t a
seaport, where I embarked in a ship, the captain of which was bound on a
long voyage. It was long indeed, for the captain and pilot lost their
course. They, however, at last discovered where they were, but we had no
reason to rejoice at the circumstance. Suddenly we saw the captain quit
his post, uttering loud lamentations. He threw off his turban, pulled
his beard, and beat his head like a madman. We asked him the reason,
and he answered, that he was in the most dangerous place in all the
ocean. 'A rapid current carries the ship along with it,' said he, 'and
we shall all perish in less than a quarter of an hour. Pray to God to
deliver us from this peril; we cannot escape, if He do not take pity on
us.' At these words he ordered the sails to be lowered; but all the
ropes broke, and the ship was carried by the current to the foot of an
inaccessible mountain, where she struck and went to pieces, yet in such
a manner that we saved our lives, our provisions, and the best of our
goods.

"This being over, the captain said to us: 'God has done what pleased
Him. Each of us may dig his grave, and bid the world adieu; for we are
all in so fatal a place, that none shipwrecked here ever returned to
their homes.' His discourse afflicted us sensibly, and we embraced each
other, bewailing our deplorable lot.

"The mountain at the foot of which we were wrecked formed part of the
coast of a very large island. It was covered with wrecks, with human
bones, and with a vast quantity of goods and riches. In all other
places, rivers run from their channels into the sea, but here a river of
fresh water runs out of the sea into a dark cavern, whose entrance is
very high and spacious. What is most remarkable in this place is, that
the stones of the mountain are of crystal, rubies, or other precious
stones. Here is also a sort of fountain of pitch or bitumen, that runs
into the sea, which the fish swallow, and turn into ambergris: and this
the waves throw up on the beach in great quantities. Trees also grow
here, most of which are wood of aloes, equal in goodness to those of
Comari.

"To finish the description of this place, which may well be called a
gulf, since nothing ever returns from it, it is not possible for ships
to get off when once they approach within a certain distance. If they
be driven thither by a wind from the sea, the wind and the current impel
them; and if they come into it when a land-wind blows, the height of the
mount