Thrilling Narratives of Mutiny, Murder and Piracy: A weird series of tales of shipwreck and disaster, from the earliest part of the century to the present time, with accounts of providential escapes and heart-rending fatalities.Anonymous
History
Thrilling Narratives of Mutiny, Murder and Piracy: A weird series of tales of shipwreck and disaster, from the earliest part of the century to the present time, with accounts of providential escapes and heart-rending fatalities.
Anonymous
Mutiny; Pirates; Seafaring life; Shipwrecks
The man and wife, who had been but a little before stabbed with swords
and bayonets, and thrown both together into a stormy sea, could
scarcely credit their senses when they found themselves in one
another's arms. The woman was a native of the Upper Alps, which place
she had left twenty-four years before, and during which time she had
followed the French armies in the campaigns in Italy, and other
places, as a sutler. 'Therefore preserve my life,' said she to
M. Correard, 'you see I am an useful woman. Ah! if you knew how often
I have ventured upon the field of battle, and braved death to carry
assistance to our gallant men. Whether they had money or not I always
let them have my goods. Sometimes a battle would deprive me of my poor
debtors; but after the victory, others would pay me double or triple
for what they had consumed before the engagement. Thus I came in for a
share of their victories.' Unfortunate woman! she little knew what a
horrible fate awaited her among us! They felt, they expressed so
vividly that happiness which they alas so shortly enjoyed, that would
have drawn tears from the most obdurate heart. But in that horrible
moment, when we scarcely breathed from the most furious attack,--when
we were obliged to be continually on our guard, not only against the
violence of the men, but a most boisterous sea, few among us had time
to attend to scenes of conjugal affection.
After this second check, the rage of the soldiers was suddenly
appeased, and gave place to the most abject cowardice. Several threw
themselves at our feet, and implored our pardon, which was instantly
granted. Thinking that order was re-established, we returned to our
station on the centre of the raft, only taking the precaution of
keeping our arms. We, however, had soon to prove the impossibility of
counting on the permanence of any honest sentiment in the hearts of
these beings.
It was nearly midnight; and after an hour of apparent tranquility, the
soldiers rose afresh. Their mind was entirely gone; they ran upon us
in despair with knives and sabres in their hands. As they yet had all
their physical strength, and besides were armed, we were obliged again
to stand on our defence. Their revolt became still more dangerous, as,
in their delirium, they were entirely deaf to the voice of reason.
They attacked us, we charged them in our turn, and immediately the
raft was strewed with their dead bodies. Those of our adversaries who
had no weapons endeavored to tear us with their sharp teeth. Many of
us were cruelly bitten.--M. Savigny was torn on the legs and the
shoulder; he also received a wound on the right arm which deprived him
of the use of his fourth and little finger for a long while. Many
others were wounded; and many cuts were found in our clothes from
knives and sabres.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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