The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 3

CHAPTER 11

WE spent the remainder of the day in a condition of stupid lethargy,gazing after the retreating vessel until the darkness, hiding her fromour sight, recalled us in some measure to our senses. The pangsof hunger and thirst then returned, absorbing all other cares andconsiderations. Nothing, however, could be done until the morning,and, securing ourselves as well as possible, we endeavoured to snatcha little repose. In this I succeeded beyond my expectations, sleepinguntil my companions, who had not been so fortunate, aroused me atdaybreak to renew our attempts at getting up provisions from the hull.

It was now a dead calm, with the sea as smooth as I have ever knownit,--the weather warm and pleasant. The brig was out of sight. Wecommenced our operations by wrenching off, with some trouble, another ofthe forechains; and having fastened both to Peters’ feet, he again madean endeavour to reach the door of the storeroom, thinking it possiblethat he might be able to force it open, provided he could get at itin sufficient time; and this he hoped to do, as the hulk lay much moresteadily than before.

He succeeded very quickly in reaching the door, when, loosening one ofthe chains from his ankle, he made every exertion to force the passagewith it, but in vain, the framework of the room being far stronger thanwas anticipated. He was quite exhausted with his long stay under water,and it became absolutely necessary that some other one of us should takehis place. For this service Parker immediately volunteered; but, aftermaking three ineffectual efforts, found that he could never even succeedin getting near the door. The condition of Augustus’s wounded armrendered it useless for him to attempt going down, as he would beunable to force the room open should he reach it, and it accordingly nowdevolved upon me to exert myself for our common deliverance.

Peters had left one of the chains in the passage, and I found, uponplunging in, that I had not sufficient balance to keep me firmly down.I determined, therefore, to attempt no more, in my first effort, thanmerely to recover the other chain. In groping along the floor of thepassage for this, I felt a hard substance, which I immediately grasped,not having time to ascertain what it was, but returning and ascendinginstantly to the surface. The prize proved to be a bottle, and our joymay be conceived when I say that it was found to be full of portwine. Giving thanks to God for this timely and cheering assistance, weimmediately drew the cork with my penknife, and, each taking a moderatesup, felt the most indescribable comfort from the warmth, strength,and spirits with which it inspired us. We then carefully recorked thebottle, and, by means of a handkerchief, swung it in such a manner thatthere was no possibility of its getting broken.

Having rested a while after this fortunate discovery, I again descended,and now recovered the chain, with which I instantly came up. I thenfastened it on and went down for the third time, when I became fullysatisfied that no exertions whatever, in that situation, would enableme to force open the door of the storeroom. I therefore returned indespair.

There seemed now to be no longer any room for hope, and I could perceivein the countenances of my companions that they had made up theirminds to perish. The wine had evidently produced in them a speciesof delirium, which, perhaps, I had been prevented from feeling by theimmersion I had undergone since drinking it. They talked incoherently,and about matters unconnected with our condition, Peters repeatedlyasking me questions about Nantucket. Augustus, too, I remember,approached me with a serious air, and requested me to lend him apocket-comb, as his hair was full of fish-scales, and he wished to getthem out before going on shore. Parker appeared somewhat less affected,and urged me to dive at random into the cabin, and bring up any articlewhich might come to hand. To this I consented, and, in the firstattempt, after staying under a full minute, brought up a small leathertrunk belonging to Captain Barnard. This was immediately opened in thefaint hope that it might contain something to eat or drink. We foundnothing, however, except a box of razors and two linen shirts. I nowwent down again, and returned without any success. As my head cameabove water I heard a crash on deck, and, upon getting up, saw that mycompanions had ungratefully taken advantage of my absence to drink theremainder of the wine, having let the bottle fall in the endeavourto replace it before I saw them. I remonstrated with them on theheartlessness of their conduct, when Augustus burst into tears. Theother two endeavoured to laugh the matter off as a joke, but I hopenever again to behold laughter of such a species: the distortion ofcountenance was absolutely frightful. Indeed, it was apparent that thestimulus, in the empty state of their stomachs, had taken instant andviolent effect, and that they were all exceedingly intoxicated. Withgreat difficulty I prevailed upon them to lie down, when they fell verysoon into a heavy slumber, accompanied with loud stertorous breathing.

I now found myself, as it were, alone in the brig, and my reflections,to be sure, were of the most fearful and gloomy nature. No prospectoffered itself to my view but a lingering death by famine, or, at thebest, by being overwhelmed in the first gale which should spring up,for in our present exhausted condition we could have no hope of livingthrough another.

The gnawing hunger which I now experienced was nearly insupportable, andI felt myself capable of going to any lengths in order to appeaseit. With my knife I cut off a small portion of the leather trunk, andendeavoured to eat it, but found it utterly impossible to swallow asingle morsel, although I fancied that some little alleviation of mysuffering was obtained by chewing small pieces of it and spittingthem out. Toward night my companions awoke, one by one, each in anindescribable state of weakness and horror, brought on by the wine,whose fumes had now evaporated. They shook as if with a violent ague,and uttered the most lamentable cries for water. Their conditionaffected me in the most lively degree, at the same time causing me torejoice in the fortunate train of circumstances which had preventedme from indulging in the wine, and consequently from sharing theirmelancholy and most distressing sensations. Their conduct, however,gave me great uneasiness and alarm; for it was evident that, unlesssome favourable change took place, they could afford me no assistance inproviding for our common safety. I had not yet abandoned all idea of beingable to get up something from below; but the attempt could not possiblybe resumed until some one of them was sufficiently master of himself toaid me by holding the end of the rope while I went down. Parker appearedto be somewhat more in possession of his senses than the others, and Iendeavoured, by every means in my power, to rouse him. Thinking that aplunge in the sea-water might have a beneficial effect, I contrived tofasten the end of a rope around his body, and then, leading him to thecompanion-way (he remaining quite passive all the while), pushed him in,and immediately drew him out. I had good reason to congratulate myselfupon having made this experiment; for he appeared much revived andinvigorated, and, upon getting out, asked me, in a rational manner, whyI had so served him. Having explained my object, he expressed himselfindebted to me, and said that he felt greatly better from the immersion,afterward conversing sensibly upon our situation. We then resolved totreat Augustus and Peters in the same way, which we immediately did,when they both experienced much benefit from the shock. This idea ofsudden immersion had been suggested to me by reading in some medicalwork the good effect of the shower-bath in a case where the patient wassuffering from _mania a potu_.

Finding that I could now trust my companions to hold the end of therope, I again made three or four plunges into the cabin, although it wasnow quite dark, and a gentle but long swell from the northward renderedthe hulk somewhat unsteady. In the course of these attempts I succeededin bringing up two case-knives, a three-gallon jug, empty, and ablanket, but nothing which could serve us for food. I continued myefforts, after getting these articles, until I was completely exhausted,but brought up nothing else. During the night Parker and Peters occupiedthemselves by turns in the same manner; but nothing coming to hand, wenow gave up this attempt in despair, concluding that we were exhaustingourselves in vain.

We passed the remainder of this night in a state of the most intensemental and bodily anguish that can possibly be imagined. The morning ofthe sixteenth at length dawned, and we looked eagerly around the horizonfor relief, but to no purpose. The sea was still smooth, with only along swell from the northward, as on yesterday. This was the sixth daysince we had tasted either food or drink, with the exception of thebottle of port wine, and it was clear that we could hold out but a verylittle while longer unless something could be obtained. I never sawbefore, nor wish to see again, human beings so utterly emaciated asPeters and Augustus. Had I met them on shore in their present conditionI should not have had the slightest suspicion that I had ever beheldthem. Their countenances were totally changed in character, so that Icould not bring myself to believe them really the same individuals withwhom I had been in company but a few days before. Parker, although sadlyreduced, and so feeble that he could not raise his head from his bosom,was not so far gone as the other two. He suffered with great patience,making no complaint, and endeavouring to inspire us with hope in everymanner he could devise. For myself, although at the commencement ofthe voyage I had been in bad health, and was at all times of a delicateconstitution, I suffered less than any of us, being much less reduced inframe, and retaining my powers of mind in a surprising degree, while therest were completely prostrated in intellect, and seemed to bebrought to a species of second childhood, generally simpering intheir expressions, with idiotic smiles, and uttering the most absurdplatitudes. At intervals, however, they would appear to revive suddenly,as if inspired all at once with a consciousness of their condition, whenthey would spring upon their feet in a momentary flash of vigour, andspeak, for a short period, of their prospects, in a manner altogetherrational, although full of the most intense despair. It is possible,however, that my companions may have entertained the same opinion oftheir own condition as I did of mine, and that I may haveunwittingly been guilty of the same extravagances and imbecilities asthemselves--this is a matter which cannot be determined.

About noon Parker declared that he saw land off the larboard quarter,and it was with the utmost difficulty I could restrain him from plunginginto the sea with the view of swimming toward it. Peters and Augustustook little notice of what he said, being apparently wrapped up in moodycontemplation. Upon looking in the direction pointed out, I could notperceive the faintest appearance of the shore--indeed, I was too wellaware that we were far from any land to indulge in a hope of thatnature. It was a long time, nevertheless, before I could convince Parkerof his mistake. He then burst into a flood of tears, weeping like achild, with loud cries and sobs, for two or three hours, when becomingexhausted, he fell asleep.

Peters and Augustus now made several ineffectual efforts to swallowportions of the leather. I advised them to chew it and spit it out; butthey were too excessively debilitated to be able to follow my advice. Icontinued to chew pieces of it at intervals, and found some relief fromso doing; my chief distress was for water, and I was only prevented fromtaking a draught from the sea by remembering the horrible consequenceswhich thus have resulted to others who were similarly situated withourselves.

The day wore on in this manner, when I suddenly discovered a sail to theeastward, and on our larboard bow. She appeared to be a large ship, andwas coming nearly athwart us, being probably twelve or fifteen milesdistant. None of my companions had as yet discovered her, and I forboreto tell them of her for the present, lest we might again be disappointedof relief. At length upon her getting nearer, I saw distinctly that shewas heading immediately for us, with her light sails filled. I could nowcontain myself no longer, and pointed her out to my fellow-sufferers.They immediately sprang to their feet, again indulging in the mostextravagant demonstrations of joy, weeping, laughing in an idioticmanner, jumping, stamping upon the deck, tearing their hair, and prayingand cursing by turns. I was so affected by their conduct, as well asby what I considered a sure prospect of deliverance, that I could notrefrain from joining in with their madness, and gave way to the impulsesof my gratitude and ecstasy by lying and rolling on the deck, clappingmy hands, shouting, and other similar acts, until I was suddenly calledto my recollection, and once more to the extreme human misery anddespair, by perceiving the ship all at once with her stern fullypresented toward us, and steering in a direction nearly opposite to thatin which I had at first perceived her.

It was some time before I could induce my poor companions to believethat this sad reverse in our prospects had actually taken place. Theyreplied to all my assertions with a stare and a gesture implying thatthey were not to be deceived by such misrepresentations. The conduct ofAugustus most sensibly affected me. In spite of all I could say or do tothe contrary, he persisted in saying that the ship was rapidly nearingus, and in making preparations to go on board of her. Some seaweedfloating by the brig, he maintained that it was the ship’s boat, andendeavoured to throw himself upon it, howling and shrieking in the mostheartrending manner, when I forcibly restrained him from thus castinghimself into the sea.

Having become in some degree pacified, we continued to watch the shipuntil we finally lost sight of her, the weather becoming hazy, witha light breeze springing up. As soon as she was entirely gone, Parkerturned suddenly toward me with an expression of countenance which mademe shudder. There was about him an air of self-possession which I hadnot noticed in him until now, and before he opened his lips my hearttold me what he would say. He proposed, in a few words, that one of usshould die to preserve the existence of the others.