Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-10-23


exception mentioned. The lad dying
before our eyes, the longing for his
blood came upon US, and on Friday
morning, the twentieth day of our
being cast away, the master hsstened
his death by bleeding him. In
minute all was over. ]. will leave
you to imagine how We subsisted on
the body until Tuesday, July 20, the
twenty-fourth day Of our being in
the boat, when we were picked up by
the German bark Montezuma of Ham, |
burg, Capt. Tremonsen. 1 don't re-
member hearing anything at all, but
know was expected to hold his
feet if he struggled but he did not.
The fact is, you can't carry your
recollection back TO the thing at all
properly. We don't know what we did !;
we were maddened with thirst and
hunger; but l know 1 did not suffer
from thirst and hunger as the others
did for the first eight days. I had
hardly anything to eat, and 1 never
thought of eating any Of the turtle
until it was about three parts gone.
Drink was all l wanted.
The boys death saved our lives,
for we should all have been dead be-
fore the time We were picked up.
Parker was a nice lad-a regular
kitchen ferryman, honest, and always
willing to do everything he was told,
which is a great virtue in boy on
board ship.
THE CAPTAINS CONFESSION.
The captain, who is a stout-built,
fair-bearded man of middle height,
looks fairly we'll, but he is still very
weak. He wears slippers on his feet,
as they are still too tender to admit
of putting boots on. When the un-
fortunate men were picked up both
his legs were much swollen, and it
was only after a long course of blis-
tering and bandaging that they were
reduced to a normal size.
Capt. Dudley, in an interview in
the. afternoon, conversed freely
about the terrible occurrence. After
detailing the earlier part of the voy-
age Of the Mlgnonette from South
ampton to Madeira, and their after
ward signalling an Italian bark and
speaking the Bride of Lorne, he
said:-
Day after day passed, and on the
eleventh day we had finished the tur-
tie, and had nothing left except the
two fms; but we ate every portion,
even the bones. The fat Of the turtle
proved very nutritious, and we got
water q few times when there were
showers by catching the rain in our
oilskins, though sometimes when we
had little drop a sea broke into il
and spoiled it, so that we had to
throw it away.
| We went on from the fifteenth to
the twentieth day without any food
at all or drink, and by that time We
had began to look each other in the
face very black. The boy, who had
drank some sea water at night, had
said: "We shall all die," and re-
marked, "We shall have to draw
lots, boys"
This was ignored by all, and they
said: ave had better die together >
to which 1 replied, $50 let it be
but it is hard for four to die whel
perhaps one might save the rest"
; A day or two before 1 suggested
we should try and make some kint
: of sail, which we did with our shirt
: rugged on an oar for mast and
, strand of the painter for shrouds ant
: stays. Things now looked as bad a
t they could.
On either the nineteenth or TWEEN
s tieth day the boy was lying in th
bottom of the boat, where he ha'
: been for two days, gasping for breat
and nearly dead. At about o'cloc
+, in the morning l said to the mate
;, "What is to be done? Ibelieve tha
n boy is dying. You have wife an
i five children, and l have q wife an
e three children" 1 said that huma
L flesh had been eaten before.
b Stephens replied: ''See wins
e daylight brings FORTH
t. Brooks took his watch at o'clocI
: and we made motions to each othe
/ Brooks said he could not do it, an
1. Stephens said he could not do it.
W told Brooks to go forward, whic
@ he did. 1 then took hold of til
q shrouds, and had a last look roun
n to see if anything was in sight. bt
st there was nothing. l offered up
E. prayer most fervently that &c
|: above might forgive us for such O
q act, and then l knelt down by IL
boy and said: "Now, Dick, II
ID boy, your time has come"
,h He murmured: "What, me, sir
TO l put the penknife in his throa
ty and he was dead instantly.
to The captain further stated no
il, they drank the blood Of the poor DO
IS and lived upon his flesh for the ne
lie four days. On the twenty-four
as day, when they had almost given
Id all hope, Brooks called out. about
off O'Clock in the morning, "Sail, oh
he In an hour and half the Montez
ms ma was alongside, and they were ii
as ed to the deck. The remains of {
l., T., Al, ~.