hich I cannot describe, and contemplated the object in awful silence;
while my blood ran cold, and I felt a sensation as if my hair was
standing on end. I was completely taken by surprise, and thought the
body had risen to warn me; but in a few seconds I regained my presence
of mind, and I soon perceived the origin of this reappearance of the
corpse. I ordered the cutter to be manned, and, in the meantime, went
down to inform the first lieutenant of what had occurred. He laughed,
and said, "I suppose the old boy finds salt water not quite so palatable
as grog. Tie some more shot to his feet, and bring the old fellow to
his moorings again. Tell him the next time he trips his anchor, not to
run on board of us. He had his regular allowance of prayer: I gave him
the whole service, and I shall not give him any more." So saying, he
went to sleep again.

This apparently singular circumstance is easily accounted for. Bodies
decomposing from putridity, generate a quantity of gas, which swells
them up to an enormous size, and renders them buoyant. The body of this
man was thrown overboard just as decomposition was in progress: the shot
made fast to the feet were sufficient to sink it at the time; but in a
few hours after, were not competent to keep it at the bottom, and it
came up to the surface in that perpendicular position which I have
described. The current in the bay being at the time either slack or
irregular, it floated at the spot whence it had been launched into the
water.

The cutter, being manned, was sent with more shot to attach to the body,
and sink it. When they attempted to hold it with the boat-hook, it
eluded the touch, turning round and round, or bobbing under the water,
and coming up again, as if in sport: but accident saved them any further
trouble; for the bowman, reproached by the boat's crew for not hooking
the body, got angry, and darting the spike of the boat-hook into the
abdomen, the pent-up gas escaped with a loud whiz, and the corpse
instantly sank like a stone. Many jokes were passed on the occasion;
but I was not in humour for joking on serious subjects: and before the
watch was out I had made up my mind to go home, and to quit the service,
as I found I had no chance of obeying my mother's dying injunctions if I
remained where I was.

The next morning I stated my wishes to the captain, not of quitting the
service, but of going home in consequence of family arrangements. This
was abo