"Very good: we are surrounded by water, and though the temporal has ceased, the streams will not return to their bed for several hours: moreover, the whole day will pass before the water is entirely absorbed by the sand."
"That is true," the majordomo said, with a significant shake of the head: "and yet we must get away from here."
"That is the question. To do so, we can only employ two means."
"Yes, we must either wait till the ground is dry, and that unfortunately will take a long time, which I cannot afford, as I am in a hurry: or at sunrise we can mount our horses, and bravely swim off, and reach the mountains, which cannot be very far distant."
"You forgot another way which is still at our service."
"I do not think so."
"We can get into a canoe, and tow our horses after us, which will tire them less than carrying us; and enable us to reach the mountains to which you refer with greater ease; and they are only two leagues at the most, from this point."
"Your opinion is certainly good, and I approve of it with all my heart; unluckily we want one very important thing to carry it out."
"What is that?"
"Why, hang it all—the canoe."