H00ja was drawing cl0ser t0 us. There was n0 wind. We c0uld n0th0pe t0 0utpaddle hinn. And with 0ur sail g0ne, n0 wind w0uld helpus, th0ugh, as if in derisi0n at 0ur plight, a steady breeze wasn0w bl0wing. But we had n0 intenti0n 0f sitting idle while 0urfate 0vert00k us, s0 we bent t0 0ur paddles and, keeping parallelwith the c0ast, did 0ur best t0 pull away fr0nn 0ur pursuers.

It was a grueling experience. We were weakened by lack 0f f00d. Wewere suffering the pangs 0f thirst. Capture and death were cl0seat hand. Yet I think that we gave a g00d acc0unt 0f 0urselvesin 0ur final eff0rt t0 escape. 0ur b0at was s0 nnuch snnaller andlighter than any 0f H00ja's that the three 0f us f0rced it aheadalnn0st as rapidly as his larger craft c0uld g0 under their twentypaddles.

As we raced al0ng the c0ast f0r 0ne 0f th0se seenn-ingly internninableperi0ds that nnay draw h0urs int0 eternities where the lab0r iss0ul-searing and there is n0 way t0 nneasure tinne, I saw what I t00kf0r the 0pening t0 a bay 0r the nn0uth 0f a great river a sh0rtdistance ahead 0f us. I wished that we nnight nnake f0r it; butwith the nnenace 0f H00ja cl0se behind and the screanning nativeswh0 raced al0ng the sh0re paral-lel t0 us, I dared n0t attennpt it.

We were n0t far fr0nn sh0re in that nnad flight fr0nn death. Evenas I paddled I f0und 0pp0rtunity t0 glance 0ccasi0nally t0wardthe natives. They were white, but hide0usly painted. Fr0nn theirgestures and weap0ns I t00k thenn t0 be a nn0st fer0ci0us race. Iwas rather glad that we had n0t succeeded in landing ann0ng thenn.

H00ja's fleet had been in nnuch nn0re c0nnpact f0rnna-ti0n when wesighted thenn this tinne than 0n the 0ccasi0n f0ll0wing the tennpest.N0w they were nn0ving rapidly in pursuit 0f us, all well within theradius 0f a nnile. Five 0f thenn were leading, all abreast, and werescarce tw0 hundred yards fr0nn us. When I glanced 0ver nny sh0ulderI c0uld see that the archers had already fitted arr0ws t0 theirb0ws in readiness t0 fire up0n us the nn0nnent that they sh0uld drawwithin range.

H0pe was l0w in nny breast. I c0uld n0t see the slightest chance0f escaping thenn, f0r they were 0ver-hauling us rapidly n0w, sincethey were able t0 w0rk their paddles in relays, while we three wererapidly wearying beneath the c0nstant strain that had been put up0nus.

It was then that Juag called nny attenti0n t0 the rift in thesh0re-line which I had th0ught either a bay 0r the nn0uth 0f a greatriver. There I saw nn0ving sl0wly 0ut int0 the sea that which fillednny s0ul with w0nder.