lightning, and rain.

Here we thought our case was very deplorable indeed, and therefore our
artist, of whom I have spoken so often, set up a great cross of wood on the
hill which was within a mile of the headland, with these words, but in the
Portuguese language:--

"Point Desperation. Jesus have mercy."

We set to work immediately to build us some huts, and to get our clothes
dried; and though I was young and had no skill in such things, yet I shall
never forget the little city we built, for it was no less, and we fortified
it accordingly; and the idea is so fresh in my thought, that I cannot but
give a short description of it.

Our camp was on the south side of a little creek on the sea, and under the
shelter of a steep hill, which lay, though on the other side of the creek,
yet within a quarter of a mile of us, N.W. by N., and very happily
intercepted the heat of the sun all the after part of the day. The spot we
pitched on had a little fresh water brook, or a stream running into the
creek by us; and we saw cattle feeding in the plains and low ground east
and to the south of us a great way.

Here we set up twelve little huts like soldiers' tents, but made of the
boughs of trees stuck in the ground, and bound together on the top with
withies, and such other things as we could get; the creek was our defence
on the north, a little brook on the west, and the south and east sides were
fortified with a bank, which entirely covered our huts; and being drawn
oblique from the north-west to the south-east, made our city a triangle.
Behind the bank or line our huts stood, having three other huts behind them