he cursed remorseless nature; and at last he railed on the God who made
him, and made the cruel water, that was waiting for his body. "God's
justice! God's mercy! God's power! they are all lies," he shouted,
"dreams, chimeras, like Him the all-powerful and good, men babble of by
the fire. If there was a God more powerful than the sea, and only
half as good as men are, he would pity my poor Rosa and me, and send
a hurricane to drive those caitiffs back to the wretch they have
abandoned. Nature alone is mighty. Oh, if I could have her on my side,
and only God against me! But she is as deaf to prayer as He is: as
mechanical and remorseless. I am a bubble melting into the sea. Soul
I have none; my body will soon be nothing, nothing. So ends an honest,
loving life. I always tried to love my fellow-creatures. Curse them!
curse them! Curse the earth! Curse the sea! Curse all nature: there is
no other God for me to curse."

The moon came out.

He raised his head and staring eyeballs, and cursed her.

The wind began to whistle, and flung spray in his face.

He raised his fallen head and staring eyeballs, and cursed the wind.

While he was thus raving, he became sensible of a black object to
windward.

It looked like a rail, and a man leaning on it.

He stared, he cleared the wet hair from his eyes, and stared again.