ng my ears to the
planks I could catch the sound of a gentle ripple as she glided along,
but no other noise was to be heard. The bulkheads had ceased to creak,
the masts to complain, the cargo to crash, and all was perfectly quiet
overhead.

My hunger showed me that I must have been a long time asleep, and I
could not resist the temptation of eating the remainder of my biscuits
and olives. I had thus only the pickles to exist on, unless I could
catch some rats with which to eat them. I took a draught of water, and
then sat down to consider the plans I had before thought of to trap my
game.

One occurred to me as the most feasible. Though I could not see I could
feel, and my idea was to form a bag with a piece of the canvas, and give
it a small mouth so contrived that I could close it suddenly with a
string. Among the articles in my pocket was a stock of string of
various thicknesses; I found on measuring it that I had not only
sufficient to make the bag, but enough to gather in the mouth with an
additional piece to hold in my hand. My gimlet would serve as an awl or
sailmaker's needle, though not an efficient substitute. I had been so
long accustomed to the darkness that I fancied I could pass the string
through the holes I had made without difficulty. My hunger was an
incentive to perseverance.

With my knife I first of all cut a piece off my canvas of sufficient
size for my purpose. I am sure that I could not have done it so well at
any time before, had I attempted to perform the operation in the dark.
I then turned in the edges, and passing the string through the holes I
had made, united the two sides. Sometimes I could not get the string
through without another boring, at others I succeeded at the first
attempt, tying the string at each stitch. It was a slow operation, but
the result was beyond my most sanguine expectations.

I had a long, thickish piece of hard twine, which I devoted to the mouth
of the bag. I had to make the holes for these with great regularity, so
as not to leave an opening large enough for a rat to jump out at. I
worked on without stopping till my task was accomplished, as I was
anxious to ascertain whether it would answer the object I had in view.

While I was working I heard the rats running about, and two or three
knocked their noses against my feet, showing that they had again come
out of their holes, and were either hunting for food or gambolling for
their pleasure.

I