length both came to
anchor at a distance from the shore of about five miles. Nearer than
that the captain did not dare to go, for fear of the sand-banks and
shoals.

Here a boat was lowered, and Cazeneau prepared to land, together with
the aged Laborde and Mimi. The Abbe Michel also prepared to accompany
them.

Ever since Laborde had been saved from the wreck, he had been weak
and listless. It seemed as though the exhaustion, and exposure, and
privation of that event had utterly broken down his constitution.
Since he had been taken to the ship, however, he had grown much
worse, and was no longer able to walk. He had not risen from his
berth since he had come on board the Aigle. Mimi's anxiety about him
had been excessive, and she had no thought for anything else. The
situation of Claude was unknown to her, and her distress about her
father's increasing weakness prevented her from thinking much about
him. Her only hope now was, that on reaching the shore her father
would experience a change for the better, and be benefited by the
land air.

On removing Laborde from his berth, it was found that he not only had
not strength to stand, but that he was even so weak that this motion
served of itself to exhaust him fearfully. He had to be placed on a
mattress, and carried in that way by four sailors to the ship's side,
where he was carefully let clown into the boat. There the mattress
was placed in the boat's stern, and Laborde lay upon this, with his
head supported against Mimi, who held him encircled in her arms. In
this way he was taken ashore.

It was a long row, but the water was comparatively smooth, and the
landing had been postponed until the flood tide, which made the
boat's progress easier and swifter.

The nearest shore was very low, and the landing-place was two or
three miles farther on. In the distance the land rose higher, and was
covered with trees, with here and there a clearing. The land which
they first approached was well wooded on the water side, but on
passing this the whole scene changed. This land was an island, about
two miles distant from the shore, with its inner side cleared, and
dotted with houses and barns. Between this and the shore there
extended a continuous tract of low land, which had evidently once
been a salt-water marsh, for along the water's edge the coarse grass
grew luxuriantly; but a little distance back there was a dike, about
six or eight feet high, which ran from the island