212 TflE LIFE O^ 



from the helm, and I took his place. Tof dc~ 

 fcribe our fituation is no cafy tafk ; expedir^g 

 every inftant to pcrifh, lumbered with baggage, 

 with lick ufelefs foldiers, women, and children, 

 loaded almoft to the water's edge, and the 

 crowd fo great that in going back and forward to 

 work the boat we were obliged to tread on the 

 carcafes of thofe whom licknefs or fear had 

 forced to lie down. 



On the morning of the fecond day we had 

 foundings, and early in the fore-noon faw land, 

 which we knew to be the flat fandy coaft which 

 runs from the fouthward of Rio Grande to Qipe 

 St. Mary's on iht Rio d(^ Plata. The extreme 

 lownefs of the coaft caufes the breakers to run 

 very high and very far into the fea, in fo much, 

 that had the coad promifed food and fhelter, we 

 could not have reached it alive, as the boat mufl: 

 have fwamped in the breakers ; we therefore 

 determined to fteer more to the northward, ftill 

 keeping the coafl: in fight. That day we had an 

 imperfect obfervation, according to which we 

 were then above 20 leagues to the fouthward of 

 Rio Grande ; and, though the boat feemed almoft 

 to fiy through the water, we did not expect to 

 make the widied-for river that day. A ftrong 

 current that fet from the fouth having, however, 

 carried us beyond our reckoning, we were fur- 

 priCt^d, about 3 P, M., to fee fomething re- 



fembling 



