, the stump of the arm alone, the ear-ring alone; sometimes
merely the two stretched-out forms of the men; sometimes the green deep
and the tangled sea-weed. Then the array of all the things around me
would suddenly flash upon me with a unity and a vividness that produced
one gleam of almost entire consciousness--in another moment
extinguished--and succeeded by another period of all but death--to be
again followed by a succession of the broken fragments of vision, when
the living powers were in a slight degree revived. I leave it to
physiologists and psychologists to account for these sudden exertions of
the reluming powers of the mind in the very lowest state of the dying
faculties. We see something of the same kind in the physical
economy--moments of strength in the most exhausted weakness--bright
glows of the taper of life in the socket of death--a collected unity of
power in moments of dissolution, as if the spirit made a last struggle
to assert its lost authority over the great archangel. I can speak at
least to their effects--a wretched boon of nature to miserable man,
where he can say no more than that he feels--that the boasted energies
of the soul seem to be all rolled up in one sensation of undescribable
pain.

I was awakened from this state of stupor by a loud clanking of chains
upon the top of the bell; and I heard the sound at the very moment when
I felt myself drawing a long breath. I had been unconscious of the
working of the air-pump, which must have been going on for some time,
though I cannot tell how long. The bell was replenished. I breathed
again freely, and became sensible. I looked round me, and saw all
things in the same position as formerly. The corpse was still by my
side, and my newly awakened horror made me struggle to rise. I
succeeded so far as to lean upon my arm, whereby I removed myself some
space from the dead body. The rattling of the chains still continued,
and I had the power of thinking so far, as to conjecture that efforts
were being made to draw up the bell. But new incidents were now in
progress. The air had revived Vanderhoek. I saw him stretching out his
arms, as if to relieve his chest, which was heaving violently. He drew
long inspirations, and struggled to turn himself on the seat. He
succeeded, and I saw his face, which was dreadfully swollen, and of a
dark livid colour. His eyes were wide open, and the light of life and
returning vision seemed to be illumining them. The fi