one their best to make us see them, and in half an
hour we came up with them.

It would be a hard task for me to set forth in words the scene which
took place in my ship, when the poor French folk (for such they were)
came on board. As to grief and fear, these are soon told--sighs, tears,
and groans make up the sum of them--but such a cause of joy as this was,
in sooth, too much for them to bear, weak and all but dead as they were.

Some would send up shouts of joy that rent the sky; some would cry and
wring their hands as if in the depths of grief; some would dance, laugh,
and sing; not a few were dumb, sick, faint, in a swoon, or half mad; and
two or three were seen to give thanks to God.

In this strange group, there was a young French priest who did his best
to soothe those round him, and I saw him go up to some of the crew,
and say to them, "Why do you scream, and tear your hair, and wring your
hands, my men? Let your joy be free and full, give it full range and
scope, but leave off this trick of the hands, and lift them up in
praise; let your voice swell out, not in screams, but in hymns of thanks
to God, who has brought you out of so great a strait, for this will add
peace to your joy."

The next day, they were all in a right frame of mind, so I gave them
what stores I could spare, and put them on board a ship that we met with
on her way to France, all save five who, with the priest, had a wish to
join me.

But we had not set sail long, when we fell in with a ship that had been
blown out to sea by a storm, and had lost her masts; and, worse than
all, her crew had not had an ounce of meat or bread for ten days. I
gave them all some food, which they ate like wolves in the snow, but I
thought it best to check them, as I had fears that so much all at once
would cause the death of some of them.

There were a youth and a young girl in the ship who the mate said he
thought must be dead, but he had not had the heart to go near them, for
the food was all gone. I found that they were faint for the want of it,
and as it were in the jaws of death; but in a short time they both got
well, and as they had no wish to go back to their ship, I took them with
me. So now I had eight more on board my ship, than I had when I first
set out.

In three months from the time when I left home, I came in sight of my
isle, and I brought the ship safe up, by the side of the creek, which
was near my old house.

I went up to Friday, to