by John Marshall

“ An eulogium is due to their virtues: their memories deserve more than the writer’s feeble ability has power to dictate. * * * * * * The sullen silence that was preserved by every one, plainly marked our grief and increased our despair: we had again to pass another night, which to all of us appeared endless. ”

“ We had nothing before us but the most gloomy prospect of death: our fellow-creatures had seen our distress, and instead of relieving us, had taken advantage of our misery: if it were just to utter an anathema against the most abandoned of men, with how much justice would it be allowed to us to utter it on those villains who had so inhumanly abandoned us. ”

“ On the 5th, at 2-30 a.m., we distinguished high land, which we took to be the island of Cerigotto. We now thought that all was safe, and that we had left every danger behind us. We altered our course to get past this island, and continued to run without accident until 4-30, when breakers were discovered a-head, and immediately the ship struck with most tremendous violence. It is impossible to describe the sensations that predominated at a moment so distressing:– fear, hope, and despair, by turns prevailed. ”

“ About an hour before day-light, the main-mast gave way, and we were enabled by it to reach a small rock above water; the struggling and confusion that we experienced in thus far escaping death is not to be described: several of our unfortunate shipmates were drowned, and one man had his arm broken. For a long time the ship sheltered us from the surf; but as our poor vessel broke up, we found our situation every moment becoming more perilous, and that we should soon be obliged to leave the part of the rock we were then on, to wade to another that appeared to be somewhat larger. ”

“ Our misery and hunger were extreme: we knew that unfortunate men in our situation had been reduced to adopt means that even then we thought of with disgust. Yet when those horrid means were the only ones left to preserve life, we might in some measure be excused in adopting them. Such were the ideas that were then suggested to us, and we prepared for the mournful event – it cost us thousands of tears. With the most awful sense of the dreadful alternative that became men in our unhappy state, we selected a young man who had died the night before ”

“ Our wild and affrighted looks plainly marked our grief and horror: when we considered our real situation, there was nothing left but resignation to the will of Heaven. We found ourselves placed on a barren coral rock, scarcely above the water; and which, from the writer’s recollection, might have been about three or four hundred yards long, and two hundred broad. We were at least twelve miles from the nearest islands, which we afterwards found to be those of Cerigotto, and Pora, at the western entrance of the Archipelago. It was now first reported that a small boat with several men had escaped ”

“ The sea all night passing over us, and the extreme severity of the weather had so completely exhausted us, that many had died from cold alone. It is now that the writer of this narrative has to relate an instance of inhumanity, that leaves on the character of the crew of a vessel, yet unknown, the greatest degree of infamy – whoever they were, they are a disgrace to the country to which they belong:– if they have the common feelings of men, they will surely experience some remorse when they learn that not less than thirty brave fellow-creatures fell a sacrifice to their unexampled cruelty. ”

“ We prepared immediately to form rafts to take us through the surf, not doubting but the boat was provided with every thing to relieve us: who then can judge of our agony, when this boat full of men, dressed after the manner of Englishmen, came within pistol-shot, looked at us for a few minutes, and then rowed off again to their ship: Still more to distress us, during the whole of the day, they were employed in taking up the wreck of our unfortunate sloop.
“All that melancholy time we anxiously watched the return of our boat, thinking to send her to the vessel ”

“ He was astonished in the morning to find himself alive, and more particularly when he found that several very strong men had fallen in the night. We were reflecting on their fate, and considering this day as the last of our lives, when unexpectedly the cry of The boats are coming! ”