off here, and relate in the following chapter
what further fatigues I and three more of my companions in arms had to
undergo.

CHAPTER VII.

_The fatigues I had to undergo, until my arrival in the town of
Trinidad._

I have already above related that I with some other soldiers who had not
quite recovered from our wounds remained behind in the Havannah. As soon
as the latter began to heal a little we three made up our minds to go in
company with a certain Pedro d'Avila, an inhabitant of the Havannah, to
the town of Trinidad. This man was going to make a voyage in a canoe
along the south coast, and had taken a lading of cotton shirts, which he
intended to dispose of in Trinidad. As I have above stated, these canoes
are hollowed out of the trunks of trees, after the manner of our bakers'
troughs: in this country they are used for coasting; and we had to pay
Pedro d'Avila ten doubloons for the voyage.

As we were coasting along, sometimes rowing, sometimes sailing, we
arrived after the eleventh day in sight of an Indian village, subject to
the Spaniards, and called Cannareon; there arose at night-time such a
terrible gale of wind, that, although we rowed with all our strength, we
could not keep the sea any longer. Notwithstanding every exertion of
Pedro d'Avila, of some Indians from the Havannah, and several other good
rowers we had with us, nothing at last remained but to run the canoe
aground between the steep rocks. The canoe was dashed to pieces, the
whole lading of Pedro d'Avila went to the bottom, and we made the best
of our way on shore, naked as the day we were born, our bodies cut and
bruised all over by clambering over the rocks, for we had stripped
ourselves of our clothes in order to be the better able to swim, and
also, if possible, to save the canoe. As we had only escaped with our
lives among these rocks, none other choice was left us than to continue
our road over them to Trinidad, which lay along the coast through a
barren country full of rugged rocks, where our feet soon became
blistered and wounded; as to think of getting anything to eat was quite
out of the question; while we had continually to struggle with a
terrific gale of wind and the sea breaking over the rocks. Although we
had not neglected to cover our bodies as much as possible with leaves
and herbs, we nevertheless got sore boils between our legs, which bled
very much. At last we could proceed no further; for the sharp ston