At the suggestion of the boatswain, who hinted at the
necessity of having cleared decks, Captain de Haldimar
had prevailed on his unfortunate relatives to retire to
the small cabin arranged for their reception; and here
they were attended by an aged female, who had long followed
the fortunes of the crew, and acted in the twofold
character of laundress and sempstress. He himself, with
Sir Everard, continued on deck watching the progress of
the vessel with an anxiety that became more intense at
each succeeding hour. Hitherto their course had been
unimpeded, save by the obstacles already enumerated; and
they had now, at about an hour before dawn, gained a
point that promised a speedy termination to their dangers
and perplexities. Before them lay a reach in the river,
enveloped in more than ordinary gloom, produced by the
continuous weaving of the tops of the overhanging trees;
and in the perspective, a gleam of relieving light,
denoting the near vicinity of the lake that lay at the
opposite extremity of the Sinclair, whose name it also
bore. This was the narrowest part of the river; and so
approximate were its shores, that the vessel in her course
could not fail to come in contact both with the obtruding
foliage of the forest and the dense bullrushes skirting
the edge of either bank.
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