upon deck sent some of his men down into my closet, from whence (as I afterwards found), they drew up all my goods, and stripped off the quilting; but the chairs, cabinet, and bedstead, being screwed to the floor, were much damaged by the ignorance of the seamen, who tore them up by force.  Then they knocked off some of the boards for the use of the ship, and when they had got all they had a mind for, let the hulk drop into the sea, which, by reason of many breaches made in the bottom and sides, sunk to rights.  And indeed I was glad not to have been a spectator of the havoc they made; because I am confident it would have sensibly touched me, by bringing former passages into my mind which I had rather forget.

I slept some hours, but perpetually disturbed with dreams of the place I had left and the dangers I had escaped.  However, upon waking, I found myself much recovered.  It was now about eight o’clock at night, and the captain ordered supper immediately, thinking I had already fasted too long.  He entertained me with great kindness, observing me not to look wildly, or talk inconsistently; and, when we were left alone, desired I would give him a relation of my travels, and by what accident I came to be set adrift in that monstrous wooden chest.  He said that about twelve o’clock at noon, as he was looking through his glass, he espied it at a distance, and thought it was a sail, which he had a mind to make, being not much out of his course, in hopes of buying some biscuit, his own beginning to fall short.  That upon coming nearer, and finding his error, he sent out his longboat, to discover what I was; that his men came back in a fright, swearing they had seen a swimming house.  That he laughed at their folly, and went himself in the boat, ordering his men to take a strong cable along with them.  That the weather being calm, he rowed round me several times, observed my windows and the wire lattices that defended them.  That he discovered two staples upon one side, which was all of boards, without any passage for light.  He then commanded his men to row up to that side, and, fastening a cable to one of the staples, ordered them to tow my chest (as they called it) toward the ship.  When it was there, he gave directions to fasten another cable to the ring fixed in the cover, and to raise up my chest with pulleys, which all the sailors were not able to do above two or three feet.  He said they saw my stick and handkerchief thrust out of the hole, and concluded that some unhappy man must be shut up in the cavity.  I asked whether he or the crew had seen any prodigious bird in the air, about the time he first discovered me?  To which he answered that, discoursing this matter with the sailors while I was asleep, one of them said he had observed three eagles flying towards the north, but remarked nothing of their being larger than the usual size; which I suppose must be imputed to the great height they were at; and he could not guess the reason of my question.