two leagues of the shore, and conferring together what part of the land it was, both he and we concluded it to be Renouse ; and finding the Frenchmen bound for Placentia, and the weather calm, we being a little refreshed, ])lessed God, and thanked the master for his great civility ; we went again into our boat, hoping in two hours to be at Renouse among the English planters^ and so we took our leave of Mr. Peter, with more joy for the deliverance from dangers past, than in consideration of what might be yet to come; for reckoning ourselves near Renouse, an English planta- tion, we concluded our straits and wants were as good as over, and that two or three hours time would bring us to rest, and a full sup- ply of all our wants ; but the kind and considering master^ (no doubt directed and guided by an higher counsel) gave us at parting a score of large cakes, a dry fish, a fathom of lighted match, pipes, tobacco, and about a gallon of wine and brandy together in our small cask, before exhausted ; and when we were in our little boat, taking notice that we had but two oars, he threw us out one oar more, to help us the sooner ashore.
This provision, the effect of the master''s care and kindness, or rather of God's gracious providence inclining his thoughts to it, was our preservation at last ; and without it, we must have all perished, for our hope and comfort was again built upon a false hypothesis: we put away from the ship, and stood in for Renouse as fast as we could row, and about three of the clock we got ashore; but to our amazement we found it was a desolate place, about a league to the westward of Cape Razo, with a cove, called Cripple Cove, as if it had been so denominated, a posteriori^ for I think it never received such a company of cripples since it first received that name.
We now were ashore, which was the mercy we so much, and so long desired, but found ourselves in as bad case upon the matter, as when we were at sea. Here was a barren cove, destitute of all relief and comfort, far from any inhabitants or fishery ; not a tree or bush to shelter us, only we picked up some few loose sticks to make us a fire, and had a fresh-water river near us, and being unable to fetch any other place, we were necessitated to lodge there that night ; and now we saw what a good providence it was, that the kind master had furnished us with a little bread and wine, but especially with a lighted match to kindle a fire, for we were all well nigh starved and crippled : we therefore present- ly scraped together some withered grass, and with swinging the match in it, made it flame, and searching about the cove, and got so much wood as made us an indifferent good fire ; which being done, our first work was to get off our shoes and stockings to
510 VVONDEEFUL SEA-DELTVERANCES.
wash them, and see in what case our feet and legs were : and this proved a more difficult task than we imagined, for they were all prodigiously swoln, and some of them burnt sadly with the cold ; so that we stood, and went rather like men upon stilts, than their own feet ; but there was a necessity to put our benumbed stumps to it to kindle a fire ; which done we lay round about it in the ice and snow, of which the cove was full, and warmed and dried our- selves (as well as the place and weather would admit) by the iire, and there we broiled our fish, and shared that roast-meat, (a dainty we had been long strangers to) among us, and it was a great refreshment to our tired wasted bodies. It was well for us we had so much time to do these things before night, for towards night it came in full of rain and storm again, and much wind at east, and a great sea fell into the cove, as if it had resolved to recover and wash back those prisoners that were newly escaped from it.
Here ^yas a new distress befallen us, and not less hazardous to life than any of the former; we were shut up in a cove from whence there was no escape by land, the cliffs being inaccessible, and our strength quite spent ; no putting out for any plantation by sea, for a stormy night was at hand, and to lie there was thought would be very dangerous. It being extremely cold, full of ice and snow ; the rain pouring down furiously, quickly put out our fire, no shelter at all from the fury of the weather ; and to lie but a few hours exposed to it, would quickly quite starve such as were three parts starved before.
Here was our strait, and this extremity put us upon this shift, (which was the best our circumstances admitted) we put our united strength together, (which God knows was but little) and hauled up our boat above high-water mark, and overturned her, and so crept, as many of us as could, under her for shelter, and there lodged that night : a sad lodging, and a dreadful night it proved, but still we comforted ourselves with this, that the next morning we should be among our friends, where we should be better accom- modated, and ^nd food, physic, and fiitrgeons, to preserve our lives and limbs. In this hope we weathered out the Saturday night with a world of difficulty.
Lorcts day, the* 11th oi May,
The morning so eagerly desired came, but alas, what we hoped for was as far off as ever, for it began with a strong easterly wind, which rolled in a great sea into the cove. Our fire was out, and we were upon the matter blocked up in this dismal hole by abun- dance of ice driven in upon us. So that death seemed closely to beleaguer us in this hold to which we had betaken ourselves ; and indeed there needs no great assault to conquer those who were aU most dead before.
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