ind--The people live nine days at
quarter allowance--Four die with hunger the twelfth day--
Five more the fourteenth day--On the fifteenth they eat one
just dead--Want of water excessive--Spy a sail--Are taken up
--Work their passage to the African shore--Are sent on a
secret expedition--Are waylaid, taken slaves, and sent up
the country.

When we, who were in the boat, came to reflect on our condition, the
prospect before us appeared very melancholy; though we had at first
readily enough embraced the offer, rather than perish in so much misery
as we suffered in our loathsome confinement. We now judged we were above
two hundred leagues from land, in about eight degrees north latitude;
and it blowing north-east, a pretty stiff gale, we could make no way,
but rather lost, for we aimed at some port in Africa, having neither
sail, compass, nor any other instrument to direct us; so that all the
observation we could make was by the sun for running southward, or as
the wind carried us, for we had lost the North Pole. As we had little
above two days' provisions, we perceived a necessity of almost starving
voluntarily, to avoid doing it quite, seeing it must be many days before
we could reach shore, if ever we did, having visibly driven a great deal
more southward than we were; nay, unless a sudden change happened, we
were sure of perishing, unless delivered by some ship that Providence
might send in our way. In short, the ninth day came, but no relief with
it; and though we had lived at quarter allowance, and but just saved
life, our food, except a little water, was all gone, and this caused
us quite to despair. On the twelfth day four of our company died with
hunger in a very miserable way; and yet the survivors had not strength
left to move them to pity their fellows. In truth, we had sat still,
attempting nothing in several days; as we found that, unless the wind
shifted, we only consumed the little strength we had left to no manner
of purpose. On the fourteenth day, and in the night, five more died, and
a sixth was near expiring; and yet we, the survivors, were so indolent,
we would scarce lend a hand to throw them overboard. On the fifteenth
day, in the morning, our carpenter, weak as he was, started up, and as
the sixth man was just dead, cut his throat, and whilst warm let out
what blood would flow; then pulling off his old jacket, invited us to
dinner, and cutting a large slice of the corps