Part 13 (2/2)

Would they have any suspicion of what had become of me? Perhaps they would fancy that I had fallen off the quay into the river; but then Aunt Deb would most likely insinuate that such was not to be ht feel didn't trouble retted the anxiety my disappearance would cause my parents, and brothers and sisters at hoht froer at last induced me to make another atte about I fancied that one of the bulkheads against which I had coht I would try and force h, but with onlyabout I shovedso I kicked against some object which moved I worked my foot on till I came to the end of it, and then contrived to draw from under one of the casks what proved to be a handspike, which had probably on some occasion dropped down into the hold I can't express the satisfaction the possession of this instruth by a blow on the kelson, for at first I was afraid it ht be rotten It proved sound Arainst which I deter as firh up as I was able to reach

I suspected that had it not been for the noises which were constantly issuing from all parts of the shi+p the sound of my bloould have been heard At last, to edwith ht door, which opened, I concluded, into another part of the hold I redoubledin the handspike worked away till the door yielded still edti of water on a hard rock, ultimately prevailed

Now one nail was drawn, now another, and I was sure that the door was giving way A strong man would with one or trenches have forced it openWeak as I was for want of food, it now see to me that un at the top By working the handspike lower and lower down I by degrees tore away the door, or as I es that I could discover I was exerting all ave way, and down I fell with ht which ca far-away revealed the sort of place I was in Had I not been so long accustoth would have been sufficient for me to discover the objects around I htly together; but still I failed to see any outlet

After recovering from my fall, by which I was soe packages; but I did so in vain I tried one and then another, but they did not yield to the utes, I deter edible I first felt the packages I was convinced they were bales of canvas or loose cloth At last I caht prove to be full of biscuits or ha by patience to e to admit my hand As I was completely in the dark I had to be very cautious not to cut myself or break my knife, an accident which I kneas very likely to occur, I cut out, therefore, only a small piece at a tiot on The case was very thick, and it must have taken me a couple of hours or more before I could h it I cut and cut away, till to ress, and before long, as I ran in the blade it struck against a hard substance Still I went on, and at last found to oods of some sort In spite of all the care I had taken I had ht not be able to ht find I was ready to cry with vexation, but it would be of no use to do that, so I shut up e to attack I felt about in vain for another case By this tiht I had observed had faded away, and I thus knew that evening had coet so to eat I had plenty to drink, and to refresh myself I returned to the part of the shi+p out of which I had cla out the plug, I eagerly applied reatly refreshed er I noent back once ained access

Feeling about, I caht to myself that it would somewhat add to ed it out, and found that it was of sufficient size for reatly exhausted es, but when I felt about I found that they would not form an easy couch There was no room to stretch myself, and they were secured by hard ropes Besides this I thought it possible that froht slip out of their places, and coed the piece of canvas into the lower part of the hold, and, stretching it under one of the water-casks, lay down to rest, intending before long to be up again and at work

I quickly dropped off to sleep, but was soon awakened by feeling so over ht and the loud thud they made as they jumped off and on the kelson I lay perfectly quiet Now I felt a fellow running up ues did not venture nearthe if they did so My object was to catch one or two of the as the idea would have been at any other tiet hold of one forthwith to eat hi on a Mondayto consume the dry bread which had remained over from the previous week This system had commenced on the arrival of Aunt Deb, ould not allow a scrap of food to be lost, and she therefore persuaded ive up the hot rolls which we previously had for breakfast on that day It was the first of the many reforms introduced by our respected aunt which didn't endear her to us

The rats continued their ga--noould run along ain I kept my feet covered up in the canvas, for I had no wish to have the at my toes Somehow or other none of theht one

At length I jumped up determined to make chase, but the moment I ht they had a hungry eneht find one of them stoay under a cask, or in soone off, like imps of darkness as they were, at sunrise

I wished ht that I could then infinitely better have endured my confinement

Fortunately for me, the shi+p o was taken on board; and as she was as tight as a bottle, there was no bilge-water in her Had there been, I could not have existed so long far down in the depths of her hold

The chase after the rats had aroused ot up, resolved to have another search for food of some sort I was not very particular A pound of tallow candles would have been welcome as a ested theer I reating the ocean in open boats, and how rease, had contributed to keep body and soul together But neither booby nor flying-fish could I possibly obtain I tried to think of all the various articles hich the shi+p was likely to be freighted During side which she had been moored, I had had the curiosity to try and ascertain the contents of the packages about being hoisted on board I had in sos, and ha landed I had, however, seen no things of the saside the ”Emu”

Still, unless I searched I was sure not to find; so, again crawling through the opening I had an to feel e I could reach

The cases I felt were all rough and strong The packages were covered with a stout ain I tried to ht make my way onwards, but I found as before that they were all firmly jammed in their proper positions It was difficult to divine how the space I had got into had been left vacant

I ht have spent two or three hours in the search, for of course I was obliged toer felt any pain froiven it had contributed to restore it to use

How little those on deck supposed that a hu about so far down beneath their feet

Before I gave in I tried another case, which see than any of those I had hitherto discovered I got out ot it off; the case was of soft deal, so that I had no great difficulty in cutting it, but I did so without an to feel that I should have to fall back on raw rat for supper That was if I could e to catch the said rat As before, I was disappointed I got into the case, but could only feel ato pack china or crockeryware of some sort I had had hopes of success, and I could not help feeling much disappointed

The desire of sleep, which I had for some time thrown off, returned, and I crept back to the spot which I had selected for uardone hand over my nose, and the other under me, so that the rats should not be able to nibble any of ht it likely they would try to do I hoped, however, that if theyone

For soht over my past life--my childhood's days--the time I spent at school--my various companions--s and floggings I had received--for instruction at that period was ier proportion of the _fortiter in re_ than of the _suaviter in et away froladly have found s in prospect, provided I could be sure of an aht have consisted of larded bread and sugarless tea Though I had often had quarrels with ly have entered into a coladly have endured one of the longest lectures Aunt Deb had ever given me, repeated ten ti a lump of bread and cheese after it I would thankfully have listened to the driest of some ofa cold dinner on rets were unavailing, and that as I had ht till hts became confused

The sound of voices struck onin whispers all round uish what they said Then even the consciousness of where I was faded fro I still suffered the painful sensations of hunger

I was tantalised by seeing in my dreams tables spread out, sometimes for breakfast, and at others for dinner or supper My brothers and sisters were seated round thes with excellent appetite Once Mr butterfield broughtme of its excellence, ladled it into his mouth before my eyes, and then disappeared with a hop, skip, and a jump

In the same way Aunt Deb appeared with a plate of crumpets, her favourite dish, and sed the eyes at me all the time they vanished down her throat This done, she went off waltzing round and round the room, till she popped up the chimney I cannot now remember one-tenth of the sensations which presented the, as I opine, that the sto others, by-the-bye, I fancied I andering about the streets of Liverpool, looking into cookshops and eating-houses, where people were engaged devouring food, which they in themanner held up toain all was a blank Silence reigned around; when suddenly a faint light streamed across the space beforefro not five feet froes they strea and tu so Numbers climbed up from beneath the kelson; some came from the fore part of the shi+p, others from aft ”Why, she ht ”I wonder how any hu that they should never molestat the curious antics they played