y father hearing their murmurs
and the abuse they poured out against us, said, loud enough for all in
the boat to hear, 'We are not surprised sailors are destitute of
shame, when their officers blush at being compelled to do a good
action.' The commandant of the boat feigned not to understand the
reproaches conveyed in these words, and, to divert our minds from
brooding over our wrongs, endeavored to counterfeit the man of
gallantry.

All the boats were already far from the Medusa, when they were brought
to, to form a chain in order to tow the raft.--The barge, in which was
the governor of Senegal, took the first tow, then all the other boats
in succession joined themselves to that. M. Lachaumareys embarked,
although there yet remained upon the Medusa more than sixty
persons.--Then the brave and generous M. Espiau, commander of the
shallop, quitted the line of boats, and returned to the frigate, with
the intention of saving all the wretches who had been abandoned. They
all sprung into the shallop; but as it was very much overloaded,
seventeen unfortunates preferred remaining on board, rather than
expose themselves as well as their companions to certain death. But
alas! the greater part afterwards fell victims to their fears or their
devotion.--Fifty-two days after they were abandoned, no more than
three of them were alive, and those looked more like skeletons than
men. They told that their miserable companions had gone afloat upon
planks and hen-coops, after having waited in vain forty-two days, for
the succor which had been promised them, and that all had perished.

The shallop, carrying with difficulty all those she had saved from the
Medusa, slowly rejoined the line of boats which towed the raft,
M. Espiau earnestly besought the officers of the other boats to take
some of them along with them; but they refused, alleging to the
generous officer that he ought to keep them in his own boat, as he had
gone for them himself. M. Espiau, finding it impossible to keep them
all without exposing them to the utmost peril, steered right for a
boat which I will not name. Immediately a sailor sprung from the
shallop into the sea, and endeavored to reach it by swimming; and when
he was about to enter it, an officer who possessed great influence
pushed him back, and, drawing his sabre, threatened to cut off his
hands, if he again made the attempt. The poor wretch regained the
shallop, which was very near the pinnace, which we were