t the rocks upon which he
had left her; his heart was full of an eagerness to comfort her and be
comforted in return.

She still sat upon the rock and he hurried toward her. As on his first
approach, she did not move. When he drew quite close, he discovered that
she was lying limply back against the supporting boulder. The fear that
she was dead and that he was left alone almost struck him to the ground.
He reached her side, pale and panting, and then breathed a prayer of
rejoicing.

Lady Tennys, her dark lashes resting tranquilly upon her cheek, was
lying easily against the staunch old rock, fast asleep.

Chapter XVIII

THE WONDERFUL LAND

He did not arouse her at once, but sat below her, looking at her sweet,
tired face, peaceful in the slumber that had been so long in coming,
wondering what her dreams could be. Far down the shore, near the tree
under which he had found himself and to whose shelter she had dragged
him,--something told him vaguely,--was the spar that had ridden the
waves with them the night before. Long, white and gleaming it lay in the
waning sunlight. The sight of it filled him with an enthusiasm he never
had known before. His heart swelled with homage to the strong, sturdy
piece of timber. It was like a living object to him now, a friend to
whom he felt like talking, to whom he could turn for proof positive of
an unparalleled experience on the deep.

His eyes grew sad and gloomy as he turned toward the setting king of
day. In his imagination, the _Tempest Queen,_ with all on board, went
down precisely at the point chosen by the sun for his disappearance.

Night coming! Where were they? Upon an unknown shore, Heaven alone
knowing how far from habitation, from all shelter save the tree-tops,
from all means of sustenance. Night coming! Behind them the mysterious
jungle, before them the devil-brewed ocean.

A chilly perspiration broke out over him; a fear even worse than that of
the night before attacked him. How far were they from human habitation?
What manner of people dwelt in this land? As these thoughts tumbled
about in his brain, suddenly came the implacable desire for water. It
seemed days since he had tasted it. Like a flash, nature began its
demands, and he was almost overcome by the prospect of night on the
rocks with no possible hope to find the food and water now so necessary.

Lady Tennys slept on, untouched by the calamities that beset him, her
breast rising full and regular