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

172 RETURN TO MOUNT MISERY,
which formed a kind of village or street, con¬
sisting of several irregular habitations ; some
of which being covered by a kind of brush¬
wood thatch, afforded tolerable shelter against
the inclemency of the weather. Among
these, there was one which we observed with
some surprise to be nailed up. We broke it
open, and found some iron work, picked out
with much pains from thosepieces of the wreck
which were driven ashore. We concluded
from hence, that the Indians who had been
here in our absence, were not of that tribe
with which we had some commerce before,
who seemed to set no value upon iron, but
from some other quarter; and must have had
communication with the Spaniards, from
whom they had learned the value and use of
that commodity. Thieving from strangers is
a commendable talent among savages in ge¬
neral, and bespeaks an address which they
much admire; though the strictest honesty,
with regard to the property of each other, is
observed among them. There is no doubt
but they ransacked all our houses; but the
men had taken care, before they went off in
the long-boat, to strip them of their most valu¬
able furniture; that is, the bales of cloth used