WILL this frail¹ boat, forty feet by twenty, bear us in safety? Sink it cannot; the material of which it is composed is of a kind that must surmount² the waves. But it is questionable³ whether it will hold together. The cords that bind⁴ it will have a tremendous strain to bear in resisting the violence of the sea. The most sanguine⁵ among us trembles to face the future; the most confident dares to think only of the present. After the manifold perils⁶ of the last seventy-two days' voyage all are too agitated⁷ to look forward without dismay to what in all human probability must be a time of the direst distress⁸.  
Vain as the task may seem, I will not pause in my work of registering the events of our drama, as scene after scene they are unfolded before our eyes.
 
Of the twenty-eight persons who left Charleston in the Chancellor⁹, only eighteen are left to huddle¹⁰ together upon this narrow raft; this number includes the five passengers, namely, M. Letourneur, Andre, Miss Herbey, Falsten, and myself; the ship's officers, Captain Curtis, Lieutenant¹¹ Walter, the boatswain, Hobart the

Join or Log In! You need to log in to continue reading

Create a new account   I have a account already

	Create an New Account
Email:  (User Name)
Password:	Letters and numbers only. 6-20 characters.
Retype Password:
Screen Name:	Letters and numbers only. 6-50 Characters.
Confirmation Code:	(Please type in the characters in the green image.)

	Login into Your Account
Email:
Password:
	Remember me on this computer.