HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY. 143 



Tvere known to have been stored. Simultaneously with this discovery 

 it was found that two of the crew — negroes from the coast of Africa— 

 hadjumped overboard. One of them, refusing to take the rope thrown 

 to him by Captain Wiuslow, soon sank, the other was subsequently 

 picked up by the second mate's boat.* 



Orders were given, and every exertion was made to save the ship, but 

 the position of the fire, the rapidity with which it increased, and the 

 density of the smoke, rendered all their efforts unavailing, and the 

 means of escape became the chief consideration. Attempts were made 

 to procure bread and water, but the smoke in the steerage was so dense 

 that it was impossible to do so. This circumstance led to the belief 

 that the ship had been fired at both ends. Three boats were now low- 

 ered, and in them were placed such stores as the crew could get at, the 

 nautical instruments and some clothing, and the burning wreck was 

 abandoned, the entire crew, save the drowned African, numbering in all 

 23. souls, escaping in safety. 



With the dawning of the day they took an inventory of their sup- 

 plies and found them to consist of about ten gallons of water, fifteen 

 pounds of bread, and a small amount of raw meat taken from the har- 

 ness-cask. By the previous day's reckoning their position was foui^d to 

 be in latitude 34° 30' south, longitude 45^ 50' west — 400 miles from the 

 nearest land. The crew were immediately allowanced to one gill of 

 water and a very small amount of bread per day. The weather was 

 bad, and during the earlier portion of their voyage they were obliged to 

 depend upon their oars to make progress against the head winds. Of 

 course they soon became exhausted, and rowing had to be given up and 

 the sails alone were used, the boats being kept as nearly as possible in 

 the direction of land. 



At about 10 o'clock on the morning of the 5tii of May, the boats being 

 then in latitude 32°, longitude 47°, a sail was discovered. All hands 

 immediately took to the oars, and after five hours of hard rowing, sig- 

 nals of distress being also repeatedly made, the mate's boat came up 

 with the vessel and found her to be a Spanish brig, 100 days from Bar- 

 celona, bound to Montevideo. The captain of the brig made every effort 

 to get away from the shipwrecked mariners, and when the mate's boat 

 came up would not allow it alongside, but passed the crew a rope and 

 towed them some distance astern. When Captain Winslow's boat came 

 up he stated to the Spaniard, through an interpreter, their condition and 

 circumstances, and asked permission for his officers and crew to go on 

 board, but this was peremptorily refused. Equally futile were the en- 

 deavors to get him to take them to Montevideo or St. Catharine's, or 

 even one or two days' sail toward land. Tbe stony-hearted man, with 

 a refinement of cruelty entirely foreign to maritime men, paid no heed 



''The rescued negro confessed that the ship had been fired by his drowned compan- 

 ion and himself. Their fears of being sold into slavery had been excited, and this 

 desperate act was performed as a means of escaping, through death, that more miser- 

 able fate. Before leaping into the sea his companion had stabbed himself. 



