nother
morning broke. During the night, our sufferings had been intense.
Could we survive through another day? We stood up to glance round the
horizon. Directly before us arose, as if sprouting out of the water, a
line of palm and cocoa-nut trees! How eagerly we plied our oars to
reach the island on which they grew! How thankfully our voices sang the
morning hymn, and uttered our accustomed prayers! We rapidly neared the
spot. We might have run close by it in the night without seeing it. We
paddled round to find a spot on which to land. Tantalising indeed was
it to see the ground where we might hope to gain life and strength, and
yet not be able to place our feet on it. At last an opening appeared in
the surrounding reef, we ran in, and, hauling up our canoe, hurried off
in search of water. No water could we find, but the strongest climbed
some of the cocoa-nut trees, and quickly threw down a supply of their
refreshing fruit. Oh, how delicious and cool was the milk which they
afforded us! Still, pure water was what we most wanted; but though we
searched in every direction, and dug down as deep as we could with our
rough wooden tools, not a drop could we find.

"We remained here a week hoping for rain, but it came not. The juice
from the cocoa-nuts restored our strength. We collected all we could
gather for our voyage. Once more we resolved to trust ourselves to the
sea. We embarked, and hoisting sail, stood away on our former course.
No land appeared in sight. Many days passed away. Our supply of
cocoa-nuts was almost exhausted. Again death by thirst stared us in the
face. Oh, how carefully we husbanded the few precious nuts which
remained! They at last were exhausted. The hot sun again arose, and we
had no liquid with which to quench our thirst. The burning rays of the
bright luminary struck down on our heads with intense force. `Water!
water! water!' we repeated as before. Some almost gave way to despair.
`We have before been preserved, why give up all hope now?' said others.
In the evening a small cloud was seen to rise out of the sea. It spread
wider and wider. There was no wind. It advanced toward us. Fast from
it fell a thick shower of pure, sweet water. On it came, we opened wide
our mouths, we spread out our hands. Oh, how gratefully it moistened
our parched lips! We stretched out our sail and all our garments, and
let the precious streams we thus gathered run into our gourds and