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

222 RECEPTION BY THE SPANIARDS,
where we had nothing but an open beach to lie
down upon, in order to procure a little rest,
that I have been obliged to pull off the few rags
I had on, as it was impossible to get a moment’s
sleep with them on for the vermin that swarm¬
ed about them; though I used, as often as I
had time, to take my clothes off, and putting
them upon a large stone, beat them with an¬
other, in hopes of killing hundreds at once ;
for it was endless work to pick them off.
What we suffered from this, was ten times
worse even than hunger. But we were clean
in comparison to Captain Cheap ; for I could
compare his body to nothing but an ant-hill,
with thousands of those insects crawling over
it; for he was now past attempting to rid him¬
self in the least from this torment, as he had
quite lost himself, not recollecting our names
that were about him, or even his own. His
beard was as long as a hermit’s, it and his face
being covered with train-oil and dirt, from
having long accustomed himself to sleep upon
a bag, by the way of a pillow, in which he kept
the pieces of stinking seal. This prudent me¬
thod he took to prevent our getting at it whilst
he slept. His legs were as big as mill-posts.