burst from him. Suddenly his boat seemed caught by some
resistless force, and jerked to one side; the next instant it rose on
some swelling wave, and was shot swiftly forward. Tom closed his eyes,
and a thrill of horror passed through every nerve. All at once a rude
shock was felt, and the boat shook, and Tom thought he was going down.
It seemed like the blow of a rock, and he could think only of the
ingulfing waters. But the waters hesitated to claim their prey; the
rushing motion ceased; and soon the boat was tossing lightly, as
before, over the waves, while the hoarse and thunderous roar of those
dread unseen breakers, from which he had been so wondrously saved,
arose wrathfully behind, as though they were howling after their
escaped victim. A cry of gratitude escaped Tom, and with trembling
lips he offered a heart-felt prayer to that divine Power whose mighty
hand had just rescued him from a terrible doom.

Tom's agitation had been so great that it was long before he could
regain his former calm. At last, however, his trembling subsided. He
heard no longer the howling surf. All was calm and quiet. The wind
ceased, the boat's motion was less violent, the long-resisted slumber
came once more to his eyes. Still his terror kept off sleep, and as
his eyes would close, they would every moment open again, and he would
start in terror and look around.

At length he saw that the darkness was less profound. Light was
coming, and that light was increasing. He could see the dark waters,
and the gloomy folds of the enclosing mist became apparent. He gave a
heavy sigh, partly of terror at the thought of all that he had gone
through, and partly of relief at the approach of light.

Well might he sigh, for this light was the dawn of a new day, and
showed him that he had been a whole night upon the waters.

And now he could no longer struggle against sleep. His eyes closed for
the last time. His head fell forward on the wet sail.

He was sound asleep.

VII.

Lost in the Fog.--The Shoal and its Rocks.--Is it a Reef?--The
Truth.--Hoisting Sail.--A forlorn Hope.--Wild Steering.--Where am
I?--Land, ho!

Tom slept for many hours; and when he at length awoke, he was stiffened
in every limb, and wet to the skin. It was his constrained position
and the heavy fog which had done this. He sat up and looked around
with a bewildered air; but it did not take a long time for him to
collect his wandering faculties, an