s wife were to be in the same boat
with me, and I had put her carefully in the stern-sheets, for I was her
great friend. Now the steward was called out by the captain to go for
something which had been forgotten; and while he was away the ship was
struck by a heavy sea, which occasioned such a breach over her that all
was in confusion; and, to prevent the small boats from swamping, they
were pushed off. The launch still held on for the captain, who hastened
in with the mate and the steward, for they were the only three left on
board; and away we all went. I mention this as the cause why the
steward was separated (only for a time, as we supposed) from his wife.
We had not been clear of the ship more than five minutes before we found
that we, in our boat, could hardly make head 'gainst the wind and swell,
which bore down on the reef close to us; the launch, which was a
heavy-pulling boat and deeply laden, could not; and in a quarter of an
hour we had the misery to see her in the breakers, swallowed up with all
hands, together with all the provisions and water for our sustenance. I
will not attempt to describe the agony of the steward's wife, who saw
her husband perish before her eyes. She fainted; and it was a long time
before she came to again; for no one could leave his oar for a minute to
assist her, as we pulled for our lives. At last she did come to. Poor
thing! I felt for her. Towards night the wind lulled, and we had every
appearance of fine weather coming on; but we had nothing to eat, and
only a barrico of water in the boat, and we were quite exhausted with
fatigue.

"`We knew that we must pull to the northward, and try and fetch the
Bahama Isles, or, perhaps, some of the small quays to the southward of
them, where we might procure turtle, and, perhaps, water; and when the
sea had gone down, which it did very fast, we put the head of our boat
in that direction, pulling all night. At daybreak the other boat was
not to be seen; it was a dead calm, but there was still a long heavy
swell. We shared out some water and rested till the evening, and then
we took to our oars again.

"`We rowed hard till the morning, but when the sun rose it scorched us
up; it was impossible for us to keep to our oars without drinking, and,
there being no one to take the command, our water was all gone, and we
had not gained fifty miles to the northward. On the third morning we
laid down exhausted at the bottom of the boat--we