out 8 or 9
o'clock, we all turned in, but my suspicions would not allow me
to sleep; for when all was silent, I could hear the Spaniards
conversing with each other in a low tone, on which I spake to
Manuel with the hope that he might understand the subject of
their consultation; but he, like his companions, was too sound
asleep to be easily awakened. A lamp of fish oil had been dimly
burning for two or three hours, when the master fisherman arose
and extinguished it. About this time an old dog belonging to the
fishermen, commenced a most hideous howling without, that was
occasionally answered by our dog within. Supposing some boat
might be approaching, I went out, but could discover no living
being in motion. It was a star light-night, the wind blowing
fresh with a few flying scuds. When I returned into the hut, I
set down between two barrels of bread, against one of which I
leaned my head, prepared to give an early warning of any foul
play that might befal us; but the night passed without any
incident to interrupt the slumbers of my weary messmates.

Early in the morning they turned out and we went down to the Cove
before described, in order to bathe. While we were clothing
ourselves on the shore at the head of the Cove, we discovered, at
high-water mark, a number of human skeletons--(except the
skulls)--bleached and partly decayed. The bones of the fingers,
hands and ribs were entire. To me this was no very pleasant
discovery, and I observed to Mr. Merry that "we might all be
murdered in such a place without the possibility of its being
known"; but the bones were, at the time, supposed to have
belonged to seamen that might have been shipwrecked on the reef
near this part of the key.

On our return to the hut we found breakfast awaiting us. This day
we spent in rambling about the Island, and were generally
followed by two of the fishermen, who manifested more than usual
vigilance. During this as well as the preceding day they
suspended their usual occupation, and passed their time in
loitering about. My suspicions were increased by a number of
circumstances to such a degree, that I urged Capt. Hilton to
depart in our own boat bad as she was; but he expressed great
confidence in the head fisherman, from his previous acquaintance
with him at Matanzas.

As we had made arrangements to depart the next morning, all hands
were preparing to turn in at an early hour when the master
fisherman observed, it was too _hot_ to