Then it ceased as suddenly as it had begun, and the bright stars again shone down upon a peaceful scene.
When it was over, Martin and his comrade descended the tree and endeavoured to find their way back to the beach.

But this was no easy matter.

The haste with which they had run into the woods, and the confusion of the storm, had made them uncertain in which direction it lay; and the more they tried to get out, the deeper they penetrated into the forest.

At length, wearied with fruitless wandering and stumbling about in the dark, they resolved to spend the night where they were.
Coming to a place which was more open than usual, and where they could see a portion of the starry sky overhead, they sat down on a dry spot under the shelter of a spreading tree, and, leaning their backs against the trunk, very soon fell sound asleep..