1S52.] TEN DAYS IN THE BOATS. 275 



see the red glare which our burning vessel cast over us. It 

 was now a magnificent spectacle, for the decks had completely 

 burnt away, and as it heaved and rolled with the swell of the 

 sea, presented its interior towards us filled with liquid flame, 

 a fiery furnance tossing restlessly upon the ocean. 



At length morning came; the dangers of the night were past, 

 and with hopeful hearts we set up our little masts, and rigged 

 our sails, and, bidding adieu to the still burning wreck of our 

 ship, went gaily bounding along before a light east wind. And 

 then pencils and books were hunted out, and our course and 

 distance to Bermuda calculated ; and we found that this, the 

 nearest point of land in the vast waste of waters round us, was 

 at least seven hundred miles away. But still we went on full 

 of hope, for the wind was fair, and we reckoned that, if it did 

 not change, we might make a hundred miles a day, and so in 

 seven days reach the longed-for haven. 



As we had supped but scantily the night before, we had now 

 good appetites, and got out our ham and pork, biscuit and 

 wine and water, and made a very hearty meal, finding that 

 even uncooked meat was not to be despised where no fire 

 could be got to cook it with. 



The day was fine and warm, and the floating seaweed, called 

 gulf-weed, was pretty abundant. The boats still required 

 almost incessant baling, and though we did not ship many seas, 

 yet there was quite enough spray to keep us constantly wet. 

 At night we got a rope fastened to the long-boat, for her to 

 tow us, in order that we might not get separated ; but as we 

 sailed pretty equally, we kept both sails up. We passed a 

 tolerable night under the circumstances. The next day, the 

 8th, was fine, gulf-weed still floated plentifully by us, and there 

 were numerous flying-fish, some of which fell into our boats, 

 and others flew an immense distance over the waves. I now 

 found my hands and face very much blistered by the sun, and 

 exceedingly sore and painful. At night two boobies, large 

 dusky sea-birds with very long wings, flew about us. During 

 the night I saw several meteors, and in fact could not be in a 

 better position for observing them, than lying on my back in a 

 small boat in the middle of the Atlantic. We also saw a flock 

 of small birds fly by, making a chirping noise ; the sailors did 

 not know what they were. 



The 9th was again fine and hot, and my blistered hands 



