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adequately portray the horrors of this fearful night. A strange mist has enveloped the ship. It is unusual and has put everyone ill at ease...
December 15? - The mist has totally disappeared and it is broad daylight. Despite best efforts to navigate away from the island, we cannot seem to escape its pull, and anxious rumors are spreading. Our compasses are rendered inert for reasons that mystify me.
Incomprehensible altogether is the conduct of Captain Hanso he prattles away the merest nonsense about the island and writes in his journal senseless equations. He was overheard asking Mhifield, "Is it 1881?" I cannot bring myself to the conclusion that the man is mad.
December 16? - The first to abandon his past was Thayer, a man I mentioned before as exhibiting something of a mutinous spirit. After complaining for days of headache and hallucinations, it would appear he has suffered a malady of the brain as blood rushes from his nostrils with no hope if stopping the flow. Before he explained in the doctors arms, he spoke as if a ten year old boy asking his mother for sweets.
Other members of the crew have begun to complain of similar headaches. The island is now off the port... was it not just starboard?
December 18? - An away team of six men was launched at first light in an attempt to get to the island with hopes of determining our location.
Only one returned alive. He seems in a deep shock, muttering about exchanging musket fire with another vessel which promptly disappeared in a flash of heavenly light. He went on to claim that after hours of traversing the island, his five crewmates simply jumped overboard as if lemmings and no degree of coaxing could persuade them back into the boat. They drowned. Every one.
There will be no more away teams.
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December 19? - I awoke paralyzed by fear. Amidst the sounds of the night, there was something else. Though faint it sounded like the whispering of voices seemingly all around me. Then a scream froze in my throat - In the doorway to my cabin stood a shape -
It was Captain Hanso. Pale and fearful as if he'd seen the devil himself. I provided him a whiskey with h opes of putting him back in bed should any crewmember see him in this state, but the poor man seemed beyond calming. His mind was beset by conspiracies involving a man he called "Jacob" who Hanso believed commissioned this very expedition with the intention of bringing us to this maddening place.
Once Hanso was back in his quarters, I immediately reviewed the shipping receipts, but found no mention of any "Jacob"
If anyone is to get us out of this, it will not be that fool.
December 22? - Our lookout claims he has spotted two men on the shore of the island at the foot of the statue that has the crew so concerned. Another hallucination, no doubt. The wind freshened considerably... it appears a storm is imminent.
God save us all.
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