HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
i 33 
description. The hurricane that had overtaken us between the Cape of Good Hope 
and Mauritius, was terrible indeed ; but we were then under the conduct of expe¬ 
rienced sailors, and in a vessel that was capable of resisting it. It is not necessary 
to detail the particular circumstances of our situation : we were all of us convinced 
that our last hour was at hand: and it was even proposed to leave the boat to itself, 
and to wait approaching death with the resignation that became us. But this pro¬ 
position of despair was soon over-ruled; and it was ageeed that we should exert 
the utmost efforts to our last moment. We accordingly recovered some degree of 
resolution; and several prepared themselves to swum when the boat should sink, and 
to add a few more painful mdments to their existence.' Though the state of extreme 
weakness in which we now were, might be naturally imputed to the toil we had 
undergone, to the want of food, the solicitations of sleep, which it was impossible to 
gratify, and the alarms which we could not suppress, it was, I doubt not, very much 
increased by the secret reproaches which we thought against each other and ourselves, 
for presumptuous confidence, or timid submission. But whatever irritating feelings 
agitated our minds, they were never suffered to be realized in words; and we en¬ 
couraged each other in the language of fraternal affection. Thus were we placed 
between life and death. 
Their Arrival at Mauritius; 
"When the sun began to whiten the horizon the winds abated their fury; the 
sky became clear; and the light unfolded to us a lofty cape, which was the Isle of 
Mauritius. If I omitted the particular description of our late situation, from my 
incapacity to give an adequate idea of its horrors, I certainly shall not attempt to 
display our present sensations. Our strength seemed to be renewed by our joy; and 
about five o’clock in the evening of the 29th of May, and the ninth of our voyage, 
we arrived in a small bay in the Island of Mauritius. We were taken up a pleasant 
river by the tide, and disembarked in a very agreeable spot, at the foot of an hill which 
was covered with large and flourishing trees. It would be superfluous to describe 
our condition; but sleep, which we could now enjoy without apprehension, and such 
refreshments as could be obtained without much exertion, re-established our strength; 
and in the course of a few days we proceeded to discover the inhabited parts of the 
island. 
" With this view we pursued bur course along the coast; and, after a voyage of 
five days, during which we always slept on shore, we arrived at the Black River; 
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