Polynesian., 1851-05-10
THE SKELETON OF THE WRECK


mand of the Amethyst, frigate, and was
cruising in the Bay of Biscay, the wreck of
merchant ship drove past. Her deck was
Just above water her lower masts alone
standing. Not soul could be seen on
board but there was a caboose on deck
which had the appearance of being recently
patched with old canvas and tarpauling, as if
to afford shelter to some forlorn remnant OF
the crew. Ii blew, at this time, strong
gale; but Sir Michael, listening only to the
dictates of humanity, ordered the ship to be
put about, and sent off boat with instruc-
tons to board the wreck, and ascertain If
there was any being still surviving, whom
the help of fellow man might save from the
grasp of death The boat rowed toward she
drifting mass, and, while struggling with the
difficulty of getting through high-running
sea, close along side, (the crew shouting, all
the time, as loud as they could, an object
resembling bundle of clothes was observed
TO roll out of the caboose, AGAINST ;ine shroud.,
OF lie mast. With the end of boat-hook
they managed to get hold Of it, and hauled il
into the boat, when it proved 20 be the trunk
of man, bent head and knees together, aud
so wasted away, as scarce to be felt with
the ample clothes, which had once fitted il
in Il state Of health and strength. The whole
boats crew hastened back TO the Amethyst
with this miserable remnant of mortality; and
so sma'. was it in bulk, that lad of fourteen
Years was able, with his own hands, TO lift II
into the ship. When placed OH deck, ii dis
played, for the first time, TO the astoni>hment
of all, signs of remaining life; IT tried to
move, and next moment uttered, in a sepnl-
chral tone, 81 There is another man - The
instant these words were heard, Sir Michael
ordered the boat to shove off again, for the
wreck. The sea having now become some
what smoother, they succeeded, this time, in
boarding the wreck; and on looking into the
caboose, they found two other human bodies,
wasted, like the one they had saved, to the
very bones, but without the least spark of
life remaining. They were sitting in shrunk
up posture; a hand of one resting on tin
pot in which there was about gill of water !;
and a hand of the other reaching to the deck,
as If to regain bit of raw salt beef, of the
size of walnut, which had dropped from It's
nerveless grasp. Unfortunate, men They
had starved on their scanty store, until they
had not strength remaining to lift the last
morsel to their mouths : The boats crew,
having completed their melancholy survey.
returned on board, where they found the at
tention of the ships company engrossed by
the efforts made to preserve the generous
skeleton, who seemed to have Just life enough
to breathe the remembrance that there was
still '' another man." his companion in suf-
fering, to be saved. Captain S. committed
him to the special charge ofthe surgeon, who
spared no means which humanity or skill
could suggest, to achieve the noble object of
re-creating, as it were, fellow creature,
whom famine had stripped of almost every
living energy. For three weeks he scarcely
left his patient, giving him nourishrnent with
his own hands, every five or ten minutes
and at the end of three weeks more, the
'' skeleton of the wreck - was walking on
the deck of the Amethyst; and-to the sur
prise of all who recoIlected that he had been
lifted into the ship by cabin boy-presented
the stately figure of man nearly six feet
high.