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

RETURN TO MOUNT MISERY. 171
given themselves up for lost. However, it
pleased God that we got that evening into
Redwood Cave, where the weather continued
so bad all night, we could keep no fire in to
dry ourselves with; but there being no other
alternative for us, but to stay here and starve
or put to sea again, we chose the latter, and
put out in the morning again, though the
weather was very little mended. In three or
four days after, we arrived at our old station,
Wager’s Island; but in such a miserable
plight, that though we thought our condition
upon setting out would not admit of any ad¬
ditional circumstance of misery, yet it was
to be envied in comparison of what we now
suffered, so worn out and reduced were we by
fatigue and hunger; having eat nothing for
some days but sea-weed and tangle. Upon
this expedition, we had been out, by our
account, just two months; in which we had
rounded, backwards and forwards, the great
bay formed to the northward by that high
land we had observed from Mount Misery.
The first thing we did upon our arrival,
was to secure the barge, as this was our sole
dependence for any relief that might offer by
sea; which done, we repaired to our huts.