In the meantime the two rocs approached with a frightful noise,
which they redoubled when they saw the egg broken, and their young
one gone. But having a mind to avenge themselves, they flew back
towards the place from whence they came, and disappeared for some
time, while we made all the sail we could to prevent that which
unhappily befell us.
They returned, and we observed that each of them carried between
their talons stones, or rather rocks, of a monstrous size. When
they came directly over my ship, they hovered, and one of them let
fall a stone; but by the dexterity of the steersman, who turned the
ship with the rudder, it missed us, and falling by the side of the
ship into the sea, divided the water so that we could see almost to
the bottom. The other roc, to our misfortune, threw the stone so
exactly upon the middle of the ship that it split into a thousand
pieces. The mariners and passengers were all killed by the stone,
or sunk. I myself had the last fate; but as I came up again I
fortunately caught hold of a piece of the wreck, and swimming
sometimes with one hand and sometimes with the other, but always
holding fast to my board, the wind and the tide favouring me, I
came to an island, where the beach was very steep.
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