448 VOYAGE IS SEAP.CI* 



manner, in the courfe of the laft four and twenty 

 hours, that he had found a great deal of difficulty 

 in crawling; along; the fhore to look for our 

 fhips ; he had then been obliged to abandon the 

 whole, even the raoft valuable fpecimens he had. 



As foon as he had recovered from his faint nefs 

 we carried him on board. It was to no purpofe 

 that we made all the fignals agreed on, to an- 

 nounce that wc had had the good fortune to 

 iind him again; the people on board ^ere fo tho- 

 roughly perfuaded beforehand of the inutility of 

 our refearches, that they did not understand us 

 till the moment when our boat was quite clofe to 

 the fhip, and they perceived Riche in the mid- 

 dle of us. The horrible fituation in which he 

 would have been, had the opinion that had been 

 formed rclpccting him prevailed, ought to infpire' 

 the grcatcii dread, and be an awful lefTon to 

 thofe captains and naturalifts who undertake a 

 difiant voyage; for if wchad quitted this anchor- 

 age the day before, he would have terminated 

 his life by the moll frightful death, and in all 

 the agonies of the moft horrid defpair. 



Although it was thus demonftratcd by this fael: 

 that it was poflible for a pcrfon to lofe himfelf 

 for two days in this country, moil of our officers 

 would not however admit the facl ; fome of 

 them choie to think and to fay, that Riche had 

 had an intention of bewildering himfelf; as if it 



were 



