Page:Federal Reporter, 1st Series, Volume 5.djvu/470

 458 FEDERAL REPORTER. �yellowfever on boaid, and not well men enough to man a boat. The Munson was then short-handed, the chief mate having deserted in Cardenas, and George W. Donald, second mate, was acting as chief mate, and the crew was one man short ; but her master, Gaptain Thomas A. CofSn, determined to ren- der assistance to the brig, and appHed to Donald, his second mate, a young man of 18 years ofvage, who knew something about navigation, to know if he would be willing to attempt to get the brig into New York; and, when Donald expressed a willingness to make the attempt, he ordered him to join the brig for that purpose. Coffin and Donald then boarded the brig together. When on board, Coffin went into the cabin to ascertain the condition of the captain, whom he found very sick, indeed but able to make known that he wanted assist- ance and a navigator. He was informed that Donald would attempt to get the vessel to New York, and then Coffin, after having, with the assistance of one of his men, called out of the boat for that purpose, swayed up the brig sails, hanging loose at the tirae, and, having left medicine for the sick, returned to his vessel and proceeded on his voyage to New York, where he arrived in safety and without loss of time. �Donald was then left on board the Akbar with but a single well man to assist in working the vessel, ail the others being more or less affected with yellow fever, and two at the point of death. Freeman, the acting mate, took to his bunk sick shortly after Donald came on board. The condition of Moody, the captain, grew worse; he became delirions, and on the 18th he died in Donald's arms, having been nursed and attended by Donald and the steward to the best of their abil- ity. Donald prepared the body of the captain for burial, and, with the assistance of the steward and the well seaman, com- mitted the remains to the sea. On the next day it came on to blow, and the brig stood off shore for 24 hours. On the 20th the sea was still heavy, and on this day a seaman died of yellow fever in the forecastle. The steward and well sea- man became fearful, and Donald was compelled, without any assistance, to. get the remains of the man out of the forecastle and into the sea. From this time forward the remaining ����