Even After This I Was Treated Worse Than Ever, Having Only The
Refuse Of The Fish Allowed Me, After They Had Chosen The Best, Being
Glad, After A Hard Day's Work, To Dine Upon Seal; While Morphew And His
Associates Feasted On The Best Fish The Sea Afforded.
They next took the
arms out of my custody, of which hitherto I had taken great care;
because, having only one flint to each musket, and very little
ammunition, I foresaw that we would be undone if this were wasted.
I
represented all this to them, yet they squandered away the small
remainder of powder and bullets in killing cats, or any thing else they
could get to fire at. - This is a concise history of our transactions in
the island of Juan Fernandez, from the 24th May to the 15th August,
during which no person could suffer more than I did, or have a more
uncomfortable prospect.
On the 15th of August we were put into great confusion by the sight of a
large ship, on which, before she crossed the bay, I ordered all the
fires to be put out, and the negroes and Indians to be confined, lest
the ship might be becalmed under the land, and any of them should
attempt to swim off to her, as I conceived she might possibly be a
man-of-war come to seek us, having received advice of our shipwreck; yet
I knew, if she discovered what we were about, we should soon have the
whole force of the kingdom of Chili upon us. Our apprehensions were soon
over, as the ship bore away large, and kept at too great a distance to
see any thing of us. On this occasion I got most of our people under
arms, and was glad to see them in some measure obedient to command;
telling them that I was pleased to see their arms in such good order, I
was impertinently answered, that this was for their own sakes. Before
they dispersed, I represented to them the necessity of using their best
endeavour to get our bark afloat, instead of caballing against their
captain, which, in the end, might be very prejudicial to them all; as,
if discovered by the Spaniards, we might expect to be all made slaves in
the mines. I told them we still had a great deal of work to do, and had
never above ten of the most considerate to labour, and seldom above six
or seven; while they knew I was always one of the number, to shew a good
example. But the more I tried to reclaim them, the more obstinately they
ran into confusion, interrupting every thing that tended to do them
service.
Next day they divided among themselves on a new scheme, being no less
than to burn our bark, and to build two large shallops, or pinnaces, in
lieu of her. Morphew and his friend Brooks were the favourers of this
new design, aiming doubtless at a separation by this means: but as this
must be determined by a majority, they assembled to debate this matter
in front of my tent, carrying on their deliberations with much clamour
on both sides. In order to put them off this ruinous plan, I represented
to them the impracticability of building the boats, as our tools and
other materials were already worn out and expended. The workmen, and a
considerable majority of the rest, sided with me: but at night the
carpenter sent me word, if I did not pay him the money agreed upon at
first, I should never see his face again; wherefore, although his terms
had not been implemented, I was obliged to raise the money for him. The
most provoking part of this proposal about the boats was, that the
fellows who chiefly promoted it were those who had never done an hour's
work since we were cast away. Not gaining this point, they openly
declared I should not be their captain, and that none but Brooks should
command them, which was probably what that young man aspired to from the
commencement of the mutiny; and had undoubtedly succeeded, had it not
been for the people in the boatswain's tent, who still refused their
consent to my being left on the island, though fond of thinking
themselves their own masters, and of refusing to submit to regular
command.
To complete our confusion, there arose a third party, who resolved to
have nothing to do with the rest, proposing to remain on the island.
There were twelve of these, who separated from the rest, and never made
their appearance except at night, when they used to come about the tents
to steal powder, lead, and axes, and any thing else they could lay their
hands, on. But in a little time I found means to manage them, and took
from them all their arms, ammunition, axes, and other plunder, and
threatened to have them treated as enemies, if they came within
musket-shot of our tents. These divisions so weakened the whole body,
that they began to listen to me, so that I got most of them into a
working humour. Even Brooks came to me with a feigned submission,
desiring to eat with me again, yet in the main did not lessen his esteem
for Morphew. His dissimulation, however, proved of infinite service in
contributing to the finishing of our bark, which required the united
efforts of all our heads and hands. For, when we came to plank the
bottom, we had very vexatious difficulties to encounter, as our only
plank consisted in pieces from the deck of our wreck, which was so dry
and stubborn that fire and water had hardly any effect in making it
pliable, as it rent, split, and flew in pieces like glass; so that I now
began to fear that all our labour was in vain, and we must quietly wait
to be taken off by some Spanish ship, and be led quietly to prison after
all our troubles.
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