NARRATIVE OF A. GORDON PYM

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

UPON my return to the United States a
few months ago, after the extraordinary
series of adventure in the South Seas
and elsewhere, of which an account is
given in the following pages, accident
threw me into the society of several
gentlemen in Richmond, Va., who felt
deep interest in all matters relating to
the regions I had visited, and who were
constantly urging it upon me, as a duty,
to give my narrative to the public. I
had several reasons, however, for
declining to do so, some of which were
of a nature altogether private, and
concern no person but myself; others not
so much so. One consideration which
deterred me was that, having kept no
journal during a greater portion of the
time in which I was absent, I feared I
should not be able to write, from mere
memory, a statement so minute and
connected as to have the appearance of
that truth it would really possess,
barring only the natural and unavoidable
exaggeration to which all of us are
prone when detailing events which have
had powerful influence in exciting the
imaginative faculties. Another reason
was, that the incidents to be narrated
were of a nature so positively
marvellous that, unsupported as my
assertions must necessarily be (except
by the evidence of a single individual,
and he a half-breed Indian), I could
only hope for belief among my family,
and those of my friends who have had
reason, through life, to put faith in my
veracity-the probability being that the
public at large would regard what I
should put forth as merely an impudent
and ingenious fiction. A distrust in my
own abilities as a writer was,
nevertheless, one of the principal
causes which prevented me from complying
with the suggestions of my advisers.

Among those gentlemen in Virginia who
expressed the greatest interest in my
statement, more particularly in regard
to that portion of it which related to
the Antarctic Ocean, was Mr. Poe, lately
editor of the "Southern Literary
Messenger," a monthly magazine,
published by Mr. Thomas W. White, in the
city of Richmond. He strongly advised
me, among others, to prepare at once a
full account of what I had seen and
undergone, and trust to the shrewdness
and common-sense of the
public-insisting, with great
plausibility, that however roughly, as
regards mere authorship, my book should
be got up, its very uncouthness, if
there were any, would give it all the
better chance of being received as
truth.

Notwithstanding this representation, I
did not make up my mind to do as he
suggested. He afterward proposed
(finding that I would not stir in the
matter) that I should allow him to draw
up, in his own words, a narrative of the
earlier portion of my adventures, from
facts afforded by myself, publishing it
in the "Southern Messenger" under the
garb of fiction. To this, perceiving no
objection, I consented, stipulating only
that my real name should be retained.
Two numbers of the pretended fiction
appeared, consequently, in the
"Messenger" for January and February
(1837), and, in order that it might
certainly be regarded as fiction, the
name of Mr. Poe was affixed to the
articles in the table of contents of the
magazine.

The manner in which this ruse was
received has induced me at length to
undertake a regular compilation and
publication of the adventures in
question; for I found that, in spite of
the air of fable which had been so
ingeniously thrown around that portion
of my statement which appeared in the
"Messenger" (without altering or
distorting a single fact), the public
were still not at all disposed to
receive it as fable, and several letters
were sent to Mr. P.'s address,
distinctly expressing a conviction to
the contrary. I thence concluded that
the facts of my narrative would prove of
such a nature as to carry with them
sufficient evidence of their own
authenticity, and that I had
consequently little to fear on the score
of popular incredulity.

This expose being made, it will be seen
at once how much of what follows I claim
to be my own writing; and it will also
be understood that no fact is
misrepresented in the first few pages
which were written by Mr. Poe. Even to
those readers who have not seen the
"Messenger," it will be unnecessary to
point out where his portion ends and my
own commences; the difference in point
of style will be readily perceived.

 A. G. PYM.



CHAPTER 1

MY name is Arthur Gordon Pym. My father
was a respectable trader in sea-stores
at Nantucket, where I was born. My
maternal grandfather was an attorney in
good practice. He was fortunate in every
thing, and had speculated very
successfully in stocks of the Edgarton
New Bank, as it was formerly called. By
these and other means he had managed to
lay by a tolerable sum of money. He was
more attached to myself, I believe, than
to any other person in the world, and I
expected to inherit the most of his
property at his death. He sent me, at
six years of age, to the school of old
Mr. Ricketts, a gentleman with only one
arm and of eccentric manners--he is well
known to almost every person who has
visited New Bedford. I stayed at his
school until I was sixteen, when I left
him for Mr. E. Ronald's academy on the
hill. Here I became intimate with the
son of Mr. Barnard, a sea-captain, who
generally sailed in the employ of Lloyd
and Vredenburgh--Mr. Barnard is also
very well known in New Bedford, and has
many relations, I am certain, in
Edgarton. His son was named Augustus,
and he was nearly two years older than
myself. He had been on a whaling voyage
with his father in the John Donaldson,
and was always talking to me of his
adventures in the South Pacific Ocean. I
used frequently to go home with him, and
remain all day, and sometimes all night.
We occupied the same bed, and he would
be sure to keep me awake until almost
light, telling me stories of the natives
of the Island of Tinian, and other
places he had visited in his travels. At
last I could not help being interested
in what he said, and by degrees I felt
the greatest desire to go to sea. I
owned a sailboat called the Ariel, and
worth about seventy-five dollars. She
had a half-deck or cuddy, and was rigged
sloop-fashion--I forget her tonnage, but
she would hold ten persons without much
crowding. In this boat we were in the
habit of going on some of the maddest
freaks in the world; and, when I now
think of them, it appears to me a
thousand wonders that I am alive
to-day.

I will relate one of these adventures by
way of introduction to a longer and more
momentous narrative. One night there was
a party at Mr. Barnard's, and both
Augustus and myself were not a little
intoxicated toward the close of it. As
usual, in such cases, I took part of his
bed in preference to going home. He went
to sleep, as I thought, very quietly (it
being near one when the party broke up),
and without saying a word on his
favorite topic. It might have been half
an hour from the time of our getting in
bed, and I was just about falling into a
doze, when he suddenly started up, and
swore with a terrible oath that he would
not go to sleep for any Arthur Pym in
Christendom, when there was so glorious
a breeze from the southwest. I never was
so astonished in my life, not knowing
what he intended, and thinking that the
wines and liquors he had drunk had set
him entirely beside himself. He
proceeded to talk very coolly, however,
saying he knew that I supposed him
intoxicated, but that he was never more
sober in his life. He was only tired, he
added, of lying in bed on such a fine
night like a dog, and was determined to
get up and dress, and go out on a frolic
with the boat. I can hardly tell what
possessed me, but the words were no
sooner out of his mouth than I felt a
thrill of the greatest excitement and
pleasure, and thought his mad idea one
of the most delightful and most
reasonable things in the world. It was
blowing almost a gale, and the weather
was very cold--it being late in October.
I sprang out of bed, nevertheless, in a
kind of ecstasy, and told him I was
quite as brave as himself, and quite as
tired as he was of lying in bed like a
dog, and quite as ready for any fun or
frolic as any Augustus Barnard in
Nantucket.

We lost no time in getting on our
clothes and hurrying down to the boat.
She was lying at the old decayed wharf
by the lumber-yard of Pankey & Co., and
almost thumping her side out against the
rough logs. Augustus got into her and
bailed her, for she was nearly half full
of water. This being done, we hoisted
jib and mainsail, kept full, and started
boldly out to sea.

The wind, as I before said, blew freshly
from the southwest. The night was very
clear and cold. Augustus had taken the
helm, and I stationed myself by the
mast, on the deck of the cuddy. We flew
along at a great rate--neither of us
having said a word since casting loose
from the wharf. I now asked my companion
what course he intended to steer, and
what time he thought it probable we
should get back. He whistled for a few
minutes, and then said crustily: "I am
going to sea--you may go home if you
think proper." Turning my eyes upon him,
I perceived at once that, in spite of
his assumed nonchalance, he was greatly
agitated. I could see him distinctly by
the light of the moon--his face was
paler than any marble, and his hand
shook so excessively that he could
scarcely retain hold of the tiller. I
found that something had gone wrong, and
became seriously alarmed. At this period
I knew little about the management of a
boat, and was now depending entirely
upon the nautical skill of my friend.
The wind, too, had suddenly increased,
as we were fast getting out of the lee
of the land--still I was ashamed to
betray any trepidation, and for almost
half an hour maintained a resolute
silence. I could stand it no longer,
however, and spoke to Augustus about the
propriety of turning back. As before, it
was nearly a minute before he made
answer, or took any notice of my
suggestion. "By-and-by," said he at
length--"time enough--home by-and-by." I
had expected a similar reply, but there
was something in the tone of these words
which filled me with an indescribable
feeling of dread. I again looked at the
speaker attentively. His lips were
perfectly livid, and his knees shook so
violently together that he seemed
scarcely able to stand. "For God's sake,
Augustus," I screamed, now heartily
frightened, "what ails you?--what is the
matter?--what are you going to do?"
"Matter!" he stammered, in the greatest
apparent surprise, letting go the tiller
at the same moment, and falling forward
into the bottom of the
boat--"matter--why, nothing is
the--matter--going home--d--d--don't you
see?" The whole truth now flashed upon
me. I flew to him and raised him up. He
was drunk--beastly drunk--he could no
longer either stand, speak, or see. His
eyes were perfectly glazed; and as I let
him go in the extremity of my despair,
he rolled like a mere log into the
bilge-water, from which I had lifted
him. It was evident that, during the
evening, he had drunk far more than I
suspected, and that his conduct in bed
had been the result of a
highly-concentrated state of
intoxication--a state which, like
madness, frequently enables the victim
to imitate the outward demeanour of one
in perfect possession of his senses. The
coolness of the night air, however, had
had its usual effect--the mental energy
began to yield before its influence--and
the confused perception which he no
doubt then had of his perilous situation
had assisted in hastening the
catastrophe. He was now thoroughly
insensible, and there was no probability
that he would be otherwise for many
hours.

It is hardly possible to conceive the
extremity of my terror. The fumes of the
wine lately taken had evaporated,
leaving me doubly timid and irresolute.
I knew that I was altogether incapable
of managing the boat, and that a fierce
wind and strong ebb tide were hurrying
us to destruction. A storm was evidently
gathering behind us; we had neither
compass nor provisions; and it was clear
that, if we held our present course, we
should be out of sight of land before
daybreak. These thoughts, with a crowd
of others equally fearful, flashed
through my mind with a bewildering
rapidity, and for some moments paralyzed
me beyond the possibility of making any
exertion. The boat was going through the
water at a terrible rate--full before
the wind--no reef in either jib or
mainsail--running her bows completely
under the foam. It was a thousand
wonders she did not broach to--Augustus
having let go the tiller, as I said
before, and I being too much agitated to
think of taking it myself. By good luck,
however, she kept steady, and gradually
I recovered some degree of presence of
mind. Still the wind was increasing
fearfully, and whenever we rose from a
plunge forward, the sea behind fell
combing over our counter, and deluged us
with water. I was so utterly benumbed,
too, in every limb, as to be nearly
unconscious of sensation. At length I
summoned up the resolution of despair,
and rushing to the mainsail let it go by
the run. As might have been expected, it
flew over the bows, and, getting
drenched with water, carried away the
mast short off by the board. This latter
accident alone saved me from instant
destruction. Under the jib only, I now
boomed along before the wind, shipping
heavy seas occasionally over the
counter, but relieved from the terror of
immediate death. I took the helm, and
breathed with greater freedom as I found
that there yet remained to us a chance
of ultimate escape. Augustus still lay
senseless in the bottom of the boat; and
as there was imminent danger of his
drowning (the water being nearly a foot
deep just where he fell), I contrived to
raise him partially up, and keep him in
a sitting position, by passing a rope
round his waist, and lashing it to a
ringbolt in the deck of the cuddy.
Having thus arranged every thing as well
as I could in my chilled and agitated
condition, I recommended myself to God,
and made up my mind to bear whatever
might happen with all the fortitude in
my power.

Hardly had I come to this resolution,
when, suddenly, a loud and long scream
or yell, as if from the throats of a
thousand demons, seemed to pervade the
whole atmosphere around and above the
boat. Never while I live shall I forget
the intense agony of terror I
experienced at that moment. My hair
stood erect on my head--I felt the blood
congealing in my veins--my heart ceased
utterly to beat, and without having once
raised my eyes to learn the source of my
alarm, I tumbled headlong and insensible
upon the body of my fallen companion.

I found myself, upon reviving, in the
cabin of a large whaling-ship (the
Penguin) bound to Nantucket. Several
persons were standing over me, and
Augustus, paler than death, was busily
occupied in chafing my hands. Upon
seeing me open my eyes, his exclamations
of gratitude and joy excited alternate
laughter and tears from the
rough-looking personages who were
present. The mystery of our being in
existence was now soon explained. We had
been run down by the whaling-ship, which
was close-hauled, beating up to
Nantucket with every sail she could
venture to set, and consequently running
almost at right angles to our own
course. Several men were on the look-out
forward, but did not perceive our boat
until it was an impossibility to avoid
coming in contact--their shouts of
warning upon seeing us were what so
terribly alarmed me. The huge ship, I
was told, rode immediately over us with
as much ease as our own little vessel
would have passed over a feather, and
without the least perceptible impediment
to her progress. Not a scream arose from
the deck of the victim--there was a
slight grating sound to be heard
mingling with the roar of wind and
water, as the frail bark which was
swallowed up rubbed for a moment along
the keel of her destroyer--but this was
all. Thinking our boat (which it will be
remembered was dismasted) some mere
shell cut adrift as useless, the captain
(Captain E. T. V. Block, of New London)
was for proceeding on his course without
troubling himself further about the
matter. Luckily, there were two of the
look-out who swore positively to having
seen some person at our helm, and
represented the possibility of yet
saving him. A discussion ensued, when
Block grew angry, and, after a while,
said that "it was no business of his to
be eternally watching for egg-shells;
that the ship should not put about for
any such nonsense; and if there was a
man run down, it was nobody's fault but
his own, he might drown and be dammed"
or some language to that effect.
Henderson, the first mate, now took the
matter up, being justly indignant, as
well as the whole ship's crew, at a
speech evincing so base a degree of
heartless atrocity. He spoke plainly,
seeing himself upheld by the men, told
the captain he considered him a fit
subject for the gallows, and that he
would disobey his orders if he were
hanged for it the moment he set his foot
on shore. He strode aft, jostling Block
(who turned pale and made no answer) on
one side, and seizing the helm, gave the
word, in a firm voice, Hard-a-lee! The
men flew to their posts, and the ship
went cleverly about. All this had
occupied nearly five minutes, and it was
supposed to be hardly within the bounds
of possibility that any individual could
be saved--allowing any to have been on
board the boat. Yet, as the reader has
seen, both Augustus and myself were
rescued; and our deliverance seemed to
have been brought about by two of those
almost inconceivable pieces of good
fortune which are attributed by the wise
and pious to the special interference of
Providence.

While the ship was yet in stays, the
mate lowered the jolly-boat and jumped
into her with the very two men, I
believe, who spoke up as having seen me
at the helm. They had just left the lee
of the vessel (the moon still shining
brightly) when she made a long and heavy
roll to windward, and Henderson, at the
same moment, starting up in his seat
bawled out to his crew to back water. He
would say nothing else--repeating his
cry impatiently, back water! black
water! The men put back as speedily as
possible, but by this time the ship had
gone round, and gotten fully under
headway, although all hands on board
were making great exertions to take in
sail. In despite of the danger of the
attempt, the mate clung to the
main-chains as soon as they came within
his reach. Another huge lurch now
brought the starboard side of the vessel
out of water nearly as far as her keel,
when the cause of his anxiety was
rendered obvious enough. The body of a
man was seen to be affixed in the most
singular manner to the smooth and
shining bottom (the Penguin was coppered
and copper-fastened), and beating
violently against it with every movement
of the hull. After several ineffectual
efforts, made during the lurches of the
ship, and at the imminent risk of
swamping the boat I was finally
disengaged from my perilous situation
and taken on board--for the body proved
to be my own. It appeared that one of
the timber-bolts having started and
broken a passage through the copper, it
had arrested my progress as I passed
under the ship, and fastened me in so
extraordinary a manner to her bottom.
The head of the bolt had made its way
through the collar of the green baize
jacket I had on, and through the back
part of my neck, forcing itself out
between two sinews and just below the
right ear. I was immediately put to
bed--although life seemed to be totally
extinct. There was no surgeon on board.
The captain, however, treated me with
every attention--to make amends, I
presume, in the eyes of his crew, for
his atrocious behaviour in the previous
portion of the adventure.

In the meantime, Henderson had again put
off from the ship, although the wind was
now blowing almost a hurricane. He had
not been gone many minutes when he fell
in with some fragments of our boat, and
shortly afterward one of the men with
him asserted that he could distinguish a
cry for help at intervals amid the
roaring of the tempest. This induced the
hardy seamen to persevere in their
search for more than half an hour,
although repeated signals to return were
made them by Captain Block, and although
every moment on the water in so frail a
boat was fraught to them with the most
imminent and deadly peril. Indeed, it is
nearly impossible to conceive how the
small jolly they were in could have
escaped destruction for a single
instant. She was built, however, for the
whaling service, and was fitted, as I
have since had reason to believe, with
air-boxes, in the manner of some
life-boats used on the coast of Wales.

After searching in vain for about the
period of time just mentioned, it was
determined to get back to the ship. They
had scarcely made this resolve when a
feeble cry arose from a dark object that
floated rapidly by. They pursued and
soon overtook it. It proved to be the
entire deck of the Ariel's cuddy.
Augustus was struggling near it,
apparently in the last agonies. Upon
getting hold of him it was found that he
was attached by a rope to the floating
timber. This rope, it will be
remembered, I had myself tied around his
waist, and made fast to a ringbolt, for
the purpose of keeping him in an upright
position, and my so doing, it appeared,
had been ultimately the means of
preserving his life. The Ariel was
slightly put together, and in going down
her frame naturally went to pieces; the
deck of the cuddy, as might have been
expected, was lifted, by the force of
the water rushing in, entirely from the
main timbers, and floated (with other
fragments, no doubt) to the
surface--Augustus was buoyed up with it,
and thus escaped a terrible death.

It was more than an hour after being
taken on board the Penguin before he
could give any account of himself, or be
made to comprehend the nature of the
accident which had befallen our boat. At
length he became thoroughly aroused, and
spoke much of his sensations while in
the water. Upon his first attaining any
degree of consciousness, he found
himself beneath the surface, whirling
round and round with inconceivable
rapidity, and with a rope wrapped in
three or four folds tightly about his
neck. In an instant afterward he felt
himself going rapidly upward, when, his
head striking violently against a hard
substance, he again relapsed into
insensibility. Upon once more reviving
he was in fuller possession of his
reason--this was still, however, in the
greatest degree clouded and confused. He
now knew that some accident had
occurred, and that he was in the water,
although his mouth was above the
surface, and he could breathe with some
freedom. Possibly, at this period the
deck was drifting rapidly before the
wind, and drawing him after it, as he
floated upon his back. Of course, as
long as he could have retained this
position, it would have been nearly
impossible that he should be drowned.
Presently a surge threw him directly
athwart the deck, and this post he
endeavored to maintain, screaming at
intervals for help. Just before he was
discovered by Mr. Henderson, he had been
obliged to relax his hold through
exhaustion, and, falling into the sea,
had given himself up for lost. During
the whole period of his struggles he had
not the faintest recollection of the
Ariel, nor of the matters in connexion
with the source of his disaster. A vague
feeling of terror and despair had taken
entire possession of his faculties. When
he was finally picked up, every power of
his mind had failed him; and, as before
said, it was nearly an hour after
getting on board the Penguin before he
became fully aware of his condition. In
regard to myself--I was resuscitated
from a state bordering very nearly upon
death (and after every other means had
been tried in vain for three hours and a
half) by vigorous friction with flannels
bathed in hot oil--a proceeding
suggested by Augustus. The wound in my
neck, although of an ugly appearance,
proved of little real consequence, and I
soon recovered from its effects.

The Penguin got into port about nine
o'clock in the morning, after
encountering one of the severest gales
ever experienced off Nantucket. Both
Augustus and myself managed to appear at
Mr. Barnard's in time for
breakfast--which, luckily, was somewhat
late, owing to the party over night. I
suppose all at the table were too much
fatigued themselves to notice our jaded
appearance--of course, it would not have
borne a very rigid scrutiny. Schoolboys,
however, can accomplish wonders in the
way of deception, and I verily believe
not one of our friends in Nantucket had
the slightest suspicion that the
terrible story told by some sailors in
town of their having run down a vessel
at sea and drowned some thirty or forty
poor devils, had reference either to the
Ariel, my companion, or myself. We two
have since very frequently talked the
matter over--but never without a
shudder. In one of our conversations
Augustus frankly confessed to me, that
in his whole life he had at no time
experienced so excruciating a sense of
dismay, as when on board our little boat
he first discovered the extent of his
intoxication, and felt himself sinking
beneath its influence.



CHAPTER 2

IN no affairs of mere prejudice, pro or
con, do we deduce inferences with entire
certainty, even from the most simple
data. It might be supposed that a
catastrophe such as I have just related
would have effectually cooled my
incipient passion for the sea. On the
contrary, I never experienced a more
ardent longing for the wild adventures
incident to the life of a navigator than
within a week after our miraculous
deliverance. This short period proved
amply long enough to erase from my
memory the shadows, and bring out in
vivid light all the pleasurably exciting
points of color, all the
picturesqueness, of the late perilous
accident. My conversations with Augustus
grew daily more frequent and more
intensely full of interest. He had a
manner of relating his stories of the
ocean (more than one half of which I now
suspect to have been sheer fabrications)
well adapted to have weight with one of
my enthusiastic temperament and somewhat
gloomy although glowing imagination. It
is strange, too, that he most strongly
enlisted my feelings in behalf of the
life of a seaman, when he depicted his
more terrible moments of suffering and
despair. For the bright side of the
painting I had a limited sympathy. My
visions were of shipwreck and famine; of
death or captivity among barbarian
hordes; of a lifetime dragged out in
sorrow and tears, upon some gray and
desolate rock, in an ocean
unapproachable and unknown. Such visions
or desires--for they amounted to
desires--are common, I have since been
assured, to the whole numerous race of
the melancholy among men--at the time of
which I speak I regarded them only as
prophetic glimpses of a destiny which I
felt myself in a measure bound to
fulfil. Augustus thoroughly entered into
my state of mind. It is probable,
indeed, that our intimate communion had
resulted in a partial interchange of
character.

About eighteen months after the period
of the Ariel's disaster, the firm of
Lloyd and Vredenburgh (a house connected
in some manner with the Messieurs
Enderby, I believe, of Liverpool) were
engaged in repairing and fitting out the
brig Grampus for a whaling voyage. She
was an old hulk, and scarcely seaworthy
when all was done to her that could be
done. I hardly know why she was chosen
in preference to other good vessels
belonging to the same owners--but so it
was. Mr. Barnard was appointed to
command her, and Augustus was going with
him. While the brig was getting ready,
he frequently urged upon me the
excellency of the opportunity now
offered for indulging my desire of
travel. He found me by no means an
unwilling listener--yet the matter could
not be so easily arranged. My father
made no direct opposition; but my mother
went into hysterics at the bare mention
of the design; and, more than all, my
grandfather, from whom I expected much,
vowed to cut me off with a shilling if I
should ever broach the subject to him
again. These difficulties, however, so
far from abating my desire, only added
fuel to the flame. I determined to go at
all hazards; and, having made known my
intentions to Augustus, we set about
arranging a plan by which it might be
accomplished. In the meantime I forbore
speaking to any of my relations in
regard to the voyage, and, as I busied
myself ostensibly with my usual studies,
it was supposed that I had abandoned the
design. I have since frequently examined
my conduct on this occasion with
sentiments of displeasure as well as of
surprise. The intense hypocrisy I made
use of for the furtherance of my
project--an hypocrisy pervading every
word and action of my life for so long a
period of time--could only have been
rendered tolerable to myself by the wild
and burning expectation with which I
looked forward to the fulfilment of my
long-cherished visions of travel.

In pursuance of my scheme of deception,
I was necessarily obliged to leave much
to the management of Augustus, who was
employed for the greater part of every
day on board the Grampus, attending to
some arrangements for his father in the
cabin and cabin hold. At night, however,
we were sure to have a conference and
talk over our hopes. After nearly a
month passed in this manner, without our
hitting upon any plan we thought likely
to succeed, he told me at last that he
had determined upon everything
necessary. I had a relation living in
New Bedford, a Mr. Ross, at whose house
I was in the habit of spending
occasionally two or three weeks at a
time. The brig was to sail about the
middle of June (June, 1827), and it was
agreed that, a day or two before her
putting to sea, my father was to receive
a note, as usual, from Mr. Ross, asking
me to come over and spend a fortnight
with Robert and Emmet (his sons).
Augustus charged himself with the
inditing of this note and getting it
delivered. Having set out as supposed,
for New Bedford, I was then to report
myself to my companion, who would
contrive a hiding-place for me in the
Grampus. This hiding-place, he assured
me, would be rendered sufficiently
comfortable for a residence of many
days, during which I was not to make my
appearance. When the brig had proceeded
so far on her course as to make any
turning back a matter out of question, I
should then, he said, be formally
installed in all the comforts of the
cabin; and as to his father, he would
only laugh heartily at the joke. Vessels
enough would be met with by which a
letter might be sent home explaining the
adventure to my parents.

The middle of June at length arrived,
and every thing had been matured. The
note was written and delivered, and on a
Monday morning I left the house for the
New Bedford packet, as supposed. I went,
however, straight to Augustus, who was
waiting for me at the corner of a
street. It had been our original plan
that I should keep out of the way until
dark, and then slip on board the brig;
but, as there was now a thick fog in our
favor, it was agreed to lose no time in
secreting me. Augustus led the way to
the wharf, and I followed at a little
distance, enveloped in a thick seaman's
cloak, which he had brought with him, so
that my person might not be easily
recognized. Just as we turned the second
corner, after passing Mr. Edmund's well,
who should appear, standing right in
front of me, and looking me full in the
face, but old Mr. Peterson, my
grandfather. "Why, bless my soul,
Gordon," said he, after a long pause,
"why, why,--whose dirty cloak is that
you have on?" "Sir!" I replied,
assuming, as well as I could, in the
exigency of the moment, an air of
offended surprise, and talking in the
gruffest of all imaginable tones--"sir!
you are a sum'mat mistaken--my name, in
the first place, bee'nt nothing at all
like Goddin, and I'd want you for to
know better, you blackguard, than to
call my new obercoat a darty one." For
my life I could hardly refrain from
screaming with laughter at the odd
manner in which the old gentleman
received this handsome rebuke. He
started back two or three steps, turned
first pale and then excessively red,
threw up his spectacles, then, putting
them down, ran full tilt at me, with his
umbrella uplifted. He stopped short,
however, in his career, as if struck
with a sudden recollection; and
presently, turning round, hobbled off
down the street, shaking all the while
with rage, and muttering between his
teeth: "Won't do--new glasses--thought
it was Gordon--d--d good-for-nothing
salt water Long Tom."

After this narrow escape we proceeded
with greater caution, and arrived at our
point of destination in safety. There
were only one or two of the hands on
board, and these were busy forward,
doing something to the forecastle
combings. Captain Barnard, we knew very
well, was engaged at Lloyd and
Vredenburgh's, and would remain there
until late in the evening, so we had
little to apprehend on his account.
Augustus went first up the vessel's
side, and in a short while I followed
him, without being noticed by the men at
work. We proceeded at once into the
cabin, and found no person there. It was
fitted up in the most comfortable
style--a thing somewhat unusual in a
whaling-vessel. There were four very
excellent staterooms, with wide and
convenient berths. There was also a
large stove, I took notice, and a
remarkably thick and valuable carpet
covering the floor of both the cabin and
staterooms. The ceiling was full seven
feet high, and, in short, every thing
appeared of a more roomy and agreeable
nature than I had anticipated. Augustus,
however, would allow me but little time
for observation, insisting upon the
necessity of my concealing myself as
soon as possible. He led the way into
his own stateroom, which was on the
starboard side of the brig, and next to
the bulkheads. Upon entering, he closed
the door and bolted it. I thought I had
never seen a nicer little room than the
one in which I now found myself. It was
about ten feet long, and had only one
berth, which, as I said before, was wide
and convenient. In that portion of the
closet nearest the bulkheads there was a
space of four feet square, containing a
table, a chair, and a set of hanging
shelves full of books, chiefly books of
voyages and travels. There were many
other little comforts in the room, among
which I ought not to forget a kind of
safe or refrigerator, in which Augustus
pointed out to me a host of delicacies,
both in the eating and drinking
department.

He now pressed with his knuckles upon a
certain spot of the carpet in one corner
of the space just mentioned, letting me
know that a portion of the flooring,
about sixteen inches square, had been
neatly cut out and again adjusted. As he
pressed, this portion rose up at one end
sufficiently to allow the passage of his
finger beneath. In this manner he raised
the mouth of the trap (to which the
carpet was still fastened by tacks), and
I found that it led into the after hold.
He next lit a small taper by means of a
phosphorous match, and, placing the
light in a dark lantern, descended with
it through the opening, bidding me
follow. I did so, and he then pulled the
cover upon the hole, by means of a nail
driven into the under side--the carpet,
of course, resuming its original
position on the floor of the stateroom,
and all traces of the aperture being
concealed.

The taper gave out so feeble a ray that
it was with the greatest difficulty I
could grope my way through the confused
mass of lumber among which I now found
myself. By degrees, however, my eyes
became accustomed to the gloom, and I
proceeded with less trouble, holding on
to the skirts of my friend's coat. He
brought me, at length, after creeping
and winding through innumerable narrow
passages, to an iron-bound box, such as
is used sometimes for packing fine
earthenware. It was nearly four feet
high, and full six long, but very
narrow. Two large empty oil-casks lay on
the top of it, and above these, again, a
vast quantity of straw matting, piled up
as high as the floor of the cabin. In
every other direction around was wedged
as closely as possible, even up to the
ceiling, a complete chaos of almost
every species of ship-furniture,
together with a heterogeneous medley of
crates, hampers, barrels, and bales, so
that it seemed a matter no less than
miraculous that we had discovered any
passage at all to the box. I afterward
found that Augustus had purposely
arranged the stowage in this hold with a
view to affording me a thorough
concealment, having had only one
assistant in the labour, a man not going
out in the brig.

My companion now showed me that one of
the ends of the box could be removed at
pleasure. He slipped it aside and
displayed the interior, at which I was
excessively amused. A mattress from one
of the cabin berths covered the whole of
its bottom, and it contained almost
every article of mere comfort which
could be crowded into so small a space,
allowing me, at the same time,
sufficient room for my accommodation,
either in a sitting position or lying at
full length. Among other things, there
were some books, pen, ink, and paper,
three blankets, a large jug full of
water, a keg of sea-biscuit, three or
four immense Bologna sausages, an
enormous ham, a cold leg of roast
mutton, and half a dozen bottles of
cordials and liqueurs. I proceeded
immediately to take possession of my
little apartment, and this with feelings
of higher satisfaction, I am sure, than
any monarch ever experienced upon
entering a new palace. Augustus now
pointed out to me the method of
fastening the open end of the box, and
then, holding the taper close to the
deck, showed me a piece of dark whipcord
lying along it. This, he said, extended
from my hiding-place throughout all the
necessary windings among the lumber, to
a nail which was driven into the deck of
the hold, immediately beneath the
trap-door leading into his stateroom. By
means of this cord I should be enabled
readily to trace my way out without his
guidance, provided any unlooked-for
accident should render such a step
necessary. He now took his departure,
leaving with me the lantern, together
with a copious supply of tapers and
phosphorous, and promising to pay me a
visit as often as he could contrive to
do so without observation. This was on
the seventeenth of June.

I remained three days and nights (as
nearly as I could guess) in my
hiding-place without getting out of it
at all, except twice for the purpose of
stretching my limbs by standing erect
between two crates just opposite the
opening. During the whole period I saw
nothing of Augustus; but this occasioned
me little uneasiness, as I knew the brig
was expected to put to sea every hour,
and in the bustle he would not easily
find opportunities of coming down to me.
At length I heard the trap open and
shut, and presently he called in a low
voice, asking if all was well, and if
there was any thing I wanted. "Nothing,"
I replied; "I am as comfortable as can
be; when will the brig sail?" "She will
be under weigh in less than half an
hour," he answered. "I came to let you
know, and for fear you should be uneasy
at my absence. I shall not have a chance
of coming down again for some
time--perhaps for three or four days
more. All is going on right aboveboard.
After I go up and close the trap, do you
creep along by the whipcord to where the
nail is driven in. You will find my
watch there--it may be useful to you, as
you have no daylight to keep time by. I
suppose you can't tell how long you have
been buried--only three days--this is
the twentieth. I would bring the watch
to your box, but am afraid of being
missed." With this he went up.

In about an hour after he had gone I
distinctly felt the brig in motion, and
congratulated myself upon having at
length fairly commenced a voyage.
Satisfied with this idea, I determined
to make my mind as easy as possible, and
await the course of events until I
should be permitted to exchange the box
for the more roomy, although hardly more
comfortable, accommodations of the
cabin. My first care was to get the
watch. Leaving the taper burning, I
groped along in the dark, following the
cord through windings innumerable, in
some of which I discovered that, after
toiling a long distance, I was brought
back within a foot or two of a former
position. At length I reached the nail,
and securing the object of my journey,
returned with it in safety. I now looked
over the books which had been so
thoughtfully provided, and selected the
expedition of Lewis and Clarke to the
mouth of the Columbia. With this I
amused myself for some time, when,
growing sleepy, I extinguished the light
with great care, and soon fell into a
sound slumber.

Upon awakening I felt strangely confused
in mind, and some time elapsed before I
could bring to recollection all the
various circumstances of my situation.
By degrees, however, I remembered all.
Striking a light, I looked at the watch;
but it was run down, and there were,
consequently, no means of determining
how long I slept. My limbs were greatly
cramped, and I was forced to relieve
them by standing between the crates.
Presently feeling an almost ravenous
appetite, I bethought myself of the cold
mutton, some of which I had eaten just
before going to sleep, and found
excellent. What was my astonishment in
discovering it to be in a state of
absolute putrefaction! This circumstance
occasioned me great disquietude; for,
connecting it with the disorder of mind
I experienced upon awakening, I began to
suppose that I must have slept for an
inordinately long period of time. The
close atmosphere of the hold might have
had something to do with this, and
might, in the end, be productive of the
most serious results. My head ached
excessively; I fancied that I drew every
breath with difficulty; and, in short, I
was oppressed with a multitude of gloomy
feelings. Still I could not venture to
make any disturbance by opening the trap
or otherwise, and, having wound up the
watch, contented myself as well as
possible.

Throughout the whole of the next tedious
twenty-four hours no person came to my
relief, and I could not help accusing
Augustus of the grossest inattention.
What alarmed me chiefly was, that the
water in my jug was reduced to about
half a pint, and I was suffering much
from thirst, having eaten freely of the
Bologna sausages after the loss of my
mutton. I became very uneasy, and could
no longer take any interest in my books.
I was overpowered, too, with a desire to
sleep, yet trembled at the thought of
indulging it, lest there might exist
some pernicious influence, like that of
burning charcoal, in the confined air of
the hold. In the meantime the roll of
the brig told me that we were far in the
main ocean, and a dull humming sound,
which reached my ears as if from an
immense distance, convinced me no
ordinary gale was blowing. I could not
imagine a reason for the absence of
Augustus. We were surely far enough
advanced on our voyage to allow of my
going up. Some accident might have
happened to him--but I could think of
none which would account for his
suffering me to remain so long a
prisoner, except, indeed, his having
suddenly died or fallen overboard, and
upon this idea I could not dwell with
any degree of patience. It was possible
that we had been baffled by head winds,
and were still in the near vicinity of
Nantucket. This notion, however, I was
forced to abandon; for such being the
case, the brig must have frequently gone
about; and I was entirely satisfied,
from her continual inclination to the
larboard, that she had been sailing all
along with a steady breeze on her
starboard quarter. Besides, granting
that we were still in the neighborhood
of the island, why should not Augustus
have visited me and informed me of the
circumstance? Pondering in this manner
upon the difficulties of my solitary and
cheerless condition, I resolved to wait
yet another twenty-four hours, when, if
no relief were obtained, I would make my
way to the trap, and endeavour either to
hold a parley with my friend, or get at
least a little fresh air through the
opening, and a further supply of water
from the stateroom. While occupied with
this thought, however, I fell in spite
of every exertion to the contrary, into
a state of profound sleep, or rather
stupor. My dreams were of the most
terrific description. Every species of
calamity and horror befell me. Among
other miseries I was smothered to death
between huge pillows, by demons of the
most ghastly and ferocious aspect.
Immense serpents held me in their
embrace, and looked earnestly in my face
with their fearfully shining eyes. Then
deserts, limitless, and of the most
forlorn and awe-inspiring character,
spread themselves out before me.
Immensely tall trunks of trees, gray and
leafless, rose up in endless succession
as far as the eye could reach. Their
roots were concealed in wide-spreading
morasses, whose dreary water lay
intensely black, still, and altogether
terrible, beneath. And the strange trees
seemed endowed with a human vitality,
and waving to and fro their skeleton
arms, were crying to the silent waters
for mercy, in the shrill and piercing
accents of the most acute agony and
despair. The scene changed; and I stood,
naked and alone, amidst the burning
sand-plains of Sahara. At my feet lay
crouched a fierce lion of the tropics.
Suddenly his wild eyes opened and fell
upon me. With a conclusive bound he
sprang to his feet, and laid bare his
horrible teeth. In another instant there
burst from his red throat a roar like
the thunder of the firmament, and I fell
impetuously to the earth. Stifling in a
paroxysm of terror, I at last found
myself partially awake. My dream, then,
was not all a dream. Now, at least, I
was in possession of my senses. The paws
of some huge and real monster were
pressing heavily upon my bosom--his hot
breath was in my ear--and his white and
ghastly fangs were gleaming upon me
through the gloom.

Had a thousand lives hung upon the
movement of a limb or the utterance of a
syllable, I could have neither stirred
nor spoken. The beast, whatever it was,
retained his position without attempting
any immediate violence, while I lay in
an utterly helpless, and, I fancied, a
dying condition beneath him. I felt that
my powers of body and mind were fast
leaving me--in a word, that I was
perishing, and perishing of sheer
fright. My brain swam--I grew deadly
sick--my vision failed--even the glaring
eyeballs above me grew dim. Making a
last strong effort, I at length breathed
a faint ejaculation to God, and resigned
myself to die. The sound of my voice
seemed to arouse all the latent fury of
the animal. He precipitated himself at
full length upon my body; but what was
my astonishment, when, with a long and
low whine, he commenced licking my face
and hands with the greatest eagerness,
and with the most extravagant
demonstration of affection and joy! I
was bewildered, utterly lost in
amazement--but I could not forget the
peculiar whine of my Newfoundland dog
Tiger, and the odd manner of his
caresses I well knew. It was he. I
experienced a sudden rush of blood to my
temples--a giddy and overpowering sense
of deliverance and reanimation. I rose
hurriedly from the mattress upon which I
had been lying, and, throwing myself
upon the neck of my faithful follower
and friend, relieved the long oppression
of my bosom in a flood of the most
passionate tears.

As upon a former occasion my conceptions
were in a state of the greatest
indistinctness and confusion after
leaving the mattress. For a long time I
found it nearly impossible to connect
any ideas; but, by very slow degrees, my
thinking faculties returned, and I again
called to memory the several incidents
of my condition. For the presence of
Tiger I tried in vain to account; and
after busying myself with a thousand
different conjectures respecting him,
was forced to content myself with
rejoicing that he was with me to share
my dreary solitude, and render me
comfort by his caresses. Most people
love their dogs--but for Tiger I had an
affection far more ardent than common;
and never, certainly, did any creature
more truly deserve it. For seven years
he had been my inseparable companion,
and in a multitude of instances had
given evidence of all the noble
qualities for which we value the animal.
I had rescued him, when a puppy, from
the clutches of a malignant little
villain in Nantucket who was leading
him, with a rope around his neck, to the
water; and the grown dog repaid the
obligation, about three years afterward,
by saving me from the bludgeon of a
street robber.

Getting now hold of the watch, I found,
upon applying it to my ear, that it had
again run down; but at this I was not at
all surprised, being convinced, from the
peculiar state of my feelings, that I
had slept, as before, for a very long
period of time, how long, it was of
course impossible to say. I was burning
up with fever, and my thirst was almost
intolerable. I felt about the box for my
little remaining supply of water, for I
had no light, the taper having burnt to
the socket of the lantern, and the
phosphorus-box not coming readily to
hand. Upon finding the jug, however, I
discovered it to be empty--Tiger, no
doubt, having been tempted to drink it,
as well as to devour the remnant of
mutton, the bone of which lay, well
picked, by the opening of the box. The
spoiled meat I could well spare, but my
heart sank as I thought of the water. I
was feeble in the extreme--so much so
that I shook all over, as with an ague,
at the slightest movement or exertion.
To add to my troubles, the brig was
pitching and rolling with great
violence, and the oil-casks which lay
upon my box were in momentary danger of
falling down, so as to block up the only
way of ingress or egress. I felt, also,
terrible sufferings from sea-sickness.
These considerations determined me to
make my way, at all hazards, to the
trap, and obtain immediate relief,
before I should be incapacitated from
doing so altogether. Having come to this
resolve, I again felt about for the
phosphorus-box and tapers. The former I
found after some little trouble; but,
not discovering the tapers as soon as I
had expected (for I remembered very
nearly the spot in which I had placed
them), I gave up the search for the
present, and bidding Tiger lie quiet,
began at once my journey toward the
trap.

In this attempt my great feebleness
became more than ever apparent. It was
with the utmost difficulty I could crawl
along at all, and very frequently my
limbs sank suddenly from beneath me;
when, falling prostrate on my face, I
would remain for some minutes in a state
bordering on insensibility. Still I
struggled forward by slow degrees,
dreading every moment that I should
swoon amid the narrow and intricate
windings of the lumber, in which event I
had nothing but death to expect as the
result. At length, upon making a push
forward with all the energy I could
command, I struck my forehead violently
against the sharp corner of an
iron-bound crate. The accident only
stunned me for a few moments; but I
found, to my inexpressible grief, that
the quick and violent roll of the vessel
had thrown the crate entirely across my
path, so as effectually to block up the
passage. With my utmost exertions I
could not move it a single inch from its
position, it being closely wedged in
among the surrounding boxes and
ship-furniture. It became necessary,
therefore, enfeebled as I was, either to
leave the guidance of the whipcord and
seek out a new passage, or to climb over
the obstacle, and resume the path on the
other side. The former alternative
presented too many difficulties and
dangers to be thought of without a
shudder. In my present weak state of
both mind and body, I should infallibly
lose my way if I attempted it, and
perish miserably amid the dismal and
disgusting labyrinths of the hold. I
proceeded, therefore, without
hesitation, to summon up all my
remaining strength and fortitude, and
endeavour, as I best might, to clamber
over the crate.

Upon standing erect, with this end in
view, I found the undertaking even a
more serious task than my fears had led
me to imagine. On each side of the
narrow passage arose a complete wall of
various heavy lumber, which the least
blunder on my part might be the means of
bringing down upon my head; or, if this
accident did not occur, the path might
be effectually blocked up against my
return by the descending mass, as it was
in front by the obstacle there. The
crate itself was a long and unwieldy
box, upon which no foothold could be
obtained. In vain I attempted, by every
means in my power, to reach the top,
with the hope of being thus enabled to
draw myself up. Had I succeeded in
reaching it, it is certain that my
strength would have proved utterly
inadequate to the task of getting over,
and it was better in every respect that
I failed. At length, in a desperate
effort to force the crate from its
ground, I felt a strong vibration in the
side next me. I thrust my hand eagerly
to the edge of the planks, and found
that a very large one was loose. With my
pocket-knife, which, luckily, I had with
me, I succeeded, after great labour, in
prying it entirely off; and getting it
through the aperture, discovered, to my
exceeding joy, that there were no boards
on the opposite side--in other words,
that the top was wanting, it being the
bottom through which I had forced my
way. I now met with no important
difficulty in proceeding along the line
until I finally reached the nail. With a
beating heart I stood erect, and with a
gentle touch pressed against the cover
of the trap. It did not rise as soon as
I had expected, and I pressed it with
somewhat more determination, still
dreading lest some other person than
Augustus might be in his state-room. The
door, however, to my astonishment,
remained steady, and I became somewhat
uneasy, for I knew that it had formerly
required but little or no effort to
remove it. I pushed it strongly--it was
nevertheless firm: with all my
strength--it still did not give way:
with rage, with fury, with despair--it
set at defiance my utmost efforts; and
it was evident, from the unyielding
nature of the resistance, that the hole
had either been discovered and
effectually nailed up, or that some
immense weight had been placed upon it,
which it was useless to think of
removing.

My sensations were those of extreme
horror and dismay. In vain I attempted
to reason on the probable cause of my
being thus entombed. I could summon up
no connected chain of reflection, and,
sinking on the floor, gave way,
unresistingly, to the most gloomy
imaginings, in which the dreadful deaths
of thirst, famine, suffocation, and
premature interment crowded upon me as
the prominent disasters to be
encountered. At length there returned to
me some portion of presence of mind. I
arose, and felt with my fingers for the
seams or cracks of the aperture. Having
found them, I examined them closely to
ascertain if they emitted any light from
the state-room; but none was visible. I
then forced the blade of my pen-knife
through them, until I met with some hard
obstacle. Scraping against it, I
discovered it to be a solid mass of
iron, which, from its peculiar wavy feel
as I passed the blade along it, I
concluded to be a chain-cable. The only
course now left me was to retrace my way
to the box, and there either yield to my
sad fate, or try so to tranquilize my
mind as to admit of my arranging some
plan of escape. I immediately set about
the attempt, and succeeded, after
innumerable difficulties, in getting
back. As I sank, utterly exhausted, upon
the mattress, Tiger threw himself at
full length by my side, and seemed as if
desirous, by his caresses, of consoling
me in my troubles, and urging me to bear
them with fortitude.

The singularity of his behavior at
length forcibly arrested my attention.
After licking my face and hands for some
minutes, he would suddenly cease doing
so, and utter a low whine. Upon reaching
out my hand toward him, I then
invariably found him lying on his back,
with his paws uplifted. This conduct, so
frequently repeated, appeared strange,
and I could in no manner account for it.
As the dog seemed distressed, I
concluded that he had received some
injury; and, taking his paws in my
hands, I examined them one by one, but
found no sign of any hurt. I then
supposed him hungry, and gave him a
large piece of ham, which he devoured
with avidity--afterward, however,
resuming his extraordinary manoeuvres. I
now imagined that he was suffering, like
myself, the torments of thirst, and was
about adopting this conclusion as the
true one, when the idea occurred to me
that I had as yet only examined his
paws, and that there might possibly be a
wound upon some portion of his body or
head. The latter I felt carefully over,
but found nothing. On passing my hand,
however, along his back, I perceived a
slight erection of the hair extending
completely across it. Probing this with
my finger, I discovered a string, and
tracing it up, found that it encircled
the whole body. Upon a closer scrutiny,
I came across a small slip of what had
the feeling of letter paper, through
which the string had been fastened in
such a manner as to bring it immediately
beneath the left shoulder of the animal.




CHAPTER 3

THE thought instantly occurred to me
that the paper was a note from Augustus,
and that some unaccountable accident
having happened to prevent his relieving
me from my dungeon, he had devised this
method of acquainting me with the true
state of affairs. Trembling with
eagerness, I now commenced another
search for my phosphorus matches and
tapers. I had a confused recollection of
having put them carefully away just
before falling asleep; and, indeed,
previously to my last journey to the
trap, I had been able to remember the
exact spot where I had deposited them.
But now I endeavored in vain to call it
to mind, and busied myself for a full
hour in a fruitless and vexatious search
for the missing articles; never, surely,
was there a more tantalizing state of
anxiety and suspense. At length, while
groping about, with my head close to the
ballast, near the opening of the box,
and outside of it, I perceived a faint
glimmering of light in the direction of
the steerage. Greatly surprised, I
endeavored to make my way toward it, as
it appeared to be but a few feet from my
position. Scarcely had I moved with this
intention, when I lost sight of the
glimmer entirely, and, before I could
bring it into view again, was obliged to
feel along by the box until I had
exactly resumed my original situation.
Now, moving my head with caution to and
fro, I found that, by proceeding slowly,
with great care, in an opposite
direction to that in which I had at
first started, I was enabled to draw
near the light, still keeping it in
view. Presently I came directly upon it
(having squeezed my way through
innumerable narrow windings), and found
that it proceeded from some fragments of
my matches lying in an empty barrel
turned upon its side. I was wondering
how they came in such a place, when my
hand fell upon two or three pieces of
taper wax, which had been evidently
mumbled by the dog. I concluded at once
that he had devoured the whole of my
supply of candles, and I felt hopeless
of being ever able to read the note of
Augustus. The small remnants of the wax
were so mashed up among other rubbish in
the barrel, that I despaired of deriving
any service from them, and left them as
they were. The phosphorus, of which
there was only a speck or two, I
gathered up as well as I could, and
returned with it, after much difficulty,
to my box, where Tiger had all the while
remained.

What to do next I could not tell. The
hold was so intensely dark that I could
not see my hand, however close I would
hold it to my face. The white slip of
paper could barely be discerned, and not
even that when I looked at it directly;
by turning the exterior portions of the
retina toward it--that is to say, by
surveying it slightly askance, I found
that it became in some measure
perceptible. Thus the gloom of my prison
may be imagined, and the note of my
friend, if indeed it were a note from
him, seemed only likely to throw me into
further trouble, by disquieting to no
purpose my already enfeebled and
agitated mind. In vain I revolved in my
brain a multitude of absurd expedients
for procuring light--such expedients
precisely as a man in the perturbed
sleep occasioned by opium would be apt
to fall upon for a similar purpose--each
and all of which appear by turns to the
dreamer the most reasonable and the most
preposterous of conceptions, just as the
reasoning or imaginative faculties
flicker, alternately, one above the
other. At last an idea occurred to me
which seemed rational, and which gave me
cause to wonder, very justly, that I had
not entertained it before. I placed the
slip of paper on the back of a book,
and, collecting the fragments of the
phosphorus matches which I had brought
from the barrel, laid them together upon
the paper. I then, with the palm of my
hand, rubbed the whole over quickly, yet
steadily. A clear light diffused itself
immediately throughout the whole
surface; and had there been any writing
upon it, I should not have experienced
the least difficulty, I am sure, in
reading it. Not a syllable was there,
however--nothing but a dreary and
unsatisfactory blank; the illumination
died away in a few seconds, and my heart
died away within me as it went.

I have before stated more than once that
my intellect, for some period prior to
this, had been in a condition nearly
bordering on idiocy. There were, to be
sure, momentary intervals of perfect
sanity, and, now and then, even of
energy; but these were few. It must be
remembered that I had been, for many
days certainly, inhaling the almost
pestilential atmosphere of a close hold
in a whaling vessel, and for a long
portion of that time but scantily
supplied with water. For the last
fourteen or fifteen hours I had
none--nor had I slept during that time.
Salt provisions of the most exciting
kind had been my chief, and, indeed,
since the loss of the mutton, my only
supply of food, with the exception of
the sea-biscuit; and these latter were
utterly useless to me, as they were too
dry and hard to be swallowed in the
swollen and parched condition of my
throat. I was now in a high state of
fever, and in every respect exceedingly
ill. This will account for the fact that
many miserable hours of despondency
elapsed after my last adventure with the
phosphorus, before the thought suggested
itself that I had examined only one side
of the paper. I shall not attempt to
describe my feelings of rage (for I
believe I was more angry than any thing
else) when the egregious oversight I had
committed flashed suddenly upon my
perception. The blunder itself would
have been unimportant, had not my own
folly and impetuosity rendered it
otherwise--in my disappointment at not
finding some words upon the slip, I had
childishly torn it in pieces and thrown
it away, it was impossible to say
where.

From the worst part of this dilemma I
was relieved by the sagacity of Tiger.
Having got, after a long search, a small
piece of the note, I put it to the dog's
nose, and endeavored to make him
understand that he must bring me the
rest of it. To my astonishment, (for I
had taught him none of the usual tricks
for which his breed are famous,) he
seemed to enter at once into my meaning,
and, rummaging about for a few moments,
soon found another considerable portion.
Bringing me this, he paused awhile, and,
rubbing his nose against my hand,
appeared to be waiting for my approval
of what he had done. I patted him on the
head, when he immediately made off
again. It was now some minutes before he
came back--but when he did come, he
brought with him a large slip, which
proved to be all the paper missing--it
having been torn, it seems, only into
three pieces. Luckily, I had no trouble
in finding what few fragments of the
phosphorus were left--being guided by
the indistinct glow one or two of the
particles still emitted. My difficulties
had taught me the necessity of caution,
and I now took time to reflect upon what
I was about to do. It was very probable,
I considered, that some words were
written upon that side of the paper
which had not been examined--but which
side was that? Fitting the pieces
together gave me no clew in this
respect, although it assured me that the
words (if there were any) would be found
all on one side, and connected in a
proper manner, as written. There was the
greater necessity of ascertaining the
point in question beyond a doubt, as the
phosphorus remaining would be altogether
insufficient for a third attempt, should
I fail in the one I was now about to
make. I placed the paper on a book as
before, and sat for some minutes
thoughtfully revolving the matter over
in my mind. At last I thought it barely
possible that the written side might
have some unevenness on its surface,
which a delicate sense of feeling might
enable me to detect. I determined to
make the experiment and passed my finger
very carefully over the side which first
presented itself. Nothing, however, was
perceptible, and I turned the paper,
adjusting it on the book. I now again
carried my forefinger cautiously along,
when I was aware of an exceedingly
slight, but still discernable glow,
which followed as it proceeded. This, I
knew, must arise from some very minute
remaining particles of the phosphorus
with which I had covered the paper in my
previous attempt. The other, or under
side, then, was that on which lay the
writing, if writing there should finally
prove to be. Again I turned the note,
and went to work as I had previously
done. Having rubbed in the phosphorus, a
brilliancy ensued as before--but this
time several lines of MS. in a large
hand, and apparently in red ink, became
distinctly visible. The glimmer,
although sufficiently bright, was but
momentary. Still, had I not been too
greatly excited, there would have been
ample time enough for me to peruse the
whole three sentences before me--for I
saw there were three. In my anxiety,
however, to read all at once, I
succeeded only in reading the seven
concluding words, which thus
appeared--"blood--your life depends upon
lying close."

Had I been able to ascertain the entire
contents of the note-the full meaning of
the admonition which my friend had thus
attempted to convey, that admonition,
even although it should have revealed a
story of disaster the most unspeakable,
could not, I am firmly convinced, have
imbued my mind with one tithe of the
harrowing and yet indefinable horror
with which I was inspired by the
fragmentary warning thus received. And
"blood," too, that word of all words--so
rife at all times with mystery, and
suffering, and terror--how trebly full
of import did it now appear--how chilly
and heavily (disjointed, as it thus was,
from any foregoing words to qualify or
render it distinct) did its vague
syllables fall, amid the deep gloom of
my prison, into the innermost recesses
of my soul!

Augustus had, undoubtedly, good reasons
for wishing me to remain concealed, and
I formed a thousand surmises as to what
they could be--but I could think of
nothing affording a satisfactory
solution of the mystery. Just after
returning from my last journey to the
trap, and before my attention had been
otherwise directed by the singular
conduct of Tiger, I had come to the
resolution of making myself heard at all
events by those on board, or, if I could
not succeed in this directly, of trying
to cut my way through the orlop deck.
The half certainty which I felt of being
able to accomplish one of these two
purposes in the last emergency, had
given me courage (which I should not
otherwise have had) to endure the evils
of my situation. The few words I had
been able to read, however, had cut me
off from these final resources, and I
now, for the first time, felt all the
misery of my fate. In a paroxysm of
despair I threw myself again upon the
mattress, where, for about the period of
a day and night, I lay in a kind of
stupor, relieved only by momentary
intervals of reason and recollection.

At length I once more arose, and busied
myself in reflection upon the horrors
which encompassed me. For another
twenty-four hours it was barely possible
that I might exist without water--for a
longer time I could not do so. During
the first portion of my imprisonment I
had made free use of the cordials with
which Augustus had supplied me, but they
only served to excite fever, without in
the least degree assuaging thirst. I had
now only about a gill left, and this was
of a species of strong peach liqueur at
which my stomach revolted. The sausages
were entirely consumed; of the ham
nothing remained but a small piece of
the skin; and all the biscuit, except a
few fragments of one, had been eaten by
Tiger. To add to my troubles, I found
that my headache was increasing
momentarily, and with it the species of
delirium which had distressed me more or
less since my first falling asleep. For
some hours past it had been with the
greatest difficulty I could breathe at
all, and now each attempt at so doing
was attended with the most depressing
spasmodic action of the chest. But there
was still another and very different
source of disquietude, and one, indeed,
whose harassing terrors had been the
chief means of arousing me to exertion
from my stupor on the mattress. It arose
from the demeanor of the dog.

I first observed an alteration in his
conduct while rubbing in the phosphorus
on the paper in my last attempt. As I
rubbed, he ran his nose against my hand
with a slight snarl; but I was too
greatly excited at the time to pay much
attention to the circumstance. Soon
afterward, it will be remembered, I
threw myself on the mattress, and fell
into a species of lethargy. Presently I
became aware of a singular hissing sound
close at my ears, and discovered it to
proceed from Tiger, who was panting and
wheezing in a state of the greatest
apparent excitement, his eyeballs
flashing fiercely through the gloom. I
spoke to him, when he replied with a low
growl, and then remained quiet.
Presently I relapsed into my stupor,
from which I was again awakened in a
similar manner. This was repeated three
or four times, until finally his
behaviour inspired me with so great a
degree of fear, that I became fully
aroused. He was now lying close by the
door of the box, snarling fearfully,
although in a kind of undertone, and
grinding his teeth as if strongly
convulsed. I had no doubt whatever that
the want of water or the confined
atmosphere of the hold had driven him
mad, and I was at a loss what course to
pursue. I could not endure the thought
of killing him, yet it seemed absolutely
necessary for my own safety. I could
distinctly perceive his eyes fastened
upon me with an expression of the most
deadly animosity, and I expected every
instant that he would attack me. At last
I could endure my terrible situation no
longer, and determined to make my way
from the box at all hazards, and
dispatch him, if his opposition should
render it necessary for me to do so. To
get out, I had to pass directly over his
body, and he already seemed to
anticipate my design--missing himself
upon his fore-legs (as I perceived by
the altered position of his eyes), and
displayed the whole of his white fangs,
which were easily discernible. I took
the remains of the ham-skin, and the
bottle containing the liqueur, and
secured them about my person, together
with a large carving-knife which
Augustus had left me--then, folding my
cloak around me as closely as possible,
I made a movement toward the mouth of
the box. No sooner did I do this, than
the dog sprang with a loud growl toward
my throat. The whole weight of his body
struck me on the right shoulder, and I
fell violently to the left, while the
enraged animal passed entirely over me.
I had fallen upon my knees, with my head
buried among the blankets, and these
protected me from a second furious
assault, during which I felt the sharp
teeth pressing vigorously upon the
woollen which enveloped my neck--yet,
luckily, without being able to penetrate
all the folds. I was now beneath the
dog, and a few moments would place me
completely in his power. Despair gave me
strength, and I rose boldly up, shaking
him from me by main force, and dragging
with me the blankets from the mattress.
These I now threw over him, and before
he could extricate himself, I had got
through the door and closed it
effectually against his pursuit. In this
struggle, however, I had been forced to
drop the morsel of ham-skin, and I now
found my whole stock of provisions
reduced to a single gill of liqueur. As
this reflection crossed my mind, I felt
myself actuated by one of those fits of
perverseness which might be supposed to
influence a spoiled child in similar
circumstances, and, raising the bottle
to my lips, I drained it to the last
drop, and dashed it furiously upon the
floor.

Scarcely had the echo of the crash died
away, when I heard my name pronounced in
an eager but subdued voice, issuing from
the direction of the steerage. So
unexpected was anything of the kind, and
so intense was the emotion excited
within me by the sound, that I
endeavoured in vain to reply. My powers
of speech totally failed, and in an
agony of terror lest my friend should
conclude me dead, and return without
attempting to reach me, I stood up
between the crates near the door of the
box, trembling convulsively, and gasping
and struggling for utterance. Had a
thousand words depended upon a syllable,
I could not have spoken it. There was a
slight movement now audible among the
lumber somewhere forward of my station.
The sound presently grew less distinct,
then again less so, and still less.
Shall I ever forget my feelings at this
moment? He was going--my friend, my
companion, from whom I had a right to
expect so much--he was going--he would
abandon me--he was gone! He would leave
me to perish miserably, to expire in the
most horrible and loathesome of
dungeons--and one word, one little
syllable, would save me--yet that single
syllable I could not utter! I felt, I am
sure, more than ten thousand times the
agonies of death itself. My brain
reeled, and I fell, deadly sick, against
the end of the box.

As I fell the carving-knife was shaken
out from the waist-band of my
pantaloons, and dropped with a rattling
sound to the floor. Never did any strain
of the richest melody come so sweetly to
my ears! With the intensest anxiety I
listened to ascertain the effect of the
noise upon Augustus--for I knew that the
person who called my name could be no
one but himself. All was silent for some
moments. At length I again heard the
word "Arthur!" repeated in a low tone,
and one full of hesitation. Reviving
hope loosened at once my powers of
speech, and I now screamed at the top of
my voice, "Augustus! oh, Augustus!"
"Hush! for God's sake be silent!" he
replied, in a voice trembling with
agitation; "I will be with you
immediately--as soon as I can make my
way through the hold." For a long time I
heard him moving among the lumber, and
every moment seemed to me an age. At
length I felt his hand upon my shoulder,
and he placed, at the same moment, a
bottle of water to my lips. Those only
who have been suddenly redeemed from the
jaws of the tomb, or who have known the
insufferable torments of thirst under
circumstances as aggravated as those
which encompassed me in my dreary
prison, can form any idea of the
unutterable transports which that one
long draught of the richest of all
physical luxuries afforded.

When I had in some degree satisfied my
thirst, Augustus produced from his
pocket three or four boiled potatoes,
which I devoured with the greatest
avidity. He had brought with him a light
in a dark lantern, and the grateful rays
afforded me scarcely less comfort than
the food and drink. But I was impatient
to learn the cause of his protracted
absence, and he proceeded to recount
what had happened on board during my
incarceration.



CHAPTER 4

THE brig put to sea, as I had supposed,
in about an hour after he had left the
watch. This was on the twentieth of
June. It will be remembered that I had
then been in the hold for three days;
and, during this period, there was so
constant a bustle on board, and so much
running to and fro, especially in the
cabin and staterooms, that he had had no
chance of visiting me without the risk
of having the secret of the trap
discovered. When at length he did come,
I had assured him that I was doing as
well as possible; and, therefore, for
the two next days he felt but little
uneasiness on my account--still,
however, watching an opportunity of
going down. It was not until the fourth
day that he found one. Several times
during this interval he had made up his
mind to let his father know of the
adventure, and have me come up at once;
but we were still within reaching
distance of Nantucket, and it was
doubtful, from some expressions which
had escaped Captain Barnard, whether he
would not immediately put back if he
discovered me to be on board. Besides,
upon thinking the matter over, Augustus,
so he told me, could not imagine that I
was in immediate want, or that I would
hesitate, in such case, to make myself
heard at the trap. When, therefore, he
considered everything he concluded to
let me stay until he could meet with an
opportunity of visiting me unobserved.
This, as I said before, did not occur
until the fourth day after his bringing
me the watch, and the seventh since I
had first entered the hold. He then went
down without taking with him any water
or provisions, intending in the first
place merely to call my attention, and
get me to come from the box to the
trap,--when he would go up to the
stateroom and thence hand me down a
supply. When he descended for this
purpose he found that I was asleep, for
it seems that I was snoring very loudly.
From all the calculations I can make on
the subject, this must have been the
slumber into which I fell just after my
return from the trap with the watch, and
which, consequently, must have lasted
for more than three entire days and
nights at the very least. Latterly, I
have had reason both from my own
experience and the assurance of others,
to be acquainted with the strong
soporific effects of the stench arising
from old fish-oil when closely confined;
and when I think of the condition of the
hold in which I was imprisoned, and the
long period during which the brig had
been used as a whaling vessel, I am more
inclined to wonder that I awoke at all,
after once falling asleep, than that I
should have slept uninterruptedly for
the period specified above.

Augustus called to me at first in a low
voice and without closing the trap--but
I made him no reply. He then shut the
trap, and spoke to me in a louder, and
finally in a very loud tone--still I
continued to snore. He was now at a loss
what to do. It would take him some time
to make his way through the lumber to my
box, and in the meanwhile his absence
would be noticed by Captain Barnard, who
had occasion for his services every
minute, in arranging and copying papers
connected with the business of the
voyage. He determined, therefore, upon
reflection, to ascend, and await another
opportunity of visiting me. He was the
more easily induced to this resolve, as
my slumber appeared to be of the most
tranquil nature, and he could not
suppose that I had undergone any
inconvenience from my incarceration. He
had just made up his mind on these
points when his attention was arrested
by an unusual bustle, the sound of which
proceeded apparently from the cabin. He
sprang through the trap as quickly as
possible, closed it, and threw open the
door of his stateroom. No sooner had he
put his foot over the threshold than a
pistol flashed in his face, and he was
knocked down, at the same moment, by a
blow from a handspike.

A strong hand held him on the cabin
floor, with a tight grasp upon his
throat; still he was able to see what
was going on around him. His father was
tied hand and foot, and lying along the
steps of the companion-way, with his
head down, and a deep wound in the
forehead, from which the blood was
flowing in a continued stream. He spoke
not a word, and was apparently dying.
Over him stood the first mate, eyeing
him with an expression of fiendish
derision, and deliberately searching his
pockets, from which he presently drew
forth a large wallet and a chronometer.
Seven of the crew (among whom was the
cook, a negro) were rummaging the
staterooms on the larboard for arms,
where they soon equipped themselves with
muskets and ammunition. Besides Augustus
and Captain Barnard, there were nine men
altogether in the cabin, and these among
the most ruffianly of the brig's
company. The villains now went upon
deck, taking my friend with them after
having secured his arms behind his back.
They proceeded straight to the
forecastle, which was fastened down--two
of the mutineers standing by it with
axes--two also at the main hatch. The
mate called out in a loud voice: "Do you
hear there below? tumble up with you,
one by one--now, mark that--and no
grumbling!" It was some minutes before
any one appeared:--at last an
Englishman, who had shipped as a raw
hand, came up, weeping piteously, and
entreating the mate, in the most humble
manner, to spare his life. The only
reply was a blow on the forehead from an
axe. The poor fellow fell to the deck
without a groan, and the black cook
lifted him up in his arms as he would a
child, and tossed him deliberately into
the sea. Hearing the blow and the plunge
of the body, the men below could now be
induced to venture on deck neither by
threats nor promises, until a
proposition was made to smoke them out.
A general rush then ensued, and for a
moment it seemed possible that the brig
might be retaken. The mutineers,
however, succeeded at last in closing
the forecastle effectually before more
than six of their opponents could get
up. These six, finding themselves so
greatly outnumbered and without arms,
submitted after a brief struggle. The
mate gave them fair words--no doubt with
a view of inducing those below to yield,
for they had no difficulty in hearing
all that was said on deck. The result
proved his sagacity, no less than his
diabolical villainy. All in the
forecastle presently signified their
intention of submitting, and, ascending
one by one, were pinioned and then
thrown on their backs, together with the
first six--there being in all, of the
crew who were not concerned in the
mutiny, twenty-seven.

A scene of the most horrible butchery
ensued. The bound seamen were dragged to
the gangway. Here the cook stood with an
axe, striking each victim on the head as
he was forced over the side of the
vessel by the other mutineers. In this
manner twenty-two perished, and Augustus
had given himself up for lost, expecting
every moment his own turn to come next.
But it seemed that the villains were now
either weary, or in some measure
disgusted with their bloody labour; for
the four remaining prisoners, together
with my friend, who had been thrown on
the deck with the rest, were respited
while the mate sent below for rum, and
the whole murderous party held a drunken
carouse, which lasted until sunset. They
now fell to disputing in regard to the
fate of the survivors, who lay not more
than four paces off, and could
distinguish every word said. Upon some
of the mutineers the liquor appeared to
have a softening effect, for several
voices were heard in favor of releasing
the captives altogether, on condition of
joining the mutiny and sharing the
profits. The black cook, however (who in
all respects was a perfect demon, and
who seemed to exert as much influence,
if not more, than the mate himself),
would listen to no proposition of the
kind, and rose repeatedly for the
purpose of resuming his work at the
gangway. Fortunately he was so far
overcome by intoxication as to be easily
restrained by the less bloodthirsty of
the party, among whom was a
line-manager, who went by the name of
Dirk Peters. This man was the son of an
Indian squaw of the tribe of Upsarokas,
who live among the fastnesses of the
Black Hills, near the source of the
Missouri. His father was a fur-trader, I
believe, or at least connected in some
manner with the Indian trading-posts on
Lewis river. Peter himself was one of
the most ferocious-looking men I ever
beheld. He was short in stature, not
more than four feet eight inches high,
but his limbs were of Herculean mould.
His hands, especially, were so
enormously thick and broad as hardly to
retain a human shape. His arms, as well
as legs, were bowed in the most singular
manner, and appeared to possess no
flexibility whatever. His head was
equally deformed, being of immense size,
with an indentation on the crown (like
that on the head of most negroes), and
entirely bald. To conceal this latter
deficiency, which did not proceed from
old age, he usually wore a wig formed of
any hair-like material which presented
itself--occasionally the skin of a
Spanish dog or American grizzly bear. At
the time spoken of, he had on a portion
of one of these bearskins; and it added
no little to the natural ferocity of his
countenance, which betook of the
Upsaroka character. The mouth extended
nearly from ear to ear, the lips were
thin, and seemed, like some other
portions of his frame, to be devoid of
natural pliancy, so that the ruling
expression never varied under the
influence of any emotion whatever. This
ruling expression may be conceived when
it is considered that the teeth were
exceedingly long and protruding, and
never even partially covered, in any
instance, by the lips. To pass this man
with a casual glance, one might imagine
him to be convulsed with laughter, but a
second look would induce a shuddering
acknowledgment, that if such an
expression were indicative of merriment,
the merriment must be that of a demon.
Of this singular being many anecdotes
were prevalent among the seafaring men
of Nantucket. These anecdotes went to
prove his prodigious strength when under
excitement, and some of them had given
rise to a doubt of his sanity. But on
board the Grampus, it seems, he was
regarded, at the time of the mutiny,
with feelings more of derision than of
anything else. I have been thus
particular in speaking of Dirk Peters,
because, ferocious as he appeared, he
proved the main instrument in preserving
the life of Augustus, and because I
shall have frequent occasion to mention
him hereafter in the course of my
narrative--a narrative, let me here say,
which, in its latter portions, will be
found to include incidents of a nature
so entirely out of the range of human
experience, and for this reason so far
beyond the limits of human credulity,
that I proceed in utter hopelessness of
obtaining credence for all that I shall
tell, yet confidently trusting in time
and progressing science to verify some
of the most important and most
improbable of my statements.

After much indecision and two or three
violent quarrels, it was determined at
last that all the prisoners (with the
exception of Augustus, whom Peters
insisted in a jocular manner upon
keeping as his clerk) should be set
adrift in one of the smallest
whaleboats. The mate went down into the
cabin to see if Captain Barnard was
still living--for, it will be
remembered, he was left below when the
mutineers came up. Presently the two
made their appearance, the captain pale
as death, but somewhat recovered from
the effects of his wound. He spoke to
the men in a voice hardly articulate,
entreated them not to set him adrift,
but to return to their duty, and
promising to land them wherever they
chose, and to take no steps for bringing
them to justice. He might as well have
spoken to the winds. Two of the ruffians
seized him by the arms and hurled him
over the brig's side into the boat,
which had been lowered while the mate
went below. The four men who were lying
on the deck were then untied and ordered
to follow, which they did without
attempting any resistance--Augustus
being still left in his painful
position, although he struggled and
prayed only for the poor satisfaction of
being permitted to bid his father
farewell. A handful of sea-biscuit and a
jug of water were now handed down; but
neither mast, sail, oar, nor compass.
The boat was towed astern for a few
minutes, during which the mutineers held
another consultation--it was then
finally cut adrift. By this time night
had come on--there were neither moon nor
stars visible--and a short and ugly sea
was running, although there was no great
deal of wind. The boat was instantly out
of sight, and little hope could be
entertained for the unfortunate
sufferers who were in it. This event
happened, however, in latitude 35
degrees 30' north, longitude 61 degrees
20' west, and consequently at no very
great distance from the Bermuda Islands.
Augustus therefore endeavored to console
himself with the idea that the boat
might either succeed in reaching the
land, or come sufficiently near to be
fallen in with by vessels off the
coast.

All sail was now put upon the brig, and
she continued her original course to the
southwest--the mutineers being bent upon
some piratical expedition, in which,
from all that could be understood, a
ship was to be intercepted on her way
from the Cape Verd Islands to Porto
Rico. No attention was paid to Augustus,
who was untied and suffered to go about
anywhere forward of the cabin
companion-way. Dirk Peters treated him
with some degree of kindness, and on one
occasion saved him from the brutality of
the cook. His situation was still one of
the most precarious, as the men were
continually intoxicated, and there was
no relying upon their continued
good-humor or carelessness in regard to
himself. His anxiety on my account be
represented, however, as the most
distressing result of his condition;
and, indeed, I had never reason to doubt
the sincerity of his friendship. More
than once he had resolved to acquaint
the mutineers with the secret of my
being on board, but was restrained from
so doing, partly through recollection of
the atrocities he had already beheld,
and partly through a hope of being able
soon to bring me relief. For the latter
purpose he was constantly on the watch;
but, in spite of the most constant
vigilance, three days elapsed after the
boat was cut adrift before any chance
occurred. At length, on the night of the
third day, there came on a heavy blow
from the eastward, and all hands were
called up to take in sail. During the
confusion which ensued, he made his way
below unobserved, and into the
stateroom. What was his grief and horror
in discovering that the latter had been
rendered a place of deposit for a
variety of sea-stores and
ship-furniture, and that several fathoms
of old chain-cable, which had been
stowed away beneath the
companion-ladder, had been dragged
thence to make room for a chest, and
were now lying immediately upon the
trap! To remove it without discovery was
impossible, and he returned on deck as
quickly as he could. As he came up, the
mate seized him by the throat, and
demanding what he had been doing in the
cabin, was about flinging him over the
larboard bulwark, when his life was
again preserved through the interference
of Dirk Peters. Augustus was now put in
handcuffs (of which there were several
pairs on board), and his feet lashed
tightly together. He was then taken into
the steerage, and thrown into a lower
berth next to the forecastle bulkheads,
with the assurance that he should never
put his foot on deck again "until the
brig was no longer a brig." This was the
expression of the cook, who threw him
into the berth--it is hardly possible to
say what precise meaning intended by the
phrase. The whole affair, however,
proved the ultimate means of my relief,
as will presently appear.



CHAPTER 5

FOR some minutes after the cook had left
the forecastle, Augustus abandoned
himself to despair, never hoping to
leave the berth alive. He now came to
the resolution of acquainting the first
of the men who should come down with my
situation, thinking it better to let me
take my chance with the mutineers than
perish of thirst in the hold,--for it
had been ten days since I was first
imprisoned, and my jug of water was not
a plentiful supply even for four. As he
was thinking on this subject, the idea
came all at once into his head that it
might be possible to communicate with me
by the way of the main hold. In any
other circumstances, the difficulty and
hazard of the undertaking would have
prevented him from attempting it; but
now he had, at all events, little
prospect of life, and consequently
little to lose, he bent his whole mind,
therefore, upon the task.

His handcuffs were the first
consideration. At first he saw no method
of removing them, and feared that he
should thus be baffled in the very
outset; but upon a closer scrutiny he
discovered that the irons could be
slipped off and on at pleasure, with
very little effort or inconvenience,
merely by squeezing his hands through
them,--this species of manacle being
altogether ineffectual in confining
young persons, in whom the smaller bones
readily yield to pressure. He now untied
his feet, and, leaving the cord in such
a manner that it could easily be
readjusted in the event of any person's
coming down, proceeded to examine the
bulkhead where it joined the berth. The
partition here was of soft pine board,
an inch thick, and he saw that he should
have little trouble in cutting his way
through. A voice was now heard at the
forecastle companion-way, and he had
just time to put his right hand into its
handcuff (the left had not been removed)
and to draw the rope in a slipknot
around his ankle, when Dirk Peters came
below, followed by Tiger, who
immediately leaped into the berth and
lay down. The dog had been brought on
board by Augustus, who knew my
attachment to the animal, and thought it
would give me pleasure to have him with
me during the voyage. He went up to our
house for him immediately after first
taking me into the hold, but did not
think of mentioning the circumstance
upon his bringing the watch. Since the
mutiny, Augustus had not seen him before
his appearance with Dirk Peters, and had
given him up for lost, supposing him to
have been thrown overboard by some of
the malignant villains belonging to the
mate's gang. It appeared afterward that
he had crawled into a hole beneath a
whale-boat, from which, not having room
to turn round, he could not extricate
himself. Peters at last let him out,
and, with a species of good feeling
which my friend knew well how to
appreciate, had now brought him to him
in the forecastle as a companion,
leaving at the same time some salt junk
and potatoes, with a can of water, he
then went on deck, promising to come
down with something more to eat on the
next day.

When he had gone, Augustus freed both
hands from the manacles and unfastened
his feet. He then turned down the head
of the mattress on which he had been
lying, and with his penknife (for the
ruffians had not thought it worth while
to search him) commenced cutting
vigorously across one of the partition
planks, as closely as possible to the
floor of the berth. He chose to cut
here, because, if suddenly interrupted,
he would be able to conceal what had
been done by letting the head of the
mattress fall into its proper position.
For the remainder of the day, however,
no disturbance occurred, and by night he
had completely divided the plank. It
should here be observed that none of the
crew occupied the forecastle as a
sleeping-place, living altogether in the
cabin since the mutiny, drinking the
wines and feasting on the sea-stores of
Captain Barnard, and giving no more heed
than was absolutely necessary to the
navigation of the brig. These
circumstances proved fortunate both for
myself and Augustus; for, had matters
been otherwise, he would have found it
impossible to reach me. As it was, he
proceeded with confidence in his design.
It was near daybreak, however, before he
completed the second division of the
board (which was about a foot above the
first cut), thus making an aperture
quite large enough to admit his passage
through with facility to the main orlop
deck. Having got here, he made his way
with but little trouble to the lower
main hatch, although in so doing he had
to scramble over tiers of oil-casks
piled nearly as high as the upper deck,
there being barely room enough left for
his body. Upon reaching the hatch he
found that Tiger had followed him below,
squeezing between two rows of the casks.
It was now too late, however, to attempt
getting to me before dawn, as the chief
difficulty lay in passing through the
close stowage in the lower hold. He
therefore resolved to return, and wait
till the next night. With this design,
he proceeded to loosen the hatch, so
that he might have as little detention
as possible when he should come again.
No sooner had he loosened it than Tiger
sprang eagerly to the small opening
produced, snuffed for a moment, and then
uttered a long whine, scratching at the
same time, as if anxious to remove the
covering with his paws. There could be
no doubt, from his behaviour, that he
was aware of my being in the hold, and
Augustus thought it possible that he
would be able to get to me if he put him
down. He now hit upon the expedient of
sending the note, as it was especially
desirable that I should make no attempt
at forcing my way out at least under
existing circumstances, and there could
be no certainty of his getting to me
himself on the morrow as he intended.
After-events proved how fortunate it was
that the idea occurred to him as it did;
for, had it not been for the receipt of
the note, I should undoubtedly have
fallen upon some plan, however
desperate, of alarming the crew, and
both our lives would most probably have
been sacrificed in consequence.

Having concluded to write, the
difficulty was now to procure the
materials for so doing. An old toothpick
was soon made into a pen; and this by
means of feeling altogether, for the
between-decks was as dark as pitch.
Paper enough was obtained from the back
of a letter--a duplicate of the forged
letter from Mr. Ross. This had been the
original draught; but the handwriting
not being sufficiently well imitated,
Augustus had written another, thrusting
the first, by good fortune, into his
coat-pocket, where it was now most
opportunely discovered. Ink alone was
thus wanting, and a substitute was
immediately found for this by means of a
slight incision with the pen-knife on
the back of a finger just above the
nail--a copious flow of blood ensuing,
as usual, from wounds in that vicinity.
The note was now written, as well as it
could be in the dark and under the
circumstances. It briefly explained that
a mutiny had taken place; that Captain
Barnard was set adrift; and that I might
expect immediate relief as far as
provisions were concerned, but must not
venture upon making any disturbance. It
concluded with these words: "I have
scrawled this with blood--your life
depends upon lying close."

This slip of paper being tied upon the
dog, he was now put down the hatchway,
and Augustus made the best of his way
back to the forecastle, where he found
no reason to believe that any of the
crew had been in his absence. To conceal
the hole in the partition, he drove his
knife in just above it, and hung up a
pea-jacket which he found in the berth.
His handcuffs were then replaced, and
also the rope around his ankles.

These arrangements were scarcely
completed when Dirk Peters came below,
very drunk, but in excellent humour, and
bringing with him my friend's allowance
of provision for the day. This consisted
of a dozen large Irish potatoes roasted,
and a pitcher of water. He sat for some
time on a chest by the berth, and talked
freely about the mate and the general
concerns of the brig. His demeanour was
exceedingly capricious, and even
grotesque. At one time Augustus was much
alarmed by odd conduct. At last,
however, he went on deck, muttering a
promise to bring his prisoner a good
dinner on the morrow. During the day two
of the crew (harpooners) came down,
accompanied by the cook, all three in
nearly the last stage of intoxication.
Like Peters, they made no scruple of
talking unreservedly about their plans.
It appeared that they were much divided
among themselves as to their ultimate
course, agreeing in no point, except the
attack on the ship from the Cape Verd
Islands, with which they were in hourly
expectation of meeting. As far as could
be ascertained, the mutiny had not been
brought about altogether for the sake of
booty; a private pique of the chief
mate's against Captain Barnard having
been the main instigation. There now
seemed to be two principal factions
among the crew--one headed by the mate,
the other by the cook. The former party
were for seizing the first suitable
vessel which should present itself, and
equipping it at some of the West India
Islands for a piratical cruise. The
latter division, however, which was the
stronger, and included Dirk Peters among
its partisans, were bent upon pursuing
the course originally laid out for the
brig into the South Pacific; there
either to take whale, or act otherwise,
as circumstances should suggest. The
representations of Peters, who had
frequently visited these regions, had
great weight, apparently, with the
mutineers, wavering, as they were,
between half-engendered notions of
profit and pleasure. He dwelt on the
world of novelty and amusement to be
found among the innumerable islands of
the Pacific, on the perfect security and
freedom from all restraint to be
enjoyed, but, more particularly, on the
deliciousness of the climate, on the
abundant means of good living, and on
the voluptuous beauty of the women. As
yet, nothing had been absolutely
determined upon; but the pictures of the
hybrid line-manager were taking strong
hold upon the ardent imaginations of the
seamen, and there was every possibility
that his intentions would be finally
carried into effect.

The three men went away in about an
hour, and no one else entered the
forecastle all day. Augustus lay quiet
until nearly night. He then freed
himself from the rope and irons, and
prepared for his attempt. A bottle was
found in one of the berths, and this he
filled with water from the pitcher left
by Peters, storing his pockets at the
same time with cold potatoes. To his
great joy he also came across a lantern,
with a small piece of tallow candle in
it. This he could light at any moment,
as he had in his possession a box of
phosphorus matches. When it was quite
dark, he got through the hole in the
bulkhead, having taken the precaution to
arrange the bedclothes in the berth so
as to convey the idea of a person
covered up. When through, he hung up the
pea-jacket on his knife, as before, to
conceal the aperture--this manoeuvre
being easily effected, as he did not
readjust the piece of plank taken out
until afterward. He was now on the main
orlop deck, and proceeded to make his
way, as before, between the upper deck
and the oil-casks to the main hatchway.
Having reached this, he lit the piece of
candle, and descended, groping with
extreme difficulty among the compact
stowage of the hold. In a few moments he
became alarmed at the insufferable
stench and the closeness of the
atmosphere. He could not think it
possible that I had survived my
confinement for so long a period
breathing so oppressive an air. He
called my name repeatedly, but I made
him no reply, and his apprehensions
seemed thus to be confirmed. The brig
was rolling violently, and there was so
much noise in consequence, that it was
useless to listen for any weak sound,
such as those of my breathing or
snoring. He threw open the lantern, and
held it as high as possible, whenever an
opportunity occurred, in order that, by
observing the light, I might, if alive,
be aware that succor was approaching.
Still nothing was heard from me, and the
supposition of my death began to assume
the character of certainty. He
determined, nevertheless, to force a
passage, if possible, to the box, and at
least ascertain beyond a doubt the truth
of his surmises. He pushed on for some
time in a most pitiable state of
anxiety, until, at length, he found the
pathway utterly blocked up, and that
there was no possibility of making any
farther way by the course in which he
had set out. Overcome now by his
feelings, he threw himself among the
lumber in despair, and wept like a
child. It was at this period that he
heard the crash occasioned by the bottle
which I had thrown down. Fortunate,
indeed, was it that the incident
occurred--for, upon this incident,
trivial as it appears, the thread of my
destiny depended. Many years elapsed,
however, before I was aware of this
fact. A natural shame and regret for his
weakness and indecision prevented
Augustus from confiding to me at once
what a more intimate and unreserved
communion afterward induced him to
reveal. Upon finding his further
progress in the hold impeded by
obstacles which he could not overcome,
he had resolved to abandon his attempt
at reaching me, and return at once to
the forecastle. Before condemning him
entirely on this head, the harassing
circumstances which embarrassed him
should be taken into consideration. The
night was fast wearing away, and his
absence from the forecastle might be
discovered; and indeed would necessarily
be so, if he should fail to get back to
the berth by daybreak. His candle was
expiring in the socket, and there would
be the greatest difficulty in retracing
his way to the hatchway in the dark. It
must be allowed, too, that he had every
good reason to believe me dead; in which
event no benefit could result to me from
his reaching the box, and a world of
danger would be encountered to no
purpose by himself. He had repeatedly
called, and I had made him no answer. I
had been now eleven days and nights with
no more water than that contained in the
jug which he had left with me--a supply
which it was not at all probable I had
hoarded in the beginning of my
confinement, as I had every cause to
expect a speedy release. The atmosphere
of the hold, too, must have appeared to
him, coming from the comparatively open
air of the steerage, of a nature
absolutely poisonous, and by far more
intolerable than it had seemed to me
upon my first taking up my quarters in
the box--the hatchways at that time
having been constantly open for many
months previous. Add to these
considerations that of the scene of
bloodshed and terror so lately witnessed
by my friend; his confinement,
privations, and narrow escapes from
death, together with the frail and
equivocal tenure by which he still
existed--circumstances all so well
calculated to prostrate every energy of
mind--and the reader will be easily
brought, as I have been, to regard his
apparent falling off in friendship and
in faith with sentiments rather of
sorrow than of anger.

The crash of the bottle was distinctly
heard, yet Augustus was not sure that it
proceeded from the hold. The doubt,
however, was sufficient inducement to
persevere. He clambered up nearly to the
orlop deck by means of the stowage, and
then, watching for a lull in the
pitchings of the vessel, he called out
to me in as loud a tone as he could
command, regardless, for the moment, of
being overheard by the crew. It will be
remembered that on this occasion the
voice reached me, but I was so entirely
overcome by violent agitation as to be
incapable of reply. Confident, now, that
his worst apprehensions were well
founded, he descended, with a view of
getting back to the forecastle without
loss of time. In his haste some small
boxes were thrown down, the noise
occasioned by which I heard, as will be
recollected. He had made considerable
progress on his return when the fall of
the knife again caused him to hesitate.
He retraced his steps immediately, and,
clambering up the stowage a second time,
called out my name, loudly as before,
having watched for a lull. This time I
found voice to answer. Overjoyed at
discovering me to be still alive, he now
resolved to brave every difficulty and
danger in reaching me. Having extricated
himself as quickly as possible from the
labyrinth of lumber by which he was
hemmed in, he at length struck into an
opening which promised better, and
finally, after a series of struggles,
arrived at the box in a state of utter
exhaustion.



CHAPTER 6

THE leading particulars of this
narration were all that Augustus
communicated to me while we remained
near the box. It was not until afterward
that he entered fully into all the
details. He was apprehensive of being
missed, and I was wild with impatience
to leave my detested place of
confinement. We resolved to make our way
at once to the hole in the bulkhead,
near which I was to remain for the
present, while he went through to
reconnoiter. To leave Tiger in the box
was what neither of us could endure to
think of, yet, how to act otherwise was
the question. He now seemed to be
perfectly quiet, and we could not even
distinguish the sound of his breathing
upon applying our ears closely to the
box. I was convinced that he was dead,
and determined to open the door. We
found him lying at full length,
apparently in a deep stupor, yet still
alive. No time was to be lost, yet I
could not bring myself to abandon an
animal who had now been twice
instrumental in saving my life, without
some attempt at preserving him. We
therefore dragged him along with us as
well as we could, although with the
greatest difficulty and fatigue;
Augustus, during part of the time, being
forced to clamber over the impediments
in our way with the huge dog in his
arms--a feat to which the feebleness of
my frame rendered me totally inadequate.
At length we succeeded in reaching the
hole, when Augustus got through, and
Tiger was pushed in afterward. All was
found to be safe, and we did not fail to
return sincere thanks to God for our
deliverance from the imminent danger we
had escaped. For the present, it was
agreed that I should remain near the
opening, through which my companion
could readily supply me with a part of
his daily provision, and where I could
have the advantages of breathing an
atmosphere comparatively pure.

In explanation of some portions of this
narrative, wherein I have spoken of the
stowage of the brig, and which may
appear ambiguous to some of my readers
who may have seen a proper or regular
stowage, I must here state that the
manner in which this most important duty
had been per formed on board the Grampus
was a most shameful piece of neglect on
the part of Captain Barnard, who was by
no means as careful or as experienced a
seaman as the hazardous nature of the
service on which he was employed would
seem necessarily to demand. A proper
stowage cannot be accomplished in a
careless manner, and many most
disastrous accidents, even within the
limits of my own experience, have arisen
from neglect or ignorance in this
particular. Coasting vessels, in the
frequent hurry and bustle attendant upon
taking in or discharging cargo, are the
most liable to mishap from the want of a
proper attention to stowage. The great
point is to allow no possibility of the
cargo or ballast shifting position even
in the most violent rollings of the
vessel. With this end, great attention
must be paid, not only to the bulk taken
in, but to the nature of the bulk, and
whether there be a full or only a
partial cargo. In most kinds of freight
the stowage is accomplished by means of
a screw. Thus, in a load of tobacco or
flour, the whole is screwed so tightly
into the hold of the vessel that the
barrels or hogsheads, upon discharging,
are found to be completely flattened,
and take some time to regain their
original shape. This screwing, however,
is resorted to principally with a view
of obtaining more room in the hold; for
in a full load of any such commodities
as flour or tobacco, there can be no
danger of any shifting whatever, at
least none from which inconvenience can
result. There have been instances,
indeed, where this method of screwing
has resulted in the most lamentable
consequences, arising from a cause
altogether distinct from the danger
attendant upon a shifting of cargo. A
load of cotton, for example, tightly
screwed while in certain conditions, has
been known, through the expansion of its
bulk, to rend a vessel asunder at sea.
There can be no doubt either that the
same result would ensue in the case of
tobacco, while undergoing its usual
course of fermentation, were it not for
the interstices consequent upon the
rotundity of the hogsheads.

It is when a partial cargo is received
that danger is chiefly to be apprehended
from shifting, and that precautions
should be always taken to guard against
such misfortune. Only those who have
encountered a violent gale of wind, or
rather who have experienced the rolling
of a vessel in a sudden calm after the
gale, can form an idea of the tremendous
force of the plunges, and of the
consequent terrible impetus given to all
loose articles in the vessel. It is then
that the necessity of a cautious
stowage, when there is a partial cargo,
becomes obvious. When lying-to
(especially with a small bead sail), a
vessel which is not properly modelled in
the bows is frequently thrown upon her
beam-ends; this occurring even every
fifteen or twenty minutes upon an
average, yet without any serious
consequences resulting, provided there
be a proper stowage. If this, however,
has not been strictly attended to, in
the first of these heavy lurches the
whole of the cargo tumbles over to the
side of the vessel which lies upon the
water, and, being thus prevented from
regaining her equilibrium, as she would
otherwise necessarily do, she is certain
to fill in a few seconds and go down. It
is not too much to say that at least
one-half of the instances in which
vessels have foundered in heavy gales at
sea may be attributed to a shifting of
cargo or of ballast.

When a partial cargo of any kind is
taken on board, the whole, after being
first stowed as compactly as may be,
should be covered with a layer of stout
shifting-boards, extending completely
across the vessel. Upon these boards
strong temporary stanchions should be
erected, reaching to the timbers above,
and thus securing every thing in its
place. In cargoes consisting of grain,
or any similar matter, additional
precautions are requisite. A hold filled
entirely with grain upon leaving port
will be found not more than three
fourths full upon reaching its
destination--this, too, although the
freight, when measured bushel by bushel
by the consignee, will overrun by a vast
deal (on account of the swelling of the
grain) the quantity consigned. This
result is occasioned by settling during
the voyage, and is the more perceptible
in proportion to the roughness of the
weather experienced. If grain loosely
thrown in a vessel, then, is ever so
well secured by shifting-boards and
stanchions, it will be liable to shift
in a long passage so greatly as to bring
about the most distressing calamities.
To prevent these, every method should be
employed before leaving port to settle
the cargo as much as possible; and for
this there are many contrivances, among
which may be mentioned the driving of
wedges into the grain. Even after all
this is done, and unusual pains taken to
secure the shifting-boards, no seaman
who knows what he is about will feel
altogether secure in a gale of any
violence with a cargo of grain on board,
and, least of all, with a partial cargo.
Yet there are hundreds of our coasting
vessels, and, it is likely, many more
from the ports of Europe, which sail
daily with partial cargoes, even of the
most dangerous species, and without any
precaution whatever. The wonder is that
no more accidents occur than do actually
happen. A lamentable instance of this
heedlessness occurred to my knowledge in
the case of Captain Joel Rice of the
schooner Firefly, which sailed from
Richmond, Virginia, to Madeira, with a
cargo of corn, in the year 1825. The
captain had gone many voyages without
serious accident, although he was in the
habit of paying no attention whatever to
his stowage, more than to secure it in
the ordinary manner. He had never before
sailed with a cargo of grain, and on
this occasion had the corn thrown on
board loosely, when it did not much more
than half fill the vessel. For the first
portion of the voyage he met with
nothing more than light breezes; but
when within a day's sail of Madeira
there came on a strong gale from the N.
N. E. which forced him to lie-to. He
brought the schooner to the wind under a
double-reefed foresail alone, when she
rode as well as any vessel could be
expected to do, and shipped not a drop
of water. Toward night the gale somewhat
abated, and she rolled with more
unsteadiness than before, but still did
very well, until a heavy lurch threw her
upon her beam-ends to starboard. The
corn was then heard to shift bodily, the
force of the movement bursting open the
main hatchway. The vessel went down like
a shot. This happened within hail of a
small sloop from Madeira, which picked
up one of the crew (the only person
saved), and which rode out the gale in
perfect security, as indeed a jolly boat
might have done under proper
management.

The stowage on board the Grampus was
most clumsily done, if stowage that
could be called which was little better
than a promiscuous huddling together of
oil-casks {*1} and ship furniture. I
have already spoken of the condition of
articles in the hold. On the orlop deck
there was space enough for my body (as I
have stated) between the oil-casks and
the upper deck; a space was left open
around the main hatchway; and several
other large spaces were left in the
stowage. Near the hole cut through the
bulkhead by Augustus there was room
enough for an entire cask, and in this
space I found myself comfortably
situated for the present.

By the time my friend had got safely
into the berth, and readjusted his
handcuffs and the rope, it was broad
daylight. We had made a narrow escape
indeed; for scarcely had he arranged all
matters, when the mate came below, with
Dirk Peters and the cook. They talked
for some time about the vessel from the
Cape Verds, and seemed to be excessively
anxious for her appearance. At length
the cook came to the berth in which
Augustus was lying, and seated himself
in it near the head. I could see and
hear every thing from my hiding-place,
for the piece cut out had not been put
back, and I was in momentary expectation
that the negro would fall against the
pea-jacket, which was hung up to conceal
the aperture, in which case all would
have been discovered, and our lives
would, no doubt, have been instantly
sacrificed. Our good fortune prevailed,
however; and although he frequently
touched it as the vessel rolled, he
never pressed against it sufficiently to
bring about a discovery. The bottom of
the jacket had been carefully fastened
to the bulkhead, so that the hole might
not be seen by its swinging to one side.
All this time Tiger was lying in the
foot of the berth, and appeared to have
recovered in some measure his faculties,
for I could see him occasionally open
his eyes and draw a long breath.

After a few minutes the mate and cook
went above, leaving Dirk Peters behind,
who, as soon as they were gone, came and
sat himself down in the place just
occupied by the mate. He began to talk
very sociably with Augustus, and we
could now see that the greater part of
his apparent intoxication, while the two
others were with him, was a feint. He
answered all my companion's questions
with perfect freedom; told him that he
had no doubt of his father's having been
picked up, as there were no less than
five sail in sight just before sundown
on the day he was cut adrift; and used
other language of a consolatory nature,
which occasioned me no less surprise
than pleasure. Indeed, I began to
entertain hopes, that through the
instrumentality of Peters we might be
finally enabled to regain possession of
the brig, and this idea I mentioned to
Augustus as soon as I found an
opportunity. He thought the matter
possible, but urged the necessity of the
greatest caution in making the attempt,
as the conduct of the hybrid appeared to
be instigated by the most arbitrary
caprice alone; and, indeed, it was
difficult to say if he was at any moment
of sound mind. Peters went upon deck in
about an hour, and did not return again
until noon, when he brought Augustus a
plentiful supply of junk beef and
pudding. Of this, when we were left
alone, I partook heartily, without
returning through the hole. No one else
came down into the forecastle during the
day, and at night, I got into Augustus'
berth, where I slept soundly and sweetly
until nearly daybreak, when he awakened
me upon hearing a stir upon deck, and I
regained my hiding-place as quickly as
possible. When the day was fully broke,
we found that Tiger had recovered his
strength almost entirely, and gave no
indications of hydrophobia, drinking a
little water that was offered him with
great apparent eagerness. During the day
he regained all his former vigour and
appetite. His strange conduct had been
brought on, no doubt, by the deleterious
quality of the air of the hold, and had
no connexion with canine madness. I
could not sufficiently rejoice that I
had persisted in bringing him with me
from the box. This day was the thirtieth
of June, and the thirteenth since the
Grampus made sad from Nantucket.

On the second of July the mate came
below drunk as usual, and in an
excessively good-humor. He came to
Augustus's berth, and, giving him a slap
on the back, asked him if he thought he
could behave himself if he let him
loose, and whether he would promise not
to be going into the cabin again. To
this, of course, my friend answered in
the affirmative, when the ruffian set
him at liberty, after making him drink
from a flask of rum which he drew from
his coat-pocket. Both now went on deck,
and I did not see Augustus for about
three hours. He then came below with the
good news that he had obtained
permission to go about the brig as he
pleased anywhere forward of the
mainmast, and that he had been ordered
to sleep, as usual, in the forecastle.
He brought me, too, a good dinner, and a
plentiful supply of water. The brig was
still cruising for the vessel from the
Cape Verds, and a sail was now in sight,
which was thought to be the one in
question. As the events of the ensuing
eight days were of little importance,
and had no direct bearing upon the main
incidents of my narrative, I will here
throw them into the form of a journal,
as I do not wish to omit them
altogether.

July 3. Augustus furnished me with three
blankets, with which I contrived a
comfortable bed in my hiding-place. No
one came below, except my companion,
during the day. Tiger took his station
in the berth just by the aperture, and
slept heavily, as if not yet entirely
recovered from the effects of his
sickness. Toward night a flaw of wind
struck the brig before sail could be
taken in, and very nearly capsized her.
The puff died away immediately, however,
and no damage was done beyond the
splitting of the foretopsail. Dirk
Peters treated Augustus all this day
with great kindness and entered into a
long conversation with him respecting
the Pacific Ocean, and the islands he
had visited in that region. He asked him
whether he would not like to go with the
mutineers on a kind of exploring and
pleasure voyage in those quarters, and
said that the men were gradually coming
over to the mate's views. To this
Augustus thought it best to reply that
he would be glad to go on such an
adventure, since nothing better could be
done, and that any thing was preferable
to a piratical life.

July 4th. The vessel in sight proved to
be a small brig from Liverpool, and was
allowed to pass unmolested. Augustus
spent most of his time on deck, with a
view of obtaining all the information in
his power respecting the intentions of
the mutineers. They had frequent and
violent quarrels among themselves, in
one of which a harpooner, Jim Bonner,
was thrown overboard. The party of the
mate was gaining ground. Jim Bonner
belonged to the cook's gang, of which
Peters was a partisan.

July 5th. About daybreak there came on a
stiff breeze from the west, which at
noon freshened into a gale, so that the
brig could carry nothing more than her
trysail and foresail. In taking in the
foretopsail, Simms, one of the common
hands, and belonging also to the cook's
gang, fell overboard, being very much in
liquor, and was drowned--no attempt
being made to save him. The whole number
of persons on board was now thirteen, to
wit: Dirk Peters; Seymour, the black
cook; Jones, Greely, Hartman Rogers and
William Allen, all of the cook's party;
the mate, whose name I never learned;
Absalom Hicks, Wilson, John Hunty
Richard Parker, of the mate's
party;--besides Augustus and myself.

July 6th. The gale lasted all this day,
blowing in heavy squalls, accompanied
with rain. The brig took in a good deal
of water through her seams, and one of
the pumps was kept continually going,
Augustus being forced to take his turn.
Just at twilight a large ship passed
close by us, without having been
discovered until within hail. The ship
was supposed to be the one for which the
mutineers were on the lookout. The mate
hailed her, but the reply was drowned in
the roaring of the gale. At eleven, a
sea was shipped amidships, which tore
away a great portion of the larboard
bulwarks, and did some other slight
damage. Toward morning the weather
moderated, and at sunrise there was very
little wind.

July 7th. There was a heavy swell
running all this day, during which the
brig, being light, rolled excessively,
and many articles broke loose in the
hold, as I could hear distinctly from my
hiding-place. I suffered a great deal
from sea-sickness. Peters had a long
conversation this day with Augustus, and
told him that two of his gang, Greely
and Allen, had gone over to the mate,
and were resolved to turn pirates. He
put several questions to Augustus which
he did not then exactly understand.
During a part of this evening the leak
gained upon the vessel; and little could
be done to remedy it, as it was
occasioned by the brigs straining, and
taking in the water through her seams. A
sail was thrummed, and got under the
bows, which aided us in some measure, so
that we began to gain upon the leak.

July 8th. A light breeze sprang up at
sunrise from the eastward, when the mate
headed the brig to the southwest, with
the intention of making some of the West
India islands in pursuance of his
piratical designs. No opposition was
made by Peters or the cook--at least
none in the hearing of Augustus. All
idea of taking the vessel from the Cape
Verds was abandoned. The leak was now
easily kept under by one pump going
every three quarters of an hour. The
sail was drawn from beneath the bows.
Spoke two small schooners during the
day.

July 9th. Fine weather. All hands
employed in repairing bulwarks. Peters
had again a long conversation with
Augustus, and spoke more plainly than he
had done heretofore. He said nothing
should induce him to come into the
mate's views, and even hinted his
intention of taking the brig out of his
hands. He asked my friend if he could
depend upon his aid in such case, to
which Augustus said, "Yes," without
hesitation. Peters then said he would
sound the others of his party upon the
subject, and went away. During the
remainder of the day Augustus had no
opportunity of speaking with him
privately.



CHAPTER 7

JULY 10. Spoke a brig from Rio, bound to
Norfolk. Weather hazy, with a light
baffling wind from the eastward. To-day
Hartman Rogers died, having been
attacked on the eighth with spasms after
drinking a glass of grog. This man was
of the cook's party, and one upon whom
Peters placed his main reliance. He told
Augustus that he believed the mate had
poisoned him, and that he expected, if
he did not be on the look-out, his own
turn would come shortly. There were now
only himself, Jones, and the cook
belonging to his own gang--on the other
side there were five. He had spoken to
Jones about taking the command from the
mate; but the project having been coolly
received, he had been deterred from
pressing the matter any further, or from
saying any thing to the cook. It was
well, as it happened, that he was so
prudent, for in the afternoon the cook
expressed his determination of siding
with the mate, and went over formally to
that party; while Jones took an
opportunity of quarrelling with Peters,
and hinted that he would let the mate
know of the plan in agitation. There was
now, evidently, no time to be lost, and
Peters expressed his determination of
attempting to take the vessel at all
hazards, provided Augustus would lend
him his aid. My friend at once assured
him of his willingness to enter into any
plan for that purpose, and, thinking the
opportunity a favourable one, made known
the fact of my being on board. At this
the hybrid was not more astonished than
delighted, as he had no reliance
whatever upon Jones, whom he already
considered as belonging to the party of
the mate. They went below immediately,
when Augustus called to me by name, and
Peters and myself were soon made
acquainted. It was agreed that we should
attempt to retake the vessel upon the
first good opportunity, leaving Jones
altogether out of our councils. In the
event of success, we were to run the
brig into the first port that offered,
and deliver her up. The desertion of his
party had frustrated Peters' design of
going into the Pacific--an adventure
which could not be accomplished without
a crew, and he depended upon either
getting acquitted upon trial, on the
score of insanity (which he solemnly
avowed had actuated him in lending his
aid to the mutiny), or upon obtaining a
pardon, if found guilty, through the
representations of Augustus and myself.
Our deliberations were interrupted for
the present by the cry of, "All hands
take in sail," and Peters and Augustus
ran up on deck.

As usual, the crew were nearly all
drunk; and, before sail could be
properly taken in, a violent squall laid
the brig on her beam-ends. By keeping
her away, however, she righted, having
shipped a good deal of water. Scarcely
was everything secure, when another
squall took the vessel, and immediately
afterward another--no damage being done.
There was every appearance of a gale of
wind, which, indeed, shortly came on,
with great fury, from the northward and
westward. All was made as snug as
possible, and we laid-to, as usual,
under a close-reefed foresail. As night
drew on, the wind increased in violence,
with a remarkably heavy sea. Peters now
came into the forecastle with Augustus,
and we resumed our deliberations.

We agreed that no opportunity could be
more favourable than the present for
carrying our designs into effect, as an
attempt at such a moment would never be
anticipated. As the brig was snugly
laid-to, there would be no necessity of
manoeuvring her until good weather,
when, if we succeeded in our attempt, we
might liberate one, or perhaps two of
the men, to aid us in taking her into
port. The main difficulty was the great
disproportion in our forces. There were
only three of us, and in the cabin there
were nine. All the arms on board, too,
were in their possession, with the
exception of a pair of small pistols
which Peters had concealed about his
person, and the large seaman's knife
which he always wore in the waistband of
his pantaloons. From certain
indications, too--such, for example, as
there being no such thing as an axe or a
handspike lying in their customary
places--we began to fear that the mate
had his suspicions, at least in regard
to Peters, and that he would let slip no
opportunity of getting rid of him. It
was clear, indeed, that what we should
determine to do could not be done too
soon. Still the odds were too much
against us to allow of our proceeding
without the greatest caution.

Peters proposed that he should go up on
deck, and enter into conversation with
the watch (Allen), when he would be able
to throw him into the sea without
trouble, and without making any
disturbance, by seizing a good
opportunity, that Augustus and myself
should then come up, and endeavour to
provide ourselves with some kind of
weapons from the deck, and that we
should then make a rush together, and
secure the companion-way before any
opposition could be offered. I objected
to this, because I could not believe
that the mate (who was a cunning fellow
in all matters which did not affect his
superstitious prejudices) would suffer
himself to be so easily entrapped. The
very fact of there being a watch on deck
at all was sufficient proof that he was
upon the alert,--it not being usual
except in vessels where discipline is
most rigidly enforced, to station a
watch on deck when a vessel is lying-to
in a gale of wind. As I address myself
principally, if not altogether, to
persons who have never been to sea, it
may be as well to state the exact
condition of a vessel under such
circumstances. Lying-to, or, in
sea-parlance, "laying-to," is a measure
resorted to for various purposes, and
effected in various manners. In moderate
weather it is frequently done with a
view of merely bringing the vessel to a
stand-still, to wait for another vessel
or any similar object. If the vessel
which lies-to is under full sail, the
manoeuvre is usually accomplished by
throwing round some portion of her
sails, so as to let the wind take them
aback, when she becomes stationary. But
we are now speaking of lying-to in a
gale of wind. This is done when the wind
is ahead, and too violent to admit of
carrying sail without danger of
capsizing; and sometimes even when the
wind is fair, but the sea too heavy for
the vessel to be put before it. If a
vessel be suffered to scud before the
wind in a very heavy sea, much damage is
usually done her by the shipping of
water over her stern, and sometimes by
the violent plunges she makes forward.
This manoeuvre, then, is seldom resorted
to in such case, unless through
necessity. When the vessel is in a leaky
condition she is often put before the
wind even in the heaviest seas; for,
when lying-to, her seams are sure to be
greatly opened by her violent straining,
and it is not so much the case when
scudding. Often, too, it becomes
necessary to scud a vessel, either when
the blast is so exceedingly furious as
to tear in pieces the sail which is
employed with a view of bringing her
head to the wind, or when, through the
false modelling of the frame or other
causes, this main object cannot be
effected.

Vessels in a gale of wind are laid-to in
different manners, according to their
peculiar construction. Some lie-to best
under a foresail, and this, I believe,
is the sail most usually employed. Large
square-rigged vessels have sails for the
express purpose, called storm-staysails.
But the jib is occasionally employed by
itself,--sometimes the jib and foresail,
or a double-reefed foresail, and not
unfrequently the after-sails, are made
use of. Foretopsails are very often
found to answer the purpose better than
any other species of sail. The Grampus
was generally laid-to under a
close-reefed foresail.

When a vessel is to be laid-to, her head
is brought up to the wind just so nearly
as to fill the sail under which she lies
when hauled flat aft, that is, when
brought diagonally across the vessel.
This being done, the bows point within a
few degrees of the direction from which
the wind issues, and the windward bow of
course receives the shock of the waves.
In this situation a good vessel will
ride out a very heavy gale of wind
without shipping a drop of water, and
without any further attention being
requisite on the part of the crew. The
helm is usually lashed down, but this is
altogether unnecessary (except on
account of the noise it makes when
loose), for the rudder has no effect
upon the vessel when lying-to. Indeed,
the helm had far better be left loose
than lashed very fast, for the rudder is
apt to be torn off by heavy seas if
there be no room for the helm to play.
As long as the sail holds, a well
modelled vessel will maintain her
situation, and ride every sea, as if
instinct with life and reason. If the
violence of the wind, however, should
tear the sail into pieces (a feat which
it requires a perfect hurricane to
accomplish under ordinary
circumstances), there is then imminent
danger. The vessel falls off from the
wind, and, coming broadside to the sea,
is completely at its mercy: the only
resource in this case is to put her
quietly before the wind, letting her
scud until some other sail can be set.
Some vessels will lie-to under no sail
whatever, but such are not to be trusted
at sea.

But to return from this digression. It
had never been customary with the mate
to have any watch on deck when lying-to
in a gale of wind, and the fact that he
had now one, coupled with the
circumstance of the missing axes and
handspikes, fully convinced us that the
crew were too well on the watch to be
taken by surprise in the manner Peters
had suggested. Something, however, was
to be done, and that with as little
delay as practicable, for there could be
no doubt that a suspicion having been
once entertained against Peters, he
would be sacrificed upon the earliest
occasion, and one would certainly be
either found or made upon the breaking
of the gale.

Augustus now suggested that if Peters
could contrive to remove, under any
pretext, the piece of chain-cable which
lay over the trap in the stateroom, we
might possibly be able to come upon them
unawares by means of the hold; but a
little reflection convinced us that the
vessel rolled and pitched too violently
for any attempt of that nature.

By good fortune I at length hit upon the
idea of working upon the superstitious
terrors and guilty conscience of the
mate. It will be remembered that one of
the crew, Hartman Rogers, had died
during the morning, having been attacked
two days before with spasms after
drinking some spirits and water. Peters
had expressed to us his opinion that
this man had been poisoned by the mate,
and for this belief he had reasons, so
he said, which were incontrovertible,
but which he could not be prevailed upon
to explain to us--this wayward refusal
being only in keeping with other points
of his singular character. But whether
or not he had any better grounds for
suspecting the mate than we had
ourselves, we were easily led to fall in
with his suspicion, and determined to
act accordingly.

Rogers had died about eleven in the
forenoon, in violent convulsions; and
the corpse presented in a few minutes
after death one of the most horrid and
loathsome spectacles I ever remember to
have seen. The stomach was swollen
immensely, like that of a man who has
been drowned and lain under water for
many weeks. The hands were in the same
condition, while the face was shrunken,
shrivelled, and of a chalky whiteness,
except where relieved by two or three
glaring red blotches like those
occasioned by the erysipelas: one of
these blotches extended diagonally
across the face, completely covering up
an eye as if with a band of red velvet.
In this disgusting condition the body
had been brought up from the cabin at
noon to be thrown overboard, when the
mate getting a glimpse of it (for he now
saw it for the first time), and being
either touched with remorse for his
crime or struck with terror at so
horrible a sight, ordered the men to sew
the body up in its hammock, and allow it
the usual rites of sea-burial. Having
given these directions, he went below,
as if to avoid any further sight of his
victim. While preparations were making
to obey his orders, the gale came on
with great fury, and the design was
abandoned for the present. The corpse,
left to itself, was washed into the
larboard scuppers, where it still lay at
the time of which I speak, floundering
about with the furious lurches of the
brig.

Having arranged our plan, we set about
putting it in execution as speedily as
possible. Peters went upon deck, and, as
he had anticipated, was immediately
accosted by Allen, who appeared to be
stationed more as a watch upon the
forecastle than for any other purpose.
The fate of this villain, however, was
speedily and silently decided; for
Peters, approaching him in a careless
manner, as if about to address him,
seized him by the throat, and, before he
could utter a single cry, tossed him
over the bulwarks. He then called to us,
and we came up. Our first precaution was
to look about for something with which
to arm ourselves, and in doing this we
had to proceed with great care, for it
was impossible to stand on deck an
instant without holding fast, and
violent seas broke over the vessel at
every plunge forward. It was
indispensable, too, that we should be
quick in our operations, for every
minute we expected the mate to be up to
set the pumps going, as it was evident
the brig must be taking in water very
fast. After searching about for some
time, we could find nothing more fit for
our purpose than the two pump-handles,
one of which Augustus took, and I the
other. Having secured these, we stripped
off the shirt of the corpse and dropped
the body overboard. Peters and myself
then went below, leaving Augustus to
watch upon deck, where he took his
station just where Allen had been
placed, and with his back to the cabin
companionway, so that, if any of the
mates gang should come up, he might
suppose it was the watch.

As soon as I got below I commenced
disguising myself so as to represent the
corpse of Rogers. The shirt which we had
taken from the body aided us very much,
for it was of singular form and
character, and easily recognizable--a
kind of smock, which the deceased wore
over his other clothing. It was a blue
stockinett, with large white stripes
running across. Having put this on, I
proceeded to equip myself with a false
stomach, in imitation of the horrible
deformity of the swollen corpse. This
was soon effected by means of stuffing
with some bedclothes. I then gave the
same appearance to my hands by drawing
on a pair of white woollen mittens, and
filling them in with any kind of rags
that offered themselves. Peters then
arranged my face, first rubbing it well
over with white chalk, and afterward
blotching it with blood, which he took
from a cut in his finger. The streak
across the eye was not forgotten and
presented a most shocking appearance.



CHAPTER 8

AS I viewed myself in a fragment of
looking-glass which hung up in the
cabin, and by the dim light of a kind of
battle-lantern, I was so impressed with
a sense of vague awe at my appearance,
and at the recollection of the terrific
reality which I was thus representing,
that I was seized with a violent
tremour, and could scarcely summon
resolution to go on with my part. It was
necessary, however, to act with
decision, and Peters and myself went
upon deck.

We there found everything safe, and,
keeping close to the bulwarks, the three
of us crept to the cabin companion-way.
It was only partially closed,
precautions having been taken to prevent
its being suddenly pushed to from
without, by means of placing billets of
wood on the upper step so as to
interfere with the shutting. We found no
difficulty in getting a full view of the
interior of the cabin through the cracks
where the hinges were placed. It now
proved to have been very fortunate for
us that we had not attempted to take
them by surprise, for they were
evidently on the alert. Only one was
asleep, and he lying just at the foot of
the companion-ladder, with a musket by
his side. The rest were seated on
several mattresses, which had been taken
from the berths and thrown on the floor.
They were engaged in earnest
conversation; and although they had been
carousing, as appeared from two empty
jugs, with some tin tumblers which lay
about, they were not as much intoxicated
as usual. All had knives, one or two of
them pistols, and a great many muskets
were lying in a berth close at hand.

We listened to their conversation for
some time before we could make up our
minds how to act, having as yet resolved
on nothing determinate, except that we
would attempt to paralyze their
exertions, when we should attack them,
by means of the apparition of Rogers.
They were discussing their piratical
plans, in which all we could hear
distinctly was, that they would unite
with the crew of a schooner Hornet, and,
if possible, get the schooner herself
into their possession preparatory to
some attempt on a large scale, the
particulars of which could not be made
out by either of us.

One of the men spoke of Peters, when the
mate replied to him in a low voice which
could not be distinguished, and
afterward added more loudly, that "he
could not understand his being so much
forward with the captain's brat in the
forecastle, and he thought the sooner
both of them were overboard the better."
To this no answer was made, but we could
easily perceive that the hint was well
received by the whole party, and more
particularly by Jones. At this period I
was excessively agitated, the more so as
I could see that neither Augustus nor
Peters could determine how to act. I
made up my mind, however, to sell my
life as dearly as possible, and not to
suffer myself to be overcome by any
feelings of trepidation.

The tremendous noise made by the roaring
of the wind in the rigging, and the
washing of the sea over the deck,
prevented us from hearing what was said,
except during momentary lulls. In one of
these, we all distinctly heard the mate
tell one of the men to "go forward, have
an eye upon them, for he wanted no such
secret doings on board the brig." It was
well for us that the pitching of the
vessel at this moment was so violent as
to prevent this order from being carried
into instant execution. The cook got up
from his mattress to go for us, when a
tremendous lurch, which I thought would
carry away the masts, threw him headlong
against one of the larboard stateroom
doors, bursting it open, and creating a
good deal of other confusion. Luckily,
neither of our party was thrown from his
position, and we had time to make a
precipitate retreat to the forecastle,
and arrange a hurried plan of action
before the messenger made his
appearance, or rather before he put his
head out of the companion-hatch, for he
did not come on deck. From this station
he could not notice the absence of
Allen, and he accordingly bawled out, as
if to him, repeating the orders of the
mate. Peters cried out, "Ay, ay," in a
disguised voice, and the cook
immediately went below, without
entertaining a suspicion that all was
not right.

My two companions now proceeded boldly
aft and down into the cabin, Peters
closing the door after him in the same
manner he had found it. The mate
received them with feigned cordiality,
and told Augustus that, since he had
behaved himself so well of late, he
might take up his quarters in the cabin
and be one of them for the future. He
then poured him out a tumbler half full
of rum, and made him drink it. All this
I saw and heard, for I followed my
friends to the cabin as soon as the door
was shut, and took up my old point of
observation. I had brought with me the
two pump-handles, one of which I secured
near the companion-way, to be ready for
use when required.

I now steadied myself as well as
possible so as to have a good view of
all that was passing within, and
endeavoured to nerve myself to the task
of descending among the mutineers when
Peters should make a signal to me, as
agreed upon. Presently he contrived to
turn the conversation upon the bloody
deeds of the mutiny, and by degrees led
the men to talk of the thousand
superstitions which are so universally
current among seamen. I could not make
out all that was said, but I could
plainly see the effects of the
conversation in the countenances of
those present. The mate was evidently
much agitated, and presently, when some
one mentioned the terrific appearance of
Rogers' corpse, I thought he was upon
the point of swooning. Peters now asked
him if he did not think it would be
better to have the body thrown overboard
at once as it was too horrible a sight
to see it floundering about in the
scuppers. At this the villain absolutely
gasped for breath, and turned his head
slowly round upon his companions, as if
imploring some one to go up and perform
the task. No one, however, stirred, and
it was quite evident that the whole
party were wound up to the highest pitch
of nervous excitement. Peters now made
me the signal. I immediately threw open
the door of the companion-way, and,
descending, without uttering a syllable,
stood erect in the midst of the party.

The intense effect produced by this
sudden apparition is not at all to be
wondered at when the various
circumstances are taken into
consideration. Usually, in cases of a
similar nature, there is left in the
mind of the spectator some glimmering of
doubt as to the reality of the vision
before his eyes; a degree of hope,
however feeble, that he is the victim of
chicanery, and that the apparition is
not actually a visitant from the old
world of shadows. It is not too much to
say that such remnants of doubt have
been at the bottom of almost every such
visitation, and that the appalling
horror which has sometimes been brought
about, is to be attributed, even in the
cases most in point, and where most
suffering has been experienced, more to
a kind of anticipative horror, lest the
apparition might possibly be real, than
to an unwavering belief in its reality.
But, in the present instance, it will be
seen immediately, that in the minds of
the mutineers there was not even the
shadow of a basis upon which to rest a
doubt that the apparition of Rogers was
indeed a revivification of his
disgusting corpse, or at least its
spiritual image. The isolated situation
of the brig, with its entire
inaccessibility on account of the gale,
confined the apparently possible means
of deception within such narrow and
definite limits, that they must have
thought themselves enabled to survey
them all at a glance. They had now been
at sea twenty-four days, without holding
more than a speaking communication with
any vessel whatever. The whole of the
crew, too--at least all whom they had
the most remote reason for suspecting to
be on board--were assembled in the
cabin, with the exception of Allen, the
watch; and his gigantic stature (he was
six feet six inches high) was too
familiar in their eyes to permit the
notion that he was the apparition before
them to enter their minds even for an
instant. Add to these considerations the
awe-inspiring nature of the tempest, and
that of the conversation brought about
by Peters; the deep impression which the
loathsomeness of the actual corpse had
made in the morning upon the
imaginations of the men; the excellence
of the imitation in my person, and the
uncertain and wavering light in which
they beheld me, as the glare of the
cabin lantern, swinging violently to and
fro, fell dubiously and fitfully upon my
figure, and there will be no reason to
wonder that the deception had even more
than the entire effect which we had
anticipated. The mate sprang up from the
mattress on which he was lying, and,
without uttering a syllable, fell back,
stone dead, upon the cabin floor, and
was hurled to the leeward like a log by
a heavy roll of the brig. Of the
remaining seven, there were but three
who had at first any degree of presence
of mind. The four others sat for some
time rooted apparently to the floor, the
most pitiable objects of horror and
utter despair my eyes ever encountered.
The only opposition we experienced at
all was from the cook, John Hunt, and
Richard Parker; but they made but a
feeble and irresolute defence. The two
former were shot instantly by Peters,
and I felled Parker with a blow on the
head from the pump-handle which I had
brought with me. In the meantime,
Augustus seized one of the muskets lying
on the floor and shot another mutineer
Wilson through the breast. There were
now but three remaining; but by this
time they had become aroused from their
lethargy, and perhaps began to see that
a deception had been practised upon
them, for they fought with great
resolution and fury, and, but for the
immense muscular strength of Peters,
might have ultimately got the better of
us. These three men were--Jones, Greely,
and Absolom Hicks. Jones had thrown
Augustus to the floor, stabbed him in
several places along the right arm, and
would no doubt have soon dispatched him
(as neither Peters nor myself could
immediately get rid of our own
antagonists), had it not been for the
timely aid of a friend, upon whose
assistance we, surely, had never
depended. This friend was no other than
Tiger. With a low growl, he bounded into
the cabin, at a most critical moment for
Augustus, and throwing himself upon
Jones, pinned him to the floor in an
instant. My friend, however, was now too
much injured to render us any aid
whatever, and I was so encumbered with
my disguise that I could do but little.
The dog would not leave his hold upon
the throat of Jones--Peters,
nevertheless, was far more than a match
for the two men who remained, and would,
no doubt, have dispatched them sooner,
had it not been for the narrow space in
which he had to act, and the tremendous
lurches of the vessel. Presently he was
enabled to get hold of a heavy stool,
several of which lay about the floor.
With this he beat out the brains of
Greely as he was in the act of
discharging a musket at me, and
immediately afterward a roll of the brig
throwing him in contact with Hicks, he
seized him by the throat, and, by dint
of sheer strength, strangled him
instantaneously. Thus, in far less time
than I have taken to tell it, we found
ourselves masters of the brig.

The only person of our opponents who was
left alive was Richard Parker. This man,
it will be remembered, I had knocked
down with a blow from the pump-handle at
the commencement of the attack. He now
lay motionless by the door of the
shattered stateroom; but, upon Peters
touching him with his foot, he spoke,
and entreated for mercy. His head was
only slightly cut, and otherwise he had
received no injury, having been merely
stunned by the blow. He now got up, and,
for the present, we secured his hands
behind his back. The dog was still
growling over Jones; but, upon
examination, we found him completely
dead, the blood issuing in a stream from
a deep wound in the throat, inflicted,
no doubt, by the sharp teeth of the
animal.

It was now about one o'clock in the
morning, and the wind was still blowing
tremendously. The brig evidently
laboured much more than usual, and it
became absolutely necessary that
something should be done with a view of
easing her in some measure. At almost
every roll to leeward she shipped a sea,
several of which came partially down
into the cabin during our scuffle, the
hatchway having been left open by myself
when I descended. The entire range of
bulwarks to larboard had been swept
away, as well as the caboose, together
with the jollyboat from the counter. The
creaking and working of the mainmast,
too, gave indication that it was nearly
sprung. To make room for more stowage in
the afterhold, the heel of this mast had
been stepped between decks (a very
reprehensible practice, occasionally
resorted to by ignorant ship-builders),
so that it was in imminent danger of
working from its step. But, to crown all
our difficulties, we plummed the well,
and found no less than seven feet of
water.

Leaving the bodies of the crew lying in
the cabin, we got to work immediately at
the pumps--Parker, of course, being set
at liberty to assist us in the labour.
Augustus's arm was bound up as well as
we could effect it, and he did what he
could, but that was not much. However,
we found that we could just manage to
keep the leak from gaining upon us by
having one pump constantly going. As
there were only four of us, this was
severe labour; but we endeavoured to
keep up our spirits, and looked
anxiously for daybreak, when we hoped to
lighten the brig by cutting away the
mainmast.

In this manner we passed a night of
terrible anxiety and fatigue, and, when
the day at length broke, the gale had
neither abated in the least, nor were
there any signs of its abating. We now
dragged the bodies on deck and threw
them overboard. Our next care was to get
rid of the mainmast. The necessary
preparations having been made, Peters
cut away at the mast (having found axes
in the cabin), while the rest of us
stood by the stays and lanyards. As the
brig gave a tremendous lee-lurch, the
word was given to cut away the
weather-lanyards, which being done, the
whole mass of wood and rigging plunged
into the sea, clear of the brig, and
without doing any material injury. We
now found that the vessel did not labour
quite as much as before, but our
situation was still exceedingly
precarious, and in spite of the utmost
exertions, we could not gain upon the
leak without the aid of both pumps. The
little assistance which Augustus could
render us was not really of any
importance. To add to our distress, a
heavy sea, striking the brig to the
windward, threw her off several points
from the wind, and, before she could
regain her position, another broke
completely over her, and hurled her full
upon her beam-ends. The ballast now
shifted in a mass to leeward (the
stowage had been knocking about
perfectly at random for some time), and
for a few moments we thought nothing
could save us from capsizing. Presently,
however, we partially righted; but the
ballast still retaining its place to
larboard, we lay so much along that it
was useless to think of working the
pumps, which indeed we could not have
done much longer in any case, as our
hands were entirely raw with the
excessive labour we had undergone, and
were bleeding in the most horrible
manner.

Contrary to Parker's advice, we now
proceeded to cut away the foremast, and
at length accomplished it after much
difficulty, owing to the position in
which we lay. In going overboard the
wreck took with it the bowsprit, and
left us a complete hulk.

So far we had had reason to rejoice in
the escape of our longboat, which had
received no damage from any of the huge
seas which had come on board. But we had
not long to congratulate ourselves; for
the foremast having gone, and, of
course, the foresail with it, by which
the brig had been steadied, every sea
now made a complete breach over us, and
in five minutes our deck was swept from
stern to stern, the longboat and
starboard bulwarks torn off, and even
the windlass shattered into fragments.
It was, indeed, hardly possible for us
to be in a more pitiable condition.

At noon there seemed to be some slight
appearance of the gale's abating, but in
this we were sadly disappointed, for it
only lulled for a few minutes to blow
with redoubled fury. About four in the
afternoon it was utterly impossible to
stand up against the violence of the
blast; and, as the night closed in upon
us, I had not a shadow of hope that the
vessel would hold together until
morning.

By midnight we had settled very deep in
the water, which was now up to the orlop
deck. The rudder went soon afterward,
the sea which tore it away lifting the
after portion of the brig entirely from
the water, against which she thumped in
her descent with such a concussion as
would be occasioned by going ashore. We
had all calculated that the rudder would
hold its own to the last, as it was
unusually strong, being rigged as I have
never seen one rigged either before or
since. Down its main timber there ran a
succession of stout iron hooks, and
others in the same manner down the
stern-post. Through these hooks there
extended a very thick wrought-iron rod,
the rudder being thus held to the
stern-post and swinging freely on the
rod. The tremendous force of the sea
which tore it off may be estimated by
the fact, that the hooks in the
stern-post, which ran entirely through
it, being clinched on the inside, were
drawn every one of them completely out
of the solid wood.

We had scarcely time to draw breath
after the violence of this shock, when
one of the most tremendous waves I had
then ever known broke right on board of
us, sweeping the companion-way clear
off, bursting in the hatchways, and
filling every inch of the vessel with
water.



CHAPTER 9

LUCKILY, just before night, all four of
us had lashed ourselves firmly to the
fragments of the windlass, lying in this
manner as flat upon the deck as
possible. This precaution alone saved us
from destruction. As it was, we were all
more or less stunned by the immense
weight of water which tumbled upon us,
and which did not roll from above us
until we were nearly exhausted. As soon
as I could recover breath, I called
aloud to my companions. Augustus alone
replied, saying: "It is all over with
us, and may God have mercy upon our
souls!" By-and-by both the others were
enabled to speak, when they exhorted us
to take courage, as there was still
hope; it being impossible, from the
nature of the cargo, that the brig could
go down, and there being every chance
that the gale would blow over by the
morning. These words inspired me with
new life; for, strange as it may seem,
although it was obvious that a vessel
with a cargo of empty oil-casks would
not sink, I had been hitherto so
confused in mind as to have overlooked
this consideration altogether; and the
danger which I had for some time
regarded as the most imminent was that
of foundering. As hope revived within
me, I made use of every opportunity to
strengthen the lashings which held me to
the remains of the windlass, and in this
occupation I soon discovered that my
companions were also busy. The night was
as dark as it could possibly be, and the
horrible shrieking din and confusion
which surrounded us it is useless to
attempt describing. Our deck lay level
with the sea, or rather we were
encircled with a towering ridge of foam,
a portion of which swept over us even
instant. It is not too much to say that
our heads were not fairly out of the
water more than one second in three.
Although we lay close together, no one
of us could see the other, or, indeed,
any portion of the brig itself, upon
which we were so tempestuously hurled
about. At intervals we called one to the
other, thus endeavouring to keep alive
hope, and render consolation and
encouragement to such of us as stood
most in need of it. The feeble condition
of Augustus made him an object of
solicitude with us all; and as, from the
lacerated condition of his right arm, it
must have been impossible for him to
secure his lashings with any degree of
firmness, we were in momentary
expectation of finding that he had gone
overboard--yet to render him aid was a
thing altogether out of the question.
Fortunately, his station was more secure
than that of any of the rest of us; for
the upper part of his body lying just
beneath a portion of the shattered
windlass, the seas, as they tumbled in
upon him, were greatly broken in their
violence. In any other situation than
this (into which he had been
accidentally thrown after having lashed
himself in a very exposed spot) he must
inevitably have perished before morning.
Owing to the brig's lying so much along,
we were all less liable to be washed off
than otherwise would have been the case.
The heel, as I have before stated, was
to larboard, about one half of the deck
being constantly under water. The seas,
therefore, which struck us to starboard
were much broken, by the vessel's side,
only reaching us in fragments as we lay
flat on our faces; while those which
came from larboard being what are called
back-water seas, and obtaining little
hold upon us on account of our posture,
had not sufficient force to drag us from
our fastenings.

In this frightful situation we lay until
the day broke so as to show us more
fully the horrors which surrounded us.
The brig was a mere log, rolling about
at the mercy of every wave; the gale was
upon the increase, if any thing, blowing
indeed a complete hurricane, and there
appeared to us no earthly prospect of
deliverance. For several hours we held
on in silence, expecting every moment
that our lashings would either give way,
that the remains of the windlass would
go by the board, or that some of the
huge seas, which roared in every
direction around us and above us, would
drive the hulk so far beneath the water
that we should be drowned before it
could regain the surface. By the mercy
of God, however, we were preserved from
these imminent dangers, and about midday
were cheered by the light of the blessed
sun. Shortly afterward we could perceive
a sensible diminution in the force of
the wind, when, now for the first time
since the latter part of the evening
before, Augustus spoke, asking Peters,
who lay closest to him, if he thought
there was any possibility of our being
saved. As no reply was at first made to
this question, we all concluded that the
hybrid had been drowned where he lay;
but presently, to our great joy, he
spoke, although very feebly, saying that
he was in great pain, being so cut by
the tightness of his lashings across the
stomach, that he must either find means
of loosening them or perish, as it was
impossible that he could endure his
misery much longer. This occasioned us
great distress, as it was altogether
useless to think of aiding him in any
manner while the sea continued washing
over us as it did. We exhorted him to
bear his sufferings with fortitude, and
promised to seize the first opportunity
which should offer itself to relieve
him. He replied that it would soon be
too late; that it would be all over with
him before we could help him; and then,
after moaning for some minutes, lay
silent, when we concluded that he had
perished.

As the evening drew on, the sea had
fallen so much that scarcely more than
one wave broke over the hulk from
windward in the course of five minutes,
and the wind had abated a great deal,
although still blowing a severe gale. I
had not heard any of my companions speak
for hours, and now called to Augustus.
He replied, although very feebly, so
that I could not distinguish what he
said. I then spoke to Peters and to
Parker, neither of whom returned any
answer.

Shortly after this period I fell into a
state of partial insensibility, during
which the most pleasing images floated
in my imagination; such as green trees,
waving meadows of ripe grain,
processions of dancing girls, troops of
cavalry, and other phantasies. I now
remember that, in all which passed
before my mind's eye, motion was a
predominant idea. Thus, I never fancied
any stationary object, such as a house,
a mountain, or any thing of that kind;
but windmills, ships, large birds,
balloons, people on horseback, carriages
driving furiously, and similar moving
objects, presented themselves in endless
succession. When I recovered from this
state, the sun was, as near as I could
guess, an hour high. I had the greatest
difficulty in bringing to recollection
the various circumstances connected with
my situation, and for some time remained
firmly convinced that I was still in the
hold of the brig, near the box, and that
the body of Parker was that of Tiger.

When I at length completely came to my
senses, I found that the wind blew no
more than a moderate breeze, and that
the sea was comparatively calm; so much
so that it only washed over the brig
amidships. My left arm had broken loose
from its lashings, and was much cut
about the elbow; my right was entirely
benumbed, and the hand and wrist swollen
prodigiously by the pressure of the
rope, which had worked from the shoulder
downward. I was also in great pain from
another rope which went about my waist,
and had been drawn to an insufferable
degree of tightness. Looking round upon
my companions, I saw that Peters still
lived, although a thick line was pulled
so forcibly around his loins as to give
him the appearance of being cut nearly
in two; as I stirred, he made a feeble
motion to me with his hand, pointing to
the rope. Augustus gave no indication of
life whatever, and was bent nearly
double across a splinter of the
windlass. Parker spoke to me when he saw
me moving, and asked me if I had not
sufficient strength to release him from
his situation, saying that if I would
summon up what spirits I could, and
contrive to untie him, we might yet save
our lives; but that otherwise we must
all perish. I told him to take courage,
and I would endeavor to free him.
Feeling in my pantaloons' pocket, I got
hold of my penknife, and, after several
ineffectual attempts, at length
succeeded in opening it. I then, with my
left hand, managed to free my right from
its fastenings, and afterward cut the
other ropes which held me. Upon
attempting, however, to move from my
position, I found that my legs failed me
altogether, and that I could not get up;
neither could I move my right arm in any
direction. Upon mentioning this to
Parker, he advised me to lie quiet for a
few minutes, holding on to the windlass
with my left hand, so as to allow time
for the blood to circulate. Doing this,
the numbness presently began to die away
so that I could move first one of my
legs, and then the other, and, shortly
afterward I regained the partial use of
my right arm. I now crawled with great
caution toward Parker, without getting
on my legs, and soon cut loose all the
lashings about him, when, after a short
delay, he also recovered the partial use
of his limbs. We now lost no time in
getting loose the rope from Peters. It
had cut a deep gash through the
waistband of his woollen pantaloons, and
through two shirts, and made its way
into his groin, from which the blood
flowed out copiously as we removed the
cordage. No sooner had we removed it,
however, than he spoke, and seemed to
experience instant relief--being able to
move with much greater ease than either
Parker or myself--this was no doubt
owing to the discharge of blood.

We had little hopes that Augustus would
recover, as he evinced no signs of life;
but, upon getting to him, we discovered
that he had merely swooned from the loss
of blood, the bandages we had placed
around his wounded arm having been torn
off by the water; none of the ropes
which held him to the windlass were
drawn sufficiently tight to occasion his
death. Having relieved him from the
fastenings, and got him clear of the
broken wood about the windlass, we
secured him in a dry place to windward,
with his head somewhat lower than his
body, and all three of us busied
ourselves in chafing his limbs. In about
half an hour he came to himself,
although it was not until the next
morning that he gave signs of
recognizing any of us, or had sufficient
strength to speak. By the time we had
thus got clear of our lashings it was
quite dark, and it began to cloud up, so
that we were again in the greatest agony
lest it should come on to blow hard, in
which event nothing could have saved us
from perishing, exhausted as we were. By
good fortune it continued very moderate
during the night, the sea subsiding
every minute, which gave us great hopes
of ultimate preservation. A gentle
breeze still blew from the N. W., but
the weather was not at all cold.
Augustus was lashed carefully to
windward in such a manner as to prevent
him from slipping overboard with the
rolls of the vessel, as he was still too
weak to hold on at all. For ourselves
there was no such necessity. We sat
close together, supporting each other
with the aid of the broken ropes about
the windlass, and devising methods of
escape from our frightful situation. We
derived much comfort from taking off our
clothes and wringing the water from
them. When we put them on after this,
they felt remarkably warm and pleasant,
and served to invigorate us in no little
degree. We helped Augustus off with his,
and wrung them for him, when he
experienced the same comfort.

Our chief sufferings were now those of
hunger and thirst, and when we looked
forward to the means of relief in this
respect, our hearts sunk within us, and
we were induced to regret that we had
escaped the less dreadful perils of the
sea. We endeavoured, however, to console
ourselves with the hope of being
speedily picked up by some vessel and
encouraged each other to bear with
fortitude the evils that might happen.

The morning of the fourteenth at length
dawned, and the weather still continued
clear and pleasant, with a steady but
very light breeze from the N. W. The sea
was now quite smooth, and as, from some
cause which we could not determine, the
brig did not lie so much along as she
had done before, the deck was
comparatively dry, and we could move
about with freedom. We had now been
better than three entire days and nights
without either food or drink, and it
became absolutely necessary that we
should make an attempt to get up
something from below. As the brig was
completely full of water, we went to
this work despondently, and with but
little expectation of being able to
obtain anything. We made a kind of drag
by driving some nails which we broke out
from the remains of the companion-hatch
into two pieces of wood. Tying these
across each other, and fastening them to
the end of a rope, we threw them into
the cabin, and dragged them to and fro,
in the faint hope of being thus able to
entangle some article which might be of
use to us for food, or which might at
least render us assistance in getting
it. We spent the greater part of the
morning in this labour without effect,
fishing up nothing more than a few
bedclothes, which were readily caught by
the nails. Indeed, our contrivance was
so very clumsy that any greater success
was hardly to be anticipated.

We now tried the forecastle, but equally
in vain, and were upon the brink of
despair, when Peters proposed that we
should fasten a rope to his body, and
let him make an attempt to get up
something by diving into the cabin. This
proposition we hailed with all the
delight which reviving hope could
inspire. He proceeded immediately to
strip off his clothes with the exception
of his pantaloons; and a strong rope was
then carefully fastened around his
middle, being brought up over his
shoulders in such a manner that there
was no possibility of its slipping. The
undertaking was one of great difficulty
and danger; for, as we could hardly
expect to find much, if any, provision
in the cabin itself, it was necessary
that the diver, after letting himself
down, should make a turn to the right,
and proceed under water a distance of
ten or twelve feet, in a narrow passage,
to the storeroom, and return, without
drawing breath.

Everything being ready, Peters now
descended in the cabin, going down the
companion-ladder until the water reached
his chin. He then plunged in, head
first, turning to the right as he
plunged, and endeavouring to make his
way to the storeroom. In this first
attempt, however, he was altogether
unsuccessful. In less than half a minute
after his going down we felt the rope
jerked violently (the signal we had
agreed upon when he desired to be drawn
up). We accordingly drew him up
instantly, but so incautiously as to
bruise him badly against the ladder. He
had brought nothing with him, and had
been unable to penetrate more than a
very little way into the passage, owing
to the constant exertions he found it
necessary to make in order to keep
himself from floating up against the
deck. Upon getting out he was very much
exhausted, and had to rest full fifteen
minutes before he could again venture to
descend.

The second attempt met with even worse
success; for he remained so long under
water without giving the signal, that,
becoming alarmed for his safety, we drew
him out without it, and found that he
was almost at the last gasp, having, as
he said, repeatedly jerked at the rope
without our feeling it. This was
probably owing to a portion of it having
become entangled in the balustrade at
the foot of the ladder. This balustrade
was, indeed, so much in the way, that we
determined to remove it, if possible,
before proceeding with our design. As we
had no means of getting it away except
by main force, we all descended into the
water as far as we could on the ladder,
and giving a pull against it with our
united strength, succeeded in breaking
it down.

The third attempt was equally
unsuccessful with the two first, and it
now became evident that nothing could be
done in this manner without the aid of
some weight with which the diver might
steady himself, and keep to the floor of
the cabin while making his search. For a
long time we looked about in vain for
something which might answer this
purpose; but at length, to our great
joy, we discovered one of the
weather-forechains so loose that we had
not the least difficulty in wrenching it
off. Having fastened this securely to
one of his ankles, Peters now made his
fourth descent into the cabin, and this
time succeeded in making his way to the
door of the steward's room. To his
inexpressible grief, however, he found
it locked, and was obliged to return
without effecting an entrance, as, with
the greatest exertion, he could remain
under water not more, at the utmost
extent, than a single minute. Our
affairs now looked gloomy indeed, and
neither Augustus nor myself could
refrain from bursting into tears, as we
thought of the host of difficulties
which encompassed us, and the slight
probability which existed of our finally
making an escape. But this weakness was
not of long duration. Throwing ourselves
on our knees to God, we implored His aid
in the many dangers which beset us; and
arose with renewed hope and vigor to
think what could yet be done by mortal
means toward accomplishing our
deliverance.



CHAPTER 10

SHORTLY afterward an incident occurred
which I am induced to look upon as more
intensely productive of emotion, as far
more replete with the extremes first of
delight and then of horror, than even
any of the thousand chances which
afterward befell me in nine long years,
crowded with events of the most
startling and, in many cases, of the
most unconceived and unconceivable
character. We were lying on the deck
near the companion-way, and debating the
possibility of yet making our way into
the storeroom, when, looking toward
Augustus, who lay fronting myself, I
perceived that he had become all at once
deadly pale, and that his lips were
quivering in the most singular and
unaccountable manner. Greatly alarmed, I
spoke to him, but he made me no reply,
and I was beginning to think that he was
suddenly taken ill, when I took notice
of his eyes, which were glaring
apparently at some object behind me. I
turned my head, and shall never forget
the ecstatic joy which thrilled through
every particle of my frame, when I
perceived a large brig bearing down upon
us, and not more than a couple of miles
off. I sprung to my feet as if a musket
bullet had suddenly struck me to the
heart; and, stretching out my arms in
the direction of the vessel, stood in
this manner, motionless, and unable to
articulate a syllable. Peters and Parker
were equally affected, although in
different ways. The former danced about
the deck like a madman, uttering the
most extravagant rhodomontades,
intermingled with howls and
imprecations, while the latter burst
into tears, and continued for many
minutes weeping like a child.

The vessel in sight was a large
hermaphrodite brig, of a Dutch build,
and painted black, with a tawdry gilt
figure-head. She had evidently seen a
good deal of rough weather, and, we
supposed, had suffered much in the gale
which had proved so disastrous to
ourselves; for her foretopmast was gone,
and some of her starboard bulwarks. When
we first saw her, she was, as I have
already said, about two miles off and to
windward, bearing down upon us. The
breeze was very gentle, and what
astonished us chiefly was, that she had
no other sails set than her foremast and
mainsail, with a flying jib--of course
she came down but slowly, and our
impatience amounted nearly to phrensy.
The awkward manner in which she steered,
too, was remarked by all of us, even
excited as we were. She yawed about so
considerably, that once or twice we
thought it impossible she could see us,
or imagined that, having seen us, and
discovered no person on board, she was
about to tack and make off in another
direction. Upon each of these occasions
we screamed and shouted at the top of
our voices, when the stranger would
appear to change for a moment her
intention, and again hold on toward
us--this singular conduct being repeated
two or three times, so that at last we
could think of no other manner of
accounting for it than by supposing the
helmsman to be in liquor.

No person was seen upon her decks until
she arrived within about a quarter of a
mile of us. We then saw three seamen,
whom by their dress we took to be
Hollanders. Two of these were lying on
some old sails near the forecastle, and
the third, who appeared to be looking at
us with great curiosity, was leaning
over the starboard bow near the
bowsprit. This last was a stout and tall
man, with a very dark skin. He seemed by
his manner to be encouraging us to have
patience, nodding to us in a cheerful
although rather odd way, and smiling
constantly, so as to display a set of
the most brilliantly white teeth. As his
vessel drew nearer, we saw a red flannel
cap which he had on fall from his head
into the water; but of this he took
little or no notice, continuing his odd
smiles and gesticulations. I relate
these things and circumstances minutely,
and I relate them, it must be
understood, precisely as they appeared
to us.

The brig came on slowly, and now more
steadily than before, and--I cannot
speak calmly of this event--our hearts
leaped up wildly within us, and we
poured out our whole souls in shouts and
thanksgiving to God for the complete,
unexpected, and glorious deliverance
that was so palpably at hand. Of a
sudden, and all at once, there came
wafted over the ocean from the strange
vessel (which was now close upon us) a
smell, a stench, such as the whole world
has no name for--no conception
of--hellish--utterly
suffocating--insufferable,
inconceivable. I gasped for breath, and
turning to my companions, perceived that
they were paler than marble. But we had
now no time left for question or
surmise--the brig was within fifty feet
of us, and it seemed to be her intention
to run under our counter, that we might
board her without putting out a boat. We
rushed aft, when, suddenly, a wide yaw
threw her off full five or six points
from the course she had been running,
and, as she passed under our stern at
the distance of about twenty feet, we
had a full view of her decks. Shall I
ever forget the triple horror of that
spectacle? Twenty-five or thirty human
bodies, among whom were several females,
lay scattered about between the counter
and the galley in the last and most
loathsome state of putrefaction. We
plainly saw that not a soul lived in
that fated vessel! Yet we could not help
shouting to the dead for help! Yes, long
and loudly did we beg, in the agony of
the moment, that those silent and
disgusting images would stay for us,
would not abandon us to become like
them, would receive us among their
goodly company! We were raving with
horror and despair--thoroughly mad
through the anguish of our grievous
disappointment.

As our first loud yell of terror broke
forth, it was replied to by something,
from near the bowsprit of the stranger,
so closely resembling the scream of a
human voice that the nicest ear might
have been startled and deceived. At this
instant another sudden yaw brought the
region of the forecastle for a moment
into view, and we beheld at once the
origin of the sound. We saw the tall
stout figure still leaning on the
bulwark, and still nodding his head to
and fro, but his face was now turned
from us so that we could not behold it.
His arms were extended over the rail,
and the palms of his hands fell outward.
His knees were lodged upon a stout rope,
tightly stretched, and reaching from the
heel of the bowsprit to a cathead. On
his back, from which a portion of the
shirt had been torn, leaving it bare,
there sat a huge sea-gull, busily
gorging itself with the horrible flesh,
its bill and talons deep buried, and its
white plumage spattered all over with
blood. As the brig moved farther round
so as to bring us close in view, the
bird, with much apparent difficulty,
drew out its crimsoned head, and, after
eyeing us for a moment as if stupefied,
arose lazily from the body upon which it
had been feasting, and, flying directly
above our deck, hovered there a while
with a portion of clotted and liver-like
substance in its beak. The horrid morsel
dropped at length with a sullen splash
immediately at the feet of Parker. May
God forgive me, but now, for the first
time, there flashed through my mind a
thought, a thought which I will not
mention, and I felt myself making a step
toward the ensanguined spot. I looked
upward, and the eyes of Augustus met my
own with a degree of intense and eager
meaning which immediately brought me to
my senses. I sprang forward quickly,
and, with a deep shudder, threw the
frightful thing into the sea.

The body from which it had been taken,
resting as it did upon the rope, had
been easily swayed to and fro by the
exertions of the carnivorous bird, and
it was this motion which had at first
impressed us with the belief of its
being alive. As the gull relieved it of
its weight, it swung round and fell
partially over, so that the face was
fully discovered. Never, surely, was any
object so terribly full of awe! The eyes
were gone, and the whole flesh around
the mouth, leaving the teeth utterly
naked. This, then, was the smile which
had cheered us on to hope! this the--but
I forbear. The brig, as I have already
told, passed under our stern, and made
its way slowly but steadily to leeward.
With her and with her terrible crew went
all our gay visions of deliverance and
joy. Deliberately as she went by, we
might possibly have found means of
boarding her, had not our sudden
disappointment and the appalling nature
of the discovery which accompanied it
laid entirely prostrate every active
faculty of mind and body. We had seen
and felt, but we could neither think nor
act, until, alas! too late. How much our
intellects had been weakened by this
incident may be estimated by the fact,
that when the vessel had proceeded so
far that we could perceive no more than
the half of her hull, the proposition
was seriously entertained of attempting
to overtake her by swimming!

I have, since this period, vainly
endeavoured to obtain some clew to the
hideous uncertainty which enveloped the
fate of the stranger. Her build and
general appearance, as I have before
stated, led us to the belief that she
was a Dutch trader, and the dresses of
the crew also sustained this opinion. We
might have easily seen the name upon her
stern, and, indeed, taken other
observations, which would have guided us
in making out her character; but the
intense excitement of the moment blinded
us to every thing of that nature. From
the saffron-like hue of such of the
corpses as were not entirely decayed, we
concluded that the whole of her company
had perished by the yellow fever, or
some other virulent disease of the same
fearful kind. If such were the case (and
I know not what else to imagine), death,
to judge from the positions of the
bodies, must have come upon them in a
manner awfully sudden and overwhelming,
in a way totally distinct from that
which generally characterizes even the
most deadly pestilences with which
mankind are acquainted. It is possible,
indeed, that poison, accidentally
introduced into some of their
sea-stores, may have brought about the
disaster, or that the eating of some
unknown venomous species of fish, or
other marine animal, or oceanic bird,
might have induced it--but it is utterly
useless to form conjectures where all is
involved, and will, no doubt, remain for
ever involved, in the most appalling and
unfathomable mystery.



CHAPTER 11

WE spent the remainder of the day in a
condition of stupid lethargy, gazing
after the retreating vessel until the
darkness, hiding her from our sight,
recalled us in some measure to our
senses. The pangs of hunger and thirst
then returned, absorbing all other cares
and considerations. Nothing, however,
could be done until the morning, and,
securing ourselves as well as possible,
we endeavoured to snatch a little
repose. In this I succeeded beyond my
expectations, sleeping until my
companions, who had not been so
fortunate, aroused me at daybreak to
renew our attempts at getting up
provisions from the hull.

It was now a dead calm, with the sea as
smooth as have ever known it,--the
weather warm and pleasant. The brig was
out of sight. We commenced our
operations by wrenching off, with some
trouble, another of the forechains; and
having fastened both to Peters' feet, he
again made an endeavour to reach the
door of the storeroom, thinking it
possible that he might be able to force
it open, provided he could get at it in
sufficient time; and this he hoped to
do, as the hulk lay much more steadily
than before.

He succeeded very quickly in reaching
the door, when, loosening one of the
chains from his ankle, he made every
exertion to force the passage with it,
but in vain, the framework of the room
being far stronger than was anticipated.
He was quite exhausted with his long
stay under water, and it became
absolutely necessary that some other one
of us should take his place. For this
service Parker immediately volunteered;
but, after making three ineffectual
efforts, found that he could never even
succeed in getting near the door. The
condition of Augustus's wounded arm
rendered it useless for him to attempt
going down, as he would be unable to
force the room open should he reach it,
and it accordingly now devolved upon me
to exert myself for our common
deliverance.

Peters had left one of the chains in the
passage, and I found, upon plunging in,
that I had not sufficient balance to
keep me firmly down. I determined,
therefore, to attempt no more, in my
first effort, than merely to recover the
other chain. In groping along the floor
of the passage for this, I felt a hard
substance, which I immediately grasped,
not having time to ascertain what it
was, but returning and ascending
instantly to the surface. The prize
proved to be a bottle, and our joy may
be conceived when I say that it was
found to be full of port wine. Giving
thanks to God for this timely and
cheering assistance, we immediately drew
the cork with my penknife, and, each
taking a moderate sup, felt the most
indescribable comfort from the warmth,
strength, and spirits with which it
inspired us. We then carefully recorked
the bottle, and, by means of a
handkerchief, swung it in such a manner
that there was no possibility of its
getting broken.

Having rested a while after this
fortunate discovery, I again descended,
and now recovered the chain, with which
I instantly came up. I then fastened it
on and went down for the third time,
when I became fully satisfied that no
exertions whatever, in that situation,
would enable me to force open the door
of the storeroom. I therefore returned
in despair.

There seemed now to be no longer any
room for hope, and I could perceive in
the countenances of my companions that
they had made up their minds to perish.
The wine had evidently produced in them
a species of delirium, which, perhaps, I
had been prevented from feeling by the
immersion I had undergone since drinking
it. They talked incoherently, and about
matters unconnected with our condition,
Peters repeatedly asking me questions
about Nantucket. Augustus, too, I
remember, approached me with a serious
air, and requested me to lend him a
pocket-comb, as his hair was full of
fish-scales, and he wished to get them
out before going on shore. Parker
appeared somewhat less affected, and
urged me to dive at random into the
cabin, and bring up any article which
might come to hand. To this I consented,
and, in the first attempt, after staying
under a full minute, brought up a small
leather trunk belonging to Captain
Barnard. This was immediately opened in
the faint hope that it might contain
something to eat or drink. We found
nothing, however, except a box of razors
and two linen shirts. I now went down
again, and returned without any success.
As my head came above water I heard a
crash on deck, and, upon getting up, saw
that my companions had ungratefully
taken advantage of my absence to drink
the remainder of the wine, having let
the bottle fall in the endeavour to
replace it before I saw them. I
remonstrated with them on the
heartlessness of their conduct, when
Augustus burst into tears. The other two
endeavoured to laugh the matter off as a
joke, but I hope never again to behold
laughter of such a species: the
distortion of countenance was absolutely
frightful. Indeed, it was apparent that
the stimulus, in the empty state of
their stomachs, had taken instant and
violent effect, and that they were all
exceedingly intoxicated. With great
difficulty I prevailed upon them to lie
down, when they fell very soon into a
heavy slumber, accompanied with loud
stertorous breathing.

I now found myself, as it were, alone in
the brig, and my reflections, to be
sure, were of the most fearful and
gloomy nature. No prospect offered
itself to my view but a lingering death
by famine, or, at the best, by being
overwhelmed in the first gale which
should spring up, for in our present
exhausted condition we could have no
hope of living through another.

The gnawing hunger which I now
experienced was nearly insupportable,
and I felt myself capable of going to
any lengths in order to appease it. With
my knife I cut off a small portion of
the leather trunk, and endeavoured to
eat it, but found it utterly impossible
to swallow a single morsel, although I
fancied that some little alleviation of
my suffering was obtained by chewing
small pieces of it and spitting them
out. Toward night my companions awoke,
one by one, each in an indescribable
state of weakness and horror, brought on
by the wine, whose fumes had now
evaporated. They shook as if with a
violent ague, and uttered the most
lamentable cries for water. Their
condition affected me in the most lively
degree, at the same time causing me to
rejoice in the fortunate train of
circumstances which had prevented me
from indulging in the wine, and
consequently from sharing their
melancholy and most distressing
sensations. Their conduct, however, gave
me great uneasiness and alarm; for it
was evident that, unless some favourable
change took place, they could afford me
no assistance in providing for our
common safety. I had not yet abandoned
all idea being able to get up something
from below; but the attempt could not
possibly be resumed until some one of
them was sufficiently master of himself
to aid me by holding the end of the rope
while I went down. Parker appeared to be
somewhat more in possession of his
senses than the others, and I
endeavoured, by every means in my power,
to rouse him. Thinking that a plunge in
the sea-water might have a beneficial
effect, I contrived to fasten the end of
a rope around his body, and then,
leading him to the companion-way (he
remaining quite passive all the while),
pushed him in, and immediately drew him
out. I had good reason to congratulate
myself upon having made this experiment;
for he appeared much revived and
invigorated, and, upon getting out,
asked me, in a rational manner, why I
had so served him. Having explained my
object, he expressed himself indebted to
me, and said that he felt greatly better
from the immersion, afterward conversing
sensibly upon our situation. We then
resolved to treat Augustus and Peters in
the same way, which we immediately did,
when they both experienced much benefit
from the shock. This idea of sudden
immersion had been suggested to me by
reading in some medical work the good
effect of the shower-bath in a case
where the patient was suffering from
mania a potu.

Finding that I could now trust my
companions to hold the end of the rope,
I again made three or four plunges into
the cabin, although it was now quite
dark, and a gentle but long swell from
the northward rendered the hulk somewhat
unsteady. In the course of these
attempts I succeeded in bringing up two
case-knives, a three-gallon jug, empty,
and a blanket, but nothing which could
serve us for food. I continued my
efforts, after getting these articles,
until I was completely exhausted, but
brought up nothing else. During the
night Parker and Peters occupied
themselves by turns in the same manner;
but nothing coming to hand, we now gave
up this attempt in despair, concluding
that we were exhausting ourselves in
vain.

We passed the remainder of this night in
a state of the most intense mental and
bodily anguish that can possibly be
imagined. The morning of the sixteenth
at length dawned, and we looked eagerly
around the horizon for relief, but to no
purpose. The sea was still smooth, with
only a long swell from the northward, as
on yesterday. This was the sixth day
since we had tasted either food or
drink, with the exception of the bottle
of port wine, and it was clear that we
could hold out but a very little while
longer unless something could be
obtained. I never saw before, nor wish
to see again, human beings so utterly
emaciated as Peters and Augustus. Had I
met them on shore in their present
condition I should not have had the
slightest suspicion that I had ever
beheld them. Their countenances were
totally changed in character, so that I
could not bring myself to believe them
really the same individuals with whom I
had been in company but a few days
before. Parker, although sadly reduced,
and so feeble that he could not raise
his head from his bosom, was not so far
gone as the other two. He suffered with
great patience, making no complaint, and
endeavouring to inspire us with hope in
every manner he could devise. For
myself, although at the commencement of
the voyage I had been in bad health, and
was at all times of a delicate
constitution, I suffered less than any
of us, being much less reduced in frame,
and retaining my powers of mind in a
surprising degree, while the rest were
completely prostrated in intellect, and
seemed to be brought to a species of
second childhood, generally simpering in
their expressions, with idiotic smiles,
and uttering the most absurd platitudes.
At intervals, however, they would appear
to revive suddenly, as if inspired all
at once with a consciousness of their
condition, when they would spring upon
their feet in a momentary flash of
vigour, and speak, for a short period,
of their prospects, in a manner
altogether rational, although full of
the most intense despair. It is
possible, however, that my companions
may have entertained the same opinion of
their own condition as I did of mine,
and that I may have unwittingly been
guilty of the same extravagances and
imbecilities as themselves--this is a
matter which cannot be determined.

About noon Parker declared that he saw
land off the larboard quarter, and it
was with the utmost difficulty I could
restrain him from plunging into the sea
with the view of swimming toward it.
Peters and Augustus took little notice
of what he said, being apparently
wrapped up in moody contemplation. Upon
looking in the direction pointed out, I
could not perceive the faintest
appearance of the shore--indeed, I was
too well aware that we were far from any
land to indulge in a hope of that
nature. It was a long time,
nevertheless, before I could convince
Parker of his mistake. He then burst
into a flood of tears, weeping like a
child, with loud cries and sobs, for two
or three hours, when becoming exhausted,
he fell asleep.

Peters and Augustus now made several
ineffectual efforts to swallow portions
of the leather. I advised them to chew
it and spit it out; but they were too
excessively debilitated to be able to
follow my advice. I continued to chew
pieces of it at intervals, and found
some relief from so doing; my chief
distress was for water, and I was only
prevented from taking a draught from the
sea by remembering the horrible
consequences which thus have resulted to
others who were similarly situated with
ourselves.

The day wore on in this manner, when I
suddenly discovered a sail to the
eastward, and on our larboard bow. She
appeared to be a large ship, and was
coming nearly athwart us, being probably
twelve or fifteen miles distant. None of
my companions had as yet discovered her,
and I forbore to tell them of her for
the present, lest we might again be
disappointed of relief. At length upon
her getting nearer, I saw distinctly
that she was heading immediately for us,
with her light sails filled. I could now
contain myself no longer, and pointed
her out to my fellow-sufferers. They
immediately sprang to their feet, again
indulging in the most extravagant
demonstrations of joy, weeping, laughing
in an idiotic manner, jumping, stamping
upon the deck, tearing their hair, and
praying and cursing by turns. I was so
affected by their conduct, as well as by
what I considered a sure prospect of
deliverance, that I could not refrain
from joining in with their madness, and
gave way to the impulses of my gratitude
and ecstasy by lying and rolling on the
deck, clapping my hands, shouting, and
other similar acts, until I was suddenly
called to my recollection, and once more
to the extreme human misery and despair,
by perceiving the ship all at once with
her stern fully presented toward us, and
steering in a direction nearly opposite
to that in which I had at first
perceived her.

It was some time before I could induce
my poor companions to believe that this
sad reverse in our prospects had
actually taken place. They replied to
all my assertions with a stare and a
gesture implying that they were not to
be deceived by such misrepresentations.
The conduct of Augustus most sensibly
affected me. In spite of all I could say
or do to the contrary, he persisted in
saying that the ship was rapidly nearing
us, and in making preparations to go on
board of her. Some seaweed floating by
the brig, he maintained that it was the
ship's boat, and endeavoured to throw
himself upon it, howling and shrieking
in the most heartrending manner, when I
forcibly restrained him from thus
casting himself into the sea.

Having become in some degree pacified,
we continued to watch the ship until we
finally lost sight of her, the weather
becoming hazy, with a light breeze
springing up. As soon as she was
entirely gone, Parker turned suddenly
toward me with an expression of
countenance which made me shudder. There
was about him an air of self-possession
which I had not noticed in him until
now, and before he opened his lips my
heart told me what he would say. He
proposed, in a few words, that one of us
should die to preserve the existence of
the others.



CHAPTER 12

I had for some time past, dwelt upon the
prospect of our being reduced to this
last horrible extremity, and had
secretly made up my mind to suffer death
in any shape or under any circumstances
rather than resort to such a course. Nor
was this resolution in any degree
weakened by the present intensity of
hunger under which I laboured. The
proposition had not been heard by either
Peters or Augustus. I therefore took
Parker aside; and mentally praying to
God for power to dissuade him from the
horrible purpose he entertained, I
expostulated with him for a long time,
and in the most supplicating manner,
begging him in the name of every thing
which he held sacred, and urging him by
every species of argument which the
extremity of the case suggested, to
abandon the idea, and not to mention it
to either of the other two.

He heard all I said without attempting
to controvert any of my arguments, and I
had begun to hope that he would be
prevailed upon to do as I desired. But
when I had ceased speaking, he said that
he knew very well all I had said was
true, and that to resort to such a
course was the most horrible alternative
which could enter into the mind of man;
but that he had now held out as long as
human nature could be sustained; that it
was unnecessary for all to perish, when,
by the death of one, it was possible,
and even probable, that the rest might
be finally preserved; adding that I
might save myself the trouble of trying
to turn him from his purpose, his mind
having been thoroughly made up on the
subject even before the appearance of
the ship, and that only her heaving in
sight had prevented him from mentioning
his intention at an earlier period.

I now begged him, if he would not be
prevailed upon to abandon his design, at
least to defer it for another day, when
some vessel might come to our relief;
again reiterating every argument I could
devise, and which I thought likely to
have influence with one of his rough
nature. He said, in reply, that he had
not spoken until the very last possible
moment, that he could exist no longer
without sustenance of some kind, and
that therefore in another day his
suggestion would be too late, as
regarded himself at least.

Finding that he was not to be moved by
anything I could say in a mild tone, I
now assumed a different demeanor, and
told him that he must be aware I had
suffered less than any of us from our
calamities; that my health and strength,
consequently, were at that moment far
better than his own, or than that either
of Peters or Augustus; in short, that I
was in a condition to have my own way by
force if I found it necessary; and that
if he attempted in any manner to
acquaint the others with his bloody and
cannibal designs, I would not hesitate
to throw him into the sea. Upon this he
immediately seized me by the throat, and
drawing a knife, made several
ineffectual efforts to stab me in the
stomach; an atrocity which his excessive
debility alone prevented him from
accomplishing. In the meantime, being
roused to a high pitch of anger, I
forced him to the vessel's side, with
the full intention of throwing him
overboard. He was saved from his fate,
however, by the interference of Peters,
who now approached and separated us,
asking the cause of the disturbance.
This Parker told before I could find
means in any manner to prevent him.

The effect of his words was even more
terrible than what I had anticipated.
Both Augustus and Peters, who, it seems,
had long secretly entertained the same
fearful idea which Parker had been
merely the first to broach, joined with
him in his design and insisted upon its
immediately being carried into effect. I
had calculated that one at least of the
two former would be found still
possessed of sufficient strength of mind
to side with myself in resisting any
attempt to execute so dreadful a
purpose, and, with the aid of either one
of them, I had no fear of being able to
prevent its accomplishment. Being
disappointed in this expectation, it
became absolutely necessary that I
should attend to my own safety, as a
further resistance on my part might
possibly be considered by men in their
frightful condition a sufficient excuse
for refusing me fair play in the tragedy
that I knew would speedily be enacted.

I now told them I was willing to submit
to the proposal, merely requesting a
delay of about one hour, in order that
the fog which had gathered around us
might have an opportunity of lifting,
when it was possible that the ship we
had seen might be again in sight. After
great difficulty I obtained from them a
promise to wait thus long; and, as I had
anticipated (a breeze rapidly coming
in), the fog lifted before the hour had
expired, when, no vessel appearing in
sight, we prepared to draw lots.

It is with extreme reluctance that I
dwell upon the appalling scene which
ensued; a scene which, with its minutest
details, no after events have been able
to efface in the slightest degree from
my memory, and whose stern recollection
will embitter every future moment of my
existence. Let me run over this portion
of my narrative with as much haste as
the nature of the events to be spoken of
will permit. The only method we could
devise for the terrific lottery, in
which we were to take each a chance, was
that of drawing straws. Small splinters
of wood were made to answer our purpose,
and it was agreed that I should be the
holder. I retired to one end of the
hulk, while my poor companions silently
took up their station in the other with
their backs turned toward me. The
bitterest anxiety which I endured at any
period of this fearful drama was while I
occupied myself in the arrangement of
the lots. There are few conditions into
which man can possibly fall where he
will not feel a deep interest in the
preservation of his existence; an
interest momentarily increasing with the
frailness of the tenure by which that
existence may be held. But now that the
silent, definite, and stern nature of
the business in which I was engaged (so
different from the tumultuous dangers of
the storm or the gradually approaching
horrors of famine) allowed me to reflect
on the few chances I had of escaping the
most appalling of deaths--a death for
the most appalling of purposes--every
particle of that energy which had so
long buoyed me up departed like feathers
before the wind, leaving me a helpless
prey to the most abject and pitiable
terror. I could not, at first, even
summon up sufficient strength to tear
and fit together the small splinters of
wood, my fingers absolutely refusing
their office, and my knees knocking
violently against each other. My mind
ran over rapidly a thousand absurd
projects by which to avoid becoming a
partner in the awful speculation. I
thought of falling on my knees to my
companions, and entreating them to let
me escape this necessity; of suddenly
rushing upon them, and, by putting one
of them to death, of rendering the
decision by lot useless--in short, of
every thing but of going through with
the matter I had in hand. At last, after
wasting a long time in this imbecile
conduct, I was recalled to my senses by
the voice of Parker, who urged me to
relieve them at once from the terrible
anxiety they were enduring. Even then I
could not bring myself to arrange the
splinters upon the spot, but thought
over every species of finesse by which I
could trick some one of my
fellow-sufferers to draw the short
straw, as it had been agreed that
whoever drew the shortest of four
splinters from my hand was to die for
the preservation of the rest. Before any
one condemn me for this apparent
heartlessness, let him be placed in a
situation precisely similar to my own.

At length delay was no longer possible,
and, with a heart almost bursting from
my bosom, I advanced to the region of
the forecastle, where my companions were
awaiting me. I held out my hand with the
splinters, and Peters immediately drew.
He was free--his, at least, was not the
shortest; and there was now another
chance against my escape. I summoned up
all my strength, and passed the lots to
Augustus. He also drew immediately, and
he also was free; and now, whether I
should live or die, the chances were no
more than precisely even. At this moment
all the fierceness of the tiger
possessed my bosom, and I felt toward my
poor fellow-creature, Parker, the most
intense, the most diabolical hatred. But
the feeling did not last; and, at
length, with a convulsive shudder and
closed eyes, I held out the two
remaining splinters toward him. It was
fully five minutes before he could
summon resolution to draw, during which
period of heartrending suspense I never
once opened my eyes. Presently one of
the two lots was quickly drawn from my
hand. The decision was then over, yet I
knew not whether it was for me or
against me. No one spoke, and still I
dared not satisfy myself by looking at
the splinter I held. Peters at length
took me by the hand, and I forced myself
to look up, when I immediately saw by
the countenance of Parker that I was
safe, and that he it was who had been
doomed to suffer. Gasping for breath, I
fell senseless to the deck.

I recovered from my swoon in time to
behold the consummation of the tragedy
in the death of him who had been chiefly
instrumental in bringing it about. He
made no resistance whatever, and was
stabbed in the back by Peters, when he
fell instantly dead. I must not dwell
upon the fearful repast which
immediately ensued. Such things may be
imagined, but words have no power to
impress the mind with the exquisite
horror of their reality. Let it suffice
to say that, having in some measure
appeased the raging thirst which
consumed us by the blood of the victim,
and having by common consent taken off
the hands, feet, and head, throwing them
together with the entrails, into the
sea, we devoured the rest of the body,
piecemeal, during the four ever
memorable days of the seventeenth,
eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth of
the month.

On the nineteenth, there coming on a
smart shower which lasted fifteen or
twenty minutes, we contrived to catch
some water by means of a sheet which had
been fished up from the cabin by our
drag just after the gale. The quantity
we took in all did not amount to more
than half a gallon; but even this scanty
allowance supplied us with comparative
strength and hope.

On the twenty-first we were again
reduced to the last necessity. The
weather still remained warm and
pleasant, with occasional fogs and light
breezes, most usually from N. to W.

On the twenty-second, as we were sitting
close huddled together, gloomily
revolving over our lamentable condition,
there flashed through my mind all at
once an idea which inspired me with a
bright gleam of hope. I remembered that,
when the foremast had been cut away,
Peters, being in the windward chains,
passed one of the axes into my hand,
requesting me to put it, if possible, in
a place of security, and that a few
minutes before the last heavy sea struck
the brig and filled her I had taken this
axe into the forecastle and laid it in
one of the larboard berths. I now
thought it possible that, by getting at
this axe, we might cut through the deck
over the storeroom, and thus readily
supply ourselves with provisions.

When I communicated this object to my
companions, they uttered a feeble shout
of joy, and we all proceeded forthwith
to the forecastle. The difficulty of
descending here was greater than that of
going down in the cabin, the opening
being much smaller, for it will be
remembered that the whole framework
about the cabin companion-hatch had been
carried away, whereas the
forecastle-way, being a simple hatch of
only about three feet square, had
remained uninjured. I did not hesitate,
however, to attempt the descent; and a
rope being fastened round my body as
before, I plunged boldly in, feet
foremost, made my way quickly to the
berth, and at the first attempt brought
up the axe. It was hailed with the most
ecstatic joy and triumph, and the ease
with which it had been obtained was
regarded as an omen of our ultimate
preservation.

We now commenced cutting at the deck
with all the energy of rekindled hope,
Peters and myself taking the axe by
turns, Augustus's wounded arm not
permitting him to aid us in any degree.
As we were still so feeble as to be
scarcely able to stand unsupported, and
could consequently work but a minute or
two without resting, it soon became
evident that many long hours would be
necessary to accomplish our task--that
is, to cut an opening sufficiently large
to admit of a free access to the
storeroom. This consideration, however,
did not discourage us; and, working all
night by the light of the moon, we
succeeded in effecting our purpose by
daybreak on the morning of the
twenty-third.

Peters now volunteered to go down; and,
having made all arrangements as before,
he descended, and soon returned bringing
up with him a small jar, which, to our
great joy, proved to be full of olives.
Having shared these among us, and
devoured them with the greatest avidity,
we proceeded to let him down again. This
time he succeeded beyond our utmost
expectations, returning instantly with a
large ham and a bottle of Madeira wine.
Of the latter we each took a moderate
sup, having learned by experience the
pernicious consequences of indulging too
freely. The ham, except about two pounds
near the bone, was not in a condition to
be eaten, having been entirely spoiled
by the salt water. The sound part was
divided among us. Peters and Augustus,
not being able to restrain their
appetite, swallowed theirs upon the
instant; but I was more cautious, and
ate but a small portion of mine,
dreading the thirst which I knew would
ensue. We now rested a while from our
labors, which had been intolerably
severe.

By noon, feeling somewhat strengthened
and refreshed, we again renewed our
attempt at getting up provisions, Peters
and myself going down alternately, and
always with more or less success, until
sundown. During this interval we had the
good fortune to bring up, altogether,
four more small jars of olives, another
ham, a carboy containing nearly three
gallons of excellent Cape Madeira wine,
and, what gave us still more delight, a
small tortoise of the Gallipago breed,
several of which had been taken on board
by Captain Barnard, as the Grampus was
leaving port, from the schooner Mary
Pitts, just returned from a sealing
voyage in the Pacific.

In a subsequent portion of this
narrative I shall have frequent occasion
to mention this species of tortoise. It
is found principally, as most of my
readers may know, in the group of
islands called the Gallipagos, which,
indeed, derive their name from the
animal--the Spanish word Gallipago
meaning a fresh-water terrapin. From the
peculiarity of their shape and action
they have been sometimes called the
elephant tortoise. They are frequently
found of an enormous size. I have myself
seen several which would weigh from
twelve to fifteen hundred pounds,
although I do not remember that any
navigator speaks of having seen them
weighing more than eight hundred. Their
appearance is singular, and even
disgusting. Their steps are very slow,
measured, and heavy, their bodies being
carried about a foot from the ground.
Their neck is long, and exceedingly
slender, from eighteen inches to two
feet is a very common length, and I
killed one, where the distance from the
shoulder to the extremity of the head
was no less than three feet ten inches.
The head has a striking resemblance to
that of a serpent. They can exist
without food for an almost incredible
length of time, instances having been
known where they have been thrown into
the hold of a vessel and lain two years
without nourishment of any kind--being
as fat, and, in every respect, in as
good order at the expiration of the time
as when they were first put in. In one
particular these extraordinary animals
bear a resemblance to the dromedary, or
camel of the desert. In a bag at the
root of the neck they carry with them a
constant supply of water. In some
instances, upon killing them after a
full year's deprivation of all
nourishment, as much as three gallons of
perfectly sweet and fresh water have
been found in their bags. Their food is
chiefly wild parsley and celery, with
purslain, sea-kelp, and prickly pears,
upon which latter vegetable they thrive
wonderfully, a great quantity of it
being usually found on the hillsides
near the shore wherever the animal
itself is discovered. They are excellent
and highly nutritious food, and have, no
doubt, been the means of preserving the
lives of thousands of seamen employed in
the whale-fishery and other pursuits in
the Pacific.

The one which we had the good fortune to
bring up from the storeroom was not of a
large size, weighing probably sixty-five
or seventy pounds. It was a female, and
in excellent condition, being
exceedingly fat, and having more than a
quart of limpid and sweet water in its
bag. This was indeed a treasure; and,
falling on our knees with one accord, we
returned fervent thanks to God for so
seasonable a relief.

We had great difficulty in getting the
animal up through the opening, as its
struggles were fierce and its strength
prodigious. It was upon the point of
making its escape from Peter's grasp,
and slipping back into the water, when
Augustus, throwing a rope with a
slipknot around its throat, held it up
in this manner until I jumped into the
hole by the side of Peters, and assisted
him in lifting it out.

The water we drew carefully from the bag
into the jug; which, it will be
remembered, had been brought up before
from the cabin. Having done this, we
broke off the neck of a bottle so as to
form, with the cork, a kind of glass,
holding not quite half a gill. We then
each drank one of these measures full,
and resolved to limit ourselves to this
quantity per day as long as it should
hold out.

During the last two or three days, the
weather having been dry and pleasant,
the bedding we had obtained from the
cabin, as well as our clothing, had
become thoroughly dry, so that we passed
this night (that of the twenty-third) in
comparative comfort, enjoying a tranquil
repose, after having supped plentifully
on olives and ham, with a small
allowance of the wine. Being afraid of
losing some of our stores overboard
during the night, in the event of a
breeze springing up, we secured them as
well as possible with cordage to the
fragments of the windlass. Our tortoise,
which we were anxious to preserve alive
as long as we could, we threw on its
back, and otherwise carefully fastened.




CHAPTER 13

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 up something
from the storeroom, when, a smart shower
coming on, with some lightning, we turn
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 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. Toward
evening we 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, waterjug, 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 with a little of the vinegar
from the olives, and from this no
benefit seemed to be experienced. We did
every thing 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
relieved 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
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 hours.
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 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 endeavoured
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 those 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 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 round the
brig, just before her rolling over, was
so crowded with these monsters, that I
must have been, and really was, in
actual contact 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 to be 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
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 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. {*2} In this instance, however,
by the mercy of God, we were destined to
be most happily deceived; for, presently
we were aware of a sudden commotion on
the deck of the stranger, who
immediately afterward ran 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.



CHAPTER 14

THE Jane Guy was a fine-looking topsail
schooner of a hundred and eighty tons
burden. She was unusually sharp in the
bows, and on a wind, in moderate
weather, the fastest sailer I have ever
seen. Her qualities, however, as a rough
sea-boat, were not so good, and her
draught of water was by far too great
for the trade to which she was destined.
For this peculiar service, a larger
vessel, and one of a light proportionate
draught, is desirable--say a vessel of
from three hundred to three hundred and
fifty tons. She should be bark-rigged,
and in other respects of a different
construction from the usual South Sea
ships. It is absolutely necessary that
she should be well armed. She should
have, say ten or twelve twelve-pound
carronades, and two or three long
twelves, with brass blunderbusses, and
water-tight arm-chests for each top. Her
anchors and cables should be of far
greater strength than is required for
any other species of trade, and, above
all, her crew should be numerous and
efficient--not less, for such a vessel
as I have described, than fifty or sixty
able-bodied men. The Jane Guy had a crew
of thirty-five, all able seamen, besides
the captain and mate, but she was not
altogether as well armed or otherwise
equipped, as a navigator acquainted with
the difficulties and dangers of the
trade could have desired.

Captain Guy was a gentleman of great
urbanity of manner, and of considerable
experience in the southern traffic, to
which he had devoted a great portion of
his life. He was deficient, however, in
energy, and, consequently, in that
spirit of enterprise which is here so
absolutely requisite. He was part owner
of the vessel in which he sailed, and
was invested with discretionary powers
to cruise in the South Seas for any
cargo which might come most readily to
hand. He had on board, as usual in such
voyages, beads, looking-glasses,
tinder-works, axes, hatchets, saws,
adzes, planes, chisels, gouges, gimlets,
files, spokeshaves, rasps, hammers,
nails, knives, scissors, razors,
needles, thread, crockery-ware, calico,
trinkets, and other similar articles.

The schooner sailed from Liverpool on
the tenth of July, crossed the Tropic of
Cancer on the twenty-fifth, in longitude
twenty degrees west, and reached Sal,
one of the Cape Verd islands, on the
twenty-ninth, where she took in salt and
other necessaries for the voyage. On the
third of August, she left the Cape Verds
and steered southwest, stretching over
toward the coast of Brazil, so as to
cross the equator between the meridians
of twenty-eight and thirty degrees west
longitude. This is the course usually
taken by vessels bound from Europe to
the Cape of Good Hope, or by that route
to the East Indies. By proceeding thus
they avoid the calms and strong contrary
currents which continually prevail on
the coast of Guinea, while, in the end,
it is found to be the shortest track, as
westerly winds are never wanting
afterward by which to reach the Cape. It
was Captain Guy's intention to make his
first stoppage at Kerguelen's Land--I
hardly know for what reason. On the day
we were picked up the schooner was off
Cape St. Roque, in longitude thirty-one
degrees west; so that, when found, we
had drifted probably, from north to
south, not less than five-and-twenty
degrees!

On board the Jane Guy we were treated
with all the kindness our distressed
situation demanded. In about a
fortnight, during which time we
continued steering to the southeast,
with gentle breezes and fine weather,
both Peters and myself recovered
entirely from the effects of our late
privation and dreadful sufferings, and
we began to remember what had passed
rather as a frightful dream from which
we had been happily awakened, than as
events which had taken place in sober
and naked reality. I have since found
that this species of partial oblivion is
usually brought about by sudden
transition, whether from joy to sorrow
or from sorrow to joy--the degree of
forgetfulness being proportioned to the
degree of difference in the exchange.
Thus, in my own case, I now feel it
impossible to realize the full extent of
the misery which I endured during the
days spent upon the hulk. The incidents
are remembered, but not the feelings
which the incidents elicited at the time
of their occurrence. I only know, that
when they did occur, I then thought
human nature could sustain nothing more
of agony.

We continued our voyage for some weeks
without any incidents of greater moment
than the occasional meeting with
whaling-ships, and more frequently with
the black or right whale, so called in
contradistinction to the spermaceti.
These, however, were chiefly found south
of the twenty-fifth parallel. On the
sixteenth of September, being in the
vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope, the
schooner encountered her first gale of
any violence since leaving Liverpool. In
this neighborhood, but more frequently
to the south and east of the promontory
(we were to the westward), navigators
have often to contend with storms from
the northward, which rage with great
fury. They always bring with them a
heavy sea, and one of their most
dangerous features is the instantaneous
chopping round of the wind, an
occurrence almost certain to take place
during the greatest force of the gale. A
perfect hurricane will be blowing at one
moment from the northward or northeast,
and in the next not a breath of wind
will be felt in that direction, while
from the southwest it will come out all
at once with a violence almost
inconceivable. A bright spot to the
southward is the sure forerunner of the
change, and vessels are thus enabled to
take the proper precautions.

It was about six in the morning when the
blow came on with a white squall, and,
as usual, from the northward. By eight
it had increased very much, and brought
down upon us one of the most tremendous
seas I had then ever beheld. Every thing
had been made as snug as possible, but
the schooner laboured excessively, and
gave evidence of her bad qualities as a
seaboat, pitching her forecastle under
at every plunge and with the greatest
difficulty struggling up from one wave
before she was buried in another. Just
before sunset the bright spot for which
we had been on the look-out made its
appearance in the southwest, and in an
hour afterward we perceived the little
headsail we carried flapping listlessly
against the mast. In two minutes more,
in spite of every preparation, we were
hurled on our beam-ends, as if by magic,
and a perfect wilderness of foam made a
clear breach over us as we lay. The blow
from the southwest, however, luckily
proved to be nothing more than a squall,
and we had the good fortune to right the
vessel without the loss of a spar. A
heavy cross sea gave us great trouble
for a few hours after this, but toward
morning we found ourselves in nearly as
good condition as before the gale.
Captain Guy considered that he had made
an escape little less than miraculous.

On the thirteenth of October we came in
sight of Prince Edward's Island, in
latitude 46 degrees 53' S., longitude 37
degrees 46' E. Two days afterward we
found ourselves near Possession Island,
and presently passed the islands of
Crozet, in latitude 42 degrees 59' S.,
longitude 48 degrees E. On the
eighteenth we made Kerguelen's or
Desolation Island, in the Southern
Indian Ocean, and came to anchor in
Christmas Harbour, having four fathoms
of water.

This island, or rather group of islands,
bears southeast from the Cape of Good
Hope, and is distant therefrom nearly
eight hundred leagues. It was first
discovered in 1772, by the Baron de
Kergulen, or Kerguelen, a Frenchman,
who, thinking the land to form a portion
of an extensive southern continent
carried home information to that effect,
which produced much excitement at the
time. The government, taking the matter
up, sent the baron back in the following
year for the purpose of giving his new
discovery a critical examination, when
the mistake was discovered. In 1777,
Captain Cook fell in with the same
group, and gave to the principal one the
name of Desolation Island, a title which
it certainly well deserves. Upon
approaching the land, however, the
navigator might be induced to suppose
otherwise, as the sides of most of the
hills, from September to March, are
clothed with very brilliant verdure.
This deceitful appearance is caused by a
small plant resembling saxifrage, which
is abundant, growing in large patches on
a species of crumbling moss. Besides
this plant there is scarcely a sign of
vegetation on the island, if we except
some coarse rank grass near the harbor,
some lichen, and a shrub which bears
resemblance to a cabbage shooting into
seed, and which has a bitter and acrid
taste.

The face of the country is hilly,
although none of the hills can be called
lofty. Their tops are perpetually
covered with snow. There are several
harbors, of which Christmas Harbour is
the most convenient. It is the first to
be met with on the northeast side of the
island after passing Cape Francois,
which forms the northern shore, and, by
its peculiar shape, serves to
distinguish the harbour. Its projecting
point terminates in a high rock, through
which is a large hole, forming a natural
arch. The entrance is in latitude 48
degrees 40' S., longitude 69 degrees 6'
E. Passing in here, good anchorage may
be found under the shelter of several
small islands, which form a sufficient
protection from all easterly winds.
Proceeding on eastwardly from this
anchorage you come to Wasp Bay, at the
head of the harbour. This is a small
basin, completely landlocked, into which
you can go with four fathoms, and find
anchorage in from ten to three, hard
clay bottom. A ship might lie here with
her best bower ahead all the year round
without risk. To the westward, at the
head of Wasp Bay, is a small stream of
excellent water, easily procured.

Some seal of the fur and hair species
are still to be found on Kerguelen's
Island, and sea elephants abound. The
feathered tribes are discovered in great
numbers. Penguins are very plenty, and
of these there are four different kinds.
The royal penguin, so called from its
size and beautiful plumage, is the
largest. The upper part of the body is
usually gray, sometimes of a lilac tint;
the under portion of the purest white
imaginable. The head is of a glossy and
most brilliant black, the feet also. The
chief beauty of plumage, however,
consists in two broad stripes of a gold
color, which pass along from the head to
the breast. The bill is long, and either
pink or bright scarlet. These birds walk
erect; with a stately carriage. They
carry their heads high with their wings
drooping like two arms, and, as their
tails project from their body in a line
with the legs, the resemblance to a
human figure is very striking, and would
be apt to deceive the spectator at a
casual glance or in the gloom of the
evening. The royal penguins which we met
with on Kerguelen's Land were rather
larger than a goose. The other kinds are
the macaroni, the jackass, and the
rookery penguin. These are much smaller,
less beautiful in plumage, and different
in other respects.

Besides the penguin many other birds are
here to be found, among which may be
mentioned sea-hens, blue peterels, teal,
ducks, Port Egmont hens, shags, Cape
pigeons, the nelly, sea swallows, terns,
sea gulls, Mother Carey's chickens,
Mother Carey's geese, or the great
peterel, and, lastly, the albatross.

The great peterel is as large as the
common albatross, and is carnivorous. It
is frequently called the break-bones, or
osprey peterel. They are not at all shy,
and, when properly cooked, are palatable
food. In flying they sometimes sail very
close to the surface of the water, with
the wings expanded, without appearing to
move them in the least degree, or make
any exertion with them whatever.

The albatross is one of the largest and
fiercest of the South Sea birds. It is
of the gull species, and takes its prey
on the wing, never coming on land except
for the purpose of breeding. Between
this bird and the penguin the most
singular friendship exists. Their nests
are constructed with great uniformity
upon a plan concerted between the two
species--that of the albatross being
placed in the centre of a little square
formed by the nests of four penguins.
Navigators have agreed in calling an
assemblage of such encampments a
rookery. These rookeries have been often
described, but as my readers may not all
have seen these descriptions, and as I
shall have occasion hereafter to speak
of the penguin and albatross, it will
not be amiss to say something here of
their mode of building and living.

When the season for incubation arrives,
the birds assemble in vast numbers, and
for some days appear to be deliberating
upon the proper course to be pursued. At
length they proceed to action. A level
piece of ground is selected, of suitable
extent, usually comprising three or four
acres, and situated as near the sea as
possible, being still beyond its reach.
The spot is chosen with reference to its
evenness of surface, and that is
preferred which is the least encumbered
with stones. This matter being arranged,
the birds proceed, with one accord, and
actuated apparently by one mind, to
trace out, with mathematical accuracy,
either a square or other parallelogram,
as may best suit the nature of the
ground, and of just sufficient size to
accommodate easily all the birds
assembled, and no more--in this
particular seeming determined upon
preventing the access of future
stragglers who have not participated in
the labor of the encampment. One side of
the place thus marked out runs parallel
with the water's edge, and is left open
for ingress or egress.

Having defined the limits of the
rookery, the colony now begin to clear
it of every species of rubbish, picking
up stone by stone, and carrying them
outside of the lines, and close by them,
so as to form a wall on the three inland
sides. Just within this wall a perfectly
level and smooth walk is formed, from
six to eight feet wide, and extending
around the encampment--thus serving the
purpose of a general promenade.

The next process is to partition out the
whole area into small squares exactly
equal in size. This is done by forming
narrow paths, very smooth, and crossing
each other at right angles throughout
the entire extent of the rookery. At
each intersection of these paths the
nest of an albatross is constructed, and
a penguin's nest in the centre of each
square--thus every penguin is surrounded
by four albatrosses, and each albatross
by a like number of penguins. The
penguin's nest consists of a hole in the
earth, very shallow, being only just of
sufficient depth to keep her single egg
from rolling. The albatross is somewhat
less simple in her arrangements,
erecting a hillock about a foot high and
two in diameter. This is made of earth,
seaweed, and shells. On its summit she
builds her nest.

The birds take especial care never to
leave their nests unoccupied for an
instant during the period of incubation,
or, indeed, until the young progeny are
sufficiently strong to take care of
themselves. While the male is absent at
sea in search of food, the female
remains on duty, and it is only upon the
return of her partner that she ventures
abroad. The eggs are never left
uncovered at all--while one bird leaves
the nest the other nestling in by its
side. This precaution is rendered
necessary by the thieving propensities
prevalent in the rookery, the
inhabitants making no scruple to purloin
each other's eggs at every good
opportunity.

Although there are some rookeries in
which the penguin and albatross are the
sole population, yet in most of them a
variety of oceanic birds are to be met
with, enjoying all the privileges of
citizenship, and scattering their nests
here and there, wherever they can find
room, never interfering, however, with
the stations of the larger species. The
appearance of such encampments, when
seen from a distance, is exceedingly
singular. The whole atmosphere just
above the settlement is darkened with
the immense number of the albatross
(mingled with the smaller tribes) which
are continually hovering over it, either
going to the ocean or returning home. At
the same time a crowd of penguins are to
be observed, some passing to and fro in
the narrow alleys, and some marching
with the military strut so peculiar to
them, around the general promenade
ground which encircles the rookery. In
short, survey it as we will, nothing can
be more astonishing than the spirit of
reflection evinced by these feathered
beings, and nothing surely can be better
calculated to elicit reflection in every
well-regulated human intellect.

On the morning after our arrival in
Christmas Harbour the chief mate, Mr.
Patterson, took the boats, and (although
it was somewhat early in the season)
went in search of seal, leaving the
captain and a young relation of his on a
point of barren land to the westward,
they having some business, whose nature
I could not ascertain, to transact in
the interior of the island. Captain Guy
took with him a bottle, in which was a
sealed letter, and made his way from the
point on which he was set on shore
toward one of the highest peaks in the
place. It is probable that his design
was to leave the letter on that height
for some vessel which he expected to
come after him. As soon as we lost sight
of him we proceeded (Peters and myself
being in the mate's boat) on our cruise
around the coast, looking for seal. In
this business we were occupied about
three weeks, examining with great care
every nook and corner, not only of
Kerguelen's Land, but of the several
small islands in the vicinity. Our
labours, however, were not crowned with
any important success. We saw a great
many fur seal, but they were exceedingly
shy, and with the greatest exertions, we
could only procure three hundred and
fifty skins in all. Sea elephants were
abundant, especially on the western
coast of the mainland, but of these we
killed only twenty, and this with great
difficulty. On the smaller islands we
discovered a good many of the hair seal,
but did not molest them. We returned to
the schooner: on the eleventh, where we
found Captain Guy and his nephew, who
gave a very bad account of the interior,
representing it as one of the most
dreary and utterly barren countries in
the world. They had remained two nights
on the island, owing to some
misunderstanding, on the part of the
second mate, in regard to the sending a
jollyboat from the schooner to take them
off.



CHAPTER 15

ON the twelfth we made sail from
Christmas Harbour retracing our way to
the westward, and leaving Marion's
Island, one of Crozet's group, on the
larboard. We afterward passed Prince
Edward's Island, leaving it also on our
left, then, steering more to the
northward, made, in fifteen days, the
islands of Tristan d'Acunha, in latitude
37 degrees 8' S, longitude 12 degrees 8'
W.

This group, now so well known, and which
consists of three circular islands, was
first discovered by the Portuguese, and
was visited afterward by the Dutch in
1643, and by the French in 1767. The
three islands together form a triangle,
and are distant from each other about
ten miles, there being fine open
passages between. The land in all of
them is very high, especially in Tristan
d'Acunha, properly so called. This is
the largest of the group, being fifteen
miles in circumference, and so elevated
that it can be seen in clear weather at
the distance of eighty or ninety miles.
A part of the land toward the north
rises more than a thousand feet
perpendicularly from the sea. A
tableland at this height extends back
nearly to the centre of the island, and
from this tableland arises a lofty cone
like that of Teneriffe. The lower half
of this cone is clothed with trees of
good size, but the upper region is
barren rock, usually hidden among the
clouds, and covered with snow during the
greater part of the year. There are no
shoals or other dangers about the
island, the shores being remarkably bold
and the water deep. On the northwestern
coast is a bay, with a beach of black
sand where a landing with boats can be
easily effected, provided there be a
southerly wind. Plenty of excellent
water may here be readily procured; also
cod and other fish may be taken with
hook and line.

The next island in point of size, and
the most westwardly of the group, is
that called the Inaccessible. Its
precise situation is 37 degrees 17' S.
latitude, longitude 12 degrees 24' W. It
is seven or eight miles in
circumference, and on all sides presents
a forbidding and precipitous aspect. Its
top is perfectly flat, and the whole
region is sterile, nothing growing upon
it except a few stunted shrubs.

Nightingale Island, the smallest and
most southerly, is in latitude 37
degrees 26' S., longitude 12 degrees 12'
W. Off its southern extremity is a high
ledge of rocky islets; a few also of a
similar appearance are seen to the
northeast. The ground is irregular and
sterile, and a deep valley partially
separates it.

The shores of these islands abound, in
the proper season, with sea lions, sea
elephants, the hair and fur seal,
together with a great variety of oceanic
birds. Whales are also plenty in their
vicinity. Owing to the ease with which
these various animals were here formerly
taken, the group has been much visited
since its discovery. The Dutch and
French frequented it at a very early
period. In 1790, Captain Patten, of the
ship Industry, of Philadelphia, made
Tristan d'Acunha, where he remained
seven months (from August, 1790, to
April, 1791) for the purpose of
collecting sealskins. In this time he
gathered no less than five thousand six
hundred, and says that he would have had
no difficulty in loading a large ship
with oil in three weeks. Upon his
arrival he found no quadrupeds, with the
exception of a few wild goats; the
island now abounds with all our most
valuable domestic animals, which have
been introduced by subsequent
navigators.

I believe it was not long after Captain
Patten's visit that Captain Colquhoun,
of the American brig Betsey, touched at
the largest of the islands for the
purpose of refreshment. He planted
onions, potatoes, cabbages, and a great
many other vegetables, an abundance of
all which is now to be met with.

In 1811, a Captain Haywood, in the
Nereus, visited Tristan. He found there
three Americans, who were residing upon
the island to prepare sealskins and oil.
One of these men was named Jonathan
Lambert, and he called himself the
sovereign of the country. He had cleared
and cultivated about sixty acres of
land, and turned his attention to
raising the coffee-plant and sugar-cane,
with which he had been furnished by the
American Minister at Rio Janeiro. This
settlement, however, was finally
abandoned, and in 1817 the islands were
taken possession of by the British
Government, who sent a detachment for
that purpose from the Cape of Good Hope.
They did not, however, retain them long;
but, upon the evacuation of the country
as a British possession, two or three
English families took up their residence
there independently of the Government.
On the twenty-fifth of March, 1824, the
Berwick, Captain Jeffrey, from London to
Van Diemen's Land, arrived at the place,
where they found an Englishman of the
name of Glass, formerly a corporal in
the British artillery. He claimed to be
supreme governor of the islands, and had
under his control twenty-one men and
three women. He gave a very favourable
account of the salubrity of the climate
and of the productiveness of the soil.
The population occupied themselves
chiefly in collecting sealskins and sea
elephant oil, with which they traded to
the Cape of Good Hope, Glass owning a
small schooner. At the period of our
arrival the governor was still a
resident, but his little community had
multiplied, there being fifty-six
persons upon Tristan, besides a smaller
settlement of seven on Nightingale
Island. We had no difficulty in
procuring almost every kind of
refreshment which we required--sheep,
hogs, bullocks, rabbits, poultry, goats,
fish in great variety, and vegetables
were abundant. Having come to anchor
close in with the large island, in
eighteen fathoms, we took all we wanted
on board very conveniently. Captain Guy
also purchased of Glass five hundred
sealskins and some ivory. We remained
here a week, during which the prevailing
winds were from the northward and
westward, and the weather somewhat hazy.
On the fifth of November we made sail to
the southward and westward, with the
intention of having a thorough search
for a group of islands called the
Auroras, respecting whose existence a
great diversity of opinion has
existed.

These islands are said to have been
discovered as early as 1762, by the
commander of the ship Aurora. In 1790,
Captain Manuel de Oyarvido,, in the ship
Princess, belonging to the Royal
Philippine Company, sailed, as he
asserts, directly among them. In 1794,
the Spanish corvette Atrevida went with
the determination of ascertaining their
precise situation, and, in a paper
published by the Royal Hydrographical
Society of Madrid in the year 1809, the
following language is used respecting
this expedition: "The corvette Atrevida
practised, in their immediate vicinity,
from the twenty-first to the
twenty-seventh of January, all the
necessary observations, and measured by
chronometers the difference of longitude
between these islands and the port of
Soledad in the Manillas. The islands are
three, they are very nearly in the same
meridian; the centre one is rather low,
and the other two may be seen at nine
leagues' distance." The observations
made on board the Atrevida give the
following results as the precise
situation of each island. The most
northern is in latitude 52 degrees 37'
24" S., longitude 47 degrees, 43' 15"
W.; the middle one in latitude 53
degrees 2' 40" S., longitude 47 degrees
55' 15" W.; and the most southern in
latitude 53 degrees 15' 22" S.,
longitude 47 degrees 57' 15" W.

On the twenty-seventh of January, 1820,
Captain James Weddel, of the British
navy, sailed from Staten Land also in
search of the Auroras. He reports that,
having made the most diligent search and
passed not only immediately over the
spots indicated by the commander of the
Atrevida, but in every direction
throughout the vicinity of these spots,
he could discover no indication of land.
These conflicting statements have
induced other navigators to look out for
the islands; and, strange to say, while
some have sailed through every inch of
sea where they are supposed to lie
without finding them, there have been
not a few who declare positively that
they have seen them; and even been close
in with their shores. It was Captain
Guy's intention to make every exertion
within his power to settle the question
so oddly in dispute. {*3}

We kept on our course, between the south
and west, with variable weather, until
the twentieth of the month, when we
found ourselves on the debated ground,
being in latitude 53 degrees 15' S.,
longitude 47 degrees 58' W.--that is to
say, very nearly upon the spot indicated
as the situation of the most southern of
the group. Not perceiving any sign of
land, we continued to the westward of
the parallel of fifty-three degrees
south, as far as the meridian of fifty
degrees west. We then stood to the north
as far as the parallel of fifty-two
degrees south, when we turned to the
eastward, and kept our parallel by
double altitudes, morning and evening,
and meridian altitudes of the planets
and moon. Having thus gone eastwardly to
the meridian of the western coast of
Georgia, we kept that meridian until we
were in the latitude from which we set
out. We then took diagonal courses
throughout the entire extent of sea
circumscribed, keeping a lookout
constantly at the masthead, and
repeating our examination with the
greatest care for a period of three
weeks, during which the weather was
remarkably pleasant and fair, with no
haze whatsoever. Of course we were
thoroughly satisfied that, whatever
islands might have existed in this
vicinity at any former period, no
vestige of them remained at the present
day. Since my return home I find that
the same ground was traced over, with
equal care, in 1822, by Captain Johnson,
of the American schooner Henry, and by
Captain Morrell in the American schooner
Wasp--in both cases with the same result
as in our own.



CHAPTER 16

It had been Captain Guy's original
intention, after satisfying himself
about the Auroras, to proceed through
the Strait of Magellan, and up along the
western coast of Patagonia; but
information received at Tristan d'Acunha
induced him to steer to the southward,
in the hope of falling in with some
small islands said to lie about the
parallel of 60 degrees S., longitude 41
degrees 20' W. In the event of his not
discovering these lands, he designed,
should the season prove favourable, to
push on toward the pole. Accordingly, on
the twelfth of December, we made sail in
that direction. On the eighteenth we
found ourselves about the station
indicated by Glass, and cruised for
three days in that neighborhood without
finding any traces of the islands he had
mentioned. On the twenty-first, the
weather being unusually pleasant, we
again made sail to the southward, with
the resolution of penetrating in that
course as far as possible. Before
entering upon this portion of my
narrative, it may be as well, for the
information of those readers who have
paid little attention to the progress of
discovery in these regions, to give some
brief account of the very few attempts
at reaching the southern pole which have
hitherto been made.

That of Captain Cook was the first of
which we have any distinct account. In
1772 he sailed to the south in the
Resolution, accompanied by Lieutenant
Furneaux in the Adventure. In December
he found himself as far as the
fifty-eighth parallel of south latitude,
and in longitude 26 degrees 57' E. Here
he met with narrow fields of ice, about
eight or ten inches thick, and running
northwest and southeast. This ice was in
large cakes, and usually it was packed
so closely that the vessel had great
difficulty in forcing a passage. At this
period Captain Cook supposed, from the
vast number of birds to be seen, and
from other indications, that he was in
the near vicinity of land. He kept on to
the southward, the weather being
exceedingly cold, until he reached the
sixty-fourth parallel, in longitude 38
degrees 14' E.. Here he had mild
weather, with gentle breezes, for five
days, the thermometer being at
thirty-six. In January, 1773, the
vessels crossed the Antarctic circle,
but did not succeed in penetrating much
farther; for upon reaching latitude 67
degrees 15' they found all farther
progress impeded by an immense body of
ice, extending all along the southern
horizon as far as the eye could reach.
This ice was of every variety--and some
large floes of it, miles in extent,
formed a compact mass, rising eighteen
or twenty feet above the water. It being
late in the season, and no hope
entertained of rounding these
obstructions, Captain Cook now
reluctantly turned to the northward.

In the November following he renewed his
search in the Antarctic. In latitude 59
degrees 40' he met with a strong current
setting to the southward. In December,
when the vessels were in latitude 67
degrees 31', longitude 142 degrees 54'
W., the cold was excessive, with heavy
gales and fog. Here also birds were
abundant; the albatross, the penguin,
and the peterel especially. In latitude
70 degrees 23' some large islands of ice
were encountered, and shortly afterward
the clouds to the southward were
observed to be of a snowy whiteness,
indicating the vicinity of field ice. In
latitude 71 degrees 10', longitude 106
degrees 54' W., the navigators were
stopped, as before, by an immense frozen
expanse, which filled the whole area of
the southern horizon. The northern edge
of this expanse was ragged and broken,
so firmly wedged together as to be
utterly impassible, and extending about
a mile to the southward. Behind it the
frozen surface was comparatively smooth
for some distance, until terminated in
the extreme background by gigantic
ranges of ice mountains, the one
towering above the other. Captain Cook
concluded that this vast field reached
the southern pole or was joined to a
continent. Mr. J. N. Reynolds, whose
great exertions and perseverance have at
length succeeded in getting set on foot
a national expedition, partly for the
purpose of exploring these regions, thus
speaks of the attempt of the Resolution.
"We are not surprised that Captain Cook
was unable to go beyond 71 degrees 10',
but we are astonished that he did attain
that point on the meridian of 106
degrees 54' west longitude. Palmer's
Land lies south of the Shetland,
latitude sixty-four degrees, and tends
to the southward and westward farther
than any navigator has yet penetrated.
Cook was standing for this land when his
progress was arrested by the ice; which,
we apprehend, must always be the case in
that point, and so early in the season
as the sixth of January--and we should
not be surprised if a portion of the icy
mountains described was attached to the
main body of Palmer's Land, or to some
other portions of land lying farther to
the southward and westward."

In 1803, Captains Kreutzenstern and
Lisiausky were dispatched by Alexander
of Russia for the purpose of
circumnavigating the globe. In
endeavouring to get south, they made no
farther than 59 degrees 58', in
longitude 70 degrees 15' W. They here
met with strong currents setting
eastwardly. Whales were abundant, but
they saw no ice. In regard to this
voyage, Mr. Reynolds observes that, if
Kreutzenstern had arrived where he did
earlier in the season, he must have
encountered ice--it was March when he
reached the latitude specified. The
winds, prevailing, as they do, from the
southward and westward, had carried the
floes, aided by currents, into that icy
region bounded on the north by Georgia,
east by Sandwich Land and the South
Orkneys, and west by the South Shetland
islands.

In 1822, Captain James Weddell, of the
British navy, with two very small
vessels, penetrated farther to the south
than any previous navigator, and this,
too, without encountering extraordinary
difficulties. He states that although he
was frequently hemmed in by ice before
reaching the seventy-second parallel,
yet, upon attaining it, not a particle
was to be discovered, and that, upon
arriving at the latitude of 74 degrees
15', no fields, and only three islands
of ice were visible. It is somewhat
remarkable that, although vast flocks of
birds were seen, and other usual
indications of land, and although, south
of the Shetlands, unknown coasts were
observed from the masthead tending
southwardly, Weddell discourages the
idea of land existing in the polar
regions of the south.

On the 11th of January, 1823, Captain
Benjamin Morrell, of the American
schooner Wasp, sailed from Kerguelen's
Land with a view of penetrating as far
south as possible. On the first of
February he found himself in latitude 64
degrees 52' S., longitude 118 degrees
27' E. The following passage is
extracted from his journal of that date.
"The wind soon freshened to an
eleven-knot breeze, and we embraced this
opportunity of making to the west; being
however convinced that the farther we
went south beyond latitude sixty-four
degrees, the less ice was to be
apprehended, we steered a little to the
southward, until we crossed the
Antarctic circle, and were in latitude
69 degrees 15' E. In this latitude there
was no field ice, and very few ice
islands in sight."

Under the date of March fourteenth I
find also this entry. "The sea was now
entirely free of field ice, and there
were not more than a dozen ice islands
in sight. At the same time the
temperature of the air and water was at
least thirteen degrees higher (more
mild) than we had ever found it between
the parallels of sixty and sixty-two
south. We were now in latitude 70
degrees 14' S., and the temperature of
the air was forty-seven, and that of the
water forty-four. In this situation I
found the variation to be 14 degrees 27'
easterly, per azimuth.... I have several
times passed within the Antarctic
circle, on different meridians, and have
uniformly found the temperature, both of
the air and the water, to become more
and more mild the farther I advanced
beyond the sixty-fifth degree of south
latitude, and that the variation
decreases in the same proportion. While
north of this latitude, say between
sixty and sixty-five south, we
frequently had great difficulty in
finding a passage for the vessel between
the immense and almost innumerable ice
islands, some of which were from one to
two miles in circumference, and more
than five hundred feet above the surface
of the water."

Being nearly destitute of fuel and
water, and without proper instruments,
it being also late in the season,
Captain Morrell was now obliged to put
back, without attempting any further
progress to the westward, although an
entirely open, sea lay before him. He
expresses the opinion that, had not
these overruling considerations obliged
him to retreat, he could have
penetrated, if not to the pole itself,
at least to the eighty-fifth parallel. I
have given his ideas respecting these
matters somewhat at length, that the
reader may have an opportunity of seeing
how far they were borne out by my own
subsequent experience.

In 1831, Captain Briscoe, in the employ
of the Messieurs Enderby, whale-ship
owners of London, sailed in the brig
Lively for the South Seas, accompanied
by the cutter Tula. On the twenty-eighth
of February, being in latitude 66
degrees 30' S., longitude 47 degrees 31'
E., he descried land, and "clearly
discovered through the snow the black
peaks of a range of mountains running E.
S. E." He remained in this neighbourhood
during the whole of the following month,
but was unable to approach the coast
nearer than within ten leagues, owing to
the boisterous state of the weather.
Finding it impossible to make further
discovery during this season, he
returned northward to winter in Van
Diemen's Land.

In the beginning of 1832 he again
proceeded southwardly, and on the fourth
of February was seen to the southeast in
latitude 67 degrees 15' longitude 69
degrees 29' W. This was soon found to be
an island near the headland of the
country he had first discovered. On the
twenty-first of the month he succeeded
in landing on the latter, and took
possession of it in the name of William
IV, calling it Adelaide's Island, in
honour of the English queen. These
particulars being made known to the
Royal Geographical Society of London,
the conclusion was drawn by that body
"that there is a continuous tract of
land extending from 47 degrees 30' E. to
69 degrees 29' W. longitude, running the
parallel of from sixty-six to
sixty-seven degrees south latitude." In
respect to this conclusion Mr. Reynolds
observes: "In the correctness of it we
by no means concur; nor do the
discoveries of Briscoe warrant any such
indifference. It was within these limits
that Weddel proceeded south on a
meridian to the east of Georgia,
Sandwich Land, and the South Orkney and
Shetland islands." My own experience
will be found to testify most directly
to the falsity of the conclusion arrived
at by the society.

These are the principal attempts which
have been made at penetrating to a high
southern latitude, and it will now be
seen that there remained, previous to
the voyage of the Jane, nearly three
hundred degrees of longitude in which
the Antarctic circle had not been
crossed at all. Of course a wide field
lay before us for discovery, and it was
with feelings of most intense interest
that I heard Captain Guy express his
resolution of pushing boldly to the
southward.



CHAPTER 17

We kept our course southwardly for four
days after giving up the search for
Glass's islands, without meeting with
any ice at all. On the twenty-sixth, at
noon, we were in latitude 63 degrees 23'
S., longitude 41 degrees 25' W. We now
saw several large ice islands, and a
floe of field ice, not, however, of any
great extent. The winds generally blew
from the southeast, or the northeast,
but were very light. Whenever we had a
westerly wind, which was seldom, it was
invariably attended with a rain squall.
Every day we had more or less snow. The
thermometer, on the twenty-seventh stood
at thirty-five.

January 1, 1828.--This day we found
ourselves completely hemmed in by the
ice, and our prospects looked cheerless
indeed. A strong gale blew, during the
whole forenoon, from the northeast, and
drove large cakes of the drift against
the rudder and counter with such
violence that we all trembled for the
consequences. Toward evening, the gale
still blowing with fury, a large field
in front separated, and we were enabled,
by carrying a press of sail to force a
passage through the smaller flakes into
some open water beyond. As we approached
this space we took in sail by degrees,
and having at length got clear, lay-to
under a single reefed foresail.

January 2.--We had now tolerably
pleasant weather. At noon we found
ourselves in latitude 69 degrees 10' S,
longitude 42 degrees 20' W, having
crossed the Antarctic circle. Very
little ice was to be seen to the
southward, although large fields of it
lay behind us. This day we rigged some
sounding gear, using a large iron pot
capable of holding twenty gallons, and a
line of two hundred fathoms. We found
the current setting to the north, about
a quarter of a mile per hour. The
temperature of the air was now about
thirty-three. Here we found the
variation to be 14 degrees 28' easterly,
per azimuth.

January 5.--We had still held on to the
southward without any very great
impediments. On this morning, however,
being in latitude 73 degrees 15' E.,
longitude 42 degrees 10' W, we were
again brought to a stand by an immense
expanse of firm ice. We saw,
nevertheless, much open water to the
southward, and felt no doubt of being
able to reach it eventually. Standing to
the eastward along the edge of the floe,
we at length came to a passage of about
a mile in width, through which we warped
our way by sundown. The sea in which we
now were was thickly covered with ice
islands, but had no field ice, and we
pushed on boldly as before. The cold did
not seem to increase, although we had
snow very frequently, and now and then
hail squalls of great violence. Immense
flocks of the albatross flew over the
schooner this day, going from southeast
to northwest.

January 7.--The sea still remained
pretty well open, so that we had no
difficulty in holding on our course. To
the westward we saw some icebergs of
incredible size, and in the afternoon
passed very near one whose summit could
not have been less than four hundred
fathoms from the surface of the ocean.
Its girth was probably, at the base,
three-quarters of a league, and several
streams of water were running from
crevices in its sides. We remained in
sight of this island two days, and then
only lost it in a fog.

January 10.--Early this morning we had
the misfortune to lose a man overboard.
He was an American named Peter
Vredenburgh, a native of New York, and
was one of the most valuable hands on
board the schooner. In going over the
bows his foot slipped, and he fell
between two cakes of ice, never rising
again. At noon of this day we were in
latitude 78 degrees 30', longitude 40
degrees 15' W. The cold was now
excessive, and we had hail squalls
continually from the northward and
eastward. In this direction also we saw
several more immense icebergs, and the
whole horizon to the eastward appeared
to be blocked up with field ice, rising
in tiers, one mass above the other. Some
driftwood floated by during the evening,
and a great quantity of birds flew over,
among which were nellies, peterels,
albatrosses, and a large bird of a
brilliant blue plumage. The variation
here, per azimuth, was less than it had
been previously to our passing the
Antarctic circle.

January 12.-Our passage to the south
again looked doubtful, as nothing was to
be seen in the direction of the pole but
one apparently limitless floe, backed by
absolute mountains of ragged ice, one
precipice of which arose frowningly
above the other. We stood to the
westward until the fourteenth, in the
hope of finding an entrance.

January 14.-This morning we reached the
western extremity of the field which had
impeded us, and, weathering it, came to
an open sea, without a particle of ice.
Upon sounding with two hundred fathoms,
we here found a current setting
southwardly at the rate of half a mile
per hour. The temperature of the air was
forty-seven, that of the water
thirtyfour. We now sailed to the
southward without meeting any
interruption of moment until the
sixteenth, when, at noon, we were in
latitude 81 degrees 21', longitude 42
degrees W. We here again sounded, and
found a current setting still
southwardly, and at the rate of three
quarters of a mile per hour. The
variation per azimuth had diminished,
and the temperature of the air was mild
and pleasant, the thermometer being as
high as fifty-one. At this period not a
particle of ice was to be discovered.
All hands on board now felt certain of
attaining the pole.

January 17.--This day was full of
incident. Innumerable flights of birds
flew over us from the southward, and
several were shot from the deck, one of
them, a species of pelican, proved to be
excellent eating. About midday a small
floe of ice was seen from the masthead
off the larboard bow, and upon it there
appeared to be some large animal. As the
weather was good and nearly calm,
Captain Guy ordered out two of the boats
to see what it was. Dirk Peters and
myself accompanied the mate in the
larger boat. Upon coming up with the
floe, we perceived that it was in the
possession of a gigantic creature of the
race of the Arctic bear, but far
exceeding in size the largest of these
animals. Being well armed, we made no
scruple of attacking it at once. Several
shots were fired in quick succession,
the most of which took effect,
apparently, in the head and body.
Nothing discouraged, however, the
monster threw himself from the ice, and
swam with open jaws, to the boat in
which were Peters and myself. Owing to
the confusion which ensued among us at
this unexpected turn of the adventure,
no person was ready immediately with a
second shot, and the bear had actually
succeeded in getting half his vast bulk
across our gunwale, and seizing one of
the men by the small of his back, before
any efficient means were taken to repel
him. In this extremity nothing but the
promptness and agility of Peters saved
us from destruction. Leaping upon the
back of the huge beast, he plunged the
blade of a knife behind the neck,
reaching the spinal marrow at a blow.
The brute tumbled into the sea lifeless,
and without a struggle, rolling over
Peters as he fell. The latter soon
recovered himself, and a rope being
thrown him, he secured the carcass
before entering the boat. We then
returned in triumph to the schooner,
towing our trophy behind us. This bear,
upon admeasurement, proved to be full
fifteen feet in his greatest length. His
wool was perfectly white, and very
coarse, curling tightly. The eyes were
of a blood red, and larger than those of
the Arctic bear, the snout also more
rounded, rather resembling the snout of
the bulldog. The meat was tender, but
excessively rank and fishy, although the
men devoured it with avidity, and
declared it excellent eating.

Scarcely had we got our prize alongside,
when the man at the masthead gave the
joyful shout of "land on the starboard
bow!" All hands were now upon the alert,
and, a breeze springing up very
opportunely from the northward and
eastward, we were soon close in with the
coast. It proved to be a low rocky
islet, of about a league in
circumference, and altogether destitute
of vegetation, if we except a species of
prickly pear. In approaching it from the
northward, a singular ledge of rock is
seen projecting into the sea, and
bearing a strong resemblance to corded
bales of cotton. Around this ledge to
the westward is a small bay, at the
bottom of which our boats effected a
convenient landing.

It did not take us long to explore every
portion of the island, but, with one
exception, we found nothing worthy of
our observation. In the southern
extremity, we picked up near the shore,
half buried in a pile of loose stones, a
piece of wood, which seemed to have
formed the prow of a canoe. There had
been evidently some attempt at carving
upon it, and Captain Guy fancied that he
made out the figure of a tortoise, but
the resemblance did not strike me very
forcibly. Besides this prow, if such it
were, we found no other token that any
living creature had ever been here
before. Around the coast we discovered
occasional small floes of ice--but these
were very few. The exact situation of
the islet (to which Captain Guy gave the
name of Bennet's Islet, in honour of his
partner in the ownership of the
schooner) is 82 degrees 50' S. latitude,
42 degrees 20' W. longitude.

We had now advanced to the southward
more than eight degrees farther than any
previous navigators, and the sea still
lay perfectly open before us. We found,
too, that the variation uniformly
decreased as we proceeded, and, what was
still more surprising, that the
temperature of the air, and latterly of
the water, became milder. The weather
might even be called pleasant, and we
had a steady but very gentle breeze
always from some northern point of the
compass. The sky was usually clear, with
now and then a slight appearance of thin
vapour in the southern horizon--this,
however, was invariably of brief
duration. Two difficulties alone
presented themselves to our view; we
were getting short of fuel, and symptoms
of scurvy had occurred among several of
the crew. These considerations began to
impress upon Captain Guy the necessity
of returning, and he spoke of it
frequently. For my own part, confident
as I was of soon arriving at land of
some description upon the course we were
pursuing, and having every reason to
believe, from present appearances, that
we should not find it the sterile soil
met with in the higher Arctic latitudes,
I warmly pressed upon him the expediency
of persevering, at least for a few days
longer, in the direction we were now
holding. So tempting an opportunity of
solving the great problem in regard to
an Antarctic continent had never yet
been afforded to man, and I confess that
I felt myself bursting with indignation
at the timid and ill-timed suggestions
of our commander. I believe, indeed,
that what I could not refrain from
saying to him on this head had the
effect of inducing him to push on.
While, therefore, I cannot but lament
the most unfortunate and bloody events
which immediately arose from my advice,
I must still be allowed to feel some
degree of gratification at having been
instrumental, however remotely, in
opening to the eye of science one of the
most intensely exciting secrets which
has ever engrossed its attention.



CHAPTER 18

January 18.--This morning {*4} we
continued to the southward, with the
same pleasant weather as before. The sea
was entirely smooth, the air tolerably
warm and from the northeast, the
temperature of the water fifty-three. We
now again got our sounding-gear in
order, and, with a hundred and fifty
fathoms of line, found the current
setting toward the pole at the rate of a
mile an hour. This constant tendency to
the southward, both in the wind and
current, caused some degree of
speculation, and even of alarm, in
different quarters of the schooner, and
I saw distinctly that no little
impression had been made upon the mind
of Captain Guy. He was exceedingly
sensitive to ridicule, however, and I
finally succeeded in laughing him out of
his apprehensions. The variation was now
very trivial. In the course of the day
we saw several large whales of the right
species, and innumerable flights of the
albatross passed over the vessel. We
also picked up a bush, full of red
berries, like those of the hawthorn, and
the carcass of a singular-looking
land-animal. It was three feet in
length, and but six inches in height,
with four very short legs, the feet
armed with long claws of a brilliant
scarlet, and resembling coral in
substance. The body was covered with a
straight silky hair, perfectly white.
The tail was peaked like that of a rat,
and about a foot and a half long. The
head resembled a cat's, with the
exception of the ears--these were
flopped like the ears of a dog. The
teeth were of the same brilliant scarlet
as the claws.

January 19.--To-day, being in latitude
83 degrees 20', longitude 43 degrees 5'
W. (the sea being of an extraordinarily
dark colour), we again saw land from the
masthead, and, upon a closer scrutiny,
found it to be one of a group of very
large islands. The shore was
precipitous, and the interior seemed to
be well wooded, a circumstance which
occasioned us great joy. In about four
hours from our first discovering the
land we came to anchor in ten fathoms,
sandy bottom, a league from the coast,
as a high surf, with strong ripples here
and there, rendered a nearer approach of
doubtful expediency. The two largest
boats were now ordered out, and a party,
well armed (among whom were Peters and
myself), proceeded to look for an
opening in the reef which appeared to
encircle the island. After searching
about for some time, we discovered an
inlet, which we were entering, when we
saw four large canoes put off from the
shore, filled with men who seemed to be
well armed. We waited for them to come
up, and, as they moved with great
rapidity, they were soon within hail.
Captain Guy now held up a white
handkerchief on the blade of an oar,
when the strangers made a full stop, and
commenced a loud jabbering all at once,
intermingled with occasional shouts, in
which we could distinguish the words
Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! They
continued this for at least half an
hour, during which we had a good
opportunity of observing their
appearance.

In the four canoes, which might have
been fifty feet long and five broad,
there were a hundred and ten savages in
all. They were about the ordinary
stature of Europeans, but of a more
muscular and brawny frame. Their
complexion a jet black, with thick and
long woolly hair. They were clothed in
skins of an unknown black animal, shaggy
and silky, and made to fit the body with
some degree of skill, the hair being
inside, except where turned out about
the neck, wrists, and ankles. Their arms
consisted principally of clubs, of a
dark, and apparently very heavy wood.
Some spears, however, were observed
among them, headed with flint, and a few
slings. The bottoms of the canoes were
full of black stones about the size of a
large egg.

When they had concluded their harangue
(for it was clear they intended their
jabbering for such), one of them who
seemed to be the chief stood up in the
prow of his canoe, and made signs for us
to bring our boats alongside of him.
This hint we pretended not to
understand, thinking it the wiser plan
to maintain, if possible, the interval
between us, as their number more than
quadrupled our own. Finding this to be
the case, the chief ordered the three
other canoes to hold back, while he
advanced toward us with his own. As soon
as he came up with us he leaped on board
the largest of our boats, and seated
himself by the side of Captain Guy,
pointing at the same time to the
schooner, and repeating the word
Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We now put
back to the vessel, the four canoes
following at a little distance.

Upon getting alongside, the chief
evinced symptoms of extreme surprise and
delight, clapping his hands, slapping
his thighs and breast, and laughing
obstreperously. His followers behind
joined in his merriment, and for some
minutes the din was so excessive as to
be absolutely deafening. Quiet being at
length restored, Captain Guy ordered the
boats to be hoisted up, as a necessary
precaution, and gave the chief (whose
name we soon found to be Too-wit) to
understand that we could admit no more
than twenty of his men on deck at one
time. With this arrangement he appeared
perfectly satisfied, and gave some
directions to the canoes, when one of
them approached, the rest remaining
about fifty yards off. Twenty of the
savages now got on board, and proceeded
to ramble over every part of the deck,
and scramble about among the rigging,
making themselves much at home, and
examining every article with great
inquisitiveness.

It was quite evident that they had never
before seen any of the white race--from
whose complexion, indeed, they appeared
to recoil. They believed the Jane to be
a living creature, and seemed to be
afraid of hurting it with the points of
their spears, carefully turning them up.
Our crew were much amused with the
conduct of Too-wit in one instance. The
cook was splitting some wood near the
galley, and, by accident, struck his axe
into the deck, making a gash of
considerable depth. The chief
immediately ran up, and pushing the cook
on one side rather roughly, commenced a
half whine, half howl, strongly
indicative of sympathy in what he
considered the sufferings of the
schooner, patting and smoothing the gash
with his hand, and washing it from a
bucket of seawater which stood by. This
was a degree of ignorance for which we
were not prepared, and for my part I
could not help thinking some of it
affected.

When the visitors had satisfied, as well
as they could, their curiosity in regard
to our upper works, they were admitted
below, when their amazement exceeded all
bounds. Their astonishment now appeared
to be far too deep for words, for they
roamed about in silence, broken only by
low ejaculations. The arms afforded them
much food for speculation, and they were
suffered to handle and examine them at
leisure. I do not believe that they had
the least suspicion of their actual use,
but rather took them for idols, seeing
the care we had of them, and the
attention with which we watched their
movements while handling them. At the
great guns their wonder was redoubled.
They approached them with every mark of
the profoundest reverence and awe, but
forbore to examine them minutely. There
were two large mirrors in the cabin, and
here was the acme of their amazement.
Too-wit was the first to approach them,
and he had got in the middle of the
cabin, with his face to one and his back
to the other, before he fairly perceived
them. Upon raising his eyes and seeing
his reflected self in the glass, I
thought the savage would go mad; but,
upon turning short round to make a
retreat, and beholding himself a second
time in the opposite direction, I was
afraid he would expire upon the spot. No
persuasion could prevail upon him to
take another look; throwing himself upon
the floor, with his face buried in his
hands, he remained thus until we were
obliged to drag him upon deck.

The whole of the savages were admitted
on board in this manner, twenty at a
time, Too-wit being suffered to remain
during the entire period. We saw no
disposition to thievery among them, nor
did we miss a single article after their
departure. Throughout the whole of their
visit they evinced the most friendly
manner. There were, however, some points
in their demeanour which we found it
impossible to understand; for example,
we could not get them to approach
several very harmless objects--such as
the schooner's sails, an egg, an open
book, or a pan of flour. We endeavoured
to ascertain if they had among them any
articles which might be turned to
account in the way of traffic, but found
great difficulty in being comprehended.
We made out, nevertheless, what greatly
astonished us, that the islands abounded
in the large tortoise of the Gallipagos,
one of which we saw in the canoe of
Too-wit. We saw also some biche de mer
in the hands of one of the savages, who
was greedily devouring it in its natural
state. These anomalies--for they were
such when considered in regard to the
latitude--induced Captain Guy to wish
for a thorough investigation of the
country, in the hope of making a
profitable speculation in his discovery.
For my own part, anxious as I was to
know something more of these islands, I
was still more earnestly bent on
prosecuting the voyage to the southward
without delay. We had now fine weather,
but there was no telling how long it
would last; and being already in the
eighty-fourth parallel, with an open sea
before us, a current setting strongly to
the southward, and the wind fair, I
could not listen with any patience to a
proposition of stopping longer than was
absolutely necessary for the health of
the crew and the taking on board a
proper supply of fuel and fresh
provisions. I represented to the captain
that we might easily make this group on
our return, and winter here in the event
of being blocked up by the ice. He at
length came into my views (for in some
way, hardly known to myself, I had
acquired much influence over him), and
it was finally resolved that, even in
the event of our finding biche de mer,
we should only stay here a week to
recruit, and then push on to the
southward while we might. Accordingly we
made every necessary preparation, and,
under the guidance of Too-wit, got the
Jane through the reef in safety, coming
to anchor about a mile from the shore,
in an excellent bay, completely
landlocked, on the southeastern coast of
the main island, and in ten fathoms of
water, black sandy bottom. At the head
of this bay there were three fine
springs (we were told) of good water,
and we saw abundance of wood in the
vicinity. The four canoes followed us
in, keeping, however, at a respectful
distance. Too-wit himself remained on
board, and, upon our dropping anchor,
invited us to accompany him on shore,
and visit his village in the interior.
To this Captain Guy consented; and ten
savages being left on board as hostages,
a party of us, twelve in all, got in
readiness to attend the chief. We took
care to be well armed, yet without
evincing any distrust. The schooner had
her guns run out, her boarding-nettings
up, and every other proper precaution
was taken to guard against surprise.
Directions were left with the chief mate
to admit no person on board during our
absence, and, in the event of our not
appearing in twelve hours, to send the
cutter, with a swivel, around the island
in search of us.

At every step we took inland the
conviction forced itself upon us that we
were in a country differing essentially
from any hitherto visited by civilized
men. We saw nothing with which we had
been formerly conversant. The trees
resembled no growth of either the
torrid, the temperate, of the northern
frigid zones, and were altogether unlike
those of the lower southern latitudes we
had already traversed. The very rocks
were novel in their mass, their color,
and their stratification; and the
streams themselves, utterly incredible
as it may appear, had so little in
common with those of other climates,
that we were scrupulous of tasting them,
and, indeed, had difficulty in bringing
ourselves to believe that their
qualities were purely those of nature.
At a small brook which crossed our path
(the first we had reached) Too-wit and
his attendants halted to drink. On
account of the singular character of the
water, we refused to taste it, supposing
it to be polluted; and it was not until
some time afterward we came to
understand that such was the appearance
of the streams throughout the whole
group. I am at a loss to give a distinct
idea of the nature of this liquid, and
cannot do so without many words.
Although it flowed with rapidity in all
declivities where common water would do
so, yet never, except when falling in a
cascade, had it the customary appearance
of limpidity. It was, nevertheless, in
point of fact, as perfectly limpid as
any limestone water in existence, the
difference being only in appearance. At
first sight, and especially in cases
where little declivity was found, it
bore resemblance, as regards
consistency, to a thick infusion of gum
arabic in common water. But this was
only the least remarkable of its
extraordinary qualities. It was not
colourless, nor was it of any one
uniform colour--presenting to the eye,
as it flowed, every possible shade of
purple; like the hues of a changeable
silk. This variation in shade was
produced in a manner which excited as
profound astonishment in the minds of
our party as the mirror had done in the
case of Too-wit. Upon collecting a
basinful, and allowing it to settle
thoroughly, we perceived that the whole
mass of liquid was made up of a number
of distinct veins, each of a distinct
hue; that these veins did not commingle;
and that their cohesion was perfect in
regard to their own particles among
themselves, and imperfect in regard to
neighbouring veins. Upon passing the
blade of a knife athwart the veins, the
water closed over it immediately, as
with us, and also, in withdrawing it,
all traces of the passage of the knife
were instantly obliterated. If, however,
the blade was passed down accurately
between the two veins, a perfect
separation was effected, which the power
of cohesion did not immediately rectify.
The phenomena of this water formed the
first definite link in that vast chain
of apparent miracles with which I was
destined to be at length encircled.



CHAPTER 19

We were nearly three hours in reaching
the village, it being more than nine
miles in the interior, and the path
lying through a rugged country. As we
passed along, the party of Too-wit (the
whole hundred and ten savages of the
canoes) was momentarily strengthened by
smaller detachments, of from two to six
or seven, which joined us, as if by
accident, at different turns of the
road. There appeared so much of system
in this that I could not help feeling
distrust, and I spoke to Captain Guy of
my apprehensions. It was now too late,
however, to recede, and we concluded
that our best security lay in evincing a
perfect confidence in the good faith of
Too-wit. We accordingly went on, keeping
a wary eye upon the manoeuvres of the
savages, and not permitting them to
divide our numbers by pushing in
between. In this way, passing through a
precipitous ravine, we at length reached
what we were told was the only
collection of habitations upon the
island. As we came in sight of them, the
chief set up a shout, and frequently
repeated the word Klock-klock, which we
supposed to be the name of the village,
or perhaps the generic name for
villages.

The dwellings were of the most miserable
description imaginable, and, unlike
those of even the lowest of the savage
races with which mankind are acquainted,
were of no uniform plan. Some of them
(and these we found belonged to the
Wampoos or Yampoos, the great men of the
land) consisted of a tree cut down at
about four feet from the root, with a
large black skin thrown over it, and
hanging in loose folds upon the ground.
Under this the savage nestled. Others
were formed by means of rough limbs of
trees, with the withered foliage upon
them, made to recline, at an angle of
forty-five degrees, against a bank of
clay, heaped up, without regular form,
to the height of five or six feet.
Others, again, were mere holes dug in
the earth perpendicularly, and covered
over with similar branches, these being
removed when the tenant was about to
enter, and pulled on again when he had
entered. A few were built among the
forked limbs of trees as they stood, the
upper limbs being partially cut through,
so as to bend over upon the lower, thus
forming thicker shelter from the
weather. The greater number, however,
consisted of small shallow caverns,
apparently scratched in the face of a
precipitous ledge of dark stone,
resembling fuller's earth, with which
three sides of the village were bounded.
At the door of each of these primitive
caverns was a small rock, which the
tenant carefully placed before the
entrance upon leaving his residence, for
what purpose I could not ascertain, as
the stone itself was never of sufficient
size to close up more than a third of
the opening.

This village, if it were worthy of the
name, lay in a valley of some depth, and
could only be approached from the
southward, the precipitous ledge of
which I have already spoken cutting off
all access in other directions. Through
the middle of the valley ran a brawling
stream of the same magical-looking water
which has been described. We saw several
strange animals about the dwellings, all
appearing to be thoroughly domesticated.
The largest of these creatures resembled
our common hog in the structure of the
body and snout; the tail, however, was
bushy, and the legs slender as those of
the antelope. Its motion was exceedingly
awkward and indecisive, and we never saw
it attempt to run. We noticed also
several animals very similar in
appearance, but of a greater length of
body, and covered with a black wool.
There were a great variety of tame fowls
running about, and these seemed to
constitute the chief food of the
natives. To our astonishment we saw
black albatross among these birds in a
state of entire domestication, going to
sea periodically for food, but always
returning to the village as a home, and
using the southern shore in the vicinity
as a place of incubation. There they
were joined by their friends the
pelicans as usual, but these latter
never followed them to the dwellings of
the savages. Among the other kinds of
tame fowls were ducks, differing very
little from the canvass-back of our own
country, black gannets, and a large bird
not unlike the buzzard in appearance,
but not carnivorous. Of fish there
seemed to be a great abundance. We saw,
during our visit, a quantity of dried
salmon, rock cod, blue dolphins,
mackerel, blackfish, skate, conger eels,
elephantfish, mullets, soles,
parrotfish, leather-jackets, gurnards,
hake, flounders, paracutas, and
innumerable other varieties. We noticed,
too, that most of them were similar to
the fish about the group of Lord
Auckland Islands, in a latitude as low
as fifty-one degrees south. The
Gallipago tortoise was also very
plentiful. We saw but few wild animals,
and none of a large size, or of a
species with which we were familiar. One
or two serpents of a formidable aspect
crossed our path, but the natives paid
them little attention, and we concluded
that they were not venomous.

As we approached the village with
Too-wit and his party, a vast crowd of
the people rushed out to meet us, with
loud shouts, among which we could only
distinguish the everlasting Anamoo-moo!
and Lama-Lama! We were much surprised at
perceiving that, with one or two
exceptions, these new comers were
entirely naked, and skins being used
only by the men of the canoes. All the
weapons of the country seemed also to be
in the possession of the latter, for
there was no appearance of any among the
villagers. There were a great many women
and children, the former not altogether
wanting in what might be termed personal
beauty. They were straight, tall, and
well formed, with a grace and freedom of
carriage not to be found in civilized
society. Their lips, however, like those
of the men, were thick and clumsy, so
that, even when laughing, the teeth were
never disclosed. Their hair was of a
finer texture than that of the males.
Among these naked villagers there might
have been ten or twelve who were
clothed, like the party of Too-wit, in
dresses of black skin, and armed with
lances and heavy clubs. These appeared
to have great influence among the rest,
and were always addressed by the title
Wampoo. These, too, were the tenants of
the black skin palaces. That of Too-wit
was situated in the centre of the
village, and was much larger and
somewhat better constructed than others
of its kind. The tree which formed its
support was cut off at a distance of
twelve feet or thereabouts from the
root, and there were several branches
left just below the cut, these serving
to extend the covering, and in this way
prevent its flapping about the trunk.
The covering, too, which consisted of
four very large skins fastened together
with wooden skewers, was secured at the
bottom with pegs driven through it and
into the ground. The floor was strewed
with a quantity of dry leaves by way of
carpet.

To this hut we were conducted with great
solemnity, and as many of the natives
crowded in after us as possible. Too-wit
seated himself on the leaves, and made
signs that we should follow his example.
This we did, and presently found
ourselves in a situation peculiarly
uncomfortable, if not indeed critical.
We were on the ground, twelve in number,
with the savages, as many as forty,
sitting on their hams so closely around
us that, if any disturbance had arisen,
we should have found it impossible to
make use of our arms, or indeed to have
risen to our feet. The pressure was not
only inside the tent, but outside, where
probably was every individual on the
whole island, the crowd being prevented
from trampling us to death only by the
incessant exertions and vociferations of
Too-wit. Our chief security lay,
however, in the presence of Too-wit
himself among us, and we resolved to
stick by him closely, as the best chance
of extricating ourselves from the
dilemma, sacrificing him immediately
upon the first appearance of hostile
design.

After some trouble a certain degree of
quiet was restored, when the chief
addressed us in a speech of great
length, and very nearly resembling the
one delivered in the canoes, with the
exception that the Anamoo-moos! were now
somewhat more strenuously insisted upon
than the Lama-Lamas! We listened in
profound silence until the conclusion of
this harangue, when Captain Guy replied
by assuring the chief of his eternal
friendship and goodwill, concluding what
he had to say be a present of several
strings of blue beads and a knife. At
the former the monarch, much to our
surprise, turned up his nose with some
expression of contempt, but the knife
gave him the most unlimited
satisfaction, and he immediately ordered
dinner. This was handed into the tent
over the heads of the attendants, and
consisted of the palpitating entrails of
a specials of unknown animal, probably
one of the slim-legged hogs which we had
observed in our approach to the village.
Seeing us at a loss how to proceed, he
began, by way of setting us an example,
to devour yard after yard of the
enticing food, until we could positively
stand it no longer, and evinced such
manifest symptoms of rebellion of
stomach as inspired his majesty with a
degree of astonishment only inferior to
that brought about by the
looking-glasses. We declined, however,
partaking of the delicacies before us,
and endeavoured to make him understand
that we had no appetite whatever, having
just finished a hearty dejeuner.

When the monarch had made an end of his
meal, we commenced a series of
cross-questioning in every ingenious
manner we could devise, with a view of
discovering what were the chief
productions of the country, and whether
any of them might be turned to profit.
At length he seemed to have some idea of
our meaning, and offered to accompany us
to a part of coast where he assured us
the biche de mer (pointing to a specimen
of that animal) was to be found in great
abundance. We were glad of this early
opportunity of escaping from the
oppression of the crowd, and signified
our eagerness to proceed. We now left
the tent, and, accompanied by the whole
population of the village, followed the
chief to the southeastern extremity of
the island, nor far from the bay where
our vessel lay at anchor. We waited here
for about an hour, until the four canoes
were brought around by some of the
savages to our station. The whole of our
party then getting into one of them, we
were paddled along the edge of the reef
before mentioned, and of another still
farther out, where we saw a far greater
quantity of biche de mer than the oldest
seamen among us had ever seen in those
groups of the lower latitudes most
celebrated for this article of commerce.
We stayed near these reefs only long
enough to satisfy ourselves that we
could easily load a dozen vessels with
the animal if necessary, when we were
taken alongside the schooner, and parted
with Too-wit, after obtaining from him a
promise that he would bring us, in the
course of twenty-four hours, as many of
the canvass-back ducks and Gallipago
tortoises as his canoes would hold. In
the whole of this adventure we saw
nothing in the demeanour of the natives
calculated to create suspicion, with the
single exception of the systematic
manner in which their party was
strengthened during our route from the
schooner to the village.



CHAPTER 20

THE chief was as good as his word, and
we were soon plentifully supplied with
fresh provisions. We found the tortoises
as fine as we had ever seen, and the
ducks surpassed our best species of wild
fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy,
and well-flavoured. Besides these, the
savages brought us, upon our making them
comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity
of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a
canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.
The celery was a treat indeed, and the
scurvy grass proved of incalculable
benefit in restoring those of our men
who had shown symptoms of disease. In a
very short time we had not a single
person on the sick-list. We had also
plenty of other kinds of fresh
provisions, among which may be mentioned
a species of shellfish resembling the
mussel in shape, but with the taste of
an oyster. Shrimps, too, and prawns were
abundant, and albatross and other birds'
eggs with dark shells. We took in, too,
a plentiful stock of the flesh of the
hog which I have mentioned before. Most
of the men found it a palatable food,
but I thought it fishy and otherwise
disagreeable. In return for these good
things we presented the natives with
blue beads, brass trinkets, nails,
knives, and pieces of red cloth, they
being fully delighted in the exchange.
We established a regular market on
shore, just under the guns of the
schooner, where our barterings were
carried on with every appearance of good
faith, and a degree of order which their
conduct at the village of Klock-klock
had not led us to expect from the
savages.

Matters went on thus very amicably for
several days, during which parties of
the natives were frequently on board the
schooner, and parties of our men
frequently on shore, making long
excursions into the interior, and
receiving no molestation whatever.
Finding the ease with which the vessel
might be loaded with biche de mer, owing
to the friendly disposition of the
islanders, and the readiness with which
they would render us assistance in
collecting it, Captain Guy resolved to
enter into negotiations with Too-wit for
the erection of suitable houses in which
to cure the article, and for the
services of himself and tribe in
gathering as much as possible, while he
himself took advantage of the fine
weather to prosecute his voyage to the
southward. Upon mentioning this project
to the chief he seemed very willing to
enter into an agreement. A bargain was
accordingly struck, perfectly
satisfactory to both parties, by which
it was arranged that, after making the
necessary preparations, such as laying
off the proper grounds, erecting a
portion of the buildings, and doing some
other work in which the whole of our
crew would be required, the schooner
should proceed on her route, leaving
three of her men on the island to
superintend the fulfilment of the
project, and instruct the natives in
drying the biche de mer. In regard to
terms, these were made to depend upon
the exertions of the savages in our
absence. They were to receive a
stipulated quantity of blue beads,
knives, red cloth, and so forth, for
every certain number of piculs of the
biche de mer which should be ready on
our return.

A description of the nature of this
important article of commerce, and the
method of preparing it, may prove of
some interest to my readers, and I can
find no more suitable place than this
for introducing an account of it. The
following comprehensive notice of the
substance is taken from a modern history
of a voyage to the South Seas.

"It is that mollusca from the Indian
Seas which is known to commerce by the
French name bouche de mer (a nice morsel
from the sea). If I am not much
mistaken, the celebrated Cuvier calls it
gasteropeda pulmonifera. It is
abundantly gathered in the coasts of the
Pacific islands, and gathered especially
for the Chinese market, where it
commands a great price, perhaps as much
as their much-talked-of edible birds'
nests, which are properly made up of the
gelatinous matter picked up by a species
of swallow from the body of these
molluscae. They have no shell, no legs,
nor any prominent part, except an
absorbing and an excretory, opposite
organs; but, by their elastic wings,
like caterpillars or worms, they creep
in shallow waters, in which, when low,
they can be seen by a kind of swallow,
the sharp bill of which, inserted in the
soft animal, draws a gummy and
filamentous substance, which, by drying,
can be wrought into the solid walls of
their nest. Hence the name of
gasteropeda pulmonifera.

"This mollusca is oblong, and of
different sizes, from three to eighteen
inches in length; and I have seen a few
that were not less than two feet long.
They were nearly round, a little
flattish on one side, which lies next to
the bottom of the sea; and they are from
one to eight inches thick. They crawl up
into shallow water at particular seasons
of the year, probably for the purpose of
gendering, as we often find them in
pairs. It is when the sun has the most
power on the water, rendering it tepid,
that they approach the shore; and they
often go up into places so shallow that,
on the tide's receding, they are left
dry, exposed to the beat of the sun. But
they do not bring forth their young in
shallow water, as we never see any of
their progeny, and full-grown ones are
always observed coming in from deep
water. They feed principally on that
class of zoophytes which produce the
coral.

"The biche de mer is generally taken in
three or four feet of water; after which
they are brought on shore, and split at
one end with a knife, the incision being
one inch or more, according to the size
of the mollusca. Through this opening
the entrails are forced out by pressure,
and they are much like those of any
other small tenant of the deep. The
article is then washed, and afterward
boiled to a certain degree, which must
not be too much or too little. They are
then buried in the ground for four
hours, then boiled again for a short
time, after which they are dried, either
by the fire or the sun. Those cured by
the sun are worth the most; but where
one picul (133 1/3 lbs.) can be cured
that way, I can cure thirty piculs by
the fire. When once properly cured, they
can be kept in a dry place for two or
three years without any risk; but they
should be examined once in every few
months, say four times a year, to see if
any dampness is likely to affect them.

"The Chinese, as before stated, consider
biche de mer a very great luxury,
believing that it wonderfully
strengthens and nourishes the system,
and renews the exhausted system of the
immoderate voluptuary. The first quality
commands a high price in Canton, being
worth ninety dollars a picul; the second
quality, seventy-five dollars; the
third, fifty dollars; the fourth, thirty
dollars; the fifth, twenty dollars; the
sixth, twelve dollars; the seventh,
eight dollars; and the eighth, four
dollars; small cargoes, however, will
often bring more in Manilla, Singapore,
and Batavia."

An agreement having been thus entered
into, we proceeded immediately to land
everything necessary for preparing the
buildings and clearing the ground. A
large flat space near the eastern shore
of the bay was selected, where there was
plenty of both wood and water, and
within a convenient distance of the
principal reefs on which the biche de
mer was to be procured. We now all set
to work in good earnest, and soon, to
the great astonishment of the savages,
had felled a sufficient number of trees
for our purpose, getting them quickly in
order for the framework of the houses,
which in two or three days were so far
under way that we could safely trust the
rest of the work to the three men whom
we intended to leave behind. These were
John Carson, Alfred Harris, and Peterson
(all natives of London, I believe), who
volunteered their services in this
respect.

By the last of the month we had
everything in readiness for departure.
We had agreed, however, to pay a formal
visit of leave-taking to the village,
and Too-wit insisted so pertinaciously
upon our keeping the promise that we did
not think it advisable to run the risk
of offending him by a final refusal. I
believe that not one of us had at this
time the slightest suspicion of the good
faith of the savages. They had uniformly
behaved with the greatest decorum,
aiding us with alacrity in our work,
offering us their commodities,
frequently without price, and never, in
any instance, pilfering a single
article, although the high value they
set upon the goods we had with us was
evident by the extravagant
demonstrations of joy always manifested
upon our making them a present. The
women especially were most obliging in
every respect, and, upon the whole, we
should have been the most suspicious of
human beings had we entertained a single
thought of perfidy on the part of a
people who treated us so well. A very
short while sufficed to prove that this
apparent kindness of disposition was
only the result of a deeply laid plan
for our destruction, and that the
islanders for whom we entertained such
inordinate feelings of esteem, were
among the most barbarous, subtle, and
bloodthirsty wretches that ever
contaminated the face of the globe.

It was on the first of February that we
went on shore for the purpose of
visiting the village. Although, as said
before, we entertained not the slightest
suspicion, still no proper precaution
was neglected. Six men were left in the
schooner, with instructions to permit
none of the savages to approach the
vessel during our absence, under any
pretence whatever, and to remain
constantly on deck. The
boarding-nettings were up, the guns
double-shotted with grape and canister,
and the swivels loaded with canisters of
musket-balls. She lay, with her anchor
apeak, about a mile from the shore, and
no canoe could approach her in any
direction without being distinctly seen
and exposed to the full fire of our
swivels immediately.

The six men being left on board, our
shore-party consisted of thirty-two
persons in all. We were armed to the
teeth, having with us muskets, pistols,
and cutlasses; besides, each had a long
kind of seaman's knife, somewhat
resembling the bowie knife now so much
used throughout our western and southern
country. A hundred of the black skin
warriors met us at the landing for the
purpose of accompanying us on our way.
We noticed, however, with some surprise,
that they were now entirely without
arms; and, upon questioning Too-wit in
relation to this circumstance, he merely
answered that Mattee non we pa pa
si--meaning that there was no need of
arms where all were brothers. We took
this in good part, and proceeded.

We had passed the spring and rivulet of
which I before spoke, and were now
entering upon a narrow gorge leading
through the chain of soapstone hills
among which the village was situated.
This gorge was very rocky and uneven, so
much so that it was with no little
difficulty we scrambled through it on
our first visit to Klock-klock. The
whole length of the ravine might have
been a mile and a half, or probably two
miles. It wound in every possible
direction through the hills (having
apparently formed, at some remote
period, the bed of a torrent), in no
instance proceeding more than twenty
yards without an abrupt turn. The sides
of this dell would have averaged, I am
sure, seventy or eighty feet in
perpendicular altitude throughout the
whole of their extent, and in some
portions they arose to an astonishing
height, overshadowing the pass so
completely that but little of the light
of day could penetrate. The general
width was about forty feet, and
occasionally it diminished so as not to
allow the passage of more than five or
six persons abreast. In short, there
could be no place in the world better
adapted for the consummation of an
ambuscade, and it was no more than
natural that we should look carefully to
our arms as we entered upon it. When I
now think of our egregious folly, the
chief subject of astonishment seems to
be, that we should have ever ventured,
under any circumstances, so completely
into the power of unknown savages as to
permit them to march both before and
behind us in our progress through this
ravine. Yet such was the order we
blindly took up, trusting foolishly to
the force of our party, the unarmed
condition of Too-wit and his men, the
certain efficacy of our firearms (whose
effect was yet a secret to the natives),
and, more than all, to the
long-sustained pretension of friendship
kept up by these infamous wretches. Five
or six of them went on before, as if to
lead the way, ostentatiously busying
themselves in removing the larger stones
and rubbish from the path. Next came our
own party. We walked closely together,
taking care only to prevent separation.
Behind followed the main body of the
savages, observing unusual order and
decorum.

Dirk Peters, a man named Wilson Allen,
and myself were on the right of our
companions, examining, as we went along,
the singular stratification of the
precipice which overhung us. A fissure
in the soft rock attracted our
attention. It was about wide enough for
one person to enter without squeezing,
and extended back into the hill some
eighteen or twenty feet in a straight
course, sloping afterward to the left.
The height of the opening, is far as we
could see into it from the main gorge,
was perhaps sixty or seventy feet. There
were one or two stunted shrubs growing
from the crevices, bearing a species of
filbert which I felt some curiosity to
examine, and pushed in briskly for that
purpose, gathering five or six of the
nuts at a grasp, and then hastily
retreating. As I turned, I found that
Peters and Allen had followed me. I
desired them to go back, as there was
not room for two persons to pass, saying
they should have some of my nuts. They
accordingly turned, and were scrambling
back, Allen being close to the mouth of
the fissure, when I was suddenly aware
of a concussion resembling nothing I had
ever before experienced, and which
impressed me with a vague conception, if
indeed I then thought of anything, that
the whole foundations of the solid globe
were suddenly rent asunder, and that the
day of universal dissolution was at
hand.



CHAPTER 21

AS soon as I could collect my scattered
senses, I found myself nearly
suffocated, and grovelling in utter
darkness among a quantity of loose
earth, which was also falling upon me
heavily in every direction, threatening
to bury me entirely. Horribly alarmed at
this idea, I struggled to gain my feet,
and at last succeeded. I then remained
motionless for some moments,
endeavouring to conceive what had
happened to me, and where I was.
Presently I heard a deep groan just at
my ear, and afterward the smothered
voice of Peters calling to me for aid in
the name of God. I scrambled one or two
paces forward, when I fell directly over
the head and shoulders of my companion,
who, I soon discovered, was buried in a
loose mass of earth as far as his
middle, and struggling desperately to
free himself from the pressure. I tore
the dirt from around him with all the
energy I could command, and at length
succeeded in getting him out.

As soon as we sufficiently recovered
from our fright and surprise to be
capable of conversing rationally, we
both came to the conclusion that the
walls of the fissure in which we had
ventured had, by some convulsion of
nature, or probably from their own
weight, caved in overhead, and that we
were consequently lost for ever, being
thus entombed alive. For a long time we
gave up supinely to the most intense
agony and despair, such as cannot be
adequately imagined by those who have
never been in a similar position. I
firmly believed that no incident ever
occurring in the course of human events
is more adapted to inspire the
supremeness of mental and bodily
distress than a case like our own, of
living inhumation. The blackness of
darkness which envelops the victim, the
terrific oppression of lungs, the
stifling fumes from the damp earth,
unite with the ghastly considerations
that we are beyond the remotest confines
of hope, and that such is the allotted
portion of the dead, to carry into the
human heart a degree of appalling awe
and horror not to be tolerated--never to
be conceived.

At length Peters proposed that we should
endeavour to ascertain precisely the
extent of our calamity, and grope about
our prison; it being barely possible, he
observed, that some opening might yet be
left us for escape. I caught eagerly at
this hope, and, arousing myself to
exertion, attempted to force my way
through the loose earth. Hardly had I
advanced a single step before a glimmer
of light became perceptible, enough to
convince me that, at all events, we
should not immediately perish for want
of air. We now took some degree of
heart, and encouraged each other to hope
for the best. Having scrambled over a
bank of rubbish which impeded our
farther progress in the direction of the
light, we found less difficulty in
advancing and also experienced some
relief from the excessive oppression of
lungs which had tormented us. Presently
we were enabled to obtain a glimpse of
the objects around, and discovered that
we were near the extremity of the
straight portion of the fissure, where
it made a turn to the left. A few
struggles more, and we reached the bend,
when to our inexpressible joy, there
appeared a long seam or crack extending
upward a vast distance, generally at an
angle of about forty-five degrees,
although sometimes much more
precipitous. We could not see through
the whole extent of this opening; but,
as a good deal of light came down it, we
had little doubt of finding at the top
of it (if we could by any means reach
the top) a clear passage into the open
air.

I now called to mind that three of us
had entered the fissure from the main
gorge, and that our companion, Allen,
was still missing; we determined at once
to retrace our steps and look for him.
After a long search, and much danger
from the farther caving in of the earth
above us, Peters at length cried out to
me that he had hold of our companion's
foot, and that his whole body was deeply
buried beneath the rubbish beyond the
possibility of extricating him. I soon
found that what he said was too true,
and that, of course, life had been long
extinct. With sorrowful hearts,
therefore, we left the corpse to its
fate, and again made our way to the
bend.

The breadth of the seam was barely
sufficient to admit us, and, after one
or two ineffectual efforts at getting
up, we began once more to despair. I
have before said that the chain of hills
through which ran the main gorge was
composed of a species of soft rock
resembling soapstone. The sides of the
cleft we were now attempting to ascend
were of the same material, and so
excessively slippery, being wet, that we
could get but little foothold upon them
even in their least precipitous parts;
in some places, where the ascent was
nearly perpendicular, the difficulty
was, of course, much aggravated; and,
indeed, for some time we thought
insurmountable. We took courage,
however, from despair, and what, by dint
of cutting steps in the soft stone with
our bowie knives, and swinging at the
risk of our lives, to small projecting
points of a harder species of slaty rock
which now and then protruded from the
general mass, we at length reached a
natural platform, from which was
perceptible a patch of blue sky, at the
extremity of a thickly-wooded ravine.
Looking back now, with somewhat more
leisure, at the passage through which we
had thus far proceeded, we clearly saw
from the appearance of its sides, that
it was of late formation, and we
concluded that the concussion, whatever
it was, which had so unexpectedly
overwhelmed us, had also, at the same
moment, laid open this path for escape.
Being quite exhausted with exertion, and
indeed, so weak that we were scarcely
able to stand or articulate, Peters now
proposed that we should endeavour to
bring our companions to the rescue by
firing the pistols which still remained
in our girdles--the muskets as well as
cutlasses had been lost among the loose
earth at the bottom of the chasm.
Subsequent events proved that, had we
fired, we should have sorely repented
it, but luckily a half suspicion of foul
play had by this time arisen in my mind,
and we forbore to let the savages know
of our whereabouts.

After having reposed for about an hour,
we pushed on slowly up the ravine, and
had gone no great way before we heard a
succession of tremendous yells. At
length we reached what might be called
the surface of the ground; for our path
hitherto, since leaving the platform,
had lain beneath an archway of high rock
and foliage, at a vast distance
overhead. With great caution we stole to
a narrow opening, through which we had a
clear sight of the surrounding country,
when the whole dreadful secret of the
concussion broke upon us in one moment
and at one view.

The spot from which we looked was not
far from the summit of the highest peak
in the range of the soapstone hills. The
gorge in which our party of thirty-two
had entered ran within fifty feet to the
left of us. But, for at least one
hundred yards, the channel or bed of
this gorge was entirely filled up with
the chaotic ruins of more than a million
tons of earth and stone that had been
artificially tumbled within it. The
means by which the vast mass had been
precipitated were not more simple than
evident, for sure traces of the
murderous work were yet remaining. In
several spots along the top of the
eastern side of the gorge (we were now
on the western) might be seen stakes of
wood driven into the earth. In these
spots the earth had not given way, but
throughout the whole extent of the face
of the precipice from which the mass had
fallen, it was clear, from marks left in
the soil resembling those made by the
drill of the rock blaster, that stakes
similar to those we saw standing had
been inserted, at not more than a yard
apart, for the length of perhaps three
hundred feet, and ranging at about ten
feet back from the edge of the gulf.
Strong cords of grape vine were attached
to the stakes still remaining on the
hill, and it was evident that such cords
had also been attached to each of the
other stakes. I have already spoken of
the singular stratification of these
soapstone hills; and the description
just given of the narrow and deep
fissure through which we effected our
escape from inhumation will afford a
further conception of its nature. This
was such that almost every natural
convulsion would be sure to split the
soil into perpendicular layers or ridges
running parallel with one another, and a
very moderate exertion of art would be
sufficient for effecting the same
purpose. Of this stratification the
savages had availed themselves to
accomplish their treacherous ends. There
can be no doubt that, by the continuous
line of stakes, a partial rupture of the
soil had been brought about probably to
the depth of one or two feet, when by
means of a savage pulling at the end of
each of the cords (these cords being
attached to the tops of the stakes, and
extending back from the edge of the
cliff), a vast leverage power was
obtained, capable of hurling the whole
face of the hill, upon a given signal,
into the bosom of the abyss below. The
fate of our poor companions was no
longer a matter of uncertainty. We alone
had escaped from the tempest of that
overwhelming destruction. We were the
only living white men upon the island.




CHAPTER 22

OUR situation, as it now appeared, was
scarcely less dreadful than when we had
conceived ourselves entombed forever. We
saw before us no prospect but that of
being put to death by the savages, or of
dragging out a miserable existence in
captivity among them. We might, to be
sure, conceal ourselves for a time from
their observation among the fastnesses
of the hills, and, as a final resort, in
the chasm from which we had just issued;
but we must either perish in the long
polar winter through cold and famine, or
be ultimately discovered in our efforts
to obtain relief.

The whole country around us seemed to be
swarming with savages, crowds of whom,
we now perceived, had come over from the
islands to the southward on flat rafts,
doubtless with a view of lending their
aid in the capture and plunder of the
Jane. The vessel still lay calmly at
anchor in the bay, those on board being
apparently quite unconscious of any
danger awaiting them. How we longed at
that moment to be with them! either to
aid in effecting their escape, or to
perish with them in attempting a
defence. We saw no chance even of
warning them of their danger without
bringing immediate destruction upon our
own heads, with but a remote hope of
benefit to them. A pistol fired might
suffice to apprise them that something
wrong had occurred; but the report could
not possibly inform them that their only
prospect of safety lay in getting out of
the harbour forthwith--it could not tell
them that no principles of honour now
bound them to remain, that their
companions were no longer among the
living. Upon hearing the discharge they
could not be more thoroughly prepared to
meet the foe, who were now getting ready
to attack, than they already were, and
always had been. No good, therefore, and
infinite harm, would result from our
firing, and after mature deliberation,
we forbore.

Our next thought was to attempt to rush
toward the vessel, to seize one of the
four canoes which lay at the head of the
bay, and endeavour to force a passage on
board. But the utter impossibility of
succeeding in this desperate task soon
became evident. The country, as I said
before, was literally swarming with the
natives, skulking among the bushes and
recesses of the hills, so as not to be
observed from the schooner. In our
immediate vicinity especially, and
blockading the sole path by which we
could hope to attain the shore at the
proper point were stationed the whole
party of the black skin warriors, with
Too-wit at their head, and apparently
only waiting for some re-enforcement to
commence his onset upon the Jane. The
canoes, too, which lay at the head of
the bay, were manned with savages,
unarmed, it is true, but who undoubtedly
had arms within reach. We were forced,
therefore, however unwillingly, to
remain in our place of concealment, mere
spectators of the conflict which
presently ensued.

In about half an hour we saw some sixty
or seventy rafts, or flatboats, without
riggers, filled with savages, and coming
round the southern bight of the harbor.
They appeared to have no arms except
short clubs, and stones which lay in the
bottom of the rafts. Immediately
afterward another detachment, still
larger, appeared in an opposite
direction, and with similar weapons. The
four canoes, too, were now quickly
filled with natives, starting up from
the bushes at the head of the bay, and
put off swiftly to join the other
parties. Thus, in less time than I have
taken to tell it, and as if by magic,
the Jane saw herself surrounded by an
immense multitude of desperadoes
evidently bent upon capturing her at all
hazards.

That they would succeed in so doing
could not be doubted for an instant. The
six men left in the vessel, however
resolutely they might engage in her
defence, were altogether unequal to the
proper management of the guns, or in any
manner to sustain a contest at such
odds. I could hardly imagine that they
would make resistance at all, but in
this was deceived; for presently I saw
them get springs upon the cable, and
bring the vessel's starboard broadside
to bear upon the canoes, which by this
time were within pistol range, the rafts
being nearly a quarter of a mile to
windward. Owing to some cause unknown,
but most probably to the agitation of
our poor friends at seeing themselves in
so hopeless a situation, the discharge
was an entire failure. Not a canoe was
hit or a single savage injured, the
shots striking short and ricocheting
over their heads. The only effect
produced upon them was astonishment at
the unexpected report and smoke, which
was so excessive that for some moments I
almost thought they would abandon their
design entirely, and return to the
shore. And this they would most likely
have done had our men followed up their
broadside by a discharge of small arms,
in which, as the canoes were now so near
at hand, they could not have failed in
doing some execution, sufficient, at
least, to deter this party from a
farther advance, until they could have
given the rafts also a broadside. But,
in place of this, they left the canoe
party to recover from their panic, and,
by looking about them, to see that no
injury had been sustained, while they
flew to the larboard to get ready for
the rafts.

The discharge to larboard produced the
most terrible effect. The star and
double-headed shot of the large guns cut
seven or eight of the rafts completely
asunder, and killed, perhaps, thirty or
forty of the savages outright, while a
hundred of them, at least, were thrown
into the water, the most of them
dreadfully wounded. The remainder,
frightened out of their senses,
commenced at once a precipitate retreat,
not even waiting to pick up their maimed
companions, who were swimming about in
every direction, screaming and yelling
for aid. This great success, however,
came too late for the salvation of our
devoted people. The canoe party were
already on board the schooner to the
number of more than a hundred and fifty,
the most of them having succeeded in
scrambling up the chains and over the
boarding-netting even before the matches
had been applied to the larboard guns.
Nothing now could withstand their brute
rage. Our men were borne down at once,
overwhelmed, trodden under foot, and
absolutely torn to pieces in an
instant.

Seeing this, the savages on the rafts
got the better of their fears, and came
up in shoals to the plunder. In five
minutes the Jane was a pitiable scene
indeed of havoc and tumultuous outrage.
The decks were split open and ripped up;
the cordage, sails, and everything
movable on deck demolished as if by
magic, while, by dint of pushing at the
stern, towing with the canoes, and
hauling at the sides, as they swam in
thousands around the vessel, the
wretches finally forced her on shore
(the cable having been slipped), and
delivered her over to the good offices
of Too-wit, who, during the whole of the
engagement, had maintained, like a
skilful general, his post of security
and reconnaissance among the hills, but,
now that the victory was completed to
his satisfaction, condescended to
scamper down with his warriors of the
black skin, and become a partaker in the
spoils.

Too-wit's descent left us at liberty to
quit our hiding place and reconnoitre
the hill in the vicinity of the chasm.
At about fifty yards from the mouth of
it we saw a small spring of water, at
which we slaked the burning thirst that
now consumed us. Not far from the spring
we discovered several of the
filbert-bushes which I mentioned before.
Upon tasting the nuts we found them
palatable, and very nearly resembling in
flavour the common English filbert. We
collected our hats full immediately,
deposited them within the ravine, and
returned for more. While we were busily
employed in gathering these, a rustling
in the bushes alarmed us, and we were
upon the point of stealing back to our
covert, when a large black bird of the
bittern species strugglingly and slowly
arose above the shrubs. I was so much
startled that I could do nothing, but
Peters had sufficient presence of mind
to run up to it before it could make its
escape, and seize it by the neck. Its
struggles and screams were tremendous,
and we had thoughts of letting it go,
lest the noise should alarm some of the
savages who might be still lurking in
the neighbourhood. A stab with a bowie
knife, however, at length brought it to
the ground, and we dragged it into the
ravine, congratulating ourselves that,
at all events, we had thus obtained a
supply of food enough to last us for a
week.

We now went out again to look about us,
and ventured a considerable distance
down the southern declivity of the hill,
but met with nothing else which could
serve us for food. We therefore
collected a quantity of dry wood and
returned, seeing one or two large
parties of the natives on their way to
the village, laden with the plunder of
the vessel, and who, we were
apprehensive, might discover us in
passing beneath the hill.

Our next care was to render our place of
concealment as secure as possible, and
with this object, we arranged some
brushwood over the aperture which I have
before spoken of as the one through
which we saw the patch of blue sky, on
reaching the platform from the interior
of the chasm. We left only a very small
opening just wide enough to admit of our
seeing the bay, without the risk of
being discovered from below. Having done
this, we congratulated ourselves upon
the security of the position; for we
were now completely excluded from
observation, as long as we chose to
remain within the ravine itself, and not
venture out upon the hill, We could
perceive no traces of the savages having
ever been within this hollow; but,
indeed, when we came to reflect upon the
probability that the fissure through
which we attained it had been only just
now created by the fall of the cliff
opposite, and that no other way of
attaining it could be perceived, we were
not so much rejoiced at the thought of
being secure from molestation as fearful
lest there should be absolutely no means
left us for descent. We resolved to
explore the summit of the hill
thoroughly, when a good opportunity
should offer. In the meantime we watched
the motions of the savages through our
loophole.

They had already made a complete wreck
of the vessel, and were now preparing to
set her on fire. In a little while we
saw the smoke ascending in huge volumes
from her main hatchway, and, shortly
afterward, a dense mass of flame burst
up from the forecastle. The rigging,
masts and what remained of the sails
caught immediately, and the fire spread
rapidly along the decks. Still a great
many of the savages retained their
stations about her, hammering with large
stones, axes, and cannon balls at the
bolts and other iron and copper work. On
the beach, and in canoes and rafts,
there were not less, altogether, in the
immediate vicinity of the schooner, than
ten thousand natives, besides the shoals
of them who, laden with booty, were
making their way inland and over to the
neighbouring islands. We now anticipated
a catastrophe, and were not
disappointed. First of all there came a
smart shock (which we felt as distinctly
where we were as if we had been slightly
galvanized), but unattended with any
visible signs of an explosion. The
savages were evidently startled, and
paused for an instant from their labours
and yellings. They were upon the point
of recommencing, when suddenly a mass of
smoke puffed up from the decks,
resembling a black and heavy
thundercloud--then, as if from its
bowels, arose a tall stream of vivid
fire to the height, apparently, of a
quarter of a mile--then there came a
sudden circular expansion of the
flame--then the whole atmosphere was
magically crowded, in a single instant,
with a wild chaos of wood, and metal,
and human limbs-and, lastly, came the
concussion in its fullest fury, which
hurled us impetuously from our feet,
while the hills echoed and re-echoed the
tumult, and a dense shower of the
minutest fragments of the ruins tumbled
headlong in every direction around us.

The havoc among the savages far exceeded
our utmost expectation, and they had
now, indeed, reaped the full and perfect
fruits of their treachery. Perhaps a
thousand perished by the explosion,
while at least an equal number were
desperately mangled. The whole surface
of the bay was literally strewn with the
struggling and drowning wretches, and on
shore matters were even worse. They
seemed utterly appalled by the
suddenness and completeness of their
discomfiture, and made no efforts at
assisting one another. At length we
observed a total change in their
demeanour. From absolute stupor, they
appeared to be, all at once, aroused to
the highest pitch of excitement, and
rushed wildly about, going to and from a
certain point on the beach, with the
strangest expressions of mingled horror,
rage, and intense curiosity depicted on
their countenances, and shouting, at the
top of their voices, "Tekeli-li!
Tekeli-li!"

Presently we saw a large body go off
into the hills, whence they returned in
a short time, carrying stakes of wood.
These they brought to the station where
the crowd was the thickest, which now
separated so as to afford us a view of
the object of all this excitement. We
perceived something white lying upon the
ground, but could not immediately make
out what it was. At length we saw that
it was the carcass of the strange animal
with the scarlet teeth and claws which
the schooner had picked up at sea on the
eighteenth of January. Captain Guy had
had the body preserved for the purpose
of stuffing the skin and taking it to
England. I remember he had given some
directions about it just before our
making the island, and it had been
brought into the cabin and stowed away
in one of the lockers. It had now been
thrown on shore by the explosion; but
why it had occasioned so much concern
among the savages was more than we could
comprehend. Although they crowded around
the carcass at a little distance, none
of them seemed willing to approach it
closely. By-and-by the men with the
stakes drove them in a circle around it,
and no sooner was this arrangement
completed, than the whole of the vast
assemblage rushed into the interior of
the island, with loud screams of
"Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"



CHAPTER 23

DURING the six or seven days immediately
following we remained in our
hiding-place upon the hill, going out
only occasionally, and then with the
greatest precaution, for water and
filberts. We had made a kind of
penthouse on the platform, furnishing it
with a bed of dry leaves, and placing in
it three large flat stones, which served
us for both fireplace and table. We
kindled a fire without difficulty by
rubbing two pieces of dry wood together,
the one soft, the other hard. The bird
we had taken in such good season proved
excellent eating, although somewhat
tough. It was not an oceanic fowl, but a
species of bittern, with jet black and
grizzly plumage, and diminutive wings in
proportion to its bulk. We afterward saw
three of the same kind in the vicinity
of the ravine, apparently seeking for
the one we had captured; but, as they
never alighted, we had no opportunity of
catching them.

As long as this fowl lasted we suffered
nothing from our situation, but it was
now entirely consumed, and it became
absolutely necessary that we should look
out for provision. The filberts would
not satisfy the cravings of hunger,
afflicting us, too, with severe gripings
of the bowels, and, if freely indulged
in, with violent headache. We had seen
several large tortoises near the
seashore to the eastward of the hill,
and perceived they might be easily
taken, if we could get at them without
the observation of the natives. It was
resolved, therefore, to make an attempt
at descending.

We commenced by going down the southern
declivity, which seemed to offer the
fewest difficulties, but had not
proceeded a hundred yards before (as we
had anticipated from appearances on the
hilltop) our progress was entirely
arrested by a branch of the gorge in
which our companions had perished. We
now passed along the edge of this for
about a quarter of a mile, when we were
again stopped by a precipice of immense
depth, and, not being able to make our
way along the brink of it, we were
forced to retrace our steps by the main
ravine.

We now pushed over to the eastward, but
with precisely similar fortune. After an
hour's scramble, at the risk of breaking
our necks, we discovered that we had
merely descended into a vast pit of
black granite, with fine dust at the
bottom, and whence the only egress was
by the rugged path in which we had come
down. Toiling again up this path, we now
tried the northern edge of the hill.
Here we were obliged to use the greatest
possible caution in our maneuvers, as
the least indiscretion would expose us
to the full view of the savages in the
village. We crawled along, therefore, on
our hands and knees, and, occasionally,
were even forced to throw ourselves at
full length, dragging our bodies along
by means of the shrubbery. In this
careful manner we had proceeded but a
little way, when we arrived at a chasm
far deeper than any we had yet seen, and
leading directly into the main gorge.
Thus our fears were fully confirmed, and
we found ourselves cut off entirely from
access to the world below. Thoroughly
exhausted by our exertions, we made the
best of our way back to the platform,
and throwing ourselves upon the bed of
leaves, slept sweetly and soundly for
some hours.

For several days after this fruitless
search we were occupied in exploring
every part of the summit of the hill, in
order to inform ourselves of its actual
resources. We found that it would afford
us no food, with the exception of the
unwholesome filberts, and a rank species
of scurvy grass, which grew in a little
patch of not more than four rods square,
and would be soon exhausted. On the
fifteenth of February, as near as I can
remember, there was not a blade of this
left, and the nuts were growing scarce;
our situation, therefore, could hardly
be more lamentable. {*5} On the
sixteenth we again went round the walls
of our prison, in hope of finding some
avenue of escape; but to no purpose. We
also descended the chasm in which we had
been overwhelmed, with the faint
expectation of discovering, through this
channel, some opening to the main
ravine. Here, too, we were disappointed,
although we found and brought up with us
a musket.

On the seventeenth we set out with the
determination of examining more
thoroughly the chasm of black granite
into which we had made our way in the
first search. We remembered that one of
the fissures in the sides of this pit
had been but partially looked into, and
we were anxious to explore it, although
with no expectation of discovering here
any opening.

We found no great difficulty in reaching
the bottom of the hollow as before, and
were now sufficiently calm to survey it
with some attention. It was, indeed, one
of the most singular-looking places
imaginable, and we could scarcely bring
ourselves to believe it altogether the
work of nature. The pit, from its
eastern to its western extremity, was
about five hundred yards in length, when
all its windings were threaded; the
distance from east to west in a straight
line not being more (I should suppose,
having no means of accurate examination)
than forty or fifty yards. Upon first
descending into the chasm, that is to
say, for a hundred feet downward from
the summit of the hill, the sides of the
abyss bore little resemblance to each
other, and, apparently, had at no time
been connected, the one surface being of
the soapstone, and the other of marl,
granulated with some metallic matter.
The average breadth or interval between
the two cliffs was probably here sixty
feet, but there seemed to be no
regularity of formation. Passing down,
however, beyond the limit spoken of, the
interval rapidly contracted, and the
sides began to run parallel, although,
for some distance farther, they were
still dissimilar in their material and
form of surface. Upon arriving within
fifty feet of the bottom, a perfect
regularity commenced. The sides were now
entirely uniform in substance, in
colour, and in lateral direction, the
material being a very black and shining
granite, and the distance between the
two sides, at all points facing each
other, exactly twenty yards. The precise
formation of the chasm will be best
understood by means of a delineation
taken upon the spot; for I had luckily
with me a pocketbook and pencil, which I
preserved with great care through a long
series of subsequent adventure, and to
which I am indebted for memoranda of
many subjects which would otherwise have
been crowded from my remembrance.

This figure [No figures in text] gives
the general outlines of the chasm,
without the minor cavities in the sides,
of which there were several, each cavity
having a corresponding protuberance
opposite. The bottom of the gulf was
covered to the depth of three or four
inches with a powder almost impalpable,
beneath which we found a continuation of
the black granite. To the right, at the
lower extremity, will be noticed the
appearance of a small opening; this is
the fissure alluded to above, and to
examine which more minutely than before
was the object of our second visit. We
now pushed into it with vigor, cutting
away a quantity of brambles which
impeded us, and removing a vast heap of
sharp flints somewhat resembling
arrowheads in shape. We were encouraged
to persevere, however, by perceiving
some little light proceeding from the
farther end. We at length squeezed our
way for about thirty feet, and found
that the aperture was a low and
regularly formed arch, having a bottom
of the same impalpable powder as that in
the main chasm. A strong light now broke
upon us, and, turning a short bend, we
found ourselves in another lofty
chamber, similar to the one we had left
in every respect but longitudinal form.
Its general figure is here given.

The total length of this chasm,
commencing at the opening a and
proceeding round the curve b to the
extremity d, is five hundred and fifty
yards. At c we discovered a small
aperture similar to the one through
which we had issued from the other
chasm, and this was choked up in the
same manner with brambles and a quantity
of the white arrowhead flints. We forced
our way through it, finding it about
forty feet long, and emerged into a
third chasm. This, too, was precisely
like the first, except in its
longitudinal shape, which was thus.

We found the entire length of the third
chasm three hundred and twenty yards. At
the point a was an opening about six
feet wide, and extending fifteen feet
into the rock, where it terminated in a
bed of marl, there being no other chasm
beyond, as we had expected. We were
about leaving this fissure, into which
very little light was admitted, when
Peters called my attention to a range of
singular-looking indentures in the
surface of the marl forming the
termination of the cul-de-sac. With a
very slight exertion of the imagination,
the left, or most northern of these
indentures might have been taken for the
intentional, although rude,
representation of a human figure
standing erect, with outstretched arm.
The rest of them bore also some little
resemblance to alphabetical characters,
and Peters was willing, at all events,
to adopt the idle opinion that they were
really such. I convinced him of his
error, finally, by directing his
attention to the floor of the fissure,
where, among the powder, we picked up,
piece by piece, several large flakes of
the marl, which had evidently been
broken off by some convulsion from the
surface where the indentures were found,
and which had projecting points exactly
fitting the indentures; thus proving
them to have been the work of nature.

After satisfying ourselves that these
singular caverns afforded us no means of
escape from our prison, we made our way
back, dejected and dispirited, to the
summit of the hill. Nothing worth
mentioning occurred during the next
twenty-four hours, except that, in
examining the ground to the eastward of
the third chasm, we found two triangular
holes of great depth, and also with
black granite sides. Into these holes we
did not think it worth while to attempt
descending, as they had the appearance
of mere natural wells, without outlet.
They were each about twenty yards in
circumference, and their shape, as well
as relative position in regard to the
third chasm, is shown in figure 5.
{image}



CHAPTER 24

ON the twentieth of the month, finding
it altogether impossible to subsist any
longer upon the filberts, the use of
which occasioned us the most
excruciating torment, we resolved to
make a desperate attempt at descending
the southern declivity of the hill. The
face of the precipice was here of the
softest species of soapstone, although
nearly perpendicular throughout its
whole extent (a depth of a hundred and
fifty feet at the least), and in many
places even overarching. After a long
search we discovered a narrow ledge
about twenty feet below the brink of the
gulf; upon this Peters contrived to
leap, with what assistance I could
render him by means of our
pocket-handkerchiefs tied together. With
somewhat more difficulty I also got
down; and we then saw the possibility of
descending the whole way by the process
in which we had clambered up from the
chasm when we had been buried by the
fall of the hill-that is, by cutting
steps in the face of the soapstone with
our knives. The extreme hazard of the
attempt can scarcely be conceived; but,
as there was no other resource, we
determined to undertake it.

Upon the ledge where we stood there grew
some filbert-bushes; and to one of these
we made fast an end of our rope of
handkerchiefs. The other end being tied
round Peters' waist, I lowered him down
over the edge of the precipice until the
handkerchiefs were stretched tight. He
now proceeded to dig a deep hole in the
soapstone (as far in as eight or ten
inches), sloping away the rock above to
the height of a foot, or thereabout, so
as to allow of his driving, with the
butt of a pistol, a tolerably strong peg
into the levelled surface. I then drew
him up for about four feet, when he made
a hole similar to the one below, driving
in a peg as before, and having thus a
resting-place for both feet and hands. I
now unfastened the handkerchiefs from
the bush, throwing him the end, which he
tied to the peg in the uppermost hole,
letting himself down gently to a station
about three feet lower than he had yet
been that is, to the full extent of the
handkerchiefs. Here he dug another hole,
and drove another peg. He then drew
himself up, so as to rest his feet in
the hole just cut, taking hold with his
hands upon the peg in the one above. It
was now necessary to untie the
handkerchiefs from the topmost peg, with
the view of fastening them to the
second; and here he found that an error
had been committed in cutting the holes
at so great a distance apart. However,
after one or two unsuccessful and
dangerous attempts at reaching the knot
(having to hold on with his left hand
while he labored to undo the fastening
with his right), he at length cut the
string, leaving six inches of it affixed
to the peg. Tying the handkerchiefs now
to the second peg, he descended to a
station below the third, taking care not
to go too far down. By these means
(means which I should never have
conceived of myself, and for which we
were indebted altogether to Peters'
ingenuity and resolution) my companion
finally succeeded, with the occasional
aid of projections in the cliff, in
reaching the bottom without accident.

It was some time before I could summon
sufficient resolution to follow him; but
I did at length attempt it. Peters had
taken off his shirt before descending,
and this, with my own, formed the rope
necessary for the adventure. After
throwing down the musket found in the
chasm, I fastened this rope to the
bushes, and let myself down rapidly,
striving, by the vigor of my movements,
to banish the trepidation which I could
overcome in no other manner. This
answered sufficiently well for the first
four or five steps; but presently I
found my imagination growing terribly
excited by thoughts of the vast depths
yet to be descended, and the precarious
nature of the pegs and soapstone holes
which were my only support. It was in
vain I endeavored to banish these
reflections, and to keep my eyes
steadily bent upon the flat surface of
the cliff before me. The more earnestly
I struggled not to think, the more
intensely vivid became my conceptions,
and the more horribly distinct. At
length arrived that crisis of fancy, so
fearful in all similar cases, the crisis
in which we began to anticipate the
feelings with which we shall fall-to
picture to ourselves the sickness, and
dizziness, and the last struggle, and
the half swoon, and the final bitterness
of the rushing and headlong descent. And
now I found these fancies creating their
own realities, and all imagined horrors
crowding upon me in fact. I felt my
knees strike violently together, while
my fingers were gradually but certainly
relaxing their grasp. There was a
ringing in my ears, and I said, "This is
my knell of death!" And now I was
consumed with the irrepressible desire
of looking below. I could not, I would
not, confine my glances to the cliff;
and, with a wild, indefinable emotion,
half of horror, half of a relieved
oppression, I threw my vision far down
into the abyss. For one moment my
fingers clutched convulsively upon their
hold, while, with the movement, the
faintest possible idea of ultimate
escape wandered, like a shadow, through
my mind--in the next my whole soul was
pervaded with a longing to fall; a
desire, a yearning, a passion utterly
uncontrollable. I let go at once my
grasp upon the peg, and, turning half
round from the precipice, remained
tottering for an instant against its
naked face. But now there came a
spinning of the brain; a shrill-sounding
and phantom voice screamed within my
ears; a dusky, fiendish, and filmy
figure stood immediately beneath me;
and, sighing, I sunk down with a
bursting heart, and plunged within its
arms.

I had swooned, and Peters had caught me
as I fell. He had observed my
proceedings from his station at the
bottom of the cliff; and perceiving my
imminent danger, had endeavored to
inspire me with courage by every
suggestion he could devise; although my
confusion of mind had been so great as
to prevent my hearing what he said, or
being conscious that he had even spoken
to me at all. At length, seeing me
totter, he hastened to ascend to my
rescue, and arrived just in time for my
preservation. Had I fallen with my full
weight, the rope of linen would
inevitably have snapped, and I should
have been precipitated into the abyss;
as it was, he contrived to let me down
gently, so as to remain suspended
without danger until animation returned.
This was in about fifteen minutes. On
recovery, my trepidation had entirely
vanished; I felt a new being, and, with
some little further aid from my
companion, reached the bottom also in
safety.

We now found ourselves not far from the
ravine which had proved the tomb of our
friends, and to the southward of the
spot where the hill had fallen. The
place was one of singular wildness, and
its aspect brought to my mind the
descriptions given by travellers of
those dreary regions marking the site of
degraded Babylon. Not to speak of the
ruins of the disrupted cliff, which
formed a chaotic barrier in the vista to
the northward, the surface of the ground
in every other direction was strewn with
huge tumuli, apparently the wreck of
some gigantic structures of art;
although, in detail, no semblance of art
could be detected. Scoria were abundant,
and large shapeless blocks of the black
granite, intermingled with others of
marl, {*6} and both granulated with
metal. Of vegetation there were no
traces whatsoever throughout the whole
of the desolate area within sight.
Several immense scorpions were seen, and
various reptiles not elsewhere to be
found in the high latitudes. As food was
our most immediate object, we resolved
to make our way to the seacoast, distant
not more than half a mile, with a view
of catching turtle, several of which we
had observed from our place of
concealment on the hill. We had
proceeded some hundred yards, threading
our route cautiously between the huge
rocks and tumuli, when, upon turning a
corner, five savages sprung upon us from
a small cavern, felling Peters to the
ground with a blow from a club. As he
fell the whole party rushed upon him to
secure their victim, leaving me time to
recover from my astonishment. I still
had the musket, but the barrel had
received so much injury in being thrown
from the precipice that I cast it aside
as useless, preferring to trust my
pistols, which had been carefully
preserved in order. With these I
advanced upon the assailants, firing one
after the other in quick succession. Two
savages fell, and one, who was in the
act of thrusting a spear into Peters,
sprung to his feet without accomplishing
his purpose. My companion being thus
released, we had no further difficulty.
He had his pistols also, but prudently
declined using them, confiding in his
great personal strength, which far
exceeded that of any person I have ever
known. Seizing a club from one of the
savages who had fallen, he dashed out
the brains of the three who remained,
killing each instantaneously with a
single blow of the weapon, and leaving
us completely masters of the field.

So rapidly bad these events passed, that
we could scarcely believe in their
reality, and were standing over the
bodies of the dead in a species of
stupid contemplation, when we were
brought to recollection by the sound of
shouts in the distance. It was clear
that the savages had been alarmed by the
firing, and that we had little chance of
avoiding discovery. To regain the cliff,
it would be necessary to proceed in the
direction of the shouts, and even should
we succeed in arriving at its base, we
should never be able to ascend it
without being seen. Our situation was
one of the greatest peril, and we were
hesitating in which path to commence a
flight, when one of the savages whom I
had shot, and supposed dead, sprang
briskly to his feet, and attempted to
make his escape. We overtook him,
however, before he had advanced many
paces, and were about to put him to
death, when Peters suggested that we
might derive some benefit from forcing
him to accompany us in our attempt to
escape. We therefore dragged him with
us, making him understand that we would
shoot him if he offered resistance. In a
few minutes he was perfectly submissive,
and ran by our sides as we pushed in
among the rocks, making for the
seashore.

So far, the irregularities of the ground
we had been traversing hid the sea,
except at intervals, from our sight,
and, when we first had it fairly in
view, it was perhaps two hundred yards
distant. As we emerged into the open
beach we saw, to our great dismay, an
immense crowd of the natives pouring
from the village, and from all visible
quarters of the island, making toward us
with gesticulations of extreme fury, and
howling like wild beasts. We were upon
the point of turning upon our steps, and
trying to secure a retreat among the
fastnesses of the rougher ground, when I
discovered the bows of two canoes
projecting from behind a large rock
which ran out into the water. Toward
these we now ran with all speed, and,
reaching them, found them unguarded, and
without any other freight than three of
the large Gallipago turtles and the
usual supply of paddles for sixty
rowers. We instantly took possession of
one of them, and, forcing our captive on
board, pushed out to sea with all the
strength we could command.

We had not made, however, more than
fifty yards from the shore before we
became sufficiently calm to perceive the
great oversight of which we had been
guilty in leaving the other canoe in the
power of the savages, who, by this time,
were not more than twice as far from the
beach as ourselves, and were rapidly
advancing to the pursuit. No time was
now to be lost. Our hope was, at best, a
forlorn one, but we had none other. It
was very doubtful whether, with the
utmost exertion, we could get back in
time to anticipate them in taking
possession of the canoe; but yet there
was a chance that we could. We might
save ourselves if we succeeded, while
not to make the attempt was to resign
ourselves to inevitable butchery.

The canoe was modelled with the bow and
stern alike, and, in place of turning it
around, we merely changed our position
in paddling. As soon as the savages
perceived this they redoubled their
yells, as well as their speed, and
approached with inconceivable rapidity.
We pulled, however, with all the energy
of desperation, and arrived at the
contested point before more than one of
the natives had attained it. This man
paid dearly for his superior agility,
Peters shooting him through the head
with a pistol as he approached the
shore. The foremost among the rest of
his party were probably some twenty or
thirty paces distant as we seized upon
the canoe. We at first endeavored to
pull her into the deep water, beyond the
reach of the savages, but, finding her
too firmly aground, and there being no
time to spare, Peters, with one or two
heavy strokes from the butt of the
musket, succeeded in dashing out a large
portion of the bow and of one side. We
then pushed off. Two of the natives by
this time had got hold of our boat,
obstinately refusing to let go, until we
were forced to despatch them with our
knives. We were now clear off, and
making great way out to sea. The main
body of the savages, upon reaching the
broken canoe, set up the most tremendous
yell of rage and disappointment
conceivable. In truth, from everything I
could see of these wretches, they
appeared to be the most wicked,
hypocritical, vindictive, bloodthirsty,
and altogether fiendish race of men upon
the face of the globe. It is clear we
should have had no mercy had we fallen
into their hands. They made a mad
attempt at following us in the fractured
canoe, but, finding it useless, again
vented their rage in a series of hideous
vociferations, and rushed up into the
hills.

We were thus relieved from immediate
danger, but our situation was still
sufficiently gloomy. We knew that four
canoes of the kind we had were at one
time in the possession of the savages,
and were not aware of the fact
(afterward ascertained from our captive)
that two of these had been blown to
pieces in the explosion of the Jane Guy.
We calculated, therefore, upon being yet
pursued, as soon as our enemies could
get round to the bay (distant about
three miles) where the boats were
usually laid up. Fearing this, we made
every exertion to leave the island
behind us, and went rapidly through the
water, forcing the prisoner to take a
paddle. In about half an hour, when we
had gained probably five or six miles to
the southward, a large fleet of the
flat-bottomed canoes or rafts were seen
to emerge from the bay evidently with
the design of pursuit. Presently they
put back, despairing to overtake us.



CHAPTER 25

WE now found ourselves in the wide and
desolate Antarctic Ocean, in a latitude
exceeding eighty-four degrees, in a
frail canoe, and with no provision but
the three turtles. The long polar
winter, too, could not be considered as
far distant, and it became necessary
that we should deliberate well upon the
course to be pursued. There were six or
seven islands in sight belonging to the
same group, and distant from each other
about five or six leagues; but upon
neither of these had we any intention to
venture. In coming from the northward in
the Jane Guy we had been gradually
leaving behind us the severest regions
of ice-this, however little it maybe in
accordance with the generally received
notions respecting the Antarctic, was a
fact--experience would not permit us to
deny. To attempt, therefore, getting
back would be folly--especially at so
late a period of the season. Only one
course seemed to be left open for hope.
We resolved to steer boldly to the
southward, where there was at least a
probability of discovering other lands,
and more than a probability of finding a
still milder climate.

So far we had found the Antarctic, like
the Arctic Ocean, peculiarly free from
violent storms or immoderately rough
water; but our canoe was, at best, of
frail structure, although large, and we
set busily to work with a view of
rendering her as safe as the limited
means in our possession would admit. The
body of the boat was of no better
material than bark--the bark of a tree
unknown. The ribs were of a tough osier,
well adapted to the purpose for which it
was used. We had fifty feet room from
stem to stern, from four to six in
breadth, and in depth throughout four
feet and a half-the boats thus differing
vastly in shape from those of any other
inhabitants of the Southern Ocean with
whom civilized nations are acquainted.
We never did believe them the
workmanship of the ignorant islanders
who owned them; and some days after this
period discovered, by questioning our
captive, that they were in fact made by
the natives of a group to the southwest
of the country where we found them,
having fallen accidentally into the
hands of our barbarians. What we could
do for the security of our boat was very
little indeed. Several wide rents were
discovered near both ends, and these we
contrived to patch up with pieces of
woollen jacket. With the help of the
superfluous paddles, of which there were
a great many, we erected a kind of
framework about the bow, so as to break
the force of any seas which might
threaten to fill us in that quarter. We
also set up two paddle-blades for masts,
placing them opposite each other, one by
each gunwale, thus saving the necessity
of a yard. To these masts we attached a
sail made of our shirts-doing this with
some difficulty, as here we could get no
assistance from our prisoner whatever,
although he bad been willing enough to
labor in all the other operations. The
sight of the linen seemed to affect him
in a very singular manner. He could not
be prevailed upon to touch it or go near
it, shuddering when we attempted to
force him, and shrieking out,
"Tekeli-li!"

Having completed our arrangements in
regard to the security of the canoe, we
now set sail to the south-southeast for
the present, with the view of weathering
the most southerly of the group in
sight. This being done, we turned the
bow full to the southward. The weather
could by no means be considered
disagreeable. We had a prevailing and
very gentle wind from the northward, a
smooth sea, and continual daylight. No
ice whatever was to be seen; nor did I
ever see one particle of this after
leaving the parallel of Bennet's Islet.
Indeed, the temperature of the water was
here far too warm for its existence in
any quantity. Having killed the largest
of our tortoises, and obtained from him
not only food but a copious supply of
water, we continued on our course,
without any incident of moment, for
perhaps seven or eight days, during
which period we must have proceeded a
vast distance to the southward, as the
wind blew constantly with us, and a very
strong current set continually in the
direction we were pursuing.

March 1st. {*7}-Many unusual phenomena
now--indicated that we were entering
upon a region of novelty and wonder. A
high range of light gray vapor appeared
constantly in the southern horizon,
flaring up occasionally in lofty
streaks, now darting from east to west,
now from west to east, and again
presenting a level and uniform summit-in
short, having all the wild variations of
the Aurora Borealis. The average height
of this vapor, as apparent from our
station, was about twenty-five degrees.
The temperature of the sea seemed to be
increasing momentarily, and there was a
very perceptible alteration in its
color.

March 2d.-To-day by repeated questioning
of our captive, we came to the knowledge
of many particulars in regard to the
island of the massacre, its inhabitants,
and customs-but with these how can I now
detain the reader? I may say, however,
that we learned there were eight islands
in the group-that they were governed by
a common king, named Tsalemon or
Psalemoun, who resided in one of the
smallest of the islands; that the black
skins forming the dress of the warriors
came from an animal of huge size to be
found only in a valley near the court of
the king-that the inhabitants of the
group fabricated no other boats than the
flat-bottomed rafts; the four canoes
being all of the kind in their
possession, and, these having been
obtained, by mere accident, from some
large island in the southwest-that his
own name was Nu-Nu-that he had no
knowledge of Bennet's Islet-and that the
appellation of the island he had left
was Tsalal. The commencement of the
words Tsalemon and Tsalal was given with
a prolonged hissing sound, which 'we
found it impossible to imitate, even
after repeated endeavors, and which was
precisely the same with the note of the
black bittern we had eaten up on the
summit of the hill.

March 3d.-The heat of the water was now
truly remarkable, and in color was
undergoing a rapid change, being no
longer transparent, but of a milky
consistency and hue. In our immediate
vicinity it was usually smooth, never so
rough as to endanger the canoe-but we
were frequently surprised at perceiving,
to our right and left, at different
distances, sudden and extensive
agitations of the surface; these, we at
length noticed, were always preceded by
wild flickerings in the region of vapor
to the southward.

March 4th.-To-day, with the view of
widening our sail, the breeze from the
northward dying away perceptibly, I took
from my coat-pocket a white
handkerchief. Nu-Nu was seated at my
elbow, and the linen accidentally
flaring in his face, he became violently
affected with convulsions. These were
succeeded by drowsiness and stupor, and
low murmurings of "'Tekeli-li!
Tekeli-li!"

March 5th.-The wind had entirely ceased,
but it was evident that we were still
hurrying on to the southward, under the
influence of a powerful current. And
now,--indeed, it would seem reasonable
that we should experience some alarm at
the turn events were taking-but we felt
none. The countenance of Peters
indicated nothing of this nature,
although it wore at times an expression
I could not fathom. The polar winter
appeared to be coming on--but coming
without its terrors. I felt a numbness
of body and mind--a dreaminess of
sensation but this was all.

March 6th.-The gray vapor had now arisen
many more degrees above the horizon, and
was gradually losing its grayness of
tint. The heat of the water was extreme,
even unpleasant to the touch, and its
milky hue was more evident than ever.
Today a violent agitation of the water
occurred very close to the canoe. It was
attended, as usual, with a wild flaring
up of the vapor at its summit, and a
momentary division at its base. A fine
white powder, resembling ashes-but
certainly not such-fell over the canoe
and over a large surface of the water,
as the flickering died away among the
vapor and the commotion subsided in the
sea. Nu-Nu now threw himself on his face
in the bottom of the boat, and no
persuasions could induce him to arise.

March 7th.-This day we questioned Nu-Nu
concerning the motives of his countrymen
in destroying our companions; but he
appeared to be too utterly overcome by
terror to afford us any rational reply.
He still obstinately lay in the bottom
of the boat; and, upon reiterating the
questions as to the motive, made use
only of idiotic gesticulations, such as
raising with his forefinger the upper
lip, and displaying the teeth which lay
beneath it. These were black. We had
never before seen the teeth of an
inhabitant of Tsalal.

March 8th.-To-day there floated by us
one of the white animals whose
appearance upon the beach at Tsalal had
occasioned so wild a commotion among the
savages. I would have picked it up, but
there came over me a sudden
listlessness, and I forbore. The heat of
the water still increased, and the hand
could no longer be endured within it.
Peters spoke little, and I knew not what
to think of his apathy. Nu-Nu breathed,
and no more.

March 9th.-The whole ashy material fell
now continually around us, and in vast
quantities. The range of vapor to the
southward had arisen prodigiously in the
horizon, and began to assume more
distinctness of form. I can liken it to
nothing but a limitless cataract,
rolling silently into the sea from some
immense and far-distant rampart in the
heaven. The gigantic curtain ranged
along the whole extent of the southern
horizon. It emitted no sound.

March 21st.-A sullen darkness now
hovered above us-but from out the milky
depths of the ocean a luminous glare
arose, and stole up along the bulwarks
of the boat. We were nearly overwhelmed
by the white ashy shower which settled
upon us and upon the canoe, but melted
into the water as it fell. The summit of
the cataract was utterly lost in the
dimness and the distance. Yet we were
evidently approaching it with a hideous
velocity. At intervals there were
visible in it wide, yawning, but
momentary rents, and from out these
rents, within which was a chaos of
flitting and indistinct images, there
came rushing and mighty, but soundless
winds, tearing up the enkindled ocean in
their course.

March 22d.-The darkness had materially
increased, relieved only by the glare of
the water thrown back from the white
curtain before us. Many gigantic and
pallidly white birds flew continuously
now from beyond the veil, and their
scream was the eternal Tekeli-li! as
they retreated from our vision. Hereupon
Nu-Nu stirred in the bottom of the boat;
but upon touching him we found his
spirit departed. And now we rushed into
the embraces of the cataract, where a
chasm threw itself open to receive us.
But there arose in our pathway a
shrouded human figure, very far larger
in its proportions than any dweller
among men. And the hue of the skin of
the figure was of the perfect whiteness
of the snow.

NOTE

THE circumstances connected with the
late sudden and distressing death of Mr.
Pym are already well known to the public
through the medium of the daily press.
It is feared that the few remaining
chapters which were to have completed
his narrative, and which were retained
by him, while the above were in type,
for the purpose of revision, have been
irrecoverably lost through the accident
by which he perished himself. This,
however, may prove not to be the case,
and the papers, if ultimately found,
will be given to the public.

No means have been left untried to
remedy the deficiency. The gentleman
whose name is mentioned in the preface,
and who, from the statement there made,
might be supposed able to fill the
vacuum, has declined the task-this, for
satisfactory reasons connected with the
general inaccuracy of the details
afforded him, and his disbelief in the
entire truth of the latter portions of
the narration. Peters, from whom some
information might be expected, is still
alive, and a resident of Illinois, but
cannot be met with at present. He may
hereafter be found, and will, no doubt,
afford material for a conclusion of Mr.
Pym's account.

The loss of two or three final chapters
(for there were but two or three) is the
more deeply to be regretted, as it can
not be doubted they contained matter
relative to the Pole itself, or at least
to regions in its very near proximity;
and as, too, the statements of the
author in relation to these regions may
shortly be verified or contradicted by
means of the governmental expedition now
preparing for the Southern Ocean.

On one point in the narrative some
remarks may well be offered; and it
would afford the writer of this appendix
much pleasure if what he may here
observe should have a tendency to throw
credit, in any degree, upon the very
singular pages now published. We allude
to the chasms found in the island of
Tsalal, and to the whole of the figures
upon pages 245-47 {of the printed
edition--ed.}.

(Note: No figures were included with
this text)

Mr. Pym has given the figures of the
chasms without comment, and speaks
decidedly of the indentures found at the
extremity of the most easterly of these
chasms as having but a fanciful
resemblance to alphabetical characters,
and, in short, as being positively not
such. This assertion is made in a manner
so simple, and sustained by a species of
demonstration so conclusive (viz., the
fitting of the projections of the
fragments found among the dust into the
indentures upon the wall), that we are
forced to believe the writer in earnest;
and no reasonable reader should suppose
otherwise. But as the facts in relation
to all the figures are most singular
(especially when taken in connection
with statements made in the body of the
narrative), it may be as well to say a
word or two concerning them all-this,
too, the more especially as the facts in
question have, beyond doubt, escaped the
attention of Mr. Poe.

Figure 1, then, figure 2, figure 3, and
figure 5, when conjoined with one
another in the precise order which the
chasms themselves presented, and when
deprived of the small lateral branches
or arches (which, it will be remembered,
served only as a means of communication
between the main chambers, and were of
totally distinct character), constitute
an Ethiopian verbal root-the root "To be
shady,'--whence all the inflections of
shadow or darkness.

In regard to the "left or most
northwardly" of the indentures in figure
4, it is more than probable that the
opinion of Peters was correct, and that
the hieroglyphical appearance was really
the work of art, and intended as the
representation of a human form. The
delineation is before the reader, and he
may, or may not, perceive the
resemblance suggested; but the rest of
the indentures afford strong
confirmation of Peters' idea. The upper
range is evidently the Arabic verbal
root "To be white," whence all the
inflections of brilliancy and whiteness.
The lower range is not so immediately
perspicuous. The characters are somewhat
broken and disjointed; nevertheless, it
can not be doubted that, in their
perfect state, they formed the full
Egyptian word. "The region of the
south.' It should be observed that these
interpretations confirm the opinion of
Peters in regard to the "most
northwardly" of the figures. The arm is
outstretched toward the south.

Conclusions such as these open a wide
field for speculation and exciting
conjecture. They should be regarded,
perhaps, in connection with some of the
most faintly detailed incidents of the
narrative; although in no visible manner
is this chain of connection complete.
Tekeli-li! was the cry of the affrighted
natives of Tsalal upon discovering the
carcase of the white animal picked up at
sea. This also was the shuddering
exclamatives of Tsalal upon discovering
the carcass of the white materials in
possession of Mr. Pym. This also was the
shriek of the swift-flying, white, and
gigantic birds which issued from the
vapory white curtain of the South.
Nothing white was to be found at Tsalal,
and nothing otherwise in the subsequent
voyage to the region beyond. It is not
impossible that "Tsalal," the
appellation of the island of the chasms,
may be found, upon minute philological
scrutiny, to betray either some alliance
with the chasms themselves, or some
reference to the Ethiopian characters so
mysteriously written in their
windings.

"I have graven it within the hills, and
my vengeance upon the dust within the
rock."

Notes

*1. Whaling vessels are usually fitted
with iron oil-tanks--why the Grampus was
not I have never been able to
ascertain.

*2. The case of the brig Polly, of
Boston, is one so much in point, and her
fate, in many respects, so remarkably
similar to our own, that I cannot
forbear alluding to it here. This
vessel, of one hundred and thirty tons
burden, sailed from Boston, with a cargo
of lumber and provisions, for Santa
Croix, on the twelfth of December, 1811,
under the command of Captain Casneau.
There were eight souls on board besides
the captain--the mate, four seamen, and
the cook, together with a Mr. Hunt, and
a negro girl belonging to him. On the
fifteenth, having cleared the shoal of
Georges, she sprung a leak in a gale of
wind from the southeast, and was finally
capsized; but, the masts going by the
board, she afterward righted. They
remained in this situation, without
fire, and with very little provision,
for the period of one hundred and
ninety-one days (from December the
fifteenth to June the twentieth), when
Captain Casneau and Samuel Badger, the
only survivors, were taken off the wreck
by the Fame, of Hull, Captain
Featherstone, bound home from Rio
Janeiro. When picked up, they were in
latitude 28 degrees N., longitude 13
degrees W., having drifted above two
thousand miles! On the ninth of July the
Fame fell in with the brig Dromero,
Captain Perkins, who landed the two
sufferers in Kennebeck. The narrative
from which we gather these details ends
in the following words:

"It is natural to inquire how they could
float such a vast distance, upon the
most frequented part of the Atlantic,
and not be discovered all this time.
They were passed by more than a dozen
sail, one of which came so nigh them
that they could distinctly see the
people on deck and on the rigging
looking at them; but, to the
inexpressible disappointment of the
starving and freezing men, they stifled
the dictates of compassion, hoisted
sail, and cruelly abandoned them to
their fate."

*3. Among the vessels which at various
times have professed to meet with the
Auroras may be mentioned the ship San
Miguel, in 1769; the ship Aurora, in
1774; the brig Pearl, in 1779; and the
ship Dolores, in 1790. They all agree in
giving the mean latitude fifty-three
degrees south.

*4. The terms morning and evening, which
I have made use of to avoid confusion in
my narrative, as far as possible, must
not, of course, be taken in their
ordinary sense. For a long time past we
had had no night at all, the daylight
being continual. The dates throughout
are according to nautical time, and the
bearing must be understood as per
compass. I would also remark, in this
place, that I cannot, in the first
portion of what is here written, pretend
to strict accuracy in respect to dates,
or latitudes and longitudes, having kept
no regular journal until after the
period of which this first portion
treats. In many instances I have relied
altogether upon memory.

*5. This day was rendered remarkable by
our observing in the south several huge
wreaths of the grayish vapour I have
spoken of.

*6. The marl was also black; indeed, we
noticed no light colored substances of
any kind upon the island.

*7. For obvious reasons I cannot pretend
to strict accuracy in these dates. They
are given principally with a view to
perspicity of narrative, and as set down
in my pencil memorandum..