When we arrived at the island, we were extremely welcome to Captain Cheap.  The next day, I asked him leave to try if I could prevail upon those in the long-boat to give us our share of provisions:  this he granted; but said, if we went in the barge they would certainly take her from us.  I told him my design was to walk it, and only desired the boat might land me upon the main, and wait for me till I came back.  I had the most dreadful journey of it imaginable, through thick woods and swamps all the way; but I might as well have spared myself that trouble, as it was to no manner of purpose, for they would not give me, nor any one of us that left them, a single ounce of provisions of any kind, I therefore returned, and after that made a second attempt, but all in vain.  They even threatened, if we did not return with the barge, they would fetch her by force.  It is impossible to conceive the distressed situation we were now in at the time of the long-boat’s departure.  I don’t mention this event as the occasion of it; by which, if we who were left on the island experienced any alteration at all, it was for the better, and which, in all probability, had it been deferred, might have been fatal to the greatest part of us; but at this time the subsistence on which we had hitherto depended chiefly, which was the shell-fish, were every where along shore eat up; and as to stock saved from the wreck, it may be guessed what the amount of that might be, when the share allotted to the captain, Lieutenant Hamilton, and the surgeon, was no more than six pieces of beef, as many of pork, and ninety pounds of flour.  As to myself and those that left the long-boat, it was the least revenge they thought they could take of us to withhold our provision from us, though at the same time it was hard and unjust.  For a day or two after our return there was some little pittance dealt out to us, yet it was upon the foot of favour; and we were soon left to our usual industry for a farther supply.  This was now exerted to very little purpose, for the reason before assigned; to which may be added, the wreck was now blown up, all her upper works gone, and no hopes of any valuable driftage from her for the future.  A weed called slaugh, fried in the tallow of some candles we had saved, and wild sellery, were our only fare, by which our strengths was so much impaired, that we could scarcely crawl.  It was my misfortune too to labour under a severe flux, by which, I was reduced to a very feeble state; so that, in attempting to traverse the rocks in search of shell-fish, I fell from one into very deep water, and with difficulty saved my life by swimming.