But Now The
Mast Was Gone, The Ship Would No Longer Keep Upright, And Lay Quite Over On
One Side, So That The Water Ran Into Her In Torrents; And The People, Being
Quite Exhausted With Labour And Want Of Food, Had Not Strength Remaining To
Clear Out The Water.
In this desperate situation, expecting every moment that the vessel would
sink or go to pieces, they came to the resolution of endeavouring to save
themselves in the boats, of which the larger held only forty-seven men, and
the smaller twenty-one.
Quirini had the choice of either of the boats, and
at last went with his servants, into the larger boat, in which the officers
had embarked. They took with them a stock of provisions; and on the 17th
December, the winds and waves having somewhat moderated, they quitted their
unfortunate ship. Among other costly articles of commerce, the ship was
laden with 800 casks of Malmsey wine, and a great quantity of sweet-scented
Cyprus wood, with pepper and ginger. On the following night, the small boat
in which twenty-one of the crew were embarked, was separated from them by
the violence of the storm, and they never heard of her more. Those in the
larger boat were obliged to throw overboard most of their stock of wine and
provisions, and all their clothes except those they had on, in order if
possible to lighten her a little. As the weather proved fair for some time,
they steered to the eastwards, in hopes of getting as they thought to
Iceland; but the wind again chopping about, drove them about at its will,
and they were quite ignorant whereabouts they were.
Their liquor now began to fail, and many of the people being quite
exhausted with incessant labour, long watchings, and the other hardships
they had undergone, and through scarcity of provisions, a great number of
them died. So great particularly was the scarcity of drink, that the
allowance for each man was only a fourth part of a moderate cupful once in
twenty-four hours. They were better provided with salted meat, cheese, and
biscuit; but this dry and salt food excited an intolerable thirst, which
they had no means to quench; in consequence of which some of them died
suddenly, and without having exhibited any previous symptoms of illness;
and it was particularly observed, that those were first carried off who had
formerly lived in the most intemperate manner, and had given themselves up
to drunkenness, or had continually indulged themselves in hovering over the
fire. Though these had the external appearance of being strong and healthy,
they were least able to endure the hardships they had now to suffer, and
two or three of them used to die in a day. This mortality prevailed for ten
days, from the 19th to the 29th of December. On the 29th the last remainder
of the wine was served out, and every one resigned himself to meet death,
which seemed at hand.
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