cold hand, and raised it to his lips; his eye
lighted for a moment; we heard the faint sound of a kiss, and all was
over!

CHAPTER XLI.

JANUARY 8th.--All night I remained by the side of the poor fellow's
corpse, and several times Miss Herbey joined me in my mournful watch.

Before daylight dawned the body was quite cold, and as I knew there must
be no delay in throwing it overboard, I asked Curtis to assist me in
the sad office. The body was frightfully emaciated, and I had every hope
that it would not float.

As soon as it was quite light, taking every precaution that no one
should see what we were about, Curtis and I proceeded to our melancholy
task. We took a few articles from the lieutenant's pockets, which we
purposed, if either of us should survive, to remit to his mother. But as
we wrapped him in his tattered garments that would have to suffice for
his winding-sheet, I started back with a thrill of horror. The right
foot had gone, leaving the leg a bleeding stump!

No doubt that, overcome by fatigue, I must have fallen asleep for
an interval during the night, and some one had taken advantage of my
slumber to mutilate the corpse. But who could have been guilty of so
foul a deed! Curtis looked around with anger flashing In his eye; but
all seemed as usual, and the silence was only broken by a few groans of
agony.

But there was no time to be lost; perhaps we were already observed, and
more horrible scenes might be likely to occur. Curtis said a few short
prayers, and we cast the body into the sea. It sank immediately.

"They are feeding the sharks well, and no mistake," said a voice behind
me.

I turned round quickly, and found that it was Jynxstrop who had spoken.

As the boatswain now approached, I asked him whether he thought it
possible that any of the wretched men could have taken the dead man's
foot.

"Oh yes, I dare say," he replied, in a significant tone "and perhaps
they thought they were right."

"Right! what do you mean?" I exclaimed.

"Well, sir," he said coldly, "isn't it better to eat a dead man than a
living one?"

I was at a loss to comprehend him, and, turning away, laid myself down
at the end of the raft.

Towards eleven o'clock, a most suspicious incident occurred. The
boatswain, who had cast his lines early in the morning, caught three
large cod, each more than thirty inches long, of the species which, when
dried, is known by the name of stock-fish. Scarcely had he hauled