PERILS AND INCIDENTS. 215 



but with the loss of another of her crew, all on 

 board having been up to their arms in the 

 water during the last forty-eight hours. Two 

 of the survivors were seized with delirium, all 

 of them having been without a morsel of food 

 or drink, and suffering painfully from thirst. 



Thus disabled, no one on board being able 

 to ply at the oars, and with only a small frag- 

 ment of the boat's sail remaining, it was deter- 

 mined to make for Cocus Island, on the Peru- 

 vian coast, a distance of about one thousand 

 miles, as the nearest land. Accordingly, the 

 piece of the sail was used to the best advantage, 

 and the ceiling of the boat was torn up, and 

 also employed as a wind-propeller, and steering 

 in a north-easterly direction. 



Captain Hosmer says, nothing occurred wor- 

 thy of remark until the seventh day, the crew 

 having, in the mean time, been without a particle 

 of food or drink, and not a drop of rain having 

 fallen. In this dreadful state of suffering, it 

 was mutually agreed to cast lots as to which of 

 the number should be sacrificed to prolong the 

 lives of his companions; and the unfortunate 



