V^'L IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 1^121 no lU US lit 2.5 2.2 m 91 1.4 Photogitiphic Sciences CorpomtiGii V its illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 12 3 4 5 6 M •II j»:f NARRATIVE O F A S H I P W R E C K O N T H E (- ISLAND OF CAPE BRETON, IN A VOYAGE FROM Ql/EBEC I *'8o. By S. W. P R E N T I E S, .. Enfjan of the 84th Regiment of Foot. y*._v ■• *v^. '.-" LONDON: PRINTED IN TME YEAR I/Sz. ..ji-^--- /I' S., Ji- ADFERTISE M E N T. JF a genuine and authentic 7tayratlve of events^ which may be reckoned extraordi- nary^ though they come not up to the ftandard ef adventures^ bethought equally inter efttng with a fictitious Novel or an improbable R(h mance^ no apology will be requifite for the prefent publication. Indeed^ to apologize for fo innocent and even laudable an attempt as that to entertain the Public^ by any f pedes cf compofition^ fanBified as it is by cuflom^ fkould always be thought fuperfluous \ and though that endfhould not be attained by the following narration^ yet at le/ift it may be interejiing tc profcjjional men^ who are con- tinually expcfed to the fame difajiers. Like the draughts of rocks and quickfands in their charts y it may ferve to dii'c::l them how to avoid the danger^ cr^ when once involved in it^ how to conduu! tbcmf elves through it. I A z- M rJS2?32Et3!!KJ25 ..'-i>--«>:j i; jT' [ iv J In the relating of our tranfa5llons at fca oil technical terms have been avoided as far as pojfible \ yet on fome occafions they could not be wholly difpenfed with. The frequent ufe of egottfm will be cxcufed by thofe who fonjider its neceffityy from the nature of the fubjeEl, Though in narratives of this kind there are fometimes confiderable embclli foments and ixaggerations^ yet the authenticity of the fa^s here related cannot fo reafonably be called in quejlion as thofe of an anonymous frodu^ion : for it will not appear probable to any thinking perfon^ that I fhould put my name to a relation either exceeding or fhort of the truths when it is confidered^ that there are fever al perfons livings who would be ready to ccntraditt my affertions. ., . / S.W. PRENTIES. r at fca ' as far y could requent ^fe who of the i there 'ts and of the ibly be nymous ^ohabU M my rfhort that would F S I NARRATIVE, &>€. ON the 17th of November 1780, I embarked on board the St. Lawrence brigantine, then lying in the balbn of Quebec, and bound to New York, being charged wirh. difpatches from General Haldimand, ccir.mander ia chief in that province, to Sir Henry Clin- ton. The fame day, on receiving our failing orders, we weighed anchor, and dropped down to the harbour called Pa- trick's Hole, in the ifland of Orleans, in company with a fchooner bound to the fame port, on board of which was an^ Enfign Drummond, of the 44th re- giment, with duplicates of General HaU dimand's difpatches. In this place we were detained fix days by a contrary wind •, at the expiration of which time the froft had fet in with prodigious feverity, and the ice was forming faft in all parts of the river. SBS j / >■• [ 6 ] river. Had the wind coniinucd unfair for a few days longer, we fhould have been entirely blocked up by it, and had hap- pily efcaped the calamities which after- wards befel us. , On the 24th, the wind being fair, we got under weigh, and proceeded down the river St. Lawrence, as far as tiie Brandy Pots, iflandslb called, about forty leagues from Quebec. At this place the vvind veered about to the north eall, which ob- liged us again to anchor. The weather coYitinued intenfely cold, and the veflel being leakv, made fo much water as to keep one pump continually going. A change of wind foon after enabled us to proceed on our voyage, and to make the iflarid of Anticofti, which is at the mouth of the river St. Lawrence •, when the wind coming round again to the cailward, we were obliged ro beat off and on between this ifland and Cape Roziere for four days, our vefTcl at tlie fame time increafing her leaks to fuch a degree, that we were under the accellity of rigging the other pump, '5 n ' i ifair for ^e been ad hap- ii after- fair, we own the Brandy leagues le wind lich ob- weather e veflel er as to d us to ke the mouth lie wind rd, we ctvveen ir days, |ing her under . [ 7 ] Imd of keeping them both conftantly at work. Being now in a higher latitude, the fevcrity of the cold had increaled in roportion, and the ice began to form fo aft about the Ihip as to alarm us exceed- ingly, left we ftiould be entirely furround- d by it; which we only prevented by cut- ing and breaking vaft quantities from her ides. To this talk, with that of keeping he pumps at work, the crew, together ith the paflengers, were fcarcely equal,' nly nineteen perfons being on board, of horn fix were pafiengers, and the rc- aindcr very indifferent feamen. As for he mafter, from whom in the prefent mergency we might have expefted fome egree of exertion, inftead of attending to is duty and the prefervation of his (hip, e remained continually in a ftate of in- oxication in his cabin. i % \'^.. . ipump., and On the 29th the wind came round to :he north-weft, and we proceeded down :he gulf of St. Lawrence, with two feet ater in the fhip's hold. The wind kept ;radually incrcafing till the ift of Decem- ber, ,., [ 8 1 ber, when It blew a perfeft gale from the north-weft quarter, and the fhip*s crew being now almoft overcome with cold and fatigite, feeing no profpeil of gaining upon the leak, the water having already increafed to four feet in the hold, nor a polTibiiity of making any port, thfy came to the refolution of working no longer at the pumps ; which was unanimoufly agreed upon by all the foremaft men. They ac- cordingly left off working, and declared themfeives quite indifferent about their .fate, preferring the alternative of going to tlie bottom together with the veflel, to that of fuffering fuch fevere and inceffant labour in fo defperate a fituation. Their fatigues, it muft be confeflcd, from the; 17th of November had been exccfiivc; and though hope might ftill remain, yet our prefent circumftances were fuch as to exclude all probability at Icaft of faving the veficl. However, by the force of pcr- fuafion and promifes, together with the timely diftribution of a pint of wine per , man, which 1 had fortunately brought on J^oard, they were diverted from this defpe- rate I ,0 I •■3 H om the 's crew old and gaining already , nor a Lry came )nger at f agreed 'hey ac- ieclared M their if going effel, to nceffant Their "om the xcffive ; in, yet h as to faving of per- ith the line per light on dcfpe- ■m [ 9 ] rate refolution, but with great rcluftance, faying, with Ibme truth, as we afterwards experienced, and with more than they themfelves were aware of, that whether the velfel filled or not was a matter of no confequence. This delay, tl jugh not exceeding a quarter of an hour, had in- creafed the depth of wat«:^r another foot; but the men adding to their exertion^, being encouraged by the wine, which was iflued to them every half Iiour, fuc- ceeded lo far as to reduce the water in the fpace of two hours to lefs than three feet. The captain itill rem.uned in his cabin. - • During the 2d atvJ 3d of DecembeV the gale ieemed to increale rather than di- minifh. 'J he ice formed fo thick on the fliip's fides, as to impede her way very much through the- water, which furniflied us witii a new labour, that of cuttino; \z off, as fait as it formed, with faws and axes. The leak continued to gain ground. The fchooner that was in company, far from being able to afford us any.aiTill- B ancc% I [ lO ] ance, was as leaky as ourfclves, having ftruck upon foine rocks at the ifland of Coudres, through the ignorance or neg- left of her pilot. A heavy fnow falling it was with the utmoft difficulty we could get fight of each other, though at no great dillance, and in order not to part company, fired a gun every half hour. The fchooner at length made no anfwer to our guns, whence we concluded (he had foundered ; nor were we wrong in our fuppofition. There were fixteen perfons on board, every one of whom periftied. On the fourth the gale increafed pro- digioufly, and the fea began to run high, with a heavy fall of fnow, fo as to prevent our feeing twenty yards a head of the veflil. The, men being exceflively fa- tigued, the water had rifen to its ufual quantity of between four and five feet. The mate, whom I have not yet taken notice of, and who was an intelligent clever fellow, and well acquainted with his profeflion, judged, from the diftance we had run, that we could not now be far [ " ] far from the Magdalen Iflands, which lie about midway in the Gulf of St. Law- rence. Thefe iflands are nothing more than a clufter of rocks, fome appearing above, and others hidden under the water, and have been fatal to many veflels. Sea- men wi(h often to make them in fine weather, as they ferve to take a new de- parture from ; but in foggy or blowing weather they as Itudioufly avoid them. We found the mate's conjefture but too well founded ; for in lefs than two hours we heard the fea breaking upon the rocks, and foon after difcovered the principal ifland, which is called the Dcadman, clofe under our lee, the point of which it was with the greateft difficulty that we wea- thered. Having happily cleared the main ifland, we were ftill far from thinking our- felvesfecure, for being unable, on account of the heavy fall of fnow, to fee many yards a head of the veflel, and being in the mid ft of the fmall iflands, there ap- peared very little probability that we ftiould pafs clear of them all in the fame man- ner. Not being able to diftinguifli any B 2 one X [ 1= ] one in time to avoid it, we were obliged to leave the veflel to the direftion of Pro- vidence, and fortunately, I might fay al- moft miraculouQy, run through them all without damage. The anxiety and per- turbation of mind that the crew and paf- fengers were in, while in the midft of thefc rocks, may be eafily conceived •, and now that the danger was over, it turned out to be a fortunate occurrence for us. For, by this time, the failors being ready to fink under the accumulated diflreffes of cold and fatigue, and deprefTed by the little hopes they had of faving the veflcl, had nearly determined a fecond time to quit the pumps, and leave the veflel to her fate, when acquiring frelh fpirits from the danger we had efcaped, and, as the vulgar are generally inclined to fuperiti- tion, attriburing what was perhaps acci- dent alone to the immediate interpofition of i^rovidence, they agreed to continue their efforts a little longer ; towards which they were likev/ife not a little encouraged by the wine wliich I diftribvited to them occafionally. During [ 13 3 During the night the gale continuing, and the* fea running very high, we were apprchenfive of being what feamen call pooped •, which happened in faft as we apprehended : for about five in the morning of the 5th, we fhippcd a fea abaft, which (love in our dead lights, filled the cabin, and wafhed the mafter out of his bed, where he had remained ever fince the commencement of the gale. This accident we found attended wiih worfe confcquences than we at firil imagined; for we foon difcovered, from the increafe of the leaks, that the ftern-poft was darted by the impulfe of the fea. Having no- thing in the after-hold, we had no other refource but that of attempting to flop the leaks abaft with fome pieces of beef, which we cut fmall for that purpofe. But this expedient we foon found ineflfeftual, and the water continued to gain on us falter than ever. The failors finding all their labours fruitlefs, and that the leak, which was conftantly increafing before, was now rendered by our late misfortune entirely irreparable, abandoned themfelves totally to I: '1 11 l/v 1 I [ H 3 to defpair, and again refufed to work at the pumps any longer. They had not however long remained inaftive before wc contrived once more to perfuade them to make another effort to clear the veflel, but, to our great furprize and confterna- tion, we found the pumps fo hard frozen that it was impolTibie to move them. All endeavours now to prevent the fhip from filling were vain, fo that in a very fhort time fhe was entirely full of water. Having no longer, as we imagined, the fmalleft foundation for hope, we refigned ourfelvcs with as much fortitude as poffible to our fate, which we expefted every mo- ment to be that of going to the bottom. Notwithftanding, when the veffel was quite full, we obferved flie was very little deeper in the water than before, and then recoUefting a circumftance, which the trouble and confufion we had been in had almoft obliterated, namely, that we had a quantity of lumber on board, we imme- diately accounted for the phenomenon of her not finking beyond a certain depth in the water, and bfgan to recal hopes of laving [ '5 J Hiving onrfelves at leaft, if we could but prevent her from ovcrfetting (^ which veffeh are apt to do when full of water) till we could make the ifland of St. John's, or fome other ifland in the gulph. Having no guns on deck, and not much lumber, to render the fhip top«heavy, we contrived to prevent her irom overfetting by keep- ing her direftly before the wind ; though not without fome difficulty, as from the little way flie made through the water, the waves frequently wafl"ied ciear over the decks. Befides taking care to keep the veffel fteady, we took every precau- tion to fecure our boat from being waftied overboard, the lofs of which would in our prefent circumftances be a terrible mif^ fortune. We had little or no water in the cabin, by its being raifed above the level of the main deck ; this afforded us fome flieltcr from the feverity of the weather, finding it unneceflary to have any more than one man upon deck, to govern the helm, and keep the fliip diredly before the wind, who was fattened by a rope to prevent his being carried away by the waves, " 'I r [ i6 ] v;aves, which at times made a free paflagc over us. II The gale ftill continued without re- miffion, the fnow falling fo thick at the fame time as to prevent our feeing to the mafl-head. We knew from the diftance we had r«n that we could not be far from land. The captain imagined from our courfe, during the night, and fince we fill- ed in the morning, that we mult be near the ifland of St. John's, which lies be- tween the Magdalen iflands and the gut of Canfo. This gave us hopes of laving our lives, in cafe we could run afhore on fome fandy part of it, till they were deftroyed by the further information we had from the captain, that the north-eaft fide of the ifland was nothing but a continued reef of rocks from one end to the other, and that there was but one harbour where fliips could put in, which he recollefted was on the oppofite fide of the ifland. In a few hours after we obferved the waves grow fliorter and break higher, .which IS always found to be the cafe on ap- [^7 3 approaching the fhore, and likewifc a number of gulls and ducks flying about, a further fign we could not be far diftanc froni ic. •''»■■•'' ' > .: V.' ' w ^'4M .. ! We now concluded that we were about to run upon the rocks, which, the captaiu informed us, fkirted the north-eaft fide of the ifland, and on approaching the land laboured under greater dread and appre- henfion, than amidfl: all the dangers we had before experienced, the idea of being dafhed upon thofe tremendous rocks be» ing more terrible than that of being bu- ried, as our companions were, in the bo- fom of the ocean. The Ihi^p had ftill confiderable way through the water, tho' full, and with no other fail fet -but a clofc- reefed fore-top-fail, the only one we could difplay, which had hitherto ftoodthe gale, being new and of the ftrongeft canvas. The captain propofcd bringing the fhip to, to keep her off the land, wliich 1 op- pofed, as well as the mate, as it amount- ed almoft to a certainty that we (hould overfet ha* in the attempt j and befides, C fhould ii I ■'I ■« M ^i;B \^, r '8 ] fliould we be able to effedl it, fhe muft after all drive afhore from the violence of the wind, being unable to let any more fail to bear up againft it. Our opinion, however, was rejefted, and an attempt was made ♦'O brace about the fore yard, but it was . j\md imprafticable, the ropes and blocks being covered with ice. We were therefore obliged to let it remain aa before, and the water having fuddenly changed its colour, we expefted the fliip to ftrike every inftant. Small as our ex- peilations were of faving our lives, 1 thought it incumbent on me to take every precaution to fave the difpatches I was charged with, and therefore ordered my fervant to open my trunks, and collect all the letters they contained, which I put into a handkerchief, and tied it about my waift. He at the fame time offered me fome money, to the amount of one hun- dred and eighty guineas, which I defired Jiim to difpofe of as he thought proper, thinking it in the prefent emergency ra- ther an incumbrance than a matter wor- thy of prefervation. My fervant, how- ever. ['9 1 ever, thouglu otherwife, and' took care t# put the money up ns carefully as his mal- rer did the dirpatch.^s ^ which of the two turned out to be the molt uleful^ the event will prove. -. . . , ,. , » . ,, . The weather continued thick as ufual' till about one o'clock, when Hiddcniy clearing up, we difcovered the land a head, diftant about three leas^ucs* This fio-ht gave us no imall iatisfadion, taking it at tirft to be the ifhnd of St. John's, whicli being inhabited by feveral French and En- glifti families, we might have cxpedcd fome aflillance from them, but on a nearer view found from the plans we had on board, that it had not the lealt appearance of that ifland, there being no fueh moun- tains and precipices laid down, as we difcovejred. On drawing nigher we ob- . ferved the fea break high, and have a. very difmal appearance about three miles from the land. As it was neccffary for us to pafs through thofe breakers ere we could gain the fhore, we expelled that pur fate would be determined there j but contrary C 2 to '1 'i 4 1 3 I, + - i isi* ' w i u r 20 3 ^o our expecflations we found plenty of water, fo that we went over the reef with- out ftriking, though not without fhipping many heavy leas, which had not the vcflcrs timbers been llrong, and her loading light, mil ft infallibly have dafhed her to pieces. The land now began to have a very dread- ful appearance, fceming at the diftanc^e we were off to be high and rocky ; but on approaching within a mile of it, we had the pleafure of defcrying a fine fandy beach and a bold (hore : the fca ran high, but not to fuch a degree as on the reef we had already paffed. As we came nigh the land, the water continued to have a depth beyond our moft fanguine wifiies, fo as to allow ws to come within fifty or fixty yards of the (bore before we fttuck. Now was the time for every man's apprchen- lions to be alive, as we might expeft on touching the fhore that the ftiip would go to pieces. On the Brft ftroke the fiiain< maft went out of the ftep, and on the fe- cond the fore-maft, but neither of them went over-board, the deal boards in the hold being flowed fo clofe together that the [ TV J the malls had no room to play below; at: the fame time the rudder was unfliippcd with fvich violence as to be near killing one of the failors. As foon as the fhip had grounded, the fea began to beat over her in every part, each wave lifting her four or five feel nearer the (hore. In a fhort fpace of time the ftera was beat in by the fea 5 and then, having no fhelter in the cabin, we were obliged to go upon deck, and hang by the ftirowids, left we Ihould be waftied overboard. In this airkward fituation we remained till the veffel was beat fo high by the waves that we could venture to walk upon the decks. We now perceived that the (hip's keel was broken, which we imagined would occa- fion her to go to pieces •, this however did not happen for the pr«feni, which I can only attribute to the boards in the hold being fo interwoven with each other, and frozen together by the ice, as to give a degree of Iblidky to the veflcl; U^ 4i Our firft care now was to get out the boat, which was not ta be accompliftieil withr-- 1 . [ ^^ ] without diffi'^ulty, on account of tfi^ quantity of ice that was in and about ir, our numbers being likewiir reduced by the intoxication of feveral of the crew, who had thought that the moft effcdbual method of getting rid of the apprehenfions' they laboured under. Our veffcl had, from the violence of the waves dafhing againft her, broached to, with her broad - fide to the wind, fo that (he afforded fome (belter for the boat to the leeward. Having with much labour cleared the boat of ice, and prepared her for launch- ing, ! ordered fome liquor to be diftri- buted to thofe who had not yet tailed of any, and then alked, if any were willing to embark with me in the boat, and make the attempt to gain the (hore. The fea running fo high, that it appeared fcarcely polTible that the boat could liv-e in it for a minute, very few were willing to. make an experiment fo full of rifk \ fo that all who offered themfelves were the mate and two failors, together with my fervant, and a boy who was a paffenger on board. What gave us the greateft em- ^''' ^^ barraffmtnt I t 23 ] barrafTment in this undertaking was thr Turf which broke over us every moment, and the intenlenels ol:' the cold, which froze every drop of water immediately, lb as to cover our cloaths with a fhcet of ice. At length wc got the boat into the water, and having put an axe and a faw into it, I jumped in, followed by my fer- vant and the mate. The boy, in attempt- ing to jump into the boat, had the mil- fortune to fall into the wacer •, and though I contrived to drae him into the boat ; yet this accident was in the iflue, by the chill it gave him, of fatal confequence to the unfortunate lad. The two failors, who had agreed to go with us, next jumped into the boat, and all the reft fecmed ready, notwithftanding their for- mer hefitation, to follow the example, w4ien I found it neceflary to (liove her off from the fliip's fide -, for, being very fmall, Ihe certainly would have funk had fo many perfons crowded in together. The Ihip was lying about forty yards from the fhore ; but before we got half-way to it, were overtaken by a wave that almoft filled Mi ft!! SI led tlie boat, and the next drove us on the drv land. ,.^. ^ To find oiirfelves once more fafe upon the land gave us no fmaU fatisfaclion, though in lb deftit^ite a ftate : the joy at Slaving efcaped thofe dangers which fo iong had been the chief objefts erf our dread, made us for a few moments forget that we were fnatched from ihem merely to be expoled to others more inevitable, that we had efcaped one fpecic;- of death, probably to undergo anotlier more linger* ing and painful. What moft aiftdkd us was the diftrefs of our companions whom -we had left on board, whofe lamentations and cries for help we could hear very di- llinftly. But ahs ! what help could we .give them ? Our boat being beat high upon the fand could now be of no ule, •neither to us nor to them, while the fca was running to fuch a degree, that it was not in the power of man to afford thetn •any afliftanse. •• ' .;.-. .The 11 * -v^ our The r ^5 ] The night was now approaching, and We had not long remained in this fituation ; ere we found oiirlblves getting ftiff with \ cold ; and the gale continuing as Tevere as ever, we were obliged to wade with ex- treme difficulty, wp to our waills in fnow, to the flicker of a thick wood about two hundred and fifty yards from the beach. This furniflied fome relief from the piercing North-well wind ; yet a fire was llill wanting to warm our frozen limbs, and we had not wherewithal to kindle one. We had indeed taken the precau- tion to put a tinder-box in the boat, but the water had rendered it totally ufclel's. Freezing as we Hood, there was nothing to be done, but to keep the blood in mo- tion by excrcife ; and I had enough to do in perfuading the men to move about, being better acquainted with the nature '.■ of cold climates, and that of froft, than any of my companions. My advice was ftridly adhered to for about halt an hour, when the youirg pafTenger, whom I have already mentioned, being overcome with the feyerity of the weather, threw iru> D himfelf "k Ill, ii 26 r hlmfclf down; ip order to flecp-; for ex- treme cold always occafions a fleepy I'en- fation that is not cafiJy to be refifted. I ufed my utmoft endeavours both by per* fuafion and force to roufe him, and make him ftand on his legs, but all to no pur- pofe i fo I was obliged to let him remaia there. After walking about for half an^ hour longer, during which time I felt the ftrongeft inclination myfclf to lie dowa and fleep, but knew the fi^talxonfequexices of attempting it, I went to the place; vfhere the boy. lay, and piitting my handv on his? face, and finding it quite cold, f ob- ferved to the mate, who was ck)fcby,.f t^at I believed he ^as, deaJI To whicli the lad anfweEcd immediately, tl?ax he was : not yet dead, but would be fo: very fhortly^; and rcquefted' I would write a letter, it l- forvivetl, to his father at New York. Ittj about ten miautes we found that he had expired, and, as I imagined, without apy pain whatever, but ax leafl; without any, that was violent, Thefc trivialt matters^ would be unworthy of notice, but as they*], ferve to fhcw. the efl&fts ofinteiifc cold oa* 7^ (I '* the. \ • V J T 2^7 ] the human body^ afid to prove th^t frtei- ing to death is not always attended ivith £o much pain as is commonly fuppofecj. .^ » / ^ . -• J THe ded^h df the (fo^fc(5itild hot *t^ the reft of my felli^-fufl^rers from^ivin^ way to this droWfy fenfaitibn ; arid threfe tf them lay down infpite of my repeated exhortations to the contrary. ;Fm3ifig k impofflble ro keep thern on thefr Iqgsi I broke a branch, and deRfihg tile mare to do the farpcv our emplojrment dtiring.the iremainder of the ni^ht v^^ais to pi^eVent them frdrti fteepihg, %' be^tihgtbem cott- tinually with the branches. The fo much w'iQicd for daylight al lens(ih appeared, When I defired the men to pull dowfi their ftockings, and let me exafmine th^ii- fegs, a^ they complained -^ haiyrng very •iittld fedlihg in themi: Als ;fo6A fs I caift my ey^s Oil thifH; I {iWd^i^d very cvlearly .that they were frozen at ^aft half way up, and deTired they Wotfld imn*iediately rub them with fh6W, wMtft they did for a con^ Jicjerable time, but t6 llttte purppfe ; for ■^-i JE> J2^ - a,".;;. It t 28 ] It was impoffible to reftore them to any ^ A «... *'* 1^ I I then went with the mate to the fca ihore, to fee if we could difcover any traces of the fliip, and our companions whom we had left on board, and to our great furprize and fatisfadlion found (he had not yet gone to pieces, though the wind continued with unabated feverity. My firft ftudy now was how to get them afliore, our own fafety as well as their$ depending on it. I was almoft ftiff with cold, but found feeling in every part, and was therefore certain I could not be frozen. The vefilbl had by this time beat much .nigher the (hore, and the diftance was but very fmaU at low watei. It being high water when we arrived on the beach, we waited till the tide was out, and then de^ firing the people on board to throw us a rope, having firft fattened it to the gib^ boom, th^y contrived to fwing themfelves by means of it within a few yards of the ^orp, and waiting the motion of the fe^ ^^s it broke, they all got fafe on the land \:''-^'' ■ \ •[ 29 ] except a carpenter, who was a paflenger in the vefle). He did not think proper to venture in this manner, or was unable, having the night before made rather too free with the bottle. We were happy however to get fo many of them on fhore, every one of whom, a few hours bcf:)re, we concluded mud have periflied. $ .t:?,* The captain had fortunately, previous to coming on fliore, put fome materials for ftriking a fire in his pocket, which we did with all poffible expedition, and were happy for fome time in hovering about it, and warming our benumbed limbs ; confidering the extreme cold we had endured for fuch a length of time, no luxury could be equal to that of the fire j but this gratification was, like many others, tofeveral of my companions followed by the moft excruciating pain, as foon as their frozen parts began to thaw. Seve- ral of thofe who had remained all night ; in the veflel, as well as thofe who came afhore with me in the boat, had been frozen in different parts of their mem- I t* bers .<<•■ ! I 30 ] herti y the dlftrefs that was now painted Jn the faices of thcfe unfortunate men, from the tortures tfhey underwent, was be- yond expreffion : this I knew would be the cafe before I heard them complairt, but did not think it neceflary to givfe them any intimation of it. ■. > When we came to examine into our fj'Onnbeir^, I btsfefved that a Capt. Green, a paflenger, was mifling, and was informed that he had fatkn aflcep on board the veflel, and had been frozen to death. We ivere rathei* taneafy about the man who had remained on boards but had fome hopes of faving his life, in cafe the veffel ^id not go to pieces, at the return of low water : but it bemg to6 difficult td undertake in the night, we were under the ^c'ceffity of waiting till the following day. This night we paffed a little better tha^l ; (the laft V yet notwithftanding we had a good fire, we found extreme incbnvenience €rom the total want of coverinsr, as \ ,-»•>•»*»'. ^4 • ' \ •^m» .l^^^B^BSjk^^S^ h [ 35 ] though afterwards on comparing circum- ilances we concluded it muft be on the jfland of Cape Breton. On die nth of December the gale abated., and gave us an opportunity to Jdunch out boat, and get on board the remainder of the wreck. Three of ws accordingly weiit on boards having with much labour launched the boat, and cleared her of the fand and ice^ As foon as we got on board the wreck, we went to work at opening the hatches, and having but one axe, and the cables being frozen over them in a folid lump of ice, it took the whole day to accomplifli it. The J 2th, the weather being ftill moderate, we went again on boards and haying cleared away the remainder of the cable, and cut away part of the deck, in order to make room ro get out two cafks of onions, with a fmall barrel of beef, con- taining about one hundred and twenty pounds, and three barrels of apples, Ihip- ped by a Jewilh merchant of Qiiebec. W^e Jikewife got a quarter-caflc of potatoes, a bottle ot oil, which proved very ferviee- f 't T^ •••»»^* E ? able •[ 36 1 • able to the men's fores, another axe, a large iron pot, two camp kettles, and about twelve pounds of tallow candles. "With much difficulty we j^ot this great fupply on Ihore, which g.;vc no imall comfort to our miferable fellow fufFcrers. On the ijih we made it our bufincfs to. getourprovifions (lowed away in a corner of the hut, when, on opening the apple caflcs, found their contents, to our great furprize, converted into bottles of Cana- dian balfam, a more valuable commodity to be fure than apples, but what we could ' gladly have exchanged in our prefent fitu- ation for fomething more friendly to the Itomach than to the conftitution. This difappointment, as may be fuppofed, ex- torted a few hearty good wifhes towards the Jew i yet we found afterwards fome vfe for his Canadian balfam, though, t believe, fomevi'hat different from what he intended it flioidd be applied to. ^ The confiderablc fupply we got from ' on board the wreck enabled us the next -j-day to add four onions to pur daily allow- *j'i.m .■V.il ancc. V mim^ V Kjsa i 37 1 ancc. We went on board once more on the 14th, and cut as mvich of ihc iaiis as poffiblc from the bo\vfprit, with part of which we cQvercd our hut, and made it tolerably warm and comfortable, notwith- ^landing the fevcrity of the weather. % this time the fore§ of the men wlip had |)cen froft bitten began to mortify, and caufed their toes, fingers, and other parts of the limbs affecled, to rot off, their ap- guilb being j^t the lame time aliiioft inp- Icrable. The carpenter^ who came on (bore after the others, had Iplt the greatefl: part of hi§ feet, and on the 14th at night pecame delirious, in which unhappy ftace he continued, till kath releafed him the following day from his miferablc cx- jilence. \Vc covered him with fpow and branches of trees, having neither fpade nor pick-axe to dig a grave for him, nor would it have been poflible, if we had been provided with them, the ground be- ing in thofc climates io hard frozen during the winter as to be almort impenetrabler Pn the I jth our fecond mate expired in ^he fame manner, havin^f been deI;riou$ I 10 1 *•/ f I Uft< , t 3^ ] ; • for fomc hours before he went off. We felt but very little concern at the death of our companions cither on their account or our own : for, in the firft place, we con- fidered it rather a happinefs than a misfor- tune to be deprived of life in our prefent wretched fituation, and, in the fecond, becaufe thertr became the fewer mouths to confume our little (lock of provifions : indeed, had not Tome paid the debt of nature, we (hould in the end have been reduced to the (hocking neceffity of 44illing and devouring one another. Though not yet reduced to this neceffity, our condition was fo thorougly miferable, that it feemed fcarcely polTible for any new diftre,v to make a fcnlible addition to it, Bcfides the pr;olpe<^ of peri(hing through want in that deiolate place, tii*. pain arifing from a perpecual fenfe of hunger and cold, having no covering but the cloaths upon our backs, the agony that the greateft part were in froip the fores occafioned ]by the froft was beyond expreflion, while their groans were almo(t equally diftre(ring to the remainder— but what affcfted me more , 1 > mm;. econ- >isfor- refer, t ths to fions : *bt of been lining ;h not iiiticn ?emed Ci" to lefides ant in from cold, upon reateft fioned while •eflinor :d me more C 39 } more than all our other miferies:, was the qviantity of vermin, proceeding from the men's fores, and continually increafing, whith infefted us ineveiyparc, and ren-, dered us. dilgufting even to ourfelves,/ Several, however, who had been but flightly frozen, recovered in a fhort time, with the lofs of a few toes and fingers j no one having entirely efcaped the froft bixt myfelf. On the 20th another faiior died,, after having been, like the others, iome time in a delirium, and was buried^ or rather covered, in the fame manner. Our number was now reduced to fourteen pqrfons ; yet we did not think it expe- dient to tncreale the allowance of provi- fions, but ftiU kept it at the rate origi- nally fixed on, of a quarter of a pound of beef per diem. The mate and I had frequently gon^. out together, fince we were ihipwrecked, in order to difcover any traces of inhabi- tants J but hitherto without fuccefa* On the 24th of December we walked about lo or 12 miles up a fine river, on the ice, '*-"'";'n'^"^'"f where' ^ .. .. ■ t 4t> ] where we obfcrved many tracks of moofe deer and other animals, fome of which wc might have killed, had we been lb fortu- , xiate as to be provided with arms and am- munition. In our progrefs up the river We difcovered feveral trees cut on one fide, as we imagined, by an axe, which gave us reafon to think there might be Indians near at hand. On going up to the place we could plainly perceive, that there had been fome there lately, by q; up at lensth ail hopes of feeing anv tdiansor inhabkants in this place, iiaving provifions only for fix week^ longer, and a few of our men, together *nth the captain^ being recovered, I pro- pofed lieaving our habitation, with a» many asr couM work in the boat, in fearch of inhabitants. This pfopofal was una^ nimoufly alien ted ta*,^ but when we came to thtek how it ^as to be put in execution, a new difficulty ftartcd itfelf, namely, that of repairing the boat!,^ which had been beat in fueh a manner by the fea upon the beach, that every feanfi was ^epen. Wc firft attempted to fiop them with dry oakum, but foon found that it would not anfwer the intended pu^pofe^. aivd bt^ing ft* - laved -mmr. t 43 1 faved no pitch from on board the wretfc, we began to defpair of the poffibility of repaiiring them. \^ at length, thought of ,a fcheme for majcing a kind of fucceda- neum for pitch of the Canadi^ balfam, •jwhich, as I before mentioned, had beeo (bipped for apples, and had been by us brought on ()iore under that deceptiofi. 'We accordingly went tp work in making ;the experiment, and boiled a quantity of it in the iron k^tfle we had faved, which .frequently taking oflF the fire, that the itaJBF might cool, v^c foon brought \t tp fi prop^ confiftence. Having got ready a ,iiifficient quantity of it, ^e ttarned up the .boat, and having cleaned her bottom, gave her a coat of the balfam, which ef- teftuaHy ftopped.up aU creyiccs for the jprefent, Thisdonc^ we got a fcpall fail < rigged to a i^afti wl^ch fhipped and un- ftiipped occafionally; and then pitched v4ipon t))e perfons who were tp go y/ith nie in the boat. By the ift of January, jyith much dif- ficulty and fatigue, we got our boat tn B 2 tolcrabjc ir ill » i \ 2 I i J :[ 44 1 tolerable condition, fo that flie Could fwim without making much water, like^ wife our maft and fail rigged, in cafe we Ihould happen to get a fair wind, which we could not often cxpeft on this coaft at the prefent feafon of the year; for^ during the winter months, it blows almoft conftantly from weft to north- weft, which is immediately on the land: we could not expeft therefore to have much occafion ifor our fail; neverthelefs it might fome- times be ferviceable, and afford fom? rer Jief to the rowers. We had agreed to take fix in the 1: t, viz. the captain and i mate, two failors, myfelf and fervant : of the others none were fo far recovered as to be judged equal to the fatigues we might expeft in this expedition. Our Ihoes being all nearly worn out, my em- ployment, during the whole of the next day, was to make akindof mowkifins, or Indian (hoes, of canvas. My needle was ncching more than the handle of a pewter * fpoon, which I had falhioned as well as I could for the purpofe, fcwing them with /a thread of the fame ftulF. As foon a§ I had ££a£3Slcsi^^^a^gSSSS£ t "45 ] had made twelve pair, which was two for each man in our party, we divided the provifions that remained into fourteen' equal parts, which amounted only to a quarter of a pound of beef per day for fix weeks j thofe, who were to remain behind, fharing as much as we who were to go in the boat, notwithftanding the hardships we were in all probability to undergo. Every necelfary prelimi- nary being fettled, we propofed fetti*ig off from this place the next day ; but the wind blowing frefli at north-weft, we were obliged to remain where we were till the 4th. By this time the ice, floating in prodigious quantities on the coaft, and in fome places forming, and blocking up the bays, rendered our undertaking \ 'I t 46 ] Avhate^^ef little inatters might be of fcrvici to us, into the boat ; and, having taken leave of our companions, fct oft on our expedition. Having got about eight mile^ from the place of our (hipwreck, the wind began to incrcafe and blow very hard at fouthcaft, which was immediately off the Ihore. The boat, as well as the oars, being none of the bell, we were on the point of being blown out to fea, but by dint of rowing made Ihift to get into a vdeep bay about a mile a head, where we thought we might pafs the night with fafety. Having got every thing on fhorq, ^e hauled our boat up as high as our ilrength would admit, fo as to prevefit .the fea from doing her any more damage. This done, we let to work in li| 't)ur Sre, and cutting our wood ^night : we likewife cut fome pine branches, the fmailer of which ferved us to lie on, ^and the larger, in the form of a wigwam, rto Ihelter us from the inclemency of the ^weather. - - The \ \ l-JWlUffll'ffBBI rtEsa'a.Trta-TarMWirms C 47 1 '^ The place we had landed on was a fine ^ndy beach, with little or no fnow on it. Having obfcrved fonne fmall pieces of wood caft on (bore by the tide, that had formerly been cut with an axe, and a number of long poles fcattered along the edge of the bank, which had likewife been cut in the fame manner, I thought k likely there might be fome inhabitants near at hand, and propofed, as foon as we had taken a little refrefhment, to go along the beach to a high point of land at about two miles diftance, which was clear of wood, and appeared to be cultih vated, thinking from thence we might make fome ufef ul difcoveries, I accordingly fet out loon after with two of the men, and^ before we had proceeded a mile, faw the remains of a Ihallop, or Newfound- land Billing boaty almoft covered with fand, which feemed to have been fet on itre. This gave us hopes of difcovering fomethins elfe to our fatisfadion, and we proceeded as faft as we could to the point of land. Having gained the top of it, V. we dcf^xied, to our inexprefllblc joy, a few ;* . houfes fi 1 'X w nl I 48 ] houfes about half a mile diftant, towards which we direfted our courfe, having no , doubt but that we (hould now meet with fome relief; but on coming up to them found they were only the remains of Ibme old ftore-houfej, which had been built there for the curing of cod fifli, and to all appearance had been abandoned fomt years before. This was a mortifying difappointment ^-to us. We determined however to make ■the mod of our difcovery, and obferving a number of old cafks lying about in dif- ferent parts, we fearched thcm^ as well ; as the honfes, very minutely, in hopes of finding fome provifions •, but to no pur- ;pofe. As we walked along the point, we gathered about a quart of cranberries, dome of which we eat, prefcrving the re- imainder for our companions. Having reconnoitred every part of this point, 'without any further fuccefs, we returned ;to our boat, and communicating the dif- coveries we made to our companions, gave them their fliare of the berries we had ^sscs ►^varc^s ng no t with them ibme built id to loins Tient iiake wdl s of 3ur. we ies, re- ing nt, led lif. IS, ^e ad t 49 ] had gathered. Even thefe difcovcries gave them much fatisfaftion, as they tended to confirm our hopes of finding fomc inha- bitanrs in the courfe of our voyage along the coalt. ^ '« ■ . • • . , tn the meati time, the wind came round to the north-weft, and blew with fucb violence as to prevent us from proceeding on our voyage. It continued die fame: from the 5th to the 7th, when, happen* ing to get up in the middle of the night, 1 was allonilKed on obferving while the wind continued blowing as hard as everi^ that the fea was entirely without agita« tlon. I immediately awoke the mate, to inforn him of this extraordinary phseno- menon, and going down to the beach to- gether to know the caufe, we found the lea entirely covered with ice, nothing but a large fhcet of it being to be feen foi;* leagues around. This was an alarming circumftance, as it (eemed to preclude all; poflibility of proceeding any further, and might give .us caufe even to regret having left our habitation : for, though we were • G *^ -- fy i A I -■ff,jt^^'rjf!^r.-r. . I f 5» f fo near, it was impofliblc to rcttfrn by land, befidcs other impediments, on ac- count of the depth of fnow, which way impalTable unlefs with fnow-fhoes« . The wirid continued to blow frcm the* fame quarter for two days longer,- and at length, on the 9th, it became perfeftly ca^A. Ncxr morning the wind came round to the fouth-eafty wHich was dt- redely oS* the land, and in a fliort time blew extremely hai'd, fo ttiat by four o'clock in the afternoon, there wa* not a piece of ice to be feen along ti oafl', the whole of it being blown out tc fea. This was a very pleaftng fight to usy as it gave us aprofpeft of being extricated from pur prefent dreary fituatiort. However, the violence of the wind prevented us from moving till the iith of January, when the weather being moderate, and a fine light breeze blowing along the coaft, we launched our boat with much difficulty, being greatly reduced in ftrength for want of a due degree of nourifhmcm. Having got rognd the : clear ^. -~-^- -rifii I II liM' [ 5^ 3 ^Icar point of land, we hoifted our fyil and put before the wind. ,.^ , The weather being v€i:y ipoderate, and little or no fearunning, we made toler- able way, and had not proceeded far be- ^fore we defcricd an extremely high poioc, about feyen leagues a bead, with a con- .tinued precipice along the coaft, (b that it .was impQjBible for us to land on any {)art pf it, l^ore we came to that beaa and. This made it very dangerous tp . attempt the paflTage ; for if the wii^ fliouM happen to come round to i;hc ! north-weft, we n)u(l infallibly have perish- .ed againft the. rocks. But danger was no longer an objeft to.^ cf^fidered by us; ,i6 we^t out tvo oajTS, ^iQt being al;^ to uie any im^c, as^ t;ke boat had been fo much daniagecl, that twp men were coo- ftantly emplo]^ed in keeping her clear pf ^jwatcr, and .with the JifiUlance of a fair wind n>ade the point abou(^deven o'clock fU: night I but finding no place that ^ we cou^d poffibly land on, we were obliged to keep ;4ong the coaft ;ill two in the morning, G 2 when ii 11 ., I \ \ I 5^ ) when the wind incrcafing, and a ftony beach appearing, on which we (hould nai have thought it expedient to land had the wind been moderate, we were obliged tp put alhore, and immediately got our pro- vifions out of the boat. The be^ch was of fome height from the furface of the water, the itants. But the great difliculty was how -to repair it; for we had no pitch or bal- ^m le&, and but little dry oakum, which •was of no fervice to us without the for* jner. After trying various methods^ we , at laft gave it u|> as a thkig entirely im- praAicable,and began totuim our tboiights towards fome other means of getdng out -^of this bleak atid barren place, to karch for fome relief in an inhabited cout^try. . ' ■ • ;• ; ' K* L-:* Though •-^■^ .-' f 55 I Though it was impoflible for us ta climb the precipice by which we were en* compafled^ yet, if we were determined to abandon our boat, we imagined, that we might eafily get into the woods, by walk-> ing along fhore upon the ice, which ftilt covered the Tea, and had ftrength fuiH* cknt ta bear any weight. In fadl the mate and I propofed walking a few miles- on it, in order to make (he experiment ^ we had not proceeded far before we came to the entrance of a river,, and a fine Tandy beach, whe¥€, had our good fortune di-^ reeled us to land, we might have lived more comfortably, and have preferved our hostu But what was to be done now that we could get into t^e woods ? we could not think of walking .^rofs^ them in fearch of a cultivated country : befides that we fhould be entirely ignorant how to c ireft our courfe, the depth of fnow, which h } by this time increatfed to fix feet in the wood, rendered it impoflible for us to travel without fnow-(hoes. After ^on* fulting together, we at laft came i a re- iblution of taking the next day what pro- vifions trip- ^* V: '-4;-- "W t 56 I vifions we had upon our backs, and cord- ing along the ice, till we could difcover fome inhabitants, expefting from its pre- fent appearance of ftrcngth, that it would remain for fome time longer: and the wind having drifted the greateft part of the fnow off ic, we computed that we ihould be able to walk about ten miles each day, even in our prefent weak and Induced condition. \ : "r> \*f This being fully determined, we were to fet out the morning of the 24th) but on the night preceding it, the wind came round to the fouth-ealt, and blew hard, attended with fnow and rain ; fo that in the morning, as I already apprehended iwjuld be the cafe, that whole Iheet of ice, which the night before looked fo firm, wasi demolifhed or driven out to fea. Thu9 were all our fchemcs fruftrated—ncither to walk on, nor boat to carry us ice ^:/ through the water ; not even a poffibility of moving from this place where we were embayed and furrounded by infurmount- able precipices. Thus circumftanced, %«if»^-H k # we C 5- ] we were again obliged to turn our thoughts entirely to fome fchemc for repairing our boat ; upon that our only hope depended. We had plenty of oakum lo flop up the holes and icams, but nothing to fubftitute in the room of pitch, to prevent the water from penetrating. I at length thought of a plan, which I imagined might have the wifhed for effeft, namely, . that of throwing water over the oakum, and letting it freeze into a cake of ice. A$ loon as day appeared, I refolved to put this fcheme to the ted, and iiaving cleared the boat of fnow and gravel, immediately went to work. The men m general made light of my undertaking, and aflifted with much reluftancc, thinking that they were throwing away their labour to no pur- pofe. However, I foon convinced them to the contrary ; for by four o'clock in the afternoon, by continually throwing water over the oakum, we froze up every feam and hole in fuch a manner, that not a drop of water could enter, as long as the weather continued freezing as at pre- fcnt. H On m i> i i I^TjUB- ''fyt* 1 ' ? 'if: I 58 ] On the 27th of January, the weather being very moderate, and a light breeze direftly off the fhore, we got our boat very carefully launched, and let off early in the morning from this ill-omened bay. We had the pleafure to find that the boat made little or no water, fo that we were enabled to keep our four oars continually ar work. As we advanced along the coaft, we found it ftill bordered by no- thing but barren precipices, with every four or five miles perhaps a fmall fandy beach. The weather continued very moderate all thedayof the27th,fo that by fix o'clock in the evening, we computed that we had rowed about twelve miles fi-om where we fet off in the ihorning. This indeed would be but an indifterent day's work for people in health, but a great deal for thofe in our circumftances, not only be- ing extremely weakened and reduced, but the boat itfelf being very heavy and un- weildy, from the quantity of ice in it; We put afliore about fix o'clock upon a .,^> .. * iaiaii ' t t 59 ] fmall Tandy beach, and, by layirfg'^^o^fSUflf- det our boat, dragged her caretuHy fome yards from the watery fo that flie lay very fafe while the wind continued as it then Was, We next Cut fome bfancHes, and, having made a fire, (beltered ourfelves as well as pofr:blc in the wood. Our tindef being nearly confumed, 1 w^s obliged to furnifli a freih fupply, by cutting away the back part of my Ihirt,- which I had worn cvter Anct we left th^ (hip. A fh'dwaf bf raiin the next day uhfor-* tunafely melted all the ice off our boat i we were therttfbi^ prevented from going any farther till a return of the froft, and had the mortilicaltion td tofe the benefit of aftAc day, in the t^iirfe of which w^ height have proceeded with? a good boat feveral leagues more oft our journey. What made the matter woffe, was that our provifions were now reduced to two pounds and a half of beef for each man. On the morning of the 29th the mate, hav- ing wandered a little diftance from ouf fire, returned in hafte to inform me, that ^ H ^ he ii\ m I t 60 J lie had difcovered a partridge perched oir the bough of a tree, which he thought I might poffibly devife feme method of catching. I immediately went to the place where he had feen it, and found it in the fame (ituation as before. Obfcrv- ing that the bird was^ very tame,, and not above fourteen feet from the ground, I cut down a Ipng pole, and taking part of the rope-yarn that faftened my canvas ihoes made a running lopp of it, and fixed it to the end of the pole ; then walking foftly under the tree, and lifting the pole gently up, I fixed the loop about the partridge's neck, and,, giving it a fuddea jerk, clofed the loop, and fecured the bird. The mate, as well as myfelf^ as fooh as I had caught it, laughed very beai:tily> for the firil time that either of us had a fmile on our countenances fince our ihipwreck* We thep went towards the fire with our prize, ai^d boiled it in fpnic melted fnow, together with a little fait water, to give the broth a relifli : having divided it, when dreffed, into fix equal parts, and call lots for the choice of each,' we fat down to £ ii what 1 tt ]• what we found a mod delicious mea^ ; the' only one, excepting the quart of cran^- berriesy for which we were indebted to chance, or our good fortune^ flnce we had been cafl: upon the idarl. ^ On the afternoon of the 29th it began to freeze hard, when we took the advaa* tage of the fxoft to ftop the boat's leakg as before y and, the wind ftill continuing moderate, we launched her as foon as that bufinels was completed^ and put to lea» The day being almoft fpent before we fet off, we could not make above feven miles to a fandy beach and thick wood, which feemed to afiford a tolerable (belter, In this place wr pafied the night *, and the next day, the weather being ftill favour- able, we launched our boat betimes in the morning, in order to get before night as far as poffible on aur journey ; but we bad not proceeded above fix miles, before the wind frclhening up from the fouth- e?A obliged us to put alhore and haul up our boat. 4v A heavy *i n ■ i ^'f}'{ ,tl i ! i 62 ] A heavy fall of rain, which contintred the whole day, rendered oiir fituation ex- tremely uncomfortable, and melted again the icy calking of the boat. We were therefore to confole ourfelves, as wdl as we could, in the certainty of remaining here till a netunfr of the froft •, and mean ivhile propofcd to reconnoitre, as far as our reduced (late would allow us, into the country. In this however we were prevented by the quantity of fnow which ftill lay on the ground, and was not yet fufficientiy frozen to bear our weight without rackets or fnow-fhoes. Towards the fpring of the year in thefe cold cli- mates they may for the moft part be dif- ptt\M with, when the fncw ha^ beconme more condenfed by its own weight, the influence of the fim, and the rains which begin to fall at this feafon. The froft then returning, after the thaw, forms a kind of incruftatiori on the furface, that will bear a man's weight without finking. Had this feafon been arrived, we fhouH have abandoned our crazy boat, and tak- ing the little provifion we ftijl poffcfled, have :Jf^: '>**^ — n . j:.. •. •^ - <-' I t «3 ] have made an attempt to difrover inhabl- Cants, by a march into the heart of the country ; perhaps it was fortunate we could not attempt it, as in all probability we (hould have perifhed in the woods. Not having it in our power to wander towards any other part, we walked along che fhore as far as we were able, and faw nothing that could attrad our notice but fome Itumps of trees, from which the trunks might have been cut fome years before : from this circumftance we could coUeA no very fanguine hope of being near an inhabited country. Soon after the wind coming round to the north-weft, and bringing the frofl: along with it, wip were once more enabled to repair our boat, and to preprje for launching it, as iuon as the wind Ihould abate its violence* This happening in fome degree on the I ft of February, we immediately embarkir ed, and purfued our coafting voyage i but the feverity of the cold having fornu ed a c^uantity of ice, it was with ex- treme labgur that we contrived to get five «>, ■'A-'*. 1 ■' • • • ' ■ triilcs before night, one of our party be- ing employed in breaking the ice with a pole» and clearing it from the bows of the boat. The following day the wind blowing frefli from the north-weft tjuarter pre- vented us again from proceeding any fur- ther till the 3d, when coming round ::o Avcft, which is direftly along the fliore, and the moft favourable that could blow for us, we were enabled to embark and purfue our voyage. Our boat, notwitji- ftanding all our diligence in calking made now fo much water, that we were obliged to keep one man conftantly at work in baling if out with a camp kettle. The wind however was as fair as we could wifh, and being neither too flack nor too violent, we for fome time went at the rate of four miles an hour, with the afliftancc of our oars; but foon after, the wind in- creafing, we laid in our oars, and run under our fail alone, at the xate of about live miles an hour. After .* [ 65 ] After having run above fixtecn miles, we difcovered an exceeding high land, about fix leagues diftant, with feveral other mountains and large bays between us ; and it being yet early in the day, a fine wind, and no great fea, we were in hopes, if the wind (hould not increafe too much, that we (hould be able to reach it before night. As we proceeded along the coaft, we found it in every part high and rocky, which made us very uneafy left the wind (hould rife before we could make the head-land. About two o'clock in the afternoon, when we iuppoled we were within three leagues of it, we difco* vered an ifland about twenty miles from the main ; and on comparing circum- ftances we concluded, that the ifland muft be that of Sr. Paul, and the high land the north point of Cape Breton. The prodigious height of the land led us into an erroneous computation of its diftance ; for notwithstanding we had fuppofed that we were within three leagues of it, when we firft difcorcred the ifland of St. Paul, i .a: wc Wt i ,'^- .-■«; I [ 65 ] wc found, before we reached it, that wc bad run near dv^ lcagiK?s. - ' It was almoft dark by the time we reachf*d theNorthCape ; where finding no place to land, we were obliged to double the cape, and continue our journey. The wind now began to frefhen, and we had a heavy fca from the north-eaft to en- counter, as foon as wc came oppofite to the cape. After having doubled it, our courfe lay in a very different dircftion from what it had been in the morning \ lb that we were obliged to»ftrike our fail, and take to the oars. The wind at the fame time blew fo hard off the high lands, that it was with the utmoft difHculry we could hug the fliore : had we not been affifted by a heavy fwell, that came from tlie north-eaft, we muft certainly have been iblown out to fea. \ Finding no place to land during the .'flight, we continued rowing as clofe as w- could to the rocks, till about five in the morning •, when hearing the fea run on fe I i [ 67 ] on tHe Iliore very long arid heavy, we imagined, we muft be off a fandy beach. We accordingly rowed towards the Ihore, and at the diltahce of fifty y^ards, for it was yci dark-, were able to difcem a beach- at lead four miles in length* It was not however a convenient place for us to put in, on account of the furf, and a long and heavy fea* that rolled on* it ; yet be- ing fo much fatigued witA Powing, that we were incapable of proceeding any fur- ther, we were obliged to attempt a land- ing. This we eiftdled with more eafe' than we looked for, and fufiered no other inconvenience but that of having our boat nearly filled with water on the beach.- Having landed, our firfl: care was to haul up the boat^ that (he might meet with no further damage from the fea. We then got into the woods, which lay clofc to the fhorc, and having taken the precaution to put our tinder-box in my bofom, before we landed, to preferve it from the water, we contrived to kindle a fire ; a rcfrefhment we had much oc- cafion for,- having got wet in: landing, I 2 and- ..^ ,■> » I k [ 68 ] and being in fo weak and reduced a condition, that it was with the greatcft dif- ficulty we could keep ourfclves awake for a few minutes when before the fire ; fo that we were under the necefFity of keep- ing a continual watch, left, all being afleep together, we ftiould freeze to death, as foon as the fire went out. Having now time to confider every circumftance, and finding, as foon as daylight appear- ed, that the land ftill continued to have an oppofite bearing to that on the other fide of the point, we had no doubt re- maining, but that we were upon the North Cape of the ifland of Breton, which, to- gether with Cape Roy on the ifland of Newfoundland, marks the entrance of the gulf of St. Lawrence. ., fwvw' *■ •\t-: Vt' \m ^'Vr^ t^^'.:*^":i&? Our provlfions were now entirely con- fumed, and having not the fmalleft pro- fpedl of getting any riiore, we were ready to abandon ourfelves to defpair. As wc were certain of being on an inhabited ifland, we might have flattered ourfelves with the hopes of getting relief, by per- fevcring e^t"-*y*i/'t"- . J-- ^".Ix'-.-^jL ^''---T-*: [69 I fevering in our dilatory progrefs, had w« wherewithal to provide for our immediate lUbfiftencc. Having weighed the necef- fity of the cafe, and the mifcry of perifh- ing by hunger, I was of opinion as well as the mate, that it would be moft advife- able to facrifice one for the prefervationr of the reft ; and that the moft proper method would be by cafting lots, which fhould be the unfortunate viftim. But, this (hocking, though prudent, refolution we agreed to put ofl to :he iaft extremity. ",4'!; ii'i *liiiTV*.*' V •fiit:- We had not been able to fecure cup boat fo cflFcdtually, but that the fea had beat her higher up on the beach, and filled her with fand. We were obliged therefore to fet two of the men to work in clearing her, and afterwards in flopping the leaks, as already mentioned ; while the remainder of our party were detached by different routes along the Ihore, to fee if they could find any kind of provifion. The mate and myfelf travelled along the fandy beach till we were prevented from going any further by an inlet of water, when *wi ■Si:S^ r 10- T when wc were a good deal furprized ta obfervc the tide ebb and flow every ten ninutes. We were not however, at pre* fent, in a difpofition to pay much regard to this or any other extraordinary appear- ance of nature; and ieeing a great quan- tity of oyftcr (hells lying upon the Ihore, we fearched them very diligently, in hopes of finding fome that were full •, but to no purpofe. This again made us curfe our deftiny, that we Ihould have been caft^ away on fo barren and mifcrable a coun- try, and in fuch an unlucky time of the year, when we were not only deprived of the relief we might have got, at any other ieafon, from the natural productions of the earth •,- but when even the animals, in^ habitants of both elements, had retired to their holes and hiding placesjto Ihield them- felves from the intenfe cold, which prevails- during the winter in this inhofpitable dim ate •i«kJ'. ■ We ftill continued our fearch notwith^ (landing the ill fucccfs we had hitherto experienced, and contrived at length to gather about two quarts of hips, or wild role [ 7» 1 rofc buds, by throwing up the fnow in different parts of the bank. Having with this forry food allayed in fome degree the keen fenfe of hunger, and the wind having become fomewhat more moderate, we got into our boat and pulhed off, the day be^ ing already drawing towards a concluGon. Our progrefs was however foon impeded by the quantity of ice that floated upon the water *, which obliged us to put afhore on another part of the fame beach. In •landing I had the misfortune to let the tinder-box fall from my bofom into the water, by which means we were unable to kindle a fire-, and being exceedingly wet, which was generally the cafe when we landed, we were in this place in a moft uncomfortable fituation, and fuffered much from the cold. We therefore thought it bcft to get into our boat again as faft as pofTibk, and return to the fpot from whence we came, in hopes of finding fomc fire ftill remaining. v* *» It was with the greateft difficulty we got back, being the whole w^y under the ncccflity * I- S!C ■m ( , i\ [ 7^ ) jiccelTity of breaking through the ice, which had by this time alnioft formed into a folid fheet. We were very anxious left our fire ihould meanwhile have gone out, and thought it a lucky circumftancc we had not been able to go any farther from it. On our arrival at the place, we had the fatisfadtion to find it was not to- tally extinguilhed : had this been the cafe, we muft have perifhed in the courfex)f the night. The fire being repaired, I cut up the remainder of my fhirt to make fome more tinder *, and, as the damage it got had nearly proved fo fatal to us, was refolved to be more particular in my car^ of it for the future. _, ( ■•1^;^. On the 8th the wind came round to ihc fouth-weft, which cleared off the ice, and enabled us to leave this place by ten o'clock in the morning. As we proceeded along the fliore, we found it was not quite fo rocky as it had been on the other fide of the north cape. We were therefore able to land this night without difficulty within a large rock, by which we were , i . fheltcrcd V I 73 ] fhcltered from the wind and lea, Wc were here very comfortably fituated, in every refpedl, except in regard to our want of provifions. The next day, the weather continuing moderate, we had again proceeded about eight miles on our journey, when the wind beginning to blow fo hard as to raife a confiderable fwell, we were obliged to fteer to the fhore. In landing we had the misfortune tolole tv/o of our oars, which were walhed overboard by the furf^ A . * * > -k ,;;« . . ,;, An On the following day the wind lulled ; and we immediately took the advantag^c of it to put to fea. We had now but two oars remaining ; which being double manned, we contrived to get about fix miles before night. This was a very hard day's work, confidering our prefent weak condition^ for having been a length of time without tailing any kind of nou-i rifhment, we were 16 much reduced in ftrength, that when we got on Ihore, we could fcarcely walk for fifty yards to-. getlier. IL The .' i . Hi III': ii I!' '(■liinui -»— »^W»II H IPI II H Illl- M - ( ! tfii I Ji t ;4 ] The weather being unfavourable on the nth, we were under the neccflity of remaining the whole day in the fame reft- ing place -, and having Icifure to fearch about the (hore, we were fortunate enough to find a few rofe buds, which we cfteeni- cd at prefent a great delicacy. Had we not met w'th this fupply, it would have been abfolutely requifite to put our above- mentioned fcheme into execution. Wc thought ourfelves extremely unlucky in not having found, in the courfe of our wanderings, fo much as the body of any dead animal : nor, except the partridge, did we fee any live ones, that we had the fmalleft chance of capturing. At different times we had hopes of catching fome of the otters that we frequently faw on the ice, particularly on the fmall rivers and inlets : but we never found them at any diftance ironi the holes, which they con- tinually kept open, to give themfelves a free paffage in and out of the water. We likewilc difcovered at different times fome beavers* houfes ; but could not enfnarc any of the animals. On . k'- [ 75 ] On the 12th the wind became mo- tlerate, and we proceeded once more on our journey. Hie coaft fcemed to di- minifii in height as we paflcd along it, which made us hope we were now ap- proaching the cultivated part of the jHand. Next day the weather got milder, with a fall of rain : fo that it was with difficulry we could get our boat to fwim, the ice thawing gradually off the bottom. This obliged us to put aOiore long before night. Having landed, and made a fire, we found no other immediate want but that of provifions, having confumed all the hips or rofe buds that we had ga- thered at our laft landing place. '.V i 4' ■i-t : I ;■..> On Having reconnoitred very carefully all around, and fearched in every part under the fnow, we were not abk to procure ourfclves even that miferable fuftenance. Being now driven to the laft extremity, we were obliged to lacrifice our profpeft of travelling any farther to the immediate prcfervation of our lives. We had about a dozen tallow candles remaining, which K 2r we \l ■-1 '■I L I, I [ 76 J wc had hitherto employed in flopping- the leaks of our boat, as fad as (he fprung one in any particular place. Of thefc wc divided a I'mall part among us; which gave us fome rclitf for the prefcnt. On the 14th and 15th wc coailcd for a few miles, fearching for a place where we could meet with fome hips •, but to no purpofe. This was the only kind of food wc could now expect ; ^nd h^d we difco- vered any place that abounded with them, it was our intention to draw up the boat there, and re lin till they were con- lumed, , . , . V T , f i 'Ci i;?-: ^>v^# >t #. V- '^v '.\t »'■■> On the 17 th, being again on the point of perifhing with hunger, we made an- other divifion of a part of the tallow can- ' 'dies that yet remained. On the follow- ing day,, the wind being favourable, we proceeded about five miles ; where find- ing a fine, flat country,, and a Tandy beaxh that extended for a confiderable way, and being fo much debilitated, that we knew it would be impoflible for us to go much tardier, we put on fliore, with a deter- X ^^i ■ -i- \ mined; * .i* ■ [ # *■ ! - ,,-i^v-. • ft '' - i'i.#.Y'' '-'. '[ -77 T inined' refolution to perifh on this plac^,. iinlefs fome iinfordccn accident fhould bring us relief. To attempt drawing up our boat would in our preient weak condition be a vain undertaking, fo wc were obliged to let her remain at the mercy of the lea. All that we could preferve was our axe, a i'aw, and the fail of the boat, whicii we generally made ufe of as a covering. t.i t »' *tt*. ■ e ■■' r ' ^•..*» f. L'S .»! f ■) '.'. As foon as wc landed, wc made it our bufincfs to clear away the ihow from a particular fpot in the entrance of the wood, where we intended to remain ; and having cut fome fmall branches of pine to put under under us, together with fome larger to ferve for a flielter, which we ftuck into the bank of fnow that fur- rounded us, we made our fire ; and then went all hands in fearch of hips. We had the good fortune to find about a pint of them, which boiled up with a couple of tul*- low candles afforded us a tolerable meal. • The next day we pafled without any kind of provifionj and being apprehent- fiva ■\ i ,1. ■ ♦^.p:.^^-*- — , ( 'H I r 78 1 five that our little remaining ftrengrh would foon defcrt us, we employed our- felvcs in cutting and piling as much wood as we were aWc, to fupply the fire. Mean while the fca had beat our boat lb high upon the beach, as to be quite dry as foon as the wind fubfided, and to deprive us of the power of putting to fca again, had we been difpofcJ to do it : for our ftrength was by no mean^s equal to tlic tafk of moving her a fmgle foot. - * We again employed the whole day of the 19th inthefearch of hips : but it was not attended with any fuccefs. Our tal- low candles were therefore the only relburce we had left, and by this time they became reduced to two> We found ourfelves fo much weakened the following day, that we could make no further ufe of our axe, and were under the neccflity of creeping about in our turns, and breaking the rot- ten branches of trees, that lay fcattered wpon the ground. As wc had not a pro- per quantity of fuel, the fire that we kept lip was but juft fufiicient to preferve us V . fponx [ 79 ] from freezing : for though tlic fcafon was* lb far advanced towards the fpring, yet, excepting fome particular days, the wea- ther was as cald as in the month of De- cember. Having now no more than two tallow candles remaining, and finding no longer a poflibility of gathering any hips, being too weak even to fearch for them, we thought it likely that we might derive fome degree of nourifhment from the kelp weed, of which there was a quantity lying upon the fhore. We accordingly col- ledcd a little of it, and with melted fnow boiled it for a few hours in a kettle ; but, at the conclufion, found it very little ten- derer than at firft. We then melted one of our tallow candles in the liquor, and having fupped it up, and eat a quantity of the weed, our appetite became fome- what fatiated. But in about two hours time we were all affeflied with a very un- eafy fcnfation, and were foon after feized with a fit of vomiting, without being able f the itomach. This bring it entirely I i. ii ii: ri' I 80 ] "fit of vomitino; havino- continued for aboii ■ four hours, wt found ourfclves tolerably eafy, but at the fame time exceedingly ex- haullcd. ' ^ : ' On the 2 2d we made ufe of fome more kxi^lp weed and ourlaft tallow candle. It dill operated in the fame manner, but not to fo violent a degree as it had done before. On the '23d the wind blew very moderate frcm the north-weft, and brought a feverc frotl along with it. We had now an op- portunity CO repair our boat; and, if our Ifrength had been fufficien: to launch it into the water, we fhould have changed our refolution, and have quitted the place. "We made indeed a faint attempt to launch the boat'- but, on findino; that we could not move her an ipxh from where fhe lay upon the Ihore, v/e were coliged to give over the defign. Our candles being all ccnfumed, we were under the neccflicy of boiling the kelp weed without the mix- ture of tallow, v^hich, however naufeous iE any other time, afforded us then, not only [ 8i ] only a wholefome nourifhment, but even an exquifite relilh. ..•.- ^ • Having now for three days tailed of no other food but the kelp weed, we began to fwell to an alarmino; de^-ree. This we were at a lois whether to attribute to the kelp weed or to the cold (tor we were nor able to keep a f^fficient nre); however I thought then and do ftill believe, that it proceeded from the former: for notwith- ilanding v;e had often before been expoi'ed to the utmoll fcverity of the cold, and fometimes without any fn^irer whatever, yet we had never found ourlclv^es affeded with this extraordinary lymptam ; but, on the contrary,v/ere as much reduced in bulk as we were in fircngth. . ^ We remained in the fame miferable fitii- ation for icverai days longer, tlic ivvclliog having incroafed to fuch a degree all over our bodies, that, notwiihilanding the little flefh we had upon our bones, we could fink our lingers two inches deep on the ikin 1 live imorelTion of which remained ■.?■ ii Hi ^mr L :be r mmmmmm I MV ,j»» [ 82 ] vifible for above an hour after. Hunger Bcverthelefs ftill obligtid us to ms»ke ufe of the kelp weed ; though I am ceriain it was of no great fervice, and tended only to blunt the edge of our appetitCv inftead of affording any nourilhmcnt to the con- fticution. 1 have never fincc confukcd with any naturalift or phyfician about the extraordinary effedts of the weed -, yet doubt not but they may be accounted for from natural caufes. - « We paffed a few days more in the fame manner; at the expiration of which we were fo much fwollen. as to be aimoft de- prived of our fight, and fo reduced, that it Was with the utmoft difficulty we could keep our fire in by crawling about in turn, and gathering the rotten branches f hat lay fcattered upon the ground. The time was now arrived, when I thought it highly expedient to put the plan before imentioned iiico execution ; but on feeling the pulfe of my con:kpanions, found that fome of them were rather avcrfe to the propofal j ^he defire of life ftill prevailing above mgcr e ufc iin it ily to ittead con i;kclin 'iWi " i,r s ■P-^WBi '4 P- f ■1 [ 84 ] he had, ever fince our fhipwreck, been the molt remifs in his exertions tov/ards the general good, he was undoubtedly the perlon who fhould be firft facriiiced. I mnft confefs, that I thought at that time, there was fome colour of truth ii> this conclufion : yet I was not a litile Ihockcd at the captain's intended fate, al- though I had more reafon than any one clfe to be inccnfed againft him, not only on account of his neglcft of duty, and his mal-praclices at the hut in purloining our provifions, but for another reafon likewife. Since our fhipwreck, I had dif- Govered by fome papers, which had been wafhed on fhore, that, though the cap- tain's pretended deftination was to New York, yet that his real one was to the Weft Indies, if he could poflibly effe6t it. Thus would he have baffled General Hal- dimand's intentions, in fending mc with difpatches, that might be of the tiril: con- fequence to this country ; and not only have difappoirted, but alib have defraud- f 85 ] cd me of the money, which I paid him^ for my paffage. , ' . The determination now made was kept fccret from the captain, and it would have been impoflible for us to live many days longer without putting it into execution, had we not happily met with relief from a quarter that we little expelled. Oa the 28th of February, as we were all lying about our fire, we thought that we heard the found of human voices in the woods ; and foon after difcovcred two Indians, with guns in their hands, v/ho did not feem yet to have perceived us. This fight gave us frefh ftrength and fpirits: lb, getting up, we ad^^anced towards them with tJic greatcii agernefs ima» ginable. '•il ! J' i*lii 1 As foon as we were perceived by the Indians, they ftarted back, and feemed fixed for a few moments to the ground with furprize and horror. This indeed is not to be wondered at, when it is con- fiUei-ed, rhaty belidcs the furprize they mull u ( i I ,- i 86 ] muft naturally have felt on fuddeiily meeting with white men in this barren part or the ifland, our appearance itfclf was enough to alarm the mod intrepid : our deaths being almoil burnt off" our backs, our bodies and limbs fwolicn ta to fuch a prodigious bulk, our eyes from the fame caufc almolt invifible, and our hair in fuch a difhevelled Hate about our heads and fhoulders, particularly of thofc who wore it long ; for we had not been able to comb it fince our (hip wreck. As we advanced towards the Indians, fome of us wept, while others laughed, through joy. Being a little recovered from their furprize, they did not (liew much incli- nation to accoft us, till I got up to one of them, and took him by the hand ^ when he fhook it for fomc time very heartily; the ufual mode of falutation among the Indians. They began at length to fhew marks of €ompaffion at our diftrefled appearancCy and I irtiaginc their fhynefs at firft pro- ceeded from the repugnance which it na- turally , « . I «7 ] turally infpircd : for, thefe Indians being converted to Chriftianity, I will not attri- bute it to a motive lb contrary to that dodrine, as the idea of the trouble they might expeft, without any compenfation, in relieving us. They then walked with us to our fire, and, fitting down by it together, one of them, who could fpeak a little broken French, defircd we would inform him whence we came, and the particulars of the accident that brought us there. I accordingly gave him as con- cife an account as poSiblc of the difafter« and fatigues we had undergone : during the relation he ' feemed to be very much afFefted at our fuflFerinors. • < y ■ . , ' . - ', • ■ . ■ , - t ■ _',; » Having finilhed my narration, I aiked the Indian, if he could furnifli us with any kind of provifions ; to which he an- iwered in the affirmative. Obfcrving that we had very little fire, he fuddenly ftarted up, and took our axe in his hand ; when looking at it, and laughing heartily, I fuppofe at the badnefs of it, he threw it down again, and taking his tomahawk from I,!. M * '1 h ■in BBB X 88 ] from his fide, which is a fmall hatchet that the Indians always carry about them, he went, and, in a fhort time, cut a quan- tity of wood, which he brought and threw upon our fire. This done, he took up ;his gun, and, without faying a word, •went off with his companion. This would have been a very alarming •circumftance to perfons ignorant of the Indian manners. But 1 was fo well ac- quainted with the humour of thefe people, who feldom fpeak when there is not an abfokT-e occafion for it, that I .doubted not but they were gone for fome provifions, and that we fiiould fee them again very fhortly. Notwithltanding thi •length of time we had been without nou- rifhment, I mud confefs, that 1 felt but • little inclination to eat : the fire which the Indian had made was the greateft re- frefhment to me, as we had been for many days without a good one. ' , ;: .jr^: , :^ «* ; '■ *y y i*^ iJ..»>f i i, J t ?»i » ^«• Ki.i;, Jry,':n if After about three hours had elapfed, during which interval fome of our party were :Iiei ac- I n 9 i were not without left the Indi anxiety, lliould never return, we perceived them coming round a point at a fmdll diflance in a bark canoe. Bcina arrived and landed upon the beach, they took out of their canoe fome fmoukec! venifon, and a blad- der of fcal oil, which they brought up to our fire-place; having put fome of the meat into Our kettle, they boiled it in melted fnow, and then gave each of us a very fmall quantity of it, together with fome oil. 1 knew very well their reafon for being fo fparing of their meat -, for eating a quantity of grofs food in our pre- fent Itate might be attended with the moft fatal confequences. It gave me no fmall pleafure to find that the Indiana were fo careful of us. This light repaft being ended, the In- dians defired three of us to embark in their canoe, that being all flie could carry at a time, and proceed from this place to their hut, which lay five miles farther by water, and about a mile from the Ihore, in the middle of the woods. We were M received W (U M i ! *f I ' - I I ; f 90 ] received at the fea fide by three other In- dians, and about twelve or fourteen wo- men and children, who had been there waiting our arrival. Having landed from the canoe, we were condudted by thefc laft to their habitation in the wood, which confided of three huts or wigwams, there being that number of families amongft them : meanwhile the fame two Indians as had brought us, went back in thei-r canoe for the three remaining men of our party, who had been left behind. On ar- riving at the hut, we were treated with the greateft humanity by thefe people ; they gave us fome broth to fup, but would not fuffer us to eat meat, or any kind of fub- ftantial food whatever. The two Indians being come b ^ck with our companions, and having all received a tolerable rcfrefhment, I was defired, at the requeft of a very old woman, who ap- peared to be miftrefs and mother of the families prefent, to give them an account of our tranfaftions fince the day of our fliipwreck. I accordingly gave a more particular [ 9' ■] particular account than I had done before in French to the Indian whom I have al- ready mentioned ; and he explained it in their own language to the other Indians. In the courfe of my relation I could per- ceive that the old woman was exceedingly affefted at certain parts of it, which gave me much fatisfaftion, as I derived hopes from it, that ^hey would continue to treat us with the fame humanity. As foon as I had done fpeaking, the old woman rofe up, and, artei fupplying us with fome more broth, defired the interpreter to ex- plain to us the (hipwrcck of the famous French partifan St. Luc Lacorne on his paflage from Canada to France. ,t. >.,. He informed me that this gentleman, of whof fliipwrcck I had already heard fomcthin^, was caft away direftly upon the North Cape •, that a great number of perfons perifhed on the occafion, amongft whom were two of Mr St. Luc's children^ who were drowned in his arms, as he was attempting to carry them on fhore. He Hkewifc informed me, that after his hav- --. -- . M 2 • ^ ing \ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 ■ JO ^^~ ■■■ Ui i&i 12.2 us 140 12.0 1-25 IIU 1.6 « 6" ► 7] V '/ /A HiotograTriJc Scienc'3S Corporalion 23 WEST MAIN !i \ [ 93 J Ihould be omitted for their prefervation, and having defcribcd to the Imlians what part of the iQand we were call away upon, afked them, If it was not pofllble to go to their relief? , From the dcfcription I gave the Indians of the fituation of the river, and of a fmall ifland, that lay nearly oppofite, they faid, that they knew tht: place perfectly well ; that it was above one hundred miles diftant, through very difficult paths, over rivers and mountains •, and that if they undertook the journey, they muft expert fome compenfation for their trouble. This ipdeed was but reafonable : for it could not be expedted, that the Indians fhould leave their hunting, by which alone they fubfifted their wives and families, to un- dergo a fatigue of that kind through pure benevolence : and as to their account of the diftance, I could eafily give credit to it, as I knew we had come above 150 miles by water. I then informed them, for the firll: time, for in fad: it did not occur to me bcfore^j that I had fome money, --'■■-^^■^' ■ • -■^, '' and r-' >-irf -I [ 94 ] and that, if it would be any objeft to them, 1 would pay them for their trouble. They fecmed much pleafed when I told them that I had money, and defircd me to let them look at it. Then takino; the purfe from my fervant, I Ihewed them the hundred and eighty guineas that it contained ; and obfcrving an eagernefs in their countenances at the fisrht of the coin, which I had little expefted amongft In- dians, and that the women in particular feemed to have a longing for it, 1 pre- fcnted them with a guinea each ; for which they exprefTed their fatisfa^ion by laugh- ing, which is the only method among the favages of difplaying every fentiment of that nature. -:»■« '■ !■ f--i n^iCy "ii':^^^ However I was determined at all events to fave the people, if any of them remained alive^ though the Indians fliould be ever fo exorbitant in their demands ; and made an agreement with them at taft, that they fliouTd fet off' the next day, which was the fecond of March, and that they fhould leceive twentj^-five guineas a( their depar- ture, IS in of C 95 ] ture, and the fame fum on their return. This being fetihd, they immediately went to work in making a proper number of niawkifins and Inow fhoes, for themfelves and for the men •, and three of them went off the next morning, having received th^ fum of money agreed for. . After thefe people knew that I had money, my fituation amongft them was not near io comfortable as before : for they became as mercenary as they had hi* therto been charitable, and exaftcd above ten times the value for every little necef- fary they furniflied for myfelf and the reft of my companions, Befides which, I was under conftant apprehenfion, left they fliould be incited by this extraordinary paf- iion for money to plunder us, and leave us in the fame deftitute condition in which they found us. The only circumftancc on which I founded my hope of better treatment from them, was their religion : for, as I mentioned before, they were Chriftians, and rigid Catholics, havings been converted by the French before we ii:rv,M • got ■M .t 'r . / -^ t 96 ] grtt pofleflion of the ifland. But jDcrhaps it was this very circumttancc of their com- munication with Chriftians, that had in- fpired them with that vehement love of money. They fhewed indeed every mark of attachment to their faith, being very afTiduous at their devotions both night and morning; and frequently gave us caufe to wilh they had not been quite fo devout, by difturbing us with their pfalm fmging the whole night. I was very much afraid at times, if they had learnt that tenet of their fefl, of keeping no faith with heretics, that their profeflion of Chriftianity would be of little fervice to us. My fervant being an Irifti catholic, they were exce^'dingly fond of him, and heaped their favours upon him very pro- fufely. He joined them for the mod part in their roaring, for I cannot with pro-» priety call it finging, and in their prayers ; though he did not underftand a word of either. Indeed I queftion much whether they themfelves underltood them, for they were the moft confufed jargon 1 ever heardj compounded of their own and the ' ^ ^ : French" •■i-",,- ^. »:'«dA V [ 97 ] French language, with the mixture of a few broken Latin phrafes, which they had picked up from their converters, the Jefuits. . , ^ ^» *^i ^ .;■('< ,f **!>-• . Thefe infular favages bore in general an exadb refemblance in their perfons and manners to thofe of the continent. The principal points in which they differed were, in having their hair long, which is peculiar to the women alone among the con- tinental Indians, and in wearing breeches, and ^caps upon their heads. Their lan- guage was very different from that of thole nations, or tribes, which I was ac- quainted with*, though I doubt not but it might have a refemblance to fome others upon the continent. 1 found afterwards, when we got into a part of the iQand where it was to be had, that they had the fame ftrongpropenfity to fpirituous lic^uor, fo univerfal among the Indians. 4>It was fome time before we had reco- vered any degree of ftrength, or could digelt any fubftantial food. The only '■ [ 98 ] kind wc could get from the Indians was the flefli of moofc deer, and feal oil •, on which they fubfift entirely during the time of hunting. Notwithftanding that wc found ourfelves, after our late mifcries, pretty comfortably fituatcd amongft thofc fa- vagcs, yet I was anxious to get away, on account of the difpatches I was charged with, which I thought might be of the iitmoft confequence to his majefty's fer- vice; particularly, as I knew that the duplicates were loft. I continued how- ever in fo weak a condition, that it was impoffible for mc to move for fome time -, and found, as well as my fellow-fufFerers, that fuch a (hock to the conftitution was not eafily to be repaired. Indeed I can never expeil to recover it entirely, not having been fince able to make a hearty meal, though it is now fifteen months from the time of our fhip wreck. ^ t'*^' ~i» After being abfent near a fortnight, the Indians arrived with three men, who were the only furvivors of thofe who had been left behind at the hut. They were m ■■♦"■^v'^v [ 99 ] in a very reduced and miferable condition, and informed me, on enquiring the parti- culars of their tranfaftions from tiie time we left them, that after having confumed all the beef, they lived for fome days on the fkin of the moofe deer, which we had left entire, not thinking it worth whi^e to make a divifion of it. This being confumed, three of them died in a few days of hunger, and the others were under the neceflity of fubfifting on the fleih of the dead men^ till they were relieved by the Indians. One of the remaining five was fo impru- dently ravenous, when the Indianis came to their afliftance, as to eat fuch a quan- tity of meat) that he expired in a few hours, in the greateft agonies imaginable ^ and another foon after (hot himfelf ac- cidentally witn one of the Indians* gunSi Thus was our number, which originally confifted of nineteen perfons, reduced to nine -, and I rather wonder how fo many perfons could, for the fpace of three months, go through fuch complicated di- ftrcffes, from exceflivc cold, fatigue, and hunger, , . » ,. ,,. . , ., , ♦ ♦W!.. N VVc [ .TOO 1 , We all remained another fortnight among the Indians, during which I was obliged to pay, as before, a mod exor- bitant price for our diet, and for every neceffary that we were provided with. By this time my health being fomewhat re- cftablifhed, and my money at the fame time very much reduced, I was refolved to poftpone my own convenience to] the good of the fervice, and to proceed as fad as poflible with general Haldimand's dif- patches, though it was now the moft un- favourable feafon of the year for travel- ing. I therefore made an agreement with the Indians to conduft me to Hallifax ; for which I was to pay them forty-five pounds, and to furnifh them with provi- sions, and all neceffaries, at every inha- bited place on our way. ^.f.'i'f. ■f It was fettled that I fhould depart on the 2d of April, with two Indians for Hallifax, accompanied by Mr. WinQow, a young gentleman who had been a paf- fcnger on board the veffel, and one of the three furvivors at the hut, aiid my own '-/ :: K' fcrvant. 1 \ [ lOI ] i was exor- fcrvant. The Indians were to condudt the remainder of our party to a fettlement on Spanilh river, about fifty miles diftant, where they were to remain till the fpring, when an opportunity might offer for them to get by fea to Hallifax. Previoufly to parting I gave the captain cafh for a bill on his owner at New York, to provide for the immediate fubfiftence of himfelf and the failors ; which bill was afterwards protefted by the owner, on the pretence, that the Ihip being lolt, neither mafter nor crew were entitled to any wages. ^ ni We accordingly fet off on the day ap- pointed, each carrying four pair of Indian fhoes^ or mawkifins, a pair of fnow fhoes, and provifions for fifteen days. The fame day we got to a place called by the Eng- lifh Broad Oar, where we were detained the following day by a fnow ftorm. On the 4th we again proceeded through the woods about five leagues \ and on the 5th arrived at a place named Broad Deck, which lies at the entrance of a very fine fait -water lake, called Lake St. Peter. This ■** t(.w>y^^M«»<>« I was obliged to purchafe two Indian fleds^ in which we were to place the canoe, and drag it after us. ./ 1 1 Having remained two days in this place, and provided ourfelves with a few other neceflary articles, we proceeded on the y th for a few miles along the lake ; but the ice being bad, we were foon obliged to take to the woods. A thaw coming on foon after, with rain, made the fnow*; which lay to the depth of fix feet in the woods, fo foft and heavy, that we could travel no longer on our fnow fhoes, the ihow [ticking to them in lai^ quantities. h-^^-- ■ ■ We [ '^3 ] We were therefore obliged to make a fire, and remain here •, and the thaw con- tinuing till ihe I ith, made us very apprc- hcnfive left the ice ftiould give way alto- gether : tor the Ipring was now too far advanced to travel any longer upon the fnow, uniefs during a froft. We IhoiJd then have been under the neceflity of waiting till the ice was entirely cleared off the lake ; which would have taken at lealt a fortnight or three weeks from the time of its breaking up, and might have been reduced to a condition equally diftreffed with that we had been in after our fhip- wreck, except that we were provided with arms and ammunition. However the froft returned on the 1 2th, and the next day we fet off, and travelled about fix leagues, fometimes on ik>ating pieces of ice, and at others in our canoe, when* the lake was open. On the 14th our provifions being nearly exhauil- cd, I propoted going in fearch of ibmc game, as the country abounded with moofe deer : for the Indians in general never ( ; L i i.:^ 1 \., »■'• il'":' M->' ■Jftf. 104 ] never think of providing for the next day's wants, but eat on without refleftion whilft they have a morfcl of food remain- ing. I accordingly went with one of the Indians into the woods. We had not been three hours on the hunt, before we difcovered a very fine moofe deer •, and the Indian (hot hini in about an hour after. We fkinned this animal, which weighed about fix hundred pounds, loaded I ourfelves with fome of the bcft parts of its flefli, as well as the blood, which the Indian took care to coljeft, putting it in . the bladder of the beaft ; and returned to our canoe. On our return, we fent the other Indian, Mr. Winflow, and my fer- vant for fome more of the meat, of which they brought about an hundred pounds. Being now well (locked with provi- fions, we had no reafon to apprehend that we fliould want, in cafe a return of mild weather Ihould render it impoffible for us to travel either upon the lake or in the woods. On the 15th we fct out very early in the morning, and purfued our :s;;^>:^** ; journey the next refleftion I rcmain- le of the had not >efore wc ler; and an hour I, which s, loaded parts of ^hich the ing it in. ;urned to fent the I my fer- of which pounds. h provi- lend that of mild le for us r in the )ut very 'ued our journey [ 10? ] journey about fix leagues, in the fame manner as before. The greatefl: incon- venience that we felt was the want of bread, which the Indians of this country never make ufe of whiift they are hunt- ing ; and being now much wearied with travelling, our ftrength having been great- ly exhaulled by our pall fatigues, we agreed to make a halt for a day or two in the woods. What renders the travelling through the woods in thefe cold climates more tolerable than might be fuppofed during the v/inter feafon, is the number of pine-trees and other evergreens, which are interfperfed in different parts ; the branches of which fervc, not only to lie i^pon, but aUo as a fheker from the fe- verity of the weather. We chofe a fpot abounding with thefe trees, and it is ai- ' moft inconceivable in how Ihort a time the Indians made us a comfortable habi- tation of the boughs, called in their lan- guage a wigwam. Their method of con- Itruding them is as follows : Having chofen the fpot for their fire, they firit /iilear oiV the Inow, thro, /ing it up into a lf.> . O bank [ io6 J bank in a circular form, leaving a vacant fpace, or pafiagc, to leeward : and it is to be obferved, that the more fnow there is on thcf ground the better, as it makes the beft part of the flielter. They then cut branches of pines, of a proper length, and placing the thicker ends of them in the bank of fnow, bend and interweave them towards the top. Thefe branches are croffed by others, and interwoven with fmaller ones, in fuch a manner, as to afford a fufficient flielter from the wind s^id from ihe fnow. The fire is made in the middle of the wigwam, and the fmoke of it goes out by the pafTage to leeward. The wigwams thus made are very com- fortable, even in the coldeft weather, and are proof againft any thing but a heavy rain; befide which, a change of wind is the only inconvenience they are liable to. , .. H We proceeded again on our journey on the 1 8th, and, during. that and the fol- lowing day, travelled fcveral miles, with- out meeting with any thing remarkable. I had vacant d it is |w there makes |ey then length, Ihem in rweave ranches en with as to le wind lade in * fmoke eeward. ■y com- i^eather, but a mge of hey are •ney on he fol- , with- rkable. I had [ 107 ] I had now leifure to obferve the beauties* of this lake, which was one of the fined I ever faw in America ; though at this feafori of the year it could not appear to the befc advantage. As far as I could judge, it is about twenty leagues in length from north to foudi, and eight wide from eaft to weft. A number of fmall iflands are fcattered about in different parts of it, and give the lake fomewhat the appear- ance of the lake of Killarnv, and other frefh water lakes in Ireland. Thcie iflands have never been lettled on; yet appear to be very fruitful, and muft be a moft de- lightful refidence in fummer, except for the want of frefh water ; which perhaps may be the reafon they have never been >;' inhabited. Had the lake been properly frozen, we might have faved ourfelves the trouble of travelling feveral leagues, by crolTing over from point to point, and from •one ifiand to another : but, this not being the cafe, we were obliged to travel round the greateft part of the bays on one fide. -of it. ■O- -^~ Qw i' [ ra8 ] On the 20th we arrived at a place callecf St. Peter's, where there are four or five French and Englifh families fettled. I was here received very politely, and enter- tained at the houfe of a Mr. Cavanaugh^ a merchant. To this harbour veflcls of the greateft burthen can come with fafety, and a' confiderable fifhery was formerly carried on here, till, on the breaking out of the prefent war, the American priva- teers put a flop to it. The force of thefe privateers, even taken colleftively, is bu; trifling ; and it is much to be regretted^ that government cannot fpare a vefTel or two of force to cruize about here, and pro- teftthefifheries; which, together with fome other branches of trade, might be carried on with as much vigour, and much more benefit, than before the war. This Mr. Cavanaugh, but a fhort time before 1 ar- rived, was plundered to the amount of three thoufand pounds, by two privateers from Bofton •, who came in at their lei- fure, and took what they wanted out of his ftores. Thefe A warn merican privateers have -\''^ called r fivQ I was enter- augh^ els of afety, merly y out )riva- thefe s but :tted, el or pro- fome Tried more Mr. I ar^ it of ' teers let- - t of ::je icers lave 4 [ 109 ] have likewlfe driven all the fcttlers away from Louifburg, who had alfo fubfifted by the fifhery ; and it is fomewhat remark- able, that this place, which was, during the two laft wars, fuch a bone of content tion between us and the French, has not at the prefent moment fo much as a fingle inhabitant* 1 I fhould have taken a fhallop or fiflhing boat from this place, and gene to Halii- fax by fea, but that there w:^.s almoft a certainty of being taken by fome privateer along the coaft. This lake St. Peter is but half a mile from the ocean, to which wc were to carry our c^noe through the the woods, and to proceed by water to the gut of Canceau. V^'hile the French were in poffefllon of the ifland, they had formed a defign of cutting through this narrow neck of land and opening a communica- tion on that fide between the ocean and the lake, in order to bring in their large fhips of war, to lie during the winter in the lake of St. Peter. For there is a fuf- ficient depth of water m the harbour of : ' St. T \ f i ■ ♦•- r I 1 10 J St. Peter for the largeft ihips of the line to ride, though there is not water enough in the inlet, by which the lake communi- cates with the ocean, to enable them to pals up to the harbour. After flocking ourfelves therefore with as much provifions, and other neceffaries, as we had occafion for (for which I paid nine pounds) we fet ofFon the 22d in our bark canoe, and arrived the fame day at a place called by the French, Grand Grave ; where there is a family or two of that nation. The wind blowing hard, we were obliged to remain here all night, and on the 23d proceed along the coaft to a fettlement called Difcouffe, where -we were detained another day by fome floating ice. On the 25th we got to a place called Narrafhoc •, where we were as hofpitably entertained as we had been at St. Peter's. I here exchanged the remains of my regi- mental coat for a brown fuit of cloaths, intending to pals for the mafter of the '1 :he line enough nmuni- hem to re with effaries, 1 I paid 1 in our I day at Grand r two of g hard, II night, he coaft , where 5y fomc e called )fpitably , Peter's, my regi- cloaths, : of the [ "I ] fliip, in cafe I (hould happen to be tals:en by any of the rebel privateers at Canceau ; and as the inhabitants of this place gave me to uii Jerftand, that the people of Can- ceau were very much difafFedled to go- vernment, I took every precaution to dii- guife the appearance of an officer. t ,., 1.r> .'filt'/y i ■ ,' «> fl^ap,, We proceeded in our canoe, on the*26th, to the point of Ifle Madame ; intending to crofs the great paflage of Canceau. Tnis pafTage is called the Gut of Can- ceau, from an Acadian fettlement of that name on the continent ; and feparates the Ifland of Cape Breton from Acadia, or, as it is now called by the Englifh, Nova Scotia. The ifland of Madame lies in the middle of the gut, but rather nearer to Cape Breton than to the main ; and the paflTage to this ifland is called the Small, that from the ifland to Canceau, the Great Paflage. On making the point of Ifle Madame, we found that there was flill a great quantity of floating ice in the Great PaflTage, and, not thinking it pru- ^dent to venture in gur frail veflel amongfl: it. •',•••7 ii I I 1 . i I I [ ,12 ] it, we returned to Narraflioc, in order to ' procure a fmali floop or veffcl that could : Tcfift the ice. . I • Having accordingly provided one, wc embarked our little canoe in it, and, on the 27th, the wind being as favourable as we could wifh, got acrofs the paflage, which is eight leagues, in three hours. The men, who navigated the vefiel to the ■ other fide, were very apprehenfive of fome American privateers lying in the harbour of Canceau, having feen feveral in the bay two days before. Upon this intelli- gence, I gave my difpatches and papers to one of the Indians, knowing well, that the rebels never attempt to fearch or plunder any of thefe people. We were however fo fortunate as to fee no priva- :teers on entering the harbour. t^:!^ On landing at Canceau, I went to the .houfe of a Mr. Ruft, who Is the princi- ^pal man at this place, and ads as a juftice of the peace under government, for which ,hc receives about .100/. per annum. The in- order to lac could one, we and, on mrable as paflage, ?e hours. (Tel to the e of fome * harbour al in the is intelli- d papers well, that earch or We were no priva- nt to the le princi- ; a juftice X)r which m. The ^:^ in- '•*. i ''3 1 ihhabitants on the other fide, as well as the people who brought us over, having informed me, that this gentleman always fupplied the rebel privateers with every neceffary that his Itores could afford, I was determined to be very cautious in every thing 1 faid in his prefence. JHaving paid the perfon who brought us over the gur, and thanked him for his private intelli- gence, I was conduced to the houfe of this Mr. Ruft, to whom I pafled myfelf fcr the captain of the fhip. He afked me a number of queftions, the tendency of which I could eafily perceive ; and therefore gave him as evafive anfwers as polTible. I found that he had a brother- in-law, who was a firft lieutenant on board a fixtee n gun brig belonging to the rebels, which had gone out of the harbour of Canceau the day before. We remained in this place till three o'clock the next morning, when, being apprehenfive of treachery on the part of our pretended friends, we fet off w'thout any intimation of it to Mr, Ruft. From P this I" iy^\ 'i. m m PI "■ < i{iM4 ] this gentleman I had purchafed a piece of falc pork and about eight pounds of jbifcuit, which he faid was as much as he could fpare, and for which I was obliged to pay him at lead thrice its value. We were now to proceed in our canoe along the coaft to Hallifax, and had reafon to fear, that we fhould be again diftreffed for provifions. However we were fo lucky as to find, as we coafted along, plenty of lobftcrs and other fifh, which the In* dians caught with prodigious dexterity. We were ten days going from Canceau to Hallifax, during which interval we did not meet with any fettlement, and faw nothing worth mentioning, except a num- ber of American privateers in diflferent part$ of the coaft. <•,-„. The Indians remained for a few days at Hallifax; when, having received the balance due to them, they took their de- parture for the ifland. I was obliged to continue here for two months longer, till an opportunity ferved of a paffage, in the Royal Oak, to New York ; where I de- ' r^ • }ive]fed .■ \ h [ '15 ] livered my difpatches (in a very ragged condition) to Sir Henry Clinton. The reft of my fellow fufferers in the fliipwreck foon after arrived at Hallifax in a (hallop from Spanifti River. The captain, confcious of the reception he would meet with, did not think proper to go to his owner at New York, to give an account of the lofs of his veflel ; but took his paffage in a (hip from Hallifax to London, and now ferves as a pilot in the river Thames. The mate was, on account of his good conduft during the whole of our tranfaftions, appointed by a gentleman in Hallifax to the command pf a fliip bound to the Weft Indies. T H I z u vl ■ & v< .. rsN