Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1828-05-21

man. y heavy presentluent CT increasing
evil bore down my spirits. The scene, 50
beautiful at any other time, was terrible an
der my circumstances. was overwhclmcd
with present and anticipated misery. Thir-
ty years had been accustomed to a sca-,iia.
out had never contemplated that so horri-
bic situation as mime was possible. had
never imagined any state half so frighttul
could exist, tho storms had often laced nv
Ito III jeopardy, and had been twice ship
wrecked. In the last misfortune mind aad
boay were actively employed, and had no
ieisure TO brood over the future. 20 be pas
PlVe, as now was, Wit, destruction creep
ing towards me inch by inca, 30 perceive the
most horrible fate advancing slowly upon
me, anu be obliged to await It's approach
Pinloneei, fixed to the spot, powerlcss. una
BILE to keep the hope OF deiyerancc alive by
eXertion-such situation was t.c extreme
OF mortal suffering, Il pain OF mad language
Is inadequate to describe, and endured in
silence the full weight of It's iniiiction.
MY mate and CABIN boy were n0~ taken
with the disease, and on the evening OF the
fifth day VIII Stokes, the oldest sea
man on board, breathed lis last, us. at
the going down of the sun. Al midnight
another died. BY the light OF the stars we
committed them to the ocean, though while
wrapping the hammock round the BODY of
the last, the efiiuvia from the rapid putrc-
faction was so overpoWering and nauseeus.
that II was with difficulty got upon deck and
flung INTO its uniathomubic crave. The dull
plush OF the carcass, dis it plunged, [ shall
never forget, raising lucid circles on the dark
unrutled water, &, breaking thcsilence oftgc
time" II struck NY heart u.it! t',,ii!;le~ chill!
ness; u rush OF understandable feeling came o.
yer me. Even now this sepuic,lrai sound
strikes at times on my car during sleep, in
It's loneliness of horror, ana fancy am a.
gain in the ship. These mournfiii cntom.,-
ments were viewed by us at last with that
unconcern which is shown by men rendered
desperate from circumstances Disease and
dissolution were become every day mt
tiers to us, and the fear tdcath had lost
IFS power; nay, we rGtEer trenlbled at the
thought OF surviving; thus does habituCie fit
us tor the most terrible situations. The last
precauton took was to remove the sick to
the deck, unc n the shelter of a wet sail. 70
afford them GOODNESS.
| The next that died was my Old tov-nsInaD.
lob Watson. Just after had seen him en-
pre-, about ten O'Clock in the evening, when
ali around was like the stiffness in a dead
world, Twas hanging over the taffrail and
looking upon the oceans face that from it's
placldlty and attraction to the eve was TO
me and mine, like an angel OF destruction
clothed in beauty, when on sudden | be-
came free from anxiety, obdurate, reckless OF
every thing. Imagined had taken leave OF
! hope forever and an apathy cune upon ME
NJ IN 4 -
my destiny, come when i: might. | eot rid
OF load OF anxiety that could not have
carried much longer, so that whcD even the
rising OF the moon showed ple tho body of
the mate, which VIC had thrown into the wn-
ter, floating on its back, half disenvelopcd
from It's hammock-when distinctly saw its
llVld features covered only by an incl, OF
transparent sea, and huge shark pgepa-
ring Its hungry Jaws to prey upon il, drew.
not back, but kept my eye coldly upon it,
as If 1t had been the most indifferent object
upon earth; for was as inscnsbie to enc
ton as a statue you'd have been.
This insensibiIity enabled me 10 undertake
an office for the sick, and to drag tie bodies
of the dead to the ships side and fling them
oFe!board. for at last no one else was left TO
do it. All, save myself, were attacked With
the disorder, IL one by one died before the
ninth day was completed, save James Bob
son, the least athletic man had, and who
Judging from constitution, was but little like
ly to have survived. The disorder left him
weak dis a child; gave him the most nour.
ishing things could find carried him a
mere skeleton into my cabin, and placed
him on fresh bed, tlinging his own and all
the others overheard. / valued him as the
only living thing with me in the vessel, though
had he died. should at the time have felt
little additional pain. regarded him as
one brute animal would have looked at an
other in such situation.
How the ship was to be nayigatc3 bv ore
man, and what means possessed ofkeepng
her ailoat in case blowing weather should
come on, gave me no apprehension; | was
too much proof against the fear of the fll-
turc, or any danger that it might bring
Robson could give ne no assistance; had
therefore to rely on M own eXcrtion for cv-
cry thing. If the vessel ever moved again,
must hand and stecr-though, from the
continuation Of the calm, it did not seem