The Cannibal Islands | Page 6

manner. Mr
Banks, therefore, sent forward five of the company with orders to get a
fire ready at the first convenient place they could find, while himself
with four others remained with the doctor and the negro, whom partly
by entreaty and partly by force, they roused up and brought on for some
little distance. But when they had got through the greatest part of the

swamp they both declared they could go no further. Again Mr Banks
tried to reason with the two unfortunate men, pointing out their extreme
danger, and beseeching them to make an effort to advance. But all he
could say had no effect.
When the negro was told that if he would not go on he must, in a short
time, be frozen to death, he answered that he desired nothing but to be
allowed to lie down and die. Dr Solander, on being told the same thing,
replied that he was willing to go on but that he must "first take some
sleep," forgetting apparently that he had before told his comrades that
to sleep was to perish.
As Mr Banks and his companions could not carry them, there was no
help for it--they were suffered to sit down, being partly supported by
the bushes. In a few minutes they were both sound asleep.
Providentially, just at that time, some of the people who had been sent
forward returned with the welcome news that a fire had been lighted
not more than a quarter of a mile off. Renewed attempts were therefore
made to rouse the sleepers. But the negro was past help. Every effort
failed to awaken him. With Dr Solander they were more successful, yet,
though he had not slept five minutes he had almost lost the use of his
limbs, and the muscles were so shrunken that the shoes fell off his feet.
Staggering and stumbling among the slush and snow, more dead than
alive, he was half carried, half dragged by his comrades to the fire.
Meanwhile the other negro and a seaman were left in charge of the
unfortunate black servant, with directions to stay by him and do what
they could for him until help should be sent. The moment Dr Solander
was got to the fire, two of the strongest of the party who had been
refreshed were sent back to bring in the negro. In half an hour, however,
they had the mortification to see these two men return alone. They had
been unable to find their comrades. This at first seemed unaccountable,
but when it was discovered that the only bottle of rum belonging to the
party was amissing, Mr Banks thought it probable that it had been in
the knapsack of one of the absent men, that by means of it the sleeping
negro had been revived, that they had then tried to reach the fire
without waiting for assistance, and so had lost themselves.

It was by this time quite dark, another heavy fall of snow had come on,
and continued for two hours, so that all hope of seeing them again alive
was given up, for it must be remembered that the men remaining by the
fire were so thoroughly knocked up that had they gone out to try to
save their comrades they would in all probability have lost their own
lives. Towards midnight, however, a shout was heard at some distance.
Mr Banks, with four others, went out immediately, and found the
seaman who had been left with the two negroes, staggering along with
just strength enough to keep on his legs. He was quickly brought to the
fire, and, having described where the other two were, Mr Banks
proceeded in search of them. They were soon found. The first negro,
who had sunk down at the same time with Dr Solander, was found
standing on his legs, but unable to move. The other negro was lying on
the snow as insensible as a stone.
All hands were now called from the fire, and an attempt was made to
carry them to it, but every man was so weak from cold, hunger, and
fatigue that the united strength of the whole party was not sufficient for
this. The night was extremely dark, the snow was very deep, and
although they were but a short distance from the fire, it was as much as
each man could do to make his way back to it, stumbling and falling as
he went through bogs and bushes.
Thus the poor negroes were left to their sad fate, and some of the others
were so near sharing that fate with them that they began to lose their
sense of feeling. One of Mr Banks's servants became so ill, that it was
feared he would die before