BURIED ALIVE. 169 



I shoved off— two of the marines being stuck well forward in 

 the bows, the remaining four being seated beside me on the 

 stern-sheets. Instantly we were alongside — " What cheer Don- 

 ovan, my darling ? How are you, man, and how do ye all do ? " 

 "Ah, Benjamin, glad to see you, my boy. I hope you have 

 come to read the service : I 'm to be buried at noon, you know." 

 " Indeed ! " said I, " I know nothing of the kind. I have 

 come on board from the Commodore to know how you are ; he 

 thought you had been ill." 



"Very much obliged," continued the poor fellow; " all that 

 sort of thing might have brought joy some days ago — but 



now!'^ 



"Well, well, Donovan," said I, "come on board with me, 

 and buried you shall be, comfortably from the frigate." 



" Well, I will go. This cursed sailmaker of ours has twice 

 this morning refused to lash me up in the hammock, because he 

 chose to say I was not dead ; so go with you I will." 



The instant the poor fellow addressed himself to enter the 

 boat, he shrank back. " I cannot — I cannot. Sailmaker, bring 

 the shot aft, and do lash me up in my hammock, and heave me 

 comfortably overboard at once." 



The poor sailmaker, who was standing close to, caught my 

 eye, and my ear also. " What shall I do, sir? " said he. 

 I knew the man to be a steady, trustworthy person. 

 " Why, humour him, W^alden ; humour him. Fetch the shot, 

 and lash him up ; but sling him round the waist by a strong 

 three-inch rope, do you hear." 



The man touched his forehead, and slunk away. Presently 

 he returned with the cannon-balls slung in a canvass bag, the 

 usual receptacle of his needles, palms, and thread, and deliber- 

 ately fastened them round Mr. Donovan's legs. He then lashed 

 him up in the hammock, coaxing his arms under the swathing, 

 so that presently, while I held him in play, he had regularly 

 sewed him up into a most substantial straight waistcoat. It 

 would have been laughable enough, if risibility had been par- 

 donable under such melancholy circumstances, to look at the 

 poor fellow as he stood stiff and upright, like a bolt of canvass, 

 on the deck, swaying about, and balancing himself, as the vessel 

 rolled about on the heave of the sea; but by this time the sail- 

 maker had fastened the rope round his waist, one end of which 

 was in the clutch of three strong fellows, with plenty of the slack 

 VOL. v. — 1835. X 



