The night set in dark and rainy, and he took up his quarters at the base of a mountain, determined to ascend to the summit in the morning, in the hope of gaining a view of the sea; but the first thing he did was to shelter himself in one of the low trees which had the thickest foliage, and which proved, in some measure, a defence against the tempestuous weather which now set in. In this dismal situation he fell asleep; and on awakening found himself in a very feeble condition, and completely wet through. Towards morning the weather cleared up, and he proceeded with no very great expedition to climb the mountain, for his strength was nearly exhausted; after great exertion he succeeded in gaining the top, and with great joy found that it commanded a view of the anchorage: but he also made another discovery, which, in its event, threatened to prove more fatal to this unfortunate youth than all his former adventures; the ship to which he belonged had put to sea, and the American brig was at that moment loosening her sails. The distance from the place where he stood to the sea-beach, was at least three miles; and the well-known signal warned him that not a moment was to be lost. The perfect hopelessness of all succour, should she sail before he could arrive at the beach, rendered him desperate; he rushed down the mountain, sick, dizzy, and faint, his limbs with difficulty performing their office; he succeeded after nearly two hours of great fatigue and difficulty in reaching the bay where he first landed; but what was his horror on beholding the white sails of the American brig dwindled to a mere speck upon the horizon!
Though naturally of an almost unconquerable spirit, the hopelessness of his situation overpowered him, and he fell down in agony upon the sand which he grasped in agitated spasm. Here he lay until the day was pretty far advanced. On recovering a little, the want of food became insupportable; he hobbled along shore in search of shell-fish, but was obliged to put up with wild shrubs. He sheltered himself this night in the woods which skirted the see, and in the morning returned to the task of procuring subsistence. With this intent he walked along the beach, and at a rocky part of the shore he perceived several seals; some of them were reposing on the sand, while others lay upon the rocks. Approaching very silently, and selecting one whose head presented a fair mark, he with a few blows secured the prize. Being unable to make a fire he proceeded to cut it up, and selecting a piece of the liver, ate it ravenously; this he had no sooner done than he was seized with excessive sickness, and was obliged to lie upon the sand for a length of time, completely exhausted. Having refreshed himself with some water, he again pursued his path along shore, when by great good fortune he fell in with a tortoise; this he also quickly despatched, and the flesh agreeing with his stomach renovated his strength; he was soon afterwards enabled to return to the place where he had left the seal, which he forthwith cut up into long strips, and laying them upon the sand, left them to dry, intending to try another piece for breakfast in the morning, the remains of the tortoise sufficing only for that evening.