were lashed, the farther ends of which were bound by a very strong cord, and thus formed the front part of the raft.  The angular space, formed by the two yards, was filled with pieces of wood laid across, and planks ill adjusted.  This fore part, which was at least two metres in length, had very little solidity, and was continually submerged.  The hinder part did not terminate in a point like the fore part, but a considerable length of this part was not more solid, so that in fact, there was only the center which was really to be depended upon:  an example will enable the reader to judge of its dimensions.  When we were no more than fifteen in it, we had not space enough to lie down, and yet we were extremely close together.  The raft, from one extremity, to the other was at least twenty metres in length, and about seven in breadth; this length might induce one to think, at the first sight, that it was able to carry two hundred men, but we soon had cruel proofs of its weakness.  It was without sails or mast.  As we left the frigate they threw us the fore-top-gallant and the main-top-gallant sails; but they did it with such precipitation, that, some persons who were at their post, were in danger of being wounded by the fall of these sails, which were bent to the yards.  They did not give us any ropes to set up our mast.

There was on board the raft a great quantity of barrels of flour, which had been deposited there the preceding day, not to serve for provisions during the passage, from the frigate to the coast, but because the raft, formed of the barrels, not having succeeded, they were deposited on the machine, that they might not be carried away by the sea, there were also six barrels of wine and two small casks of water, which had been put there for the use of the people.

Scarcely fifty men had got upon the raft, when it sunk at least seventy centimetres under water; so that to facilitate the embarkation of the other soldiers it was necessary to throw into the sea all the flour barrels, which lifted by the waves, began to float and were violently driven against the men who were at their post; if they had been fixed, perhaps some of them might have been saved:  as it was, we saved only the wine and the water, because several persons united to preserve them, and had much difficulty to hinder them from being thrown into the sea like the flour barrels.  The raft, lightened by throwing away these barrels, was able to receive more men; we were at length a hundred and fifty.  The machine was submerged at least a metre:  we were so crowded together that it was impossible to take a single step; at the back and the front, we were in water up to the middle.  At the moment that we were; putting off, from the frigate, a bag with twenty-five pounds of biscuit was thrown us, which fell into the sea; we got it up with difficulty; it was converted into a paste, but we preserved it in that condition.  Several considerate persons fastened the casks of wine and water to the cross pieces of the raft, and we kept a strict watch over them.  Thus we have faithfully described the nature of our situation when we put off from the vessel.