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"it. As for myself, the Fatigue of my

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Body and the Vexation of my Mind "had fo thoroughly weakned me, that I →was almost entirely deprived of Appetite; " and the utmoft Dexterity of the most ac"complished French Cook would have "been ineffectual, had he endeavoured to "tempt me with Delicacies. I thought

myself very little a Gainer by my late "Escape from the Tempeft, by which I "feemed only to have exchanged the Ele"ment in which I was prefently to die. "When our Company had fufficiently, "and indeed very plentifully, feafted

themselves, they refolved to enter the "Wood and endeavour to pafs it, in Ex

pectation of finding fome Inhabitants, at "leaft Provifion; for the Plain which lay "between the Wood and the Sea was ex"tremely barren, nor did it afford any other "Beaft or Fowl than Sea Gulls. We pro"ceeded therefore in the following Order; "one Man in the Front with a Hatchet to "clear our Way, and two others followed "him with Guns to protect the reft from "wild Beafts; then walked the reft of our Company, and laft of all the Captain

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"him,

"himself, being armed likewife, with a "Gun to defend us from any Attack behind, in the Rear, I think, you call it.

And thus our whole Company, being "fourteen in Number, travelled on 'till Night overtook us, without feeing any

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thing, unless a few Birds, and fome very infignificant Animals. We refted all Night under the Covert of fome Trees, " and indeed we very little wanted Shel"<ter at that Season, the Heat in the Day

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being the only Inclemency we had to "combat with in this Climate. I cannot

help telling you, my old Friend lay still "nearest to me on the Ground, and declar"ed he would be my Protector, should of the Sailors offer Rudeness; but I "can acquit them of any fuch Attempt; "nor was I ever affronted by any one, more "than with a coarse Expreffion, proceed

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ing rather from the Roughness and Igno"rance of their Education, than from any "abandoned Principle, or want of Humanity.

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CHAP.

CHA P. IX.

A very wonderful Chapter indeed; which, to those who have not read many Voyages, may seem incredible; and which the Reader may believe or not, as he pleases.

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WE

E had now proceeded a very little Way on our next Day's "March, when one of the Sailors cried "out, he spied a Tower on our Left; a fecond, looking that Way, faid he faw 66 it move; and indeed fo it did towards We presently discovered it was an "Animal of an enormous Bignefs, being "of the Elephantine Kind, but fo large, "that the Elephant is to it in Size but as "the Crayfish to the Lobfter. The Ap

ec us.

દ.

proach of this vaft Animal ftruck us all with Terror. As for myfelf, I felt more " than I had done during our two Tempefts; for I dreaded lefs being fwallow"ed by the unmerciful Ocean, than being "devoured by the Jaws of this Monster,

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" which,

"which, with a Voice suitable to his Bulk, "now filled all the Wood with his bellow

ing. It was impoffible to efcape him

by Flight, nor had our Men much time "to confider what Means they might ufe "for their Defence. Our two Mufque"teers in an inftant, therefore, refolved to "discharge their several Pieces at his Eyes, "the one agreeing to aim at the right, the "other at the left. They executed this "bold Refolution with fuch notable Suc"cefs, that the Beast was immediately de

prived of his Sight, the Bullets having "both luckily entred in at the Sight of "the Eyes; a very fortunate Accident for

us, the whole Dimenfions of each Eye

being very near equal to the Capaciouf"ness of a large Hall. The Beast, which "now roared infinitely louder than before, "with the Anguish of the Wound fell to "the Ground. My Friend perfuaded the "reft to depart as faft as we could, left. "fome others, of the fame kind, fhould ἐσ come to his Affiftance, which might

prove fatal to us: But the Curiosity of "the Sailors was infatiable; they fwore "they would go up to the Monster, and " examine

"examine him; for they apprehended he "was mortally wounded by the Blow: "Whereas in Reality Windfor Castle, which "our Beast was neither in Size nor Figure "much unlike, would have been in as "much Danger of being battered down by "a Mufquet Shot, as this Monster was of

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being killed by it. But I almost shud

"der with the Remembrance of what I "am now going to relate; for indeed I "take it to be the strangest Inftance of "that Intrepidity, fo juftly remarked in "our Seamen, which can be found on Re"cord. In a Word then, one of our Muf"queteers coming up to the Beast as he lay wallowing on the Ground, and perceiving his Mouth wide open, marched directly down his Throat. Had he not "declared his Intention to those near him, "we should have concluded, that he had "been swallowed by the Monster; but as "it was, we imagined him little better "than Felo de fe, and gave over all "Thoughts of ever seeing him again, when fuddenly we heard the hollow Report of "a Gun, feemingly at a great Distance. "One of the Sailors declared the Sound

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" came

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