184 testakd's project. [1695. 



Testard had to endeavour to get a-shoar, come what would of 

 it. This poor Man was one of the Persons accus'd : He per- 

 ceiving that his Malady encreas'd, that the Governor would 

 hearken neither to Prayers nor Promises, and that conse- 

 quently there was no hopes of being speedily deliver'd, tho' 

 any new Ship should arrive : This poor Man, I say, being no 

 longer able to resist the violent Passion he had to breath a 

 freer and better Air, and to go seek in the midst of Woods, 

 Nourishment that was properer for his Health, than that he 

 now had ; he communicated to us his Project, and we con- 

 ceived it both difficult and dangerous to put it in execution, 

 look on it on which side we wovdd. We endeavoured to 

 make him comprehend the ill consequences of it ; we repre- 

 sented to him, that the Pass was above twelve^ Leagues, that 

 his Float could be made only of Weeds, since we had no 

 more Barrels to put at the end of it, as we had done to that 

 of the Gold-smith ; that supposing he should have the good 

 fortune to get to Land, it would be impossible for him to 

 live in those Woods, because they were not such as here at 

 Isle Maurice^; there were few Tortoises to be had, and no 

 Birds that would suffer themselves to be taken by hand, no 

 more than other Animals. We urged, moreover, that in a 

 little while he would be without Cloaths, exposed to the 

 inclemencies of the Air, and that after all, it was in a 

 manner unavoidable but the Hunters must meet with him, 

 who would assuredly resign him into the hands of his 

 Enemy : We added, that when he should be found no longer 

 among us, that evil Persecutor would, it may be, accuse us 

 of having kill'd him in some Quarrel, and that therefore he 

 ought to leave a Letter for him, and another for us, in some 



1 In orig. : " plus de deux lieiies." The distance from Fouquets 

 island to the nearest mainland is actually two miles and three-quarters. 



2 A misprint or bad translation ; in original, the passage runs : 

 " parce qu'il n'en etoit pas de meme dans cette He comme a Ro(/ri(/ue, 

 oil Ton trouvoit par tout de quoi se uourir ; n'y ayaut que tres-peu de 

 Tortues a Maurice" 



