A BOAT PICKED UP. 349 



heads ; but this had no other effect than that of 

 making them pull harder. The Mars' boat was 

 then lowered, and the chief mate and four hands 

 went into her. The blacks on seeing this jumped 

 overboard ; but the mate calling to them in a 

 conciliating tone, they suffered themselves to be 

 taken up in a state of exhaustion. They had 

 the captain's boat- cloak up for a sail. When 

 questioned, they said they had left the brig 

 Amelia, Captain Glasscott, at four o'clock that 

 morning, in consequence of the captain not hav- 

 ing fulfilled his promise of leaving them at Fer- 

 nando Po, and had made their escape during the 

 morning watch. They also stated that the mate 

 was dead. They were named Jack-Tom, and 

 Bottle-Beer. The latter had a severe cut across 

 his fingers, and was severely bruised and scalded : 

 when I asked him how it happened, he said 

 that the galley had taken fire, and he was injured 

 in attempting to extinguish the flames. A piece 

 of salt beef was in the boat : curiosity induced 

 me to weigh it, which I did, and found it to be 

 two pounds and three quarters only. They had 

 no water in her; so that they must soon have 

 perished had we not picked them up. Their 



