EPILOGUE

"andionlyamescapedalonetotellthee"job.

thedrama'sdone.whythenheredoesanyonestepforth?—becauseonedidsurvivethewreck.

itsochanced,thataftertheparsee'sdisappearance,iwashewhomthefatesordainedtotaketheplaceofahab'sbowsman,whenthatbowsmanassumedthevacantpost;thesame,who,whenonthelastdaythethreemenweretossedfromoutoftherockingboat,wasdroppedastern.so,floatingonthemarginoftheensuingscene,andinfullsightofit,whenthehalfspentsuctionofthesunkshipreachedme,iwasthen,butslowly,drawntowardstheclosingvortex.whenireachedit,ithadsubsidedtoacreamypool.roundandround,then,andevercontractingtowardsthebutton-likeblackbubbleattheaxisofthatslowlywheelingcircle,likeanotherixionididrevolve.till,gainingthatvitalcentre,theblackbubbleupwardburst;andnow,liberatedbyreasonofitscunningspring,and,owingtoitsgreatbuoyancy,risingwithgreatforce,thecoffinlife-buoyshotlengthwisefromthesea,fellover,andfloatedbymyside.buoyedupbythatcoffin,foralmostonewholedayandnight,ifloatedonasoftanddirgelikemain.theunharmingsharks,theyglidedbyasifwithpadlocksontheirmouths;thesavagesea-hawkssailedwithsheathedbeaks.onthesecondday,asaildrewnear,nearer,andpickedmeupatlast.itwasthedevious-cruisingrachel,thatinherretracingsearchafterhermissingchildren,onlyfoundanotherorphan.

theend