Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol III, No 13, 1851Various
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol III, No 13, 1851
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
Order being restored, their spirits began to revive, and they
entertained hopes of escaping from their present peril: but this was of
short duration; and the sufferings which they had as yet endured were
nothing in comparison with what they had now to undergo. The two men had
scarcely commenced baling, when a cry was heard of "A shark! a shark!"
No words can describe the consternation which ensued; it is well known
the horror sailors have of these voracious animals, who seem apprised,
by instinct, when their prey is at hand. All order was at an end; the
boat again capsized, and the men were left struggling in the waters. The
general safety was neglected, and it was every man for himself; no
sooner had one got hold of the boat than he was pushed away by another,
and in this fruitless contest more than one life was nearly sacrificed.
Even in this terrible hour, their commander remained cool and collected;
his voice was still raised in words of encouragement, and, as the
dreaded enemy did not make its appearance, he again succeeded in
persuading them to renew their efforts to clear the boat. The night had
passed away--It was about ten o'clock on the morning of the 28th: the
baling had progressed without interruption; a little more exertion, and
the boat would have been cleared, when again was heard the cry of "The
sharks! the sharks!" But this was no false alarm; the boat a second time
capsized, and the unhappy men were literally cast among a shoal of these
terrible monsters. The men, for a few minutes, remained uninjured, but
not untouched, for the sharks actually rubbed against their victims,
and, to use the exact words of one of the survivors, "frequently passed
over the boat and between us while resting on the gunwale." This,
however, did not last long; a shriek soon told the fate of one of the
men: a shark had seized him by the leg, dyeing the water with his
blood; another shriek followed, and another man disappeared.
But these facts are almost too horrible to dwell upon; human nature
revolts from so terrible a picture; we will, therefore, hurry over this
part of our tale.
Smith had witnessed the sufferings of his followers with the deepest
distress; and, although aware that, in all probability, he must soon
share the same fate, he never for a moment appeared to think of himself.
There were but six men left; and these he endeavored to sustain by his
example, cheering them on to further exertions. They had, once more,
recommenced their labors to clear out the boat, when one of his legs was
seized by a shark. Even while suffering the most horrible torture, he
restrained the expression of his feelings, for fear of increasing the
alarm of the men; but the powers of his endurance were doomed to be
tried to the utmost; another limb was scrunched from his body, and,
uttering a deep groan, he was about to let go his hold, when he was
seized by two of his men, and placed in the stern-sheets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account