ht."

His cheery call was echoed by the command "All right, go ahead."

A few moments after the lights of the Queen disappeared, and Paul was
alone on the dark, rolling sea. From his position on the deck before
going overboard, he could distinctly see the gleam of the Cape Clear
light; but on the sea far below he could not find it. He knew
the direction of the wind, that was then south west and guided his
course accordingly. On every mighty swell that lifted him high up, he
looked eagerly in the direction of the light and soon discovered it
ahead. Perfectly content and without a fear of danger he kept
paddling along occasionally cheering himself with a few snatches of a
sea song as he drove his paddle strongly in the water and propelled
himself toward the light which he observed more frequently when raised
high up on the swells. The wind was steadily increasing and soon burst
into terrible gusts. The long lazy roll of the sea changed and sharp,
snapping waves continually broke over him. These grew larger and more
powerful every moment. About two hours after he left the Queen the
gale was on him in all its fierceness and the light was lost to his
view. The heavy rain that accompanied the gale almost blinded him,
and the seas grew so high that he abandoned paddling and sought only to
keep his head against the overpowering waves that then drove down on
him. An indescribable feeling of loneliness came over him. Once his
paddle was wrenched from his hand by a heavy sea, but he fortunately
recovered it. At times a great wave would completely submerge him. Then
he would shoot to the crest where he would have time to breathe
before he was again hurled down a sloping mass of water that seemed to
him fully a hundred feet to the bottom. During this terrible
ordeal, he has since confessed that he firmly believed that his last
hour had come. He thought of all his transgressions. To use his
own words:

"I recalled every mean trick I had ever committed against God and man in
my reckless life and I did my utmost to remember the best and most
effective prayer that I was taught when a boy."

For hours, that seemed weeks to him, he was driven along before the
mighty seas. About three o'clock in the morning the water became
more agitated and a booming sound struck Paul's ear. Coming to an
upright position, he peered eagerly to leeward thinking he might be
close to Cape Clea