of small ones, the sighing of the
wind, the pressure of the waters against the boat's bows, and the
ripple of eddies under its stern. Worn out by excitement and fatigue,
he lay motionless, listening to sounds like these, and taking in them a
mournful interest, when suddenly, in the midst of them, his ears caught
a different cadence. It was a long, measured sound, not an unfamiliar
one, but one which he had often heard--the gathering sound which breaks
out, rising and accumulating upon the ear, as the long line of surf
falls upon some rocky shore. He knew at once what this was, and
understood by it that he was near some shore; but what shore it might
be he could not know. The sound came up from his right, and therefore
might be the New Brunswick coast, if the boat had preserved its proper
position. But the position of the boat had been constantly changing as
she drifted along, so that it was impossible to tell whether he was
drifting stern foremost or bow foremost. The water moved as the boat
moved, and there was no means by which to judge. He listened to the
surf, therefore, but made no attempt to draw nearer to it. He now knew
perfectly well that with his present resources no efforts of his could
avail anything, and that his only course would be to wait. Besides,
this shore, whatever it was, must be very different, he thought, from
the banks of the Petitcodiac. It was, as he thought, an iron-bound
shore. And the surf which he heard broke in thunder a mile away, at
the foot of giant precipices, which could only offer death to the
hapless wretch who might be thrown among them. He lay, therefore,
inactive, listening to this rolling surf for hours. At first it grew
gradually louder, as though he was approaching it; but afterwards it
grew fainter quite as gradually, until at length it could no longer be
heard.

During all these lonely hours, one thing afforded a certain
consolation, and that was, the discovery that the sea did not grow
rougher. The wind that blew was the sou-wester, the dreaded wind of
fog and, storm; but on this occasion its strength was not put forth; it
blew but moderately, and the water was not very greatly disturbed. The
sea tossed the little boat, but was not high enough to dash over her,
or to endanger her in any way. None of its spray ever came upon the
recumbent form in the boat, nor did any moisture come near him, save
that which was deposited by the fog. At first, in his terror,