CHAPTER ONE.THE ALBATROSS.The "vulture of the sea," borne upon broad wing, and wandering over thewide Atlantic, suddenly suspends his flight to look down upon an objectthat has attracted his attention.It is a raft, with a disc not much larger than a dining-table,constructed out of two small spars of a ship,--the dolphin-striker andspritsail yard,--with two broad planks and some narrower ones lashedcrosswise, and over all two or three pieces of sail-cloth carelesslyspread.Slight as is the structure, it is occupied by two individuals,--a manand a boy. The latter is lying along the folds of the sail-cloth,apparently asleep. The man stands erect, with his hand to his forehead,shading the sun from his eyes, and scanning the surface of the sea withinquiring glances.At his feet, lying among the creases of the canvas, are a handspike, apair of boat oars, and an axe. Nothing more is perceptible of the raft,even to the keen eye of the albatross.The bird continues its flight towards the west. Ten miles farther on itonce more poises itself on soaring wing, and directs its glancedownward.Another raft is seen motionless upon the calm surface of the sea, butdiffering from the former in almost everything but the name. It isnearly ten times as large; constructed out of the masts, yards, hatches,portions of the bulwarks, and other timbers of a ship; and renderedbuoyant by a number of empty water-casks lashed along its edges. Asquare of canvas spread between two extemporised masts, a couple ofcasks, an empty biscuit-box, some oars, handspikes, and other maritimeimplements, lie upon the raft; and around these are more than thirtymen, seated, standing, lying,--in short, in almost every attitude.Some are motionless, as if asleep; but there is that in their prostratepostures, and in the wild expression of their features, that betokensrather the sleep of intoxication. Others, by their gestures and loud,riotous talk, exhibit still surer signs of drunkenness; and the tin cup,reeking with rum, is constantly passing from hand to hand. A few,apparently sober, but haggard and hungry-like, sit or stand erect uponthe raft, casting occasional glances over the wide expanse, with butslight show of hope, fast changing to despair.Well may the sea-vulture linger over this group, and contemplate theirmovements with expectant eye. The instincts of the bird tell him, thatere long he may look forward to a bountiful banquet!