Page:Castaway on the Auckland Isles (IA castawayonauckla01musg).pdf/146

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130
A Painful Examination.

the ground, and was close up against the west end of the house, which end and the sides had fallen outwards, while the roof, being pressed by the wind towards the other end, had just fallen clear of the body, which, with the exception of ordinary dress, had no other covering than the before-mentioned oil-coat, which Captain Cross had removed. Within his reach were two bottles containing water, one nearly empty, the other was full. Close by lay a small heap of limpet and mussel shells, which fish appear to have been his sole sustenance. He has no doubt died from starvation. The unfortunate man lay in a very natural and composed position. His feet, which were off the side of his bed, lay across each other; the body was on its back, and the hands were laid on the lower part of the body, with the fingers quite straight. The finger nails were quite perfect on the right hand, and on both hands some flesh still remained. The skin and flesh had disappeared from the other parts of the body, excepting the head and face, on which the skin remained, and was parched and dry and of a blackish colour. The deceased has been a man of slender frame, height about 5 feet 7 inches or 5 feet 8 inches; hair light brown, or approaching auburn; forehead low; high, prominent cheek bones; upper jaw protruding, and had one front tooth out; the remainder were perfectly round and beautifully regular, and the chin was pointed. He had on a sou'wester hat, three woollen mufflers, a dark brown cloth coat, with an almost invisible stripe in it, and trowsers to match; a blue serge vest, a brownish-coloured Guernsey shirt, a red and black check Crimean ditto, and a blue Guernsey ditto next the skin. Cotton drawers next the skin, trowsers and woollen drawers over all, and three or four pairs of woollen socks and stockings. One old shoe was partly on the right foot, and the left one was tied up with woollen rags, as if it had been sore. Round his neck hung some Roman Catholic relic in the shape of a heart, made out of two small pieces of leather sewn together, with something sacred placed