( 53 ) 
Impoffible for us, wlio remained on boards 
to difcover what they were about, and ob- 
ferving feveral parties of the natives appear 
at difterent times on the flitore, but unac- 
companied by any of my jpeople, we coh- 
ceived that all thofe who had landed were 
maffacred, and that a fimilar calamity a- 
waited the whole of us. We, who had re- 
gained on board the Ihip, were obliged to 
fhelter ourfelves in the fore-caftle, as the 
wreck, becoming a fixed objeft, the fea 
made over her, and there Was no other part 
where we could remain, even for a moment, 
in a ftate of fecurity. 
During the whole of the night, all was 
mncertainty. Some were of opinion, that, 
to avoid being tortured by the favages, per» 
haps thrown into the fires we had perceived 
on ftiore, it would be more advifable to re- 
fign ourfelves to a watery element, as in 
that fituatlon we Ihould oiily endure a few 
llruggles, and then life would be no more. 
Others entertained diiferent fentiments, and 
were for making the fliore in as compaft a 
body as poflible : " We ftiall then,'' faid 
they, attack the favages with Jiones^ or 
whatever we can find/* This was overruled 
as a meafure impradicable ; there was no 
jpollibility of fix men keeping together, but 
if fuch a number could, by a miracle, get 
on Ihore without being divided, the natives 
ccnld deftroy them in a moment with their 
fpears. The whole of this miferable niehi: 
E 2 
