Before daylight dawned, the body was quite cold, and as I knew there must be no delay in throwing it overboard, I asked Curtis to assist me in the sad office. The body was frightfully emaciated2, and I had every hope that it would not float.
As soon as it was quite light, taking every precaution that no one should see what we were about, Curtis and I proceeded to our melancholy3 task. We took a few articles from the lieutenant's pockets, which we purposed, if either of us should survive, to remit4 to his mother. But as we wrapped him in his tattered5 garments that would have to suffice for his winding6 sheet, I started back with a thrill of horror. The right foot had gone, leaving the leg a bleeding stump7.
No doubt that, overcome by fatigue8, I must have fallen asleep for an interval9 during the night, and some one had taken advantage of my slumber10 to mutilate the corpse. But who could have been guilty of so foul11 a deed? Curtis looked around with anger flashing in his eye; but all seemed as usual, and the silence was only broken by a few groans12 of agony.
But there was no time to be lost; perhaps we were already observed, and more horrible scenes might be likely to occur. Curtis said a few short prayers, and we cast the body into the sea. It sank immediately.
"They are feeding the sharks well, and no mistake," said a voice behind me.
I turned round quickly, and found that it was Jynxstrop who had spoken.
As the boatswain now approached, I asked him whether he thought it possible that any of the wretched men could have taken the dead man's foot.
"Oh, yes, I dare say," he replied in a significant tone, "and perhaps they thought they were right."
"Right! what do you mean?" I exclaimed.
"Well, sir," he said coldly, "isn't it better to eat a dead man than a living one?"
I was at a loss to comprehend him, and, turning away, laid myself down at the end of the raft.
Toward eleven o'clock a most suspicious incident occurred. The boatswain, who had cast his lines early in the morning, caught three large cod13, each more than thirty inches long, of the species which, when dried, is known by the name of stock-fish. Scarcely had he hauled them on board when the sailors made a dash at them, and it was with the utmost difficulty that Curtis, Falsten and myself could restore order, so that we might divide the fish into equal portions. Three cod were not much among fourteen starving persons, but, small as the quantity was, it was allotted14 in strictly15 equal shares. Most of us devoured16 the food raw, almost I might say, alive; only Curtis, Andre, and Miss Herbey having the patience to wait until their allowance had been boiled at a fire which they made with a few scraps18 of wood. For myself, I confess that I swallowed my portion of fish as it was—raw and bleeding. M. Letourneur followed my example; the poor man devoured his food like a famished19 wolf, and it is only a wonder to me how, after his lengthened20 fast, he came to be alive at all.
The boatswain's delight at his success was excessive, and amounted almost to delirium21. I went up to him, and encouraged him to repeat his attempt.
"Oh, yes," he said; "I'll try again. I'll try again."
"And why not try at once?" I asked.
"Not now," he said evasively; "the night is the best time for catching22 large fish. Besides, I must manage to get some bait, for we have been improvident23 enough not to save a single scrap17."
"But you have succeeded once without bait; why may you not succeed again?"
"Oh, I had some very good bait last night," he said.
"Have you none left?" at last I asked.
"Yes!" he almost whispered, and left me without another word.
Our meal, meager26 as it had been, served to rally our shattered energies; our hopes were slightly raised; there was no reason why the boatswain should not have the same good luck again.
One evidence of the degree to which our spirits were revived was that our minds were no longer fixed27 upon the miserable28 present and hopeless future, but we began to recall and discuss the past; and M. Letourneur, Andre, Mr. Falsten and I, held a long conversation with the captain about the various incidents of our eventful voyage, speaking of our lost companions, of the fire, or the stranding29 of the ship, of our sojourn30 on Ham Rock, of the springing of the leak, of our terrible voyage in the top-masts, of the construction of the raft, and of the storm. All these things seemed to have happened so long ago, and yet we were living still. Living, did I say? Ay, if such an existence as ours could be called a life, fourteen of us were living still. Who would be the next to go? We should then be thirteen.
"An unlucky number!" said Andre, with a mournful smile.
During the night the boatswain cast his lines from the stern of the raft, and, unwilling31 to trust them to anyone else, remained watching them himself. In the morning I went to ascertain32 what success had attended his patience. It was scarcely light, and with eager eyes he was peering down into the water. He had neither seen nor heard me coming.
He turned round quickly.
"And you have no more left?" I asked.
"No more," he said. Then grasping my arm, he added, "and that only shows me that it is no good doing things by halves."
The truth flashed upon me at once, and I laid my hand upon his mouth.
Poor Walter!
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1
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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2
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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remit
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| v.汇款，汇寄；豁免（债务），免除（处罚等） | |
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tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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8
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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9
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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10
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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11
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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12
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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13
cod
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| n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗 | |
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14
allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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16
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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17
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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18
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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20
lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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22
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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improvident
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| adj.不顾将来的，不节俭的，无远见的 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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28
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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29
stranding
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| n.（船只）搁浅v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的现在分词 ) | |
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30
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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31
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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32
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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33
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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