_June_ 16.—Going down to the seaside, I found a large tortoise or turtle. This was the first I had seen, which, it seems, was only my misfortune, not any defect of the place, or scarcity; for had I happened to be on the other side of the island, I might have had hundreds of them every day, as I found afterwards; but perhaps had paid dear enough for them.
16. Trasportatomi alla riva del mare, trovai una grossa testuggine, la prima ch’io avessi veduta; e ciò, a quanto sembra, fu solamente mia sfortuna, non difetto del luogo o scarsezza quivi di questi animali; perchè se mi fosse occorso di pigliar terra in un’altra banda dell’isola, ne avrei avuto un centinaio per giorno, come ebbi occasione d’accorgermene in appresso; ma forse avrei pagata troppo caro la mia scoperta.