No matter, it was there, and might be the means of our recovering the beloved objects those barbarians had torn from us.

How gracious is God, to give us hope to sustain us in our afflictions! Without hope, we could not live; it restores and revives us, and, even if never realized below, accompanies us to the end of our life, and beyond the grave! I imparted to my eldest son the idea of his brother, that they might be concealed in some part of the island; but I dared not rely on this sweet hope.

Finally, as we ought not to run the risk of abandoning them, if they were still here, and perhaps in the power of the savages, I consented that my two eldest sons should go to ascertain the fact.
Besides, however impatient I was, I felt that a voyage such as we were undertaking into unknown seas might be of long duration, and it was necessary to make some preparations--I must think on food, water, arms, and many other things.

There are situations in life which seize the heart and soul, rendering us insensible to the wants of the body--this we now experienced.

We had just come from a painful journey, on foot, of twenty-four hours, during which we had had little rest, and no sleep.
Since morning we had eaten nothing but some morsels of the bread-fruit; it was natural that we should be overcome with fatigue and hunger.