JANUARY 27.—I did not close my eyes all night, and was keenly alive to the faintest sounds, and every ripple¹ of the water, and every murmur² of the waves, broke distinctly on my ear. One thing I noticed and accepted as a happy omen³; not a single shark now lingered round the raft. The waning⁴ moon rose at a quarter to one, and through the feeble glimmer⁵ which she cast across the ocean, many and many a time I fancied I caught sight of the longed-for sail, lying only a few cables'-lengths away.  
But when morning came, the sun rose once again upon a desert ocean, and my hopes began to fade. Neither ship nor shore had appeared, and as the shocking hour of execution drew near, my dreams of deliverance melted away; I shuddered⁶ in my very soul as I was brought face to face with the stern reality. I dared not look upon the victim, and whenever his eyes, so full of calmness and resignation, met my own, I turned away my head. I felt choked with horror, and my brain reeled as though I were intoxicated⁷.
 
It was now six o'clock, and all hope had vanished from my breast; my heart beat rapidly, and a cold sweat of agony broke out all over me. Curtis and the boatswain stood by the mast attentively⁸ scanning the horizon. The boatswain's countenance⁹ was terrible to look upon; one could see that although he would not forestall¹⁰ the hour, he was determined¹¹ not to wait a moment after it arrived. As for the captain, it was impossible to tell what really passed within his mind; his face was livid, and his whole existence seemed concentrated in the exercise of his power of vision. The sailors were crawling about the platform, with their eyes gleaming, like the wild beasts ready to pounce¹² upon their devoted¹³ prey¹⁴.
 
I could no longer keep my place, and glided¹⁵ along to the front of the raft. The boatswain was still standing¹⁶ intent on his watch, but all of a sudden, in a voice that made me start, he shouted:
 
"Now then, time's up!" and followed by Dowlas, Burke, Flaypole, and Sandon, ran ............