ed the hair from his feverish brow, and once more surveying the
horrible, lifeless, stagnant waste, his soul sickened, and he cast
himself upon the sand. There he lay for many hours in a state bordering
upon wild despair. At last he recovered himself, and, rising to his
knees, he prayed for strength and submission to the will of Heaven.

When he was once more upon his feet, and had again scanned the ocean, he
perceived that there was a change rapidly approaching. The dark bank on
the horizon had now risen higher up; the opaqueness was everywhere more
dense; and low murmurs were heard, as if there was wind stirring aloft,
although the sea was still glassy as a lake. Signs of some movement
about to take place were evident, and the solitary youth watched and
watched. And now the sounds increased, and here and there a wild thread
of air--whence coming, who could tell? and as rapidly disappearing--
would ruffle, for a second, a portion of the stagnant sea. Then came
whizzing sounds and moans, and then the rumbling noise of distant
thunder--loud and louder yet--still louder--a broad black line is seen
sweeping along the expanse of water--fearful in its rapidity it comes!--
and the hurricane burst, at once and with all its force, and all its
terrific sounds, upon the isolated Francisco.

The first blast was so powerful and so unexpected that it threw him
down, and prudence dictated to him to remain in that position, for the
loose sand was swept off and whirled in such force as to blind and
prevent his seeing a foot from him; he would have crawled to the boat
for security, but he knew not in which direction to proceed. But this
did not last; for now the water was borne up upon the strong wings of
the hurricane, and the sand was rendered firm by its saturation with the
element.

Francisco felt that he was drenched, and he raised his head. All he
could discover was, that the firmament was mantled with darkness,
horrible from its intensity, and that the sea was in one extended foam--
boiling everywhere, and white as milk--but still smooth, as if the power
of the wind had compelled it to be so; but the water had encroached, and
one half the sand-bank was covered with it, while over the other the
foam whirled, each portion chasing the other with wild rapidity.

And now the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain, mingled with
the spray caught up by the hurricane, was dashed and hurled upon the
forlorn youth, who still