sed themselves to be near that dreaded spot, but when the pilot
declared that they were twelve leagues south of it they threw aside all
care and gave themselves up to carousing. Amid their jollity, about
midnight, the ship struck with such violence that she immediately filled
and sank. They had only a small boat, to which they attached a
hastily-constructed raft to be towed along with it; room, however, was
made for only twenty-six, while the crew exceeded fifty. In the wild and
desperate struggle for existence that ensued May fortunately got into
the boat. They had to beat about nearly all the next day, dragging the
raft after them, and it was almost dark before they reached the shore;
they were tormented with thirst, and had nearly despaired of finding a
drop of water when some was discovered in a rock where the rain waters
had collected.

[Illustration: St. George's and Warwick Fort in 1614. (Fac-simile of
Smith's engraving.)]

The land was covered with one unbroken forest of cedar. Here they would
have to remain for life unless a vessel could be constructed. They made
a voyage to the wreck and secured the shrouds, tackles and carpenters'
tools, and then began to cut down the cedars, with which they
constructed a vessel of eighteen tons. For pitch they took lime,
rendered adhesive by a mixture of turtle oil, and forced it into the
seams, where it became hard as stone.

During a residence of five months here May had observed that Bermuda,
hitherto supposed to be a single island, was broken up into a number of
islands of different sizes, enclosing many fine bays, and forming good
harbors. The vessel being finished they set sail for Newfoundland,
expecting to meet fishing vessels there, on which they could obtain
passage to Europe. On the eleventh of May they found themselves with joy
clear of the islands. They had a very favorable voyage, and on the
twentieth arrived at Cape Breton. May arrived in England in August,
1594, where he gave a description of the islands; he stated that they
found hogs running wild all over the islands, which proves that this was
not the first landing made there.

It was owing to a shipwreck that Bermuda again came under the view of
the English, and that led England to appropriate these islands.

In 1609, during the most active period of the colonization of Virginia,
an expedition of nine ships, commanded by Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George
Somers and Captain Newport, bound for Virginia, was