6q travels in 
of the fliips. Inferiority of number not per- 
mitting our people to maintain the conflid, no 
other refource was left us but to cut our ca- 
bles, and to run our velTels afliore. "We all, 
therefore, quitted them ; and every one fought 
for fafety by flight. Diforder and confufion 
being foon fpread in every quarter, the unfor- 
tunate vefTels were abandoned to the moft 
dreadful pillage ; every one endeavouring to 
carry off what he liked beft. My captain 
fet fire-to^is veffel, but the Englifh arrived 
time enough to prevent the reft from being 
run afhore and burnt. The fear of being 
purfued, taken, or mafTacred by the enemy, 
made the failors, with the utmoft precipita- 
tion, purfue their way to the Cape. Twenty 
leagues of fand to traverfe, before they could 
reach the town, had however difcouraged 
many of them. Thefe miferable people had 
fo overloaded themfelves, that they were un- 
der the necefTity of leaving the half of their 
efFe(5ls upon the road. They were feen lying 
every where around, and the different paths 
which they had taken were ftrewed with 
them. That day I was unluckily out on a 
hunting party ; but having heard the noife of 
4 the 
