Having struck a current or eddy that ran close inshore, I made rapid progress, and in less than a quarter of an hour rounded a spur or headland that I knew was within a few hundred yards of the mouth of the harbour where the Golden Hope lay at anchor.
But here I found, to my peril, that the eddy was no longer in my favour. On the contrary, before I was aware of it I was being rapidly carried out to sea by a current that ran at a rate of over three knots an hour.
Once I realized the impossibility of making headway, I turned on my back and paddled easily. The sea was warm, and unless unforeseen circumstances arose, I could keep afloat for an hour or more with little effort. Ere then I hoped to be seen by the searchers on the cliff, or that the current would have changed in my favour. So, buoyed up by hope, I allowed myself to drift with the tide.
Soon I saw that I was nearly abreast that part of the cliff from which I had leapt, yet at a distance of nearly half a mile from it. I could discern the sloping part of the ledge where I had been surprised, and the dark, yawning mouth of the cavern, though I could see nothing of the rogues who dwelt there. There was some consolation in the fact that neither could they see me, nor was I within musket range; but against that there was the growing prospect of being swept far out to sea, to perish slowly in a vast waste of water.
At length I noticed that the sea, which all around was calm save for a gentle swell, was at a short distance ahead beginning to change in appearance. Short-crested waves were breaking over a shoal. That I knew by experience, but whether 'twas but a "tide rip", or really shallow water, I knew not.
The set of the tide carried me right towards the centre of this extent of agitated water, and to my relief I was soon standing on rocky ground, with the sea barely above my knees.
I was still in a position of great peril, for the rocks were slippery with kelp, while the current was strong enough to threaten to sweep me off my feet. Even though the tide might fall a few inches, I knew full well that ere long the flood would set in, and thus before high water the depth would be too great for me to retain a foothold.
Looking landwards, I saw by the agitation of the waves that the shoal extended well towards the shore, the distance between being but a few hundred yards. At this my hopes recovered, for could I walk or wade in that direction and await the change of tide, the same current that had carried me seawards would render me a good service in bearing me back towards the harbour.
I had not proceeded far, for wading was a matter of extreme difficulty, when a whip-like object seized my leg like a vice. The sensation was paralysing, for it seemed as if I was being burnt in a score of places at once. Like a flash I realized my danger. I was in the grip of an octopus!