er end of the sail, he put it on the box, and then covered it
all up. In this position the precious contents of the box were safe.

The hour of the day was a subject of uncertainty, and so was the state
of the tide. Whether he was drifting up or down the bay he could not
tell for certain. His recollection of the state of the tide at
Petitcodiac, was but vague. He reckoned, however, from the ship launch
of the preceding day, and then, allowing sufficient time for the
difference in the tide, he approximated to a correct conclusion. If it
were midday, he thought that the tide would be about half way down on
the ebb.

These thoughts, and acts, and calculations took up some time, and he
now began to look around him. Suddenly his eye caught sight of
something not far away, dimly visible through the mist. It looked like
a rock. A farther examination showed him that such was the case. It
was a rock, and he was drifting towards it. No sooner had he
ascertained this, than all his excitement once more awakened.
Trembling from head to foot at this sudden prospect of escape, he
started to his feet, and watched most eagerly the progress of the boat.
It was drifting nearer to the rock. Soon another appeared, and then
another. The rocks were black, and covered with masses of sea-weed, as
though they were submerged at high tide. A little nearer, and he saw a
gravelly strand lying just beyond the rocks. His excitement grew
stronger and stronger, until at last it was quite uncontrollable. He
began to fear that he would drift past this place, into the deep water
again. He sprang into the bows, and grasping the rope in his hand,
stood ready to leap ashore. He saw that he was drawing nearer, and so
delayed for a while. Nearer he came and nearer. At length the boat
seemed to pass along by the gravelly beach, and move by it as though it
would go no nearer. This Tom could not endure. He determined to wait
no longer. He sprang.

He sank into the water up to his armpits, but he did not lose his hold
of the rope. Clutching this in a convulsive grasp, he regained his
foothold, which he had almost lost, and struggled forward. For a few
moments he made no headway, for the boat, at the pressure of the
current, pulled so hard that he could not drag it nearer. A terrible
fear came to him that the rope might break. Fortunately it did not,
and, after a short but violent struggle, Tom conquered the resistance
of the tide, and pu