Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 13, 2025
The important feat was to have been able to keep afloat until the cessation of the tempest. They said to themselves, "It is all over this time." Suddenly they found that all was indeed over. One of the sailors, the northern Basque, Galdeazun by name, went down into the hold to look for a rope, then came above again and said, "The hold is full." "Of what?" asked the chief.
The doctor corked the flask with a bit of rope, and asked for some tar. Galdeazun went forward, extinguished the signal light with a piece of tow, took the vessel in which it was contained from the stern, and brought it, half full of burning tar, to the doctor. The flask holding the parchment which they had all signed was corked and tarred over. "It is done," said the doctor.
"Of the three men comprising the crew, the skipper having been swept off by a wave, there remain but two, and we have signed, Galdeazun; Ave Maria, Thief." The sheriff, interspersing his reading with his own observations, continued, "At the bottom of the sheet is written,
Being the one who knows the most, my danger is greater than yours. You do well to leave the choice of the bridge to him whose burden is the heaviest." He added, "Knowledge is a weight added to conscience." He continued, "How much time have we still?" Galdeazun looked at the water-mark, and answered, "A little more than a quarter of an hour." "Good," said the doctor.
They had a wound which they could not stanch. The water, however, was not rising very fast. The chief called out, "We must work the pump." Galdeazun replied, "We have no pump left." "Then," said the chief, "we must make for land." "Where is the land?" "I don't know." "Nor I." "But it must be somewhere." "True enough." "Let some one steer for it." "We have no pilot."
Galdeazun brought some old leathern buckets, and they tried to bale the hold out, standing in a row to pass them from hand to hand; but the buckets were past use, the leather of some was unstitched, there were holes in the bottoms of the others, and the buckets emptied themselves on the way.
"Of water," answered the sailor. The chief cried out, "What does that mean?" "It means," replied Galdeazun, "that in half an hour we shall founder." There was a hole in the keel. A leak had been sprung. When it happened no one could have said. Was it when they touched the Caskets? Was it off Ortach? Was it when they were whirled about the shallows west of Aurigny?
The Provençal signed, LUC-PIERRE CAPGAROUPE, of the Galleys of Mahon. Under these signatures the doctor added a note: "Of the crew of three men, the skipper having been washed overboard by a sea, but two remain, and they have signed." The two sailors affixed their names underneath the note. The northern Basque signed himself, GALDEAZUN. The southern Basque signed, AVE MARIA: Robber.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking