Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

44
LOSS OP THE
found to their great joy that they possessed
between two and three hundred pounds of
salt beef and a considerable supply of onions.
Still, it was resolved, to keep themselves upon
short allowance. A quarter of a pound of
beef and four onions were all that could be
afforded daily to each man.
The gale abated on the eleventh of Decem¬
ber, and then they were able to launch their
boat and get upon the wreck. It cost a day’s
labour to open the hatches, having only one
axe, and the cables being frozen over them into
a mass of ice. The following day, by cutting
up the deck, they got out two casks of onions
and a barrel of beef, containing about a hun¬
dred and twenty pounds weight. They also
found what they imagined to be three barrels
of apples, shipped by a Jew of Quebec, but
which proved, unfortunately, to be balsam of
Canada. They got out a quarter of cask of
potatoes, a bottle of oil, an axe, a large iron
pot, two camp-kettles, and twelve pounds of
candles. These they stowed away in their
hut. They now added four onions to their
daily allowance. They next cut away as
much of the sails as they could from the bow¬
sprit, for the purpose of covering their hut,