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therefore requested the gentlemen to get into the boats, told off and embarked his men, and at three o'clock he himself left the ship, the last man, just as the flames were bursting through the quarter-deck. We then put off, the two boats towing the longboat; the ship's way had been previously stopped by backing her yards. When we were about a mile from the ship, she was in one blaze, and her masts began to fall in. The sight was grand, though awful. Between eight and nine o'clock, all her masts had fallen, and she had burned to the water's edge; suddenly there was a bright flash, followed by a dull, heavy explosion-her powder had caught. For a few seconds her splinters and flaming fragments were glittering in the air, and then all was darkness, and the waters had closed over the Earl of Eldon!

had just left, and been subject to variable winds and heavy weather or calms, neither of which we were prepared to resist. Seeing, then, that our stock was sufficient, we determined on trying for Rodrigue. About eleven o'clock, having humbly committed ourselves to the guidance of that Providence in which alone we had hope, we accomplished rigging the boats, and were under sail. We carried a lantern lashed to our mast in the long-boat, to prevent the other boats from losing us during the night; and when day broke, sent them sailing in all directions around to look out for ships. While the wind was light, they could outsail us, but when it became strong and the sea very high, the difference of speed was rather in our favour, as the weight and size of the long-boat enabled her to lay hold of the water better.

'On the third day of our boat navigation, the change of the approaching, the weather began to wear a threatening aspect; but as we were in the trade, we did not apprehend foul or contrary winds. In the course of the night it blew fresh, with rain; we were totally without shelter, and the sea dashing its spray over us, drenched us, and spoiled a great part of our biscuit, though we happily did not discover this until we were nearly out of the want of it.

Sad was the prospect now before us! There were in the long-boat the captain and twenty-moon five persons, including an infant four months old; the size of the boat 23 feet long by 7 feet broad; in each of the others ten individuals, including the officer in charge. One of the boats had some bags of biscuit, but the chief provision was in the long-boat. We were, by rough calculation, above 1000 miles from Rodrigue, and 450 from Diego Garcias, the largest of the Chagos Islands; but to get there we must have passed through the squally latitudes we

'In the course of the next day, the weather grew worse, and one of our small boats, in

bad, I again felt that hope which
had never entirely deserted me.
A tremendous sea came roaring
down, and I held in my breath
with horror; it broke right over
our stern, wetted the poor women
to their throats, and carried away
the steersman's hat.
The cap-
tain then cried out, in a tone
calculated to inspire with a con-
fidence he afterwards told me
his heart did not re-echo-
"That's nothing, it's all right;
bale away, my boys." He never
expected us to live out that
night; but harassed as he was in
mind and body, he gallantly
stood up, and never by word or
deed betrayed a feeling that
might tend to make us despair;
he stood on the bench that live-
long night, nor did he ever at-
tempt to sleep for nearly forty-
eight hours.

which was Mr. Simpson, the second mate, with nine others, was split by the sea. She came alongside, and we put the carpenter into her, who made what repairs he could, but with little hope of their answering. We then proceeded to fasten a spraycloth of canvas along our gunwale, having lashed a bamboo four feet up the mast, and fixed it on the intersection of two stanchions at the same height above the stern. The spraycloth was firmly lashed along this, so as to form a kind of half-pent roof; and had it not been for this imperfect defence, we must have been swamped; and we still shipped seas to so great an extent, that four men were obliged to be kept constantly employed in baling to keep her clear of water. Towards evening it blew hard, with The morning broke and a tremendous sea; and not think- passed away; and after the ing the other damaged boat safe, change of the moon, the weather we took in her crew, and aban- began to moderate, and we endoned her. We were now thirty-joyed a comparative degree of six persons, stowed as thick as we comfort. could hold, and obliged to throw over all superfluities. We had not more than eight inches of clear gunwale out of water.

'This night I shall never forget; but to describe my feelings I am incapable. Our situation was indeed awful. One wave might overwhelm us, and there would not have been a vestige left to tell the tale of the Earl of Eldon. Wet, crushed, and miserable, the night passed away, and the day broke at last; and though the weather was still very

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We had three small

meals of biscuit and some jam, etc., and three half-pints of water per day, with brandy if we liked it. The men had one gill of spirits allowed them daily: thus we had enough for necessity, and I incline to attribute to our having no more, the state of good bodily health we enjoyed. We had plenty of cigars, and whenever we could strike a light, we had a smoke; and I never found tobacco so great a luxury. The ladies were most wretched, for they could not move, and any

little alteration in their dress was only to be made by spreading a curtain before them. Yet they never uttered a repining word.

'I hope the sense of our miraculous preservation dwells deeply on all our minds. My feelings on landing were so intense, that I could not restrain my tears.

crew were taken inland and encamped. They then gave our bundles to their negroes and took us to their houses, where everything they had was set be'On the thirteenth evening fore us-clean linen and a we began to look out for Rod- plentiful dinner. They shook rigue. The captain told us not us down four or five beds in an to be too sanguine, as his chro-out-house, and we tumbled into nometer was not to be depended them and enjoyed what we had upon after its late rough treat-not known for the last fortnight ment. The night fell, and I-a sound sleep. went forward to sleep, and about twelve was awoke by the cry that land was right ahead. I looked and saw a strong loom of land through the mist. The captain had the boat brought No human skill in to for an hour; then made sail such peril could have availed and ran towards it, and at half-us; it was the hand of almighty past two it appeared still more goodness alone that withheld us strongly. We then lay to until from destruction; and when we daylight. I attempted to com- consider it, and look back upon pose myself to sleep, but my the facts as they stand recorded, feelings were too strong; and and with the full knowledge after some useless attempts, I that we were thirteen days and sat down and smoked with a nights exposed to the violence sensation I had long been a of winds and waves and weather, stranger to. With the first light of in an open, leaky boat, often dawn, Rodrigue appeared right for days and nights completely ahead, distant above six miles, drenched, and never completely and by eight o'clock we were all dry, and that with this we should safely landed. A fisherman, all (with the exception of those who came off to show us the way who were before sick) have through the reefs, received us in landed safe, and rather imhis house, and proceeded to feed proved in health than otherwise, us, and in the meantime sent to —these things show the hand of tell the gentlemen of the island a Providence that watches over of our arrival. Two of them us, though we too often forget came down immediately, and it; and that man who could having heard our story, said that coldly say that our escape was we had been miraculously pre- surprising, without attributing it served, and told us off in two wholly and solely to the true parties, the married men to one, cause, I should consider little and the single to the other; the better than a heathen.'

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THE CAPTIVITY AND ADVENTURES OF ALEXANDER HENRY AMONG THE CHIPPEWAY INDIANS.

four in number. Thus strong, few entertained anxiety concerning the Indians, who had no weapons but small arms.

'WHEN I reached Michilimac- lish merchants at the fort were kinac, I found several other traders who had arrived before me, from different parts of the country, and who, in general, declared the disposition of the Indians to be hostile to the English, and even apprehended some attack. M. Laurent Ducharme distinctly informed Major Etherington, that a plan was absolutely conceived for destroying him, his garrison, and all the English in the upper country; but the commandant believing this and other reports to be without foundation, proceeding only from idle or ill-disposed persons, and of a tendency to do mischief, expressed much displeasure against M. Ducharme, and threatened to send the next person, who should bring a story of the same kind, a prisoner to Detroit. The garrison at this time consisted of ninety privates, two subalterns, and the commandant; and the Eng

'Meanwhile, the Indians from every quarter were daily assembling in unusual numbers, but with every appearance of friendship, frequenting the fort and disposing of their peltries in such a manner as to dissipate almost every one's fears. For myself, on one occasion I took the liberty of observing to the major that, in my judgment, no confidence ought to be placed in them, and that I was informed no less than four hundred lay around the fort. In return, the major only rallied me on my timidity; and it is to be confessed that, if this officer neglected admonition on his part, so did I on mine.

'Shortly after my first arrival at Michilimackinac in the preceding year, a Chippeway,

elapsed since the occurrence of this incident, and I had almost forgotten the person of my brother, when, on the second. day of June, Wawatam came again to my house, in a temper of mind visibly melancholy and thoughtful. He told me that he had just returned from his wintering ground, and I asked after his health; but without answering my question, he went on to say that he was sorry to find me returned from the Sault; that he intended to go to that place himself, immediately after his arrival at Michilimackinac ; and that he wished me to go there along with him and his family the next morning. To all this he joined an inquiry, whether or not the commandant had heard bad news, add

named Wawatam, began to come often to my house, betraying in his demeanour strong marks of personal regard. After this had continued some time, he came on a certain day, bringing with him his whole family, and at the same time a large present, consisting of skins, sugar, and dried meat. Having laid these in a heap, he commenced a speech, in which he informed me that some years before he had observed a fast, devoting himself, according to the custom of his nation, to solitude and to the mortification of his body, in the hope to obtain from the Great Spirit protection through all his days; that on this occasion he had dreamed of adopting an Englishman as his son, brother, and friend; that, from the moment in which he first be-ing, that during the winter held me, he had recognised me as the person whom the Great Spirit had been pleased to point out to him for a brother; that he hoped I would not refuse his present; and that he should for ever regard me as one of his family. I could not do otherwise than accept the present, and declare my willingness to have so good a man as this appeared to be, for my friend and brother. I offered a present in return for that which I had received, which Wawatam accepted; and then, thanking me for the favour which he said that I had rendered him, he left me, and soon after set out on his winter's hunt.

he had himself been frequently disturbed with the noise of evil birds; and further suggesting that there were numerous Indians near the fort, many of whom had never shown themselves within it. Wawatam was about forty-five years of age, of an excellent character among his nation, and a chief. Referring much of what I heard to the peculiarities of the Indian character, I did not pay all the attention which they will be found to have deserved, to the entreaties and remarks of my visitor. I answered, that I could not think of going to the Sault so soon as the next morning, but would follow him there, after 'Twelve months had now the arrival of my clerks. Find

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