The brook was a small one, which ran from the lofty west end of the island to the low land of the east, and thence into the bay.  The water was good, and Tom satisfied his thirst by a long draught.

Judging by the position of the sun, it was now about seven o’clock in the morning; and Tom seated himself once more, and began to try to think how it was that he should have come in a direction so entirely different from the one which he had believed himself to be taking.  He had fully expected to land at Petitcodiac, and he found himself far away on the other side of the bay.  Yet a little reflection showed him how useless it was to try to recall his past voyage, and how impossible it was for him to account for it, ignorant as he was of the true direction of the wind and of the tide.  He contented himself with marking a rude outline of his course on his memorandum book, making allowance for the time when he turned on that course; and having summed it all up to his own satisfaction in a crooked line which looked like a slip-knot, he turned his attention to more important matters.

There was one matter of first-rate importance which now pressed itself upon his thoughts, and that was, how to escape from his present situation.  As far as he could see, there was no inhabitant on the island, no house, no cultivation, and no domestic animal.  If there had been anything of that kind, they would be visible, he knew, from the point where he was standing.  But all was deserted; and beyond the open ground in his neighborhood arose the east end, wooded all over its lofty summit.  From Captain Corbet’s words, and from his own observation, he knew that it was a desert island, and that if he wished to escape he would have to rely altogether upon his own resources.

With this conclusion he once more turned his attention to his surroundings.

Nearest to him was Cape d’Or, about four miles away, and Cape Split, which was some distance farther.  Then there was the Nova Scotia shore, which appeared to be seven or eight miles distant.  On the beach and within sight was the boat which offered a sure and easy mode of passing over to the main land.  But no sooner did he recognize this fact than a difficulty arose.  How was he to make the passage?  The boat had come ashore at high tide, and was close up to the grassy bank.  The tide was far down, and between the boat and the water was a broad beach, covered with cobblestones, and interspersed with granite boulders.  It was too heavy a weight for him to move any distance, and to force it down to the water over such a beach was plainly impossible.  On the other hand, he might wait until the boat floated at high tide, and then embark.  But this, again, would be attended with serious difficulties.  The tide, he saw, would turn as soon as he should get fairly afloat, and then he would have to contend with the downward current.  True, he might use his sail, and in that case he might gain the Nova