Page 519 - for-the-term-of-his-natural-life

villain, however, he clung tenaciously to his oar, and even
unbuckling his leather belt, passed it round the slip of wood
that was his salvation, girding himself to it as firmly as
he was able. In this condition, plus a swoon from exhaus-
tion, he was descried by the helmsman of the Pretty Mary,
a few miles from Cape Surville, at daylight next morning.
Blunt, with a wild hope that this waif and stray might be
the lover of Sarah Purfoy, dead, lowered a boat and picked
him up. Nearly bisected by the belt, gorged with salt water,
frozen with cold, and having two ribs broken, the victim
of Vetch’s murderous quickness retained sufficient life to
survive Blunt’s remedies for nearly two hours. During that
time he stated that his name was Cox, that he had escaped
from Port Arthur with eight others, that John Rex was the
leader of the expedition, that the others were all drowned,
and that he believed John Rex had been retaken. Having
placed Blunt in possession of these particulars, he further
said that it pricked him to breathe, cursed Jemmy Vetch,
the settlement, and the sea, and so impenitently died. Blunt
smoked three pipes, and then altered the course of the Pret-
ty Mary two points to the eastward, and ran for the coast. It
was possible that the man for whom he was searching had
not been retaken, and was even now awaiting his arrival. It
was clearly his duty—hearing of the planned escape hav-
ing been actually attempted—not to give up the expedition
while hope remained.
‘I’ll take one more look along,’ said he to himself.
The Pretty Mary, hugging the coast as closely as she
dared, crawled in the thin breeze all day, and saw nothing.

1 For the Term of His Natural Life