| OCR Text |
Show 104 vessel. Also they gathered a kind of mosse, which groweth on the trees of this count1·ic , to sene to caulkc the same with:11l. There now wanted noth ing bu~ saylcs, which they made of their own shirtcs and of their shcctcs." Thus provided with the tbings requisite, our Frenchmen hastened to fini o~h th eir brigantine, and "used so spcedie diligence," that they were soon ready to bunch forth upon the great deep. They gave to their Indian f1icnds all their surplus goods and chattels, lca\'ing to them all the m erc h:m~ disc of tho fort which they could not take away ;- a libcrolity which gave the red-men the "greatest contcntatiou in the worldc." But they rc-embarkcd their forge, their artillery and other munitions of war. Unhappily, they were too impatieut to begin their journey. Jn the too sanguine l10pc of reaching France, with a speed proport ioned to their eager desires, they laid in no adequate provision for a long voyage. " In the meano season the wind came so fit for their pu1·pose, that it Heemed to invite them to put W sea. Being drunken with tho too excessive joy which they had conceived for their rctuming into France, or rather depri\'ed of all foresight and consideration :-without regarding the in consistencic of tho wind:> which change in a moment, they put themselves to sea, and, with so slender \' ictu~ls, that the end of their enterprise became unlucky and unfortunate." They bad not sailed a tl1ird part of tho distance, wllCn they were surprised with calms, which so much hindered tllCir progreSB that, during the space of three weeks, they had not advanced twcnty-fi\'C leagues. In this period their pro\·i:;ions underwent daily diminution. Jn a short time their stock had sunk so low that it was necessary to limit tho allowance to each m:t.n. We may conceive their d c~ titutiou from tl1is allowance. "Tw..:lve grains of mill by the day, which mny be in vnlue as much as 105 twelve pcason !" But even this poor quantity was not long continued. It was "a felicity," in the language of the chronicle, which was of brief duration. Soon the "mill" failed them entirely-all at once-and they "had nothing for their more assured refuge, but their sl10es and lcnther jerkins, which they did calc." But their misfortune was not confined to their food. Tl1cir supplies of fresh water failed them nlso. Never had ndventurcrs set forth upon the seas with such wrctcbOO provision. Their beverage finally became the water of the ocean-the thirstprovokiug brine. Such beverage as this increased their miseries -atrophy and madness followed-and death stretched himself out among them on every side. Nor were they suffered to cseape from the most painful toils while thus contending against thirst nnd famine. Their wretched vessel sprang a-leak. The water grew upon them. Day and night were they kept busy in casting it forth, without cessation or repose. Each day added to their griefs and dangers. Their shoes and jerkins they l1ad already devoured in their desperation, and where to look for ot~er material to supply the materiel of distension, puzzled their thoughts. While thus distressed by their anxieties, with their comrades dying about them, a new danger assailed them, as if fortune was resolved to crush them at a blow,and thus conclude their miseries. The winds rose, tl1e seas were lashed into fury by tho storm. Their vessel, no longer buoyant, "in the turning of a hand" shipped a fcar!ulscn, and was nearly swamped-" filled halfe full of water, and bruised in upon the one side." This was the laft drop in the cup of misfortune which finally makes it overflow. Then it was that the hearlB of our Frenchmen sunk utterly within them. They no longer cared to contend for life. They g:LVo themselves up to despair. "Being now morG out of hope than s• |
