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.