Not Approving Of This Navigation, I Kept A Watchful Eye On Our
Guide, Suspecting He Had No Good Design In His Head.
We landed just at
day-break, in a fine plain, or savannah; and, after a march of three
miles, came to two farm-houses, whence the inhabitants made their
escape, except the wife and children belonging to one of them.
We had
the satisfaction of seeing that this place answered the description
given by our guide, being surrounded by numerous flocks of black cattle,
with plenty of hogs, and fowls of several sorts, together with some
dried beef; plantains, and maize; and, in the mean time, we had a
breakfast of hot cakes and milk.
When it was broad day, I saw our ship close by us, on which I asked our
guide, why he had brought us so far about? when he said there was a
river between us and the shore, and he was not sure if it were fordable.
I therefore sent some to try, who found it only knee deep, on which, to
avoid carrying our plunder so far by land, I ordered our boats to leave
the river of St Martin, and to row to the beach over against the ship.
We had not been long at the farmhouse till the master of the family came
to us, bringing several horses with him, and offering to serve us as far
as he could. This offer we kindly accepted, and we employed him to carry
every thing we thought fit to our boats. He then went among his black
cattle, and brought us as many as we thought we could cure, as we had
but little salt, and could not afford water to keep them alive at sea,
so that we killed them as soon as they came on board. We preserved them
by cutting their flesh into long slips, about the thickness of one's
finger, and then sprinkled them with a small quantity of salt, not using
more than four or five pounds to the hundred-weight. After lying two or
three hours in the salt, we hung it up to dry in the sun for two or
three days, which perfectly cured it, much better than could have been
done by any quantity of the best salt.
Having thus procured all we proposed at this place, we departed from
thence nest morning, having our decks full of fowls and hogs, among the
latter of which was one having its navel on its back.[272] The Spaniards
say that this animal, although but small even at its full growth, is a
terrible creature to meet wild in the woods. Returning through the
Canal bueno, we stopt at Quibo to complete our water; and on leaving
that island, gave the largest piragua to our two prisoners, to enable
those who were on the island of Quivetta to return home. The wine and
brandy we had lately taken had the effect of dividing my ship's company
into two parties, those who were formerly so firmly united being now
inveterate enemies; insomuch, that in one night the ringleaders of both
have solicited me to espouse their cause, assuring me that the other
party had a design on my life, and urging me to murder those who were of
the opposite faction. It is wonderful how this evil was diverted, as I
could use no other means than calm advice on both sides, and it was
utterly out of my power to hinder them from getting drunk as often as
they pleased; in which condition they often fell all to skirmishing with
each other, and I had more than once my clothes almost torn off my back
in endeavouring to part them. It was happy this trade of drinking did
not last long, as, while the liquor lasted, I found it was unsafe to lay
my head on my pillow, which almost wearied me out of my life. Their free
access to the liquor shortened the term of this miserable folly, by soon
expending the baneful cause. The necessities of hunger obliged them to
act jointly and vigorously at Mariato; but they soon relapsed again, and
were as distracted as ever so long as the liquor lasted. My land as well
as sea-officers were now obliged to learn to steer, and to take their
turns at the helm with the seamen, such being the pass to which they had
brought themselves by sinking my authority, that they had lost their
own, and were even in a worse condition than I; as the crew had, for
their own sakes, to have recourse to me on all emergencies, obeying me
punctually while these lasted, and abusing me plentifully when these
were over.
[Footnote 272: The Pecary, Tajacu, or Mexican hog, the Sus Tajapin of
naturalists, is here meant, which is an indigenous animal of the warmer
parts of America, and is found in one of the West India islands. It has
no tail, and is particularly distinguished by an open glandular orifice
on the hinder part of the back, which discharges a fetid unctuous
liquid; and which orifice has been vulgarly mistaken for the navel. - E.]
On the 25th January, we discovered a sail in the morning, about two
leagues to leeward, to which we gave chase for some time; but seeing she
was Europe-built, and fearing she might be a man of war belonging to the
enemy, I hauled on a wind, and in half an hour it fell dead calm. We
soon after saw a boat rowing towards us, which proved the pinnace of our
consort the Success, commanded by her first lieutenant, Mr Davison. This
was a most unexpected meeting to us both, Mr Davison being surprised to
find me in such a condition, and I no less so to find the Success in
these seas. I gave him an account of our misfortunes, and of all that
had befallen us during the long interval of our separation, and he
related all the remarkable incidents that had befallen them.
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