the man who had been murdered on Mount Misery by James
Mitchell, for the men thought that all their misfortunes had arisen from
the neglect of this proper duty to the dead, and they were sure that the
restless spirit of this person haunted the waters around them at night,
as they heard strange and unearthly cries from the sea. And one night,
in bright moonlight, they saw and heard something which looked like a
human being swimming near the shore.

[Illustration: Mr. Hamilton's fight with the sea-lion]

Inconsistent as this may seem, they were soon so terribly driven by
hunger that the last dreadful suggestion for food was beginning to be
whispered amongst them, when fortunately some Indians from the island of
Chiloc appeared. It was supposed they had heard of the wreck from those
first Indians who had visited them, and had come to collect old iron
and nails, which they value very much.

They were able to persuade the Cacique, who was a Christian named
Martini, to promise to show them the safest and best way to some of the
Spanish Settlements. Once more the barge was launched, with the fifteen
souls on board who now remained on the island of the shipwrecked crew.

They followed their Indian guide by day for some time, during which
their sufferings were so terrible that it was no unusual thing for one
of their number to fall back dying from the oars, meanwhile beseeching
his comrades for two or three mouthfuls of food which they had not.

Captain Cheap, who was always well provided with seal by the Indians,
again showed how regardless he could be of the sufferings of others, and
often though he could have relieved his men by giving up a small portion
of his own food when he heard their heartrending appeals for it, let
them die at their posts unheedful of their want and misery.

They were rather taken in by their Christian Indian Martini. He made
them row the heavy barge a very long way up a river and then deserted
them for several days. They found he wished to secure the barge here,
which was to be a part of his reward, and which was too heavy to be
carried over the rocks of the headlands in the way they carried their
own canoes--and by which they escaped the heavy seas that ran round
those places.

However, the Cacique returned again, and after a time he consented to
take the captain with John Byron to row his canoe on to another part of
the coast where there were more Indians.

They reached this camp late one ev