“I may be going away from the sloop and away from land too,” he thought dismally. “But I’ve got to do something,” and he continued to swim.
His strength was nearly gone when he bumped into something hard. Laying hold of the object he found it was a spar, which, from its general appearance, had been in the water for many months. He clasped the spar tightly and this sustained him without further aid.
The gusts of wind had been followed by a heavy downpour of rain and this continued for all of half an hour. It was still dark and Sam could not make out in what direction he was drifting. At last, however, he saw a dim outline of land ahead and did his best to shove the spar in that direction. His feet touched bottom, and more dead than alive he dragged himself out of the lake and flung himself headlong in some rank grass under a clump of wild plantains.
When Sam sat up he found the storm going down and the setting sun trying to break through the clouds. The rain had ceased and the bosom of the lake, while still covered with whitecaps, was gradually resuming its normal condition.
“What an experience!” he murmured, as he looked out upon the water. “Wonder if the sloop weathered it or went to the bottom? Oh, if only all the rest are safe!”
He arose to his feet but found himself so weak that he was glad enough to rest again. He was on a bit of an island for behind him was a wide ditch which separated the patch from the mainland. In the distance was a hill backed up by a lofty mountain. Not a human being nor a habitation of any sort was in sight.
“I’m alone and no mistake,” he mused. “I wonder how I had best strike out? Let me see, by the way the sun lies I must be on the eastern shore of the lake and if that’s so I’m opposite to the strait where the town is situated. I’m sure I can’t see how I’m going to get back to Maracaibo.”
Before Sam could make up his mind how to move darkness was upon him—the darkness of the tropics, which descends without warning. At this he sprang up in added alarm.
“I can’t remain here all night,” he thought. “At least I don’t want to. The place may be full of snakes and those uncanny land crabs. I must get up on higher ground if nothing else.”
He set out for the hill he had noticed, but before he had gone a hundred yards, found himself in the mire surrounding the ditch.