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
They then put the cabin-boy into her, and gave him a bucket that
happened to float by, and he bailed away as quick as he could, and
soon after another person got in with another bucket, and in a short
time got all the water out of her.--They then put two long oars that
were stowed in the larboard-quarter of the Tyrrel into the boat, and
pulled or rowed right to windward; for, as the wreck drifted, she made
a dreadful appearance in the water, and Mr. Purnell and two of the
people put off from the wreck, in search of the oars, rudder and
tiller. After a long while they succeeded in picking them all up, one
after another. They then returned to their wretched companions, who
were all overjoyed to see them, having given them up for lost. By this
time night drew on very fast. While they were rowing in the boat, some
small quantity of white biscuit (Mr. Purnell supposed about half a
peck,) floated in a small cask, out of the round house; but before it
came to hand, it was so soaked with salt water, that it was almost in
a fluid state: and about double the quantity of common ship-biscuit
likewise floated, which was in like manner soaked. This was all the
provision that they had; not a drop of fresh water could they get;
neither could the carpenter get at any of his tools to scuttle her
sides, for, could this have been accomplished, they might have saved
plenty of provisions and water.
By this time it was almost dark; having got one compass, it was
determined to quit the wreck, and take their chance in the boat, which
was nineteen feet six inches long, and six feet four inches broad; Mr.
Purnell supposes it was now about nine o'clock; it was very dark.
They had run abut 360 miles by their dead reckoning, on a S. E. by E.
course. The number in the boat was 17 in all; the boat was very deep,
and little hopes were entertained of either seeing land or surviving
long. The wind got round to westward, which was the course they wanted
to steer; but it began to blow and rain so very hard, that they were
obliged to keep before the wind and sea, in order to preserve her
above water. Soon after they had put off from the wreck the boat
shipped two heavy seas, one after another, so that they were obliged
to keep her before the wind and sea; for had she shipped another sea,
she certainly would have swamped with them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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