our vessel to the shore, which we contented ourselves with for that time.

To be short, we spent four months here, and worked very hard too; at the
end of which time we launched our frigate, which, in a few words, had many
defects, but yet, all things considered, it was as well as we could expect
it to be.

In short, it was a kind of sloop, of the burthen of near eighteen or twenty
tons; and had we had masts and sails, standing and running rigging, as is
usual in such cases, and other conveniences, the vessel might have carried
us wherever we could have had a mind to go; but of all the materials we
wanted, this was the worst, viz., that we had no tar or pitch to pay the
seams and secure the bottom; and though we did what we could, with tallow
and oil, to make a mixture to supply that part, yet we could not bring it
to answer our end fully; and when we launched her into the water, she was
so leaky, and took in the water so fast, that we thought all our labour had
been lost, for we had much ado to make her swim; and as for pumps, we had
none, nor had we any means to make one.

But at length one of the natives, a black negro-man, showed us a tree, the
wood of which being put into the fire, sends forth a liquid that is as
glutinous and almost as strong as tar, and of which, by boiling, we made a
sort of stuff which served us for pitch, and this answered our end
effectually; for we perfectly made our vessel sound and tight, so that we
wanted no pitch or tar at all. This secret has stood me in stead upon many
occasions since that time in the same place.

Our vessel being thus finished, out of the mizzen-mast of the ship we made
a very good mast to her, and fitted our sails to it as well as we could;
then we made a rudder and tiller, and, in a word, everything that our