It gave them new life; and, indeed, it had given them their lives already, though they knew it not.

It was the outflow of its current into the ocean that caused the break in the coral reef through which their boat had been enabled to pass.

Otherwise they might have found no opening, and perished in attempting to traverse the surging surf.

The madrepores will not build their subaqueous coral walls where rivers run into the ocean; hence the open spaces here and there happily left, that form deep transverse channels admitting the largest ships.
No longer suffering from thirst, its kindred appetite now returned with undivided agony, and the next thought was for something to eat.
They again turned their eyes toward the forest, and up the bank of the stream that came flowing from it.

But Saloo had seen something in the sea, near the spot where the pinnace had been left; and, calling upon Murtagh to get ready some dry wood and kindle a fire, he ran back toward the boat.
Murtagh, the rest accompanying him, walked to the edge of the woods where the stream issued from the leafy wilderness.
Just beyond the strip of sand the forest abruptly ended, the trees standing thick together, and rising like a vast vegetable wall to a height of over a hundred feet.