ue, and dissolve in a profusion of sweat. When the men drop their part
in this frenzy, the women take it up, acting over again much the same kind
of wild scene, except that they rather outdo the men in shrieks and noise.
Our cacique, who had been reclaimed from these abominations by the
Spaniards, and just knew the exterior form of crossing himself, pretended
to be much offended at these profane ceremonies, and that he would have
died sooner than have partaken of them. Among other expressions of his
disapprobation, he declared, that whilst the savages solemnized these
horrid rites, he never failed to hear strange and uncommon noises in the
woods, and to see frightful visions, and assured us that the devil was the
chief actor among them upon these occasions.

It might be about the middle of March that we embarked with these Indians.
They separated our little company entirely, not putting any two of us
together in the same canoe. The oar was my lot, as usual, as also Mr
Campbell's; Mr Hamilton could not row, and Captain Cheap was out of the
question; our surgeon was more dead than alive at the time, and lay at the
bottom of the canoe he was in. The weather coming on too bad for their
canoes to keep the sea, we landed again, without making any great progress
that day. Here Mr Elliot, our surgeon, died. At our first setting out, he
promised the fairest for holding out, being a very strong active young man:
He had gone through an infinite deal of fatigue, as Mr Hamilton and he were
the best shots amongst us, and whilst our ammunition lasted never spared
themselves, and in a great measure provided for the rest; but he died the
death many others had done before him, being quite starved. We scraped a
hole for him in the sand, and buried him in the best manner we could.

Here I must relate a little anecdote of our Christian cacique. He and his
wife had gone off at some distance from the shore in their canoe, when she
dived for sea-eggs; but not meeting with great success, they returned a
good deal out of humour. A little boy of theirs, about three years old,
whom they appeared to be doatingly fond of, watching for his father and
mother's return, ran into the surf to meet them: The father handed a basket
of sea-eggs to the child, which being too heavy for him to carry, he let it
fall; upon which the father jumped out of the canoe, and catching the boy
up in his arms, dashed him with the utmost violence against the stones. The
poor