wards the north-east.

Yet exert ourselves as we might, we found that we could only just keep
the boat's head to the sea, and that we were utterly unable to move her
through the water. Gradually the sea went down, and at last most of the
men declared that they neither would nor could pull any longer, and that
we should gain nothing by it, as very likely the wind would shift again
to its old quarter, and drive us back once more all the distance we had
thus made good.

La Motte and I endeavoured to cheer them up, but all our attempts were
vain. We saw ourselves that they were too likely to be right, and
indeed we could not help sharing in their despondency. I scarcely know
how the night passed. It did pass, however, and so did another day. It
was a perfect calm; we did not move. All our oars were laid in, and the
men threw themselves along the thwarts, and declared that they should
sleep there till some vessel should pass near enough to take us on
board.

Our stock of food had diminished very much, and I feared, on examining
it, that we should scarcely have enough to carry us to the English
coast, even should a breeze spring up from the southward to help us
along. No one now took much count of time. I fell asleep during the
night, and so did La Motte, and I believe that no look-out was kept. We
might have been run over without our making an attempt to save our
lives.

Another day broke at last. There was a light wind, but it was from the
south-east. We hoisted our sail, though we had scarcely sufficient
strength to get it up. However, we made but little progress. I had
fallen asleep, when I was aroused by the voices of my companions
shouting as loudly as their strength would allow. The tones sounded
strangely hollow and weak. I was scarcely aware that my own voice was
much like theirs.

I looked up to see what had produced these shouts. A large ship was
bearing down towards us from the eastward. We had our whole sail set,
and as the sun shone on it, I hoped that we might now possibly be seen.
I was not so sanguine as some of the men had suddenly become on seeing
the ship. I knew that too often a very slack look-out is kept on board
many ships, and even then only just ahead to see that no vessel is in
the way or likely to get there. The topsails and more than half the
courses of the stranger had already appeared above the horizon. We rose
them rapidly. By the time that we could see her hull, I ju