154 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



land, not the leafl breath of wind was ftirrihg, 

 Haflcning onwards, we thought we heard the 

 roaring of thunder, but, on liftening more atten- 

 tively, we difcovered it to be the report of cannon, 

 reverberated by the echoes. The noile of the dif- 

 tant firing, joined to the tempeftuous appearance 

 of the Heavens, made me fhudder. 1 had no 

 doubt that it was a fignal of diftrefs from fome vef- 

 fel on the point of foundering. About half an 

 hour afterwards the firing ceafed, and this lîlence 

 ilruck me as much more awful than the mournful 

 founds which had preceded it. 



We quickened our pace without faying a word, 

 or daring to communicate our uneafinefs to each 

 other. Toward midnight, we arrived, in a violent 

 heat, on the fea-fliore, at the quarter called Gold- 

 Duft. The waves dafhed themfelves againft it 

 with a fearful noife. The foam, of a dazzling 

 whitenefs, and fparkling like fire, covered the 

 rocks and fliores. Notwithftanding the darknefs, 

 we could diflinguifh, by thefe phofphoric lights, 

 the canoes of the fifhermen, which they had, long 

 before, drawn a great way up on the flrand. 



At fome diftance from thence, at the entrance 

 of the wood, we defcried a fire, round which feve- 

 i\\\ of the planters were affembled. We went thither 

 to reft ourfelves, and to wait for the return of day. 



Whilft 



