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
All that day our sufferings were very great. As we were running on
during the night, our ears were assailed by the sound of breakers. We
listened; they were on our weather bow. If we ran on we might miss the
island; so we hauled down our sail, and paddled slowly on towards the
spot whence the sound proceeded. All night we remained within sound of
the surf. How anxiously we waited for daylight to ascertain that there
was an island, and not merely a coral reef over which the sea was
breaking! That night was one of the most anxious we had yet passed.
Slowly the hours dragged along. It was wonderful to observe the calm
and resigned manner of the islanders. The missionaries and the chief
never gave the slightest sign of distress; even the women did not
complain. "It must be near daybreak," said Mr Brand, waking up out of
a sleep into which he had at last fallen. "Look out." We strained our
eyes in the direction in which we believed the island to exist. A few
pale streaks appeared in the east; and then, oh! our hearts leaped with
joy as we saw tall, thin lines appear against the sky; and, as the light
increased, the stems and tops of trees were revealed to view. But our
joy was somewhat damped when we discovered that a long line of heavy
breakers rolled between us and them. At sight of the island the
natives, with one accord, raised a hymn of praise and thanksgiving which
put our doubts to shame; and the chief, pointing to the surf, made signs
that we must go round on the other side, where we should find a place to
land. The sail was forthwith hoisted, and we quickly ran round to the
lee side, where a wide opening in the surf presented itself. We paddled
through it into the inner bay or lagoon, and reaching the shore, the
canoe was secured.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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