"First, we had for some days fared exceedingly hard, and suffered very
great hunger; but at last we were wholly without food of any kind except
sugar, and a little wine and water. The first day after I had received
no food at all, I found myself towards evening, empty and sick at the
stomach, and nearer night much inclined to yawning and sleep. I lay down
on the couch in the great cabin to sleep, and slept about three hours,
and awaked a little refreshed, having taken a glass of wine when I lay
down; after being about three hours awake, it being about five o'clock in
the morning, I found myself empty, and my stomach sickish, and lay down
again, but could not sleep at all, being very faint and ill; and thus I
continued all the second day with a strange variety--first hungry, then
sick again, with retchings to vomit. The second night, being obliged to
go to bed again without any food more than a draught of fresh water, and
being asleep, I dreamed I was at Barbadoes, and that the market was
mightily stocked with provisions; that I bought some for my mistress, and
went and dined very heartily. I thought my stomach was full after this,
as it would have been after a good dinner; but when I awaked I was
exceedingly sunk in my spirits to find myself in the extremity of family.
The last glass of wine we had I drank, and put sugar in it, because of
its having some spirit to supply nourishment; but there being no
substance in the stomach for the digesting office to work upon, I found
the only effect of the wine was to raise disagreeable fumes from the
stomach into the head; and I lay, as they told me, stupid and senseless,
as one drunk, for some time. The third day, in the morning, after a
night of strange, confused, and inconsistent dreams, and rather dozing
than sleeping, I awaked ravenous and furious with hunger; and I question,
had not my understanding returned and conquered it, whether if I had been
a mother, and had had a little child with me, its life would have been
safe or not. This lasted about three hours, during which time I was
twice raging mad as any creature in Bedlam, as my young master told me,
and as he can now inform you.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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