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 every instant. It is not too
much to say that our heads were not fairly out of 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 anything, 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 anything 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 endeavour 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 towards 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 hope that Augustus would recover, as he evinced no signs
of life; but, upon getting to him, we discovered that he had merely
swooned from 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 recognising 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 despondingly, 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 into 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 ancles,
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 vigour to think what could yet be done by
mortal means towards accomplishing our deliverance.