A FAMISHED CREW. 888

then driven away again to the south-east by a strong gale of wind
at north-north-west, the same that blew, now; and having no sails
to work the ship with but a main course, and a kind of square sail
upon a jury fore-mast, which they had set up, they could not lie
near the wind, but were endeavouring to stand away for the
Canaries.

But that which was worst of all was, that they were almost
starved for want of provisions, besides the fatigues they had under-
gone; their bread and flesh were quite gone, they had not one
ounce left in the ship, and had had none for eleven days. The only
relief they had was, their water-was not all spent, and they had
about half a barrel of flour left; they had sugar enough; some
succades, or sweetmeats, they had at first, but they were devoured;
and they had seven casks of rum.

There was a youth and his mother and a maidservant on board,
who were going passengers, and thinking the ship was ready to
sail, unhappily came on board the evening before the hurricane
began; and having no provisions of their own left, they were in a
more deplorable condition than the rest, for the seamen, being
reduced to such an extreme necessity themselves, had no compas-
sion, we may be sure, for the poor passengers, and they were
indeed in a condition that their misery is very hard to describe.

I had, perhaps, not known this part, if my curiosity had not led
me, the weather being fair and the wind abated, to go on board the
ship. The second mate, who upon this occasion commanded the
ship, had been on board our ship, and he told me indeed they had
three passengers in the great cabin that were in a deplorable con-
dition: ‘ Nay,” says he, ‘I believe they are dead, for I have
heard nothing of them for above two days, and I was afraid to
inquire after them,” said he, “ for I had nothing to relieve them
with.”

We immediately applied ourselves to give them what relief we
could spare; and, indeed, I had so far overruled things with .my
nephew, that I would have victualled them, though we had gone
away to Virginia, or any part of the coast of America, to have
supplied ourselves; but there was no necessity for that.

But now they were in a new danger; for they were afraid of
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