His fears proved well grounded.

All his efforts to discover the third rafter were entirely unavailing.
"'Tis of no consequence," said Jonas; "we can't be far from the shore.
I'll keep straight on, and we shall strike the land somewhere, not far from the house." But it is much easier to get bewildered in a storm than Jonas had supposed.

The darkness, the obscurity produced by the falling snow, the perfect and unvarying level of the surface, in every direction the same, and the agitation of mind which even the most resolute must experience in such a situation, all conspired to make it difficult, in a case like this, to find the way.

Jonas drove on in the direction which he thought would have led to the shore; but, after going amply far enough to reach it, no shore was to be seen.

The fact was, that he had insensibly deviated just so far from his course, as to be going along parallel with the shore, instead of in the direction towards it.