thly
stillness, which filled me with vague amazement, considering that but a
few moments before my ears had been filled with the roar and crash of the
breakers. And I could see that the storm was still raging with great
fury, although not a sound reached my ears.

Gradually the horrible truth dawned upon me--_I was stone deaf_! The
blow on the head from the great wave had completely deprived me of all
sense of hearing. How depressed I felt when I realised this awful fact
no one can imagine. Nevertheless, things were not altogether hopeless,
for next morning I felt a sudden crack in my left ear, and immediately
afterwards I heard once more the dull roar of the surf, the whistling of
the wind, and the barking of my affectionate dog. My right ear, however,
was permanently injured, and to this day I am decidedly deaf in that
organ. I was just beginning to think that we had passed over the most
serious part of the danger, when to my utter despair I again heard that
hideous grating sound, and knew she had struck upon another reef. She
stuck there for a time, but was again forced on, and presently floated in
deep water. The pitiless reefs were now plainly visible on all sides,
and some distance away I could see what appeared to be nothing more than
a little sandbank rising a few feet above the waters of the lagoon.

While I was watching and waiting for developments the deck of the vessel
suddenly started, and she began rapidly to settle down by the stern.
Fortunately, however, at that point the water was not excessively deep.
When I saw that nothing could save the ship, and that her deck was all
but flush with the water, I loosened several of the fittings, as well as
some spars, casks, and chests, in the hope that they might drift to land
and perhaps be of service to me afterwards. I remained on board as long
as I possibly could, trying to build a raft with which to get some things
ashore, but I hadn't time to finish it.

Up and up came the inexorable water, and at last, signalling to Bruno to
follow me, I leaped into the sea and commenced to swim towards the
sandbank. Of course, all the boats had been lost when the pearling fleet
disappeared. The sea was still very rough, and as the tide was against
us, I found it extremely exhausting work. The dog seemed to understand
that I was finding it a dreadful strain, for he swam immediately in front
of me, and kept turning round again and again as though to see if I were