And then Kilian cannot see why he wasn't drowned.

When he came to himself he was still holding the rudder in his hand.
The other arm was useless from the falling of--this thing that split--upon it.

And so the boat was floundering about in the gale till it got righted, and it was Mr.Langenau's presence of mind that saved him and the boat, for he never let go the rudder, and controlled her as far as he could, though he did not know where he was going, the blackness was so great, and the flashes did not show him the shore; and he was like one placed in the midst of a frightful sea wakened out of a dream, owing to the blow and the unconsciousness which followed.
Then Richard came upon the stage as hero; he and one of the men had gone out in the only boat at hand, a very small one, toward the speck, which, by the flashes of lightning, he saw out upon the river.

It was almost impossible to overhaul her, and it could not have been done at the rate she was going, of course; but then occurred that accident which rendered Mr.Langenau unconscious, and which brought things to a standstill for a moment.

Kalian said we did not know anything about the storm up here at the house; that more than one tree had been struck within a few feet of him on the shore.