ward part of the ship. Upon the windlass, the bulwarks, the
fore-mast shrouds, around the head, and out to the bowsprit-end, was a
continuous swarm of human forms, so thickly clustered that scarce any
part of the vessel could be seen, except the fore-mast, with its spars
and rigging towering high above. Five hundred there were--perhaps not
so many--as some of them, happily for themselves, had gone out of the
world before that dread hour. But nearly five hundred there were, and
of course they covered every part of the forward deck, and even the
sides and bulwarks, from the selvage of the approaching flames to the
bowsprit-end. Some had gone out even farther, and could be seen
swarming like bees and balancing their bodies on the jib-boom. In fact,
but for its awful character, the scene suggested the hiving of bees that
had crowded every leaf and twig upon the branch of a tree.

Both males and females were there--for both had succeeded in making
their way on deck--but amid that thick swarm their sex could not be
distinguished. Strange to say, they were no longer black! Not one of
them looked black--on the contrary, they appeared red! Their faces, the
skin of their naked bodies, even the woolly coverture of their crowns,
showed blood-red under the glaring light of the blazing pitch; and this
singular transformation added not a little to rendering the scene more
terrific--for there was something supernatural in this altered
complexion.

The whole scene might have been compared to the final of some grand
theatrical spectacle--it had all the grandeur, the red light, and the
scenic embellishment--but in two circumstances it widely differed from
the fictitious imitation. There was not that variety of forms and
colours in the tableaux, and, moreover, the characters were not as upon
the stage--in poses and attitudes that betokened rest. On the contrary,
all were in motion. Their arms were tossing wildly above their heads,
while they themselves were leaping upward or dancing to and fro wherever
they could find footing. They were shouting in tones of despair,
screaming in agonised accents; while some, who had evidently gone mad,
were gibbering and laughing in voices that bore a striking resemblance
to that of the hyena!

The strong light enabled me to trace everything minutely--alas, too
minutely! I could see the white gleaming teeth, the frothing lips, the
eyes glaring in madness or terror. We were still scarce a ca