me the grace
that I may have an opportunity of confessing my sins, and of receiving
absolution!"

All these lamentations and appeals served only to frighten my two
Indians, and most undoubtedly our position was critical enough for us
to endeavour to retain our presence of mind, so as to attend to the
management of our little boat, which from one moment to another was in
danger of being swamped. However, I was certain that, being provided
with two large beams of bamboos, it could keep its position in the
current between two waters and not capsize, if we had the precaution
and strength to scud before the wind, and not turn the side to a wave,
for in such case we should all have been drowned. What I foresaw,
happened. A wave burst upon us; for a few minutes we were plunged
in the deep, but when the wave passed over we came above water. Our
canoe was swamped between the currents, but we did not abandon it;
we put our legs under the seats, and held them fast; the half of
our body was above water. But every time that a wave came towards
us it passed over our heads, and then went off, giving us time to
breathe until another wave came and dashed over us. Every three or
four minutes the same manoeuvring took place. My Indians and I used
all our strength and skill to scud on before the wind. Balthazard
had ceased his lamentations; we all kept silence; from time to time
I only uttered these words:

"Take courage, boys, we shall reach the shore."

Our position then became much worse, for night set in. The rain
continued to pour in torrents, the wind increased in fury. From time to
time we received some light from globes of fire, like what the sailors
call "Saint Elmo's fire." While these rays of light continued I looked
as far around me as I could, and only perceived an immense body of
water in furious agitation. For nearly two hours we were tossed about
by the waves that drove us towards the beach, and, at a moment when
we least expected it, we found ourselves driven into the midst of an
extensive grove of lofty bamboos. I then knew that we were over the
land, and that the lake had inundated the country for several miles
around. We were up to our breasts in water, and it was not in our power
to pass through the inundation. The darkness was too great to allow
us to go in any direction; our canoe was no longer of any use to us,
as it was entangled among the bamboos. We climbed up the trees as well
as we could, even to the heigh