which confined me to the bed
until the vessel was ready for sea, when I was taken on board, hoping
the air would restore me to health. After being at sea some thirty-six
hours, my mate found the fever increasing on me so fast that he gave up
all hopes of my recovery, and asked my permission to return to Jerimie,
to which I consented. The vessel was put about and steered for that
port, we neared the entrance of the harbor early the next morning, when
I thought the fever began to abate, and requested the mate to put to sea
again and proceed toward home. My health improving slowly, I was helped
on deck every morning, where I remained during the day, lying under a
small awning to screen me from the scorching sun, and helped into the
cabin at night to protect me from the heavy dews. My health continued to
improve daily. On the eleventh day of October we discovered land ahead,
which proved to be the south side of the Island of Cuba. Finding it
impossible to beat up against the current, we concluded to run round the
west end of the island. Nothing material occurred until the thirteenth
of October, in the morning, when I discovered land, which I identified
as Cape Antonio; my health by this time was so much improved that I was
able to get on deck without assistance. I told the mate to go below and
get some repose, he having had but little rest during my sickness, and
that I was well acquainted with the passage round the Cape.

About nine o'clock, while doubling the Cape, we discovered three small
schooners, one small sloop, and a large open boat lying at anchor about
two miles from the land. In about the space of fifteen minutes the whole
fleet got under weigh and bore down for us. One of the largest
schooners ran down within musket-shot of us, fired a gun, and we hove
too, while the rest of the fleet surrounded us. The largest schooner
immediately sent a boat alongside of us, containing eight or nine men,
who boarded us with muskets and drawn cutlasses in their hands, each of
them having a long knife and a dagger slung by his side. Immediately
after getting on deck, one of them cried out, "Foward," two or three
times in broken English, pointing at the same time toward the
fore-castle. The mate, sailors, and two passengers who were on board,
ran forward and jumped into the fore-castle. I being very weak, dragged
along slowly, when the man who gave the order commenced beating me
severely with the broad side of his cutlass. I rem