SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 317 
tion, but it manifested itself in different ways. One part of 
the sailors remained motionless, in a bewildered state ; the 
other cheered and encouraged one another ; the children, lock- 
ed in the arms of their parents, wept incessantly. Some de^ 
manded drink, vomiting the salt water which choked them ; 
others, in short, embraced as for the last time, entwining their 
arms and vowing to die together. 
In the meanwhile the sea became rougher and rougher. 
The whole surface of the ocean seemed a vast plain furrowed 
with huge blackish waves fringed with white foam. The thun- 
der growled around us, and the lightning discovered to our 
eyes all that our imagination could conceive most horrible. 
Our boat, beset on all sides by the winds, and at every instant 
tossed on the summit of mountains of water, was very nearly 
sunk in spite of our every effort in bailing it, when we dis- 
covered a large hole in its poop. It was instantly stuffed with 
every thing we could find ; old clothes, sleeves of shirts, shreds 
of coats, shawls, useless bonnets, every thing was employed, 
and secured us as far as it was possible. During the space of 
six hours we rowed suspended ahernately between hope and 
fear, between life and death. At last, toward the middle of the 
night, Heaven, which had seen our resignation, commanded 
the floods to be still. Instantly the sea became less rough, the 
veil which covered the sky became less obscure, the stars again 
shone out, and the tempest seemed to withdraw. A general 
exclamation of joy and thankfulness issued at one instant from 
every mouth. The winds calmed, and each of us sought a 
little sleep whilst our good and generous pilot steered our boat 
on a still very stormy sea. 
The day at last, the day so much desired, entirely restored 
the calm ; but it brought no other consolation. During the 
night the currents, the waves, and the winds had taken us so 
far out to sea, that on the dawning of the 7th of July we saw 
nothing but sky and water, without knowing whither to direct 
our course ; for our compass had been broken during the tem- 
pest. In this hopeless condition we continued to steer some- 
times to the right and sometimes to the left, until the sun arose, 
and at last showed us the east. 
On the morning of the 7th of July we again saw the shores 
of the Desert, notwithstanding we were yet a great distance 
from it. The sailors renewed their murmurings, wishing to 
get on shore, with the hope of being able to get some whole- 
some plants and some more palatable water than that of the 
»ea ; but as we were afraid of the Moors, their request was 
27* 
