The Provisions we had, came very seasonably to our Relief, so that we made a very hearty Meal, and did not spare our Cider. By the Height of the Sun it could not be then less than two o' Clock in the Afternoon, therefore 'twas pretty plain we must have been about 30 Hours in that dark Place. From hence we made the best of our Way.
This River has prodigious Turnings and Windings, and is full of Rocks 'twixt Wind and Water, Shoals and Islands which in some Places form ten or a dozen difficult narrow Passages. There are some Falls in it too which are extremely dangerous, nevertheless, as we pass'd them without any Damage or any extraordinary Accident that might naturally be expected in a Voyage of this Nature, I will not stand to mention the Particulars, for fear the Reader should think me tedious.
I will only add that about 35 Leagues from the Sea, this River is divided into two Branches of which we chose the least, because we had a mind to keep to the Left, and we thought the other led us too far out of our Way. It was just at this Division that a swinging Salmon leap'd 7 or 8 Foot above Water, and fell into our Boat where we receiv'd it with great Joy in Hopes of making a Feast of it, which we did for several Days. Notwithstanding all the Speed we made, we were a Month in our Voyage.
Our Joy to think we were drawing towards our own dear Country, tho' after all we were not sure that we should ever see it again, made us indefatigable; we scarce gave ourselves time to rest, insomuch that we could not have been more in a Hurry if a Ship had actually staid to take us on Board for Europe. But alas! when we arriv'd at the Mouth of the River, our Hopes were all dash'd in an instant. We saw a dreadful Passage before our Eyes, which seem'd to us impracticable. When we are Ashore there's room for contriving Ways and Means to overcome such Obstacles as fall in the Way, and let what will happen almost, a little Patience and Pains-taking will bring us out of it, but the merciless Ocean gives one a Disgust against venturing from the Shore.
We had been five Years seeking our Fortune since we left these Coasts. We had indeed encounter'd various Dangers, and undergone extraordinary Fatigues, but then on the other hand we had our Share of Diversion, and even now, I would not for any thing but have seen so fine a Kingdom; on the contrary, I repent a thousand times that I left it. My Comrade, who was the Cause of it, knew not what to say now; the poor Devil was quite confounded, but something however must be resolv'd on.
It was as yet fine Weather, and by good Luck we had a Stock of useful Materials, only we had not many Nails. I was of Opinion, that the first thing we ought to do, was to provide ourselves the best Lodging we could, and that for this Purpose our Hatchets and Mattocks would be of great Service. About 50 Paces from the River, and consequently from our Boat there was a vast Lime-tree, under which we built a fine large triangular Hut, whither we brought our Baggage. Our Bows were also of great Use to us for hunting, otherwise we should have been in Danger of being famish'd; but the Birds were not so tame as those we had formerly met with, so that it requir'd a great deal of Art to catch them.
The thing that gave us some Trouble was to make a Fire for the first Time, because we had lost our Steel, and the Fire that we had sav'd went out the Day before we came hither. The Place where we were was so full of Sand and Shells, that we had several Days Ramble into the Country before we could meet with Flints that were for our Purpose; these were all that we wanted; for we had Rags which we caus'd to be well dry'd in the Sun for Tinder, and we did not want old Iron. As we had plenty of Wood, we did not let the first Fire we made go out, nor was there a Probability of its being extinguish'd a long time, for there were whole Trees which were burning continually.
We stay'd about 8 Months in this Canton, where we liv'd by hunting. One while, in order to pass away the Time, which we thought extremely tedious, we took our Boat, and made a short Voyage upon the River, or out at Sea, according as the Weather and Tide permitted us, and sometimes we climb'd up to the highest Eminences in Hopes of spying some Vessel to carry us out of our melancholy Solitude.
Being weary at length of staying always in the same Place, we resolv'd to make a Sail some Leagues to the Well in Hopes not only of finding out the Place where our Ship was cast away, for we could not be very far from it, but also of making some new Discovery. We took in Provisions for a few Days, and rising very early one Morning, we made towards the Strand in order to keep near the Sea. We walk'd so stoutly that if I am not mistaken, we had travell'd above 15 Leagues by the Close of next Day. The Shore was every where uniform, and there was no Variety of Objects to delight the Eye. We ascended to the Downs, which in that Place were very high, and the Prospect was the same as far as our Eyes could reach it. A little fresh Gale of Wind that blew from the North East, oblig'd us to take Shelter all Night under a Hill, where the Sand retain'd a great deal of the Heat which it had contracted from the Sun in the Day. As soon as Morning appear'd, we enter'd the Flat Country where there was greater Variety, but then the Ways were much worse. If we had been dispos'd to have loaded ourselves with Game, it was in our Power to have kill'd what we would, because we had each a good Bow, and there was abundance of Animals of all Sorts.
At length, on the fifth Day, as I take it, after our Departure, and about two or three o' Clock in the Afternoon we arriv'd at our River. As we had rambled a little from the Sea-side, we perceiv'd immediately by several Tokens with which we were very well acquainted, that we were no more than a League and a half distant from it, at which we were overjoy'd because we were afraid that we had gone too far. Nevertheless, this little way seem'd very tedious to us; we knew it was a round-about Way which we might have avoided, tho' indeed we chose it, and we were glad when we perceiv'd our Barrack at a Distance, because there we expected to take our Rest.