 there would
be the greatest difficulty in retracing his way to the hatchway in the dark. It
must be allowed, too, that he had every good reason to believe me dead; in which
event no benefit could result to me from his reaching the box, and a world of
danger would be encountered to no purpose by himself. He had repeatedly called,
and I had made him no answer. I had been now eleven days and nights with no more
water than that contained in the jug which he had left with me - a supply which
it was not at all probable I had hoarded in the beginning of my confinement, as
I had every cause to expect a speedy release. The atmosphere of the hold, too,
must have appeared to him, coming from the comparatively open air of the
steerage, of a nature absolutely poisonous, and by far more intolerable than it
had seemed to me upon my first taking up my quarters in the box - the hatchway
at that time having been constantly open for many months previous. Add to these
considerations that of the scene of bloodshed and terror so lately witnessed by
my friend; his confinement, privations, and narrow escapes from death, together
with the frail and equivocal tenure by which he still existed - circumstances
all so well calculated to prostrate every energy of mind - and the reader will
be easily brought, as I have been, to regard his apparent falling off in
friendship and in faith with sentiments rather of sorrow than of anger.
    The crash of the bottle was distinctly heard, yet Augustus was not sure that
it proceeded from the hold. The doubt, however, was sufficient inducement to
persevere. He clambered up nearly to the orlop deck by means of the stowage, and
then, watching for a lull in the pitchings of the vessel, he called out to me in
as loud a tone as he could command, regardless, for the moment, of being
overheard by the crew. It will be remembered that on this occasion the voice
reached me, but I was so entirely overcome by violent agitation as to be
incapable of reply. Confident, now, that his worst apprehensions were well
founded, he descended, with a view of getting back to the forecastle without
loss of time. In his haste some small boxes were thrown down, the noise
occasioned by which I heard, as will be recollected. He had made considerable
progress on his return when the fall of the knife again caused him to hesitate.
He retraced his steps immediately, and, clambering up the stowage a second time,
called out my name, loudly as before,
