3 i8 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [February, 



this treacherous (bore. While this was performing, they clearly faw 

 the natives, whom in their account they term voracious cannibals, 

 dragging the bodies of Captain Hill and the feamen from the beach 

 toward fome large fires, which they fuppofed were prepared for the 

 occafion, yelling and howling at the fame time mo ft difmally, Thefe 

 wretched furvivors of their companions having feen, from the top of 

 the hill whither their ill-fated curiofity had led them, a large fand-bank 

 not far from the ifland, determined to run under the lee of it, as they 

 very reafonably hoped that boats would the next morning be fent 

 after them from the fhip. They experienced very little reft or eafe 

 that night, and when daylight appeared found that they had drifted 

 nearly out of fight of the ifland, and to leeward of the fand-bank. 



Deeming it in vain to attempt reaching the bank, after examining 

 what was left in the boat, (a few of the trifles which they had put 

 into her to buy the friendship of the natives, and Afcott's great-coat, 

 but neither a compafs nor a morfel of provifions,) they determined, by 

 the advice of Shaw, who of thefe tbree miferable people was the only 

 one that underftood any thing of navigation, to run direcl: for Timor, 

 for which place the wind was happily fair. To the weftward, there- 

 fore, they directed their courfe, trufting to that Providence which had 

 delivered them from the cannibals at Tate Ifland. 



Without provifions, deftitute of water, and almoft without bodily 

 ftrength, it cannot be doubted that their Sufferings were very great be- 

 fore they reached a place of fafety and relief. They left the ifland on 

 the 3d of July, the day on which their companions were butchered. 

 On the 7th, having on the preceding day pafled a fand-bank covered 

 with birds, they providentially, in the morning, found two fmall birds 

 in the boat, one of which they immediately divided into three parts, 

 and were confiderably relieved by eating it. On the 8th they found 

 themfelves with land on both fides. Through thefe ftraits they pafled 

 and continued their courfe to the weftward. All that could be done 

 with their wounds was to keep them clean by opening them occa- 

 fion ally, 



