ore. Philip was overcome, he covered his
face, and remained, for some time, without giving directions, and
heedless of what passed.

It was now five o'clock in the evening; the boats had cast off the
tow-lines, and vied with each other in their exertions. Before the sun
had set they all had arrived at the beach, and were safely landed in
the little sand bay into which they had steered; for the wind was off
the shore, and there was no surf. The boats were hauled up, and the
exhausted men lay down on the sands, till warm with the heat of the
sun, and forgetting that they had neither eaten nor drank for so long
a time, they were soon fast asleep. Captain Barentz, Philip, and
Krantz, as soon as they had seen the boats secured, held a short
consultation, and were then glad to follow the example of the seamen;
harassed and worn out with the fatigue of the last twenty-four hours,
their senses were soon drowned in oblivion.

For many hours they all slept soundly, dreamt of water, and awoke to
the sad reality that they were tormented with thirst, and were on a
sandy beach with the salt waves mocking them; but they reflected how
many of their late companions had been swallowed up, and felt thankful
that they had been spared. It was early dawn when they all rose from
the forms which they had impressed on the yielding sand; and, by the
directions of Philip, they separated in every direction, to look for
the means of quenching their agony of thirst. As they proceeded over
the sand-hills, they found growing in the sand a low spongy-leaf
sort of shrub, something like what in our greenhouses is termed the
ice-plant; the thick leaves of which were covered with large drops
of dew. They sank down on their knees, and proceeded from one to the
other licking off the moisture which was abundant, and soon felt
a temporary relief. They continued their search till noon without
success, and hunger was now added to their thirst; they then
returned to the beach to ascertain if their companions had been more
successful. They had also quenched their thirst with the dew of
heaven, but had found no water or means of subsistence; but some of
them had eaten the leaves of the plant which had contained the dew in
the morning, and had found them, although acid, full of watery sap and
grateful to the palate. The plant in question is the one provided by
bounteous Providence for the support of the camel and other beasts
in the arid desert, only to be found t