, thinking it was the nose of a shark, and that its bite would
immediately follow. Agonized with these terrors, we struggled on--now
a large wave curling over us and burying us under water, or now forced
by the waves towards the beach, rolling us over and over. So battered
were we by the surf, that we dived under the waves to escape the blows
which we received, and then rose and struck out again. At last, worn
out with exertion, we gained the shore, but our toil was not over.

The beach was of a sand so light that it crumbled beneath us, and at
the return of the wave which threw us on shore we were dragged back
again, and buried in sand and water. We rose to renew our endeavours,
but several times without success, for we could not obtain a firm
footing. At last the Negroes, who had witnessed our accident, and who
now came down in great numbers on the beach, laid hold of us as the
sea threw us up, and dragged us beyond the reach of the waves. Worn
out with fatigue we lay on the sand, waiting to ascertain what the
savages would do with us; they were not long in letting us know, for
they soon began to strip us of every article of clothing on our backs.
One of our men attempted to resist, upon which a Negro drove a spear
through his thigh.

Having divided our apparel, after some consultation, they tied our
hands, and placing us in the midst of a large force, armed with
spears, and bows and arrows, they went off with us for the inland part
of the country. We set off with heavy hearts; taking, as we thought, a
last farewell of the ocean, and going forwards in great apprehension
of the fate that awaited us. The sand was very deep, and the heat of
the sun excessive, for it was then about noon. Without any garments,
we were soon scorched and blistered all over, and in intolerable
anguish, as well as fatigued; but the Negroes compelled us to move on,
goading us with their spears if we slackened our pace, and threatening
to run us through if we made a halt. We longed for the night, as it
would afford a temporary relief to our sufferings. It came at last,
and the Negroes collected wood and lighted a fire to keep off the wild
beasts, lying round it in a circle, and placing us in the midst of
them. We hoped to have some rest after what we had gone through, but
it was impossible--the night proved even worse than the day. The
musquitoes came down upon us in such swarms, and their bites were so
intolerable that we were almost frantic.