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 expectation, sleeping
until my companions, who had not been so fortunate, aroused me at
daybreak to renew our attempts at getting up provision from the hull.
It was now a dead calm, with the sea as smooth as I 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's 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 a 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 ballast 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. Towards 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 of
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 arouse
him. Thinking that a plunge in the seawater 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 à
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 towards 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 now 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 of human misery and despair, by perceiving the ship
all at once with her stern fully presented towards 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 towards 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.