ANIMAt-S. 339 



Hunger is a much more powerful enemy to man than «atcli- 

 fulness, and kills him much sooner. It may be coiisideredasa dis 

 order that food i-emoves ; and that would quickly be fatal, wi*",!!- 

 out its proper antidote. In fact, it is so terrible to man, that 

 to avoid it he even encounters certain death •, and, rather than 

 endure its tortures, he exchanges them for immediate destruction. 

 However, by what I have been told, it is much more dreadful 

 in its approaches, than in its continuance ; and the pains of a 

 famishing wretch decrease, as his strength diminishes. In the 

 beginning the desire of food is dreadful indeed, as we know 

 by experience, for there are few who have not, in some degree, 

 felt Its approaches. But, after the first or second day, its tor- 

 tures become less terrible, and a total insensibility at length 

 comes kindly in to the poor wretch's assistance. I have talked 

 with the captain of a ship, who was one of six that endured it 

 in its extremities ; and who was the only person that had not 

 lost his senses, when they received accidental relief. He as- 

 siu-ed me, his pains at first were so great, as to be often tempt- 

 ed to cat a part of one of the men who died ; and which the 

 rest of his crew actually for some time lived upon : he said that 

 during the continuance of this paroxysm, he found his pains 

 insupportable ; and was desirous, at one time, of anticipating 

 that death which he thought inevitable : but his pains, he 

 said, gradually decreased, after the sixth day, (for they had 

 water in the ship, which kept them alive so long,) and then 

 he was in a state rather of languor than desire ; nor did he much 

 wish for food, except when he saw others eating ; and that for a 

 while revived his appetite, though with diminished importunity. 

 The latter part of the time, when his health was almost destroyed, 

 a thousand strange images rose upon his mind ; and every one 

 of his senses began to bring him wrong information. The most 

 fragrant perfumes appeared to him to have a foetid smell ; 

 and every thing he looked at took a greenish hue, and sometimes 

 a yellow. When he was presented with food by the ship's com- 

 pany that took him and his men up, four of whom died shortly 

 after, he could not help looking upon it with loathing instead of 

 desire ; and it was not till after four days, that bis stomach was 

 biought to its natural tone, when the violence of his api)etite re. 

 turned, with a sort of canine eagerness. 



Thus dreadful are the effects of hunger; and yet when wo 



2 F 2 



