them
on board, when the sailors made a dash at them, and it was with the
utmost difficulty that Curtis, Falsten, and myself could restore order,
so that we might divide the fish into equal portions. Three cod were not
much amongst fourteen starving persons, but, small as the quantity was,
it was allotted in strictly equal shares. Most of us devoured the food
raw, almost I might say, alive; only Curtis, Andre and Miss Herbey
having the patience to wait until their allowance had been boiled at a
fire which they made with a few scraps of wood. For myself, I confess
that I swallowed my portion of fish just as it was,--raw and bleeding.
M. Letourneur followed my example; the poor man devoured his food like
a famished wolf, and it is only a wonder to me how, after his lengthened
fast, he came to be alive at all.

The boatswain's delight at his success was, excessive, and amounted
almost to delirium. I went up to him, and encouraged him to repeat his
attempt.

"Oh, yes," he said; "I'll try again. I'll try again."

"And why not try at once," I asked.

"Not now," he said evasively; "the night is the best time for catching
large fish. Besides, I must manage to get some bait, for we have been
improvident enough not to save a single scrap."

"But you have succeeded once without bait; why may you not succeed
again?"

"Oh! I had some very good bait last night," he said. I stared at him in
amazement. He steadily returned my gaze, but said nothing.

"Have you none left?" at last I asked.

"Yes!" he almost whispered and left me without another word.

Our meal, meagre as it had been, served to rally our shattered energies;
our hopes were slightly raised; there was no reason why the boatswain
should not have the same good luck again.

One evidence of the degree to which our spirits were revived was that
our minds were no longer fixed upon the miserable present and hopeless
future, but we began to recall and discuss the past; and M. Letourneur,
Andre Mr. Falsten, and I held a long conversation with the captain
about the various incidents of our eventful voyage, speaking of our lost
companions, of the fire, of the stranding of the ship, of our sojourn
on Ham Rock, of the springing of the leak, of our terrible voyage in the
top-masts, of the construction of the raft, and of the storm. All these
things seemed to have happened so long ago, and yet we were living
still. Living, did I say? Ay, if such an existence as ours could be