The first sight I met with in the ship, were two men drowned in the cook-room or forecastle, inclosed in one another’s arms:  hence I very probably supposed, that when the vessel struck in the storm, so high and incessantly did the waters break in and over her, that the men not being able to bear it, were strangled by the constant rushing in of the waves.  There were several casks of liquor, whether wine of brandy, I could not be positive, which lay in the lower hold, as were plainly perceptible by the ebbing out of the water, yet were too large for me to pretend to meddle with; likewise I perceived several chests, which I supposed to belong to the seamen, two of which I got into my boat, without examining what was in them.  Had the stern of the ship been fixed, and the forepart broken off, I should have made a very prosperous voyage; since by what I after found in these two chests, I could not otherwise conclude, but that the ship must have abundance of wealth on board; nay, if I must guess by the course she steered, she must have been bound from the Buenos Ayres, or the Rio de la Plata, in the southern parts of America, beyond the Brazils, to the Havannah, in the gulf of Mexico, and so perhaps to Spain.  What became of the rest of the sailors, I could not certainly tell; and all her riches signified nothing at that time to any body.

Searching farther, I found a cask containing about twenty gallons, full of liquor, which, with some labour, I got into my boat; in her cabin were several muskets, which I let remain there; but took away with me a great powder horn, with about four pounds of powder in it.  I took also a fire-shovel and tongs, two brass kettles, a copper pot to make chocolate, and a gridiron; all which were extremely necessary to me, especially the fire-shovel and tongs.  And so with this cargo, accompanied with my dog, I came away, the tide serving for that purpose; and the same evening, about an hour within night, I attained the island, after the greatest toil and fatigue imaginable.

That night I reposed my wearied limbs in the boat, resolving the next morning to harbour what I had gotten in my new-found subterraneous grotto; & not to carry my cargo home to my ancient castle.  Having refreshed myself, and got all my effects on shore I next proceeded to examine the particulars; and so tapping the cask, I found the liquor to be a kind of rum, but not like what we had at the Brazils, non indeed near so good.  At the opening of the chest, several things appeared very useful to me; for instance, I found in one a very fine case of bottles, containing the finest and best sorts of cordial waters; each bottle held about three pints, curiously tip with silver.  I found also two pots full of the choicest sweetmeats, and two more which the water had utterly spoiled.  There were likewise several good shirts exceedingly welcome to me, and about one dozen and a half white linen handkerchiefs and coloured neckcloths, the former