They immediately sprang to their feet, again
      indulging in the most extravagant demonstrations of joy, weeping,
      laughing in an idiotic manner, jumping, stamping upon the deck,
      tearing their hair, and praying and cursing by turns. I was so
      affected by their conduct, as well as by what I considered a sure
      prospect of deliverance, that I could not refrain from joining in
      with their madness, and gave way to the impulses of my gratitude
      and ecstasy by lying and rolling on the deck, clapping my hands,
      shouting, and other similar acts, until I was suddenly called to
      my recollection, and once more to the extreme human misery and
      despair, by perceiving the ship all at once with her stern fully
      presented toward us, and steering in a direction nearly opposite
      to that in which I had at first perceived her. It was some time before I could induce my poor companions to
      believe that this sad reverse in our prospects had actually taken
      place. They replied to all my assertions with a stare and a
      gesture implying that they were not to be deceived by such
      misrepresentations. The conduct of Augustus most sensibly
      affected me. In spite of all I could say or do to the contrary,
      he persisted in saying that the ship was rapidly nearing us, and
      in making preparations to go on board of her. Some seaweed
      floating by the brig, he maintained that it was the ship’s boat,
      and endeavoured to throw himself upon it, howling and shrieking
      in the most heartrending manner, when I forcibly restrained him
      from thus casting himself into the sea. Having become in some degree pacified, we continued to watch the
      ship until we finally lost sight of her, the weather becoming
      hazy, with a light breeze springing up. As soon as she was
      entirely gone, Parker turned suddenly toward me with an
      expression of countenance which made me shudder. There was about
      him an air of self-possession which I had not noticed in him
      until now, and before he opened his lips my heart told me what he
      would say. He proposed, in a few words, that one of us should die
      to preserve the existence of the others. CHAPTER 12


      I had for some time past, dwelt upon the prospect of our being
      reduced to this last horrible extremity, and had secretly made up
      my mind to suffer death in any shape or under any circumstances
      rather than resort to such a course. Nor was this resolution in
      any degree weakened by the present intensity of hunger under
      which I laboured. The proposition had not been heard by either
      Peters or Augustus. I therefore took Parker aside; and mentally
      praying to God for power to dissuade him from the horrible
      purpose he entertained, I expostulated with him for a long time,
      and in the most supplicating manner, begging him in the name of
      every thing which he held sacred, and urging him by every species
      of argument which the extremity of the case suggested, to abandon
      the idea, and not to mention it to either of the other two. He heard all I said without attempting to controvert any of my
      arguments, and I had begun to hope that he would be prevailed
      upon to do as I desired. But when I had ceased speaking, he said
      that he knew very well all I had said was true, and that to
      resort to such a course was the most horrible alternative which
      could enter into the mind of man; but that he had now held out as
      long as human nature could be sustained; that it was unnecessary
      for all to perish, when, by the death of one, it was possible,
      and even probable, that the rest might be finally preserved;
      adding that I might save myself the trouble of trying to turn him
      from his purpose, his mind having been thoroughly made up on the
      subject even before the appearance of the ship, and that only her
      heaving in sight had prevented him from mentioning his intention
      at an earlier period. I now begged him, if he would not be prevailed upon to abandon
      his design, at least to defer it for another day, when some
      vessel might come to our relief; again reiterating every argument
      I could devise, and which I thought likely to have influence with
      one of his rough nature. He said, in reply, that he had not
      spoken until the very last possible moment, that he could exist
      no longer without sustenance of some kind, and that therefore in
      another day his suggestion would be too late, as regarded himself
      at least. Finding that he was not to be moved by anything I could say in a
      mild tone, I now assumed a different demeanor, and told him that
      he must be aware I had suffered less than any of us from our
      calamities; that my health and strength, consequently, were at
      that moment far better than his own, or than that either of
      Peters or Augustus; in short, that I was in a condition to have
      my own way by force if I found it necessary; and that if he
      attempted in any manner to acquaint the others with his bloody
      and cannibal designs, I would not hesitate to throw him into the
      sea. Upon this he immediately seized me by the throat, and
      drawing a knife, made several ineffectual efforts to stab me in
      the stomach; an atrocity which his excessive debility alone
      prevented him from accomplishing. In the meantime, being roused
      to a high pitch of anger, I forced him to the vessel’s side, with
      the full intention of throwing him overboard. He was saved from
      his fate, however, by the interference of Peters, who now
      approached and separated us, asking the cause of the disturbance. This Parker told before I could find means in any manner to
      prevent him. The effect of his words was even more terrible than what I had
      anticipated. Both Augustus and Peters, who, it seems, had long
      secretly entertained the same fearful idea which Parker had been
      merely the first to broach, joined with him in his design and
      insisted upon its immediately being carried into effect. I had
      calculated that one at least of the two former would be found
      still possessed of sufficient strength of mind to side with
      myself in resisting any attempt to execute so dreadful a purpose,
      and, with the aid of either one of them, I had no fear of being
      able to prevent its accomplishment. Being disappointed in this
      expectation, it became absolutely necessary that I should attend
      to my own safety, as a further resistance on my part might
      possibly be considered by men in their frightful condition a
      sufficient excuse for refusing me fair play in the tragedy that I
      knew would speedily be enacted.