nsion of immediate
danger, for the least slip or false movement would have thrown us
at once within reach of those voracious fish, who frequently thrust
themselves directly upon us, swimming up to leeward. No shouts or
exertions on our part seemed to alarm them. Even when one of the largest
was struck with an axe by Peters and much wounded, he persisted in his
attempts to push in where we were. A cloud came up at dusk, but, to our
extreme anguish, passed over without discharging itself. It is quite
impossible to conceive our sufferings from thirst at this period. We
passed a sleepless night, both on this account and through dread of the
sharks.

August 3. No prospect of relief, and the brig lying still more and more
along, so that now we could not maintain a footing upon deck at all.
Busied ourselves in securing our wine and tortoise-meat, so that we
might not lose them in the event of our rolling over. Got out two stout
spikes from the forechains, and, by means of the axe, drove them into
the hull to windward within a couple of feet of the water, this not
being very far from the keel, as we were nearly upon our beam-ends. To
these spikes we now lashed our provisions, as being more secure than
their former position beneath the chains. Suffered great agony from
thirst during the whole day--no chance of bathing on account of the
sharks, which never left us for a moment. Found it impossible to sleep.

August 4. A little before daybreak we perceived that the hulk was
heeling over, and aroused ourselves to prevent being thrown off by the
movement. At first the roll was slow and gradual, and we contrived to
clamber over to windward very well, having taken the precaution to leave
ropes hanging from the spikes we had driven in for the provision. But
we had not calculated sufficiently upon the acceleration of the impetus;
for, presently the heel became too violent to allow of our keeping pace
with it; and, before either of us knew what was to happen, we found
ourselves hurled furiously into the sea, and struggling several fathoms
beneath the surface, with the huge hull immediately above us.

In going under the water I had been obliged to let go my hold upon
the rope; and finding that I was completely beneath the vessel, and
my strength nearly exhausted, I scarcely made a struggle for life,
and resigned myself, in a few seconds, to die. But here again I was
deceived, not having taken into consideration the natural rebound of
t