reseen, the ebb-tide was soon over; a short pause of
"slack water" ensued, and there was an evident and rapid increase of the
water around him; the wind too freshened, and the surface of the ocean
was in strong ripples. As the water deepened, so did the waves increase
in size: every moment added to his despair. He had now remained about
four hours on the bank! the water had risen to underneath his arms, the
waves nearly lifted him off his feet, and it was with difficulty that he
could retain his position. Hope deserted him, and his senses became
confused. He thought that he saw green fields, and cities, and
inhabitants. His reason was departing: he saw his father coming down to
him with the tide, and called to him for help, when the actual sight of
something recalled him from his temporary aberration. There was a dark
object upon the water, evidently approaching. His respiration was
almost suspended as he watched its coming. At last he distinguished
that it must either be a whale asleep, or a boat bottom up. Fortunately
for Newton, it proved to be the latter. At last it was brought down by
the tide to within a few yards of him, and appeared to be checked.
Newton dashed out towards the boat, and in a minute was safely astride
upon it. As soon as he had recovered a little from his agitation, he
perceived that it was the very boat belonging to the brig, in which
Jackson had so treacherously deserted and left him on the island!

At three o'clock it was high water, and at five the water had again
retreated, so that Newton could quit his station on the bottom of the
boat, and walk round her. He then righted, and discovered that the mast
had been carried away close to the step, but, with the sail, still
remained fast to the boat by the main sheet, which had jammed on the
belaying pin, so that it still was serviceable. Every thing else had
been lost out of the boat, except the grapnel, which had been bent, and
which hanging down in the water, from the boat being capsized, had
brought it up when it was floated on the sand-bank. Newton, who had
neither eaten nor drank since the night before, was again in despair,
tormented as he was by insufferable thirst, when he observed that the
locker under the stern-sheets was closed. He hastened to pull it open,
and found that the bottles of wine and cider, which he had deposited
there, were remaining. A bottle of the latter was soon poured down his
throat, and Newton felt as