( so ) 



which drove feveral things afliore ; hut 

 there was no dependance on fuch acci- 

 dental relief ; and we were always alert 

 to avail ourfelves of every interval of 

 fair weather, though fo little to be de- 

 pended on, that we were ofcen unex- 

 peftedly and to our peril overtaken by a 

 fudden change. In one of our excur- 

 fions I, with two more, in a wretched 

 punt of our own making, had no fooner 

 landed at our ftation upon a high rock, 

 than the punt was driven loofe by a fud- 

 den fquall ; and had not one of the men, 

 at the rifle of his life, jumped into the 

 fea and fwamon board her, we muft in 

 all probability have periflied; for we were 

 more than three leagues from the illand 

 at the time. Among the birds we ge- 

 nerally (hot, "was the painted goofe, 

 v/hofe plumage is variegated with the 

 moft lively colours ; and a bird much 

 larger than a goofe, which we called the 

 racehorfe, from the velocity with which 



it 



