There was no occasion for fear, although I became aware that the sweep of the current was steadily bearing us further out toward the center of the broad stream, and soon felt convinced that escape from my predicament would be impossible until after daylight.  I could perceive absolutely nothing by which to shape a course, the sky above, and the water beneath being equally black.  Not a star glimmered overhead, and no revealing spark of light appeared along either shore, or sparkled across the river surface.  The only sound to reach my ears was the soft lapping of water against the side of the boat to which I clung.  The loneliness was complete; the intense blackness strained my eyes, and I constantly felt as though some mysterious weight was dragging me down into the depths.  Yet the struggle to keep afloat was no longer necessary, and my head sank in relief on the hands gripping at the boat’s stern, while we floated silently on through the black mystery.

I know not how long this lasted—­it might have been for hours, as I took no account of time.  My mind seemed dazed, incapable of consecutive thought although a thousand illogical conceptions flashed through the brain, each in turn fading away into another, before I was fully aware of its meaning.  Occasionally some far-off noise aroused me from lethargy, yet none of these could be identified, except once the mournful cry of a wild animal far away to the right; while twice we were tossed about in whirlpools, my grip nearly dislodged before the mad water swept us again into the sturdy current.  I think we must have drifted close in toward the western shore, for once I imagined I could vaguely distinguish the tops of trees outlined against the slightly lighter sky.  Yet this vision was so fleeting, I dare not loosen my hold upon the boat to swim in that direction; and, even as I gazed in uncertainty, the dim outline vanished as though it had been a dream, and we were again being forced outward into the swirling waters.

Suddenly the wrecked boat’s bow grated against something immovable; then became fixed, the stern swinging slowly about, until it also caught, and I could feel the full volume of down-pouring water pressing against my body.  It struck with such force I was barely able to work my way forward along the side of the half-submerged craft in an effort to ascertain what it was blocking our progress.  Yet a moment later, even in that darkness, and obliged to rely entirely upon the sense of touch, the truth of my situation became clear.  The blindly floating boat had drifted upon a snag, seemingly the major portion of a tree, now held by some spit of sand.  I struggled vainly in an attempt to release the grip which, held us, but the force of the current had securely wedged the boat’s bow beneath a limb, a bare, leafless tentacle, making all my efforts useless.  The ceaseless water rippled about me, the only sound in the silent night, and despairing of any escape, I found a submerged branch on which to stand, gripped the boat desperately to prevent being swept away, and waited for the dawn.