What the thoughts of the hermit were he could not tell, for that strange man seldom spoke about himself; but Moses was not so reticent, for he afterwards remarked that he had often been caught by gales while in the canoe, and had been attached for hours to their floating anchor, but that "dat was out ob sight de wust bust ob wedder dey'd had since dey come to lib at Krakatoa, an' he had bery nigh giben up in despair!" The use of the floating breakwater was to meet the full force of the seas and break them just before they reached the canoe.

In spite of this some of them were so tremendous that, broken though they were, the swirling foam completely buried the craft for a second or two, but the sharp bow cut its way through, and the water poured off the deck and off the stooping figures like rain from a duck's back.

Of course a good deal got in at their necks, sleeves, and other small openings, and wet them considerably, but that, as Moses remarked, "was not'ing to speak ob." Thus they lay tossing in the midst of the raging foam for several hours.
Now and then each would raise his head a little to see that the rope held fast, but was glad to lower it again.

They hardly knew when day broke.

It was so slow in coming, and so gloomy and dark when it did come, that the glare of the lightning-flash seemed more cheerful.
It may be easily believed that there was no conversation during those hours of elemental strife, though the thoughts of each were busy enough.
At last the thunder ceased, or, rather, retired as if in growling defiance of the world which it had failed to destroy.