Born Again | Page 5

much from stiffness and cold, but at last dawn appeared
and I anxiously strained my eyes, looking about in every direction.
Then my head nearly burst with a feeling of joyousness, for within two
hundred yards of me I discerned the outline of what appeared to be a
hill of rocks protruding from the deep, and as the light grew brighter I
started to wade slowly towards it. This was an extremely tiresome
undertaking, as the bed upon which I had been resting was very rocky
and uneven and I received many bruises before finally reaching its base.
My limbs too were thoroughly numb and almost refused to work, but
with each step ahead the water became shallower and my progress less
arduous. As I went forward I thought it was by the miraculous hand of
God that my life had been saved, for the time being at least. Then,
again, it occurred to me, that if it was the hand of the Almighty that
saved me, it must have been by His hand also that I was thrown

overboard, for if He directed the one act He must have surely directed
the other. So why blame the sailors for attempting to take my life if it
was God's will that it should be done?
Reaching the base of the rocks in a feeble condition and staggering like
a man under the influence of liquor, I threw myself down and went to
sleep just as the sun peeped over the horizon.
Several hours later I awakened with a start to find the burning sun
directly overhead and my body dripping with perspiration, my throat
parched and an awful feeling of thirst within me. My tongue felt as
though it was several inches thick and it seemed as though I would
choke immediately for the want of something to drink. Aside from the
thirst, however, I felt considerably refreshed and sprang to my feet with
my usual agility.
The first thing that attracted my attention as I looked about in a curious
manner, was that this strange pile of stone which protruded from the
sea, bore evidence of having once been a part of some mammoth
building which had apparently been shaken down and now lay in a
chaotic heap. Some of the stones were of tremendous size and different
in shape and quality from any others I have ever seen. Their designs
showed that wonderful skill must have been employed by the workmen
who originally cut and fit them into position. The whole mass formed a
sort of a ragged hill about one hundred feet in diameter and the highest
point about forty feet above the sea level.
In looking about, I discovered to my great delight that among the
crevices of the rocks there were many little places which acted as
basins to store up water from the recent rains, and I immediately took
advantage of these conditions to quench my thirst and bathe my face
and head. This done I began climbing up toward the top of the pile. It
took considerable time and patience to make the ascent, as the stones
were massed together in a most irregular and precipitous manner.
Reaching the highest point, I eagerly scanned the surrounding horizons
with the hope of seeing some passing ship, but nothing except sky and
water met my gaze.

Seating myself upon the topmost rock, I became buried in the depths of
meditation, and as I sat perched up there alone without even a glimpse
of a sea-fowl for companionship I felt as if I was the only living thing
extant; in fact, I actually imagined myself as being the center and
objective point of the universe. God in His great wisdom had flung me
there for some purpose or other and was watching my movements to
the exclusion of everything else, so I thought. Aye, even the warmth
from the rays of the sun had been arranged for my special benefit. How
big a little faith will make one feel sometimes.
For several hours I remained in one position, musing over my strange
situation and wondering what the final outcome would be. At last, after
the sun had gone down and darkness began to encircle me, I decided to
look about and find a suitable place to lie down and sleep for the night.
So I began to climb from rock to rock until I had reached the opposite
side of the jagged plateau, when suddenly one of the great stones
wobbled, I lost my balance and slid down an incline into a sort of a pit.
Then my feet struck something which momentarily stopped my
unexpected descent, but it proved to be a mere shell, and crashing
through it I landed with a violent jolt about ten feet