n-hatch, and striking Peters violently with his tail. A heavy
sea at length hurled him overboard, much to our relief. In moderate
weather we might have easily captured him.

July 26. This morning, the wind having greatly abated, and the sea not
being very rough, we determined to renew our exertions in the storeroom.
After a great deal of hard labor during the whole day, we found that
nothing further was to be expected from this quarter, the partitions of
the room having been stove during the night, and its contents swept into
the hold. This discovery, as may be supposed, filled us with despair.

July 27. The sea nearly smooth, with a light wind, and still from the
northward and westward. The sun coming out hotly in the afternoon,
we occupied ourselves in drying our clothes. Found great relief from
thirst, and much comfort otherwise, by bathing in the sea; in this,
however, we were forced to use great caution, being afraid of sharks,
several of which were seen swimming around the brig during the day.

July 28. Good weather still. The brig now began to lie along so
alarmingly that we feared she would eventually roll bottom up. Prepared
ourselves as well as we could for this emergency, lashing our tortoise,
waterjug, and two remaining jars of olives as far as possible over to
the windward, placing them outside the hull below the main-chains. The
sea very smooth all day, with little or no wind.

July 29. A continuance of the same weather. Augustus's wounded arm began
to evince symptoms of mortification. He complained of drowsiness and
excessive thirst, but no acute pain. Nothing could be done for his
relief beyond rubbing his wounds with a little of the vinegar from the
olives, and from this no benefit seemed to be experienced. We did every
thing in our power for his comfort, and trebled his allowance of water.

July 30. An excessively hot day, with no wind. An enormous shark kept
close by the hulk during the whole of the forenoon. We made several
unsuccessful attempts to capture him by means of a noose. Augustus much
worse, and evidently sinking as much from want of proper nourishment as
from the effect of his wounds. He constantly prayed to be relieved from
his sufferings, wishing for nothing but death. This evening we ate the
last of our olives, and found the water in our jug so putrid that we
could not swallow it at all without the addition of wine. Determined to
kill our tortoise in the morning.

July 31. After a