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By
the
end
of
January
our
food
was
near
its
end
.
The
pork
was
entirely
gone
,
and
we
used
the
barrel
for
catching
and
storing
rainwater
.
Not
many
pounds
of
beef
remained
.
And
in
all
the
nine
weeks
in
the
open
boat
we
had
raised
no
sail
and
glimpsed
no
land
.
Captain
Nicholl
frankly
admitted
that
after
sixty-three
days
of
dead
reckoning
he
did
not
know
where
we
were
.
The
twentieth
of
February
saw
the
last
morsel
of
food
eaten
.
I
prefer
to
skip
the
details
of
much
that
happened
in
the
next
eight
days
.
I
shall
touch
only
on
the
incidents
that
serve
to
show
what
manner
of
men
were
my
companions
.
We
had
starved
so
long
,
that
we
had
no
reserves
of
strength
on
which
to
draw
when
the
food
utterly
ceased
,
and
we
grew
weaker
with
great
rapidity
.
On
February
twenty-fourth
we
calmly
talked
the
situation
over
.
We
were
three
stout-spirited
men
,
full
of
life
and
toughness
,
and
we
did
not
want
to
die
.
No
one
of
us
would
volunteer
to
sacrifice
himself
for
the
other
two
.
But
we
agreed
on
three
things
:
we
must
have
food
;
we
must
decide
the
matter
by
casting
lots
;
and
we
would
cast
the
lots
next
morning
if
there
were
no
wind
.
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Next
morning
there
was
wind
,
not
much
of
it
,
but
fair
,
so
that
we
were
able
to
log
a
sluggish
two
knots
on
our
northerly
course
.
The
mornings
of
the
twenty-sixth
and
twenty-seventh
found
us
with
a
similar
breeze
.
We
were
fearfully
weak
,
but
we
abided
by
our
decision
and
continued
to
sail
.
But
with
the
morning
of
the
twenty-eighth
we
knew
the
time
was
come
.
The
longboat
rolled
drearily
on
an
empty
,
windless
sea
,
and
the
stagnant
,
overcast
sky
gave
no
promise
of
any
breeze
.
I
cut
three
pieces
of
cloth
,
all
of
a
size
,
from
my
jacket
.
In
the
ravel
of
one
of
these
pieces
was
a
bit
of
brown
thread
.
Whoever
drew
this
lost
.
I
then
put
the
three
lots
into
my
hat
,
covering
it
with
Captain
Nicholl
's
hat
.
All
was
ready
,
but
we
delayed
for
a
time
while
each
prayed
silently
and
long
,
for
we
knew
that
we
were
leaving
the
decision
to
God
.
I
was
not
unaware
of
my
own
honesty
and
worth
;
but
I
was
equally
aware
of
the
honesty
and
worth
of
my
companions
,
so
that
it
perplexed
me
how
God
could
decide
so
fine-balanced
and
delicate
a
matter
.
The
captain
,
as
was
his
right
and
due
,
drew
first
.
After
his
hand
was
in
the
hat
he
delayed
for
sometime
with
closed
eyes
,
his
lips
moving
a
last
prayer
.
And
he
drew
a
blank
.
This
was
right
--
a
true
decision
I
could
not
but
admit
to
myself
;
for
Captain
Nicholl
's
life
was
largely
known
to
me
and
I
knew
him
to
be
honest
,
upright
,
and
God-fearing
.
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Remained
the
surgeon
and
me
.
It
was
one
or
the
other
,
and
,
according
to
ship
's
rating
,
it
was
his
due
to
draw
next
.
Again
we
prayed
.
As
I
prayed
I
strove
to
quest
back
in
my
life
and
cast
a
hurried
tally-sheet
of
my
own
worth
and
unworth
.
I
held
the
hat
on
my
knees
with
Captain
Nicholl
's
hat
over
it
.
The
surgeon
thrust
in
his
hand
and
fumbled
about
for
some
time
,
while
I
wondered
whether
the
feel
of
that
one
brown
thread
could
be
detected
from
the
rest
of
the
ravel
.
At
last
he
withdrew
his
hand
.
The
brown
thread
was
in
his
piece
of
cloth
.
I
was
instantly
very
humble
and
very
grateful
for
God
's
blessing
thus
extended
to
me
;
and
I
resolved
to
keep
more
faithfully
than
ever
all
of
His
commandments
.
The
next
moment
I
could
not
help
but
feel
that
the
surgeon
and
the
captain
were
pledged
to
each
other
by
closer
ties
of
position
and
intercourse
than
with
me
,
and
that
they
were
in
a
measure
disappointed
with
the
outcome
.
And
close
with
that
thought
ran
the
conviction
that
they
were
such
true
men
that
the
outcome
would
not
interfere
with
the
plan
arranged
.