A Voyage round the World: A book for boysKingston, William Henry Giles
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A Voyage round the World: A book for boys
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Voyages around the world -- Juvenile fiction
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 pots.
All that evening the rain came down in a continuous fall, and every
moment we were occupied in collecting it, till all our receptacles were
full to the brim,--not a shell did we allow to remain empty: and then we
poured it down our throats in a full, refreshing stream. Scarcely were
we satisfied when the rain ceased--the dark cloud blew onward--the stars
shone forth brightly from the clear sky, and we pursued our course.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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