412 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

Wi en a
heathens, savages, and barbarians, he wanted the help of the written
oracle for his assistance.

The young woman was very glad of it also for the present occasion,
though sho had one, and so had the youth, on board our ship, among
the goods which were not yet brought on shore. And now, having
said so many things of this young woman, I cannot omit telling one
story more of her and myself, which has something in it very inform-
ing and remarkable.

I have related to what extremity the poor young woman was reduced ;
how her mistress was starved to death, and did die on board that un-
happy ship we met at sea; and how the whole ship’s company being
reduced to the last extremity, the gentlewoman and her son, and this
maid, were first hardly used as to provisions, and at last totally neg-
lected and starved,—that is to say, brought to the last extremity of
hunger.

One day, being discoursing with her upon the extremities they suf-
fered, I asked her if she could describe, by what she felt, what it was
to starve, and how it appeared? She told me she believed she could,
and she told her tale very distinctly thus:

“First, sir,” said she, ‘we had for some days fared exceeding hard,
and suffered very great hunger, but now at last we were wholly with-
out food of any kind except sugar, and a little wine, and a little water.
The first day after I had received no food at all, I found myself, to-
wards evening, first empty and sickish at my stomach, and nearer
night mightily inclined to yawning, and sleepy: I lay down on a couch
in the great cabin to sleep, and slept about three hours, and awaked a
little refreshed, having taken a glass of wine when I lay down. After
being about three hours awake, it being about five o’clock in the morn-
ing, I found myself empty, and my stomach sickish again, and lay
down again, but could not sleep at all, being very faint and ill; and
thus I continued all the second day with a strange variety,—first hun-
gry, then sick again, with retchings to vomit. The second night, being
obliged to go to bed again without any food more than a draught of
fair water, and being asleep, I dreamed I was at Barbadoes, and that
the market was mightily stocked with provisions; that I bought some
for my mistress, and went and dined very heartily.

“I thought my stomach was full after this, as it would have been
after, or at a good dinner; but when I waked, I was exceedingly sunk
in my spirits to find myself in the extremity of famine; the last glass
of wine we had I drank, and put sugar into it, because of its having
some spirit to supply nourishment ; but there being no substance in the
stomach for the digesting office to work upon, I found the only effect