May.] 



CANNIBALISM. 



413 



board, one of whom was my brother-in-law, a lad of nearly sixteen 

 years. The other three were so completely exhausted, from heat and 

 fatigue, and so sickened by having seen their unfortunate shipmates 

 butchered and mangled by those ferocious cannibals, that they were 

 totally unfit for duty. The mercury in the thermometer was now up to 

 107° in the draught of the companion-way. Our situation was far 

 from being enviable. 



But still there was no time to be lost. The savages were rendered 

 doubly desperate by the failure of their diabolical scheme of treachery, 

 and the loss of so many of their party. Their strength was moment- 

 arily increasing by a general turn-out from all the other islands, and 

 preparations were quickly completed for attacking the Antarctic with an 

 overwhelming force, while I had only eleven efficient men to defend the 

 vessel. Under such circumstances we thought it best to slip the cable 

 and make sail, which was soon effected. In the next moment, every 

 man was at his quarters, ready to receive the enemy, who was now 

 advancing with an immense flotilla of canoes. 



In this critical emergency, Heaven interposed in our favour. A gentle 

 breeze sprang up from the eastward, and we soon perceived, to our 

 great joy, that the canoes were dropping astern, and that the savages 

 had relinquished the chase. Fortunate indeed was it for us that they 

 did so, for the wind shortly died away to a dead calm ; and at the same 

 time (a little after 2 P. M.) every man on board, with the single ex- 

 ception of myself, was seized with a violent vomiting, which continued 

 all that afternoon, and the greater part of the night, during which 

 period I was several times apprehensive for their lives. This sick- 

 ness was not the effect of fear ; but was no doubt produced by the 

 horrors they had just witnessed; the heart-rending spectacle of their 

 slaughtered shipmates lying mangled on the beach, while some of their 

 ruthless butchers were cutting and carving them with their own cut- 

 lasses ! Others again were churning their spears into the writhing 

 bodies of those who yet had life ! 



It was very fortunate that the natives did not come upon us at this 

 time ; if they had, they must inevitably have taken the vessel. Had 

 such been the case, however, their success would have been their 

 destruction ; for one of the wounded, a man on whom I could depend, 

 was stationed at the magazine with a lighted match, to be applied to 

 the powder if the natives got command of the deck. 



Having now a few moments for reflection, I took a telescope and 

 directed my attention to the island. Fires were kindled on the beach, 

 in every direction, among the dead bodies of my unfortunate crew, 

 from which those hell-hounds were cutting the flesh, and roasting it in 

 the fire ; and then, with savage ferocity, tearing it to pieces with their 

 teeth, while from the half-cooked fragment the fresh blood was running 

 down their ebony chins ! 



" Torn limb from limb, he spreads the horrid feast, 

 And fierce devours it, like a mountain beast ; 

 He sucks toe marrow, and the blood he drains, 

 Nor entrails, flesh, nor solid bone remains." — Dryden. 



Soon after, they began to drag the bodies of their own fallen comrades 



