Beyond these punctures of the flesh, while I ached from head to foot, my other injuries were merely bruises to add to my discomfort--the result of blows dealt me by Sanchez and Cochose, aggravated by the bearlike hug of the giant negro.

Indeed, I awoke to the discovery that I was far from being a dead man; and, inspired by this knowledge, the various incidents of the night flashed swiftly back into my mind.

How long had I been lying there unconscious, adrift in the open boat?
How far had we floated from land?
Where were we now, and in the meantime what had occurred ashore?
These were questions impossible to answer.

I could not even attempt their solution.

No gleam of light appeared in any direction; no sound echoed across the dark waste of water.