"A SAIL! A SAIL!" 287 



though there was a heavy swell in the sea, and we were all up to our middle in water. 

 William Angus, poor fellow, was of no use in the boat. When leaving the ship, he had 

 thrown himself overboard, fell upon my back, and cut his head severely. He appeared in a 

 state of despondency for the loss of his brother ; and another poor fellow had part of the 

 fingers of one of his hands chopped off. At two o'clock the sun shone forth in all his 

 splendour. By this time we had taken up some of the bottom boards of the boat, and these 

 we had converted into paddles, rudder, and mast. Lieut. Grrylls took from off his head his 

 shirt, which he had previously wrapped around it, and made a flag of it ; and in lieu thereof 

 I tore off the skirts of my coat, one of which I tied around his head, and with the other I 

 made a cap for myself. The remainder of that coat I still have, and will preserve as a 

 memento ; and so I ought, for it served as a protection against the pouring rain, while our 

 bodies lay partially submerged in the water and the waves at times dashed over us. This 

 coat became most useful to me afterwards, during the eleven days on board the galliot, for 

 it served as a pocket-handkerchief, napkin, &c. 



" There was a peculiar death-like feeling produced by being obliged to sit in the water 

 all night, while at the same time the whole body was saturated with the rain and the 

 billows poured their waters over us. At one time, shivering with cold and wet, I strove to 

 keep my back pressed against another person to preserve the vital heat. Such cold I never 

 felt before. The casks which we found in the boat were of essential use. How wonderful 

 that they should have remained in the boat when she capsized and threw out the oars, for 

 without them she must have swamped. 



" Dismal were the thoughts suggested on that day as to the future. Will a storm arise? 

 If so, our little vessel cannot live ; she must be overwhelmed by the raging billows ! How 

 long can we remain in the midst of the wide extended ocean ? Shall we starve perish with 

 hunger? Such were the gloomy forebodings, when the thrilling, joyful exclamation of 

 ' A sail ! ' burst from the lips of one of the crew. Then followed the exclamation of, ' Oh, 

 I hope she sees us ! Does she hear us ? Is she coming this way ? ' She was then on the 

 very verge of the horizon, and disappeared ! Mute despair was then plainly perceptible in 

 every face. I had made up my mind to die of starvation, but thought I could exist without 

 food for a long time, for having once been ill in Paris for three weeks without even having 

 tasted food of any sort during the whole of the time, I felt now prepared to go through the 

 same ordeal. But again the joyful sound was uttered by Lieut. Grylls, ' I see another 

 sail!' W'e then commenced tearing up the boards from the bottom of the boat, and 

 converting one of them into a mast, upon which we attached a shirt as a signal of distress, 

 and breaking the rest of them into paddles and a helm, we determined, as our lives depended 

 upon it, to make a desperate effort to approach the welcome visitor. Hour after hour was 

 passing away our progress through the waves was slow, and the sailors were beginning 

 to relax their efforts at the paddles in utter hopelessness. The sun was fast fading away, 

 and the horrors of another night at sea in an open boat stared us in the face. I begged, 

 prayed, and entreated the men to continue their exertions, that with the light of day we 

 still had hope; an hour perhaps a few minutes may bring us near enough to be seen. 

 Alas ! there were four out of the thirteen quite helpless viz., poor Angus, the man who had 

 lost his fingers, a boy, and a Spanish gentleman, who appeared to have become quite 



