348 DEATH OF SPINNEY. [1829. 



and go to my sick wife and the officers, as they might need my assist- 

 ance. I immediately went aft, where I found that my wife was totally 

 deprived of her reason by the violence of her fever, and that Mr. Hunt 

 was in the same helpless situation. Three of the seamen, also, ap- 

 peared to be struck with death, viz. Alexander Moony, of New- York ; 

 George Strong, of Albany ; and William Baker, of England. They 

 said they believed they were dying, and wished to take their leave of 

 me. I expressed a hope that their present feelings resulted from the 

 breaking of the fever, which was evidently at a crisis, and if such was 

 the case, their sensations must of necessity be very disagreeable ; and 

 that they must not be alarmed at seeing themselves fall away to mere 

 skeletons in a few hours. This was the fact. While the fever was 

 on them, they were apparently gaining flesh ; but the moment the 

 fever left them they became thin and collapsed, attended with exces- 

 sive weakness. 



Poor Spinney, who was lying near them, addressed himself to them 

 with his usual technicality — " Shipmates," said he, " you need not begin 

 to look out for land yet, for you have not yet come anywhere near 

 soundings. I have been on soundings now for about thirty-six hours, 

 with a fair wind, wafting me gently in towards the shore ; and I have 

 lately shoalen'd my water so fast, that I shall soon make the land of 

 Paradise ; where, after passing the channel of death, I shall moor my 

 little vessel head and stern, and keep all a-tanto, as we shall never 

 have a breeze in that Pacific Ocean that will drag such a ship as mine 

 from her moorings." 



He was now silent a few minutes, and then said that he felt himself 

 going very fast. " Captain Morrell," said he, " my life-lines are car- 

 ried away ; but I have got a Branch Pilot that will carry me safely into 

 port. He has already taken the helm, and in a few moments I shall 

 be over the bar, and safely moored in the sailor's snug harbour. Fare- 

 well, captain, and be sure to engage this same Pilot ; He is the only 

 one that has a branch ; and you must engage him beforehand, for 

 such are His conditions. Farewell, shipmates — remember the Pilot — 

 his name is Jesus." 



After saying much more to the same purpose, and thanking God 

 that he retained his senses to the last, he once more gave me his hand, 

 and then said, " Captain, tell me if I lie as I should ;" then folding his 

 hands across his breast, closing his eyes, he once more repeated the 

 words "God bless you, captain! Oh, blessed Jesus, how happy I 

 am to be with thee !" In two minutes more he was a corpse. This 

 occurred at one hour after midnight — a gloomy hour for us all. 



This incident appeared to strike terror into the hearts of all the rest 

 of the crew ; it being the second death in about twenty-six hours, while 

 two others were added to the sick list, with little grounds for hope that 

 any of the sick would recover. The heat of the weather, the mercury 

 being at 93°, rendered it necessary to hasten the funeral obsequies of 

 poor Spinney, which took place, with every customary solemnity, on 

 the following morning, at half-past eleven, A. M., in lat. 22° 30' S., 

 long. 21° 15' W. The scene was rendered more solemn by the still- 

 ness of the atmosphere and the smoothness of the ocean, which spread 



