We Left The Gulf Of Amapalla On The 1st February, 1705, Where Captain
Dampier Remained At Anchor In The St
George, having a fine gale of wind
at N.E. While in any of the harbours on the coast of
Mexico, we were
seldom allowed any thing except flour, only that we used to go on shore,
and found on the rocks plenty of concks, oysters, muscles, and other
shell-fish, on which we made many a hearty meal. Being now bound, as we
hoped, for a land of plenty, we bore hunger and short commons with great
patience, of which we had much need, as our allowance was no more than
half a pound of coarse flour a day to each man, and two ounces of salt
meat every other day. Our vessel was a small bark of about seventy tons
with two masts, which we had taken from the Spaniards, which was so
eaten with worms while in the Gulf of Amapalla, that she already began
to grow very leaky. To add to our distress, we had no carpenter, neither
had we a doctor or any medicines, if any of us happened to fall sick,
and we had no boat to aid us if our vessel should fail. The carpenter,
doctor, and boat being all left with Captain Dampier. Yet, trusting to
God's providence, who had already delivered us out of so many dangers,
we proceeded on our voyage to India; and a bolder attempt was perhaps
never made by such a handful of men in so frail a bark, and nothing but
our anxious desire to revisit our native country could have supported us
under all the difficulties and dangers of this extensive voyage.
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