fourth morning came, more gloomy than those that had preceded it: no boat – no vessel appeared – there was not the least mitigation of our sorrow and our distress: all that we had heard from the boat now appeared like a dream – an illusion of our distempered brain: but still we clung to some distant hope, and that preserved us. The sun for the first time had this day cheered us with his rays, and we could not but feel gratitude for having so far escaped death: but to preserve ourselves still longer, what were we to do? Our misery and hunger were extreme: we knew that unfortunate men in our situation had been reduced to adopt means that even then we thought of with disgust. Yet when those horrid means were the only ones left to preserve life, we might in some measure be excused in adopting them. Such were the ideas that were then suggested to us, and we prepared for the mournful event – it cost us thousands of tears. With the most awful sense of the dreadful alternative that became men in our unhappy state, we selected a young man who had died the night before; and having offered our prayers to Heaven to forgive us, we tasted human flesh: how far it relieved us is uncertain; many had not power to masticate; their throats were completely ulcerated, and the saliva had ceased to flow. Toward evening death made hasty strides, and many brave men fell; amongst whom was our beloved captain and first lieutenant. An eulogium is due to their virtues: their memories deserve more than the writer’s feeble ability has power to dictate. * * * * * * The sullen silence that was preserved by every one, plainly marked our grief and increased our despair: we had again to pass another night, which to all of us appeared endless. We could not obtain any sleep: we thought the morning never would come!
“Daring the course of this night, was suggested by many the possibility of forming a raft that would carry us to Cerigotto, as the wind was favorable, and might aid us in reaching that island: at all events it appeared better to do this, than to remain where we were, to die of hunger and thirst. Accordingly at day-light we prepared to put our plan in execution: some of the larger spars were placed together, and great hopes were entertained that we should succeed. The eventful moment of launching the raft through the surf came; but it brought only disappointment; a few moments destroyed a work that some of our strongest men had been labouring at for hours, yet this was not sufficient for the few who were become from this disappointment absolutely desperate. Five men resolved to trust themselves to a few small spars they had weakly lashed together, on which they had scarcely room to stand, and, bidding us farewell, they launched out into the sea: in a short time we had the grief to see those poor fellows swept away by the current, which they did not know was so strong among those islands, and a few minutes took them for ever from our sight.
“Towards the afternoon, our whale boat again arrived, and the coxswain informed us, that he had found great difficulty in prevailing on the Greek
