299 



fively, if we had yet time to reach Berbifche 

 by night. The captain affured me that we 

 had ; and you will believe that we kept our 

 €yes, ftedfaftly on the boat, wifhing her ten- 

 fold fpeed. At length, after an abfence of 

 thirty-two raoft tedious hours, fhe came fafe 

 alongfide ; when we learned that no accident 

 had occurred ; but that owing to the immenfe 

 beds of drifted mud on the coaft, and to the 

 tide making againft them, when they firft 

 tieared the fliore, all the party had been kept 

 at fea in the open boat, expofed to the full 

 ardof of a vertical fun, and without a morfel 

 to eat, or a drop to drink, during the whole 

 of the preceding day, from feven o'clock in 

 the morning until ten at night : fince which 

 the boat had been kept on fhore to give reft 

 and refrefhment to the poor failors, who were 

 cruelly exhaufted with heat and fatigue. 



Thus did it appear that there were fitu- 

 ations even more diftrefling than being con- 

 fined on board the odious Voltigeur ; for thofe 

 who had gone off in the boat had been greater 

 fufferers than myfelf. But I was furprized to 

 find that men, who had fo recently known 

 the ills of privation^ did not experience fome 



