A minute's thought, more potent than the strength of ten men, showed him
that the canoe required lightening. There was no cargo to throw
overboard, nor ballast. He was the only weight. He immediately
undressed, and let himself overboard at the prow, retaining hold of the
stem. His feet sank deep into the ooze; he felt as if, had he let go, he
should have gradually gone down into this quicksand of fine mud. By
rapidly moving his feet he managed, however, to push the canoe; she rose
considerably so soon as he was out of her, and, although he had hold of
the prow, still his body was lighter in the water. Pushing, struggling,
and pressing forward, he, by sheer impact, as it were, for his feet
found no hold in the mud, forced her back by slow degrees.

The blows of the waves drove her forward almost as much as he pushed her
back. Still, in time, and when his strength was fast decreasing, she did
move, and he had the satisfaction of feeling the water deeper beneath
him. But when he endeavoured to pull himself into the canoe over the
prow, directly his motive power ceased, the waves undid the advance he
had achieved, and he had to resume his labour. This time, thinking
again, before he attempted to get into the canoe he turned her sideways
to the wind, with the outrigger to leeward. When her sharp prow and
rounded keel struck the mud-bank end on she ran easily along it. But,
turned sideways, her length found more resistance, and though the waves
sent her some way upon it, she soon came to a standstill. He clambered
in as quickly as he could (it is not easy to get into a boat out of the
water, the body feels so heavy), and, taking the paddle, without waiting
to dress, worked away from the spot.

Not till he had got some quarter of a mile back towards the mainland did
he pause to dry himself and resume part of his clothing; the canoe being
still partly full of water, it was no use to put on all. Resting awhile