234 i-ossr or a spAmsK frxcfate; 
pumping, the crew being obliged to betake themselves to such 
plank or pieces of wood as chey could lay hold of, to endeavor 
to reach the shore, it often happened that the first who got to 
land drew after him his companion at the other end of the 
cord, and who w^as frequently on the point of perishing. In 
this manner I drew on shore the pilot, who certainly was not 
worth the trouble ; and we all arrived safe on shore, excepting 
five or six, who were dashed by the fury of the waves against 
the rocks or the ship. 
A few hours afterward the tide, having ebbed, left the frigate 
almost dry, so that it was easy for us to take out what was in 
her and carry it on shore. Scarcely any thing was lost, for 
we recovered most of the articles that I had ordered to be 
thrown overboard. We returned thanks to the Almighty fo? 
having preserved our lives, after which we set fire to the ves- 
sel to get at the iron w^ork, which we stowed away on the 
shore, together with all our effects and provisions, under thick 
trees, which situation we had chosen that Ave might be shel- 
tered by them from the intense heat of the sun. 
As we had no design of remaining long in that place, I ad- 
vised the crew to choose some one of the company to command 
them, representing to them that otherwise there would be 
nothing but disorder and confusion. They unanimously en- 
treated me to exercise the office of commander, I complied. 
I immediately enforced my authority, and divided them into 
three detachments, sending one in search of water, the second 
in quest of provisions, (for what we had saved from the ship 
was wet and unfit for use,) and the third to reconnoitre the 
country, and see .if they could discover any habitation, the 
pilot declaring that we were onljr three or four leagues from 
Caldera. The first detachment soon returned, bringing some 
excellent water, which they had found near the place. The 
second came back, a few minutes afterward, loaded with wild 
fruits, but of a bad taste, and the eggs of tortoises. They like- 
wise reported that they had seen a hedgehog, and the dung 
of turkey-fowl. 
Pleased with this discovery, I sent them back to procure a 
further supply of water and eggs of tortoises. There was 
such a prodigious quantity of these eggs on this coast, that In 
every hollow in the sand on the beach they found two or three 
hundred. We ate them with great appetite, though they had 
a certain brackish flavor, offensive both to the taste and smelL 
We spent the rest of the day in constructing small arbors 
with the branches of the palm-tree. At sunset the third de- 
