Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

DESERTION OP CAPTAIN CHEAP. 1
but the weather being very rainy, and finding
nothing to subsist upon, we pitched a bell
tent, which we had brought with us, in the
wood opposite to where the barge lay. A
this tent was not large enough to contain us
all, I proposed to four of the people to go to
the end of the bay, about two miles distant
from the bell tent, to occupy the skeleton of
an old Indian wigwam, which I had discovered
in a walk that way upon our first landing.
This we covered to windward with sea-weed ;
and lighting a fire, laid ourselves down, in
hopes of finding a remedy for our hunger in
sleep; but we had not long composed our¬
selves before one of our company was disturbed
by the blowing of some animal at his face,
and upon opening his eyes, was not a little
astonished to see, by the glimmering of the fire,
a large beast standing over him. He had
presence of mind enough to snatch a brand
from the fire, which was now very low, and
thrust it at the nose of the animal, who there¬
upon made off: this done, the man awoke us,
and related, with horror in his countenance,
the narrow escape he had made of being de¬
voured. But though we were under no small
apprehensions of another visit from this ani-