178 DEATH OF THE SETTLERS. 



mence "April," when a termination to his earthly 

 career, or so near an approach to it from 

 indisposition seems to have occurred, that he was 

 not able to proceed beyond the Latin word 

 "die" with which he usually commenced each 

 day's proceedings. The death of this man must 

 have been an event as melancholy as it was 

 unexpected to his poor suffering companions, 

 all of whom were too feeble to assist them- 

 selves, even to the scanty morsels of food which 

 remained; and not less disheartening to them 

 in their distress to find that the only one on 

 whom they could at all rely for assistance, and 

 apparently the strongest of the party, should have 

 so soon fallen a victim to the malady which was 

 gradually bringing them down to their graves. 

 How long they survived their companion has 

 never appeared; we only know, that when the 

 island was revisited in June following, they were 

 all found dead. Near to one of the bodies was 

 lying a box of ointment, with which the un- 

 fortunate being had rubbed his lacerated gums 

 and joints, and by the position of one of the 

 arms, he appears to have expired whilst in the 

 act of applying the remedy to his mouth. With- 

 in the grasp of another there was a morsel of 

 bread and cheese, and near him a Prayer-Book. 

 Thus terminated the first experiment which 



