Page:Account of a most surprizing savage girl.pdf/16

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16
AN ACCOUNT OF

that she frequently mounted trees to avoid wild beasts, and that her countries were covered with snow: that, when they were carried away by the ship, on account of some attempts they made to escape, the two little savages were confined in the hold of the ship; but this precaution had like to have proved fatal both to them and the ship's company. For, here they formed a scheme of scratching a hole in the ship with their nails, by which they might make their escape into their favourite element, the water. The crew, however, luckily discovered their operations, in time to prevent them, and escape shipwreck. This attempt made them chain the two little savages, so as to put it out of their power to attempt the like again.

It appears that after the escape of these two children from the shipwreck, being then incapable of any other views than those of liberty and self-preservation, they pursued no other rout than chance and necessity presented. At night, according to le Blanc, they saw more distinctly than in the day, (which, however, must not be understood literally, though her eyes do still retain somewhat of that faculty) they travelled about in