over the surrounding ocean,
through a glass, at intervals, to discover if any boat or vessel was
approaching us. He often muttered threats as he walked past me,
and, more than once, seemed waiting for an opportunity to push me
overboard. Marietta and he frequently whispered together, and I always
imagined I heard my name mentioned in the course of these
conversations.

I now felt completely miserable, being satisfied that Angerstoff
was bent upon my destruction. I wandered, in a state of fearful
circumspection, from one part of the vessel to the other, not knowing
how to secure myself from his designs. Every time he approached me, my
heart palpitated dreadfully; and when night came on, I was agonised
with terror, and could not remain in one spot, but hurried backwards
and forwards between the cabin and the deck, looking wildly from side
to side, and momentarily expecting to feel a cold knife entering my
vitals. My forehead began to burn, and my eyes dazzled; I became
acutely sensitive, and the slightest murmur, or the faintest breath of
wind, set my whole frame in a state of uncontrollable vibration. At
first, I sometimes thought of throwing myself into the sea; but I soon
acquired such an intense feeling of existence, that the mere idea of
death was horrible to me.

Shortly after midnight I lay down in my berth, almost exhausted by the
harrowing emotions that had careered through my mind during the past
day. I felt a strong desire to sleep, yet dared not indulge myself;
soul and body seemed at war. Every noise excited my imagination, and
scarcely a minute passed, in the course of which I did not start up
and look around. Angerstoff paced the deck overhead, and when the
sound of his footsteps accidentally ceased at any time, I grew deadly
sick at heart, expecting that he was silently coming to murder me. At
length I thought I heard some one near my bed--I sprung from it, and,
having seized a bar of iron that lay on the floor, rushed into the
cabin. I found Angerstoff there, who started back when he saw me, and
said, "What is the matter? Did you think that--I want you to watch the
beacon, that I may have some rest. Follow me upon deck, and I will
give you directions about it." I hesitated a moment, and then went up
the gangway stairs behind him. We walked forward to the mast together,
and he showed how I was to lower the lantern when any of the lamps
happened to go out, and bidding me beware of sleep, returned to the