It was no wonder that the coastguard was surprised, or even awed. Such a sight cannot have been seen very often. The dead man's hands were tied, one over the other, to a spoke of the wheel. Between one hand and the wood was a cross. Beads attached to the cross were tied around both wrists and and the wheel. Everything was held in place by cords.

At one time the poor fellow may have been seated. However, as the ship sailed along, the wheel had moved and dragged him to and fro, so that the cords with which he was tied had cut the flesh to the bone.

Careful notes were made of everything. A doctor, Surgeon J. M. Caffyn, had come aboard immediately after me. He examined the body and declared that the man must have been dead for two days. In the dead man's pocket was a bottle, which was empty apart from a little roll of paper. This proved to be the addendum to the log. The coastguard said the man must have tied up his own hands, tying the knots with his teeth.

Vocabulary:

Awe: Astonishment and wonder
Spoke: A bar going from the middle of a wheel to the edge
Wheel: Sailing ships are steered by a wheel
Cord: Thin rope use to tie things
Drag: To pull along a heavy weight
To and fro: Backwards and forwards
Declare: To make a public announcement
Prove: Here it means 'was found to be'
Addendum: Something added to an official document
Log: An official record of events