A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 36: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A QUEER RAOE. paras! “The Spaniards, maddened. by thirst, have attempted to seize the ship. A number of them, who were allowed to walk on deck, secretly released their comrades, and at- tacked the watch—some with cut‘asses obtained I know not how, others with marline-spikes, or whatever else came to hand. The Englishmen at first driven from the deck were speedily re-enforced, and then ensued a fright- ful struggle in the dark, the Spaniards, utterly reckless of their lives, fighting with the ferocity of despair. But in the end they were overcome, the wounded (and I fear many of the whole) thrown into the sea, and the surviy- ors forced below and put in irons. The captain, himself _ sorely hurt, had great difficulty in protecting them from the fury of his men, who, if they might have had their way, would not have left a single Spaniard alive. ‘“ Still becalmed. Oh, how gladly would we give this thrice accursed treasure for a few casks of water, or even a few hours’ rain! ‘Tl am sick—I fear, nay, I hope, unto death, for I suf- fer so horribly from thirst that death would be a happy release. Yesterday two seamen committed suicide, and my dear friend, Captain Barnaby, has died of his wounds and want of water, since, hurt though he was, he nobly refused to take more than his share. “The command now devolves on Lieutenant I[ane. He is a first-rate seaman, and a man of resolute and orivinal character, but he has some strange ideas. ‘‘! write this with difficulty. I am worse. ‘T'o-mor- row I may not be able to write, and as I have no hope of ever seeing England again, I know not what will become of the ship and her crew. I am about to inclose my diary (which contains a narrative of the principal events that have befallen us since the Hecate left Hngland) in a water-tight case and commit it to the waves. It may peradventure be found after many days ‘‘T beseech any good soul into whose hands these pages may fall to forward them to [illegible] Surrey, England, or to the Secretary of the Admiralty, London. ‘*Qn board the galleon Santa Anna, ‘* February 7, 1744. ‘“Ropert Hare.” Ps “Si (E(0) mm Cc ool)