At last a Spanish ship was driven ashore in a gale; she went to
pieces, and every soul was drowned. When the gale abated the natives
went down to collect the stores driven ashore, and I found on the
beach one of her boats washed up almost uninjured, so nothing would
do but I must sail away in her. The natives tried their hardest to
persuade me to stay with them, but finding that my mind was fixed
beyond recall they gave way and did their best to aid me. The boat
was well stored with provisions; we made a sail for her out of
one belonging to the ship, and I set off, promising them that if
I could not alight upon an English ship I would return to them.
"I had intended to keep my promise, but things turned out otherwise.
I had not been two days at sea when there was another storm, for
at one time of the year they have tornadoes very frequently. I
had nothing to do but to run for it, casting much of my provisions
overboard to lighten the boat, and baling without ceasing to keep
out the water she took in. After running for many hours I was,
somewhere about midnight, cast on shore. I made a shift to save
myself, and in the morning found that I was on a low key. Here I
lived for three weeks. Fortunately there was water in some of the
hollows of the rocks, and as turtles came ashore to lay their eggs
I managed pretty well for a time; but the water dried up, and for
the last week I had nought to drink but the blood of the turtles.
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