e, half-in and half-out of the water, his first act was to fall
on his knees and thank God for sparing his life, and to pray for help in
that hour of need.

Feeling that it would be impossible to exist much longer unless he could
get quite out of the water so as to allow the sun to warm his chilled
frame, he used what strength remained in him to drag towards him several
spars that lay within his reach. These he found to be some of the rough
timbers that had lain on the deck of the cutter to serve as spare masts
and yards. They were, therefore, destitute of cordage, so that it was
not possible to form a secure raft. Nevertheless, by piling them
together on the top of the broken portion of the deck, he succeeded in
constructing a platform which raised him completely out of the water.

The heat of the sun speedily dried his garments, and as the day wore on
the sea went down sufficiently to render the keeping of his raft
together a matter of less difficulty than it was at first. In trying to
make some better arrangement of the spars on which he rested, he
discovered the corner of a sail sticking between two of them. This he
hauled out of the water, and found it to be a portion of the gaff. It
was a fortunate discovery; because, in the event of long exposure, it
would prove to be a most useful covering. Wringing it out, he spread it
over the logs to dry.

The doing of all this occupied the shipwrecked youth so long, that it
was nearly mid-day before he could sit down on his raft and think calmly
over his position. Hunger now began to remind him that he was destitute
of food; but Henry had been accustomed, while roaming among the
mountains of his island home, to go fasting for long periods of time.
The want of breakfast, therefore, did not inconvenience him much; but
before he had remained inactive more than ten minutes, the want of sleep
began to tell upon him. Gradually he felt completely overpowered by it.
He laid his head on one of the spars at last, and resigned himself to
an influence he could no longer resist.

It was evening before he awoke from that slumber. The sun had just
disappeared below the horizon, and the red clouds that remained behind
were beginning to deepen, as night prepared to throw her dark mantle
over the sea. A gull wheeled over the youth's head and uttered a wild
cry as he awoke, causing him to start up with a feeling of bewildered
uncertainty as to where he was.

The true nature of