Twenty men were missing at the hour when the survivors took their slender repast. Many laboured under delirium, and some, in despair, voluntarily plunged into the ocean.

The day, however, was fine, and Hope, "that lingers long, and latest dies," once more exerted her influence, and cheered the sufferers with the idea that they should soon see the boats approaching to their relief. But, as the light declined, their fears and horrors returned with tenfold force. Cries of despondency and rage burst forth anew, and the voice of the officers was wholly disregarded. The elements now seemed again to conspire to aggravate their distress. Dense clouds entirely obscured the heavens, the wind swelled to a storm, the waves rose in mountains, and dashed on the men with such impetuous fury, that they were compelled to crowd to the centre of the raft; all those who could not reach it being swept off by the billows. In the centre another danger awaited them, the pressure being so intolerable, that some of the men were stifled or crushed to death.

To complete their miseries there was yet one thing wanting, which was, that they should shed each other's blood, and this dreadful completion was now at hand. Giving themselves up as doomed to inevitable death, and untaught to look for consolation where alone under such circumstances it can be found, "the soldiers and sailors resolved to soothe their last moments by drinkingtill they lost their reason. They accordingly broke a large hole in a cask of wine, and continued to drink, till the sea-water mixing with it, rendered it too nauseous for them to swallow.

"

The result of this may easily be imagined. The want of food, the agitated state of their minds, and the fumes of the wine, combined to produce the most dreadful intoxication, or rather insanity. They determined to murder their officers, and destroy the raft, by cutting asunder the ropes which united it. At the head of them was an Asiatic, a soldier in a colonial regiment, a man of colossal stature, whose short curled hair, extremely large mouth, and sallow complexion, gave him

a hideous air." With an axe he began to cut the cords, and even menaced an officer; but a blow with a sabre put an end to his existence. The contest soon became general. Sabres, knives, bayonets, but-ends of carabines, were used; every weapon that rage could find was employed on both sides. Nothing was to be seen but cruelty, wounds, and slaughter. The most horrible ferocity was displayed by the mutineers, who, among other instances of the same kind, endeavoured to tear out with a penknife the eyes of an officer whom they had ineffectually tried to drown. It was in vain that kindness was shown to them. M. Correard, who displayed great courage during the contest, having plunged into the waves to save the life of one of the mutineers, named Dominique, the miscreant rejoined them, renewed the combat, and was finally slain.

A short pause ensued, in which the soldiers displayed a momentary repentance. Many of them threw themselves at the feet of those whom they had just attacked, and requested pardon. The moon, too, broke through the clouds, and rendered the scene less horrible.-At midnight, however, the brief tranquillity on the raft was at an end. With tenfold fury the mutineers returned to the combat, and nothing was to be heard but cries of phrensied rage, nothing seen but the most appalling and disgusting sights. The raft was covered with the dying and the dead. The gloomy pencil of Dante never painted a more sickening and terrific scene than this narrow space presented to the view.— Those of the soldiers who had no weapons attempted, like wild beasts, to tear their enemies with their teeth. Many were cruelly mangled in this manner. One of the mutineers, says the narrator, seized a workman by the right leg, and was biting him savagely in the sinew above the heel, while others were beating him severely with their sabres, and the but-end of their carabines. Amidst the combat they perpetually called for the head of one of their officers, who was left in the frigate, but whom, deprived as they now were of all sanity, they persisted in believing to be present. At length, the officers, and

those who were on their side, succeeded in conquering their assailants; and a gloomy quiet was once more restored, broken only at intervals by the cries and lamentations of some, and the delirious exclamations of others, who fancied themselves on board of the Medusa, or travelling at their ease over the fertile plains of Italy.

The return of the day, as was always the case, restored them in some degree to reason, but disclosed to them a melancholy scene. Between sixty and sixtyfive men had perished during the night; at least a fourth of whom had drowned themselves in despair. In every face was the deepest despondency. Tears and lamentations again burst forth. They now, also, discovered another source of grief: the mutineers had thrown into the sea two casks of wine, and the only two. casks of water which were on the raft. There were but two casks of wine left, and the persons among whom it was to be divided were above sixty in number. To accelerate their course the mast was replaced; but this failed in its object, for the sail being spread indifferently to every breeze that blew, they were sometimes wafted towards the coast, and at other times into the open sea. At one moment they flattered themselves that they caught a glimpse of the land, and they even believed that they felt the burning air of the sandy desert. But either this was an illusion, or they were driven back from the coast, by a change in the direction of the wind. The latter was probably the case, as at the outset the gales for some time blew violently towards the shore. To satisfy the cravings of hunger, which were excessive, they having had no food for forty-eight hours, they endeavoured to procure some fish. Tags were collected from the soldiers, to make small hooks of them; and they bent a bayonet, to form a larger hook, in the hope of catching a shark. This plan entirely failed; the hooks were drawn under the raft by the current, and became entangled; and the bayonet was found too weak for its purpose. There now re mained only one horrible resource- -the dead!

Driven almost to madness by the gnawings of hunger, many of the crew rushed upon the dead bodies, and satisfied their voracious appetites with this disgusting food. Some, who could not yet submit to avail themselves of this terrible resource, endeavoured to allay the cravings of their stomach with leather, linen, pieces of hat, or whatever else they could find. All were, however, at length, compelled to yield to irresistible necessity. The day was spent in alternations of momentary hope, and silent despair. Prayers were, at times, addressed to the Supreme Being. Half the men were exceedingly weak, and bore in all their features the signs of approaching dissolution. The night was dark, but, fortunately, calm. Slumber sometimes visited the sufferers, but their sleep was tormented by frightful dreams; and though so many had perished, they were still up to their knees in the water, and could repose only standing, and pressed against each other into a solid

mass.

The dawn of day discovered to them ten or twelve of their companions stretched lifeless at their feet. The bodies were committed to the sea, with the exception of one. The day was fine, and a circumstance occurred which afforded a transient succour. A shoal of flyingfish passed under the raft, and about two hundred of them became entangled in the interstices of the timbers. With a little gunpowder they contrived to procure a fire, and to make a scanty repast upon the fish which they had caught. It seemed, however, as if sustenance gave them strength for no other purpose than to display their ferocity. A plot was formed by one part of them to throw the other into the sea. A desperate conflict was once more the result, and the raft was soon stained with torrents of blood, and strewed with the dying and the dead. After a long struggle, the mutineers were subdued.

When the fifth morning broke upon them, not more than thirty remained, and these were in the most deplorable state. The sea-water had almost entirely excoriated their lower extremities, and they were covered

with contusions or wounds, the smart of which, occasioned by the saline element which beat upon them, was almost insupportable. Thus they lingered on till the seventh day, when their number was further diminished. Two soldiers were punished with death for stealing a part of the small remaining portion of wine. An interesting child, named Leon, only twelve years old, also expired on this day. Young as he was, he had already made a campaign in the East Indies, and been remarked for his courage. The manner in which

he was treated is the sole trait of humanity which appears in the conduct of those who were contained on the raft. Every thing was done for him which could prolong his existence; as much nutriment as possible being given to him, without a single murmur. Nay, savage as the sufferers were to each other, they bore without resentment even his trampling upon their wounded limbs. "As long as the strength of this young marine allowed him," says M. Correard," he ran continually from one side to the other, calling with loud cries for his unhappy mother, water, and food. He walked, without discrimination, over the feet and legs of his companions in misfortune, who, in their turn, uttered cries of anguish, which were every moment repeated. But their complaints were very seldom accompanied by menaces; they pardoned every thing in the poor youth who had caused them, and who was, in fact, in a state of mental derangement."

Of the twenty-seven who were left, not more than fifteen had strength enough to have a chance of surviving even for a few days. The other twelve were covered with large wounds, and were almost wholly bereft of their reason. The stock of wine was rapidly decreasing. In this emergency a council was held; and, "after a debate, at which the most dreadful despair presided, it was resolved to throw the sick into the sea," as to put them on short allowance would be only killing them by inches, and would certainly consume sufficient to prevent the remainder from holding out till succour could arrive. "Three sailors and a