hardly make head 'gainst the wind and swell, which bore down on the reef
close to us; the launch, which was a heavy-pulling boat and deeply
laden, could not; and in a quarter of an hour we had the misery to see
her in the breakers, swallowed up with all hands, together with all the
provisions and water for our sustenance. I will not attempt to describe
the agony of the steward's wife, who saw her husband perish before her
eyes. She fainted; and it was a long time before she came to again; for
no one could leave his oar for a minute to assist her, as we pulled for
our lives. At last she did come to. Poor thing! I felt for her. Toward
night the wind lulled, and we had every appearance of fine weather
coming on; but we had nothing to eat, and only a barrico of water in the
boat, and we were quite exhausted with fatigue.

"'We knew that we must pull to the northward, and try and fetch the
Bahama Isles, or, perhaps, some of the small quays to the southward of
them, where we might procure turtle, and, perhaps, water; and when the
sea had gone down, which it did very fast, we put the head of our boat
in that direction, pulling all night. At daybreak the other boat was not
to be seen; it was a dead clam, but there was still a long heavy swell.
We shared out some water and rested till the evening, and then we took
to our oars again.

"'We rowed hard till the morning, but when the sun rose it scorched us
up. It was impossible for us to keep to our oars without drinking, and,
there being no one to take the command, our water was all gone, and we
had not gained fifty miles to the northward. On the third morning we
laid down exhausted at the bottom of the boat--we were dying not only
with thirst, but with hunger; we had agreed that when night came on we
would take to the oars again; but some would and some would not; so
that, at last, those who had taken to their oars would pull no longer.