take some of them,
the strongest disinclination to make any such attempt was evinced, and
it was only after much argument and persuasion, and by direct personal
appeals to us individually, that he overcame this strange torpor, and
induced us to take to the oars.

On getting near enough to the objects of our pursuit to distinguish them
plainly, we were sorry to find that they were Porpoises instead of
black-fish, as we had at first supposed; the former being shy and timid,
and much more difficult to approach than the latter; and so they proved
at present. Still we persevered for a while; the hope of obtaining food
having been once excited, we were almost as reluctant to abandon the
attempt as we had been at first to commence it. But after half an
hour's severe labour at the oars, we were obliged to give it up as quite
hopeless, and soon afterward the last of the long column passed beyond
pursuit, leaving us completely disheartened and worn out. The sail was
again arranged so as to shelter us as much as possible from the sun, and
Arthur commenced distributing the leaves and twigs of the bread-fruit
branch, suggesting that some slight refreshment might perhaps be derived
from chewing them. But they retained a saline taste from having been in
the sea-water, and no one proceeded far with the experiment. Morton cut
some small slips of leather from his boots, and began to chew them. He
fancied that they afforded some nourishment, and recommended the rest of
us to make a similar trial, which I believe we all did. Max almost
immediately rejected with disgust the first morsel which he put into his
mouth, saying that he must "starve a little longer before he could
relish that." At noon the heat was more intense, if possible, than it
had been the day before. Johnny was now in a high fever, accompanied by
symptoms of an alarming character. It was distressing to witness his
sufferings, and feel utterly unable to do any thing for him. Yet there
was nothing that we could do--food and drink were the only medicines he
needed, and these we could not give him. Towards the close of the
afternoon he became delirious, and began to cry out violently and
incessantly for water. His voice seemed to have changed, and could now
scarcely be recognised. There was something very strange and horrible
in the regular, unceasing cries which he uttered, and which sounded at
times almost like the howlings of a brute. Arthur had made a sort of