“All gone?” the words seemed to be fairly shrieked by the horrified group, for they knew that under this burning sky they could none of them exist long without water.
Her father was the first to ask where the supply had gone, that an hour before he had thought sufficient, at the rate they were using it, for at least two days, and now it was all gone. “Who used it,” Captain Gray asked sternly?
“I did,” said Etta, “don’t blame me, papa, I could not help it, I have given it to Carrie. I could not endure it any longer to see her suffering so. I had to give it to her.”
Captain Gray bowed his head in his hands for a moment, then taking Etta’s hand in his, asked in a broken voice, “Do you know what you have done my child? You have doomed us all to a horrible death.”
“Don’t papa, don’t. I could not bear to see her die, calling for water when there was still a little that she might have.”
“But what can we do for her now, the water is all gone, and her fever higher than ever. My God! Must I see my loved ones die, and be powerless to help them. My wife torn from me by the relentless waves, and now, my darling daughter dying before my eyes. Would to God I could die; but, to live on bereft of those dearest to me, I shudder at the thought.”
The morning of the fourth day broke, hot, oh, so hot. The air was like a breath from a furnace, scorching, and parching the occupants of the boat. Carrie was raving wildly, and calling constantly for water, but not even a drop was to be had. Her agonized father, and sister could do nothing for her, and death came to release her from her horrible sufferings about one o’clock, as near as they could judge, as the watches of both the captain and Allen had stopped during the storm and they had set them by guess.
Knowing that they could not keep the body of Carrie any length of time, and fully realizing the fact that they were all fast losing strength, Allen Thornton, assisted by two of the sailors, committed the remains to the sea. It was horrible to think of doing so, as sharks had been following the boat for some time past, and, here and there the shining dorsal fin of a sluggish, slow moving monster of the deep could be seen glistening in the sunlight. Etta was spared the torture of seeing her loved sister’s body given up to such a fate, owing to the fact that she was utterly unconscious of all that passed, and sat in the bottom of the boat with a vacant stare in her eyes. Both she and Mabel had now almost succumbed to the heat, and their terrible thirst. One of the sailors was raving wildly and throwing his arms above his head with heart-rending shrieks, as the body of Carrie struck the water with a slight splash, the sound seemed to madden him still more, for he gave one wild cry and threw himself over the side of the boat.
The sky which had been so clear at the beginning of the day, had gradually become overcast with clouds. At about three o’clock a few drops of rain fell with a soft plash into the boat. It soon increased to a hard shower. Captain Gray, Allen and the sailors quickly unlashed the barrel containing the sea biscuit, which they emptied into the bottom of the boat and set the barrel to catch the rain. They soon had caught enough to give each of the girls a refreshing draught, moistening their own parched throats as well. The rain continued to fall for some time, enabling them to catch several quarts of water.
For three days more they drifted on, with no signs of land, or even a friendly sail in sight, but about noon of the eighth day one of the sailors cried: “Land! Land!” “Captain, isn’t that land ahead?”