morn.
The rope and stick to which the boat had been made fast towed through
the water, as the land-breeze, driving me gently, increased my distance
from the land. For some moments I was rather scared; the oars were left
on shore, and I had no means of propelling my little skiff.

In vain did I paddle with my hands and the stick which I had taken on
board. I turned and turned again round to all the points of the
compass, but to no purpose. At last I began to reflect. The sea was
smooth and quiet; so I was in no immediate danger. The Padre, when he
awoke in the morning, would discover my accident, and perhaps see the
boat; he would hasten to town, but he would not arrive till the evening;
for he was an old man, and had to walk twenty-five miles. Boats would
be dispatched after me; even the Mexican schooner which lay in the bay.
The next morning I was certainly to be rescued, and the utmost of my
misfortune would amount to a day of fast and solitude. It was no great
matter; so I submitted to my fate, and made a virtue of necessity.

Happily for me, the boat belonged to an American exceedingly fond of
fishing; and consequently it contained many necessaries which I had
before overlooked. Between the foremost thwart and the bow there was
half a barrel filled with fishes, some pieces of charcoal, and some
dried wood; under the stern-sheets was a small locker, in which I
discovered a frying-pan, a box with salt in it, a tin cup, some herbs
used instead of tea by the Californians, a pot of honey, and another
full of bear's grease. Fortunately, the jar of water was also on board
as well as my lines, with baits of red flannel and white cotton. I
threw them into the water, and prepared to smoke my cigarito. In these
countries no one is without his flint, steel, tinder, and tobacco.

Hours passed so. My fishing being successful, I lighted a fire, and
soon fried a few fine mackerel; but by-and-bye the sun reached its
highest position, and the scorching became so intolerable that I was
obliged to strip and spread my clothes, and even my shirt, upon the
benches, to obtain a shelter. By that time, I had lost sight of land,
and could only perceive now and then some small black points, which were
the summits of fine tall pines.

As soon as my meal was finished, I don't know why, but instead of
sleeping a decent siesta of two hours, the Spanish tonic to digest a
dinner, I never awoke before sunset; and only then, because I