"Edgar Allan Poe - Volume 3 of 5" - читать интересную книгу автора (Poe Edgar Allan)

made fast to a ringbolt, for the purpose of keeping him in an upright
position, and my so doing, it appeared, had been ultimately the means
of preserving his life. The Ariel was slightly put together, and in
going down her frame naturally went to pieces; the deck of the cuddy,
as might have been expected, was lifted, by the force of the water
rushing in, entirely from the main timbers, and floated (with other
fragments, no doubt) to the surface- Augustus was buoyed up with it,
and thus escaped a terrible death.

It was more than an hour after being taken on board the Penguin
before he could give any account of himself, or be made to comprehend
the nature of the accident which had befallen our boat. At length he
became thoroughly aroused, and spoke much of his sensations while in
the water. Upon his first attaining any degree of consciousness, he
found himself beneath the surface, whirling round and round with
inconceivable rapidity, and with a rope wrapped in three or four
folds tightly about his neck. In an instant afterward he felt himself
going rapidly upward, when, his head striking violently against a
hard substance, he again relapsed into insensibility. Upon once more
reviving he was in fuller possession of his reason- this was still,
however, in the greatest degree clouded and confused. He now knew
that some accident had occurred, and that he was in the water,
although his mouth was above the surface, and he could breathe with
some freedom. Possibly, at this period the deck was drifting rapidly
before the wind, and drawing him after it, as he floated upon his
back. Of course, as long as he could have retained this position, it
would have been nearly impossible that he should be drowned.
Presently a surge threw him directly athwart the deck, and this post
he endeavored to maintain, screaming at intervals for help. just
before he was discovered by Mr. Henderson, he had been obliged to
relax his hold through exhaustion, and, falling into the sea, had
given himself up for lost. During the whole period of his struggles
he had not the faintest recollection of the Ariel, nor of the matters
in connexion with the source of his disaster. A vague feeling of
terror and despair had taken entire possession of his faculties. When
he was finally picked up, every power of his mind had failed him;
and, as before said, it was nearly an hour after getting on board the
Penguin before he became fully aware of his condition. In regard to
myself- I was resuscitated from a state bordering very nearly upon
death (and after every other means had been tried in vain for three
hours and a half) by vigorous friction with flannels bathed in hot
oil- a proceeding suggested by Augustus. The wound in my neck,
although of an ugly appearance, proved of little real consequence,
and I soon recovered from its effects.

The Penguin got into port about nine o'clock in the morning,
after encountering one of the severest gales ever experienced off
Nantucket. Both Augustus and myself managed to appear at Mr.
Barnard's in time for breakfast- which, luckily, was somewhat late,
owing to the party over night. I suppose all at the table were too