ty, and had secretly made up my mind to
suffer death in any shape or under any circumstances rather than resort
to such a course. Nor was this resolution in any degree weakened by the
present intensity of hunger under which I laboured. The proposition had
not been heard by either Peters or Augustus. I therefore took Parker
aside; and mentally praying to God for power to dissuade him from the
horrible purpose he entertained, I expostulated with him for a long
time, and in the most supplicating manner, begging him in the name of
every thing which he held sacred, and urging him by every species of
argument which the extremity of the case suggested, to abandon the idea,
and not to mention it to either of the other two.

He heard all I said without attempting to controvert any of my
arguments, and I had begun to hope that he would be prevailed upon to do
as I desired. But when I had ceased speaking, he said that he knew very
well all I had said was true, and that to resort to such a course was
the most horrible alternative which could enter into the mind of man;
but that he had now held out as long as human nature could be sustained;
that it was unnecessary for all to perish, when, by the death of one,
it was possible, and even probable, that the rest might be finally
preserved; adding that I might save myself the trouble of trying to turn
him from his purpose, his mind having been thoroughly made up on the
subject even before the appearance of the ship, and that only her
heaving in sight had prevented him from mentioning his intention at an
earlier period.

I now begged him, if he would not be prevailed upon to abandon his
design, at least to defer it for another day, when some vessel might
come to our relief; again reiterating every argument I could devise, and
which I thought likely to have influence with one of his rough nature.
He said, in reply, that he had not spoken until the very last possible
moment, that he could exist no longer without sustenance of some kind,
and that therefore in another day his suggestion would be too late, as
regarded himself at least.

Finding that he was not to be moved by anything I could say in a mild
tone, I now assumed a different demeanor, and told him that he must be
aware I had suffered less than any of us from our calamities; that my
health and strength, consequently, were at that moment far better than
his own, or than that either of Peters or Augustus; in short, that I was
in a