31 " ' W e heard a cracking noise on our raft; she is too slender for her loading; please to take five or six of us on yours." " I look at the raft and see that she is in good order. ' Breth ren,' I say, ' your raft is good; she is perhaps better than ours, and you have nothing to fear. What you require, it is impossible to do ; you are but fourteen on yours, and we twenty en ours ; but follow us, and if we see you in any danger we will give you assistance.' W e raise up the sail and run again. "Eight o'clock. The weather is worse than ever, the wind blows furiously, the sea makes a dreadful noise, and the waves are as high as hills; we roll violently and fear to be thrown overboard. The small raft suddenly turns her head in the direction of the shore ; we go straight as before. Our provisions are spoiled, our bread is quite wet, and our spring water is mixed with salt water. The waves bring our poor raft from their top to their bottom with an incredible velocity ; when at their white summit we see the small raft running rapidly to shore ; when in their dark abyss we see nothing but heaven and the two walls of roaring water. Our companions experience painfully the effects of sea-sickness ; they can not move, and that is a lucky chance for the whole of us, because if they could, they doubtless would go all together to the same side of the raft, and they would oblige her to turn over. " Twelve o'clock. W e are outside the gulf, the weather is a little better, and the sea is quieter ; we cannot see the land, but we distinguish the small raft, which becomes smaller and smaller. " F o u r o'clock. N o land, no raft in sight, nothing around us except the blue sky and the green sea." " S E P T E M B E R 15th,
Morning.
Since four o'clock, yesterday evening, until now, we have had nothing n e w ; our raft is not too much damaged by the storm, she can keep the sea; but we are very tired, not having, slept for two nights; we are hungry and have nothing to eat, but we don't take notice o f it, having acquired the habit of hunger in our several prisons; we are thirsty and have no fresh water, but our feet and the lower part of our body are in the sea. and this circumstance diminishes our thirst. W e see the land at about twenty miles on our left, and that sight brightens our hopes o f liberty. The Avind was fresh all night but for a couple of hours it has been sinking, and if that con tinues any longer we shall have a calm, the most grievous thing for men in our situation. 2 o'clock P. M . W e have no wind, not the smallest breith; there are no waves, nor the least wrinkle on the sea—it is as plain as a looking-glass; the sun is exceedingly hot and burns