Paddling under Palmettos — page 139: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

132 Paddling Under Palmettos. never forget the horror of that night. The heavy cargo of the schooner held her down, and unless the billows swept the mast entirely away, it was apt to stand for some time. “Minutes seemed hours and hours weeks. ‘The sea raged and the spray flew over us, for the shal- low nature of the place caused the billows to break badly. “Morning came. Only four of us saw it. The others had been washed away during the night. “Through the livelong day we hung there, wet, weary and dispirited. Around us was solitude. Far away on one quarter we could see the low-lying keys, but the day passed without a single sail com- ing in sight. “It was only a question of time as to when we should fall victims to the multitude of sharks that hovered in the neighborhood. ‘Already they had feasted upon our unlucky com- panions, no doubt, and our fate seemed plain. “Hour after hour dragged by. “We were fascinated by the awful sight, and I felt my brain reel. “One of the sailors became mad from the effect Gomicbooks: co