Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-05-23

c,,7;nn ON ;he remnani Of my crew in silence,
aud they upon me, hopeless and speecn'ess'
7 looked al The brilliant stars that shone IN
tronioal glory. with feverish and impatient ieeir
;nps. wishing were among them, OF oereiI OF
consciousness, or were any thing but man
A heavy prescntment of Increasing e''' oo,e
down nv spirits The scene, SO beauti'u' d
any other time, was terrible under any cireu'
stances. | was overwhelmed with preseh,
and anticipated misery, Thirty years "aa
heen accustomed 10 q sea life, but had he'e
contemplated lha, so horrible situation aS
mine was possible; / had never lmasiheu any
state half so frighiul could exist, though Storm,
had often placed my life IN jeopardy, ana nau
been twice shipwrecked. In the last misi"'' u"I
mind and body were actively empioyed' anu
bad 10 leisure to brood over the future. 10 os
massive. as now was, with destruction creeP~
ing towards me inch by inch, 20 perceive '''e
most horrible fate advancing SLOWLY upon me-
and be obliged 20 avail. its approach, pih'o''vu'
fixed to the spot; poweriess, unable 10 Keep wv
hope of deli,erance alive by eXeruon-s'C"
situation was the extreme OF mortal SUFFERING
i pain of mind, language is inadequate |" os
scribe, and endured in silence the full weiSh'
of It's infliction.
My mate and cabin boy were now taher WI
Will Stokes, the oldest seaman on ooaro,
brca,hed his last, Just a, the going down OF The
sun. At midnight another died. By the ilE"'
of the stars we committed them 10 the ocean,
though while wrapping The hammock rouna
the body Of the last the efluyia from the rapiG
nu,refaction was So overpowering and nanseous
liza, i, was with difficulty got upon deck ana
flung into its unGathomsble grave The dull
plash of the carcass, as it plunged, shall never
forget, raising lucid circles on tie dark unrul>
fed water, and breaking the obstinate silence
of the time; il struck my heart with a thrili'nS
cbiIlpess; rush Of Undesirable teelng came
over me- Even now this sePulchral sound
strikes al times on my ear during sleep, IN lis
loneliness of horror, and fancy am again III
the shin. These mournIul entombments we're
viewed BY US 1t last with that unconcern which
las shCwn By men rendered desperate from cir
Gums ances. Disease and dissolution were
become every day matters 10 Us, ana the ira'
of death had lost its power; nay, we rather
tremblcd al the lhough Of surviving; mus does
habiude lit US for the mos, terrible situations
The last precaulion took was TO remove The
sick 70 the deck, under the shelter OF 4 wet SAL
10 afford them ooolncss. The mex, that died
was m, old ,owusman job Watson Just after
Ihad seen him expire, about ten O'Clock IN the
eve ing, when all around was like the stIlness
in dead world, was hanging over the 'atfri
AND looking upon The oceans face, that from
its placidity aud attraction to the eve was, 10
me and mine, like an angel Of destruction cloth
ed IN beauty when, on a sudden, became from
al SeEE lhingl
an apathy Came upon me- little removed rom
des pair / was ready for my destiny, come
when it might | got rid Of load Of anxiety
that could not have carried much longer, So
that when even the rising Of the moon showed
me the body Of me mate, which we had thrown
into the water, floating on It's back, half DIS
enveloped from is hammnck--when dis
tiHclly saw its li,id features covered only by
an inch of transparent sea, and a huge shark
preparing its hungry jaws to prey upon
it; drew not back, but kept my eye coldly
upon il, as if it had been the most Indifferent
object upon earth; for | was as Insenslble 10
emotion as statue would have been. This ill.,
Sensibility enabled me TO undertake office for
the sick, and TO drag the bodies Of the dead to
the ships side and fling them overboard for al
last no one else was left 10 do it. All save my
self were attacked with the same disorder, and
one by one die d before the ninth day was com-
pleted. save James Robson, the least athletic
man had, and who Judging from constitution,
=
order left him weak as child; gave him the
most nourishing things could find, Icarried
him mere skeleton into my cabin, and placed
him on a fresh bed Anglng his own and all
the others overheard, l valued him as the on
~ living thing with me in the vessel, though
had I've died, should at The time have iell lit {.
tie additional pain. | regarded him as one
brute animal would have looked at another in
SUCH a situation.
How the ship was to be navisated by one
man, and what means | possessed Of keeping
her afoat in case blowing weather should come
on, gave me no apprehension; was toe much
proof against the fear Of the future, or any dan
ger that it might bring: Robson could give me
no assistance, had therefore to rely on my
own exerlion for every thing. II the vessel ev-
er moved again, l must hand and steer
though, from the continuation OF lhe calm, il
did not Seem likely l should be soon called up.
on deck, and could steep, either by day or
night, only by short snalches, extended at full
length near the helm. On the tenth night,
while he was yet il ihr repose Of the grave