? ? ? ? Immediately a boat's crew was ordered out and an attempt was successfully made to board the Arrow.
? ? ? ? The sight that met the Frenchmen's eyes as they clambered over the ship's side was appalling.
? ? ? ? A dozen dead and dying men rolled hither and thither upon the pitching deck, the living intermingled with the dead. Two of the corpses appeared to have been partially devoured as though by wolves.
? ? ? ? The prize crew soon had the vessel under proper sail once more and the living members of the ill-starred company carried below to their hammocks.
? ? ? ? The dead were wrapped in tarpaulins and lashed on deck to be identified by their comrades before being consigned to the deep.
? ? ? ? None of the living was conscious when the Frenchmen reached the Arrow's deck. Even the poor devil who had waved the single despairing signal of distress had lapsed into unconsciousness before he had learned whether it had availed or not.
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