160 OUR LAMENTABLE CONDITION. [1694. 



hundred Paces long, a hundred broad, and near two Leagues 

 from Shoar : Here we were to live, tho' it was almost im- 

 possible to walk, by reason of the many Holes and sharp 

 Stones we were to tread upon. 'Tis true, we cou'd sometimes 

 go to some neighbouring Islands, which I shall speak of 

 hereafter. They settled us here in a vile Hutt, built upon an 

 Eminence near the Sands and Shoals, and about two Paces 

 from the Sea when it was full, and exactly in the season of 

 the Hurricanes. This Hutt, half ruin'd by Time, and which 

 it was impossible for us to Eepair, having nothing to do it 

 withal, had formerly serv'd for a Prison to some Criminals 

 who a few years before had been banish'd thither. 



This w^as the place my Lord Diodati was pleas'd to send us 

 to, and where we continu'd near three years, I mean such of 

 us as did not die before that time. Thus we became the sad 

 Eepresentations of those unhappy Flying-Fish, who have no 

 sooner escap'd the Jaws of one Enemy, but they fall into the 

 Claws of another. This wicked Governor fed us only with 

 Salt-flesh which was often Corrupted, as may easily be 

 imagin'd, if one considers the excessive Heats of these Coun- 

 tries. Our Water likewise almost always stunk, because it 

 was brought us in Vessels that were never clean, and we had 

 never enough of it neither. At first we had our Provisions 

 every eight Days, but afterwards they did not come in fifteen,^ 

 and sometimes in twenty, so that we had hardly ever any 

 Eefreshment. Thus either through the Malice of our Perse- 

 cutor, the Negligence of his Purveyors or oftimes bad 

 Weather, we were obliged to stint our selves to shorter 

 allowance of Meat and Drink, than we had ever done, how- 

 ever nauseous and unhealthful the miserable Nourishment was 

 that was brought us. All this occasion'd us to desire Netts 



times garrisoned this rock, testify to the eiigagemeuts which took place 

 in the vicinity before the island was captured in 1810. (See Appe-r«dix.) 

 {Vide infra, p. ICo.) 



1 In orig. : " de quinzc en quinze, & quelqucfois plus rarement." 



