The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-10-28

thirst under which we languished.'
We here omit portion of the narra-
tive, the incidents of which are too
horrible for contemplation. It will
| suffice to inform our reader that the
sufferers were impelled by hunger and
thirst to the dreadful expedient of eating
portions of the bodies of their dead
comrades, and drinking their blood.
We spare them the details related by
Mr.. Boys, and will merely remark that
the dire alternative from starvation was
undoubtedly the means of preserving
the lives of thoses who survived.
con the seventh day." continues the
narrator, ''our number was reduced to
twelve. At night the wind came up
moderately at S. E. as we judged, and
increased till it blew storm, which
continued, with very thick weather, I'LL
abnt four the next morning, when it
cleared up, and we found the wind
about N. N. E. still blowing hard,
and the sea breaking in a tremendous
manner all around us.
During the gale we We're obliged to
scud before the wind, which carried us
much out Of our way, and greatly dimin-
ished our expectation of reaching land.
Our only hope was to be seen and taken
up by some vessel, if the weather should
| be clear, which indeed was seldom the
| case.
'sOur deluded fancies often represent
ed to us the forms of ships SO plain and
near that we called to them long time
before we were undeceived ; and at night
by the same delusion-the effects, prob
ably, of fever-we heard bells ring,
close to us, and blamed these phantoms
for their cruelty in not attending to our
distress
ssOn the 9Th and 9th July three more
of our company died. In the afternoon
of the 9th we found dead duck, which
was green, and not sweet but we ate it,
and heartily praised Heaven for it though
in happier situation it would have been
an object offensive and disguting.
July 7th, in the forenoon, we took
| formal leave of one another, and lay
down in the bottom of the boat with
dead body which we tried, but had not
strength, to throw overheard, never ex-
pecting to get up again. We covered
ourselves with the sail, which we had
| lowered some time before, in depair
of its being of further use to u.s.
After awhile, finding myself uneasy,
and wanting to change my posture,
about one in the afternoon, L laid my
hand on the gunwale to raise myself
little, and in the act of turning, thought
I saw land, but said nothing till was
| perfectly satisfied of its reality, having
| frequently suffered the most grievous
disappointment in mistaking fog-banks
for land. When L cried out Gland
land !' and we were all convinced that
it was so-good heavens what were our
! emotions and exertion
''From the lowest state of desponding
weakness we were at once raised to
ecstacy and degree of vigor that was as
tonishing to ourselves. We hoisted the
sail Immediately. The boatswain, who
was the strongest man in the boat,
| crawled to the stern and took the tiller.
Two others found strength to row, from
which we had desisted the four preced-
| ing days, through weakness. At four
o'clock another man died, and we manag-
| ed to throw both the bodies overheard.
''The land, when first discovered it,
was about six leagues off. The wind
was favorable, and with sails and oars,
we went three or four knots. About six
o'clock we perceived some schallops in
with the land. We steered for the
nearest. and came up with her about
half-past seven, just as he was getting
under sail to carry in her fish. We hal
| loed to them as loud as we could, and
| they lowered their sail to wait for us
| but when we were close on board, to
our grief and astonishment, they hoist
ed their sail again, and were going to
leave us. Our means, however, were so
piteous and expressive that they soon
brought to, and took us in tow. They
mistook us for Indians, or rather, as
they told us, did not know what to think
of us, our whole aspect was so unaccount-
ably dismal and horrible. They gave
us biscuit and water, but the latter only
was acceptable, having totally lost our
appetite for solid food
The boat reached the old harbor of
ST. Lawrence, on the western side of
Placentia Bay, on the coast of Newfound-
land, in the eveing and the poor suffer-
ers were refreshed with chowder-a
dish made of the heads of codfish-and
fermented beverage, made of molasses
and young shoots or juniper. Captain
Killaway died the the next morning,
having been speechless for thirty-six
hours before; and boils and sores broke
out all over the bodies of the others, so
that it was eleven days before any of
them could walk.
On the Goth of July the survivors left
st. Lawrence, and proceeded to Placen
| tia, where they went on board the Lat1-
lo,0 Castle, British man-of-war COM
manded by Captain st. Joe, who treated
them with great kindness. The go-er-
nor of the place paid for the board of
Mr.. Boys and the surgeon at an i'm, and
sent the others to the barracks, where
| tlay were taken car. ,,s and soon ra-