not walk
from the canoe to the house without assistance.

CHAPTER V.

Pearl Key Lagoon lies in latitude 12 deg. 10' N., longitude 82 deg. 54' W. The
village is situated about four miles from the entrance of the Lagoon, or
_Lake_, into the sea. The village contains thirteen houses; the
inhabitants generally speak English, and are more civilized and
hospitable than the neighboring tribes. This place is the centre of
trade for the whole coast, and is often visited by English traders.

I was hospitably received by Edward Patterson, a native of Curracoa, who
had resided here many years. He had three wives living with him, all
enjoying peace and good will towards each other. Patterson gave me a
hearty welcome to his house, and provided me a room in it to retail my
goods. He furnished his table with the best food the country produced,
cleanly cooked in English style. Two days after my arrival here my mate
and the two seamen arrived from the wreck of the sloop. They informed me
that a large number of Indians had encamped near the wreck and commenced
plundering the vessel, and they considered it unsafe to remain there any
longer. They repaired the sloop's boat, put their clothing and some
light goods on board, and after a few days' hard rowing reached this
place, with health and strength much exhausted. Two or three days after
a small English schooner arrived here, and I gave the captain two
hundred dollars to carry me to the wreck and bring back all the goods we
could save from it. We sailed the next day, and arrived there two days
after. We found the shore white with cotton, the Indians having cut open
the bales and carried away the sacks, leaving the cotton loose on the
beach, which the winds had scattered all along the shore for a great
distance. They had emptied two pipes of Catalonia wine on the ground and
carried away the casks; also emptied some cases of Holland gin and
filled the bottles with rum, cut many holes in the vessel to get out the
iron, and committed many other depredations. On inquiry I found that
most of the goods had been carried to Governor Clemente's house, about
thirty miles up the Waa-waa river. We employed some Indians to carry us
in their canoes to the governor's residence, there being no roads for
travelling by land in the country. When we arrived at his excellency's
dwelling we found a collection of forty or fifty Indians assembled
there, raving with intoxication; a hogshead of rum placed