hat staid with me.
I laid me down on the bed, praying God would take me away: after I had
slumbered, I thought myself a-dying, therefore recommended my soul to
God, and wished somebody would throw me into the sea. All this while my
departing mistress lay by me: the last bit of bread she had, she gave to
her dear child my young master. The morning after, I fell into a violent
passion of crying, and after that into hunger. I espied the blood that
came from my nose in a bison, which I immediately swallowed up. At night
I had the usual variations, as the pain in the stomach, sick, sleepy,
and ravenous: and I had no thought but that I should die before morning.
In the morning came on terrible gripings in my bowels. At this time I
heard my young master's lamentations, by which I understood his mother
was dead. Soon after this, the sailors cried, _A sail! A sail!_
hallooing as if they were distracted for joy of that relief, which
afterwards we received from your hands."

Surely never was a more distinct account of starving to death than this.
But to return to the disposition of things among my people, I did not
take any notice to them of the sloop that I had framed, neither would I
leave them the two pieces of brass cannon, or the two quarter-deck guns
that I had on board, lest, upon any disgust, they should have separated,
or turned pirates, and so made the island a den of thieves, instead of
a plantation of sober pious people: but leaving them in a flourishing
condition, with a promise to send them further relief, from Brazil, as
sheep, hogs, and cows (being obliged to kill the latter at sea, having
no hay to feed them) I went on board the ship again, the first of May,
1695, after having been twenty days among them: and next morning, giving
them a salute of five guns at parting, we set sail for the Brazils. The
third day, towards evening, there happening a calm, and the current
being very strong, we were drove to the N.N.E. towards the land. Some
hours after, we perceived the sea covered as it were with something very
black, not easily at first to be discovered: upon which our chief mate
ascending the shrouds a little way, and taking a view with a perspective
glass, he cries out, _An army! An army! You fool_, said I, _what do you
mean? Nay, Sir_, said he, _don't be angry. I assure you, it is not only
an army, but a fleet, too, for I believe there are a thousand canoes
paddling along, and making with great haste towards us_.