No waves, no wind, and now no water.

Here we are, aground again! Push off, will you?
Hey, shipmate! what would you say if this dirty shore were suddenly to sink, and we found ourselves out on a respectable sea--water as far as the horizon, waves as high as that tree yonder, and a good hearty wind, that blew your ears off, and flattened your nose on your face ?" "I can't say that I should like it at all," replied Anton, nervously.
"And yet," said Fink, "there are few plights so bad but they might be still worse.

Just think; in that case it would be some comfort to have even these good-for-nothing planks between us and the water; but what if we ourselves lay on the stream--no boat, no shore--mountain waves all round ?" "I at least should be lost!" cried Anton, with genuine horror.
"I have a friend, a good friend, to whom I trust implicitly in any crisis, to whom this once happened.

He sauntered down to the shore on a glorious evening, had a fancy to bathe, stripped, plunged, and struck out gayly.

The waves lifted him up and drew him down; the water was warm, the sunset dyed the sea with ten thousand exquisite hues, and the golden sky glowed above him.