When I came down to the ship I found it strangely removed. The forecastle, which lay before buried in sand, was heaved up at least six feet, and the stern, which was broke in pieces and parted from the rest by the force of the sea, soon after I had left rummaging her, was tossed as it were up, and cast on one side; and the sand was thrown so high on that side next her stern, that whereas there was a great place of water before, so that I could not come within a quarter of a mile of the wreck without swimming I could now walk quite up to her when the tide was out.
Giunto presso al luogo ov’erano gli avanzi del naufragio, li trovai stranamente spostali; perchè il castel di prua che dianzi era sepolto nella sabbia si era alzato almeno sei piedi; mentre la poppa, andata in pezzi e staccatasi dal rimanente per la violenza dell’acqua poco dopo l’ultima indagine che io feci sovr’essa, parea fosse stata trabalzata e andata a collocarsi in disparte dal rimanente. La sabbia si era tanto addossata d’intorno ad essa che a bassa marea io mi vi poteva accostare, camminando coi miei piedi laddove si trovava prima un ampio tratto di acqua, che mi obbligava a fare circa un quarto di miglio a nuoto se vi voleva arrivare.