was, even now when they
were all together. He told me it was remarkable that Englishmen had a
greater presence of mind in their distress than any people that ever he
met with; that their unhappy nation and the Portuguese were the worst men
in the world to struggle with misfortunes; for that their first step in
dangers, after the common efforts were over, was to despair, lie down
under it, and die, without rousing their thoughts up to proper remedies
for escape.

I told him their case and mine differed exceedingly; that they were cast
upon the shore without necessaries, without supply of food, or present
sustenance till they could provide for it; that, it was true, I had this
further disadvantage and discomfort, that I was alone; but then the
supplies I had providentially thrown into my hands, by the unexpected
driving of the ship on the shore, was such a help as would have
encouraged any creature in the world to have applied himself as I had
done. "Seignior," says the Spaniard, "had we poor Spaniards been in your
case, we should never have got half those things out of the ship, as you
did: nay," says he, "we should never have found means to have got a raft
to carry them, or to have got the raft on shore without boat or sail: and
how much less should we have done if any of us had been alone!" Well, I
desired him to abate his compliments, and go on with the history of their
coming on shore, where they landed. He told me they unhappily landed at
a place where there were people without provisions; whereas, had they had
the common sense to put off to sea again, and gone to another island a
little further, they had found provisions, though without people: there
being an island that way, as they had been told, where there were
provisions, though no people--that is to say, that the Spaniards of
Trinidad had frequently been there, and had filled the island with goats
and hogs at several times, where they had bred in such multitudes, and
where turtle and sea-fowls were in such plenty, that they could have been
in no want of flesh, though they had found no bread; whereas, here they
were only sustained with a few roots and herbs, which they understood
not, and which had no substance in them, and which the inhabitants gave
them sparingly enough; and they could treat them no better, unless they
would turn cannibals and eat men's flesh.

They gave me an account how many ways they strove to civilise the savages
they were with, an