230- LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 
books. I yielded, and we went to rest ourselves at Chiriqiri 
for the fourth time. We remained there six days, during 
which we refreshed ourselves, and ate as many oranges, both 
sour and sweet, as we could find on the side of the mountain. 
Then having laid in another stock of provisions, we again 
set sail. It was now eighty-one days since our departure from 
Panama. 
The next day a fresh breeze sprung up, so that, with only 
part of our sails, we imagined we made more way than we 
had done at any time during our voyage ; but the day follow- 
ing the sky became overcast, the wind lulled, the pleasure we 
felt at proceeding with rapidity was changed to vexation, when, 
at the end of twelve days we found that we had made but little 
progress ; contrary currents having set us back in the night 
as far as we had advanced during the day. Our provisions 
meanwhile began to fail, and we were no longer at Chiriqui 
to procure a fresh supply. At length our necessities increased 
to such a degree, that, having no other food but a small quan- 
tity of maize, which was in the hog-trough, this disagreeable 
mess, left by those filthy animals, was divided among us in 
equal portions. When this was consumed we made a hash 
of the tough carcass of an old spaniel, which had hitherto 
been a favorite of mine. All the crew devoured with avidity 
this wretched galimaufry, of which there was not sufficient to 
satisfy them. 
The following day a fresh repast was prepared of the bull's 
hide that my dog had been accustomed to lie on, and which, 
on his death had.become a useless article. It was boiled down 
till converted into a blackish glue, that did not much contri- 
bute to prepossess us in favor of its taste. But so far from be- 
ing disgusted, our hunger had become so craving, that we 
swallowed it with as much relish as if it had been the most 
delicate jelly. The same day a negro sailor opened his box, 
in which he had preserved two plantains : one of them he ate, 
shell, rind and all, and with the greatest secrecy brought the 
other and presented it to me, requesting me only to give him 
the shell. The moment he received it he greedily devoured it, 
fearing lest some one should come and take it from ?iim. The 
crew were still abundantly provided with wine, the immode- 
rate use of which had not a little contributed to the bad man- 
ner in which the frigate was steered. 
treeing the principal seamen, and the pilot in particular, at 
a loss what to do, and that so many faults acknowledged by 
them had stripped them of those airs of assurance which 
