These thoughts were in his mind, and he did not fail to offer up prayers of heartfelt gratitude to that good and merciful Being who had thus far so wonderfully preserved him.  With such feelings in his heart, he sought out a sleeping-place, and after some search he found a mossy knoll.  Seating himself here, he reclined his back against it, and in a few minutes the worn-out boy was buried in a deep sleep.

He slept until late on the following day, and on waking looked around to see if there were any sails in view.  None were visible.  The tide was about half way up, and the wide waters spread before him without any vessel in sight.  He then began his preparations for the day.  He hung his shirt upon a bush, and spread out the wet sail on the grass.  An examination of the biscuit showed him that they had scarcely been injured at all, the water having penetrated only the lower part of the box.  He removed the lower layer of biscuit, and spread them out on a rock in the sun to dry.  After this he breakfasted, and wandered about for a time.  He then took a swim, and felt much refreshed.  By the time that his swim was over, he found that the hot sun had dried his shirt, so that he could once more assume that very important article of clothing.

The sun climbed high towards the zenith, and the tide came up higher, as Tom sat there alone on his desert island, looking out upon the sea.  The boat from which he had hoped so much had proved false to those hopes, and all the labors of the previous day had proved useless.  His attempt to escape had nearly resulted in his destruction.  He had learned from that experiment that no efforts of his could now effect his rescue.  He had done the very best he could, and it would not be possible for him, with his present resources, to contrive anything better than that which had so miserably failed.  If he could only procure some tar, he might then stop up the interstices; but as it was, nothing of his construction would avail to keep back the treacherous entrance of the water.  It seemed now to him that his stay on the island was destined to be prolonged to a much greater extent than he had first thought of, and there did not seem any longer a hope of saving himself by his own exertions.

Alone on a desert island!

It was a dreadful fact which now forced itself more and more upon Tom’s mind, until at length he could think of nothing else.  Hitherto he had fought off the idea whenever it presented itself, and so long as he had been able to indulge in any hope of freeing himself by his own exertions, he prevented himself from sinking into the gloom of utter despair.  But now he could no longer save himself from that gloom, and the thought grew darker and drearier before him—­the one fact of his present situation.

Alone on a desert island!