PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
153 
life. On the side of a rock at this watering-place, we found the 
names of several English and American ships cut, whose crews 
had been there ; and but a short distance from thence was erect¬ 
ed a hut, built of loose stones, but destitute of a roof; and in the 
neighbourhood of it were scattered in considerable quantities the 
bones and shells of land and sea tortoises. This I afterwards un¬ 
derstood was the work of a wretched English sailor, who had been 
landed there by his captain, destitute of every thing, for having 
used some insulting language to him. Here he existed near a 
year on land tortoises and guanas, and his sole dependence for 
water was on the precarious supply he could get from the drip¬ 
pings of the rocks; at length, finding that no one was likely to 
come to take him from thence, and fearful of perishing for the 
want of water, he formed a determination to attempt at all hazards 
getting into Banks’ Bay, where the ships cruize for whales, 
and with this view provided himself with two seal skins, with 
which, blown up, he formed a float; and, after hazarding destruc¬ 
tion from the sharks, which frequently attacked his vessel, and 
which he kept off with the stick that served him as a paddle, he 
succeeded at length in getting along side an American ship early 
in the morning, where his unexpected arrival not only surprized 
but alarmed the crew; for his appearance was scarcely human ; 
clothed in the skins of seals, his countenance haggard, thin, and 
emaciated, his beard and hair long and matted, they Supposed him 
a being from another world. The commander of the vessel where 
he arrived felt a great sympathy for his sufferings, and determin¬ 
ed for the moment to bring to punishment the villain who had, 
by thus cruelly exposing the life of a fellow-being, violated every 
principle of humanity ; but from some cause or other he was pre¬ 
vented from carrying into effect his laudable intentions, and to this 
day the poor sailor has not had justice done him. 
At the landing-place at the head of the bason, we found a 
bag, which, from its appearance, had been there but a very short 
time ; also a fresh turtle shell and bones, as well as those of fish, 
and fresh ashes, where a fire had been kindled. From these 
traces we knew that some persons had been there but a short 
time before us ; and in searching about, we found the leaf of m 
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