As night was approaching, we now walked along before the wind toward the south part of the island, and there found, by the side of a huge pile of rocks, a hole or sort of cave, about eight feet square and five feet high.  Here we all crawled in, wet and cold, but with hearts grateful to God for our wonderful preservation.  As we were packed very close to each other, the natural warmth of our bodies soon relieved us considerably from the sensation of wetness and cold, and we passed the night as comfortably as our varied miseries would allow.

Morning came, and we left our cave.  The gale had much abated, and we could see some distance.  We found that we were on a small desolate island, about a mile long, half a mile wide, and about ten miles from the place we left the day before.  It was covered mostly with huge rocks, with here and there a small patch of soil, overrun with prickly pear, and inhabited by no living animal excepting lizards and small poisonous snakes.  We had been now over twenty-four hours without food or water.  Of the latter article, on searching around, we found a little in the hollows on the rocks, but it was about half salt, having been made so by the spray which the gale had thrown from the ocean quite over the island, and the more we drank of it the more thirsty we became.  As to food, we were soon convinced that this was out of the question.  Toward night, we found a cask near the beach, standing on one end, with one head out, which held about two gallons of water, that had rained in.  This was not salt, but smelled badly.  We, however, scooped out with our hands about one half of it, and left what remained for the next day.  We got some relief from this, and then we returned to our former resting-place for the night.

When we crawled out on the following morning we found that the weather had become fine and clear.  We could see vessels passing at a short distance from us, but had no means of making any signal, nor any for leaving the shore.  This being the third day of our distress and privation, some of us began to suffer much from hunger.  Others suffered more from thirst.  We, however, cheered each other with the faint hope that some thing would appear for our relief.  We wandered about as we had done the day before, seeking for water but found none.  We had nothing to dig with but our hands; these we used, but in vain; no water appeared.  Toward night we went to the cask, and drank what remained there.  We then returned again to our cave for the night, all much exhausted and low-spirited.  Despair began to shade every countenance.  Very little was said, and we passed the night well as we could, pressed by hunger and parched by thirst.  Morning came, and again we all left our shelter.  The weather continued fine and clear.  The men again separated in search of water, but being myself very feeble, I took my seat on some rocks near the cave, at a point from whence I could see every thing moving on the water, and with a lingering hope that something would appear for our deliverance.