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Annex #7
Honoured Gentlemen of the Court on the 30th of April, 1815, I had
the watch below from 4 o'clock till 6 when drumbeat to quarters and
when I went up, the Second Lieutenant told me I was drunk. I had
been asleep at the time, my eyes look'd drowsy at the (time). I first
coming on deck, I had drank no more than my pint of grog which I
told the Lieutenant. He immediately sent me up to the mizzen top by
the Captain orders and the mizzen top man to lash me fast. At the
same time, it was snowing and sleeting very hard. I was kept there
an hour or an hour and a half. I do not know the time exactly,
being kept up in such cold weather. When the ship struck, I came
down from the mizzen top, I aiding hoisted out the boats, I went in
the pinnace and took the hawser and kedge out astern, came
alongside and went to the Captain and hove in by orders by the
officers, we got our top masts over the side to shore her up and
lashed her up right. I was sent to the after hatchway to assist in
saving the provisions which I did accordingly as I was ordered. Our
ship was so far gone by the time that the officers and men was all
leaving the ship by this
time. I went war forward to try if I could save any of my clothes
the time I could get up on deck again. The boats was all shoved off
again and could not return to assist me in getting on shore. I was
left on board with a number more of the crew as there was no orders
for careing the ship. I was left on board till the ship parted,
me and one more got on the main mast to get on shore. The other man
was perished on the mast when I left the ship therefore was
eighteen perished in the larboard main chains. I was left on the
main mast 2 or 3 hours before I gained the shore on the third of
May. I laid in the tent the whole day and could not move myself on
the forth. I got up and went along the beach with some of my
shipmates to look for my clothes. I could not find any of my
clothes which I returned look along the beach. We fell in with
Captain Galloway and Mr. Honnor, they told us to go down along the
beach and see if there was any thing fitter for the boats. I
told him I had been 3 miles along the beach and could see nothing
that was any use but an instant and boarding pike which I had in my
hand, bringing it towards the rock. The Captain immediately struck
me with a log of wood and beat me most cruel which I have two
marks to show on my head where he cut me to show he (shuried) twice
in the water without making any reply. The Master took the boarding
pike that I brought up, forced the pike through my skin. Then the
Captain ordered me to go away, that I should have no provisions, I
walked towards the tent and the Master ran after me again with the
boarding pike. Then the Captain ordered me hand and foot, then
turned to beat me again with his sword unnecessarily. The only
reply I made to the Captain was this "Captain Galloway, run your
sword through me, not to beat me in this way." The purser came at
the time and told the Captain he was beating me too severe. On the
5th of May, I left the rock and walked towards Gaspé. We got
intelligence to two Frenchmen that we could not go that way. We
passed the tents that same night and walked towards Quebec. We were
ten days and eleven night travelling before we got any subsistance
but the little provision we had with us which was a little bread
and oatmeal and three pieces of pork that we fished up on the
beach, which was entirely spoiled with salt water and saw no person
during the whole of the time but wild beast, bears, foxes and other
animals of the woods until the eleventh day. The first we
saw was a tribe of Indian gentlemen. This begins where the other
his left off.
With about fifty in number, they appeared to be very wild when
we first discovered them. We had then been forty hours out of
provisions and knew no way of getting more. We then walked towards
some little fear hoping to get some little refreshment from them.
They came towards us and took us to their wigwam, very friendly
they was, very inquisitive to know what countrymen we were. We told
them that we was Englishmen. They then gave us refreshment. We
slept with them three days until we was able to travel on our
journey again. There was four of them came with us about three
leagues. They told us there was place about St. Anne, 18 leagues
from us with only 3 houses. There was many rivers that we was
obliged to swim across. We was 6 days before we arrived. The 26 of
May was the day we stopt there a day. The other two were so frost
bitten, they could not travel any further. There was a schooner
going up to Quebec. We got a passage in her, and arrived in Quebec
on 2nd day of June. I went into a publikins house to get refreshed.
After that I went out with an intention
to give myself up. Left the other two at the house as they could
not walk and was very ill in bed. At 4 o'clock that afternoon, I
fell in with our officers. They had me put in the guard house, then
I was sent on board H.M. ship Perseus and put in irons. I have to
lament gentleman, the loss of the Perseus whom she should be of
material consequence in my behalf and whom I am endebted for my
life.
I am, gentlemen, most obedient and humble servent. |
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