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"God hasn't forsaken us,"at the silvery fish "Mullet usually inhabit shallow seas I've never seen them in deep water"

"It's as though he sent theht of her first meal in nearly teeks

Their hunger was so great and the nuer that they added the flesh of a woman who had died only an hour before It was the first tis, Dorsett and Betsy had touched human flesh

So one of their own seemed oddly justified when uised it also see

Another gift arrived with a rain squall that took nearly an hour to pass over and provided theallons of water

Despite having their strength temporarily renewed, despondency was still painted on their faces The wounds and contusions, irritated by the saltwater, caused unending agony And there was still the sun, which continued to torture thehts brought relief and cooler teers could not endure the misery of one more day

Another five, four convicts and the last soldier, quietly slipped into the sea and perished quickly

By the fifteenth day, only Scaggs, Dorsett, Betsy Fletcher, three sailors and four convicts, one a wo Death seeone out The h those who died had sustained the living, the lack of water and the torrid heat ht hours before the raft would float empty of life

Then an event occurred that diverted attention froreenish-brown bird suddenly appeared out of the sky, circled the raft three times and then lit with a flutter on a yardarh yellow eyes with beady black pupils at the pathetic humans on the raft, their clothes in shreds, li rays of the sun The thought of trying to snare the bird for food instantly flooded everyone's mind

"What kind of strange bird is that?" Betsy asked, her tongue so swollen her voice was like a whisper

"It's a kea," Scaggs murmured "One of my former officers kept one"

"Do they fly over the oceans like gulls?" asked Dorsett

No, they're a species of parrot that lives on New Zealand and the surrounding islands I never heard of one flying over water unless" Scaggs paused "Unless it's another hty" His eyes took on a distant look as he painfully rose to his feet and peered at the horizon "Land!" he exclaimed with joy "Land to the west of us"

Unnoticed in their apathy and lethargy until now, the raft was being pushed by the swells toward a pair of greenfrom the sea no more than ten miles distant Everyone turned their eyes ard and saw a large island with t mountains, one on each end, and a forest of trees between For a long moment no one spoke, each suspended in expectation but fixed with a fear that they ht be swept by the currents around their salvation Alled to their knees and prayed to be delivered on the beckoning shore

Another hour passed before Scaggs deterer "The current is pushing us toward it," he announced gleefully "It's a miracle, a bloody miracle I know of no island on any chart in this part of the sea"