved and amplified
+in Don Juan:</p>
+
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">"At length one whispered his companion, who<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Whispered another, and thus it went round,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And then into a hoarser murmur grew,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">An ominous and wild, and desperate sound,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And then his comrade's thought each sufferer knew,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">'Twas but his own, suppressed till now, he found:<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And out they spoke of lots for flesh and blood,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And who should die to be his fellow's food."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+
+<p>The germ of the conception of the cave-scenes,
+so beautifully described in the poem, will also
+be found here; the fondness of Juan for his
+favourite dog, the voracity with which he devoured
+the long-withheld food, and many other
+incidents, were suggested by this Narrative.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p>
+
+<p>To those who would study the character of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span>
+Lord Byron; discover what qualities of his
+nature were derived from his ancestors, and
+what were peculiarly his own; who would trace
+the effect produced on his writings by early
+tastes, habits, and associations, the narrative
+will afford ample material for observation.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Moore,&mdash;who, in paying to genius that
+tribute which genius alone can fully pay, has
+shewn how thoroughly he understood the character
+of the poet (a character, perhaps, after
+all to be <i>felt</i> rather than <i>explained</i>), how well
+he appreciated his virtues and the peculiar circumstances
+attendant on genius, which palliate,
+if they do not excuse, his foibles,&mdash;remarks, that
+Lord Byron "strikingly combined, in his own
+nature, some of the best and perhaps worst
+qualities that lie scattered through the various
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span>characters of his predecessors; the generosity,
+the love of enterprise, the high-mindedness of
+some of the better spirits of his race, with the
+irregular passions, the eccentricity, and daring
+recklessness of the world's opinion, that so
+much characterised others." In the character
+then of the most famous of those "better
+spirits," as exemplified in his own narrative of
+his sufferings and adventures, we may discern
+the source of many of the amiable qualities
+which descended to and adorned the immortal
+poet. We shall observe in both the same frankness,
+generosity, affability, love of excitement,
+the same mildness, and unassuming modesty.
+But the contrasts of their characters we shall
+find even more striking than the resemblances.
+We shall see in the sailor the ease and contentedness
+of spirit arising from its agreement with
+the sphere it moves in&mdash;the soul harmonizing
+with the situation&mdash;the man with the circumstances&mdash;the
+Supply equivalent to the Demand.
+We shall see in the poet the "high instincts of
+a creature moving about in worlds not realized"&mdash;the
+large expectancies, the high anticipations,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span>
+unfulfilled and unanswered; the discontent,
+the jarring of a being not <i>at one</i> with the place
+of its existence, panting for something above it,
+aspiring "beyond the fitting medium of desire."
+We shall see him inordinately yearning after
+affection and happiness, yet enveloped, as it
+were, in a nervous network of sensibility, feelingly
+alive to every the faintest manifestation of
+slight, neglect, unkindness,&mdash;to all that causes
+sorrow and pain: we shall see the co-existence
+of these qualities producing necessarily disappointment
+and disgust; the very capability of enjoying
+the good, unfitting him for the endurance
+of the ill; the power of imagination heightening
+the beauties of the ideal, the keenness of
+perception aggravating the defects of the real;
+the consequent struggles for existence in a
+wounded spirit between "feelings unemployed,"
+affections unreturned, and the bitterness or
+apathy they engender&mdash;between original benevolence
+and acquired misanthropy. We shall
+see the sailor habitually yielding himself to the
+guidance and authority of others, unhesitatingly
+acknowledging, and, as a matter of course,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span>
+complying with, the established relations, laws,
+and customs of society; submitting without repining,
+question, or surprise, to the vicissitudes
+of fortune; patient of hardship, uncomplaining
+of Circumstance. The poet, from the pride
+of Mind, accustomed ever to decide for itself, to
+act and reflect always, obstinately questioning
+even Destiny and Fate; bidding haughty defiance
+to their Ruler, or yielding with sullen indifference
+or gloomy repining; if confessing the
+necessity of compliance, hardly resigned. We
+shall find the sailor sustaining his cheerfulness
+in every situation; the poet, plunging, perhaps
+from constitutional melancholy, into misery;
+acted upon by that strong attraction, that irresistible
+impulse towards the dark and the sad,
+that capability, strikingly described by himself,
+of "learning to love despair." We shall see
+throughout the difference between the continual
+presence and the comparative absence of consciousness,
+that power by which Self, rising as
+it were above itself, makes itself the subject of
+microscopic observation. In the writings especially,
+of each, we shall observe the operations<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span>
+of these opposite properties. The sailor writes
+on, unaware and thoughtless of the effect of
+what he writes: the poet, in his letters particularly,
+seems to know intuitively the effect on
+others of every word he sets down; he reads
+their thoughts, he hears their remarks as he
+writes; and this knowledge, so immediate that
+its effects on his style seem almost unintentional,
+continually modifies his expressions, giving the
+appearance of affectation to what is no more
+than a natural result of his quick perception
+and extreme sensitiveness. In every action,
+too, of the poet, important or trivial, the
+working of this principle, so hard to be discovered
+in the sailor, is equally evident. He
+looks always to the effect: nothing seems
+done solely for itself: the love of admiration,
+of being remarkable, of standing alone, however
+disguised, may almost always be detected. Finally,
+we shall not fail to observe throughout,
+the contrast between the single and the "many-sided"
+mind; between the ordinary and the extraordinary;
+between the Mortal made immortal
+by force of circumstances; the Immortal, in spite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</a></span>
+of circumstances, asserting and maintaining his
+inborn immortality.</p>
+
+<p>Yet, enhanced as the interest attaching to
+this narrative is, by the connection of its author
+with one of the greatest of the master-minds of
+these latter days, it is a work which of itself
+may well demand and obtain our attention and
+regard. The incidents it relates are peculiarly
+of that complexion which has caused it to be
+remarked (as Byron himself has somewhere)
+that Fiction, however wonderful, must often
+yield to Truth. It is a striking specimen of
+the romance of real life. The spectacle of a
+member of an old and noble family, accustomed
+to the comforts and luxuries that attend high
+birth, reduced to the necessity, at one time, of
+beating his <i>shirt</i> in order to crush the vermin it
+was useless to attempt to get rid of by washing;
+and at another, of making a meal (eagerly, as
+he himself confesses,) of the putrid remains of
+a favourite dog, is as well calculated to excite
+the curiosity of the observer of mankind as to
+gratify the taste of the reader of romance. And
+if the extraordinary nature of the incidents<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[xii]</a></span>
+themselves arouse our wonder, the manner in
+which they are related will insure and fix our
+sympathy. The simple, unaffected style, slightly
+tinged with the quaintness of old phraseology;
+the total absence of any thing like striving after
+effect; the apparent unconsciousness of the
+narrator that he must be the object of admiration
+or pity; the freedom from all attempts to
+disguise some feelings, or to affect and assume
+others; the modesty, the frankness, which characterize
+this narration, while they give additional
+interest to the work itself, afford indisputable
+testimony to the amiableness of the author. To
+have imitated so correctly this natural style, is
+one of the highest triumphs of the genius of
+Defoe, in his romance of Robinson Crusoe.</p>
+
+<p>Considered, then, either as an useful appendage
+to the Works and Life of Byron; as an
+aid in forming an estimate of his character; or
+as an account of sufferings and adventures which
+would appear suitable rather to a romance than
+to a journal of events actually experienced; an
+illustration of the strange vicissitudes human<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</a></span>
+life may undergo, of the extremities and hardships
+human nature may bear; or, in short, as a
+specimen of simple and beautiful writing, this
+work can scarcely fail of affording delight and
+gratification to the reader.</p>
+
+<hr class="r15" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[xvi]</a></span></p>
+<p>JOHN BYRON, the second son of William,
+the fourth Lord Byron, by his third wife, was
+born at Newstead Abbey, November 8th, 1723,
+and at an early age entered as a midshipman in
+the British navy. He still held that rank in 1740,
+when the expedition to the South Sea against
+the Spaniards took place under the command of
+Commodore Anson. The Wager, Captain Cheap,
+to which Mr. Byron belonged, was separated
+from the rest of the squadron, and wrecked on
+a desert island to the southward of Chiloe (47°
+south lat.) After encountering the most dreadful
+sufferings from famine, a small number of the
+crew, including the Captain and Mr. Byron,
+reached the isle of Chiloe, and surrendered
+themselves prisoners to the Spaniards. They
+were afterwards removed to Chili, and detained
+some time at Valparaiso and St. Jago; but were
+at length allowed to return to England, where
+they arrived after an absence of more than five
+years. At a subsequent period, Mr. Byron
+published his "Narrative." The young seaman
+was not deterred by his misfortunes from
+pursuing his naval career; he returned to the
+service of his country, and commanded the
+America, in Boscawen's action off Cape Lagos,
+August 18, 1759. His skill and enterprising
+spirit afterwards occasioned his appointment to
+the command of an expedition fitted out to
+make discoveries in the South Sea.<a name="FNanchor_A_2" id="FNanchor_A_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> He sailed
+from England, June 21st, 1764, and having
+circumnavigated the globe, returned home in
+May, 1766. Several islands were explored in
+this voyage, which were afterwards visited by
+Bougainville and Cooke; and experiments were
+also made to determine the accuracy of Harrison's
+time-keeper, and its consequent value as
+a means of ascertaining the longitude. This
+officer subsequently was made an admiral, and
+commanded in the West Indies during the
+American war. Admiral Byron was much
+beloved in the navy, more so, perhaps, than
+any other officer except Nelson. He died in
+1798, leaving one son, John, who dying before
+his uncle, Lord Byron, the title of the latter
+descended to his only son, George Gordon, the
+poet.</p>
+
+<div class="break-before">
+<h2>
+BYRON'S NARRATIVE<br />
+OF THE<br />
+Loss of the Wager.
+</h2></div>
+
+
+<p class ="p2">The equipment and destination of the squadron
+fitted out in the year 1740, of which Commodore
+Anson had the command, being sufficiently
+known from the ample and well-penned relation
+of it under his direction, I shall recite no particulars
+that are to be found in that work. But
+it may be necessary, for the better understanding
+the disastrous fate of the Wager, the subject
+of the following sheets, to repeat the remark,
+that a strange infatuation seemed to prevail in
+the whole conduct of this embarkation. For
+though it was unaccountably detained till the
+season for its sailing was past, no proper use<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span>
+was made of that time, which should have been
+employed in providing a suitable force of sailors
+and soldiery; nor was there a due attention
+given to other requisites for so peculiar and
+extensive a destination.</p>
+
+<p>This neglect not only rendered the expedition
+abortive in its principal object, but most
+materially affected the condition of each particular
+ship; and none so fatally as the Wager,
+which being an old Indiaman brought into the
+service on this occasion, was now fitted out as
+a man of war; but being made to serve as a
+store ship, was deeply laden with all kinds of
+careening geer, military and other stores, for
+the use of the other ships; and, what is more,
+crowded with bale goods, and encumbered
+with merchandise. A ship of this quality and
+condition could not be expected to work with
+that readiness and ease which was necessary
+for her security and preservation in those heavy
+seas with which she was to encounter. Her
+crew consisted of men pressed from long voyages
+to be sent upon a distant and hazardous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span>
+service: on the other hand, all her land-forces
+were no more than a poor detachment of infirm
+and decrepid invalids from Chelsea hospital,
+desponding under the apprehensions of a long
+voyage. It is not then to be wondered, that
+Captain Kid, under whose command the ship
+sailed out of the port, should in his last moments
+presage her ill success, though nothing
+very material happened during his command.</p>
+
+<p>At his death he was succeeded by Captain
+Cheap, who still, without any accident, kept
+company with the squadron till we had almost
+gained the southernmost mouth of Straits Le
+Maire; when, being the sternmost ship, we
+were, by the sudden shifting of the wind to the
+southward, and the turn of the tide, very near
+being wrecked upon the rocks of Staten Land;
+which, notwithstanding, having weathered,
+contrary to the expectation of the rest of the
+squadron, we endeavoured all in our power to
+make up our lost way and regain our station.
+This we effected, and proceeded on our voyage,
+keeping company with the rest of the ships for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>
+some time; when, by a great roll of a hollow
+sea, we carried away our mizen mast, all the
+chain plates to windward being broken. Soon
+after, hard gales at west coming on with a
+prodigious swell, there broke a heavy sea in
+upon the ship, which stove our boats, and filled
+us for some time.</p>
+
+<p>These accidents were the more disheartening,
+as our carpenter was on board the Gloucester,
+and detained there by the incessant tempestuous
+weather, and sea impracticable for boats. In a
+few days he returned, and supplied the loss of
+the mizen-mast by a lower studding-sail boom;
+but this expedient, together with the patching
+up of our rigging, was a poor temporary relief
+to us. We were soon obliged to cut away our
+best bower anchor to ease the fore-mast, the
+shrouds and chain plates of which were all
+broken, and the ship in all parts in a most
+crazy condition.</p>
+
+<p>Thus shattered and disabled, a single ship,
+(for we had now lost sight of our squadron)
+we had the additional mortification to find our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>selves
+bearing for the land on a lee shore,
+having thus far persevered in the course we held,
+from an error in conjecture; for the weather
+was unfavourable for observation, and there
+are no charts of that part of the coast. When
+those officers who first perceived their mistake,
+endeavoured to persuade the captain to alter his
+course, and bear away, for the greater surety,
+to the westward, he persisted in making directly,
+as he thought, for the island of Socoro;
+and to such as dared from time to time to
+deliver their doubts of being entangled with the
+land stretching to the westward, he replied,
+that he thought himself in no case at liberty to
+deviate from his orders; and that the absence
+of his ship from the first place of rendezvous,
+would entirely frustrate the whole squadron in
+the first object of their attack, and possibly
+decide upon the fortune of the whole expedition.
+For the better understanding the force
+of his reasoning, it is necessary to explain, that
+the island of Socoro is in the neighbourhood of
+Baldivia, the capture of which place could not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span>
+be effected without the junction of that ship,
+which carried the ordnance and military stores.</p>
+
+<p>The knowledge of the great importance of
+giving so early and unexpected a blow to the
+Spaniards, determined the captain to make the
+shortest way to the point in view; and that
+rigid adherence to orders from which he thought
+himself in no case at liberty to depart, begot in
+him a stubborn defiance of all difficulties, and
+took away from him those apprehensions, which
+so justly alarmed all such as, from an ignorance
+of the orders, had nothing present to their
+minds but the dangers of a lee shore.<a name="FNanchor_A_3" id="FNanchor_A_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p>
+
+<p>We had for some time been sensible of our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span>
+approach to the land, from no other tokens than
+those of weeds and birds, which are the usual
+indications of nearing the coast; but at length
+we had an imperfect view of an eminence,
+which we conjectured to be one of the mountains
+of the Cordilleras. This, however, was
+not so distinctly seen but that many conceived
+it to be the effect of imagination: but if the
+captain was persuaded of the nearness of our
+danger, it was now too late to remedy it; for
+at this time the straps of the fore jeer blocks
+breaking, the fore-yard came down; and the
+greatest part of the men being disabled through
+fatigue and sickness, it was some time before it
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>could be got up again. The few hands who
+were employed in this business now plainly
+saw the land on the larboard beam, bearing
+N.W., upon which the ship was driving bodily.
+Orders were then given immediately by the
+captain to sway the fore-yard up, and set the
+fore-sail; which done, we wore ship with her
+head to the southward, and endeavoured to
+crowd her off from the land: but the weather,
+from being exceedingly tempestuous, blowing
+now a perfect hurricane, and right in upon the
+shore, rendered our endeavours (for we were
+now only twelve hands fit for duty) entirely
+fruitless. The night came on, dreadful beyond
+description, in which, attempting to throw out
+our topsails to claw off the shore, they were
+immediately blown from the yards.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning, about four o'clock, the ship
+struck. The shock we received upon this occasion,
+though very great, being not unlike the
+blow of a heavy sea, such as in the series of
+preceding storms we had often experienced,
+was taken for the same; but we were soon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span>
+undeceived by her striking again more violently
+than before, which laid her upon her beam
+ends, the sea making a fair breach over her.
+Every person that now could stir was presently
+upon the quarter-deck; and many even of those
+were alert upon this occasion, that had not
+showed their faces upon deck for above two
+months before: several poor wretches, who
+were in the last stage of the scurvy, and who
+could not get out of their hammocks, were
+immediately drowned.</p>
+
+<p>In this dreadful situation she lay for some
+little time, every soul on board looking upon
+the present minute as his last; for there was
+nothing; to be seen but breakers all around us.
+However, a mountainous sea hove her off from
+thence, but she presently struck again, and
+broke her tiller. In this terrifying and critical
+juncture, to have observed all the various modes
+of horror operating according to the several
+characters and complexions amongst us, it was
+necessary that the observer himself should have
+been free from all impressions of danger. In<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>stances
+there were, however, of behaviour so
+very remarkable, they could not escape the
+notice of any one who was not entirely bereaved
+of his senses; for some were in this
+condition to all intents and purposes; particularly
+one, in the ravings of despair brought
+upon him, was seen stalking about the deck,
+flourishing a cutlass over his head and calling
+himself king of the country, and striking every
+body he came near, till his companions, seeing
+no other security against his tyranny, knocked
+him down. Some, reduced before by long sickness
+and the scurvy, became on this occasion as
+it were petrified and bereaved of all sense, like
+inanimate logs, and were bandied to and fro by
+the jerks and rolls of the ship, without exerting
+any efforts to help themselves. So terrible was
+the scene of foaming breakers around us, that
+one of the bravest men we had could not help
+expressing his dismay at it, saying it was too
+shocking a sight to bear; and would have
+thrown himself over the rails of the quarter-deck
+into the sea, had he not been prevented:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>
+but at the same time there were not wanting
+those who preserved a presence of mind truly
+heroic. The man at the helm, though both
+rudder and tiller were gone, kept his station;
+and being asked by one of the officers, if the
+ship would steer or not, first took his time to
+make trial by the wheel, and then answered
+with as much respect and coolness as if the
+ship had been in the greatest safety; and immediately
+after applied himself with his usual
+serenity to his duty, persuaded it did not become
+him to desert it as long as the ship kept
+together. Mr. Jones, mate, who now survives
+not only this wreck, but that of the Litchfield
+man of war upon the coast of Barbary, at the
+time when the ship was in the most imminent
+danger, not only shewed himself undaunted,
+but endeavoured to inspire the same resolution
+in the men; saying, "My friends, let us not
+be discouraged: did you never see a ship
+amongst breakers before? Let us try to push
+her through them. Come, lend a hand; here
+is a sheet, and here is a brace; lay hold; I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>
+don't doubt but we may stick her yet near
+enough to the land to save our lives." This
+had so good an effect, that many who before
+were half dead, seemed active again, and now
+went to work in earnest. This Mr. Jones did
+purely to keep up the spirits of the people as
+long as possible; for he often said afterwards,
+he thought there was not the least chance of a
+single man being saved. We now ran in
+between an opening of the breakers, steering
+by the sheets and braces, when providentially
+we stuck fast between two great rocks; that to
+windward sheltering us in some measure from
+the violence of the sea. We immediately cut
+away the main and foremast; but the ship kept
+beating in such a manner, that we imagined
+she could hold together but a very little while.
+The day now broke, and the weather, that had
+been extremely thick, cleared away for a few
+moments, and gave us a glimpse of the land
+not far from us. We now thought of nothing
+but saving our lives. To get the boats out, as
+our masts were gone, was a work of some time;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>
+which when accomplished, many were ready to
+jump into the first, by which means they narrowly
+escaped perishing before they reached
+the shore. I now went to Captain Cheap (who
+had the misfortune to dislocate his shoulder by
+a fall the day before, as he was going forward
+to get the fore-yard swayed up), and asked him
+if he would not go on shore; but he told me,
+as he had done before, that he would be the
+last to leave the ship; and he ordered me to
+assist in getting the men out as soon as possible.
+I had been with him very often from
+the time the ship first struck, as he desired I
+would, to acquaint him with every thing that
+passed; and I particularly remarked, that he
+gave his orders at that time with as much coolness
+as ever he had done during the former
+part of the voyage.</p>
+
+<p>The scene was now greatly changed; for many
+who but a few minutes before had shewn the
+strongest signs of despair, and were on their
+knees praying for mercy, imagining they were
+now not in that immediate danger, grew very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>
+riotous, broke open every chest and box that
+was at hand, stove in the heads of casks of
+brandy and wine as they were borne up to the
+hatchways, and got so drunk, that several of
+them were drowned on board, and lay floating
+about the decks for some days after. Before I
+left the ship, I went down to my chest, which
+was at the bulkhead of the wardroom, in order
+to save some little matters, if possible; but
+whilst I was there the ship thumped with such
+violence, and the water came in so fast, that I
+was forced to get upon the quarter-deck again,
+without saving a single rag but what was upon
+my back. The boatswain and some of the people
+would not leave the ship so long as there
+was any liquor to be got at; upon which Captain
+Cheap suffered himself to be helped out of his
+bed, put into the boat, and carried on shore.</p>
+
+<p>It is natural to think, that to men thus upon
+the point of perishing by shipwreck, the getting
+to land was the highest attainment of their
+wishes; undoubtedly it was a desirable event;
+yet, all things considered, our condition was but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>
+little mended by the change. Whichever way
+we looked, a scene of horror presented itself:
+on one side the wreck (in which was all that we
+had in the world to support and subsist us),
+together with a boisterous sea, presented us with
+the most dreary prospect; on the other, the land
+did not wear a much more favourable appearance:
+desolate and barren, without sign of
+culture, we could hope to receive little other
+benefit from it than the preservation it afforded
+us from the sea. It must be confessed this was
+a great and merciful deliverance from immediate
+destruction; but then we had wet, cold,
+and hunger, to struggle with, and no visible
+remedy against any of these evils. Exerting
+ourselves, however, though faint, benumbed,
+and almost helpless, to find some wretched
+covert against the extreme inclemency of the
+weather, we discovered an Indian hut, at a
+small distance from the beach, within a wood, in
+which as many as possible, without distinction,
+crowded themselves, the night coming on exceedingly
+tempestuous and rainy. But here our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>
+situation was such as to exclude all rest and
+refreshment by sleep from most of us; for besides
+that we pressed upon one another extremely,
+we were not without our alarms and
+apprehensions of being attacked by the Indians,
+from a discovery we made of some of their
+lances and other arms in our hut; and our uncertainty
+of their strength and disposition, gave
+alarm to our imagination, and kept us in continual
+anxiety.</p>
+
+<p>In this miserable hovel, one of our company,
+a lieutenant of invalids, died this night; and of
+those who for want of room took shelter under
+a great tree, which stood them in very little
+stead, two more perished by the severity of that
+cold and rainy night. In the morning, the calls
+of hunger, which had been hitherto suppressed
+by our attention to more immediate dangers and
+difficulties, were now become too importunate
+to be resisted. We had most of us fasted eight
+and forty hours, some more; it was time, therefore,
+to make inquiry among ourselves what
+store of sustenance had been brought from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>
+wreck by the providence of some, and what
+could be procured on the island by the industry
+of others: but the produce of the one amounted
+to no more than two or three pounds of biscuit
+dust reserved in a bag; and all the success of
+those who ventured abroad, the weather being
+still exceedingly bad, was to kill one sea-gull, and
+pick some wild cellery. These, therefore, were
+immediately put into a pot, with the addition of
+a large quantity of water, and made into a kind
+of soup, of which each partook as far as it would
+go; but we had no sooner thrown this down
+than we were seized with the most painful sickness
+at our stomachs, violent reachings, swoonings,
+and other symptoms of being poisoned.
+This was imputed to various causes, but in
+general to the herbs we made use of, in the
+nature and quality of which we fancied ourselves
+mistaken; but a little further inquiry let
+us into the real occasion of it, which was no
+other than this: the biscuit dust was the sweepings
+of the bread-room, but the bag in which
+they were put had been a tobacco bag; the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>
+contents of which not being entirely taken out,
+what remained mixed with the biscuit-dust, and
+proved a strong emetic.</p>
+
+<p>We were in all about a hundred and forty
+who had got to shore; but some few remained
+still on board, detained either by drunkenness,
+or a view of pillaging the wreck, among which
+was the boatswain. These were visited by an
+officer in the yawl, who was to endeavour to
+prevail upon them to join the rest; but finding
+them in the greatest disorder, and disposed to
+mutiny, he was obliged to desist from his purpose
+and return without them. Though we
+were very desirous, and our necessities required
+that we should take some survey of the land
+we were upon; yet being strongly pre-possessed
+that the savages were retired but some little
+distance from us, and waited to see us divided,
+our parties did not make this day, any great
+excursions from the hut; but as far as we went,
+we found it very morassy and unpromising.
+The spot which we occupied was a bay formed
+by hilly promontories, that to the north so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>
+exceeding steep, that in order to ascend it (for
+there was no going round, the bottom being
+washed by the sea), we were at the labour of
+cutting steps. This, which we called Mount
+Misery, was of use to us in taking some observations
+afterwards, when the weather would
+permit: the southern promontory was not so
+inaccessible. Beyond this, I, with some others,
+having reached another bay, found driven
+ashore some parts of the wreck, but no kind of
+provision; nor did we meet with any shellfish,
+which we were chiefly in search of. We
+therefore returned to the rest, and for that day
+made no other repast than what the wild cellery
+afforded us. The ensuing night proved exceedingly
+tempestuous; and, the sea running very
+high, threatened those on board with immediate
+destruction by the parting of the wreck. They
+then were as solicitous to get ashore, as they
+were before obstinate in refusing the assistance
+we sent them; and when they found the boat
+did not come to their relief at the instant they
+expected it, without considering how impracti<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>cable
+a thing it was to send it them in such a
+sea, they fired one of the quarter-deck guns at
+the hut; the ball of which did but just pass over
+the covering of it, and was plainly heard by
+the captain and us who were within. Another
+attempt, therefore, was made to bring these
+madmen to land, which, however, by the violence
+of the sea, and other impediments, occasioned
+by the mast that lay alongside, proved
+ineffectual. This unavoidable delay made the
+people on board outrageous: they fell to beating
+every thing to pieces that fell in the way;
+and, carrying their intemperance to the greatest
+excess, broke open chests and cabins for
+plunder that could be of no use to them: and
+so earnest were they in this wantonness of theft,
+that one man had evidently been murdered on
+account of some division of the spoil, or for the
+sake of the share that fell to him, having all
+the marks of a strangled corpse. One thing in
+this outrage they seemed particularly attentive
+to, which was, to provide themselves with arms
+and ammunition, in order to support them in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>
+putting their mutinous designs in execution,
+and asserting their claim to a lawless exemption
+from the authority of their officers, which they
+pretended must cease with the loss of the ship.
+But of these arms, which we stood in great
+need of, they were soon bereaved, upon coming
+ashore, by the resolution of Captain Cheap and
+Lieutenant Hamilton of the marines. Among
+these mutineers which had been left on board,
+as I observed before, was the boatswain; who,
+instead of exerting the authority he had over
+the rest, to keep them within bounds as much
+as possible, was himself a ringleader in their
+riot: him, without respect to the figure he then
+made, for he was in laced clothes, Captain
+Cheap, by a blow well laid on with his cane,
+felled to the ground. It was scarce possible to
+refrain from laughter at the whimsical appearance
+these fellows made, who, having rifled the
+chests of the officers' best suits, had put them
+on over their greasy trowsers and dirty checked
+shirts. They were soon stripped of their finery,
+as they had before been obliged to resign their
+arms.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The incessant rains, and exceeding cold weather
+in this climate, rendered it impossible for
+us to subsist long without shelter; and the hut
+being much too little to receive us all, it was
+necessary to fall upon some expedient, without
+delay, which might serve our purpose: accordingly
+the gunner, carpenter, and some more,
+turning the cutter keel upwards, and fixing it
+upon props, made no despicable habitation.
+Having thus established some sort of settlement,
+we had the more leisure to look about
+us, and to make our researches with greater
+accuracy than we had before, after such supplies
+as the most desolate coasts are seldom
+unfurnished with. Accordingly we soon provided
+ourselves with some sea-fowl, and found
+limpets, muscles, and other shell-fish in tolerable
+abundance; but this rummaging of the
+shore was now becoming extremely irksome to
+those who had any feeling, by the bodies of
+our drowned people thrown among the rocks,
+some of which were hideous spectacles, from
+the mangled condition they were in by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>
+violent surf that drove in upon the coast.
+These horrors were overcome by the distresses
+of our people, who were even glad of the occasion
+of killing the gallinazo (the carrion crow
+of that country), while preying on these carcases,
+in order to make a meal of them. But
+a provision by no means proportionable to the
+number of mouths to be fed, could, by our
+utmost industry, be acquired from that part of
+the island we had hitherto traversed: therefore,
+till we were in a capacity of making more distant
+excursions, the wreck was to be applied to
+as often as possible, for such supplies as could
+be got out of her. But as this was a very precarious
+fund in its present situation, and at best
+could not last us long; considering too that it
+was very uncertain how long we might be
+detained upon this island the stores and provision
+we were so fortunate as to retrieve, were
+not only to be dealt out with the most frugal
+economy, but a sufficient quantity, if possible,
+laid by to fit us out, whenever we could agree
+upon any method of transporting ourselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>
+from this dreary spot. The difficulties we had
+to encounter in these visits to the wreck, cannot
+be easily described; for no part of it being
+above water except the quarter-deck and part
+of the fore-castle, we were usually obliged to
+purchase such things as were within reach, by
+means of large hooks fastened to poles, in which
+business we were much incommoded by the
+dead bodies floating between decks.</p>
+
+<p>In order to secure what we thus got, in a
+manner to answer the ends and purposes above-mentioned,
+Captain Cheap ordered a store tent
+to be erected near his hut as a repository, from
+which nothing was to be dealt out but in the
+measure and proportion agreed upon by the
+officers; and though it was very hard upon us
+petty officers, who were fatigued with hunting
+all day in quest of food, to defend this tent
+from invasion by night, no other means could
+be devised for this purpose so effectual as the
+committing this charge to our care; and we
+were accordingly ordered to divide the task
+equally between us. Yet, notwithstanding our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>
+utmost vigilance and care, frequent robberies
+were committed upon our trust, the tent being
+accessible in more than one place. And one
+night, when I had the watch, hearing a stir
+within, I came unawares upon the thief, and
+presenting a pistol to his breast, obliged him to
+submit to be tied up to a post till I had an
+opportunity of securing him more effectually.
+Depredations continued to be made on our reserved
+stock, notwithstanding the great hazard
+attending such attempts; for our common safety
+made it necessary to punish them with the
+utmost rigour. This will not be wondered at,
+when it is known how little the allowance
+which might consistently be dispensed from
+thence, was proportionable to our common exigencies;
+so that our daily and nightly task of
+roving after food, was not in the least relaxed
+thereby; and all put together was so far from
+answering our necessities, that many at this
+time perished with hunger. A boy, when no
+other eatables could be found, having picked up
+the liver of one of the drowned men (whose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>
+carcase had been torn to pieces by the force
+with which the sea drove it among the rocks),
+was with difficulty withheld from making a
+meal of it. The men were so assiduous in their
+research after the few things which drove from
+the wreck, that in order to have no sharers of
+their good fortune, they examined the shore no
+less by night than by day; so that many of
+those who were less alert, or not so fortunate as
+their neighbours, perished with hunger, or were
+driven to the last extremity. It must be observed,
+that on the 14th of May we were cast
+away, and it was not till the 25th of this month
+that provision was served regularly from the
+store tent.</p>
+
+<p>The land we were now settled upon was
+about 90 leagues to the northward of the
+western mouth of the straits of Magellan, in
+the latitude of between 47 and 48° south, from
+whence we could plainly see the Cordilleras;
+and by two Lagoons on the north and south of
+us, stretching towards those mountains, we
+conjectured it was an island. But as yet we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>
+had no means of informing ourselves perfectly,
+whether it was an island or the main; for
+besides that the inland parts at a little distance
+from us seemed impracticable from the exceeding
+great thickness of the wood, we had hitherto
+been in such confusion and want (each finding
+full employment for his time, in scraping together
+a wretched subsistence, and providing
+shelter against the cold and rain), that no
+party could be formed to go upon discoveries.
+The climate and season too were utterly unfavourable
+to adventurers, and the coast, as far
+as our eye could stretch seaward, a scene of
+such dismal breakers as would discourage the
+most daring from making attempts in small
+boats. Nor were we assisted in our enquiries
+by any observation that could be made from
+that eminence we called Mount Misery, toward
+land, our prospect that way being intercepted by
+still higher hills and lofty woods: we had therefore
+no other expedient, by means of which to
+come at this knowledge, but by fitting out one
+of our ship's boats upon some discovery, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
+inform us of our situation. Our long-boat was
+still on board the wreck; therefore a number of
+hands were now dispatched to cut the gunwale
+of the ship, in order to get her out. Whilst we
+were employed in this business, there appeared
+three canoes of Indians paddling towards us:
+they had come round the point from the southern
+Lagoons. It was some time before we could
+prevail upon them to lay aside their fears and
+approach us; which at length they were induced
+to do by the signs of friendship we made
+them, and by shewing some bale-goods, which
+they accepted, and suffered themselves to be
+conducted to the captain, who made them,
+likewise, some presents. They were strangely
+affected with the novelty thereof; but chiefly
+when shewn the looking-glass, in which the
+beholder could not conceive it to be his own
+face that was represented, but that of some
+other behind it, which he therefore went round
+to the back of the glass to find out.</p>
+
+<p>These people were of a small stature, very
+swarthy, having long, black, coarse hair, hang<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>ing
+over their faces. It was evident, from their
+great surprise, and every part of their behaviour,
+as well as their not having one thing in
+their possession which could be derived from
+white people, that they had never seen such.
+Their clothing was nothing but a bit of some
+beast's skin about their waists, and something
+woven from feathers over the shoulders; and as
+they uttered no word of any language we had
+ever heard, nor had any method of making
+themselves understood, we presumed they could
+have had no intercourse with Europeans. These
+savages, who upon their departure left us a few
+muscles, returned in two days, and surprised us
+by bringing three sheep. From whence they
+could procure animals in a part of the world so
+distant from any Spanish settlement, cut off
+from all communication with the Spaniards by
+an inaccessible coast and unprofitable country,
+is difficult to conceive. Certain it is, that we
+saw no such creatures, nor ever heard of any
+such, from the Straits of Magellan, till we
+got into the neighbourhood of Chiloe: it must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
+be by some strange accident that these creatures
+came into their possession; but what that
+was, we never could learn from them. At this
+interview we bartered with them for a dog or
+two, which we roasted and eat. In a few days
+after, they made us another visit, and bringing
+their wives with them, took up their abode
+with us for some days; then again left us.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever the weather permitted, which was
+now grown something drier, but exceeding cold,
+we employed ourselves about the wreck, from
+which we had, at sundry times, recovered several
+articles of provision and liquor: these were deposited
+in the store-tent. Ill-humour and discontent,
+from the difficulties we laboured under
+in procuring subsistence, and the little prospect
+there was of any amendment in our condition,
+was now breaking out apace. In some it shewed
+itself by a separation of settlement and habitation;
+in others, by a resolution of leaving the
+captain entirely, and making a wild journey by
+themselves, without determining upon any plan
+whatever. For my own part, seeing it was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>
+fashion, and liking none of their parties, I built
+a little hut just big enough for myself and a
+poor Indian dog I found in the woods, who
+could shift for himself along shore, at low water,
+by getting limpets. This creature grew so
+fond of me, and faithful, that he would suffer
+nobody to come near the hut without biting
+them. Besides those seceders I mentioned,
+some laid a scheme of deserting us entirely:
+these were in number ten; the greatest part of
+them a most desperate and abandoned crew,
+who, to strike a notable stroke before they
+went off, placed half a barrel of gunpowder
+close to the captain's hut, laid a train to it, and
+were just preparing to perpetrate their wicked
+design of blowing up their commander, when
+they were with difficulty dissuaded from it by
+one who had some bowels and remorse of conscience
+left in him. These wretches, after rambling
+for some time in the woods, and finding
+it impracticable to get off, for they were then
+convinced that we were not upon the main, as
+they had imagined when they first left us, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span>
+upon an island within four or five leagues of it,
+returned and settled about a league from us;
+however, they were still determined, as soon as
+they could procure craft fit for their purpose,
+to get to the main. But before they could effect
+this, we found means to prevail upon the armourer
+and one of the carpenter's crew,&mdash;two
+very useful men to us, who had imprudently
+joined them,&mdash;to come over again to their duty.
+The rest, (one or two excepted) having built a
+punt, and converted the hull of one of the ship's
+masts into a canoe, went away up one of the
+Lagoons, and never were heard of more.</p>
+
+<p>These being a desperate and factious set, did
+not distress us much by their departure, but
+rather added to our future security: one in
+particular, James Mitchell by name, we had all
+the reason in the world to think had committed
+no less than two murders since the loss of our
+ship; one on the person found strangled on
+board, another on the body of a man whom we
+discovered among some bushes upon Mount
+Misery, stabbed in several places, and shock<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>ingly
+mangled. This diminution of our numbers
+was succeeded by an unfortunate accident much
+more affecting in its consequences, I mean the
+death of Mr. Cozens, midshipman; in relating
+which with the necessary impartiality and exactness,
+I think myself obliged to be more than
+ordinarily particular. Having one day, among
+other things, got a cask of peas out of the
+wreck, about which I was almost constantly
+employed, I brought it to shore in the yawl;
+when having landed it, the captain came down
+upon the beach, and bid me to go up to some
+of the tents and order hands to come down and
+roll it up; but finding none except Mr. Cozens,
+I delivered him the orders, who immediately
+came down to the captain, where I left them
+when I returned to the wreck. Upon my coming
+on shore again, I found that Mr. Cozens
+was put under confinement by the captain, for
+being drunk and giving him abusive language:
+however, he was soon after released. A day or
+two after, he had some dispute with the surgeon,
+and came to blows: all these things incensed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>
+the captain greatly against him. I believe this
+unfortunate man was kept warm with liquor,
+and set on by some ill-designing persons; for,
+when sober, I never knew a better natured man,
+or one more inoffensive. Some little time after,
+at the hour of serving out provisions, Mr.
+Cozens was at the store tent; and having, it
+seems, lately had a quarrel with the purser, and
+now some words arising between them, the
+latter told him he was come to mutiny; and
+without any further ceremony, fired a pistol at
+his head, which narrowly missed him. The
+captain, hearing the report of a pistol, and
+perhaps the purser's words, that Cozens was
+come to mutiny, ran out of his hut with a
+cocked pistol in his hand, and, without asking
+any questions, immediately shot him through
+the head. I was at this time in my hut, as the
+weather was extremely bad; but running out
+upon the alarm of this firing, the first thing I
+saw was Mr. Cozens on the ground, weltering
+in his blood: he was sensible, and took me by
+the hand, as he did several others, shaking his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>
+head, as if he meant to take leave of us. If
+Mr. Cozens' behaviour to his captain was indecent
+and provoking, the captain's, on the other
+hand, was rash and hasty: if the first was
+wanting in that respect and observance which
+is due from a petty officer to his commander,
+the latter was still more unadvised in the method
+he took for the enforcement of his authority;
+of which, indeed, he was jealous to the
+last degree, and which he saw daily declining,
+and ready to be trampled upon. His mistaken
+apprehension of a mutinous design in Mr. Cozens,
+the sole motive of this rash action, was so
+far from answering the end he proposed by it,
+that the men, who before were much dissatisfied
+and uneasy, were by this unfortunate
+step thrown almost into open sedition and
+revolt. It was evident that the people, who
+ran out of their tents, alarmed by the report
+of fire-arms, though they disguised their real
+sentiments for the present, were extremely affected
+at this catastrophe of Mr. Cozens (for
+he was greatly beloved by them): their minds<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>
+were now exasperated, and it was to be apprehended,
+that their resentment, which was
+smothered for the present, would shortly
+shew itself in some desperate enterprise. The
+unhappy victim, who lay weltering in his blood
+on the ground before them, seemed to absorb
+their whole attention; the eyes of all were
+fixed upon him; and visible marks of the
+deepest concern appeared in the countenances
+of the spectators. The persuasion the captain
+was under, at the time he shot Mr. Cozens,
+that his intentions were mutinous, together with
+a jealousy of the diminution of his authority,
+occasioned also his behaving with less compassion
+and tenderness towards him afterwards
+than was consistent with the unhappy condition
+of the poor sufferer: for when it was
+begged as a favour by his mess-mates, that
+Mr. Cozens might be removed to their tent,
+though a necessary thing in his dangerous situation,
+yet it was not permitted; but the poor
+wretch was suffered to languish on the ground
+some days, with no other covering than a bit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>
+of canvass thrown over some bushes, where he
+died. But to return to our story: the Captain,
+addressing himself to the people thus assembled,
+told them, that it was his resolution to
+maintain his command over them as usual,
+which still remained in as much force as ever;
+and then ordered them all to return to their respective
+tents, with which order they instantly
+complied. Now we had saved the long-boat from
+the wreck, and got it in our possession, there
+was nothing that seemed so necessary towards
+the advancing our delivery from this desolate
+place, as the new modelling this vessel so as to
+have room for all those who were inclined to go
+off in her, and to put her in a condition to bear
+the stormy seas we must of course encounter.
+We therefore hauled her up, and having placed
+her upon blocks, sawed her in two, in order to
+lengthen her about twelve feet by the keel. For
+this purpose, all those who could be spared
+from the more immediate task of procuring subsistence,
+were employed in fitting and shaping
+timber as the carpenter directed them; I say,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+in procuring subsistence, because the weather
+lately having been very tempestuous, and the
+wreck working much, had disgorged a great
+part of her contents, which were every where
+dispersed about the shore.</p>
+
+<p>We now sent frequent parties up the Lagoons,
+which sometimes succeeded in getting
+some sea-fowl for us. The Indians appearing
+again in the offing we put off our yawl, in
+order to frustrate any design they might have
+of going up the Lagoon towards the deserters,
+who would have availed themselves of some of
+their canoes to have got upon the main. Having
+conducted them in, we found that their intention
+was to settle among us, for they had
+brought their wives and children with them,
+in all about fifty persons, who immediately
+set about building themselves wigwams, and
+seemed much reconciled to our company; and,
+could we have entertained them as we ought,
+they would have been of great assistance to us,
+who were yet extremely put to it to subsist
+ourselves, being a hundred in number; but the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>
+men, now subject to little or no control, endeavoured
+to seduce their wives, which gave
+the Indians such offence, that in a short time
+they found means to depart, taking every thing
+along with them; and we, being sensible of the
+cause, never expected to see them return again.
+The carpenter having made some progress in his
+work upon the long-boat, in which he was enabled
+to proceed tolerably, by the tools and other
+articles of his business retrieved from the wreck,
+the men began to think of the course they
+should take to get home; or rather, having borrowed
+Sir John Narborough's Voyage of Captain
+Cheap, by the application of Mr. Bulkely,
+which book he saw me reading one day in my
+tent, they, immediately upon perusing it, concluded
+upon making their voyage home by the
+Straits of Magellan. This plan was proposed
+to the captain, who by no means approved
+of it, his design being to go northwards,
+with a view of seizing a ship of the enemy's,
+by which means he might join the Commodore:
+at present, therefore, here it rested. But the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>
+men were in high spirits from the prospect
+they had of getting off in the long-boat, overlooking
+all the difficulties and hazards of a
+voyage almost impracticable, and caressing the
+carpenter, who indeed was an excellent workman,
+and deserved all the encouragement they
+could give him. The Indians having left us,
+and the weather continuing tempestuous and
+rainy, the distresses of the people for want
+of food become insupportable. Our number,
+which was at first one hundred and forty-five,
+was now reduced to one hundred, and chiefly
+by famine, which put the rest upon all shifts
+and devices to support themselves. One day,
+when I was at home in my hut with my Indian
+dog, a party came to my door, and told me
+their necessities were such, that they must eat
+the creature or starve. Though their plea was
+urgent, I could not help using some arguments
+to endeavour to dissuade them from killing
+him, as his faithful services and fondness deserved
+it at my hands; but, without weighing
+my arguments, they took him away by force<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>
+and killed him; upon which, thinking that I
+had at least as good a right to a share as the
+rest, I sat down with them, and partook of
+their repast. Three weeks after that I was
+glad to make a meal of his paws and skin,
+which, upon recollecting the spot where they
+had killed him, I found thrown aside and
+rotten. The pressing calls of hunger drove our
+men to their wit's end, and put them upon a
+variety of devices to satisfy it. Among the
+ingenious this way, one Phips, a boatswain's
+mate, having got a water puncheon, scuttled
+it; then lashing two logs, one on each side, set
+out in quest of adventures in this extraordinary
+and original piece of embarkation. By this
+means he would frequently, when all the rest
+were starving, provide himself with wild fowl;
+and it must have been very bad weather indeed
+which could deter him from putting out
+to sea when his occasions required. Sometimes
+he would venture far out in the offing, and be
+absent the whole of the day: at last, it was his
+misfortune, at a great distance from shore, to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>
+overset by a heavy sea; but being near a rock,
+though no swimmer, he managed so as to
+scramble to it, and with great difficulty ascended
+it: there he remained two days with
+very little hopes of any relief, for he was too
+far off to be seen from shore; but fortunately a
+boat, having put off and gone in quest of wild fowl
+that way, discovered him making such
+signals as he was able, and brought him back
+to the island. But this accident did not so
+discourage him but that soon after, having procured
+an ox's hide, used on board for sifting
+powder, and called a gunner's hide, by the
+assistance of some hoops he formed something
+like a canoe, in which he made several successful
+voyages. When the weather would permit
+us, we seldom failed of getting some wild fowl,
+though never in any plenty, by putting
+off with our boats; but this most inhospitable
+climate is not only deprived of the sun for the
+most part, by a thick, rainy atmosphere, but is
+also visited by almost incessant tempests. It
+must be confessed, we reaped some benefit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>
+from these hard gales and overgrown seas,
+which drove several things ashore; but there
+was no dependence on such accidental relief;
+and we were always alert to avail ourselves of
+every interval of fair weather, though so little
+to be depended on, that we were often unexpectedly
+and to our peril overtaken by a sudden
+change. In one of our excursions I, with two
+more, in a wretched punt of our own making,
+had no sooner landed at our station upon a
+high rock, than the punt was driven loose by a
+sudden squall; and had not one of the men, at
+the risk of his life, jumped into the sea and
+swam on board her, we must in all probability
+have perished; for we were more than three
+leagues from the island at the time. Among
+the birds we generally shot, was the painted
+goose, whose plumage is variegated with the
+most lively colours; and a bird much larger
+than a goose, which we called the race-horse,
+from the velocity with which it moved upon the
+surface of the water, in a sort of half flying,
+half running motion. But we were not so suc<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>cessful
+in our endeavours by land; for though
+we sometimes got pretty far into the woods,
+we met with very few birds in all our walks.
+We never saw but three woodcocks, two of
+which were killed by Mr. Hamilton, and one
+by myself. These, with some humming-birds,
+and a large kind of robin redbreast, were the
+only feathered inhabitants of this island, excepting
+a small bird with two very long feathers
+in his tail, which was generally seen
+amongst the rocks, and was so tame, that I
+have had them rest upon my shoulder whilst
+I have been gathering shell-fish. Indeed, we
+were visited by many birds of prey, some very
+large; but these only occasionally, and, as we
+imagined, allured by some dead whale in the
+neighbourhood, which was once seen. However,
+if we were so fortunate as to kill one of
+them, we thought ourselves very well off. In
+one of my walks, seeing a bird of this latter
+kind upon an eminence, I endeavoured to come
+upon it unperceived with my gun, by means
+of the woods which lay at the back of that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>
+eminence; but when I had proceeded so far in
+the wood as to think I was in a line with it, I
+heard a growling close by me, which made me
+think it advisable to retire as soon as possible;
+the woods were so gloomy I could see nothing;
+but as I retired, this noise followed me close
+till I had got out of them. Some of our men
+did assure me, that they had seen a very large
+beast in the woods; but their description of it
+was too imperfect to be relied upon. The wood
+here is chiefly of the aromatic kind; the iron
+wood, a wood of a very deep red hue, and
+another, of an exceeding bright yellow. All
+the low spots are very swampy; but what we
+thought strange, upon the summits of the
+highest hills were found beds of shells, a foot
+or two thick.</p>
+
+<p>The long-boat being near finished, some of
+our company were selected to go out in the
+barge, in order to reconnoitre the coast to the
+southward, which might assist us in the navigation
+we were going upon. This party consisted
+of Mr. Bulkely, Mr. Jones, the purser,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>
+myself, and ten men. The first night, we put
+into a good harbour, a few leagues to the southward
+of Wager's Island; where finding a large
+bitch big with puppies, we regaled upon them.
+In this expedition we had our usual bad weather,
+and breaking seas, which were grown to
+such a height the third day, that we were
+obliged, through distress, to push in at the
+first inlet we saw at hand. This we had no
+sooner entered, than we were presented with a
+view of a fine bay, in which having secured the
+barge, we went ashore; but the weather being
+very rainy, and finding nothing to subsist upon,
+we pitched a bell tent, which we had brought
+with us, in the wood opposite to where the
+barge lay. As this tent was not large enough to
+contain us all, I proposed to four of the people
+to go to the end of the bay, about two miles
+distant from the bell tent, to occupy the skeleton
+of an old Indian wigwam, which I had
+discovered in a walk that way upon our first
+landing. This we covered to windward with
+sea-weed; and lighting a fire, laid ourselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
+down, in hopes of finding a remedy for our
+hunger in sleep; but we had not long composed
+ourselves before one of our company was
+disturbed by the blowing of some animal at his
+face, and upon opening his eyes, was not a
+little astonished to see, by the glimmering of
+the fire, a large beast standing over him. He
+had presence of mind enough to snatch a brand
+from the fire, which was now very low, and
+thrust it at the nose of the animal, who thereupon
+made off: this done, the man awoke us,
+and related, with horror in his countenance, the
+narrow escape he had had of being devoured.
+But though we were under no small apprehensions
+of another visit from this animal, yet our
+fatigue and heaviness was greater than our
+fears; and we once more composed ourselves
+to rest, and slept the remainder of the night
+without any further disturbance. In the morning,
+we were not a little anxious to know how
+our companions had fared; and this anxiety
+was increased upon tracing the footsteps of the
+beast in the sand, in a direction towards the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
+bell tent. The impression was deep and plain,
+of a large round foot, well furnished with claws.
+Upon our acquainting the people in the tent
+with the circumstances of our story, we found
+that they too had been visited by the same unwelcome
+guest, which they had driven away by
+much the same expedient. We now returned
+from this cruise, with a strong gale, to Wager's
+Island; having found it impracticable to make
+farther discoveries in the barge, on so dangerous
+a coast, and in such heavy seas. Here
+we soon discovered, by the quarters of dogs
+hanging up, that the Indians had brought a
+fresh supply to our market. Upon enquiry, we
+found that there had been six canoes of them,
+who, among other methods of taking fish, had
+taught their dogs to drive the fish into a corner
+of some pond, or lake, from whence they
+were easily taken out, by the skill and address
+of these savages. The old cabal, during our
+absence, had been frequently revived; the debates
+of which generally ended in riot and
+drunkenness. This cabal was chiefly held in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>
+a large tent, which the people belonging to it
+had taken some pains to make snug and convenient,
+and lined with bales of broad cloth
+driven from the wreck. Eighteen of the stoutest
+fellows of the ship's company had possession
+of this tent, from whence were dispatched committees
+to the Captain, with the resolutions
+they had taken with regard to their departure;
+but oftener for liquor. Their determination was
+to go in the long-boat to the southward, by the
+straits of Magellan; and the point they were
+labouring, was to prevail upon the Captain to
+accompany them. But though he had fixed
+upon a quite different plan, which was to go
+to the northward, yet he thought it politic, at
+present, seemingly to acquiesce with them, in
+order to keep them quiet. When they began
+to stipulate with him, that he should be under
+some restrictions in point of command, and
+should do nothing without consulting his officers,
+he insisted upon the full exercise of his
+authority as before. This broke all measures
+between them, and they were from this time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>
+determined he should go with them, whether
+he would or no. A better pretence they could
+not have for effecting this design, than the
+unfortunate affair of Mr. Cozens; which they
+therefore made use of for seizing his person,
+and putting him under confinement, in order to
+bring him to his trial in England. The long-boat
+was now launched, and ready for sailing,
+and all the men embarked, except Captain Pemberton,
+with a party of marines, whom he had
+drawn up upon the beach with the intention of
+conducting Captain Cheap on board; but he
+was at length persuaded to desist from this resolution
+by Mr. Bulkely. The men too, finding they
+were straitened for room, and that their stock
+of provision would not admit of their taking
+supernumeraries aboard, were now no less
+strenuous for his enlargement, and being left
+to his option of staying behind. Therefore,
+after having distributed their share in the reserved
+stock of provision, which was very
+small, we departed, leaving Captain Cheap,
+Mr. Hamilton of the marines, and the surgeon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>
+upon the island. I had all along been in the
+dark as to the turn this affair would take; and
+not in the least suspecting but that it was determined
+Captain Cheap should be taken with
+us, readily embarked under that persuasion;
+but when I found that this design, which was
+so seriously carried on to the last, was suddenly
+dropped, I was determined, upon the
+first opportunity, to leave them; which was at
+this instant impossible for me to do, the long-boat
+lying some distance off shore, at anchor.
+We were in all eighty-one, when we left the
+island, distributed into the long-boat, cutter,
+and barge; fifty-nine on board the first, twelve
+in the second, in the last, ten. It was our purpose
+to put into some harbour, if possible,
+every evening, as we were in no condition to
+keep those terrible seas long; for without other
+assistance, our stock of provisions was no more
+than might have been consumed in a few days;
+our water was chiefly contained in a few powder-barrels;
+our flour was to be lengthened out
+by a mixture of sea-weed; and our other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>
+supplies depended upon the success of our
+guns, and industry among the rocks. Captain
+Pemberton having brought on board his men,
+we weighed; but a sudden squall of wind
+having split our foresail, we with difficulty
+cleared the rocks, by means of our boats,
+bore away for a sandy bay, on the south side
+of the Lagoon, and anchored in ten fathom.
+The next morning we got under way; but
+it blowing hard at W. by N. with a great
+swell, we put into a small bay again, well sheltered
+by a ledge of rocks without us. At this
+time, it was thought necessary to send the
+barge away back to Cheap's bay, for some
+spare canvass, which was imagined would be
+soon wanted. I thought this a good opportunity
+of returning, and therefore made one with
+those who went upon this business in the barge.
+We were no sooner clear of the long-boat, than
+all those in the boat with me declared they had
+the same intention. When we arrived at the
+island, we were extremely welcome to Captain
+Cheap. The next day, I asked him leave to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
+try if I could prevail upon those in the long-boat
+to give us our share of provision: this he
+granted; but said if we went in the barge,
+they would certainly take her from us. I
+told him my design was to walk it, and only
+desired the boat might land me upon the main,
+and wait for me till I came back. I had the
+most dreadful journey of it imaginable, through
+thick woods and swamps all the way; but I
+might as well have spared myself that trouble,
+as it was to no manner of purpose; for they
+would not give me, nor any one of us that left
+them, a single ounce of provisions of any kind.
+I therefore returned, and after that made a
+second attempt; but all in vain. They even
+threatened, if we did not return with the barge,
+they would fetch her by force. It is impossible
+to conceive the distressed situation we were
+now in, at the time of the long-boat's departure.
+I do not mention this event as the occasion
+of it; by which, if we who were left on
+the island experienced any alteration at all, it
+was for the better; and which, in all proba<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span>bility,
+had it been deferred, might have been
+fatal to the greatest part of us; but at this
+time, the subsistence on which we had hitherto
+chiefly depended, which was the shell-fish,
+were every where along shore eat up; and
+as to stock saved from the wreck, it may be
+guessed what the amount of that might be,
+when the share allotted to the Captain, Lieutenant
+Hamilton, and the surgeon, was no
+more than six pieces of beef, as many of pork,
+and ninety pounds of flour. As to myself, and
+those that left the long-boat, it was the least
+revenge they thought they could take of us to
+withhold our provision from us, though at the
+same time it was hard and unjust. For a
+day or two after our return, there was some
+little pittance dealt out to us, yet it was upon
+the foot of favour; and we were soon left to
+our usual industry for a farther supply. This
+was now exerted to very little purpose, for the
+reason before assigned; to which may be
+added, the wreck was now blown up, all her
+upper works gone, and no hopes of any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>
+valuable driftage from her for the future. A
+weed called slaugh, fried in the tallow of some
+candles we had saved, and wild cellery, were
+our only fare; by which our strength was so
+much impaired, that we could scarcely crawl.
+It was my misfortune too, to labour under a
+severe flux, by which I was reduced to a very
+feeble state; so that in attempting to traverse
+the rocks in search of shell-fish, I fell from
+one into very deep water, and with difficulty
+saved my life by swimming. As the Captain
+was now freed, by the departure of the long-boat,
+from the riotous applications, menaces,
+and disturbance of an unruly crew, and left
+at liberty to follow the plan he had resolved
+upon, of going northward, he began to think
+seriously of putting it in execution; in order to
+which, a message was sent to the deserters,
+who had seated themselves on the other side
+of the neighbouring Lagoon, to sound them,
+whether they were inclined to join the Captain
+in his undertaking; and if they were, to bring
+them over to him. For this set, the party<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>
+gone off in the long-boat had left an half
+allowance proportion of the common stock of
+provision. These men, upon the proposal,
+readily agreed to join their commander; and
+being conducted to him, increased our number
+to twenty. The boats which remained in our
+possession to carry off all these people, were
+only the barge and yawl, two very crazy
+bottoms; the broadside of the last was entirely
+out, and the first had suffered much in the variety
+of bad weather she had gone through, and was
+sadly out of repair. And now our carpenter
+was gone from us, we had no remedy for these
+misfortunes, but the little skill we had gained
+from him. However, we made tolerable shift
+to patch up the boats for our purpose. In the
+height of our distresses, when hunger, which
+seems to include and absorb all others, was
+most prevailing, we were cheered with the
+appearance, once more, of our friendly Indians,
+as we thought, from whom we hoped
+for some relief; but as the consideration was
+wanting, for which alone they would part with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>
+their commodities, we were not at all benefitted
+by their stay, which was very short. The little
+reserve too of flour made by the Captain for our
+sea-stock when we should leave the island, was
+now diminished by theft: the thieves, who were
+three of our men, were however soon discovered,
+and two of them apprehended; but the third
+made his escape to the woods. Considering
+the pressing state of our necessities, this theft
+was looked upon as a most heinous crime, and
+therefore required an extraordinary punishment:
+accordingly the Captain ordered these delinquents
+to be severely whipped, and then to be
+banished to an island at some distance from us;
+but before this latter part of the sentence could
+be put in execution, one of them fled; but the
+other was put alone upon a barren island, which
+afforded not the least shelter; however, we, in
+compassion, and contrary to order, patched him
+up a bit of a hut, and kindled him a fire, and
+then left the poor wretch to shift for himself.
+In two or three days after, going to the island
+in our boat with some little refreshment, such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>
+as our miserable circumstances would admit of,
+and with an intent of bringing him back, we
+found him dead and stiff. I was now reduced
+to the lowest condition by my illness, which
+was increased by the vile stuff I eat, when we
+were favoured by a fair day, a thing very extraordinary
+in this climate. We instantly took
+the advantage of it, and once more visited the
+last remains of the wreck,&mdash;her bottom. Here
+our pains were repaid with the great good fortune
+of hooking up three casks of beef, which
+were brought safe to shore. This providential
+supply could not have happened at a more
+seasonable time than now, when we were afflicted
+with the greatest dearth we had ever
+experienced, and the little strength we had remaining
+was to be exerted in our endeavours to
+leave the island. Accordingly we soon found a
+remedy for our sickness, which was nothing but
+the effects of famine, and were greatly restored
+by food. The provision was equally distributed
+among us all, and served us for the remainder
+of our stay here.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>We began to grow extremely impatient to
+leave the island, as the days were now nearly
+at their longest, and about midsummer in these
+parts; but as to the weather, there seems to
+be little difference in a difference of seasons.
+Accordingly, on the 15th of December, the day
+being tolerable, we told Captain Cheap we
+thought it a fine opportunity to run across the
+bay. But he first desired two or three of us to
+accompany him to our place of observation, the
+top of Mount Misery; when looking through
+his perspective, he observed to us that the sea
+ran very high without. However, this had no
+weight with the people, who were desirous, at
+all events, to be gone. I should here observe,
+that Captain Cheap's plan was, if possible, to
+get to the island of Chiloe; and if we found any
+vessel there, to board her immediately, and cut
+her out. This he might certainly have done
+with ease, had it been his good fortune to get
+round with the boats. We now launched both
+boats, and got every thing on board of them as
+quick as possible. Captain Cheap, the surgeon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>
+and myself, were in the barge with nine men;
+and Lieutenant Hamilton and Mr. Campbell in
+the yawl with six. I steered the barge, and Mr.
+Campbell the yawl; but we had not been two
+hours at sea before the wind shifted more to
+the westward, and began to blow very hard, and
+the sea ran extremely high; so that we could
+no longer keep our heads towards the cape or
+headland we had designed for. This cape we
+had had a view of in one of the intervals of fair
+weather, during our abode on the island, from
+Mount Misery; and it seemed to be distant
+between twenty and thirty leagues from us. We
+were now obliged to bear away right before the
+wind. Though the yawl was not far from us,
+we could see nothing of her, except now and
+then, upon the top of a mountainous sea. In
+both the boats, the men were obliged to sit as
+close as possible, to receive the seas on their
+backs, to prevent their filling us, which was
+what we every moment expected. We were
+obliged to throw everything overboard, to lighten
+the boats, all our beef, and even the grapnel, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>
+prevent sinking. Night was coming on, and
+we were running on a lee-shore fast, where the
+sea broke in a frightful manner. Not one
+amongst us imagined it possible for boats to
+live in such a sea. In this situation, as we
+neared the shore, expecting to be beat to pieces
+by the first breaker, we perceived a small
+opening between the rocks, which we stood for,
+and found a very narrow passage between them,
+which brought us into a harbour for the boats
+as calm and smooth as a mill-pond. The yawl
+had got in before us, and our joy was great at
+meeting again after so unexpected a deliverance.
+Here we secured the boats, and ascended a rock.
+It rained excessively hard all the first part of
+the night, and was extremely cold; and though
+we had not a dry thread about us, and no wood
+could be found for firing, we were obliged to pass
+the night in that uncomfortable situation, without
+any covering, shivering in our wet clothes.
+The frost coming on with the morning, it was
+impossible for any of us to get a moment's sleep;
+and having flung overboard our provision the day<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span>
+before, there being no prospect of finding anything
+to eat on this coast, in the morning we pulled
+out of the cove; but found so great a sea without,
+that we could make but little of it. After
+tugging all day, towards night we put in among
+some small islands, landed upon one of them,
+and found it a mere swamp. As the weather
+was the same, we passed this night much as we
+had done the preceding; sea-tangle was all we
+could get to eat at first, but the next day we
+had better luck; the surgeon shot a goose, and
+we found materials for a good fire. We were
+confined here three or four days, the weather
+all that time proving so bad that we could not
+put out. As soon as it grew moderate, we left
+this place, and shaped our course to the northward;
+and perceiving a large opening between
+very high land and a low point, we steered for
+it; and when got that length, found a large bay,
+down which we rowed, flattering ourselves there
+might be a passage that way; but towards night
+we came to the bottom of the bay, and finding
+no outlet, we were obliged to return the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>
+way we came, having met with nothing the
+whole day to alleviate our hunger.</p>
+
+<p>Next night we put into a little cove, which,
+from the great quantity of red-wood found there,
+we called Redwood Cove. Leaving this place
+in the morning, we had the wind southerly,
+blowing fresh, by which we made much way
+that day, to the northward. Towards evening
+we were in with a pretty large island. Putting
+ashore on it, we found it clothed with the finest
+trees we had ever seen, their stems running up
+to a prodigious height, without knot or branch,
+and as straight as cedars: the leaf of these
+trees resemble the myrtle leaf, only somewhat
+larger. I have seen trees larger than these in
+circumference, on the coast of Guinea, and there
+only; but for a length of stem, which gradually
+tapering, I have no where met with any to compare
+to them. The wood was of a hard substance,
+and, if not too heavy, would have made
+good masts; the dimensions of some of these
+trees being equal to a main-mast of a first rate
+man-of-war. The shore was covered with drift<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>wood
+of a very large size; most of it cedar,
+which makes a brisk fire; but is so subject to
+snap and fly, that when we awoke in the morning,
+after a sound sleep, we found our clothes
+singed in many places with the sparks, and
+covered with splinters.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning being calm, we rowed out;
+but as soon as clear of the island, we found a
+great swell from the westward; we rowed to the
+bottom of a very large bay, which was to the
+northward of us, the land very low, and we were
+in hopes of finding some inlet through, but did
+not; so kept along shore to the westward. This
+part, which I take to be above fifty leagues
+from Wager Island, is the very bottom of the
+large bay it lies in. Here was the only passage
+to be found, which (if we could by any means
+have got information of it) would have saved us
+much fruitless labour. Of this passage I shall
+have occasion to say more hereafter.</p>
+
+<p>Having at this time an off-shore wind, we
+kept the land close on board, till we came to a
+head-land: it was near night before we got<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>
+abreast of the headland, and opening it discovered
+a very large bay to the northward, and
+another headland to the westward, at a great
+distance. We endeavoured to cut short our
+passage to it by crossing, which is very seldom
+to be effected, in these overgrown seas, by
+boats: and this we experienced now; for the
+wind springing up, and beginning to blow fresh,
+we were obliged to put back towards the first
+headland, into a small cove, just big enough
+to shelter the two boats. Here an accident
+happened that alarmed us much. After securing
+our boats, we climbed up a rock scarcely large
+enough to contain our numbers: having nothing
+to eat, we betook ourselves to our usual receipt
+for hunger, which was going to sleep. We
+accordingly made a fire, and stowed ourselves
+round it as well as we could; but two of our
+men being incommoded for want of room, went
+a little way from us, into a small nook, over
+which a great cliff hung, and served them for a
+canopy. In the middle of the night we were
+awakened with a terrible rumbling, which we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>
+apprehended to be nothing less than the shock
+of an earthquake, which we had before experienced
+in these parts; and this conjecture we
+had reason to think not ill founded, upon hearing
+hollow groans and cries as of men half
+swallowed up. We immediately got up, and
+ran to the place from whence the cries came,
+and then we were put out of all doubt as to the
+opinion we had formed of this accident; for
+here we found the two men almost buried
+under loose stones and earth: but upon a little
+farther enquiry we were undeceived as to the
+cause we had imputed this noise to, which we
+found to be occasioned by the sudden giving
+way of the impending cliff, which fell a little
+beyond our people, carrying trees and rocks
+with it, and loose earth; the latter of which
+fell in part on our men, whom we with some
+pains rescued from their uneasy situation, from
+which they escaped with some bruises. The
+next morning we got out early, and the wind
+being westerly, rowed the whole day for the
+headland we had seen the night before; but when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+we had got that length could find no harbour,
+but were obliged to go into a sandy bay, and
+lay the whole night upon our oars; and a
+most dreadful one it proved, blowing and raining
+very hard. Here we were so pinched with
+hunger, that we eat the shoes off our feet,
+which consisted of raw seal skin. In the morning
+we got out of the bay; but the incessant
+foul weather had overcome us, and we began to
+be indifferent as to what befel us; and the
+boats, in the night, making into a bay, we
+nearly lost the yawl, a breaker having filled
+her, and driven her ashore upon the beach.
+This, by some of our accounts, was Christmas-day;
+but our accounts had so often been interrupted
+by our distresses, that there was no
+depending upon them. Upon seeing the yawl
+in this imminent danger, the barge stood off,
+and went into another bay to the northward of
+it, where it was smoother lying; but there was
+no possibility of getting on shore. In the night
+the yawl joined us again. The next day was
+so bad, that we despaired reaching the head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>land,
+so rowed down the bay in hopes of getting
+some seal, as that animal had been seen
+the day before, but met with no success; so
+returned to the same bay we had been in the
+night before, where the surf having abated
+somewhat, we went ashore, and picked up a
+few shell-fish. In the morning, we got on
+board early, and ran along shore to the westward,
+for about three leagues, in order to get
+round a cape, which was the westernmost land
+we could see. It blew very hard, and there
+ran such a sea, that we heartily wished ourselves
+back again, and accordingly made the
+best of our way for that bay which we had left
+in the morning; but before we could reach it
+night came on, and we passed a most dismal
+one, lying upon our oars.</p>
+
+<p>The weather continuing very bad, we put in
+for the shore in the morning, where we found
+nothing but tangle and sea-weed. We now
+passed some days roving about for provisions,
+as the weather was too bad to make another
+attempt to get round the cape as yet. We<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>
+found some fine Lagoons towards the head of
+the bay; and in them killed some seal, and got
+a good quantity of shell-fish, which was a great
+relief to us. We now made a second attempt
+to double the cape; but when we got the length
+of it, and passed the first headland, for it consists
+of three of an equal height, we got into
+a sea that was horrid; for it ran all in heaps,
+like the Race of Portland, but much worse.
+We were happy to put back again to the old
+place, with little hopes of ever getting round this
+cape.</p>
+
+<p>Next day, the weather proving very bad, all
+hands went ashore to procure some sustenance,
+except two in each boat, which were left as
+boat-keepers; this office we took by turns; and
+it was now my lot to be upon this duty with
+another man. The yawl lay within us at a
+grapnel; in the night it blew very hard, and a
+great sea tumbled in upon the shore; but being
+extremely fatigued, we in the boats went to
+sleep, notwithstanding, however, I was at last
+awakened by the uncommon motion of the boat,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>
+and the roaring of the breakers every where
+about us. At the same time I heard a shrieking,
+like to that of persons in distress; I looked
+out, and saw the yawl canted bottom upwards
+by a sea, and soon afterwards disappeared. One
+of our men, whose name was William Rose, a
+quarter-master, was drowned; the other was
+thrown ashore by the surf, with his head buried
+in the sand; but by the immediate assistance
+of the people on shore, was saved. As for us
+in the barge, we expected the same fate every
+moment; for the sea broke a long way without
+us. However we got her head to it, and hove
+up our grapnel, or should rather say kellick,
+which we had made to serve in the room of our
+grapnel, hove overboard some time before, to
+lighten the boat. By this means we used our
+utmost efforts to pull her without the breakers
+some way, and then let go our kellick again.
+Here we lay all the next day, in a great sea,
+not knowing what would be our fate. To add
+to our mortification, we could see our companions
+in tolerable plight ashore, eating seal,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>
+while we were starving with hunger and cold.
+For this month past, we had not known what
+it was to have a dry thread about us.</p>
+
+<p>The next day being something more moderate,
+we ventured in with the barge, as near as we
+could to the shore, and our companions threw
+us some seal's liver; which having eat greedily,
+we were seized with excessive sickness, which
+affected us so much, that our skin peeled off
+from head to foot.</p>
+
+<p>Whilst the people were on shore here, Mr.
+Hamilton met with a large seal, or sea-lion, and
+fired a brace of balls into him, upon which the
+animal turned upon him open-mouthed; but
+presently fixing his bayonet, he thrust it down
+its throat, with a good part of the barrel of the
+gun, which the creature bit in two seemingly
+with as much ease as if it had been a twig.
+Notwithstanding the wounds it received, it
+eluded all farther efforts to kill it, and got
+clear off.</p>
+
+<p>I call this animal a large seal, or sea-lion,
+because it resembles a seal in many particulars;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>
+but then it exceeds it so much in size, as to be
+sufficiently determined, by that distinction only,
+to be of another species. Mr. Walter, in Lord
+Anson's Voyage, has given a particular description
+of those which are seen about Juan Fernandes;
+but they have in other climates, different
+appearances as well as different qualities, as we
+had occasion to observe in this, and a late voyage
+I made. However, as so much already has
+been said of the sea-lion, I shall only mention
+two peculiarities; one relative to its appearance,
+and the other to its properties of action, which
+distinguish it from those described by him.
+Those I saw, were without that snout, or trunk,
+hanging below the end of the upper jaw; but
+then the males were furnished with a large
+shaggy mane, which gave them a most formidable
+appearance. And, whereas, he says, those
+he saw were unwieldy, and easily destroyed: we
+found some, on the contrary, that lay at a mile's
+distance from the water, which came down upon
+us, when disturbed, with such impetuosity, that
+it was as much as we could do to get out of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>
+way; and when attacked, would turn upon us
+with great agility.</p>
+
+<p>Having lost the yawl, and being too many for
+the barge to carry off, we were compelled to leave
+four of our men behind. They were all marines,
+who seemed to have no objection to the determination
+made with regard to them, so exceedingly
+disheartened and worn out were they with
+the distresses and dangers they had already gone
+through. And, indeed, I believe it would have
+been a matter of indifference to the greatest part
+of the rest, whether they should embark, or take
+their chance. The captain distributed to these
+poor fellows arms and ammunition, and some
+other necessaries. When we parted, they stood
+upon the beach, giving us three cheers, and
+called out, God bless the king. We saw them
+a little after, setting out upon their forlorn hope,
+and helping one another over a hideous tract of
+rocks; but considering the difficulties attending
+this only way of travelling left them&mdash;for the
+woods are impracticable, from their thickness,
+and the deep swamp everywhere to be met in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>
+them&mdash;considering too, that the coast here is
+rendered so inhospitable, by the heavy seas that
+are constantly tumbling upon it, as not to afford
+even a little shell-fish, it is probable that all met
+with a miserable end.</p>
+
+<p>We rowed along shore to the westward, in
+order to make one more attempt to double the
+cape: when abreast of the first headland there
+ran such a sea, that we expected, every instant,
+the boat would go down. But as the preservation
+of life had now, in a great measure, lost its
+actuating principle upon us, we still kept pushing
+through it, till we opened a bay to the northward.
+In all my life, I never saw so dreadful
+a sea as drove in here; it began to break at
+more than half a mile from the shore. Perceiving
+now that it was impossible for any boat
+to get round, the men lay upon their oars till
+the boat was very near the breakers, the mountainous
+swell that then ran, heaving her in at a
+great rate. I thought it was their intention to
+put an end to their lives and misery at once; but
+nobody spoke for some time. At last, Captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span>
+Cheap told them, they must either perish immediately,
+or pull stoutly for it to get off the shore;
+but they might do as they pleased. They chose,
+however, to exert themselves a little, and after
+infinite difficulty, got round the headland again,
+giving up all thoughts of making any further
+attempt to double the cape. It was night before
+we could get back to the bay, where we were
+compelled to leave four of our men, in order to
+save, if possible, the remainder; for we must all
+have certainly perished, if more than sixteen had
+been crowded into so small a boat. This bay
+we named Marine Bay. When we had returned
+to this bay, we found the surf ran so high, that
+we were obliged to lay upon our oars all night;
+and it was now resolved to go back to Wager's
+Island, there to linger out a miserable life, as
+we had not the least prospect of returning home.</p>
+
+<p>But before we set out, in consequence of this
+resolution, it was necessary, if possible, to get
+some little stock of seal to support us in a passage,
+upon which, wherever we might put in,
+we were not likely to meet with any supply.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span>
+Accordingly, it was determined to go up that
+Lagoon in which we had before got some seal,
+to provide ourselves with some more; but we did
+not leave the bay till we had made some search
+after the unhappy marines we had left on shore.
+Could we have found them, we had now agreed
+to take them on board again, though it would
+have been the certain destruction of us all.
+This, at another time, would have been mere
+madness; but we were now resigned to our fate,
+which we none of us thought far off; however,
+there was nothing to be seen of them, and no
+traces but a musket on the beach.</p>
+
+<p>Upon returning up the Lagoon, we were so
+fortunate as to kill some seal, which we boiled,
+and laid in the boat for sea-stock. While we
+were ranging along shore in detached parties
+in quest of this, and whatever other eatable
+might come in our way, our surgeon, who was
+then by himself, discovered a pretty large hole,
+which seemed to lead to some den, or repository,
+within the rocks. It was not so rude, or
+natural, but that there were some signs of its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
+having been cleared, and made more accessible
+by industry. The surgeon for some time hesitated
+whether he should venture in, from his
+uncertainty as to the reception he might meet
+with from any inhabitant; but his curiosity
+getting the better of his fears, he determined
+to go in; which he did upon his hands and
+knees, as the passage was too low for him to
+enter otherwise. After having proceeded a
+considerable way thus, he arrived at a spacious
+chamber; but whether hollowed out by hands,
+or natural, he could not be positive. The
+light into this chamber was conveyed through
+a hole at the top; in the midst was a kind of
+bier, made of sticks laid crossways, supported
+by props of about five foot in height. Upon
+this bier, five or six bodies were extended;
+which, in appearance, had been deposited there
+a long time, but had suffered no decay or diminution.
+They were without covering, and
+the flesh of these bodies was become perfectly
+dry and hard; which, whether done by any
+art, or secret, the savages may be possessed of,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+or occasioned by any drying virtue in the air
+of the cave, could not be guessed. Indeed, the
+surgeon, finding nothing there to eat, which
+was the chief inducement for his creeping into
+this hole, did not amuse himself with long disquisitions,
+or make that accurate examination
+which he would have done at another time; but
+crawling out as he came in, he went and told
+the first he met of what he had seen. Some
+had the curiosity to go in likewise. I had forgot
+to mention that there was another range of
+bodies, deposited in the same manner, upon
+another platform under the bier. Probably
+this was the burial place of their great men,
+called caciques; but from whence they could
+be brought we were utterly at a loss to conceive,
+there being no traces of any Indian settlement
+hereabout. We had seen no savage
+since we left the island, or observed any marks
+in the coves, or bays to the northward, where
+we had touched,&mdash;such as of fire-places, or old
+wigwams, which they never fail of leaving behind
+them; and it is very probable, from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>
+violent seas that are always beating upon this
+coast, its deformed aspect, and the very swampy
+soil that every where borders upon it, that it is
+little frequented.</p>
+
+<p>We now crossed the first bay for the headland
+we left on Christmas-day, much dejected;
+for under our former sufferings, we were in
+some measure supported with the hopes that,
+as we advanced, however little, they were so
+much the nearer the termination; but now
+our prospect was dismal and dispiriting, indeed,
+as we had the same difficulties and dangers
+to encounter, not only without any flattering
+views to lessen them, but under the
+aggravating circumstance of their leading to
+an inevitable and miserable death; for we
+could not possibly conceive that the fate of
+starving could be avoided by any human
+means, upon that desolate island we were
+returning to. The shell-fish, which was the
+only subsistence that island had hitherto afforded
+in any measure, was exhausted; and
+the Indians had shewn themselves so little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
+affected by the common incitements of compassion,
+that we had no hopes to build upon
+any impressions of that sort in them. They
+had already refused to barter their dogs with
+us, for want of a valuable commodity on our
+side; so that it is wonderful we did not give
+ourselves up to despondency, and lay aside all
+farther attempts; but we were supported by
+that invisible power, who can make the most
+untoward circumstances subservient to his gracious
+purposes.</p>
+
+<p>At this time, our usual bad weather attended
+us; the night too set in long before we could
+reach the cove we before had taken shelter in;
+so that we were obliged to keep the boat's
+head to the sea all night, the sea every where
+a-stern of us, running over hideous breakers.
+In the morning, we designed standing over for
+that island in which we had observed those
+straight and lofty trees before mentioned, and
+which Captain Cheap named Montrose Island;
+but as soon as we opened the headland to the
+westward of us, a sudden squall took the boat,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>
+and very near overset her. We were instantly
+full of water; but by baling with our hats and
+hands, and any thing that would hold water,
+we with difficulty freed her. Under this
+alarming circumstance, we found it advisable
+to return back and put into the cove, which
+the night before we were prevented getting
+into. We were detained here two or three
+days, by exceeding bad weather; so that, had
+we not fortunately provided ourselves with
+some seal, we must have starved, for this place
+afforded us nothing.</p>
+
+<p>At length we reached Montrose Island.
+This is by much the best and pleasantest spot
+we had seen in this part of the world; though
+it has nothing on it eatable but some berries,
+which resembled gooseberries in flavour: they
+are of a black hue, and grow in swampy ground;
+and the bush or tree that bears them is much
+taller than that of our gooseberries. We remained
+here some time, living upon these
+berries, and the remainder of our seal, which
+was now grown quite rotten. Our two or three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>
+first attempts to put out from this island were
+without success, the tempestuous weather
+obliging us so often to put back again. One
+of our people was much inclined to remain
+here, thinking it as least as good a place as
+Wager's Island to end his days upon; but he
+was obliged to go off with them. We had not
+been long out before it began to blow a storm
+of wind; and the mist came on so thick, that
+we could not see the land, and were at a loss
+which way to steer; but we heard the sea,
+which ran exceedingly high, breaking near us;
+upon which we immediately hauled aft the sheet,
+and hardly weathered the breakers by a boat's
+length. At the same time we shipped a sea
+that nearly filled us: it struck us with that
+violence, as to throw me, and one or two more,
+down into the bottom of the boat, where we
+were half drowned before we could get up
+again. This was one of the most extraordinary
+escapes we had in the course of this expedition;
+for Captain Cheap, and every one else, had
+entirely given themselves up for lost. However,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>
+it pleased God that we got that evening into
+Redwood Cove, where the weather continued
+so bad all night, we could keep no fire in to
+dry ourselves with; but there being no other
+alternative for us, but to stay here and starve,
+or put to sea again, we chose the latter, and put
+out in the morning again, though the weather
+was very little mended. In three or four days
+after, we arrived at our old station, Wager's
+Island; but in such a miserable plight, that
+though we thought our condition upon setting
+out would not admit of any additional circumstance
+of misery, yet it was to be envied in
+comparison of what we now suffered, so worn
+and reduced were we by fatigue and hunger;
+having eat nothing for some days but sea-weed
+and tangle. Upon this expedition, we had
+been out, by our account, just two months; in
+which we had rounded, backwards and forwards,
+the great bay formed to the northward
+by that high land we had observed from Mount
+Misery.</p>
+
+<p>The first thing we did upon our arrival, was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>
+to secure the barge, as this was our sole dependence
+for any relief that might offer by
+sea; which done, we repaired to our huts,
+which formed a kind of village or street, consisting
+of several irregular habitations; some of
+which being covered by a kind of brush-wood
+thatch, afforded tolerable shelter against the
+inclemency of the weather. Among these,
+there was one which we observed with some
+surprise to be nailed up. We broke it open,
+and found some iron work, picked out with
+much pains from those pieces of the wreck
+which were driven ashore. We concluded
+from hence, that the Indians who had been
+here in our absence, were not of that tribe with
+which we had some commerce before, who
+seemed to set no value upon iron, but from
+some other quarter; and must have had communication
+with the Spaniards, from whom
+they had learned the value and use of that
+commodity. Thieving from strangers is a commendable
+talent among savages in general, and
+bespeaks an address which they much admire;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>
+though the strictest honesty, with regard to
+the property of each other, is observed among
+them. There is no doubt but they ransacked
+all our houses; but the men had taken care,
+before they went off in the long-boat, to strip
+them of their most valuable furniture; that is,
+the bales of cloth used for lining, and converted
+them into trowsers and watch-coats. Upon
+farther search, we found, thrown aside in the
+bushes, at the back of one of the huts, some
+pieces of seal, in a very putrid condition;
+which, however, our stomachs were far from
+loathing. The next business, which the people
+set about very seriously, was to proceed to
+Mount Misery, and bury the corpse of the
+murdered person, mentioned to have been discovered
+there some little time after our being
+cast away; for to the neglect of this necessary
+tribute to that unfortunate person, the men
+assigned all their ill-success upon the late expedition.</p>
+
+<p>That common people in general are addicted
+to superstitious conceits, is an observation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
+founded on experience; and the reason is evident:
+but I cannot allow that common seamen
+are more so than others of the lower class. In
+the most enlightened ages of antiquity, we find
+it to have been the popular opinion, that the
+spirits of the dead were not at rest till their
+bodies were interred; and that they did not cease
+to haunt and trouble those who had neglected
+this duty to the departed. This is still believed
+by the vulgar, in most countries; and in our
+men, this persuasion was much heightened by
+the melancholy condition they were reduced to;
+and was farther confirmed by an occurrence
+which happened some little time before we
+went upon our last expedition. One night we
+were alarmed with a strange cry, which resembled
+that of a man drowning. Many of us
+ran out of our huts towards the place from
+whence the noise proceeded, which was not far
+off shore; where we could perceive, but not
+distinctly (for it was then moonlight), an appearance
+like that of a man swimming half out
+of water. The noise that this creature uttered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>
+was so unlike that of any animal they had
+heard before, that it made a great impression
+upon the men; and they frequently recalled
+this apparition at the time of their distresses,
+with reflections on the neglect of the office
+they were now fulfilling.</p>
+
+<p>We were soon driven again to the greatest
+straits for want of something to subsist upon,
+by the extreme bad weather that now set in
+upon us. Wild celery was all we could procure,
+which raked our stomachs instead of assuaging
+our hunger. That dreadful and last resource
+of men, in not much worse circumstances than
+ours, of consigning one man to death for the
+support of the rest, began to be mentioned in
+whispers; and indeed there were some among
+us who, by eating what they found raw, were
+become little better than cannibals. But fortunately
+for us, and opportunely to prevent this
+horrid proceeding, Mr. Hamilton, at this time,
+found some rotten pieces of beef, cast up by the
+sea at some miles distance from the huts, which
+he, though a temptation which few would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>
+resisted in parallel circumstances, scorned to
+conceal from the rest; but generously distributed
+among us.</p>
+
+<p>A few days after, the mystery of the nailing
+up of the hut, and what had been doing by the
+Indians upon the island in our absence, was
+partly explained to us; for about the fifteenth day
+after our return, there came a party of Indians
+to the island in two canoes, who were not a
+little surprised to find us here again. Among
+these, was an Indian of the tribe of the Chonos,
+who live in the neighbourhood of Chiloe.<a name="FNanchor_A_4" id="FNanchor_A_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a>
+He talked the Spanish language, but with that
+savage accent which renders it almost unintelligible
+to any but those who are adepts in that
+language. He was likewise a cacique, or
+leading man of his tribe; which authority was
+confirmed to him by the Spaniards; for he
+carried the usual badge and mark of distinction
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>by which the Spaniards, and their dependents,
+hold their military and civil employments,
+which is a stick with a silver head. These
+badges, of which the Indians are very vain, at
+once serve to retain the cacique in the strongest
+attachment to the Spanish government, and
+give him greater weight with his own dependents:
+yet, withal, he is the merest slave, and
+has not one thing he can call his own. This
+report of our shipwreck (as we supposed)
+having reached the Chonos, by means of the
+intermediate tribes, which handed it to one
+another, from those Indians who first visited
+us; this cacique was either sent to learn the
+truth of the rumour, or having first got the
+intelligence, set out with a view of making
+some advantage of the wreck, and appropriating
+such iron-work as he could gather from it to his
+own use: for that metal is become very valuable
+to those savages, since their commerce with
+the Spaniards has taught them to apply it to
+several purposes. But as the secreting any
+thing from a rapacious Spanish rey, or governor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span>
+(even an old rusty nail), by any of their Indian
+dependents, is a very dangerous offence, he was
+careful to conceal the little prize he had made,
+till he could conveniently carry it away; for in
+order to make friends of these savages, we had
+left their hoard untouched.</p>
+
+<p>Our surgeon, Mr. Elliot, being master of a
+few Spanish words, made himself so far understood
+by the cacique as to let him know, that
+our intention was to reach some of the Spanish
+settlements, if we could; that we were unacquainted
+with the best and safest way, and
+what tract was most likely to afford us subsistence
+in our journey; promising, if he would
+undertake to conduct us in the barge, he should
+have it, and every thing in it, for his trouble,
+as soon as it had served our present occasions.
+To these conditions the cacique, after much
+persuasion, at length agreed. Accordingly,
+having made the best preparation we could, we
+embarked on board the barge to the number of
+fifteen, including the cacique, whose name was
+Martin, and his servant Emanuel. We were,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>
+indeed, sixteen, when we returned from our
+last fruitless attempt to get off the island; but
+we had buried two since that, who perished
+with hunger; and a marine, having committed
+theft, run away to avoid the punishment his
+crime deserved, and hid himself in the woods;
+since which he was never heard of. We now
+put off, accompanied with the two Indian
+canoes; in one of which was a savage, with his
+two wives, who had an air of dignity superior
+to the rest, and was handsome in his person.
+He had his hut, during his stay with us,
+separate from the other Indians, who seemed to
+pay him extraordinary respect; but in two or
+three nights, these Indians, being independent
+of the Spaniards, and living somewhere to the
+southward of our Chono guide, left us to proceed
+on our journey by ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>The first night we lay at an island destitute
+of all refreshment; where having found some
+shelter for our boat, and made ourselves a fire,
+we slept by it. The next night we were more
+unfortunate, though our wants were increasing;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>
+for having run to the westward of Montross
+island, we found no shelter for the barge; but
+were under the necessity of lying upon our oars,
+suffering the most extreme pangs of hunger.
+The next day brought us to the bottom of a
+great bay, where the Indian guide had left his
+family, a wife and two children, in a hut. Here
+we staid two or three days, during which we
+were constantly employed in ranging along
+shore in quest of shell-fish.</p>
+
+<p>We now again proceeded on our voyage,
+having received on board the family of our
+guide, who conducted us to a river, the stream
+of which was so rapid, that after our utmost
+efforts from morning to evening, we gained
+little upon the current, and at last were obliged
+to desist from our attempt and return. I had
+hitherto steered the boat; but one of our men
+sinking under the fatigue, expired soon after,
+which obliged me to take the oar in his room,
+and row against this heart-breaking stream.
+Whilst I was thus employed, one of our men
+whose name was John Bosman, though hitherto<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>
+the stoutest man among us, fell from his seat
+under the thwarts, complaining that his strength
+was quite exhausted for want of food, and that
+he should die very shortly. As he lay in this
+condition, he would every now and then break
+out in the most pathetic wishes for some little
+sustenance; that two or three mouthfuls might
+be the means of saving his life. The Captain,
+at this time, had a large piece of boiled seal by
+him, and was the only one that was provided
+with any thing like a meal; but we were become
+so hardened against the impressions of
+others' sufferings by our own; so familiarized
+to scenes of this, and every other kind of misery;
+that the poor man's dying entreaties were vain.
+I sat next to him when he dropped, and having
+a few dried shell-fish (about five or six) in my
+pocket, from time to time put one in his mouth,
+which served only to prolong his pains; from
+which, however, soon after my little supply
+failed, he was released by death. For this, and
+another man I mentioned a little before to have
+expired under the like circumstances, when we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>
+returned from this unsuccessful enterprise, we
+made a grave in the sands.</p>
+
+<p>It would have redounded greatly to the tenderness
+and humanity of Captain Cheap, if at
+this time he had remitted somewhat of that
+attention he shewed to self-preservation; which
+is hardly allowable but where the consequence
+of relieving others must be immediately and
+manifestly fatal to ourselves; but I would venture
+to affirm, that in these last affecting exigencies,
+as well as some others, a sparing
+perhaps adequate to the emergency, might have
+been admitted consistently with a due regard
+to his own necessities. The Captain had better
+opportunities for recruiting his stock than any
+of us; for his rank was considered by the
+Indian as a reason for supplying him when he
+would not find a bit for us. Upon the evening
+of the day in which these disasters happened,
+the Captain producing a large piece of boiled
+seal, suffered no one to partake with him but
+the surgeon, who was the only man in favour at
+this time. We did not expect, indeed, any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>
+relief from him in our present condition; for
+we had a few small muscles and herbs to eat;
+but the men could not help expressing the
+greatest indignation at his neglect of the deceased;
+saying that he deserved to be deserted
+by the rest for his savage behaviour.</p>
+
+<p>The endeavouring to pass up this river was
+for us, who had so long struggled with hunger,
+a most unseasonable attempt; by which we
+were harassed to a degree that threatened to
+be fatal to more of us; but our guide, without
+any respect to the condition our hardships had
+reduced us to, was very solicitous for us to go
+that way, which possibly he had gone before in
+light canoes; but for such a boat as ours was
+impracticable. We conceived, therefore, at
+that time, that this was some short cut, which
+was to bring us forward in our voyage; but
+we had reason to think afterwards, that the
+greater probability there was of his getting the
+barge, which was the wages of his undertaking,
+safe to his settlement by this, rather than
+another course, was his motive for preferring it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>
+to the way we took afterwards, where there
+was a carrying place of considerable length,
+over which it would have been impossible to
+have carried our boat.</p>
+
+<p>The country hereabouts wears the most uncouth,
+desolate, and rugged aspect imaginable;
+it is so circumstanced, as to discourage the
+most sanguine adventurers from attempts to
+settle it: were it for no other reason than the
+constant heavy rains, or rather torrents, which
+pour down here, and the vast sea and surf
+which the prevailing westerly winds impel
+upon this coast, it must be rendered inhospitable.
+All entrance into the woods is not
+only extremely difficult, but hazardous; not
+from any assaults you are likely to meet with
+from wild beasts; for even these could hardly
+find convenient harbour here; but from the
+deep swamp, which is the reigning soil of this
+country, and in which the woods may be said
+rather to float than grow; so that, except upon
+a range of deformed broken rocks which form
+the sea-coast, the traveller cannot find sound<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>
+footing any where. With this unpromising
+scene before us we were now setting out in
+search of food, which nothing but the most
+pressing instances of hunger could induce us to
+do: we had, indeed, the young Indian servant
+to our cacique for our conductor, who was left
+by him to shew us where the shell-fish was
+most plenty. The cacique was gone with the
+rest of his family, in the canoe, with a view of
+getting some seal, upon a trip which would
+detain him from us three or four days.</p>
+
+<p>After searching the coast some time with
+very little success, we began to think of returning
+to the barge; but six of the men, with the
+Indian, having advanced some few paces before
+the officers, got into the boat first; which they
+had no sooner done than they put off, and left
+us, to return no more. And now all the difficulties
+we had hitherto endured, seemed light
+in comparison of what we expected to suffer
+from this treachery of our men, who, with the
+boat, had taken away every thing that might
+be the means of preserving our lives. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span>
+little clothes we had saved from the wreck, our
+muskets and ammunition were gone, except a
+little powder, which must be preserved for
+kindling fires, and one gun, which I had, and
+was now become useless for want of ammunition;
+and all these wants were now come upon
+us at a time when we could not be worse situated
+for supplying them. Yet under these
+dismal and forlorn appearances was our delivery
+now preparing; and from these hopeless circumstances
+were we to draw hereafter an instance
+scarce to be paralleled, of the unsearchable
+ways of Providence. It was at that time
+little suspected by us, that the barge, in which
+we founded all our hopes of escaping from this
+savage coast, would certainly have proved the
+fatal cause of detaining us till we were consumed
+by the labour and hardships requisite to row
+her round the capes and great headlands; for
+it was impossible to carry her by land, as we
+did the boats of the Indians. At present, no
+condition could be worse that we thought ours
+to be: there ran at this time a very high sea,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>
+which breaking with great fury upon this
+coast, made it very improbable that sustenance
+in any proportion to our wants could be found
+upon it; yet, unpromising as this prospect was,
+and though little succour could be expected
+from this quarter, I could not help, as I strolled
+along shore from the rest, casting my eyes
+towards the sea. Continuing thus to look out,
+I thought I saw something now and then upon
+the top of a sea that looked black, which upon
+observing still more intently, I imagined at last
+to be a canoe; but reflecting afterwards how
+unusual it was for Indians to venture out in so
+mountainous a sea, and at such a distance from
+the land, I concluded myself to be deceived.
+However, its nearer approach convinced me,
+beyond all doubt, of its being a canoe; but
+that it could not put in any where hereabouts,
+but intended for some other part of the coast.
+I ran back as fast as I could to my companions,
+and acquainted them with what I had seen.
+The despondency they were in would not allow
+them to give credit to it at first; but afterwards,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>
+being convinced that it was as I reported it, we
+were all in the greatest hurry to strip off some
+of our rags to make a signal withal, which we
+fixed upon a long pole. This had the desired
+effect: the people in the canoe seeing the signal,
+made towards the land at about two mile distance
+from us; for no boat could approach the
+land where we were: there they put into a
+small cove, sheltered by a large ledge of rocks
+without, which broke the violence of the sea.
+Captain Cheap and I walked along shore, and
+got to the cove about the time they landed.
+Here we found the persons arrived in this canoe,
+to be our Indian guide and his wife, who had
+left us some days before. He would have asked
+us many questions; but neither Captain Cheap
+nor I understanding Spanish at that time, we
+took him along with us to the surgeon, whom
+we had left so ill that he could hardly raise
+himself from the ground. When the Indian
+began to confer with the surgeon, the first
+question was, What was become of the barge
+and his companion? and as he could give him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
+no satisfactory answer to this question, the
+Indian took it for granted that Emanuel was
+murdered by us, and that he and his family
+ran the same risk; upon which he was preparing
+to provide for his security, by leaving
+us directly. The surgeon seeing this, did all
+in his power to pacify him, and convince him
+of the unreasonableness of his apprehensions;
+which he at length found means to do, by
+assuring him that the Indian would come to no
+harm, but that he would soon see him return
+safe; which providentially, and beyond our
+expectation, happened accordingly; for in a
+few days after, Emanuel having contrived to
+make his escape from the people in the barge,
+returned by ways that were impassable to any
+creature but an Indian. All that we could learn
+from Emanuel relative to his escape was, that
+he took the first opportunity of leaving them;
+which was upon their putting into a bay somewhere
+to the westward.</p>
+
+<p>We had but one gun among us, and that
+was a small fowling-piece of mine; no ammu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>nition
+but a few charges of powder I had about
+me; and as the Indian was very desirous of
+returning to the place where he had left his wife
+and canoe, Captain Cheap desired I would go
+with him and watch over him all night, to prevent
+his getting away. Accordingly I set out
+with him; and when he and his family betook
+themselves to rest in the little wigwam they
+had made for that purpose, I kept my station
+as centinel over them all night.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Captain Cheap, Mr. Hamilton,
+and the surgeon, joined us: the latter,
+by illness, being reduced to the most feeble
+condition, was supported by Mr. Hamilton and
+Mr. Campbell. After holding some little consultation
+together, as to the best manner of
+proceeding in our journey, it was agreed, that
+the Indian should haul his canoe, with our
+assistance, over land, quite across the island we
+were then upon, and put her into a bay on the
+other side, from whence he was to go in quest
+of some other Indians, by whom he expected to
+be joined; but as his canoe was too small to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>
+carry more than three or four persons, he
+thought it advisable to take only Captain
+Cheap and myself with him, and to leave his
+wife and children as pledges with our companions
+till his return.</p>
+
+<p>As it was matter of uncertainty whether we
+should ever recover the barge or not, which
+was stipulated, on our side, to become the property
+of the cacique, upon his fulfilling his
+engagements with us; the inducements we
+now made use of to prevail upon him to proceed
+with us in our journey were, that he should
+have my fowling-piece, some little matters in
+the possession of Captain Cheap, and that we
+would use our interest to procure him some
+small pecuniary reward.</p>
+
+<p>We were now to set off in the canoe, in which
+I was to assist him in rowing. Accordingly,
+putting from this island, we rowed hard all this
+day and the next, without any thing to eat but
+a scrap of seal, a very small portion of which
+fell to my share. About two hours after the
+close of the day, we put ashore, where we dis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>covered
+six or seven wigwams. For my part,
+my strength was so exhausted with fatigue and
+hunger, that it would have been impossible for
+me to have held out another day at this toilsome
+work. As soon as we landed, the Indian conducted
+Captain Cheap with him into a wigwam;
+but I was left to shift for myself.</p>
+
+<p>Thus left, I was for some time at a loss what
+I had best do; for knowing that in the variety
+of dispositions observable among the Indians,
+the surly and savage temper is the most prevalent,
+I had good reason to conclude, that if
+I obtruded myself upon them, my reception
+would be but indifferent. Necessity, however,
+put me upon the risk; I accordingly pushed
+into the next wigwam upon my hands and
+knees; for the entrance into these kind of
+buildings is too low to admit of any other manner
+of getting into them. To give a short
+description of these temporary houses, called
+wigwams, may not be improper here, for the
+satisfaction of those who never saw any; especially
+as they differ somewhat from those of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>
+North America, which are more generally
+known from the numerous accounts of that
+country.</p>
+
+<p>When the Indians of this part of the world
+have occasion to stop any where in their rambles,
+if it be only for a night or two, the men,
+who take this business upon them, while the
+women are employed in much more laborious
+offices, such as diving in the sea for sea-eggs,
+and searching the rocks for shell-fish, getting
+fuel, &amp;c., repair to the woods, and cutting a
+sufficient number of tall, strait branches, fix
+them in an irregular kind of circle, of uncertain
+dimensions; which having done, they bend the
+extremities of these branches so as to meet in a
+centre at top, where they bind them by a kind
+of woodbine, called supple-jack, which they
+split by holding it in their teeth. This frame,
+or skeleton of a hut, is made tight against the
+weather with a covering of boughs and bark;
+but as the bark is not got without some trouble,
+they generally take it with them when they
+remove, putting it at the bottom of their canoes:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>
+the rest of the wigwam they leave standing.
+The fire is made in the middle of the wigwam,
+round which they sit upon boughs; and as
+there is no vent for the smoke, besides the
+door-way, which is very low, except through
+some crevices, which cannot easily be stopped,
+they are not a little incommoded on that account;
+and the eyes of some of them are much
+affected by it.</p>
+
+<p>But to return: in this wigwam, into which I
+took the liberty to introduce myself, I found
+only two women, who, upon first seeing a figure
+they were not accustomed to, and such a figure
+too as I then made, were struck with astonishment.
+They were sitting by a fire, to which I
+approached without any apology. However
+inclined I might have been to make one, my
+ignorance of their language made it impossible
+to attempt it. One of these women appeared
+to be young, and very handsome for an Indian;
+the other old, and as frightful as it is possible
+to conceive any thing in human shape to be.
+Having stared at me some little time, they both<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>
+went out; and I, without any farther ceremony,
+sat me down by the fire to warm myself, and
+dry the rags I wore. Yet I cannot say my situation
+was very easy, as I expected every instant
+to see two or three men come in and thrust me
+out, if they did not deal with me in a rougher
+manner.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after the two women came in again,
+having, as I supposed, conferred with the Indian,
+our conductor; and appearing to be in great
+good-humour, began to chatter and laugh immoderately.
+Perceiving the wet and cold condition
+I was in, they seemed to have compassion
+on me, and the old woman went out and
+brought some wood, with which she made a
+good fire; but my hunger being impatient, I
+could not forbear expressing my desire that
+they would extend their hospitality a little
+further, and bring me something to eat. They
+soon comprehended my meaning, and the
+younger beginning to rummage under some
+pieces of bark that lay in the corner of the wigwam,
+produced a fine large fish: this they pre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>sently
+put upon the fire to broil; and when it
+was just warm through, they made a sign for
+me to eat. They had no need to repeat the
+invitation; I fell to, and dispatched it in so
+short a time, that I was in hopes they would
+comprehend, without further tokens, that I was
+ready for another; but it was of no consequence,
+for their stock of eatables was entirely
+exhausted.</p>
+
+<p>After sitting some time in conference together,
+in which conversation I could bear no part, the
+women made some signs to me to lay down and
+go to sleep, first having strewed some dry
+boughs upon the ground. I laid myself down,
+and soon fell fast asleep; and about three or
+four hours after awaking, I found myself covered
+with a bit of blanket, made of the down of
+birds, which the women usually wear about
+their waist. The young woman, who had carefully
+covered me, whilst sleeping, with her own
+blanket, was lying close by me: the old woman
+lay on the other side of her. The fire was low,
+and almost burnt out; but as soon as they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>
+found me awake they renewed it, by putting on
+more fuel. What I had hitherto eat served
+only to sharpen my appetite; I could not help,
+therefore, being earnest with them to get me
+some more victuals. Having understood my
+necessities, they talked together some little time;
+after which getting up, they both went out,
+taking with them a couple of dogs, which they
+train to assist them in fishing. After an hour's
+absence, they came in trembling with cold, and
+their hair streaming with water, and brought
+two fish; which having broiled, they gave me
+the largest share; and then we all laid down
+as before to rest.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning my curiosity led me to visit
+the neighbouring wigwams, in which were only
+one or two men; the rest of the inhabitants
+were all women and children. I then proceeded
+to enquire after Captain Cheap and our Indian
+guide, whom I found in the wigwam they at
+first occupied: the authority of the cacique
+had procured the Captain no despicable entertainment.
+We could not learn what business<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>
+the men, whose wives and children were here
+left behind, were gone out upon; but as they
+seldom or never go upon fishing-parties (for
+they have no hunting here) without their wives,
+who take the most laborious part of this pursuit
+upon themselves, it is probable they were gone
+upon some warlike expedition, in which they
+use bows and arrows sometimes, but always the
+lance. This weapon they throw with great
+dexterity and force, and never stir abroad without
+it. About this time their return was looked
+for; a hearing by no means pleasant to me;
+I was, therefore, determined to enjoy myself as
+long as they were absent, and make the most of
+the good fare I was possessed of; to the pleasure
+of which I thought a little cleanliness might in
+some measure contribute; I therefore went to
+a brook, and taking off my shirt, which might
+be said to be alive with vermin, set myself
+about to wash it; which having done as well as
+I could, and hung on a bush to dry, I heard a
+bustle about the wigwams; and soon perceived
+that the women were preparing to depart, having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
+stripped their wigwams of their bark covering,
+and carried it into their canoes. Putting on,
+therefore, my shirt just as it was, I hastened to
+join them, having a great desire of being present
+at one of their fishing parties.</p>
+
+<p>It was my lot to be put into the canoe with
+my two patronesses, and some others who assisted
+in rowing; we were in all four canoes.
+After rowing some time, they gained such an
+offing as they required, where the water here
+was about eight or ten fathom deep, and there
+lay upon their oars. And now the youngest of
+the two women, taking a basket in her mouth,
+jumped overboard, and diving to the bottom,
+continued under water an amazing time: when
+she had filled the basket with sea-eggs, she
+came up to the boat-side; and delivering it so
+filled to the other women in the boat, they took
+out the contents, and returned it to her. The
+diver, then, after having taken a short time to
+breathe, went down and up again with the same
+success; and so several times for the space of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span>
+half an hour. It seems as if Providence had
+endued this people with a kind of amphibious
+nature, as the sea is the only source from
+whence almost all their subsistence is derived.
+This element too, being here very boisterous,
+and falling with a most heavy surf upon a
+rugged coast, very little, except some seal, is to
+be got any where but in the quiet bosom of the
+deep. What occasions this reflection is the
+early propensity I had so frequently observed
+in the children of these savages to this occupation;
+who, even at the age of three years,
+might be seen crawling upon their hands and
+knees among the rocks and breakers; from
+which they would tumble themselves into the
+sea without regard to the cold, which is here
+often intense; and showing no fear of the noise
+and roaring of the surf.</p>
+
+<p>This sea-egg is a shell-fish, from which
+several prickles project in all directions, by
+means whereof it removes itself from place to
+place. In it are found four or five yolks, resem<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>bling
+the inner divisions of an orange, which
+are of a very nutritive quality, and excellent
+flavour.</p>
+
+<p>The water was at this time extremely cold;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
+and when the divers got into the boats, they
+seemed greatly benumbed; and it is usual with
+them after this exercise, if they are near enough
+their wigwams, to run to the fire; to which
+presenting one side, they rub and chafe it for
+some time; then turning the other, use it in
+the same manner, till the circulation of the
+blood is restored. This practice, if it has no
+worse effect, must occasion their being more
+susceptible of the impressions of cold, than if
+they waited the gradual advances of their
+natural warmth in the open air. I leave it to
+the decision of the gentlemen of the faculty,
+whether this too hasty approach to the fire may
+not subject them to a disorder I observed among
+them, called the elephantiasis, or swelling of
+the legs.<a name="FNanchor_A_5" id="FNanchor_A_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p>
+
+<p>The divers having returned to their boats,
+we continued to row till towards evening, when
+we landed upon a low point. As soon as the
+canoes were hauled up, they employed themselves
+in erecting their wigwams, which they
+dispatch with great address and quickness. I
+still enjoyed the protection of my two good
+Indian women, who made me their guest here
+as before; they first regaled me with sea-eggs,
+and then went out upon another kind of fishery
+by the means of dogs and nets. These dogs
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>are a cur-like looking animal, but very sagacious,
+and easily trained to this business.
+Though in appearance an uncomfortable sort of
+sport, yet they engage in it readily, seem to
+enjoy it much, and express their eagerness by
+barking every time they raise their heads above
+the water to breathe. The net is held by two
+Indians, who get into the water; then the
+dogs, taking a large compass, dive after the
+fish, and drive them into the net; but it is
+only in particular places that the fish are taken
+in this manner. At the close of the evening, the
+women brought in two fish, which served us for
+supper; and then we reposed ourselves as before.
+Here we remained all the next day; and the morning
+after embarked again, and rowed till noon;
+then landing, we descried the canoes of the Indian
+men, who had been some time expected from an
+expedition they had been upon. This was soon to
+make a great alteration in the situation of my
+affairs, a presage of which I could read in the
+melancholy countenance of my young hostess.
+She endeavoured to express herself in very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>
+earnest terms to me; but I had not yet acquired
+a competent knowledge of the Indian
+language to understand her.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the men were landed, she and the
+old Indian woman went up, not without some
+marks of dread upon them, to an elderly Indian
+man, whose remarkable surly and stern countenance
+was well calculated to raise such sensations
+in his dependents. He seemed to be a cacique,
+or chief man among them, by the airs of importance
+he assumed to himself, and the deference
+paid him by the rest. After some little
+conference passed between these Indians, and
+our cacique conductor, of which, most probably,
+the circumstances of our history, and
+the occasion of our coming here, might be the
+chief subject, for they fixed their eyes constantly
+upon us, they applied themselves to
+building their wigwams. I now understood
+that the two Indian women with whom I had
+sojourned, were wives to this chieftain, though
+one was young enough to be his daughter; and
+as far as I could learn, did really stand in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
+different relations to him both of daughter and
+wife. It was easy to be perceived that all did
+not go well between them at this time: either
+that he was not satisfied with the answers that
+they returned him to his questions, or that he
+suspected some misconduct on their side; for
+presently after, breaking out into savage fury,
+he took the young one up in his arms, and
+threw her with violence against the stones;
+but his brutal resentment did not stop here, he
+beat her afterwards in a cruel manner. I could
+not see this treatment of my benefactress without
+the highest concern for her, and rage
+against the author of it; especially as the
+natural jealousy of these people gave occasion
+to think that it was on my account she suffered.
+I could hardly suppress the first emotions of
+my resentment, which prompted me to return
+him his barbarity in his own kind; but besides
+that this might have drawn upon her fresh
+marks of his severity, it was neither politic, nor
+indeed in my power, to have done it to any
+good purpose at this time.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Our cacique now made us understand that
+we must embark directly, in the same canoe
+which brought us, and return to our companions;
+and that the Indians we were about
+to leave, would join us in a few days, when we
+should all set out in a body, in order to proceed
+to the northward. In our way back,
+nothing very material happened; but upon our
+arrival, which was the next day, we found Mr.
+Elliot, the surgeon, in a very bad way; his
+illness had been continually increasing since
+we left him. Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Campbell
+were almost starved, having fared very ill since
+we left them: a few sea-eggs were all the subsistence
+they had lived upon; and these procured
+by the cacique's wife, in the manner I
+mentioned before. This woman was the very
+reverse of my hostess; and as she found her
+husband was of so much consequence to us,
+took upon her with much haughtiness, and
+treated us as dependents and slaves. He was
+not more engaging in his carriage towards us;
+he would give no part of what he had to spare<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>
+to any but Captain Cheap, whom his interest
+led him to prefer to the rest, though our wants
+were often greater. The captain, on his part,
+contributed to keep us in this abject situation,
+by approving this distinction the cacique
+showed to him. Had he treated us with not
+quite so much distance, the cacique might
+have been more regardful of our wants. The
+little regard and attention which our necessitous
+condition drew from Captain Cheap, may
+be imputed likewise, in some measure, to the
+effects of a mind soured by a series of crosses
+and disappointments; which, indeed, had operated
+on us all to a great neglect of each
+other, and sometimes of ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>We were not suffered to be in the same
+wigwam with the cacique and his wife; which,
+if we had had any countenance from Captain
+Cheap, would not have been refused. What
+we had made for ourselves was in such a
+bungling manner, that it scarce deserved the
+name even of this wretched sort of habitation.
+But our untoward circumstances now found<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>
+some relief in the arrival of the Indians we
+waited for; who brought with them some seal,
+a small portion of which fell to our share. A
+night or two after they sent out some of their
+young men, who procured us a quantity of a
+very delicate kind of birds, called shags and
+cormorants. Their manner of taking these
+birds resembles something a sport called bat fowling.
+They find out their haunts among the
+rocks and cliffs in the night, when taking with
+them torches made of the bark of the birch
+tree, which is common here, and grows to a
+very large size, (this bark has a very unctuous
+quality, and emits a bright and clear light, and
+in the northern parts of America is used frequently
+instead of a candle,) they bring the
+boat's side as near as possible to the rocks,
+under the roosting-places of these birds; then
+waving their lights backwards and forwards, the
+birds are dazzled and confounded so as to fall
+into the canoe, where they are instantly knocked
+on the head with a short stick the Indians take
+with them for that purpose.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Seals are taken in some less frequented parts
+of these coasts, with great ease; but when
+their haunts have been two or three times disturbed,
+they soon learn to provide for their
+safety, by repairing to the water upon the first
+alarm. This is the case with them hereabouts;
+but as they frequently raise their heads above
+water, either to breathe or look about them,
+I have seen an Indian at this interval, throw
+his lance with such dexterity as to strike the
+animal through both its eyes, at a great distance;
+and it is very seldom that they miss
+their aim.</p>
+
+<p>As we were wholly unacquainted with these
+methods of providing food for ourselves, and
+were without arms and ammunition, we were
+driven to the utmost straits; and found ourselves
+rather in worse condition than we had
+been at any time before. For the Indians
+having now nothing to fear from us, we found
+we had nothing to expect from them upon
+any other motive. Accordingly, if ever they
+did relieve us, it was through caprice; for at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>
+most times they would shew themselves unconcerned
+at our greatest distresses. But the
+good Indian women, whose friendship I had
+experienced before, continued, from time to
+time, their good offices to me. Though I was
+not suffered to enter their wigwams, they would
+find opportunities of throwing in my way such
+scraps as they could secrete from their husbands.
+The obligation I was under to them on
+this account was great, as the hazard they ran
+in conferring these favours was little less than
+death. The men, unrestrained by any laws or
+ties of conscience, in the management of their
+own families, exercise a most despotic authority
+over their wives, whom they consider in the
+same view as any other part of their property,
+and dispose of them accordingly: even their
+common treatment of them is cruel; for though
+the toil and hazard of procuring food lies entirely
+upon the women, yet they are not suffered
+to touch any part of it till the husband is satisfied;
+and then he assigns them their portion,
+which is generally very scanty, and such as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
+has not a stomach for himself. This arbitrary
+proceeding, with respect to their own families,
+is not peculiar to this people only. I have had
+occasion to observe it in more instances than
+this I have mentioned, among many other
+nations of savages I have since seen.</p>
+
+<p>These Indians are of a middling stature,
+well set, and very active; and make their way
+among the rocks with an amazing agility.
+Their feet, by this kind of exercise, contract a
+callosity which renders the use of shoes quite
+unnecessary to them. But before I conclude
+the few observations I have to make on a people
+so confined in all their notions and habits, it
+may be expected I should say something of
+their religion; but as their gross ignorance is in
+nothing more conspicuous, and as we found it
+advisable to keep out of their way when the fits of
+devotion came upon them, which is rather frantic
+than religious, the reader can expect very little
+satisfaction on this head. Accident has sometimes
+made me unavoidably a spectator of
+scenes I should have chosen to have withdrawn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>
+myself from; and so far I am instructed. As
+there are no fixed seasons for their religious
+exercises, the younger people wait till the elders
+find themselves devoutly disposed; who begin
+the ceremony by several deep and dismal groans,
+which rise gradually to a hideous kind of
+singing, from which they proceed to enthusiasm,
+and work themselves into a disposition
+that borders on madness; for suddenly jumping
+up, they snatch firebrands from the fire, put
+them in their mouths, and run about burning
+every body they come near: at other times, it
+is a custom with them to wound one another
+with sharp muscle-shells till they are besmeared
+with blood. These orgies continue
+till those who preside in them foam at the
+mouth, grow faint, are exhausted with fatigue,
+and dissolve in a profusion of sweat. When
+the men drop their part in this frenzy, the
+women take it up, acting over again much the
+same kind of wild scene, except that they
+rather outdo the men in shrieks and noise. Our
+cacique, who had been reclaimed from these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
+abominations by the Spaniards, and just knew
+the exterior form of crossing himself, pretended
+to be much offended at these profane ceremonies,
+and that he would have died sooner
+than have partaken of them. Among other
+expressions of disapprobation, he declared that
+whilst the savages solemnized these horrid rites,
+he never failed to hear strange and uncommon
+noises in the woods, and to see frightful visions;
+and assured us, that the devil was the chief
+actor among them upon these occasions.</p>
+
+<p>It might be about the middle of March, that
+we embarked with these Indians. They separated
+our little company entirely, not putting
+any two of us together in the same canoe. The
+oar was my lot, as usual, as also Mr. Campbell's;
+Mr. Hamilton could not row, and Captain
+Cheap was out of the question; our surgeon
+was more dead than alive at the time, and lay
+at the bottom of the canoe he was in. The
+weather coming on too bad for their canoes to
+keep the sea, we landed again, without making
+great progress that day. Here Mr. Elliot, our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>
+surgeon, died. At our first setting out, he promised
+the fairest for holding out, being a very
+strong, active young man: he had gone through
+an infinite deal of fatigue, as Mr. Hamilton and
+he were the best shots amongst us, and whilst
+our ammunition lasted never spared themselves,
+and in a great measure provided for the rest;
+but he died the death many others had done
+before him, being quite starved. We scraped
+a hole for him in the sand, and buried him in
+the best manner we could. Here I must relate
+a little anecdote of our Christian cacique. He
+and his wife had gone off, at some distance from
+the shore, in their canoe, when she dived for
+sea-eggs; but not meeting with great success,
+they returned a good deal out of humour. A
+little boy of theirs, about three years old, whom
+they appeared to be dotingly fond of, watching
+for his father and mother's return, ran into the
+surf to meet them: the father handed a basket
+of sea-eggs to the child, which being too heavy
+for him to carry, he let it fall; upon which the
+father jumped out of the canoe, and catching<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
+the boy up in his arms, dashed him with the
+utmost violence against the stones. The poor
+little creature lay motionless and bleeding, and
+in that condition was taken up by the mother;
+but died soon after. She appeared inconsolable
+for some time; but the brute his father shewed
+little concern about it. A day or two after we
+put to sea again, and crossed the great bay I
+mentioned we had been to the bottom of, when
+we first hauled away to the westward. The
+land here was very low and sandy, with something
+like the mouth of a river which discharged
+itself into the sea; and which had been taken
+no notice of by us before, as it was so shallow
+that the Indians were obliged to take every
+thing out of their canoes, and carry it over the
+neck of land, and then haul the boats over into
+a river, which at this part of it was very broad,
+more resembling a lake than a river. We rowed
+up it for four or five leagues, and then took into
+a branch of it, that ran first to the eastward,
+and then to the northward: here it became
+much narrower, and the stream excessively<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>
+rapid, so that we made but little way, though
+we worked very hard. At night we landed
+upon its banks, and had a most uncomfortable
+lodging, it being a perfect swamp; and we had
+nothing to cover us, though it rained very hard.
+The Indians were little better off than we, as
+there was no wood here to make their wigwams;
+so that all they could do was to prop up the
+bark they carry in the bottom of their canoes
+with their oars, and shelter themselves as well
+as they could to leeward of it. They, knowing
+the difficulties that were to be encountered
+here, had provided themselves with some seal;
+but we had not the least morsel to eat, after the
+heavy fatigues of the day, excepting a sort of
+root we saw some of the Indians make use of,
+which was very disagreeable to the taste. We
+laboured all the next day against the stream,
+and fared as we had done the day before. The
+next day brought us to the carrying-place.
+Here was plenty of wood; but nothing to be
+got for sustenance. The first thing the Indians
+did was to take every thing out of their canoes;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>
+and after hauling them ashore, they made their
+wigwams. We passed this night, as generally
+we had done, under a tree; but what we suffered
+at this time is not easily to be expressed. I
+had been three days at the oar without any
+kind of nourishment, but the wretched root I
+mentioned before. I had no shirt, as mine was
+rotted off by bits, and we were devoured by
+vermin. All my clothes consisted of an old
+short grieko, which is something like a bearskin,
+with a piece of a waistcoat under it,
+which once had been of red cloth, both
+which I had on when I was cast away; I had
+a ragged pair of trowsers, without either shoe
+or stocking. The first thing the Indians did
+in the morning was to take their canoes to
+pieces: and here, for the information of the
+reader, it will be necessary to describe the structure
+of these boats, which are extremely well
+calculated for the use of these Indians, as they
+are frequently obliged to carry them over land
+a long way together, through thick woods, to
+avoid doubling capes and headlands in seas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>
+where no open boat could live. They generally
+consist of five pieces, or planks; one for the
+bottom, and two for each side; and as these
+people have no iron tools, the labour must be
+great in hacking a single plank out of a large
+tree with shells and flints, though with the help
+of fire. Along the edges of the plank they
+make small holes, at about an inch from one to
+the other, and sew them together with the supple-jack,
+or woodbine; but as these holes are
+not filled up by the substance of the woodbine,
+their boats would be immediately full of water
+if they had not a method of preventing it. They
+do this very effectually by the bark of a tree,
+which they first steep in water for some time,
+and then beat it between two stones till it
+answers the use of oakum, and then chinse each
+hole so well, that they do not admit of the least
+water coming through, and are easily taken
+asunder and put together again. When they
+have occasion to go over land, as at this time,
+each man or woman carries a plank; whereas
+it would be impossible for them to drag a heavy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>
+boat entire. Every body had something to
+carry except Captain Cheap; and he was obliged
+to be assisted, or never would have got over this
+march; for a worse than this, I believe, never
+was made. He, with the others, set out some
+time before me. I waited for two Indians, who
+belonged to the canoe I came in; and who
+remained to carry over the last of the things
+from the side we were on. I had a piece of
+wet heavy canvas, which belonged to Captain
+Cheap, with a bit of stinking seal wrapped in
+it (which had been given him that morning by
+some of the Indians) to carry upon my head,
+which was a sufficient weight for a strong man
+in health, through such roads, and a grievous
+burthen to one in my condition. Our way was
+through a thick wood, the bottom of which was
+a mere quagmire, most part of it up to our
+knees, and often to our middle; and every now
+and then we had a large tree to get over, for
+they often lay directly in our road. Besides
+this, we were continually treading upon the
+stumps of trees, which were not to be avoided,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
+as they were covered with water; and having
+neither shoe nor stocking, my feet and legs
+were frequently torn and wounded. Before I
+had got half a mile, the two Indians had left
+me; and making the best of my way, lest they
+should be all gone before I got to the other
+side, I fell off a tree that crossed the road, into
+a very deep swamp, where I very narrowly
+escaped drowning, by the weight of the burthen
+I had on my head. It was a long while before
+I could extricate myself from this difficulty;
+and when I did my strength was quite exhausted.
+I sat down under a tree, and there
+gave way to melancholy reflections. However,
+as I was sensible these reflections would answer
+no end, they did not last long. I got up, and
+marking a great tree, I there deposited my load,
+not being able to carry it any farther, and set
+out to join my company. It was some hours
+before I reached my companions. I found
+them sitting under a tree, and sat myself down
+by them without speaking a word; nor did they
+speak to me, as I remember, for some time;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>
+when Captain Cheap, breaking silence, began
+to ask after the seal and piece of canvas. I
+told him the disaster I had met with, which he
+might have easily guessed by the condition the
+rags I had on were in, as well as having my
+feet and ancles cut to pieces: but instead of
+compassion for my sufferings, I heard nothing
+but grumbling from every one, for the irreparable
+loss they had sustained by me. I made no
+answer; but after resting myself a little, I got
+up and struck into the wood, and walked back
+at least five miles to the tree I had marked, and
+returned just time enough to deliver it before
+my companions embarked, with the Indians,
+upon a great lake, the opposite part of which
+seemed to wash the foot of the Cordilleras. I
+wanted to embark with them; but was given
+to understand I was to wait for some other
+Indians that were to follow them. I knew not
+where these Indians were to come from: I was
+left alone upon the beach, and night was at
+hand. They left me not even a morsel of the
+stinking seal that I had suffered so much about.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span>
+I kept my eyes upon the boats as long as I
+could distinguish them; and then returned into
+the wood, and sat myself down upon the root
+of a tree, having eat nothing the whole day but
+the stem of a plant which resembles that of an
+artichoke, which is of a juicy consistence, and
+acid taste. Quite worn out with fatigue, I soon
+fell asleep; and awaking before day, I thought
+I heard some voices at no great distance from
+me. As the day appeared, looking further into
+the wood, I perceived a wigwam, and immediately
+made towards it; but the reception I
+met with was not at all agreeable; for stooping
+to get into it, I presently received two or three
+kicks in my face, and at the same time heard
+the sound of voices seemingly in anger; which
+made me retire, and wait at the foot of a tree,
+where I remained till an old woman peeped out,
+and made signs to me to draw near. I obeyed
+very readily, and went into the wigwam: in it
+were three men and two women; one young
+man seemed to have great respect shewn to him
+by the rest, though he was the most miserable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span>
+object I ever saw. He was a perfect skeleton,
+and covered with sores from head to foot. I
+was happy to sit a moment by their fire, as I
+was quite benumbed with cold. The old woman
+took out a piece of seal, holding one part of it
+between her feet, and the other end in her
+teeth, and then cut off some thin slices with a
+sharp shell, and distributed them about to the
+other Indians. She then put a bit on the fire,
+taking a piece of fat in her mouth, which she
+kept chewing, every now and then spirting
+some of it on the piece that was warming upon
+the fire; for they never do more with it than
+warm it through. When it was ready, she
+gave me a little bit, which I swallowed whole,
+being almost starved. As these Indians
+were all strangers to me, I did not know
+which way they were going; and indeed it was
+now become quite indifferent to me which way
+I went, whether to the northward or southward,
+so that they would but take me with them, and
+give me something to eat. However, to make
+them comprehend me, I pointed first to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>
+southward, and after to the lake, and I soon
+understood they were going to the northward.
+They all went out together, excepting the sick
+Indian, and took up the plank of the canoe,
+which lay near the wigwam, and carried it to
+the beach, and presently put it together; and
+getting every thing into it, they put me to the
+oar. We rowed across the lake to the mouth
+of a very rapid river, where we put ashore for
+that night, not daring to get any way down in
+the dark; as it required the greatest skill, even
+in the day, to avoid running foul of the stumps
+and roots of trees, of which this river was full.
+I passed a melancholy night, as they would not
+suffer me to come near the wigwam they had
+made; nor did they give me the least bit of
+any one thing to eat since we embarked. In
+the morning we set off again. The weather
+proved extremely bad the whole day. We
+went down the river at an amazing rate; and
+just before night they put ashore upon a stony
+beach. They hauled the canoe up, and all
+disappeared in a moment, and I was left quite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>
+alone: it rained violently, and was very dark.
+I thought it was as well to lay down upon the
+beach, half side in water, as to get into a swamp
+under a dropping tree. In this dismal situation
+I fell asleep, and awaked three or four
+hours after in such agonies with the cramp,
+that I thought I must die upon the spot. I
+attempted several times to raise myself upon
+my legs, but could not. At last I made shift
+to get upon my knees, and looking towards
+the wood I saw a great fire at some distance
+from me. I was a long time crawling to it;
+and when I reached it, I threw myself almost
+into it, in hopes of finding some relief from the
+pain I suffered. This intrusion gave great
+offence to the Indians, who immediately got up,
+kicking and beating me till they drove me some
+distance from it; however I contrived a little
+after to place myself so as to receive some
+warmth from it, by which I got rid of the
+cramp. In the morning we left this place, and
+were soon after out of the river. Being now at
+sea again, the Indians intended putting ashore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>
+at the first convenient place, to look for shell-fish,
+their stock of provisions having been quite
+exhausted for some time. At low water we
+landed upon a spot that seemed to promise
+well; and here we found plenty of limpets.
+Though at this time starving, I did not attempt
+to eat one, lest I should lose a moment in
+gathering them; not knowing how soon the
+Indians might be going again. I had almost
+filled my hat when I saw them returning to the
+canoe. I made what haste I could to her; for
+I believe they would have made no conscience
+of leaving me behind. I sat down to my oar
+again, placing my hat close to me, every now
+and then eating a limpet. The Indians were
+employed the same way, when one of them,
+seeing me throw the shells overboard, spoke to
+the rest in a violent passion; and getting up,
+fell upon me, and seizing me by an old ragged
+handkerchief I had about my neck, almost
+throttled me; whilst another took me by the
+legs, and was going to throw me overboard, if
+the old woman had not prevented them. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>
+was all this time entirely ignorant by what
+means I had given offence, till I observed that
+the Indians, after eating the limpets, carefully
+put the shells in a heap at the bottom of the
+canoe. I then concluded there was some superstition
+about throwing these shells into the sea,
+my ignorance of which had very nearly cost me
+my life. I was resolved to eat no more limpets
+till we landed, which we did some time after
+upon an island. I then took notice that the
+Indians brought all their shells ashore, and laid
+them above high water mark. Here, as I was
+going to eat a large bunch of berries I had
+gathered from a tree, for they looked very
+tempting, one of the Indians snatched them
+out of my hand and threw them away, making
+me to understand that they were poisonous.
+Thus, in all probability, did these people now
+save my life, who, a few hours before, were
+going to take it from me for throwing away a
+shell.</p>
+
+<p>In two days after, I joined my companions
+again; but do not remember that there was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>
+least joy shewn on either side at meeting. At
+this place was a very large canoe belonging to
+our guide, which would have required at least
+six men to the oar to have made any kind of
+expedition: instead of that, there was only
+Campbell and myself, besides the Indian, his
+companion, or servant, to row, the cacique himself
+never touching an oar, but sitting with his
+wife all the time much at his ease. Mr. Hamilton
+continued in the same canoe he had been
+in all along, and which still was to keep us
+company some way further, though many of
+the others had left us. This was dreadful hard
+work to such poor starved wretches as we were,
+to be slaving at the oar all day long in such
+a heavy boat; and this inhuman fellow would
+never give us a scrap to eat, excepting when he
+took so much seal that he could not contrive to
+carry it all away with him, which happened very
+seldom. After working like galley-slaves all
+day, towards night, when we landed, instead of
+taking any rest, Mr. Campbell and I were sometimes
+obliged to go miles along shore to get a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>
+few shell-fish; and just as we had made a little
+fire in order to dress them, he has commanded
+us into the boat again, and kept us rowing the
+whole night without ever landing. It is impossible
+for me to describe the miserable state we
+were reduced to: our bodies were so emaciated,
+that we hardly appeared the figures of men. It
+has often happened to me in the coldest night,
+both in hail and snow, where we had nothing
+but an open beach to lie down upon, in order
+to procure a little rest, that I have been obliged
+to pull off the few rags I had on, as it was impossible
+to get a moment's sleep with them on
+for the vermin that swarmed about them; though
+I used, as often as I had time, to take my clothes
+off, and putting them upon a large stone, beat
+them with another, in hopes of killing hundreds
+at once; for it was endless work to pick them
+off. What we suffered from this, was ten times
+worse even than hunger. But we were clean in
+comparison to Captain Cheap; for I could compare
+his body to nothing but an ant-hill, with
+thousands of those insects crawling over it; for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>
+he was now past attempting to rid himself in the
+least from this torment, as he had quite lost
+himself, not recollecting our names that were
+about him, or even his own. His beard was as
+long as a hermit's: that and his face being
+covered with train-oil and dirt, from having long
+accustomed himself to sleep upon a bag, by the
+way of a pillow, in which he kept the pieces of
+stinking seal. This prudent method he took to
+prevent our getting at it whilst he slept. His
+legs were as big as mill-posts, though his body
+appeared nothing but skin and bone.</p>
+
+<p>One day we fell in with about forty Indians,
+who came down to the beach we landed on,
+curiously painted. Our cacique seemed to
+understand but little of their language, and it
+sounded to us very different from what we had
+heard before. However, they made us comprehend
+that a ship had been upon the coast not
+far from where we then were, and that she had
+a red flag: this we understood some time after
+to have been the Anne pink, whose adventures
+are particularly related in Lord Anson's voyage;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span>
+and we passed through the very harbour she had
+lain in.</p>
+
+<p>As there was but one small canoe that intended
+to accompany us any longer, and that
+in which Mr. Hamilton had been to this time,
+intended to proceed no farther to the northward,
+our cacique proposed to him to come
+into our canoe, which he refused, as the insolence
+of this fellow was to him insupportable;
+he therefore rather chose to remain where he
+was, till chance should throw in his way some
+other means of getting forward: so here we
+left him; and it was some months before we
+saw him again.</p>
+
+<p>We now got on, by very slow degrees, to the
+northward; and as the difficulties and hardships
+we daily went through would only be a
+repetition of those already mentioned, I shall
+say no more, but that at last we reached an
+island, about thirty leagues to the southward
+of Chiloe. Here we remained two days for a
+favourable opportunity to cross the bay, the
+very thoughts of which seemed to frighten our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>
+cacique out of his senses; and, indeed, there
+was great reason for his apprehensions; for
+there ran a most dreadful hollow sea, dangerous,
+indeed, for any open boat whatever,
+but a thousand times more for such a crazy
+vessel as we were in. He at length mustered
+up resolution enough to attempt it, first having
+crossed himself for an hour together, and made
+a kind of lug-sail out of the bits of blankets
+they wore about them, sewed together with
+split supple jacks. We then put off, and a
+terrible passage we had. The bottom plank of
+the canoe was split, which opened upon every
+sea; and the water continually rushing over
+the gunnel, I may say that we were in a manner
+full the whole way over, though all hands were
+employed in baling without ceasing a moment.
+As we drew near the shore, the cacique was
+eager to land, having been terrified to that
+degree with this run, that if it had not been
+for us, every soul must have perished; for he
+had very near got in amongst the breakers,
+where the sea drove with such violence upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span>
+the rocks, that not even an Indian could have
+escaped, especially as it was in the night. We
+kept off till we got into smooth water, and
+landed upon the island of Chiloe; though in a
+part of it that was not inhabited. Here we
+staid all the next day, in a very heavy snow, to
+recover ourselves a little after our fatigue; but
+the cold was so excessive, having neither shoe
+nor stocking, we thought we should have lost
+our feet; and Captain Cheap was so ill, that if
+he had had but a few leagues further to have
+gone without relief, he could not have held out.
+It pleased God now that our sufferings, in a
+great measure, were drawing to an end.</p>
+
+<p>What things our cacique had brought with
+him from the wreck, he here buried under
+ground, in order to conceal them from the
+Spaniards, who would not have left him a rusty
+nail if they had known of it. Towards evening,
+we set off again; and about nine the same
+night, to our great joy, we observed something
+that had the appearance of a house. It belonged
+to an acquaintance of our cacique; and as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span>
+was possessed of my fowling-piece, and we had
+preserved about one charge of powder, he
+made us load it for him, and desired we would
+show him how to discharge it; upon which,
+standing up, and holding his head from it as far
+as possible, he fired, and fell back into the
+bottom of the canoe. The Indians belonging
+to the house, not in the least used to fire-arms,
+ran out and hid themselves in the woods. But
+after some time, one of them, bolder than the
+rest, got upon a hill, and hollowed to us,
+asking who and what we were. Our cacique
+now made himself known, and they presently
+came down to the boat, bringing with them
+some fish, and plenty of potatoes. This was the
+most comfortable meal we had made for many
+long months; and as soon as this was over, we
+rowed about two miles farther to a little village,
+where we landed. Here our cacique presently
+awoke all the inhabitants by the noise he
+made, and obliged one of them to open his
+door to us, and immediately to make a large
+fire; for the weather was very severe, this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+being the month of June, the depth of winter
+in this part of the world. The Indians now
+flocked thick about us, and seemed to have
+great compassion for us, as our cacique related
+to them what part he knew of our history.
+They knew not what countrymen we were, nor
+could our guide inform them; for he had often
+asked us if we were French, Dutch, or English,
+the only nations he had ever heard of besides
+the Spaniards. We always answered we were
+from Grande Bretagne, which he could make
+nothing of; for we were afraid, if he knew us
+to be English, as he had heard that nation was
+at war with the Spaniards, he never would have
+conducted us to Chiloe.</p>
+
+<p>These good-natured compassionate creatures
+seemed to vie with each other who should take
+the most care of us. They made a bed of sheepskins
+close to the fire, for Captain Cheap, and
+laid him upon it; and indeed, had it not been
+for the kind assistance he now met with, he
+could not have survived three days longer.
+Though it was now about midnight, they went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span>
+out and killed a sheep, of which they made
+broth, and baked a large cake of barley-meal.
+Any body may imagine what a treat this was to
+wretches who had not tasted a bit of bread, or
+any wholesome diet, for such a length of time.
+After we could eat no longer, we went to sleep
+about the fire, which the Indians took good care
+to keep up. In the morning, the women came
+from far and near, each bringing with her something.
+Almost every one had a pipkin in her
+hand, containing either fowls or mutton made
+into broth, potatoes, eggs, or other eatables.
+We fell to work as if we had eat nothing in the
+night, and employed ourselves so for the best
+part of the day. In the evening, the men filled
+our house, bringing with them some jars of a
+liquor they called chicha, made of barley-meal,
+and not very unlike our oat-ale in taste, which
+will intoxicate those who drink a sufficient quantity
+of it; for a little has no effect. As soon as
+the drink was out, a fresh supply of victuals was
+brought in; and in this manner we passed the
+whole time we remained with these hospitable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>
+Indians. They are a strong well-made people, extremely
+well featured, both men and women, and
+vastly neat in their persons. The men's dress is
+called by them a puncho, which is a square piece
+of cloth, generally in stripes of different colours,
+with a slit in the middle of it wide enough to let
+their heads through, so that it hangs on their
+shoulders, half of it falling before, and the other
+behind them: under this they wear a short kind of
+flannel shirt without sleeves or neck. They have
+wide-knee'd breeches, something like the Dutch
+seamen, and on their legs a sort of knit buskins
+without any feet to them; but never any shoes.
+Their hair is always combed very smooth, and
+tied very tight up in a great bunch close to the
+neck: some wear a very neat hat of their own
+making, and others go without. The women
+wear a shift like the men's shirts, without
+sleeves; and over it a square piece of cloth,
+which they fasten before with a large silver
+pin, and a petticoat of different stripes: they
+take as much care of their hair as the men;
+and both have always a kind of fillet bound<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>
+very tight about the forehead, and made fast
+behind: in short, these people are as cleanly
+as the several savage nations we had met with
+before were beastly. Upon our first coming
+here, they had dispatched a messenger to the
+Spanish corregidore at Castro, a town a considerable
+distance from hence, to inform him of
+our arrival. At the end of three days, this man
+returned with an order to the chief caciques of
+these Indians we were amongst, to carry us
+directly to a certain place, where there would
+be a party of soldiers to receive us. These poor
+people now seemed to be under great concern
+for us, hearing by the messenger the preparations
+that were making to receive us; for they
+stand in vast dread of the Spanish soldiery.
+They were very desirous of knowing what
+countrymen we were. We told them we were
+English, and at that time at war with the
+Spaniards; upon which they appeared fonder
+of us than ever; and I verily believe, if they
+durst, would have concealed us amongst them,
+lest we should come to any harm. They are so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>
+far from being in the Spanish interest, that
+they detest the very name of a Spaniard. And,
+indeed, I am not surprised at it; for they are
+kept under such subjection, and such a laborious
+slavery, by mere dint of hard usage and
+punishments, that it appears to me the most
+absurd thing in the world, that the Spaniards
+should rely upon these people for assistance
+upon any emergency. We embarked in the
+evening, and it was night before we got to the
+place where we were to be delivered up to the
+Spanish guard. We were met by three or four
+officers, and a number of soldiers, all with their
+spados drawn, who surrounded us as if they
+had the most formidable enemy to take charge
+of, instead of three poor helpless wretches, who,
+notwithstanding the good living we had met
+with amongst these kind Indians, could hardly
+support ourselves. They carried us to the top
+of a hill, and there put us under a shed; for it
+consisted of a thatched roof, without any sides
+or walls, being quite open; and here we were
+to lay upon the cold ground. All sorts of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
+people now came to stare at us as a sight; but
+the Indian women never came empty-handed;
+they always brought with them either fowls,
+mutton, or some kind of provision to us; so
+that we lived well enough. However, we found
+a very sensible difference between the treatment
+we had met with from the Indians, and
+what we now experienced from the Spaniards.
+With the former, we were quite at liberty to do
+as we pleased; but here, if we only went ten
+yards to attempt at getting rid of some of the
+vermin that devoured us, we had two soldiers,
+with drawn spados, to attend us. About the
+third day, a Jesuit from Castro came to see us;
+not from a motive of compassion, but from a
+report spread by our Indian cacique, that we
+had some things of great value about us. Having
+by chance seen Captain Cheap pull out a
+gold repeating watch, the first thing the good
+father did was to lug out of his pocket a bottle
+of brandy, and give us a dram, in order to
+open our hearts. He then came roundly to the
+point, asking us if we had saved no watches or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
+rings. Captain Cheap declared he had nothing,
+never suspecting that the Indian had seen his
+watch, having, as he thought, always taken
+great care to conceal it from him; but knowing
+that Campbel had a silver watch, which had
+been the property of our surgeon, he desired
+him to make it a present to the jesuit, telling
+him, at the same time, that as these people had
+great power and authority, it might be of service
+to us hereafter. This Campbel very unwillingly
+did, and received from the father, not
+long after, a pitiful present, not a quarter part
+of the value of the rim of the watch. We
+understood afterwards, that this had come to
+the governor's ears, who was highly offended
+at it, as thinking that if any thing of that sort
+had been to be had, it was his due; and did
+not spare the jesuits in the least upon the occasion.
+Soon after this, the officer of the guard
+informed us there was an order come to
+carry us to Castro. In the evening, we were
+conducted to the water-side, and put into a
+large periago; and there were several more, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
+attend us, full of soldiers. About eight o'clock
+at night, we were off the town. The boats all
+laid upon their oars, and there was a great deal
+of ceremony used in hailing and asking for the
+keys, as if it had been a regular fortification.
+After some time, we landed; but could see
+neither gates nor walls, nor any thing that had
+the appearance of a garrison. As we walked
+up a steep hill into the town, the way was
+lined with men who had broomsticks upon their
+shoulders instead of muskets, and a lighted
+match in their hands. When we came to the
+corregidore's house, we found it full of people.
+He was an old man, very tall, with a long
+cloak on, a tie-wig without any curl, and a
+spado of immense length by his side. He
+received us in great state and form; but as
+we had no interpreter, we understood little or
+nothing of the questions he asked us. He
+ordered a table to be spread for us with cold
+ham and fowls; which we three only sat down
+to, and in a short time dispatched more than
+ten men with common appetites would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>
+done. It is amazing, that our eating to that
+excess we had done, from the time we first got
+amongst these kind Indians, had not killed us;
+we were never satisfied, and used to take all
+opportunities, for some months after, of filling
+our pockets when we were not seen, that we
+might get up two or three times in the night to
+cram ourselves. Captain Cheap used to declare,
+that he was quite ashamed of himself. After
+supper, the corregidore carried us to the jesuits'
+college, attended by the soldiers, and all the
+rabble of the town. This was intended, at
+present, for our prison, till orders were received
+from the governor, who resided at Chaco, above
+thirty leagues from this place. When we got
+to the college, the corregidore desired the father
+provincial, as they styled him, or head of the
+jesuits here, to find out what religion we were
+of, or whether we had any or not. He then
+retired, the gates were shut, and we were
+conducted to a cell. We found in it something
+like beds spread on the floor, and an
+old ragged shirt a-piece, but clean, which was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>
+of infinite service to us; nor did eating at
+first give me half the satisfaction this treasure
+of an old shirt did. Though this college was
+large, there were but four jesuits in it, nor were
+there any more of that order upon the island.
+In the morning Captain Cheap was sent for
+by the father provincial: their conversation
+was carried on in Latin, perhaps not the
+best on either side; however, they made shift
+to understand one another. When he returned,
+he told us the good fathers were still
+harping upon what things of value we might
+have saved and concealed about us; and that
+if we had any thing of that sort, we could not
+do better than let them have it. Religion
+seemed to be quite out of the question at present;
+but a day or two after the corregidore
+being informed that we were heretics, he desired
+these jesuits would convert us; but one
+of them told him it was a mere joke to attempt
+it, as we could have no inducement upon that
+island to change our religion, but that when
+we got to Chili, in such a delightful country as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>
+that was, where there was nothing but diversions
+and amusements, we should be converted
+fast enough. We kept close to our cell till the
+bell rang for dinner, when we were conducted
+into a hall, where there was one table for the
+fathers, and another for us. After a very long
+Latin prayer, we sat down and eat what was
+put before us, without a single word passing at
+either table. As soon as we had finished,
+there was another long prayer, which, however,
+did not appear so tedious as the first;
+and then we retired to our cell again. In this
+manner we passed eight days without ever
+stirring out; all which time one might have
+imagined one's-self out of the world; for excepting
+the bell for dinner, a silence reigned
+throughout the whole, as if the place had been
+uninhabited. A little before dark, on the
+eighth evening, we heard a violent knocking
+at the gate, which was no sooner opened than
+there entered a young officer booted and spurred,
+who acquainted the fathers that he was sent
+by the governor to conduct us to Chaco. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>
+young man was the governor's son; by which
+means he obtained a commission next in authority,
+upon this island, to his father. He ought
+to have been kept at school, for he was a vain,
+empty coxcomb, much disliked by the people
+of the island. After taking leave of the jesuits,
+who I imagined were not sorry to be rid of us,
+after finding their expectations balked, we
+set out, having about thirty soldiers on horseback
+to attend us. We rode about eight miles
+that night, when we came to an Estancia, or
+farm-house, belonging to an old lady who had
+two handsome daughters. Here we were very
+well entertained, and the good old lady seemed
+to have great compassion for us. She asked
+the governor's son if he thought his father
+would have any objection to my passing a month
+with her at her farm. As she was a person of
+rank in this island, he said he would acquaint
+his father with her request, and made no doubt
+but he would grant it. I observed our soldiers,
+when they came into the house, had none of
+them any shoes on, but wore buskins, like the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span>
+Indians, without any feet to them. They all
+had monstrous great spurs, some of silver and
+others of copper, which made a rattling when
+they walked like chains. They were all stout,
+strong-looking men, as the Spaniards, natives
+of the island, in general are. After a good
+supper, we had sheepskins laid near the fire
+for us to sleep on. Early in the morning we
+mounted again, and after riding some miles
+across the country, we came to the water-side,
+where we found several periagos waiting for us,
+with some officers in them. Most of the soldiers
+dismounted and embarked with us, a few
+only being sent round with the horses. It
+was three days before we arrived at Chaco, as
+the tides between this island and the main are
+so rapid that no boat can stem them. The
+same precaution was taken here as at Castro;
+we passed through a whole lane of soldiers,
+armed as I mentioned those to have been before,
+excepting a few, who really had matchlocks,
+the only fire-arms they have here. The
+soldiers, upon our journey, had given a pom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>pous
+account of el Palacio del Rey, or the
+king's palace, as they styled the governor's
+house, and therefore we expected to see something
+very magnificent; but it was nothing
+better than a large thatched barn, partitioned
+off into several rooms. The governor was
+sitting at a large table covered with a piece of
+red serge, having all the principal officers about
+him. After some time he made us sit down,
+attempting to converse with us by his linguist,
+who was a stupid old fellow, that could neither
+talk English nor Spanish, but said he was
+born in England, had resided above forty years
+in that country, and having formerly been a
+buccaneer, was taken by the Spaniards near
+Panama. The governor kept us to supper,
+and then we were conducted across the court to
+our apartment, which was a place that had
+served to keep the fire wood for the governor's
+kitchen; however, as it was dry over head, we
+thought ourselves extremely well lodged. There
+was a soldier placed at the door with a drawn
+spado in his hand, to prevent our stirring out;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>
+which was quite unnecessary, as we knew not
+where to go if we had been at liberty. One of
+these soldiers took a great fancy to my ragged
+grieko, which had still some thousands about
+it; and in exchange gave me an old puncho,
+the sort of garment with a hole in the middle to
+put one's head through, as above related to be
+worn by the Indians; and for the little bit of
+my waistcoat that remained, he gave me a pair
+of breeches. I now should have thought myself
+very handsomely equipped, if I had had
+but another shirt. The next day, about noon,
+the governor sent for us, and we dined at his
+table; after which we returned to our lodging,
+where we were never alone, for every body was
+curious to see us. We passed about a week in
+this manner, when the sentinel was taken off,
+and we were allowed to look about us a little,
+though not to go out of the palace, as they
+were pleased to call it. We dined every day
+with the governor; but were not very fond of
+his fast days, which succeeded each other too
+quickly. I contrived to make friends with his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>
+steward and cook, by which means I always
+carried my pockets full to my apartment, where
+I passed my time very agreeably. Soon after,
+we had leave to walk about the town, or go
+wherever we pleased. Every house was open
+to us; and though it was but an hour after
+we had dined, they always spread a table,
+thinking we never could eat enough after what
+we had suffered; and we were much of the
+same opinion. They are, in general, a charitable,
+good sort of people, but very ignorant, and
+governed by their priests, who make them
+believe just what they please. The Indian
+language is chiefly spoken here, even by the
+Spaniards one amongst another; and they say
+they think it a finer language than their own.
+The women have fine complexions, and many
+of them are very handsome; they have good
+voices, and can strum a little upon the guitar;
+but they have an ugly custom of smoking
+tobacco, which is a very scarce commodity
+here; and therefore is looked upon as a great
+treat when they meet at one another's houses.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
+The lady of the house comes in with a large
+wooden pipe crammed with tobacco; and after
+taking two or three hearty whiffs, she holds
+her head under her cloak lest any of the smoke
+should escape, and then swallows it; some
+time after you see it coming out of her nose
+and ears. She then hands the pipe to the next
+lady, who does the same, till it has gone
+through the whole company. Their houses are
+but very mean, as will be easily imagined by
+what I have said of the governor's. They
+make their fire in the middle of their rooms,
+but have no chimneys; there is a small hole at
+each end of the roof to let the smoke out. It
+is only the better sort of people that eat bread
+made of wheat, as they grow but very little
+here, and they have no mills to grind it; but
+then they have great plenty of the finest potatoes
+in the world: these are always roasted in
+the ashes, then scraped, and served up at meals
+instead of bread. They breed abundance of
+swine, as they supply both Chili and Peru
+with hams. They are in no want of sheep,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>
+but are not overstocked with cows; owing, in
+a great measure, to their own indolence in not
+clearing away the woods, which if they would
+be at the pains to do, they might have sufficient
+pasture. Their trade consists in hams, hogs-lard,
+which is used throughout all South America
+instead of butter; cedar plank, which the
+Indians are continually employed in cutting
+quite to the foot of the Cordilleras; little carved
+boxes, which the Spanish ladies use to put
+their work in; carpets, quilts, and punchos
+neatly embroidered all round; for these, both
+in Chili and Peru, are used by the people of
+the first fashion, as well as the inferior sort, by
+way of riding-dress, and are esteemed to be
+much more convenient for a horseman than
+any kind of coat whatever.</p>
+
+<p>They have what they call an annual ship
+from Lima, as they never expect more than
+one in the year; though sometimes it happens
+that two have come, and at other times they
+have been two or three years without any.
+When this happens they are greatly distressed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>
+as this ship brings them baize, cloth, linens,
+hats, ribbons, tobacco, sugar, brandy, and
+wine; but this latter article is chiefly for the
+use of the churches: matte, an herb from
+Paraguay, used all over South America instead
+of tea, is also a necessary article. This ship's
+cargo is chiefly consigned to the jesuits, who
+have more Indians employed for them than all
+the rest of the inhabitants together, and of
+course engross almost the whole trade. There
+is no money current in this island. If any
+person wants a few yards of linen, a little
+sugar, tobacco, or any other thing brought from
+Peru, he gives so many cedar planks, hams, or
+punchos, in exchange. Some time after we
+had been here, a snow arrived in the harbour
+from Lima, which occasioned great joy amongst
+the inhabitants, as they had no ship the year
+before, from the alarm Lord Anson had given
+upon the coast. This was not the annual
+vessel, but one of those that I mentioned before
+which come unexpectedly. The captain of
+her was an old man, well known upon the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>
+island, who had traded here once in two or
+three years, for more than thirty years past.
+He had a remarkable large head, and therefore
+was commonly known by a nick-name they had
+given him of Cabuço de Toro, or Bull's-head.
+He had not been here a week before he came
+to the governor, and told him, with a most
+melancholy countenance, that he had not slept
+a wink since he came into the harbour, as the
+governor was pleased to allow three English
+prisoners liberty to walk about instead of confining
+them; and that he expected every moment
+they would board his vessel, and carry her
+away: this he said when he had above thirty
+hands aboard. The governor assured him he
+would be answerable for us, and that he might
+sleep in quiet; though at the same time he
+could not help laughing at the man, as all the
+people in the town did. These assurances did
+not satisfy the captain: he used the utmost
+dispatch in disposing of his cargo, and put to
+sea again, not thinking himself safe till he had
+lost sight of the island. It was about three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>
+months after us that Mr. Hamilton was brought
+in by a party that the governor had sent to the
+southward on purpose to fetch him. He was
+in a wretched condition upon his first arrival,
+but soon recovered with the good living he
+found here.</p>
+
+<p>It is usual for the governor to make a tour,
+every year, through the several districts belonging
+to his government: on this occasion he took
+us with him. The first place he visited was
+Carelmapo, on the main; and from thence to
+Castro. At these places he holds a kind of
+court; all the chief caciques meeting him, and
+informing him of what has passed since his last
+visit, and receiving fresh orders for the year to
+come. At Castro we had the same liberty we
+enjoyed at Chaco, and visited every body. It
+seemed they had forgot all the ceremony used
+upon our first landing here, which was with an
+intent to make us believe it was strongly fortified;
+for now they let us see plainly that they
+had neither fort nor gun. At Chaco they had
+a little earthen fort, with a small ditch palisa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>doed
+round it, and a few old honey-combed
+guns without carriages, and which do not defend
+the harbour in the least. Whilst we were
+at Castro, the old lady, (at whose house we lay
+the first night upon leaving the jesuits' college)
+sent to the governor, and begged I might be
+allowed to come to her for a few weeks: this
+was granted; and accordingly I went and
+passed about three weeks with her very happily,
+as she seemed to be as fond of me as if I had
+been her own son. She was very unwilling to
+part with me again; but as the governor was
+soon to return to Chaco, he sent for me, and I
+left my benefactress with regret.</p>
+
+<p>Amongst the houses we visited at Castro,
+there was one belonging to an old priest, who
+was esteemed one of the richest persons upon
+the island. He had a niece, of whom he was
+extremely fond, and who was to inherit all he
+possessed. He had taken a great deal of pains
+with her education, and she was reckoned one
+of the most accomplished young ladies of Chiloe.
+Her person was good, though she could not be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>
+called a regular beauty. This young lady did
+me the honour to take more notice of me than I
+deserved, and proposed to her uncle to convert
+me, and afterwards begged his consent to marry
+me. As the old man doted upon her, he
+readily agreed to it; and accordingly on the
+next visit I made him, acquainted me with the
+young lady's proposal, and his approbation of
+it, taking me at the same time into a room
+where there were several chests and boxes,
+which he unlocked; first shewing me what a
+number of fine clothes his niece had, and then
+his own wardrobe, which he said should be
+mine at his death. Amongst other things, he
+produced a piece of linen, which he said should
+immediately be made up into shirts for me. I
+own this last article was a great temptation to
+me; however, I had the resolution to withstand
+it, and made the best excuses I could for not
+accepting of the honour they intended me; for
+by this time I could speak Spanish well enough
+to make myself understood.</p>
+
+<p>Amongst the Indians who had come to meet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>
+the governor here, there were some caciques of
+those Indians who had treated us so kindly at
+our first landing upon Chiloe. One of these, a
+young man, had been guilty of some offence, and
+was put in irons, and threatened to be more
+severely punished. We could not learn his
+crime, or whether the governor did not do it in
+a great measure to shew us his power over these
+Indian chiefs: however, we were under great
+concern for this young man, who had been
+extremely kind to us, and begged Captain
+Cheap to intercede with the governor for him.
+This he did, and the cacique was released; the
+governor acquainting him at the same time,
+with great warmth, that it was to us only he
+owed it, or otherwise he would have made a
+severe example of him. The young man seemed
+to have been in no dread of farther punishment,
+as I believe he felt all a man could do from the
+indignity of being put in irons in the public
+square, before all his brother caciques and many
+hundreds of other Indians. I thought this was
+not a very politic step of the governor, as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>
+cacique came after to Captain Cheap to thank
+him for his goodness, and in all probability
+would remember the English for some time
+after; and not only he, but all the other caciques
+who had been witnesses of it, and who seemed
+to feel, if possible, even more than the young
+man himself did. We now returned to Chaco,
+and the governor told me, when the annual ship
+came, which they expected in December, we
+should be sent in her to Chili. We felt several
+earthquakes while we were here. One day as I
+happened to be upon a visit at a house where I
+was very well acquainted, an Indian came in,
+who lived at many leagues distance from this
+town, and who had made this journey in order
+to purchase some little trifles he wanted;
+amongst other things, he had bought some
+prints of saints. Very proud of these, he produced
+them, and put them into the hands of the
+women, who very devoutly first crossed themselves
+with them, and afterwards kissed them;
+then gave them to me, saying at the same time,
+they supposed such a heretic as I was would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>
+refuse to kiss them. They were right in their
+conjectures: I returned them to the Indian
+without going through that ceremony. At that
+very instant, there happened a violent shock of
+an earthquake, which they imputed entirely to
+the anger of the saints; and all quitted the
+house as fast as they could, lest it should fall
+upon their heads. For my part, I made the
+best of my way home for fear of being knocked
+on the head, when out of the house, by the
+rabble, who looked on me as the cause of all
+this mischief, and did not return to that house
+again till I thought this affair was forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a very good harbour; but the entrance
+is very dangerous for those who are unacquainted
+with it, as the tides are so extremely rapid, and
+there are sunken rocks in the mid-channel.
+The island is above seventy leagues round;
+and the body of it lies in about 40° 20'
+south, and is the most southern settlement the
+Spaniards have in these seas. Their summer is
+of no long duration, and most of the year round
+they have hard gales of wind and much rain.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>
+Opposite the island, upon the Cordilleras, there
+is a volcano, which, at times, burns with great
+fury, and is subject to violent eruptions. One
+of these alarmed the whole island, whilst we
+were here: it sounded in the night like great
+guns. In the morning, the governor mounted
+his horse, and rode backwards and forwards from
+his house to the earthen fort, saying it was the
+English coming in, but that he would give
+them a warm reception; meaning, I suppose,
+that he would have left them a good fire in his
+house; for I am certain he would soon have
+been in the woods, if he had seen any thing like
+an English ship coming in.</p>
+
+<p>Women of the first fashion here seldom wear
+shoes or stockings in the house, but only keep
+them to wear upon particular occasions. I have
+often seen them coming to the church, which
+stood opposite to the governor's house, barelegged,
+walking through mud and water; and
+at the church door put on their shoes and
+stockings, and pull them off again when they
+came out. Though they are in general hand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>some,
+and have good complexions, yet many of
+them paint in so ridiculous a manner, that it is
+impossible to help laughing in their faces when
+you see them. The governor we found here
+was a native of Chili. The government, which
+is appointed by that presidency, is for three
+years; which appears to be a long banishment
+to them, as their appointments are but small,
+though they make the most of it. The towns
+of Castro and Chaco, consist only of scattered
+houses, without a regular street; though both
+have their places or squares, as almost all
+Spanish towns have. Chaco is very thinly
+inhabited, excepting at the time the Lima ship
+arrives; then they flock thither from all parts
+of the island, to purchase what little matters
+they want; and as soon as that is done, retire
+to their estancias, or farms. It was about the
+middle of December this ship came in; and
+the second of January, 1742-3, we embarked
+on board of her. She was bound to Valparaiso.
+We got out to sea with some difficulty, having
+been driven by the strength of the tide very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>
+near those sunken rocks mentioned before. We
+found a great sea without; and as the ship was
+as deep as any laden collier, her decks were continually
+well washed. She was a fine vessel, of
+about two hundred and fifty tons. The timber
+the ships of this country are built of is excellent,
+as they last a prodigious time; for they assured
+us that the vessel we were then in had been built
+above forty years. The captain was a Spaniard,
+and knew not the least of sea affairs; the second
+captain, or master, the boatswain, and his mate,
+were all three Frenchmen, and very good seamen;
+the pilot was a Mulatto, and all the rest
+of the crew were Indians and Negroes. The
+latter were all slaves and stout fellows; but never
+suffered to go aloft, lest they should fall overboard,
+and the owners lose so much money
+by it. The Indians were active, brisk men, and
+very good seamen for that climate. We had on
+board the head of the jesuits as passenger. He
+and Captain Cheap were admitted into the great
+cabin, and messed with the captain and his
+chaplain. As for us, we were obliged to rough it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>
+the whole passage; that is, when we were tired
+we lay down upon the quarter-deck, in the open
+air, and slept as well as we could; but that was
+nothing to us, who had been used to fare so
+much worse. We lived well, eating with the
+master and boatswain, who always had their
+meals upon the quarter-deck, and drank brandy
+at them as we do small beer; and all the rest
+of the day were smoking cigars.</p>
+
+<p>The fifth day we made the land four or five
+leagues to the southward of Valparaiso; and
+soon after falling calm, a great western swell
+hurried us in very fast towards the shore. We
+dropped the lead several times, but had such
+deep water we could not anchor. They were
+all much alarmed, when the jesuit came out of
+the cabin for the first time, having been sea-sick
+the whole passage. As soon as he was informed
+of the danger, he went back into the cabin, and
+brought out the image of some saint, which he
+desired might be hung up in the mizen-shrouds;
+which being done, he kept threatening it, that
+if we had not a breeze of wind soon, he would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>
+certainly throw it overboard. Soon after, we
+had a little wind from off the land, when the
+jesuit carried the image back with an air of
+great triumph, saying he was certain that we
+should not be without wind long, though he
+had given himself over for lost some time before
+it came. Next morning we anchored in the
+port of Valparaiso. In that part which is
+opposite to the fort, ships lay so near the land,
+that they have generally three anchors ashore,
+as there is eight or ten fathom close to; and
+the flaws come off the hills with such violence,
+that if it was not for this method of securing
+them, they would be blown out. This is only
+in summer time, for in the winter months no
+ships ever attempt to come in here; the northerly
+winds then prevail, and drive in such a sea
+that they must soon be ashore. The Spanish
+captain waited upon the governor of the fort,
+and informed him that he had four English
+prisoners on board. We were ordered ashore
+in the afternoon, and were received as we got
+upon the beach, by a file of soldiers, with their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+bayonets fixed, who surrounded us, and then
+marched up to the fort, attended by a numerous
+mob. We were carried before the governor,
+whose house was full of officers. He was
+blind, asked a few questions, and then spoke
+of nothing but the strength of the garrison he
+commanded, and desired to know if we had
+observed that all the lower battery was brass
+guns. We were immediately after, by his
+order, put into the condemned hole. There
+was nothing but four bare walls, excepting a
+heap of lime that filled one third of it, and
+made the place swarm with fleas in such a
+manner that we were presently covered with
+them. Some of Admiral Pizarro's soldiers were
+here in garrison that had been landed from his
+ships at Buenos Ayres, as he could not get
+round Cape Horn. A centinel's box was placed
+at our door, and we had always a soldier with
+his bayonet fixed, to prevent our stirring out.
+The curiosity of the people was such, that our
+prison was continually full from morning till
+night, by which the soldiers made a pretty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>
+penny, as they took money from every person
+for the sight. In a few days, Captain Cheap
+and Mr. Hamilton were ordered up to St. Jago,
+as they were known to be officers by having
+saved their commissions; but Mr. Campbell
+and I were to continue in prison. Captain
+Cheap expressed great concern when he left
+us; he told me it was what he had all along
+dreaded, that they would separate us when we
+got into this country; but he assured me, if he
+was permitted to speak to the president, that
+he would never leave soliciting him till he
+obtained a grant for me to be sent up to him.
+No sooner were they gone than we fared very
+badly. A common soldier, who was ordered to
+provide for us by the governor, brought us
+each, once a day, a few potatoes mixed with
+hot water. The other soldiers of the garrison,
+as well as the people who flocked to see us,
+took notice of it, and told the soldier it was
+cruel to treat us in that manner. His answer
+was, "The governor allows me but half a real
+a day for each of these men; what can I do?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
+It is he that is to blame: I am shocked every
+time I bring them this scanty pittance, though
+even that could not be provided for the money
+he gives them." We from this time lived
+much better, and the soldier brought us even
+wine and fruit. We took it for granted, that
+our case had been represented to the governor,
+and that he had increased our pay. As to the
+first, we were right in our conjectures; it had
+been mentioned to him, that it was impossible
+we could subsist on what he allowed; and his
+answer to it was, that we might starve; for we
+should have no more from him, and that he
+believed he should never be repaid even that.
+This charitable speech of the governor was
+made known every where, and now almost
+every one who came to see us gave us something;
+even the mule-drivers would take out
+their tobacco pouch, in which they kept their
+money, and give us half a real. All this we
+would have given to our soldier, but he never
+would receive a farthing from us, telling us we
+might still want it; and the whole time we were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>
+there, which was some weeks, he laid aside
+half his daily pay to supply us, though he had
+a wife and six children, and never could have
+the least hope or expectation of any recompence.
+However, two years after this, I had the singular
+pleasure of making him some return,
+when my circumstances were much better than
+his. One night, when we were locked up,
+there happened a dreadful shock of an earthquake.
+We expected, every moment, the roof
+and walls of our prison to fall in upon us, and
+crush us to pieces; and what added to the
+horror of it was, the noise of chains and imprecations
+in the next prison which joined to ours,
+where there were near seventy felons heavily
+loaded with irons, who are kept here to work
+upon the fortifications, as in other countries
+they are condemned to the gallies. A few days
+after this, we were told an order was come from
+the president to the governor to send us up to
+St. Jago, which is ninety miles from Valparaiso,
+and is the capital of Chili. There were
+at this time several ships in the port from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>
+Lima delivering their cargoes; so that almost
+every day there were large droves of mules
+going up to St. Jago with the goods. The
+governor sent for one of the master-carriers,
+and ordered him to take us up with him. The
+man asked him how he was to be paid our
+expences, as he should be five days upon the
+road. The governor told him he might get that
+as he could, for he would not advance him a
+single farthing. After taking leave of our
+friendly soldier, who even now brought us some
+little matters to carry with us, we set out, and
+travelled about fourteen miles the first day, and
+lay at night in the open field, which is always
+the custom of these people, stopping where
+there is plenty of pasture and good water for
+the mules. The next morning we passed over
+a high mountain, called Zapata; and then
+crossing a large plain, we passed another mountain,
+very difficult for the mules, who each
+carried two heavy bales: there were above a
+hundred of them in this drove. The mules of
+Chili are the finest in the world; and though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span>
+they are continually upon the road, and have
+nothing but what they pick up at nights, they
+are as fat and sleek as high-fed horses in
+England. The fourth night we lay upon a
+plain in sight of St. Jago, and not above four
+leagues from it. The next day, as we moved
+towards the city, our master-carrier, who was
+naturally well disposed, and had been very kind
+to us all the way upon the road, advised me,
+very seriously, not to think of remaining in
+St. Jago, where he said there was nothing but
+extravagance, vice, and folly, but to proceed on
+with them as mule-driver, which, he said, I
+should soon be very expert at; and that they
+led an innocent and happy life, far preferable
+to any enjoyment such a great city as that
+before us could afford. I thanked him, and
+told him I was very much obliged to him; but
+that I would try the city first, and if I did not
+like it, I would accept of the offer he was so
+good to make me. The thing that gave him
+this high opinion of me was, that as he had
+been so civil to us, I was very officious in assist<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>ing
+to drive in those mules that strayed from
+the rest upon those large plains we passed over;
+and this I thought was the least I could do
+towards making some returns for the obligations
+we were under to him.</p>
+
+<p>When we got into St. Jago, the carrier delivered
+us to the captain of the guard, at the
+palace gate; and he soon after introduced us to
+the president, Don Joseph Manso, who received
+us very civilly, and then sent us to the house
+where Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were.
+We found them extremely well lodged at the
+house of a Scotch physician, whose name was
+Don Patricio Gedd. This gentleman had been
+a long time in this city, and was greatly
+esteemed by the Spaniards, as well for his
+abilities in his profession, as his humane disposition.
+He no sooner heard that there were
+four English prisoners arrived in that country,
+than he waited upon the president, and begged
+they might be lodged at his house. This was
+granted; and had we been his own brothers,
+we could not have met with a more friendly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>
+reception; and during two years that we were
+with him, his constant study was to make every
+thing as agreeable to us as possible. We
+were greatly distressed to think of the expence
+he was at upon our account; but it was in vain
+for us to argue with him about it. In short,
+to sum up his character in a few words, there
+never was a man of more extensive humanity.
+Two or three days after our arrival, the president
+sent Mr. Campbell and me an invitation
+to dine with him, where we were to meet
+Admiral Pizarro and his officers. This was a
+cruel stroke upon us, as we had not any clothes
+fit to appear in, and dared not refuse the invitation.
+The next day, a Spanish officer belonging
+to Admiral Pizarro's squadron, whose name
+was Don Manuel de Guiror, came and made us
+an offer of two thousand dollars. This generous
+Spaniard made this offer without any view
+of ever being repaid, but purely out of a compassionate
+motive of relieving us in our present
+distress. We returned him all the acknowledgments
+his uncommon generous behaviour<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span>
+merited, and accepted of six hundred dollars
+only, upon his receiving our draught for that
+sum upon the English consul at Lisbon. We
+now got ourselves decently clothed after the
+Spanish fashion; and as we were upon our
+parole, we went out where we pleased to divert
+ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>This city is situated about 33 degrees and 30
+minutes, south latitude, at the west foot of the
+immense chain of mountains called the Cordilleras.
+It stands on a most beautiful plain of
+about thirty leagues extent. It was founded by
+Don Pedro de Baldivia, the conqueror of Chili.
+The plan of it was marked out by him in
+squares, like Lima; and almost every house
+belonging to people of any fashion, has a large
+court before it, with great gates, and a garden
+behind. There is a little rivulet, neatly faced
+with stone, runs through every street; by which
+they can cool the streets, or water their gardens,
+when they please. The whole town is extremely
+well paved. Their gardens are full of noble
+orange-trees and floripondies, with all sorts of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
+flowers, which perfume the houses, and even
+the whole city. Much about the middle of it, is
+the great square, called the Plaça Real, or the
+Royal Square; there are eight avenues leading
+into it. The west side contains the cathedral
+and the bishop's palace; the north side is the
+president's palace, the royal court, the council
+house, and the prison; the south side is a row
+of piazzas, the whole length of which are shops,
+and over it a gallery to see the bull-feasts; the
+east side has some large houses belonging to
+people of distinction; and in the middle is a
+large fountain, with a brass bason. The houses
+have, in general, only a ground floor, upon
+account of the frequent earthquakes; but they
+make a handsome appearance. The churches
+are rich in gilding as well as in plate: that of
+the jesuits is reckoned an exceeding good piece
+of architecture; but it is too high built for a
+country so subject to earthquakes, and where
+it has frequently happened that thousands of
+people have been swallowed up at once. There
+is a hill, or rather high rock, at the east end<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>
+of the city, called St. Lucia, from the top of
+which you have a view of all the city, and the
+country about for many leagues, affording a
+very delightful landscape. Their estancias, or
+country houses, are very pleasant, having generally
+a fine grove of olive trees, with large vineyards
+to them. The Chili wine, in my opinion,
+is full as good as Madeira, and made in such
+quantities that it is sold extremely cheap. The
+soil of this country is so fertile, that the husbandmen
+have very little trouble; for they do
+but in a manner scratch up the ground, and
+without any kind of manure it yields an hundred
+fold. Without doubt the wheat of Chili
+is the finest in the world, and the fruits are all
+excellent in their kinds. Beef and mutton are
+so cheap, that you may have a good cow for
+three dollars, and a fat sheep for two shillings.
+Their horses are extraordinary good; and though
+some of them go at a great price, you may have
+a very good one for four dollars, or about
+eighteen shillings of our money. It must be a
+very poor Indian who has not his four or five<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>
+horses; and there are no better horsemen in the
+world than the Chileans; and that is not surprising,
+for they never choose to go a hundred
+yards on foot. They have always their laço
+fixed to their saddle: the laço is a long thong
+of leather, at the end of which they make a
+sliding noose. It is of more general use to
+them than any weapon whatever; for with this
+they are sure of catching either horse or wild
+bull, upon full gallop, by any foot they please.
+Their horses are all trained to this, and the
+moment they find the thong straitened, as the
+other end is always made fast to the saddle, the
+horse immediately turns short, and throwing
+the beast thus caught, the huntsman wounds
+or secures him in what manner he may think
+proper. These people are so dexterous, that
+they will take from the ground a glove or
+handkerchief, while their horse is upon full
+stretch; and I have seen them jump upon the
+back of the wildest bull, and all the efforts of
+the beast could not throw them. This country
+produces all sorts of metals; it is famous for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>
+gold, silver, iron, tin, lead, and quicksilver,
+but some of these they do not understand
+working, especially quicksilver. With copper
+they supply all Peru, and send, likewise,
+a great deal to Europe. The climate of Chili
+is, I believe, the finest in the world. What
+they call their winter does not last three
+months; and even that is very moderate, as
+may be imagined by their manner of building,
+for they have no chimneys in their houses. All
+the rest of the year is delightful; for though
+from ten or eleven in the morning till five in
+the afternoon, it is very hot, yet the evenings
+and mornings are very cool and pleasant; and
+in the hottest time of the year, it is from six in
+the evening till two or three in the morning,
+that the people of this country meet to divert
+themselves with music and other entertainments,
+at which there is plenty of cooling
+liquors, as they are well supplied with ice from
+the neighbouring Cordilleras. At these assemblies,
+many intrigues are carried on; for they
+think of nothing else throughout the year.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>
+Their fandangoes are very agreeable; the women
+dance inimitably well, and very gracefully.
+They are all born with an ear for music, and
+most of them have delightful voices; and all
+play upon the guitar and harp. The latter,
+at first, appears a very aukward instrument for
+a woman; yet that prejudice is soon got over,
+and they far excel any other nation upon it.
+They are extremely complaisant and polite;
+and when asked either to play, dance, or sing,
+they do it without a moment's hesitation, and
+that with an exceeding good grace. They have
+many figure-dances; but what they take most
+delight in, are more like our hornpipes than
+any thing else I can compare them to; and
+upon these occasions they shew surprising activity.
+The women are remarkably handsome,
+and very extravagant in their dress. Their
+hair, which is as thick as is possible to be
+conceived, they wear of a vast length, without
+any other ornament upon the head than a few
+flowers; they plait it behind in four plaits, and
+twist them round a bodkin, at each end of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>
+which is a diamond rose. Their shifts are all
+over lace, as is a little tight waistcoat they
+wear over them. Their petticoats are open
+before, and lap over, and have commonly three
+rows of very rich lace of gold or silver. In
+winter they have an upper waistcoat of cloth
+of gold or silver; and in summer, of the finest
+linen, covered all over with the finest Flanders
+lace. The sleeves of these are immensely wide.
+Over all this, when the air is cool, they have a
+mantle, which is only of bays, of the finest
+colours, round which there is abundance of lace.
+When they go abroad, they wear a veil, which
+is so contrived that one eye is only seen. Their
+feet are very small, and they value themselves as
+much upon it as the Chinese do. Their shoes are
+pinked and cut; their stockings silk, with gold
+and silver clocks; and they love to have the
+end of an embroidered garter hang a little
+below the petticoat. They have fine sparkling
+eyes, ready wit, a great deal of good nature,
+and a strong disposition to gallantry.</p>
+
+<p>By the description of one house you have an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>
+idea of all the rest. You first come into a large
+court, on one side of which is the stable: you then
+enter a hall; on one side of that is a large room,
+about twenty feet wide, and near forty feet long;
+the side next the window is the estrado, which
+runs the whole length of the room. The estrado
+is a platform, raised about five or six inches
+above the floor, and is covered with carpets and
+velvet cushions for the women to sit on, which
+they do after the Moorish fashion, cross-legged.
+The chairs for the men are covered with printed
+leather. At the end of the estrado, there is an
+alcove, where the bed stands; and there is always
+a vast deal of the sheets hanging out, with a
+profusion of lace to them, and the same on the
+pillows. They have a false door to the alcove,
+which sometimes is very convenient. Besides,
+there are generally two other rooms, one within
+another; and the kitchen and other offices are
+detached from the house, either at one side or
+the end of the garden.</p>
+
+<p>The ladies are fond of having their Mulatto
+female slaves dressed almost as well as them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span>selves
+in every respect, excepting jewels, in
+which they indulge themselves to the utmost
+extravagance. Paraguay tea, which they call
+Matte, as I mentioned before, is always drunk
+twice a-day: this is brought upon a large silver
+salver, with four legs raised upon it, to receive a
+little cup made out of a small calabash, or gourd,
+and tipped with silver. They put the herb first
+into this, and add what sugar they please, and
+a little orange juice; and then pour hot water on
+them, and drink it immediately, through the
+conveyance of a long silver tube, at the end of
+which there is a round strainer, to prevent the
+herb getting through. And here it is reckoned
+a piece of politeness for the lady to suck the
+tube two or three times first, and then give it
+the stranger to drink without wiping it.</p>
+
+<p>They eat every thing so highly seasoned with
+red pepper, that those who are not used to it,
+upon the first mouthful would imagine their
+throats on fire for an hour afterwards; and it is
+a common custom here, though you have the
+greatest plenty at your own table, to have two or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
+three Mulatto girls come in at the time you dine,
+bringing, in a little silver plate, some of these
+high-seasoned ragouts, with a compliment from
+Donna such-a-one, who desires you will eat a
+little bit of what she has sent you; which must
+be done before her Mulatto's face, or it would
+be deemed a great affront. Had this been the
+fashion at Chiloe, we should never have offended;
+but sometimes here we could have wished this
+ceremony omitted.</p>
+
+<p>The president never asked any of us a second
+time to his table. He expected us once a fortnight
+to be at his levee, which we never failed;
+and he always received us very politely. He
+was a man of a very amiable character, and
+much respected by every body in Chili, and some
+time after we left that country, was appointed
+viceroy of Peru.</p>
+
+<p>We had leave, whenever we asked it, to make
+an excursion into the country for ten or twelve
+days at a time; which we did sometimes to a
+very pleasant spot belonging to Don Joseph
+Dunose, a French gentleman, and a very sensi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span>ble,
+well-bred man, who had married a very
+agreeable lady at St. Jago, with a very good
+fortune. We also sometimes had invitations
+from the Spaniards to their country-houses.
+We had a numerous acquaintance in the city,
+and in general received many civilities from the
+inhabitants. There are a great many people of
+fashion, and very good families from Old Spain
+settled here. A lady lived next door to us,
+whose name was Donna Francisca Giron; and as
+my name sounded something like it, she would
+have it that we were Parientes. She had a
+daughter, a very fine young woman, who both
+played and sung remarkably well: she was
+reckoned the finest voice in St. Jago. They saw
+a great deal of company, and we were welcome
+to her house whenever we pleased. We were a
+long time in this country, but we passed it very
+agreeably. The president alone goes with four
+horses to his coach; but the common vehicle
+here is a calash, or kind of vis-à-vis, drawn by
+one mule only. Bull-feasts are a common diversion
+here, and they far surpass anything of that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span>
+kind I ever saw at Lisbon, or any where else.
+Indeed, it is amazing to see the activity and
+dexterity of those who attack the bulls. It is
+always done here by those only who follow it as
+a trade, for it is too dangerous to be practised as a
+diversion; as a proof of which, it is found that
+though some may hold out longer than others,
+there are few who constantly practice it, that die a
+natural death. The bulls are always the wildest
+that can be brought in from the mountains or forests,
+and have nothing on their horns to prevent
+their piercing a man the first stroke, as they have
+at Lisbon. I have seen a man, when the bull came
+at him with the utmost fury, spring directly over
+the beast's head, and perform this feat several
+times, and at last jump on his back, and there
+sit a considerable time, the bull the whole time
+attempting every means to throw him. But
+though this practitioner was successful, several
+accidents happened while I was there. The
+ladies, at these feasts, are always dressed as fine
+as possible; and, I imagine, go rather to be
+admired than to receive any amusement from a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>
+sight that one should think would give them
+pain. Another amusement for the ladies here,
+are the nights of their great processions, when
+they go out veiled; and as in that dress they
+cannot be known, they amuse themselves in
+talking to people much in the manner that is
+done at our masquerades. One night in Lent,
+as I was standing close to the houses as the procession
+went by, and having nothing but a thin
+waistcoat on under my cloak, and happening to
+have my arm out, a lady came by, and gave me
+a pinch with so good a will, that I thought she
+had taken the piece out; and, indeed, I carried
+the marks for a long time after. I durst not
+take the least notice of this at the time; for had
+I made any disturbance, I should have been
+knocked on the head. This kind lady immediately
+after mixed with the crowd, and I never
+could find out who had done me that favour. I
+have seen fifty or sixty penitents following these
+processions; they wear a long white garment
+with a long train to it, and high caps of the
+same, which fall down before, and cover all their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>
+faces, having only two small holes for their eyes;
+so that they are never known. Their backs are
+bare, and they lash themselves with a cat-o'-nine-tails
+till the long train behind is covered all
+over with blood. Others follow them with great
+heavy crosses upon their backs; so that they
+groan under the weight as they walk barefooted,
+and often faint away. The streets swarm with
+friars of all the different orders. The president
+has always a guard at his palace regularly
+clothed. The rest of their forces consists of
+militia, who are numerous.</p>
+
+<p>All European goods are very dear. English
+cloth, of fourteen or fifteen shillings a yard, sells
+there for ten or eleven dollars; and every other
+article in proportion. We found many Spaniards
+here that had been taken by Commodore
+Anson, and had been for some time prisoners on
+board the Centurion. They all spoke in the
+highest terms of the kind treatment they had
+received; and it is natural to imagine, that it
+was chiefly owing to that laudable example of
+humanity, our reception here was so good. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span>
+had never had anything but privateers and buccaneers
+amongst them before, who handled their
+prisoners very roughly; so that the Spaniards in
+general, both of Peru and Chili, had the greatest
+dread of being taken by the English; but some
+of them told us, that they were so happy on
+board the Centurion, that they should not have
+been sorry if the Commodore had taken them
+with him to England. After we had been here
+some time, Mr. Campbell changed his religion,
+and of course left us. At the end of two
+years, the president sent for us, and informed us
+a French ship from Lima, bound to Spain, had
+put into Valparaiso, and that we should embark
+in her. After taking leave of our good friend
+Mr. Gedd, and all our acquaintance at St. Jago,
+we set out for Valparaiso, mules and a guide
+being provided for us. I had forgot to say before,
+that Captain Cheap had been allowed by the
+president six reals a day, and we had four for
+our maintenance the whole time we were at St.
+Jago, which money we took up as we wanted it.
+Our journey back was much pleasanter than we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>
+found it when we were first brought hither, as
+we had now no mules to drive. The first person
+I met, upon our entrance into Valparaiso, was
+the poor soldier whom I mentioned to have been
+so kind to us when we were imprisoned in the
+fort. I now made him a little present, which,
+as it came quite unexpected, made him very
+happy. We took lodgings till the ship was ready
+to sail, and diverted ourselves as we pleased,
+having the good fortune, at this time, to have
+nothing to do with the governor or his fort.
+The town is but a poor little place; there are,
+indeed, a good many storehouses built by the
+water side for the reception of goods from the
+shipping.</p>
+
+<p>About the 20th of December, 1744, we embarked
+on board the Lys frigate, belonging to
+St. Malo. She was a ship of four hundred and
+twenty tons, sixteen guns, and sixty men. She
+had several passengers on board; and amongst
+the rest, Don George Juan, a man of very superior
+abilities, (and since that time well known in
+England) who, with Don Antonio Ulloa, had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>
+been several years in Peru, upon a design of measuring
+some degrees of the meridian near the
+equator. We were now bound to Conception,
+in order to join three other French ships that
+were likewise bound home. As this was a time
+of the year when the southerly winds prevail
+upon this coast, we stood off a long way to the
+westward, making the island of Juan Fernandez.
+We did not get into the bay of Conception till
+the 6th of January, 1745, where we anchored at
+Talcaguana, and there found the Louis Erasme,
+the Marquis d'Antin, and the Delivrance, the
+three French ships that we were to accompany.
+It is but sixty leagues from Valparaiso to Conception,
+though we had been so long making
+this passage; but there is no beating up, near
+the shore, against the southerly wind, which is
+the trade at this season, as you are sure to have
+a lee-current; so that the quickest way of
+making a passage is to stand off a hundred
+and twenty or thirty leagues from the land.</p>
+
+<p>The bay of Conception is a large, fine bay;
+but there are several shoals in it, and only two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>
+good anchoring-places, though a ship may anchor
+within a quarter of a league of the town;
+but this only in the very fine months, as you lay
+much exposed. The best anchoring-place is
+Talcaguana, the southernmost neck of the bay,
+in five or six fathom water, good holding
+ground, and where you are sheltered from the
+northerly winds. The town has no other defence
+than a low battery, which only commands
+the anchoring-place before it. The country is
+extremely pleasant, and affords the greatest
+plenty of provisions of all kinds. In some
+excursions we made daily from Talcaguana,
+we saw great numbers of very large snakes;
+but we were told they were quite harmless. I
+have read some former accounts of Chili, by
+the jesuits, wherein they tell you that no venomous
+creature is to be found in it, and that they
+even made the experiment of bringing bugs
+here, which died immediately; but I never was
+in any place that swarmed with them so much
+as St. Jago; and they have a large spider
+there, whose bite is so venomous, that I have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span>
+seen from it some of the most shocking sights
+I ever saw in my life; and it certainly proves
+mortal if proper remedies are not applied in
+time. I was once bit by one on the cheek,
+whilst asleep, and, presently after, all that part
+of my face turned as black as ink. I was cured
+by the application of a bluish kind of stone
+(the same, perhaps, they call the serpent-stone
+in the East Indies, and which is a composition).
+The stone stuck, for some time, of itself on my
+face, and dropping off, was put into milk till it
+had digested the poison it had extracted, and
+then applied again till the pain abated, and I
+was soon afterwards well. Whilst the ships
+remained at Conception, the people were employed
+in killing cattle and salting them for
+the voyage; and every ship took on board as
+many bullocks and sheep as their decks could
+well hold; and having completed their business
+here, they sailed the 27th of January; but
+about eight days after our ship sprung a very
+dangerous leak forward; but so low, that there
+was no possibility of stopping it without return<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>ing
+into port, and lightening her till they could
+come at it. Accordingly we separated from
+the other ships, and made the best of our way
+for Valparaiso, keeping all hands at the pump
+night and day, passengers and all. However,
+as it happened, this proved a lucky circumstance
+for the Lys, as the three other ships were
+taken; and this certainly would have been
+her fate likewise, had she kept company with
+the rest. As soon as we got into port, they
+lightened the ship forwards, and brought her
+by the stern till they came at the leak, which
+was soon stopped. They made all the dispatch
+possible in completing the water again. Whilst
+at Valparaiso, we had one of the most violent
+shocks of an earthquake that we had ever felt
+yet. On the first of March we put to sea again,
+the season being already far advanced for passing
+Cape Horn. The next day we went to an
+allowance of a quart of water a day for each
+man, which continued the whole passage.
+We were obliged to stand a long way to the
+westward; and went to the northward of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>
+Juan Fernandez above a degree, before we had
+a wind that we could make any southing with.
+On the 25th, in the latitude of 46 degrees, we
+met with a violent hard gale at west, which
+obliged us to lie to under a reefed mainsail for
+some days; and before we got round the Cape,
+we had many very hard gales, with a prodigious
+sea and constant thick snow; and after being
+so long in so delightful a climate as Chili, the
+cold was almost insupportable. After doubling
+the Cape, we got but slowly to the northward;
+and, indeed, at the best of times, the ship never
+went above six knots; for she was a heavy-going
+thing. On the 27th of May we crossed
+the line; when finding that our water was
+grown extremely short, and that it would be
+almost impossible to reach Europe without a
+supply, it was resolved to bear away for Martinico.
+On the 29th of June, in the morning,
+we made the Island of Tobago, and then shaped
+a course for Martinico; and on the first of
+July, by our reckonings, expected to see it, but
+were disappointed. This was imputed to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>
+currents, which, whether they had set the ship
+to the eastward or westward, nobody could tell;
+but upon looking over the charts, it was imagined,
+if the current had driven her to the
+westward, it must have been among the Granadillos,
+which was thought impossible without
+seeing any of them, as they are so near together,
+and a most dangerous place for rocks. It was
+then concluded we were to the eastward, and
+accordingly we steered S.W. by W., but having
+run this course for above thirty leagues, and no
+land appearing, it was resolved to stand to the
+northward till we should gain the latitude of
+Porto Rico, and on the 4th in the evening we
+made that island; so that it was now certain
+the ship had been hustled through the Granadillos
+in the night, which was, without doubt,
+as extraordinary a passage as ever ship made.
+It was now resolved to go between the islands
+of Porto Rico and St. Domingo for Cape François,
+therefore we lay to that night. In the
+morning, we made sail along shore; and about
+ten o'clock, as I was walking the quarter-deck,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>
+Captain Cheap came out of the cabin, and told
+me he had just seen a beef-barrel go by the
+ship; that he was sure it had but lately been
+thrown overboard, and that he would venture
+any wager we saw an English cruizer before
+long. In about half an hour after we saw two
+sail to leeward, from off the quarter-deck; for
+they kept no look out from the mast-head, and
+we presently observed they were in chace of us.
+The French and Spaniards on board now began
+to grow a good deal alarmed, when it fell stark
+calm; but not before the ships had neared us
+so much, that we plainly discerned them to be
+English men of war; the one a two-decker,
+the other a twenty-gun ship. The French had
+now thoughts, when a breeze should spring up,
+of running the ship on shore upon Porto Rico,
+but when they came to consider what a set of
+banditti inhabited that island, and that in all
+probability they would have their throats cut
+for the sake of plundering the wreck, they were
+resolved to take their chance, and stand to the
+northward between the two islands. In the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>
+evening, a fresh breeze sprung up, and we
+shaped a course accordingly. The two ships
+had it presently afterwards, and neared us
+amazingly fast. Now every body on board
+gave themselves up; the officers were busy in
+their cabins, filling their pockets with what was
+most valuable; the men put on their best
+clothes, and many of them came to me with
+little lumps of gold, desiring I would take
+them, as they said they had much rather I
+should benefit by them, whom they were acquainted
+with, than those that chased them.
+I told them there was time enough, though I
+thought they were as surely taken as if the
+English had been already on board. A fine
+moonlight night came on, and we expected
+every moment to see the ships along-side of us;
+but we saw nothing of them in the night, and,
+to our great astonishment, in the morning no
+ships were to be seen even from the mast-head.
+Thus did these two cruizers lose one of the
+richest prizes, by not chasing an hour or two
+longer. There were near two millions of dol<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>lars
+on board, besides a valuable cargo. On the
+eighth, at six in the morning, we were off Cape
+La Grange; and, what is very remarkable,
+the French at Cape François told us afterwards
+that was the only day they ever remembered,
+since the war, that the Cape had been without
+one or two English privateers cruising off it;
+and but the evening before, two of them had
+taken two outward bound St. Domingo men,
+and had gone with them for Jamaica; so that
+this ship might be justly esteemed a most lucky
+one. In the afternoon we came to an anchor
+in Cape François harbour.</p>
+
+<p>In this long run we had not buried a single
+man; nor do I remember that there was one
+sick the whole passage; but at this place
+many were taken ill, and three or four died;
+for there is no part of the West Indies more
+unhealthy than this; yet the country is beautiful,
+and extremely well cultivated. After
+being here some time, the governor ordered
+us to wait upon him, which we did; when
+he took no more notice of us than if we had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span>
+been his slaves, never asking us even to sit
+down.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the end of August, a French squadron
+of five men of war came in, commanded by
+Monsieur L'Etanducre, who were to convoy the
+trade to France. Neither he nor his officers
+ever took any kind of notice of Captain Cheap,
+though we met them every day ashore. One
+evening, as we were going aboard with the
+captain of our ship, a midshipman belonging to
+Monsieur L'Etanducre, jumped into our boat,
+and ordered the people to carry him on board
+the ship he belonged to, leaving us to wait upon
+the beach for two hours before the boat returned.
+On the sixth of September we put to sea, in
+company with the five men of war, and about
+fifty sail of merchant-men. On the eighth we
+made the Cayco Grande; and the next day a
+Jamaica privateer, a large fine sloop, hove in
+sight, keeping a little to windward of the convoy,
+resolving to pick up one or two of them in
+the night, if possible. This obliged Monsieur
+L'Etanducre to send a frigate to speak to all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>
+convoy, and order them to keep close to him in
+the night; which they did, and in such a manner,
+that sometimes seven or eight of them were on
+board one another together; by which they
+received much damage; and to repair which,
+the whole squadron was obliged to lay to sometimes
+for a whole day. The privateer kept her
+station, jogging on with the fleet. At last, the
+commodore ordered two of his best-going ships to
+chase her. She appeared to take no notice of
+them till they were pretty near her, and then
+would make sail and be out of sight presently.
+The chasing ships no sooner returned, than the
+privateer was in company again. As by this
+every night some accident happened to some of
+the convoy by keeping so close together, a fine
+ship of thirty guns, belonging to Marseilles,
+hauled out a little to windward of the rest of the
+fleet; which L'Etanducre perceiving in the morning,
+ordered the frigate to bring the captain of her
+on board of him; and then making a signal for all
+the convoy to close to him, he fired a gun, and
+hoisted a red flag at the ensign staff; and imme<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>diately
+after the captain of the merchant-man
+was run up to the main-yard-arm, and from
+thence ducked three times. He was then sent
+on board his ship again, with orders to keep his
+colours flying the whole day, in order to distinguish
+him from the rest. We were then told,
+that the person who was treated in this cruel
+manner, was a young man of an exceeding good
+family in the south of France, and likewise a
+man of great spirit; and that he would not fail
+to call Monsieur L'Etanducre to account when
+an opportunity should offer; and the affair made
+much noise in France afterwards. One day, the
+ship we were in happened to be out of her station,
+by sailing so heavily, when the commodore
+made the signal to speak to our captain, who
+seemed frightened out of his wits. When we
+came near him, he began with the grossest
+abuse, threatening our captain, that if ever he
+was out of his station again, he would serve him
+as he had done the other. This rigid discipline,
+however, preserved the convoy; for though the
+privateer kept company a long time, she was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span>
+not so fortunate as to meet with the reward of
+her perseverance.</p>
+
+<p>On the 27th of October, in the evening, we
+made Cape Ortegal; and on the 31st, came to
+an anchor in Brest road. The Lys having so
+valuable a cargo on board, was towed into the
+harbour the next morning, and lashed alongside
+one of their men of war. The money was soon
+landed; and the officers and men, who had been
+so many years absent from their native country,
+were glad to get on shore. Nobody remained
+on board but a man or two to look after the
+ship, and we three English prisoners who had
+no leave to go ashore. The weather was extremely
+cold, and felt particularly so to us, who
+had been so long used to hot climates; and what
+made it still worse, we were very thinly clad.
+We had neither fire nor candle; for they were
+allowed on board of no ship in the harbour, for
+fear of accidents, being close to their magazines
+in the dock-yard. Some of the officers belonging
+to the ship were so kind to send us off victuals
+every day, or we might have starved; for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>
+Monsieur L'Intendant never sent us even a
+message; and though there was a very large
+squadron of men of war fitting out at that time,
+not one officer belonging to them ever came near
+Captain Cheap. From five in the evening we
+were obliged to sit in the dark; and if we chose
+to have any supper, it was necessary to place it
+very near us before that time, or we never could
+have found it. We had passed seven or eight
+days in this melancholy manner, when one
+morning a kind of row-galley came alongside,
+with a number of English prisoners belonging to
+two large privateers the French had taken. We
+were ordered into the same boat with them, and
+were carried four leagues up the river to Landernaw.
+At this town we were upon our parole; so
+took the best lodgings we could get, and lived
+very well for three months, when an order came
+from the court of Spain to allow us to return
+home by the first ship that offered. Upon this,
+hearing there was a Dutch ship at Morlaix
+ready to sail, we took horses and travelled to
+that town, where we were obliged to remain six<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>
+weeks, before we had an opportunity of getting
+away. At last we agreed with the master of a
+Dutch dogger to land us at Dover, and paid him
+beforehand. When we had got down the river
+into the road, a French privateer that was almost
+ready to sail upon a cruize, hailed the Dutchman,
+and told him to come to an anchor; and
+that if he offered to sail before him, he would
+sink him. This he was forced to comply with,
+and lay three days in the road, cursing the
+Frenchman, who at the end of that time put to
+sea, and then we were at liberty to do the same.
+We had a long uncomfortable passage. About
+the ninth day, before sunset, we saw Dover, and
+reminded the Dutchman of his agreement to
+land us there. He said he would; but instead
+of that, in the morning we were off the coast of
+France. We complained loudly of this piece of
+villany, and insisted upon his returning to land
+us, when an English man of war appeared to
+windward, and presently bore down to us. She
+sent her boat on board with an officer, who informed
+us the ship he came from was the Squir<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>rel,
+commanded by Captain Masterson. We
+went on board of her, and Captain Masterson
+immediately sent one of the cutters he had with
+him, to land us at Dover, where we arrived that
+afternoon, and directly set out for Canterbury
+upon post-horses; but Captain Cheap was so
+tired by the time he got there, that he could
+proceed no further that night. The next morning
+he still found himself so much fatigued, that
+he could ride no longer; therefore it was agreed
+that he and Mr. Hamilton should take a post-chaise,
+and that I should ride; but here an unlucky
+difficulty was started; for upon sharing
+the little money we had, it was found to be not
+sufficient to pay the charges to London; and my
+proportion fell so short, that it was, by calculation,
+barely enough to pay for horses, without a
+farthing for eating a bit upon the road, or even
+for the very turnpikes. Those I was obliged to
+defraud, by riding as hard as I could through
+them all, not paying the least regard to the men,
+who called out to stop me. The want of refreshment
+I bore as well as I could. When I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span>
+got to the Borough, I took a coach and drove
+to Marlborough-street, where my friends had
+lived when I left England; but when I came
+there, I found the house shut up. Having been
+absent so many years, and in all that time never
+having heard a word from home, I knew not
+who was dead or who was living, or where to go
+next; or even how to pay the coachman. I
+recollected a linen-draper's shop, not far from
+thence, which our family had used. I therefore
+drove there next, and making myself known,
+they paid the coachman. I then enquired after
+our family, and was told my sister had married
+Lord Carlisle, and was at that time in Soho-square.
+I immediately walked to the house,
+and knocked at the door; but the porter not
+liking my figure, which was half French, half
+Spanish, with the addition of a large pair of
+boots covered with dirt, he was going to shut
+the door in my face; but I prevailed with him
+to let me come in.</p>
+
+<p>I need not acquaint my readers with what
+surprise and joy my sister received me. She<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>
+immediately furnished me with money sufficient
+to appear like the rest of my countrymen; till
+that time I could not be properly said to have
+finished all the extraordinary scenes which a
+series of unfortunate adventures had kept me in
+for the space of five years and upwards.</p>
+
+
+<p class="foot">THE END.</p>
+
+
+<hr class="r15" />
+<p class="footer ">
+LONDON:<br />
+BRADBURY AND EVANS, BOUVERIE-STREET.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="p4">FOOTNOTES:</p>
+<div class="footnote">
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Captain Inglefield's account of the loss of the Centaur,
+(in September, 1782), furnished Byron with many of those
+trivial incidents, which, as the poet well knew, render a
+story, to use Gibbon's words, "circumstancial and animated,"
+instead of "vague and languid;" the "eternal
+difference between fiction and truth." The behaviour of
+the sailors before the sinking of the ship; some lashing
+themselves in their hammocks, some putting on their best
+clothes; the sail made of blankets; the ragged piece of
+sheet with which they caught the rain-water; the words
+used by the man who first saw the land, &amp;c. &amp;c., are all
+faithfully copied or slightly altered from Inglefield.</p>
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_2" id="Footnote_A_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Byron's ship in this expedition was the Dolphin: she
+was the second ship ever coppered in the British navy.</p>
+
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_3" id="Footnote_A_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Captain Cheap has been suspected of a design of going
+on the Spanish coast without the Commodore; but no part
+of his conduct seems to authorise, in the least, such a suspicion.
+The author who brings this heavy charge against
+him, is equally mistaken in imagining that Captain Cheap
+had not instructions to sail to this island, and that the
+Commodore did neither go nor send thither, to inform himself
+if any of the squadron were there. This appears from
+the orders delivered to the captains of the squadron, the
+day before they sailed from St. Catherine's (L. Anson's
+Voyage, B.I.C. 6.); from the orders of the council of
+war held on board the Centurion, in the bay of St. Julian,
+(C. 7.); and from the conduct of the Commodore (C. 10.)
+who cruized (with the utmost hazard) more than a fortnight
+off the isle of Socoro, and along the coast in its
+neighbourhood. It was the second rendezvous at Baldivia,
+and not that at Socoro, that the Commodore was forced by
+necessity to neglect.</p>
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_4" id="Footnote_A_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> Chiloe is an island on the western coast of America,
+about the 43rd deg. of S. latitude; and the southernmost
+settlement under the Spanish jurisdiction on that
+coast.</p>
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_5" id="Footnote_A_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> There are two very different disorders incident to the
+human body, which bear the same name, derived from
+some resemblance they hold with different parts of the
+animal so well known in the countries to which these disorders
+are peculiar. That which was first so named is the
+leprosy, which brings a scurf on the skin not unlike the
+hide of an elephant. The other affects the patient with
+such enormous swellings of the legs and feet, that they
+give the idea of those shapeless pillars which support that
+creature; and therefore this disease has also been called
+elephantiasis by the Arabian physicians; who, together
+with the Malabarians, among whom it is endemial, attribute
+it to the drinking bad waters, and the too sudden
+transitions from heat to cold.</p></div>
+
+<p class="p4" />
+<div class="transnote">
+
+<p class="center">Transcriber's Notes:<br /><br />
+
+Maintained original spelling, hypenation and punctuation.<br />
+
+Obvious printer errors have been corrected.
+</p></div>
+
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44193 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
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+Project Gutenberg's Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the Wager, by John Byron
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the Wager
+
+Author: John Byron
+
+Release Date: November 16, 2013 [EBook #44193]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOSS OF THE WAGER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charlene Taylor, Norbert Müller and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                           BYRON'S NARRATIVE
+                            OF THE LOSS OF
+                               THE WAGER
+
+                     WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT
+           DISTRESSES SUFFERED BY HIMSELF AND HIS COMPANIONS
+           ON THE COAST OF PATAGONIA FROM THE YEAR 1740 TILL
+                     THEIR ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND 1746
+
+                                LONDON
+                    HENRY LEGGATT & CO 85 CORNHILL
+
+                              MDCCCXXXII
+
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                    PRINTED BY BRADBURY AND EVANS,
+                           BOUVERIE STREET.
+
+
+
+
+                            ADVERTISEMENT.
+
+
+At a time when every thing connected with the name of Byron is regarded
+with such general interest, it is a subject of surprise and regret that
+no popular edition should exist of the Narrative of Commodore Byron.
+Indeed, to procure any copy at all of the work requires some research
+and trouble. To supply this deficiency is the object of the present
+publishers.
+
+To the admirers of the illustrious Poet, the Narrative of the
+sufferings of his grandfather will, on more than one account,
+be acceptable. In the Poems, it is often, whether humorously or
+pathetically, alluded to; for instance, in the mournfully beautiful
+stanzas to his sister, written soon after he left England for the last
+time, he says,
+
+    "A strange doom is thy father's son's, and past
+    Recalling, as it lies beyond redress;
+    Reversed for him _our grandsire's fate_ of yore,
+    He had _no rest at sea_, nor I on shore!"
+
+Again, in a different mood, in Don Juan, after having carried his hero
+through the horrors of a shipwreck, as disastrous and fatal in itself
+and its consequences as his imagination could conceive, he observes--
+
+                      "----for none
+    Had suffered more--his hardships were comparative
+    To those related in my grand-dad's Narrative."
+
+To which passage he appends the following note:--"Admiral Byron was
+remarkable for never making a voyage without a tempest. He was known
+to the sailors by the facetious name of 'foul-weather Jack.'" Indeed,
+to this narrative the poet is indebted for many of the incidents in
+that surpassing description of "the dangers of the sea." The awful
+"whispering" in which, according to the Admiral, the men communicated
+their first horrid thoughts of putting one of their number to death for
+the support of the rest, is admirably preserved and amplified in Don
+Juan:
+
+    "At length one whispered his companion, who
+    Whispered another, and thus it went round,
+    And then into a hoarser murmur grew,
+    An ominous and wild, and desperate sound,
+    And then his comrade's thought each sufferer knew,
+    'Twas but his own, suppressed till now, he found:
+    And out they spoke of lots for flesh and blood,
+    And who should die to be his fellow's food."
+
+The germ of the conception of the cave-scenes, so beautifully described
+in the poem, will also be found here; the fondness of Juan for his
+favourite dog, the voracity with which he devoured the long-withheld
+food, and many other incidents, were suggested by this Narrative.[1]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 1:
+Captain Inglefield's account of the loss of the Centaur, (in
+September, 1782), furnished Byron with many of those trivial incidents,
+which, as the poet well knew, render a story, to use Gibbon's words,
+"circumstancial and animated," instead of "vague and languid;" the
+"eternal difference between fiction and truth." The behaviour of the
+sailors before the sinking of the ship; some lashing themselves in
+their hammocks, some putting on their best clothes; the sail made
+of blankets; the ragged piece of sheet with which they caught the
+rain-water; the words used by the man who first saw the land, &c. &c.,
+are all faithfully copied or slightly altered from Inglefield.]
+
+To those who would study the character of Lord Byron; discover what
+qualities of his nature were derived from his ancestors, and what were
+peculiarly his own; who would trace the effect produced on his writings
+by early tastes, habits, and associations, the narrative will afford
+ample material for observation.
+
+Mr. Moore,--who, in paying to genius that tribute which genius alone
+can fully pay, has shewn how thoroughly he understood the character
+of the poet (a character, perhaps, after all to be _felt_ rather than
+_explained_), how well he appreciated his virtues and the peculiar
+circumstances attendant on genius, which palliate, if they do not
+excuse, his foibles,--remarks, that Lord Byron "strikingly combined,
+in his own nature, some of the best and perhaps worst qualities that
+lie scattered through the various characters of his predecessors;
+the generosity, the love of enterprise, the high-mindedness of some
+of the better spirits of his race, with the irregular passions, the
+eccentricity, and daring recklessness of the world's opinion, that so
+much characterised others." In the character then of the most famous
+of those "better spirits," as exemplified in his own narrative of his
+sufferings and adventures, we may discern the source of many of the
+amiable qualities which descended to and adorned the immortal poet.
+We shall observe in both the same frankness, generosity, affability,
+love of excitement, the same mildness, and unassuming modesty. But
+the contrasts of their characters we shall find even more striking
+than the resemblances. We shall see in the sailor the ease and
+contentedness of spirit arising from its agreement with the sphere
+it moves in--the soul harmonizing with the situation--the man with
+the circumstances--the Supply equivalent to the Demand. We shall see
+in the poet the "high instincts of a creature moving about in worlds
+not realized"--the large expectancies, the high anticipations,
+unfulfilled and unanswered; the discontent, the jarring of a being not
+_at one_ with the place of its existence, panting for something above
+it, aspiring "beyond the fitting medium of desire." We shall see him
+inordinately yearning after affection and happiness, yet enveloped,
+as it were, in a nervous network of sensibility, feelingly alive to
+every the faintest manifestation of slight, neglect, unkindness,--to
+all that causes sorrow and pain: we shall see the co-existence of
+these qualities producing necessarily disappointment and disgust; the
+very capability of enjoying the good, unfitting him for the endurance
+of the ill; the power of imagination heightening the beauties of the
+ideal, the keenness of perception aggravating the defects of the real;
+the consequent struggles for existence in a wounded spirit between
+"feelings unemployed," affections unreturned, and the bitterness
+or apathy they engender--between original benevolence and acquired
+misanthropy. We shall see the sailor habitually yielding himself to
+the guidance and authority of others, unhesitatingly acknowledging,
+and, as a matter of course, complying with, the established relations,
+laws, and customs of society; submitting without repining, question,
+or surprise, to the vicissitudes of fortune; patient of hardship,
+uncomplaining of Circumstance. The poet, from the pride of Mind,
+accustomed ever to decide for itself, to act and reflect always,
+obstinately questioning even Destiny and Fate; bidding haughty
+defiance to their Ruler, or yielding with sullen indifference or
+gloomy repining; if confessing the necessity of compliance, hardly
+resigned. We shall find the sailor sustaining his cheerfulness in
+every situation; the poet, plunging, perhaps from constitutional
+melancholy, into misery; acted upon by that strong attraction, that
+irresistible impulse towards the dark and the sad, that capability,
+strikingly described by himself, of "learning to love despair." We
+shall see throughout the difference between the continual presence and
+the comparative absence of consciousness, that power by which Self,
+rising as it were above itself, makes itself the subject of microscopic
+observation. In the writings especially, of each, we shall observe
+the operations of these opposite properties. The sailor writes on,
+unaware and thoughtless of the effect of what he writes: the poet,
+in his letters particularly, seems to know intuitively the effect on
+others of every word he sets down; he reads their thoughts, he hears
+their remarks as he writes; and this knowledge, so immediate that its
+effects on his style seem almost unintentional, continually modifies
+his expressions, giving the appearance of affectation to what is
+no more than a natural result of his quick perception and extreme
+sensitiveness. In every action, too, of the poet, important or trivial,
+the working of this principle, so hard to be discovered in the sailor,
+is equally evident. He looks always to the effect: nothing seems done
+solely for itself: the love of admiration, of being remarkable, of
+standing alone, however disguised, may almost always be detected.
+Finally, we shall not fail to observe throughout, the contrast
+between the single and the "many-sided" mind; between the ordinary
+and the extraordinary; between the Mortal made immortal by force of
+circumstances; the Immortal, in spite of circumstances, asserting and
+maintaining his inborn immortality.
+
+Yet, enhanced as the interest attaching to this narrative is, by the
+connection of its author with one of the greatest of the master-minds
+of these latter days, it is a work which of itself may well demand
+and obtain our attention and regard. The incidents it relates are
+peculiarly of that complexion which has caused it to be remarked (as
+Byron himself has somewhere) that Fiction, however wonderful, must
+often yield to Truth. It is a striking specimen of the romance of real
+life. The spectacle of a member of an old and noble family, accustomed
+to the comforts and luxuries that attend high birth, reduced to the
+necessity, at one time, of beating his _shirt_ in order to crush the
+vermin it was useless to attempt to get rid of by washing; and at
+another, of making a meal (eagerly, as he himself confesses,) of the
+putrid remains of a favourite dog, is as well calculated to excite the
+curiosity of the observer of mankind as to gratify the taste of the
+reader of romance. And if the extraordinary nature of the incidents
+themselves arouse our wonder, the manner in which they are related will
+insure and fix our sympathy. The simple, unaffected style, slightly
+tinged with the quaintness of old phraseology; the total absence of
+any thing like striving after effect; the apparent unconsciousness of
+the narrator that he must be the object of admiration or pity; the
+freedom from all attempts to disguise some feelings, or to affect and
+assume others; the modesty, the frankness, which characterize this
+narration, while they give additional interest to the work itself,
+afford indisputable testimony to the amiableness of the author. To
+have imitated so correctly this natural style, is one of the highest
+triumphs of the genius of Defoe, in his romance of Robinson Crusoe.
+
+Considered, then, either as an useful appendage to the Works and Life
+of Byron; as an aid in forming an estimate of his character; or as
+an account of sufferings and adventures which would appear suitable
+rather to a romance than to a journal of events actually experienced;
+an illustration of the strange vicissitudes human life may undergo, of
+the extremities and hardships human nature may bear; or, in short, as a
+specimen of simple and beautiful writing, this work can scarcely fail
+of affording delight and gratification to the reader.
+
+
+
+
+JOHN BYRON, the second son of William, the fourth Lord Byron, by his
+third wife, was born at Newstead Abbey, November 8th, 1723, and at an
+early age entered as a midshipman in the British navy. He still held
+that rank in 1740, when the expedition to the South Sea against the
+Spaniards took place under the command of Commodore Anson. The Wager,
+Captain Cheap, to which Mr. Byron belonged, was separated from the rest
+of the squadron, and wrecked on a desert island to the southward of
+Chiloe (47° south lat.) After encountering the most dreadful sufferings
+from famine, a small number of the crew, including the Captain and
+Mr. Byron, reached the isle of Chiloe, and surrendered themselves
+prisoners to the Spaniards. They were afterwards removed to Chili,
+and detained some time at Valparaiso and St. Jago; but were at length
+allowed to return to England, where they arrived after an absence of
+more than five years. At a subsequent period, Mr. Byron published
+his "Narrative." The young seaman was not deterred by his misfortunes
+from pursuing his naval career; he returned to the service of his
+country, and commanded the America, in Boscawen's action off Cape
+Lagos, August 18, 1759. His skill and enterprising spirit afterwards
+occasioned his appointment to the command of an expedition fitted out
+to make discoveries in the South Sea.[2] He sailed from England, June
+21st, 1764, and having circumnavigated the globe, returned home in
+May, 1766. Several islands were explored in this voyage, which were
+afterwards visited by Bougainville and Cooke; and experiments were
+also made to determine the accuracy of Harrison's time-keeper, and
+its consequent value as a means of ascertaining the longitude. This
+officer subsequently was made an admiral, and commanded in the West
+Indies during the American war. Admiral Byron was much beloved in the
+navy, more so, perhaps, than any other officer except Nelson. He died
+in 1798, leaving one son, John, who dying before his uncle, Lord Byron,
+the title of the latter descended to his only son, George Gordon, the
+poet.
+
+[FOOTNOTE 2:
+Byron's ship in this expedition was the Dolphin: she was the second
+ship ever coppered in the British navy.]
+
+
+
+
+                           BYRON'S NARRATIVE
+                                OF THE
+                          _Loss of the Wager._
+
+
+The equipment and destination of the squadron fitted out in the year
+1740, of which Commodore Anson had the command, being sufficiently
+known from the ample and well-penned relation of it under his
+direction, I shall recite no particulars that are to be found in
+that work. But it may be necessary, for the better understanding the
+disastrous fate of the Wager, the subject of the following sheets, to
+repeat the remark, that a strange infatuation seemed to prevail in the
+whole conduct of this embarkation. For though it was unaccountably
+detained till the season for its sailing was past, no proper use was
+made of that time, which should have been employed in providing a
+suitable force of sailors and soldiery; nor was there a due attention
+given to other requisites for so peculiar and extensive a destination.
+
+This neglect not only rendered the expedition abortive in its principal
+object, but most materially affected the condition of each particular
+ship; and none so fatally as the Wager, which being an old Indiaman
+brought into the service on this occasion, was now fitted out as a
+man of war; but being made to serve as a store ship, was deeply laden
+with all kinds of careening geer, military and other stores, for the
+use of the other ships; and, what is more, crowded with bale goods,
+and encumbered with merchandise. A ship of this quality and condition
+could not be expected to work with that readiness and ease which was
+necessary for her security and preservation in those heavy seas with
+which she was to encounter. Her crew consisted of men pressed from
+long voyages to be sent upon a distant and hazardous service: on the
+other hand, all her land-forces were no more than a poor detachment of
+infirm and decrepid invalids from Chelsea hospital, desponding under
+the apprehensions of a long voyage. It is not then to be wondered,
+that Captain Kid, under whose command the ship sailed out of the port,
+should in his last moments presage her ill success, though nothing very
+material happened during his command.
+
+At his death he was succeeded by Captain Cheap, who still, without any
+accident, kept company with the squadron till we had almost gained
+the southernmost mouth of Straits Le Maire; when, being the sternmost
+ship, we were, by the sudden shifting of the wind to the southward,
+and the turn of the tide, very near being wrecked upon the rocks of
+Staten Land; which, notwithstanding, having weathered, contrary to the
+expectation of the rest of the squadron, we endeavoured all in our
+power to make up our lost way and regain our station. This we effected,
+and proceeded on our voyage, keeping company with the rest of the ships
+for some time; when, by a great roll of a hollow sea, we carried away
+our mizen mast, all the chain plates to windward being broken. Soon
+after, hard gales at west coming on with a prodigious swell, there
+broke a heavy sea in upon the ship, which stove our boats, and filled
+us for some time.
+
+These accidents were the more disheartening, as our carpenter was on
+board the Gloucester, and detained there by the incessant tempestuous
+weather, and sea impracticable for boats. In a few days he returned,
+and supplied the loss of the mizen-mast by a lower studding-sail boom;
+but this expedient, together with the patching up of our rigging, was
+a poor temporary relief to us. We were soon obliged to cut away our
+best bower anchor to ease the fore-mast, the shrouds and chain plates
+of which were all broken, and the ship in all parts in a most crazy
+condition.
+
+Thus shattered and disabled, a single ship, (for we had now lost sight
+of our squadron) we had the additional mortification to find ourselves
+bearing for the land on a lee shore, having thus far persevered in
+the course we held, from an error in conjecture; for the weather was
+unfavourable for observation, and there are no charts of that part
+of the coast. When those officers who first perceived their mistake,
+endeavoured to persuade the captain to alter his course, and bear
+away, for the greater surety, to the westward, he persisted in making
+directly, as he thought, for the island of Socoro; and to such as dared
+from time to time to deliver their doubts of being entangled with the
+land stretching to the westward, he replied, that he thought himself in
+no case at liberty to deviate from his orders; and that the absence of
+his ship from the first place of rendezvous, would entirely frustrate
+the whole squadron in the first object of their attack, and possibly
+decide upon the fortune of the whole expedition. For the better
+understanding the force of his reasoning, it is necessary to explain,
+that the island of Socoro is in the neighbourhood of Baldivia, the
+capture of which place could not be effected without the junction of
+that ship, which carried the ordnance and military stores.
+
+The knowledge of the great importance of giving so early and unexpected
+a blow to the Spaniards, determined the captain to make the shortest
+way to the point in view; and that rigid adherence to orders from which
+he thought himself in no case at liberty to depart, begot in him a
+stubborn defiance of all difficulties, and took away from him those
+apprehensions, which so justly alarmed all such as, from an ignorance
+of the orders, had nothing present to their minds but the dangers of a
+lee shore.[3]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 3:
+
+Captain Cheap has been suspected of a design of going on the
+Spanish coast without the Commodore; but no part of his conduct seems
+to authorise, in the least, such a suspicion. The author who brings
+this heavy charge against him, is equally mistaken in imagining that
+Captain Cheap had not instructions to sail to this island, and that
+the Commodore did neither go nor send thither, to inform himself if
+any of the squadron were there. This appears from the orders delivered
+to the captains of the squadron, the day before they sailed from St.
+Catherine's (L. Anson's Voyage, B.I.C. 6.); from the orders of the
+council of war held on board the Centurion, in the bay of St. Julian,
+(C. 7.); and from the conduct of the Commodore (C. 10.) who cruized
+(with the utmost hazard) more than a fortnight off the isle of Socoro,
+and along the coast in its neighbourhood. It was the second rendezvous
+at Baldivia, and not that at Socoro, that the Commodore was forced by
+necessity to neglect.]
+
+We had for some time been sensible of our approach to the land, from
+no other tokens than those of weeds and birds, which are the usual
+indications of nearing the coast; but at length we had an imperfect
+view of an eminence, which we conjectured to be one of the mountains
+of the Cordilleras. This, however, was not so distinctly seen but
+that many conceived it to be the effect of imagination: but if the
+captain was persuaded of the nearness of our danger, it was now too
+late to remedy it; for at this time the straps of the fore jeer
+blocks breaking, the fore-yard came down; and the greatest part of
+the men being disabled through fatigue and sickness, it was some time
+before it could be got up again. The few hands who were employed in
+this business now plainly saw the land on the larboard beam, bearing
+N.W., upon which the ship was driving bodily. Orders were then given
+immediately by the captain to sway the fore-yard up, and set the
+fore-sail; which done, we wore ship with her head to the southward, and
+endeavoured to crowd her off from the land: but the weather, from being
+exceedingly tempestuous, blowing now a perfect hurricane, and right in
+upon the shore, rendered our endeavours (for we were now only twelve
+hands fit for duty) entirely fruitless. The night came on, dreadful
+beyond description, in which, attempting to throw out our topsails to
+claw off the shore, they were immediately blown from the yards.
+
+In the morning, about four o'clock, the ship struck. The shock we
+received upon this occasion, though very great, being not unlike the
+blow of a heavy sea, such as in the series of preceding storms we had
+often experienced, was taken for the same; but we were soon undeceived
+by her striking again more violently than before, which laid her upon
+her beam ends, the sea making a fair breach over her. Every person that
+now could stir was presently upon the quarter-deck; and many even of
+those were alert upon this occasion, that had not showed their faces
+upon deck for above two months before: several poor wretches, who were
+in the last stage of the scurvy, and who could not get out of their
+hammocks, were immediately drowned.
+
+In this dreadful situation she lay for some little time, every soul
+on board looking upon the present minute as his last; for there was
+nothing; to be seen but breakers all around us. However, a mountainous
+sea hove her off from thence, but she presently struck again, and broke
+her tiller. In this terrifying and critical juncture, to have observed
+all the various modes of horror operating according to the several
+characters and complexions amongst us, it was necessary that the
+observer himself should have been free from all impressions of danger.
+Instances there were, however, of behaviour so very remarkable, they
+could not escape the notice of any one who was not entirely bereaved
+of his senses; for some were in this condition to all intents and
+purposes; particularly one, in the ravings of despair brought upon him,
+was seen stalking about the deck, flourishing a cutlass over his head
+and calling himself king of the country, and striking every body he
+came near, till his companions, seeing no other security against his
+tyranny, knocked him down. Some, reduced before by long sickness and
+the scurvy, became on this occasion as it were petrified and bereaved
+of all sense, like inanimate logs, and were bandied to and fro by the
+jerks and rolls of the ship, without exerting any efforts to help
+themselves. So terrible was the scene of foaming breakers around us,
+that one of the bravest men we had could not help expressing his dismay
+at it, saying it was too shocking a sight to bear; and would have
+thrown himself over the rails of the quarter-deck into the sea, had
+he not been prevented: but at the same time there were not wanting
+those who preserved a presence of mind truly heroic. The man at the
+helm, though both rudder and tiller were gone, kept his station; and
+being asked by one of the officers, if the ship would steer or not,
+first took his time to make trial by the wheel, and then answered with
+as much respect and coolness as if the ship had been in the greatest
+safety; and immediately after applied himself with his usual serenity
+to his duty, persuaded it did not become him to desert it as long as
+the ship kept together. Mr. Jones, mate, who now survives not only
+this wreck, but that of the Litchfield man of war upon the coast of
+Barbary, at the time when the ship was in the most imminent danger,
+not only shewed himself undaunted, but endeavoured to inspire the same
+resolution in the men; saying, "My friends, let us not be discouraged:
+did you never see a ship amongst breakers before? Let us try to push
+her through them. Come, lend a hand; here is a sheet, and here is a
+brace; lay hold; I don't doubt but we may stick her yet near enough
+to the land to save our lives." This had so good an effect, that many
+who before were half dead, seemed active again, and now went to work
+in earnest. This Mr. Jones did purely to keep up the spirits of the
+people as long as possible; for he often said afterwards, he thought
+there was not the least chance of a single man being saved. We now
+ran in between an opening of the breakers, steering by the sheets and
+braces, when providentially we stuck fast between two great rocks; that
+to windward sheltering us in some measure from the violence of the
+sea. We immediately cut away the main and foremast; but the ship kept
+beating in such a manner, that we imagined she could hold together but
+a very little while. The day now broke, and the weather, that had been
+extremely thick, cleared away for a few moments, and gave us a glimpse
+of the land not far from us. We now thought of nothing but saving our
+lives. To get the boats out, as our masts were gone, was a work of some
+time; which when accomplished, many were ready to jump into the first,
+by which means they narrowly escaped perishing before they reached the
+shore. I now went to Captain Cheap (who had the misfortune to dislocate
+his shoulder by a fall the day before, as he was going forward to get
+the fore-yard swayed up), and asked him if he would not go on shore;
+but he told me, as he had done before, that he would be the last to
+leave the ship; and he ordered me to assist in getting the men out as
+soon as possible. I had been with him very often from the time the ship
+first struck, as he desired I would, to acquaint him with every thing
+that passed; and I particularly remarked, that he gave his orders at
+that time with as much coolness as ever he had done during the former
+part of the voyage.
+
+The scene was now greatly changed; for many who but a few minutes
+before had shewn the strongest signs of despair, and were on their
+knees praying for mercy, imagining they were now not in that immediate
+danger, grew very riotous, broke open every chest and box that was
+at hand, stove in the heads of casks of brandy and wine as they were
+borne up to the hatchways, and got so drunk, that several of them
+were drowned on board, and lay floating about the decks for some days
+after. Before I left the ship, I went down to my chest, which was at
+the bulkhead of the wardroom, in order to save some little matters, if
+possible; but whilst I was there the ship thumped with such violence,
+and the water came in so fast, that I was forced to get upon the
+quarter-deck again, without saving a single rag but what was upon my
+back. The boatswain and some of the people would not leave the ship so
+long as there was any liquor to be got at; upon which Captain Cheap
+suffered himself to be helped out of his bed, put into the boat, and
+carried on shore.
+
+It is natural to think, that to men thus upon the point of perishing
+by shipwreck, the getting to land was the highest attainment of
+their wishes; undoubtedly it was a desirable event; yet, all things
+considered, our condition was but little mended by the change.
+Whichever way we looked, a scene of horror presented itself: on one
+side the wreck (in which was all that we had in the world to support
+and subsist us), together with a boisterous sea, presented us with
+the most dreary prospect; on the other, the land did not wear a much
+more favourable appearance: desolate and barren, without sign of
+culture, we could hope to receive little other benefit from it than the
+preservation it afforded us from the sea. It must be confessed this was
+a great and merciful deliverance from immediate destruction; but then
+we had wet, cold, and hunger, to struggle with, and no visible remedy
+against any of these evils. Exerting ourselves, however, though faint,
+benumbed, and almost helpless, to find some wretched covert against
+the extreme inclemency of the weather, we discovered an Indian hut, at
+a small distance from the beach, within a wood, in which as many as
+possible, without distinction, crowded themselves, the night coming on
+exceedingly tempestuous and rainy. But here our situation was such
+as to exclude all rest and refreshment by sleep from most of us; for
+besides that we pressed upon one another extremely, we were not without
+our alarms and apprehensions of being attacked by the Indians, from a
+discovery we made of some of their lances and other arms in our hut;
+and our uncertainty of their strength and disposition, gave alarm to
+our imagination, and kept us in continual anxiety.
+
+In this miserable hovel, one of our company, a lieutenant of invalids,
+died this night; and of those who for want of room took shelter under
+a great tree, which stood them in very little stead, two more perished
+by the severity of that cold and rainy night. In the morning, the calls
+of hunger, which had been hitherto suppressed by our attention to more
+immediate dangers and difficulties, were now become too importunate to
+be resisted. We had most of us fasted eight and forty hours, some more;
+it was time, therefore, to make inquiry among ourselves what store of
+sustenance had been brought from the wreck by the providence of some,
+and what could be procured on the island by the industry of others:
+but the produce of the one amounted to no more than two or three
+pounds of biscuit dust reserved in a bag; and all the success of those
+who ventured abroad, the weather being still exceedingly bad, was to
+kill one sea-gull, and pick some wild cellery. These, therefore, were
+immediately put into a pot, with the addition of a large quantity of
+water, and made into a kind of soup, of which each partook as far as
+it would go; but we had no sooner thrown this down than we were seized
+with the most painful sickness at our stomachs, violent reachings,
+swoonings, and other symptoms of being poisoned. This was imputed to
+various causes, but in general to the herbs we made use of, in the
+nature and quality of which we fancied ourselves mistaken; but a little
+further inquiry let us into the real occasion of it, which was no other
+than this: the biscuit dust was the sweepings of the bread-room, but
+the bag in which they were put had been a tobacco bag; the contents
+of which not being entirely taken out, what remained mixed with the
+biscuit-dust, and proved a strong emetic.
+
+We were in all about a hundred and forty who had got to shore; but
+some few remained still on board, detained either by drunkenness, or
+a view of pillaging the wreck, among which was the boatswain. These
+were visited by an officer in the yawl, who was to endeavour to prevail
+upon them to join the rest; but finding them in the greatest disorder,
+and disposed to mutiny, he was obliged to desist from his purpose and
+return without them. Though we were very desirous, and our necessities
+required that we should take some survey of the land we were upon; yet
+being strongly pre-possessed that the savages were retired but some
+little distance from us, and waited to see us divided, our parties did
+not make this day, any great excursions from the hut; but as far as
+we went, we found it very morassy and unpromising. The spot which we
+occupied was a bay formed by hilly promontories, that to the north so
+exceeding steep, that in order to ascend it (for there was no going
+round, the bottom being washed by the sea), we were at the labour
+of cutting steps. This, which we called Mount Misery, was of use to
+us in taking some observations afterwards, when the weather would
+permit: the southern promontory was not so inaccessible. Beyond this,
+I, with some others, having reached another bay, found driven ashore
+some parts of the wreck, but no kind of provision; nor did we meet
+with any shell-fish, which we were chiefly in search of. We therefore
+returned to the rest, and for that day made no other repast than what
+the wild cellery afforded us. The ensuing night proved exceedingly
+tempestuous; and, the sea running very high, threatened those on board
+with immediate destruction by the parting of the wreck. They then were
+as solicitous to get ashore, as they were before obstinate in refusing
+the assistance we sent them; and when they found the boat did not come
+to their relief at the instant they expected it, without considering
+how impracticable a thing it was to send it them in such a sea, they
+fired one of the quarter-deck guns at the hut; the ball of which did
+but just pass over the covering of it, and was plainly heard by the
+captain and us who were within. Another attempt, therefore, was made
+to bring these madmen to land, which, however, by the violence of the
+sea, and other impediments, occasioned by the mast that lay alongside,
+proved ineffectual. This unavoidable delay made the people on board
+outrageous: they fell to beating every thing to pieces that fell in
+the way; and, carrying their intemperance to the greatest excess,
+broke open chests and cabins for plunder that could be of no use to
+them: and so earnest were they in this wantonness of theft, that one
+man had evidently been murdered on account of some division of the
+spoil, or for the sake of the share that fell to him, having all the
+marks of a strangled corpse. One thing in this outrage they seemed
+particularly attentive to, which was, to provide themselves with arms
+and ammunition, in order to support them in putting their mutinous
+designs in execution, and asserting their claim to a lawless exemption
+from the authority of their officers, which they pretended must cease
+with the loss of the ship. But of these arms, which we stood in great
+need of, they were soon bereaved, upon coming ashore, by the resolution
+of Captain Cheap and Lieutenant Hamilton of the marines. Among these
+mutineers which had been left on board, as I observed before, was the
+boatswain; who, instead of exerting the authority he had over the
+rest, to keep them within bounds as much as possible, was himself a
+ringleader in their riot: him, without respect to the figure he then
+made, for he was in laced clothes, Captain Cheap, by a blow well laid
+on with his cane, felled to the ground. It was scarce possible to
+refrain from laughter at the whimsical appearance these fellows made,
+who, having rifled the chests of the officers' best suits, had put them
+on over their greasy trowsers and dirty checked shirts. They were soon
+stripped of their finery, as they had before been obliged to resign
+their arms.
+
+The incessant rains, and exceeding cold weather in this climate,
+rendered it impossible for us to subsist long without shelter; and
+the hut being much too little to receive us all, it was necessary
+to fall upon some expedient, without delay, which might serve our
+purpose: accordingly the gunner, carpenter, and some more, turning
+the cutter keel upwards, and fixing it upon props, made no despicable
+habitation. Having thus established some sort of settlement, we had
+the more leisure to look about us, and to make our researches with
+greater accuracy than we had before, after such supplies as the most
+desolate coasts are seldom unfurnished with. Accordingly we soon
+provided ourselves with some sea-fowl, and found limpets, muscles, and
+other shell-fish in tolerable abundance; but this rummaging of the
+shore was now becoming extremely irksome to those who had any feeling,
+by the bodies of our drowned people thrown among the rocks, some of
+which were hideous spectacles, from the mangled condition they were in
+by the violent surf that drove in upon the coast. These horrors were
+overcome by the distresses of our people, who were even glad of the
+occasion of killing the gallinazo (the carrion crow of that country),
+while preying on these carcases, in order to make a meal of them. But
+a provision by no means proportionable to the number of mouths to be
+fed, could, by our utmost industry, be acquired from that part of the
+island we had hitherto traversed: therefore, till we were in a capacity
+of making more distant excursions, the wreck was to be applied to as
+often as possible, for such supplies as could be got out of her. But as
+this was a very precarious fund in its present situation, and at best
+could not last us long; considering too that it was very uncertain how
+long we might be detained upon this island the stores and provision
+we were so fortunate as to retrieve, were not only to be dealt out
+with the most frugal economy, but a sufficient quantity, if possible,
+laid by to fit us out, whenever we could agree upon any method of
+transporting ourselves from this dreary spot. The difficulties we had
+to encounter in these visits to the wreck, cannot be easily described;
+for no part of it being above water except the quarter-deck and part
+of the fore-castle, we were usually obliged to purchase such things as
+were within reach, by means of large hooks fastened to poles, in which
+business we were much incommoded by the dead bodies floating between
+decks.
+
+In order to secure what we thus got, in a manner to answer the ends
+and purposes above-mentioned, Captain Cheap ordered a store tent to
+be erected near his hut as a repository, from which nothing was to
+be dealt out but in the measure and proportion agreed upon by the
+officers; and though it was very hard upon us petty officers, who
+were fatigued with hunting all day in quest of food, to defend this
+tent from invasion by night, no other means could be devised for this
+purpose so effectual as the committing this charge to our care; and we
+were accordingly ordered to divide the task equally between us. Yet,
+notwithstanding our utmost vigilance and care, frequent robberies
+were committed upon our trust, the tent being accessible in more
+than one place. And one night, when I had the watch, hearing a stir
+within, I came unawares upon the thief, and presenting a pistol to his
+breast, obliged him to submit to be tied up to a post till I had an
+opportunity of securing him more effectually. Depredations continued
+to be made on our reserved stock, notwithstanding the great hazard
+attending such attempts; for our common safety made it necessary to
+punish them with the utmost rigour. This will not be wondered at,
+when it is known how little the allowance which might consistently be
+dispensed from thence, was proportionable to our common exigencies; so
+that our daily and nightly task of roving after food, was not in the
+least relaxed thereby; and all put together was so far from answering
+our necessities, that many at this time perished with hunger. A boy,
+when no other eatables could be found, having picked up the liver of
+one of the drowned men (whose carcase had been torn to pieces by the
+force with which the sea drove it among the rocks), was with difficulty
+withheld from making a meal of it. The men were so assiduous in their
+research after the few things which drove from the wreck, that in order
+to have no sharers of their good fortune, they examined the shore no
+less by night than by day; so that many of those who were less alert,
+or not so fortunate as their neighbours, perished with hunger, or were
+driven to the last extremity. It must be observed, that on the 14th of
+May we were cast away, and it was not till the 25th of this month that
+provision was served regularly from the store tent.
+
+The land we were now settled upon was about 90 leagues to the
+northward of the western mouth of the straits of Magellan, in the
+latitude of between 47 and 48° south, from whence we could plainly
+see the Cordilleras; and by two Lagoons on the north and south of us,
+stretching towards those mountains, we conjectured it was an island.
+But as yet we had no means of informing ourselves perfectly, whether
+it was an island or the main; for besides that the inland parts at a
+little distance from us seemed impracticable from the exceeding great
+thickness of the wood, we had hitherto been in such confusion and want
+(each finding full employment for his time, in scraping together a
+wretched subsistence, and providing shelter against the cold and rain),
+that no party could be formed to go upon discoveries. The climate and
+season too were utterly unfavourable to adventurers, and the coast, as
+far as our eye could stretch seaward, a scene of such dismal breakers
+as would discourage the most daring from making attempts in small
+boats. Nor were we assisted in our enquiries by any observation that
+could be made from that eminence we called Mount Misery, toward land,
+our prospect that way being intercepted by still higher hills and
+lofty woods: we had therefore no other expedient, by means of which
+to come at this knowledge, but by fitting out one of our ship's boats
+upon some discovery, to inform us of our situation. Our long-boat
+was still on board the wreck; therefore a number of hands were now
+dispatched to cut the gunwale of the ship, in order to get her out.
+Whilst we were employed in this business, there appeared three canoes
+of Indians paddling towards us: they had come round the point from the
+southern Lagoons. It was some time before we could prevail upon them
+to lay aside their fears and approach us; which at length they were
+induced to do by the signs of friendship we made them, and by shewing
+some bale-goods, which they accepted, and suffered themselves to be
+conducted to the captain, who made them, likewise, some presents. They
+were strangely affected with the novelty thereof; but chiefly when
+shewn the looking-glass, in which the beholder could not conceive it to
+be his own face that was represented, but that of some other behind it,
+which he therefore went round to the back of the glass to find out.
+
+These people were of a small stature, very swarthy, having long,
+black, coarse hair, hanging over their faces. It was evident, from
+their great surprise, and every part of their behaviour, as well as
+their not having one thing in their possession which could be derived
+from white people, that they had never seen such. Their clothing
+was nothing but a bit of some beast's skin about their waists, and
+something woven from feathers over the shoulders; and as they uttered
+no word of any language we had ever heard, nor had any method of making
+themselves understood, we presumed they could have had no intercourse
+with Europeans. These savages, who upon their departure left us a few
+muscles, returned in two days, and surprised us by bringing three
+sheep. From whence they could procure animals in a part of the world
+so distant from any Spanish settlement, cut off from all communication
+with the Spaniards by an inaccessible coast and unprofitable country,
+is difficult to conceive. Certain it is, that we saw no such creatures,
+nor ever heard of any such, from the Straits of Magellan, till we got
+into the neighbourhood of Chiloe: it must be by some strange accident
+that these creatures came into their possession; but what that was, we
+never could learn from them. At this interview we bartered with them
+for a dog or two, which we roasted and eat. In a few days after, they
+made us another visit, and bringing their wives with them, took up
+their abode with us for some days; then again left us.
+
+Whenever the weather permitted, which was now grown something drier,
+but exceeding cold, we employed ourselves about the wreck, from which
+we had, at sundry times, recovered several articles of provision
+and liquor: these were deposited in the store-tent. Ill-humour and
+discontent, from the difficulties we laboured under in procuring
+subsistence, and the little prospect there was of any amendment in our
+condition, was now breaking out apace. In some it shewed itself by a
+separation of settlement and habitation; in others, by a resolution of
+leaving the captain entirely, and making a wild journey by themselves,
+without determining upon any plan whatever. For my own part, seeing
+it was the fashion, and liking none of their parties, I built a
+little hut just big enough for myself and a poor Indian dog I found
+in the woods, who could shift for himself along shore, at low water,
+by getting limpets. This creature grew so fond of me, and faithful,
+that he would suffer nobody to come near the hut without biting them.
+Besides those seceders I mentioned, some laid a scheme of deserting us
+entirely: these were in number ten; the greatest part of them a most
+desperate and abandoned crew, who, to strike a notable stroke before
+they went off, placed half a barrel of gunpowder close to the captain's
+hut, laid a train to it, and were just preparing to perpetrate their
+wicked design of blowing up their commander, when they were with
+difficulty dissuaded from it by one who had some bowels and remorse of
+conscience left in him. These wretches, after rambling for some time in
+the woods, and finding it impracticable to get off, for they were then
+convinced that we were not upon the main, as they had imagined when
+they first left us, but upon an island within four or five leagues of
+it, returned and settled about a league from us; however, they were
+still determined, as soon as they could procure craft fit for their
+purpose, to get to the main. But before they could effect this, we
+found means to prevail upon the armourer and one of the carpenter's
+crew,--two very useful men to us, who had imprudently joined them,--to
+come over again to their duty. The rest, (one or two excepted) having
+built a punt, and converted the hull of one of the ship's masts into a
+canoe, went away up one of the Lagoons, and never were heard of more.
+
+These being a desperate and factious set, did not distress us much
+by their departure, but rather added to our future security: one in
+particular, James Mitchell by name, we had all the reason in the
+world to think had committed no less than two murders since the loss
+of our ship; one on the person found strangled on board, another on
+the body of a man whom we discovered among some bushes upon Mount
+Misery, stabbed in several places, and shockingly mangled. This
+diminution of our numbers was succeeded by an unfortunate accident
+much more affecting in its consequences, I mean the death of Mr.
+Cozens, midshipman; in relating which with the necessary impartiality
+and exactness, I think myself obliged to be more than ordinarily
+particular. Having one day, among other things, got a cask of peas out
+of the wreck, about which I was almost constantly employed, I brought
+it to shore in the yawl; when having landed it, the captain came down
+upon the beach, and bid me to go up to some of the tents and order
+hands to come down and roll it up; but finding none except Mr. Cozens,
+I delivered him the orders, who immediately came down to the captain,
+where I left them when I returned to the wreck. Upon my coming on
+shore again, I found that Mr. Cozens was put under confinement by the
+captain, for being drunk and giving him abusive language: however,
+he was soon after released. A day or two after, he had some dispute
+with the surgeon, and came to blows: all these things incensed the
+captain greatly against him. I believe this unfortunate man was kept
+warm with liquor, and set on by some ill-designing persons; for, when
+sober, I never knew a better natured man, or one more inoffensive. Some
+little time after, at the hour of serving out provisions, Mr. Cozens
+was at the store tent; and having, it seems, lately had a quarrel with
+the purser, and now some words arising between them, the latter told
+him he was come to mutiny; and without any further ceremony, fired a
+pistol at his head, which narrowly missed him. The captain, hearing
+the report of a pistol, and perhaps the purser's words, that Cozens
+was come to mutiny, ran out of his hut with a cocked pistol in his
+hand, and, without asking any questions, immediately shot him through
+the head. I was at this time in my hut, as the weather was extremely
+bad; but running out upon the alarm of this firing, the first thing
+I saw was Mr. Cozens on the ground, weltering in his blood: he was
+sensible, and took me by the hand, as he did several others, shaking
+his head, as if he meant to take leave of us. If Mr. Cozens' behaviour
+to his captain was indecent and provoking, the captain's, on the other
+hand, was rash and hasty: if the first was wanting in that respect
+and observance which is due from a petty officer to his commander,
+the latter was still more unadvised in the method he took for the
+enforcement of his authority; of which, indeed, he was jealous to the
+last degree, and which he saw daily declining, and ready to be trampled
+upon. His mistaken apprehension of a mutinous design in Mr. Cozens,
+the sole motive of this rash action, was so far from answering the end
+he proposed by it, that the men, who before were much dissatisfied and
+uneasy, were by this unfortunate step thrown almost into open sedition
+and revolt. It was evident that the people, who ran out of their tents,
+alarmed by the report of fire-arms, though they disguised their real
+sentiments for the present, were extremely affected at this catastrophe
+of Mr. Cozens (for he was greatly beloved by them): their minds were
+now exasperated, and it was to be apprehended, that their resentment,
+which was smothered for the present, would shortly shew itself in
+some desperate enterprise. The unhappy victim, who lay weltering in
+his blood on the ground before them, seemed to absorb their whole
+attention; the eyes of all were fixed upon him; and visible marks of
+the deepest concern appeared in the countenances of the spectators.
+The persuasion the captain was under, at the time he shot Mr. Cozens,
+that his intentions were mutinous, together with a jealousy of the
+diminution of his authority, occasioned also his behaving with less
+compassion and tenderness towards him afterwards than was consistent
+with the unhappy condition of the poor sufferer: for when it was begged
+as a favour by his mess-mates, that Mr. Cozens might be removed to
+their tent, though a necessary thing in his dangerous situation, yet
+it was not permitted; but the poor wretch was suffered to languish on
+the ground some days, with no other covering than a bit of canvass
+thrown over some bushes, where he died. But to return to our story:
+the Captain, addressing himself to the people thus assembled, told
+them, that it was his resolution to maintain his command over them as
+usual, which still remained in as much force as ever; and then ordered
+them all to return to their respective tents, with which order they
+instantly complied. Now we had saved the long-boat from the wreck, and
+got it in our possession, there was nothing that seemed so necessary
+towards the advancing our delivery from this desolate place, as the
+new modelling this vessel so as to have room for all those who were
+inclined to go off in her, and to put her in a condition to bear the
+stormy seas we must of course encounter. We therefore hauled her up,
+and having placed her upon blocks, sawed her in two, in order to
+lengthen her about twelve feet by the keel. For this purpose, all
+those who could be spared from the more immediate task of procuring
+subsistence, were employed in fitting and shaping timber as the
+carpenter directed them; I say, in procuring subsistence, because the
+weather lately having been very tempestuous, and the wreck working
+much, had disgorged a great part of her contents, which were every
+where dispersed about the shore.
+
+We now sent frequent parties up the Lagoons, which sometimes succeeded
+in getting some sea-fowl for us. The Indians appearing again in the
+offing we put off our yawl, in order to frustrate any design they
+might have of going up the Lagoon towards the deserters, who would
+have availed themselves of some of their canoes to have got upon the
+main. Having conducted them in, we found that their intention was to
+settle among us, for they had brought their wives and children with
+them, in all about fifty persons, who immediately set about building
+themselves wigwams, and seemed much reconciled to our company; and,
+could we have entertained them as we ought, they would have been of
+great assistance to us, who were yet extremely put to it to subsist
+ourselves, being a hundred in number; but the men, now subject to
+little or no control, endeavoured to seduce their wives, which gave
+the Indians such offence, that in a short time they found means to
+depart, taking every thing along with them; and we, being sensible
+of the cause, never expected to see them return again. The carpenter
+having made some progress in his work upon the long-boat, in which
+he was enabled to proceed tolerably, by the tools and other articles
+of his business retrieved from the wreck, the men began to think of
+the course they should take to get home; or rather, having borrowed
+Sir John Narborough's Voyage of Captain Cheap, by the application of
+Mr. Bulkely, which book he saw me reading one day in my tent, they,
+immediately upon perusing it, concluded upon making their voyage home
+by the Straits of Magellan. This plan was proposed to the captain,
+who by no means approved of it, his design being to go northwards,
+with a view of seizing a ship of the enemy's, by which means he might
+join the Commodore: at present, therefore, here it rested. But the
+men were in high spirits from the prospect they had of getting off
+in the long-boat, overlooking all the difficulties and hazards of a
+voyage almost impracticable, and caressing the carpenter, who indeed
+was an excellent workman, and deserved all the encouragement they
+could give him. The Indians having left us, and the weather continuing
+tempestuous and rainy, the distresses of the people for want of food
+become insupportable. Our number, which was at first one hundred and
+forty-five, was now reduced to one hundred, and chiefly by famine,
+which put the rest upon all shifts and devices to support themselves.
+One day, when I was at home in my hut with my Indian dog, a party came
+to my door, and told me their necessities were such, that they must
+eat the creature or starve. Though their plea was urgent, I could not
+help using some arguments to endeavour to dissuade them from killing
+him, as his faithful services and fondness deserved it at my hands;
+but, without weighing my arguments, they took him away by force and
+killed him; upon which, thinking that I had at least as good a right to
+a share as the rest, I sat down with them, and partook of their repast.
+Three weeks after that I was glad to make a meal of his paws and skin,
+which, upon recollecting the spot where they had killed him, I found
+thrown aside and rotten. The pressing calls of hunger drove our men to
+their wit's end, and put them upon a variety of devices to satisfy it.
+Among the ingenious this way, one Phips, a boatswain's mate, having
+got a water puncheon, scuttled it; then lashing two logs, one on each
+side, set out in quest of adventures in this extraordinary and original
+piece of embarkation. By this means he would frequently, when all the
+rest were starving, provide himself with wild fowl; and it must have
+been very bad weather indeed which could deter him from putting out
+to sea when his occasions required. Sometimes he would venture far
+out in the offing, and be absent the whole of the day: at last, it
+was his misfortune, at a great distance from shore, to be overset by
+a heavy sea; but being near a rock, though no swimmer, he managed so
+as to scramble to it, and with great difficulty ascended it: there he
+remained two days with very little hopes of any relief, for he was too
+far off to be seen from shore; but fortunately a boat, having put off
+and gone in quest of wild fowl that way, discovered him making such
+signals as he was able, and brought him back to the island. But this
+accident did not so discourage him but that soon after, having procured
+an ox's hide, used on board for sifting powder, and called a gunner's
+hide, by the assistance of some hoops he formed something like a canoe,
+in which he made several successful voyages. When the weather would
+permit us, we seldom failed of getting some wild fowl, though never in
+any plenty, by putting off with our boats; but this most inhospitable
+climate is not only deprived of the sun for the most part, by a thick,
+rainy atmosphere, but is also visited by almost incessant tempests. It
+must be confessed, we reaped some benefit from these hard gales and
+overgrown seas, which drove several things ashore; but there was no
+dependence on such accidental relief; and we were always alert to avail
+ourselves of every interval of fair weather, though so little to be
+depended on, that we were often unexpectedly and to our peril overtaken
+by a sudden change. In one of our excursions I, with two more, in a
+wretched punt of our own making, had no sooner landed at our station
+upon a high rock, than the punt was driven loose by a sudden squall;
+and had not one of the men, at the risk of his life, jumped into the
+sea and swam on board her, we must in all probability have perished;
+for we were more than three leagues from the island at the time. Among
+the birds we generally shot, was the painted goose, whose plumage is
+variegated with the most lively colours; and a bird much larger than
+a goose, which we called the race-horse, from the velocity with which
+it moved upon the surface of the water, in a sort of half flying, half
+running motion. But we were not so successful in our endeavours by
+land; for though we sometimes got pretty far into the woods, we met
+with very few birds in all our walks. We never saw but three woodcocks,
+two of which were killed by Mr. Hamilton, and one by myself. These,
+with some humming-birds, and a large kind of robin redbreast, were the
+only feathered inhabitants of this island, excepting a small bird with
+two very long feathers in his tail, which was generally seen amongst
+the rocks, and was so tame, that I have had them rest upon my shoulder
+whilst I have been gathering shell-fish. Indeed, we were visited by
+many birds of prey, some very large; but these only occasionally, and,
+as we imagined, allured by some dead whale in the neighbourhood, which
+was once seen. However, if we were so fortunate as to kill one of them,
+we thought ourselves very well off. In one of my walks, seeing a bird
+of this latter kind upon an eminence, I endeavoured to come upon it
+unperceived with my gun, by means of the woods which lay at the back of
+that eminence; but when I had proceeded so far in the wood as to think
+I was in a line with it, I heard a growling close by me, which made me
+think it advisable to retire as soon as possible; the woods were so
+gloomy I could see nothing; but as I retired, this noise followed me
+close till I had got out of them. Some of our men did assure me, that
+they had seen a very large beast in the woods; but their description
+of it was too imperfect to be relied upon. The wood here is chiefly
+of the aromatic kind; the iron wood, a wood of a very deep red hue,
+and another, of an exceeding bright yellow. All the low spots are very
+swampy; but what we thought strange, upon the summits of the highest
+hills were found beds of shells, a foot or two thick.
+
+The long-boat being near finished, some of our company were selected
+to go out in the barge, in order to reconnoitre the coast to the
+southward, which might assist us in the navigation we were going upon.
+This party consisted of Mr. Bulkely, Mr. Jones, the purser, myself,
+and ten men. The first night, we put into a good harbour, a few leagues
+to the southward of Wager's Island; where finding a large bitch big
+with puppies, we regaled upon them. In this expedition we had our usual
+bad weather, and breaking seas, which were grown to such a height the
+third day, that we were obliged, through distress, to push in at the
+first inlet we saw at hand. This we had no sooner entered, than we
+were presented with a view of a fine bay, in which having secured the
+barge, we went ashore; but the weather being very rainy, and finding
+nothing to subsist upon, we pitched a bell tent, which we had brought
+with us, in the wood opposite to where the barge lay. As this tent was
+not large enough to contain us all, I proposed to four of the people
+to go to the end of the bay, about two miles distant from the bell
+tent, to occupy the skeleton of an old Indian wigwam, which I had
+discovered in a walk that way upon our first landing. This we covered
+to windward with sea-weed; and lighting a fire, laid ourselves down,
+in hopes of finding a remedy for our hunger in sleep; but we had not
+long composed ourselves before one of our company was disturbed by the
+blowing of some animal at his face, and upon opening his eyes, was not
+a little astonished to see, by the glimmering of the fire, a large
+beast standing over him. He had presence of mind enough to snatch a
+brand from the fire, which was now very low, and thrust it at the nose
+of the animal, who thereupon made off: this done, the man awoke us,
+and related, with horror in his countenance, the narrow escape he had
+had of being devoured. But though we were under no small apprehensions
+of another visit from this animal, yet our fatigue and heaviness was
+greater than our fears; and we once more composed ourselves to rest,
+and slept the remainder of the night without any further disturbance.
+In the morning, we were not a little anxious to know how our companions
+had fared; and this anxiety was increased upon tracing the footsteps
+of the beast in the sand, in a direction towards the bell tent. The
+impression was deep and plain, of a large round foot, well furnished
+with claws. Upon our acquainting the people in the tent with the
+circumstances of our story, we found that they too had been visited
+by the same unwelcome guest, which they had driven away by much the
+same expedient. We now returned from this cruise, with a strong gale,
+to Wager's Island; having found it impracticable to make farther
+discoveries in the barge, on so dangerous a coast, and in such heavy
+seas. Here we soon discovered, by the quarters of dogs hanging up, that
+the Indians had brought a fresh supply to our market. Upon enquiry, we
+found that there had been six canoes of them, who, among other methods
+of taking fish, had taught their dogs to drive the fish into a corner
+of some pond, or lake, from whence they were easily taken out, by the
+skill and address of these savages. The old cabal, during our absence,
+had been frequently revived; the debates of which generally ended in
+riot and drunkenness. This cabal was chiefly held in a large tent,
+which the people belonging to it had taken some pains to make snug and
+convenient, and lined with bales of broad cloth driven from the wreck.
+Eighteen of the stoutest fellows of the ship's company had possession
+of this tent, from whence were dispatched committees to the Captain,
+with the resolutions they had taken with regard to their departure;
+but oftener for liquor. Their determination was to go in the long-boat
+to the southward, by the straits of Magellan; and the point they were
+labouring, was to prevail upon the Captain to accompany them. But
+though he had fixed upon a quite different plan, which was to go to
+the northward, yet he thought it politic, at present, seemingly to
+acquiesce with them, in order to keep them quiet. When they began to
+stipulate with him, that he should be under some restrictions in point
+of command, and should do nothing without consulting his officers, he
+insisted upon the full exercise of his authority as before. This broke
+all measures between them, and they were from this time determined he
+should go with them, whether he would or no. A better pretence they
+could not have for effecting this design, than the unfortunate affair
+of Mr. Cozens; which they therefore made use of for seizing his person,
+and putting him under confinement, in order to bring him to his trial
+in England. The long-boat was now launched, and ready for sailing,
+and all the men embarked, except Captain Pemberton, with a party of
+marines, whom he had drawn up upon the beach with the intention of
+conducting Captain Cheap on board; but he was at length persuaded to
+desist from this resolution by Mr. Bulkely. The men too, finding they
+were straitened for room, and that their stock of provision would
+not admit of their taking supernumeraries aboard, were now no less
+strenuous for his enlargement, and being left to his option of staying
+behind. Therefore, after having distributed their share in the reserved
+stock of provision, which was very small, we departed, leaving Captain
+Cheap, Mr. Hamilton of the marines, and the surgeon, upon the island.
+I had all along been in the dark as to the turn this affair would take;
+and not in the least suspecting but that it was determined Captain
+Cheap should be taken with us, readily embarked under that persuasion;
+but when I found that this design, which was so seriously carried on
+to the last, was suddenly dropped, I was determined, upon the first
+opportunity, to leave them; which was at this instant impossible for
+me to do, the long-boat lying some distance off shore, at anchor. We
+were in all eighty-one, when we left the island, distributed into the
+long-boat, cutter, and barge; fifty-nine on board the first, twelve
+in the second, in the last, ten. It was our purpose to put into some
+harbour, if possible, every evening, as we were in no condition to keep
+those terrible seas long; for without other assistance, our stock of
+provisions was no more than might have been consumed in a few days;
+our water was chiefly contained in a few powder-barrels; our flour was
+to be lengthened out by a mixture of sea-weed; and our other supplies
+depended upon the success of our guns, and industry among the rocks.
+Captain Pemberton having brought on board his men, we weighed; but a
+sudden squall of wind having split our foresail, we with difficulty
+cleared the rocks, by means of our boats, bore away for a sandy bay,
+on the south side of the Lagoon, and anchored in ten fathom. The next
+morning we got under way; but it blowing hard at W. by N. with a
+great swell, we put into a small bay again, well sheltered by a ledge
+of rocks without us. At this time, it was thought necessary to send
+the barge away back to Cheap's bay, for some spare canvass, which
+was imagined would be soon wanted. I thought this a good opportunity
+of returning, and therefore made one with those who went upon this
+business in the barge. We were no sooner clear of the long-boat, than
+all those in the boat with me declared they had the same intention.
+When we arrived at the island, we were extremely welcome to Captain
+Cheap. The next day, I asked him leave to try if I could prevail upon
+those in the long-boat to give us our share of provision: this he
+granted; but said if we went in the barge, they would certainly take
+her from us. I told him my design was to walk it, and only desired the
+boat might land me upon the main, and wait for me till I came back. I
+had the most dreadful journey of it imaginable, through thick woods
+and swamps all the way; but I might as well have spared myself that
+trouble, as it was to no manner of purpose; for they would not give
+me, nor any one of us that left them, a single ounce of provisions of
+any kind. I therefore returned, and after that made a second attempt;
+but all in vain. They even threatened, if we did not return with the
+barge, they would fetch her by force. It is impossible to conceive the
+distressed situation we were now in, at the time of the long-boat's
+departure. I do not mention this event as the occasion of it; by which,
+if we who were left on the island experienced any alteration at all,
+it was for the better; and which, in all probability, had it been
+deferred, might have been fatal to the greatest part of us; but at
+this time, the subsistence on which we had hitherto chiefly depended,
+which was the shell-fish, were every where along shore eat up; and
+as to stock saved from the wreck, it may be guessed what the amount
+of that might be, when the share allotted to the Captain, Lieutenant
+Hamilton, and the surgeon, was no more than six pieces of beef, as many
+of pork, and ninety pounds of flour. As to myself, and those that left
+the long-boat, it was the least revenge they thought they could take
+of us to withhold our provision from us, though at the same time it
+was hard and unjust. For a day or two after our return, there was some
+little pittance dealt out to us, yet it was upon the foot of favour;
+and we were soon left to our usual industry for a farther supply. This
+was now exerted to very little purpose, for the reason before assigned;
+to which may be added, the wreck was now blown up, all her upper works
+gone, and no hopes of any valuable driftage from her for the future.
+A weed called slaugh, fried in the tallow of some candles we had
+saved, and wild cellery, were our only fare; by which our strength was
+so much impaired, that we could scarcely crawl. It was my misfortune
+too, to labour under a severe flux, by which I was reduced to a very
+feeble state; so that in attempting to traverse the rocks in search of
+shell-fish, I fell from one into very deep water, and with difficulty
+saved my life by swimming. As the Captain was now freed, by the
+departure of the long-boat, from the riotous applications, menaces, and
+disturbance of an unruly crew, and left at liberty to follow the plan
+he had resolved upon, of going northward, he began to think seriously
+of putting it in execution; in order to which, a message was sent to
+the deserters, who had seated themselves on the other side of the
+neighbouring Lagoon, to sound them, whether they were inclined to join
+the Captain in his undertaking; and if they were, to bring them over
+to him. For this set, the party gone off in the long-boat had left
+an half allowance proportion of the common stock of provision. These
+men, upon the proposal, readily agreed to join their commander; and
+being conducted to him, increased our number to twenty. The boats which
+remained in our possession to carry off all these people, were only the
+barge and yawl, two very crazy bottoms; the broadside of the last was
+entirely out, and the first had suffered much in the variety of bad
+weather she had gone through, and was sadly out of repair. And now our
+carpenter was gone from us, we had no remedy for these misfortunes, but
+the little skill we had gained from him. However, we made tolerable
+shift to patch up the boats for our purpose. In the height of our
+distresses, when hunger, which seems to include and absorb all others,
+was most prevailing, we were cheered with the appearance, once more,
+of our friendly Indians, as we thought, from whom we hoped for some
+relief; but as the consideration was wanting, for which alone they
+would part with their commodities, we were not at all benefitted by
+their stay, which was very short. The little reserve too of flour made
+by the Captain for our sea-stock when we should leave the island, was
+now diminished by theft: the thieves, who were three of our men, were
+however soon discovered, and two of them apprehended; but the third
+made his escape to the woods. Considering the pressing state of our
+necessities, this theft was looked upon as a most heinous crime, and
+therefore required an extraordinary punishment: accordingly the Captain
+ordered these delinquents to be severely whipped, and then to be
+banished to an island at some distance from us; but before this latter
+part of the sentence could be put in execution, one of them fled; but
+the other was put alone upon a barren island, which afforded not the
+least shelter; however, we, in compassion, and contrary to order,
+patched him up a bit of a hut, and kindled him a fire, and then left
+the poor wretch to shift for himself. In two or three days after, going
+to the island in our boat with some little refreshment, such as our
+miserable circumstances would admit of, and with an intent of bringing
+him back, we found him dead and stiff. I was now reduced to the lowest
+condition by my illness, which was increased by the vile stuff I eat,
+when we were favoured by a fair day, a thing very extraordinary in this
+climate. We instantly took the advantage of it, and once more visited
+the last remains of the wreck,--her bottom. Here our pains were repaid
+with the great good fortune of hooking up three casks of beef, which
+were brought safe to shore. This providential supply could not have
+happened at a more seasonable time than now, when we were afflicted
+with the greatest dearth we had ever experienced, and the little
+strength we had remaining was to be exerted in our endeavours to leave
+the island. Accordingly we soon found a remedy for our sickness, which
+was nothing but the effects of famine, and were greatly restored by
+food. The provision was equally distributed among us all, and served us
+for the remainder of our stay here.
+
+We began to grow extremely impatient to leave the island, as the
+days were now nearly at their longest, and about midsummer in these
+parts; but as to the weather, there seems to be little difference in a
+difference of seasons. Accordingly, on the 15th of December, the day
+being tolerable, we told Captain Cheap we thought it a fine opportunity
+to run across the bay. But he first desired two or three of us to
+accompany him to our place of observation, the top of Mount Misery;
+when looking through his perspective, he observed to us that the sea
+ran very high without. However, this had no weight with the people, who
+were desirous, at all events, to be gone. I should here observe, that
+Captain Cheap's plan was, if possible, to get to the island of Chiloe;
+and if we found any vessel there, to board her immediately, and cut
+her out. This he might certainly have done with ease, had it been his
+good fortune to get round with the boats. We now launched both boats,
+and got every thing on board of them as quick as possible. Captain
+Cheap, the surgeon, and myself, were in the barge with nine men; and
+Lieutenant Hamilton and Mr. Campbell in the yawl with six. I steered
+the barge, and Mr. Campbell the yawl; but we had not been two hours at
+sea before the wind shifted more to the westward, and began to blow
+very hard, and the sea ran extremely high; so that we could no longer
+keep our heads towards the cape or headland we had designed for. This
+cape we had had a view of in one of the intervals of fair weather,
+during our abode on the island, from Mount Misery; and it seemed to be
+distant between twenty and thirty leagues from us. We were now obliged
+to bear away right before the wind. Though the yawl was not far from
+us, we could see nothing of her, except now and then, upon the top of
+a mountainous sea. In both the boats, the men were obliged to sit as
+close as possible, to receive the seas on their backs, to prevent their
+filling us, which was what we every moment expected. We were obliged
+to throw everything overboard, to lighten the boats, all our beef, and
+even the grapnel, to prevent sinking. Night was coming on, and we
+were running on a lee-shore fast, where the sea broke in a frightful
+manner. Not one amongst us imagined it possible for boats to live in
+such a sea. In this situation, as we neared the shore, expecting to
+be beat to pieces by the first breaker, we perceived a small opening
+between the rocks, which we stood for, and found a very narrow passage
+between them, which brought us into a harbour for the boats as calm
+and smooth as a mill-pond. The yawl had got in before us, and our joy
+was great at meeting again after so unexpected a deliverance. Here we
+secured the boats, and ascended a rock. It rained excessively hard all
+the first part of the night, and was extremely cold; and though we had
+not a dry thread about us, and no wood could be found for firing, we
+were obliged to pass the night in that uncomfortable situation, without
+any covering, shivering in our wet clothes. The frost coming on with
+the morning, it was impossible for any of us to get a moment's sleep;
+and having flung overboard our provision the day before, there being
+no prospect of finding anything to eat on this coast, in the morning we
+pulled out of the cove; but found so great a sea without, that we could
+make but little of it. After tugging all day, towards night we put in
+among some small islands, landed upon one of them, and found it a mere
+swamp. As the weather was the same, we passed this night much as we had
+done the preceding; sea-tangle was all we could get to eat at first,
+but the next day we had better luck; the surgeon shot a goose, and we
+found materials for a good fire. We were confined here three or four
+days, the weather all that time proving so bad that we could not put
+out. As soon as it grew moderate, we left this place, and shaped our
+course to the northward; and perceiving a large opening between very
+high land and a low point, we steered for it; and when got that length,
+found a large bay, down which we rowed, flattering ourselves there
+might be a passage that way; but towards night we came to the bottom of
+the bay, and finding no outlet, we were obliged to return the same way
+we came, having met with nothing the whole day to alleviate our hunger.
+
+Next night we put into a little cove, which, from the great quantity
+of red-wood found there, we called Redwood Cove. Leaving this place in
+the morning, we had the wind southerly, blowing fresh, by which we made
+much way that day, to the northward. Towards evening we were in with a
+pretty large island. Putting ashore on it, we found it clothed with the
+finest trees we had ever seen, their stems running up to a prodigious
+height, without knot or branch, and as straight as cedars: the leaf
+of these trees resemble the myrtle leaf, only somewhat larger. I have
+seen trees larger than these in circumference, on the coast of Guinea,
+and there only; but for a length of stem, which gradually tapering,
+I have no where met with any to compare to them. The wood was of a
+hard substance, and, if not too heavy, would have made good masts; the
+dimensions of some of these trees being equal to a main-mast of a first
+rate man-of-war. The shore was covered with driftwood of a very large
+size; most of it cedar, which makes a brisk fire; but is so subject to
+snap and fly, that when we awoke in the morning, after a sound sleep,
+we found our clothes singed in many places with the sparks, and covered
+with splinters.
+
+The next morning being calm, we rowed out; but as soon as clear of
+the island, we found a great swell from the westward; we rowed to the
+bottom of a very large bay, which was to the northward of us, the land
+very low, and we were in hopes of finding some inlet through, but did
+not; so kept along shore to the westward. This part, which I take to be
+above fifty leagues from Wager Island, is the very bottom of the large
+bay it lies in. Here was the only passage to be found, which (if we
+could by any means have got information of it) would have saved us much
+fruitless labour. Of this passage I shall have occasion to say more
+hereafter.
+
+Having at this time an off-shore wind, we kept the land close on board,
+till we came to a head-land: it was near night before we got abreast
+of the headland, and opening it discovered a very large bay to the
+northward, and another headland to the westward, at a great distance.
+We endeavoured to cut short our passage to it by crossing, which is
+very seldom to be effected, in these overgrown seas, by boats: and this
+we experienced now; for the wind springing up, and beginning to blow
+fresh, we were obliged to put back towards the first headland, into a
+small cove, just big enough to shelter the two boats. Here an accident
+happened that alarmed us much. After securing our boats, we climbed up
+a rock scarcely large enough to contain our numbers: having nothing to
+eat, we betook ourselves to our usual receipt for hunger, which was
+going to sleep. We accordingly made a fire, and stowed ourselves round
+it as well as we could; but two of our men being incommoded for want of
+room, went a little way from us, into a small nook, over which a great
+cliff hung, and served them for a canopy. In the middle of the night
+we were awakened with a terrible rumbling, which we apprehended to
+be nothing less than the shock of an earthquake, which we had before
+experienced in these parts; and this conjecture we had reason to think
+not ill founded, upon hearing hollow groans and cries as of men half
+swallowed up. We immediately got up, and ran to the place from whence
+the cries came, and then we were put out of all doubt as to the opinion
+we had formed of this accident; for here we found the two men almost
+buried under loose stones and earth: but upon a little farther enquiry
+we were undeceived as to the cause we had imputed this noise to, which
+we found to be occasioned by the sudden giving way of the impending
+cliff, which fell a little beyond our people, carrying trees and rocks
+with it, and loose earth; the latter of which fell in part on our men,
+whom we with some pains rescued from their uneasy situation, from which
+they escaped with some bruises. The next morning we got out early, and
+the wind being westerly, rowed the whole day for the headland we had
+seen the night before; but when we had got that length could find no
+harbour, but were obliged to go into a sandy bay, and lay the whole
+night upon our oars; and a most dreadful one it proved, blowing and
+raining very hard. Here we were so pinched with hunger, that we eat the
+shoes off our feet, which consisted of raw seal skin. In the morning
+we got out of the bay; but the incessant foul weather had overcome us,
+and we began to be indifferent as to what befel us; and the boats,
+in the night, making into a bay, we nearly lost the yawl, a breaker
+having filled her, and driven her ashore upon the beach. This, by some
+of our accounts, was Christmas-day; but our accounts had so often been
+interrupted by our distresses, that there was no depending upon them.
+Upon seeing the yawl in this imminent danger, the barge stood off, and
+went into another bay to the northward of it, where it was smoother
+lying; but there was no possibility of getting on shore. In the night
+the yawl joined us again. The next day was so bad, that we despaired
+reaching the headland, so rowed down the bay in hopes of getting some
+seal, as that animal had been seen the day before, but met with no
+success; so returned to the same bay we had been in the night before,
+where the surf having abated somewhat, we went ashore, and picked up a
+few shell-fish. In the morning, we got on board early, and ran along
+shore to the westward, for about three leagues, in order to get round a
+cape, which was the westernmost land we could see. It blew very hard,
+and there ran such a sea, that we heartily wished ourselves back again,
+and accordingly made the best of our way for that bay which we had left
+in the morning; but before we could reach it night came on, and we
+passed a most dismal one, lying upon our oars.
+
+The weather continuing very bad, we put in for the shore in the
+morning, where we found nothing but tangle and sea-weed. We now passed
+some days roving about for provisions, as the weather was too bad to
+make another attempt to get round the cape as yet. We found some fine
+Lagoons towards the head of the bay; and in them killed some seal, and
+got a good quantity of shell-fish, which was a great relief to us.
+We now made a second attempt to double the cape; but when we got the
+length of it, and passed the first headland, for it consists of three
+of an equal height, we got into a sea that was horrid; for it ran all
+in heaps, like the Race of Portland, but much worse. We were happy to
+put back again to the old place, with little hopes of ever getting
+round this cape.
+
+Next day, the weather proving very bad, all hands went ashore to
+procure some sustenance, except two in each boat, which were left as
+boat-keepers; this office we took by turns; and it was now my lot to be
+upon this duty with another man. The yawl lay within us at a grapnel;
+in the night it blew very hard, and a great sea tumbled in upon the
+shore; but being extremely fatigued, we in the boats went to sleep,
+notwithstanding, however, I was at last awakened by the uncommon motion
+of the boat, and the roaring of the breakers every where about us. At
+the same time I heard a shrieking, like to that of persons in distress;
+I looked out, and saw the yawl canted bottom upwards by a sea, and
+soon afterwards disappeared. One of our men, whose name was William
+Rose, a quarter-master, was drowned; the other was thrown ashore by
+the surf, with his head buried in the sand; but by the immediate
+assistance of the people on shore, was saved. As for us in the barge,
+we expected the same fate every moment; for the sea broke a long way
+without us. However we got her head to it, and hove up our grapnel, or
+should rather say kellick, which we had made to serve in the room of
+our grapnel, hove overboard some time before, to lighten the boat. By
+this means we used our utmost efforts to pull her without the breakers
+some way, and then let go our kellick again. Here we lay all the next
+day, in a great sea, not knowing what would be our fate. To add to our
+mortification, we could see our companions in tolerable plight ashore,
+eating seal, while we were starving with hunger and cold. For this
+month past, we had not known what it was to have a dry thread about us.
+
+The next day being something more moderate, we ventured in with the
+barge, as near as we could to the shore, and our companions threw us
+some seal's liver; which having eat greedily, we were seized with
+excessive sickness, which affected us so much, that our skin peeled off
+from head to foot.
+
+Whilst the people were on shore here, Mr. Hamilton met with a large
+seal, or sea-lion, and fired a brace of balls into him, upon which the
+animal turned upon him open-mouthed; but presently fixing his bayonet,
+he thrust it down its throat, with a good part of the barrel of the
+gun, which the creature bit in two seemingly with as much ease as if it
+had been a twig. Notwithstanding the wounds it received, it eluded all
+farther efforts to kill it, and got clear off.
+
+I call this animal a large seal, or sea-lion, because it resembles a
+seal in many particulars; but then it exceeds it so much in size,
+as to be sufficiently determined, by that distinction only, to be
+of another species. Mr. Walter, in Lord Anson's Voyage, has given a
+particular description of those which are seen about Juan Fernandes;
+but they have in other climates, different appearances as well as
+different qualities, as we had occasion to observe in this, and a
+late voyage I made. However, as so much already has been said of
+the sea-lion, I shall only mention two peculiarities; one relative
+to its appearance, and the other to its properties of action, which
+distinguish it from those described by him. Those I saw, were without
+that snout, or trunk, hanging below the end of the upper jaw; but then
+the males were furnished with a large shaggy mane, which gave them a
+most formidable appearance. And, whereas, he says, those he saw were
+unwieldy, and easily destroyed: we found some, on the contrary, that
+lay at a mile's distance from the water, which came down upon us, when
+disturbed, with such impetuosity, that it was as much as we could do to
+get out of their way; and when attacked, would turn upon us with great
+agility.
+
+Having lost the yawl, and being too many for the barge to carry off, we
+were compelled to leave four of our men behind. They were all marines,
+who seemed to have no objection to the determination made with regard
+to them, so exceedingly disheartened and worn out were they with the
+distresses and dangers they had already gone through. And, indeed, I
+believe it would have been a matter of indifference to the greatest
+part of the rest, whether they should embark, or take their chance.
+The captain distributed to these poor fellows arms and ammunition, and
+some other necessaries. When we parted, they stood upon the beach,
+giving us three cheers, and called out, God bless the king. We saw them
+a little after, setting out upon their forlorn hope, and helping one
+another over a hideous tract of rocks; but considering the difficulties
+attending this only way of travelling left them--for the woods are
+impracticable, from their thickness, and the deep swamp everywhere to
+be met in them--considering too, that the coast here is rendered so
+inhospitable, by the heavy seas that are constantly tumbling upon it,
+as not to afford even a little shell-fish, it is probable that all met
+with a miserable end.
+
+We rowed along shore to the westward, in order to make one more attempt
+to double the cape: when abreast of the first headland there ran such
+a sea, that we expected, every instant, the boat would go down. But
+as the preservation of life had now, in a great measure, lost its
+actuating principle upon us, we still kept pushing through it, till we
+opened a bay to the northward. In all my life, I never saw so dreadful
+a sea as drove in here; it began to break at more than half a mile
+from the shore. Perceiving now that it was impossible for any boat to
+get round, the men lay upon their oars till the boat was very near
+the breakers, the mountainous swell that then ran, heaving her in at
+a great rate. I thought it was their intention to put an end to their
+lives and misery at once; but nobody spoke for some time. At last,
+Captain Cheap told them, they must either perish immediately, or pull
+stoutly for it to get off the shore; but they might do as they pleased.
+They chose, however, to exert themselves a little, and after infinite
+difficulty, got round the headland again, giving up all thoughts of
+making any further attempt to double the cape. It was night before we
+could get back to the bay, where we were compelled to leave four of our
+men, in order to save, if possible, the remainder; for we must all have
+certainly perished, if more than sixteen had been crowded into so small
+a boat. This bay we named Marine Bay. When we had returned to this bay,
+we found the surf ran so high, that we were obliged to lay upon our
+oars all night; and it was now resolved to go back to Wager's Island,
+there to linger out a miserable life, as we had not the least prospect
+of returning home.
+
+But before we set out, in consequence of this resolution, it was
+necessary, if possible, to get some little stock of seal to support us
+in a passage, upon which, wherever we might put in, we were not likely
+to meet with any supply. Accordingly, it was determined to go up that
+Lagoon in which we had before got some seal, to provide ourselves with
+some more; but we did not leave the bay till we had made some search
+after the unhappy marines we had left on shore. Could we have found
+them, we had now agreed to take them on board again, though it would
+have been the certain destruction of us all. This, at another time,
+would have been mere madness; but we were now resigned to our fate,
+which we none of us thought far off; however, there was nothing to be
+seen of them, and no traces but a musket on the beach.
+
+Upon returning up the Lagoon, we were so fortunate as to kill some
+seal, which we boiled, and laid in the boat for sea-stock. While we
+were ranging along shore in detached parties in quest of this, and
+whatever other eatable might come in our way, our surgeon, who was
+then by himself, discovered a pretty large hole, which seemed to lead
+to some den, or repository, within the rocks. It was not so rude, or
+natural, but that there were some signs of its having been cleared,
+and made more accessible by industry. The surgeon for some time
+hesitated whether he should venture in, from his uncertainty as to the
+reception he might meet with from any inhabitant; but his curiosity
+getting the better of his fears, he determined to go in; which he
+did upon his hands and knees, as the passage was too low for him to
+enter otherwise. After having proceeded a considerable way thus, he
+arrived at a spacious chamber; but whether hollowed out by hands, or
+natural, he could not be positive. The light into this chamber was
+conveyed through a hole at the top; in the midst was a kind of bier,
+made of sticks laid crossways, supported by props of about five foot
+in height. Upon this bier, five or six bodies were extended; which,
+in appearance, had been deposited there a long time, but had suffered
+no decay or diminution. They were without covering, and the flesh of
+these bodies was become perfectly dry and hard; which, whether done by
+any art, or secret, the savages may be possessed of, or occasioned
+by any drying virtue in the air of the cave, could not be guessed.
+Indeed, the surgeon, finding nothing there to eat, which was the chief
+inducement for his creeping into this hole, did not amuse himself with
+long disquisitions, or make that accurate examination which he would
+have done at another time; but crawling out as he came in, he went and
+told the first he met of what he had seen. Some had the curiosity to
+go in likewise. I had forgot to mention that there was another range
+of bodies, deposited in the same manner, upon another platform under
+the bier. Probably this was the burial place of their great men, called
+caciques; but from whence they could be brought we were utterly at
+a loss to conceive, there being no traces of any Indian settlement
+hereabout. We had seen no savage since we left the island, or observed
+any marks in the coves, or bays to the northward, where we had
+touched,--such as of fire-places, or old wigwams, which they never fail
+of leaving behind them; and it is very probable, from the violent seas
+that are always beating upon this coast, its deformed aspect, and the
+very swampy soil that every where borders upon it, that it is little
+frequented.
+
+We now crossed the first bay for the headland we left on Christmas-day,
+much dejected; for under our former sufferings, we were in some measure
+supported with the hopes that, as we advanced, however little, they
+were so much the nearer the termination; but now our prospect was
+dismal and dispiriting, indeed, as we had the same difficulties and
+dangers to encounter, not only without any flattering views to lessen
+them, but under the aggravating circumstance of their leading to an
+inevitable and miserable death; for we could not possibly conceive that
+the fate of starving could be avoided by any human means, upon that
+desolate island we were returning to. The shell-fish, which was the
+only subsistence that island had hitherto afforded in any measure, was
+exhausted; and the Indians had shewn themselves so little affected by
+the common incitements of compassion, that we had no hopes to build
+upon any impressions of that sort in them. They had already refused
+to barter their dogs with us, for want of a valuable commodity on
+our side; so that it is wonderful we did not give ourselves up to
+despondency, and lay aside all farther attempts; but we were supported
+by that invisible power, who can make the most untoward circumstances
+subservient to his gracious purposes.
+
+At this time, our usual bad weather attended us; the night too set in
+long before we could reach the cove we before had taken shelter in;
+so that we were obliged to keep the boat's head to the sea all night,
+the sea every where a-stern of us, running over hideous breakers. In
+the morning, we designed standing over for that island in which we
+had observed those straight and lofty trees before mentioned, and
+which Captain Cheap named Montrose Island; but as soon as we opened
+the headland to the westward of us, a sudden squall took the boat,
+and very near overset her. We were instantly full of water; but by
+baling with our hats and hands, and any thing that would hold water, we
+with difficulty freed her. Under this alarming circumstance, we found
+it advisable to return back and put into the cove, which the night
+before we were prevented getting into. We were detained here two or
+three days, by exceeding bad weather; so that, had we not fortunately
+provided ourselves with some seal, we must have starved, for this place
+afforded us nothing.
+
+At length we reached Montrose Island. This is by much the best and
+pleasantest spot we had seen in this part of the world; though it has
+nothing on it eatable but some berries, which resembled gooseberries
+in flavour: they are of a black hue, and grow in swampy ground; and
+the bush or tree that bears them is much taller than that of our
+gooseberries. We remained here some time, living upon these berries,
+and the remainder of our seal, which was now grown quite rotten. Our
+two or three first attempts to put out from this island were without
+success, the tempestuous weather obliging us so often to put back
+again. One of our people was much inclined to remain here, thinking it
+as least as good a place as Wager's Island to end his days upon; but
+he was obliged to go off with them. We had not been long out before it
+began to blow a storm of wind; and the mist came on so thick, that we
+could not see the land, and were at a loss which way to steer; but we
+heard the sea, which ran exceedingly high, breaking near us; upon which
+we immediately hauled aft the sheet, and hardly weathered the breakers
+by a boat's length. At the same time we shipped a sea that nearly
+filled us: it struck us with that violence, as to throw me, and one or
+two more, down into the bottom of the boat, where we were half drowned
+before we could get up again. This was one of the most extraordinary
+escapes we had in the course of this expedition; for Captain Cheap, and
+every one else, had entirely given themselves up for lost. However,
+it pleased God that we got that evening into Redwood Cove, where the
+weather continued so bad all night, we could keep no fire in to dry
+ourselves with; but there being no other alternative for us, but to
+stay here and starve, or put to sea again, we chose the latter, and
+put out in the morning again, though the weather was very little
+mended. In three or four days after, we arrived at our old station,
+Wager's Island; but in such a miserable plight, that though we thought
+our condition upon setting out would not admit of any additional
+circumstance of misery, yet it was to be envied in comparison of what
+we now suffered, so worn and reduced were we by fatigue and hunger;
+having eat nothing for some days but sea-weed and tangle. Upon this
+expedition, we had been out, by our account, just two months; in which
+we had rounded, backwards and forwards, the great bay formed to the
+northward by that high land we had observed from Mount Misery.
+
+The first thing we did upon our arrival, was to secure the barge, as
+this was our sole dependence for any relief that might offer by sea;
+which done, we repaired to our huts, which formed a kind of village
+or street, consisting of several irregular habitations; some of which
+being covered by a kind of brush-wood thatch, afforded tolerable
+shelter against the inclemency of the weather. Among these, there was
+one which we observed with some surprise to be nailed up. We broke
+it open, and found some iron work, picked out with much pains from
+those pieces of the wreck which were driven ashore. We concluded from
+hence, that the Indians who had been here in our absence, were not of
+that tribe with which we had some commerce before, who seemed to set
+no value upon iron, but from some other quarter; and must have had
+communication with the Spaniards, from whom they had learned the value
+and use of that commodity. Thieving from strangers is a commendable
+talent among savages in general, and bespeaks an address which they
+much admire; though the strictest honesty, with regard to the property
+of each other, is observed among them. There is no doubt but they
+ransacked all our houses; but the men had taken care, before they went
+off in the long-boat, to strip them of their most valuable furniture;
+that is, the bales of cloth used for lining, and converted them into
+trowsers and watch-coats. Upon farther search, we found, thrown aside
+in the bushes, at the back of one of the huts, some pieces of seal, in
+a very putrid condition; which, however, our stomachs were far from
+loathing. The next business, which the people set about very seriously,
+was to proceed to Mount Misery, and bury the corpse of the murdered
+person, mentioned to have been discovered there some little time after
+our being cast away; for to the neglect of this necessary tribute to
+that unfortunate person, the men assigned all their ill-success upon
+the late expedition.
+
+That common people in general are addicted to superstitious conceits,
+is an observation founded on experience; and the reason is evident:
+but I cannot allow that common seamen are more so than others of the
+lower class. In the most enlightened ages of antiquity, we find it to
+have been the popular opinion, that the spirits of the dead were not at
+rest till their bodies were interred; and that they did not cease to
+haunt and trouble those who had neglected this duty to the departed.
+This is still believed by the vulgar, in most countries; and in our
+men, this persuasion was much heightened by the melancholy condition
+they were reduced to; and was farther confirmed by an occurrence which
+happened some little time before we went upon our last expedition.
+One night we were alarmed with a strange cry, which resembled that
+of a man drowning. Many of us ran out of our huts towards the place
+from whence the noise proceeded, which was not far off shore; where
+we could perceive, but not distinctly (for it was then moonlight), an
+appearance like that of a man swimming half out of water. The noise
+that this creature uttered was so unlike that of any animal they had
+heard before, that it made a great impression upon the men; and they
+frequently recalled this apparition at the time of their distresses,
+with reflections on the neglect of the office they were now fulfilling.
+
+We were soon driven again to the greatest straits for want of something
+to subsist upon, by the extreme bad weather that now set in upon us.
+Wild celery was all we could procure, which raked our stomachs instead
+of assuaging our hunger. That dreadful and last resource of men, in
+not much worse circumstances than ours, of consigning one man to death
+for the support of the rest, began to be mentioned in whispers; and
+indeed there were some among us who, by eating what they found raw,
+were become little better than cannibals. But fortunately for us, and
+opportunely to prevent this horrid proceeding, Mr. Hamilton, at this
+time, found some rotten pieces of beef, cast up by the sea at some
+miles distance from the huts, which he, though a temptation which few
+would have resisted in parallel circumstances, scorned to conceal from
+the rest; but generously distributed among us.
+
+A few days after, the mystery of the nailing up of the hut, and what
+had been doing by the Indians upon the island in our absence, was
+partly explained to us; for about the fifteenth day after our return,
+there came a party of Indians to the island in two canoes, who were not
+a little surprised to find us here again. Among these, was an Indian of
+the tribe of the Chonos, who live in the neighbourhood of Chiloe.[4]
+He talked the Spanish language, but with that savage accent which
+renders it almost unintelligible to any but those who are adepts in
+that language. He was likewise a cacique, or leading man of his tribe;
+which authority was confirmed to him by the Spaniards; for he carried
+the usual badge and mark of distinction by which the Spaniards, and
+their dependents, hold their military and civil employments, which is a
+stick with a silver head. These badges, of which the Indians are very
+vain, at once serve to retain the cacique in the strongest attachment
+to the Spanish government, and give him greater weight with his own
+dependents: yet, withal, he is the merest slave, and has not one thing
+he can call his own. This report of our shipwreck (as we supposed)
+having reached the Chonos, by means of the intermediate tribes, which
+handed it to one another, from those Indians who first visited us;
+this cacique was either sent to learn the truth of the rumour, or
+having first got the intelligence, set out with a view of making some
+advantage of the wreck, and appropriating such iron-work as he could
+gather from it to his own use: for that metal is become very valuable
+to those savages, since their commerce with the Spaniards has taught
+them to apply it to several purposes. But as the secreting any thing
+from a rapacious Spanish rey, or governor (even an old rusty nail),
+by any of their Indian dependents, is a very dangerous offence, he
+was careful to conceal the little prize he had made, till he could
+conveniently carry it away; for in order to make friends of these
+savages, we had left their hoard untouched.
+
+[FOOTNOTE 4:
+
+Chiloe is an island on the western coast of America, about the 43rd
+deg. of S. latitude; and the southernmost settlement under the Spanish
+jurisdiction on that coast.]
+
+Our surgeon, Mr. Elliot, being master of a few Spanish words, made
+himself so far understood by the cacique as to let him know, that
+our intention was to reach some of the Spanish settlements, if we
+could; that we were unacquainted with the best and safest way, and
+what tract was most likely to afford us subsistence in our journey;
+promising, if he would undertake to conduct us in the barge, he should
+have it, and every thing in it, for his trouble, as soon as it had
+served our present occasions. To these conditions the cacique, after
+much persuasion, at length agreed. Accordingly, having made the best
+preparation we could, we embarked on board the barge to the number of
+fifteen, including the cacique, whose name was Martin, and his servant
+Emanuel. We were, indeed, sixteen, when we returned from our last
+fruitless attempt to get off the island; but we had buried two since
+that, who perished with hunger; and a marine, having committed theft,
+run away to avoid the punishment his crime deserved, and hid himself
+in the woods; since which he was never heard of. We now put off,
+accompanied with the two Indian canoes; in one of which was a savage,
+with his two wives, who had an air of dignity superior to the rest, and
+was handsome in his person. He had his hut, during his stay with us,
+separate from the other Indians, who seemed to pay him extraordinary
+respect; but in two or three nights, these Indians, being independent
+of the Spaniards, and living somewhere to the southward of our Chono
+guide, left us to proceed on our journey by ourselves.
+
+The first night we lay at an island destitute of all refreshment; where
+having found some shelter for our boat, and made ourselves a fire, we
+slept by it. The next night we were more unfortunate, though our wants
+were increasing; for having run to the westward of Montross island, we
+found no shelter for the barge; but were under the necessity of lying
+upon our oars, suffering the most extreme pangs of hunger. The next
+day brought us to the bottom of a great bay, where the Indian guide
+had left his family, a wife and two children, in a hut. Here we staid
+two or three days, during which we were constantly employed in ranging
+along shore in quest of shell-fish.
+
+We now again proceeded on our voyage, having received on board the
+family of our guide, who conducted us to a river, the stream of which
+was so rapid, that after our utmost efforts from morning to evening, we
+gained little upon the current, and at last were obliged to desist from
+our attempt and return. I had hitherto steered the boat; but one of our
+men sinking under the fatigue, expired soon after, which obliged me to
+take the oar in his room, and row against this heart-breaking stream.
+Whilst I was thus employed, one of our men whose name was John Bosman,
+though hitherto the stoutest man among us, fell from his seat under
+the thwarts, complaining that his strength was quite exhausted for
+want of food, and that he should die very shortly. As he lay in this
+condition, he would every now and then break out in the most pathetic
+wishes for some little sustenance; that two or three mouthfuls might be
+the means of saving his life. The Captain, at this time, had a large
+piece of boiled seal by him, and was the only one that was provided
+with any thing like a meal; but we were become so hardened against the
+impressions of others' sufferings by our own; so familiarized to scenes
+of this, and every other kind of misery; that the poor man's dying
+entreaties were vain. I sat next to him when he dropped, and having a
+few dried shell-fish (about five or six) in my pocket, from time to
+time put one in his mouth, which served only to prolong his pains; from
+which, however, soon after my little supply failed, he was released
+by death. For this, and another man I mentioned a little before to
+have expired under the like circumstances, when we returned from this
+unsuccessful enterprise, we made a grave in the sands.
+
+It would have redounded greatly to the tenderness and humanity of
+Captain Cheap, if at this time he had remitted somewhat of that
+attention he shewed to self-preservation; which is hardly allowable
+but where the consequence of relieving others must be immediately
+and manifestly fatal to ourselves; but I would venture to affirm,
+that in these last affecting exigencies, as well as some others, a
+sparing perhaps adequate to the emergency, might have been admitted
+consistently with a due regard to his own necessities. The Captain had
+better opportunities for recruiting his stock than any of us; for his
+rank was considered by the Indian as a reason for supplying him when he
+would not find a bit for us. Upon the evening of the day in which these
+disasters happened, the Captain producing a large piece of boiled seal,
+suffered no one to partake with him but the surgeon, who was the only
+man in favour at this time. We did not expect, indeed, any relief from
+him in our present condition; for we had a few small muscles and herbs
+to eat; but the men could not help expressing the greatest indignation
+at his neglect of the deceased; saying that he deserved to be deserted
+by the rest for his savage behaviour.
+
+The endeavouring to pass up this river was for us, who had so long
+struggled with hunger, a most unseasonable attempt; by which we were
+harassed to a degree that threatened to be fatal to more of us; but our
+guide, without any respect to the condition our hardships had reduced
+us to, was very solicitous for us to go that way, which possibly he
+had gone before in light canoes; but for such a boat as ours was
+impracticable. We conceived, therefore, at that time, that this was
+some short cut, which was to bring us forward in our voyage; but we
+had reason to think afterwards, that the greater probability there was
+of his getting the barge, which was the wages of his undertaking, safe
+to his settlement by this, rather than another course, was his motive
+for preferring it to the way we took afterwards, where there was a
+carrying place of considerable length, over which it would have been
+impossible to have carried our boat.
+
+The country hereabouts wears the most uncouth, desolate, and rugged
+aspect imaginable; it is so circumstanced, as to discourage the most
+sanguine adventurers from attempts to settle it: were it for no other
+reason than the constant heavy rains, or rather torrents, which pour
+down here, and the vast sea and surf which the prevailing westerly
+winds impel upon this coast, it must be rendered inhospitable. All
+entrance into the woods is not only extremely difficult, but hazardous;
+not from any assaults you are likely to meet with from wild beasts;
+for even these could hardly find convenient harbour here; but from the
+deep swamp, which is the reigning soil of this country, and in which
+the woods may be said rather to float than grow; so that, except upon a
+range of deformed broken rocks which form the sea-coast, the traveller
+cannot find sound footing any where. With this unpromising scene
+before us we were now setting out in search of food, which nothing but
+the most pressing instances of hunger could induce us to do: we had,
+indeed, the young Indian servant to our cacique for our conductor, who
+was left by him to shew us where the shell-fish was most plenty. The
+cacique was gone with the rest of his family, in the canoe, with a view
+of getting some seal, upon a trip which would detain him from us three
+or four days.
+
+After searching the coast some time with very little success, we
+began to think of returning to the barge; but six of the men, with
+the Indian, having advanced some few paces before the officers, got
+into the boat first; which they had no sooner done than they put off,
+and left us, to return no more. And now all the difficulties we had
+hitherto endured, seemed light in comparison of what we expected to
+suffer from this treachery of our men, who, with the boat, had taken
+away every thing that might be the means of preserving our lives. The
+little clothes we had saved from the wreck, our muskets and ammunition
+were gone, except a little powder, which must be preserved for kindling
+fires, and one gun, which I had, and was now become useless for want of
+ammunition; and all these wants were now come upon us at a time when we
+could not be worse situated for supplying them. Yet under these dismal
+and forlorn appearances was our delivery now preparing; and from these
+hopeless circumstances were we to draw hereafter an instance scarce
+to be paralleled, of the unsearchable ways of Providence. It was at
+that time little suspected by us, that the barge, in which we founded
+all our hopes of escaping from this savage coast, would certainly have
+proved the fatal cause of detaining us till we were consumed by the
+labour and hardships requisite to row her round the capes and great
+headlands; for it was impossible to carry her by land, as we did the
+boats of the Indians. At present, no condition could be worse that we
+thought ours to be: there ran at this time a very high sea, which
+breaking with great fury upon this coast, made it very improbable that
+sustenance in any proportion to our wants could be found upon it; yet,
+unpromising as this prospect was, and though little succour could be
+expected from this quarter, I could not help, as I strolled along shore
+from the rest, casting my eyes towards the sea. Continuing thus to look
+out, I thought I saw something now and then upon the top of a sea that
+looked black, which upon observing still more intently, I imagined at
+last to be a canoe; but reflecting afterwards how unusual it was for
+Indians to venture out in so mountainous a sea, and at such a distance
+from the land, I concluded myself to be deceived. However, its nearer
+approach convinced me, beyond all doubt, of its being a canoe; but that
+it could not put in any where hereabouts, but intended for some other
+part of the coast. I ran back as fast as I could to my companions, and
+acquainted them with what I had seen. The despondency they were in
+would not allow them to give credit to it at first; but afterwards,
+being convinced that it was as I reported it, we were all in the
+greatest hurry to strip off some of our rags to make a signal withal,
+which we fixed upon a long pole. This had the desired effect: the
+people in the canoe seeing the signal, made towards the land at about
+two mile distance from us; for no boat could approach the land where we
+were: there they put into a small cove, sheltered by a large ledge of
+rocks without, which broke the violence of the sea. Captain Cheap and
+I walked along shore, and got to the cove about the time they landed.
+Here we found the persons arrived in this canoe, to be our Indian guide
+and his wife, who had left us some days before. He would have asked us
+many questions; but neither Captain Cheap nor I understanding Spanish
+at that time, we took him along with us to the surgeon, whom we had
+left so ill that he could hardly raise himself from the ground. When
+the Indian began to confer with the surgeon, the first question was,
+What was become of the barge and his companion? and as he could give
+him no satisfactory answer to this question, the Indian took it for
+granted that Emanuel was murdered by us, and that he and his family ran
+the same risk; upon which he was preparing to provide for his security,
+by leaving us directly. The surgeon seeing this, did all in his
+power to pacify him, and convince him of the unreasonableness of his
+apprehensions; which he at length found means to do, by assuring him
+that the Indian would come to no harm, but that he would soon see him
+return safe; which providentially, and beyond our expectation, happened
+accordingly; for in a few days after, Emanuel having contrived to make
+his escape from the people in the barge, returned by ways that were
+impassable to any creature but an Indian. All that we could learn from
+Emanuel relative to his escape was, that he took the first opportunity
+of leaving them; which was upon their putting into a bay somewhere to
+the westward.
+
+We had but one gun among us, and that was a small fowling-piece of
+mine; no ammunition but a few charges of powder I had about me; and
+as the Indian was very desirous of returning to the place where he had
+left his wife and canoe, Captain Cheap desired I would go with him and
+watch over him all night, to prevent his getting away. Accordingly I
+set out with him; and when he and his family betook themselves to rest
+in the little wigwam they had made for that purpose, I kept my station
+as centinel over them all night.
+
+The next morning Captain Cheap, Mr. Hamilton, and the surgeon, joined
+us: the latter, by illness, being reduced to the most feeble condition,
+was supported by Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Campbell. After holding some
+little consultation together, as to the best manner of proceeding in
+our journey, it was agreed, that the Indian should haul his canoe, with
+our assistance, over land, quite across the island we were then upon,
+and put her into a bay on the other side, from whence he was to go in
+quest of some other Indians, by whom he expected to be joined; but as
+his canoe was too small to carry more than three or four persons, he
+thought it advisable to take only Captain Cheap and myself with him,
+and to leave his wife and children as pledges with our companions till
+his return.
+
+As it was matter of uncertainty whether we should ever recover the
+barge or not, which was stipulated, on our side, to become the property
+of the cacique, upon his fulfilling his engagements with us; the
+inducements we now made use of to prevail upon him to proceed with us
+in our journey were, that he should have my fowling-piece, some little
+matters in the possession of Captain Cheap, and that we would use our
+interest to procure him some small pecuniary reward.
+
+We were now to set off in the canoe, in which I was to assist him in
+rowing. Accordingly, putting from this island, we rowed hard all this
+day and the next, without any thing to eat but a scrap of seal, a very
+small portion of which fell to my share. About two hours after the
+close of the day, we put ashore, where we discovered six or seven
+wigwams. For my part, my strength was so exhausted with fatigue and
+hunger, that it would have been impossible for me to have held out
+another day at this toilsome work. As soon as we landed, the Indian
+conducted Captain Cheap with him into a wigwam; but I was left to shift
+for myself.
+
+Thus left, I was for some time at a loss what I had best do; for
+knowing that in the variety of dispositions observable among the
+Indians, the surly and savage temper is the most prevalent, I had good
+reason to conclude, that if I obtruded myself upon them, my reception
+would be but indifferent. Necessity, however, put me upon the risk;
+I accordingly pushed into the next wigwam upon my hands and knees;
+for the entrance into these kind of buildings is too low to admit of
+any other manner of getting into them. To give a short description of
+these temporary houses, called wigwams, may not be improper here, for
+the satisfaction of those who never saw any; especially as they differ
+somewhat from those of North America, which are more generally known
+from the numerous accounts of that country.
+
+When the Indians of this part of the world have occasion to stop any
+where in their rambles, if it be only for a night or two, the men, who
+take this business upon them, while the women are employed in much
+more laborious offices, such as diving in the sea for sea-eggs, and
+searching the rocks for shell-fish, getting fuel, &c., repair to the
+woods, and cutting a sufficient number of tall, strait branches, fix
+them in an irregular kind of circle, of uncertain dimensions; which
+having done, they bend the extremities of these branches so as to meet
+in a centre at top, where they bind them by a kind of woodbine, called
+supple-jack, which they split by holding it in their teeth. This frame,
+or skeleton of a hut, is made tight against the weather with a covering
+of boughs and bark; but as the bark is not got without some trouble,
+they generally take it with them when they remove, putting it at the
+bottom of their canoes: the rest of the wigwam they leave standing.
+The fire is made in the middle of the wigwam, round which they sit upon
+boughs; and as there is no vent for the smoke, besides the door-way,
+which is very low, except through some crevices, which cannot easily be
+stopped, they are not a little incommoded on that account; and the eyes
+of some of them are much affected by it.
+
+But to return: in this wigwam, into which I took the liberty to
+introduce myself, I found only two women, who, upon first seeing a
+figure they were not accustomed to, and such a figure too as I then
+made, were struck with astonishment. They were sitting by a fire, to
+which I approached without any apology. However inclined I might have
+been to make one, my ignorance of their language made it impossible to
+attempt it. One of these women appeared to be young, and very handsome
+for an Indian; the other old, and as frightful as it is possible to
+conceive any thing in human shape to be. Having stared at me some
+little time, they both went out; and I, without any farther ceremony,
+sat me down by the fire to warm myself, and dry the rags I wore. Yet I
+cannot say my situation was very easy, as I expected every instant to
+see two or three men come in and thrust me out, if they did not deal
+with me in a rougher manner.
+
+Soon after the two women came in again, having, as I supposed,
+conferred with the Indian, our conductor; and appearing to be in great
+good-humour, began to chatter and laugh immoderately. Perceiving the
+wet and cold condition I was in, they seemed to have compassion on
+me, and the old woman went out and brought some wood, with which she
+made a good fire; but my hunger being impatient, I could not forbear
+expressing my desire that they would extend their hospitality a little
+further, and bring me something to eat. They soon comprehended my
+meaning, and the younger beginning to rummage under some pieces of bark
+that lay in the corner of the wigwam, produced a fine large fish: this
+they presently put upon the fire to broil; and when it was just warm
+through, they made a sign for me to eat. They had no need to repeat
+the invitation; I fell to, and dispatched it in so short a time, that
+I was in hopes they would comprehend, without further tokens, that I
+was ready for another; but it was of no consequence, for their stock of
+eatables was entirely exhausted.
+
+After sitting some time in conference together, in which conversation
+I could bear no part, the women made some signs to me to lay down and
+go to sleep, first having strewed some dry boughs upon the ground. I
+laid myself down, and soon fell fast asleep; and about three or four
+hours after awaking, I found myself covered with a bit of blanket, made
+of the down of birds, which the women usually wear about their waist.
+The young woman, who had carefully covered me, whilst sleeping, with
+her own blanket, was lying close by me: the old woman lay on the other
+side of her. The fire was low, and almost burnt out; but as soon as
+they found me awake they renewed it, by putting on more fuel. What I
+had hitherto eat served only to sharpen my appetite; I could not help,
+therefore, being earnest with them to get me some more victuals. Having
+understood my necessities, they talked together some little time;
+after which getting up, they both went out, taking with them a couple
+of dogs, which they train to assist them in fishing. After an hour's
+absence, they came in trembling with cold, and their hair streaming
+with water, and brought two fish; which having broiled, they gave me
+the largest share; and then we all laid down as before to rest.
+
+In the morning my curiosity led me to visit the neighbouring wigwams,
+in which were only one or two men; the rest of the inhabitants were all
+women and children. I then proceeded to enquire after Captain Cheap and
+our Indian guide, whom I found in the wigwam they at first occupied:
+the authority of the cacique had procured the Captain no despicable
+entertainment. We could not learn what business the men, whose wives
+and children were here left behind, were gone out upon; but as they
+seldom or never go upon fishing-parties (for they have no hunting here)
+without their wives, who take the most laborious part of this pursuit
+upon themselves, it is probable they were gone upon some warlike
+expedition, in which they use bows and arrows sometimes, but always
+the lance. This weapon they throw with great dexterity and force, and
+never stir abroad without it. About this time their return was looked
+for; a hearing by no means pleasant to me; I was, therefore, determined
+to enjoy myself as long as they were absent, and make the most of the
+good fare I was possessed of; to the pleasure of which I thought a
+little cleanliness might in some measure contribute; I therefore went
+to a brook, and taking off my shirt, which might be said to be alive
+with vermin, set myself about to wash it; which having done as well
+as I could, and hung on a bush to dry, I heard a bustle about the
+wigwams; and soon perceived that the women were preparing to depart,
+having stripped their wigwams of their bark covering, and carried it
+into their canoes. Putting on, therefore, my shirt just as it was, I
+hastened to join them, having a great desire of being present at one of
+their fishing parties.
+
+It was my lot to be put into the canoe with my two patronesses, and
+some others who assisted in rowing; we were in all four canoes. After
+rowing some time, they gained such an offing as they required, where
+the water here was about eight or ten fathom deep, and there lay upon
+their oars. And now the youngest of the two women, taking a basket in
+her mouth, jumped overboard, and diving to the bottom, continued under
+water an amazing time: when she had filled the basket with sea-eggs,
+she came up to the boat-side; and delivering it so filled to the other
+women in the boat, they took out the contents, and returned it to her.
+The diver, then, after having taken a short time to breathe, went down
+and up again with the same success; and so several times for the space
+of half an hour. It seems as if Providence had endued this people
+with a kind of amphibious nature, as the sea is the only source from
+whence almost all their subsistence is derived. This element too,
+being here very boisterous, and falling with a most heavy surf upon a
+rugged coast, very little, except some seal, is to be got any where
+but in the quiet bosom of the deep. What occasions this reflection is
+the early propensity I had so frequently observed in the children of
+these savages to this occupation; who, even at the age of three years,
+might be seen crawling upon their hands and knees among the rocks and
+breakers; from which they would tumble themselves into the sea without
+regard to the cold, which is here often intense; and showing no fear of
+the noise and roaring of the surf.
+
+This sea-egg is a shell-fish, from which several prickles project in
+all directions, by means whereof it removes itself from place to place.
+In it are found four or five yolks, resembling the inner divisions of
+an orange, which are of a very nutritive quality, and excellent flavour.
+
+The water was at this time extremely cold; and when the divers got
+into the boats, they seemed greatly benumbed; and it is usual with
+them after this exercise, if they are near enough their wigwams, to
+run to the fire; to which presenting one side, they rub and chafe it
+for some time; then turning the other, use it in the same manner,
+till the circulation of the blood is restored. This practice, if it
+has no worse effect, must occasion their being more susceptible of
+the impressions of cold, than if they waited the gradual advances of
+their natural warmth in the open air. I leave it to the decision of the
+gentlemen of the faculty, whether this too hasty approach to the fire
+may not subject them to a disorder I observed among them, called the
+elephantiasis, or swelling of the legs.[5]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 5:
+
+There are two very different disorders incident to the human body,
+which bear the same name, derived from some resemblance they hold with
+different parts of the animal so well known in the countries to which
+these disorders are peculiar. That which was first so named is the
+leprosy, which brings a scurf on the skin not unlike the hide of an
+elephant. The other affects the patient with such enormous swellings of
+the legs and feet, that they give the idea of those shapeless pillars
+which support that creature; and therefore this disease has also been
+called elephantiasis by the Arabian physicians; who, together with the
+Malabarians, among whom it is endemial, attribute it to the drinking
+bad waters, and the too sudden transitions from heat to cold.]
+
+The divers having returned to their boats, we continued to row till
+towards evening, when we landed upon a low point. As soon as the canoes
+were hauled up, they employed themselves in erecting their wigwams,
+which they dispatch with great address and quickness. I still enjoyed
+the protection of my two good Indian women, who made me their guest
+here as before; they first regaled me with sea-eggs, and then went out
+upon another kind of fishery by the means of dogs and nets. These dogs
+are a cur-like looking animal, but very sagacious, and easily trained
+to this business. Though in appearance an uncomfortable sort of sport,
+yet they engage in it readily, seem to enjoy it much, and express
+their eagerness by barking every time they raise their heads above the
+water to breathe. The net is held by two Indians, who get into the
+water; then the dogs, taking a large compass, dive after the fish, and
+drive them into the net; but it is only in particular places that the
+fish are taken in this manner. At the close of the evening, the women
+brought in two fish, which served us for supper; and then we reposed
+ourselves as before. Here we remained all the next day; and the morning
+after embarked again, and rowed till noon; then landing, we descried
+the canoes of the Indian men, who had been some time expected from an
+expedition they had been upon. This was soon to make a great alteration
+in the situation of my affairs, a presage of which I could read in the
+melancholy countenance of my young hostess. She endeavoured to express
+herself in very earnest terms to me; but I had not yet acquired a
+competent knowledge of the Indian language to understand her.
+
+As soon as the men were landed, she and the old Indian woman went up,
+not without some marks of dread upon them, to an elderly Indian man,
+whose remarkable surly and stern countenance was well calculated to
+raise such sensations in his dependents. He seemed to be a cacique, or
+chief man among them, by the airs of importance he assumed to himself,
+and the deference paid him by the rest. After some little conference
+passed between these Indians, and our cacique conductor, of which,
+most probably, the circumstances of our history, and the occasion of
+our coming here, might be the chief subject, for they fixed their
+eyes constantly upon us, they applied themselves to building their
+wigwams. I now understood that the two Indian women with whom I had
+sojourned, were wives to this chieftain, though one was young enough to
+be his daughter; and as far as I could learn, did really stand in the
+different relations to him both of daughter and wife. It was easy to be
+perceived that all did not go well between them at this time: either
+that he was not satisfied with the answers that they returned him to
+his questions, or that he suspected some misconduct on their side; for
+presently after, breaking out into savage fury, he took the young one
+up in his arms, and threw her with violence against the stones; but his
+brutal resentment did not stop here, he beat her afterwards in a cruel
+manner. I could not see this treatment of my benefactress without the
+highest concern for her, and rage against the author of it; especially
+as the natural jealousy of these people gave occasion to think that
+it was on my account she suffered. I could hardly suppress the first
+emotions of my resentment, which prompted me to return him his
+barbarity in his own kind; but besides that this might have drawn upon
+her fresh marks of his severity, it was neither politic, nor indeed in
+my power, to have done it to any good purpose at this time.
+
+Our cacique now made us understand that we must embark directly, in the
+same canoe which brought us, and return to our companions; and that
+the Indians we were about to leave, would join us in a few days, when
+we should all set out in a body, in order to proceed to the northward.
+In our way back, nothing very material happened; but upon our arrival,
+which was the next day, we found Mr. Elliot, the surgeon, in a very bad
+way; his illness had been continually increasing since we left him. Mr.
+Hamilton and Mr. Campbell were almost starved, having fared very ill
+since we left them: a few sea-eggs were all the subsistence they had
+lived upon; and these procured by the cacique's wife, in the manner I
+mentioned before. This woman was the very reverse of my hostess; and as
+she found her husband was of so much consequence to us, took upon her
+with much haughtiness, and treated us as dependents and slaves. He was
+not more engaging in his carriage towards us; he would give no part of
+what he had to spare to any but Captain Cheap, whom his interest led
+him to prefer to the rest, though our wants were often greater. The
+captain, on his part, contributed to keep us in this abject situation,
+by approving this distinction the cacique showed to him. Had he treated
+us with not quite so much distance, the cacique might have been more
+regardful of our wants. The little regard and attention which our
+necessitous condition drew from Captain Cheap, may be imputed likewise,
+in some measure, to the effects of a mind soured by a series of crosses
+and disappointments; which, indeed, had operated on us all to a great
+neglect of each other, and sometimes of ourselves.
+
+We were not suffered to be in the same wigwam with the cacique and his
+wife; which, if we had had any countenance from Captain Cheap, would
+not have been refused. What we had made for ourselves was in such a
+bungling manner, that it scarce deserved the name even of this wretched
+sort of habitation. But our untoward circumstances now found some
+relief in the arrival of the Indians we waited for; who brought with
+them some seal, a small portion of which fell to our share. A night
+or two after they sent out some of their young men, who procured us a
+quantity of a very delicate kind of birds, called shags and cormorants.
+Their manner of taking these birds resembles something a sport called
+bat fowling. They find out their haunts among the rocks and cliffs in
+the night, when taking with them torches made of the bark of the birch
+tree, which is common here, and grows to a very large size, (this bark
+has a very unctuous quality, and emits a bright and clear light, and in
+the northern parts of America is used frequently instead of a candle,)
+they bring the boat's side as near as possible to the rocks, under the
+roosting-places of these birds; then waving their lights backwards and
+forwards, the birds are dazzled and confounded so as to fall into the
+canoe, where they are instantly knocked on the head with a short stick
+the Indians take with them for that purpose.
+
+Seals are taken in some less frequented parts of these coasts, with
+great ease; but when their haunts have been two or three times
+disturbed, they soon learn to provide for their safety, by repairing to
+the water upon the first alarm. This is the case with them hereabouts;
+but as they frequently raise their heads above water, either to breathe
+or look about them, I have seen an Indian at this interval, throw his
+lance with such dexterity as to strike the animal through both its
+eyes, at a great distance; and it is very seldom that they miss their
+aim.
+
+As we were wholly unacquainted with these methods of providing food
+for ourselves, and were without arms and ammunition, we were driven
+to the utmost straits; and found ourselves rather in worse condition
+than we had been at any time before. For the Indians having now nothing
+to fear from us, we found we had nothing to expect from them upon any
+other motive. Accordingly, if ever they did relieve us, it was through
+caprice; for at most times they would shew themselves unconcerned at
+our greatest distresses. But the good Indian women, whose friendship
+I had experienced before, continued, from time to time, their good
+offices to me. Though I was not suffered to enter their wigwams, they
+would find opportunities of throwing in my way such scraps as they
+could secrete from their husbands. The obligation I was under to them
+on this account was great, as the hazard they ran in conferring these
+favours was little less than death. The men, unrestrained by any
+laws or ties of conscience, in the management of their own families,
+exercise a most despotic authority over their wives, whom they consider
+in the same view as any other part of their property, and dispose of
+them accordingly: even their common treatment of them is cruel; for
+though the toil and hazard of procuring food lies entirely upon the
+women, yet they are not suffered to touch any part of it till the
+husband is satisfied; and then he assigns them their portion, which is
+generally very scanty, and such as he has not a stomach for himself.
+This arbitrary proceeding, with respect to their own families, is not
+peculiar to this people only. I have had occasion to observe it in
+more instances than this I have mentioned, among many other nations of
+savages I have since seen.
+
+These Indians are of a middling stature, well set, and very active;
+and make their way among the rocks with an amazing agility. Their
+feet, by this kind of exercise, contract a callosity which renders
+the use of shoes quite unnecessary to them. But before I conclude the
+few observations I have to make on a people so confined in all their
+notions and habits, it may be expected I should say something of their
+religion; but as their gross ignorance is in nothing more conspicuous,
+and as we found it advisable to keep out of their way when the fits
+of devotion came upon them, which is rather frantic than religious,
+the reader can expect very little satisfaction on this head. Accident
+has sometimes made me unavoidably a spectator of scenes I should have
+chosen to have withdrawn myself from; and so far I am instructed. As
+there are no fixed seasons for their religious exercises, the younger
+people wait till the elders find themselves devoutly disposed; who
+begin the ceremony by several deep and dismal groans, which rise
+gradually to a hideous kind of singing, from which they proceed to
+enthusiasm, and work themselves into a disposition that borders on
+madness; for suddenly jumping up, they snatch firebrands from the fire,
+put them in their mouths, and run about burning every body they come
+near: at other times, it is a custom with them to wound one another
+with sharp muscle-shells till they are besmeared with blood. These
+orgies continue till those who preside in them foam at the mouth, grow
+faint, are exhausted with fatigue, and dissolve in a profusion of
+sweat. When the men drop their part in this frenzy, the women take it
+up, acting over again much the same kind of wild scene, except that
+they rather outdo the men in shrieks and noise. Our cacique, who had
+been reclaimed from these abominations by the Spaniards, and just knew
+the exterior form of crossing himself, pretended to be much offended
+at these profane ceremonies, and that he would have died sooner than
+have partaken of them. Among other expressions of disapprobation, he
+declared that whilst the savages solemnized these horrid rites, he
+never failed to hear strange and uncommon noises in the woods, and to
+see frightful visions; and assured us, that the devil was the chief
+actor among them upon these occasions.
+
+It might be about the middle of March, that we embarked with these
+Indians. They separated our little company entirely, not putting any
+two of us together in the same canoe. The oar was my lot, as usual,
+as also Mr. Campbell's; Mr. Hamilton could not row, and Captain Cheap
+was out of the question; our surgeon was more dead than alive at the
+time, and lay at the bottom of the canoe he was in. The weather coming
+on too bad for their canoes to keep the sea, we landed again, without
+making great progress that day. Here Mr. Elliot, our surgeon, died. At
+our first setting out, he promised the fairest for holding out, being
+a very strong, active young man: he had gone through an infinite deal
+of fatigue, as Mr. Hamilton and he were the best shots amongst us, and
+whilst our ammunition lasted never spared themselves, and in a great
+measure provided for the rest; but he died the death many others had
+done before him, being quite starved. We scraped a hole for him in the
+sand, and buried him in the best manner we could. Here I must relate a
+little anecdote of our Christian cacique. He and his wife had gone off,
+at some distance from the shore, in their canoe, when she dived for
+sea-eggs; but not meeting with great success, they returned a good deal
+out of humour. A little boy of theirs, about three years old, whom they
+appeared to be dotingly fond of, watching for his father and mother's
+return, ran into the surf to meet them: the father handed a basket of
+sea-eggs to the child, which being too heavy for him to carry, he let
+it fall; upon which the father jumped out of the canoe, and catching
+the boy up in his arms, dashed him with the utmost violence against
+the stones. The poor little creature lay motionless and bleeding, and
+in that condition was taken up by the mother; but died soon after. She
+appeared inconsolable for some time; but the brute his father shewed
+little concern about it. A day or two after we put to sea again, and
+crossed the great bay I mentioned we had been to the bottom of, when
+we first hauled away to the westward. The land here was very low and
+sandy, with something like the mouth of a river which discharged itself
+into the sea; and which had been taken no notice of by us before, as
+it was so shallow that the Indians were obliged to take every thing
+out of their canoes, and carry it over the neck of land, and then haul
+the boats over into a river, which at this part of it was very broad,
+more resembling a lake than a river. We rowed up it for four or five
+leagues, and then took into a branch of it, that ran first to the
+eastward, and then to the northward: here it became much narrower, and
+the stream excessively rapid, so that we made but little way, though
+we worked very hard. At night we landed upon its banks, and had a most
+uncomfortable lodging, it being a perfect swamp; and we had nothing to
+cover us, though it rained very hard. The Indians were little better
+off than we, as there was no wood here to make their wigwams; so that
+all they could do was to prop up the bark they carry in the bottom
+of their canoes with their oars, and shelter themselves as well as
+they could to leeward of it. They, knowing the difficulties that were
+to be encountered here, had provided themselves with some seal; but
+we had not the least morsel to eat, after the heavy fatigues of the
+day, excepting a sort of root we saw some of the Indians make use of,
+which was very disagreeable to the taste. We laboured all the next
+day against the stream, and fared as we had done the day before. The
+next day brought us to the carrying-place. Here was plenty of wood;
+but nothing to be got for sustenance. The first thing the Indians did
+was to take every thing out of their canoes; and after hauling them
+ashore, they made their wigwams. We passed this night, as generally we
+had done, under a tree; but what we suffered at this time is not easily
+to be expressed. I had been three days at the oar without any kind of
+nourishment, but the wretched root I mentioned before. I had no shirt,
+as mine was rotted off by bits, and we were devoured by vermin. All
+my clothes consisted of an old short grieko, which is something like
+a bearskin, with a piece of a waistcoat under it, which once had been
+of red cloth, both which I had on when I was cast away; I had a ragged
+pair of trowsers, without either shoe or stocking. The first thing
+the Indians did in the morning was to take their canoes to pieces:
+and here, for the information of the reader, it will be necessary
+to describe the structure of these boats, which are extremely well
+calculated for the use of these Indians, as they are frequently obliged
+to carry them over land a long way together, through thick woods, to
+avoid doubling capes and headlands in seas where no open boat could
+live. They generally consist of five pieces, or planks; one for the
+bottom, and two for each side; and as these people have no iron tools,
+the labour must be great in hacking a single plank out of a large tree
+with shells and flints, though with the help of fire. Along the edges
+of the plank they make small holes, at about an inch from one to the
+other, and sew them together with the supple-jack, or woodbine; but as
+these holes are not filled up by the substance of the woodbine, their
+boats would be immediately full of water if they had not a method of
+preventing it. They do this very effectually by the bark of a tree,
+which they first steep in water for some time, and then beat it between
+two stones till it answers the use of oakum, and then chinse each hole
+so well, that they do not admit of the least water coming through,
+and are easily taken asunder and put together again. When they have
+occasion to go over land, as at this time, each man or woman carries a
+plank; whereas it would be impossible for them to drag a heavy boat
+entire. Every body had something to carry except Captain Cheap; and he
+was obliged to be assisted, or never would have got over this march;
+for a worse than this, I believe, never was made. He, with the others,
+set out some time before me. I waited for two Indians, who belonged to
+the canoe I came in; and who remained to carry over the last of the
+things from the side we were on. I had a piece of wet heavy canvas,
+which belonged to Captain Cheap, with a bit of stinking seal wrapped
+in it (which had been given him that morning by some of the Indians)
+to carry upon my head, which was a sufficient weight for a strong man
+in health, through such roads, and a grievous burthen to one in my
+condition. Our way was through a thick wood, the bottom of which was
+a mere quagmire, most part of it up to our knees, and often to our
+middle; and every now and then we had a large tree to get over, for
+they often lay directly in our road. Besides this, we were continually
+treading upon the stumps of trees, which were not to be avoided, as
+they were covered with water; and having neither shoe nor stocking, my
+feet and legs were frequently torn and wounded. Before I had got half
+a mile, the two Indians had left me; and making the best of my way,
+lest they should be all gone before I got to the other side, I fell
+off a tree that crossed the road, into a very deep swamp, where I very
+narrowly escaped drowning, by the weight of the burthen I had on my
+head. It was a long while before I could extricate myself from this
+difficulty; and when I did my strength was quite exhausted. I sat down
+under a tree, and there gave way to melancholy reflections. However,
+as I was sensible these reflections would answer no end, they did not
+last long. I got up, and marking a great tree, I there deposited my
+load, not being able to carry it any farther, and set out to join my
+company. It was some hours before I reached my companions. I found them
+sitting under a tree, and sat myself down by them without speaking a
+word; nor did they speak to me, as I remember, for some time; when
+Captain Cheap, breaking silence, began to ask after the seal and piece
+of canvas. I told him the disaster I had met with, which he might have
+easily guessed by the condition the rags I had on were in, as well as
+having my feet and ancles cut to pieces: but instead of compassion
+for my sufferings, I heard nothing but grumbling from every one, for
+the irreparable loss they had sustained by me. I made no answer; but
+after resting myself a little, I got up and struck into the wood, and
+walked back at least five miles to the tree I had marked, and returned
+just time enough to deliver it before my companions embarked, with the
+Indians, upon a great lake, the opposite part of which seemed to wash
+the foot of the Cordilleras. I wanted to embark with them; but was
+given to understand I was to wait for some other Indians that were to
+follow them. I knew not where these Indians were to come from: I was
+left alone upon the beach, and night was at hand. They left me not
+even a morsel of the stinking seal that I had suffered so much about.
+I kept my eyes upon the boats as long as I could distinguish them;
+and then returned into the wood, and sat myself down upon the root
+of a tree, having eat nothing the whole day but the stem of a plant
+which resembles that of an artichoke, which is of a juicy consistence,
+and acid taste. Quite worn out with fatigue, I soon fell asleep;
+and awaking before day, I thought I heard some voices at no great
+distance from me. As the day appeared, looking further into the wood, I
+perceived a wigwam, and immediately made towards it; but the reception
+I met with was not at all agreeable; for stooping to get into it, I
+presently received two or three kicks in my face, and at the same time
+heard the sound of voices seemingly in anger; which made me retire, and
+wait at the foot of a tree, where I remained till an old woman peeped
+out, and made signs to me to draw near. I obeyed very readily, and
+went into the wigwam: in it were three men and two women; one young
+man seemed to have great respect shewn to him by the rest, though he
+was the most miserable object I ever saw. He was a perfect skeleton,
+and covered with sores from head to foot. I was happy to sit a moment
+by their fire, as I was quite benumbed with cold. The old woman took
+out a piece of seal, holding one part of it between her feet, and the
+other end in her teeth, and then cut off some thin slices with a sharp
+shell, and distributed them about to the other Indians. She then put
+a bit on the fire, taking a piece of fat in her mouth, which she kept
+chewing, every now and then spirting some of it on the piece that was
+warming upon the fire; for they never do more with it than warm it
+through. When it was ready, she gave me a little bit, which I swallowed
+whole, being almost starved. As these Indians were all strangers to me,
+I did not know which way they were going; and indeed it was now become
+quite indifferent to me which way I went, whether to the northward
+or southward, so that they would but take me with them, and give me
+something to eat. However, to make them comprehend me, I pointed first
+to the southward, and after to the lake, and I soon understood they
+were going to the northward. They all went out together, excepting the
+sick Indian, and took up the plank of the canoe, which lay near the
+wigwam, and carried it to the beach, and presently put it together;
+and getting every thing into it, they put me to the oar. We rowed
+across the lake to the mouth of a very rapid river, where we put
+ashore for that night, not daring to get any way down in the dark;
+as it required the greatest skill, even in the day, to avoid running
+foul of the stumps and roots of trees, of which this river was full.
+I passed a melancholy night, as they would not suffer me to come near
+the wigwam they had made; nor did they give me the least bit of any
+one thing to eat since we embarked. In the morning we set off again.
+The weather proved extremely bad the whole day. We went down the river
+at an amazing rate; and just before night they put ashore upon a stony
+beach. They hauled the canoe up, and all disappeared in a moment, and
+I was left quite alone: it rained violently, and was very dark. I
+thought it was as well to lay down upon the beach, half side in water,
+as to get into a swamp under a dropping tree. In this dismal situation
+I fell asleep, and awaked three or four hours after in such agonies
+with the cramp, that I thought I must die upon the spot. I attempted
+several times to raise myself upon my legs, but could not. At last I
+made shift to get upon my knees, and looking towards the wood I saw
+a great fire at some distance from me. I was a long time crawling to
+it; and when I reached it, I threw myself almost into it, in hopes of
+finding some relief from the pain I suffered. This intrusion gave great
+offence to the Indians, who immediately got up, kicking and beating me
+till they drove me some distance from it; however I contrived a little
+after to place myself so as to receive some warmth from it, by which I
+got rid of the cramp. In the morning we left this place, and were soon
+after out of the river. Being now at sea again, the Indians intended
+putting ashore at the first convenient place, to look for shell-fish,
+their stock of provisions having been quite exhausted for some time.
+At low water we landed upon a spot that seemed to promise well; and
+here we found plenty of limpets. Though at this time starving, I did
+not attempt to eat one, lest I should lose a moment in gathering them;
+not knowing how soon the Indians might be going again. I had almost
+filled my hat when I saw them returning to the canoe. I made what haste
+I could to her; for I believe they would have made no conscience of
+leaving me behind. I sat down to my oar again, placing my hat close to
+me, every now and then eating a limpet. The Indians were employed the
+same way, when one of them, seeing me throw the shells overboard, spoke
+to the rest in a violent passion; and getting up, fell upon me, and
+seizing me by an old ragged handkerchief I had about my neck, almost
+throttled me; whilst another took me by the legs, and was going to
+throw me overboard, if the old woman had not prevented them. I was all
+this time entirely ignorant by what means I had given offence, till I
+observed that the Indians, after eating the limpets, carefully put the
+shells in a heap at the bottom of the canoe. I then concluded there
+was some superstition about throwing these shells into the sea, my
+ignorance of which had very nearly cost me my life. I was resolved to
+eat no more limpets till we landed, which we did some time after upon
+an island. I then took notice that the Indians brought all their shells
+ashore, and laid them above high water mark. Here, as I was going to
+eat a large bunch of berries I had gathered from a tree, for they
+looked very tempting, one of the Indians snatched them out of my hand
+and threw them away, making me to understand that they were poisonous.
+Thus, in all probability, did these people now save my life, who, a few
+hours before, were going to take it from me for throwing away a shell.
+
+In two days after, I joined my companions again; but do not remember
+that there was the least joy shewn on either side at meeting. At
+this place was a very large canoe belonging to our guide, which would
+have required at least six men to the oar to have made any kind of
+expedition: instead of that, there was only Campbell and myself,
+besides the Indian, his companion, or servant, to row, the cacique
+himself never touching an oar, but sitting with his wife all the time
+much at his ease. Mr. Hamilton continued in the same canoe he had
+been in all along, and which still was to keep us company some way
+further, though many of the others had left us. This was dreadful hard
+work to such poor starved wretches as we were, to be slaving at the
+oar all day long in such a heavy boat; and this inhuman fellow would
+never give us a scrap to eat, excepting when he took so much seal that
+he could not contrive to carry it all away with him, which happened
+very seldom. After working like galley-slaves all day, towards night,
+when we landed, instead of taking any rest, Mr. Campbell and I were
+sometimes obliged to go miles along shore to get a few shell-fish;
+and just as we had made a little fire in order to dress them, he has
+commanded us into the boat again, and kept us rowing the whole night
+without ever landing. It is impossible for me to describe the miserable
+state we were reduced to: our bodies were so emaciated, that we hardly
+appeared the figures of men. It has often happened to me in the coldest
+night, both in hail and snow, where we had nothing but an open beach
+to lie down upon, in order to procure a little rest, that I have been
+obliged to pull off the few rags I had on, as it was impossible to get
+a moment's sleep with them on for the vermin that swarmed about them;
+though I used, as often as I had time, to take my clothes off, and
+putting them upon a large stone, beat them with another, in hopes of
+killing hundreds at once; for it was endless work to pick them off.
+What we suffered from this, was ten times worse even than hunger. But
+we were clean in comparison to Captain Cheap; for I could compare
+his body to nothing but an ant-hill, with thousands of those insects
+crawling over it; for he was now past attempting to rid himself in the
+least from this torment, as he had quite lost himself, not recollecting
+our names that were about him, or even his own. His beard was as long
+as a hermit's: that and his face being covered with train-oil and dirt,
+from having long accustomed himself to sleep upon a bag, by the way of
+a pillow, in which he kept the pieces of stinking seal. This prudent
+method he took to prevent our getting at it whilst he slept. His legs
+were as big as mill-posts, though his body appeared nothing but skin
+and bone.
+
+One day we fell in with about forty Indians, who came down to the beach
+we landed on, curiously painted. Our cacique seemed to understand but
+little of their language, and it sounded to us very different from
+what we had heard before. However, they made us comprehend that a ship
+had been upon the coast not far from where we then were, and that she
+had a red flag: this we understood some time after to have been the
+Anne pink, whose adventures are particularly related in Lord Anson's
+voyage; and we passed through the very harbour she had lain in.
+
+As there was but one small canoe that intended to accompany us any
+longer, and that in which Mr. Hamilton had been to this time, intended
+to proceed no farther to the northward, our cacique proposed to him to
+come into our canoe, which he refused, as the insolence of this fellow
+was to him insupportable; he therefore rather chose to remain where he
+was, till chance should throw in his way some other means of getting
+forward: so here we left him; and it was some months before we saw him
+again.
+
+We now got on, by very slow degrees, to the northward; and as the
+difficulties and hardships we daily went through would only be a
+repetition of those already mentioned, I shall say no more, but that
+at last we reached an island, about thirty leagues to the southward
+of Chiloe. Here we remained two days for a favourable opportunity to
+cross the bay, the very thoughts of which seemed to frighten our
+cacique out of his senses; and, indeed, there was great reason for his
+apprehensions; for there ran a most dreadful hollow sea, dangerous,
+indeed, for any open boat whatever, but a thousand times more for such
+a crazy vessel as we were in. He at length mustered up resolution
+enough to attempt it, first having crossed himself for an hour
+together, and made a kind of lug-sail out of the bits of blankets they
+wore about them, sewed together with split supple jacks. We then put
+off, and a terrible passage we had. The bottom plank of the canoe was
+split, which opened upon every sea; and the water continually rushing
+over the gunnel, I may say that we were in a manner full the whole
+way over, though all hands were employed in baling without ceasing
+a moment. As we drew near the shore, the cacique was eager to land,
+having been terrified to that degree with this run, that if it had not
+been for us, every soul must have perished; for he had very near got
+in amongst the breakers, where the sea drove with such violence upon
+the rocks, that not even an Indian could have escaped, especially as
+it was in the night. We kept off till we got into smooth water, and
+landed upon the island of Chiloe; though in a part of it that was
+not inhabited. Here we staid all the next day, in a very heavy snow,
+to recover ourselves a little after our fatigue; but the cold was so
+excessive, having neither shoe nor stocking, we thought we should have
+lost our feet; and Captain Cheap was so ill, that if he had had but a
+few leagues further to have gone without relief, he could not have held
+out. It pleased God now that our sufferings, in a great measure, were
+drawing to an end.
+
+What things our cacique had brought with him from the wreck, he here
+buried under ground, in order to conceal them from the Spaniards, who
+would not have left him a rusty nail if they had known of it. Towards
+evening, we set off again; and about nine the same night, to our great
+joy, we observed something that had the appearance of a house. It
+belonged to an acquaintance of our cacique; and as he was possessed of
+my fowling-piece, and we had preserved about one charge of powder, he
+made us load it for him, and desired we would show him how to discharge
+it; upon which, standing up, and holding his head from it as far as
+possible, he fired, and fell back into the bottom of the canoe. The
+Indians belonging to the house, not in the least used to fire-arms,
+ran out and hid themselves in the woods. But after some time, one
+of them, bolder than the rest, got upon a hill, and hollowed to us,
+asking who and what we were. Our cacique now made himself known, and
+they presently came down to the boat, bringing with them some fish,
+and plenty of potatoes. This was the most comfortable meal we had made
+for many long months; and as soon as this was over, we rowed about two
+miles farther to a little village, where we landed. Here our cacique
+presently awoke all the inhabitants by the noise he made, and obliged
+one of them to open his door to us, and immediately to make a large
+fire; for the weather was very severe, this being the month of June,
+the depth of winter in this part of the world. The Indians now flocked
+thick about us, and seemed to have great compassion for us, as our
+cacique related to them what part he knew of our history. They knew not
+what countrymen we were, nor could our guide inform them; for he had
+often asked us if we were French, Dutch, or English, the only nations
+he had ever heard of besides the Spaniards. We always answered we were
+from Grande Bretagne, which he could make nothing of; for we were
+afraid, if he knew us to be English, as he had heard that nation was at
+war with the Spaniards, he never would have conducted us to Chiloe.
+
+These good-natured compassionate creatures seemed to vie with each
+other who should take the most care of us. They made a bed of
+sheepskins close to the fire, for Captain Cheap, and laid him upon
+it; and indeed, had it not been for the kind assistance he now met
+with, he could not have survived three days longer. Though it was now
+about midnight, they went out and killed a sheep, of which they made
+broth, and baked a large cake of barley-meal. Any body may imagine what
+a treat this was to wretches who had not tasted a bit of bread, or
+any wholesome diet, for such a length of time. After we could eat no
+longer, we went to sleep about the fire, which the Indians took good
+care to keep up. In the morning, the women came from far and near, each
+bringing with her something. Almost every one had a pipkin in her hand,
+containing either fowls or mutton made into broth, potatoes, eggs, or
+other eatables. We fell to work as if we had eat nothing in the night,
+and employed ourselves so for the best part of the day. In the evening,
+the men filled our house, bringing with them some jars of a liquor they
+called chicha, made of barley-meal, and not very unlike our oat-ale
+in taste, which will intoxicate those who drink a sufficient quantity
+of it; for a little has no effect. As soon as the drink was out, a
+fresh supply of victuals was brought in; and in this manner we passed
+the whole time we remained with these hospitable Indians. They are a
+strong well-made people, extremely well featured, both men and women,
+and vastly neat in their persons. The men's dress is called by them
+a puncho, which is a square piece of cloth, generally in stripes of
+different colours, with a slit in the middle of it wide enough to let
+their heads through, so that it hangs on their shoulders, half of it
+falling before, and the other behind them: under this they wear a short
+kind of flannel shirt without sleeves or neck. They have wide-knee'd
+breeches, something like the Dutch seamen, and on their legs a sort
+of knit buskins without any feet to them; but never any shoes. Their
+hair is always combed very smooth, and tied very tight up in a great
+bunch close to the neck: some wear a very neat hat of their own making,
+and others go without. The women wear a shift like the men's shirts,
+without sleeves; and over it a square piece of cloth, which they fasten
+before with a large silver pin, and a petticoat of different stripes:
+they take as much care of their hair as the men; and both have always
+a kind of fillet bound very tight about the forehead, and made fast
+behind: in short, these people are as cleanly as the several savage
+nations we had met with before were beastly. Upon our first coming
+here, they had dispatched a messenger to the Spanish corregidore at
+Castro, a town a considerable distance from hence, to inform him of
+our arrival. At the end of three days, this man returned with an order
+to the chief caciques of these Indians we were amongst, to carry us
+directly to a certain place, where there would be a party of soldiers
+to receive us. These poor people now seemed to be under great concern
+for us, hearing by the messenger the preparations that were making
+to receive us; for they stand in vast dread of the Spanish soldiery.
+They were very desirous of knowing what countrymen we were. We told
+them we were English, and at that time at war with the Spaniards; upon
+which they appeared fonder of us than ever; and I verily believe, if
+they durst, would have concealed us amongst them, lest we should come
+to any harm. They are so far from being in the Spanish interest,
+that they detest the very name of a Spaniard. And, indeed, I am not
+surprised at it; for they are kept under such subjection, and such a
+laborious slavery, by mere dint of hard usage and punishments, that it
+appears to me the most absurd thing in the world, that the Spaniards
+should rely upon these people for assistance upon any emergency. We
+embarked in the evening, and it was night before we got to the place
+where we were to be delivered up to the Spanish guard. We were met
+by three or four officers, and a number of soldiers, all with their
+spados drawn, who surrounded us as if they had the most formidable
+enemy to take charge of, instead of three poor helpless wretches,
+who, notwithstanding the good living we had met with amongst these
+kind Indians, could hardly support ourselves. They carried us to the
+top of a hill, and there put us under a shed; for it consisted of a
+thatched roof, without any sides or walls, being quite open; and here
+we were to lay upon the cold ground. All sorts of people now came to
+stare at us as a sight; but the Indian women never came empty-handed;
+they always brought with them either fowls, mutton, or some kind of
+provision to us; so that we lived well enough. However, we found a
+very sensible difference between the treatment we had met with from
+the Indians, and what we now experienced from the Spaniards. With the
+former, we were quite at liberty to do as we pleased; but here, if we
+only went ten yards to attempt at getting rid of some of the vermin
+that devoured us, we had two soldiers, with drawn spados, to attend us.
+About the third day, a Jesuit from Castro came to see us; not from a
+motive of compassion, but from a report spread by our Indian cacique,
+that we had some things of great value about us. Having by chance seen
+Captain Cheap pull out a gold repeating watch, the first thing the good
+father did was to lug out of his pocket a bottle of brandy, and give
+us a dram, in order to open our hearts. He then came roundly to the
+point, asking us if we had saved no watches or rings. Captain Cheap
+declared he had nothing, never suspecting that the Indian had seen his
+watch, having, as he thought, always taken great care to conceal it
+from him; but knowing that Campbel had a silver watch, which had been
+the property of our surgeon, he desired him to make it a present to
+the jesuit, telling him, at the same time, that as these people had
+great power and authority, it might be of service to us hereafter.
+This Campbel very unwillingly did, and received from the father, not
+long after, a pitiful present, not a quarter part of the value of the
+rim of the watch. We understood afterwards, that this had come to the
+governor's ears, who was highly offended at it, as thinking that if
+any thing of that sort had been to be had, it was his due; and did not
+spare the jesuits in the least upon the occasion. Soon after this, the
+officer of the guard informed us there was an order come to carry us to
+Castro. In the evening, we were conducted to the water-side, and put
+into a large periago; and there were several more, to attend us, full
+of soldiers. About eight o'clock at night, we were off the town. The
+boats all laid upon their oars, and there was a great deal of ceremony
+used in hailing and asking for the keys, as if it had been a regular
+fortification. After some time, we landed; but could see neither gates
+nor walls, nor any thing that had the appearance of a garrison. As
+we walked up a steep hill into the town, the way was lined with men
+who had broomsticks upon their shoulders instead of muskets, and a
+lighted match in their hands. When we came to the corregidore's house,
+we found it full of people. He was an old man, very tall, with a long
+cloak on, a tie-wig without any curl, and a spado of immense length
+by his side. He received us in great state and form; but as we had no
+interpreter, we understood little or nothing of the questions he asked
+us. He ordered a table to be spread for us with cold ham and fowls;
+which we three only sat down to, and in a short time dispatched more
+than ten men with common appetites would have done. It is amazing,
+that our eating to that excess we had done, from the time we first got
+amongst these kind Indians, had not killed us; we were never satisfied,
+and used to take all opportunities, for some months after, of filling
+our pockets when we were not seen, that we might get up two or three
+times in the night to cram ourselves. Captain Cheap used to declare,
+that he was quite ashamed of himself. After supper, the corregidore
+carried us to the jesuits' college, attended by the soldiers, and all
+the rabble of the town. This was intended, at present, for our prison,
+till orders were received from the governor, who resided at Chaco,
+above thirty leagues from this place. When we got to the college, the
+corregidore desired the father provincial, as they styled him, or
+head of the jesuits here, to find out what religion we were of, or
+whether we had any or not. He then retired, the gates were shut, and
+we were conducted to a cell. We found in it something like beds spread
+on the floor, and an old ragged shirt a-piece, but clean, which was
+of infinite service to us; nor did eating at first give me half the
+satisfaction this treasure of an old shirt did. Though this college
+was large, there were but four jesuits in it, nor were there any more
+of that order upon the island. In the morning Captain Cheap was sent
+for by the father provincial: their conversation was carried on in
+Latin, perhaps not the best on either side; however, they made shift to
+understand one another. When he returned, he told us the good fathers
+were still harping upon what things of value we might have saved and
+concealed about us; and that if we had any thing of that sort, we could
+not do better than let them have it. Religion seemed to be quite out
+of the question at present; but a day or two after the corregidore
+being informed that we were heretics, he desired these jesuits would
+convert us; but one of them told him it was a mere joke to attempt
+it, as we could have no inducement upon that island to change our
+religion, but that when we got to Chili, in such a delightful country
+as that was, where there was nothing but diversions and amusements,
+we should be converted fast enough. We kept close to our cell till the
+bell rang for dinner, when we were conducted into a hall, where there
+was one table for the fathers, and another for us. After a very long
+Latin prayer, we sat down and eat what was put before us, without a
+single word passing at either table. As soon as we had finished, there
+was another long prayer, which, however, did not appear so tedious as
+the first; and then we retired to our cell again. In this manner we
+passed eight days without ever stirring out; all which time one might
+have imagined one's-self out of the world; for excepting the bell
+for dinner, a silence reigned throughout the whole, as if the place
+had been uninhabited. A little before dark, on the eighth evening,
+we heard a violent knocking at the gate, which was no sooner opened
+than there entered a young officer booted and spurred, who acquainted
+the fathers that he was sent by the governor to conduct us to Chaco.
+This young man was the governor's son; by which means he obtained
+a commission next in authority, upon this island, to his father. He
+ought to have been kept at school, for he was a vain, empty coxcomb,
+much disliked by the people of the island. After taking leave of the
+jesuits, who I imagined were not sorry to be rid of us, after finding
+their expectations balked, we set out, having about thirty soldiers on
+horseback to attend us. We rode about eight miles that night, when we
+came to an Estancia, or farm-house, belonging to an old lady who had
+two handsome daughters. Here we were very well entertained, and the
+good old lady seemed to have great compassion for us. She asked the
+governor's son if he thought his father would have any objection to my
+passing a month with her at her farm. As she was a person of rank in
+this island, he said he would acquaint his father with her request,
+and made no doubt but he would grant it. I observed our soldiers,
+when they came into the house, had none of them any shoes on, but
+wore buskins, like the Indians, without any feet to them. They all
+had monstrous great spurs, some of silver and others of copper, which
+made a rattling when they walked like chains. They were all stout,
+strong-looking men, as the Spaniards, natives of the island, in general
+are. After a good supper, we had sheepskins laid near the fire for us
+to sleep on. Early in the morning we mounted again, and after riding
+some miles across the country, we came to the water-side, where we
+found several periagos waiting for us, with some officers in them. Most
+of the soldiers dismounted and embarked with us, a few only being sent
+round with the horses. It was three days before we arrived at Chaco,
+as the tides between this island and the main are so rapid that no
+boat can stem them. The same precaution was taken here as at Castro;
+we passed through a whole lane of soldiers, armed as I mentioned those
+to have been before, excepting a few, who really had matchlocks, the
+only fire-arms they have here. The soldiers, upon our journey, had
+given a pompous account of el Palacio del Rey, or the king's palace,
+as they styled the governor's house, and therefore we expected to see
+something very magnificent; but it was nothing better than a large
+thatched barn, partitioned off into several rooms. The governor was
+sitting at a large table covered with a piece of red serge, having
+all the principal officers about him. After some time he made us sit
+down, attempting to converse with us by his linguist, who was a stupid
+old fellow, that could neither talk English nor Spanish, but said he
+was born in England, had resided above forty years in that country,
+and having formerly been a buccaneer, was taken by the Spaniards near
+Panama. The governor kept us to supper, and then we were conducted
+across the court to our apartment, which was a place that had served
+to keep the fire wood for the governor's kitchen; however, as it was
+dry over head, we thought ourselves extremely well lodged. There was a
+soldier placed at the door with a drawn spado in his hand, to prevent
+our stirring out; which was quite unnecessary, as we knew not where to
+go if we had been at liberty. One of these soldiers took a great fancy
+to my ragged grieko, which had still some thousands about it; and in
+exchange gave me an old puncho, the sort of garment with a hole in the
+middle to put one's head through, as above related to be worn by the
+Indians; and for the little bit of my waistcoat that remained, he gave
+me a pair of breeches. I now should have thought myself very handsomely
+equipped, if I had had but another shirt. The next day, about noon,
+the governor sent for us, and we dined at his table; after which we
+returned to our lodging, where we were never alone, for every body was
+curious to see us. We passed about a week in this manner, when the
+sentinel was taken off, and we were allowed to look about us a little,
+though not to go out of the palace, as they were pleased to call it.
+We dined every day with the governor; but were not very fond of his
+fast days, which succeeded each other too quickly. I contrived to make
+friends with his steward and cook, by which means I always carried my
+pockets full to my apartment, where I passed my time very agreeably.
+Soon after, we had leave to walk about the town, or go wherever we
+pleased. Every house was open to us; and though it was but an hour
+after we had dined, they always spread a table, thinking we never could
+eat enough after what we had suffered; and we were much of the same
+opinion. They are, in general, a charitable, good sort of people, but
+very ignorant, and governed by their priests, who make them believe
+just what they please. The Indian language is chiefly spoken here,
+even by the Spaniards one amongst another; and they say they think it
+a finer language than their own. The women have fine complexions, and
+many of them are very handsome; they have good voices, and can strum
+a little upon the guitar; but they have an ugly custom of smoking
+tobacco, which is a very scarce commodity here; and therefore is looked
+upon as a great treat when they meet at one another's houses. The lady
+of the house comes in with a large wooden pipe crammed with tobacco;
+and after taking two or three hearty whiffs, she holds her head under
+her cloak lest any of the smoke should escape, and then swallows it;
+some time after you see it coming out of her nose and ears. She then
+hands the pipe to the next lady, who does the same, till it has gone
+through the whole company. Their houses are but very mean, as will
+be easily imagined by what I have said of the governor's. They make
+their fire in the middle of their rooms, but have no chimneys; there
+is a small hole at each end of the roof to let the smoke out. It is
+only the better sort of people that eat bread made of wheat, as they
+grow but very little here, and they have no mills to grind it; but
+then they have great plenty of the finest potatoes in the world:
+these are always roasted in the ashes, then scraped, and served up at
+meals instead of bread. They breed abundance of swine, as they supply
+both Chili and Peru with hams. They are in no want of sheep, but are
+not overstocked with cows; owing, in a great measure, to their own
+indolence in not clearing away the woods, which if they would be at the
+pains to do, they might have sufficient pasture. Their trade consists
+in hams, hogs-lard, which is used throughout all South America instead
+of butter; cedar plank, which the Indians are continually employed in
+cutting quite to the foot of the Cordilleras; little carved boxes,
+which the Spanish ladies use to put their work in; carpets, quilts,
+and punchos neatly embroidered all round; for these, both in Chili
+and Peru, are used by the people of the first fashion, as well as the
+inferior sort, by way of riding-dress, and are esteemed to be much more
+convenient for a horseman than any kind of coat whatever.
+
+They have what they call an annual ship from Lima, as they never expect
+more than one in the year; though sometimes it happens that two have
+come, and at other times they have been two or three years without any.
+When this happens they are greatly distressed, as this ship brings
+them baize, cloth, linens, hats, ribbons, tobacco, sugar, brandy, and
+wine; but this latter article is chiefly for the use of the churches:
+matte, an herb from Paraguay, used all over South America instead
+of tea, is also a necessary article. This ship's cargo is chiefly
+consigned to the jesuits, who have more Indians employed for them
+than all the rest of the inhabitants together, and of course engross
+almost the whole trade. There is no money current in this island. If
+any person wants a few yards of linen, a little sugar, tobacco, or any
+other thing brought from Peru, he gives so many cedar planks, hams, or
+punchos, in exchange. Some time after we had been here, a snow arrived
+in the harbour from Lima, which occasioned great joy amongst the
+inhabitants, as they had no ship the year before, from the alarm Lord
+Anson had given upon the coast. This was not the annual vessel, but one
+of those that I mentioned before which come unexpectedly. The captain
+of her was an old man, well known upon the island, who had traded here
+once in two or three years, for more than thirty years past. He had a
+remarkable large head, and therefore was commonly known by a nick-name
+they had given him of Cabuço de Toro, or Bull's-head. He had not been
+here a week before he came to the governor, and told him, with a most
+melancholy countenance, that he had not slept a wink since he came
+into the harbour, as the governor was pleased to allow three English
+prisoners liberty to walk about instead of confining them; and that
+he expected every moment they would board his vessel, and carry her
+away: this he said when he had above thirty hands aboard. The governor
+assured him he would be answerable for us, and that he might sleep in
+quiet; though at the same time he could not help laughing at the man,
+as all the people in the town did. These assurances did not satisfy
+the captain: he used the utmost dispatch in disposing of his cargo,
+and put to sea again, not thinking himself safe till he had lost sight
+of the island. It was about three months after us that Mr. Hamilton
+was brought in by a party that the governor had sent to the southward
+on purpose to fetch him. He was in a wretched condition upon his first
+arrival, but soon recovered with the good living he found here.
+
+It is usual for the governor to make a tour, every year, through the
+several districts belonging to his government: on this occasion he took
+us with him. The first place he visited was Carelmapo, on the main; and
+from thence to Castro. At these places he holds a kind of court; all
+the chief caciques meeting him, and informing him of what has passed
+since his last visit, and receiving fresh orders for the year to come.
+At Castro we had the same liberty we enjoyed at Chaco, and visited
+every body. It seemed they had forgot all the ceremony used upon our
+first landing here, which was with an intent to make us believe it
+was strongly fortified; for now they let us see plainly that they had
+neither fort nor gun. At Chaco they had a little earthen fort, with
+a small ditch palisadoed round it, and a few old honey-combed guns
+without carriages, and which do not defend the harbour in the least.
+Whilst we were at Castro, the old lady, (at whose house we lay the
+first night upon leaving the jesuits' college) sent to the governor,
+and begged I might be allowed to come to her for a few weeks: this
+was granted; and accordingly I went and passed about three weeks with
+her very happily, as she seemed to be as fond of me as if I had been
+her own son. She was very unwilling to part with me again; but as the
+governor was soon to return to Chaco, he sent for me, and I left my
+benefactress with regret.
+
+Amongst the houses we visited at Castro, there was one belonging to
+an old priest, who was esteemed one of the richest persons upon the
+island. He had a niece, of whom he was extremely fond, and who was to
+inherit all he possessed. He had taken a great deal of pains with her
+education, and she was reckoned one of the most accomplished young
+ladies of Chiloe. Her person was good, though she could not be called
+a regular beauty. This young lady did me the honour to take more notice
+of me than I deserved, and proposed to her uncle to convert me, and
+afterwards begged his consent to marry me. As the old man doted upon
+her, he readily agreed to it; and accordingly on the next visit I made
+him, acquainted me with the young lady's proposal, and his approbation
+of it, taking me at the same time into a room where there were several
+chests and boxes, which he unlocked; first shewing me what a number of
+fine clothes his niece had, and then his own wardrobe, which he said
+should be mine at his death. Amongst other things, he produced a piece
+of linen, which he said should immediately be made up into shirts for
+me. I own this last article was a great temptation to me; however, I
+had the resolution to withstand it, and made the best excuses I could
+for not accepting of the honour they intended me; for by this time I
+could speak Spanish well enough to make myself understood.
+
+Amongst the Indians who had come to meet the governor here, there
+were some caciques of those Indians who had treated us so kindly at
+our first landing upon Chiloe. One of these, a young man, had been
+guilty of some offence, and was put in irons, and threatened to be
+more severely punished. We could not learn his crime, or whether the
+governor did not do it in a great measure to shew us his power over
+these Indian chiefs: however, we were under great concern for this
+young man, who had been extremely kind to us, and begged Captain Cheap
+to intercede with the governor for him. This he did, and the cacique
+was released; the governor acquainting him at the same time, with great
+warmth, that it was to us only he owed it, or otherwise he would have
+made a severe example of him. The young man seemed to have been in no
+dread of farther punishment, as I believe he felt all a man could do
+from the indignity of being put in irons in the public square, before
+all his brother caciques and many hundreds of other Indians. I thought
+this was not a very politic step of the governor, as the cacique
+came after to Captain Cheap to thank him for his goodness, and in all
+probability would remember the English for some time after; and not
+only he, but all the other caciques who had been witnesses of it, and
+who seemed to feel, if possible, even more than the young man himself
+did. We now returned to Chaco, and the governor told me, when the
+annual ship came, which they expected in December, we should be sent
+in her to Chili. We felt several earthquakes while we were here. One
+day as I happened to be upon a visit at a house where I was very well
+acquainted, an Indian came in, who lived at many leagues distance from
+this town, and who had made this journey in order to purchase some
+little trifles he wanted; amongst other things, he had bought some
+prints of saints. Very proud of these, he produced them, and put them
+into the hands of the women, who very devoutly first crossed themselves
+with them, and afterwards kissed them; then gave them to me, saying at
+the same time, they supposed such a heretic as I was would refuse to
+kiss them. They were right in their conjectures: I returned them to the
+Indian without going through that ceremony. At that very instant, there
+happened a violent shock of an earthquake, which they imputed entirely
+to the anger of the saints; and all quitted the house as fast as they
+could, lest it should fall upon their heads. For my part, I made the
+best of my way home for fear of being knocked on the head, when out of
+the house, by the rabble, who looked on me as the cause of all this
+mischief, and did not return to that house again till I thought this
+affair was forgotten.
+
+Here is a very good harbour; but the entrance is very dangerous for
+those who are unacquainted with it, as the tides are so extremely
+rapid, and there are sunken rocks in the mid-channel. The island is
+above seventy leagues round; and the body of it lies in about 40° 20'
+south, and is the most southern settlement the Spaniards have in these
+seas. Their summer is of no long duration, and most of the year round
+they have hard gales of wind and much rain. Opposite the island,
+upon the Cordilleras, there is a volcano, which, at times, burns with
+great fury, and is subject to violent eruptions. One of these alarmed
+the whole island, whilst we were here: it sounded in the night like
+great guns. In the morning, the governor mounted his horse, and rode
+backwards and forwards from his house to the earthen fort, saying
+it was the English coming in, but that he would give them a warm
+reception; meaning, I suppose, that he would have left them a good fire
+in his house; for I am certain he would soon have been in the woods, if
+he had seen any thing like an English ship coming in.
+
+Women of the first fashion here seldom wear shoes or stockings in the
+house, but only keep them to wear upon particular occasions. I have
+often seen them coming to the church, which stood opposite to the
+governor's house, barelegged, walking through mud and water; and at the
+church door put on their shoes and stockings, and pull them off again
+when they came out. Though they are in general handsome, and have good
+complexions, yet many of them paint in so ridiculous a manner, that it
+is impossible to help laughing in their faces when you see them. The
+governor we found here was a native of Chili. The government, which
+is appointed by that presidency, is for three years; which appears to
+be a long banishment to them, as their appointments are but small,
+though they make the most of it. The towns of Castro and Chaco, consist
+only of scattered houses, without a regular street; though both have
+their places or squares, as almost all Spanish towns have. Chaco is
+very thinly inhabited, excepting at the time the Lima ship arrives;
+then they flock thither from all parts of the island, to purchase what
+little matters they want; and as soon as that is done, retire to their
+estancias, or farms. It was about the middle of December this ship came
+in; and the second of January, 1742-3, we embarked on board of her.
+She was bound to Valparaiso. We got out to sea with some difficulty,
+having been driven by the strength of the tide very near those sunken
+rocks mentioned before. We found a great sea without; and as the ship
+was as deep as any laden collier, her decks were continually well
+washed. She was a fine vessel, of about two hundred and fifty tons. The
+timber the ships of this country are built of is excellent, as they
+last a prodigious time; for they assured us that the vessel we were
+then in had been built above forty years. The captain was a Spaniard,
+and knew not the least of sea affairs; the second captain, or master,
+the boatswain, and his mate, were all three Frenchmen, and very good
+seamen; the pilot was a Mulatto, and all the rest of the crew were
+Indians and Negroes. The latter were all slaves and stout fellows; but
+never suffered to go aloft, lest they should fall overboard, and the
+owners lose so much money by it. The Indians were active, brisk men,
+and very good seamen for that climate. We had on board the head of the
+jesuits as passenger. He and Captain Cheap were admitted into the great
+cabin, and messed with the captain and his chaplain. As for us, we were
+obliged to rough it the whole passage; that is, when we were tired we
+lay down upon the quarter-deck, in the open air, and slept as well as
+we could; but that was nothing to us, who had been used to fare so much
+worse. We lived well, eating with the master and boatswain, who always
+had their meals upon the quarter-deck, and drank brandy at them as we
+do small beer; and all the rest of the day were smoking cigars.
+
+The fifth day we made the land four or five leagues to the southward
+of Valparaiso; and soon after falling calm, a great western swell
+hurried us in very fast towards the shore. We dropped the lead several
+times, but had such deep water we could not anchor. They were all much
+alarmed, when the jesuit came out of the cabin for the first time,
+having been sea-sick the whole passage. As soon as he was informed of
+the danger, he went back into the cabin, and brought out the image of
+some saint, which he desired might be hung up in the mizen-shrouds;
+which being done, he kept threatening it, that if we had not a breeze
+of wind soon, he would certainly throw it overboard. Soon after,
+we had a little wind from off the land, when the jesuit carried the
+image back with an air of great triumph, saying he was certain that we
+should not be without wind long, though he had given himself over for
+lost some time before it came. Next morning we anchored in the port of
+Valparaiso. In that part which is opposite to the fort, ships lay so
+near the land, that they have generally three anchors ashore, as there
+is eight or ten fathom close to; and the flaws come off the hills with
+such violence, that if it was not for this method of securing them,
+they would be blown out. This is only in summer time, for in the winter
+months no ships ever attempt to come in here; the northerly winds then
+prevail, and drive in such a sea that they must soon be ashore. The
+Spanish captain waited upon the governor of the fort, and informed him
+that he had four English prisoners on board. We were ordered ashore in
+the afternoon, and were received as we got upon the beach, by a file
+of soldiers, with their bayonets fixed, who surrounded us, and then
+marched up to the fort, attended by a numerous mob. We were carried
+before the governor, whose house was full of officers. He was blind,
+asked a few questions, and then spoke of nothing but the strength of
+the garrison he commanded, and desired to know if we had observed that
+all the lower battery was brass guns. We were immediately after, by his
+order, put into the condemned hole. There was nothing but four bare
+walls, excepting a heap of lime that filled one third of it, and made
+the place swarm with fleas in such a manner that we were presently
+covered with them. Some of Admiral Pizarro's soldiers were here in
+garrison that had been landed from his ships at Buenos Ayres, as he
+could not get round Cape Horn. A centinel's box was placed at our door,
+and we had always a soldier with his bayonet fixed, to prevent our
+stirring out. The curiosity of the people was such, that our prison
+was continually full from morning till night, by which the soldiers
+made a pretty penny, as they took money from every person for the
+sight. In a few days, Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were ordered up
+to St. Jago, as they were known to be officers by having saved their
+commissions; but Mr. Campbell and I were to continue in prison. Captain
+Cheap expressed great concern when he left us; he told me it was what
+he had all along dreaded, that they would separate us when we got into
+this country; but he assured me, if he was permitted to speak to the
+president, that he would never leave soliciting him till he obtained
+a grant for me to be sent up to him. No sooner were they gone than we
+fared very badly. A common soldier, who was ordered to provide for us
+by the governor, brought us each, once a day, a few potatoes mixed with
+hot water. The other soldiers of the garrison, as well as the people
+who flocked to see us, took notice of it, and told the soldier it was
+cruel to treat us in that manner. His answer was, "The governor allows
+me but half a real a day for each of these men; what can I do? It is
+he that is to blame: I am shocked every time I bring them this scanty
+pittance, though even that could not be provided for the money he gives
+them." We from this time lived much better, and the soldier brought us
+even wine and fruit. We took it for granted, that our case had been
+represented to the governor, and that he had increased our pay. As to
+the first, we were right in our conjectures; it had been mentioned to
+him, that it was impossible we could subsist on what he allowed; and
+his answer to it was, that we might starve; for we should have no more
+from him, and that he believed he should never be repaid even that.
+This charitable speech of the governor was made known every where, and
+now almost every one who came to see us gave us something; even the
+mule-drivers would take out their tobacco pouch, in which they kept
+their money, and give us half a real. All this we would have given to
+our soldier, but he never would receive a farthing from us, telling us
+we might still want it; and the whole time we were there, which was
+some weeks, he laid aside half his daily pay to supply us, though he
+had a wife and six children, and never could have the least hope or
+expectation of any recompence. However, two years after this, I had
+the singular pleasure of making him some return, when my circumstances
+were much better than his. One night, when we were locked up, there
+happened a dreadful shock of an earthquake. We expected, every moment,
+the roof and walls of our prison to fall in upon us, and crush us to
+pieces; and what added to the horror of it was, the noise of chains and
+imprecations in the next prison which joined to ours, where there were
+near seventy felons heavily loaded with irons, who are kept here to
+work upon the fortifications, as in other countries they are condemned
+to the gallies. A few days after this, we were told an order was come
+from the president to the governor to send us up to St. Jago, which is
+ninety miles from Valparaiso, and is the capital of Chili. There were
+at this time several ships in the port from Lima delivering their
+cargoes; so that almost every day there were large droves of mules
+going up to St. Jago with the goods. The governor sent for one of the
+master-carriers, and ordered him to take us up with him. The man asked
+him how he was to be paid our expences, as he should be five days upon
+the road. The governor told him he might get that as he could, for he
+would not advance him a single farthing. After taking leave of our
+friendly soldier, who even now brought us some little matters to carry
+with us, we set out, and travelled about fourteen miles the first day,
+and lay at night in the open field, which is always the custom of these
+people, stopping where there is plenty of pasture and good water for
+the mules. The next morning we passed over a high mountain, called
+Zapata; and then crossing a large plain, we passed another mountain,
+very difficult for the mules, who each carried two heavy bales: there
+were above a hundred of them in this drove. The mules of Chili are the
+finest in the world; and though they are continually upon the road,
+and have nothing but what they pick up at nights, they are as fat and
+sleek as high-fed horses in England. The fourth night we lay upon a
+plain in sight of St. Jago, and not above four leagues from it. The
+next day, as we moved towards the city, our master-carrier, who was
+naturally well disposed, and had been very kind to us all the way upon
+the road, advised me, very seriously, not to think of remaining in
+St. Jago, where he said there was nothing but extravagance, vice, and
+folly, but to proceed on with them as mule-driver, which, he said, I
+should soon be very expert at; and that they led an innocent and happy
+life, far preferable to any enjoyment such a great city as that before
+us could afford. I thanked him, and told him I was very much obliged
+to him; but that I would try the city first, and if I did not like it,
+I would accept of the offer he was so good to make me. The thing that
+gave him this high opinion of me was, that as he had been so civil to
+us, I was very officious in assisting to drive in those mules that
+strayed from the rest upon those large plains we passed over; and this
+I thought was the least I could do towards making some returns for the
+obligations we were under to him.
+
+When we got into St. Jago, the carrier delivered us to the captain of
+the guard, at the palace gate; and he soon after introduced us to the
+president, Don Joseph Manso, who received us very civilly, and then
+sent us to the house where Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were. We
+found them extremely well lodged at the house of a Scotch physician,
+whose name was Don Patricio Gedd. This gentleman had been a long time
+in this city, and was greatly esteemed by the Spaniards, as well for
+his abilities in his profession, as his humane disposition. He no
+sooner heard that there were four English prisoners arrived in that
+country, than he waited upon the president, and begged they might
+be lodged at his house. This was granted; and had we been his own
+brothers, we could not have met with a more friendly reception; and
+during two years that we were with him, his constant study was to make
+every thing as agreeable to us as possible. We were greatly distressed
+to think of the expence he was at upon our account; but it was in vain
+for us to argue with him about it. In short, to sum up his character in
+a few words, there never was a man of more extensive humanity. Two or
+three days after our arrival, the president sent Mr. Campbell and me
+an invitation to dine with him, where we were to meet Admiral Pizarro
+and his officers. This was a cruel stroke upon us, as we had not any
+clothes fit to appear in, and dared not refuse the invitation. The
+next day, a Spanish officer belonging to Admiral Pizarro's squadron,
+whose name was Don Manuel de Guiror, came and made us an offer of two
+thousand dollars. This generous Spaniard made this offer without any
+view of ever being repaid, but purely out of a compassionate motive
+of relieving us in our present distress. We returned him all the
+acknowledgments his uncommon generous behaviour merited, and accepted
+of six hundred dollars only, upon his receiving our draught for that
+sum upon the English consul at Lisbon. We now got ourselves decently
+clothed after the Spanish fashion; and as we were upon our parole, we
+went out where we pleased to divert ourselves.
+
+This city is situated about 33 degrees and 30 minutes, south
+latitude, at the west foot of the immense chain of mountains called
+the Cordilleras. It stands on a most beautiful plain of about thirty
+leagues extent. It was founded by Don Pedro de Baldivia, the conqueror
+of Chili. The plan of it was marked out by him in squares, like Lima;
+and almost every house belonging to people of any fashion, has a large
+court before it, with great gates, and a garden behind. There is a
+little rivulet, neatly faced with stone, runs through every street;
+by which they can cool the streets, or water their gardens, when
+they please. The whole town is extremely well paved. Their gardens
+are full of noble orange-trees and floripondies, with all sorts of
+flowers, which perfume the houses, and even the whole city. Much about
+the middle of it, is the great square, called the Plaça Real, or the
+Royal Square; there are eight avenues leading into it. The west side
+contains the cathedral and the bishop's palace; the north side is the
+president's palace, the royal court, the council house, and the prison;
+the south side is a row of piazzas, the whole length of which are
+shops, and over it a gallery to see the bull-feasts; the east side has
+some large houses belonging to people of distinction; and in the middle
+is a large fountain, with a brass bason. The houses have, in general,
+only a ground floor, upon account of the frequent earthquakes; but they
+make a handsome appearance. The churches are rich in gilding as well
+as in plate: that of the jesuits is reckoned an exceeding good piece
+of architecture; but it is too high built for a country so subject to
+earthquakes, and where it has frequently happened that thousands of
+people have been swallowed up at once. There is a hill, or rather high
+rock, at the east end of the city, called St. Lucia, from the top
+of which you have a view of all the city, and the country about for
+many leagues, affording a very delightful landscape. Their estancias,
+or country houses, are very pleasant, having generally a fine grove
+of olive trees, with large vineyards to them. The Chili wine, in my
+opinion, is full as good as Madeira, and made in such quantities that
+it is sold extremely cheap. The soil of this country is so fertile,
+that the husbandmen have very little trouble; for they do but in a
+manner scratch up the ground, and without any kind of manure it yields
+an hundred fold. Without doubt the wheat of Chili is the finest in the
+world, and the fruits are all excellent in their kinds. Beef and mutton
+are so cheap, that you may have a good cow for three dollars, and a
+fat sheep for two shillings. Their horses are extraordinary good; and
+though some of them go at a great price, you may have a very good one
+for four dollars, or about eighteen shillings of our money. It must
+be a very poor Indian who has not his four or five horses; and there
+are no better horsemen in the world than the Chileans; and that is not
+surprising, for they never choose to go a hundred yards on foot. They
+have always their laço fixed to their saddle: the laço is a long thong
+of leather, at the end of which they make a sliding noose. It is of
+more general use to them than any weapon whatever; for with this they
+are sure of catching either horse or wild bull, upon full gallop, by
+any foot they please. Their horses are all trained to this, and the
+moment they find the thong straitened, as the other end is always made
+fast to the saddle, the horse immediately turns short, and throwing
+the beast thus caught, the huntsman wounds or secures him in what
+manner he may think proper. These people are so dexterous, that they
+will take from the ground a glove or handkerchief, while their horse
+is upon full stretch; and I have seen them jump upon the back of the
+wildest bull, and all the efforts of the beast could not throw them.
+This country produces all sorts of metals; it is famous for gold,
+silver, iron, tin, lead, and quicksilver, but some of these they do not
+understand working, especially quicksilver. With copper they supply
+all Peru, and send, likewise, a great deal to Europe. The climate of
+Chili is, I believe, the finest in the world. What they call their
+winter does not last three months; and even that is very moderate, as
+may be imagined by their manner of building, for they have no chimneys
+in their houses. All the rest of the year is delightful; for though
+from ten or eleven in the morning till five in the afternoon, it is
+very hot, yet the evenings and mornings are very cool and pleasant; and
+in the hottest time of the year, it is from six in the evening till
+two or three in the morning, that the people of this country meet to
+divert themselves with music and other entertainments, at which there
+is plenty of cooling liquors, as they are well supplied with ice from
+the neighbouring Cordilleras. At these assemblies, many intrigues are
+carried on; for they think of nothing else throughout the year. Their
+fandangoes are very agreeable; the women dance inimitably well, and
+very gracefully. They are all born with an ear for music, and most of
+them have delightful voices; and all play upon the guitar and harp.
+The latter, at first, appears a very aukward instrument for a woman;
+yet that prejudice is soon got over, and they far excel any other
+nation upon it. They are extremely complaisant and polite; and when
+asked either to play, dance, or sing, they do it without a moment's
+hesitation, and that with an exceeding good grace. They have many
+figure-dances; but what they take most delight in, are more like our
+hornpipes than any thing else I can compare them to; and upon these
+occasions they shew surprising activity. The women are remarkably
+handsome, and very extravagant in their dress. Their hair, which is
+as thick as is possible to be conceived, they wear of a vast length,
+without any other ornament upon the head than a few flowers; they plait
+it behind in four plaits, and twist them round a bodkin, at each end
+of which is a diamond rose. Their shifts are all over lace, as is a
+little tight waistcoat they wear over them. Their petticoats are open
+before, and lap over, and have commonly three rows of very rich lace
+of gold or silver. In winter they have an upper waistcoat of cloth of
+gold or silver; and in summer, of the finest linen, covered all over
+with the finest Flanders lace. The sleeves of these are immensely
+wide. Over all this, when the air is cool, they have a mantle, which
+is only of bays, of the finest colours, round which there is abundance
+of lace. When they go abroad, they wear a veil, which is so contrived
+that one eye is only seen. Their feet are very small, and they value
+themselves as much upon it as the Chinese do. Their shoes are pinked
+and cut; their stockings silk, with gold and silver clocks; and they
+love to have the end of an embroidered garter hang a little below the
+petticoat. They have fine sparkling eyes, ready wit, a great deal of
+good nature, and a strong disposition to gallantry.
+
+By the description of one house you have an idea of all the rest. You
+first come into a large court, on one side of which is the stable: you
+then enter a hall; on one side of that is a large room, about twenty
+feet wide, and near forty feet long; the side next the window is the
+estrado, which runs the whole length of the room. The estrado is a
+platform, raised about five or six inches above the floor, and is
+covered with carpets and velvet cushions for the women to sit on, which
+they do after the Moorish fashion, cross-legged. The chairs for the
+men are covered with printed leather. At the end of the estrado, there
+is an alcove, where the bed stands; and there is always a vast deal of
+the sheets hanging out, with a profusion of lace to them, and the same
+on the pillows. They have a false door to the alcove, which sometimes
+is very convenient. Besides, there are generally two other rooms, one
+within another; and the kitchen and other offices are detached from the
+house, either at one side or the end of the garden.
+
+The ladies are fond of having their Mulatto female slaves dressed
+almost as well as themselves in every respect, excepting jewels, in
+which they indulge themselves to the utmost extravagance. Paraguay
+tea, which they call Matte, as I mentioned before, is always drunk
+twice a-day: this is brought upon a large silver salver, with four
+legs raised upon it, to receive a little cup made out of a small
+calabash, or gourd, and tipped with silver. They put the herb first
+into this, and add what sugar they please, and a little orange juice;
+and then pour hot water on them, and drink it immediately, through the
+conveyance of a long silver tube, at the end of which there is a round
+strainer, to prevent the herb getting through. And here it is reckoned
+a piece of politeness for the lady to suck the tube two or three times
+first, and then give it the stranger to drink without wiping it.
+
+They eat every thing so highly seasoned with red pepper, that those
+who are not used to it, upon the first mouthful would imagine their
+throats on fire for an hour afterwards; and it is a common custom here,
+though you have the greatest plenty at your own table, to have two or
+three Mulatto girls come in at the time you dine, bringing, in a little
+silver plate, some of these high-seasoned ragouts, with a compliment
+from Donna such-a-one, who desires you will eat a little bit of what
+she has sent you; which must be done before her Mulatto's face, or it
+would be deemed a great affront. Had this been the fashion at Chiloe,
+we should never have offended; but sometimes here we could have wished
+this ceremony omitted.
+
+The president never asked any of us a second time to his table. He
+expected us once a fortnight to be at his levee, which we never failed;
+and he always received us very politely. He was a man of a very amiable
+character, and much respected by every body in Chili, and some time
+after we left that country, was appointed viceroy of Peru.
+
+We had leave, whenever we asked it, to make an excursion into the
+country for ten or twelve days at a time; which we did sometimes
+to a very pleasant spot belonging to Don Joseph Dunose, a French
+gentleman, and a very sensible, well-bred man, who had married a
+very agreeable lady at St. Jago, with a very good fortune. We also
+sometimes had invitations from the Spaniards to their country-houses.
+We had a numerous acquaintance in the city, and in general received
+many civilities from the inhabitants. There are a great many people
+of fashion, and very good families from Old Spain settled here. A
+lady lived next door to us, whose name was Donna Francisca Giron;
+and as my name sounded something like it, she would have it that we
+were Parientes. She had a daughter, a very fine young woman, who both
+played and sung remarkably well: she was reckoned the finest voice in
+St. Jago. They saw a great deal of company, and we were welcome to
+her house whenever we pleased. We were a long time in this country,
+but we passed it very agreeably. The president alone goes with four
+horses to his coach; but the common vehicle here is a calash, or
+kind of vis-à-vis, drawn by one mule only. Bull-feasts are a common
+diversion here, and they far surpass anything of that kind I ever saw
+at Lisbon, or any where else. Indeed, it is amazing to see the activity
+and dexterity of those who attack the bulls. It is always done here
+by those only who follow it as a trade, for it is too dangerous to be
+practised as a diversion; as a proof of which, it is found that though
+some may hold out longer than others, there are few who constantly
+practice it, that die a natural death. The bulls are always the wildest
+that can be brought in from the mountains or forests, and have nothing
+on their horns to prevent their piercing a man the first stroke, as
+they have at Lisbon. I have seen a man, when the bull came at him with
+the utmost fury, spring directly over the beast's head, and perform
+this feat several times, and at last jump on his back, and there sit
+a considerable time, the bull the whole time attempting every means
+to throw him. But though this practitioner was successful, several
+accidents happened while I was there. The ladies, at these feasts, are
+always dressed as fine as possible; and, I imagine, go rather to be
+admired than to receive any amusement from a sight that one should
+think would give them pain. Another amusement for the ladies here, are
+the nights of their great processions, when they go out veiled; and as
+in that dress they cannot be known, they amuse themselves in talking
+to people much in the manner that is done at our masquerades. One
+night in Lent, as I was standing close to the houses as the procession
+went by, and having nothing but a thin waistcoat on under my cloak,
+and happening to have my arm out, a lady came by, and gave me a pinch
+with so good a will, that I thought she had taken the piece out; and,
+indeed, I carried the marks for a long time after. I durst not take
+the least notice of this at the time; for had I made any disturbance,
+I should have been knocked on the head. This kind lady immediately
+after mixed with the crowd, and I never could find out who had done
+me that favour. I have seen fifty or sixty penitents following these
+processions; they wear a long white garment with a long train to it,
+and high caps of the same, which fall down before, and cover all their
+faces, having only two small holes for their eyes; so that they are
+never known. Their backs are bare, and they lash themselves with a
+cat-o'-nine-tails till the long train behind is covered all over with
+blood. Others follow them with great heavy crosses upon their backs;
+so that they groan under the weight as they walk barefooted, and often
+faint away. The streets swarm with friars of all the different orders.
+The president has always a guard at his palace regularly clothed. The
+rest of their forces consists of militia, who are numerous.
+
+All European goods are very dear. English cloth, of fourteen or fifteen
+shillings a yard, sells there for ten or eleven dollars; and every
+other article in proportion. We found many Spaniards here that had
+been taken by Commodore Anson, and had been for some time prisoners on
+board the Centurion. They all spoke in the highest terms of the kind
+treatment they had received; and it is natural to imagine, that it was
+chiefly owing to that laudable example of humanity, our reception here
+was so good. They had never had anything but privateers and buccaneers
+amongst them before, who handled their prisoners very roughly; so that
+the Spaniards in general, both of Peru and Chili, had the greatest
+dread of being taken by the English; but some of them told us, that
+they were so happy on board the Centurion, that they should not have
+been sorry if the Commodore had taken them with him to England. After
+we had been here some time, Mr. Campbell changed his religion, and of
+course left us. At the end of two years, the president sent for us,
+and informed us a French ship from Lima, bound to Spain, had put into
+Valparaiso, and that we should embark in her. After taking leave of our
+good friend Mr. Gedd, and all our acquaintance at St. Jago, we set out
+for Valparaiso, mules and a guide being provided for us. I had forgot
+to say before, that Captain Cheap had been allowed by the president
+six reals a day, and we had four for our maintenance the whole time we
+were at St. Jago, which money we took up as we wanted it. Our journey
+back was much pleasanter than we found it when we were first brought
+hither, as we had now no mules to drive. The first person I met, upon
+our entrance into Valparaiso, was the poor soldier whom I mentioned to
+have been so kind to us when we were imprisoned in the fort. I now made
+him a little present, which, as it came quite unexpected, made him very
+happy. We took lodgings till the ship was ready to sail, and diverted
+ourselves as we pleased, having the good fortune, at this time, to have
+nothing to do with the governor or his fort. The town is but a poor
+little place; there are, indeed, a good many storehouses built by the
+water side for the reception of goods from the shipping.
+
+About the 20th of December, 1744, we embarked on board the Lys frigate,
+belonging to St. Malo. She was a ship of four hundred and twenty
+tons, sixteen guns, and sixty men. She had several passengers on
+board; and amongst the rest, Don George Juan, a man of very superior
+abilities, (and since that time well known in England) who, with Don
+Antonio Ulloa, had been several years in Peru, upon a design of
+measuring some degrees of the meridian near the equator. We were now
+bound to Conception, in order to join three other French ships that
+were likewise bound home. As this was a time of the year when the
+southerly winds prevail upon this coast, we stood off a long way to the
+westward, making the island of Juan Fernandez. We did not get into the
+bay of Conception till the 6th of January, 1745, where we anchored at
+Talcaguana, and there found the Louis Erasme, the Marquis d'Antin, and
+the Delivrance, the three French ships that we were to accompany. It is
+but sixty leagues from Valparaiso to Conception, though we had been so
+long making this passage; but there is no beating up, near the shore,
+against the southerly wind, which is the trade at this season, as you
+are sure to have a lee-current; so that the quickest way of making a
+passage is to stand off a hundred and twenty or thirty leagues from the
+land.
+
+The bay of Conception is a large, fine bay; but there are several
+shoals in it, and only two good anchoring-places, though a ship may
+anchor within a quarter of a league of the town; but this only in the
+very fine months, as you lay much exposed. The best anchoring-place is
+Talcaguana, the southernmost neck of the bay, in five or six fathom
+water, good holding ground, and where you are sheltered from the
+northerly winds. The town has no other defence than a low battery,
+which only commands the anchoring-place before it. The country is
+extremely pleasant, and affords the greatest plenty of provisions of
+all kinds. In some excursions we made daily from Talcaguana, we saw
+great numbers of very large snakes; but we were told they were quite
+harmless. I have read some former accounts of Chili, by the jesuits,
+wherein they tell you that no venomous creature is to be found in it,
+and that they even made the experiment of bringing bugs here, which
+died immediately; but I never was in any place that swarmed with them
+so much as St. Jago; and they have a large spider there, whose bite
+is so venomous, that I have seen from it some of the most shocking
+sights I ever saw in my life; and it certainly proves mortal if proper
+remedies are not applied in time. I was once bit by one on the cheek,
+whilst asleep, and, presently after, all that part of my face turned
+as black as ink. I was cured by the application of a bluish kind of
+stone (the same, perhaps, they call the serpent-stone in the East
+Indies, and which is a composition). The stone stuck, for some time,
+of itself on my face, and dropping off, was put into milk till it had
+digested the poison it had extracted, and then applied again till the
+pain abated, and I was soon afterwards well. Whilst the ships remained
+at Conception, the people were employed in killing cattle and salting
+them for the voyage; and every ship took on board as many bullocks
+and sheep as their decks could well hold; and having completed their
+business here, they sailed the 27th of January; but about eight days
+after our ship sprung a very dangerous leak forward; but so low,
+that there was no possibility of stopping it without returning into
+port, and lightening her till they could come at it. Accordingly we
+separated from the other ships, and made the best of our way for
+Valparaiso, keeping all hands at the pump night and day, passengers
+and all. However, as it happened, this proved a lucky circumstance
+for the Lys, as the three other ships were taken; and this certainly
+would have been her fate likewise, had she kept company with the rest.
+As soon as we got into port, they lightened the ship forwards, and
+brought her by the stern till they came at the leak, which was soon
+stopped. They made all the dispatch possible in completing the water
+again. Whilst at Valparaiso, we had one of the most violent shocks of
+an earthquake that we had ever felt yet. On the first of March we put
+to sea again, the season being already far advanced for passing Cape
+Horn. The next day we went to an allowance of a quart of water a day
+for each man, which continued the whole passage. We were obliged to
+stand a long way to the westward; and went to the northward of Juan
+Fernandez above a degree, before we had a wind that we could make any
+southing with. On the 25th, in the latitude of 46 degrees, we met with
+a violent hard gale at west, which obliged us to lie to under a reefed
+mainsail for some days; and before we got round the Cape, we had many
+very hard gales, with a prodigious sea and constant thick snow; and
+after being so long in so delightful a climate as Chili, the cold was
+almost insupportable. After doubling the Cape, we got but slowly to
+the northward; and, indeed, at the best of times, the ship never went
+above six knots; for she was a heavy-going thing. On the 27th of May
+we crossed the line; when finding that our water was grown extremely
+short, and that it would be almost impossible to reach Europe without
+a supply, it was resolved to bear away for Martinico. On the 29th of
+June, in the morning, we made the Island of Tobago, and then shaped
+a course for Martinico; and on the first of July, by our reckonings,
+expected to see it, but were disappointed. This was imputed to the
+currents, which, whether they had set the ship to the eastward or
+westward, nobody could tell; but upon looking over the charts, it
+was imagined, if the current had driven her to the westward, it must
+have been among the Granadillos, which was thought impossible without
+seeing any of them, as they are so near together, and a most dangerous
+place for rocks. It was then concluded we were to the eastward, and
+accordingly we steered S.W. by W., but having run this course for above
+thirty leagues, and no land appearing, it was resolved to stand to the
+northward till we should gain the latitude of Porto Rico, and on the
+4th in the evening we made that island; so that it was now certain the
+ship had been hustled through the Granadillos in the night, which was,
+without doubt, as extraordinary a passage as ever ship made. It was
+now resolved to go between the islands of Porto Rico and St. Domingo
+for Cape François, therefore we lay to that night. In the morning, we
+made sail along shore; and about ten o'clock, as I was walking the
+quarter-deck, Captain Cheap came out of the cabin, and told me he had
+just seen a beef-barrel go by the ship; that he was sure it had but
+lately been thrown overboard, and that he would venture any wager we
+saw an English cruizer before long. In about half an hour after we saw
+two sail to leeward, from off the quarter-deck; for they kept no look
+out from the mast-head, and we presently observed they were in chace
+of us. The French and Spaniards on board now began to grow a good deal
+alarmed, when it fell stark calm; but not before the ships had neared
+us so much, that we plainly discerned them to be English men of war;
+the one a two-decker, the other a twenty-gun ship. The French had
+now thoughts, when a breeze should spring up, of running the ship on
+shore upon Porto Rico, but when they came to consider what a set of
+banditti inhabited that island, and that in all probability they would
+have their throats cut for the sake of plundering the wreck, they were
+resolved to take their chance, and stand to the northward between the
+two islands. In the evening, a fresh breeze sprung up, and we shaped
+a course accordingly. The two ships had it presently afterwards, and
+neared us amazingly fast. Now every body on board gave themselves up;
+the officers were busy in their cabins, filling their pockets with
+what was most valuable; the men put on their best clothes, and many of
+them came to me with little lumps of gold, desiring I would take them,
+as they said they had much rather I should benefit by them, whom they
+were acquainted with, than those that chased them. I told them there
+was time enough, though I thought they were as surely taken as if the
+English had been already on board. A fine moonlight night came on, and
+we expected every moment to see the ships along-side of us; but we saw
+nothing of them in the night, and, to our great astonishment, in the
+morning no ships were to be seen even from the mast-head. Thus did
+these two cruizers lose one of the richest prizes, by not chasing an
+hour or two longer. There were near two millions of dollars on board,
+besides a valuable cargo. On the eighth, at six in the morning, we were
+off Cape La Grange; and, what is very remarkable, the French at Cape
+François told us afterwards that was the only day they ever remembered,
+since the war, that the Cape had been without one or two English
+privateers cruising off it; and but the evening before, two of them had
+taken two outward bound St. Domingo men, and had gone with them for
+Jamaica; so that this ship might be justly esteemed a most lucky one.
+In the afternoon we came to an anchor in Cape François harbour.
+
+In this long run we had not buried a single man; nor do I remember that
+there was one sick the whole passage; but at this place many were taken
+ill, and three or four died; for there is no part of the West Indies
+more unhealthy than this; yet the country is beautiful, and extremely
+well cultivated. After being here some time, the governor ordered us to
+wait upon him, which we did; when he took no more notice of us than if
+we had been his slaves, never asking us even to sit down.
+
+Towards the end of August, a French squadron of five men of war came
+in, commanded by Monsieur L'Etanducre, who were to convoy the trade
+to France. Neither he nor his officers ever took any kind of notice
+of Captain Cheap, though we met them every day ashore. One evening,
+as we were going aboard with the captain of our ship, a midshipman
+belonging to Monsieur L'Etanducre, jumped into our boat, and ordered
+the people to carry him on board the ship he belonged to, leaving us
+to wait upon the beach for two hours before the boat returned. On the
+sixth of September we put to sea, in company with the five men of war,
+and about fifty sail of merchant-men. On the eighth we made the Cayco
+Grande; and the next day a Jamaica privateer, a large fine sloop, hove
+in sight, keeping a little to windward of the convoy, resolving to pick
+up one or two of them in the night, if possible. This obliged Monsieur
+L'Etanducre to send a frigate to speak to all the convoy, and order
+them to keep close to him in the night; which they did, and in such a
+manner, that sometimes seven or eight of them were on board one another
+together; by which they received much damage; and to repair which,
+the whole squadron was obliged to lay to sometimes for a whole day.
+The privateer kept her station, jogging on with the fleet. At last,
+the commodore ordered two of his best-going ships to chase her. She
+appeared to take no notice of them till they were pretty near her, and
+then would make sail and be out of sight presently. The chasing ships
+no sooner returned, than the privateer was in company again. As by this
+every night some accident happened to some of the convoy by keeping so
+close together, a fine ship of thirty guns, belonging to Marseilles,
+hauled out a little to windward of the rest of the fleet; which
+L'Etanducre perceiving in the morning, ordered the frigate to bring the
+captain of her on board of him; and then making a signal for all the
+convoy to close to him, he fired a gun, and hoisted a red flag at the
+ensign staff; and immediately after the captain of the merchant-man
+was run up to the main-yard-arm, and from thence ducked three times. He
+was then sent on board his ship again, with orders to keep his colours
+flying the whole day, in order to distinguish him from the rest. We
+were then told, that the person who was treated in this cruel manner,
+was a young man of an exceeding good family in the south of France,
+and likewise a man of great spirit; and that he would not fail to call
+Monsieur L'Etanducre to account when an opportunity should offer; and
+the affair made much noise in France afterwards. One day, the ship
+we were in happened to be out of her station, by sailing so heavily,
+when the commodore made the signal to speak to our captain, who seemed
+frightened out of his wits. When we came near him, he began with the
+grossest abuse, threatening our captain, that if ever he was out of his
+station again, he would serve him as he had done the other. This rigid
+discipline, however, preserved the convoy; for though the privateer
+kept company a long time, she was not so fortunate as to meet with the
+reward of her perseverance.
+
+On the 27th of October, in the evening, we made Cape Ortegal; and on
+the 31st, came to an anchor in Brest road. The Lys having so valuable
+a cargo on board, was towed into the harbour the next morning, and
+lashed alongside one of their men of war. The money was soon landed;
+and the officers and men, who had been so many years absent from
+their native country, were glad to get on shore. Nobody remained on
+board but a man or two to look after the ship, and we three English
+prisoners who had no leave to go ashore. The weather was extremely
+cold, and felt particularly so to us, who had been so long used to hot
+climates; and what made it still worse, we were very thinly clad. We
+had neither fire nor candle; for they were allowed on board of no ship
+in the harbour, for fear of accidents, being close to their magazines
+in the dock-yard. Some of the officers belonging to the ship were so
+kind to send us off victuals every day, or we might have starved; for
+Monsieur L'Intendant never sent us even a message; and though there was
+a very large squadron of men of war fitting out at that time, not one
+officer belonging to them ever came near Captain Cheap. From five in
+the evening we were obliged to sit in the dark; and if we chose to have
+any supper, it was necessary to place it very near us before that time,
+or we never could have found it. We had passed seven or eight days in
+this melancholy manner, when one morning a kind of row-galley came
+alongside, with a number of English prisoners belonging to two large
+privateers the French had taken. We were ordered into the same boat
+with them, and were carried four leagues up the river to Landernaw. At
+this town we were upon our parole; so took the best lodgings we could
+get, and lived very well for three months, when an order came from
+the court of Spain to allow us to return home by the first ship that
+offered. Upon this, hearing there was a Dutch ship at Morlaix ready to
+sail, we took horses and travelled to that town, where we were obliged
+to remain six weeks, before we had an opportunity of getting away. At
+last we agreed with the master of a Dutch dogger to land us at Dover,
+and paid him beforehand. When we had got down the river into the road,
+a French privateer that was almost ready to sail upon a cruize, hailed
+the Dutchman, and told him to come to an anchor; and that if he offered
+to sail before him, he would sink him. This he was forced to comply
+with, and lay three days in the road, cursing the Frenchman, who at
+the end of that time put to sea, and then we were at liberty to do the
+same. We had a long uncomfortable passage. About the ninth day, before
+sunset, we saw Dover, and reminded the Dutchman of his agreement to
+land us there. He said he would; but instead of that, in the morning
+we were off the coast of France. We complained loudly of this piece of
+villany, and insisted upon his returning to land us, when an English
+man of war appeared to windward, and presently bore down to us. She
+sent her boat on board with an officer, who informed us the ship he
+came from was the Squirrel, commanded by Captain Masterson. We went on
+board of her, and Captain Masterson immediately sent one of the cutters
+he had with him, to land us at Dover, where we arrived that afternoon,
+and directly set out for Canterbury upon post-horses; but Captain Cheap
+was so tired by the time he got there, that he could proceed no further
+that night. The next morning he still found himself so much fatigued,
+that he could ride no longer; therefore it was agreed that he and Mr.
+Hamilton should take a post-chaise, and that I should ride; but here an
+unlucky difficulty was started; for upon sharing the little money we
+had, it was found to be not sufficient to pay the charges to London;
+and my proportion fell so short, that it was, by calculation, barely
+enough to pay for horses, without a farthing for eating a bit upon the
+road, or even for the very turnpikes. Those I was obliged to defraud,
+by riding as hard as I could through them all, not paying the least
+regard to the men, who called out to stop me. The want of refreshment
+I bore as well as I could. When I got to the Borough, I took a coach
+and drove to Marlborough-street, where my friends had lived when I left
+England; but when I came there, I found the house shut up. Having been
+absent so many years, and in all that time never having heard a word
+from home, I knew not who was dead or who was living, or where to go
+next; or even how to pay the coachman. I recollected a linen-draper's
+shop, not far from thence, which our family had used. I therefore drove
+there next, and making myself known, they paid the coachman. I then
+enquired after our family, and was told my sister had married Lord
+Carlisle, and was at that time in Soho-square. I immediately walked
+to the house, and knocked at the door; but the porter not liking my
+figure, which was half French, half Spanish, with the addition of a
+large pair of boots covered with dirt, he was going to shut the door in
+my face; but I prevailed with him to let me come in.
+
+I need not acquaint my readers with what surprise and joy my sister
+received me. She immediately furnished me with money sufficient to
+appear like the rest of my countrymen; till that time I could not be
+properly said to have finished all the extraordinary scenes which a
+series of unfortunate adventures had kept me in for the space of five
+years and upwards.
+
+
+                               THE END.
+
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                 BRADBURY AND EVANS, BOUVERIE-STREET.
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+                         Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Maintained original spelling, hypenation and punctuation.
+
+Obvious printer errors have been corrected.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the
+Wager, by John Byron
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+
+Project Gutenberg's Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the Wager, by John Byron
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the Wager
+
+Author: John Byron
+
+Release Date: November 16, 2013 [EBook #44193]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOSS OF THE WAGER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charlene Taylor, Norbert Müller and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+<h1 class="center">
+BYRON'S NARRATIVE<br />
+OF THE LOSS OF<br />
+THE WAGER</h1>
+
+<p class="subhead">WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT<br />
+DISTRESSES SUFFERED BY HIMSELF AND HIS COMPANIONS<br />
+ON THE COAST OF PATAGONIA FROM THE YEAR 1740 TILL<br />
+THEIR ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND 1746</p>
+
+<p class="bold">LONDON</p>
+<p class="center">HENRY LEGGATT &amp; CO 85 CORNHILL</p>
+<hr class="r15" />
+<p class="subhead">MDCCCXXXII</p>
+
+<p class="footer">
+LONDON:<br />
+PRINTED BY BRADBURY AND EVANS,<br />
+BOUVERIE STREET.<br />
+</p>
+
+
+<h2>ADVERTISEMENT.</h2>
+
+
+<p>At a time when every thing connected with
+the name of Byron is regarded with such general
+interest, it is a subject of surprise and regret
+that no popular edition should exist of the
+Narrative of Commodore Byron. Indeed, to
+procure any copy at all of the work requires
+some research and trouble. To supply this
+deficiency is the object of the present publishers.</p>
+
+<p>To the admirers of the illustrious Poet, the
+Narrative of the sufferings of his grandfather
+will, on more than one account, be acceptable.
+In the Poems, it is often, whether humorously
+or pathetically, alluded to; for instance, in
+the mournfully beautiful stanzas to his sister,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span>
+written soon after he left England for the last
+time, he says,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">"A strange doom is thy father's son's, and past<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Recalling, as it lies beyond redress;<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Reversed for him <i>our grandsire's fate</i> of yore,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Had <i>no rest at sea</i>, nor I on shore!"<br /></span>
+<span><br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Again, in a different mood, in Don Juan,
+after having carried his hero through the horrors
+of a shipwreck, as disastrous and fatal in itself
+and its consequences as his imagination could
+conceive, he observes&mdash;</p>
+
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i9">"&mdash;&mdash;for none<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Had suffered more&mdash;his hardships were comparative<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">To those related in my grand-dad's Narrative."<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+</div></div>
+
+<p>To which passage he appends the following
+note:&mdash;"Admiral Byron was remarkable for
+never making a voyage without a tempest. He
+was known to the sailors by the facetious name
+of 'foul-weather Jack.'" Indeed, to this narrative
+the poet is indebted for many of the incidents
+in that surpassing description of "the
+dangers of the sea." The awful "whispering"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span>
+in which, according to the Admiral, the men
+communicated their first horrid thoughts of putting
+one of their number to death for the support
+of the rest, is admirably preserved and amplified
+in Don Juan:</p>
+
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">"At length one whispered his companion, who<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Whispered another, and thus it went round,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And then into a hoarser murmur grew,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">An ominous and wild, and desperate sound,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And then his comrade's thought each sufferer knew,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">'Twas but his own, suppressed till now, he found:<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And out they spoke of lots for flesh and blood,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And who should die to be his fellow's food."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+
+<p>The germ of the conception of the cave-scenes,
+so beautifully described in the poem, will also
+be found here; the fondness of Juan for his
+favourite dog, the voracity with which he devoured
+the long-withheld food, and many other
+incidents, were suggested by this Narrative.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p>
+
+<p>To those who would study the character of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span>
+Lord Byron; discover what qualities of his
+nature were derived from his ancestors, and
+what were peculiarly his own; who would trace
+the effect produced on his writings by early
+tastes, habits, and associations, the narrative
+will afford ample material for observation.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Moore,&mdash;who, in paying to genius that
+tribute which genius alone can fully pay, has
+shewn how thoroughly he understood the character
+of the poet (a character, perhaps, after
+all to be <i>felt</i> rather than <i>explained</i>), how well
+he appreciated his virtues and the peculiar circumstances
+attendant on genius, which palliate,
+if they do not excuse, his foibles,&mdash;remarks, that
+Lord Byron "strikingly combined, in his own
+nature, some of the best and perhaps worst
+qualities that lie scattered through the various
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span>characters of his predecessors; the generosity,
+the love of enterprise, the high-mindedness of
+some of the better spirits of his race, with the
+irregular passions, the eccentricity, and daring
+recklessness of the world's opinion, that so
+much characterised others." In the character
+then of the most famous of those "better
+spirits," as exemplified in his own narrative of
+his sufferings and adventures, we may discern
+the source of many of the amiable qualities
+which descended to and adorned the immortal
+poet. We shall observe in both the same frankness,
+generosity, affability, love of excitement,
+the same mildness, and unassuming modesty.
+But the contrasts of their characters we shall
+find even more striking than the resemblances.
+We shall see in the sailor the ease and contentedness
+of spirit arising from its agreement with
+the sphere it moves in&mdash;the soul harmonizing
+with the situation&mdash;the man with the circumstances&mdash;the
+Supply equivalent to the Demand.
+We shall see in the poet the "high instincts of
+a creature moving about in worlds not realized"&mdash;the
+large expectancies, the high anticipations,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span>
+unfulfilled and unanswered; the discontent,
+the jarring of a being not <i>at one</i> with the place
+of its existence, panting for something above it,
+aspiring "beyond the fitting medium of desire."
+We shall see him inordinately yearning after
+affection and happiness, yet enveloped, as it
+were, in a nervous network of sensibility, feelingly
+alive to every the faintest manifestation of
+slight, neglect, unkindness,&mdash;to all that causes
+sorrow and pain: we shall see the co-existence
+of these qualities producing necessarily disappointment
+and disgust; the very capability of enjoying
+the good, unfitting him for the endurance
+of the ill; the power of imagination heightening
+the beauties of the ideal, the keenness of
+perception aggravating the defects of the real;
+the consequent struggles for existence in a
+wounded spirit between "feelings unemployed,"
+affections unreturned, and the bitterness or
+apathy they engender&mdash;between original benevolence
+and acquired misanthropy. We shall
+see the sailor habitually yielding himself to the
+guidance and authority of others, unhesitatingly
+acknowledging, and, as a matter of course,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span>
+complying with, the established relations, laws,
+and customs of society; submitting without repining,
+question, or surprise, to the vicissitudes
+of fortune; patient of hardship, uncomplaining
+of Circumstance. The poet, from the pride
+of Mind, accustomed ever to decide for itself, to
+act and reflect always, obstinately questioning
+even Destiny and Fate; bidding haughty defiance
+to their Ruler, or yielding with sullen indifference
+or gloomy repining; if confessing the
+necessity of compliance, hardly resigned. We
+shall find the sailor sustaining his cheerfulness
+in every situation; the poet, plunging, perhaps
+from constitutional melancholy, into misery;
+acted upon by that strong attraction, that irresistible
+impulse towards the dark and the sad,
+that capability, strikingly described by himself,
+of "learning to love despair." We shall see
+throughout the difference between the continual
+presence and the comparative absence of consciousness,
+that power by which Self, rising as
+it were above itself, makes itself the subject of
+microscopic observation. In the writings especially,
+of each, we shall observe the operations<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span>
+of these opposite properties. The sailor writes
+on, unaware and thoughtless of the effect of
+what he writes: the poet, in his letters particularly,
+seems to know intuitively the effect on
+others of every word he sets down; he reads
+their thoughts, he hears their remarks as he
+writes; and this knowledge, so immediate that
+its effects on his style seem almost unintentional,
+continually modifies his expressions, giving the
+appearance of affectation to what is no more
+than a natural result of his quick perception
+and extreme sensitiveness. In every action,
+too, of the poet, important or trivial, the
+working of this principle, so hard to be discovered
+in the sailor, is equally evident. He
+looks always to the effect: nothing seems
+done solely for itself: the love of admiration,
+of being remarkable, of standing alone, however
+disguised, may almost always be detected. Finally,
+we shall not fail to observe throughout,
+the contrast between the single and the "many-sided"
+mind; between the ordinary and the extraordinary;
+between the Mortal made immortal
+by force of circumstances; the Immortal, in spite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</a></span>
+of circumstances, asserting and maintaining his
+inborn immortality.</p>
+
+<p>Yet, enhanced as the interest attaching to
+this narrative is, by the connection of its author
+with one of the greatest of the master-minds of
+these latter days, it is a work which of itself
+may well demand and obtain our attention and
+regard. The incidents it relates are peculiarly
+of that complexion which has caused it to be
+remarked (as Byron himself has somewhere)
+that Fiction, however wonderful, must often
+yield to Truth. It is a striking specimen of
+the romance of real life. The spectacle of a
+member of an old and noble family, accustomed
+to the comforts and luxuries that attend high
+birth, reduced to the necessity, at one time, of
+beating his <i>shirt</i> in order to crush the vermin it
+was useless to attempt to get rid of by washing;
+and at another, of making a meal (eagerly, as
+he himself confesses,) of the putrid remains of
+a favourite dog, is as well calculated to excite
+the curiosity of the observer of mankind as to
+gratify the taste of the reader of romance. And
+if the extraordinary nature of the incidents<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[xii]</a></span>
+themselves arouse our wonder, the manner in
+which they are related will insure and fix our
+sympathy. The simple, unaffected style, slightly
+tinged with the quaintness of old phraseology;
+the total absence of any thing like striving after
+effect; the apparent unconsciousness of the
+narrator that he must be the object of admiration
+or pity; the freedom from all attempts to
+disguise some feelings, or to affect and assume
+others; the modesty, the frankness, which characterize
+this narration, while they give additional
+interest to the work itself, afford indisputable
+testimony to the amiableness of the author. To
+have imitated so correctly this natural style, is
+one of the highest triumphs of the genius of
+Defoe, in his romance of Robinson Crusoe.</p>
+
+<p>Considered, then, either as an useful appendage
+to the Works and Life of Byron; as an
+aid in forming an estimate of his character; or
+as an account of sufferings and adventures which
+would appear suitable rather to a romance than
+to a journal of events actually experienced; an
+illustration of the strange vicissitudes human<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</a></span>
+life may undergo, of the extremities and hardships
+human nature may bear; or, in short, as a
+specimen of simple and beautiful writing, this
+work can scarcely fail of affording delight and
+gratification to the reader.</p>
+
+<hr class="r15" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[xvi]</a></span></p>
+<p>JOHN BYRON, the second son of William,
+the fourth Lord Byron, by his third wife, was
+born at Newstead Abbey, November 8th, 1723,
+and at an early age entered as a midshipman in
+the British navy. He still held that rank in 1740,
+when the expedition to the South Sea against
+the Spaniards took place under the command of
+Commodore Anson. The Wager, Captain Cheap,
+to which Mr. Byron belonged, was separated
+from the rest of the squadron, and wrecked on
+a desert island to the southward of Chiloe (47°
+south lat.) After encountering the most dreadful
+sufferings from famine, a small number of the
+crew, including the Captain and Mr. Byron,
+reached the isle of Chiloe, and surrendered
+themselves prisoners to the Spaniards. They
+were afterwards removed to Chili, and detained
+some time at Valparaiso and St. Jago; but were
+at length allowed to return to England, where
+they arrived after an absence of more than five
+years. At a subsequent period, Mr. Byron
+published his "Narrative." The young seaman
+was not deterred by his misfortunes from
+pursuing his naval career; he returned to the
+service of his country, and commanded the
+America, in Boscawen's action off Cape Lagos,
+August 18, 1759. His skill and enterprising
+spirit afterwards occasioned his appointment to
+the command of an expedition fitted out to
+make discoveries in the South Sea.<a name="FNanchor_A_2" id="FNanchor_A_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> He sailed
+from England, June 21st, 1764, and having
+circumnavigated the globe, returned home in
+May, 1766. Several islands were explored in
+this voyage, which were afterwards visited by
+Bougainville and Cooke; and experiments were
+also made to determine the accuracy of Harrison's
+time-keeper, and its consequent value as
+a means of ascertaining the longitude. This
+officer subsequently was made an admiral, and
+commanded in the West Indies during the
+American war. Admiral Byron was much
+beloved in the navy, more so, perhaps, than
+any other officer except Nelson. He died in
+1798, leaving one son, John, who dying before
+his uncle, Lord Byron, the title of the latter
+descended to his only son, George Gordon, the
+poet.</p>
+
+<div class="break-before">
+<h2>
+BYRON'S NARRATIVE<br />
+OF THE<br />
+Loss of the Wager.
+</h2></div>
+
+
+<p class ="p2">The equipment and destination of the squadron
+fitted out in the year 1740, of which Commodore
+Anson had the command, being sufficiently
+known from the ample and well-penned relation
+of it under his direction, I shall recite no particulars
+that are to be found in that work. But
+it may be necessary, for the better understanding
+the disastrous fate of the Wager, the subject
+of the following sheets, to repeat the remark,
+that a strange infatuation seemed to prevail in
+the whole conduct of this embarkation. For
+though it was unaccountably detained till the
+season for its sailing was past, no proper use<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span>
+was made of that time, which should have been
+employed in providing a suitable force of sailors
+and soldiery; nor was there a due attention
+given to other requisites for so peculiar and
+extensive a destination.</p>
+
+<p>This neglect not only rendered the expedition
+abortive in its principal object, but most
+materially affected the condition of each particular
+ship; and none so fatally as the Wager,
+which being an old Indiaman brought into the
+service on this occasion, was now fitted out as
+a man of war; but being made to serve as a
+store ship, was deeply laden with all kinds of
+careening geer, military and other stores, for
+the use of the other ships; and, what is more,
+crowded with bale goods, and encumbered
+with merchandise. A ship of this quality and
+condition could not be expected to work with
+that readiness and ease which was necessary
+for her security and preservation in those heavy
+seas with which she was to encounter. Her
+crew consisted of men pressed from long voyages
+to be sent upon a distant and hazardous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span>
+service: on the other hand, all her land-forces
+were no more than a poor detachment of infirm
+and decrepid invalids from Chelsea hospital,
+desponding under the apprehensions of a long
+voyage. It is not then to be wondered, that
+Captain Kid, under whose command the ship
+sailed out of the port, should in his last moments
+presage her ill success, though nothing
+very material happened during his command.</p>
+
+<p>At his death he was succeeded by Captain
+Cheap, who still, without any accident, kept
+company with the squadron till we had almost
+gained the southernmost mouth of Straits Le
+Maire; when, being the sternmost ship, we
+were, by the sudden shifting of the wind to the
+southward, and the turn of the tide, very near
+being wrecked upon the rocks of Staten Land;
+which, notwithstanding, having weathered,
+contrary to the expectation of the rest of the
+squadron, we endeavoured all in our power to
+make up our lost way and regain our station.
+This we effected, and proceeded on our voyage,
+keeping company with the rest of the ships for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>
+some time; when, by a great roll of a hollow
+sea, we carried away our mizen mast, all the
+chain plates to windward being broken. Soon
+after, hard gales at west coming on with a
+prodigious swell, there broke a heavy sea in
+upon the ship, which stove our boats, and filled
+us for some time.</p>
+
+<p>These accidents were the more disheartening,
+as our carpenter was on board the Gloucester,
+and detained there by the incessant tempestuous
+weather, and sea impracticable for boats. In a
+few days he returned, and supplied the loss of
+the mizen-mast by a lower studding-sail boom;
+but this expedient, together with the patching
+up of our rigging, was a poor temporary relief
+to us. We were soon obliged to cut away our
+best bower anchor to ease the fore-mast, the
+shrouds and chain plates of which were all
+broken, and the ship in all parts in a most
+crazy condition.</p>
+
+<p>Thus shattered and disabled, a single ship,
+(for we had now lost sight of our squadron)
+we had the additional mortification to find our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>selves
+bearing for the land on a lee shore,
+having thus far persevered in the course we held,
+from an error in conjecture; for the weather
+was unfavourable for observation, and there
+are no charts of that part of the coast. When
+those officers who first perceived their mistake,
+endeavoured to persuade the captain to alter his
+course, and bear away, for the greater surety,
+to the westward, he persisted in making directly,
+as he thought, for the island of Socoro;
+and to such as dared from time to time to
+deliver their doubts of being entangled with the
+land stretching to the westward, he replied,
+that he thought himself in no case at liberty to
+deviate from his orders; and that the absence
+of his ship from the first place of rendezvous,
+would entirely frustrate the whole squadron in
+the first object of their attack, and possibly
+decide upon the fortune of the whole expedition.
+For the better understanding the force
+of his reasoning, it is necessary to explain, that
+the island of Socoro is in the neighbourhood of
+Baldivia, the capture of which place could not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span>
+be effected without the junction of that ship,
+which carried the ordnance and military stores.</p>
+
+<p>The knowledge of the great importance of
+giving so early and unexpected a blow to the
+Spaniards, determined the captain to make the
+shortest way to the point in view; and that
+rigid adherence to orders from which he thought
+himself in no case at liberty to depart, begot in
+him a stubborn defiance of all difficulties, and
+took away from him those apprehensions, which
+so justly alarmed all such as, from an ignorance
+of the orders, had nothing present to their
+minds but the dangers of a lee shore.<a name="FNanchor_A_3" id="FNanchor_A_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p>
+
+<p>We had for some time been sensible of our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span>
+approach to the land, from no other tokens than
+those of weeds and birds, which are the usual
+indications of nearing the coast; but at length
+we had an imperfect view of an eminence,
+which we conjectured to be one of the mountains
+of the Cordilleras. This, however, was
+not so distinctly seen but that many conceived
+it to be the effect of imagination: but if the
+captain was persuaded of the nearness of our
+danger, it was now too late to remedy it; for
+at this time the straps of the fore jeer blocks
+breaking, the fore-yard came down; and the
+greatest part of the men being disabled through
+fatigue and sickness, it was some time before it
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>could be got up again. The few hands who
+were employed in this business now plainly
+saw the land on the larboard beam, bearing
+N.W., upon which the ship was driving bodily.
+Orders were then given immediately by the
+captain to sway the fore-yard up, and set the
+fore-sail; which done, we wore ship with her
+head to the southward, and endeavoured to
+crowd her off from the land: but the weather,
+from being exceedingly tempestuous, blowing
+now a perfect hurricane, and right in upon the
+shore, rendered our endeavours (for we were
+now only twelve hands fit for duty) entirely
+fruitless. The night came on, dreadful beyond
+description, in which, attempting to throw out
+our topsails to claw off the shore, they were
+immediately blown from the yards.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning, about four o'clock, the ship
+struck. The shock we received upon this occasion,
+though very great, being not unlike the
+blow of a heavy sea, such as in the series of
+preceding storms we had often experienced,
+was taken for the same; but we were soon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span>
+undeceived by her striking again more violently
+than before, which laid her upon her beam
+ends, the sea making a fair breach over her.
+Every person that now could stir was presently
+upon the quarter-deck; and many even of those
+were alert upon this occasion, that had not
+showed their faces upon deck for above two
+months before: several poor wretches, who
+were in the last stage of the scurvy, and who
+could not get out of their hammocks, were
+immediately drowned.</p>
+
+<p>In this dreadful situation she lay for some
+little time, every soul on board looking upon
+the present minute as his last; for there was
+nothing; to be seen but breakers all around us.
+However, a mountainous sea hove her off from
+thence, but she presently struck again, and
+broke her tiller. In this terrifying and critical
+juncture, to have observed all the various modes
+of horror operating according to the several
+characters and complexions amongst us, it was
+necessary that the observer himself should have
+been free from all impressions of danger. In<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>stances
+there were, however, of behaviour so
+very remarkable, they could not escape the
+notice of any one who was not entirely bereaved
+of his senses; for some were in this
+condition to all intents and purposes; particularly
+one, in the ravings of despair brought
+upon him, was seen stalking about the deck,
+flourishing a cutlass over his head and calling
+himself king of the country, and striking every
+body he came near, till his companions, seeing
+no other security against his tyranny, knocked
+him down. Some, reduced before by long sickness
+and the scurvy, became on this occasion as
+it were petrified and bereaved of all sense, like
+inanimate logs, and were bandied to and fro by
+the jerks and rolls of the ship, without exerting
+any efforts to help themselves. So terrible was
+the scene of foaming breakers around us, that
+one of the bravest men we had could not help
+expressing his dismay at it, saying it was too
+shocking a sight to bear; and would have
+thrown himself over the rails of the quarter-deck
+into the sea, had he not been prevented:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>
+but at the same time there were not wanting
+those who preserved a presence of mind truly
+heroic. The man at the helm, though both
+rudder and tiller were gone, kept his station;
+and being asked by one of the officers, if the
+ship would steer or not, first took his time to
+make trial by the wheel, and then answered
+with as much respect and coolness as if the
+ship had been in the greatest safety; and immediately
+after applied himself with his usual
+serenity to his duty, persuaded it did not become
+him to desert it as long as the ship kept
+together. Mr. Jones, mate, who now survives
+not only this wreck, but that of the Litchfield
+man of war upon the coast of Barbary, at the
+time when the ship was in the most imminent
+danger, not only shewed himself undaunted,
+but endeavoured to inspire the same resolution
+in the men; saying, "My friends, let us not
+be discouraged: did you never see a ship
+amongst breakers before? Let us try to push
+her through them. Come, lend a hand; here
+is a sheet, and here is a brace; lay hold; I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>
+don't doubt but we may stick her yet near
+enough to the land to save our lives." This
+had so good an effect, that many who before
+were half dead, seemed active again, and now
+went to work in earnest. This Mr. Jones did
+purely to keep up the spirits of the people as
+long as possible; for he often said afterwards,
+he thought there was not the least chance of a
+single man being saved. We now ran in
+between an opening of the breakers, steering
+by the sheets and braces, when providentially
+we stuck fast between two great rocks; that to
+windward sheltering us in some measure from
+the violence of the sea. We immediately cut
+away the main and foremast; but the ship kept
+beating in such a manner, that we imagined
+she could hold together but a very little while.
+The day now broke, and the weather, that had
+been extremely thick, cleared away for a few
+moments, and gave us a glimpse of the land
+not far from us. We now thought of nothing
+but saving our lives. To get the boats out, as
+our masts were gone, was a work of some time;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>
+which when accomplished, many were ready to
+jump into the first, by which means they narrowly
+escaped perishing before they reached
+the shore. I now went to Captain Cheap (who
+had the misfortune to dislocate his shoulder by
+a fall the day before, as he was going forward
+to get the fore-yard swayed up), and asked him
+if he would not go on shore; but he told me,
+as he had done before, that he would be the
+last to leave the ship; and he ordered me to
+assist in getting the men out as soon as possible.
+I had been with him very often from
+the time the ship first struck, as he desired I
+would, to acquaint him with every thing that
+passed; and I particularly remarked, that he
+gave his orders at that time with as much coolness
+as ever he had done during the former
+part of the voyage.</p>
+
+<p>The scene was now greatly changed; for many
+who but a few minutes before had shewn the
+strongest signs of despair, and were on their
+knees praying for mercy, imagining they were
+now not in that immediate danger, grew very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>
+riotous, broke open every chest and box that
+was at hand, stove in the heads of casks of
+brandy and wine as they were borne up to the
+hatchways, and got so drunk, that several of
+them were drowned on board, and lay floating
+about the decks for some days after. Before I
+left the ship, I went down to my chest, which
+was at the bulkhead of the wardroom, in order
+to save some little matters, if possible; but
+whilst I was there the ship thumped with such
+violence, and the water came in so fast, that I
+was forced to get upon the quarter-deck again,
+without saving a single rag but what was upon
+my back. The boatswain and some of the people
+would not leave the ship so long as there
+was any liquor to be got at; upon which Captain
+Cheap suffered himself to be helped out of his
+bed, put into the boat, and carried on shore.</p>
+
+<p>It is natural to think, that to men thus upon
+the point of perishing by shipwreck, the getting
+to land was the highest attainment of their
+wishes; undoubtedly it was a desirable event;
+yet, all things considered, our condition was but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>
+little mended by the change. Whichever way
+we looked, a scene of horror presented itself:
+on one side the wreck (in which was all that we
+had in the world to support and subsist us),
+together with a boisterous sea, presented us with
+the most dreary prospect; on the other, the land
+did not wear a much more favourable appearance:
+desolate and barren, without sign of
+culture, we could hope to receive little other
+benefit from it than the preservation it afforded
+us from the sea. It must be confessed this was
+a great and merciful deliverance from immediate
+destruction; but then we had wet, cold,
+and hunger, to struggle with, and no visible
+remedy against any of these evils. Exerting
+ourselves, however, though faint, benumbed,
+and almost helpless, to find some wretched
+covert against the extreme inclemency of the
+weather, we discovered an Indian hut, at a
+small distance from the beach, within a wood, in
+which as many as possible, without distinction,
+crowded themselves, the night coming on exceedingly
+tempestuous and rainy. But here our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>
+situation was such as to exclude all rest and
+refreshment by sleep from most of us; for besides
+that we pressed upon one another extremely,
+we were not without our alarms and
+apprehensions of being attacked by the Indians,
+from a discovery we made of some of their
+lances and other arms in our hut; and our uncertainty
+of their strength and disposition, gave
+alarm to our imagination, and kept us in continual
+anxiety.</p>
+
+<p>In this miserable hovel, one of our company,
+a lieutenant of invalids, died this night; and of
+those who for want of room took shelter under
+a great tree, which stood them in very little
+stead, two more perished by the severity of that
+cold and rainy night. In the morning, the calls
+of hunger, which had been hitherto suppressed
+by our attention to more immediate dangers and
+difficulties, were now become too importunate
+to be resisted. We had most of us fasted eight
+and forty hours, some more; it was time, therefore,
+to make inquiry among ourselves what
+store of sustenance had been brought from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>
+wreck by the providence of some, and what
+could be procured on the island by the industry
+of others: but the produce of the one amounted
+to no more than two or three pounds of biscuit
+dust reserved in a bag; and all the success of
+those who ventured abroad, the weather being
+still exceedingly bad, was to kill one sea-gull, and
+pick some wild cellery. These, therefore, were
+immediately put into a pot, with the addition of
+a large quantity of water, and made into a kind
+of soup, of which each partook as far as it would
+go; but we had no sooner thrown this down
+than we were seized with the most painful sickness
+at our stomachs, violent reachings, swoonings,
+and other symptoms of being poisoned.
+This was imputed to various causes, but in
+general to the herbs we made use of, in the
+nature and quality of which we fancied ourselves
+mistaken; but a little further inquiry let
+us into the real occasion of it, which was no
+other than this: the biscuit dust was the sweepings
+of the bread-room, but the bag in which
+they were put had been a tobacco bag; the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>
+contents of which not being entirely taken out,
+what remained mixed with the biscuit-dust, and
+proved a strong emetic.</p>
+
+<p>We were in all about a hundred and forty
+who had got to shore; but some few remained
+still on board, detained either by drunkenness,
+or a view of pillaging the wreck, among which
+was the boatswain. These were visited by an
+officer in the yawl, who was to endeavour to
+prevail upon them to join the rest; but finding
+them in the greatest disorder, and disposed to
+mutiny, he was obliged to desist from his purpose
+and return without them. Though we
+were very desirous, and our necessities required
+that we should take some survey of the land
+we were upon; yet being strongly pre-possessed
+that the savages were retired but some little
+distance from us, and waited to see us divided,
+our parties did not make this day, any great
+excursions from the hut; but as far as we went,
+we found it very morassy and unpromising.
+The spot which we occupied was a bay formed
+by hilly promontories, that to the north so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>
+exceeding steep, that in order to ascend it (for
+there was no going round, the bottom being
+washed by the sea), we were at the labour of
+cutting steps. This, which we called Mount
+Misery, was of use to us in taking some observations
+afterwards, when the weather would
+permit: the southern promontory was not so
+inaccessible. Beyond this, I, with some others,
+having reached another bay, found driven
+ashore some parts of the wreck, but no kind of
+provision; nor did we meet with any shellfish,
+which we were chiefly in search of. We
+therefore returned to the rest, and for that day
+made no other repast than what the wild cellery
+afforded us. The ensuing night proved exceedingly
+tempestuous; and, the sea running very
+high, threatened those on board with immediate
+destruction by the parting of the wreck. They
+then were as solicitous to get ashore, as they
+were before obstinate in refusing the assistance
+we sent them; and when they found the boat
+did not come to their relief at the instant they
+expected it, without considering how impracti<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>cable
+a thing it was to send it them in such a
+sea, they fired one of the quarter-deck guns at
+the hut; the ball of which did but just pass over
+the covering of it, and was plainly heard by
+the captain and us who were within. Another
+attempt, therefore, was made to bring these
+madmen to land, which, however, by the violence
+of the sea, and other impediments, occasioned
+by the mast that lay alongside, proved
+ineffectual. This unavoidable delay made the
+people on board outrageous: they fell to beating
+every thing to pieces that fell in the way;
+and, carrying their intemperance to the greatest
+excess, broke open chests and cabins for
+plunder that could be of no use to them: and
+so earnest were they in this wantonness of theft,
+that one man had evidently been murdered on
+account of some division of the spoil, or for the
+sake of the share that fell to him, having all
+the marks of a strangled corpse. One thing in
+this outrage they seemed particularly attentive
+to, which was, to provide themselves with arms
+and ammunition, in order to support them in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>
+putting their mutinous designs in execution,
+and asserting their claim to a lawless exemption
+from the authority of their officers, which they
+pretended must cease with the loss of the ship.
+But of these arms, which we stood in great
+need of, they were soon bereaved, upon coming
+ashore, by the resolution of Captain Cheap and
+Lieutenant Hamilton of the marines. Among
+these mutineers which had been left on board,
+as I observed before, was the boatswain; who,
+instead of exerting the authority he had over
+the rest, to keep them within bounds as much
+as possible, was himself a ringleader in their
+riot: him, without respect to the figure he then
+made, for he was in laced clothes, Captain
+Cheap, by a blow well laid on with his cane,
+felled to the ground. It was scarce possible to
+refrain from laughter at the whimsical appearance
+these fellows made, who, having rifled the
+chests of the officers' best suits, had put them
+on over their greasy trowsers and dirty checked
+shirts. They were soon stripped of their finery,
+as they had before been obliged to resign their
+arms.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The incessant rains, and exceeding cold weather
+in this climate, rendered it impossible for
+us to subsist long without shelter; and the hut
+being much too little to receive us all, it was
+necessary to fall upon some expedient, without
+delay, which might serve our purpose: accordingly
+the gunner, carpenter, and some more,
+turning the cutter keel upwards, and fixing it
+upon props, made no despicable habitation.
+Having thus established some sort of settlement,
+we had the more leisure to look about
+us, and to make our researches with greater
+accuracy than we had before, after such supplies
+as the most desolate coasts are seldom
+unfurnished with. Accordingly we soon provided
+ourselves with some sea-fowl, and found
+limpets, muscles, and other shell-fish in tolerable
+abundance; but this rummaging of the
+shore was now becoming extremely irksome to
+those who had any feeling, by the bodies of
+our drowned people thrown among the rocks,
+some of which were hideous spectacles, from
+the mangled condition they were in by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>
+violent surf that drove in upon the coast.
+These horrors were overcome by the distresses
+of our people, who were even glad of the occasion
+of killing the gallinazo (the carrion crow
+of that country), while preying on these carcases,
+in order to make a meal of them. But
+a provision by no means proportionable to the
+number of mouths to be fed, could, by our
+utmost industry, be acquired from that part of
+the island we had hitherto traversed: therefore,
+till we were in a capacity of making more distant
+excursions, the wreck was to be applied to
+as often as possible, for such supplies as could
+be got out of her. But as this was a very precarious
+fund in its present situation, and at best
+could not last us long; considering too that it
+was very uncertain how long we might be
+detained upon this island the stores and provision
+we were so fortunate as to retrieve, were
+not only to be dealt out with the most frugal
+economy, but a sufficient quantity, if possible,
+laid by to fit us out, whenever we could agree
+upon any method of transporting ourselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>
+from this dreary spot. The difficulties we had
+to encounter in these visits to the wreck, cannot
+be easily described; for no part of it being
+above water except the quarter-deck and part
+of the fore-castle, we were usually obliged to
+purchase such things as were within reach, by
+means of large hooks fastened to poles, in which
+business we were much incommoded by the
+dead bodies floating between decks.</p>
+
+<p>In order to secure what we thus got, in a
+manner to answer the ends and purposes above-mentioned,
+Captain Cheap ordered a store tent
+to be erected near his hut as a repository, from
+which nothing was to be dealt out but in the
+measure and proportion agreed upon by the
+officers; and though it was very hard upon us
+petty officers, who were fatigued with hunting
+all day in quest of food, to defend this tent
+from invasion by night, no other means could
+be devised for this purpose so effectual as the
+committing this charge to our care; and we
+were accordingly ordered to divide the task
+equally between us. Yet, notwithstanding our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>
+utmost vigilance and care, frequent robberies
+were committed upon our trust, the tent being
+accessible in more than one place. And one
+night, when I had the watch, hearing a stir
+within, I came unawares upon the thief, and
+presenting a pistol to his breast, obliged him to
+submit to be tied up to a post till I had an
+opportunity of securing him more effectually.
+Depredations continued to be made on our reserved
+stock, notwithstanding the great hazard
+attending such attempts; for our common safety
+made it necessary to punish them with the
+utmost rigour. This will not be wondered at,
+when it is known how little the allowance
+which might consistently be dispensed from
+thence, was proportionable to our common exigencies;
+so that our daily and nightly task of
+roving after food, was not in the least relaxed
+thereby; and all put together was so far from
+answering our necessities, that many at this
+time perished with hunger. A boy, when no
+other eatables could be found, having picked up
+the liver of one of the drowned men (whose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>
+carcase had been torn to pieces by the force
+with which the sea drove it among the rocks),
+was with difficulty withheld from making a
+meal of it. The men were so assiduous in their
+research after the few things which drove from
+the wreck, that in order to have no sharers of
+their good fortune, they examined the shore no
+less by night than by day; so that many of
+those who were less alert, or not so fortunate as
+their neighbours, perished with hunger, or were
+driven to the last extremity. It must be observed,
+that on the 14th of May we were cast
+away, and it was not till the 25th of this month
+that provision was served regularly from the
+store tent.</p>
+
+<p>The land we were now settled upon was
+about 90 leagues to the northward of the
+western mouth of the straits of Magellan, in
+the latitude of between 47 and 48° south, from
+whence we could plainly see the Cordilleras;
+and by two Lagoons on the north and south of
+us, stretching towards those mountains, we
+conjectured it was an island. But as yet we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>
+had no means of informing ourselves perfectly,
+whether it was an island or the main; for
+besides that the inland parts at a little distance
+from us seemed impracticable from the exceeding
+great thickness of the wood, we had hitherto
+been in such confusion and want (each finding
+full employment for his time, in scraping together
+a wretched subsistence, and providing
+shelter against the cold and rain), that no
+party could be formed to go upon discoveries.
+The climate and season too were utterly unfavourable
+to adventurers, and the coast, as far
+as our eye could stretch seaward, a scene of
+such dismal breakers as would discourage the
+most daring from making attempts in small
+boats. Nor were we assisted in our enquiries
+by any observation that could be made from
+that eminence we called Mount Misery, toward
+land, our prospect that way being intercepted by
+still higher hills and lofty woods: we had therefore
+no other expedient, by means of which to
+come at this knowledge, but by fitting out one
+of our ship's boats upon some discovery, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
+inform us of our situation. Our long-boat was
+still on board the wreck; therefore a number of
+hands were now dispatched to cut the gunwale
+of the ship, in order to get her out. Whilst we
+were employed in this business, there appeared
+three canoes of Indians paddling towards us:
+they had come round the point from the southern
+Lagoons. It was some time before we could
+prevail upon them to lay aside their fears and
+approach us; which at length they were induced
+to do by the signs of friendship we made
+them, and by shewing some bale-goods, which
+they accepted, and suffered themselves to be
+conducted to the captain, who made them,
+likewise, some presents. They were strangely
+affected with the novelty thereof; but chiefly
+when shewn the looking-glass, in which the
+beholder could not conceive it to be his own
+face that was represented, but that of some
+other behind it, which he therefore went round
+to the back of the glass to find out.</p>
+
+<p>These people were of a small stature, very
+swarthy, having long, black, coarse hair, hang<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>ing
+over their faces. It was evident, from their
+great surprise, and every part of their behaviour,
+as well as their not having one thing in
+their possession which could be derived from
+white people, that they had never seen such.
+Their clothing was nothing but a bit of some
+beast's skin about their waists, and something
+woven from feathers over the shoulders; and as
+they uttered no word of any language we had
+ever heard, nor had any method of making
+themselves understood, we presumed they could
+have had no intercourse with Europeans. These
+savages, who upon their departure left us a few
+muscles, returned in two days, and surprised us
+by bringing three sheep. From whence they
+could procure animals in a part of the world so
+distant from any Spanish settlement, cut off
+from all communication with the Spaniards by
+an inaccessible coast and unprofitable country,
+is difficult to conceive. Certain it is, that we
+saw no such creatures, nor ever heard of any
+such, from the Straits of Magellan, till we
+got into the neighbourhood of Chiloe: it must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
+be by some strange accident that these creatures
+came into their possession; but what that
+was, we never could learn from them. At this
+interview we bartered with them for a dog or
+two, which we roasted and eat. In a few days
+after, they made us another visit, and bringing
+their wives with them, took up their abode
+with us for some days; then again left us.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever the weather permitted, which was
+now grown something drier, but exceeding cold,
+we employed ourselves about the wreck, from
+which we had, at sundry times, recovered several
+articles of provision and liquor: these were deposited
+in the store-tent. Ill-humour and discontent,
+from the difficulties we laboured under
+in procuring subsistence, and the little prospect
+there was of any amendment in our condition,
+was now breaking out apace. In some it shewed
+itself by a separation of settlement and habitation;
+in others, by a resolution of leaving the
+captain entirely, and making a wild journey by
+themselves, without determining upon any plan
+whatever. For my own part, seeing it was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>
+fashion, and liking none of their parties, I built
+a little hut just big enough for myself and a
+poor Indian dog I found in the woods, who
+could shift for himself along shore, at low water,
+by getting limpets. This creature grew so
+fond of me, and faithful, that he would suffer
+nobody to come near the hut without biting
+them. Besides those seceders I mentioned,
+some laid a scheme of deserting us entirely:
+these were in number ten; the greatest part of
+them a most desperate and abandoned crew,
+who, to strike a notable stroke before they
+went off, placed half a barrel of gunpowder
+close to the captain's hut, laid a train to it, and
+were just preparing to perpetrate their wicked
+design of blowing up their commander, when
+they were with difficulty dissuaded from it by
+one who had some bowels and remorse of conscience
+left in him. These wretches, after rambling
+for some time in the woods, and finding
+it impracticable to get off, for they were then
+convinced that we were not upon the main, as
+they had imagined when they first left us, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span>
+upon an island within four or five leagues of it,
+returned and settled about a league from us;
+however, they were still determined, as soon as
+they could procure craft fit for their purpose,
+to get to the main. But before they could effect
+this, we found means to prevail upon the armourer
+and one of the carpenter's crew,&mdash;two
+very useful men to us, who had imprudently
+joined them,&mdash;to come over again to their duty.
+The rest, (one or two excepted) having built a
+punt, and converted the hull of one of the ship's
+masts into a canoe, went away up one of the
+Lagoons, and never were heard of more.</p>
+
+<p>These being a desperate and factious set, did
+not distress us much by their departure, but
+rather added to our future security: one in
+particular, James Mitchell by name, we had all
+the reason in the world to think had committed
+no less than two murders since the loss of our
+ship; one on the person found strangled on
+board, another on the body of a man whom we
+discovered among some bushes upon Mount
+Misery, stabbed in several places, and shock<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>ingly
+mangled. This diminution of our numbers
+was succeeded by an unfortunate accident much
+more affecting in its consequences, I mean the
+death of Mr. Cozens, midshipman; in relating
+which with the necessary impartiality and exactness,
+I think myself obliged to be more than
+ordinarily particular. Having one day, among
+other things, got a cask of peas out of the
+wreck, about which I was almost constantly
+employed, I brought it to shore in the yawl;
+when having landed it, the captain came down
+upon the beach, and bid me to go up to some
+of the tents and order hands to come down and
+roll it up; but finding none except Mr. Cozens,
+I delivered him the orders, who immediately
+came down to the captain, where I left them
+when I returned to the wreck. Upon my coming
+on shore again, I found that Mr. Cozens
+was put under confinement by the captain, for
+being drunk and giving him abusive language:
+however, he was soon after released. A day or
+two after, he had some dispute with the surgeon,
+and came to blows: all these things incensed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>
+the captain greatly against him. I believe this
+unfortunate man was kept warm with liquor,
+and set on by some ill-designing persons; for,
+when sober, I never knew a better natured man,
+or one more inoffensive. Some little time after,
+at the hour of serving out provisions, Mr.
+Cozens was at the store tent; and having, it
+seems, lately had a quarrel with the purser, and
+now some words arising between them, the
+latter told him he was come to mutiny; and
+without any further ceremony, fired a pistol at
+his head, which narrowly missed him. The
+captain, hearing the report of a pistol, and
+perhaps the purser's words, that Cozens was
+come to mutiny, ran out of his hut with a
+cocked pistol in his hand, and, without asking
+any questions, immediately shot him through
+the head. I was at this time in my hut, as the
+weather was extremely bad; but running out
+upon the alarm of this firing, the first thing I
+saw was Mr. Cozens on the ground, weltering
+in his blood: he was sensible, and took me by
+the hand, as he did several others, shaking his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>
+head, as if he meant to take leave of us. If
+Mr. Cozens' behaviour to his captain was indecent
+and provoking, the captain's, on the other
+hand, was rash and hasty: if the first was
+wanting in that respect and observance which
+is due from a petty officer to his commander,
+the latter was still more unadvised in the method
+he took for the enforcement of his authority;
+of which, indeed, he was jealous to the
+last degree, and which he saw daily declining,
+and ready to be trampled upon. His mistaken
+apprehension of a mutinous design in Mr. Cozens,
+the sole motive of this rash action, was so
+far from answering the end he proposed by it,
+that the men, who before were much dissatisfied
+and uneasy, were by this unfortunate
+step thrown almost into open sedition and
+revolt. It was evident that the people, who
+ran out of their tents, alarmed by the report
+of fire-arms, though they disguised their real
+sentiments for the present, were extremely affected
+at this catastrophe of Mr. Cozens (for
+he was greatly beloved by them): their minds<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>
+were now exasperated, and it was to be apprehended,
+that their resentment, which was
+smothered for the present, would shortly
+shew itself in some desperate enterprise. The
+unhappy victim, who lay weltering in his blood
+on the ground before them, seemed to absorb
+their whole attention; the eyes of all were
+fixed upon him; and visible marks of the
+deepest concern appeared in the countenances
+of the spectators. The persuasion the captain
+was under, at the time he shot Mr. Cozens,
+that his intentions were mutinous, together with
+a jealousy of the diminution of his authority,
+occasioned also his behaving with less compassion
+and tenderness towards him afterwards
+than was consistent with the unhappy condition
+of the poor sufferer: for when it was
+begged as a favour by his mess-mates, that
+Mr. Cozens might be removed to their tent,
+though a necessary thing in his dangerous situation,
+yet it was not permitted; but the poor
+wretch was suffered to languish on the ground
+some days, with no other covering than a bit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>
+of canvass thrown over some bushes, where he
+died. But to return to our story: the Captain,
+addressing himself to the people thus assembled,
+told them, that it was his resolution to
+maintain his command over them as usual,
+which still remained in as much force as ever;
+and then ordered them all to return to their respective
+tents, with which order they instantly
+complied. Now we had saved the long-boat from
+the wreck, and got it in our possession, there
+was nothing that seemed so necessary towards
+the advancing our delivery from this desolate
+place, as the new modelling this vessel so as to
+have room for all those who were inclined to go
+off in her, and to put her in a condition to bear
+the stormy seas we must of course encounter.
+We therefore hauled her up, and having placed
+her upon blocks, sawed her in two, in order to
+lengthen her about twelve feet by the keel. For
+this purpose, all those who could be spared
+from the more immediate task of procuring subsistence,
+were employed in fitting and shaping
+timber as the carpenter directed them; I say,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+in procuring subsistence, because the weather
+lately having been very tempestuous, and the
+wreck working much, had disgorged a great
+part of her contents, which were every where
+dispersed about the shore.</p>
+
+<p>We now sent frequent parties up the Lagoons,
+which sometimes succeeded in getting
+some sea-fowl for us. The Indians appearing
+again in the offing we put off our yawl, in
+order to frustrate any design they might have
+of going up the Lagoon towards the deserters,
+who would have availed themselves of some of
+their canoes to have got upon the main. Having
+conducted them in, we found that their intention
+was to settle among us, for they had
+brought their wives and children with them,
+in all about fifty persons, who immediately
+set about building themselves wigwams, and
+seemed much reconciled to our company; and,
+could we have entertained them as we ought,
+they would have been of great assistance to us,
+who were yet extremely put to it to subsist
+ourselves, being a hundred in number; but the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>
+men, now subject to little or no control, endeavoured
+to seduce their wives, which gave
+the Indians such offence, that in a short time
+they found means to depart, taking every thing
+along with them; and we, being sensible of the
+cause, never expected to see them return again.
+The carpenter having made some progress in his
+work upon the long-boat, in which he was enabled
+to proceed tolerably, by the tools and other
+articles of his business retrieved from the wreck,
+the men began to think of the course they
+should take to get home; or rather, having borrowed
+Sir John Narborough's Voyage of Captain
+Cheap, by the application of Mr. Bulkely,
+which book he saw me reading one day in my
+tent, they, immediately upon perusing it, concluded
+upon making their voyage home by the
+Straits of Magellan. This plan was proposed
+to the captain, who by no means approved
+of it, his design being to go northwards,
+with a view of seizing a ship of the enemy's,
+by which means he might join the Commodore:
+at present, therefore, here it rested. But the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>
+men were in high spirits from the prospect
+they had of getting off in the long-boat, overlooking
+all the difficulties and hazards of a
+voyage almost impracticable, and caressing the
+carpenter, who indeed was an excellent workman,
+and deserved all the encouragement they
+could give him. The Indians having left us,
+and the weather continuing tempestuous and
+rainy, the distresses of the people for want
+of food become insupportable. Our number,
+which was at first one hundred and forty-five,
+was now reduced to one hundred, and chiefly
+by famine, which put the rest upon all shifts
+and devices to support themselves. One day,
+when I was at home in my hut with my Indian
+dog, a party came to my door, and told me
+their necessities were such, that they must eat
+the creature or starve. Though their plea was
+urgent, I could not help using some arguments
+to endeavour to dissuade them from killing
+him, as his faithful services and fondness deserved
+it at my hands; but, without weighing
+my arguments, they took him away by force<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>
+and killed him; upon which, thinking that I
+had at least as good a right to a share as the
+rest, I sat down with them, and partook of
+their repast. Three weeks after that I was
+glad to make a meal of his paws and skin,
+which, upon recollecting the spot where they
+had killed him, I found thrown aside and
+rotten. The pressing calls of hunger drove our
+men to their wit's end, and put them upon a
+variety of devices to satisfy it. Among the
+ingenious this way, one Phips, a boatswain's
+mate, having got a water puncheon, scuttled
+it; then lashing two logs, one on each side, set
+out in quest of adventures in this extraordinary
+and original piece of embarkation. By this
+means he would frequently, when all the rest
+were starving, provide himself with wild fowl;
+and it must have been very bad weather indeed
+which could deter him from putting out
+to sea when his occasions required. Sometimes
+he would venture far out in the offing, and be
+absent the whole of the day: at last, it was his
+misfortune, at a great distance from shore, to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>
+overset by a heavy sea; but being near a rock,
+though no swimmer, he managed so as to
+scramble to it, and with great difficulty ascended
+it: there he remained two days with
+very little hopes of any relief, for he was too
+far off to be seen from shore; but fortunately a
+boat, having put off and gone in quest of wild fowl
+that way, discovered him making such
+signals as he was able, and brought him back
+to the island. But this accident did not so
+discourage him but that soon after, having procured
+an ox's hide, used on board for sifting
+powder, and called a gunner's hide, by the
+assistance of some hoops he formed something
+like a canoe, in which he made several successful
+voyages. When the weather would permit
+us, we seldom failed of getting some wild fowl,
+though never in any plenty, by putting
+off with our boats; but this most inhospitable
+climate is not only deprived of the sun for the
+most part, by a thick, rainy atmosphere, but is
+also visited by almost incessant tempests. It
+must be confessed, we reaped some benefit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>
+from these hard gales and overgrown seas,
+which drove several things ashore; but there
+was no dependence on such accidental relief;
+and we were always alert to avail ourselves of
+every interval of fair weather, though so little
+to be depended on, that we were often unexpectedly
+and to our peril overtaken by a sudden
+change. In one of our excursions I, with two
+more, in a wretched punt of our own making,
+had no sooner landed at our station upon a
+high rock, than the punt was driven loose by a
+sudden squall; and had not one of the men, at
+the risk of his life, jumped into the sea and
+swam on board her, we must in all probability
+have perished; for we were more than three
+leagues from the island at the time. Among
+the birds we generally shot, was the painted
+goose, whose plumage is variegated with the
+most lively colours; and a bird much larger
+than a goose, which we called the race-horse,
+from the velocity with which it moved upon the
+surface of the water, in a sort of half flying,
+half running motion. But we were not so suc<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>cessful
+in our endeavours by land; for though
+we sometimes got pretty far into the woods,
+we met with very few birds in all our walks.
+We never saw but three woodcocks, two of
+which were killed by Mr. Hamilton, and one
+by myself. These, with some humming-birds,
+and a large kind of robin redbreast, were the
+only feathered inhabitants of this island, excepting
+a small bird with two very long feathers
+in his tail, which was generally seen
+amongst the rocks, and was so tame, that I
+have had them rest upon my shoulder whilst
+I have been gathering shell-fish. Indeed, we
+were visited by many birds of prey, some very
+large; but these only occasionally, and, as we
+imagined, allured by some dead whale in the
+neighbourhood, which was once seen. However,
+if we were so fortunate as to kill one of
+them, we thought ourselves very well off. In
+one of my walks, seeing a bird of this latter
+kind upon an eminence, I endeavoured to come
+upon it unperceived with my gun, by means
+of the woods which lay at the back of that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>
+eminence; but when I had proceeded so far in
+the wood as to think I was in a line with it, I
+heard a growling close by me, which made me
+think it advisable to retire as soon as possible;
+the woods were so gloomy I could see nothing;
+but as I retired, this noise followed me close
+till I had got out of them. Some of our men
+did assure me, that they had seen a very large
+beast in the woods; but their description of it
+was too imperfect to be relied upon. The wood
+here is chiefly of the aromatic kind; the iron
+wood, a wood of a very deep red hue, and
+another, of an exceeding bright yellow. All
+the low spots are very swampy; but what we
+thought strange, upon the summits of the
+highest hills were found beds of shells, a foot
+or two thick.</p>
+
+<p>The long-boat being near finished, some of
+our company were selected to go out in the
+barge, in order to reconnoitre the coast to the
+southward, which might assist us in the navigation
+we were going upon. This party consisted
+of Mr. Bulkely, Mr. Jones, the purser,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>
+myself, and ten men. The first night, we put
+into a good harbour, a few leagues to the southward
+of Wager's Island; where finding a large
+bitch big with puppies, we regaled upon them.
+In this expedition we had our usual bad weather,
+and breaking seas, which were grown to
+such a height the third day, that we were
+obliged, through distress, to push in at the
+first inlet we saw at hand. This we had no
+sooner entered, than we were presented with a
+view of a fine bay, in which having secured the
+barge, we went ashore; but the weather being
+very rainy, and finding nothing to subsist upon,
+we pitched a bell tent, which we had brought
+with us, in the wood opposite to where the
+barge lay. As this tent was not large enough to
+contain us all, I proposed to four of the people
+to go to the end of the bay, about two miles
+distant from the bell tent, to occupy the skeleton
+of an old Indian wigwam, which I had
+discovered in a walk that way upon our first
+landing. This we covered to windward with
+sea-weed; and lighting a fire, laid ourselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
+down, in hopes of finding a remedy for our
+hunger in sleep; but we had not long composed
+ourselves before one of our company was
+disturbed by the blowing of some animal at his
+face, and upon opening his eyes, was not a
+little astonished to see, by the glimmering of
+the fire, a large beast standing over him. He
+had presence of mind enough to snatch a brand
+from the fire, which was now very low, and
+thrust it at the nose of the animal, who thereupon
+made off: this done, the man awoke us,
+and related, with horror in his countenance, the
+narrow escape he had had of being devoured.
+But though we were under no small apprehensions
+of another visit from this animal, yet our
+fatigue and heaviness was greater than our
+fears; and we once more composed ourselves
+to rest, and slept the remainder of the night
+without any further disturbance. In the morning,
+we were not a little anxious to know how
+our companions had fared; and this anxiety
+was increased upon tracing the footsteps of the
+beast in the sand, in a direction towards the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
+bell tent. The impression was deep and plain,
+of a large round foot, well furnished with claws.
+Upon our acquainting the people in the tent
+with the circumstances of our story, we found
+that they too had been visited by the same unwelcome
+guest, which they had driven away by
+much the same expedient. We now returned
+from this cruise, with a strong gale, to Wager's
+Island; having found it impracticable to make
+farther discoveries in the barge, on so dangerous
+a coast, and in such heavy seas. Here
+we soon discovered, by the quarters of dogs
+hanging up, that the Indians had brought a
+fresh supply to our market. Upon enquiry, we
+found that there had been six canoes of them,
+who, among other methods of taking fish, had
+taught their dogs to drive the fish into a corner
+of some pond, or lake, from whence they
+were easily taken out, by the skill and address
+of these savages. The old cabal, during our
+absence, had been frequently revived; the debates
+of which generally ended in riot and
+drunkenness. This cabal was chiefly held in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>
+a large tent, which the people belonging to it
+had taken some pains to make snug and convenient,
+and lined with bales of broad cloth
+driven from the wreck. Eighteen of the stoutest
+fellows of the ship's company had possession
+of this tent, from whence were dispatched committees
+to the Captain, with the resolutions
+they had taken with regard to their departure;
+but oftener for liquor. Their determination was
+to go in the long-boat to the southward, by the
+straits of Magellan; and the point they were
+labouring, was to prevail upon the Captain to
+accompany them. But though he had fixed
+upon a quite different plan, which was to go
+to the northward, yet he thought it politic, at
+present, seemingly to acquiesce with them, in
+order to keep them quiet. When they began
+to stipulate with him, that he should be under
+some restrictions in point of command, and
+should do nothing without consulting his officers,
+he insisted upon the full exercise of his
+authority as before. This broke all measures
+between them, and they were from this time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>
+determined he should go with them, whether
+he would or no. A better pretence they could
+not have for effecting this design, than the
+unfortunate affair of Mr. Cozens; which they
+therefore made use of for seizing his person,
+and putting him under confinement, in order to
+bring him to his trial in England. The long-boat
+was now launched, and ready for sailing,
+and all the men embarked, except Captain Pemberton,
+with a party of marines, whom he had
+drawn up upon the beach with the intention of
+conducting Captain Cheap on board; but he
+was at length persuaded to desist from this resolution
+by Mr. Bulkely. The men too, finding they
+were straitened for room, and that their stock
+of provision would not admit of their taking
+supernumeraries aboard, were now no less
+strenuous for his enlargement, and being left
+to his option of staying behind. Therefore,
+after having distributed their share in the reserved
+stock of provision, which was very
+small, we departed, leaving Captain Cheap,
+Mr. Hamilton of the marines, and the surgeon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>
+upon the island. I had all along been in the
+dark as to the turn this affair would take; and
+not in the least suspecting but that it was determined
+Captain Cheap should be taken with
+us, readily embarked under that persuasion;
+but when I found that this design, which was
+so seriously carried on to the last, was suddenly
+dropped, I was determined, upon the
+first opportunity, to leave them; which was at
+this instant impossible for me to do, the long-boat
+lying some distance off shore, at anchor.
+We were in all eighty-one, when we left the
+island, distributed into the long-boat, cutter,
+and barge; fifty-nine on board the first, twelve
+in the second, in the last, ten. It was our purpose
+to put into some harbour, if possible,
+every evening, as we were in no condition to
+keep those terrible seas long; for without other
+assistance, our stock of provisions was no more
+than might have been consumed in a few days;
+our water was chiefly contained in a few powder-barrels;
+our flour was to be lengthened out
+by a mixture of sea-weed; and our other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>
+supplies depended upon the success of our
+guns, and industry among the rocks. Captain
+Pemberton having brought on board his men,
+we weighed; but a sudden squall of wind
+having split our foresail, we with difficulty
+cleared the rocks, by means of our boats,
+bore away for a sandy bay, on the south side
+of the Lagoon, and anchored in ten fathom.
+The next morning we got under way; but
+it blowing hard at W. by N. with a great
+swell, we put into a small bay again, well sheltered
+by a ledge of rocks without us. At this
+time, it was thought necessary to send the
+barge away back to Cheap's bay, for some
+spare canvass, which was imagined would be
+soon wanted. I thought this a good opportunity
+of returning, and therefore made one with
+those who went upon this business in the barge.
+We were no sooner clear of the long-boat, than
+all those in the boat with me declared they had
+the same intention. When we arrived at the
+island, we were extremely welcome to Captain
+Cheap. The next day, I asked him leave to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
+try if I could prevail upon those in the long-boat
+to give us our share of provision: this he
+granted; but said if we went in the barge,
+they would certainly take her from us. I
+told him my design was to walk it, and only
+desired the boat might land me upon the main,
+and wait for me till I came back. I had the
+most dreadful journey of it imaginable, through
+thick woods and swamps all the way; but I
+might as well have spared myself that trouble,
+as it was to no manner of purpose; for they
+would not give me, nor any one of us that left
+them, a single ounce of provisions of any kind.
+I therefore returned, and after that made a
+second attempt; but all in vain. They even
+threatened, if we did not return with the barge,
+they would fetch her by force. It is impossible
+to conceive the distressed situation we were
+now in, at the time of the long-boat's departure.
+I do not mention this event as the occasion
+of it; by which, if we who were left on
+the island experienced any alteration at all, it
+was for the better; and which, in all proba<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span>bility,
+had it been deferred, might have been
+fatal to the greatest part of us; but at this
+time, the subsistence on which we had hitherto
+chiefly depended, which was the shell-fish,
+were every where along shore eat up; and
+as to stock saved from the wreck, it may be
+guessed what the amount of that might be,
+when the share allotted to the Captain, Lieutenant
+Hamilton, and the surgeon, was no
+more than six pieces of beef, as many of pork,
+and ninety pounds of flour. As to myself, and
+those that left the long-boat, it was the least
+revenge they thought they could take of us to
+withhold our provision from us, though at the
+same time it was hard and unjust. For a
+day or two after our return, there was some
+little pittance dealt out to us, yet it was upon
+the foot of favour; and we were soon left to
+our usual industry for a farther supply. This
+was now exerted to very little purpose, for the
+reason before assigned; to which may be
+added, the wreck was now blown up, all her
+upper works gone, and no hopes of any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>
+valuable driftage from her for the future. A
+weed called slaugh, fried in the tallow of some
+candles we had saved, and wild cellery, were
+our only fare; by which our strength was so
+much impaired, that we could scarcely crawl.
+It was my misfortune too, to labour under a
+severe flux, by which I was reduced to a very
+feeble state; so that in attempting to traverse
+the rocks in search of shell-fish, I fell from
+one into very deep water, and with difficulty
+saved my life by swimming. As the Captain
+was now freed, by the departure of the long-boat,
+from the riotous applications, menaces,
+and disturbance of an unruly crew, and left
+at liberty to follow the plan he had resolved
+upon, of going northward, he began to think
+seriously of putting it in execution; in order to
+which, a message was sent to the deserters,
+who had seated themselves on the other side
+of the neighbouring Lagoon, to sound them,
+whether they were inclined to join the Captain
+in his undertaking; and if they were, to bring
+them over to him. For this set, the party<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>
+gone off in the long-boat had left an half
+allowance proportion of the common stock of
+provision. These men, upon the proposal,
+readily agreed to join their commander; and
+being conducted to him, increased our number
+to twenty. The boats which remained in our
+possession to carry off all these people, were
+only the barge and yawl, two very crazy
+bottoms; the broadside of the last was entirely
+out, and the first had suffered much in the variety
+of bad weather she had gone through, and was
+sadly out of repair. And now our carpenter
+was gone from us, we had no remedy for these
+misfortunes, but the little skill we had gained
+from him. However, we made tolerable shift
+to patch up the boats for our purpose. In the
+height of our distresses, when hunger, which
+seems to include and absorb all others, was
+most prevailing, we were cheered with the
+appearance, once more, of our friendly Indians,
+as we thought, from whom we hoped
+for some relief; but as the consideration was
+wanting, for which alone they would part with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>
+their commodities, we were not at all benefitted
+by their stay, which was very short. The little
+reserve too of flour made by the Captain for our
+sea-stock when we should leave the island, was
+now diminished by theft: the thieves, who were
+three of our men, were however soon discovered,
+and two of them apprehended; but the third
+made his escape to the woods. Considering
+the pressing state of our necessities, this theft
+was looked upon as a most heinous crime, and
+therefore required an extraordinary punishment:
+accordingly the Captain ordered these delinquents
+to be severely whipped, and then to be
+banished to an island at some distance from us;
+but before this latter part of the sentence could
+be put in execution, one of them fled; but the
+other was put alone upon a barren island, which
+afforded not the least shelter; however, we, in
+compassion, and contrary to order, patched him
+up a bit of a hut, and kindled him a fire, and
+then left the poor wretch to shift for himself.
+In two or three days after, going to the island
+in our boat with some little refreshment, such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>
+as our miserable circumstances would admit of,
+and with an intent of bringing him back, we
+found him dead and stiff. I was now reduced
+to the lowest condition by my illness, which
+was increased by the vile stuff I eat, when we
+were favoured by a fair day, a thing very extraordinary
+in this climate. We instantly took
+the advantage of it, and once more visited the
+last remains of the wreck,&mdash;her bottom. Here
+our pains were repaid with the great good fortune
+of hooking up three casks of beef, which
+were brought safe to shore. This providential
+supply could not have happened at a more
+seasonable time than now, when we were afflicted
+with the greatest dearth we had ever
+experienced, and the little strength we had remaining
+was to be exerted in our endeavours to
+leave the island. Accordingly we soon found a
+remedy for our sickness, which was nothing but
+the effects of famine, and were greatly restored
+by food. The provision was equally distributed
+among us all, and served us for the remainder
+of our stay here.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>We began to grow extremely impatient to
+leave the island, as the days were now nearly
+at their longest, and about midsummer in these
+parts; but as to the weather, there seems to
+be little difference in a difference of seasons.
+Accordingly, on the 15th of December, the day
+being tolerable, we told Captain Cheap we
+thought it a fine opportunity to run across the
+bay. But he first desired two or three of us to
+accompany him to our place of observation, the
+top of Mount Misery; when looking through
+his perspective, he observed to us that the sea
+ran very high without. However, this had no
+weight with the people, who were desirous, at
+all events, to be gone. I should here observe,
+that Captain Cheap's plan was, if possible, to
+get to the island of Chiloe; and if we found any
+vessel there, to board her immediately, and cut
+her out. This he might certainly have done
+with ease, had it been his good fortune to get
+round with the boats. We now launched both
+boats, and got every thing on board of them as
+quick as possible. Captain Cheap, the surgeon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>
+and myself, were in the barge with nine men;
+and Lieutenant Hamilton and Mr. Campbell in
+the yawl with six. I steered the barge, and Mr.
+Campbell the yawl; but we had not been two
+hours at sea before the wind shifted more to
+the westward, and began to blow very hard, and
+the sea ran extremely high; so that we could
+no longer keep our heads towards the cape or
+headland we had designed for. This cape we
+had had a view of in one of the intervals of fair
+weather, during our abode on the island, from
+Mount Misery; and it seemed to be distant
+between twenty and thirty leagues from us. We
+were now obliged to bear away right before the
+wind. Though the yawl was not far from us,
+we could see nothing of her, except now and
+then, upon the top of a mountainous sea. In
+both the boats, the men were obliged to sit as
+close as possible, to receive the seas on their
+backs, to prevent their filling us, which was
+what we every moment expected. We were
+obliged to throw everything overboard, to lighten
+the boats, all our beef, and even the grapnel, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>
+prevent sinking. Night was coming on, and
+we were running on a lee-shore fast, where the
+sea broke in a frightful manner. Not one
+amongst us imagined it possible for boats to
+live in such a sea. In this situation, as we
+neared the shore, expecting to be beat to pieces
+by the first breaker, we perceived a small
+opening between the rocks, which we stood for,
+and found a very narrow passage between them,
+which brought us into a harbour for the boats
+as calm and smooth as a mill-pond. The yawl
+had got in before us, and our joy was great at
+meeting again after so unexpected a deliverance.
+Here we secured the boats, and ascended a rock.
+It rained excessively hard all the first part of
+the night, and was extremely cold; and though
+we had not a dry thread about us, and no wood
+could be found for firing, we were obliged to pass
+the night in that uncomfortable situation, without
+any covering, shivering in our wet clothes.
+The frost coming on with the morning, it was
+impossible for any of us to get a moment's sleep;
+and having flung overboard our provision the day<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span>
+before, there being no prospect of finding anything
+to eat on this coast, in the morning we pulled
+out of the cove; but found so great a sea without,
+that we could make but little of it. After
+tugging all day, towards night we put in among
+some small islands, landed upon one of them,
+and found it a mere swamp. As the weather
+was the same, we passed this night much as we
+had done the preceding; sea-tangle was all we
+could get to eat at first, but the next day we
+had better luck; the surgeon shot a goose, and
+we found materials for a good fire. We were
+confined here three or four days, the weather
+all that time proving so bad that we could not
+put out. As soon as it grew moderate, we left
+this place, and shaped our course to the northward;
+and perceiving a large opening between
+very high land and a low point, we steered for
+it; and when got that length, found a large bay,
+down which we rowed, flattering ourselves there
+might be a passage that way; but towards night
+we came to the bottom of the bay, and finding
+no outlet, we were obliged to return the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>
+way we came, having met with nothing the
+whole day to alleviate our hunger.</p>
+
+<p>Next night we put into a little cove, which,
+from the great quantity of red-wood found there,
+we called Redwood Cove. Leaving this place
+in the morning, we had the wind southerly,
+blowing fresh, by which we made much way
+that day, to the northward. Towards evening
+we were in with a pretty large island. Putting
+ashore on it, we found it clothed with the finest
+trees we had ever seen, their stems running up
+to a prodigious height, without knot or branch,
+and as straight as cedars: the leaf of these
+trees resemble the myrtle leaf, only somewhat
+larger. I have seen trees larger than these in
+circumference, on the coast of Guinea, and there
+only; but for a length of stem, which gradually
+tapering, I have no where met with any to compare
+to them. The wood was of a hard substance,
+and, if not too heavy, would have made
+good masts; the dimensions of some of these
+trees being equal to a main-mast of a first rate
+man-of-war. The shore was covered with drift<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>wood
+of a very large size; most of it cedar,
+which makes a brisk fire; but is so subject to
+snap and fly, that when we awoke in the morning,
+after a sound sleep, we found our clothes
+singed in many places with the sparks, and
+covered with splinters.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning being calm, we rowed out;
+but as soon as clear of the island, we found a
+great swell from the westward; we rowed to the
+bottom of a very large bay, which was to the
+northward of us, the land very low, and we were
+in hopes of finding some inlet through, but did
+not; so kept along shore to the westward. This
+part, which I take to be above fifty leagues
+from Wager Island, is the very bottom of the
+large bay it lies in. Here was the only passage
+to be found, which (if we could by any means
+have got information of it) would have saved us
+much fruitless labour. Of this passage I shall
+have occasion to say more hereafter.</p>
+
+<p>Having at this time an off-shore wind, we
+kept the land close on board, till we came to a
+head-land: it was near night before we got<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>
+abreast of the headland, and opening it discovered
+a very large bay to the northward, and
+another headland to the westward, at a great
+distance. We endeavoured to cut short our
+passage to it by crossing, which is very seldom
+to be effected, in these overgrown seas, by
+boats: and this we experienced now; for the
+wind springing up, and beginning to blow fresh,
+we were obliged to put back towards the first
+headland, into a small cove, just big enough
+to shelter the two boats. Here an accident
+happened that alarmed us much. After securing
+our boats, we climbed up a rock scarcely large
+enough to contain our numbers: having nothing
+to eat, we betook ourselves to our usual receipt
+for hunger, which was going to sleep. We
+accordingly made a fire, and stowed ourselves
+round it as well as we could; but two of our
+men being incommoded for want of room, went
+a little way from us, into a small nook, over
+which a great cliff hung, and served them for a
+canopy. In the middle of the night we were
+awakened with a terrible rumbling, which we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>
+apprehended to be nothing less than the shock
+of an earthquake, which we had before experienced
+in these parts; and this conjecture we
+had reason to think not ill founded, upon hearing
+hollow groans and cries as of men half
+swallowed up. We immediately got up, and
+ran to the place from whence the cries came,
+and then we were put out of all doubt as to the
+opinion we had formed of this accident; for
+here we found the two men almost buried
+under loose stones and earth: but upon a little
+farther enquiry we were undeceived as to the
+cause we had imputed this noise to, which we
+found to be occasioned by the sudden giving
+way of the impending cliff, which fell a little
+beyond our people, carrying trees and rocks
+with it, and loose earth; the latter of which
+fell in part on our men, whom we with some
+pains rescued from their uneasy situation, from
+which they escaped with some bruises. The
+next morning we got out early, and the wind
+being westerly, rowed the whole day for the
+headland we had seen the night before; but when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+we had got that length could find no harbour,
+but were obliged to go into a sandy bay, and
+lay the whole night upon our oars; and a
+most dreadful one it proved, blowing and raining
+very hard. Here we were so pinched with
+hunger, that we eat the shoes off our feet,
+which consisted of raw seal skin. In the morning
+we got out of the bay; but the incessant
+foul weather had overcome us, and we began to
+be indifferent as to what befel us; and the
+boats, in the night, making into a bay, we
+nearly lost the yawl, a breaker having filled
+her, and driven her ashore upon the beach.
+This, by some of our accounts, was Christmas-day;
+but our accounts had so often been interrupted
+by our distresses, that there was no
+depending upon them. Upon seeing the yawl
+in this imminent danger, the barge stood off,
+and went into another bay to the northward of
+it, where it was smoother lying; but there was
+no possibility of getting on shore. In the night
+the yawl joined us again. The next day was
+so bad, that we despaired reaching the head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>land,
+so rowed down the bay in hopes of getting
+some seal, as that animal had been seen
+the day before, but met with no success; so
+returned to the same bay we had been in the
+night before, where the surf having abated
+somewhat, we went ashore, and picked up a
+few shell-fish. In the morning, we got on
+board early, and ran along shore to the westward,
+for about three leagues, in order to get
+round a cape, which was the westernmost land
+we could see. It blew very hard, and there
+ran such a sea, that we heartily wished ourselves
+back again, and accordingly made the
+best of our way for that bay which we had left
+in the morning; but before we could reach it
+night came on, and we passed a most dismal
+one, lying upon our oars.</p>
+
+<p>The weather continuing very bad, we put in
+for the shore in the morning, where we found
+nothing but tangle and sea-weed. We now
+passed some days roving about for provisions,
+as the weather was too bad to make another
+attempt to get round the cape as yet. We<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>
+found some fine Lagoons towards the head of
+the bay; and in them killed some seal, and got
+a good quantity of shell-fish, which was a great
+relief to us. We now made a second attempt
+to double the cape; but when we got the length
+of it, and passed the first headland, for it consists
+of three of an equal height, we got into
+a sea that was horrid; for it ran all in heaps,
+like the Race of Portland, but much worse.
+We were happy to put back again to the old
+place, with little hopes of ever getting round this
+cape.</p>
+
+<p>Next day, the weather proving very bad, all
+hands went ashore to procure some sustenance,
+except two in each boat, which were left as
+boat-keepers; this office we took by turns; and
+it was now my lot to be upon this duty with
+another man. The yawl lay within us at a
+grapnel; in the night it blew very hard, and a
+great sea tumbled in upon the shore; but being
+extremely fatigued, we in the boats went to
+sleep, notwithstanding, however, I was at last
+awakened by the uncommon motion of the boat,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>
+and the roaring of the breakers every where
+about us. At the same time I heard a shrieking,
+like to that of persons in distress; I looked
+out, and saw the yawl canted bottom upwards
+by a sea, and soon afterwards disappeared. One
+of our men, whose name was William Rose, a
+quarter-master, was drowned; the other was
+thrown ashore by the surf, with his head buried
+in the sand; but by the immediate assistance
+of the people on shore, was saved. As for us
+in the barge, we expected the same fate every
+moment; for the sea broke a long way without
+us. However we got her head to it, and hove
+up our grapnel, or should rather say kellick,
+which we had made to serve in the room of our
+grapnel, hove overboard some time before, to
+lighten the boat. By this means we used our
+utmost efforts to pull her without the breakers
+some way, and then let go our kellick again.
+Here we lay all the next day, in a great sea,
+not knowing what would be our fate. To add
+to our mortification, we could see our companions
+in tolerable plight ashore, eating seal,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>
+while we were starving with hunger and cold.
+For this month past, we had not known what
+it was to have a dry thread about us.</p>
+
+<p>The next day being something more moderate,
+we ventured in with the barge, as near as we
+could to the shore, and our companions threw
+us some seal's liver; which having eat greedily,
+we were seized with excessive sickness, which
+affected us so much, that our skin peeled off
+from head to foot.</p>
+
+<p>Whilst the people were on shore here, Mr.
+Hamilton met with a large seal, or sea-lion, and
+fired a brace of balls into him, upon which the
+animal turned upon him open-mouthed; but
+presently fixing his bayonet, he thrust it down
+its throat, with a good part of the barrel of the
+gun, which the creature bit in two seemingly
+with as much ease as if it had been a twig.
+Notwithstanding the wounds it received, it
+eluded all farther efforts to kill it, and got
+clear off.</p>
+
+<p>I call this animal a large seal, or sea-lion,
+because it resembles a seal in many particulars;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>
+but then it exceeds it so much in size, as to be
+sufficiently determined, by that distinction only,
+to be of another species. Mr. Walter, in Lord
+Anson's Voyage, has given a particular description
+of those which are seen about Juan Fernandes;
+but they have in other climates, different
+appearances as well as different qualities, as we
+had occasion to observe in this, and a late voyage
+I made. However, as so much already has
+been said of the sea-lion, I shall only mention
+two peculiarities; one relative to its appearance,
+and the other to its properties of action, which
+distinguish it from those described by him.
+Those I saw, were without that snout, or trunk,
+hanging below the end of the upper jaw; but
+then the males were furnished with a large
+shaggy mane, which gave them a most formidable
+appearance. And, whereas, he says, those
+he saw were unwieldy, and easily destroyed: we
+found some, on the contrary, that lay at a mile's
+distance from the water, which came down upon
+us, when disturbed, with such impetuosity, that
+it was as much as we could do to get out of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>
+way; and when attacked, would turn upon us
+with great agility.</p>
+
+<p>Having lost the yawl, and being too many for
+the barge to carry off, we were compelled to leave
+four of our men behind. They were all marines,
+who seemed to have no objection to the determination
+made with regard to them, so exceedingly
+disheartened and worn out were they with
+the distresses and dangers they had already gone
+through. And, indeed, I believe it would have
+been a matter of indifference to the greatest part
+of the rest, whether they should embark, or take
+their chance. The captain distributed to these
+poor fellows arms and ammunition, and some
+other necessaries. When we parted, they stood
+upon the beach, giving us three cheers, and
+called out, God bless the king. We saw them
+a little after, setting out upon their forlorn hope,
+and helping one another over a hideous tract of
+rocks; but considering the difficulties attending
+this only way of travelling left them&mdash;for the
+woods are impracticable, from their thickness,
+and the deep swamp everywhere to be met in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>
+them&mdash;considering too, that the coast here is
+rendered so inhospitable, by the heavy seas that
+are constantly tumbling upon it, as not to afford
+even a little shell-fish, it is probable that all met
+with a miserable end.</p>
+
+<p>We rowed along shore to the westward, in
+order to make one more attempt to double the
+cape: when abreast of the first headland there
+ran such a sea, that we expected, every instant,
+the boat would go down. But as the preservation
+of life had now, in a great measure, lost its
+actuating principle upon us, we still kept pushing
+through it, till we opened a bay to the northward.
+In all my life, I never saw so dreadful
+a sea as drove in here; it began to break at
+more than half a mile from the shore. Perceiving
+now that it was impossible for any boat
+to get round, the men lay upon their oars till
+the boat was very near the breakers, the mountainous
+swell that then ran, heaving her in at a
+great rate. I thought it was their intention to
+put an end to their lives and misery at once; but
+nobody spoke for some time. At last, Captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span>
+Cheap told them, they must either perish immediately,
+or pull stoutly for it to get off the shore;
+but they might do as they pleased. They chose,
+however, to exert themselves a little, and after
+infinite difficulty, got round the headland again,
+giving up all thoughts of making any further
+attempt to double the cape. It was night before
+we could get back to the bay, where we were
+compelled to leave four of our men, in order to
+save, if possible, the remainder; for we must all
+have certainly perished, if more than sixteen had
+been crowded into so small a boat. This bay
+we named Marine Bay. When we had returned
+to this bay, we found the surf ran so high, that
+we were obliged to lay upon our oars all night;
+and it was now resolved to go back to Wager's
+Island, there to linger out a miserable life, as
+we had not the least prospect of returning home.</p>
+
+<p>But before we set out, in consequence of this
+resolution, it was necessary, if possible, to get
+some little stock of seal to support us in a passage,
+upon which, wherever we might put in,
+we were not likely to meet with any supply.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span>
+Accordingly, it was determined to go up that
+Lagoon in which we had before got some seal,
+to provide ourselves with some more; but we did
+not leave the bay till we had made some search
+after the unhappy marines we had left on shore.
+Could we have found them, we had now agreed
+to take them on board again, though it would
+have been the certain destruction of us all.
+This, at another time, would have been mere
+madness; but we were now resigned to our fate,
+which we none of us thought far off; however,
+there was nothing to be seen of them, and no
+traces but a musket on the beach.</p>
+
+<p>Upon returning up the Lagoon, we were so
+fortunate as to kill some seal, which we boiled,
+and laid in the boat for sea-stock. While we
+were ranging along shore in detached parties
+in quest of this, and whatever other eatable
+might come in our way, our surgeon, who was
+then by himself, discovered a pretty large hole,
+which seemed to lead to some den, or repository,
+within the rocks. It was not so rude, or
+natural, but that there were some signs of its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
+having been cleared, and made more accessible
+by industry. The surgeon for some time hesitated
+whether he should venture in, from his
+uncertainty as to the reception he might meet
+with from any inhabitant; but his curiosity
+getting the better of his fears, he determined
+to go in; which he did upon his hands and
+knees, as the passage was too low for him to
+enter otherwise. After having proceeded a
+considerable way thus, he arrived at a spacious
+chamber; but whether hollowed out by hands,
+or natural, he could not be positive. The
+light into this chamber was conveyed through
+a hole at the top; in the midst was a kind of
+bier, made of sticks laid crossways, supported
+by props of about five foot in height. Upon
+this bier, five or six bodies were extended;
+which, in appearance, had been deposited there
+a long time, but had suffered no decay or diminution.
+They were without covering, and
+the flesh of these bodies was become perfectly
+dry and hard; which, whether done by any
+art, or secret, the savages may be possessed of,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+or occasioned by any drying virtue in the air
+of the cave, could not be guessed. Indeed, the
+surgeon, finding nothing there to eat, which
+was the chief inducement for his creeping into
+this hole, did not amuse himself with long disquisitions,
+or make that accurate examination
+which he would have done at another time; but
+crawling out as he came in, he went and told
+the first he met of what he had seen. Some
+had the curiosity to go in likewise. I had forgot
+to mention that there was another range of
+bodies, deposited in the same manner, upon
+another platform under the bier. Probably
+this was the burial place of their great men,
+called caciques; but from whence they could
+be brought we were utterly at a loss to conceive,
+there being no traces of any Indian settlement
+hereabout. We had seen no savage
+since we left the island, or observed any marks
+in the coves, or bays to the northward, where
+we had touched,&mdash;such as of fire-places, or old
+wigwams, which they never fail of leaving behind
+them; and it is very probable, from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>
+violent seas that are always beating upon this
+coast, its deformed aspect, and the very swampy
+soil that every where borders upon it, that it is
+little frequented.</p>
+
+<p>We now crossed the first bay for the headland
+we left on Christmas-day, much dejected;
+for under our former sufferings, we were in
+some measure supported with the hopes that,
+as we advanced, however little, they were so
+much the nearer the termination; but now
+our prospect was dismal and dispiriting, indeed,
+as we had the same difficulties and dangers
+to encounter, not only without any flattering
+views to lessen them, but under the
+aggravating circumstance of their leading to
+an inevitable and miserable death; for we
+could not possibly conceive that the fate of
+starving could be avoided by any human
+means, upon that desolate island we were
+returning to. The shell-fish, which was the
+only subsistence that island had hitherto afforded
+in any measure, was exhausted; and
+the Indians had shewn themselves so little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
+affected by the common incitements of compassion,
+that we had no hopes to build upon
+any impressions of that sort in them. They
+had already refused to barter their dogs with
+us, for want of a valuable commodity on our
+side; so that it is wonderful we did not give
+ourselves up to despondency, and lay aside all
+farther attempts; but we were supported by
+that invisible power, who can make the most
+untoward circumstances subservient to his gracious
+purposes.</p>
+
+<p>At this time, our usual bad weather attended
+us; the night too set in long before we could
+reach the cove we before had taken shelter in;
+so that we were obliged to keep the boat's
+head to the sea all night, the sea every where
+a-stern of us, running over hideous breakers.
+In the morning, we designed standing over for
+that island in which we had observed those
+straight and lofty trees before mentioned, and
+which Captain Cheap named Montrose Island;
+but as soon as we opened the headland to the
+westward of us, a sudden squall took the boat,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>
+and very near overset her. We were instantly
+full of water; but by baling with our hats and
+hands, and any thing that would hold water,
+we with difficulty freed her. Under this
+alarming circumstance, we found it advisable
+to return back and put into the cove, which
+the night before we were prevented getting
+into. We were detained here two or three
+days, by exceeding bad weather; so that, had
+we not fortunately provided ourselves with
+some seal, we must have starved, for this place
+afforded us nothing.</p>
+
+<p>At length we reached Montrose Island.
+This is by much the best and pleasantest spot
+we had seen in this part of the world; though
+it has nothing on it eatable but some berries,
+which resembled gooseberries in flavour: they
+are of a black hue, and grow in swampy ground;
+and the bush or tree that bears them is much
+taller than that of our gooseberries. We remained
+here some time, living upon these
+berries, and the remainder of our seal, which
+was now grown quite rotten. Our two or three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>
+first attempts to put out from this island were
+without success, the tempestuous weather
+obliging us so often to put back again. One
+of our people was much inclined to remain
+here, thinking it as least as good a place as
+Wager's Island to end his days upon; but he
+was obliged to go off with them. We had not
+been long out before it began to blow a storm
+of wind; and the mist came on so thick, that
+we could not see the land, and were at a loss
+which way to steer; but we heard the sea,
+which ran exceedingly high, breaking near us;
+upon which we immediately hauled aft the sheet,
+and hardly weathered the breakers by a boat's
+length. At the same time we shipped a sea
+that nearly filled us: it struck us with that
+violence, as to throw me, and one or two more,
+down into the bottom of the boat, where we
+were half drowned before we could get up
+again. This was one of the most extraordinary
+escapes we had in the course of this expedition;
+for Captain Cheap, and every one else, had
+entirely given themselves up for lost. However,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>
+it pleased God that we got that evening into
+Redwood Cove, where the weather continued
+so bad all night, we could keep no fire in to
+dry ourselves with; but there being no other
+alternative for us, but to stay here and starve,
+or put to sea again, we chose the latter, and put
+out in the morning again, though the weather
+was very little mended. In three or four days
+after, we arrived at our old station, Wager's
+Island; but in such a miserable plight, that
+though we thought our condition upon setting
+out would not admit of any additional circumstance
+of misery, yet it was to be envied in
+comparison of what we now suffered, so worn
+and reduced were we by fatigue and hunger;
+having eat nothing for some days but sea-weed
+and tangle. Upon this expedition, we had
+been out, by our account, just two months; in
+which we had rounded, backwards and forwards,
+the great bay formed to the northward
+by that high land we had observed from Mount
+Misery.</p>
+
+<p>The first thing we did upon our arrival, was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>
+to secure the barge, as this was our sole dependence
+for any relief that might offer by
+sea; which done, we repaired to our huts,
+which formed a kind of village or street, consisting
+of several irregular habitations; some of
+which being covered by a kind of brush-wood
+thatch, afforded tolerable shelter against the
+inclemency of the weather. Among these,
+there was one which we observed with some
+surprise to be nailed up. We broke it open,
+and found some iron work, picked out with
+much pains from those pieces of the wreck
+which were driven ashore. We concluded
+from hence, that the Indians who had been
+here in our absence, were not of that tribe with
+which we had some commerce before, who
+seemed to set no value upon iron, but from
+some other quarter; and must have had communication
+with the Spaniards, from whom
+they had learned the value and use of that
+commodity. Thieving from strangers is a commendable
+talent among savages in general, and
+bespeaks an address which they much admire;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>
+though the strictest honesty, with regard to
+the property of each other, is observed among
+them. There is no doubt but they ransacked
+all our houses; but the men had taken care,
+before they went off in the long-boat, to strip
+them of their most valuable furniture; that is,
+the bales of cloth used for lining, and converted
+them into trowsers and watch-coats. Upon
+farther search, we found, thrown aside in the
+bushes, at the back of one of the huts, some
+pieces of seal, in a very putrid condition;
+which, however, our stomachs were far from
+loathing. The next business, which the people
+set about very seriously, was to proceed to
+Mount Misery, and bury the corpse of the
+murdered person, mentioned to have been discovered
+there some little time after our being
+cast away; for to the neglect of this necessary
+tribute to that unfortunate person, the men
+assigned all their ill-success upon the late expedition.</p>
+
+<p>That common people in general are addicted
+to superstitious conceits, is an observation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
+founded on experience; and the reason is evident:
+but I cannot allow that common seamen
+are more so than others of the lower class. In
+the most enlightened ages of antiquity, we find
+it to have been the popular opinion, that the
+spirits of the dead were not at rest till their
+bodies were interred; and that they did not cease
+to haunt and trouble those who had neglected
+this duty to the departed. This is still believed
+by the vulgar, in most countries; and in our
+men, this persuasion was much heightened by
+the melancholy condition they were reduced to;
+and was farther confirmed by an occurrence
+which happened some little time before we
+went upon our last expedition. One night we
+were alarmed with a strange cry, which resembled
+that of a man drowning. Many of us
+ran out of our huts towards the place from
+whence the noise proceeded, which was not far
+off shore; where we could perceive, but not
+distinctly (for it was then moonlight), an appearance
+like that of a man swimming half out
+of water. The noise that this creature uttered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>
+was so unlike that of any animal they had
+heard before, that it made a great impression
+upon the men; and they frequently recalled
+this apparition at the time of their distresses,
+with reflections on the neglect of the office
+they were now fulfilling.</p>
+
+<p>We were soon driven again to the greatest
+straits for want of something to subsist upon,
+by the extreme bad weather that now set in
+upon us. Wild celery was all we could procure,
+which raked our stomachs instead of assuaging
+our hunger. That dreadful and last resource
+of men, in not much worse circumstances than
+ours, of consigning one man to death for the
+support of the rest, began to be mentioned in
+whispers; and indeed there were some among
+us who, by eating what they found raw, were
+become little better than cannibals. But fortunately
+for us, and opportunely to prevent this
+horrid proceeding, Mr. Hamilton, at this time,
+found some rotten pieces of beef, cast up by the
+sea at some miles distance from the huts, which
+he, though a temptation which few would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>
+resisted in parallel circumstances, scorned to
+conceal from the rest; but generously distributed
+among us.</p>
+
+<p>A few days after, the mystery of the nailing
+up of the hut, and what had been doing by the
+Indians upon the island in our absence, was
+partly explained to us; for about the fifteenth day
+after our return, there came a party of Indians
+to the island in two canoes, who were not a
+little surprised to find us here again. Among
+these, was an Indian of the tribe of the Chonos,
+who live in the neighbourhood of Chiloe.<a name="FNanchor_A_4" id="FNanchor_A_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a>
+He talked the Spanish language, but with that
+savage accent which renders it almost unintelligible
+to any but those who are adepts in that
+language. He was likewise a cacique, or
+leading man of his tribe; which authority was
+confirmed to him by the Spaniards; for he
+carried the usual badge and mark of distinction
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>by which the Spaniards, and their dependents,
+hold their military and civil employments,
+which is a stick with a silver head. These
+badges, of which the Indians are very vain, at
+once serve to retain the cacique in the strongest
+attachment to the Spanish government, and
+give him greater weight with his own dependents:
+yet, withal, he is the merest slave, and
+has not one thing he can call his own. This
+report of our shipwreck (as we supposed)
+having reached the Chonos, by means of the
+intermediate tribes, which handed it to one
+another, from those Indians who first visited
+us; this cacique was either sent to learn the
+truth of the rumour, or having first got the
+intelligence, set out with a view of making
+some advantage of the wreck, and appropriating
+such iron-work as he could gather from it to his
+own use: for that metal is become very valuable
+to those savages, since their commerce with
+the Spaniards has taught them to apply it to
+several purposes. But as the secreting any
+thing from a rapacious Spanish rey, or governor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span>
+(even an old rusty nail), by any of their Indian
+dependents, is a very dangerous offence, he was
+careful to conceal the little prize he had made,
+till he could conveniently carry it away; for in
+order to make friends of these savages, we had
+left their hoard untouched.</p>
+
+<p>Our surgeon, Mr. Elliot, being master of a
+few Spanish words, made himself so far understood
+by the cacique as to let him know, that
+our intention was to reach some of the Spanish
+settlements, if we could; that we were unacquainted
+with the best and safest way, and
+what tract was most likely to afford us subsistence
+in our journey; promising, if he would
+undertake to conduct us in the barge, he should
+have it, and every thing in it, for his trouble,
+as soon as it had served our present occasions.
+To these conditions the cacique, after much
+persuasion, at length agreed. Accordingly,
+having made the best preparation we could, we
+embarked on board the barge to the number of
+fifteen, including the cacique, whose name was
+Martin, and his servant Emanuel. We were,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>
+indeed, sixteen, when we returned from our
+last fruitless attempt to get off the island; but
+we had buried two since that, who perished
+with hunger; and a marine, having committed
+theft, run away to avoid the punishment his
+crime deserved, and hid himself in the woods;
+since which he was never heard of. We now
+put off, accompanied with the two Indian
+canoes; in one of which was a savage, with his
+two wives, who had an air of dignity superior
+to the rest, and was handsome in his person.
+He had his hut, during his stay with us,
+separate from the other Indians, who seemed to
+pay him extraordinary respect; but in two or
+three nights, these Indians, being independent
+of the Spaniards, and living somewhere to the
+southward of our Chono guide, left us to proceed
+on our journey by ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>The first night we lay at an island destitute
+of all refreshment; where having found some
+shelter for our boat, and made ourselves a fire,
+we slept by it. The next night we were more
+unfortunate, though our wants were increasing;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>
+for having run to the westward of Montross
+island, we found no shelter for the barge; but
+were under the necessity of lying upon our oars,
+suffering the most extreme pangs of hunger.
+The next day brought us to the bottom of a
+great bay, where the Indian guide had left his
+family, a wife and two children, in a hut. Here
+we staid two or three days, during which we
+were constantly employed in ranging along
+shore in quest of shell-fish.</p>
+
+<p>We now again proceeded on our voyage,
+having received on board the family of our
+guide, who conducted us to a river, the stream
+of which was so rapid, that after our utmost
+efforts from morning to evening, we gained
+little upon the current, and at last were obliged
+to desist from our attempt and return. I had
+hitherto steered the boat; but one of our men
+sinking under the fatigue, expired soon after,
+which obliged me to take the oar in his room,
+and row against this heart-breaking stream.
+Whilst I was thus employed, one of our men
+whose name was John Bosman, though hitherto<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>
+the stoutest man among us, fell from his seat
+under the thwarts, complaining that his strength
+was quite exhausted for want of food, and that
+he should die very shortly. As he lay in this
+condition, he would every now and then break
+out in the most pathetic wishes for some little
+sustenance; that two or three mouthfuls might
+be the means of saving his life. The Captain,
+at this time, had a large piece of boiled seal by
+him, and was the only one that was provided
+with any thing like a meal; but we were become
+so hardened against the impressions of
+others' sufferings by our own; so familiarized
+to scenes of this, and every other kind of misery;
+that the poor man's dying entreaties were vain.
+I sat next to him when he dropped, and having
+a few dried shell-fish (about five or six) in my
+pocket, from time to time put one in his mouth,
+which served only to prolong his pains; from
+which, however, soon after my little supply
+failed, he was released by death. For this, and
+another man I mentioned a little before to have
+expired under the like circumstances, when we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>
+returned from this unsuccessful enterprise, we
+made a grave in the sands.</p>
+
+<p>It would have redounded greatly to the tenderness
+and humanity of Captain Cheap, if at
+this time he had remitted somewhat of that
+attention he shewed to self-preservation; which
+is hardly allowable but where the consequence
+of relieving others must be immediately and
+manifestly fatal to ourselves; but I would venture
+to affirm, that in these last affecting exigencies,
+as well as some others, a sparing
+perhaps adequate to the emergency, might have
+been admitted consistently with a due regard
+to his own necessities. The Captain had better
+opportunities for recruiting his stock than any
+of us; for his rank was considered by the
+Indian as a reason for supplying him when he
+would not find a bit for us. Upon the evening
+of the day in which these disasters happened,
+the Captain producing a large piece of boiled
+seal, suffered no one to partake with him but
+the surgeon, who was the only man in favour at
+this time. We did not expect, indeed, any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>
+relief from him in our present condition; for
+we had a few small muscles and herbs to eat;
+but the men could not help expressing the
+greatest indignation at his neglect of the deceased;
+saying that he deserved to be deserted
+by the rest for his savage behaviour.</p>
+
+<p>The endeavouring to pass up this river was
+for us, who had so long struggled with hunger,
+a most unseasonable attempt; by which we
+were harassed to a degree that threatened to
+be fatal to more of us; but our guide, without
+any respect to the condition our hardships had
+reduced us to, was very solicitous for us to go
+that way, which possibly he had gone before in
+light canoes; but for such a boat as ours was
+impracticable. We conceived, therefore, at
+that time, that this was some short cut, which
+was to bring us forward in our voyage; but
+we had reason to think afterwards, that the
+greater probability there was of his getting the
+barge, which was the wages of his undertaking,
+safe to his settlement by this, rather than
+another course, was his motive for preferring it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>
+to the way we took afterwards, where there
+was a carrying place of considerable length,
+over which it would have been impossible to
+have carried our boat.</p>
+
+<p>The country hereabouts wears the most uncouth,
+desolate, and rugged aspect imaginable;
+it is so circumstanced, as to discourage the
+most sanguine adventurers from attempts to
+settle it: were it for no other reason than the
+constant heavy rains, or rather torrents, which
+pour down here, and the vast sea and surf
+which the prevailing westerly winds impel
+upon this coast, it must be rendered inhospitable.
+All entrance into the woods is not
+only extremely difficult, but hazardous; not
+from any assaults you are likely to meet with
+from wild beasts; for even these could hardly
+find convenient harbour here; but from the
+deep swamp, which is the reigning soil of this
+country, and in which the woods may be said
+rather to float than grow; so that, except upon
+a range of deformed broken rocks which form
+the sea-coast, the traveller cannot find sound<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>
+footing any where. With this unpromising
+scene before us we were now setting out in
+search of food, which nothing but the most
+pressing instances of hunger could induce us to
+do: we had, indeed, the young Indian servant
+to our cacique for our conductor, who was left
+by him to shew us where the shell-fish was
+most plenty. The cacique was gone with the
+rest of his family, in the canoe, with a view of
+getting some seal, upon a trip which would
+detain him from us three or four days.</p>
+
+<p>After searching the coast some time with
+very little success, we began to think of returning
+to the barge; but six of the men, with the
+Indian, having advanced some few paces before
+the officers, got into the boat first; which they
+had no sooner done than they put off, and left
+us, to return no more. And now all the difficulties
+we had hitherto endured, seemed light
+in comparison of what we expected to suffer
+from this treachery of our men, who, with the
+boat, had taken away every thing that might
+be the means of preserving our lives. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span>
+little clothes we had saved from the wreck, our
+muskets and ammunition were gone, except a
+little powder, which must be preserved for
+kindling fires, and one gun, which I had, and
+was now become useless for want of ammunition;
+and all these wants were now come upon
+us at a time when we could not be worse situated
+for supplying them. Yet under these
+dismal and forlorn appearances was our delivery
+now preparing; and from these hopeless circumstances
+were we to draw hereafter an instance
+scarce to be paralleled, of the unsearchable
+ways of Providence. It was at that time
+little suspected by us, that the barge, in which
+we founded all our hopes of escaping from this
+savage coast, would certainly have proved the
+fatal cause of detaining us till we were consumed
+by the labour and hardships requisite to row
+her round the capes and great headlands; for
+it was impossible to carry her by land, as we
+did the boats of the Indians. At present, no
+condition could be worse that we thought ours
+to be: there ran at this time a very high sea,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>
+which breaking with great fury upon this
+coast, made it very improbable that sustenance
+in any proportion to our wants could be found
+upon it; yet, unpromising as this prospect was,
+and though little succour could be expected
+from this quarter, I could not help, as I strolled
+along shore from the rest, casting my eyes
+towards the sea. Continuing thus to look out,
+I thought I saw something now and then upon
+the top of a sea that looked black, which upon
+observing still more intently, I imagined at last
+to be a canoe; but reflecting afterwards how
+unusual it was for Indians to venture out in so
+mountainous a sea, and at such a distance from
+the land, I concluded myself to be deceived.
+However, its nearer approach convinced me,
+beyond all doubt, of its being a canoe; but
+that it could not put in any where hereabouts,
+but intended for some other part of the coast.
+I ran back as fast as I could to my companions,
+and acquainted them with what I had seen.
+The despondency they were in would not allow
+them to give credit to it at first; but afterwards,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>
+being convinced that it was as I reported it, we
+were all in the greatest hurry to strip off some
+of our rags to make a signal withal, which we
+fixed upon a long pole. This had the desired
+effect: the people in the canoe seeing the signal,
+made towards the land at about two mile distance
+from us; for no boat could approach the
+land where we were: there they put into a
+small cove, sheltered by a large ledge of rocks
+without, which broke the violence of the sea.
+Captain Cheap and I walked along shore, and
+got to the cove about the time they landed.
+Here we found the persons arrived in this canoe,
+to be our Indian guide and his wife, who had
+left us some days before. He would have asked
+us many questions; but neither Captain Cheap
+nor I understanding Spanish at that time, we
+took him along with us to the surgeon, whom
+we had left so ill that he could hardly raise
+himself from the ground. When the Indian
+began to confer with the surgeon, the first
+question was, What was become of the barge
+and his companion? and as he could give him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
+no satisfactory answer to this question, the
+Indian took it for granted that Emanuel was
+murdered by us, and that he and his family
+ran the same risk; upon which he was preparing
+to provide for his security, by leaving
+us directly. The surgeon seeing this, did all
+in his power to pacify him, and convince him
+of the unreasonableness of his apprehensions;
+which he at length found means to do, by
+assuring him that the Indian would come to no
+harm, but that he would soon see him return
+safe; which providentially, and beyond our
+expectation, happened accordingly; for in a
+few days after, Emanuel having contrived to
+make his escape from the people in the barge,
+returned by ways that were impassable to any
+creature but an Indian. All that we could learn
+from Emanuel relative to his escape was, that
+he took the first opportunity of leaving them;
+which was upon their putting into a bay somewhere
+to the westward.</p>
+
+<p>We had but one gun among us, and that
+was a small fowling-piece of mine; no ammu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>nition
+but a few charges of powder I had about
+me; and as the Indian was very desirous of
+returning to the place where he had left his wife
+and canoe, Captain Cheap desired I would go
+with him and watch over him all night, to prevent
+his getting away. Accordingly I set out
+with him; and when he and his family betook
+themselves to rest in the little wigwam they
+had made for that purpose, I kept my station
+as centinel over them all night.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Captain Cheap, Mr. Hamilton,
+and the surgeon, joined us: the latter,
+by illness, being reduced to the most feeble
+condition, was supported by Mr. Hamilton and
+Mr. Campbell. After holding some little consultation
+together, as to the best manner of
+proceeding in our journey, it was agreed, that
+the Indian should haul his canoe, with our
+assistance, over land, quite across the island we
+were then upon, and put her into a bay on the
+other side, from whence he was to go in quest
+of some other Indians, by whom he expected to
+be joined; but as his canoe was too small to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>
+carry more than three or four persons, he
+thought it advisable to take only Captain
+Cheap and myself with him, and to leave his
+wife and children as pledges with our companions
+till his return.</p>
+
+<p>As it was matter of uncertainty whether we
+should ever recover the barge or not, which
+was stipulated, on our side, to become the property
+of the cacique, upon his fulfilling his
+engagements with us; the inducements we
+now made use of to prevail upon him to proceed
+with us in our journey were, that he should
+have my fowling-piece, some little matters in
+the possession of Captain Cheap, and that we
+would use our interest to procure him some
+small pecuniary reward.</p>
+
+<p>We were now to set off in the canoe, in which
+I was to assist him in rowing. Accordingly,
+putting from this island, we rowed hard all this
+day and the next, without any thing to eat but
+a scrap of seal, a very small portion of which
+fell to my share. About two hours after the
+close of the day, we put ashore, where we dis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>covered
+six or seven wigwams. For my part,
+my strength was so exhausted with fatigue and
+hunger, that it would have been impossible for
+me to have held out another day at this toilsome
+work. As soon as we landed, the Indian conducted
+Captain Cheap with him into a wigwam;
+but I was left to shift for myself.</p>
+
+<p>Thus left, I was for some time at a loss what
+I had best do; for knowing that in the variety
+of dispositions observable among the Indians,
+the surly and savage temper is the most prevalent,
+I had good reason to conclude, that if
+I obtruded myself upon them, my reception
+would be but indifferent. Necessity, however,
+put me upon the risk; I accordingly pushed
+into the next wigwam upon my hands and
+knees; for the entrance into these kind of
+buildings is too low to admit of any other manner
+of getting into them. To give a short
+description of these temporary houses, called
+wigwams, may not be improper here, for the
+satisfaction of those who never saw any; especially
+as they differ somewhat from those of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>
+North America, which are more generally
+known from the numerous accounts of that
+country.</p>
+
+<p>When the Indians of this part of the world
+have occasion to stop any where in their rambles,
+if it be only for a night or two, the men,
+who take this business upon them, while the
+women are employed in much more laborious
+offices, such as diving in the sea for sea-eggs,
+and searching the rocks for shell-fish, getting
+fuel, &amp;c., repair to the woods, and cutting a
+sufficient number of tall, strait branches, fix
+them in an irregular kind of circle, of uncertain
+dimensions; which having done, they bend the
+extremities of these branches so as to meet in a
+centre at top, where they bind them by a kind
+of woodbine, called supple-jack, which they
+split by holding it in their teeth. This frame,
+or skeleton of a hut, is made tight against the
+weather with a covering of boughs and bark;
+but as the bark is not got without some trouble,
+they generally take it with them when they
+remove, putting it at the bottom of their canoes:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>
+the rest of the wigwam they leave standing.
+The fire is made in the middle of the wigwam,
+round which they sit upon boughs; and as
+there is no vent for the smoke, besides the
+door-way, which is very low, except through
+some crevices, which cannot easily be stopped,
+they are not a little incommoded on that account;
+and the eyes of some of them are much
+affected by it.</p>
+
+<p>But to return: in this wigwam, into which I
+took the liberty to introduce myself, I found
+only two women, who, upon first seeing a figure
+they were not accustomed to, and such a figure
+too as I then made, were struck with astonishment.
+They were sitting by a fire, to which I
+approached without any apology. However
+inclined I might have been to make one, my
+ignorance of their language made it impossible
+to attempt it. One of these women appeared
+to be young, and very handsome for an Indian;
+the other old, and as frightful as it is possible
+to conceive any thing in human shape to be.
+Having stared at me some little time, they both<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>
+went out; and I, without any farther ceremony,
+sat me down by the fire to warm myself, and
+dry the rags I wore. Yet I cannot say my situation
+was very easy, as I expected every instant
+to see two or three men come in and thrust me
+out, if they did not deal with me in a rougher
+manner.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after the two women came in again,
+having, as I supposed, conferred with the Indian,
+our conductor; and appearing to be in great
+good-humour, began to chatter and laugh immoderately.
+Perceiving the wet and cold condition
+I was in, they seemed to have compassion
+on me, and the old woman went out and
+brought some wood, with which she made a
+good fire; but my hunger being impatient, I
+could not forbear expressing my desire that
+they would extend their hospitality a little
+further, and bring me something to eat. They
+soon comprehended my meaning, and the
+younger beginning to rummage under some
+pieces of bark that lay in the corner of the wigwam,
+produced a fine large fish: this they pre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>sently
+put upon the fire to broil; and when it
+was just warm through, they made a sign for
+me to eat. They had no need to repeat the
+invitation; I fell to, and dispatched it in so
+short a time, that I was in hopes they would
+comprehend, without further tokens, that I was
+ready for another; but it was of no consequence,
+for their stock of eatables was entirely
+exhausted.</p>
+
+<p>After sitting some time in conference together,
+in which conversation I could bear no part, the
+women made some signs to me to lay down and
+go to sleep, first having strewed some dry
+boughs upon the ground. I laid myself down,
+and soon fell fast asleep; and about three or
+four hours after awaking, I found myself covered
+with a bit of blanket, made of the down of
+birds, which the women usually wear about
+their waist. The young woman, who had carefully
+covered me, whilst sleeping, with her own
+blanket, was lying close by me: the old woman
+lay on the other side of her. The fire was low,
+and almost burnt out; but as soon as they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>
+found me awake they renewed it, by putting on
+more fuel. What I had hitherto eat served
+only to sharpen my appetite; I could not help,
+therefore, being earnest with them to get me
+some more victuals. Having understood my
+necessities, they talked together some little time;
+after which getting up, they both went out,
+taking with them a couple of dogs, which they
+train to assist them in fishing. After an hour's
+absence, they came in trembling with cold, and
+their hair streaming with water, and brought
+two fish; which having broiled, they gave me
+the largest share; and then we all laid down
+as before to rest.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning my curiosity led me to visit
+the neighbouring wigwams, in which were only
+one or two men; the rest of the inhabitants
+were all women and children. I then proceeded
+to enquire after Captain Cheap and our Indian
+guide, whom I found in the wigwam they at
+first occupied: the authority of the cacique
+had procured the Captain no despicable entertainment.
+We could not learn what business<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>
+the men, whose wives and children were here
+left behind, were gone out upon; but as they
+seldom or never go upon fishing-parties (for
+they have no hunting here) without their wives,
+who take the most laborious part of this pursuit
+upon themselves, it is probable they were gone
+upon some warlike expedition, in which they
+use bows and arrows sometimes, but always the
+lance. This weapon they throw with great
+dexterity and force, and never stir abroad without
+it. About this time their return was looked
+for; a hearing by no means pleasant to me;
+I was, therefore, determined to enjoy myself as
+long as they were absent, and make the most of
+the good fare I was possessed of; to the pleasure
+of which I thought a little cleanliness might in
+some measure contribute; I therefore went to
+a brook, and taking off my shirt, which might
+be said to be alive with vermin, set myself
+about to wash it; which having done as well as
+I could, and hung on a bush to dry, I heard a
+bustle about the wigwams; and soon perceived
+that the women were preparing to depart, having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
+stripped their wigwams of their bark covering,
+and carried it into their canoes. Putting on,
+therefore, my shirt just as it was, I hastened to
+join them, having a great desire of being present
+at one of their fishing parties.</p>
+
+<p>It was my lot to be put into the canoe with
+my two patronesses, and some others who assisted
+in rowing; we were in all four canoes.
+After rowing some time, they gained such an
+offing as they required, where the water here
+was about eight or ten fathom deep, and there
+lay upon their oars. And now the youngest of
+the two women, taking a basket in her mouth,
+jumped overboard, and diving to the bottom,
+continued under water an amazing time: when
+she had filled the basket with sea-eggs, she
+came up to the boat-side; and delivering it so
+filled to the other women in the boat, they took
+out the contents, and returned it to her. The
+diver, then, after having taken a short time to
+breathe, went down and up again with the same
+success; and so several times for the space of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span>
+half an hour. It seems as if Providence had
+endued this people with a kind of amphibious
+nature, as the sea is the only source from
+whence almost all their subsistence is derived.
+This element too, being here very boisterous,
+and falling with a most heavy surf upon a
+rugged coast, very little, except some seal, is to
+be got any where but in the quiet bosom of the
+deep. What occasions this reflection is the
+early propensity I had so frequently observed
+in the children of these savages to this occupation;
+who, even at the age of three years,
+might be seen crawling upon their hands and
+knees among the rocks and breakers; from
+which they would tumble themselves into the
+sea without regard to the cold, which is here
+often intense; and showing no fear of the noise
+and roaring of the surf.</p>
+
+<p>This sea-egg is a shell-fish, from which
+several prickles project in all directions, by
+means whereof it removes itself from place to
+place. In it are found four or five yolks, resem<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>bling
+the inner divisions of an orange, which
+are of a very nutritive quality, and excellent
+flavour.</p>
+
+<p>The water was at this time extremely cold;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
+and when the divers got into the boats, they
+seemed greatly benumbed; and it is usual with
+them after this exercise, if they are near enough
+their wigwams, to run to the fire; to which
+presenting one side, they rub and chafe it for
+some time; then turning the other, use it in
+the same manner, till the circulation of the
+blood is restored. This practice, if it has no
+worse effect, must occasion their being more
+susceptible of the impressions of cold, than if
+they waited the gradual advances of their
+natural warmth in the open air. I leave it to
+the decision of the gentlemen of the faculty,
+whether this too hasty approach to the fire may
+not subject them to a disorder I observed among
+them, called the elephantiasis, or swelling of
+the legs.<a name="FNanchor_A_5" id="FNanchor_A_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p>
+
+<p>The divers having returned to their boats,
+we continued to row till towards evening, when
+we landed upon a low point. As soon as the
+canoes were hauled up, they employed themselves
+in erecting their wigwams, which they
+dispatch with great address and quickness. I
+still enjoyed the protection of my two good
+Indian women, who made me their guest here
+as before; they first regaled me with sea-eggs,
+and then went out upon another kind of fishery
+by the means of dogs and nets. These dogs
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>are a cur-like looking animal, but very sagacious,
+and easily trained to this business.
+Though in appearance an uncomfortable sort of
+sport, yet they engage in it readily, seem to
+enjoy it much, and express their eagerness by
+barking every time they raise their heads above
+the water to breathe. The net is held by two
+Indians, who get into the water; then the
+dogs, taking a large compass, dive after the
+fish, and drive them into the net; but it is
+only in particular places that the fish are taken
+in this manner. At the close of the evening, the
+women brought in two fish, which served us for
+supper; and then we reposed ourselves as before.
+Here we remained all the next day; and the morning
+after embarked again, and rowed till noon;
+then landing, we descried the canoes of the Indian
+men, who had been some time expected from an
+expedition they had been upon. This was soon to
+make a great alteration in the situation of my
+affairs, a presage of which I could read in the
+melancholy countenance of my young hostess.
+She endeavoured to express herself in very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>
+earnest terms to me; but I had not yet acquired
+a competent knowledge of the Indian
+language to understand her.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the men were landed, she and the
+old Indian woman went up, not without some
+marks of dread upon them, to an elderly Indian
+man, whose remarkable surly and stern countenance
+was well calculated to raise such sensations
+in his dependents. He seemed to be a cacique,
+or chief man among them, by the airs of importance
+he assumed to himself, and the deference
+paid him by the rest. After some little
+conference passed between these Indians, and
+our cacique conductor, of which, most probably,
+the circumstances of our history, and
+the occasion of our coming here, might be the
+chief subject, for they fixed their eyes constantly
+upon us, they applied themselves to
+building their wigwams. I now understood
+that the two Indian women with whom I had
+sojourned, were wives to this chieftain, though
+one was young enough to be his daughter; and
+as far as I could learn, did really stand in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
+different relations to him both of daughter and
+wife. It was easy to be perceived that all did
+not go well between them at this time: either
+that he was not satisfied with the answers that
+they returned him to his questions, or that he
+suspected some misconduct on their side; for
+presently after, breaking out into savage fury,
+he took the young one up in his arms, and
+threw her with violence against the stones;
+but his brutal resentment did not stop here, he
+beat her afterwards in a cruel manner. I could
+not see this treatment of my benefactress without
+the highest concern for her, and rage
+against the author of it; especially as the
+natural jealousy of these people gave occasion
+to think that it was on my account she suffered.
+I could hardly suppress the first emotions of
+my resentment, which prompted me to return
+him his barbarity in his own kind; but besides
+that this might have drawn upon her fresh
+marks of his severity, it was neither politic, nor
+indeed in my power, to have done it to any
+good purpose at this time.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Our cacique now made us understand that
+we must embark directly, in the same canoe
+which brought us, and return to our companions;
+and that the Indians we were about
+to leave, would join us in a few days, when we
+should all set out in a body, in order to proceed
+to the northward. In our way back,
+nothing very material happened; but upon our
+arrival, which was the next day, we found Mr.
+Elliot, the surgeon, in a very bad way; his
+illness had been continually increasing since
+we left him. Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Campbell
+were almost starved, having fared very ill since
+we left them: a few sea-eggs were all the subsistence
+they had lived upon; and these procured
+by the cacique's wife, in the manner I
+mentioned before. This woman was the very
+reverse of my hostess; and as she found her
+husband was of so much consequence to us,
+took upon her with much haughtiness, and
+treated us as dependents and slaves. He was
+not more engaging in his carriage towards us;
+he would give no part of what he had to spare<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>
+to any but Captain Cheap, whom his interest
+led him to prefer to the rest, though our wants
+were often greater. The captain, on his part,
+contributed to keep us in this abject situation,
+by approving this distinction the cacique
+showed to him. Had he treated us with not
+quite so much distance, the cacique might
+have been more regardful of our wants. The
+little regard and attention which our necessitous
+condition drew from Captain Cheap, may
+be imputed likewise, in some measure, to the
+effects of a mind soured by a series of crosses
+and disappointments; which, indeed, had operated
+on us all to a great neglect of each
+other, and sometimes of ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>We were not suffered to be in the same
+wigwam with the cacique and his wife; which,
+if we had had any countenance from Captain
+Cheap, would not have been refused. What
+we had made for ourselves was in such a
+bungling manner, that it scarce deserved the
+name even of this wretched sort of habitation.
+But our untoward circumstances now found<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>
+some relief in the arrival of the Indians we
+waited for; who brought with them some seal,
+a small portion of which fell to our share. A
+night or two after they sent out some of their
+young men, who procured us a quantity of a
+very delicate kind of birds, called shags and
+cormorants. Their manner of taking these
+birds resembles something a sport called bat fowling.
+They find out their haunts among the
+rocks and cliffs in the night, when taking with
+them torches made of the bark of the birch
+tree, which is common here, and grows to a
+very large size, (this bark has a very unctuous
+quality, and emits a bright and clear light, and
+in the northern parts of America is used frequently
+instead of a candle,) they bring the
+boat's side as near as possible to the rocks,
+under the roosting-places of these birds; then
+waving their lights backwards and forwards, the
+birds are dazzled and confounded so as to fall
+into the canoe, where they are instantly knocked
+on the head with a short stick the Indians take
+with them for that purpose.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Seals are taken in some less frequented parts
+of these coasts, with great ease; but when
+their haunts have been two or three times disturbed,
+they soon learn to provide for their
+safety, by repairing to the water upon the first
+alarm. This is the case with them hereabouts;
+but as they frequently raise their heads above
+water, either to breathe or look about them,
+I have seen an Indian at this interval, throw
+his lance with such dexterity as to strike the
+animal through both its eyes, at a great distance;
+and it is very seldom that they miss
+their aim.</p>
+
+<p>As we were wholly unacquainted with these
+methods of providing food for ourselves, and
+were without arms and ammunition, we were
+driven to the utmost straits; and found ourselves
+rather in worse condition than we had
+been at any time before. For the Indians
+having now nothing to fear from us, we found
+we had nothing to expect from them upon
+any other motive. Accordingly, if ever they
+did relieve us, it was through caprice; for at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>
+most times they would shew themselves unconcerned
+at our greatest distresses. But the
+good Indian women, whose friendship I had
+experienced before, continued, from time to
+time, their good offices to me. Though I was
+not suffered to enter their wigwams, they would
+find opportunities of throwing in my way such
+scraps as they could secrete from their husbands.
+The obligation I was under to them on
+this account was great, as the hazard they ran
+in conferring these favours was little less than
+death. The men, unrestrained by any laws or
+ties of conscience, in the management of their
+own families, exercise a most despotic authority
+over their wives, whom they consider in the
+same view as any other part of their property,
+and dispose of them accordingly: even their
+common treatment of them is cruel; for though
+the toil and hazard of procuring food lies entirely
+upon the women, yet they are not suffered
+to touch any part of it till the husband is satisfied;
+and then he assigns them their portion,
+which is generally very scanty, and such as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
+has not a stomach for himself. This arbitrary
+proceeding, with respect to their own families,
+is not peculiar to this people only. I have had
+occasion to observe it in more instances than
+this I have mentioned, among many other
+nations of savages I have since seen.</p>
+
+<p>These Indians are of a middling stature,
+well set, and very active; and make their way
+among the rocks with an amazing agility.
+Their feet, by this kind of exercise, contract a
+callosity which renders the use of shoes quite
+unnecessary to them. But before I conclude
+the few observations I have to make on a people
+so confined in all their notions and habits, it
+may be expected I should say something of
+their religion; but as their gross ignorance is in
+nothing more conspicuous, and as we found it
+advisable to keep out of their way when the fits of
+devotion came upon them, which is rather frantic
+than religious, the reader can expect very little
+satisfaction on this head. Accident has sometimes
+made me unavoidably a spectator of
+scenes I should have chosen to have withdrawn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>
+myself from; and so far I am instructed. As
+there are no fixed seasons for their religious
+exercises, the younger people wait till the elders
+find themselves devoutly disposed; who begin
+the ceremony by several deep and dismal groans,
+which rise gradually to a hideous kind of
+singing, from which they proceed to enthusiasm,
+and work themselves into a disposition
+that borders on madness; for suddenly jumping
+up, they snatch firebrands from the fire, put
+them in their mouths, and run about burning
+every body they come near: at other times, it
+is a custom with them to wound one another
+with sharp muscle-shells till they are besmeared
+with blood. These orgies continue
+till those who preside in them foam at the
+mouth, grow faint, are exhausted with fatigue,
+and dissolve in a profusion of sweat. When
+the men drop their part in this frenzy, the
+women take it up, acting over again much the
+same kind of wild scene, except that they
+rather outdo the men in shrieks and noise. Our
+cacique, who had been reclaimed from these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
+abominations by the Spaniards, and just knew
+the exterior form of crossing himself, pretended
+to be much offended at these profane ceremonies,
+and that he would have died sooner
+than have partaken of them. Among other
+expressions of disapprobation, he declared that
+whilst the savages solemnized these horrid rites,
+he never failed to hear strange and uncommon
+noises in the woods, and to see frightful visions;
+and assured us, that the devil was the chief
+actor among them upon these occasions.</p>
+
+<p>It might be about the middle of March, that
+we embarked with these Indians. They separated
+our little company entirely, not putting
+any two of us together in the same canoe. The
+oar was my lot, as usual, as also Mr. Campbell's;
+Mr. Hamilton could not row, and Captain
+Cheap was out of the question; our surgeon
+was more dead than alive at the time, and lay
+at the bottom of the canoe he was in. The
+weather coming on too bad for their canoes to
+keep the sea, we landed again, without making
+great progress that day. Here Mr. Elliot, our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>
+surgeon, died. At our first setting out, he promised
+the fairest for holding out, being a very
+strong, active young man: he had gone through
+an infinite deal of fatigue, as Mr. Hamilton and
+he were the best shots amongst us, and whilst
+our ammunition lasted never spared themselves,
+and in a great measure provided for the rest;
+but he died the death many others had done
+before him, being quite starved. We scraped
+a hole for him in the sand, and buried him in
+the best manner we could. Here I must relate
+a little anecdote of our Christian cacique. He
+and his wife had gone off, at some distance from
+the shore, in their canoe, when she dived for
+sea-eggs; but not meeting with great success,
+they returned a good deal out of humour. A
+little boy of theirs, about three years old, whom
+they appeared to be dotingly fond of, watching
+for his father and mother's return, ran into the
+surf to meet them: the father handed a basket
+of sea-eggs to the child, which being too heavy
+for him to carry, he let it fall; upon which the
+father jumped out of the canoe, and catching<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
+the boy up in his arms, dashed him with the
+utmost violence against the stones. The poor
+little creature lay motionless and bleeding, and
+in that condition was taken up by the mother;
+but died soon after. She appeared inconsolable
+for some time; but the brute his father shewed
+little concern about it. A day or two after we
+put to sea again, and crossed the great bay I
+mentioned we had been to the bottom of, when
+we first hauled away to the westward. The
+land here was very low and sandy, with something
+like the mouth of a river which discharged
+itself into the sea; and which had been taken
+no notice of by us before, as it was so shallow
+that the Indians were obliged to take every
+thing out of their canoes, and carry it over the
+neck of land, and then haul the boats over into
+a river, which at this part of it was very broad,
+more resembling a lake than a river. We rowed
+up it for four or five leagues, and then took into
+a branch of it, that ran first to the eastward,
+and then to the northward: here it became
+much narrower, and the stream excessively<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>
+rapid, so that we made but little way, though
+we worked very hard. At night we landed
+upon its banks, and had a most uncomfortable
+lodging, it being a perfect swamp; and we had
+nothing to cover us, though it rained very hard.
+The Indians were little better off than we, as
+there was no wood here to make their wigwams;
+so that all they could do was to prop up the
+bark they carry in the bottom of their canoes
+with their oars, and shelter themselves as well
+as they could to leeward of it. They, knowing
+the difficulties that were to be encountered
+here, had provided themselves with some seal;
+but we had not the least morsel to eat, after the
+heavy fatigues of the day, excepting a sort of
+root we saw some of the Indians make use of,
+which was very disagreeable to the taste. We
+laboured all the next day against the stream,
+and fared as we had done the day before. The
+next day brought us to the carrying-place.
+Here was plenty of wood; but nothing to be
+got for sustenance. The first thing the Indians
+did was to take every thing out of their canoes;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>
+and after hauling them ashore, they made their
+wigwams. We passed this night, as generally
+we had done, under a tree; but what we suffered
+at this time is not easily to be expressed. I
+had been three days at the oar without any
+kind of nourishment, but the wretched root I
+mentioned before. I had no shirt, as mine was
+rotted off by bits, and we were devoured by
+vermin. All my clothes consisted of an old
+short grieko, which is something like a bearskin,
+with a piece of a waistcoat under it,
+which once had been of red cloth, both
+which I had on when I was cast away; I had
+a ragged pair of trowsers, without either shoe
+or stocking. The first thing the Indians did
+in the morning was to take their canoes to
+pieces: and here, for the information of the
+reader, it will be necessary to describe the structure
+of these boats, which are extremely well
+calculated for the use of these Indians, as they
+are frequently obliged to carry them over land
+a long way together, through thick woods, to
+avoid doubling capes and headlands in seas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>
+where no open boat could live. They generally
+consist of five pieces, or planks; one for the
+bottom, and two for each side; and as these
+people have no iron tools, the labour must be
+great in hacking a single plank out of a large
+tree with shells and flints, though with the help
+of fire. Along the edges of the plank they
+make small holes, at about an inch from one to
+the other, and sew them together with the supple-jack,
+or woodbine; but as these holes are
+not filled up by the substance of the woodbine,
+their boats would be immediately full of water
+if they had not a method of preventing it. They
+do this very effectually by the bark of a tree,
+which they first steep in water for some time,
+and then beat it between two stones till it
+answers the use of oakum, and then chinse each
+hole so well, that they do not admit of the least
+water coming through, and are easily taken
+asunder and put together again. When they
+have occasion to go over land, as at this time,
+each man or woman carries a plank; whereas
+it would be impossible for them to drag a heavy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>
+boat entire. Every body had something to
+carry except Captain Cheap; and he was obliged
+to be assisted, or never would have got over this
+march; for a worse than this, I believe, never
+was made. He, with the others, set out some
+time before me. I waited for two Indians, who
+belonged to the canoe I came in; and who
+remained to carry over the last of the things
+from the side we were on. I had a piece of
+wet heavy canvas, which belonged to Captain
+Cheap, with a bit of stinking seal wrapped in
+it (which had been given him that morning by
+some of the Indians) to carry upon my head,
+which was a sufficient weight for a strong man
+in health, through such roads, and a grievous
+burthen to one in my condition. Our way was
+through a thick wood, the bottom of which was
+a mere quagmire, most part of it up to our
+knees, and often to our middle; and every now
+and then we had a large tree to get over, for
+they often lay directly in our road. Besides
+this, we were continually treading upon the
+stumps of trees, which were not to be avoided,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
+as they were covered with water; and having
+neither shoe nor stocking, my feet and legs
+were frequently torn and wounded. Before I
+had got half a mile, the two Indians had left
+me; and making the best of my way, lest they
+should be all gone before I got to the other
+side, I fell off a tree that crossed the road, into
+a very deep swamp, where I very narrowly
+escaped drowning, by the weight of the burthen
+I had on my head. It was a long while before
+I could extricate myself from this difficulty;
+and when I did my strength was quite exhausted.
+I sat down under a tree, and there
+gave way to melancholy reflections. However,
+as I was sensible these reflections would answer
+no end, they did not last long. I got up, and
+marking a great tree, I there deposited my load,
+not being able to carry it any farther, and set
+out to join my company. It was some hours
+before I reached my companions. I found
+them sitting under a tree, and sat myself down
+by them without speaking a word; nor did they
+speak to me, as I remember, for some time;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>
+when Captain Cheap, breaking silence, began
+to ask after the seal and piece of canvas. I
+told him the disaster I had met with, which he
+might have easily guessed by the condition the
+rags I had on were in, as well as having my
+feet and ancles cut to pieces: but instead of
+compassion for my sufferings, I heard nothing
+but grumbling from every one, for the irreparable
+loss they had sustained by me. I made no
+answer; but after resting myself a little, I got
+up and struck into the wood, and walked back
+at least five miles to the tree I had marked, and
+returned just time enough to deliver it before
+my companions embarked, with the Indians,
+upon a great lake, the opposite part of which
+seemed to wash the foot of the Cordilleras. I
+wanted to embark with them; but was given
+to understand I was to wait for some other
+Indians that were to follow them. I knew not
+where these Indians were to come from: I was
+left alone upon the beach, and night was at
+hand. They left me not even a morsel of the
+stinking seal that I had suffered so much about.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span>
+I kept my eyes upon the boats as long as I
+could distinguish them; and then returned into
+the wood, and sat myself down upon the root
+of a tree, having eat nothing the whole day but
+the stem of a plant which resembles that of an
+artichoke, which is of a juicy consistence, and
+acid taste. Quite worn out with fatigue, I soon
+fell asleep; and awaking before day, I thought
+I heard some voices at no great distance from
+me. As the day appeared, looking further into
+the wood, I perceived a wigwam, and immediately
+made towards it; but the reception I
+met with was not at all agreeable; for stooping
+to get into it, I presently received two or three
+kicks in my face, and at the same time heard
+the sound of voices seemingly in anger; which
+made me retire, and wait at the foot of a tree,
+where I remained till an old woman peeped out,
+and made signs to me to draw near. I obeyed
+very readily, and went into the wigwam: in it
+were three men and two women; one young
+man seemed to have great respect shewn to him
+by the rest, though he was the most miserable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span>
+object I ever saw. He was a perfect skeleton,
+and covered with sores from head to foot. I
+was happy to sit a moment by their fire, as I
+was quite benumbed with cold. The old woman
+took out a piece of seal, holding one part of it
+between her feet, and the other end in her
+teeth, and then cut off some thin slices with a
+sharp shell, and distributed them about to the
+other Indians. She then put a bit on the fire,
+taking a piece of fat in her mouth, which she
+kept chewing, every now and then spirting
+some of it on the piece that was warming upon
+the fire; for they never do more with it than
+warm it through. When it was ready, she
+gave me a little bit, which I swallowed whole,
+being almost starved. As these Indians
+were all strangers to me, I did not know
+which way they were going; and indeed it was
+now become quite indifferent to me which way
+I went, whether to the northward or southward,
+so that they would but take me with them, and
+give me something to eat. However, to make
+them comprehend me, I pointed first to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>
+southward, and after to the lake, and I soon
+understood they were going to the northward.
+They all went out together, excepting the sick
+Indian, and took up the plank of the canoe,
+which lay near the wigwam, and carried it to
+the beach, and presently put it together; and
+getting every thing into it, they put me to the
+oar. We rowed across the lake to the mouth
+of a very rapid river, where we put ashore for
+that night, not daring to get any way down in
+the dark; as it required the greatest skill, even
+in the day, to avoid running foul of the stumps
+and roots of trees, of which this river was full.
+I passed a melancholy night, as they would not
+suffer me to come near the wigwam they had
+made; nor did they give me the least bit of
+any one thing to eat since we embarked. In
+the morning we set off again. The weather
+proved extremely bad the whole day. We
+went down the river at an amazing rate; and
+just before night they put ashore upon a stony
+beach. They hauled the canoe up, and all
+disappeared in a moment, and I was left quite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>
+alone: it rained violently, and was very dark.
+I thought it was as well to lay down upon the
+beach, half side in water, as to get into a swamp
+under a dropping tree. In this dismal situation
+I fell asleep, and awaked three or four
+hours after in such agonies with the cramp,
+that I thought I must die upon the spot. I
+attempted several times to raise myself upon
+my legs, but could not. At last I made shift
+to get upon my knees, and looking towards
+the wood I saw a great fire at some distance
+from me. I was a long time crawling to it;
+and when I reached it, I threw myself almost
+into it, in hopes of finding some relief from the
+pain I suffered. This intrusion gave great
+offence to the Indians, who immediately got up,
+kicking and beating me till they drove me some
+distance from it; however I contrived a little
+after to place myself so as to receive some
+warmth from it, by which I got rid of the
+cramp. In the morning we left this place, and
+were soon after out of the river. Being now at
+sea again, the Indians intended putting ashore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>
+at the first convenient place, to look for shell-fish,
+their stock of provisions having been quite
+exhausted for some time. At low water we
+landed upon a spot that seemed to promise
+well; and here we found plenty of limpets.
+Though at this time starving, I did not attempt
+to eat one, lest I should lose a moment in
+gathering them; not knowing how soon the
+Indians might be going again. I had almost
+filled my hat when I saw them returning to the
+canoe. I made what haste I could to her; for
+I believe they would have made no conscience
+of leaving me behind. I sat down to my oar
+again, placing my hat close to me, every now
+and then eating a limpet. The Indians were
+employed the same way, when one of them,
+seeing me throw the shells overboard, spoke to
+the rest in a violent passion; and getting up,
+fell upon me, and seizing me by an old ragged
+handkerchief I had about my neck, almost
+throttled me; whilst another took me by the
+legs, and was going to throw me overboard, if
+the old woman had not prevented them. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>
+was all this time entirely ignorant by what
+means I had given offence, till I observed that
+the Indians, after eating the limpets, carefully
+put the shells in a heap at the bottom of the
+canoe. I then concluded there was some superstition
+about throwing these shells into the sea,
+my ignorance of which had very nearly cost me
+my life. I was resolved to eat no more limpets
+till we landed, which we did some time after
+upon an island. I then took notice that the
+Indians brought all their shells ashore, and laid
+them above high water mark. Here, as I was
+going to eat a large bunch of berries I had
+gathered from a tree, for they looked very
+tempting, one of the Indians snatched them
+out of my hand and threw them away, making
+me to understand that they were poisonous.
+Thus, in all probability, did these people now
+save my life, who, a few hours before, were
+going to take it from me for throwing away a
+shell.</p>
+
+<p>In two days after, I joined my companions
+again; but do not remember that there was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>
+least joy shewn on either side at meeting. At
+this place was a very large canoe belonging to
+our guide, which would have required at least
+six men to the oar to have made any kind of
+expedition: instead of that, there was only
+Campbell and myself, besides the Indian, his
+companion, or servant, to row, the cacique himself
+never touching an oar, but sitting with his
+wife all the time much at his ease. Mr. Hamilton
+continued in the same canoe he had been
+in all along, and which still was to keep us
+company some way further, though many of
+the others had left us. This was dreadful hard
+work to such poor starved wretches as we were,
+to be slaving at the oar all day long in such
+a heavy boat; and this inhuman fellow would
+never give us a scrap to eat, excepting when he
+took so much seal that he could not contrive to
+carry it all away with him, which happened very
+seldom. After working like galley-slaves all
+day, towards night, when we landed, instead of
+taking any rest, Mr. Campbell and I were sometimes
+obliged to go miles along shore to get a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>
+few shell-fish; and just as we had made a little
+fire in order to dress them, he has commanded
+us into the boat again, and kept us rowing the
+whole night without ever landing. It is impossible
+for me to describe the miserable state we
+were reduced to: our bodies were so emaciated,
+that we hardly appeared the figures of men. It
+has often happened to me in the coldest night,
+both in hail and snow, where we had nothing
+but an open beach to lie down upon, in order
+to procure a little rest, that I have been obliged
+to pull off the few rags I had on, as it was impossible
+to get a moment's sleep with them on
+for the vermin that swarmed about them; though
+I used, as often as I had time, to take my clothes
+off, and putting them upon a large stone, beat
+them with another, in hopes of killing hundreds
+at once; for it was endless work to pick them
+off. What we suffered from this, was ten times
+worse even than hunger. But we were clean in
+comparison to Captain Cheap; for I could compare
+his body to nothing but an ant-hill, with
+thousands of those insects crawling over it; for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>
+he was now past attempting to rid himself in the
+least from this torment, as he had quite lost
+himself, not recollecting our names that were
+about him, or even his own. His beard was as
+long as a hermit's: that and his face being
+covered with train-oil and dirt, from having long
+accustomed himself to sleep upon a bag, by the
+way of a pillow, in which he kept the pieces of
+stinking seal. This prudent method he took to
+prevent our getting at it whilst he slept. His
+legs were as big as mill-posts, though his body
+appeared nothing but skin and bone.</p>
+
+<p>One day we fell in with about forty Indians,
+who came down to the beach we landed on,
+curiously painted. Our cacique seemed to
+understand but little of their language, and it
+sounded to us very different from what we had
+heard before. However, they made us comprehend
+that a ship had been upon the coast not
+far from where we then were, and that she had
+a red flag: this we understood some time after
+to have been the Anne pink, whose adventures
+are particularly related in Lord Anson's voyage;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span>
+and we passed through the very harbour she had
+lain in.</p>
+
+<p>As there was but one small canoe that intended
+to accompany us any longer, and that
+in which Mr. Hamilton had been to this time,
+intended to proceed no farther to the northward,
+our cacique proposed to him to come
+into our canoe, which he refused, as the insolence
+of this fellow was to him insupportable;
+he therefore rather chose to remain where he
+was, till chance should throw in his way some
+other means of getting forward: so here we
+left him; and it was some months before we
+saw him again.</p>
+
+<p>We now got on, by very slow degrees, to the
+northward; and as the difficulties and hardships
+we daily went through would only be a
+repetition of those already mentioned, I shall
+say no more, but that at last we reached an
+island, about thirty leagues to the southward
+of Chiloe. Here we remained two days for a
+favourable opportunity to cross the bay, the
+very thoughts of which seemed to frighten our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>
+cacique out of his senses; and, indeed, there
+was great reason for his apprehensions; for
+there ran a most dreadful hollow sea, dangerous,
+indeed, for any open boat whatever,
+but a thousand times more for such a crazy
+vessel as we were in. He at length mustered
+up resolution enough to attempt it, first having
+crossed himself for an hour together, and made
+a kind of lug-sail out of the bits of blankets
+they wore about them, sewed together with
+split supple jacks. We then put off, and a
+terrible passage we had. The bottom plank of
+the canoe was split, which opened upon every
+sea; and the water continually rushing over
+the gunnel, I may say that we were in a manner
+full the whole way over, though all hands were
+employed in baling without ceasing a moment.
+As we drew near the shore, the cacique was
+eager to land, having been terrified to that
+degree with this run, that if it had not been
+for us, every soul must have perished; for he
+had very near got in amongst the breakers,
+where the sea drove with such violence upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span>
+the rocks, that not even an Indian could have
+escaped, especially as it was in the night. We
+kept off till we got into smooth water, and
+landed upon the island of Chiloe; though in a
+part of it that was not inhabited. Here we
+staid all the next day, in a very heavy snow, to
+recover ourselves a little after our fatigue; but
+the cold was so excessive, having neither shoe
+nor stocking, we thought we should have lost
+our feet; and Captain Cheap was so ill, that if
+he had had but a few leagues further to have
+gone without relief, he could not have held out.
+It pleased God now that our sufferings, in a
+great measure, were drawing to an end.</p>
+
+<p>What things our cacique had brought with
+him from the wreck, he here buried under
+ground, in order to conceal them from the
+Spaniards, who would not have left him a rusty
+nail if they had known of it. Towards evening,
+we set off again; and about nine the same
+night, to our great joy, we observed something
+that had the appearance of a house. It belonged
+to an acquaintance of our cacique; and as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span>
+was possessed of my fowling-piece, and we had
+preserved about one charge of powder, he
+made us load it for him, and desired we would
+show him how to discharge it; upon which,
+standing up, and holding his head from it as far
+as possible, he fired, and fell back into the
+bottom of the canoe. The Indians belonging
+to the house, not in the least used to fire-arms,
+ran out and hid themselves in the woods. But
+after some time, one of them, bolder than the
+rest, got upon a hill, and hollowed to us,
+asking who and what we were. Our cacique
+now made himself known, and they presently
+came down to the boat, bringing with them
+some fish, and plenty of potatoes. This was the
+most comfortable meal we had made for many
+long months; and as soon as this was over, we
+rowed about two miles farther to a little village,
+where we landed. Here our cacique presently
+awoke all the inhabitants by the noise he
+made, and obliged one of them to open his
+door to us, and immediately to make a large
+fire; for the weather was very severe, this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+being the month of June, the depth of winter
+in this part of the world. The Indians now
+flocked thick about us, and seemed to have
+great compassion for us, as our cacique related
+to them what part he knew of our history.
+They knew not what countrymen we were, nor
+could our guide inform them; for he had often
+asked us if we were French, Dutch, or English,
+the only nations he had ever heard of besides
+the Spaniards. We always answered we were
+from Grande Bretagne, which he could make
+nothing of; for we were afraid, if he knew us
+to be English, as he had heard that nation was
+at war with the Spaniards, he never would have
+conducted us to Chiloe.</p>
+
+<p>These good-natured compassionate creatures
+seemed to vie with each other who should take
+the most care of us. They made a bed of sheepskins
+close to the fire, for Captain Cheap, and
+laid him upon it; and indeed, had it not been
+for the kind assistance he now met with, he
+could not have survived three days longer.
+Though it was now about midnight, they went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span>
+out and killed a sheep, of which they made
+broth, and baked a large cake of barley-meal.
+Any body may imagine what a treat this was to
+wretches who had not tasted a bit of bread, or
+any wholesome diet, for such a length of time.
+After we could eat no longer, we went to sleep
+about the fire, which the Indians took good care
+to keep up. In the morning, the women came
+from far and near, each bringing with her something.
+Almost every one had a pipkin in her
+hand, containing either fowls or mutton made
+into broth, potatoes, eggs, or other eatables.
+We fell to work as if we had eat nothing in the
+night, and employed ourselves so for the best
+part of the day. In the evening, the men filled
+our house, bringing with them some jars of a
+liquor they called chicha, made of barley-meal,
+and not very unlike our oat-ale in taste, which
+will intoxicate those who drink a sufficient quantity
+of it; for a little has no effect. As soon as
+the drink was out, a fresh supply of victuals was
+brought in; and in this manner we passed the
+whole time we remained with these hospitable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>
+Indians. They are a strong well-made people, extremely
+well featured, both men and women, and
+vastly neat in their persons. The men's dress is
+called by them a puncho, which is a square piece
+of cloth, generally in stripes of different colours,
+with a slit in the middle of it wide enough to let
+their heads through, so that it hangs on their
+shoulders, half of it falling before, and the other
+behind them: under this they wear a short kind of
+flannel shirt without sleeves or neck. They have
+wide-knee'd breeches, something like the Dutch
+seamen, and on their legs a sort of knit buskins
+without any feet to them; but never any shoes.
+Their hair is always combed very smooth, and
+tied very tight up in a great bunch close to the
+neck: some wear a very neat hat of their own
+making, and others go without. The women
+wear a shift like the men's shirts, without
+sleeves; and over it a square piece of cloth,
+which they fasten before with a large silver
+pin, and a petticoat of different stripes: they
+take as much care of their hair as the men;
+and both have always a kind of fillet bound<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>
+very tight about the forehead, and made fast
+behind: in short, these people are as cleanly
+as the several savage nations we had met with
+before were beastly. Upon our first coming
+here, they had dispatched a messenger to the
+Spanish corregidore at Castro, a town a considerable
+distance from hence, to inform him of
+our arrival. At the end of three days, this man
+returned with an order to the chief caciques of
+these Indians we were amongst, to carry us
+directly to a certain place, where there would
+be a party of soldiers to receive us. These poor
+people now seemed to be under great concern
+for us, hearing by the messenger the preparations
+that were making to receive us; for they
+stand in vast dread of the Spanish soldiery.
+They were very desirous of knowing what
+countrymen we were. We told them we were
+English, and at that time at war with the
+Spaniards; upon which they appeared fonder
+of us than ever; and I verily believe, if they
+durst, would have concealed us amongst them,
+lest we should come to any harm. They are so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>
+far from being in the Spanish interest, that
+they detest the very name of a Spaniard. And,
+indeed, I am not surprised at it; for they are
+kept under such subjection, and such a laborious
+slavery, by mere dint of hard usage and
+punishments, that it appears to me the most
+absurd thing in the world, that the Spaniards
+should rely upon these people for assistance
+upon any emergency. We embarked in the
+evening, and it was night before we got to the
+place where we were to be delivered up to the
+Spanish guard. We were met by three or four
+officers, and a number of soldiers, all with their
+spados drawn, who surrounded us as if they
+had the most formidable enemy to take charge
+of, instead of three poor helpless wretches, who,
+notwithstanding the good living we had met
+with amongst these kind Indians, could hardly
+support ourselves. They carried us to the top
+of a hill, and there put us under a shed; for it
+consisted of a thatched roof, without any sides
+or walls, being quite open; and here we were
+to lay upon the cold ground. All sorts of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
+people now came to stare at us as a sight; but
+the Indian women never came empty-handed;
+they always brought with them either fowls,
+mutton, or some kind of provision to us; so
+that we lived well enough. However, we found
+a very sensible difference between the treatment
+we had met with from the Indians, and
+what we now experienced from the Spaniards.
+With the former, we were quite at liberty to do
+as we pleased; but here, if we only went ten
+yards to attempt at getting rid of some of the
+vermin that devoured us, we had two soldiers,
+with drawn spados, to attend us. About the
+third day, a Jesuit from Castro came to see us;
+not from a motive of compassion, but from a
+report spread by our Indian cacique, that we
+had some things of great value about us. Having
+by chance seen Captain Cheap pull out a
+gold repeating watch, the first thing the good
+father did was to lug out of his pocket a bottle
+of brandy, and give us a dram, in order to
+open our hearts. He then came roundly to the
+point, asking us if we had saved no watches or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
+rings. Captain Cheap declared he had nothing,
+never suspecting that the Indian had seen his
+watch, having, as he thought, always taken
+great care to conceal it from him; but knowing
+that Campbel had a silver watch, which had
+been the property of our surgeon, he desired
+him to make it a present to the jesuit, telling
+him, at the same time, that as these people had
+great power and authority, it might be of service
+to us hereafter. This Campbel very unwillingly
+did, and received from the father, not
+long after, a pitiful present, not a quarter part
+of the value of the rim of the watch. We
+understood afterwards, that this had come to
+the governor's ears, who was highly offended
+at it, as thinking that if any thing of that sort
+had been to be had, it was his due; and did
+not spare the jesuits in the least upon the occasion.
+Soon after this, the officer of the guard
+informed us there was an order come to
+carry us to Castro. In the evening, we were
+conducted to the water-side, and put into a
+large periago; and there were several more, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
+attend us, full of soldiers. About eight o'clock
+at night, we were off the town. The boats all
+laid upon their oars, and there was a great deal
+of ceremony used in hailing and asking for the
+keys, as if it had been a regular fortification.
+After some time, we landed; but could see
+neither gates nor walls, nor any thing that had
+the appearance of a garrison. As we walked
+up a steep hill into the town, the way was
+lined with men who had broomsticks upon their
+shoulders instead of muskets, and a lighted
+match in their hands. When we came to the
+corregidore's house, we found it full of people.
+He was an old man, very tall, with a long
+cloak on, a tie-wig without any curl, and a
+spado of immense length by his side. He
+received us in great state and form; but as
+we had no interpreter, we understood little or
+nothing of the questions he asked us. He
+ordered a table to be spread for us with cold
+ham and fowls; which we three only sat down
+to, and in a short time dispatched more than
+ten men with common appetites would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>
+done. It is amazing, that our eating to that
+excess we had done, from the time we first got
+amongst these kind Indians, had not killed us;
+we were never satisfied, and used to take all
+opportunities, for some months after, of filling
+our pockets when we were not seen, that we
+might get up two or three times in the night to
+cram ourselves. Captain Cheap used to declare,
+that he was quite ashamed of himself. After
+supper, the corregidore carried us to the jesuits'
+college, attended by the soldiers, and all the
+rabble of the town. This was intended, at
+present, for our prison, till orders were received
+from the governor, who resided at Chaco, above
+thirty leagues from this place. When we got
+to the college, the corregidore desired the father
+provincial, as they styled him, or head of the
+jesuits here, to find out what religion we were
+of, or whether we had any or not. He then
+retired, the gates were shut, and we were
+conducted to a cell. We found in it something
+like beds spread on the floor, and an
+old ragged shirt a-piece, but clean, which was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>
+of infinite service to us; nor did eating at
+first give me half the satisfaction this treasure
+of an old shirt did. Though this college was
+large, there were but four jesuits in it, nor were
+there any more of that order upon the island.
+In the morning Captain Cheap was sent for
+by the father provincial: their conversation
+was carried on in Latin, perhaps not the
+best on either side; however, they made shift
+to understand one another. When he returned,
+he told us the good fathers were still
+harping upon what things of value we might
+have saved and concealed about us; and that
+if we had any thing of that sort, we could not
+do better than let them have it. Religion
+seemed to be quite out of the question at present;
+but a day or two after the corregidore
+being informed that we were heretics, he desired
+these jesuits would convert us; but one
+of them told him it was a mere joke to attempt
+it, as we could have no inducement upon that
+island to change our religion, but that when
+we got to Chili, in such a delightful country as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>
+that was, where there was nothing but diversions
+and amusements, we should be converted
+fast enough. We kept close to our cell till the
+bell rang for dinner, when we were conducted
+into a hall, where there was one table for the
+fathers, and another for us. After a very long
+Latin prayer, we sat down and eat what was
+put before us, without a single word passing at
+either table. As soon as we had finished,
+there was another long prayer, which, however,
+did not appear so tedious as the first;
+and then we retired to our cell again. In this
+manner we passed eight days without ever
+stirring out; all which time one might have
+imagined one's-self out of the world; for excepting
+the bell for dinner, a silence reigned
+throughout the whole, as if the place had been
+uninhabited. A little before dark, on the
+eighth evening, we heard a violent knocking
+at the gate, which was no sooner opened than
+there entered a young officer booted and spurred,
+who acquainted the fathers that he was sent
+by the governor to conduct us to Chaco. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>
+young man was the governor's son; by which
+means he obtained a commission next in authority,
+upon this island, to his father. He ought
+to have been kept at school, for he was a vain,
+empty coxcomb, much disliked by the people
+of the island. After taking leave of the jesuits,
+who I imagined were not sorry to be rid of us,
+after finding their expectations balked, we
+set out, having about thirty soldiers on horseback
+to attend us. We rode about eight miles
+that night, when we came to an Estancia, or
+farm-house, belonging to an old lady who had
+two handsome daughters. Here we were very
+well entertained, and the good old lady seemed
+to have great compassion for us. She asked
+the governor's son if he thought his father
+would have any objection to my passing a month
+with her at her farm. As she was a person of
+rank in this island, he said he would acquaint
+his father with her request, and made no doubt
+but he would grant it. I observed our soldiers,
+when they came into the house, had none of
+them any shoes on, but wore buskins, like the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span>
+Indians, without any feet to them. They all
+had monstrous great spurs, some of silver and
+others of copper, which made a rattling when
+they walked like chains. They were all stout,
+strong-looking men, as the Spaniards, natives
+of the island, in general are. After a good
+supper, we had sheepskins laid near the fire
+for us to sleep on. Early in the morning we
+mounted again, and after riding some miles
+across the country, we came to the water-side,
+where we found several periagos waiting for us,
+with some officers in them. Most of the soldiers
+dismounted and embarked with us, a few
+only being sent round with the horses. It
+was three days before we arrived at Chaco, as
+the tides between this island and the main are
+so rapid that no boat can stem them. The
+same precaution was taken here as at Castro;
+we passed through a whole lane of soldiers,
+armed as I mentioned those to have been before,
+excepting a few, who really had matchlocks,
+the only fire-arms they have here. The
+soldiers, upon our journey, had given a pom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>pous
+account of el Palacio del Rey, or the
+king's palace, as they styled the governor's
+house, and therefore we expected to see something
+very magnificent; but it was nothing
+better than a large thatched barn, partitioned
+off into several rooms. The governor was
+sitting at a large table covered with a piece of
+red serge, having all the principal officers about
+him. After some time he made us sit down,
+attempting to converse with us by his linguist,
+who was a stupid old fellow, that could neither
+talk English nor Spanish, but said he was
+born in England, had resided above forty years
+in that country, and having formerly been a
+buccaneer, was taken by the Spaniards near
+Panama. The governor kept us to supper,
+and then we were conducted across the court to
+our apartment, which was a place that had
+served to keep the fire wood for the governor's
+kitchen; however, as it was dry over head, we
+thought ourselves extremely well lodged. There
+was a soldier placed at the door with a drawn
+spado in his hand, to prevent our stirring out;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>
+which was quite unnecessary, as we knew not
+where to go if we had been at liberty. One of
+these soldiers took a great fancy to my ragged
+grieko, which had still some thousands about
+it; and in exchange gave me an old puncho,
+the sort of garment with a hole in the middle to
+put one's head through, as above related to be
+worn by the Indians; and for the little bit of
+my waistcoat that remained, he gave me a pair
+of breeches. I now should have thought myself
+very handsomely equipped, if I had had
+but another shirt. The next day, about noon,
+the governor sent for us, and we dined at his
+table; after which we returned to our lodging,
+where we were never alone, for every body was
+curious to see us. We passed about a week in
+this manner, when the sentinel was taken off,
+and we were allowed to look about us a little,
+though not to go out of the palace, as they
+were pleased to call it. We dined every day
+with the governor; but were not very fond of
+his fast days, which succeeded each other too
+quickly. I contrived to make friends with his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>
+steward and cook, by which means I always
+carried my pockets full to my apartment, where
+I passed my time very agreeably. Soon after,
+we had leave to walk about the town, or go
+wherever we pleased. Every house was open
+to us; and though it was but an hour after
+we had dined, they always spread a table,
+thinking we never could eat enough after what
+we had suffered; and we were much of the
+same opinion. They are, in general, a charitable,
+good sort of people, but very ignorant, and
+governed by their priests, who make them
+believe just what they please. The Indian
+language is chiefly spoken here, even by the
+Spaniards one amongst another; and they say
+they think it a finer language than their own.
+The women have fine complexions, and many
+of them are very handsome; they have good
+voices, and can strum a little upon the guitar;
+but they have an ugly custom of smoking
+tobacco, which is a very scarce commodity
+here; and therefore is looked upon as a great
+treat when they meet at one another's houses.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
+The lady of the house comes in with a large
+wooden pipe crammed with tobacco; and after
+taking two or three hearty whiffs, she holds
+her head under her cloak lest any of the smoke
+should escape, and then swallows it; some
+time after you see it coming out of her nose
+and ears. She then hands the pipe to the next
+lady, who does the same, till it has gone
+through the whole company. Their houses are
+but very mean, as will be easily imagined by
+what I have said of the governor's. They
+make their fire in the middle of their rooms,
+but have no chimneys; there is a small hole at
+each end of the roof to let the smoke out. It
+is only the better sort of people that eat bread
+made of wheat, as they grow but very little
+here, and they have no mills to grind it; but
+then they have great plenty of the finest potatoes
+in the world: these are always roasted in
+the ashes, then scraped, and served up at meals
+instead of bread. They breed abundance of
+swine, as they supply both Chili and Peru
+with hams. They are in no want of sheep,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>
+but are not overstocked with cows; owing, in
+a great measure, to their own indolence in not
+clearing away the woods, which if they would
+be at the pains to do, they might have sufficient
+pasture. Their trade consists in hams, hogs-lard,
+which is used throughout all South America
+instead of butter; cedar plank, which the
+Indians are continually employed in cutting
+quite to the foot of the Cordilleras; little carved
+boxes, which the Spanish ladies use to put
+their work in; carpets, quilts, and punchos
+neatly embroidered all round; for these, both
+in Chili and Peru, are used by the people of
+the first fashion, as well as the inferior sort, by
+way of riding-dress, and are esteemed to be
+much more convenient for a horseman than
+any kind of coat whatever.</p>
+
+<p>They have what they call an annual ship
+from Lima, as they never expect more than
+one in the year; though sometimes it happens
+that two have come, and at other times they
+have been two or three years without any.
+When this happens they are greatly distressed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>
+as this ship brings them baize, cloth, linens,
+hats, ribbons, tobacco, sugar, brandy, and
+wine; but this latter article is chiefly for the
+use of the churches: matte, an herb from
+Paraguay, used all over South America instead
+of tea, is also a necessary article. This ship's
+cargo is chiefly consigned to the jesuits, who
+have more Indians employed for them than all
+the rest of the inhabitants together, and of
+course engross almost the whole trade. There
+is no money current in this island. If any
+person wants a few yards of linen, a little
+sugar, tobacco, or any other thing brought from
+Peru, he gives so many cedar planks, hams, or
+punchos, in exchange. Some time after we
+had been here, a snow arrived in the harbour
+from Lima, which occasioned great joy amongst
+the inhabitants, as they had no ship the year
+before, from the alarm Lord Anson had given
+upon the coast. This was not the annual
+vessel, but one of those that I mentioned before
+which come unexpectedly. The captain of
+her was an old man, well known upon the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>
+island, who had traded here once in two or
+three years, for more than thirty years past.
+He had a remarkable large head, and therefore
+was commonly known by a nick-name they had
+given him of Cabuço de Toro, or Bull's-head.
+He had not been here a week before he came
+to the governor, and told him, with a most
+melancholy countenance, that he had not slept
+a wink since he came into the harbour, as the
+governor was pleased to allow three English
+prisoners liberty to walk about instead of confining
+them; and that he expected every moment
+they would board his vessel, and carry her
+away: this he said when he had above thirty
+hands aboard. The governor assured him he
+would be answerable for us, and that he might
+sleep in quiet; though at the same time he
+could not help laughing at the man, as all the
+people in the town did. These assurances did
+not satisfy the captain: he used the utmost
+dispatch in disposing of his cargo, and put to
+sea again, not thinking himself safe till he had
+lost sight of the island. It was about three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>
+months after us that Mr. Hamilton was brought
+in by a party that the governor had sent to the
+southward on purpose to fetch him. He was
+in a wretched condition upon his first arrival,
+but soon recovered with the good living he
+found here.</p>
+
+<p>It is usual for the governor to make a tour,
+every year, through the several districts belonging
+to his government: on this occasion he took
+us with him. The first place he visited was
+Carelmapo, on the main; and from thence to
+Castro. At these places he holds a kind of
+court; all the chief caciques meeting him, and
+informing him of what has passed since his last
+visit, and receiving fresh orders for the year to
+come. At Castro we had the same liberty we
+enjoyed at Chaco, and visited every body. It
+seemed they had forgot all the ceremony used
+upon our first landing here, which was with an
+intent to make us believe it was strongly fortified;
+for now they let us see plainly that they
+had neither fort nor gun. At Chaco they had
+a little earthen fort, with a small ditch palisa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>doed
+round it, and a few old honey-combed
+guns without carriages, and which do not defend
+the harbour in the least. Whilst we were
+at Castro, the old lady, (at whose house we lay
+the first night upon leaving the jesuits' college)
+sent to the governor, and begged I might be
+allowed to come to her for a few weeks: this
+was granted; and accordingly I went and
+passed about three weeks with her very happily,
+as she seemed to be as fond of me as if I had
+been her own son. She was very unwilling to
+part with me again; but as the governor was
+soon to return to Chaco, he sent for me, and I
+left my benefactress with regret.</p>
+
+<p>Amongst the houses we visited at Castro,
+there was one belonging to an old priest, who
+was esteemed one of the richest persons upon
+the island. He had a niece, of whom he was
+extremely fond, and who was to inherit all he
+possessed. He had taken a great deal of pains
+with her education, and she was reckoned one
+of the most accomplished young ladies of Chiloe.
+Her person was good, though she could not be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>
+called a regular beauty. This young lady did
+me the honour to take more notice of me than I
+deserved, and proposed to her uncle to convert
+me, and afterwards begged his consent to marry
+me. As the old man doted upon her, he
+readily agreed to it; and accordingly on the
+next visit I made him, acquainted me with the
+young lady's proposal, and his approbation of
+it, taking me at the same time into a room
+where there were several chests and boxes,
+which he unlocked; first shewing me what a
+number of fine clothes his niece had, and then
+his own wardrobe, which he said should be
+mine at his death. Amongst other things, he
+produced a piece of linen, which he said should
+immediately be made up into shirts for me. I
+own this last article was a great temptation to
+me; however, I had the resolution to withstand
+it, and made the best excuses I could for not
+accepting of the honour they intended me; for
+by this time I could speak Spanish well enough
+to make myself understood.</p>
+
+<p>Amongst the Indians who had come to meet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>
+the governor here, there were some caciques of
+those Indians who had treated us so kindly at
+our first landing upon Chiloe. One of these, a
+young man, had been guilty of some offence, and
+was put in irons, and threatened to be more
+severely punished. We could not learn his
+crime, or whether the governor did not do it in
+a great measure to shew us his power over these
+Indian chiefs: however, we were under great
+concern for this young man, who had been
+extremely kind to us, and begged Captain
+Cheap to intercede with the governor for him.
+This he did, and the cacique was released; the
+governor acquainting him at the same time,
+with great warmth, that it was to us only he
+owed it, or otherwise he would have made a
+severe example of him. The young man seemed
+to have been in no dread of farther punishment,
+as I believe he felt all a man could do from the
+indignity of being put in irons in the public
+square, before all his brother caciques and many
+hundreds of other Indians. I thought this was
+not a very politic step of the governor, as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>
+cacique came after to Captain Cheap to thank
+him for his goodness, and in all probability
+would remember the English for some time
+after; and not only he, but all the other caciques
+who had been witnesses of it, and who seemed
+to feel, if possible, even more than the young
+man himself did. We now returned to Chaco,
+and the governor told me, when the annual ship
+came, which they expected in December, we
+should be sent in her to Chili. We felt several
+earthquakes while we were here. One day as I
+happened to be upon a visit at a house where I
+was very well acquainted, an Indian came in,
+who lived at many leagues distance from this
+town, and who had made this journey in order
+to purchase some little trifles he wanted;
+amongst other things, he had bought some
+prints of saints. Very proud of these, he produced
+them, and put them into the hands of the
+women, who very devoutly first crossed themselves
+with them, and afterwards kissed them;
+then gave them to me, saying at the same time,
+they supposed such a heretic as I was would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>
+refuse to kiss them. They were right in their
+conjectures: I returned them to the Indian
+without going through that ceremony. At that
+very instant, there happened a violent shock of
+an earthquake, which they imputed entirely to
+the anger of the saints; and all quitted the
+house as fast as they could, lest it should fall
+upon their heads. For my part, I made the
+best of my way home for fear of being knocked
+on the head, when out of the house, by the
+rabble, who looked on me as the cause of all
+this mischief, and did not return to that house
+again till I thought this affair was forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a very good harbour; but the entrance
+is very dangerous for those who are unacquainted
+with it, as the tides are so extremely rapid, and
+there are sunken rocks in the mid-channel.
+The island is above seventy leagues round;
+and the body of it lies in about 40° 20'
+south, and is the most southern settlement the
+Spaniards have in these seas. Their summer is
+of no long duration, and most of the year round
+they have hard gales of wind and much rain.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>
+Opposite the island, upon the Cordilleras, there
+is a volcano, which, at times, burns with great
+fury, and is subject to violent eruptions. One
+of these alarmed the whole island, whilst we
+were here: it sounded in the night like great
+guns. In the morning, the governor mounted
+his horse, and rode backwards and forwards from
+his house to the earthen fort, saying it was the
+English coming in, but that he would give
+them a warm reception; meaning, I suppose,
+that he would have left them a good fire in his
+house; for I am certain he would soon have
+been in the woods, if he had seen any thing like
+an English ship coming in.</p>
+
+<p>Women of the first fashion here seldom wear
+shoes or stockings in the house, but only keep
+them to wear upon particular occasions. I have
+often seen them coming to the church, which
+stood opposite to the governor's house, barelegged,
+walking through mud and water; and
+at the church door put on their shoes and
+stockings, and pull them off again when they
+came out. Though they are in general hand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>some,
+and have good complexions, yet many of
+them paint in so ridiculous a manner, that it is
+impossible to help laughing in their faces when
+you see them. The governor we found here
+was a native of Chili. The government, which
+is appointed by that presidency, is for three
+years; which appears to be a long banishment
+to them, as their appointments are but small,
+though they make the most of it. The towns
+of Castro and Chaco, consist only of scattered
+houses, without a regular street; though both
+have their places or squares, as almost all
+Spanish towns have. Chaco is very thinly
+inhabited, excepting at the time the Lima ship
+arrives; then they flock thither from all parts
+of the island, to purchase what little matters
+they want; and as soon as that is done, retire
+to their estancias, or farms. It was about the
+middle of December this ship came in; and
+the second of January, 1742-3, we embarked
+on board of her. She was bound to Valparaiso.
+We got out to sea with some difficulty, having
+been driven by the strength of the tide very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>
+near those sunken rocks mentioned before. We
+found a great sea without; and as the ship was
+as deep as any laden collier, her decks were continually
+well washed. She was a fine vessel, of
+about two hundred and fifty tons. The timber
+the ships of this country are built of is excellent,
+as they last a prodigious time; for they assured
+us that the vessel we were then in had been built
+above forty years. The captain was a Spaniard,
+and knew not the least of sea affairs; the second
+captain, or master, the boatswain, and his mate,
+were all three Frenchmen, and very good seamen;
+the pilot was a Mulatto, and all the rest
+of the crew were Indians and Negroes. The
+latter were all slaves and stout fellows; but never
+suffered to go aloft, lest they should fall overboard,
+and the owners lose so much money
+by it. The Indians were active, brisk men, and
+very good seamen for that climate. We had on
+board the head of the jesuits as passenger. He
+and Captain Cheap were admitted into the great
+cabin, and messed with the captain and his
+chaplain. As for us, we were obliged to rough it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>
+the whole passage; that is, when we were tired
+we lay down upon the quarter-deck, in the open
+air, and slept as well as we could; but that was
+nothing to us, who had been used to fare so
+much worse. We lived well, eating with the
+master and boatswain, who always had their
+meals upon the quarter-deck, and drank brandy
+at them as we do small beer; and all the rest
+of the day were smoking cigars.</p>
+
+<p>The fifth day we made the land four or five
+leagues to the southward of Valparaiso; and
+soon after falling calm, a great western swell
+hurried us in very fast towards the shore. We
+dropped the lead several times, but had such
+deep water we could not anchor. They were
+all much alarmed, when the jesuit came out of
+the cabin for the first time, having been sea-sick
+the whole passage. As soon as he was informed
+of the danger, he went back into the cabin, and
+brought out the image of some saint, which he
+desired might be hung up in the mizen-shrouds;
+which being done, he kept threatening it, that
+if we had not a breeze of wind soon, he would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>
+certainly throw it overboard. Soon after, we
+had a little wind from off the land, when the
+jesuit carried the image back with an air of
+great triumph, saying he was certain that we
+should not be without wind long, though he
+had given himself over for lost some time before
+it came. Next morning we anchored in the
+port of Valparaiso. In that part which is
+opposite to the fort, ships lay so near the land,
+that they have generally three anchors ashore,
+as there is eight or ten fathom close to; and
+the flaws come off the hills with such violence,
+that if it was not for this method of securing
+them, they would be blown out. This is only
+in summer time, for in the winter months no
+ships ever attempt to come in here; the northerly
+winds then prevail, and drive in such a sea
+that they must soon be ashore. The Spanish
+captain waited upon the governor of the fort,
+and informed him that he had four English
+prisoners on board. We were ordered ashore
+in the afternoon, and were received as we got
+upon the beach, by a file of soldiers, with their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+bayonets fixed, who surrounded us, and then
+marched up to the fort, attended by a numerous
+mob. We were carried before the governor,
+whose house was full of officers. He was
+blind, asked a few questions, and then spoke
+of nothing but the strength of the garrison he
+commanded, and desired to know if we had
+observed that all the lower battery was brass
+guns. We were immediately after, by his
+order, put into the condemned hole. There
+was nothing but four bare walls, excepting a
+heap of lime that filled one third of it, and
+made the place swarm with fleas in such a
+manner that we were presently covered with
+them. Some of Admiral Pizarro's soldiers were
+here in garrison that had been landed from his
+ships at Buenos Ayres, as he could not get
+round Cape Horn. A centinel's box was placed
+at our door, and we had always a soldier with
+his bayonet fixed, to prevent our stirring out.
+The curiosity of the people was such, that our
+prison was continually full from morning till
+night, by which the soldiers made a pretty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>
+penny, as they took money from every person
+for the sight. In a few days, Captain Cheap
+and Mr. Hamilton were ordered up to St. Jago,
+as they were known to be officers by having
+saved their commissions; but Mr. Campbell
+and I were to continue in prison. Captain
+Cheap expressed great concern when he left
+us; he told me it was what he had all along
+dreaded, that they would separate us when we
+got into this country; but he assured me, if he
+was permitted to speak to the president, that
+he would never leave soliciting him till he
+obtained a grant for me to be sent up to him.
+No sooner were they gone than we fared very
+badly. A common soldier, who was ordered to
+provide for us by the governor, brought us
+each, once a day, a few potatoes mixed with
+hot water. The other soldiers of the garrison,
+as well as the people who flocked to see us,
+took notice of it, and told the soldier it was
+cruel to treat us in that manner. His answer
+was, "The governor allows me but half a real
+a day for each of these men; what can I do?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
+It is he that is to blame: I am shocked every
+time I bring them this scanty pittance, though
+even that could not be provided for the money
+he gives them." We from this time lived
+much better, and the soldier brought us even
+wine and fruit. We took it for granted, that
+our case had been represented to the governor,
+and that he had increased our pay. As to the
+first, we were right in our conjectures; it had
+been mentioned to him, that it was impossible
+we could subsist on what he allowed; and his
+answer to it was, that we might starve; for we
+should have no more from him, and that he
+believed he should never be repaid even that.
+This charitable speech of the governor was
+made known every where, and now almost
+every one who came to see us gave us something;
+even the mule-drivers would take out
+their tobacco pouch, in which they kept their
+money, and give us half a real. All this we
+would have given to our soldier, but he never
+would receive a farthing from us, telling us we
+might still want it; and the whole time we were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>
+there, which was some weeks, he laid aside
+half his daily pay to supply us, though he had
+a wife and six children, and never could have
+the least hope or expectation of any recompence.
+However, two years after this, I had the singular
+pleasure of making him some return,
+when my circumstances were much better than
+his. One night, when we were locked up,
+there happened a dreadful shock of an earthquake.
+We expected, every moment, the roof
+and walls of our prison to fall in upon us, and
+crush us to pieces; and what added to the
+horror of it was, the noise of chains and imprecations
+in the next prison which joined to ours,
+where there were near seventy felons heavily
+loaded with irons, who are kept here to work
+upon the fortifications, as in other countries
+they are condemned to the gallies. A few days
+after this, we were told an order was come from
+the president to the governor to send us up to
+St. Jago, which is ninety miles from Valparaiso,
+and is the capital of Chili. There were
+at this time several ships in the port from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>
+Lima delivering their cargoes; so that almost
+every day there were large droves of mules
+going up to St. Jago with the goods. The
+governor sent for one of the master-carriers,
+and ordered him to take us up with him. The
+man asked him how he was to be paid our
+expences, as he should be five days upon the
+road. The governor told him he might get that
+as he could, for he would not advance him a
+single farthing. After taking leave of our
+friendly soldier, who even now brought us some
+little matters to carry with us, we set out, and
+travelled about fourteen miles the first day, and
+lay at night in the open field, which is always
+the custom of these people, stopping where
+there is plenty of pasture and good water for
+the mules. The next morning we passed over
+a high mountain, called Zapata; and then
+crossing a large plain, we passed another mountain,
+very difficult for the mules, who each
+carried two heavy bales: there were above a
+hundred of them in this drove. The mules of
+Chili are the finest in the world; and though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span>
+they are continually upon the road, and have
+nothing but what they pick up at nights, they
+are as fat and sleek as high-fed horses in
+England. The fourth night we lay upon a
+plain in sight of St. Jago, and not above four
+leagues from it. The next day, as we moved
+towards the city, our master-carrier, who was
+naturally well disposed, and had been very kind
+to us all the way upon the road, advised me,
+very seriously, not to think of remaining in
+St. Jago, where he said there was nothing but
+extravagance, vice, and folly, but to proceed on
+with them as mule-driver, which, he said, I
+should soon be very expert at; and that they
+led an innocent and happy life, far preferable
+to any enjoyment such a great city as that
+before us could afford. I thanked him, and
+told him I was very much obliged to him; but
+that I would try the city first, and if I did not
+like it, I would accept of the offer he was so
+good to make me. The thing that gave him
+this high opinion of me was, that as he had
+been so civil to us, I was very officious in assist<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>ing
+to drive in those mules that strayed from
+the rest upon those large plains we passed over;
+and this I thought was the least I could do
+towards making some returns for the obligations
+we were under to him.</p>
+
+<p>When we got into St. Jago, the carrier delivered
+us to the captain of the guard, at the
+palace gate; and he soon after introduced us to
+the president, Don Joseph Manso, who received
+us very civilly, and then sent us to the house
+where Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were.
+We found them extremely well lodged at the
+house of a Scotch physician, whose name was
+Don Patricio Gedd. This gentleman had been
+a long time in this city, and was greatly
+esteemed by the Spaniards, as well for his
+abilities in his profession, as his humane disposition.
+He no sooner heard that there were
+four English prisoners arrived in that country,
+than he waited upon the president, and begged
+they might be lodged at his house. This was
+granted; and had we been his own brothers,
+we could not have met with a more friendly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>
+reception; and during two years that we were
+with him, his constant study was to make every
+thing as agreeable to us as possible. We
+were greatly distressed to think of the expence
+he was at upon our account; but it was in vain
+for us to argue with him about it. In short,
+to sum up his character in a few words, there
+never was a man of more extensive humanity.
+Two or three days after our arrival, the president
+sent Mr. Campbell and me an invitation
+to dine with him, where we were to meet
+Admiral Pizarro and his officers. This was a
+cruel stroke upon us, as we had not any clothes
+fit to appear in, and dared not refuse the invitation.
+The next day, a Spanish officer belonging
+to Admiral Pizarro's squadron, whose name
+was Don Manuel de Guiror, came and made us
+an offer of two thousand dollars. This generous
+Spaniard made this offer without any view
+of ever being repaid, but purely out of a compassionate
+motive of relieving us in our present
+distress. We returned him all the acknowledgments
+his uncommon generous behaviour<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span>
+merited, and accepted of six hundred dollars
+only, upon his receiving our draught for that
+sum upon the English consul at Lisbon. We
+now got ourselves decently clothed after the
+Spanish fashion; and as we were upon our
+parole, we went out where we pleased to divert
+ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>This city is situated about 33 degrees and 30
+minutes, south latitude, at the west foot of the
+immense chain of mountains called the Cordilleras.
+It stands on a most beautiful plain of
+about thirty leagues extent. It was founded by
+Don Pedro de Baldivia, the conqueror of Chili.
+The plan of it was marked out by him in
+squares, like Lima; and almost every house
+belonging to people of any fashion, has a large
+court before it, with great gates, and a garden
+behind. There is a little rivulet, neatly faced
+with stone, runs through every street; by which
+they can cool the streets, or water their gardens,
+when they please. The whole town is extremely
+well paved. Their gardens are full of noble
+orange-trees and floripondies, with all sorts of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
+flowers, which perfume the houses, and even
+the whole city. Much about the middle of it, is
+the great square, called the Plaça Real, or the
+Royal Square; there are eight avenues leading
+into it. The west side contains the cathedral
+and the bishop's palace; the north side is the
+president's palace, the royal court, the council
+house, and the prison; the south side is a row
+of piazzas, the whole length of which are shops,
+and over it a gallery to see the bull-feasts; the
+east side has some large houses belonging to
+people of distinction; and in the middle is a
+large fountain, with a brass bason. The houses
+have, in general, only a ground floor, upon
+account of the frequent earthquakes; but they
+make a handsome appearance. The churches
+are rich in gilding as well as in plate: that of
+the jesuits is reckoned an exceeding good piece
+of architecture; but it is too high built for a
+country so subject to earthquakes, and where
+it has frequently happened that thousands of
+people have been swallowed up at once. There
+is a hill, or rather high rock, at the east end<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>
+of the city, called St. Lucia, from the top of
+which you have a view of all the city, and the
+country about for many leagues, affording a
+very delightful landscape. Their estancias, or
+country houses, are very pleasant, having generally
+a fine grove of olive trees, with large vineyards
+to them. The Chili wine, in my opinion,
+is full as good as Madeira, and made in such
+quantities that it is sold extremely cheap. The
+soil of this country is so fertile, that the husbandmen
+have very little trouble; for they do
+but in a manner scratch up the ground, and
+without any kind of manure it yields an hundred
+fold. Without doubt the wheat of Chili
+is the finest in the world, and the fruits are all
+excellent in their kinds. Beef and mutton are
+so cheap, that you may have a good cow for
+three dollars, and a fat sheep for two shillings.
+Their horses are extraordinary good; and though
+some of them go at a great price, you may have
+a very good one for four dollars, or about
+eighteen shillings of our money. It must be a
+very poor Indian who has not his four or five<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>
+horses; and there are no better horsemen in the
+world than the Chileans; and that is not surprising,
+for they never choose to go a hundred
+yards on foot. They have always their laço
+fixed to their saddle: the laço is a long thong
+of leather, at the end of which they make a
+sliding noose. It is of more general use to
+them than any weapon whatever; for with this
+they are sure of catching either horse or wild
+bull, upon full gallop, by any foot they please.
+Their horses are all trained to this, and the
+moment they find the thong straitened, as the
+other end is always made fast to the saddle, the
+horse immediately turns short, and throwing
+the beast thus caught, the huntsman wounds
+or secures him in what manner he may think
+proper. These people are so dexterous, that
+they will take from the ground a glove or
+handkerchief, while their horse is upon full
+stretch; and I have seen them jump upon the
+back of the wildest bull, and all the efforts of
+the beast could not throw them. This country
+produces all sorts of metals; it is famous for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>
+gold, silver, iron, tin, lead, and quicksilver,
+but some of these they do not understand
+working, especially quicksilver. With copper
+they supply all Peru, and send, likewise,
+a great deal to Europe. The climate of Chili
+is, I believe, the finest in the world. What
+they call their winter does not last three
+months; and even that is very moderate, as
+may be imagined by their manner of building,
+for they have no chimneys in their houses. All
+the rest of the year is delightful; for though
+from ten or eleven in the morning till five in
+the afternoon, it is very hot, yet the evenings
+and mornings are very cool and pleasant; and
+in the hottest time of the year, it is from six in
+the evening till two or three in the morning,
+that the people of this country meet to divert
+themselves with music and other entertainments,
+at which there is plenty of cooling
+liquors, as they are well supplied with ice from
+the neighbouring Cordilleras. At these assemblies,
+many intrigues are carried on; for they
+think of nothing else throughout the year.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>
+Their fandangoes are very agreeable; the women
+dance inimitably well, and very gracefully.
+They are all born with an ear for music, and
+most of them have delightful voices; and all
+play upon the guitar and harp. The latter,
+at first, appears a very aukward instrument for
+a woman; yet that prejudice is soon got over,
+and they far excel any other nation upon it.
+They are extremely complaisant and polite;
+and when asked either to play, dance, or sing,
+they do it without a moment's hesitation, and
+that with an exceeding good grace. They have
+many figure-dances; but what they take most
+delight in, are more like our hornpipes than
+any thing else I can compare them to; and
+upon these occasions they shew surprising activity.
+The women are remarkably handsome,
+and very extravagant in their dress. Their
+hair, which is as thick as is possible to be
+conceived, they wear of a vast length, without
+any other ornament upon the head than a few
+flowers; they plait it behind in four plaits, and
+twist them round a bodkin, at each end of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>
+which is a diamond rose. Their shifts are all
+over lace, as is a little tight waistcoat they
+wear over them. Their petticoats are open
+before, and lap over, and have commonly three
+rows of very rich lace of gold or silver. In
+winter they have an upper waistcoat of cloth
+of gold or silver; and in summer, of the finest
+linen, covered all over with the finest Flanders
+lace. The sleeves of these are immensely wide.
+Over all this, when the air is cool, they have a
+mantle, which is only of bays, of the finest
+colours, round which there is abundance of lace.
+When they go abroad, they wear a veil, which
+is so contrived that one eye is only seen. Their
+feet are very small, and they value themselves as
+much upon it as the Chinese do. Their shoes are
+pinked and cut; their stockings silk, with gold
+and silver clocks; and they love to have the
+end of an embroidered garter hang a little
+below the petticoat. They have fine sparkling
+eyes, ready wit, a great deal of good nature,
+and a strong disposition to gallantry.</p>
+
+<p>By the description of one house you have an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>
+idea of all the rest. You first come into a large
+court, on one side of which is the stable: you then
+enter a hall; on one side of that is a large room,
+about twenty feet wide, and near forty feet long;
+the side next the window is the estrado, which
+runs the whole length of the room. The estrado
+is a platform, raised about five or six inches
+above the floor, and is covered with carpets and
+velvet cushions for the women to sit on, which
+they do after the Moorish fashion, cross-legged.
+The chairs for the men are covered with printed
+leather. At the end of the estrado, there is an
+alcove, where the bed stands; and there is always
+a vast deal of the sheets hanging out, with a
+profusion of lace to them, and the same on the
+pillows. They have a false door to the alcove,
+which sometimes is very convenient. Besides,
+there are generally two other rooms, one within
+another; and the kitchen and other offices are
+detached from the house, either at one side or
+the end of the garden.</p>
+
+<p>The ladies are fond of having their Mulatto
+female slaves dressed almost as well as them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span>selves
+in every respect, excepting jewels, in
+which they indulge themselves to the utmost
+extravagance. Paraguay tea, which they call
+Matte, as I mentioned before, is always drunk
+twice a-day: this is brought upon a large silver
+salver, with four legs raised upon it, to receive a
+little cup made out of a small calabash, or gourd,
+and tipped with silver. They put the herb first
+into this, and add what sugar they please, and
+a little orange juice; and then pour hot water on
+them, and drink it immediately, through the
+conveyance of a long silver tube, at the end of
+which there is a round strainer, to prevent the
+herb getting through. And here it is reckoned
+a piece of politeness for the lady to suck the
+tube two or three times first, and then give it
+the stranger to drink without wiping it.</p>
+
+<p>They eat every thing so highly seasoned with
+red pepper, that those who are not used to it,
+upon the first mouthful would imagine their
+throats on fire for an hour afterwards; and it is
+a common custom here, though you have the
+greatest plenty at your own table, to have two or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
+three Mulatto girls come in at the time you dine,
+bringing, in a little silver plate, some of these
+high-seasoned ragouts, with a compliment from
+Donna such-a-one, who desires you will eat a
+little bit of what she has sent you; which must
+be done before her Mulatto's face, or it would
+be deemed a great affront. Had this been the
+fashion at Chiloe, we should never have offended;
+but sometimes here we could have wished this
+ceremony omitted.</p>
+
+<p>The president never asked any of us a second
+time to his table. He expected us once a fortnight
+to be at his levee, which we never failed;
+and he always received us very politely. He
+was a man of a very amiable character, and
+much respected by every body in Chili, and some
+time after we left that country, was appointed
+viceroy of Peru.</p>
+
+<p>We had leave, whenever we asked it, to make
+an excursion into the country for ten or twelve
+days at a time; which we did sometimes to a
+very pleasant spot belonging to Don Joseph
+Dunose, a French gentleman, and a very sensi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span>ble,
+well-bred man, who had married a very
+agreeable lady at St. Jago, with a very good
+fortune. We also sometimes had invitations
+from the Spaniards to their country-houses.
+We had a numerous acquaintance in the city,
+and in general received many civilities from the
+inhabitants. There are a great many people of
+fashion, and very good families from Old Spain
+settled here. A lady lived next door to us,
+whose name was Donna Francisca Giron; and as
+my name sounded something like it, she would
+have it that we were Parientes. She had a
+daughter, a very fine young woman, who both
+played and sung remarkably well: she was
+reckoned the finest voice in St. Jago. They saw
+a great deal of company, and we were welcome
+to her house whenever we pleased. We were a
+long time in this country, but we passed it very
+agreeably. The president alone goes with four
+horses to his coach; but the common vehicle
+here is a calash, or kind of vis-à-vis, drawn by
+one mule only. Bull-feasts are a common diversion
+here, and they far surpass anything of that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span>
+kind I ever saw at Lisbon, or any where else.
+Indeed, it is amazing to see the activity and
+dexterity of those who attack the bulls. It is
+always done here by those only who follow it as
+a trade, for it is too dangerous to be practised as a
+diversion; as a proof of which, it is found that
+though some may hold out longer than others,
+there are few who constantly practice it, that die a
+natural death. The bulls are always the wildest
+that can be brought in from the mountains or forests,
+and have nothing on their horns to prevent
+their piercing a man the first stroke, as they have
+at Lisbon. I have seen a man, when the bull came
+at him with the utmost fury, spring directly over
+the beast's head, and perform this feat several
+times, and at last jump on his back, and there
+sit a considerable time, the bull the whole time
+attempting every means to throw him. But
+though this practitioner was successful, several
+accidents happened while I was there. The
+ladies, at these feasts, are always dressed as fine
+as possible; and, I imagine, go rather to be
+admired than to receive any amusement from a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>
+sight that one should think would give them
+pain. Another amusement for the ladies here,
+are the nights of their great processions, when
+they go out veiled; and as in that dress they
+cannot be known, they amuse themselves in
+talking to people much in the manner that is
+done at our masquerades. One night in Lent,
+as I was standing close to the houses as the procession
+went by, and having nothing but a thin
+waistcoat on under my cloak, and happening to
+have my arm out, a lady came by, and gave me
+a pinch with so good a will, that I thought she
+had taken the piece out; and, indeed, I carried
+the marks for a long time after. I durst not
+take the least notice of this at the time; for had
+I made any disturbance, I should have been
+knocked on the head. This kind lady immediately
+after mixed with the crowd, and I never
+could find out who had done me that favour. I
+have seen fifty or sixty penitents following these
+processions; they wear a long white garment
+with a long train to it, and high caps of the
+same, which fall down before, and cover all their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>
+faces, having only two small holes for their eyes;
+so that they are never known. Their backs are
+bare, and they lash themselves with a cat-o'-nine-tails
+till the long train behind is covered all
+over with blood. Others follow them with great
+heavy crosses upon their backs; so that they
+groan under the weight as they walk barefooted,
+and often faint away. The streets swarm with
+friars of all the different orders. The president
+has always a guard at his palace regularly
+clothed. The rest of their forces consists of
+militia, who are numerous.</p>
+
+<p>All European goods are very dear. English
+cloth, of fourteen or fifteen shillings a yard, sells
+there for ten or eleven dollars; and every other
+article in proportion. We found many Spaniards
+here that had been taken by Commodore
+Anson, and had been for some time prisoners on
+board the Centurion. They all spoke in the
+highest terms of the kind treatment they had
+received; and it is natural to imagine, that it
+was chiefly owing to that laudable example of
+humanity, our reception here was so good. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span>
+had never had anything but privateers and buccaneers
+amongst them before, who handled their
+prisoners very roughly; so that the Spaniards in
+general, both of Peru and Chili, had the greatest
+dread of being taken by the English; but some
+of them told us, that they were so happy on
+board the Centurion, that they should not have
+been sorry if the Commodore had taken them
+with him to England. After we had been here
+some time, Mr. Campbell changed his religion,
+and of course left us. At the end of two
+years, the president sent for us, and informed us
+a French ship from Lima, bound to Spain, had
+put into Valparaiso, and that we should embark
+in her. After taking leave of our good friend
+Mr. Gedd, and all our acquaintance at St. Jago,
+we set out for Valparaiso, mules and a guide
+being provided for us. I had forgot to say before,
+that Captain Cheap had been allowed by the
+president six reals a day, and we had four for
+our maintenance the whole time we were at St.
+Jago, which money we took up as we wanted it.
+Our journey back was much pleasanter than we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>
+found it when we were first brought hither, as
+we had now no mules to drive. The first person
+I met, upon our entrance into Valparaiso, was
+the poor soldier whom I mentioned to have been
+so kind to us when we were imprisoned in the
+fort. I now made him a little present, which,
+as it came quite unexpected, made him very
+happy. We took lodgings till the ship was ready
+to sail, and diverted ourselves as we pleased,
+having the good fortune, at this time, to have
+nothing to do with the governor or his fort.
+The town is but a poor little place; there are,
+indeed, a good many storehouses built by the
+water side for the reception of goods from the
+shipping.</p>
+
+<p>About the 20th of December, 1744, we embarked
+on board the Lys frigate, belonging to
+St. Malo. She was a ship of four hundred and
+twenty tons, sixteen guns, and sixty men. She
+had several passengers on board; and amongst
+the rest, Don George Juan, a man of very superior
+abilities, (and since that time well known in
+England) who, with Don Antonio Ulloa, had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>
+been several years in Peru, upon a design of measuring
+some degrees of the meridian near the
+equator. We were now bound to Conception,
+in order to join three other French ships that
+were likewise bound home. As this was a time
+of the year when the southerly winds prevail
+upon this coast, we stood off a long way to the
+westward, making the island of Juan Fernandez.
+We did not get into the bay of Conception till
+the 6th of January, 1745, where we anchored at
+Talcaguana, and there found the Louis Erasme,
+the Marquis d'Antin, and the Delivrance, the
+three French ships that we were to accompany.
+It is but sixty leagues from Valparaiso to Conception,
+though we had been so long making
+this passage; but there is no beating up, near
+the shore, against the southerly wind, which is
+the trade at this season, as you are sure to have
+a lee-current; so that the quickest way of
+making a passage is to stand off a hundred
+and twenty or thirty leagues from the land.</p>
+
+<p>The bay of Conception is a large, fine bay;
+but there are several shoals in it, and only two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>
+good anchoring-places, though a ship may anchor
+within a quarter of a league of the town;
+but this only in the very fine months, as you lay
+much exposed. The best anchoring-place is
+Talcaguana, the southernmost neck of the bay,
+in five or six fathom water, good holding
+ground, and where you are sheltered from the
+northerly winds. The town has no other defence
+than a low battery, which only commands
+the anchoring-place before it. The country is
+extremely pleasant, and affords the greatest
+plenty of provisions of all kinds. In some
+excursions we made daily from Talcaguana,
+we saw great numbers of very large snakes;
+but we were told they were quite harmless. I
+have read some former accounts of Chili, by
+the jesuits, wherein they tell you that no venomous
+creature is to be found in it, and that they
+even made the experiment of bringing bugs
+here, which died immediately; but I never was
+in any place that swarmed with them so much
+as St. Jago; and they have a large spider
+there, whose bite is so venomous, that I have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span>
+seen from it some of the most shocking sights
+I ever saw in my life; and it certainly proves
+mortal if proper remedies are not applied in
+time. I was once bit by one on the cheek,
+whilst asleep, and, presently after, all that part
+of my face turned as black as ink. I was cured
+by the application of a bluish kind of stone
+(the same, perhaps, they call the serpent-stone
+in the East Indies, and which is a composition).
+The stone stuck, for some time, of itself on my
+face, and dropping off, was put into milk till it
+had digested the poison it had extracted, and
+then applied again till the pain abated, and I
+was soon afterwards well. Whilst the ships
+remained at Conception, the people were employed
+in killing cattle and salting them for
+the voyage; and every ship took on board as
+many bullocks and sheep as their decks could
+well hold; and having completed their business
+here, they sailed the 27th of January; but
+about eight days after our ship sprung a very
+dangerous leak forward; but so low, that there
+was no possibility of stopping it without return<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>ing
+into port, and lightening her till they could
+come at it. Accordingly we separated from
+the other ships, and made the best of our way
+for Valparaiso, keeping all hands at the pump
+night and day, passengers and all. However,
+as it happened, this proved a lucky circumstance
+for the Lys, as the three other ships were
+taken; and this certainly would have been
+her fate likewise, had she kept company with
+the rest. As soon as we got into port, they
+lightened the ship forwards, and brought her
+by the stern till they came at the leak, which
+was soon stopped. They made all the dispatch
+possible in completing the water again. Whilst
+at Valparaiso, we had one of the most violent
+shocks of an earthquake that we had ever felt
+yet. On the first of March we put to sea again,
+the season being already far advanced for passing
+Cape Horn. The next day we went to an
+allowance of a quart of water a day for each
+man, which continued the whole passage.
+We were obliged to stand a long way to the
+westward; and went to the northward of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>
+Juan Fernandez above a degree, before we had
+a wind that we could make any southing with.
+On the 25th, in the latitude of 46 degrees, we
+met with a violent hard gale at west, which
+obliged us to lie to under a reefed mainsail for
+some days; and before we got round the Cape,
+we had many very hard gales, with a prodigious
+sea and constant thick snow; and after being
+so long in so delightful a climate as Chili, the
+cold was almost insupportable. After doubling
+the Cape, we got but slowly to the northward;
+and, indeed, at the best of times, the ship never
+went above six knots; for she was a heavy-going
+thing. On the 27th of May we crossed
+the line; when finding that our water was
+grown extremely short, and that it would be
+almost impossible to reach Europe without a
+supply, it was resolved to bear away for Martinico.
+On the 29th of June, in the morning,
+we made the Island of Tobago, and then shaped
+a course for Martinico; and on the first of
+July, by our reckonings, expected to see it, but
+were disappointed. This was imputed to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>
+currents, which, whether they had set the ship
+to the eastward or westward, nobody could tell;
+but upon looking over the charts, it was imagined,
+if the current had driven her to the
+westward, it must have been among the Granadillos,
+which was thought impossible without
+seeing any of them, as they are so near together,
+and a most dangerous place for rocks. It was
+then concluded we were to the eastward, and
+accordingly we steered S.W. by W., but having
+run this course for above thirty leagues, and no
+land appearing, it was resolved to stand to the
+northward till we should gain the latitude of
+Porto Rico, and on the 4th in the evening we
+made that island; so that it was now certain
+the ship had been hustled through the Granadillos
+in the night, which was, without doubt,
+as extraordinary a passage as ever ship made.
+It was now resolved to go between the islands
+of Porto Rico and St. Domingo for Cape François,
+therefore we lay to that night. In the
+morning, we made sail along shore; and about
+ten o'clock, as I was walking the quarter-deck,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>
+Captain Cheap came out of the cabin, and told
+me he had just seen a beef-barrel go by the
+ship; that he was sure it had but lately been
+thrown overboard, and that he would venture
+any wager we saw an English cruizer before
+long. In about half an hour after we saw two
+sail to leeward, from off the quarter-deck; for
+they kept no look out from the mast-head, and
+we presently observed they were in chace of us.
+The French and Spaniards on board now began
+to grow a good deal alarmed, when it fell stark
+calm; but not before the ships had neared us
+so much, that we plainly discerned them to be
+English men of war; the one a two-decker,
+the other a twenty-gun ship. The French had
+now thoughts, when a breeze should spring up,
+of running the ship on shore upon Porto Rico,
+but when they came to consider what a set of
+banditti inhabited that island, and that in all
+probability they would have their throats cut
+for the sake of plundering the wreck, they were
+resolved to take their chance, and stand to the
+northward between the two islands. In the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>
+evening, a fresh breeze sprung up, and we
+shaped a course accordingly. The two ships
+had it presently afterwards, and neared us
+amazingly fast. Now every body on board
+gave themselves up; the officers were busy in
+their cabins, filling their pockets with what was
+most valuable; the men put on their best
+clothes, and many of them came to me with
+little lumps of gold, desiring I would take
+them, as they said they had much rather I
+should benefit by them, whom they were acquainted
+with, than those that chased them.
+I told them there was time enough, though I
+thought they were as surely taken as if the
+English had been already on board. A fine
+moonlight night came on, and we expected
+every moment to see the ships along-side of us;
+but we saw nothing of them in the night, and,
+to our great astonishment, in the morning no
+ships were to be seen even from the mast-head.
+Thus did these two cruizers lose one of the
+richest prizes, by not chasing an hour or two
+longer. There were near two millions of dol<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>lars
+on board, besides a valuable cargo. On the
+eighth, at six in the morning, we were off Cape
+La Grange; and, what is very remarkable,
+the French at Cape François told us afterwards
+that was the only day they ever remembered,
+since the war, that the Cape had been without
+one or two English privateers cruising off it;
+and but the evening before, two of them had
+taken two outward bound St. Domingo men,
+and had gone with them for Jamaica; so that
+this ship might be justly esteemed a most lucky
+one. In the afternoon we came to an anchor
+in Cape François harbour.</p>
+
+<p>In this long run we had not buried a single
+man; nor do I remember that there was one
+sick the whole passage; but at this place
+many were taken ill, and three or four died;
+for there is no part of the West Indies more
+unhealthy than this; yet the country is beautiful,
+and extremely well cultivated. After
+being here some time, the governor ordered
+us to wait upon him, which we did; when
+he took no more notice of us than if we had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span>
+been his slaves, never asking us even to sit
+down.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the end of August, a French squadron
+of five men of war came in, commanded by
+Monsieur L'Etanducre, who were to convoy the
+trade to France. Neither he nor his officers
+ever took any kind of notice of Captain Cheap,
+though we met them every day ashore. One
+evening, as we were going aboard with the
+captain of our ship, a midshipman belonging to
+Monsieur L'Etanducre, jumped into our boat,
+and ordered the people to carry him on board
+the ship he belonged to, leaving us to wait upon
+the beach for two hours before the boat returned.
+On the sixth of September we put to sea, in
+company with the five men of war, and about
+fifty sail of merchant-men. On the eighth we
+made the Cayco Grande; and the next day a
+Jamaica privateer, a large fine sloop, hove in
+sight, keeping a little to windward of the convoy,
+resolving to pick up one or two of them in
+the night, if possible. This obliged Monsieur
+L'Etanducre to send a frigate to speak to all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>
+convoy, and order them to keep close to him in
+the night; which they did, and in such a manner,
+that sometimes seven or eight of them were on
+board one another together; by which they
+received much damage; and to repair which,
+the whole squadron was obliged to lay to sometimes
+for a whole day. The privateer kept her
+station, jogging on with the fleet. At last, the
+commodore ordered two of his best-going ships to
+chase her. She appeared to take no notice of
+them till they were pretty near her, and then
+would make sail and be out of sight presently.
+The chasing ships no sooner returned, than the
+privateer was in company again. As by this
+every night some accident happened to some of
+the convoy by keeping so close together, a fine
+ship of thirty guns, belonging to Marseilles,
+hauled out a little to windward of the rest of the
+fleet; which L'Etanducre perceiving in the morning,
+ordered the frigate to bring the captain of her
+on board of him; and then making a signal for all
+the convoy to close to him, he fired a gun, and
+hoisted a red flag at the ensign staff; and imme<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>diately
+after the captain of the merchant-man
+was run up to the main-yard-arm, and from
+thence ducked three times. He was then sent
+on board his ship again, with orders to keep his
+colours flying the whole day, in order to distinguish
+him from the rest. We were then told,
+that the person who was treated in this cruel
+manner, was a young man of an exceeding good
+family in the south of France, and likewise a
+man of great spirit; and that he would not fail
+to call Monsieur L'Etanducre to account when
+an opportunity should offer; and the affair made
+much noise in France afterwards. One day, the
+ship we were in happened to be out of her station,
+by sailing so heavily, when the commodore
+made the signal to speak to our captain, who
+seemed frightened out of his wits. When we
+came near him, he began with the grossest
+abuse, threatening our captain, that if ever he
+was out of his station again, he would serve him
+as he had done the other. This rigid discipline,
+however, preserved the convoy; for though the
+privateer kept company a long time, she was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span>
+not so fortunate as to meet with the reward of
+her perseverance.</p>
+
+<p>On the 27th of October, in the evening, we
+made Cape Ortegal; and on the 31st, came to
+an anchor in Brest road. The Lys having so
+valuable a cargo on board, was towed into the
+harbour the next morning, and lashed alongside
+one of their men of war. The money was soon
+landed; and the officers and men, who had been
+so many years absent from their native country,
+were glad to get on shore. Nobody remained
+on board but a man or two to look after the
+ship, and we three English prisoners who had
+no leave to go ashore. The weather was extremely
+cold, and felt particularly so to us, who
+had been so long used to hot climates; and what
+made it still worse, we were very thinly clad.
+We had neither fire nor candle; for they were
+allowed on board of no ship in the harbour, for
+fear of accidents, being close to their magazines
+in the dock-yard. Some of the officers belonging
+to the ship were so kind to send us off victuals
+every day, or we might have starved; for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>
+Monsieur L'Intendant never sent us even a
+message; and though there was a very large
+squadron of men of war fitting out at that time,
+not one officer belonging to them ever came near
+Captain Cheap. From five in the evening we
+were obliged to sit in the dark; and if we chose
+to have any supper, it was necessary to place it
+very near us before that time, or we never could
+have found it. We had passed seven or eight
+days in this melancholy manner, when one
+morning a kind of row-galley came alongside,
+with a number of English prisoners belonging to
+two large privateers the French had taken. We
+were ordered into the same boat with them, and
+were carried four leagues up the river to Landernaw.
+At this town we were upon our parole; so
+took the best lodgings we could get, and lived
+very well for three months, when an order came
+from the court of Spain to allow us to return
+home by the first ship that offered. Upon this,
+hearing there was a Dutch ship at Morlaix
+ready to sail, we took horses and travelled to
+that town, where we were obliged to remain six<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>
+weeks, before we had an opportunity of getting
+away. At last we agreed with the master of a
+Dutch dogger to land us at Dover, and paid him
+beforehand. When we had got down the river
+into the road, a French privateer that was almost
+ready to sail upon a cruize, hailed the Dutchman,
+and told him to come to an anchor; and
+that if he offered to sail before him, he would
+sink him. This he was forced to comply with,
+and lay three days in the road, cursing the
+Frenchman, who at the end of that time put to
+sea, and then we were at liberty to do the same.
+We had a long uncomfortable passage. About
+the ninth day, before sunset, we saw Dover, and
+reminded the Dutchman of his agreement to
+land us there. He said he would; but instead
+of that, in the morning we were off the coast of
+France. We complained loudly of this piece of
+villany, and insisted upon his returning to land
+us, when an English man of war appeared to
+windward, and presently bore down to us. She
+sent her boat on board with an officer, who informed
+us the ship he came from was the Squir<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>rel,
+commanded by Captain Masterson. We
+went on board of her, and Captain Masterson
+immediately sent one of the cutters he had with
+him, to land us at Dover, where we arrived that
+afternoon, and directly set out for Canterbury
+upon post-horses; but Captain Cheap was so
+tired by the time he got there, that he could
+proceed no further that night. The next morning
+he still found himself so much fatigued, that
+he could ride no longer; therefore it was agreed
+that he and Mr. Hamilton should take a post-chaise,
+and that I should ride; but here an unlucky
+difficulty was started; for upon sharing
+the little money we had, it was found to be not
+sufficient to pay the charges to London; and my
+proportion fell so short, that it was, by calculation,
+barely enough to pay for horses, without a
+farthing for eating a bit upon the road, or even
+for the very turnpikes. Those I was obliged to
+defraud, by riding as hard as I could through
+them all, not paying the least regard to the men,
+who called out to stop me. The want of refreshment
+I bore as well as I could. When I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span>
+got to the Borough, I took a coach and drove
+to Marlborough-street, where my friends had
+lived when I left England; but when I came
+there, I found the house shut up. Having been
+absent so many years, and in all that time never
+having heard a word from home, I knew not
+who was dead or who was living, or where to go
+next; or even how to pay the coachman. I
+recollected a linen-draper's shop, not far from
+thence, which our family had used. I therefore
+drove there next, and making myself known,
+they paid the coachman. I then enquired after
+our family, and was told my sister had married
+Lord Carlisle, and was at that time in Soho-square.
+I immediately walked to the house,
+and knocked at the door; but the porter not
+liking my figure, which was half French, half
+Spanish, with the addition of a large pair of
+boots covered with dirt, he was going to shut
+the door in my face; but I prevailed with him
+to let me come in.</p>
+
+<p>I need not acquaint my readers with what
+surprise and joy my sister received me. She<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>
+immediately furnished me with money sufficient
+to appear like the rest of my countrymen; till
+that time I could not be properly said to have
+finished all the extraordinary scenes which a
+series of unfortunate adventures had kept me in
+for the space of five years and upwards.</p>
+
+
+<p class="foot">THE END.</p>
+
+
+<hr class="r15" />
+<p class="footer ">
+LONDON:<br />
+BRADBURY AND EVANS, BOUVERIE-STREET.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="p4">FOOTNOTES:</p>
+<div class="footnote">
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Captain Inglefield's account of the loss of the Centaur,
+(in September, 1782), furnished Byron with many of those
+trivial incidents, which, as the poet well knew, render a
+story, to use Gibbon's words, "circumstancial and animated,"
+instead of "vague and languid;" the "eternal
+difference between fiction and truth." The behaviour of
+the sailors before the sinking of the ship; some lashing
+themselves in their hammocks, some putting on their best
+clothes; the sail made of blankets; the ragged piece of
+sheet with which they caught the rain-water; the words
+used by the man who first saw the land, &amp;c. &amp;c., are all
+faithfully copied or slightly altered from Inglefield.</p>
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_2" id="Footnote_A_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Byron's ship in this expedition was the Dolphin: she
+was the second ship ever coppered in the British navy.</p>
+
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_3" id="Footnote_A_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Captain Cheap has been suspected of a design of going
+on the Spanish coast without the Commodore; but no part
+of his conduct seems to authorise, in the least, such a suspicion.
+The author who brings this heavy charge against
+him, is equally mistaken in imagining that Captain Cheap
+had not instructions to sail to this island, and that the
+Commodore did neither go nor send thither, to inform himself
+if any of the squadron were there. This appears from
+the orders delivered to the captains of the squadron, the
+day before they sailed from St. Catherine's (L. Anson's
+Voyage, B.I.C. 6.); from the orders of the council of
+war held on board the Centurion, in the bay of St. Julian,
+(C. 7.); and from the conduct of the Commodore (C. 10.)
+who cruized (with the utmost hazard) more than a fortnight
+off the isle of Socoro, and along the coast in its
+neighbourhood. It was the second rendezvous at Baldivia,
+and not that at Socoro, that the Commodore was forced by
+necessity to neglect.</p>
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_4" id="Footnote_A_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> Chiloe is an island on the western coast of America,
+about the 43rd deg. of S. latitude; and the southernmost
+settlement under the Spanish jurisdiction on that
+coast.</p>
+
+<p class="noi"><a name="Footnote_A_5" id="Footnote_A_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> There are two very different disorders incident to the
+human body, which bear the same name, derived from
+some resemblance they hold with different parts of the
+animal so well known in the countries to which these disorders
+are peculiar. That which was first so named is the
+leprosy, which brings a scurf on the skin not unlike the
+hide of an elephant. The other affects the patient with
+such enormous swellings of the legs and feet, that they
+give the idea of those shapeless pillars which support that
+creature; and therefore this disease has also been called
+elephantiasis by the Arabian physicians; who, together
+with the Malabarians, among whom it is endemial, attribute
+it to the drinking bad waters, and the too sudden
+transitions from heat to cold.</p></div>
+
+<p class="p4" />
+<div class="transnote">
+
+<p class="center">Transcriber's Notes:<br /><br />
+
+Maintained original spelling, hypenation and punctuation.<br />
+
+Obvious printer errors have been corrected.
+</p></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the
+Wager, by John Byron
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOSS OF THE WAGER ***
+
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+Project Gutenberg's Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the Wager, by John Byron
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the Wager
+
+Author: John Byron
+
+Release Date: November 16, 2013 [EBook #44193]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOSS OF THE WAGER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charlene Taylor, Norbert MA1/4ller and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                           BYRON'S NARRATIVE
+                            OF THE LOSS OF
+                               THE WAGER
+
+                     WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT
+           DISTRESSES SUFFERED BY HIMSELF AND HIS COMPANIONS
+           ON THE COAST OF PATAGONIA FROM THE YEAR 1740 TILL
+                     THEIR ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND 1746
+
+                                LONDON
+                    HENRY LEGGATT & CO 85 CORNHILL
+
+                              MDCCCXXXII
+
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                    PRINTED BY BRADBURY AND EVANS,
+                           BOUVERIE STREET.
+
+
+
+
+                            ADVERTISEMENT.
+
+
+At a time when every thing connected with the name of Byron is regarded
+with such general interest, it is a subject of surprise and regret that
+no popular edition should exist of the Narrative of Commodore Byron.
+Indeed, to procure any copy at all of the work requires some research
+and trouble. To supply this deficiency is the object of the present
+publishers.
+
+To the admirers of the illustrious Poet, the Narrative of the
+sufferings of his grandfather will, on more than one account,
+be acceptable. In the Poems, it is often, whether humorously or
+pathetically, alluded to; for instance, in the mournfully beautiful
+stanzas to his sister, written soon after he left England for the last
+time, he says,
+
+    "A strange doom is thy father's son's, and past
+    Recalling, as it lies beyond redress;
+    Reversed for him _our grandsire's fate_ of yore,
+    He had _no rest at sea_, nor I on shore!"
+
+Again, in a different mood, in Don Juan, after having carried his hero
+through the horrors of a shipwreck, as disastrous and fatal in itself
+and its consequences as his imagination could conceive, he observes--
+
+                      "----for none
+    Had suffered more--his hardships were comparative
+    To those related in my grand-dad's Narrative."
+
+To which passage he appends the following note:--"Admiral Byron was
+remarkable for never making a voyage without a tempest. He was known
+to the sailors by the facetious name of 'foul-weather Jack.'" Indeed,
+to this narrative the poet is indebted for many of the incidents in
+that surpassing description of "the dangers of the sea." The awful
+"whispering" in which, according to the Admiral, the men communicated
+their first horrid thoughts of putting one of their number to death for
+the support of the rest, is admirably preserved and amplified in Don
+Juan:
+
+    "At length one whispered his companion, who
+    Whispered another, and thus it went round,
+    And then into a hoarser murmur grew,
+    An ominous and wild, and desperate sound,
+    And then his comrade's thought each sufferer knew,
+    'Twas but his own, suppressed till now, he found:
+    And out they spoke of lots for flesh and blood,
+    And who should die to be his fellow's food."
+
+The germ of the conception of the cave-scenes, so beautifully described
+in the poem, will also be found here; the fondness of Juan for his
+favourite dog, the voracity with which he devoured the long-withheld
+food, and many other incidents, were suggested by this Narrative.[1]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 1:
+Captain Inglefield's account of the loss of the Centaur, (in
+September, 1782), furnished Byron with many of those trivial incidents,
+which, as the poet well knew, render a story, to use Gibbon's words,
+"circumstancial and animated," instead of "vague and languid;" the
+"eternal difference between fiction and truth." The behaviour of the
+sailors before the sinking of the ship; some lashing themselves in
+their hammocks, some putting on their best clothes; the sail made
+of blankets; the ragged piece of sheet with which they caught the
+rain-water; the words used by the man who first saw the land, &c. &c.,
+are all faithfully copied or slightly altered from Inglefield.]
+
+To those who would study the character of Lord Byron; discover what
+qualities of his nature were derived from his ancestors, and what were
+peculiarly his own; who would trace the effect produced on his writings
+by early tastes, habits, and associations, the narrative will afford
+ample material for observation.
+
+Mr. Moore,--who, in paying to genius that tribute which genius alone
+can fully pay, has shewn how thoroughly he understood the character
+of the poet (a character, perhaps, after all to be _felt_ rather than
+_explained_), how well he appreciated his virtues and the peculiar
+circumstances attendant on genius, which palliate, if they do not
+excuse, his foibles,--remarks, that Lord Byron "strikingly combined,
+in his own nature, some of the best and perhaps worst qualities that
+lie scattered through the various characters of his predecessors;
+the generosity, the love of enterprise, the high-mindedness of some
+of the better spirits of his race, with the irregular passions, the
+eccentricity, and daring recklessness of the world's opinion, that so
+much characterised others." In the character then of the most famous
+of those "better spirits," as exemplified in his own narrative of his
+sufferings and adventures, we may discern the source of many of the
+amiable qualities which descended to and adorned the immortal poet.
+We shall observe in both the same frankness, generosity, affability,
+love of excitement, the same mildness, and unassuming modesty. But
+the contrasts of their characters we shall find even more striking
+than the resemblances. We shall see in the sailor the ease and
+contentedness of spirit arising from its agreement with the sphere
+it moves in--the soul harmonizing with the situation--the man with
+the circumstances--the Supply equivalent to the Demand. We shall see
+in the poet the "high instincts of a creature moving about in worlds
+not realized"--the large expectancies, the high anticipations,
+unfulfilled and unanswered; the discontent, the jarring of a being not
+_at one_ with the place of its existence, panting for something above
+it, aspiring "beyond the fitting medium of desire." We shall see him
+inordinately yearning after affection and happiness, yet enveloped,
+as it were, in a nervous network of sensibility, feelingly alive to
+every the faintest manifestation of slight, neglect, unkindness,--to
+all that causes sorrow and pain: we shall see the co-existence of
+these qualities producing necessarily disappointment and disgust; the
+very capability of enjoying the good, unfitting him for the endurance
+of the ill; the power of imagination heightening the beauties of the
+ideal, the keenness of perception aggravating the defects of the real;
+the consequent struggles for existence in a wounded spirit between
+"feelings unemployed," affections unreturned, and the bitterness
+or apathy they engender--between original benevolence and acquired
+misanthropy. We shall see the sailor habitually yielding himself to
+the guidance and authority of others, unhesitatingly acknowledging,
+and, as a matter of course, complying with, the established relations,
+laws, and customs of society; submitting without repining, question,
+or surprise, to the vicissitudes of fortune; patient of hardship,
+uncomplaining of Circumstance. The poet, from the pride of Mind,
+accustomed ever to decide for itself, to act and reflect always,
+obstinately questioning even Destiny and Fate; bidding haughty
+defiance to their Ruler, or yielding with sullen indifference or
+gloomy repining; if confessing the necessity of compliance, hardly
+resigned. We shall find the sailor sustaining his cheerfulness in
+every situation; the poet, plunging, perhaps from constitutional
+melancholy, into misery; acted upon by that strong attraction, that
+irresistible impulse towards the dark and the sad, that capability,
+strikingly described by himself, of "learning to love despair." We
+shall see throughout the difference between the continual presence and
+the comparative absence of consciousness, that power by which Self,
+rising as it were above itself, makes itself the subject of microscopic
+observation. In the writings especially, of each, we shall observe
+the operations of these opposite properties. The sailor writes on,
+unaware and thoughtless of the effect of what he writes: the poet,
+in his letters particularly, seems to know intuitively the effect on
+others of every word he sets down; he reads their thoughts, he hears
+their remarks as he writes; and this knowledge, so immediate that its
+effects on his style seem almost unintentional, continually modifies
+his expressions, giving the appearance of affectation to what is
+no more than a natural result of his quick perception and extreme
+sensitiveness. In every action, too, of the poet, important or trivial,
+the working of this principle, so hard to be discovered in the sailor,
+is equally evident. He looks always to the effect: nothing seems done
+solely for itself: the love of admiration, of being remarkable, of
+standing alone, however disguised, may almost always be detected.
+Finally, we shall not fail to observe throughout, the contrast
+between the single and the "many-sided" mind; between the ordinary
+and the extraordinary; between the Mortal made immortal by force of
+circumstances; the Immortal, in spite of circumstances, asserting and
+maintaining his inborn immortality.
+
+Yet, enhanced as the interest attaching to this narrative is, by the
+connection of its author with one of the greatest of the master-minds
+of these latter days, it is a work which of itself may well demand
+and obtain our attention and regard. The incidents it relates are
+peculiarly of that complexion which has caused it to be remarked (as
+Byron himself has somewhere) that Fiction, however wonderful, must
+often yield to Truth. It is a striking specimen of the romance of real
+life. The spectacle of a member of an old and noble family, accustomed
+to the comforts and luxuries that attend high birth, reduced to the
+necessity, at one time, of beating his _shirt_ in order to crush the
+vermin it was useless to attempt to get rid of by washing; and at
+another, of making a meal (eagerly, as he himself confesses,) of the
+putrid remains of a favourite dog, is as well calculated to excite the
+curiosity of the observer of mankind as to gratify the taste of the
+reader of romance. And if the extraordinary nature of the incidents
+themselves arouse our wonder, the manner in which they are related will
+insure and fix our sympathy. The simple, unaffected style, slightly
+tinged with the quaintness of old phraseology; the total absence of
+any thing like striving after effect; the apparent unconsciousness of
+the narrator that he must be the object of admiration or pity; the
+freedom from all attempts to disguise some feelings, or to affect and
+assume others; the modesty, the frankness, which characterize this
+narration, while they give additional interest to the work itself,
+afford indisputable testimony to the amiableness of the author. To
+have imitated so correctly this natural style, is one of the highest
+triumphs of the genius of Defoe, in his romance of Robinson Crusoe.
+
+Considered, then, either as an useful appendage to the Works and Life
+of Byron; as an aid in forming an estimate of his character; or as
+an account of sufferings and adventures which would appear suitable
+rather to a romance than to a journal of events actually experienced;
+an illustration of the strange vicissitudes human life may undergo, of
+the extremities and hardships human nature may bear; or, in short, as a
+specimen of simple and beautiful writing, this work can scarcely fail
+of affording delight and gratification to the reader.
+
+
+
+
+JOHN BYRON, the second son of William, the fourth Lord Byron, by his
+third wife, was born at Newstead Abbey, November 8th, 1723, and at an
+early age entered as a midshipman in the British navy. He still held
+that rank in 1740, when the expedition to the South Sea against the
+Spaniards took place under the command of Commodore Anson. The Wager,
+Captain Cheap, to which Mr. Byron belonged, was separated from the rest
+of the squadron, and wrecked on a desert island to the southward of
+Chiloe (47 deg. south lat.) After encountering the most dreadful sufferings
+from famine, a small number of the crew, including the Captain and
+Mr. Byron, reached the isle of Chiloe, and surrendered themselves
+prisoners to the Spaniards. They were afterwards removed to Chili,
+and detained some time at Valparaiso and St. Jago; but were at length
+allowed to return to England, where they arrived after an absence of
+more than five years. At a subsequent period, Mr. Byron published
+his "Narrative." The young seaman was not deterred by his misfortunes
+from pursuing his naval career; he returned to the service of his
+country, and commanded the America, in Boscawen's action off Cape
+Lagos, August 18, 1759. His skill and enterprising spirit afterwards
+occasioned his appointment to the command of an expedition fitted out
+to make discoveries in the South Sea.[2] He sailed from England, June
+21st, 1764, and having circumnavigated the globe, returned home in
+May, 1766. Several islands were explored in this voyage, which were
+afterwards visited by Bougainville and Cooke; and experiments were
+also made to determine the accuracy of Harrison's time-keeper, and
+its consequent value as a means of ascertaining the longitude. This
+officer subsequently was made an admiral, and commanded in the West
+Indies during the American war. Admiral Byron was much beloved in the
+navy, more so, perhaps, than any other officer except Nelson. He died
+in 1798, leaving one son, John, who dying before his uncle, Lord Byron,
+the title of the latter descended to his only son, George Gordon, the
+poet.
+
+[FOOTNOTE 2:
+Byron's ship in this expedition was the Dolphin: she was the second
+ship ever coppered in the British navy.]
+
+
+
+
+                           BYRON'S NARRATIVE
+                                OF THE
+                          _Loss of the Wager._
+
+
+The equipment and destination of the squadron fitted out in the year
+1740, of which Commodore Anson had the command, being sufficiently
+known from the ample and well-penned relation of it under his
+direction, I shall recite no particulars that are to be found in
+that work. But it may be necessary, for the better understanding the
+disastrous fate of the Wager, the subject of the following sheets, to
+repeat the remark, that a strange infatuation seemed to prevail in the
+whole conduct of this embarkation. For though it was unaccountably
+detained till the season for its sailing was past, no proper use was
+made of that time, which should have been employed in providing a
+suitable force of sailors and soldiery; nor was there a due attention
+given to other requisites for so peculiar and extensive a destination.
+
+This neglect not only rendered the expedition abortive in its principal
+object, but most materially affected the condition of each particular
+ship; and none so fatally as the Wager, which being an old Indiaman
+brought into the service on this occasion, was now fitted out as a
+man of war; but being made to serve as a store ship, was deeply laden
+with all kinds of careening geer, military and other stores, for the
+use of the other ships; and, what is more, crowded with bale goods,
+and encumbered with merchandise. A ship of this quality and condition
+could not be expected to work with that readiness and ease which was
+necessary for her security and preservation in those heavy seas with
+which she was to encounter. Her crew consisted of men pressed from
+long voyages to be sent upon a distant and hazardous service: on the
+other hand, all her land-forces were no more than a poor detachment of
+infirm and decrepid invalids from Chelsea hospital, desponding under
+the apprehensions of a long voyage. It is not then to be wondered,
+that Captain Kid, under whose command the ship sailed out of the port,
+should in his last moments presage her ill success, though nothing very
+material happened during his command.
+
+At his death he was succeeded by Captain Cheap, who still, without any
+accident, kept company with the squadron till we had almost gained
+the southernmost mouth of Straits Le Maire; when, being the sternmost
+ship, we were, by the sudden shifting of the wind to the southward,
+and the turn of the tide, very near being wrecked upon the rocks of
+Staten Land; which, notwithstanding, having weathered, contrary to the
+expectation of the rest of the squadron, we endeavoured all in our
+power to make up our lost way and regain our station. This we effected,
+and proceeded on our voyage, keeping company with the rest of the ships
+for some time; when, by a great roll of a hollow sea, we carried away
+our mizen mast, all the chain plates to windward being broken. Soon
+after, hard gales at west coming on with a prodigious swell, there
+broke a heavy sea in upon the ship, which stove our boats, and filled
+us for some time.
+
+These accidents were the more disheartening, as our carpenter was on
+board the Gloucester, and detained there by the incessant tempestuous
+weather, and sea impracticable for boats. In a few days he returned,
+and supplied the loss of the mizen-mast by a lower studding-sail boom;
+but this expedient, together with the patching up of our rigging, was
+a poor temporary relief to us. We were soon obliged to cut away our
+best bower anchor to ease the fore-mast, the shrouds and chain plates
+of which were all broken, and the ship in all parts in a most crazy
+condition.
+
+Thus shattered and disabled, a single ship, (for we had now lost sight
+of our squadron) we had the additional mortification to find ourselves
+bearing for the land on a lee shore, having thus far persevered in
+the course we held, from an error in conjecture; for the weather was
+unfavourable for observation, and there are no charts of that part
+of the coast. When those officers who first perceived their mistake,
+endeavoured to persuade the captain to alter his course, and bear
+away, for the greater surety, to the westward, he persisted in making
+directly, as he thought, for the island of Socoro; and to such as dared
+from time to time to deliver their doubts of being entangled with the
+land stretching to the westward, he replied, that he thought himself in
+no case at liberty to deviate from his orders; and that the absence of
+his ship from the first place of rendezvous, would entirely frustrate
+the whole squadron in the first object of their attack, and possibly
+decide upon the fortune of the whole expedition. For the better
+understanding the force of his reasoning, it is necessary to explain,
+that the island of Socoro is in the neighbourhood of Baldivia, the
+capture of which place could not be effected without the junction of
+that ship, which carried the ordnance and military stores.
+
+The knowledge of the great importance of giving so early and unexpected
+a blow to the Spaniards, determined the captain to make the shortest
+way to the point in view; and that rigid adherence to orders from which
+he thought himself in no case at liberty to depart, begot in him a
+stubborn defiance of all difficulties, and took away from him those
+apprehensions, which so justly alarmed all such as, from an ignorance
+of the orders, had nothing present to their minds but the dangers of a
+lee shore.[3]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 3:
+
+Captain Cheap has been suspected of a design of going on the
+Spanish coast without the Commodore; but no part of his conduct seems
+to authorise, in the least, such a suspicion. The author who brings
+this heavy charge against him, is equally mistaken in imagining that
+Captain Cheap had not instructions to sail to this island, and that
+the Commodore did neither go nor send thither, to inform himself if
+any of the squadron were there. This appears from the orders delivered
+to the captains of the squadron, the day before they sailed from St.
+Catherine's (L. Anson's Voyage, B.I.C. 6.); from the orders of the
+council of war held on board the Centurion, in the bay of St. Julian,
+(C. 7.); and from the conduct of the Commodore (C. 10.) who cruized
+(with the utmost hazard) more than a fortnight off the isle of Socoro,
+and along the coast in its neighbourhood. It was the second rendezvous
+at Baldivia, and not that at Socoro, that the Commodore was forced by
+necessity to neglect.]
+
+We had for some time been sensible of our approach to the land, from
+no other tokens than those of weeds and birds, which are the usual
+indications of nearing the coast; but at length we had an imperfect
+view of an eminence, which we conjectured to be one of the mountains
+of the Cordilleras. This, however, was not so distinctly seen but
+that many conceived it to be the effect of imagination: but if the
+captain was persuaded of the nearness of our danger, it was now too
+late to remedy it; for at this time the straps of the fore jeer
+blocks breaking, the fore-yard came down; and the greatest part of
+the men being disabled through fatigue and sickness, it was some time
+before it could be got up again. The few hands who were employed in
+this business now plainly saw the land on the larboard beam, bearing
+N.W., upon which the ship was driving bodily. Orders were then given
+immediately by the captain to sway the fore-yard up, and set the
+fore-sail; which done, we wore ship with her head to the southward, and
+endeavoured to crowd her off from the land: but the weather, from being
+exceedingly tempestuous, blowing now a perfect hurricane, and right in
+upon the shore, rendered our endeavours (for we were now only twelve
+hands fit for duty) entirely fruitless. The night came on, dreadful
+beyond description, in which, attempting to throw out our topsails to
+claw off the shore, they were immediately blown from the yards.
+
+In the morning, about four o'clock, the ship struck. The shock we
+received upon this occasion, though very great, being not unlike the
+blow of a heavy sea, such as in the series of preceding storms we had
+often experienced, was taken for the same; but we were soon undeceived
+by her striking again more violently than before, which laid her upon
+her beam ends, the sea making a fair breach over her. Every person that
+now could stir was presently upon the quarter-deck; and many even of
+those were alert upon this occasion, that had not showed their faces
+upon deck for above two months before: several poor wretches, who were
+in the last stage of the scurvy, and who could not get out of their
+hammocks, were immediately drowned.
+
+In this dreadful situation she lay for some little time, every soul
+on board looking upon the present minute as his last; for there was
+nothing; to be seen but breakers all around us. However, a mountainous
+sea hove her off from thence, but she presently struck again, and broke
+her tiller. In this terrifying and critical juncture, to have observed
+all the various modes of horror operating according to the several
+characters and complexions amongst us, it was necessary that the
+observer himself should have been free from all impressions of danger.
+Instances there were, however, of behaviour so very remarkable, they
+could not escape the notice of any one who was not entirely bereaved
+of his senses; for some were in this condition to all intents and
+purposes; particularly one, in the ravings of despair brought upon him,
+was seen stalking about the deck, flourishing a cutlass over his head
+and calling himself king of the country, and striking every body he
+came near, till his companions, seeing no other security against his
+tyranny, knocked him down. Some, reduced before by long sickness and
+the scurvy, became on this occasion as it were petrified and bereaved
+of all sense, like inanimate logs, and were bandied to and fro by the
+jerks and rolls of the ship, without exerting any efforts to help
+themselves. So terrible was the scene of foaming breakers around us,
+that one of the bravest men we had could not help expressing his dismay
+at it, saying it was too shocking a sight to bear; and would have
+thrown himself over the rails of the quarter-deck into the sea, had
+he not been prevented: but at the same time there were not wanting
+those who preserved a presence of mind truly heroic. The man at the
+helm, though both rudder and tiller were gone, kept his station; and
+being asked by one of the officers, if the ship would steer or not,
+first took his time to make trial by the wheel, and then answered with
+as much respect and coolness as if the ship had been in the greatest
+safety; and immediately after applied himself with his usual serenity
+to his duty, persuaded it did not become him to desert it as long as
+the ship kept together. Mr. Jones, mate, who now survives not only
+this wreck, but that of the Litchfield man of war upon the coast of
+Barbary, at the time when the ship was in the most imminent danger,
+not only shewed himself undaunted, but endeavoured to inspire the same
+resolution in the men; saying, "My friends, let us not be discouraged:
+did you never see a ship amongst breakers before? Let us try to push
+her through them. Come, lend a hand; here is a sheet, and here is a
+brace; lay hold; I don't doubt but we may stick her yet near enough
+to the land to save our lives." This had so good an effect, that many
+who before were half dead, seemed active again, and now went to work
+in earnest. This Mr. Jones did purely to keep up the spirits of the
+people as long as possible; for he often said afterwards, he thought
+there was not the least chance of a single man being saved. We now
+ran in between an opening of the breakers, steering by the sheets and
+braces, when providentially we stuck fast between two great rocks; that
+to windward sheltering us in some measure from the violence of the
+sea. We immediately cut away the main and foremast; but the ship kept
+beating in such a manner, that we imagined she could hold together but
+a very little while. The day now broke, and the weather, that had been
+extremely thick, cleared away for a few moments, and gave us a glimpse
+of the land not far from us. We now thought of nothing but saving our
+lives. To get the boats out, as our masts were gone, was a work of some
+time; which when accomplished, many were ready to jump into the first,
+by which means they narrowly escaped perishing before they reached the
+shore. I now went to Captain Cheap (who had the misfortune to dislocate
+his shoulder by a fall the day before, as he was going forward to get
+the fore-yard swayed up), and asked him if he would not go on shore;
+but he told me, as he had done before, that he would be the last to
+leave the ship; and he ordered me to assist in getting the men out as
+soon as possible. I had been with him very often from the time the ship
+first struck, as he desired I would, to acquaint him with every thing
+that passed; and I particularly remarked, that he gave his orders at
+that time with as much coolness as ever he had done during the former
+part of the voyage.
+
+The scene was now greatly changed; for many who but a few minutes
+before had shewn the strongest signs of despair, and were on their
+knees praying for mercy, imagining they were now not in that immediate
+danger, grew very riotous, broke open every chest and box that was
+at hand, stove in the heads of casks of brandy and wine as they were
+borne up to the hatchways, and got so drunk, that several of them
+were drowned on board, and lay floating about the decks for some days
+after. Before I left the ship, I went down to my chest, which was at
+the bulkhead of the wardroom, in order to save some little matters, if
+possible; but whilst I was there the ship thumped with such violence,
+and the water came in so fast, that I was forced to get upon the
+quarter-deck again, without saving a single rag but what was upon my
+back. The boatswain and some of the people would not leave the ship so
+long as there was any liquor to be got at; upon which Captain Cheap
+suffered himself to be helped out of his bed, put into the boat, and
+carried on shore.
+
+It is natural to think, that to men thus upon the point of perishing
+by shipwreck, the getting to land was the highest attainment of
+their wishes; undoubtedly it was a desirable event; yet, all things
+considered, our condition was but little mended by the change.
+Whichever way we looked, a scene of horror presented itself: on one
+side the wreck (in which was all that we had in the world to support
+and subsist us), together with a boisterous sea, presented us with
+the most dreary prospect; on the other, the land did not wear a much
+more favourable appearance: desolate and barren, without sign of
+culture, we could hope to receive little other benefit from it than the
+preservation it afforded us from the sea. It must be confessed this was
+a great and merciful deliverance from immediate destruction; but then
+we had wet, cold, and hunger, to struggle with, and no visible remedy
+against any of these evils. Exerting ourselves, however, though faint,
+benumbed, and almost helpless, to find some wretched covert against
+the extreme inclemency of the weather, we discovered an Indian hut, at
+a small distance from the beach, within a wood, in which as many as
+possible, without distinction, crowded themselves, the night coming on
+exceedingly tempestuous and rainy. But here our situation was such
+as to exclude all rest and refreshment by sleep from most of us; for
+besides that we pressed upon one another extremely, we were not without
+our alarms and apprehensions of being attacked by the Indians, from a
+discovery we made of some of their lances and other arms in our hut;
+and our uncertainty of their strength and disposition, gave alarm to
+our imagination, and kept us in continual anxiety.
+
+In this miserable hovel, one of our company, a lieutenant of invalids,
+died this night; and of those who for want of room took shelter under
+a great tree, which stood them in very little stead, two more perished
+by the severity of that cold and rainy night. In the morning, the calls
+of hunger, which had been hitherto suppressed by our attention to more
+immediate dangers and difficulties, were now become too importunate to
+be resisted. We had most of us fasted eight and forty hours, some more;
+it was time, therefore, to make inquiry among ourselves what store of
+sustenance had been brought from the wreck by the providence of some,
+and what could be procured on the island by the industry of others:
+but the produce of the one amounted to no more than two or three
+pounds of biscuit dust reserved in a bag; and all the success of those
+who ventured abroad, the weather being still exceedingly bad, was to
+kill one sea-gull, and pick some wild cellery. These, therefore, were
+immediately put into a pot, with the addition of a large quantity of
+water, and made into a kind of soup, of which each partook as far as
+it would go; but we had no sooner thrown this down than we were seized
+with the most painful sickness at our stomachs, violent reachings,
+swoonings, and other symptoms of being poisoned. This was imputed to
+various causes, but in general to the herbs we made use of, in the
+nature and quality of which we fancied ourselves mistaken; but a little
+further inquiry let us into the real occasion of it, which was no other
+than this: the biscuit dust was the sweepings of the bread-room, but
+the bag in which they were put had been a tobacco bag; the contents
+of which not being entirely taken out, what remained mixed with the
+biscuit-dust, and proved a strong emetic.
+
+We were in all about a hundred and forty who had got to shore; but
+some few remained still on board, detained either by drunkenness, or
+a view of pillaging the wreck, among which was the boatswain. These
+were visited by an officer in the yawl, who was to endeavour to prevail
+upon them to join the rest; but finding them in the greatest disorder,
+and disposed to mutiny, he was obliged to desist from his purpose and
+return without them. Though we were very desirous, and our necessities
+required that we should take some survey of the land we were upon; yet
+being strongly pre-possessed that the savages were retired but some
+little distance from us, and waited to see us divided, our parties did
+not make this day, any great excursions from the hut; but as far as
+we went, we found it very morassy and unpromising. The spot which we
+occupied was a bay formed by hilly promontories, that to the north so
+exceeding steep, that in order to ascend it (for there was no going
+round, the bottom being washed by the sea), we were at the labour
+of cutting steps. This, which we called Mount Misery, was of use to
+us in taking some observations afterwards, when the weather would
+permit: the southern promontory was not so inaccessible. Beyond this,
+I, with some others, having reached another bay, found driven ashore
+some parts of the wreck, but no kind of provision; nor did we meet
+with any shell-fish, which we were chiefly in search of. We therefore
+returned to the rest, and for that day made no other repast than what
+the wild cellery afforded us. The ensuing night proved exceedingly
+tempestuous; and, the sea running very high, threatened those on board
+with immediate destruction by the parting of the wreck. They then were
+as solicitous to get ashore, as they were before obstinate in refusing
+the assistance we sent them; and when they found the boat did not come
+to their relief at the instant they expected it, without considering
+how impracticable a thing it was to send it them in such a sea, they
+fired one of the quarter-deck guns at the hut; the ball of which did
+but just pass over the covering of it, and was plainly heard by the
+captain and us who were within. Another attempt, therefore, was made
+to bring these madmen to land, which, however, by the violence of the
+sea, and other impediments, occasioned by the mast that lay alongside,
+proved ineffectual. This unavoidable delay made the people on board
+outrageous: they fell to beating every thing to pieces that fell in
+the way; and, carrying their intemperance to the greatest excess,
+broke open chests and cabins for plunder that could be of no use to
+them: and so earnest were they in this wantonness of theft, that one
+man had evidently been murdered on account of some division of the
+spoil, or for the sake of the share that fell to him, having all the
+marks of a strangled corpse. One thing in this outrage they seemed
+particularly attentive to, which was, to provide themselves with arms
+and ammunition, in order to support them in putting their mutinous
+designs in execution, and asserting their claim to a lawless exemption
+from the authority of their officers, which they pretended must cease
+with the loss of the ship. But of these arms, which we stood in great
+need of, they were soon bereaved, upon coming ashore, by the resolution
+of Captain Cheap and Lieutenant Hamilton of the marines. Among these
+mutineers which had been left on board, as I observed before, was the
+boatswain; who, instead of exerting the authority he had over the
+rest, to keep them within bounds as much as possible, was himself a
+ringleader in their riot: him, without respect to the figure he then
+made, for he was in laced clothes, Captain Cheap, by a blow well laid
+on with his cane, felled to the ground. It was scarce possible to
+refrain from laughter at the whimsical appearance these fellows made,
+who, having rifled the chests of the officers' best suits, had put them
+on over their greasy trowsers and dirty checked shirts. They were soon
+stripped of their finery, as they had before been obliged to resign
+their arms.
+
+The incessant rains, and exceeding cold weather in this climate,
+rendered it impossible for us to subsist long without shelter; and
+the hut being much too little to receive us all, it was necessary
+to fall upon some expedient, without delay, which might serve our
+purpose: accordingly the gunner, carpenter, and some more, turning
+the cutter keel upwards, and fixing it upon props, made no despicable
+habitation. Having thus established some sort of settlement, we had
+the more leisure to look about us, and to make our researches with
+greater accuracy than we had before, after such supplies as the most
+desolate coasts are seldom unfurnished with. Accordingly we soon
+provided ourselves with some sea-fowl, and found limpets, muscles, and
+other shell-fish in tolerable abundance; but this rummaging of the
+shore was now becoming extremely irksome to those who had any feeling,
+by the bodies of our drowned people thrown among the rocks, some of
+which were hideous spectacles, from the mangled condition they were in
+by the violent surf that drove in upon the coast. These horrors were
+overcome by the distresses of our people, who were even glad of the
+occasion of killing the gallinazo (the carrion crow of that country),
+while preying on these carcases, in order to make a meal of them. But
+a provision by no means proportionable to the number of mouths to be
+fed, could, by our utmost industry, be acquired from that part of the
+island we had hitherto traversed: therefore, till we were in a capacity
+of making more distant excursions, the wreck was to be applied to as
+often as possible, for such supplies as could be got out of her. But as
+this was a very precarious fund in its present situation, and at best
+could not last us long; considering too that it was very uncertain how
+long we might be detained upon this island the stores and provision
+we were so fortunate as to retrieve, were not only to be dealt out
+with the most frugal economy, but a sufficient quantity, if possible,
+laid by to fit us out, whenever we could agree upon any method of
+transporting ourselves from this dreary spot. The difficulties we had
+to encounter in these visits to the wreck, cannot be easily described;
+for no part of it being above water except the quarter-deck and part
+of the fore-castle, we were usually obliged to purchase such things as
+were within reach, by means of large hooks fastened to poles, in which
+business we were much incommoded by the dead bodies floating between
+decks.
+
+In order to secure what we thus got, in a manner to answer the ends
+and purposes above-mentioned, Captain Cheap ordered a store tent to
+be erected near his hut as a repository, from which nothing was to
+be dealt out but in the measure and proportion agreed upon by the
+officers; and though it was very hard upon us petty officers, who
+were fatigued with hunting all day in quest of food, to defend this
+tent from invasion by night, no other means could be devised for this
+purpose so effectual as the committing this charge to our care; and we
+were accordingly ordered to divide the task equally between us. Yet,
+notwithstanding our utmost vigilance and care, frequent robberies
+were committed upon our trust, the tent being accessible in more
+than one place. And one night, when I had the watch, hearing a stir
+within, I came unawares upon the thief, and presenting a pistol to his
+breast, obliged him to submit to be tied up to a post till I had an
+opportunity of securing him more effectually. Depredations continued
+to be made on our reserved stock, notwithstanding the great hazard
+attending such attempts; for our common safety made it necessary to
+punish them with the utmost rigour. This will not be wondered at,
+when it is known how little the allowance which might consistently be
+dispensed from thence, was proportionable to our common exigencies; so
+that our daily and nightly task of roving after food, was not in the
+least relaxed thereby; and all put together was so far from answering
+our necessities, that many at this time perished with hunger. A boy,
+when no other eatables could be found, having picked up the liver of
+one of the drowned men (whose carcase had been torn to pieces by the
+force with which the sea drove it among the rocks), was with difficulty
+withheld from making a meal of it. The men were so assiduous in their
+research after the few things which drove from the wreck, that in order
+to have no sharers of their good fortune, they examined the shore no
+less by night than by day; so that many of those who were less alert,
+or not so fortunate as their neighbours, perished with hunger, or were
+driven to the last extremity. It must be observed, that on the 14th of
+May we were cast away, and it was not till the 25th of this month that
+provision was served regularly from the store tent.
+
+The land we were now settled upon was about 90 leagues to the
+northward of the western mouth of the straits of Magellan, in the
+latitude of between 47 and 48 deg. south, from whence we could plainly
+see the Cordilleras; and by two Lagoons on the north and south of us,
+stretching towards those mountains, we conjectured it was an island.
+But as yet we had no means of informing ourselves perfectly, whether
+it was an island or the main; for besides that the inland parts at a
+little distance from us seemed impracticable from the exceeding great
+thickness of the wood, we had hitherto been in such confusion and want
+(each finding full employment for his time, in scraping together a
+wretched subsistence, and providing shelter against the cold and rain),
+that no party could be formed to go upon discoveries. The climate and
+season too were utterly unfavourable to adventurers, and the coast, as
+far as our eye could stretch seaward, a scene of such dismal breakers
+as would discourage the most daring from making attempts in small
+boats. Nor were we assisted in our enquiries by any observation that
+could be made from that eminence we called Mount Misery, toward land,
+our prospect that way being intercepted by still higher hills and
+lofty woods: we had therefore no other expedient, by means of which
+to come at this knowledge, but by fitting out one of our ship's boats
+upon some discovery, to inform us of our situation. Our long-boat
+was still on board the wreck; therefore a number of hands were now
+dispatched to cut the gunwale of the ship, in order to get her out.
+Whilst we were employed in this business, there appeared three canoes
+of Indians paddling towards us: they had come round the point from the
+southern Lagoons. It was some time before we could prevail upon them
+to lay aside their fears and approach us; which at length they were
+induced to do by the signs of friendship we made them, and by shewing
+some bale-goods, which they accepted, and suffered themselves to be
+conducted to the captain, who made them, likewise, some presents. They
+were strangely affected with the novelty thereof; but chiefly when
+shewn the looking-glass, in which the beholder could not conceive it to
+be his own face that was represented, but that of some other behind it,
+which he therefore went round to the back of the glass to find out.
+
+These people were of a small stature, very swarthy, having long,
+black, coarse hair, hanging over their faces. It was evident, from
+their great surprise, and every part of their behaviour, as well as
+their not having one thing in their possession which could be derived
+from white people, that they had never seen such. Their clothing
+was nothing but a bit of some beast's skin about their waists, and
+something woven from feathers over the shoulders; and as they uttered
+no word of any language we had ever heard, nor had any method of making
+themselves understood, we presumed they could have had no intercourse
+with Europeans. These savages, who upon their departure left us a few
+muscles, returned in two days, and surprised us by bringing three
+sheep. From whence they could procure animals in a part of the world
+so distant from any Spanish settlement, cut off from all communication
+with the Spaniards by an inaccessible coast and unprofitable country,
+is difficult to conceive. Certain it is, that we saw no such creatures,
+nor ever heard of any such, from the Straits of Magellan, till we got
+into the neighbourhood of Chiloe: it must be by some strange accident
+that these creatures came into their possession; but what that was, we
+never could learn from them. At this interview we bartered with them
+for a dog or two, which we roasted and eat. In a few days after, they
+made us another visit, and bringing their wives with them, took up
+their abode with us for some days; then again left us.
+
+Whenever the weather permitted, which was now grown something drier,
+but exceeding cold, we employed ourselves about the wreck, from which
+we had, at sundry times, recovered several articles of provision
+and liquor: these were deposited in the store-tent. Ill-humour and
+discontent, from the difficulties we laboured under in procuring
+subsistence, and the little prospect there was of any amendment in our
+condition, was now breaking out apace. In some it shewed itself by a
+separation of settlement and habitation; in others, by a resolution of
+leaving the captain entirely, and making a wild journey by themselves,
+without determining upon any plan whatever. For my own part, seeing
+it was the fashion, and liking none of their parties, I built a
+little hut just big enough for myself and a poor Indian dog I found
+in the woods, who could shift for himself along shore, at low water,
+by getting limpets. This creature grew so fond of me, and faithful,
+that he would suffer nobody to come near the hut without biting them.
+Besides those seceders I mentioned, some laid a scheme of deserting us
+entirely: these were in number ten; the greatest part of them a most
+desperate and abandoned crew, who, to strike a notable stroke before
+they went off, placed half a barrel of gunpowder close to the captain's
+hut, laid a train to it, and were just preparing to perpetrate their
+wicked design of blowing up their commander, when they were with
+difficulty dissuaded from it by one who had some bowels and remorse of
+conscience left in him. These wretches, after rambling for some time in
+the woods, and finding it impracticable to get off, for they were then
+convinced that we were not upon the main, as they had imagined when
+they first left us, but upon an island within four or five leagues of
+it, returned and settled about a league from us; however, they were
+still determined, as soon as they could procure craft fit for their
+purpose, to get to the main. But before they could effect this, we
+found means to prevail upon the armourer and one of the carpenter's
+crew,--two very useful men to us, who had imprudently joined them,--to
+come over again to their duty. The rest, (one or two excepted) having
+built a punt, and converted the hull of one of the ship's masts into a
+canoe, went away up one of the Lagoons, and never were heard of more.
+
+These being a desperate and factious set, did not distress us much
+by their departure, but rather added to our future security: one in
+particular, James Mitchell by name, we had all the reason in the
+world to think had committed no less than two murders since the loss
+of our ship; one on the person found strangled on board, another on
+the body of a man whom we discovered among some bushes upon Mount
+Misery, stabbed in several places, and shockingly mangled. This
+diminution of our numbers was succeeded by an unfortunate accident
+much more affecting in its consequences, I mean the death of Mr.
+Cozens, midshipman; in relating which with the necessary impartiality
+and exactness, I think myself obliged to be more than ordinarily
+particular. Having one day, among other things, got a cask of peas out
+of the wreck, about which I was almost constantly employed, I brought
+it to shore in the yawl; when having landed it, the captain came down
+upon the beach, and bid me to go up to some of the tents and order
+hands to come down and roll it up; but finding none except Mr. Cozens,
+I delivered him the orders, who immediately came down to the captain,
+where I left them when I returned to the wreck. Upon my coming on
+shore again, I found that Mr. Cozens was put under confinement by the
+captain, for being drunk and giving him abusive language: however,
+he was soon after released. A day or two after, he had some dispute
+with the surgeon, and came to blows: all these things incensed the
+captain greatly against him. I believe this unfortunate man was kept
+warm with liquor, and set on by some ill-designing persons; for, when
+sober, I never knew a better natured man, or one more inoffensive. Some
+little time after, at the hour of serving out provisions, Mr. Cozens
+was at the store tent; and having, it seems, lately had a quarrel with
+the purser, and now some words arising between them, the latter told
+him he was come to mutiny; and without any further ceremony, fired a
+pistol at his head, which narrowly missed him. The captain, hearing
+the report of a pistol, and perhaps the purser's words, that Cozens
+was come to mutiny, ran out of his hut with a cocked pistol in his
+hand, and, without asking any questions, immediately shot him through
+the head. I was at this time in my hut, as the weather was extremely
+bad; but running out upon the alarm of this firing, the first thing
+I saw was Mr. Cozens on the ground, weltering in his blood: he was
+sensible, and took me by the hand, as he did several others, shaking
+his head, as if he meant to take leave of us. If Mr. Cozens' behaviour
+to his captain was indecent and provoking, the captain's, on the other
+hand, was rash and hasty: if the first was wanting in that respect
+and observance which is due from a petty officer to his commander,
+the latter was still more unadvised in the method he took for the
+enforcement of his authority; of which, indeed, he was jealous to the
+last degree, and which he saw daily declining, and ready to be trampled
+upon. His mistaken apprehension of a mutinous design in Mr. Cozens,
+the sole motive of this rash action, was so far from answering the end
+he proposed by it, that the men, who before were much dissatisfied and
+uneasy, were by this unfortunate step thrown almost into open sedition
+and revolt. It was evident that the people, who ran out of their tents,
+alarmed by the report of fire-arms, though they disguised their real
+sentiments for the present, were extremely affected at this catastrophe
+of Mr. Cozens (for he was greatly beloved by them): their minds were
+now exasperated, and it was to be apprehended, that their resentment,
+which was smothered for the present, would shortly shew itself in
+some desperate enterprise. The unhappy victim, who lay weltering in
+his blood on the ground before them, seemed to absorb their whole
+attention; the eyes of all were fixed upon him; and visible marks of
+the deepest concern appeared in the countenances of the spectators.
+The persuasion the captain was under, at the time he shot Mr. Cozens,
+that his intentions were mutinous, together with a jealousy of the
+diminution of his authority, occasioned also his behaving with less
+compassion and tenderness towards him afterwards than was consistent
+with the unhappy condition of the poor sufferer: for when it was begged
+as a favour by his mess-mates, that Mr. Cozens might be removed to
+their tent, though a necessary thing in his dangerous situation, yet
+it was not permitted; but the poor wretch was suffered to languish on
+the ground some days, with no other covering than a bit of canvass
+thrown over some bushes, where he died. But to return to our story:
+the Captain, addressing himself to the people thus assembled, told
+them, that it was his resolution to maintain his command over them as
+usual, which still remained in as much force as ever; and then ordered
+them all to return to their respective tents, with which order they
+instantly complied. Now we had saved the long-boat from the wreck, and
+got it in our possession, there was nothing that seemed so necessary
+towards the advancing our delivery from this desolate place, as the
+new modelling this vessel so as to have room for all those who were
+inclined to go off in her, and to put her in a condition to bear the
+stormy seas we must of course encounter. We therefore hauled her up,
+and having placed her upon blocks, sawed her in two, in order to
+lengthen her about twelve feet by the keel. For this purpose, all
+those who could be spared from the more immediate task of procuring
+subsistence, were employed in fitting and shaping timber as the
+carpenter directed them; I say, in procuring subsistence, because the
+weather lately having been very tempestuous, and the wreck working
+much, had disgorged a great part of her contents, which were every
+where dispersed about the shore.
+
+We now sent frequent parties up the Lagoons, which sometimes succeeded
+in getting some sea-fowl for us. The Indians appearing again in the
+offing we put off our yawl, in order to frustrate any design they
+might have of going up the Lagoon towards the deserters, who would
+have availed themselves of some of their canoes to have got upon the
+main. Having conducted them in, we found that their intention was to
+settle among us, for they had brought their wives and children with
+them, in all about fifty persons, who immediately set about building
+themselves wigwams, and seemed much reconciled to our company; and,
+could we have entertained them as we ought, they would have been of
+great assistance to us, who were yet extremely put to it to subsist
+ourselves, being a hundred in number; but the men, now subject to
+little or no control, endeavoured to seduce their wives, which gave
+the Indians such offence, that in a short time they found means to
+depart, taking every thing along with them; and we, being sensible
+of the cause, never expected to see them return again. The carpenter
+having made some progress in his work upon the long-boat, in which
+he was enabled to proceed tolerably, by the tools and other articles
+of his business retrieved from the wreck, the men began to think of
+the course they should take to get home; or rather, having borrowed
+Sir John Narborough's Voyage of Captain Cheap, by the application of
+Mr. Bulkely, which book he saw me reading one day in my tent, they,
+immediately upon perusing it, concluded upon making their voyage home
+by the Straits of Magellan. This plan was proposed to the captain,
+who by no means approved of it, his design being to go northwards,
+with a view of seizing a ship of the enemy's, by which means he might
+join the Commodore: at present, therefore, here it rested. But the
+men were in high spirits from the prospect they had of getting off
+in the long-boat, overlooking all the difficulties and hazards of a
+voyage almost impracticable, and caressing the carpenter, who indeed
+was an excellent workman, and deserved all the encouragement they
+could give him. The Indians having left us, and the weather continuing
+tempestuous and rainy, the distresses of the people for want of food
+become insupportable. Our number, which was at first one hundred and
+forty-five, was now reduced to one hundred, and chiefly by famine,
+which put the rest upon all shifts and devices to support themselves.
+One day, when I was at home in my hut with my Indian dog, a party came
+to my door, and told me their necessities were such, that they must
+eat the creature or starve. Though their plea was urgent, I could not
+help using some arguments to endeavour to dissuade them from killing
+him, as his faithful services and fondness deserved it at my hands;
+but, without weighing my arguments, they took him away by force and
+killed him; upon which, thinking that I had at least as good a right to
+a share as the rest, I sat down with them, and partook of their repast.
+Three weeks after that I was glad to make a meal of his paws and skin,
+which, upon recollecting the spot where they had killed him, I found
+thrown aside and rotten. The pressing calls of hunger drove our men to
+their wit's end, and put them upon a variety of devices to satisfy it.
+Among the ingenious this way, one Phips, a boatswain's mate, having
+got a water puncheon, scuttled it; then lashing two logs, one on each
+side, set out in quest of adventures in this extraordinary and original
+piece of embarkation. By this means he would frequently, when all the
+rest were starving, provide himself with wild fowl; and it must have
+been very bad weather indeed which could deter him from putting out
+to sea when his occasions required. Sometimes he would venture far
+out in the offing, and be absent the whole of the day: at last, it
+was his misfortune, at a great distance from shore, to be overset by
+a heavy sea; but being near a rock, though no swimmer, he managed so
+as to scramble to it, and with great difficulty ascended it: there he
+remained two days with very little hopes of any relief, for he was too
+far off to be seen from shore; but fortunately a boat, having put off
+and gone in quest of wild fowl that way, discovered him making such
+signals as he was able, and brought him back to the island. But this
+accident did not so discourage him but that soon after, having procured
+an ox's hide, used on board for sifting powder, and called a gunner's
+hide, by the assistance of some hoops he formed something like a canoe,
+in which he made several successful voyages. When the weather would
+permit us, we seldom failed of getting some wild fowl, though never in
+any plenty, by putting off with our boats; but this most inhospitable
+climate is not only deprived of the sun for the most part, by a thick,
+rainy atmosphere, but is also visited by almost incessant tempests. It
+must be confessed, we reaped some benefit from these hard gales and
+overgrown seas, which drove several things ashore; but there was no
+dependence on such accidental relief; and we were always alert to avail
+ourselves of every interval of fair weather, though so little to be
+depended on, that we were often unexpectedly and to our peril overtaken
+by a sudden change. In one of our excursions I, with two more, in a
+wretched punt of our own making, had no sooner landed at our station
+upon a high rock, than the punt was driven loose by a sudden squall;
+and had not one of the men, at the risk of his life, jumped into the
+sea and swam on board her, we must in all probability have perished;
+for we were more than three leagues from the island at the time. Among
+the birds we generally shot, was the painted goose, whose plumage is
+variegated with the most lively colours; and a bird much larger than
+a goose, which we called the race-horse, from the velocity with which
+it moved upon the surface of the water, in a sort of half flying, half
+running motion. But we were not so successful in our endeavours by
+land; for though we sometimes got pretty far into the woods, we met
+with very few birds in all our walks. We never saw but three woodcocks,
+two of which were killed by Mr. Hamilton, and one by myself. These,
+with some humming-birds, and a large kind of robin redbreast, were the
+only feathered inhabitants of this island, excepting a small bird with
+two very long feathers in his tail, which was generally seen amongst
+the rocks, and was so tame, that I have had them rest upon my shoulder
+whilst I have been gathering shell-fish. Indeed, we were visited by
+many birds of prey, some very large; but these only occasionally, and,
+as we imagined, allured by some dead whale in the neighbourhood, which
+was once seen. However, if we were so fortunate as to kill one of them,
+we thought ourselves very well off. In one of my walks, seeing a bird
+of this latter kind upon an eminence, I endeavoured to come upon it
+unperceived with my gun, by means of the woods which lay at the back of
+that eminence; but when I had proceeded so far in the wood as to think
+I was in a line with it, I heard a growling close by me, which made me
+think it advisable to retire as soon as possible; the woods were so
+gloomy I could see nothing; but as I retired, this noise followed me
+close till I had got out of them. Some of our men did assure me, that
+they had seen a very large beast in the woods; but their description
+of it was too imperfect to be relied upon. The wood here is chiefly
+of the aromatic kind; the iron wood, a wood of a very deep red hue,
+and another, of an exceeding bright yellow. All the low spots are very
+swampy; but what we thought strange, upon the summits of the highest
+hills were found beds of shells, a foot or two thick.
+
+The long-boat being near finished, some of our company were selected
+to go out in the barge, in order to reconnoitre the coast to the
+southward, which might assist us in the navigation we were going upon.
+This party consisted of Mr. Bulkely, Mr. Jones, the purser, myself,
+and ten men. The first night, we put into a good harbour, a few leagues
+to the southward of Wager's Island; where finding a large bitch big
+with puppies, we regaled upon them. In this expedition we had our usual
+bad weather, and breaking seas, which were grown to such a height the
+third day, that we were obliged, through distress, to push in at the
+first inlet we saw at hand. This we had no sooner entered, than we
+were presented with a view of a fine bay, in which having secured the
+barge, we went ashore; but the weather being very rainy, and finding
+nothing to subsist upon, we pitched a bell tent, which we had brought
+with us, in the wood opposite to where the barge lay. As this tent was
+not large enough to contain us all, I proposed to four of the people
+to go to the end of the bay, about two miles distant from the bell
+tent, to occupy the skeleton of an old Indian wigwam, which I had
+discovered in a walk that way upon our first landing. This we covered
+to windward with sea-weed; and lighting a fire, laid ourselves down,
+in hopes of finding a remedy for our hunger in sleep; but we had not
+long composed ourselves before one of our company was disturbed by the
+blowing of some animal at his face, and upon opening his eyes, was not
+a little astonished to see, by the glimmering of the fire, a large
+beast standing over him. He had presence of mind enough to snatch a
+brand from the fire, which was now very low, and thrust it at the nose
+of the animal, who thereupon made off: this done, the man awoke us,
+and related, with horror in his countenance, the narrow escape he had
+had of being devoured. But though we were under no small apprehensions
+of another visit from this animal, yet our fatigue and heaviness was
+greater than our fears; and we once more composed ourselves to rest,
+and slept the remainder of the night without any further disturbance.
+In the morning, we were not a little anxious to know how our companions
+had fared; and this anxiety was increased upon tracing the footsteps
+of the beast in the sand, in a direction towards the bell tent. The
+impression was deep and plain, of a large round foot, well furnished
+with claws. Upon our acquainting the people in the tent with the
+circumstances of our story, we found that they too had been visited
+by the same unwelcome guest, which they had driven away by much the
+same expedient. We now returned from this cruise, with a strong gale,
+to Wager's Island; having found it impracticable to make farther
+discoveries in the barge, on so dangerous a coast, and in such heavy
+seas. Here we soon discovered, by the quarters of dogs hanging up, that
+the Indians had brought a fresh supply to our market. Upon enquiry, we
+found that there had been six canoes of them, who, among other methods
+of taking fish, had taught their dogs to drive the fish into a corner
+of some pond, or lake, from whence they were easily taken out, by the
+skill and address of these savages. The old cabal, during our absence,
+had been frequently revived; the debates of which generally ended in
+riot and drunkenness. This cabal was chiefly held in a large tent,
+which the people belonging to it had taken some pains to make snug and
+convenient, and lined with bales of broad cloth driven from the wreck.
+Eighteen of the stoutest fellows of the ship's company had possession
+of this tent, from whence were dispatched committees to the Captain,
+with the resolutions they had taken with regard to their departure;
+but oftener for liquor. Their determination was to go in the long-boat
+to the southward, by the straits of Magellan; and the point they were
+labouring, was to prevail upon the Captain to accompany them. But
+though he had fixed upon a quite different plan, which was to go to
+the northward, yet he thought it politic, at present, seemingly to
+acquiesce with them, in order to keep them quiet. When they began to
+stipulate with him, that he should be under some restrictions in point
+of command, and should do nothing without consulting his officers, he
+insisted upon the full exercise of his authority as before. This broke
+all measures between them, and they were from this time determined he
+should go with them, whether he would or no. A better pretence they
+could not have for effecting this design, than the unfortunate affair
+of Mr. Cozens; which they therefore made use of for seizing his person,
+and putting him under confinement, in order to bring him to his trial
+in England. The long-boat was now launched, and ready for sailing,
+and all the men embarked, except Captain Pemberton, with a party of
+marines, whom he had drawn up upon the beach with the intention of
+conducting Captain Cheap on board; but he was at length persuaded to
+desist from this resolution by Mr. Bulkely. The men too, finding they
+were straitened for room, and that their stock of provision would
+not admit of their taking supernumeraries aboard, were now no less
+strenuous for his enlargement, and being left to his option of staying
+behind. Therefore, after having distributed their share in the reserved
+stock of provision, which was very small, we departed, leaving Captain
+Cheap, Mr. Hamilton of the marines, and the surgeon, upon the island.
+I had all along been in the dark as to the turn this affair would take;
+and not in the least suspecting but that it was determined Captain
+Cheap should be taken with us, readily embarked under that persuasion;
+but when I found that this design, which was so seriously carried on
+to the last, was suddenly dropped, I was determined, upon the first
+opportunity, to leave them; which was at this instant impossible for
+me to do, the long-boat lying some distance off shore, at anchor. We
+were in all eighty-one, when we left the island, distributed into the
+long-boat, cutter, and barge; fifty-nine on board the first, twelve
+in the second, in the last, ten. It was our purpose to put into some
+harbour, if possible, every evening, as we were in no condition to keep
+those terrible seas long; for without other assistance, our stock of
+provisions was no more than might have been consumed in a few days;
+our water was chiefly contained in a few powder-barrels; our flour was
+to be lengthened out by a mixture of sea-weed; and our other supplies
+depended upon the success of our guns, and industry among the rocks.
+Captain Pemberton having brought on board his men, we weighed; but a
+sudden squall of wind having split our foresail, we with difficulty
+cleared the rocks, by means of our boats, bore away for a sandy bay,
+on the south side of the Lagoon, and anchored in ten fathom. The next
+morning we got under way; but it blowing hard at W. by N. with a
+great swell, we put into a small bay again, well sheltered by a ledge
+of rocks without us. At this time, it was thought necessary to send
+the barge away back to Cheap's bay, for some spare canvass, which
+was imagined would be soon wanted. I thought this a good opportunity
+of returning, and therefore made one with those who went upon this
+business in the barge. We were no sooner clear of the long-boat, than
+all those in the boat with me declared they had the same intention.
+When we arrived at the island, we were extremely welcome to Captain
+Cheap. The next day, I asked him leave to try if I could prevail upon
+those in the long-boat to give us our share of provision: this he
+granted; but said if we went in the barge, they would certainly take
+her from us. I told him my design was to walk it, and only desired the
+boat might land me upon the main, and wait for me till I came back. I
+had the most dreadful journey of it imaginable, through thick woods
+and swamps all the way; but I might as well have spared myself that
+trouble, as it was to no manner of purpose; for they would not give
+me, nor any one of us that left them, a single ounce of provisions of
+any kind. I therefore returned, and after that made a second attempt;
+but all in vain. They even threatened, if we did not return with the
+barge, they would fetch her by force. It is impossible to conceive the
+distressed situation we were now in, at the time of the long-boat's
+departure. I do not mention this event as the occasion of it; by which,
+if we who were left on the island experienced any alteration at all,
+it was for the better; and which, in all probability, had it been
+deferred, might have been fatal to the greatest part of us; but at
+this time, the subsistence on which we had hitherto chiefly depended,
+which was the shell-fish, were every where along shore eat up; and
+as to stock saved from the wreck, it may be guessed what the amount
+of that might be, when the share allotted to the Captain, Lieutenant
+Hamilton, and the surgeon, was no more than six pieces of beef, as many
+of pork, and ninety pounds of flour. As to myself, and those that left
+the long-boat, it was the least revenge they thought they could take
+of us to withhold our provision from us, though at the same time it
+was hard and unjust. For a day or two after our return, there was some
+little pittance dealt out to us, yet it was upon the foot of favour;
+and we were soon left to our usual industry for a farther supply. This
+was now exerted to very little purpose, for the reason before assigned;
+to which may be added, the wreck was now blown up, all her upper works
+gone, and no hopes of any valuable driftage from her for the future.
+A weed called slaugh, fried in the tallow of some candles we had
+saved, and wild cellery, were our only fare; by which our strength was
+so much impaired, that we could scarcely crawl. It was my misfortune
+too, to labour under a severe flux, by which I was reduced to a very
+feeble state; so that in attempting to traverse the rocks in search of
+shell-fish, I fell from one into very deep water, and with difficulty
+saved my life by swimming. As the Captain was now freed, by the
+departure of the long-boat, from the riotous applications, menaces, and
+disturbance of an unruly crew, and left at liberty to follow the plan
+he had resolved upon, of going northward, he began to think seriously
+of putting it in execution; in order to which, a message was sent to
+the deserters, who had seated themselves on the other side of the
+neighbouring Lagoon, to sound them, whether they were inclined to join
+the Captain in his undertaking; and if they were, to bring them over
+to him. For this set, the party gone off in the long-boat had left
+an half allowance proportion of the common stock of provision. These
+men, upon the proposal, readily agreed to join their commander; and
+being conducted to him, increased our number to twenty. The boats which
+remained in our possession to carry off all these people, were only the
+barge and yawl, two very crazy bottoms; the broadside of the last was
+entirely out, and the first had suffered much in the variety of bad
+weather she had gone through, and was sadly out of repair. And now our
+carpenter was gone from us, we had no remedy for these misfortunes, but
+the little skill we had gained from him. However, we made tolerable
+shift to patch up the boats for our purpose. In the height of our
+distresses, when hunger, which seems to include and absorb all others,
+was most prevailing, we were cheered with the appearance, once more,
+of our friendly Indians, as we thought, from whom we hoped for some
+relief; but as the consideration was wanting, for which alone they
+would part with their commodities, we were not at all benefitted by
+their stay, which was very short. The little reserve too of flour made
+by the Captain for our sea-stock when we should leave the island, was
+now diminished by theft: the thieves, who were three of our men, were
+however soon discovered, and two of them apprehended; but the third
+made his escape to the woods. Considering the pressing state of our
+necessities, this theft was looked upon as a most heinous crime, and
+therefore required an extraordinary punishment: accordingly the Captain
+ordered these delinquents to be severely whipped, and then to be
+banished to an island at some distance from us; but before this latter
+part of the sentence could be put in execution, one of them fled; but
+the other was put alone upon a barren island, which afforded not the
+least shelter; however, we, in compassion, and contrary to order,
+patched him up a bit of a hut, and kindled him a fire, and then left
+the poor wretch to shift for himself. In two or three days after, going
+to the island in our boat with some little refreshment, such as our
+miserable circumstances would admit of, and with an intent of bringing
+him back, we found him dead and stiff. I was now reduced to the lowest
+condition by my illness, which was increased by the vile stuff I eat,
+when we were favoured by a fair day, a thing very extraordinary in this
+climate. We instantly took the advantage of it, and once more visited
+the last remains of the wreck,--her bottom. Here our pains were repaid
+with the great good fortune of hooking up three casks of beef, which
+were brought safe to shore. This providential supply could not have
+happened at a more seasonable time than now, when we were afflicted
+with the greatest dearth we had ever experienced, and the little
+strength we had remaining was to be exerted in our endeavours to leave
+the island. Accordingly we soon found a remedy for our sickness, which
+was nothing but the effects of famine, and were greatly restored by
+food. The provision was equally distributed among us all, and served us
+for the remainder of our stay here.
+
+We began to grow extremely impatient to leave the island, as the
+days were now nearly at their longest, and about midsummer in these
+parts; but as to the weather, there seems to be little difference in a
+difference of seasons. Accordingly, on the 15th of December, the day
+being tolerable, we told Captain Cheap we thought it a fine opportunity
+to run across the bay. But he first desired two or three of us to
+accompany him to our place of observation, the top of Mount Misery;
+when looking through his perspective, he observed to us that the sea
+ran very high without. However, this had no weight with the people, who
+were desirous, at all events, to be gone. I should here observe, that
+Captain Cheap's plan was, if possible, to get to the island of Chiloe;
+and if we found any vessel there, to board her immediately, and cut
+her out. This he might certainly have done with ease, had it been his
+good fortune to get round with the boats. We now launched both boats,
+and got every thing on board of them as quick as possible. Captain
+Cheap, the surgeon, and myself, were in the barge with nine men; and
+Lieutenant Hamilton and Mr. Campbell in the yawl with six. I steered
+the barge, and Mr. Campbell the yawl; but we had not been two hours at
+sea before the wind shifted more to the westward, and began to blow
+very hard, and the sea ran extremely high; so that we could no longer
+keep our heads towards the cape or headland we had designed for. This
+cape we had had a view of in one of the intervals of fair weather,
+during our abode on the island, from Mount Misery; and it seemed to be
+distant between twenty and thirty leagues from us. We were now obliged
+to bear away right before the wind. Though the yawl was not far from
+us, we could see nothing of her, except now and then, upon the top of
+a mountainous sea. In both the boats, the men were obliged to sit as
+close as possible, to receive the seas on their backs, to prevent their
+filling us, which was what we every moment expected. We were obliged
+to throw everything overboard, to lighten the boats, all our beef, and
+even the grapnel, to prevent sinking. Night was coming on, and we
+were running on a lee-shore fast, where the sea broke in a frightful
+manner. Not one amongst us imagined it possible for boats to live in
+such a sea. In this situation, as we neared the shore, expecting to
+be beat to pieces by the first breaker, we perceived a small opening
+between the rocks, which we stood for, and found a very narrow passage
+between them, which brought us into a harbour for the boats as calm
+and smooth as a mill-pond. The yawl had got in before us, and our joy
+was great at meeting again after so unexpected a deliverance. Here we
+secured the boats, and ascended a rock. It rained excessively hard all
+the first part of the night, and was extremely cold; and though we had
+not a dry thread about us, and no wood could be found for firing, we
+were obliged to pass the night in that uncomfortable situation, without
+any covering, shivering in our wet clothes. The frost coming on with
+the morning, it was impossible for any of us to get a moment's sleep;
+and having flung overboard our provision the day before, there being
+no prospect of finding anything to eat on this coast, in the morning we
+pulled out of the cove; but found so great a sea without, that we could
+make but little of it. After tugging all day, towards night we put in
+among some small islands, landed upon one of them, and found it a mere
+swamp. As the weather was the same, we passed this night much as we had
+done the preceding; sea-tangle was all we could get to eat at first,
+but the next day we had better luck; the surgeon shot a goose, and we
+found materials for a good fire. We were confined here three or four
+days, the weather all that time proving so bad that we could not put
+out. As soon as it grew moderate, we left this place, and shaped our
+course to the northward; and perceiving a large opening between very
+high land and a low point, we steered for it; and when got that length,
+found a large bay, down which we rowed, flattering ourselves there
+might be a passage that way; but towards night we came to the bottom of
+the bay, and finding no outlet, we were obliged to return the same way
+we came, having met with nothing the whole day to alleviate our hunger.
+
+Next night we put into a little cove, which, from the great quantity
+of red-wood found there, we called Redwood Cove. Leaving this place in
+the morning, we had the wind southerly, blowing fresh, by which we made
+much way that day, to the northward. Towards evening we were in with a
+pretty large island. Putting ashore on it, we found it clothed with the
+finest trees we had ever seen, their stems running up to a prodigious
+height, without knot or branch, and as straight as cedars: the leaf
+of these trees resemble the myrtle leaf, only somewhat larger. I have
+seen trees larger than these in circumference, on the coast of Guinea,
+and there only; but for a length of stem, which gradually tapering,
+I have no where met with any to compare to them. The wood was of a
+hard substance, and, if not too heavy, would have made good masts; the
+dimensions of some of these trees being equal to a main-mast of a first
+rate man-of-war. The shore was covered with driftwood of a very large
+size; most of it cedar, which makes a brisk fire; but is so subject to
+snap and fly, that when we awoke in the morning, after a sound sleep,
+we found our clothes singed in many places with the sparks, and covered
+with splinters.
+
+The next morning being calm, we rowed out; but as soon as clear of
+the island, we found a great swell from the westward; we rowed to the
+bottom of a very large bay, which was to the northward of us, the land
+very low, and we were in hopes of finding some inlet through, but did
+not; so kept along shore to the westward. This part, which I take to be
+above fifty leagues from Wager Island, is the very bottom of the large
+bay it lies in. Here was the only passage to be found, which (if we
+could by any means have got information of it) would have saved us much
+fruitless labour. Of this passage I shall have occasion to say more
+hereafter.
+
+Having at this time an off-shore wind, we kept the land close on board,
+till we came to a head-land: it was near night before we got abreast
+of the headland, and opening it discovered a very large bay to the
+northward, and another headland to the westward, at a great distance.
+We endeavoured to cut short our passage to it by crossing, which is
+very seldom to be effected, in these overgrown seas, by boats: and this
+we experienced now; for the wind springing up, and beginning to blow
+fresh, we were obliged to put back towards the first headland, into a
+small cove, just big enough to shelter the two boats. Here an accident
+happened that alarmed us much. After securing our boats, we climbed up
+a rock scarcely large enough to contain our numbers: having nothing to
+eat, we betook ourselves to our usual receipt for hunger, which was
+going to sleep. We accordingly made a fire, and stowed ourselves round
+it as well as we could; but two of our men being incommoded for want of
+room, went a little way from us, into a small nook, over which a great
+cliff hung, and served them for a canopy. In the middle of the night
+we were awakened with a terrible rumbling, which we apprehended to
+be nothing less than the shock of an earthquake, which we had before
+experienced in these parts; and this conjecture we had reason to think
+not ill founded, upon hearing hollow groans and cries as of men half
+swallowed up. We immediately got up, and ran to the place from whence
+the cries came, and then we were put out of all doubt as to the opinion
+we had formed of this accident; for here we found the two men almost
+buried under loose stones and earth: but upon a little farther enquiry
+we were undeceived as to the cause we had imputed this noise to, which
+we found to be occasioned by the sudden giving way of the impending
+cliff, which fell a little beyond our people, carrying trees and rocks
+with it, and loose earth; the latter of which fell in part on our men,
+whom we with some pains rescued from their uneasy situation, from which
+they escaped with some bruises. The next morning we got out early, and
+the wind being westerly, rowed the whole day for the headland we had
+seen the night before; but when we had got that length could find no
+harbour, but were obliged to go into a sandy bay, and lay the whole
+night upon our oars; and a most dreadful one it proved, blowing and
+raining very hard. Here we were so pinched with hunger, that we eat the
+shoes off our feet, which consisted of raw seal skin. In the morning
+we got out of the bay; but the incessant foul weather had overcome us,
+and we began to be indifferent as to what befel us; and the boats,
+in the night, making into a bay, we nearly lost the yawl, a breaker
+having filled her, and driven her ashore upon the beach. This, by some
+of our accounts, was Christmas-day; but our accounts had so often been
+interrupted by our distresses, that there was no depending upon them.
+Upon seeing the yawl in this imminent danger, the barge stood off, and
+went into another bay to the northward of it, where it was smoother
+lying; but there was no possibility of getting on shore. In the night
+the yawl joined us again. The next day was so bad, that we despaired
+reaching the headland, so rowed down the bay in hopes of getting some
+seal, as that animal had been seen the day before, but met with no
+success; so returned to the same bay we had been in the night before,
+where the surf having abated somewhat, we went ashore, and picked up a
+few shell-fish. In the morning, we got on board early, and ran along
+shore to the westward, for about three leagues, in order to get round a
+cape, which was the westernmost land we could see. It blew very hard,
+and there ran such a sea, that we heartily wished ourselves back again,
+and accordingly made the best of our way for that bay which we had left
+in the morning; but before we could reach it night came on, and we
+passed a most dismal one, lying upon our oars.
+
+The weather continuing very bad, we put in for the shore in the
+morning, where we found nothing but tangle and sea-weed. We now passed
+some days roving about for provisions, as the weather was too bad to
+make another attempt to get round the cape as yet. We found some fine
+Lagoons towards the head of the bay; and in them killed some seal, and
+got a good quantity of shell-fish, which was a great relief to us.
+We now made a second attempt to double the cape; but when we got the
+length of it, and passed the first headland, for it consists of three
+of an equal height, we got into a sea that was horrid; for it ran all
+in heaps, like the Race of Portland, but much worse. We were happy to
+put back again to the old place, with little hopes of ever getting
+round this cape.
+
+Next day, the weather proving very bad, all hands went ashore to
+procure some sustenance, except two in each boat, which were left as
+boat-keepers; this office we took by turns; and it was now my lot to be
+upon this duty with another man. The yawl lay within us at a grapnel;
+in the night it blew very hard, and a great sea tumbled in upon the
+shore; but being extremely fatigued, we in the boats went to sleep,
+notwithstanding, however, I was at last awakened by the uncommon motion
+of the boat, and the roaring of the breakers every where about us. At
+the same time I heard a shrieking, like to that of persons in distress;
+I looked out, and saw the yawl canted bottom upwards by a sea, and
+soon afterwards disappeared. One of our men, whose name was William
+Rose, a quarter-master, was drowned; the other was thrown ashore by
+the surf, with his head buried in the sand; but by the immediate
+assistance of the people on shore, was saved. As for us in the barge,
+we expected the same fate every moment; for the sea broke a long way
+without us. However we got her head to it, and hove up our grapnel, or
+should rather say kellick, which we had made to serve in the room of
+our grapnel, hove overboard some time before, to lighten the boat. By
+this means we used our utmost efforts to pull her without the breakers
+some way, and then let go our kellick again. Here we lay all the next
+day, in a great sea, not knowing what would be our fate. To add to our
+mortification, we could see our companions in tolerable plight ashore,
+eating seal, while we were starving with hunger and cold. For this
+month past, we had not known what it was to have a dry thread about us.
+
+The next day being something more moderate, we ventured in with the
+barge, as near as we could to the shore, and our companions threw us
+some seal's liver; which having eat greedily, we were seized with
+excessive sickness, which affected us so much, that our skin peeled off
+from head to foot.
+
+Whilst the people were on shore here, Mr. Hamilton met with a large
+seal, or sea-lion, and fired a brace of balls into him, upon which the
+animal turned upon him open-mouthed; but presently fixing his bayonet,
+he thrust it down its throat, with a good part of the barrel of the
+gun, which the creature bit in two seemingly with as much ease as if it
+had been a twig. Notwithstanding the wounds it received, it eluded all
+farther efforts to kill it, and got clear off.
+
+I call this animal a large seal, or sea-lion, because it resembles a
+seal in many particulars; but then it exceeds it so much in size,
+as to be sufficiently determined, by that distinction only, to be
+of another species. Mr. Walter, in Lord Anson's Voyage, has given a
+particular description of those which are seen about Juan Fernandes;
+but they have in other climates, different appearances as well as
+different qualities, as we had occasion to observe in this, and a
+late voyage I made. However, as so much already has been said of
+the sea-lion, I shall only mention two peculiarities; one relative
+to its appearance, and the other to its properties of action, which
+distinguish it from those described by him. Those I saw, were without
+that snout, or trunk, hanging below the end of the upper jaw; but then
+the males were furnished with a large shaggy mane, which gave them a
+most formidable appearance. And, whereas, he says, those he saw were
+unwieldy, and easily destroyed: we found some, on the contrary, that
+lay at a mile's distance from the water, which came down upon us, when
+disturbed, with such impetuosity, that it was as much as we could do to
+get out of their way; and when attacked, would turn upon us with great
+agility.
+
+Having lost the yawl, and being too many for the barge to carry off, we
+were compelled to leave four of our men behind. They were all marines,
+who seemed to have no objection to the determination made with regard
+to them, so exceedingly disheartened and worn out were they with the
+distresses and dangers they had already gone through. And, indeed, I
+believe it would have been a matter of indifference to the greatest
+part of the rest, whether they should embark, or take their chance.
+The captain distributed to these poor fellows arms and ammunition, and
+some other necessaries. When we parted, they stood upon the beach,
+giving us three cheers, and called out, God bless the king. We saw them
+a little after, setting out upon their forlorn hope, and helping one
+another over a hideous tract of rocks; but considering the difficulties
+attending this only way of travelling left them--for the woods are
+impracticable, from their thickness, and the deep swamp everywhere to
+be met in them--considering too, that the coast here is rendered so
+inhospitable, by the heavy seas that are constantly tumbling upon it,
+as not to afford even a little shell-fish, it is probable that all met
+with a miserable end.
+
+We rowed along shore to the westward, in order to make one more attempt
+to double the cape: when abreast of the first headland there ran such
+a sea, that we expected, every instant, the boat would go down. But
+as the preservation of life had now, in a great measure, lost its
+actuating principle upon us, we still kept pushing through it, till we
+opened a bay to the northward. In all my life, I never saw so dreadful
+a sea as drove in here; it began to break at more than half a mile
+from the shore. Perceiving now that it was impossible for any boat to
+get round, the men lay upon their oars till the boat was very near
+the breakers, the mountainous swell that then ran, heaving her in at
+a great rate. I thought it was their intention to put an end to their
+lives and misery at once; but nobody spoke for some time. At last,
+Captain Cheap told them, they must either perish immediately, or pull
+stoutly for it to get off the shore; but they might do as they pleased.
+They chose, however, to exert themselves a little, and after infinite
+difficulty, got round the headland again, giving up all thoughts of
+making any further attempt to double the cape. It was night before we
+could get back to the bay, where we were compelled to leave four of our
+men, in order to save, if possible, the remainder; for we must all have
+certainly perished, if more than sixteen had been crowded into so small
+a boat. This bay we named Marine Bay. When we had returned to this bay,
+we found the surf ran so high, that we were obliged to lay upon our
+oars all night; and it was now resolved to go back to Wager's Island,
+there to linger out a miserable life, as we had not the least prospect
+of returning home.
+
+But before we set out, in consequence of this resolution, it was
+necessary, if possible, to get some little stock of seal to support us
+in a passage, upon which, wherever we might put in, we were not likely
+to meet with any supply. Accordingly, it was determined to go up that
+Lagoon in which we had before got some seal, to provide ourselves with
+some more; but we did not leave the bay till we had made some search
+after the unhappy marines we had left on shore. Could we have found
+them, we had now agreed to take them on board again, though it would
+have been the certain destruction of us all. This, at another time,
+would have been mere madness; but we were now resigned to our fate,
+which we none of us thought far off; however, there was nothing to be
+seen of them, and no traces but a musket on the beach.
+
+Upon returning up the Lagoon, we were so fortunate as to kill some
+seal, which we boiled, and laid in the boat for sea-stock. While we
+were ranging along shore in detached parties in quest of this, and
+whatever other eatable might come in our way, our surgeon, who was
+then by himself, discovered a pretty large hole, which seemed to lead
+to some den, or repository, within the rocks. It was not so rude, or
+natural, but that there were some signs of its having been cleared,
+and made more accessible by industry. The surgeon for some time
+hesitated whether he should venture in, from his uncertainty as to the
+reception he might meet with from any inhabitant; but his curiosity
+getting the better of his fears, he determined to go in; which he
+did upon his hands and knees, as the passage was too low for him to
+enter otherwise. After having proceeded a considerable way thus, he
+arrived at a spacious chamber; but whether hollowed out by hands, or
+natural, he could not be positive. The light into this chamber was
+conveyed through a hole at the top; in the midst was a kind of bier,
+made of sticks laid crossways, supported by props of about five foot
+in height. Upon this bier, five or six bodies were extended; which,
+in appearance, had been deposited there a long time, but had suffered
+no decay or diminution. They were without covering, and the flesh of
+these bodies was become perfectly dry and hard; which, whether done by
+any art, or secret, the savages may be possessed of, or occasioned
+by any drying virtue in the air of the cave, could not be guessed.
+Indeed, the surgeon, finding nothing there to eat, which was the chief
+inducement for his creeping into this hole, did not amuse himself with
+long disquisitions, or make that accurate examination which he would
+have done at another time; but crawling out as he came in, he went and
+told the first he met of what he had seen. Some had the curiosity to
+go in likewise. I had forgot to mention that there was another range
+of bodies, deposited in the same manner, upon another platform under
+the bier. Probably this was the burial place of their great men, called
+caciques; but from whence they could be brought we were utterly at
+a loss to conceive, there being no traces of any Indian settlement
+hereabout. We had seen no savage since we left the island, or observed
+any marks in the coves, or bays to the northward, where we had
+touched,--such as of fire-places, or old wigwams, which they never fail
+of leaving behind them; and it is very probable, from the violent seas
+that are always beating upon this coast, its deformed aspect, and the
+very swampy soil that every where borders upon it, that it is little
+frequented.
+
+We now crossed the first bay for the headland we left on Christmas-day,
+much dejected; for under our former sufferings, we were in some measure
+supported with the hopes that, as we advanced, however little, they
+were so much the nearer the termination; but now our prospect was
+dismal and dispiriting, indeed, as we had the same difficulties and
+dangers to encounter, not only without any flattering views to lessen
+them, but under the aggravating circumstance of their leading to an
+inevitable and miserable death; for we could not possibly conceive that
+the fate of starving could be avoided by any human means, upon that
+desolate island we were returning to. The shell-fish, which was the
+only subsistence that island had hitherto afforded in any measure, was
+exhausted; and the Indians had shewn themselves so little affected by
+the common incitements of compassion, that we had no hopes to build
+upon any impressions of that sort in them. They had already refused
+to barter their dogs with us, for want of a valuable commodity on
+our side; so that it is wonderful we did not give ourselves up to
+despondency, and lay aside all farther attempts; but we were supported
+by that invisible power, who can make the most untoward circumstances
+subservient to his gracious purposes.
+
+At this time, our usual bad weather attended us; the night too set in
+long before we could reach the cove we before had taken shelter in;
+so that we were obliged to keep the boat's head to the sea all night,
+the sea every where a-stern of us, running over hideous breakers. In
+the morning, we designed standing over for that island in which we
+had observed those straight and lofty trees before mentioned, and
+which Captain Cheap named Montrose Island; but as soon as we opened
+the headland to the westward of us, a sudden squall took the boat,
+and very near overset her. We were instantly full of water; but by
+baling with our hats and hands, and any thing that would hold water, we
+with difficulty freed her. Under this alarming circumstance, we found
+it advisable to return back and put into the cove, which the night
+before we were prevented getting into. We were detained here two or
+three days, by exceeding bad weather; so that, had we not fortunately
+provided ourselves with some seal, we must have starved, for this place
+afforded us nothing.
+
+At length we reached Montrose Island. This is by much the best and
+pleasantest spot we had seen in this part of the world; though it has
+nothing on it eatable but some berries, which resembled gooseberries
+in flavour: they are of a black hue, and grow in swampy ground; and
+the bush or tree that bears them is much taller than that of our
+gooseberries. We remained here some time, living upon these berries,
+and the remainder of our seal, which was now grown quite rotten. Our
+two or three first attempts to put out from this island were without
+success, the tempestuous weather obliging us so often to put back
+again. One of our people was much inclined to remain here, thinking it
+as least as good a place as Wager's Island to end his days upon; but
+he was obliged to go off with them. We had not been long out before it
+began to blow a storm of wind; and the mist came on so thick, that we
+could not see the land, and were at a loss which way to steer; but we
+heard the sea, which ran exceedingly high, breaking near us; upon which
+we immediately hauled aft the sheet, and hardly weathered the breakers
+by a boat's length. At the same time we shipped a sea that nearly
+filled us: it struck us with that violence, as to throw me, and one or
+two more, down into the bottom of the boat, where we were half drowned
+before we could get up again. This was one of the most extraordinary
+escapes we had in the course of this expedition; for Captain Cheap, and
+every one else, had entirely given themselves up for lost. However,
+it pleased God that we got that evening into Redwood Cove, where the
+weather continued so bad all night, we could keep no fire in to dry
+ourselves with; but there being no other alternative for us, but to
+stay here and starve, or put to sea again, we chose the latter, and
+put out in the morning again, though the weather was very little
+mended. In three or four days after, we arrived at our old station,
+Wager's Island; but in such a miserable plight, that though we thought
+our condition upon setting out would not admit of any additional
+circumstance of misery, yet it was to be envied in comparison of what
+we now suffered, so worn and reduced were we by fatigue and hunger;
+having eat nothing for some days but sea-weed and tangle. Upon this
+expedition, we had been out, by our account, just two months; in which
+we had rounded, backwards and forwards, the great bay formed to the
+northward by that high land we had observed from Mount Misery.
+
+The first thing we did upon our arrival, was to secure the barge, as
+this was our sole dependence for any relief that might offer by sea;
+which done, we repaired to our huts, which formed a kind of village
+or street, consisting of several irregular habitations; some of which
+being covered by a kind of brush-wood thatch, afforded tolerable
+shelter against the inclemency of the weather. Among these, there was
+one which we observed with some surprise to be nailed up. We broke
+it open, and found some iron work, picked out with much pains from
+those pieces of the wreck which were driven ashore. We concluded from
+hence, that the Indians who had been here in our absence, were not of
+that tribe with which we had some commerce before, who seemed to set
+no value upon iron, but from some other quarter; and must have had
+communication with the Spaniards, from whom they had learned the value
+and use of that commodity. Thieving from strangers is a commendable
+talent among savages in general, and bespeaks an address which they
+much admire; though the strictest honesty, with regard to the property
+of each other, is observed among them. There is no doubt but they
+ransacked all our houses; but the men had taken care, before they went
+off in the long-boat, to strip them of their most valuable furniture;
+that is, the bales of cloth used for lining, and converted them into
+trowsers and watch-coats. Upon farther search, we found, thrown aside
+in the bushes, at the back of one of the huts, some pieces of seal, in
+a very putrid condition; which, however, our stomachs were far from
+loathing. The next business, which the people set about very seriously,
+was to proceed to Mount Misery, and bury the corpse of the murdered
+person, mentioned to have been discovered there some little time after
+our being cast away; for to the neglect of this necessary tribute to
+that unfortunate person, the men assigned all their ill-success upon
+the late expedition.
+
+That common people in general are addicted to superstitious conceits,
+is an observation founded on experience; and the reason is evident:
+but I cannot allow that common seamen are more so than others of the
+lower class. In the most enlightened ages of antiquity, we find it to
+have been the popular opinion, that the spirits of the dead were not at
+rest till their bodies were interred; and that they did not cease to
+haunt and trouble those who had neglected this duty to the departed.
+This is still believed by the vulgar, in most countries; and in our
+men, this persuasion was much heightened by the melancholy condition
+they were reduced to; and was farther confirmed by an occurrence which
+happened some little time before we went upon our last expedition.
+One night we were alarmed with a strange cry, which resembled that
+of a man drowning. Many of us ran out of our huts towards the place
+from whence the noise proceeded, which was not far off shore; where
+we could perceive, but not distinctly (for it was then moonlight), an
+appearance like that of a man swimming half out of water. The noise
+that this creature uttered was so unlike that of any animal they had
+heard before, that it made a great impression upon the men; and they
+frequently recalled this apparition at the time of their distresses,
+with reflections on the neglect of the office they were now fulfilling.
+
+We were soon driven again to the greatest straits for want of something
+to subsist upon, by the extreme bad weather that now set in upon us.
+Wild celery was all we could procure, which raked our stomachs instead
+of assuaging our hunger. That dreadful and last resource of men, in
+not much worse circumstances than ours, of consigning one man to death
+for the support of the rest, began to be mentioned in whispers; and
+indeed there were some among us who, by eating what they found raw,
+were become little better than cannibals. But fortunately for us, and
+opportunely to prevent this horrid proceeding, Mr. Hamilton, at this
+time, found some rotten pieces of beef, cast up by the sea at some
+miles distance from the huts, which he, though a temptation which few
+would have resisted in parallel circumstances, scorned to conceal from
+the rest; but generously distributed among us.
+
+A few days after, the mystery of the nailing up of the hut, and what
+had been doing by the Indians upon the island in our absence, was
+partly explained to us; for about the fifteenth day after our return,
+there came a party of Indians to the island in two canoes, who were not
+a little surprised to find us here again. Among these, was an Indian of
+the tribe of the Chonos, who live in the neighbourhood of Chiloe.[4]
+He talked the Spanish language, but with that savage accent which
+renders it almost unintelligible to any but those who are adepts in
+that language. He was likewise a cacique, or leading man of his tribe;
+which authority was confirmed to him by the Spaniards; for he carried
+the usual badge and mark of distinction by which the Spaniards, and
+their dependents, hold their military and civil employments, which is a
+stick with a silver head. These badges, of which the Indians are very
+vain, at once serve to retain the cacique in the strongest attachment
+to the Spanish government, and give him greater weight with his own
+dependents: yet, withal, he is the merest slave, and has not one thing
+he can call his own. This report of our shipwreck (as we supposed)
+having reached the Chonos, by means of the intermediate tribes, which
+handed it to one another, from those Indians who first visited us;
+this cacique was either sent to learn the truth of the rumour, or
+having first got the intelligence, set out with a view of making some
+advantage of the wreck, and appropriating such iron-work as he could
+gather from it to his own use: for that metal is become very valuable
+to those savages, since their commerce with the Spaniards has taught
+them to apply it to several purposes. But as the secreting any thing
+from a rapacious Spanish rey, or governor (even an old rusty nail),
+by any of their Indian dependents, is a very dangerous offence, he
+was careful to conceal the little prize he had made, till he could
+conveniently carry it away; for in order to make friends of these
+savages, we had left their hoard untouched.
+
+[FOOTNOTE 4:
+
+Chiloe is an island on the western coast of America, about the 43rd
+deg. of S. latitude; and the southernmost settlement under the Spanish
+jurisdiction on that coast.]
+
+Our surgeon, Mr. Elliot, being master of a few Spanish words, made
+himself so far understood by the cacique as to let him know, that
+our intention was to reach some of the Spanish settlements, if we
+could; that we were unacquainted with the best and safest way, and
+what tract was most likely to afford us subsistence in our journey;
+promising, if he would undertake to conduct us in the barge, he should
+have it, and every thing in it, for his trouble, as soon as it had
+served our present occasions. To these conditions the cacique, after
+much persuasion, at length agreed. Accordingly, having made the best
+preparation we could, we embarked on board the barge to the number of
+fifteen, including the cacique, whose name was Martin, and his servant
+Emanuel. We were, indeed, sixteen, when we returned from our last
+fruitless attempt to get off the island; but we had buried two since
+that, who perished with hunger; and a marine, having committed theft,
+run away to avoid the punishment his crime deserved, and hid himself
+in the woods; since which he was never heard of. We now put off,
+accompanied with the two Indian canoes; in one of which was a savage,
+with his two wives, who had an air of dignity superior to the rest, and
+was handsome in his person. He had his hut, during his stay with us,
+separate from the other Indians, who seemed to pay him extraordinary
+respect; but in two or three nights, these Indians, being independent
+of the Spaniards, and living somewhere to the southward of our Chono
+guide, left us to proceed on our journey by ourselves.
+
+The first night we lay at an island destitute of all refreshment; where
+having found some shelter for our boat, and made ourselves a fire, we
+slept by it. The next night we were more unfortunate, though our wants
+were increasing; for having run to the westward of Montross island, we
+found no shelter for the barge; but were under the necessity of lying
+upon our oars, suffering the most extreme pangs of hunger. The next
+day brought us to the bottom of a great bay, where the Indian guide
+had left his family, a wife and two children, in a hut. Here we staid
+two or three days, during which we were constantly employed in ranging
+along shore in quest of shell-fish.
+
+We now again proceeded on our voyage, having received on board the
+family of our guide, who conducted us to a river, the stream of which
+was so rapid, that after our utmost efforts from morning to evening, we
+gained little upon the current, and at last were obliged to desist from
+our attempt and return. I had hitherto steered the boat; but one of our
+men sinking under the fatigue, expired soon after, which obliged me to
+take the oar in his room, and row against this heart-breaking stream.
+Whilst I was thus employed, one of our men whose name was John Bosman,
+though hitherto the stoutest man among us, fell from his seat under
+the thwarts, complaining that his strength was quite exhausted for
+want of food, and that he should die very shortly. As he lay in this
+condition, he would every now and then break out in the most pathetic
+wishes for some little sustenance; that two or three mouthfuls might be
+the means of saving his life. The Captain, at this time, had a large
+piece of boiled seal by him, and was the only one that was provided
+with any thing like a meal; but we were become so hardened against the
+impressions of others' sufferings by our own; so familiarized to scenes
+of this, and every other kind of misery; that the poor man's dying
+entreaties were vain. I sat next to him when he dropped, and having a
+few dried shell-fish (about five or six) in my pocket, from time to
+time put one in his mouth, which served only to prolong his pains; from
+which, however, soon after my little supply failed, he was released
+by death. For this, and another man I mentioned a little before to
+have expired under the like circumstances, when we returned from this
+unsuccessful enterprise, we made a grave in the sands.
+
+It would have redounded greatly to the tenderness and humanity of
+Captain Cheap, if at this time he had remitted somewhat of that
+attention he shewed to self-preservation; which is hardly allowable
+but where the consequence of relieving others must be immediately
+and manifestly fatal to ourselves; but I would venture to affirm,
+that in these last affecting exigencies, as well as some others, a
+sparing perhaps adequate to the emergency, might have been admitted
+consistently with a due regard to his own necessities. The Captain had
+better opportunities for recruiting his stock than any of us; for his
+rank was considered by the Indian as a reason for supplying him when he
+would not find a bit for us. Upon the evening of the day in which these
+disasters happened, the Captain producing a large piece of boiled seal,
+suffered no one to partake with him but the surgeon, who was the only
+man in favour at this time. We did not expect, indeed, any relief from
+him in our present condition; for we had a few small muscles and herbs
+to eat; but the men could not help expressing the greatest indignation
+at his neglect of the deceased; saying that he deserved to be deserted
+by the rest for his savage behaviour.
+
+The endeavouring to pass up this river was for us, who had so long
+struggled with hunger, a most unseasonable attempt; by which we were
+harassed to a degree that threatened to be fatal to more of us; but our
+guide, without any respect to the condition our hardships had reduced
+us to, was very solicitous for us to go that way, which possibly he
+had gone before in light canoes; but for such a boat as ours was
+impracticable. We conceived, therefore, at that time, that this was
+some short cut, which was to bring us forward in our voyage; but we
+had reason to think afterwards, that the greater probability there was
+of his getting the barge, which was the wages of his undertaking, safe
+to his settlement by this, rather than another course, was his motive
+for preferring it to the way we took afterwards, where there was a
+carrying place of considerable length, over which it would have been
+impossible to have carried our boat.
+
+The country hereabouts wears the most uncouth, desolate, and rugged
+aspect imaginable; it is so circumstanced, as to discourage the most
+sanguine adventurers from attempts to settle it: were it for no other
+reason than the constant heavy rains, or rather torrents, which pour
+down here, and the vast sea and surf which the prevailing westerly
+winds impel upon this coast, it must be rendered inhospitable. All
+entrance into the woods is not only extremely difficult, but hazardous;
+not from any assaults you are likely to meet with from wild beasts;
+for even these could hardly find convenient harbour here; but from the
+deep swamp, which is the reigning soil of this country, and in which
+the woods may be said rather to float than grow; so that, except upon a
+range of deformed broken rocks which form the sea-coast, the traveller
+cannot find sound footing any where. With this unpromising scene
+before us we were now setting out in search of food, which nothing but
+the most pressing instances of hunger could induce us to do: we had,
+indeed, the young Indian servant to our cacique for our conductor, who
+was left by him to shew us where the shell-fish was most plenty. The
+cacique was gone with the rest of his family, in the canoe, with a view
+of getting some seal, upon a trip which would detain him from us three
+or four days.
+
+After searching the coast some time with very little success, we
+began to think of returning to the barge; but six of the men, with
+the Indian, having advanced some few paces before the officers, got
+into the boat first; which they had no sooner done than they put off,
+and left us, to return no more. And now all the difficulties we had
+hitherto endured, seemed light in comparison of what we expected to
+suffer from this treachery of our men, who, with the boat, had taken
+away every thing that might be the means of preserving our lives. The
+little clothes we had saved from the wreck, our muskets and ammunition
+were gone, except a little powder, which must be preserved for kindling
+fires, and one gun, which I had, and was now become useless for want of
+ammunition; and all these wants were now come upon us at a time when we
+could not be worse situated for supplying them. Yet under these dismal
+and forlorn appearances was our delivery now preparing; and from these
+hopeless circumstances were we to draw hereafter an instance scarce
+to be paralleled, of the unsearchable ways of Providence. It was at
+that time little suspected by us, that the barge, in which we founded
+all our hopes of escaping from this savage coast, would certainly have
+proved the fatal cause of detaining us till we were consumed by the
+labour and hardships requisite to row her round the capes and great
+headlands; for it was impossible to carry her by land, as we did the
+boats of the Indians. At present, no condition could be worse that we
+thought ours to be: there ran at this time a very high sea, which
+breaking with great fury upon this coast, made it very improbable that
+sustenance in any proportion to our wants could be found upon it; yet,
+unpromising as this prospect was, and though little succour could be
+expected from this quarter, I could not help, as I strolled along shore
+from the rest, casting my eyes towards the sea. Continuing thus to look
+out, I thought I saw something now and then upon the top of a sea that
+looked black, which upon observing still more intently, I imagined at
+last to be a canoe; but reflecting afterwards how unusual it was for
+Indians to venture out in so mountainous a sea, and at such a distance
+from the land, I concluded myself to be deceived. However, its nearer
+approach convinced me, beyond all doubt, of its being a canoe; but that
+it could not put in any where hereabouts, but intended for some other
+part of the coast. I ran back as fast as I could to my companions, and
+acquainted them with what I had seen. The despondency they were in
+would not allow them to give credit to it at first; but afterwards,
+being convinced that it was as I reported it, we were all in the
+greatest hurry to strip off some of our rags to make a signal withal,
+which we fixed upon a long pole. This had the desired effect: the
+people in the canoe seeing the signal, made towards the land at about
+two mile distance from us; for no boat could approach the land where we
+were: there they put into a small cove, sheltered by a large ledge of
+rocks without, which broke the violence of the sea. Captain Cheap and
+I walked along shore, and got to the cove about the time they landed.
+Here we found the persons arrived in this canoe, to be our Indian guide
+and his wife, who had left us some days before. He would have asked us
+many questions; but neither Captain Cheap nor I understanding Spanish
+at that time, we took him along with us to the surgeon, whom we had
+left so ill that he could hardly raise himself from the ground. When
+the Indian began to confer with the surgeon, the first question was,
+What was become of the barge and his companion? and as he could give
+him no satisfactory answer to this question, the Indian took it for
+granted that Emanuel was murdered by us, and that he and his family ran
+the same risk; upon which he was preparing to provide for his security,
+by leaving us directly. The surgeon seeing this, did all in his
+power to pacify him, and convince him of the unreasonableness of his
+apprehensions; which he at length found means to do, by assuring him
+that the Indian would come to no harm, but that he would soon see him
+return safe; which providentially, and beyond our expectation, happened
+accordingly; for in a few days after, Emanuel having contrived to make
+his escape from the people in the barge, returned by ways that were
+impassable to any creature but an Indian. All that we could learn from
+Emanuel relative to his escape was, that he took the first opportunity
+of leaving them; which was upon their putting into a bay somewhere to
+the westward.
+
+We had but one gun among us, and that was a small fowling-piece of
+mine; no ammunition but a few charges of powder I had about me; and
+as the Indian was very desirous of returning to the place where he had
+left his wife and canoe, Captain Cheap desired I would go with him and
+watch over him all night, to prevent his getting away. Accordingly I
+set out with him; and when he and his family betook themselves to rest
+in the little wigwam they had made for that purpose, I kept my station
+as centinel over them all night.
+
+The next morning Captain Cheap, Mr. Hamilton, and the surgeon, joined
+us: the latter, by illness, being reduced to the most feeble condition,
+was supported by Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Campbell. After holding some
+little consultation together, as to the best manner of proceeding in
+our journey, it was agreed, that the Indian should haul his canoe, with
+our assistance, over land, quite across the island we were then upon,
+and put her into a bay on the other side, from whence he was to go in
+quest of some other Indians, by whom he expected to be joined; but as
+his canoe was too small to carry more than three or four persons, he
+thought it advisable to take only Captain Cheap and myself with him,
+and to leave his wife and children as pledges with our companions till
+his return.
+
+As it was matter of uncertainty whether we should ever recover the
+barge or not, which was stipulated, on our side, to become the property
+of the cacique, upon his fulfilling his engagements with us; the
+inducements we now made use of to prevail upon him to proceed with us
+in our journey were, that he should have my fowling-piece, some little
+matters in the possession of Captain Cheap, and that we would use our
+interest to procure him some small pecuniary reward.
+
+We were now to set off in the canoe, in which I was to assist him in
+rowing. Accordingly, putting from this island, we rowed hard all this
+day and the next, without any thing to eat but a scrap of seal, a very
+small portion of which fell to my share. About two hours after the
+close of the day, we put ashore, where we discovered six or seven
+wigwams. For my part, my strength was so exhausted with fatigue and
+hunger, that it would have been impossible for me to have held out
+another day at this toilsome work. As soon as we landed, the Indian
+conducted Captain Cheap with him into a wigwam; but I was left to shift
+for myself.
+
+Thus left, I was for some time at a loss what I had best do; for
+knowing that in the variety of dispositions observable among the
+Indians, the surly and savage temper is the most prevalent, I had good
+reason to conclude, that if I obtruded myself upon them, my reception
+would be but indifferent. Necessity, however, put me upon the risk;
+I accordingly pushed into the next wigwam upon my hands and knees;
+for the entrance into these kind of buildings is too low to admit of
+any other manner of getting into them. To give a short description of
+these temporary houses, called wigwams, may not be improper here, for
+the satisfaction of those who never saw any; especially as they differ
+somewhat from those of North America, which are more generally known
+from the numerous accounts of that country.
+
+When the Indians of this part of the world have occasion to stop any
+where in their rambles, if it be only for a night or two, the men, who
+take this business upon them, while the women are employed in much
+more laborious offices, such as diving in the sea for sea-eggs, and
+searching the rocks for shell-fish, getting fuel, &c., repair to the
+woods, and cutting a sufficient number of tall, strait branches, fix
+them in an irregular kind of circle, of uncertain dimensions; which
+having done, they bend the extremities of these branches so as to meet
+in a centre at top, where they bind them by a kind of woodbine, called
+supple-jack, which they split by holding it in their teeth. This frame,
+or skeleton of a hut, is made tight against the weather with a covering
+of boughs and bark; but as the bark is not got without some trouble,
+they generally take it with them when they remove, putting it at the
+bottom of their canoes: the rest of the wigwam they leave standing.
+The fire is made in the middle of the wigwam, round which they sit upon
+boughs; and as there is no vent for the smoke, besides the door-way,
+which is very low, except through some crevices, which cannot easily be
+stopped, they are not a little incommoded on that account; and the eyes
+of some of them are much affected by it.
+
+But to return: in this wigwam, into which I took the liberty to
+introduce myself, I found only two women, who, upon first seeing a
+figure they were not accustomed to, and such a figure too as I then
+made, were struck with astonishment. They were sitting by a fire, to
+which I approached without any apology. However inclined I might have
+been to make one, my ignorance of their language made it impossible to
+attempt it. One of these women appeared to be young, and very handsome
+for an Indian; the other old, and as frightful as it is possible to
+conceive any thing in human shape to be. Having stared at me some
+little time, they both went out; and I, without any farther ceremony,
+sat me down by the fire to warm myself, and dry the rags I wore. Yet I
+cannot say my situation was very easy, as I expected every instant to
+see two or three men come in and thrust me out, if they did not deal
+with me in a rougher manner.
+
+Soon after the two women came in again, having, as I supposed,
+conferred with the Indian, our conductor; and appearing to be in great
+good-humour, began to chatter and laugh immoderately. Perceiving the
+wet and cold condition I was in, they seemed to have compassion on
+me, and the old woman went out and brought some wood, with which she
+made a good fire; but my hunger being impatient, I could not forbear
+expressing my desire that they would extend their hospitality a little
+further, and bring me something to eat. They soon comprehended my
+meaning, and the younger beginning to rummage under some pieces of bark
+that lay in the corner of the wigwam, produced a fine large fish: this
+they presently put upon the fire to broil; and when it was just warm
+through, they made a sign for me to eat. They had no need to repeat
+the invitation; I fell to, and dispatched it in so short a time, that
+I was in hopes they would comprehend, without further tokens, that I
+was ready for another; but it was of no consequence, for their stock of
+eatables was entirely exhausted.
+
+After sitting some time in conference together, in which conversation
+I could bear no part, the women made some signs to me to lay down and
+go to sleep, first having strewed some dry boughs upon the ground. I
+laid myself down, and soon fell fast asleep; and about three or four
+hours after awaking, I found myself covered with a bit of blanket, made
+of the down of birds, which the women usually wear about their waist.
+The young woman, who had carefully covered me, whilst sleeping, with
+her own blanket, was lying close by me: the old woman lay on the other
+side of her. The fire was low, and almost burnt out; but as soon as
+they found me awake they renewed it, by putting on more fuel. What I
+had hitherto eat served only to sharpen my appetite; I could not help,
+therefore, being earnest with them to get me some more victuals. Having
+understood my necessities, they talked together some little time;
+after which getting up, they both went out, taking with them a couple
+of dogs, which they train to assist them in fishing. After an hour's
+absence, they came in trembling with cold, and their hair streaming
+with water, and brought two fish; which having broiled, they gave me
+the largest share; and then we all laid down as before to rest.
+
+In the morning my curiosity led me to visit the neighbouring wigwams,
+in which were only one or two men; the rest of the inhabitants were all
+women and children. I then proceeded to enquire after Captain Cheap and
+our Indian guide, whom I found in the wigwam they at first occupied:
+the authority of the cacique had procured the Captain no despicable
+entertainment. We could not learn what business the men, whose wives
+and children were here left behind, were gone out upon; but as they
+seldom or never go upon fishing-parties (for they have no hunting here)
+without their wives, who take the most laborious part of this pursuit
+upon themselves, it is probable they were gone upon some warlike
+expedition, in which they use bows and arrows sometimes, but always
+the lance. This weapon they throw with great dexterity and force, and
+never stir abroad without it. About this time their return was looked
+for; a hearing by no means pleasant to me; I was, therefore, determined
+to enjoy myself as long as they were absent, and make the most of the
+good fare I was possessed of; to the pleasure of which I thought a
+little cleanliness might in some measure contribute; I therefore went
+to a brook, and taking off my shirt, which might be said to be alive
+with vermin, set myself about to wash it; which having done as well
+as I could, and hung on a bush to dry, I heard a bustle about the
+wigwams; and soon perceived that the women were preparing to depart,
+having stripped their wigwams of their bark covering, and carried it
+into their canoes. Putting on, therefore, my shirt just as it was, I
+hastened to join them, having a great desire of being present at one of
+their fishing parties.
+
+It was my lot to be put into the canoe with my two patronesses, and
+some others who assisted in rowing; we were in all four canoes. After
+rowing some time, they gained such an offing as they required, where
+the water here was about eight or ten fathom deep, and there lay upon
+their oars. And now the youngest of the two women, taking a basket in
+her mouth, jumped overboard, and diving to the bottom, continued under
+water an amazing time: when she had filled the basket with sea-eggs,
+she came up to the boat-side; and delivering it so filled to the other
+women in the boat, they took out the contents, and returned it to her.
+The diver, then, after having taken a short time to breathe, went down
+and up again with the same success; and so several times for the space
+of half an hour. It seems as if Providence had endued this people
+with a kind of amphibious nature, as the sea is the only source from
+whence almost all their subsistence is derived. This element too,
+being here very boisterous, and falling with a most heavy surf upon a
+rugged coast, very little, except some seal, is to be got any where
+but in the quiet bosom of the deep. What occasions this reflection is
+the early propensity I had so frequently observed in the children of
+these savages to this occupation; who, even at the age of three years,
+might be seen crawling upon their hands and knees among the rocks and
+breakers; from which they would tumble themselves into the sea without
+regard to the cold, which is here often intense; and showing no fear of
+the noise and roaring of the surf.
+
+This sea-egg is a shell-fish, from which several prickles project in
+all directions, by means whereof it removes itself from place to place.
+In it are found four or five yolks, resembling the inner divisions of
+an orange, which are of a very nutritive quality, and excellent flavour.
+
+The water was at this time extremely cold; and when the divers got
+into the boats, they seemed greatly benumbed; and it is usual with
+them after this exercise, if they are near enough their wigwams, to
+run to the fire; to which presenting one side, they rub and chafe it
+for some time; then turning the other, use it in the same manner,
+till the circulation of the blood is restored. This practice, if it
+has no worse effect, must occasion their being more susceptible of
+the impressions of cold, than if they waited the gradual advances of
+their natural warmth in the open air. I leave it to the decision of the
+gentlemen of the faculty, whether this too hasty approach to the fire
+may not subject them to a disorder I observed among them, called the
+elephantiasis, or swelling of the legs.[5]
+
+[FOOTNOTE 5:
+
+There are two very different disorders incident to the human body,
+which bear the same name, derived from some resemblance they hold with
+different parts of the animal so well known in the countries to which
+these disorders are peculiar. That which was first so named is the
+leprosy, which brings a scurf on the skin not unlike the hide of an
+elephant. The other affects the patient with such enormous swellings of
+the legs and feet, that they give the idea of those shapeless pillars
+which support that creature; and therefore this disease has also been
+called elephantiasis by the Arabian physicians; who, together with the
+Malabarians, among whom it is endemial, attribute it to the drinking
+bad waters, and the too sudden transitions from heat to cold.]
+
+The divers having returned to their boats, we continued to row till
+towards evening, when we landed upon a low point. As soon as the canoes
+were hauled up, they employed themselves in erecting their wigwams,
+which they dispatch with great address and quickness. I still enjoyed
+the protection of my two good Indian women, who made me their guest
+here as before; they first regaled me with sea-eggs, and then went out
+upon another kind of fishery by the means of dogs and nets. These dogs
+are a cur-like looking animal, but very sagacious, and easily trained
+to this business. Though in appearance an uncomfortable sort of sport,
+yet they engage in it readily, seem to enjoy it much, and express
+their eagerness by barking every time they raise their heads above the
+water to breathe. The net is held by two Indians, who get into the
+water; then the dogs, taking a large compass, dive after the fish, and
+drive them into the net; but it is only in particular places that the
+fish are taken in this manner. At the close of the evening, the women
+brought in two fish, which served us for supper; and then we reposed
+ourselves as before. Here we remained all the next day; and the morning
+after embarked again, and rowed till noon; then landing, we descried
+the canoes of the Indian men, who had been some time expected from an
+expedition they had been upon. This was soon to make a great alteration
+in the situation of my affairs, a presage of which I could read in the
+melancholy countenance of my young hostess. She endeavoured to express
+herself in very earnest terms to me; but I had not yet acquired a
+competent knowledge of the Indian language to understand her.
+
+As soon as the men were landed, she and the old Indian woman went up,
+not without some marks of dread upon them, to an elderly Indian man,
+whose remarkable surly and stern countenance was well calculated to
+raise such sensations in his dependents. He seemed to be a cacique, or
+chief man among them, by the airs of importance he assumed to himself,
+and the deference paid him by the rest. After some little conference
+passed between these Indians, and our cacique conductor, of which,
+most probably, the circumstances of our history, and the occasion of
+our coming here, might be the chief subject, for they fixed their
+eyes constantly upon us, they applied themselves to building their
+wigwams. I now understood that the two Indian women with whom I had
+sojourned, were wives to this chieftain, though one was young enough to
+be his daughter; and as far as I could learn, did really stand in the
+different relations to him both of daughter and wife. It was easy to be
+perceived that all did not go well between them at this time: either
+that he was not satisfied with the answers that they returned him to
+his questions, or that he suspected some misconduct on their side; for
+presently after, breaking out into savage fury, he took the young one
+up in his arms, and threw her with violence against the stones; but his
+brutal resentment did not stop here, he beat her afterwards in a cruel
+manner. I could not see this treatment of my benefactress without the
+highest concern for her, and rage against the author of it; especially
+as the natural jealousy of these people gave occasion to think that
+it was on my account she suffered. I could hardly suppress the first
+emotions of my resentment, which prompted me to return him his
+barbarity in his own kind; but besides that this might have drawn upon
+her fresh marks of his severity, it was neither politic, nor indeed in
+my power, to have done it to any good purpose at this time.
+
+Our cacique now made us understand that we must embark directly, in the
+same canoe which brought us, and return to our companions; and that
+the Indians we were about to leave, would join us in a few days, when
+we should all set out in a body, in order to proceed to the northward.
+In our way back, nothing very material happened; but upon our arrival,
+which was the next day, we found Mr. Elliot, the surgeon, in a very bad
+way; his illness had been continually increasing since we left him. Mr.
+Hamilton and Mr. Campbell were almost starved, having fared very ill
+since we left them: a few sea-eggs were all the subsistence they had
+lived upon; and these procured by the cacique's wife, in the manner I
+mentioned before. This woman was the very reverse of my hostess; and as
+she found her husband was of so much consequence to us, took upon her
+with much haughtiness, and treated us as dependents and slaves. He was
+not more engaging in his carriage towards us; he would give no part of
+what he had to spare to any but Captain Cheap, whom his interest led
+him to prefer to the rest, though our wants were often greater. The
+captain, on his part, contributed to keep us in this abject situation,
+by approving this distinction the cacique showed to him. Had he treated
+us with not quite so much distance, the cacique might have been more
+regardful of our wants. The little regard and attention which our
+necessitous condition drew from Captain Cheap, may be imputed likewise,
+in some measure, to the effects of a mind soured by a series of crosses
+and disappointments; which, indeed, had operated on us all to a great
+neglect of each other, and sometimes of ourselves.
+
+We were not suffered to be in the same wigwam with the cacique and his
+wife; which, if we had had any countenance from Captain Cheap, would
+not have been refused. What we had made for ourselves was in such a
+bungling manner, that it scarce deserved the name even of this wretched
+sort of habitation. But our untoward circumstances now found some
+relief in the arrival of the Indians we waited for; who brought with
+them some seal, a small portion of which fell to our share. A night
+or two after they sent out some of their young men, who procured us a
+quantity of a very delicate kind of birds, called shags and cormorants.
+Their manner of taking these birds resembles something a sport called
+bat fowling. They find out their haunts among the rocks and cliffs in
+the night, when taking with them torches made of the bark of the birch
+tree, which is common here, and grows to a very large size, (this bark
+has a very unctuous quality, and emits a bright and clear light, and in
+the northern parts of America is used frequently instead of a candle,)
+they bring the boat's side as near as possible to the rocks, under the
+roosting-places of these birds; then waving their lights backwards and
+forwards, the birds are dazzled and confounded so as to fall into the
+canoe, where they are instantly knocked on the head with a short stick
+the Indians take with them for that purpose.
+
+Seals are taken in some less frequented parts of these coasts, with
+great ease; but when their haunts have been two or three times
+disturbed, they soon learn to provide for their safety, by repairing to
+the water upon the first alarm. This is the case with them hereabouts;
+but as they frequently raise their heads above water, either to breathe
+or look about them, I have seen an Indian at this interval, throw his
+lance with such dexterity as to strike the animal through both its
+eyes, at a great distance; and it is very seldom that they miss their
+aim.
+
+As we were wholly unacquainted with these methods of providing food
+for ourselves, and were without arms and ammunition, we were driven
+to the utmost straits; and found ourselves rather in worse condition
+than we had been at any time before. For the Indians having now nothing
+to fear from us, we found we had nothing to expect from them upon any
+other motive. Accordingly, if ever they did relieve us, it was through
+caprice; for at most times they would shew themselves unconcerned at
+our greatest distresses. But the good Indian women, whose friendship
+I had experienced before, continued, from time to time, their good
+offices to me. Though I was not suffered to enter their wigwams, they
+would find opportunities of throwing in my way such scraps as they
+could secrete from their husbands. The obligation I was under to them
+on this account was great, as the hazard they ran in conferring these
+favours was little less than death. The men, unrestrained by any
+laws or ties of conscience, in the management of their own families,
+exercise a most despotic authority over their wives, whom they consider
+in the same view as any other part of their property, and dispose of
+them accordingly: even their common treatment of them is cruel; for
+though the toil and hazard of procuring food lies entirely upon the
+women, yet they are not suffered to touch any part of it till the
+husband is satisfied; and then he assigns them their portion, which is
+generally very scanty, and such as he has not a stomach for himself.
+This arbitrary proceeding, with respect to their own families, is not
+peculiar to this people only. I have had occasion to observe it in
+more instances than this I have mentioned, among many other nations of
+savages I have since seen.
+
+These Indians are of a middling stature, well set, and very active;
+and make their way among the rocks with an amazing agility. Their
+feet, by this kind of exercise, contract a callosity which renders
+the use of shoes quite unnecessary to them. But before I conclude the
+few observations I have to make on a people so confined in all their
+notions and habits, it may be expected I should say something of their
+religion; but as their gross ignorance is in nothing more conspicuous,
+and as we found it advisable to keep out of their way when the fits
+of devotion came upon them, which is rather frantic than religious,
+the reader can expect very little satisfaction on this head. Accident
+has sometimes made me unavoidably a spectator of scenes I should have
+chosen to have withdrawn myself from; and so far I am instructed. As
+there are no fixed seasons for their religious exercises, the younger
+people wait till the elders find themselves devoutly disposed; who
+begin the ceremony by several deep and dismal groans, which rise
+gradually to a hideous kind of singing, from which they proceed to
+enthusiasm, and work themselves into a disposition that borders on
+madness; for suddenly jumping up, they snatch firebrands from the fire,
+put them in their mouths, and run about burning every body they come
+near: at other times, it is a custom with them to wound one another
+with sharp muscle-shells till they are besmeared with blood. These
+orgies continue till those who preside in them foam at the mouth, grow
+faint, are exhausted with fatigue, and dissolve in a profusion of
+sweat. When the men drop their part in this frenzy, the women take it
+up, acting over again much the same kind of wild scene, except that
+they rather outdo the men in shrieks and noise. Our cacique, who had
+been reclaimed from these abominations by the Spaniards, and just knew
+the exterior form of crossing himself, pretended to be much offended
+at these profane ceremonies, and that he would have died sooner than
+have partaken of them. Among other expressions of disapprobation, he
+declared that whilst the savages solemnized these horrid rites, he
+never failed to hear strange and uncommon noises in the woods, and to
+see frightful visions; and assured us, that the devil was the chief
+actor among them upon these occasions.
+
+It might be about the middle of March, that we embarked with these
+Indians. They separated our little company entirely, not putting any
+two of us together in the same canoe. The oar was my lot, as usual,
+as also Mr. Campbell's; Mr. Hamilton could not row, and Captain Cheap
+was out of the question; our surgeon was more dead than alive at the
+time, and lay at the bottom of the canoe he was in. The weather coming
+on too bad for their canoes to keep the sea, we landed again, without
+making great progress that day. Here Mr. Elliot, our surgeon, died. At
+our first setting out, he promised the fairest for holding out, being
+a very strong, active young man: he had gone through an infinite deal
+of fatigue, as Mr. Hamilton and he were the best shots amongst us, and
+whilst our ammunition lasted never spared themselves, and in a great
+measure provided for the rest; but he died the death many others had
+done before him, being quite starved. We scraped a hole for him in the
+sand, and buried him in the best manner we could. Here I must relate a
+little anecdote of our Christian cacique. He and his wife had gone off,
+at some distance from the shore, in their canoe, when she dived for
+sea-eggs; but not meeting with great success, they returned a good deal
+out of humour. A little boy of theirs, about three years old, whom they
+appeared to be dotingly fond of, watching for his father and mother's
+return, ran into the surf to meet them: the father handed a basket of
+sea-eggs to the child, which being too heavy for him to carry, he let
+it fall; upon which the father jumped out of the canoe, and catching
+the boy up in his arms, dashed him with the utmost violence against
+the stones. The poor little creature lay motionless and bleeding, and
+in that condition was taken up by the mother; but died soon after. She
+appeared inconsolable for some time; but the brute his father shewed
+little concern about it. A day or two after we put to sea again, and
+crossed the great bay I mentioned we had been to the bottom of, when
+we first hauled away to the westward. The land here was very low and
+sandy, with something like the mouth of a river which discharged itself
+into the sea; and which had been taken no notice of by us before, as
+it was so shallow that the Indians were obliged to take every thing
+out of their canoes, and carry it over the neck of land, and then haul
+the boats over into a river, which at this part of it was very broad,
+more resembling a lake than a river. We rowed up it for four or five
+leagues, and then took into a branch of it, that ran first to the
+eastward, and then to the northward: here it became much narrower, and
+the stream excessively rapid, so that we made but little way, though
+we worked very hard. At night we landed upon its banks, and had a most
+uncomfortable lodging, it being a perfect swamp; and we had nothing to
+cover us, though it rained very hard. The Indians were little better
+off than we, as there was no wood here to make their wigwams; so that
+all they could do was to prop up the bark they carry in the bottom
+of their canoes with their oars, and shelter themselves as well as
+they could to leeward of it. They, knowing the difficulties that were
+to be encountered here, had provided themselves with some seal; but
+we had not the least morsel to eat, after the heavy fatigues of the
+day, excepting a sort of root we saw some of the Indians make use of,
+which was very disagreeable to the taste. We laboured all the next
+day against the stream, and fared as we had done the day before. The
+next day brought us to the carrying-place. Here was plenty of wood;
+but nothing to be got for sustenance. The first thing the Indians did
+was to take every thing out of their canoes; and after hauling them
+ashore, they made their wigwams. We passed this night, as generally we
+had done, under a tree; but what we suffered at this time is not easily
+to be expressed. I had been three days at the oar without any kind of
+nourishment, but the wretched root I mentioned before. I had no shirt,
+as mine was rotted off by bits, and we were devoured by vermin. All
+my clothes consisted of an old short grieko, which is something like
+a bearskin, with a piece of a waistcoat under it, which once had been
+of red cloth, both which I had on when I was cast away; I had a ragged
+pair of trowsers, without either shoe or stocking. The first thing
+the Indians did in the morning was to take their canoes to pieces:
+and here, for the information of the reader, it will be necessary
+to describe the structure of these boats, which are extremely well
+calculated for the use of these Indians, as they are frequently obliged
+to carry them over land a long way together, through thick woods, to
+avoid doubling capes and headlands in seas where no open boat could
+live. They generally consist of five pieces, or planks; one for the
+bottom, and two for each side; and as these people have no iron tools,
+the labour must be great in hacking a single plank out of a large tree
+with shells and flints, though with the help of fire. Along the edges
+of the plank they make small holes, at about an inch from one to the
+other, and sew them together with the supple-jack, or woodbine; but as
+these holes are not filled up by the substance of the woodbine, their
+boats would be immediately full of water if they had not a method of
+preventing it. They do this very effectually by the bark of a tree,
+which they first steep in water for some time, and then beat it between
+two stones till it answers the use of oakum, and then chinse each hole
+so well, that they do not admit of the least water coming through,
+and are easily taken asunder and put together again. When they have
+occasion to go over land, as at this time, each man or woman carries a
+plank; whereas it would be impossible for them to drag a heavy boat
+entire. Every body had something to carry except Captain Cheap; and he
+was obliged to be assisted, or never would have got over this march;
+for a worse than this, I believe, never was made. He, with the others,
+set out some time before me. I waited for two Indians, who belonged to
+the canoe I came in; and who remained to carry over the last of the
+things from the side we were on. I had a piece of wet heavy canvas,
+which belonged to Captain Cheap, with a bit of stinking seal wrapped
+in it (which had been given him that morning by some of the Indians)
+to carry upon my head, which was a sufficient weight for a strong man
+in health, through such roads, and a grievous burthen to one in my
+condition. Our way was through a thick wood, the bottom of which was
+a mere quagmire, most part of it up to our knees, and often to our
+middle; and every now and then we had a large tree to get over, for
+they often lay directly in our road. Besides this, we were continually
+treading upon the stumps of trees, which were not to be avoided, as
+they were covered with water; and having neither shoe nor stocking, my
+feet and legs were frequently torn and wounded. Before I had got half
+a mile, the two Indians had left me; and making the best of my way,
+lest they should be all gone before I got to the other side, I fell
+off a tree that crossed the road, into a very deep swamp, where I very
+narrowly escaped drowning, by the weight of the burthen I had on my
+head. It was a long while before I could extricate myself from this
+difficulty; and when I did my strength was quite exhausted. I sat down
+under a tree, and there gave way to melancholy reflections. However,
+as I was sensible these reflections would answer no end, they did not
+last long. I got up, and marking a great tree, I there deposited my
+load, not being able to carry it any farther, and set out to join my
+company. It was some hours before I reached my companions. I found them
+sitting under a tree, and sat myself down by them without speaking a
+word; nor did they speak to me, as I remember, for some time; when
+Captain Cheap, breaking silence, began to ask after the seal and piece
+of canvas. I told him the disaster I had met with, which he might have
+easily guessed by the condition the rags I had on were in, as well as
+having my feet and ancles cut to pieces: but instead of compassion
+for my sufferings, I heard nothing but grumbling from every one, for
+the irreparable loss they had sustained by me. I made no answer; but
+after resting myself a little, I got up and struck into the wood, and
+walked back at least five miles to the tree I had marked, and returned
+just time enough to deliver it before my companions embarked, with the
+Indians, upon a great lake, the opposite part of which seemed to wash
+the foot of the Cordilleras. I wanted to embark with them; but was
+given to understand I was to wait for some other Indians that were to
+follow them. I knew not where these Indians were to come from: I was
+left alone upon the beach, and night was at hand. They left me not
+even a morsel of the stinking seal that I had suffered so much about.
+I kept my eyes upon the boats as long as I could distinguish them;
+and then returned into the wood, and sat myself down upon the root
+of a tree, having eat nothing the whole day but the stem of a plant
+which resembles that of an artichoke, which is of a juicy consistence,
+and acid taste. Quite worn out with fatigue, I soon fell asleep;
+and awaking before day, I thought I heard some voices at no great
+distance from me. As the day appeared, looking further into the wood, I
+perceived a wigwam, and immediately made towards it; but the reception
+I met with was not at all agreeable; for stooping to get into it, I
+presently received two or three kicks in my face, and at the same time
+heard the sound of voices seemingly in anger; which made me retire, and
+wait at the foot of a tree, where I remained till an old woman peeped
+out, and made signs to me to draw near. I obeyed very readily, and
+went into the wigwam: in it were three men and two women; one young
+man seemed to have great respect shewn to him by the rest, though he
+was the most miserable object I ever saw. He was a perfect skeleton,
+and covered with sores from head to foot. I was happy to sit a moment
+by their fire, as I was quite benumbed with cold. The old woman took
+out a piece of seal, holding one part of it between her feet, and the
+other end in her teeth, and then cut off some thin slices with a sharp
+shell, and distributed them about to the other Indians. She then put
+a bit on the fire, taking a piece of fat in her mouth, which she kept
+chewing, every now and then spirting some of it on the piece that was
+warming upon the fire; for they never do more with it than warm it
+through. When it was ready, she gave me a little bit, which I swallowed
+whole, being almost starved. As these Indians were all strangers to me,
+I did not know which way they were going; and indeed it was now become
+quite indifferent to me which way I went, whether to the northward
+or southward, so that they would but take me with them, and give me
+something to eat. However, to make them comprehend me, I pointed first
+to the southward, and after to the lake, and I soon understood they
+were going to the northward. They all went out together, excepting the
+sick Indian, and took up the plank of the canoe, which lay near the
+wigwam, and carried it to the beach, and presently put it together;
+and getting every thing into it, they put me to the oar. We rowed
+across the lake to the mouth of a very rapid river, where we put
+ashore for that night, not daring to get any way down in the dark;
+as it required the greatest skill, even in the day, to avoid running
+foul of the stumps and roots of trees, of which this river was full.
+I passed a melancholy night, as they would not suffer me to come near
+the wigwam they had made; nor did they give me the least bit of any
+one thing to eat since we embarked. In the morning we set off again.
+The weather proved extremely bad the whole day. We went down the river
+at an amazing rate; and just before night they put ashore upon a stony
+beach. They hauled the canoe up, and all disappeared in a moment, and
+I was left quite alone: it rained violently, and was very dark. I
+thought it was as well to lay down upon the beach, half side in water,
+as to get into a swamp under a dropping tree. In this dismal situation
+I fell asleep, and awaked three or four hours after in such agonies
+with the cramp, that I thought I must die upon the spot. I attempted
+several times to raise myself upon my legs, but could not. At last I
+made shift to get upon my knees, and looking towards the wood I saw
+a great fire at some distance from me. I was a long time crawling to
+it; and when I reached it, I threw myself almost into it, in hopes of
+finding some relief from the pain I suffered. This intrusion gave great
+offence to the Indians, who immediately got up, kicking and beating me
+till they drove me some distance from it; however I contrived a little
+after to place myself so as to receive some warmth from it, by which I
+got rid of the cramp. In the morning we left this place, and were soon
+after out of the river. Being now at sea again, the Indians intended
+putting ashore at the first convenient place, to look for shell-fish,
+their stock of provisions having been quite exhausted for some time.
+At low water we landed upon a spot that seemed to promise well; and
+here we found plenty of limpets. Though at this time starving, I did
+not attempt to eat one, lest I should lose a moment in gathering them;
+not knowing how soon the Indians might be going again. I had almost
+filled my hat when I saw them returning to the canoe. I made what haste
+I could to her; for I believe they would have made no conscience of
+leaving me behind. I sat down to my oar again, placing my hat close to
+me, every now and then eating a limpet. The Indians were employed the
+same way, when one of them, seeing me throw the shells overboard, spoke
+to the rest in a violent passion; and getting up, fell upon me, and
+seizing me by an old ragged handkerchief I had about my neck, almost
+throttled me; whilst another took me by the legs, and was going to
+throw me overboard, if the old woman had not prevented them. I was all
+this time entirely ignorant by what means I had given offence, till I
+observed that the Indians, after eating the limpets, carefully put the
+shells in a heap at the bottom of the canoe. I then concluded there
+was some superstition about throwing these shells into the sea, my
+ignorance of which had very nearly cost me my life. I was resolved to
+eat no more limpets till we landed, which we did some time after upon
+an island. I then took notice that the Indians brought all their shells
+ashore, and laid them above high water mark. Here, as I was going to
+eat a large bunch of berries I had gathered from a tree, for they
+looked very tempting, one of the Indians snatched them out of my hand
+and threw them away, making me to understand that they were poisonous.
+Thus, in all probability, did these people now save my life, who, a few
+hours before, were going to take it from me for throwing away a shell.
+
+In two days after, I joined my companions again; but do not remember
+that there was the least joy shewn on either side at meeting. At
+this place was a very large canoe belonging to our guide, which would
+have required at least six men to the oar to have made any kind of
+expedition: instead of that, there was only Campbell and myself,
+besides the Indian, his companion, or servant, to row, the cacique
+himself never touching an oar, but sitting with his wife all the time
+much at his ease. Mr. Hamilton continued in the same canoe he had
+been in all along, and which still was to keep us company some way
+further, though many of the others had left us. This was dreadful hard
+work to such poor starved wretches as we were, to be slaving at the
+oar all day long in such a heavy boat; and this inhuman fellow would
+never give us a scrap to eat, excepting when he took so much seal that
+he could not contrive to carry it all away with him, which happened
+very seldom. After working like galley-slaves all day, towards night,
+when we landed, instead of taking any rest, Mr. Campbell and I were
+sometimes obliged to go miles along shore to get a few shell-fish;
+and just as we had made a little fire in order to dress them, he has
+commanded us into the boat again, and kept us rowing the whole night
+without ever landing. It is impossible for me to describe the miserable
+state we were reduced to: our bodies were so emaciated, that we hardly
+appeared the figures of men. It has often happened to me in the coldest
+night, both in hail and snow, where we had nothing but an open beach
+to lie down upon, in order to procure a little rest, that I have been
+obliged to pull off the few rags I had on, as it was impossible to get
+a moment's sleep with them on for the vermin that swarmed about them;
+though I used, as often as I had time, to take my clothes off, and
+putting them upon a large stone, beat them with another, in hopes of
+killing hundreds at once; for it was endless work to pick them off.
+What we suffered from this, was ten times worse even than hunger. But
+we were clean in comparison to Captain Cheap; for I could compare
+his body to nothing but an ant-hill, with thousands of those insects
+crawling over it; for he was now past attempting to rid himself in the
+least from this torment, as he had quite lost himself, not recollecting
+our names that were about him, or even his own. His beard was as long
+as a hermit's: that and his face being covered with train-oil and dirt,
+from having long accustomed himself to sleep upon a bag, by the way of
+a pillow, in which he kept the pieces of stinking seal. This prudent
+method he took to prevent our getting at it whilst he slept. His legs
+were as big as mill-posts, though his body appeared nothing but skin
+and bone.
+
+One day we fell in with about forty Indians, who came down to the beach
+we landed on, curiously painted. Our cacique seemed to understand but
+little of their language, and it sounded to us very different from
+what we had heard before. However, they made us comprehend that a ship
+had been upon the coast not far from where we then were, and that she
+had a red flag: this we understood some time after to have been the
+Anne pink, whose adventures are particularly related in Lord Anson's
+voyage; and we passed through the very harbour she had lain in.
+
+As there was but one small canoe that intended to accompany us any
+longer, and that in which Mr. Hamilton had been to this time, intended
+to proceed no farther to the northward, our cacique proposed to him to
+come into our canoe, which he refused, as the insolence of this fellow
+was to him insupportable; he therefore rather chose to remain where he
+was, till chance should throw in his way some other means of getting
+forward: so here we left him; and it was some months before we saw him
+again.
+
+We now got on, by very slow degrees, to the northward; and as the
+difficulties and hardships we daily went through would only be a
+repetition of those already mentioned, I shall say no more, but that
+at last we reached an island, about thirty leagues to the southward
+of Chiloe. Here we remained two days for a favourable opportunity to
+cross the bay, the very thoughts of which seemed to frighten our
+cacique out of his senses; and, indeed, there was great reason for his
+apprehensions; for there ran a most dreadful hollow sea, dangerous,
+indeed, for any open boat whatever, but a thousand times more for such
+a crazy vessel as we were in. He at length mustered up resolution
+enough to attempt it, first having crossed himself for an hour
+together, and made a kind of lug-sail out of the bits of blankets they
+wore about them, sewed together with split supple jacks. We then put
+off, and a terrible passage we had. The bottom plank of the canoe was
+split, which opened upon every sea; and the water continually rushing
+over the gunnel, I may say that we were in a manner full the whole
+way over, though all hands were employed in baling without ceasing
+a moment. As we drew near the shore, the cacique was eager to land,
+having been terrified to that degree with this run, that if it had not
+been for us, every soul must have perished; for he had very near got
+in amongst the breakers, where the sea drove with such violence upon
+the rocks, that not even an Indian could have escaped, especially as
+it was in the night. We kept off till we got into smooth water, and
+landed upon the island of Chiloe; though in a part of it that was
+not inhabited. Here we staid all the next day, in a very heavy snow,
+to recover ourselves a little after our fatigue; but the cold was so
+excessive, having neither shoe nor stocking, we thought we should have
+lost our feet; and Captain Cheap was so ill, that if he had had but a
+few leagues further to have gone without relief, he could not have held
+out. It pleased God now that our sufferings, in a great measure, were
+drawing to an end.
+
+What things our cacique had brought with him from the wreck, he here
+buried under ground, in order to conceal them from the Spaniards, who
+would not have left him a rusty nail if they had known of it. Towards
+evening, we set off again; and about nine the same night, to our great
+joy, we observed something that had the appearance of a house. It
+belonged to an acquaintance of our cacique; and as he was possessed of
+my fowling-piece, and we had preserved about one charge of powder, he
+made us load it for him, and desired we would show him how to discharge
+it; upon which, standing up, and holding his head from it as far as
+possible, he fired, and fell back into the bottom of the canoe. The
+Indians belonging to the house, not in the least used to fire-arms,
+ran out and hid themselves in the woods. But after some time, one
+of them, bolder than the rest, got upon a hill, and hollowed to us,
+asking who and what we were. Our cacique now made himself known, and
+they presently came down to the boat, bringing with them some fish,
+and plenty of potatoes. This was the most comfortable meal we had made
+for many long months; and as soon as this was over, we rowed about two
+miles farther to a little village, where we landed. Here our cacique
+presently awoke all the inhabitants by the noise he made, and obliged
+one of them to open his door to us, and immediately to make a large
+fire; for the weather was very severe, this being the month of June,
+the depth of winter in this part of the world. The Indians now flocked
+thick about us, and seemed to have great compassion for us, as our
+cacique related to them what part he knew of our history. They knew not
+what countrymen we were, nor could our guide inform them; for he had
+often asked us if we were French, Dutch, or English, the only nations
+he had ever heard of besides the Spaniards. We always answered we were
+from Grande Bretagne, which he could make nothing of; for we were
+afraid, if he knew us to be English, as he had heard that nation was at
+war with the Spaniards, he never would have conducted us to Chiloe.
+
+These good-natured compassionate creatures seemed to vie with each
+other who should take the most care of us. They made a bed of
+sheepskins close to the fire, for Captain Cheap, and laid him upon
+it; and indeed, had it not been for the kind assistance he now met
+with, he could not have survived three days longer. Though it was now
+about midnight, they went out and killed a sheep, of which they made
+broth, and baked a large cake of barley-meal. Any body may imagine what
+a treat this was to wretches who had not tasted a bit of bread, or
+any wholesome diet, for such a length of time. After we could eat no
+longer, we went to sleep about the fire, which the Indians took good
+care to keep up. In the morning, the women came from far and near, each
+bringing with her something. Almost every one had a pipkin in her hand,
+containing either fowls or mutton made into broth, potatoes, eggs, or
+other eatables. We fell to work as if we had eat nothing in the night,
+and employed ourselves so for the best part of the day. In the evening,
+the men filled our house, bringing with them some jars of a liquor they
+called chicha, made of barley-meal, and not very unlike our oat-ale
+in taste, which will intoxicate those who drink a sufficient quantity
+of it; for a little has no effect. As soon as the drink was out, a
+fresh supply of victuals was brought in; and in this manner we passed
+the whole time we remained with these hospitable Indians. They are a
+strong well-made people, extremely well featured, both men and women,
+and vastly neat in their persons. The men's dress is called by them
+a puncho, which is a square piece of cloth, generally in stripes of
+different colours, with a slit in the middle of it wide enough to let
+their heads through, so that it hangs on their shoulders, half of it
+falling before, and the other behind them: under this they wear a short
+kind of flannel shirt without sleeves or neck. They have wide-knee'd
+breeches, something like the Dutch seamen, and on their legs a sort
+of knit buskins without any feet to them; but never any shoes. Their
+hair is always combed very smooth, and tied very tight up in a great
+bunch close to the neck: some wear a very neat hat of their own making,
+and others go without. The women wear a shift like the men's shirts,
+without sleeves; and over it a square piece of cloth, which they fasten
+before with a large silver pin, and a petticoat of different stripes:
+they take as much care of their hair as the men; and both have always
+a kind of fillet bound very tight about the forehead, and made fast
+behind: in short, these people are as cleanly as the several savage
+nations we had met with before were beastly. Upon our first coming
+here, they had dispatched a messenger to the Spanish corregidore at
+Castro, a town a considerable distance from hence, to inform him of
+our arrival. At the end of three days, this man returned with an order
+to the chief caciques of these Indians we were amongst, to carry us
+directly to a certain place, where there would be a party of soldiers
+to receive us. These poor people now seemed to be under great concern
+for us, hearing by the messenger the preparations that were making
+to receive us; for they stand in vast dread of the Spanish soldiery.
+They were very desirous of knowing what countrymen we were. We told
+them we were English, and at that time at war with the Spaniards; upon
+which they appeared fonder of us than ever; and I verily believe, if
+they durst, would have concealed us amongst them, lest we should come
+to any harm. They are so far from being in the Spanish interest,
+that they detest the very name of a Spaniard. And, indeed, I am not
+surprised at it; for they are kept under such subjection, and such a
+laborious slavery, by mere dint of hard usage and punishments, that it
+appears to me the most absurd thing in the world, that the Spaniards
+should rely upon these people for assistance upon any emergency. We
+embarked in the evening, and it was night before we got to the place
+where we were to be delivered up to the Spanish guard. We were met
+by three or four officers, and a number of soldiers, all with their
+spados drawn, who surrounded us as if they had the most formidable
+enemy to take charge of, instead of three poor helpless wretches,
+who, notwithstanding the good living we had met with amongst these
+kind Indians, could hardly support ourselves. They carried us to the
+top of a hill, and there put us under a shed; for it consisted of a
+thatched roof, without any sides or walls, being quite open; and here
+we were to lay upon the cold ground. All sorts of people now came to
+stare at us as a sight; but the Indian women never came empty-handed;
+they always brought with them either fowls, mutton, or some kind of
+provision to us; so that we lived well enough. However, we found a
+very sensible difference between the treatment we had met with from
+the Indians, and what we now experienced from the Spaniards. With the
+former, we were quite at liberty to do as we pleased; but here, if we
+only went ten yards to attempt at getting rid of some of the vermin
+that devoured us, we had two soldiers, with drawn spados, to attend us.
+About the third day, a Jesuit from Castro came to see us; not from a
+motive of compassion, but from a report spread by our Indian cacique,
+that we had some things of great value about us. Having by chance seen
+Captain Cheap pull out a gold repeating watch, the first thing the good
+father did was to lug out of his pocket a bottle of brandy, and give
+us a dram, in order to open our hearts. He then came roundly to the
+point, asking us if we had saved no watches or rings. Captain Cheap
+declared he had nothing, never suspecting that the Indian had seen his
+watch, having, as he thought, always taken great care to conceal it
+from him; but knowing that Campbel had a silver watch, which had been
+the property of our surgeon, he desired him to make it a present to
+the jesuit, telling him, at the same time, that as these people had
+great power and authority, it might be of service to us hereafter.
+This Campbel very unwillingly did, and received from the father, not
+long after, a pitiful present, not a quarter part of the value of the
+rim of the watch. We understood afterwards, that this had come to the
+governor's ears, who was highly offended at it, as thinking that if
+any thing of that sort had been to be had, it was his due; and did not
+spare the jesuits in the least upon the occasion. Soon after this, the
+officer of the guard informed us there was an order come to carry us to
+Castro. In the evening, we were conducted to the water-side, and put
+into a large periago; and there were several more, to attend us, full
+of soldiers. About eight o'clock at night, we were off the town. The
+boats all laid upon their oars, and there was a great deal of ceremony
+used in hailing and asking for the keys, as if it had been a regular
+fortification. After some time, we landed; but could see neither gates
+nor walls, nor any thing that had the appearance of a garrison. As
+we walked up a steep hill into the town, the way was lined with men
+who had broomsticks upon their shoulders instead of muskets, and a
+lighted match in their hands. When we came to the corregidore's house,
+we found it full of people. He was an old man, very tall, with a long
+cloak on, a tie-wig without any curl, and a spado of immense length
+by his side. He received us in great state and form; but as we had no
+interpreter, we understood little or nothing of the questions he asked
+us. He ordered a table to be spread for us with cold ham and fowls;
+which we three only sat down to, and in a short time dispatched more
+than ten men with common appetites would have done. It is amazing,
+that our eating to that excess we had done, from the time we first got
+amongst these kind Indians, had not killed us; we were never satisfied,
+and used to take all opportunities, for some months after, of filling
+our pockets when we were not seen, that we might get up two or three
+times in the night to cram ourselves. Captain Cheap used to declare,
+that he was quite ashamed of himself. After supper, the corregidore
+carried us to the jesuits' college, attended by the soldiers, and all
+the rabble of the town. This was intended, at present, for our prison,
+till orders were received from the governor, who resided at Chaco,
+above thirty leagues from this place. When we got to the college, the
+corregidore desired the father provincial, as they styled him, or
+head of the jesuits here, to find out what religion we were of, or
+whether we had any or not. He then retired, the gates were shut, and
+we were conducted to a cell. We found in it something like beds spread
+on the floor, and an old ragged shirt a-piece, but clean, which was
+of infinite service to us; nor did eating at first give me half the
+satisfaction this treasure of an old shirt did. Though this college
+was large, there were but four jesuits in it, nor were there any more
+of that order upon the island. In the morning Captain Cheap was sent
+for by the father provincial: their conversation was carried on in
+Latin, perhaps not the best on either side; however, they made shift to
+understand one another. When he returned, he told us the good fathers
+were still harping upon what things of value we might have saved and
+concealed about us; and that if we had any thing of that sort, we could
+not do better than let them have it. Religion seemed to be quite out
+of the question at present; but a day or two after the corregidore
+being informed that we were heretics, he desired these jesuits would
+convert us; but one of them told him it was a mere joke to attempt
+it, as we could have no inducement upon that island to change our
+religion, but that when we got to Chili, in such a delightful country
+as that was, where there was nothing but diversions and amusements,
+we should be converted fast enough. We kept close to our cell till the
+bell rang for dinner, when we were conducted into a hall, where there
+was one table for the fathers, and another for us. After a very long
+Latin prayer, we sat down and eat what was put before us, without a
+single word passing at either table. As soon as we had finished, there
+was another long prayer, which, however, did not appear so tedious as
+the first; and then we retired to our cell again. In this manner we
+passed eight days without ever stirring out; all which time one might
+have imagined one's-self out of the world; for excepting the bell
+for dinner, a silence reigned throughout the whole, as if the place
+had been uninhabited. A little before dark, on the eighth evening,
+we heard a violent knocking at the gate, which was no sooner opened
+than there entered a young officer booted and spurred, who acquainted
+the fathers that he was sent by the governor to conduct us to Chaco.
+This young man was the governor's son; by which means he obtained
+a commission next in authority, upon this island, to his father. He
+ought to have been kept at school, for he was a vain, empty coxcomb,
+much disliked by the people of the island. After taking leave of the
+jesuits, who I imagined were not sorry to be rid of us, after finding
+their expectations balked, we set out, having about thirty soldiers on
+horseback to attend us. We rode about eight miles that night, when we
+came to an Estancia, or farm-house, belonging to an old lady who had
+two handsome daughters. Here we were very well entertained, and the
+good old lady seemed to have great compassion for us. She asked the
+governor's son if he thought his father would have any objection to my
+passing a month with her at her farm. As she was a person of rank in
+this island, he said he would acquaint his father with her request,
+and made no doubt but he would grant it. I observed our soldiers,
+when they came into the house, had none of them any shoes on, but
+wore buskins, like the Indians, without any feet to them. They all
+had monstrous great spurs, some of silver and others of copper, which
+made a rattling when they walked like chains. They were all stout,
+strong-looking men, as the Spaniards, natives of the island, in general
+are. After a good supper, we had sheepskins laid near the fire for us
+to sleep on. Early in the morning we mounted again, and after riding
+some miles across the country, we came to the water-side, where we
+found several periagos waiting for us, with some officers in them. Most
+of the soldiers dismounted and embarked with us, a few only being sent
+round with the horses. It was three days before we arrived at Chaco,
+as the tides between this island and the main are so rapid that no
+boat can stem them. The same precaution was taken here as at Castro;
+we passed through a whole lane of soldiers, armed as I mentioned those
+to have been before, excepting a few, who really had matchlocks, the
+only fire-arms they have here. The soldiers, upon our journey, had
+given a pompous account of el Palacio del Rey, or the king's palace,
+as they styled the governor's house, and therefore we expected to see
+something very magnificent; but it was nothing better than a large
+thatched barn, partitioned off into several rooms. The governor was
+sitting at a large table covered with a piece of red serge, having
+all the principal officers about him. After some time he made us sit
+down, attempting to converse with us by his linguist, who was a stupid
+old fellow, that could neither talk English nor Spanish, but said he
+was born in England, had resided above forty years in that country,
+and having formerly been a buccaneer, was taken by the Spaniards near
+Panama. The governor kept us to supper, and then we were conducted
+across the court to our apartment, which was a place that had served
+to keep the fire wood for the governor's kitchen; however, as it was
+dry over head, we thought ourselves extremely well lodged. There was a
+soldier placed at the door with a drawn spado in his hand, to prevent
+our stirring out; which was quite unnecessary, as we knew not where to
+go if we had been at liberty. One of these soldiers took a great fancy
+to my ragged grieko, which had still some thousands about it; and in
+exchange gave me an old puncho, the sort of garment with a hole in the
+middle to put one's head through, as above related to be worn by the
+Indians; and for the little bit of my waistcoat that remained, he gave
+me a pair of breeches. I now should have thought myself very handsomely
+equipped, if I had had but another shirt. The next day, about noon,
+the governor sent for us, and we dined at his table; after which we
+returned to our lodging, where we were never alone, for every body was
+curious to see us. We passed about a week in this manner, when the
+sentinel was taken off, and we were allowed to look about us a little,
+though not to go out of the palace, as they were pleased to call it.
+We dined every day with the governor; but were not very fond of his
+fast days, which succeeded each other too quickly. I contrived to make
+friends with his steward and cook, by which means I always carried my
+pockets full to my apartment, where I passed my time very agreeably.
+Soon after, we had leave to walk about the town, or go wherever we
+pleased. Every house was open to us; and though it was but an hour
+after we had dined, they always spread a table, thinking we never could
+eat enough after what we had suffered; and we were much of the same
+opinion. They are, in general, a charitable, good sort of people, but
+very ignorant, and governed by their priests, who make them believe
+just what they please. The Indian language is chiefly spoken here,
+even by the Spaniards one amongst another; and they say they think it
+a finer language than their own. The women have fine complexions, and
+many of them are very handsome; they have good voices, and can strum
+a little upon the guitar; but they have an ugly custom of smoking
+tobacco, which is a very scarce commodity here; and therefore is looked
+upon as a great treat when they meet at one another's houses. The lady
+of the house comes in with a large wooden pipe crammed with tobacco;
+and after taking two or three hearty whiffs, she holds her head under
+her cloak lest any of the smoke should escape, and then swallows it;
+some time after you see it coming out of her nose and ears. She then
+hands the pipe to the next lady, who does the same, till it has gone
+through the whole company. Their houses are but very mean, as will
+be easily imagined by what I have said of the governor's. They make
+their fire in the middle of their rooms, but have no chimneys; there
+is a small hole at each end of the roof to let the smoke out. It is
+only the better sort of people that eat bread made of wheat, as they
+grow but very little here, and they have no mills to grind it; but
+then they have great plenty of the finest potatoes in the world:
+these are always roasted in the ashes, then scraped, and served up at
+meals instead of bread. They breed abundance of swine, as they supply
+both Chili and Peru with hams. They are in no want of sheep, but are
+not overstocked with cows; owing, in a great measure, to their own
+indolence in not clearing away the woods, which if they would be at the
+pains to do, they might have sufficient pasture. Their trade consists
+in hams, hogs-lard, which is used throughout all South America instead
+of butter; cedar plank, which the Indians are continually employed in
+cutting quite to the foot of the Cordilleras; little carved boxes,
+which the Spanish ladies use to put their work in; carpets, quilts,
+and punchos neatly embroidered all round; for these, both in Chili
+and Peru, are used by the people of the first fashion, as well as the
+inferior sort, by way of riding-dress, and are esteemed to be much more
+convenient for a horseman than any kind of coat whatever.
+
+They have what they call an annual ship from Lima, as they never expect
+more than one in the year; though sometimes it happens that two have
+come, and at other times they have been two or three years without any.
+When this happens they are greatly distressed, as this ship brings
+them baize, cloth, linens, hats, ribbons, tobacco, sugar, brandy, and
+wine; but this latter article is chiefly for the use of the churches:
+matte, an herb from Paraguay, used all over South America instead
+of tea, is also a necessary article. This ship's cargo is chiefly
+consigned to the jesuits, who have more Indians employed for them
+than all the rest of the inhabitants together, and of course engross
+almost the whole trade. There is no money current in this island. If
+any person wants a few yards of linen, a little sugar, tobacco, or any
+other thing brought from Peru, he gives so many cedar planks, hams, or
+punchos, in exchange. Some time after we had been here, a snow arrived
+in the harbour from Lima, which occasioned great joy amongst the
+inhabitants, as they had no ship the year before, from the alarm Lord
+Anson had given upon the coast. This was not the annual vessel, but one
+of those that I mentioned before which come unexpectedly. The captain
+of her was an old man, well known upon the island, who had traded here
+once in two or three years, for more than thirty years past. He had a
+remarkable large head, and therefore was commonly known by a nick-name
+they had given him of Cabuco de Toro, or Bull's-head. He had not been
+here a week before he came to the governor, and told him, with a most
+melancholy countenance, that he had not slept a wink since he came
+into the harbour, as the governor was pleased to allow three English
+prisoners liberty to walk about instead of confining them; and that
+he expected every moment they would board his vessel, and carry her
+away: this he said when he had above thirty hands aboard. The governor
+assured him he would be answerable for us, and that he might sleep in
+quiet; though at the same time he could not help laughing at the man,
+as all the people in the town did. These assurances did not satisfy
+the captain: he used the utmost dispatch in disposing of his cargo,
+and put to sea again, not thinking himself safe till he had lost sight
+of the island. It was about three months after us that Mr. Hamilton
+was brought in by a party that the governor had sent to the southward
+on purpose to fetch him. He was in a wretched condition upon his first
+arrival, but soon recovered with the good living he found here.
+
+It is usual for the governor to make a tour, every year, through the
+several districts belonging to his government: on this occasion he took
+us with him. The first place he visited was Carelmapo, on the main; and
+from thence to Castro. At these places he holds a kind of court; all
+the chief caciques meeting him, and informing him of what has passed
+since his last visit, and receiving fresh orders for the year to come.
+At Castro we had the same liberty we enjoyed at Chaco, and visited
+every body. It seemed they had forgot all the ceremony used upon our
+first landing here, which was with an intent to make us believe it
+was strongly fortified; for now they let us see plainly that they had
+neither fort nor gun. At Chaco they had a little earthen fort, with
+a small ditch palisadoed round it, and a few old honey-combed guns
+without carriages, and which do not defend the harbour in the least.
+Whilst we were at Castro, the old lady, (at whose house we lay the
+first night upon leaving the jesuits' college) sent to the governor,
+and begged I might be allowed to come to her for a few weeks: this
+was granted; and accordingly I went and passed about three weeks with
+her very happily, as she seemed to be as fond of me as if I had been
+her own son. She was very unwilling to part with me again; but as the
+governor was soon to return to Chaco, he sent for me, and I left my
+benefactress with regret.
+
+Amongst the houses we visited at Castro, there was one belonging to
+an old priest, who was esteemed one of the richest persons upon the
+island. He had a niece, of whom he was extremely fond, and who was to
+inherit all he possessed. He had taken a great deal of pains with her
+education, and she was reckoned one of the most accomplished young
+ladies of Chiloe. Her person was good, though she could not be called
+a regular beauty. This young lady did me the honour to take more notice
+of me than I deserved, and proposed to her uncle to convert me, and
+afterwards begged his consent to marry me. As the old man doted upon
+her, he readily agreed to it; and accordingly on the next visit I made
+him, acquainted me with the young lady's proposal, and his approbation
+of it, taking me at the same time into a room where there were several
+chests and boxes, which he unlocked; first shewing me what a number of
+fine clothes his niece had, and then his own wardrobe, which he said
+should be mine at his death. Amongst other things, he produced a piece
+of linen, which he said should immediately be made up into shirts for
+me. I own this last article was a great temptation to me; however, I
+had the resolution to withstand it, and made the best excuses I could
+for not accepting of the honour they intended me; for by this time I
+could speak Spanish well enough to make myself understood.
+
+Amongst the Indians who had come to meet the governor here, there
+were some caciques of those Indians who had treated us so kindly at
+our first landing upon Chiloe. One of these, a young man, had been
+guilty of some offence, and was put in irons, and threatened to be
+more severely punished. We could not learn his crime, or whether the
+governor did not do it in a great measure to shew us his power over
+these Indian chiefs: however, we were under great concern for this
+young man, who had been extremely kind to us, and begged Captain Cheap
+to intercede with the governor for him. This he did, and the cacique
+was released; the governor acquainting him at the same time, with great
+warmth, that it was to us only he owed it, or otherwise he would have
+made a severe example of him. The young man seemed to have been in no
+dread of farther punishment, as I believe he felt all a man could do
+from the indignity of being put in irons in the public square, before
+all his brother caciques and many hundreds of other Indians. I thought
+this was not a very politic step of the governor, as the cacique
+came after to Captain Cheap to thank him for his goodness, and in all
+probability would remember the English for some time after; and not
+only he, but all the other caciques who had been witnesses of it, and
+who seemed to feel, if possible, even more than the young man himself
+did. We now returned to Chaco, and the governor told me, when the
+annual ship came, which they expected in December, we should be sent
+in her to Chili. We felt several earthquakes while we were here. One
+day as I happened to be upon a visit at a house where I was very well
+acquainted, an Indian came in, who lived at many leagues distance from
+this town, and who had made this journey in order to purchase some
+little trifles he wanted; amongst other things, he had bought some
+prints of saints. Very proud of these, he produced them, and put them
+into the hands of the women, who very devoutly first crossed themselves
+with them, and afterwards kissed them; then gave them to me, saying at
+the same time, they supposed such a heretic as I was would refuse to
+kiss them. They were right in their conjectures: I returned them to the
+Indian without going through that ceremony. At that very instant, there
+happened a violent shock of an earthquake, which they imputed entirely
+to the anger of the saints; and all quitted the house as fast as they
+could, lest it should fall upon their heads. For my part, I made the
+best of my way home for fear of being knocked on the head, when out of
+the house, by the rabble, who looked on me as the cause of all this
+mischief, and did not return to that house again till I thought this
+affair was forgotten.
+
+Here is a very good harbour; but the entrance is very dangerous for
+those who are unacquainted with it, as the tides are so extremely
+rapid, and there are sunken rocks in the mid-channel. The island is
+above seventy leagues round; and the body of it lies in about 40 deg. 20'
+south, and is the most southern settlement the Spaniards have in these
+seas. Their summer is of no long duration, and most of the year round
+they have hard gales of wind and much rain. Opposite the island,
+upon the Cordilleras, there is a volcano, which, at times, burns with
+great fury, and is subject to violent eruptions. One of these alarmed
+the whole island, whilst we were here: it sounded in the night like
+great guns. In the morning, the governor mounted his horse, and rode
+backwards and forwards from his house to the earthen fort, saying
+it was the English coming in, but that he would give them a warm
+reception; meaning, I suppose, that he would have left them a good fire
+in his house; for I am certain he would soon have been in the woods, if
+he had seen any thing like an English ship coming in.
+
+Women of the first fashion here seldom wear shoes or stockings in the
+house, but only keep them to wear upon particular occasions. I have
+often seen them coming to the church, which stood opposite to the
+governor's house, barelegged, walking through mud and water; and at the
+church door put on their shoes and stockings, and pull them off again
+when they came out. Though they are in general handsome, and have good
+complexions, yet many of them paint in so ridiculous a manner, that it
+is impossible to help laughing in their faces when you see them. The
+governor we found here was a native of Chili. The government, which
+is appointed by that presidency, is for three years; which appears to
+be a long banishment to them, as their appointments are but small,
+though they make the most of it. The towns of Castro and Chaco, consist
+only of scattered houses, without a regular street; though both have
+their places or squares, as almost all Spanish towns have. Chaco is
+very thinly inhabited, excepting at the time the Lima ship arrives;
+then they flock thither from all parts of the island, to purchase what
+little matters they want; and as soon as that is done, retire to their
+estancias, or farms. It was about the middle of December this ship came
+in; and the second of January, 1742-3, we embarked on board of her.
+She was bound to Valparaiso. We got out to sea with some difficulty,
+having been driven by the strength of the tide very near those sunken
+rocks mentioned before. We found a great sea without; and as the ship
+was as deep as any laden collier, her decks were continually well
+washed. She was a fine vessel, of about two hundred and fifty tons. The
+timber the ships of this country are built of is excellent, as they
+last a prodigious time; for they assured us that the vessel we were
+then in had been built above forty years. The captain was a Spaniard,
+and knew not the least of sea affairs; the second captain, or master,
+the boatswain, and his mate, were all three Frenchmen, and very good
+seamen; the pilot was a Mulatto, and all the rest of the crew were
+Indians and Negroes. The latter were all slaves and stout fellows; but
+never suffered to go aloft, lest they should fall overboard, and the
+owners lose so much money by it. The Indians were active, brisk men,
+and very good seamen for that climate. We had on board the head of the
+jesuits as passenger. He and Captain Cheap were admitted into the great
+cabin, and messed with the captain and his chaplain. As for us, we were
+obliged to rough it the whole passage; that is, when we were tired we
+lay down upon the quarter-deck, in the open air, and slept as well as
+we could; but that was nothing to us, who had been used to fare so much
+worse. We lived well, eating with the master and boatswain, who always
+had their meals upon the quarter-deck, and drank brandy at them as we
+do small beer; and all the rest of the day were smoking cigars.
+
+The fifth day we made the land four or five leagues to the southward
+of Valparaiso; and soon after falling calm, a great western swell
+hurried us in very fast towards the shore. We dropped the lead several
+times, but had such deep water we could not anchor. They were all much
+alarmed, when the jesuit came out of the cabin for the first time,
+having been sea-sick the whole passage. As soon as he was informed of
+the danger, he went back into the cabin, and brought out the image of
+some saint, which he desired might be hung up in the mizen-shrouds;
+which being done, he kept threatening it, that if we had not a breeze
+of wind soon, he would certainly throw it overboard. Soon after,
+we had a little wind from off the land, when the jesuit carried the
+image back with an air of great triumph, saying he was certain that we
+should not be without wind long, though he had given himself over for
+lost some time before it came. Next morning we anchored in the port of
+Valparaiso. In that part which is opposite to the fort, ships lay so
+near the land, that they have generally three anchors ashore, as there
+is eight or ten fathom close to; and the flaws come off the hills with
+such violence, that if it was not for this method of securing them,
+they would be blown out. This is only in summer time, for in the winter
+months no ships ever attempt to come in here; the northerly winds then
+prevail, and drive in such a sea that they must soon be ashore. The
+Spanish captain waited upon the governor of the fort, and informed him
+that he had four English prisoners on board. We were ordered ashore in
+the afternoon, and were received as we got upon the beach, by a file
+of soldiers, with their bayonets fixed, who surrounded us, and then
+marched up to the fort, attended by a numerous mob. We were carried
+before the governor, whose house was full of officers. He was blind,
+asked a few questions, and then spoke of nothing but the strength of
+the garrison he commanded, and desired to know if we had observed that
+all the lower battery was brass guns. We were immediately after, by his
+order, put into the condemned hole. There was nothing but four bare
+walls, excepting a heap of lime that filled one third of it, and made
+the place swarm with fleas in such a manner that we were presently
+covered with them. Some of Admiral Pizarro's soldiers were here in
+garrison that had been landed from his ships at Buenos Ayres, as he
+could not get round Cape Horn. A centinel's box was placed at our door,
+and we had always a soldier with his bayonet fixed, to prevent our
+stirring out. The curiosity of the people was such, that our prison
+was continually full from morning till night, by which the soldiers
+made a pretty penny, as they took money from every person for the
+sight. In a few days, Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were ordered up
+to St. Jago, as they were known to be officers by having saved their
+commissions; but Mr. Campbell and I were to continue in prison. Captain
+Cheap expressed great concern when he left us; he told me it was what
+he had all along dreaded, that they would separate us when we got into
+this country; but he assured me, if he was permitted to speak to the
+president, that he would never leave soliciting him till he obtained
+a grant for me to be sent up to him. No sooner were they gone than we
+fared very badly. A common soldier, who was ordered to provide for us
+by the governor, brought us each, once a day, a few potatoes mixed with
+hot water. The other soldiers of the garrison, as well as the people
+who flocked to see us, took notice of it, and told the soldier it was
+cruel to treat us in that manner. His answer was, "The governor allows
+me but half a real a day for each of these men; what can I do? It is
+he that is to blame: I am shocked every time I bring them this scanty
+pittance, though even that could not be provided for the money he gives
+them." We from this time lived much better, and the soldier brought us
+even wine and fruit. We took it for granted, that our case had been
+represented to the governor, and that he had increased our pay. As to
+the first, we were right in our conjectures; it had been mentioned to
+him, that it was impossible we could subsist on what he allowed; and
+his answer to it was, that we might starve; for we should have no more
+from him, and that he believed he should never be repaid even that.
+This charitable speech of the governor was made known every where, and
+now almost every one who came to see us gave us something; even the
+mule-drivers would take out their tobacco pouch, in which they kept
+their money, and give us half a real. All this we would have given to
+our soldier, but he never would receive a farthing from us, telling us
+we might still want it; and the whole time we were there, which was
+some weeks, he laid aside half his daily pay to supply us, though he
+had a wife and six children, and never could have the least hope or
+expectation of any recompence. However, two years after this, I had
+the singular pleasure of making him some return, when my circumstances
+were much better than his. One night, when we were locked up, there
+happened a dreadful shock of an earthquake. We expected, every moment,
+the roof and walls of our prison to fall in upon us, and crush us to
+pieces; and what added to the horror of it was, the noise of chains and
+imprecations in the next prison which joined to ours, where there were
+near seventy felons heavily loaded with irons, who are kept here to
+work upon the fortifications, as in other countries they are condemned
+to the gallies. A few days after this, we were told an order was come
+from the president to the governor to send us up to St. Jago, which is
+ninety miles from Valparaiso, and is the capital of Chili. There were
+at this time several ships in the port from Lima delivering their
+cargoes; so that almost every day there were large droves of mules
+going up to St. Jago with the goods. The governor sent for one of the
+master-carriers, and ordered him to take us up with him. The man asked
+him how he was to be paid our expences, as he should be five days upon
+the road. The governor told him he might get that as he could, for he
+would not advance him a single farthing. After taking leave of our
+friendly soldier, who even now brought us some little matters to carry
+with us, we set out, and travelled about fourteen miles the first day,
+and lay at night in the open field, which is always the custom of these
+people, stopping where there is plenty of pasture and good water for
+the mules. The next morning we passed over a high mountain, called
+Zapata; and then crossing a large plain, we passed another mountain,
+very difficult for the mules, who each carried two heavy bales: there
+were above a hundred of them in this drove. The mules of Chili are the
+finest in the world; and though they are continually upon the road,
+and have nothing but what they pick up at nights, they are as fat and
+sleek as high-fed horses in England. The fourth night we lay upon a
+plain in sight of St. Jago, and not above four leagues from it. The
+next day, as we moved towards the city, our master-carrier, who was
+naturally well disposed, and had been very kind to us all the way upon
+the road, advised me, very seriously, not to think of remaining in
+St. Jago, where he said there was nothing but extravagance, vice, and
+folly, but to proceed on with them as mule-driver, which, he said, I
+should soon be very expert at; and that they led an innocent and happy
+life, far preferable to any enjoyment such a great city as that before
+us could afford. I thanked him, and told him I was very much obliged
+to him; but that I would try the city first, and if I did not like it,
+I would accept of the offer he was so good to make me. The thing that
+gave him this high opinion of me was, that as he had been so civil to
+us, I was very officious in assisting to drive in those mules that
+strayed from the rest upon those large plains we passed over; and this
+I thought was the least I could do towards making some returns for the
+obligations we were under to him.
+
+When we got into St. Jago, the carrier delivered us to the captain of
+the guard, at the palace gate; and he soon after introduced us to the
+president, Don Joseph Manso, who received us very civilly, and then
+sent us to the house where Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were. We
+found them extremely well lodged at the house of a Scotch physician,
+whose name was Don Patricio Gedd. This gentleman had been a long time
+in this city, and was greatly esteemed by the Spaniards, as well for
+his abilities in his profession, as his humane disposition. He no
+sooner heard that there were four English prisoners arrived in that
+country, than he waited upon the president, and begged they might
+be lodged at his house. This was granted; and had we been his own
+brothers, we could not have met with a more friendly reception; and
+during two years that we were with him, his constant study was to make
+every thing as agreeable to us as possible. We were greatly distressed
+to think of the expence he was at upon our account; but it was in vain
+for us to argue with him about it. In short, to sum up his character in
+a few words, there never was a man of more extensive humanity. Two or
+three days after our arrival, the president sent Mr. Campbell and me
+an invitation to dine with him, where we were to meet Admiral Pizarro
+and his officers. This was a cruel stroke upon us, as we had not any
+clothes fit to appear in, and dared not refuse the invitation. The
+next day, a Spanish officer belonging to Admiral Pizarro's squadron,
+whose name was Don Manuel de Guiror, came and made us an offer of two
+thousand dollars. This generous Spaniard made this offer without any
+view of ever being repaid, but purely out of a compassionate motive
+of relieving us in our present distress. We returned him all the
+acknowledgments his uncommon generous behaviour merited, and accepted
+of six hundred dollars only, upon his receiving our draught for that
+sum upon the English consul at Lisbon. We now got ourselves decently
+clothed after the Spanish fashion; and as we were upon our parole, we
+went out where we pleased to divert ourselves.
+
+This city is situated about 33 degrees and 30 minutes, south
+latitude, at the west foot of the immense chain of mountains called
+the Cordilleras. It stands on a most beautiful plain of about thirty
+leagues extent. It was founded by Don Pedro de Baldivia, the conqueror
+of Chili. The plan of it was marked out by him in squares, like Lima;
+and almost every house belonging to people of any fashion, has a large
+court before it, with great gates, and a garden behind. There is a
+little rivulet, neatly faced with stone, runs through every street;
+by which they can cool the streets, or water their gardens, when
+they please. The whole town is extremely well paved. Their gardens
+are full of noble orange-trees and floripondies, with all sorts of
+flowers, which perfume the houses, and even the whole city. Much about
+the middle of it, is the great square, called the Placa Real, or the
+Royal Square; there are eight avenues leading into it. The west side
+contains the cathedral and the bishop's palace; the north side is the
+president's palace, the royal court, the council house, and the prison;
+the south side is a row of piazzas, the whole length of which are
+shops, and over it a gallery to see the bull-feasts; the east side has
+some large houses belonging to people of distinction; and in the middle
+is a large fountain, with a brass bason. The houses have, in general,
+only a ground floor, upon account of the frequent earthquakes; but they
+make a handsome appearance. The churches are rich in gilding as well
+as in plate: that of the jesuits is reckoned an exceeding good piece
+of architecture; but it is too high built for a country so subject to
+earthquakes, and where it has frequently happened that thousands of
+people have been swallowed up at once. There is a hill, or rather high
+rock, at the east end of the city, called St. Lucia, from the top
+of which you have a view of all the city, and the country about for
+many leagues, affording a very delightful landscape. Their estancias,
+or country houses, are very pleasant, having generally a fine grove
+of olive trees, with large vineyards to them. The Chili wine, in my
+opinion, is full as good as Madeira, and made in such quantities that
+it is sold extremely cheap. The soil of this country is so fertile,
+that the husbandmen have very little trouble; for they do but in a
+manner scratch up the ground, and without any kind of manure it yields
+an hundred fold. Without doubt the wheat of Chili is the finest in the
+world, and the fruits are all excellent in their kinds. Beef and mutton
+are so cheap, that you may have a good cow for three dollars, and a
+fat sheep for two shillings. Their horses are extraordinary good; and
+though some of them go at a great price, you may have a very good one
+for four dollars, or about eighteen shillings of our money. It must
+be a very poor Indian who has not his four or five horses; and there
+are no better horsemen in the world than the Chileans; and that is not
+surprising, for they never choose to go a hundred yards on foot. They
+have always their laco fixed to their saddle: the laco is a long thong
+of leather, at the end of which they make a sliding noose. It is of
+more general use to them than any weapon whatever; for with this they
+are sure of catching either horse or wild bull, upon full gallop, by
+any foot they please. Their horses are all trained to this, and the
+moment they find the thong straitened, as the other end is always made
+fast to the saddle, the horse immediately turns short, and throwing
+the beast thus caught, the huntsman wounds or secures him in what
+manner he may think proper. These people are so dexterous, that they
+will take from the ground a glove or handkerchief, while their horse
+is upon full stretch; and I have seen them jump upon the back of the
+wildest bull, and all the efforts of the beast could not throw them.
+This country produces all sorts of metals; it is famous for gold,
+silver, iron, tin, lead, and quicksilver, but some of these they do not
+understand working, especially quicksilver. With copper they supply
+all Peru, and send, likewise, a great deal to Europe. The climate of
+Chili is, I believe, the finest in the world. What they call their
+winter does not last three months; and even that is very moderate, as
+may be imagined by their manner of building, for they have no chimneys
+in their houses. All the rest of the year is delightful; for though
+from ten or eleven in the morning till five in the afternoon, it is
+very hot, yet the evenings and mornings are very cool and pleasant; and
+in the hottest time of the year, it is from six in the evening till
+two or three in the morning, that the people of this country meet to
+divert themselves with music and other entertainments, at which there
+is plenty of cooling liquors, as they are well supplied with ice from
+the neighbouring Cordilleras. At these assemblies, many intrigues are
+carried on; for they think of nothing else throughout the year. Their
+fandangoes are very agreeable; the women dance inimitably well, and
+very gracefully. They are all born with an ear for music, and most of
+them have delightful voices; and all play upon the guitar and harp.
+The latter, at first, appears a very aukward instrument for a woman;
+yet that prejudice is soon got over, and they far excel any other
+nation upon it. They are extremely complaisant and polite; and when
+asked either to play, dance, or sing, they do it without a moment's
+hesitation, and that with an exceeding good grace. They have many
+figure-dances; but what they take most delight in, are more like our
+hornpipes than any thing else I can compare them to; and upon these
+occasions they shew surprising activity. The women are remarkably
+handsome, and very extravagant in their dress. Their hair, which is
+as thick as is possible to be conceived, they wear of a vast length,
+without any other ornament upon the head than a few flowers; they plait
+it behind in four plaits, and twist them round a bodkin, at each end
+of which is a diamond rose. Their shifts are all over lace, as is a
+little tight waistcoat they wear over them. Their petticoats are open
+before, and lap over, and have commonly three rows of very rich lace
+of gold or silver. In winter they have an upper waistcoat of cloth of
+gold or silver; and in summer, of the finest linen, covered all over
+with the finest Flanders lace. The sleeves of these are immensely
+wide. Over all this, when the air is cool, they have a mantle, which
+is only of bays, of the finest colours, round which there is abundance
+of lace. When they go abroad, they wear a veil, which is so contrived
+that one eye is only seen. Their feet are very small, and they value
+themselves as much upon it as the Chinese do. Their shoes are pinked
+and cut; their stockings silk, with gold and silver clocks; and they
+love to have the end of an embroidered garter hang a little below the
+petticoat. They have fine sparkling eyes, ready wit, a great deal of
+good nature, and a strong disposition to gallantry.
+
+By the description of one house you have an idea of all the rest. You
+first come into a large court, on one side of which is the stable: you
+then enter a hall; on one side of that is a large room, about twenty
+feet wide, and near forty feet long; the side next the window is the
+estrado, which runs the whole length of the room. The estrado is a
+platform, raised about five or six inches above the floor, and is
+covered with carpets and velvet cushions for the women to sit on, which
+they do after the Moorish fashion, cross-legged. The chairs for the
+men are covered with printed leather. At the end of the estrado, there
+is an alcove, where the bed stands; and there is always a vast deal of
+the sheets hanging out, with a profusion of lace to them, and the same
+on the pillows. They have a false door to the alcove, which sometimes
+is very convenient. Besides, there are generally two other rooms, one
+within another; and the kitchen and other offices are detached from the
+house, either at one side or the end of the garden.
+
+The ladies are fond of having their Mulatto female slaves dressed
+almost as well as themselves in every respect, excepting jewels, in
+which they indulge themselves to the utmost extravagance. Paraguay
+tea, which they call Matte, as I mentioned before, is always drunk
+twice a-day: this is brought upon a large silver salver, with four
+legs raised upon it, to receive a little cup made out of a small
+calabash, or gourd, and tipped with silver. They put the herb first
+into this, and add what sugar they please, and a little orange juice;
+and then pour hot water on them, and drink it immediately, through the
+conveyance of a long silver tube, at the end of which there is a round
+strainer, to prevent the herb getting through. And here it is reckoned
+a piece of politeness for the lady to suck the tube two or three times
+first, and then give it the stranger to drink without wiping it.
+
+They eat every thing so highly seasoned with red pepper, that those
+who are not used to it, upon the first mouthful would imagine their
+throats on fire for an hour afterwards; and it is a common custom here,
+though you have the greatest plenty at your own table, to have two or
+three Mulatto girls come in at the time you dine, bringing, in a little
+silver plate, some of these high-seasoned ragouts, with a compliment
+from Donna such-a-one, who desires you will eat a little bit of what
+she has sent you; which must be done before her Mulatto's face, or it
+would be deemed a great affront. Had this been the fashion at Chiloe,
+we should never have offended; but sometimes here we could have wished
+this ceremony omitted.
+
+The president never asked any of us a second time to his table. He
+expected us once a fortnight to be at his levee, which we never failed;
+and he always received us very politely. He was a man of a very amiable
+character, and much respected by every body in Chili, and some time
+after we left that country, was appointed viceroy of Peru.
+
+We had leave, whenever we asked it, to make an excursion into the
+country for ten or twelve days at a time; which we did sometimes
+to a very pleasant spot belonging to Don Joseph Dunose, a French
+gentleman, and a very sensible, well-bred man, who had married a
+very agreeable lady at St. Jago, with a very good fortune. We also
+sometimes had invitations from the Spaniards to their country-houses.
+We had a numerous acquaintance in the city, and in general received
+many civilities from the inhabitants. There are a great many people
+of fashion, and very good families from Old Spain settled here. A
+lady lived next door to us, whose name was Donna Francisca Giron;
+and as my name sounded something like it, she would have it that we
+were Parientes. She had a daughter, a very fine young woman, who both
+played and sung remarkably well: she was reckoned the finest voice in
+St. Jago. They saw a great deal of company, and we were welcome to
+her house whenever we pleased. We were a long time in this country,
+but we passed it very agreeably. The president alone goes with four
+horses to his coach; but the common vehicle here is a calash, or
+kind of vis-a-vis, drawn by one mule only. Bull-feasts are a common
+diversion here, and they far surpass anything of that kind I ever saw
+at Lisbon, or any where else. Indeed, it is amazing to see the activity
+and dexterity of those who attack the bulls. It is always done here
+by those only who follow it as a trade, for it is too dangerous to be
+practised as a diversion; as a proof of which, it is found that though
+some may hold out longer than others, there are few who constantly
+practice it, that die a natural death. The bulls are always the wildest
+that can be brought in from the mountains or forests, and have nothing
+on their horns to prevent their piercing a man the first stroke, as
+they have at Lisbon. I have seen a man, when the bull came at him with
+the utmost fury, spring directly over the beast's head, and perform
+this feat several times, and at last jump on his back, and there sit
+a considerable time, the bull the whole time attempting every means
+to throw him. But though this practitioner was successful, several
+accidents happened while I was there. The ladies, at these feasts, are
+always dressed as fine as possible; and, I imagine, go rather to be
+admired than to receive any amusement from a sight that one should
+think would give them pain. Another amusement for the ladies here, are
+the nights of their great processions, when they go out veiled; and as
+in that dress they cannot be known, they amuse themselves in talking
+to people much in the manner that is done at our masquerades. One
+night in Lent, as I was standing close to the houses as the procession
+went by, and having nothing but a thin waistcoat on under my cloak,
+and happening to have my arm out, a lady came by, and gave me a pinch
+with so good a will, that I thought she had taken the piece out; and,
+indeed, I carried the marks for a long time after. I durst not take
+the least notice of this at the time; for had I made any disturbance,
+I should have been knocked on the head. This kind lady immediately
+after mixed with the crowd, and I never could find out who had done
+me that favour. I have seen fifty or sixty penitents following these
+processions; they wear a long white garment with a long train to it,
+and high caps of the same, which fall down before, and cover all their
+faces, having only two small holes for their eyes; so that they are
+never known. Their backs are bare, and they lash themselves with a
+cat-o'-nine-tails till the long train behind is covered all over with
+blood. Others follow them with great heavy crosses upon their backs;
+so that they groan under the weight as they walk barefooted, and often
+faint away. The streets swarm with friars of all the different orders.
+The president has always a guard at his palace regularly clothed. The
+rest of their forces consists of militia, who are numerous.
+
+All European goods are very dear. English cloth, of fourteen or fifteen
+shillings a yard, sells there for ten or eleven dollars; and every
+other article in proportion. We found many Spaniards here that had
+been taken by Commodore Anson, and had been for some time prisoners on
+board the Centurion. They all spoke in the highest terms of the kind
+treatment they had received; and it is natural to imagine, that it was
+chiefly owing to that laudable example of humanity, our reception here
+was so good. They had never had anything but privateers and buccaneers
+amongst them before, who handled their prisoners very roughly; so that
+the Spaniards in general, both of Peru and Chili, had the greatest
+dread of being taken by the English; but some of them told us, that
+they were so happy on board the Centurion, that they should not have
+been sorry if the Commodore had taken them with him to England. After
+we had been here some time, Mr. Campbell changed his religion, and of
+course left us. At the end of two years, the president sent for us,
+and informed us a French ship from Lima, bound to Spain, had put into
+Valparaiso, and that we should embark in her. After taking leave of our
+good friend Mr. Gedd, and all our acquaintance at St. Jago, we set out
+for Valparaiso, mules and a guide being provided for us. I had forgot
+to say before, that Captain Cheap had been allowed by the president
+six reals a day, and we had four for our maintenance the whole time we
+were at St. Jago, which money we took up as we wanted it. Our journey
+back was much pleasanter than we found it when we were first brought
+hither, as we had now no mules to drive. The first person I met, upon
+our entrance into Valparaiso, was the poor soldier whom I mentioned to
+have been so kind to us when we were imprisoned in the fort. I now made
+him a little present, which, as it came quite unexpected, made him very
+happy. We took lodgings till the ship was ready to sail, and diverted
+ourselves as we pleased, having the good fortune, at this time, to have
+nothing to do with the governor or his fort. The town is but a poor
+little place; there are, indeed, a good many storehouses built by the
+water side for the reception of goods from the shipping.
+
+About the 20th of December, 1744, we embarked on board the Lys frigate,
+belonging to St. Malo. She was a ship of four hundred and twenty
+tons, sixteen guns, and sixty men. She had several passengers on
+board; and amongst the rest, Don George Juan, a man of very superior
+abilities, (and since that time well known in England) who, with Don
+Antonio Ulloa, had been several years in Peru, upon a design of
+measuring some degrees of the meridian near the equator. We were now
+bound to Conception, in order to join three other French ships that
+were likewise bound home. As this was a time of the year when the
+southerly winds prevail upon this coast, we stood off a long way to the
+westward, making the island of Juan Fernandez. We did not get into the
+bay of Conception till the 6th of January, 1745, where we anchored at
+Talcaguana, and there found the Louis Erasme, the Marquis d'Antin, and
+the Delivrance, the three French ships that we were to accompany. It is
+but sixty leagues from Valparaiso to Conception, though we had been so
+long making this passage; but there is no beating up, near the shore,
+against the southerly wind, which is the trade at this season, as you
+are sure to have a lee-current; so that the quickest way of making a
+passage is to stand off a hundred and twenty or thirty leagues from the
+land.
+
+The bay of Conception is a large, fine bay; but there are several
+shoals in it, and only two good anchoring-places, though a ship may
+anchor within a quarter of a league of the town; but this only in the
+very fine months, as you lay much exposed. The best anchoring-place is
+Talcaguana, the southernmost neck of the bay, in five or six fathom
+water, good holding ground, and where you are sheltered from the
+northerly winds. The town has no other defence than a low battery,
+which only commands the anchoring-place before it. The country is
+extremely pleasant, and affords the greatest plenty of provisions of
+all kinds. In some excursions we made daily from Talcaguana, we saw
+great numbers of very large snakes; but we were told they were quite
+harmless. I have read some former accounts of Chili, by the jesuits,
+wherein they tell you that no venomous creature is to be found in it,
+and that they even made the experiment of bringing bugs here, which
+died immediately; but I never was in any place that swarmed with them
+so much as St. Jago; and they have a large spider there, whose bite
+is so venomous, that I have seen from it some of the most shocking
+sights I ever saw in my life; and it certainly proves mortal if proper
+remedies are not applied in time. I was once bit by one on the cheek,
+whilst asleep, and, presently after, all that part of my face turned
+as black as ink. I was cured by the application of a bluish kind of
+stone (the same, perhaps, they call the serpent-stone in the East
+Indies, and which is a composition). The stone stuck, for some time,
+of itself on my face, and dropping off, was put into milk till it had
+digested the poison it had extracted, and then applied again till the
+pain abated, and I was soon afterwards well. Whilst the ships remained
+at Conception, the people were employed in killing cattle and salting
+them for the voyage; and every ship took on board as many bullocks
+and sheep as their decks could well hold; and having completed their
+business here, they sailed the 27th of January; but about eight days
+after our ship sprung a very dangerous leak forward; but so low,
+that there was no possibility of stopping it without returning into
+port, and lightening her till they could come at it. Accordingly we
+separated from the other ships, and made the best of our way for
+Valparaiso, keeping all hands at the pump night and day, passengers
+and all. However, as it happened, this proved a lucky circumstance
+for the Lys, as the three other ships were taken; and this certainly
+would have been her fate likewise, had she kept company with the rest.
+As soon as we got into port, they lightened the ship forwards, and
+brought her by the stern till they came at the leak, which was soon
+stopped. They made all the dispatch possible in completing the water
+again. Whilst at Valparaiso, we had one of the most violent shocks of
+an earthquake that we had ever felt yet. On the first of March we put
+to sea again, the season being already far advanced for passing Cape
+Horn. The next day we went to an allowance of a quart of water a day
+for each man, which continued the whole passage. We were obliged to
+stand a long way to the westward; and went to the northward of Juan
+Fernandez above a degree, before we had a wind that we could make any
+southing with. On the 25th, in the latitude of 46 degrees, we met with
+a violent hard gale at west, which obliged us to lie to under a reefed
+mainsail for some days; and before we got round the Cape, we had many
+very hard gales, with a prodigious sea and constant thick snow; and
+after being so long in so delightful a climate as Chili, the cold was
+almost insupportable. After doubling the Cape, we got but slowly to
+the northward; and, indeed, at the best of times, the ship never went
+above six knots; for she was a heavy-going thing. On the 27th of May
+we crossed the line; when finding that our water was grown extremely
+short, and that it would be almost impossible to reach Europe without
+a supply, it was resolved to bear away for Martinico. On the 29th of
+June, in the morning, we made the Island of Tobago, and then shaped
+a course for Martinico; and on the first of July, by our reckonings,
+expected to see it, but were disappointed. This was imputed to the
+currents, which, whether they had set the ship to the eastward or
+westward, nobody could tell; but upon looking over the charts, it
+was imagined, if the current had driven her to the westward, it must
+have been among the Granadillos, which was thought impossible without
+seeing any of them, as they are so near together, and a most dangerous
+place for rocks. It was then concluded we were to the eastward, and
+accordingly we steered S.W. by W., but having run this course for above
+thirty leagues, and no land appearing, it was resolved to stand to the
+northward till we should gain the latitude of Porto Rico, and on the
+4th in the evening we made that island; so that it was now certain the
+ship had been hustled through the Granadillos in the night, which was,
+without doubt, as extraordinary a passage as ever ship made. It was
+now resolved to go between the islands of Porto Rico and St. Domingo
+for Cape Francois, therefore we lay to that night. In the morning, we
+made sail along shore; and about ten o'clock, as I was walking the
+quarter-deck, Captain Cheap came out of the cabin, and told me he had
+just seen a beef-barrel go by the ship; that he was sure it had but
+lately been thrown overboard, and that he would venture any wager we
+saw an English cruizer before long. In about half an hour after we saw
+two sail to leeward, from off the quarter-deck; for they kept no look
+out from the mast-head, and we presently observed they were in chace
+of us. The French and Spaniards on board now began to grow a good deal
+alarmed, when it fell stark calm; but not before the ships had neared
+us so much, that we plainly discerned them to be English men of war;
+the one a two-decker, the other a twenty-gun ship. The French had
+now thoughts, when a breeze should spring up, of running the ship on
+shore upon Porto Rico, but when they came to consider what a set of
+banditti inhabited that island, and that in all probability they would
+have their throats cut for the sake of plundering the wreck, they were
+resolved to take their chance, and stand to the northward between the
+two islands. In the evening, a fresh breeze sprung up, and we shaped
+a course accordingly. The two ships had it presently afterwards, and
+neared us amazingly fast. Now every body on board gave themselves up;
+the officers were busy in their cabins, filling their pockets with
+what was most valuable; the men put on their best clothes, and many of
+them came to me with little lumps of gold, desiring I would take them,
+as they said they had much rather I should benefit by them, whom they
+were acquainted with, than those that chased them. I told them there
+was time enough, though I thought they were as surely taken as if the
+English had been already on board. A fine moonlight night came on, and
+we expected every moment to see the ships along-side of us; but we saw
+nothing of them in the night, and, to our great astonishment, in the
+morning no ships were to be seen even from the mast-head. Thus did
+these two cruizers lose one of the richest prizes, by not chasing an
+hour or two longer. There were near two millions of dollars on board,
+besides a valuable cargo. On the eighth, at six in the morning, we were
+off Cape La Grange; and, what is very remarkable, the French at Cape
+Francois told us afterwards that was the only day they ever remembered,
+since the war, that the Cape had been without one or two English
+privateers cruising off it; and but the evening before, two of them had
+taken two outward bound St. Domingo men, and had gone with them for
+Jamaica; so that this ship might be justly esteemed a most lucky one.
+In the afternoon we came to an anchor in Cape Francois harbour.
+
+In this long run we had not buried a single man; nor do I remember that
+there was one sick the whole passage; but at this place many were taken
+ill, and three or four died; for there is no part of the West Indies
+more unhealthy than this; yet the country is beautiful, and extremely
+well cultivated. After being here some time, the governor ordered us to
+wait upon him, which we did; when he took no more notice of us than if
+we had been his slaves, never asking us even to sit down.
+
+Towards the end of August, a French squadron of five men of war came
+in, commanded by Monsieur L'Etanducre, who were to convoy the trade
+to France. Neither he nor his officers ever took any kind of notice
+of Captain Cheap, though we met them every day ashore. One evening,
+as we were going aboard with the captain of our ship, a midshipman
+belonging to Monsieur L'Etanducre, jumped into our boat, and ordered
+the people to carry him on board the ship he belonged to, leaving us
+to wait upon the beach for two hours before the boat returned. On the
+sixth of September we put to sea, in company with the five men of war,
+and about fifty sail of merchant-men. On the eighth we made the Cayco
+Grande; and the next day a Jamaica privateer, a large fine sloop, hove
+in sight, keeping a little to windward of the convoy, resolving to pick
+up one or two of them in the night, if possible. This obliged Monsieur
+L'Etanducre to send a frigate to speak to all the convoy, and order
+them to keep close to him in the night; which they did, and in such a
+manner, that sometimes seven or eight of them were on board one another
+together; by which they received much damage; and to repair which,
+the whole squadron was obliged to lay to sometimes for a whole day.
+The privateer kept her station, jogging on with the fleet. At last,
+the commodore ordered two of his best-going ships to chase her. She
+appeared to take no notice of them till they were pretty near her, and
+then would make sail and be out of sight presently. The chasing ships
+no sooner returned, than the privateer was in company again. As by this
+every night some accident happened to some of the convoy by keeping so
+close together, a fine ship of thirty guns, belonging to Marseilles,
+hauled out a little to windward of the rest of the fleet; which
+L'Etanducre perceiving in the morning, ordered the frigate to bring the
+captain of her on board of him; and then making a signal for all the
+convoy to close to him, he fired a gun, and hoisted a red flag at the
+ensign staff; and immediately after the captain of the merchant-man
+was run up to the main-yard-arm, and from thence ducked three times. He
+was then sent on board his ship again, with orders to keep his colours
+flying the whole day, in order to distinguish him from the rest. We
+were then told, that the person who was treated in this cruel manner,
+was a young man of an exceeding good family in the south of France,
+and likewise a man of great spirit; and that he would not fail to call
+Monsieur L'Etanducre to account when an opportunity should offer; and
+the affair made much noise in France afterwards. One day, the ship
+we were in happened to be out of her station, by sailing so heavily,
+when the commodore made the signal to speak to our captain, who seemed
+frightened out of his wits. When we came near him, he began with the
+grossest abuse, threatening our captain, that if ever he was out of his
+station again, he would serve him as he had done the other. This rigid
+discipline, however, preserved the convoy; for though the privateer
+kept company a long time, she was not so fortunate as to meet with the
+reward of her perseverance.
+
+On the 27th of October, in the evening, we made Cape Ortegal; and on
+the 31st, came to an anchor in Brest road. The Lys having so valuable
+a cargo on board, was towed into the harbour the next morning, and
+lashed alongside one of their men of war. The money was soon landed;
+and the officers and men, who had been so many years absent from
+their native country, were glad to get on shore. Nobody remained on
+board but a man or two to look after the ship, and we three English
+prisoners who had no leave to go ashore. The weather was extremely
+cold, and felt particularly so to us, who had been so long used to hot
+climates; and what made it still worse, we were very thinly clad. We
+had neither fire nor candle; for they were allowed on board of no ship
+in the harbour, for fear of accidents, being close to their magazines
+in the dock-yard. Some of the officers belonging to the ship were so
+kind to send us off victuals every day, or we might have starved; for
+Monsieur L'Intendant never sent us even a message; and though there was
+a very large squadron of men of war fitting out at that time, not one
+officer belonging to them ever came near Captain Cheap. From five in
+the evening we were obliged to sit in the dark; and if we chose to have
+any supper, it was necessary to place it very near us before that time,
+or we never could have found it. We had passed seven or eight days in
+this melancholy manner, when one morning a kind of row-galley came
+alongside, with a number of English prisoners belonging to two large
+privateers the French had taken. We were ordered into the same boat
+with them, and were carried four leagues up the river to Landernaw. At
+this town we were upon our parole; so took the best lodgings we could
+get, and lived very well for three months, when an order came from
+the court of Spain to allow us to return home by the first ship that
+offered. Upon this, hearing there was a Dutch ship at Morlaix ready to
+sail, we took horses and travelled to that town, where we were obliged
+to remain six weeks, before we had an opportunity of getting away. At
+last we agreed with the master of a Dutch dogger to land us at Dover,
+and paid him beforehand. When we had got down the river into the road,
+a French privateer that was almost ready to sail upon a cruize, hailed
+the Dutchman, and told him to come to an anchor; and that if he offered
+to sail before him, he would sink him. This he was forced to comply
+with, and lay three days in the road, cursing the Frenchman, who at
+the end of that time put to sea, and then we were at liberty to do the
+same. We had a long uncomfortable passage. About the ninth day, before
+sunset, we saw Dover, and reminded the Dutchman of his agreement to
+land us there. He said he would; but instead of that, in the morning
+we were off the coast of France. We complained loudly of this piece of
+villany, and insisted upon his returning to land us, when an English
+man of war appeared to windward, and presently bore down to us. She
+sent her boat on board with an officer, who informed us the ship he
+came from was the Squirrel, commanded by Captain Masterson. We went on
+board of her, and Captain Masterson immediately sent one of the cutters
+he had with him, to land us at Dover, where we arrived that afternoon,
+and directly set out for Canterbury upon post-horses; but Captain Cheap
+was so tired by the time he got there, that he could proceed no further
+that night. The next morning he still found himself so much fatigued,
+that he could ride no longer; therefore it was agreed that he and Mr.
+Hamilton should take a post-chaise, and that I should ride; but here an
+unlucky difficulty was started; for upon sharing the little money we
+had, it was found to be not sufficient to pay the charges to London;
+and my proportion fell so short, that it was, by calculation, barely
+enough to pay for horses, without a farthing for eating a bit upon the
+road, or even for the very turnpikes. Those I was obliged to defraud,
+by riding as hard as I could through them all, not paying the least
+regard to the men, who called out to stop me. The want of refreshment
+I bore as well as I could. When I got to the Borough, I took a coach
+and drove to Marlborough-street, where my friends had lived when I left
+England; but when I came there, I found the house shut up. Having been
+absent so many years, and in all that time never having heard a word
+from home, I knew not who was dead or who was living, or where to go
+next; or even how to pay the coachman. I recollected a linen-draper's
+shop, not far from thence, which our family had used. I therefore drove
+there next, and making myself known, they paid the coachman. I then
+enquired after our family, and was told my sister had married Lord
+Carlisle, and was at that time in Soho-square. I immediately walked
+to the house, and knocked at the door; but the porter not liking my
+figure, which was half French, half Spanish, with the addition of a
+large pair of boots covered with dirt, he was going to shut the door in
+my face; but I prevailed with him to let me come in.
+
+I need not acquaint my readers with what surprise and joy my sister
+received me. She immediately furnished me with money sufficient to
+appear like the rest of my countrymen; till that time I could not be
+properly said to have finished all the extraordinary scenes which a
+series of unfortunate adventures had kept me in for the space of five
+years and upwards.
+
+
+                               THE END.
+
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                 BRADBURY AND EVANS, BOUVERIE-STREET.
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+                         Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Maintained original spelling, hypenation and punctuation.
+
+Obvious printer errors have been corrected.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the
+Wager, by John Byron
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