( 102 ) 



of the office they were now fulfill- 

 ing. 



We were foon driven again to the 

 greateft ftraits for want of fomething to 

 ^ fabfift upon, by the extreme bad weather 

 that now fet in upon us. Wild fellery 

 was all we could procure, which raked 

 our ftomachs inftead of affiiaging our 

 hunger. That dreadful and laft refource 

 of men, in not much worfe circum- 

 flances than ours, of configning one man 

 to death for the fupport of the reft, be- 

 gan to be mentioned in whifpers ; and 

 indeed there were fome among us who, 

 by eating what they found raw, were be- 

 come little better than canibals. But 

 fortunately for us, and opportunely to 

 prevent this horrid proceeding, Mr. Ha- 

 milton, at this time, found fome rotten 

 pieces of beef, caft up by the fea at fome 

 miles diftance from the huts, which he, 

 though a temptation which few v/ould 

 have refifted in parallel circumftances, 



fcorned 



