This was not a quicksand, but it was a deep mud-bed. And only by constant motion could he avoid sinking farther and farther down into it. He had less than two inches to spare, at best, before the water should fill his nostrils; less than two inches of life, even if he could keep the water down to the level of his lips. What is the tone of the excerpt?
The excerpt says specific tone words that describe his situation. Because tone is how the author feels, it describes his situation as despairing as it describes using desperate or life threatening words.
