246 SPOILS FROM THE WRECK,

Had the stern of the ship been fixed and the fore part broken
off, Tam persuaded that T might have made a good voyage; for
by what T found in these two chests, I had room to suppose the
ship had a great deal of wealth on board; and if T may guess by
the course she steered, she must have been bound from the Buenos
Ayres or the Rio dela Plata, in the south part of America, beyond
the Brazils, to the Havannah, in the Gulf of Mexico, and so, per-
haps, to Spain. She had, no doubt, a great treasure in her, but of
no use at that time to anybody; and what became of the rest. of
her people I then knew not.

T found, besides these chests, a little cask full of liquor, of about
twenty gallons, which T got into my boat with much difficulty.
There were several muskets ina cabin, and a great powder-horn,
with about four pounds of powder in it. As for the muskets, I
had no occasion for them—so [ left them; but took the powder-
horn. I took a fire-shovel and tongs, which IT wanted extremely ;
ns also two little brass kettles, a copper pot to make chocolate, and
agridiron, And with this cargo and the dog I came away, the
tide beginning to make home again. And the same evening, about
an hour within night, I reached the island again, weary and
fatigued to the last degree.

I reposed that night in the boat, and in the morning T resolved
to harbour what T had gotten in my new cave, not to carry it home
to my castle. After refreshing myself, I got all ny cargo on shore,
and began to examine the particulars. The eask of liquor T found
to be a kind of ram, but not such as we had at the Brazils—and,
in a word, not at all good; but when I came to open the chests,
IT found several things of great use to me. For example, [ found
in one a fine case of bottles, of an extraordinary kind, and filled
with cordial waters, fine, and very good; the bottles held about
three pints each, and were tipped with silver: I found two pots
of very good succades, or sweetmeats, so fastened also on top that
the salt water had not hurt them; and two more of the same which
the water had spoiled: I found some very good shirts, which were
very welcome to me, and about a dozen and half of linen white
handkerchiefs, and coloured neckeloths—the former were also very
welcome, being exceeding refreshing to wipe my face in a hot dav: