it, and landed at a
place where the coast was about the height of our tubs, and the water
deep enough to let us approach. The shore spread inland, forming a
gentle declivity of a triangular form, the point lost among the rocks,
and the base to the sea.

All that were able leaped on shore in a moment. Even little Francis, who
had been laid down in his tub, like a salted herring, tried to crawl
out, but was compelled to wait for his mother's assistance. The dogs,
who had preceded us in landing, welcomed us in a truly friendly manner,
leaping playfully around us; the geese kept up a loud cackling, to which
the yellow-billed ducks quacked a powerful bass. This, with the clacking
of the liberated fowls, and the chattering of the boys, formed a perfect
Babel; mingled with these, were the harsh cries of the penguins and
flamingoes, which hovered over our heads, or sat on the points of the
rocks. They were in immense numbers, and their notes almost deafened us,
especially as they did not accord with the harmony of our civilized
fowls. However I rejoiced to see these feathered creatures, already
fancying them on my table, if we were obliged to remain in this
desert region.

Our first care, when we stepped in safety on land, was to kneel down
and thank God, to whom we owed our lives; and to resign ourselves wholly
to his Fatherly kindness.

We then began to unload our vessel. How rich we thought ourselves with
the little we had saved! We sought a convenient place for our tent,
under the shade of the rocks. We then inserted a pole into a fissure in
the rock; this, resting firmly on another pole fixed in the ground,
formed the frame of the tent. The sailcloth was then stretched over it,
and fastened down at proper distances, by pegs, to which, for greater
security, we added some boxes of provision; we fixed some hooks to the
canvas at the opening in front, that we might close the entrance during
the night. I sent my sons to seek some moss and withered grass, and
spread it in the sun to dry, to form our beds; and while all, even
little Francis, were busy with this, I constructed a sort of
cooking-place, at some distance from the tent, near the river which was
to supply us with fresh water. It was merely a hearth of flat stones
from the bed of the stream, fenced round with some thick branches. I
kindled a cheerful fire with some dry twigs, put on the pot, filled with
water and some squares of portable soup, and left my wife, with