JANUARY 26.—All heard and understood the proposition; in fact it had been in contemplation for several days, but no one had ventured to put the idea into words. However, it was done now; lots were to be drawn¹, and to each would be assigned his share of the body of the one ordained² by fate to be the victim. For my own part, I profess³ that I was quite resigned for the lot to fall upon myself. I thought I heard Andre Letourneur beg for an exception to be made in favor of Miss Herbey; but the sailors raised a murmur⁴ of dissent⁵. As there were eleven of us on board, there were ten chances to one in each one's favor—a proportion which would be diminished if Miss Herbey were excluded; so that the young lady was forced to take her chance among the rest.  
It was then half-past ten, and the boatswain, who had been roused from his lethargy by what the carpenter had said, insisted that the drawing should take place immediately. There was no reason for delaying the fatal lottery⁶. There was not one of us that clung in the least to life; and we knew that, at the worst, whoever should be doomed⁷ to die, would only precede the rest by a few days, or even hours. All that we desired was just once to slake⁸ our raging thirst and moderate our gnawing⁹ hunger.
 
How all the names found their way to the bottom of a hat I cannot tell. Very likely Falsten wrote them upon a leaf torn from his memorandum-book. But be that as it may, the eleven names were there, and it was unanimously agreed that the last name drawn should be the victim.
 
But who would draw the names? There was hesitation¹⁰ for a moment; then "I will," said a voice behind me. Turning round, I beheld¹¹ M. Letourneur standing¹² with outstretched hand, and with his long white hair falling over his thin livid face that w............