Page 393 - for-the-term-of-his-natural-life

accurate bearings, ran for the Friendly Islands, as had been
agreed upon amongst us.
‘But it now seemed that the good fortune which had
hitherto attended us had deserted us, for after crawling for
four days in sultry weather, there fell a dead calm, and we
lay like a log upon the sea for forty-eight hours. For three
days we remained in the midst of the ocean, exposed to the
burning rays of the sun, in a boat without water or provi-
sions. On the fourth day, just as we had resolved to draw
lots to determine who should die for the sustenance of the
others, we were picked up by an opium clipper returning
to Canton. The captain, an American, was most kind to us,
and on our arrival at Canton, a subscription was got up for
us by the British merchants of that city, and a free passage to
England obtained for us. Russen, however, getting in drink,
made statements which brought suspicion upon us. I had
imposed upon the Consul with a fictitious story of a wreck,
but had stated that my name was Wilson, forgetting that
the sextant which had been preserved in the boat had Cap-
tain Bates’s name engraved upon it. These circumstances
together caused sufficient doubts in the Consul’s mind to
cause him to give directions that, on our arrival in Lon-
don, we were to be brought before the Thames Police Court.
There being no evidence against us, we should have escaped,
had not a Dr. Pine, who had been surgeon on board the
Malabar transport, being in the Court, recognized me and
swore to my identity. We were remanded, and, to complete
the chain of evidence, Mr. Capon, the Hobart Town gaoler,
was, strangely enough, in London at the time, and iden-

For the Term of His Natural Life