When he was free of the channel, he hoisted sail and directed his course straight out for an island which stood almost opposite the entrance.  But as he approached, driven along at a good pace, suddenly the canoe seemed to be seized from beneath.  He knew in a moment that he had grounded on soft mud, and sprang up to lower the sail, but before he could do so the canoe came to a standstill on the mud-bank, and the waves following behind, directly she stopped, broke over the stern.  Fortunately they were but small, having only a mile or so to roll from the shore, but they flung enough water on board in a few minutes to spoil part of his provisions, and to set everything afloat that was loose on the bottom of the vessel.

He was apprehensive lest she should fill, for he now perceived that he had forgotten to provide anything with which to bale her out.  Something is always forgotten.  Having got the sail down (lest the wind should snap the mast), he tried hard to force the canoe back with his longer paddle, used as a movable rudder.  His weight and the resistance of the adhesive mud, on which she had driven with much force was too great; he could not shove her off.  When he pushed, the paddle sank into the soft bottom, and gave him nothing to press against.  After struggling for some time, he paused, beginning to fear that his voyage had already reached an end.

A minute’s thought, more potent than the strength of ten men, showed him that the canoe required lightening.  There was no cargo to throw overboard, nor ballast.  He was the only weight.  He immediately undressed, and let himself overboard at the prow, retaining hold of the stem.  His feet sank deep into the ooze; he felt as if, had he let go, he should have gradually gone down into this quicksand of fine mud.  By rapidly moving his feet he managed, however, to push the canoe; she rose considerably so soon as he was out of her, and, although he had hold of the prow, still his body was lighter in the water.  Pushing, struggling, and pressing forward, he, by sheer impact, as it were, for his feet found no hold in the mud, forced her back by slow degrees.

The blows of the waves drove her forward almost as much as he pushed her back.  Still, in time, and when his strength was fast decreasing, she did move, and he had the satisfaction of feeling the water deeper beneath him.  But when he endeavoured to pull himself into the canoe over the prow, directly his motive power ceased, the waves undid the advance he had achieved, and he had to resume his labour.  This time, thinking again, before he attempted to get into the canoe he turned her sideways to the wind, with the outrigger to leeward.  When her sharp prow and rounded keel struck the mud-bank end on she ran easily along it.  But, turned sideways, her length found more resistance, and though the waves sent her some way upon it, she soon came to a standstill.  He clambered in as quickly as he could (it is not easy to get into a boat out of the water, the body feels so heavy), and, taking the paddle, without waiting to dress, worked away from the spot.