It was rest.

After the misery, exertion, and excitement of the last fortnight it was rest, intense rest for body and mind.

The pressure of the water against the handle of the rudder-paddle, the slight vibration of the wood, as the bubbles rushed by beneath, alone perhaps kept him from really falling asleep.

This was something which could not be left to itself; it must be firmly grasped, and that effort restrained his drowsiness.
Three hours passed.

The shore was twelve or fifteen miles behind, and looked like a blue cloud, for the summer haze hid the hills, more than would have been the case in clearer weather.
Another hour, and at last Felix, awakening from his slumberous condition, looked round and saw nothing but the waves.