"We were, as we calculated, four hundred miles at least from any
known land, and we had no chart on board: we might be within a
hundred miles of the fringe of traffic.
"The sea was calm: the wind came in intermittent light draughts from
the north. The sky was a great burning-glass, holding no hint of
rain."
"Now from the very beginning--from the moment we left the ship--I
knew that, if we were to perish of hunger or thirst before sighting
help, I should be the last survivor. No; you needn't stare: it's
perfectly simple. . . . I doubt if I ever told you that in the old
days, when experimenting with the animals, I found that my will--or
brain-power, if you prefer the term--worked torpidly for a while
after meals, although, as you know, I was never what they call a
hearty feeder. So I took to cutting down my rations. Then of course
I discovered that this was all right enough up to a point, beyond
which the stomach's craving made the brain irritable and impatient.
So for a long time I let it go at that, and ate pretty frugally at
fairly long stretches .
Pages:
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363