The Yazoo Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1840-1842, 1842-06-17

upon the masts and rigging without the least
signs offear.
AS soon as they could get out their long
boat, some Of them went to search the coast,
who Eeturned with a good report Of the
place, though uninhabited; whereupon our
adventurer carried his mistress ashore, Ieav-
ing the rest to take care of the ship. The
country upon their landing appeared very
agFeeab!y diversified with hills and valleys;
the first thick shaded with variety Of un-
known trees, and the latter enriched with
cooling riVulets Of fresh water. And here
several wild beasts came about them, but
without offering any violence. Thus en-
couTaged, they marched further into the
land, and presently came to an opening like
aToundish meadow, enciTcled with border
OF lauTels and watered by small rivulet,
which IN bed of fine sand run down from the
mountains through it. Here likewise upon
an emnenco they found a most beautiful
tree, whose shade inviting them, they con-
ciHded TO take up their. abode under it for
wnlle at least, and accordingly with boughs
quit iheUselves hnts. In this place they
passed their time very agreeably, making
further discoveries of the country, and ADM.
ring ITS strange productions. But their
happiness Vas Of short duration, for three
days afterwards it blew storm at northeast
which driving the ship from her anchor.
threw her upon the coast of Morocco. where
all the company were taken prisoners by the
MOors and sent to prison.
Next morning those on land missing the
ship concluded she had foundered. This
new calamity drove them ali to despair. and
proved so affecting to the lady shat she did
not long survive it. The i'll success at the
first setting out had sunk her spirits, and
she continually fed her grief by sad presa-
ges Of the enterprise ending in some tragi.
cal catastrophe; but the shock of this last
disaster struck her dumb, so that she never
spoke more till she expired, which happen
ed three days afterwards. This loss being
too great for our lover to survive, the died
himself in FIVE days, notwithstanding all his
companions could do to comfort him, beg
ging them at his death TO place his BODY in
the same grave with hers, which they had
made at the foot of an altar erected under
that beautiful lofty tree before mentioned.
They afterward setup large wooden cross
upon it, and near that an inscription drawn
by Robert himself, which contained a sue
cinct account of this whole adventure, and
concluded with prayer to the Christians,
If any should ever come there to settle, TO
build church in that place to Jesus the
Saviour.
Thus deprived Of their leader, the rest
proposed to depart, and fitting out the boat
set sail, intending for England; but happen
ing TO take the same route the others had
been forced upon, arrived, unluckily for
them, at the same coast, and accordingly
met with the same fate, and were carried to
the same prison."
Here properly ends this story so like ro-
nance; but few paragraphs more added to
the above extract may not prove wholly un-
acceptable.
Gan objection has been found to the truth
Of this story, in the impossibiIity of Don
Henry becoming acquainted with the ex-
istence Of this island in the way that Alec
forado states. He says that, confined in
the jails of Morocco with Machin's compa-
Mons, was one John de Morales, an expert
enced sailor, who from them became ac-
quainted with the details Of Machin's adj
venture. That having been ransomed with
other Spanish prisoners, the vessel in which
he sailed was made prize BY Gonsalvo,
who was returning from his voyage to Porto
Sanlo, which we have mentioned. There
being at that time some difficulty between
the Spanish and Portuguese governments,
Morales was carried before Don Henry, and
informed him Of what he had heard from the
companions The difficulty in this case is,
that Machin's adventure must have happen
ed during the reign Of Edward the Third,
and between the years 1927 and 1878, and
that Morales must have been from forty-two
to nearly one hundred years prisoner
GalVanO in his chronicles Of CASTLE states
that il. was in 1874, which would make Mo-
rales seventy-six years prisoner. But we
cannot see that this objectiOnis ofany force
against the authenticity Of Alcoforado's
statement. II is very possible for him to
have been mistaken as to the personal COM