ardened the
blood as it oozed from my wounds, and thus prevented my bleeding to
death.

To my great surprise, I was entirely alone. The sand around me was
impressed with numerous footprints from unshod feet; and, on looking
more intently about me, I saw that they had all left me in the direction
of the beach, and the canoes were gone.

This circumstance excited within me anew the direst apprehensions; for I
had not the slightest doubt that the savages were away in pursuit of the
boat, and I every moment dreaded to see her reappear, and to hear the
triumphant shouts proclaiming our enemies' success.

But the moments, laden with excruciating mental and bodily torture, wore
slowly away, and nothing appeared to disturb or break in upon the
solitude which surrounded me; and now, urged by the desire for a cooler
spot, I sought to drag my agonised frame from the burning sand to the
cool, fresh, verdant greensward, which was but a few yards distant.

Slowly, and writhing at every movement with the keenest anguish, I
crawled foot by foot upwards along the beach, and at length, after half
an hour of intense torment, sank utterly exhausted upon the utmost verge
of the grass-covered plain.

My exertions caused all my wounds to burst open afresh, and I now became
aware that I had received several in addition to those inflicted in the
fight; these last being doubtless the result of wanton cruelty and
savage delight on the part of my enemies at finding me in their power.

But I was still as far as ever from the means of slaking my burning
thirst, for there was not a drop of fresh water within miles of me, as
far as I knew; and had there been, my strength was by this time so
completely gone that I could not have crawled another half-dozen yards
to save my life, or even to quench that thirst which was now to me
almost worse than death.

Stern, stubborn endurance was therefore my only resource, and I sank
back upon the cool grass to await, in bitter helplessness, the death
which I felt must soon come to my relief.

I now relapsed into a state of semi-consciousness, my thoughts wandering
away from my present condition and fixing themselves, with strange
pertinacity, upon subjects of the most trifling import; now plunging
into vague speculations, and anon indulging in all sorts of fantastic
fancies, as lever began to assume its burning sway over my tortured
frame.

From this state I was aroused by hearing a joyous shout in the