this record, as it now lies before me,
the handwriting is not very legible: they were penned under
circumstances singularly unfavorable. Mr. Martin stood behind me with
his eyes fixed on the page; and in order to secure a better view, had
twisted the machinery of the engine he called his hand into the hair of
my head, depressing that globe to such an extent that my nose was
flattened against the surface of the table, and I had no small
difficulty in discerning the lines through my eyebrows. I was not
accustomed to writing in that position: it had not been taught in the
only school that I ever attended. I therefore felt justified in bringing
the record to a somewhat abrupt close, and immediately went on deck with
Mr. Martin, he preceding me up the companion-stairs on foot, I
following, not on horseback, but on my own, the connection between us
being maintained without important alteration.

Arriving on deck, I thought it advisable, in the interest of peace and
quietness, to pursue him in the same manner to the side of the ship,
where I parted from him forever with many expressions of regret, which
might have been heard at a considerable distance.

Of the subsequent fate of the _Bonnyclabber_, I can only say that the
log-book from which I have quoted was found some years later in the
stomach of a whale, along with some shreds of clothing, a few buttons
and several decayed life-belts. It contained only one new entry, in a
straggling handwriting, as if it had been penned in the dark:

"july2th foundered svivors rescude by wale wether stuffy no nues from
capting trowtbeck Sammle martin cheef Ofcer."

Let us now take a retrospective glance at the situation. The ship
_Nupple-duck_, (Abersouth, master) had, it will be remembered, gone down
with all on board except me. I had escaped on the ship _Bonnyclabber_
(Troutbeck) which I had quitted owing to a misunderstanding with the
chief officer, and was now unattached. That is how matters stood when,
rising on an unusually high wave, and casting my eye in the direction of
Tottenham Court Road--that is, backward along the course pursued by the
_Bonnyclabber_ and toward the spot at which the _Nupple-duck_ had been
swallowed up--I saw a quantity of what appeared to be wreckage. It
turned out to be some of the stuff that we had thrown overboard under a
misapprehension. The several articles had been compiled and, so to
speak, carefully edited. They were, in fact, lashed together, for