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a few men having expofed us to the great hazard 

 we were in ; but the evil was already done, fo that 

 we wanted fomething different from murmuring to 

 fet us to rights. Since our departure to Louifiana, 

 I could never prevail with moft of them to approach 

 the facraments, and very few of them had fulfilled 

 the pafchal duties. I profited of this occafion to 

 prevail with the whole of them to promife to con- 

 fefs themfelves, and to communicate as foon as we 

 (hould come on fhore. They had fcarce promifed 

 this, when the land appeared. 



We made {trait towards it, and arrived before noon. 

 On the twenty-fourth at noon, we were in twenty- 

 fix degrees, fifty-fix minutes. We had (till the 

 view of the main-land, without being able to ap- 

 proach it, it being fkirted with peninfulas and 

 iflands, moftly very flat, barren, and between them 

 fcarce a palfage for a canoe or bark. What we 

 fuffered moft from was the want of water, there 

 being none upon them. The following days we 

 were often ftopt by contrary winds, but found (bel- 

 ter every where, and fometimes a little hunting 

 and fifhing. Water was the only thing we could 

 not find ; I made ufe of this delay to bring the 

 whole company to fulfil their promife, to approach 

 the facraments. 



It appears there are but few Indians in this whole 

 country, only we faw one day four of them who 

 came out towards us in a pirogue : we waited for 

 them, but when they difcovered us, they were 

 afraid to come any farther, and made what hafte 

 they could back to the fhore. Ori the tenth, we 

 were obliged to retrench the allowance of fpirituou? 

 liquors, which had been hitherto diftributed among 

 the crew, there remaining but little, which was 



thought 



