"pound." "No, fays he, I can. "not give fo much. I cannot give "C more than three thillings and fix"pence." I then spoke to several "other dealers, but they all fung the "fanie fong, three and fixpence,

three and fixpence. This made it "clear to me that my fufpicion was " right; and that whatever they pre "tended of meeting to learn good "things, the real purpofe was to "confult how to cheat Indians in the "price of beaver. Confider but a "little, Conrad, and you must be of "my opinion. If they met fo of"ten to learn good things, they "would certainly have learned fome "before this time. But they are "Atill ignorant. You know our "practice. If a white man in tra"velling through our country, en"ters one of our cabins, we all treat "him as I treat you; we dry him "if he is wet, we warm him if he is "cold, and give him meat and drink, "that he may allay his thirft and "hunger, and we fpread foft furs "for him to reft and fleep on : we "démand nothing in return. But "if I go into a white man's house at "Albany, and ask for victuals and

drink, they fay, where is your "money; and if I have none, they

fay, get out, you Indian dog. You "fee they have not yet learned thofe "little good things, that we need no "meetings to be inftructed in, be

cause our mothers taught them to "us when we were children; and "therefore it is impoffible their "meetings fhould be, as they say, "for any fuch purpose, or have any "fuch effect; they are only to con"trive the cheating of Indians in "the price of beaver.”

It is remarkable, that in all ages and countries, hofpitality has been allowed as the virtue of those, whom the civilized were pleafed to call bar. barians; the Greeks celebrated the Scythians for it. The Saracens poffelfed it eminently; and it is to this day the reigning virtue of the wild Arabs. St. Paul too, in the relation of his voyage and shipwreck, on the Iland of Melita, fays, "The barbarous people fhewed us no little kind.

Narrative of a Shipwreck. (Continued from Page 517.)

N the 27th of January, the wea

ON

ther being moderate, and a light breeze directly off the fhore, we got our boat very carefully launched, and fet off early in the morning from this ill omened bay. We had the pleasure to obferve that the boat made little or no water, fo that we were enabled to keep our four oars continually at work. As we advanced along the coaft, we found it ftill bordered by nothing but barren precipices with eve ry four or five miles perhaps a small fandy beach.

The weather continued very moderate all the day of the 27th, fo that by fix o'clock in the evening, we computed that we had rowed about twelve miles from where we departed in the morning. This indeed would be but an indifferent day's work for people in health and vigour, but a great deal for thofe in our circumftances; not only being extremely weakened and reduced, but the boat itfelf being very heavy and unwieldy, from the quantity of ice in it. We put afhore about fix o'clock upon a (mall fandy beach, and by placing oars under our boat, dragged her carefully fome yards from the water; fo that the lay very safe while the wind continued as it then

was.

We next cut fome branches, and having made a fire, fheltered ourfelves as well as poffible in the wood. Our tinder being nearly confumed, I was obliged to furnith a fresh fupply, by cutting away the back part of my fhirt, which I had worn ever fince we left the fhip.

A fhower of rain the next day unfortunately melted all the ice off our boat: we were therefore prevented from going any farther till a return of the froft, and had the mortification to loose the benefit of a fine day, in the courfe of which we night have proceeded with a good boat feveral leagues more on our journey. What made

the

nefs; for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the prefent rain, and because of the cold."

the matter worle, was that our proviftens were now reduced to two pounds and a half of beef for each ma. Otem ruing of the 29th, Ühe mitenting wandered a little dif tance from eu. Ere, returned in hafte tonforia me, that he had discovered a parte perosed on the bough of a tree, which he thought I might poffibiv dome fom method of catching. Ţimmediately went to the place where he had feet, and found it in the fame fituation is before. Obferving

that the bird was very, tame, and not above fourteen feet from the ground I cut down a long pole, and taking part of the rope yars that faftened my canvas fhoes, mate a running loop of it, and Exed it to the end of the pole; then walking foftly under the tree, and lifting the pole gently up, I fixed the loop about the partrige's neck, and giving it a fudden jerk, clofed the loop, and fecured the bud. The mate as well as myfelf, as foon as I had caught it, laughed very heartily, for the first time that either of us had any inclination to fmile fiace our shipwreck. We then went to wards the fire with our prize, and boiled it in fome melted faow, toge ther with a little falt water, to give the broth a relifh: having divided it, when dreffed, into fix l parts, and caft lots for the choice of each, we fat down to what we found a delicious meal; the only one, excepting the quart of cranberries, for which we were indebted to chance, or providence, fince we had been caft upon the island.

On the afternoon of the 29th it began to freeze hard, when we took the advantage of the froft to ftop the boat's leaks as before; and the wind fill continuing moderate, we launched her as foon as that bufinefs was completed, and put to fea. The day being almoft fpent before we fet off we could not make above feven miles to a fandy beach and thick wood, which feemed to afford a tolerable fheiter. In this place we piffed the night; and the next day, the weather being ftill favourable, we launched. our boat betimes in the morning, in order to get before night as far as poffible on' our journey; but we had not proceeded above fix miles, before the

wind freshening up from the foutheaft, obliged us to put afhore, and haul up our boat.

A heavy fall of rain, which continued the whole day, rendered our fituation extremely uncomfortable, and melted again the icy calking of the boat. We were therefore to confole ourselves, as well as we could, in the certainty of remaining here till a return of the froft, and mean while propofed to reconnoitre, as far as our reduced fate would allow us, into the country. In this however we were prevented by the quantity of fnow which ftill lay on the ground, and was not yet fufficiently frozen to bear our weight without rackets or foowthes. Towards the fpring of the year, in these cold climates, they may for the moft part be difpenfed with, when the fnow has become more condenfed by its own weight, the influence of the fun, and the rains which begin to fail at this feason. The froft then returning, after the thaw, forms a kind of incruftation on the furface, that will bear a man's weight withcut fiaking. Had this feafon been arrived, we should have abandoned our crazy bat, and taking the little provifion we full poffeffed, have made an attempt to discover inhabitants, by a march into the heart of the country; perhaps it was fortunate we could not attempt it, as in all probability we fhould have perished in the woods.

Not having it in our power to wander towards any other part, we walked along the shore as far as we were able, and faw nothing that could at. traЯ our notice but fome ftumps of trees, from which the trunks might have been cut fome years before! from this circumftance we could collett no very fanguine hope of being near an inhabited country. Soon after, the wind coming round to the north weft, and bringing the froft along with it, we were once more enabled to repair our boat, and to prepare for launching it, as foon a the wind fhould abate its violence. This happening in fome degree on the Ift of February, we immediately em barked, and purfued our coafting voyage; but the feverity of the cold having formed a quantity of ice, it was with extreme labour that we con

trived

trived to get five miles before night, one of our party being employed in breaking the ice with a pole, and clearing it from the bows of the boat.

The following day, the wind blowing fresh from the north weft quarter prevented us again from proceeding any farther till the 31, when; coming round to the weft, which is direly along the fhore, and the moft favourable that could blow for us, we were enabled to embark, and pursue our voyage. Our boat, notwithflanding all our diligence in calking, made now fo much water, that we were obliged to keep one man conftantly at work in baling it out with a camp-kettle. The wind, however, was as fair as we could with, and be ing neither too flack nor too violent, we for fome time went at the rate of four miles an hour, with the affiftance of our oars; but foon after, the wind increafing, we laid in our oars, and run under our fail alone, at the rate of about five miles an hour.

After having run above fixteen miles, we difcovered an exceeding high land, about fix leagues diftant, with feveral other mountains and large bays between us; and it being yet early in the day, a fine wind, and no great fea, we were in hopes, if the wind fhould not increase too much, that we should be able to reach it before night. As we proceeded along the coaft, we found it in every part high and rocky, which made us very uneafy left the wind should rife before we could make the head-land. About two o'clock in the afternoon, when we fuppofed we were within three leagues of it, we difcovered an ifland about twenty miles from the main; and on comparing circumftances, we concluded that the land must be that of St. Paul, and the high land the north point of Cape Breton. The prodigious height of the land led us into an erroneous computation of its diftance; for, notwithstanding we had fuppofed that we were within three leagues of it when we firft difcovered the island of St. Paul, we found before we reached it, that we had run near five leagues.

It was almost dark by the time we reached the North Cape; where finding no place to land, we were obliged

Bbbb

to double the cape, and continue our journey. The wind now began to frefhen, and we had a heavy fea from the north east to encounter, as foon as we came oppofite to the cape. After having doubled it, our course lay in a very different direction from what it had been in the morning; fo that we were obliged to ftrike our fail, and take to the oars. The wind at the fame time blew fo hard off the high lands, that it was with the utmoft difficulty we could keep along the coaft; had we not been affifted by a heavy (well, that came from the north-east, we must certainly have been blown out to fea.

Finding no place to land during the night, we continued rowing as clofe as we could to the rocks, till about five in the morning; when hearing the fea run on the fhore very long and heavy, we imagined that we must be off a fandy beach. We act cordingly rowed towards the land, and at the diftance of fifty yards, for it was yet dark, were able to difcern a beach at leaft four miles in length. It was not however a convenient place for us to put in, on account of the furf, and a long and heavy fea that rolled on it; yet being fo much fatigued with rowing, that we were incapable of proceeding any farther, we were obliged to attempt a landingThis we effected with more ease than we looked for, and foffered no other. inconvenience but that of having our boat nearly filled with water on the beach. Having landed, our firft cate was to haul up the boat, that the might meet with no further damage from the fea. We then got into the woods, which lay close to the shore; and as I had taken the precaution to put our tinder box in my bosom, before we landed, to preserve it from the water, we contrived to kindle a fire; a refreshment we had much occasion for, having got wet in landing, and being in fo weak and reduced a codition, that it was with the greatest diffi culty we could keep ourselves awake. for a few minutes whea before the fire; fo that we were under the neceflity of watching in turn; left all being alleep together, the fire should go out, and we fhould be frozen to death. Having now time to confider

every

every circumstance, and finding, as foon as day-light appeared, that the land ftill continued to have an oppofite bearing to that on the other fide of the point, we had no doubt remaining, but that we were upon the North Cape of the island of Breton, which, together with Cape Roy on the iland of Newfoundland, marks the entrance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Our provifions were now entirely contumed, and having not the mont diftant profpect of getting any more, we were ready to abandon ourselves to despair. As we were certain of bemg on an inhabited inland, we might have flattered our felves with the hopes of getting relief, by perfevering in our ditatory progrefs, had we wherewithal to provide for our immediate fubfiftence. Having weighed the neceffity of the cafe, and the mifery of perishing by hunger, I was of opinion,as well as the mate, that it would be moft adviseable to facrifice one for the prefervaton of the reft; and that the most proper method would be by cafting lots, which fhould be the unfortunate victim. But, this fhocking, though pru dent refolution we agreed to put off to the last extremity.

We had not been able to fecure our boat fo effectually, but that the fea had beat her higher up on the beach, and filled her with fand. We were obliged therefore to fet two of the men to work in clearing her, and afterwards in flopping the leaks, as already described; while the remainder of our party were detached by difer ent routs along the thore, to fee if they could find any kind of provision. The mate and myself travelled along the fandy beach till we were prevented from going any farther by an inlet of water, when we were a good deal forprifed to obferve the tide to ebb and flow every ten minutes. We were not however at prefent in a difpofition to pay much regard to this or any other extraordinary appearance of nature; and feeing a great quantity of oyfter fhells lying upon the shore, we fearched them diligently, in hopes of finding fome that were full; but without fuccefs. This again made us curfe our deftiny, that we should have been caft away on fo barren and miferable a

country, and in fuch an unlucky time of the year, when we were not only deprived of the relief we might have got, at any other feafon, from the na tural productions of the earth; but when even the animals, inhabitants of both elements, had retired to their holes and hiding places, to fhield themselves from the intense cold which prevails during the winter in this inhofpitable climate.

We ftill continued our fearch, notwithflanding the ill fuccefs we had hitherto experienced, and contrived at length to gather about two quarts of hips, or wild refe buds, by throwing up the fnow, and fearching in different parts of the bank. Having with this forry food allayed in fome degree the keen fenfe of hunger, and the wind having become somewhat more moderate, we got into our boat and pushed off, the day being already drawing towards a conclufion. Our progrefs was however foon impeded by the quantity of ice that floated upon the water; which obliged us to put afhore on another part of the fame beach. In landing I had the misfortune to let the tinder-box fall from my bofom into the water, by which means we were unable to kindle a fire; and being exceedingly wet, as was generally the cafe when we landed, we were in this place in a moft uncomfortable fituation, and fuffered much from the cold. We therefore thought it beft to get into our boat again as faft as ponible, and return to the (pot from whence we came, in hopes of finding fome fire ftill remaining.

It was with the greatest difficulty we got back, being the whole way under the neceffity of breaking through the ice, which had by this time formed almoft into a folid fheet. We were very anxious left our fire fhould, meanwhile, have gone out, and thought it a lucky circumftance we had not been able to go any farther from it. On our arrival at the place we had the fatisfaction to find it was not totally extinguished: had this been the cafe, we must have perished in the courfe of the night. The fire being repaired, I cut up the remain. der of my thirt to make fome more tinder ; and, as the damage it got had

nearly