The three poor distressed men, too anxious
for their condition to get any sleep, were, however, sat down under the
shelter of a great tree, at about a quarter of a mile from me, and, as I
thought, out of sight of any of the rest. Upon this I resolved to
discover myself to them, and learn something of their condition;
immediately I marched in the figure as above, my man Friday at a good
distance behind me, as formidable for his arms as I, but not making
quite so staring a spectre-like figure as I did. I came as near them
undiscovered as I could, and then, before any of them saw me, I called
aloud to them in Spanish, "What are ye, gentlemen?" They started up at
the noise; but were ten times more confounded when they saw me, and the
uncouth figure that I made. They made no answer at all, but I thought I
perceived them just going to fly from me, when I spoke to them in
English: "Gentlemen," said I, "do not be surprised at me: perhaps you
may have a friend near, when you did not expect it."--"He must be sent
directly from Heaven then," said one of them very gravely to me, and
pulling off his hat at the same time to me; "for our condition is past
the help of man."--"All help is from Heaven, Sir," said I: "But can you
put a stranger in the way how to help you? for you seem to be in some
great distress. I saw you when you landed; and when you seemed to make
application to the brutes that came with you, I saw one of them lift up
his sword to kill you."

The poor man, with tears running down his face, and trembling, looking
like one astonished, returned, "Am I talking to God or man? Is it a real
man or an angel?"--"Be in no fear about that, Sir," said I; "if God had
sent an angel to relieve you, he would have come better clothed, and
armed after another manner than you see me: pray lay aside your fears; I
am a man, an Englishman, and disposed to assist you: you see I have one
servant only; we have arms and ammunition; tell us freely, can we serve
you? What is your case?"--"Our case," said he, "Sir, is too long to tell
you, while our murderers are so near us; but, in short, Sir, I was
commander of that ship, my men have mutinied against me; they have been
hardly prevailed on not to murder me; and at last have set me on shore
in this desolate place, with these two men with me, one my mate, the
other a passenger, where we expected to perish, believing the place to
be uninhabited, and know not yet what to think of it."--"Where are th