This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ...a time past, took hours after that before it showed any signs of getting to rest. The moon was shining, the sky was wonderfully clear, and 15 it could not have been, according to my calculations, far off midnight, when the long, slow, regular swell of the calming ocean fairly set in, and I took the responsibility of lessening the distance between the Long-boat and ourselves. 20 It was, I dare say, a delusion of mine; but I thought 1 had never seen the moon shine so white and ghastly anywhere, either at sea or on land, as she shone that night while we were approaching our companions in misery. When there "was not much more than a boat's length 25 between us, and the white light streamed cold and clear over all our faces, both crews rested on their oars with one great shudder, and stared over the gunwale of either boat, panic-stricken at the first sight of each other. "Any lives lost among you?" I asked, in the midst of 30 that frightful silence. The men in the Long-boat huddled together like sheep at the sound of my voice. "None yet, but the child, thanks be to God!" answered one among them. 35 And at the sound of his voice, all my men shrank together like the men in the Long-boat. I was afraid to let the horror produced by our first meeting at close quarters after the dreadful changes that wet, cold, and famine had produced, last one moment longer than could 6 he helped; so, without giving time for any more questions and answers, I commanded the men to lay the two boats close alongside of each other. When I rose up and committed the tiller to the hands of Rames, all my poor fellows raised their white faces imploringly to mine. 10 "Don't leave us, sir," they said, "don't leave us." "I leave you," says I, "under the command and the guidance of Mr....