Sketches from the Life of Paul (1883) — PDF Scan 276

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THE VOYAGE AND SHIPWRECK . 269 thusspoken,he tookbread,and gave thanks to God in presenceof them all; and when he had brokenit,he begantoeat. Then weretheyall of good cheer, and theyalsotook some meat." That worn,drenched,discouragedthrongof two hundred and seventy-sixsouls,who but forPaul would have become despairingand desperate, now took freshcourage, and joinedwith the apostlein theirfirstmeal for fourteendays. Afterthis,knowing thatit would be impossible tosavetheircargo,theyrightedup theshipby throwing overboardthe wheat with which she was laden . Daylighthad now fullycome,buttheycouldsee no landmarksby which todeterminetheirwhereabouts. However, " they discovereda certain creekwith a shore, into the which they were minded,ifitwere possible,tothrustin theship. And when theyhad takenup theanchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed therudderbands,and hoisedup the mainsailto thewind,and made toward shore. And falling intoa place where two seasmet,they ran the shipaground; and the forepartstuck fast,and remainedunmovable, but the hinderpart was broken with the violence of the waves . Paul and theotherprisonerswere now threatened by a fatemore terriblethan shipwreck. The soldiers saw that in this crisisit would be impossibleforthem to keepchargeof theirprisoners. Every man would have allthat he could do to save himself. Yet if any of the prisoners were missing,the livesof thosewho had them in chargewould be forfeited. Hence the soldiers desiredto put allthe prisonersto death, The Roman law sanctionedthiscruelpolicy,and the