our station upon a high rock, than the punt was driven loose by a sudden squall; and had not one of the men, at the risk of his life, jumped into the fea, and fwam on board her, we muft, in all probability, have perished, for we were more than three leagues from the island at the time. Among the birds we generally fhot was the painted goofe, whofe plumage is variegated with the most lively colours; and a bird much larger than a goofe, which we called a race-horfe, from the velocity with which it moved upon the face of the water, in a fort of half flying, half running motion. But we were not fo fuccefsful in our endeavours by land; for, though we fometimes got pretty far into the woods, we met with very few birds in all our walks. We never faw but three woodcocks, two of which were killed by Mr. Hamilton, and one by myself. Thefe, with fome humming birds, and a large kind of Robinred-breaft, were the only feathered inhabitants of this ifland, excepting a finall bird, with two very long feathers in his tail, which was generally feen amongst the rocks, and was fo tame that I have had them reft upon my fhoulders whilft I have been gathering thell-fifh. Indeed, we were vifited by many birds of prey, fome very large; but thefe only occationally, and, as we imagined, allured by fome dead whale in the neighbourhood, which was once feen. However, if we were so fortunate as to kill one of them, we thought ourfelves very well off. In one of my walks, feeing a bird of this latter kind upon an eminence, I endeavoured to come upon it unperceived with my gun, by means of the woods which lay at the back of that eminence; but when I had proceeded fo far in the woods as to think I was in a line with

it, I heard a growling close by me, which made me think it advisable to retire as foon as poffible: the woods were fo gloomy I could fee nothing: but as I retired, this noise followed me close till I had got out of them. Some of our men did affure me, that they had seen a very large beast in the woods; but their description of it was too imperfect to be relied upon. The wood here is chiefly of the aromatic kind; the iron wood, a wood of a very deep red hue, and another of an exceeding bright yellow. All the low spots are very fwampy; but what we thought ftrange, upon the fummits of the higheft hills were found beds of fhells, a foot or two thick.

The long-boat being nearly finished, fome of our company were selected to go out in the barge, in order to reconnoitre the coaft to the Touthward, which might affift us in the navigation we were going upon. This party confifted of Mr. Bulkely, Mr. Jones, the purfer, myself, and ten men. The first night we put into a good harbour, a few leagues to the fouthward of Wager's Ifland; where finding a large bitch big with puppies, we regaled upon them. In this expedition we had our ufual bad weather, and breaking feas, which were grown to fuch a height the third day, that we were obliged, through diftrefs, to push in at the firft inlet we faw at hand. This we had no fooner entered, than we were prefented with a view of a fine bay, in which, having fecured the barge, we went afhore; but the weather being very rainy, and finding nothing to fubfift upon, we pitched a bell tent, which we had brought with us, in the wood oppofite to where the barge lay. As this tent was not large enough to contain us all, I proposed to four of

the people, to go to the end of the bay, about two miles diftant from the bell tent, to occupy the fkeleton of an old Indian wigwam, which I had discovered in a walk that way, upon our firft landing. This we covered to windward with fea-weed; and lighting a fire, laid ourselves down, in hopes of finding a remedy for our hunger in fleep; but we had not long compofed ourfelves, before one of our company was disturbed by the blowing of fome animal at his face, and, upon opening his eyes, was not a little aftonished to fee, by the glimmering of the fire, a large beaft ftanding over him. He had prefence of mind enough to fnatch a brand from the fire, which was now very low, and thruft it at the nose of the animal, who thereupon made off: this done, the man awoke, us, and related, with horror in his countenance, the narrow escape he had of being devoured. But though we were under no fmall apprehenfions of another vifit from this animal, yet our fatigue and heavinefs were greater than our fears; and we, once more, composed ourselves to reft, and slept the remainder of the night without any farther difturbance. In the morning, we were not a little anxious to know how our companions had fared; and this anxiety was increafed, upon tracing the footsteps of the beast in the fand, in a, direction towards the bell tent. The impreffion was deep and plain, of a large round foot, well furnished with claws, Upon our acquainting the people in the tent with the circumftance of our ftory, we found that they too had been visited by the fame unwel come gueft, which they had driven away by minch the fame expedient. We now returned from this cruife, with a strong gale, to Wager's Itland,

having found it impracticable to make farther discoveries in the barge, on fo dangerous a coaft, and in fuch heavy feas. Here we foon difcovered, by the quarters of dogs hanging up, that the Indians had brought a freth fupply to our market. Upon enquiry, we found that there had been fix canoes of them, who, among other methods of taking fith, had taught their dogs to drive the fish into a corner of fome pond, or lake, from whence they were eafily taken out by the skill and address of these favages.

During our abfence on this expedition, the cabals, in oppofition to the captain, had been carried to a greater pitch than ever; and now they wished to negotiate, not to obey.

The determination of the majority was to go in the long-boat to the fouthward, by the Straights of Magellan, and when they found that they could not alter his determination, they abandoned him and the few who adhered to his fortune; taking with them almoft every article of fubfiftence and flores.

The captain and hús adherents had now no other alternative than to equip the barge and yawl in the beft manner they could, to profecute his original plan; and a few deferters having been brought over to his intereft, the number which remained with him amounted to twenty.

In the height of our diftreffes, when hunger, which feems to include and absorb all others, was most prevailing, we were cheered with the appearance, once more, of the friendly Indians; but as we had little left to barter with them, their ftay was but of fhort duration.

A fine day, fo unufual in this climate, intervening, we infiantly took the advantage of it,

and visited the laft remains of the wreck, when we were fortunate enough to find three casks of beef, which we brought on fhore. This providential fupply revived our fpirits, and recruited our almoft exhaufted ftrength. All participated in this relief, and foon found the good effects of it. We now began to grow extremely impatient to leave the inland, as the days were nearly at their longeft, and about midfummer, in these parts; but as to the weather, there feems to be little difference of feasons.

Accordingly, on the 15th of December, the day being tolerable, we told Captain Cheap, we thought it a fine opportunity to run across the bay.

But he firft defired two or three of us to accompany him to our place of observation, the top of Mount Mifery; when, looking through his perspective, he obferved to us, that the fea ran very high without.

This, however, had no weight with the people, who were defirous, at all events, to be gone. I fhould here obferve, that Captain Cheap's plan. was, if poffible, to get to the Ifland of Chiloe; and if we found any veffel there, to board her immediately, and cut her out. This he certainly might have done with ease, had it been his good fortune to get round with the boats.

We now launched both boats, and got every thing on board of them as quick as poffible. Captain Cheap, the furgeon, and myself, were in the barge, with nine men; and Lieutenant Hamilton and Mr. Campbell in the yawl, with fix. I fteered the barge, and Mr. Campbell the yawl. But we had not been two hours at fea before the wind fhifted more to the westward, and began to blow