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
most certain they had no intention of encumbering themselves with our
unfortunate family. I say encumber, for it is evident that four
children, one of whom was yet at the breast, were very indifferent
beings to people who were actuated by a selfishness without all
parallel. When we were seated in the long boat, my father dismissed
the sailors with the yawl, telling them he would ever gratefully
remember their services. They speedily departed, but little satisfied
with the good action they had done. My father hearing their murmurs
and the abuse they poured out against us, said, loud enough for all in
the boat to hear, 'We are not surprised sailors are destitute of
shame, when their officers blush at being compelled to do a good
action.' The commandant of the boat feigned not to understand the
reproaches conveyed in these words, and, to divert our minds from
brooding over our wrongs, endeavored to counterfeit the man of
gallantry.
All the boats were already far from the Medusa, when they were brought
to, to form a chain in order to tow the raft.--The barge, in which was
the governor of Senegal, took the first tow, then all the other boats
in succession joined themselves to that. M. Lachaumareys embarked,
although there yet remained upon the Medusa more than sixty
persons.--Then the brave and generous M. Espiau, commander of the
shallop, quitted the line of boats, and returned to the frigate, with
the intention of saving all the wretches who had been abandoned. They
all sprung into the shallop; but as it was very much overloaded,
seventeen unfortunates preferred remaining on board, rather than
expose themselves as well as their companions to certain death. But
alas! the greater part afterwards fell victims to their fears or their
devotion.--Fifty-two days after they were abandoned, no more than
three of them were alive, and those looked more like skeletons than
men. They told that their miserable companions had gone afloat upon
planks and hen-coops, after having waited in vain forty-two days, for
the succor which had been promised them, and that all had perished.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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