Adrift in the Wilds

d sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth. Terror, as he shook his shaggy

"When did the ground feel better to

osen us out of the hundreds that have perished as special objects of h

, impressive tone he returned thanks to his Creator for the signal merc

ound them. "The first thing I should like to do is to procure a suit of clothes, and I hope

warrum summer night, and there saams to be few in the neigh

country to a range of mountains in the distance, whose high, jagged tops wer

rd. "See! there are persons along the s

land. I will go among them and see whether any of them hav

oam and spray like the boisterous Atlantic, but swelling and heaving as if the great deep was a breathing monster. A few fragments of blackened splinters floating here and there were

ctures of utter misery, as they mumbled a few words to each other, or stared absently around. They seemed to be partially

seen away to the northwest, skirting along shore and making their way toward San Francisco as rapidly as muscle and oars could carry t

times it recedes to over a hundred. The particular point where our friends were suffered to land was rough, barren and rocky, and behind them,

not be expected to know much of the minor facts of the State. They were aware that at no great distance-but whether north or south it was impossible to say-lay the missiona

er, and the most exuberant vegetation. This was about all they knew; and this, after all, was considerable. When persons expect to make a journey to some distant c

r. Yard approaching, clad in quite a respectable suit of black, alb

tunate," rem

elderly gentleman yonder, with his hands in his pockets walking

o could be easily disti

sprung from his bed, dressed himself and caught up his valise, which contai

as he

, and managed to get ashore. And all the time he grasped that valise, even when besought b

t be ve

is property that he had entrusted to the steamer, and it was his fear that he migh

that he gave

e reached San Francisco. He racked his brains to see whether there was not some means of my giving him my note for the amount; but as th

t, Mr. Yard, wha

now of nothing better that we can do. I think

ance, dry our clothes and give our bodies

ss in my case as I have alrea

tell our parents that we reached the l

ospitable country in the world. There are treacherous and thieving Indians in these parts, and they would have swooped do

take good care not to

for a much longer time t