Page:Shipwrecks and disasters at sea.pdf/14

 his thigh; he was instantly seized by the soldiers and thrown into the sea, but was saved by the opposite party. A furious charge was now made upon the mutineers, many of whom were cut down: at length this fit of desperation subsided, and was succeeded by the most egregious cowardice: they cried out for mercy, and asked forgiveness on their knees. It was now midnight, and order appeared to be restored; but after an hour of deceitful tranquility, the insurrection burst forth anew: they rushed upon the officers like desperate men, each having a knife or a sabre in his hand, and such was the fury of the assailants, that they tore flesh and even their clothes with their teeth: there was no time for hesitation ; a general slaughter took place, and the raft was strewed with dead bodies.

Some palliation must be allowed on account of their miserable condition ; the constant dread of death, and want of rest and food had impaired their faculties—nor did the officers themselves entirely escape. A sort of half-waking dream, a wandering of the imagination, seized most of them : some fancied they saw around them a beautiful country, covered with the most delightful plantations; others became wild with horrors, and threw themselves into the sea. Several, on casting themselves off, said calmly to their companions, ‘I .’

‘In the midst of this general madness,’ says the narrative, ‘one saw these unhappy men rushing upon their companions, sword in hand, and demanding from them the wing of a chicken