When it was broad day, I saw our ship close by us, on which I asked our guide, why he had brought us so far about? when he said there was a river between us and the shore, and he was not sure if it were fordable.  I therefore sent some to try, who found it only knee deep, on which, to avoid carrying our plunder so far by land, I ordered our boats to leave the river of St Martin, and to row to the beach over against the ship.  We had not been long at the farmhouse till the master of the family came to us, bringing several horses with him, and offering to serve us as far as he could.  This offer we kindly accepted, and we employed him to carry every thing we thought fit to our boats.  He then went among his black cattle, and brought us as many as we thought we could cure, as we had but little salt, and could not afford water to keep them alive at sea, so that we killed them as soon as they came on board.  We preserved them by cutting their flesh into long slips, about the thickness of one’s finger, and then sprinkled them with a small quantity of salt, not using more than four or five pounds to the hundred-weight.  After lying two or three hours in the salt, we hung it up to dry in the sun for two or three days, which perfectly cured it, much better than could have been done by any quantity of the best salt.

Having thus procured all we proposed at this place, we departed from thence nest morning, having our decks full of fowls and hogs, among the latter of which was one having its navel on its back.[272] The Spaniards say that this animal, although but small even at its full growth, is a terrible creature to meet wild in the woods.  Returning through the Canal bueno, we stopt at Quibo to complete our water; and on leaving that island, gave the largest piragua to our two prisoners, to enable those who were on the island of Quivetta to return home.  The wine and brandy we had lately taken had the effect of dividing my ship’s company into two parties, those who were formerly so firmly united being now inveterate enemies; insomuch, that in one night the ringleaders of both have solicited me to espouse their cause, assuring me that the other party had a design on my life, and urging me to murder those who were of the opposite faction.  It is wonderful how this evil was diverted, as I could use no other means than calm advice on both sides, and it was utterly out of my power to hinder them from getting drunk as often as they pleased; in which condition they often fell all to skirmishing with each other, and I had more than once my clothes almost torn off my back in endeavouring to part them.  It was happy this trade of drinking did not last long, as, while the liquor lasted, I found it was unsafe to lay my head on my pillow, which almost wearied me out of my life.  Their free access to the liquor shortened the term of this miserable folly, by soon expending the baneful cause.  The necessities of hunger obliged them to act jointly and vigorously at Mariato; but