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

RECEPTION BY THE SPANIARDS. 221
Campbell and myself, besides the Indian, his
companion, or servant, to row, the cacique
himselfncver touching an oar, but sitting with
his wife all the time much at his ease. Mr.
Hamilton continued in the same canoe he had
been in all along, and which still was to keep us
company some way further, though many of
the others had left us. This was dreadful hard
work to such poor starved wretches as we were,
to be slaving at the oar all day long in such a
heavy boat; and this inhuman fellow would
never give us a scrap to eat, excepting when he
took so much seal that he could not contrive to
carry it all away with him, which happened
very seldom. After working like galley-
slaves all day, towards night, when we landed,
instead of taking any rest, Mr. Campbell and I
were sometimes obliged to go miles along shore
to get a few shell-fish; and just as we had
made a little fire in order to dress them, he has
commanded us into the boat again, and kept us
rowing the whole night without ever landing.
It is impossible for me to describe the miser¬
able state we were reduced to : our bodies were
so emaciated, that we hardly appeared the
figures of men. It has often happened to me
in the coldest night, both in hail and snow^