Describe the mental condition of the …

On 4th January, the mental condition of the voyagers was vacillating between hope and despair. After 36 hours of continuous pumping, water had receded but they still had to keep pace with the water still coming in. The captain's wife provided them with the first meal in two days of some corned beef and cracker biscuits. However, this respite was only short-lived. The storm started building up and the situation again became worse. On 5th January, the situation was desperate. When the captain went to his children to comfort them, the small boy asked him innocently if they all were going to die but added that he did not mind dying as long as all were the family members were together. This strengthened the captain's determination to fight all odds and survive.  

On January 4 and 5 the voyagers felt relieved as after the continuous pumping for 36 hours the water had nearly been drained out. They had their first meal in almost two days. However their respite was short-lived. They faced dangerous situation on January 5 as the sea got worse during the night. Fear of death loomed large. They were under a great mental stress.