He rose to his feet, supported by his wife, and soon after they were
staggering on towards the river leading to the lake, followed by their
five children, the eldest, who was but twelve, carrying with him his
youngest brother, only two years old.

At length they reached the lake, and at this point of the journey Mrs.
Godfrey was compelled to order a halt. She was heavily handicapped,
having a large shawl tied across her shoulders filled with the burnt
pork and some blankets. After a few minutes rest they were again tugging
along towards their little ark. As the light of the sun gradually faded
away, the little band of colonists tried to quicken their pace, but they
tried in vain. They were so exhausted that it was with great difficulty
they kept on their feet.

The children were more dead than alive, and the approaching darkness
filled them with terror. Their mother would say to them, "Keep along,
follow closely, the moon is rising, we shall soon have plenty of light."
In this manner they toiled on till midnight, when they reached the
sloop. Fortunately for the little band of wanderers, Captain Godfrey had
left on board the vessel a small Dutch stove and a number of broken
boxes. A fire was soon made, some of the burnt pork was sliced and put
in a pan and fried for the night's meal. But the children sank to rest
soon after getting on board, and lay huddled together on the cabin
floor. After the Captain and his wife had partaken of the meal and
before retiring to rest on the hard boards of the floor, Mrs. Godfrey
read, by the dim light of a candle, the fifty-fourth psalm.

Nothing can better prove the genuineness of a life, the soundness of a
profession, the real character of a man or woman, than those extreme
trials and difficulties of earth, when no friends are near to help and