e of them would dare to
descend into the treacherous depths of the waters where I had thrown it.

All this passed through my mind like a flash, and then I felt myself
drawn by a terrible current down and down into the depths.

"It's all over," I thought. "I shall have to go to my Maker without ever
saying good-bye to my darling," and then death seemed terrible to me; so
terrible, indeed, was the thought of it, that I determined I would not
die, and I held my breath as well as I could while I was carried along
by the force of the current.

How long I was under water I cannot say. It could not have been long,
for one cannot live long without air, but it seemed ages to me. As I
look back now it seems as though those few seconds were long years. I
will not try and tell the thoughts that passed through my mind, or of
the terrible things through which I thought I went. It is not a part of
this story, neither do I expect I should be believed if I related it.

God in His infinite mercy, however, did not wish me to die, for
presently my head shot above the water, and that without any effort of
my own, and then instinctively I started swimming, after drawing a deep
breath. As soon as I was able I looked around me, but the surroundings
were entirely strange. Above me rose a cliff a good many feet high, and
toward this I swam, being very careful, however, to save myself from
striking against any of the countless rocks, some of which were only
partially covered.

The sea was very calm, and this was my salvation, for presently I was
able to get a footing on one of the rocks without being hurt. This done,
I again looked around me, but all in vain. On the one hand was the sea,
on the other rose the black cliff.

As I said, the night was very calm, only now and then the sobbing,
moaning wind swept along the waters, and it was through this fact that I
ascertained my whereabouts. On listening I thought I heard the sound of
voices, loud, angry voices, but I was so bewildered that at first I knew
not what they meant, but I fancied they were not far away; then I fell
to thinking of the direction from which the sound came, and I imagined
that the current must have carried me to the east side of the island,
not far from the southern extremity where I had been.

This brought back to my mind the reason why I had been thrust into the
water, for those terrible feelings which possessed me as I was sucked
down into the depths of Hell's Mouth