EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 243 



awaked by the found of Up ! up ! up! when the ram ftill CHAP, 

 continuing, the half of the officers and men were lick, i , 

 and I rofe from my hammock foaked as in a wafh-tub ; 

 having fecured the lock of my firelock, in imitation of the 

 rangers, with a piece of the bark of a palm-tree, and 

 fwallowing a dram, with a piece of dry rufk bifcuit, for 

 my breakfaft, we again marched on. But I ought not to 

 forget mentioning the negroes, who had the whole night 

 llept in the water on the ground, and yet were in better 

 health than any of the Europeans. Had we now been at- 

 tacked by the enemy, we muft inevitably have been all 

 cut to pieces, being difabled from refifting with our fire- 

 arms, in which not only the priming but even many of 

 the cartridges were completely wet ; this might have 

 been prevented by having cafed and waxed down our 

 arms, as is pradtifed by the buccaneers of America ; but 

 thefe were trifles not to be thought of : one thing, how- 

 ever, now happened which threatened to be no triJfle, and 

 that was, that the provifions were gone, and thofe we 

 expe6ted to meet us in the creek not arrived, having by 

 fome miftake been negle(5led. By this accident we were 

 now reduced, officers and men without exception, to 

 fubfift on one rufk bifcuit and water for our allowance for 

 twenty-four hours, to keep us from ftarving * : while it 

 is to be remarked, that Monfieur Laurant, our hero's 



* This rufk bifcuit is made of a coarfe zee, and was glad to cat it, though mould- 

 rye loaf, cut in two, and baked as hard ered, and impregnated with worms, fpiders, 

 as a ftone j I often broke it with my fu- gravel, and even broken bottles. 



I i 2 French 



