he immediately granted, recommended him to lie by in the night, and slacken sail by day, until they should be past the danger.

4. It is a custom always among the Portuguese absolutely to commit the sailing part, or the navigations of the vessel, to the pilot, who is answerable with his head for the safe conduct or carriage of the king'a ships, or those belonging to private traders; and he is under no manner of direction* from the captain, who commands in every other respect.

5. The pilot being one of those self-sufficient men, who think every hint given them from others in the way of their profession derogatory 9 from their understandings, took as an affront to be taught his art and instead of complying with the captain's request, actually crowded more sail than the vessel had carried before.

8 Navigation, act of passing by water.

* Direction, s mo tive order.

9 Derogatory, a lessening the value.

+ Dawn, s the first rise, beginning.

6. They had not sailed many hours, when, just about the dawn, of day, a terrible disaster2 befels blast, grief, cathem, which would have been pre- lamity. vented if they had lain by. The 3 Befel, o to ship struck upon a rock. I leave waylay, sur. it to the reader's imagination* what * Imagination, a scene of horror this dreadful ac-sfancy, concep cident must occasion among twelve tion, image, hundred persons, all in the same in

evitable danger; beholding, with fearful astonishment, that instantaneous4 death which now stared them in the face.

7. In this distress, the captain ordered the pinnaces to be launched, into which having tossed a small quantity of biscuit, and some boxes of marmalade, 6 be jumped in himself, with nineteen others; who *with their swords prevented the coming in of any more, lest the boat should sink.

4 Ir stantane

ous u done in an instant.

5 Pinnace, з я man of war's boat.

6 Marmalade s the pulp of quinces boiled with sugar.

7 Deliver, z to

8. In this condition they put off into the great Indian ocean without a compass to steer by, or any fresh water but what might fall from the heavens, whose merry alone could deliver them. After give up. they had rowed four days in this miserable condition, the captain who had been for some time very sick and weak, died.

9 Confusion, astonishment, disorder. choose. 2 Implicitly ad dependeatly.

+ Elect, v-to

9. This added if possible, to their misery; for as they now fell into confusion, 9 every one would gov ern and none would, obey. This obliged them to elect one of their own company to command them, whose orders they implicitly2 agreed to follow. This person proposed to the company to draw lots, and cast every fourth man overboard; as the small stock ofprovisions was so far spent, as not of a ship.

3 Overboard, ad thrown out

: 1

to be able at a very short allowance
to sustain life above three days lon-
ger.

10. There were now nineteen
persons in all; in this number were
a friar4 and a carpenter, both of
whom they would exempt, as, the
one was useful to absolves and com-
fort then in their last extremity,
and the other to repair the pinnace
in case of a leak or ether accident.
11. The same compliment they
paid to their new captain, he being
the odd man, and his life of much
consequence. He refused their in-
dalgence a great while; but at last
they obliged bim to acquiesce ;6 so
that there were four to die out of
the sixteen remaining persons.

12. The three first submitted7 to their fate; the fourth was a Fortuguese gentleman who had a younger brother in the boat, who seeing him about to be thrown overboard, most tenderly embraced him, and with tears in his eyes besought him to let him die in his room; enforcing his arguments by telling him that he was a married man, and had a wife and childeen at Goa, beside the care of three sisters, who absoIutely depended upon him; that as for himself, he was single, and his hfe of no great importance; he

4 Friars a re ligious brother of some order. 5 Absolve v to clear, forgive.

6 Acquiesce, to yield to.

7 Submitted, part resigned.

8 Embraced, part clasped. hugged.

therefore conjured him to sufier 9 Conjured him to supply.his place. part enjoined solemnly.

13. The elder brother astonished, and melting with this generosity, replied, that, since the divine providence had appointed him to suffer, it would be wicked and unjust to permite any other to die for him, especially a brother, to whom he was so infinitely obliged. The younger, persisting in his purpose, would take no denial ;3 but throwing himself on his knees, held his brother so fast, that the company could not disengage them.

+ Appointed, part fixed, or

dained.

2 Permit, v to suffer to be done.

3 Denial, s negation objec tion, refusal.

4 Protection, s shelter from ham 5 Imherit, v to possess.

14. Thus they disputed for a while, the elder brother bidding Lim to be a father to his children, and recommended his wife to his protection ;4 and as he would inherit5 his estate, to take care of their common sisters, but all he could say could not make the younger desist. This was a scene of tad. erness that must fill every broast, susceptible 6 of generous impress- 6 Susceptible, ions, with pity. At last the con- a capable of ade stancy of the elder brother yielded natting. to the piety of the other..

15. He acquiesced, and suffered the gallant? youth to supply his place, who, being cast into the sea, and a good swimmer, soon got to the sterns of the pinnace, and laid hold of the rudder with his right

7 Gallant, a

gay, sprightly.

8 Stern, s the hinder part of a ship.