much exhausted to row the distance of one hundred miles, therefore we will go and carry you—­we consider ourselves at your service.”  I expressed a wish to take a look at the Exertion, possibly we might hear something of Mr. Bracket.  Nickola said “very well,” so got under way, and run for her, having a light westerly wind.  He then related to me the manner of their desertion from the pirates; as nearly as I can recollect his own words, he said, “A few days since, the pirates took four small vessels, I believe Spaniards; they having but two officers for the two first, the third fell to me as prize master, and having an understanding with the three Frenchmen and Thomas, selected them for my crew, and went on board with orders to follow the Mexican; which I obeyed.  The fourth, the pirates took out all but one man and bade him also follow their vessel.  Now our schooner leaked so bad, that we left her and in her stead agreed to take this little sloop (which we are now in) together with the one man.  The night being very dark we all agreed to desert the pirates—­altered our course and touched at St. Maria, where we landed the one man—­saw no boats there, could hear nothing from you, and agreed one and all at the risk of our lives to come and liberate you if you were alive; knowing, as we did, that you were put on this Key to perish.  On our way we boarded the Exertion, thinking possibly you might have been there.  On board her we found a sail and paddle.  We took one of the pirate’s boats which they had left along-side of her, which proves how we came by two boats.  My friend, the circumstance I am now about to relate, will somewhat astonish you.  When the pirate’s boat with Bolidar was sent to the before mentioned Key, on the 19th of January, it was their intention to leave you prisoners there, where was nothing but salt water and mangroves, and no possibility of escape.  This was the plan of Baltizar, their abandoned pilot; but Bolidar’s heart failed him, and he objected to it; then, after a conference, Captain Jonnia ordered you to be put on the little island from whence we have now taken you.  But after this was done, that night the French and Portuguese part of the Mexican’s crew protested against it; so that Captain Jonnia to satisfy them, sent his large boat to take you and your fellow prisoners back again, taking care to select his confidential Spaniards for this errand.  And you will believe me they set off from the Mexican, and after spending about as much time as would really have taken them to come to you, they returned, and reported they had been to your island, and landed, and that none of you were there, somebody having taken you off!  This, all my companions here know to be true.—­I knew it was impossible you could have been liberated, and therefore we determined among ourselves, that should an opportunity occur we would come and save your lives, as we now have.”  He then expressed, as he hitherto had done (and I believe with sincerity),