[page 108, continued:] |
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 JULY
24. This
morning saw us wonderfully recruited in spirits and strength.
Notwithstanding
the perilous situation in which we were still placed, ignorant of our
position,
although certainly at a great distance from land, without more food
than
would last us for a fortnight even with great care, almost entirely
without
water, and floating about at the mercy of every wind and wave, on the
merest
wreck in the world, still the infinitely more terrible distresses and
dangers
from which we had so lately and so providentially been delivered caused
us to regard what we now endured as but little more than an ordinary
evil
— so strictly comparative is either good or ill. At sunrise we were preparing to renew
our attempts
at getting [page 109:] up something from the storeroom, when, a
smart shower coming
on, with some lightning, we turned our attention to the catching of
water
by means of the sheet we had used before for this purpose. We had no
other
means of collecting the rain than by holding the sheet spread out with
one of the forechain-plates in the middle of it. The water, thus
conducted
to the centre, was drained through into our jug. We had nearly filled
it
in this manner, when, a heavy squall coming on from the northward,
obliged
us to desist, as the hulk began once more to roll so violently that we
could no longer keep our feet. We now went forward, and, lashing
ourselves
securely to the remnant of the windlass as before, awaited the event
with
far more calmness than could have been anticipated, or would have been
imagined possible under the circumstances. At noon the wind had
freshened
into a two-reef breeze, and by night into a stiff gale, accompanied
with
a tremendously heavy swell. Experience having taught us, however, the
best
method of arranging our lashings, we weathered this dreary night in
tolerable security, although thoroughly drenched at
almost every instant by the sea, and in momentary dread of being washed
off. Fortunately, the weather was so warm as to render the water rather
grateful than otherwise. July 25. This morning the
gale had diminished
to a mere ten-knot breeze, and the sea had gone down with it so
considerably
that we were able to keep ourselves dry upon the deck. To our great
grief,
however, we found that two jars of our olives, as well as the whole of
our ham, had been washed overboard, in spite of the careful manner in
which
they had been fastened. We determined not to kill the tortoise as yet,
and contented ourselves for the present with a breakfast on a few of
the
olives, and a measure of water each, which latter we mixed, half and
half,
with wine, finding great relief and strength from the mixture, without
the distressing intoxication which had ensued upon drinking the Port.
The
sea was still far too rough for the renewal of our efforts at getting
up
provision from the storeroom. Several articles, of no importance to us
in our present situation, floated up through the opening during the
day,
and were immediately washed overboard. We also now observed that the
hulk
lay more along than ever, so that we could not stand an instant [page
109:] without
lashing ourselves. On this account we passed a gloomy and uncomfortable
day. At noon the sun appeared to be nearly vertical, and we had no
doubt
that we had been driven down by the long succession of northward and
northwesterly
winds into the near vicinity of the equator. Towards evening saw
several
sharks, and were somewhat alarmed by the audacious manner in which an
enormously
large one approached us. At one time, a lurch throwing the deck very
far
beneath the water, the monster actually swam in upon us, floundering
for
some moments just over the companion-hatch, and striking Peters
violently
with his tail. A heavy sea at length hurled him overboard, much to our
relief. In moderate weather we might have easily captured him. July 26. This morning, the
wind having greatly abated, and the sea not being very rough, we
determined
to renew our exertions in the storeroom. After a great deal of hard
labor
during the whole day, we found that nothing further was to be expected
from this quarter, the partitions of the room having been stove during
the night, and its contents swept into the hold. This discovery, as may
be supposed, filled us with despair. July 27. The sea nearly
smooth, with a light
wind, and still from the northward and westward. The sun coming out
hotly
in the afternoon, we occupied ourselves in drying our clothes. Found
great
relief from thirst, and much comfort otherwise, by bathing in the sea;
in this, however, we were forced to use great caution, being afraid of
sharks, several of which were seen swimming around the brig during the
day. July 28. Good weather still.
The brig now
began to lie along so alarmingly that we feared she would eventually
roll
bottom up. Prepared ourselves as well as we could for this emergency,
lashing
our tortoise, water-jug, and two remaining jars of olives as far as
possible
over to the windward, placing them outside the hull, below the
main-chains.
The sea very smooth all day, with little or no wind. July 29. A continuance of the
same weather.
Augustus's wounded arm began to evince symptoms of mortification. He
complained
of drowsiness and excessive thirst, but no acute pain. Nothing could be
done for his relief beyond rubbing his wounds [page 111:] with
a little of the
vinegar
from the olives, and from this no benefit seemed to be experienced. We
did everything in our power for his comfort, and trebled his allowance
of water. July 30. An excessively hot
day, with no wind.
An enormous shark kept close by the hulk during the whole of the
forenoon.
We made several unsuccessful attempts to capture him by means of a
noose.
Augustus much worse, and evidently sinking as much from want of proper
nourishment as from the effect of his wounds. He constantly prayed to
be
released from his sufferings, wishing for nothing but death. This
evening
we ate the last of our olives, and
found
the water in our jug so putrid that we could not swallow it at all
without
the addition of wine. Determined to kill our tortoise in the morning. July 31. After a night of
excessive anxiety
and fatigue, owing to the position of the hulk, we set about killing
and
cutting up our tortoise. He proved to be much smaller than we had
supposed,
although in good condition — the whole meat about him not amounting to
more than ten pounds. With a view of preserving a portion of this as
long
as possible, we cut it into fine pieces, and filled with them our three
remaining olive-jars and the wine-bottle (all of which had been kept),
pouring in afterward the vinegar from the olives. In this manner we put
away about three pounds of the tortoise, intending not to touch it
until
we had consumed the rest. We concluded to restrict ourselves to about
four
ounces of the meat per day; the whole would thus last us thirteen days.
A brisk shower, with severe thunder and lightning, came on about dusk,
but lasted so short a time that we only succeeded in catching about
half
a pint of water. The whole of this, by common consent, was given to
Augustus,
who now appeared to be in the last extremity. He drank the water from
the
sheet as we caught it (we holding it above him as he lay so as to let
it
run into his mouth), for we had now nothing left capable of holding
water,
unless we had chosen to empty out our wine from the carboy, or the
stale
water from the jug. Either of these expedients would have been resorted
to had the shower lasted. The sufferer seemed to derive but
little benefit
from the draught. His arm was completely black from the wrist to the [page
112:]
shoulder,
and his feet were like ice. We expected every moment to see him breathe
his last. He was frightfully emaciated; so much so that, although he
weighed
a hundred and twenty-seven pounds upon his leaving Nantucket, he now
did
not weigh more than forty or fifty at the farthest. His eyes
were
sunk far in his head, being scarcely perceptible, and the skin of his
cheeks
hung so loosely as to prevent his masticating any
food, or even swallowing any liquid, without great difficulty. August 1. A continuance of
the same calm weather,
with an oppressively hot sun. Suffered exceedingly from thirst, the
water
in the jug being absolutely putrid and swarming with vermin. We
contrived,
nevertheless, to swallow a portion of it by mixing it with wine — our
thirst,
however, was but little abated. We found more relief by bathing in the
sea, but could not avail ourselves of this expedient except at long
intervals,
on account of the continual presence of sharks. We now saw clearly that
Augustus could not be saved; that he was evidently dying. We could do
nothing
to relieve his sufferings, which appeared to be great. About twelve
o'clock
he expired in strong convulsions, and without having spoken for several
days. His death filled us with the most gloomy forebodings, and had so
great an effect upon our spirits that we sat motionless by the corpse
during
the whole day, and never addressed each other except in a whisper. It
was
not until some time after dark that we took courage to get up and throw
the body overboard. It was then loathsome beyond expression, and so far
decayed that, as Peters attempted to lift it, an entire leg came off in
his grasp. As the mass of putrefaction slipped over the vessel's side
into
the water, the glare of phosphoric light with which it was surrounded
plainly
discovered to us seven or eight large sharks, the clashing of whose
horrible
teeth, as their prey was torn to pieces among them, might have been
heard
at the distance of a mile. We shrunk within ourselves in the extremity
of horror at the sound. August 2. The same fearfully
calm and hot
weather. The dawn found us in a state of pitiable dejection as well as
bodily exhaustion. The water in the jug was now absolutely useless,
being
a thick gelatinous mass; nothing but frightful-looking worms mingled
with
slime. We threw it out, and washed [page 113:] the jug well in
the sea, afterward
pouring
a little vinegar in it from our bottles of pickled tortoise. Our thirst
could now scarcely be endured, and we tried in vain to relieve it by
wine, which seemed only to add fuel to the flame, and
excited
us to a high degree of intoxication. We afterward endeavored to
relieve
our sufferings by mixing the wine with seawater; but this instantly
brought
about the most violent retchings, so that we never again attempted it.
During the whole day we anxiously sought an opportunity of bathing, but
to no purpose; for the hulk was now entirely besieged on all sides with
sharks — no doubt the identical monsters who had devoured our poor
companion
on the evening before, and who were in momentary expectation of another
similar feast. This circumstance occasioned us the most bitter regret
and
filled us with the most depressing and melancholy forebodings. We had
experienced
indescribable relief in bathing, and to have this resource cut off in
so
frightful a manner was more than we could bear. Nor, indeed, were we
altogether
free from the apprehension of immediate danger, for the least slip or
false
movement would have thrown us at once within reach of these voracious
fish,
who frequently thrust themselves directly upon us, swimming up to
leeward.
No shouts or exertions on our part seemed to alarm them. Even when one
of the largest was struck with an axe by Peters, and much wounded, he
persisted
in his attempts to push in where we were. A cloud came up at dusk, but,
to our extreme anguish, passed over without discharging itself. It is
quite
impossible to conceive our sufferings from thirst at this period. We
passed
a sleepless night, both on this account and through dread of the
sharks. August 3. No prospect of
relief, and the brig
lying still more and more along, so that now we could not maintain a
footing
upon deck at all. Busied ourselves in securing our wine and
tortoise-meat,
so that we might not lose them in the event of our rolling over. Got
out
two stout spikes from the forechains, and, by means of the axe, drove
them
into the hull to windward within a couple of feet of the water; this
not
being very far from the keel, as we were nearly upon our beam-ends. To
these spikes we now lashed our provisions, as being more secure than
their
former position beneath the chains.
Suffered
great agony from [page 114:] thirst during the whole day — no
chance of bathing on
account of the sharks, which never left us for a moment. Found it
impossible
to sleep. August 4. A little before
daybreak we perceived
that the hulk was heeling over, and aroused ourselves to prevent being
thrown off by the movement. At first the roll was slow and gradual, and
we contrived to clamber over to windward very well, having taken the
precaution
to leave ropes hanging from the spikes we had driven in for the
provision.
But we had not calculated sufficiently upon the acceleration of the
impetus;
for presently the heel became too violent to allow of our keeping pace
with it; and, before either of us knew what was to happen, we found
ourselves
hurled furiously into the sea, and struggling several fathoms beneath
the
surface, with the huge hull immediately above us. In going under the water I had been
obliged to let
go my hold upon the rope; and finding that I was completely beneath the
vessel, and my strength nearly exhausted, I scarcely made a struggle
for
life, and resigned myself, in a few seconds, to die. But here again I
was
deceived, not having taken into consideration the natural rebound of
the
hull to windward. The whirl of the water upward, which the vessel
occasioned
in rolling partially back, brought me to the surface still more
violently
than I had been plunged beneath. Upon coming up I found myself about
twenty
yards from the hulk, as near as I could judge. She was lying keel up,
rocking
furiously from side to side, and the sea in all directions around was
much
agitated, and full of strong whirlpools. I could see nothing of Peters.
An oil-cask was floating within a few feet of me, and various other
articles
from the brig were scattered about. My principal terror was now on
account of the sharks,
which I knew to be in my vicinity. In order to deter these, if
possible,
from approaching me, I splashed the water vigorously with both hands
and
feet as I swam towards the hulk, creating a body of foam. I have no
doubt
that to this expedient, simple as it was, I was indebted for my
preservation; for the sea all around the brig,
just before her rolling over, was so crowded with these monsters, that
I must have been, and really was, in actual contact [page 115:]
with some of them
during
my progress. By great good fortune, however, I reached the side of the
vessel in safety, although so utterly weakened by the violent exertion
I had used that I should never have been able to get upon it but for
the
timely assistance of Peters, who now, to my great joy, made his
appearance
(having scrambled up to the keel from the opposite side of the hull),
and
threw me the end of a rope — one of those which had been attached to
the
spikes. Having barely escaped this danger,
our attention
was now directed to the dreadful imminency of another; that of absolute
starvation. Our whole stock of provision had been swept overboard in
spite
of all our care in securing it; and seeing no longer the remotest
possibility
of obtaining more, we gave way both of us to despair, weeping aloud
like
children, and neither of us attempting to offer consolation to the
other.
Such weakness can scarcely be conceived, and to those who have never
been
similarly situated will, no doubt, appear unnatural; but it must be
remembered
that our intellects were so entirely disordered by the long course of
privation
and terror to which we had been subjected, that we could not justly be
considered, at that period, in the light of rational beings. In
subsequent
perils, nearly as great, if not greater, I bore up with fortitude
against
all the evils of my situation, and Peters, it will be seen, evinced a
stoical
philosophy nearly as incredible as his present childlike supineness and
imbecility — the mental condition made the difference. The overturning of the brig, even
with the consequent
loss of the wine and turtle, would not, in fact, have rendered our
situation
more deplorable than before, except for the disappearance of the
bedclothes
by which we had been hitherto enabled to catch rainwater, and of the
jug
in which we had kept it when caught; for we found the whole bottom,
from
within two or three feet of the bends as far as the keel, together with
the keel itself, thickly covered
with
large barnacles, which proved to be excellent and highly nutritious food.
Thus, in two important respects, the accident we had so greatly dreaded
proved a benefit rather than an injury; it had opened to us a supply of
provisions which we could not have exhausted, using it moderately, in a
month; and it had greatly contributed to our comfort as regards
position,
we [page 116:] being much more at ease, and in infinitely less
danger, than before. The difficulty, however, of now
obtaining water blinded
us to all the benefits of the change in our condition. That we might be
ready to avail ourselves, as far as possible, of any shower which might
fall we took off our shirts, to make use of them as we had of the
sheets
— not hoping, of course, to get more in this way, even under the most
favorable
circumstances, than half a gill at a time. No signs of a cloud appeared
during the day, and the agonies of our thirst were nearly intolerable.
At night Peters obtained about an hour's disturbed sleep, but my
intense
sufferings would not permit me to close my eyes for a single moment. August 5. To-day, a gentle
breeze springing
up carried us through a vast quantity of seaweed, among which we were
so
fortunate as to find eleven small crabs, which afforded us several
delicious
meals. Their shells being quite soft, we ate them entire, and found
that
they irritated our thirst far less than the barnacles. Seeing no trace
of sharks among the seaweed, we also ventured to bathe, and remained in
the water for four or five hours, during which we experienced a very
sensible
diminution of our thirst. Were greatly refreshed, and spent the night
somewhat
more comfortably than before, both of us snatching a little sleep. August 6. This day we were
blessed by a brisk
and continual rain, lasting from about noon until after dark. Bitterly
did we now regret the loss of our jug and carboy; for, in spite of the
little means we had of catching the water, we might have filled one, if
not both of them. As it was, we contrived to satisfy the cravings of
thirst
by suffering the shirts to become saturated, and then
wringing them so as to let the grateful fluid trickle into our mouths.
In this occupation we passed the entire day. August 7. Just at daybreak we
both at the
same instant descried a sail to the eastward, and evidently coming
towards
us! We hailed the glorious sight with a long, although feeble shout
of rapture; and began instantly to make every signal in our power, by
flaring
the shirts in the air, leaping as high as our weak condition would
permit,
and even by hallooing with all the [page 117:] strength of our
lungs, although the
vessel could not have been less than fifteen miles distant. However,
she
still continued to near our hulk, and we felt that, if she but held her
present course, she must eventually come so close as to perceive us. In
about an hour after we first discovered her, we could clearly see the
people
on her decks. She was a long, low, and rakish-looking topsail schooner,
with a black ball in her foretopsail, and had, apparently, a full crew.
We now became alarmed, for we could hardly imagine it possible that she
did not observe us, and were apprehensive that she meant to leave us to
perish as we were — an act of fiendish barbarity, which, however
incredible
it may appear, has been repeatedly perpetuated at sea, under
circumstances
very nearly similar, and by beings who were regarded as belonging to
the
human species.* In this instance, however,
by the mercy of God, we were destined to be most happily [page 118:]
deceived; for,
presently we were aware of a sudden commotion on the deck of the
stranger,
who immediately afterward run up a British flag, and, hauling her wind,
bore up directly upon us. In half an hour more we found ourselves in
her
cabin. She proved to be the Jane Guy, of Liverpool, Captain Guy, bound
on a sealing and trading voyage to the South Seas and Pacific. |
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