Travels in North America. 361 



round, which greatly lengthened our Way ; but as foon as 

 the main Land difappeared, our Men thought themfelves loft. 

 The 15th, in the Morning, we met a Spani/h Long-Boat, in 

 ÏVe meet ^ith ^^^^^ were about fifteen Perfons : They were 

 S ' rl ^^^^ Crew of a Ship which liad been 



had been ^ wrecked about the River St, Martiyu It was 

 'wrecked twenty-five Days fince this Misfortune had 



happened, and for forty-two Perfons they 

 had only a little Boat, which they made Ufe of by Turns, 

 and which obliged them to make very Ihort Journies. This 

 Meeting was a good Providence in our Favour, for without 

 the Inftrudion which the Spanijh Captain gave us, we could 

 never have found the Route which we were to keep ; and 

 the Uncertainty of what might become of us, might have in- 

 clined our Mutineers to fome Violence, or to fome defperate 

 Refolution. 



The next Night we were in very great Danger. We all lay 

 •p. ^ J . in a little Ifland, except three or four Men, 

 ^^^^^ <y ^^^^i vvho guarded the Boat. One of them, after 

 * having lighted his Pipe, imprudently fet his 



Match on the Side of the Boat, exadlly in the Place where the 

 Arms, the Powder, and the Provifions were kept in a Cheft co- 

 vered with a Tarpaulin : He fell afleep after this, and while he 

 flept, the Tarpaulin took Fire. The Flame waked him as well 

 as his Companions, but in one Minute more the Boat had been 

 blown up or funk ; and I leave you to judge what would have 

 become of us, having only a Canoe, which could hold but the 

 lixth Part of our Company, without Provifions, Ammunition, 

 or Arms, and on an liland of Sand, in which there grew only 

 fome wild Herbs. 



The next Day, the i6th, the Canoe left us to go to join the 

 Spaniards, We had the Wind againft us, and we were obliged 

 to go with the Sounding-Line in Hand, becaufe the Coaft was 

 fo flat, and fo paved with fharp Flints, that at fix Leagues from 

 the Shore our Boat, which drew but two Feet Water, was every 

 Moment in Danger of ftriking and bulging. We were in the 

 fame Diftrefs the two following Days, and the 20th we en- 

 camped in an Ifland which makes the Eaft Point of the Bay of 

 the Apalaches, All Night we faw Fires on the main Land, 

 which we were near , and we had obferved the fame for fome 

 Days. 



The 21 ft we fet off with a very thick Fog, which being foon 

 A • J . q difperfed, we faw fome Buoys, which the 

 uZn^A^alaTe '^/^^^^'^^^'^ had told us to follow. We follow- 

 ar j^aacje, ed them making the North, and we found 

 that v/ithout this Help it was impoffible to ftiun the Sand- 

 A a a Banks, 



