The captain turned white, and he staggered, still standing on the
brink of the precipice.
Perceiving it, and not thinking of his own danger, Francesco gave him
a push, and losing his balance the captain fell over the edge, a
distance of sixty feet, upon the jagged rocks beneath. But not alone!
Still retaining his fierce clutch upon the Italian's throat, the
murderer, too, fell with him, and both were stretched in an instant,
mangled and lifeless, at the bottom of the precipice.
When night came, and neither returned, it was thought singular, but
the night was dark, and they were unprovided with lanterns, so that
the search was postponed till morning. It was only after a search of
several hours that the two were found.
After the captain's death two distinct camps were still maintained,
but the most cordial relations existed between them. At the suggestion
of the mate, an inventory was made of the stock of provisions, and to
each camp was assigned an amount proportioned to the number of men
which it contained.
There was no immediate prospect of want. Still, the more prudent
regarded with anxiety the steady diminution of the stock remaining,
and an attempt to eke them out by fresh fish caught off the island.
But the inevitable day was only postponed.
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