"All in dreary hammock shrouded."
perfectly upright, and floating with the head and shoulders above water.
A slight undulation of the waves gave it the appearance of nodding its
head; while the rays of the moon enabled us to trace the remainder of
the body underneath the surface. For a few moments, I felt a horror
which I cannot describe, and contemplated the object in awful silence;
while my blood ran cold, and I felt a sensation as if my hair was
standing on end. I was completely taken by surprise, and thought the
body had risen to warn me; but in a few seconds I regained my presence
of mind, and I soon perceived the origin of this reappearance of the
corpse. I ordered the cutter to be manned, and, in the meantime, went
down to inform the first lieutenant of what had occurred. He laughed,
and said, "I suppose the old boy finds salt water not quite so palatable
as grog. Tie some more shot to his feet, and bring the old fellow to
his moorings again. Tell him the next time he trips his anchor, not to
run on board of us. He had his regular allowance of prayer: I gave him
the whole service, and I shall not give him any more." So saying, he
went to sleep again.
This apparently singular circumstance is easily accounted for. Bodies
decomposing from putridity, generate a quantity of gas, which swells
them up to an enormous size, and renders them buoyant. The body of this
man was thrown overboard just as decomposition was in progress: the shot
made fast to the feet were sufficient to sink it at the time; but in a
few hours after, were not competent to keep it at the bottom, and it
came up to the surface in that perpendicular position which I have
described. The current in the bay being at the time either slack or
irregular, it floated at the spot whence it had been launched into the
water.
The cutter, being manned, was sent with more shot to attach to the body,
and sink it. When they attempted to hold it with the boat-hook, it
eluded the touch, turning round and round, or bobbing under the water,
and coming up again, as if in sport: but accident saved them any further
trouble; for the bowman, reproached by the boat's crew for not hooking
the body, got angry, and darting the spike of the boat-hook into the
abdomen, the pent-up gas escaped with a loud whiz, and the corpse
instantly sank like a stone. Many jokes were passed on the occasion;
but I was not in humour for joking on serious subjects: and before the
watch was out I had made up my mind to go home, and to quit the service,
as I found I had no chance of obeying my mother's dying injunctions if I
remained where I was.
The next morning I stated my wishes to the captain, not of quitting the
service, but of going home in consequence of family arrangements. This
was about as necessary as that I should make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
The captain had been told of the unpleasant news I had received, and
having listened to all I had to say, he replied, that if I could make up
my mind to remain with him it would be better for me.
"You are now," said he, "accustomed to my ways--you know your duty, and
do your work well; indeed, I have made honourable mention of you to the
Admiralty in my public letter: you know your own business best" (here he
was mistaken--he ought not to have parted with me for the reasons which
I offered); "but my advice to you is to stay."
I thanked him--but being bent and determined on going home, he acceded
to my request, gave me my discharge, and added a very handsome
certificate of good conduct, far beyond the usually prescribed form; he
also told me that if I chose to return to him he would keep a vacancy
for me. I parted with the officers, my mess-mates, and the ship's
company with regret. I had been more than three years with them; and my
stormy commencement had settled down into a quiet and peaceful
acknowledgment of my supremacy in the berth; my qualities were such as
to make me a universal favourite, and I was followed down the ship's
side with the hearty good wishes of all. I was pulled in the cutter on
board of a ship of the line, in which I was ordered to take my passage
to England.