Having narrated this passage in his history, the Padre Marini bid me good night, and we prepared to sleep.  I went to the boat, where, stretching myself at the bottom, with my face turned towards the glittering canopy above, I remained pensive and reflecting upon the narrative of the monk, until at last I slept.

CHAPTER VI.

I felt chilly, and I awoke.  It was daylight.  I stood on my feet and looked around me.  I found myself floating on the deep sea, far from the shore, the outline of which was tinged with the golden hues of morn.  The rope and stick to which the boat had been made fast towed through the water, as the land-breeze, driving me gently, increased my distance from the land.  For some moments I was rather scared; the oars were left on shore, and I had no means of propelling my little skiff.

In vain did I paddle with my hands and the stick which I had taken on board.  I turned and turned again round to all the points of the compass, but to no purpose.  At last I began to reflect.  The sea was smooth and quiet; so I was in no immediate danger.  The Padre, when he awoke in the morning, would discover my accident, and perhaps see the boat; he would hasten to town, but he would not arrive till the evening; for he was an old man, and had to walk twenty-five miles.  Boats would be despatched after me; even the Mexican schooner which lay in the bay.  The next morning I was certain to be rescued, and the utmost of my misfortune would amount to a day of fast and solitude.  It was no great matter; so I submitted to my fate, and made a virtue of necessity.

Happily for me, the boat belonged to an American exceedingly fond of fishing; and consequently it contained many necessaries which I had before overlooked.  Between the foremost thwart and the bow there was half a barrel filled with ashes, some pieces of charcoal, and some dried wood; under the stern-sheets was a small locker, in which I discovered a frying-pan, a box with salt in it, a tin cup, some herbs used instead of tea by the Californians, a pot of honey, and another full of bear’s grease.  Fortunately, the jar of water was also on board as well as my lines, with baits of red flannel and white cotton.  I threw them into the water, and prepared to smoke my cigarito.  In these countries no one is without his flint, steel, tinder, and tobacco.

Hours passed so.  My fishing being successful, I lighted a fire, and soon fried a few fine mackerel; but by-and-bye the sun reached its highest position, and the scorching became so intolerable that I was obliged to strip and spread my clothes, and even my shirt, upon the benches, to obtain a shelter.  By that time I had lost sight of land, and could only perceive now and then some small black points, which were the summits of the tall pines.

As soon as my meal was finished, I don’t know why, but instead of sleeping a decent siesta of two hours, the Spanish tonic to digest a dinner, I never awoke before sunset; and only then because I began to feel a motion which was far from being pleasant.  In fact, the waves were beginning to rise in sharp ridges, covered with foam; the mild land-breeze had changed into a cool sharp westerly wind.