the survivors. On the 28th,
Samuel Reed, the last black man, died in the captain's boat and was
eaten like the rest. Singular that all the Negroes died first!

On the 29th, in a storm, these two boats separated. When they parted
the second mate's boat had three living white men in her. Nothing was
ever heard of her.

It might be inferred from the fact that the surviving men had had
something to eat, that they were in fair physical condition. That is
far from the truth. The men who had died were nothing but skin and
bone, and all that the survivors got from their ghastly meals was the
bare prolongation of a life which sank steadily to a lower and lower
ebb. We may not judge these people too harshly. Hunger and thirst
make men mad. They scarcely realized what they did.

There was worse to come. On the 1st of February, 1821, being without
food or drink of any sort, the four men in the captain's boat cast lots
as to which should die for the others. There is something significant
of a spirit of fair play and discipline, not without its admirable
quality, that under such circumstances, the weaker were not overpowered
by the stronger, but that each man had an equal chance for life. The
lot fell upon Owen Coffin,[1] the captain's nephew. He did not repine.
He expressed his willingness to abide {242} by the decision. No man
desired to be his executioner. They cast lots, as before, to determine
who should kill him, and the lot fell upon Charles Ramsdale. By him
Coffin was shot.

Thus they eked out a miserable existence until the 11th of February,
when Barzilla Ray died. On the 23rd of February, the two remaining
men, the captain and Ramsdale, just on the point of casting lots as to
which should have the last poor chance for life, were picked up by the
Nantucket whaler, _Dauphin_, Captain Zimri Coffin. They had almost
reached St. Mary's Island, ten miles from the coast of Chili. On the
17th of March, these two survivors joined the three from the mate's
boat in Valparaiso.

In the harbor was the United States frigate, _Constellation_, Captain
Charles G. Ridgeley, U. S. N. As soon as her commander heard of the
three left on Ducie Island, he arranged with Captain Thomas Raines, of
the British merchant ship, _Surrey_, to touch at the island on his
voyage to Australia and take off the men. Captain Raines found them
still alive, but reduced to the last gasp.

Thus of the twenty men, five reached Valparaiso;