246 toss OF A JAMAICA SLOOF. 
"As soon as we were all out of the canoe we hauled EeT 
upon the beach, and then endeavored to go back from the wa* 
ter side into the woods, which we saw at some distance, in or- 
der to get fire and shelter ourselves, being both cold and wet, 
and sadly fatigued ; but w^hen we attempted to go toward the 
woods, we came quickly into a morass, and were up to the 
mid-leg, and sometimes up to the knees in mud and water ; 
and what made it the more troublesome, it was full of long 
cutting grass intermixed with briars, which very much in- 
commoded us, and tore our legs in several places. After w^e 
had gone near a mile in this miserable way, we came to the dry 
land, and went into the edge of the woods, where, by the help 
of a pistol and some gunpowder, we made a fire and dried 
our clothes ; then cut down some small trees, with which, and 
the branches of others, we set up a little hut to shelter us from 
the rain, in which we designed to rest and refresh ourselves, 
after two days and a night's fatigue. We lay down in our 
hut, but found it was impossible to sleep, there being millions 
of musketoes and other biting flies about us : so that neither 
mouth, nose, eyes, nor any part of us, was free from them } 
and whenever they could come at our Skin, they bit and stung 
us most intolerably. 
"As soon as it was day went to the water side to look for 
the sloop, but not seeing her, concluded she was beat in pieces 
upon the ledge of rocks. Having but one piece of beef, about 
six pounds, and no bread for our vvhole company, being six- 
teen in number, we began to think of looking out to see what 
we could get to subsist on ; and therefore I sent the people 
different ways, to hunt, and see whether they could discover 
any inhabitants. In about four hours some of them returned 
with a bunch of green plantains, wdiich they had found grow- 
ing in an old deserted plantation, w^here they saw sweet cas- 
save J this discovery came very seasonably to our relief; as 
soon as we found bread kind, we boiled our beef and refreshed 
ourselves. 
"The following day I distributed amongst my people some 
small arms, powder, and shot, which I had directed to be put 
into the canoe when we left the sloop, in order to kill such 
creatures as probably we might find in that country, to pre- 
vent our being starved, if we found no inhabitants. The men 
being thus provided, I ordered them to go different ways to 
hunt, and observe if they saw any paths in the woods by 
which we might find some of the natives, concluding we were 
not far distant from the people, by reason of the little deserted 
