amongst whom were
twenty-five sailors, good rowers. The shallop, commanded by M. Espiau,
ensign of the ship, took forty-five passengers, and put off. The boat,
called the Senegal, took twenty-five; the pinnace thirty-three; and the
yawl, the smallest of all the boats, took only ten.

Almost all the officers, the passengers, the mariners and
supernumeraries, were already embarked--all, but our weeping family, who
still remained upon the boards of the frigate, till some charitable
souls would kindly receive us into a boat. Surprised at this
abandonment, I instantly felt myself roused, and, calling with all my
might to the officers of the boats, besought them to take our unhappy
family along with them. Soon after, the barge, in which were the
governor of Senegal and all his family, approached the Medusa, as if
still to take some passengers, for there were but few in it. I made a
motion to descend, hoping that the Misses Schmaltz, who had, till that
day, taken a great interest in our family, would allow us a place in
their boat; but I was mistaken: those ladies, who had embarked in a
mysterious incognito, had already forgotten us; and M. Lachaumareys, who
was still on the frigate, positively told me they would not embark along
with us. Nevertheless I ought to tell, what we learned afterwards, that
that officer who commanded the pinnace had received orders to take us
in, but, as he was already a great way from the frigate, we were certain
he had abandoned us. My father however hailed him, but he persisted on
his way to gain the open sea. A short while afterwards we perceived a
small boat among the waves, which seemed desirous to approach the
Medusa; it was the yawl. When it was sufficiently near, my father
implored the sailors who were in it to take us on board, and to carry us
to the pinnace, where our family ought to be placed. They refused. He
then seized a firelock, which lay by chance upon deck, and swore he
would kill every one of them if they refused to take us into the yawl,
adding that it was the property of the king, and that he would have
advantage from it as well as another. The sailors murmured, but durst
not resist, and received all our family, which consisted of nine
persons, viz. Four children, our stepmother, my cousin, my sister
Caroline, my father, and myself. A small box, filled with valuable
papers, which we wished to save, some clothes, two bottles of ratafia,
which we had endeavoured to preserve amidst