243 • ' N A R R'ATI V É O F À N
c H A P, every thing was: im the- mbit unaccountable hurry and
X I ■ I . _
- - . confufion. In this way, however, we proceeded, 'keeping
our. courfe toward ;the mouth o f the Cormoetibo Greek,
each officer provide# With a pfookëf cdinpaH, by which
we were to fleer} like failorö, through a dark wood, where
nothing: is to be'fcen but the heavenfc, as at fea nothing
appears but clouds and water s tilus thofe whö werê! acquainted
with navigation • were -; thé béfl: qualified’ for
marching, and ran the leaft hazard of lofin^;,tóëmfeÏves
in a black unbounded foreft. But thofeWretches who
moft defervedly attracted my pity, werPthe mifërable negro
Haves, who were bendiftg' ïltidër.-'thilf^ïö^i^1.
heads, on which they Càrfy all; biif thfetis,^TOre1 the':b il^
marks Of their fervitude ^ t h é y wèrèdriVeh forward like
oxen, and condemned to fabfift on half allöWancéfwhile
they performed double diniÉgéfy? In lliort, 'tó ïhérëàïe
our misfortune, fhöügfoin the dry feafoh, the rains began
to pour down from the heavens’like a torrent, Continuing
all night : during this deluge (according* torColoneI Four-
geoud’s order)(we were alfofdered to encamp wMBut ’
. hifofof other coHreniïg; d f th y TfiifiÇ flinging our ham- ’
mocks between two treesy uhdè?’whicli, upon Wo-finall
forked flicks, were plafcèd ouf fire-arms, âs the only me-
thdd 'of keeping7 th e ’pnhnfrg^pbwdér dr f ' in?1 tbgj pan ;
above'this pièce* of •archhe&ure did I hdrig,'like Maliomet
betwixt the two loadftonés, with'myFabre5 and piftols in
róyboföhï} and, in fpite of wind and weather,1 fell rabft
profoundly afleép. -
On the-14th, at five o?clock in-'the itiorHing, I Was
8 awaked
awaked' by the found of U p! u p ! up !^ when the rain ftill CHAP.
’btti^efsi and .men were lick, ,
( and "f rofe from' my^ammock 'foakecl as in a waffi-tub ;
having fécured thelock^of my firelock, in imitation of the
rangCzVwith a piece of'the bark of 'a palm-tree, and
fwallowing a*dram, withVpie'cV oTdfy ru fe 'bifciiit, for
my hreakfaft, we again marched on. But Ï ouglit not to
forget 'mentioning*the'hep;oesf who had the whóle night
flépt m the water on the ground, and ye? were in better
health than any of thé Europeans: Had we; now been at-
tacke,d .by‘th e 'enemy ^'wè muft inevitably have been all
cut*to pieces, being difabled from refilling with our fire-
arms, in whichhot only the priming but even many of
the cartridges’were completely wet; this might hjive
b'eèn prevented by having cafed and waxed down our
arms, as is pra&ifed by the buccaneers of America; but
thefé were trifles hot to bethoüght of: one thing, however,
now happened which threatened to be no trifle, and
that was, that the próvifions were gone, and thofe we
expe&èd to meet vis In the creek not arrived, having by
forne miftake been negledled. By this accident we’were
now reduced, officers and men Without exception, to
fubfift on ohe nifk bifeuit and water for our allowance for.
twenty-four hohrs, to keep us from ftarving *: while it
is to be remarked, that Monfieur Laurant, our hero’s
* This rulk bifeui t is made of a coarfe ; zee, and was ghd to eat it, though mould-
rjre lo4, cut.in two, and baked as hard ered, and impregnated with worms, fpidexs,
a s a .ftone* 1 often broke it with my fu- gravel, and even broken bottles. .
I i a French