i climbed aboard my brother's boat. with my hands iexplored it. i found he had lied to me. he had a little turtlemeat, a dorado head, and even – a supreme treat – somebiscuit crumbs. and he had water. it all went into my mouth. ireturned to my boat and released his.

crying as i had done did my eyes some good. the smallwindow at the top left of my vision opened a crack. i rinsedmy eyes with sea water. with every rinsing, the window openedfurther. my vision came back within two days.

i saw such a vision that i nearly wished i had remainedblind. his butchered, dismembered body lay on the floor of theboat. richard parker had amply supped on him, including onhis face, so that i never saw who my brother was. hiseviscerated torso, with its broken ribs curving up like the frameof a ship, looked like a miniature version of the lifeboat, suchwas its blood-drenched and horrifying state.

i will confess that i caught one of his arms with the gaffand used his flesh as bait. i will further confess that, driven bythe extremity of my need and the madness to which it pushedme, i ate some of his flesh. i mean small pieces, little stripsthat i meant for the gaff's hook that, when dried by the sun,looked like ordinary animal flesh. they slipped into my mouthnearly unnoticed. you must understand, my suffering wasunremitting and he was already dead. i stopped as soon as icaught a fish.

i pray for his soul every day.