he had feen the devil: we naturally enquired in what form 17701
he had appeared, and his anfwer was in fo lingular a llile . June‘ ■
that I Ihall fet down his own words ; “ He was, fays John, as Sat“rday
I large a-s a one gallon keg, and very like i t ; he had horns
“ and wings, yet he crept fo llowly through the grafs, that
“ if I had not been afeard I might have touched him.” This
formidable apparition we afterwards difcovered to have been
a bate; and the batts here mu ft be acknowledged to have a
frightful appearance, for they are nearly black, and full as
large as a partridge; they have indeed no horns, but the
fancy of a man who- thought he faw the devil, might ealily
fupply that defedt.
Early on the 24th, the carpenters began to repair the Sunday 2*,
fheathing under the larboard bow, where we found two-
planks cut about half through; and in the mean time I fenr
a party of men, under the direction o f Mr. Gore; in fearch
of refrefhments for the lick: this party returned'about noon
with a few palm cabbages, and a bunch or two o f wild plan—
rain; the' plantains were the fmalleft I had ever feen, and'
the pulp, though it was well tailed, was-full of fmall Hones.
As I was walking this morning at a little diftance from the-
fhip; I faw myfelf one of the animals which had been fo-
often deferibed: it was of a light moufe colour, and in fize
and llrape very much refembling a greyhound ; it had a long,
tail alfo, which it carried like a greyhound’; and I Ihould
have taken it for a wild dog, if inftead of running, it bad not:
leapt like a hare or deer: its legs were faid'to be very Render,.
and the print of its foot to be like that of a goat; but where-
I faw it-the grafs was fo high that the legs were concealed;,
and the ground was too hard to receive the track. Mr. Banks-
alfo had an imperfedt view of this animal, and was of opinion
that its fpecies was hitherto unknown.
After