ever drank, and produces
intoxication when taken in large quantities.

Some months after, I learned the deception these Indians had practised
upon me. The pilot and his comrades, who had run away from me with the
keg of rum and box of dry goods, arrived at Great River two days before
me. They poured some water on the box of dry goods, and then carried the
keg of rum to the admiral's house. After our arrival at Great River they
left me on the beach, half starved, as stated above, and returned to the
admiral's, where they remained drunk about three days.

The contract being finished, we loaded the canoes and I paid the men in
advance, according to the custom of the country. I urged them to launch
the canoes and proceed on our voyage immediately, which they refused to
do, saying that night would overtake us before we could arrive at the
Lagoon. They said they would sail the next morning at daylight, and then
laid themselves down near the fire for the night. I wrapped myself up in
the old bed-quilt and took lodging on my chests as usual, the mosquitoes
so thick about us that we could not see any thing at a distance; they
annoyed the Indians so much that they lost all patience. At eleven
o'clock they launched their canoes and we proceeded on our voyage.
Before we took our departure I had given them orders to keep the canoes
near together for mutual safety. After we had gone a short distance, I
discovered by the stars that the captain of my canoe had lost his
course, and was running from the land into the ocean. I remonstrated
with him by making signs. About two o'clock I made out to convince him
of his error, when he steered towards the land, which brought us into
the trough of the sea, and I was compelled to bail water without
intermission until daylight, when I found we were within three miles of
the land, but could not discover any canoes in sight of us. We steered
our boat in near the land where the water was not so rough, and kept in
close to the shore. When we came to the mouth of Pearl Key Lagoon we saw
smoke a short distance from the mouth of the harbor, and going to the
place from which it proceeded found our comrades cooking some fish, they
had caught, for breakfast. We joined with them and took a scanty meal.
Soon after, we all got under weigh and proceeded about three miles, when
we arrived at the village of Pearl Key Lagoon, to my great joy, after a
passage of ten days. I was so thoroughly exhausted that I could