my utmost, by setting my back against the chests, to keep them in their places, but could not thrust off the raft with all my strength, neither durst I stir from the posture I was in; but holding up the chests with all my might, I stood in that manner near half an hour, in which time the rising of the water brought me a little more upon the level; and after a little, the water still rising, my raft floated again, and taking an oar, I thrust her off into the channel, and soon found myself in the mouth of a little river, and a strong tide running up. I looked upon both sides for a proper place to get to shore, for I was not willing to be driven too high up the river, hoping, in time, to see some ship at sea, and therefore resolved to place myself as near the coast as I could.

At last I spied a little cove on the right side of the creek, to which, with great pain and difficulty, I guided my raft, and at last came so near that, reaching ground with my oar, I could thrust her directly in. But here I had like to have dipped all my cargo into the sea again; for that shore lying pretty steep, that is to say, sloping,

- there was no place to land but where one end of my float, if it ran on shore, would lie so high and the other sink lower, as before, that it would endanger my cargo again. All that I could do was to wait till the tide was at the highest, keeping my raft with my oar like an anchor to hold the side of it fast to the shore near a flat piece of ground, which I expected the water would overflow, and so it did. As soon as I found water enough, for my raft drew about a foot of water, I thrust her upon that flat piece of ground and there moored her, by sticking my two broken oars into the ground, one on one side near one

end, and one on the other side near the other end; and thus I lay till the water ebbed away, and left my raft and cargo safe on shore.

My next work was to view the country, and seek a proper place for my habitation and where to stow my goods, to secure them from whatever might happen. Where I was I did not yet know; whether on the continent or an island; whether inhabited or uninhabited land; whether in danger of wild beasts or not. There was a hill not above a mile from me which rose up very steep and high, and which seemed to overtop some other hills, which lay as in a ridge from it, northward. I took out one of the fowling pieces, and one of the pistols, and a horn of powder; and thus armed I traveled for discovery up to the top of that hill, where, after I had with great labor and difficulty reached the top, I saw my fate, to my very great affliction. I was on an island, no other land to be seen except some rocks, which lay a great way off, and two smaller islands, which lay about three leagues to the west. I found, also, that the island I was on was barren, and, as I saw good reason to believe, uninhabited, except by wild beasts, of which, however, I saw none. Yet I saw an abundance of fowls, but I knew not their kinds; neither, when I killed them, could I tell which were fit for food. At my coming back, I shot at a great bird, which I saw sitting upon a tree on the side of a great wood. I believe it was the first gun that had been fired there since the creation of the world. I had no sooner fired, than from all parts of the wood there arose an innumerable number of fowls, of many sorts, making a confused screaming and crying; every one according to his usual note, but not

one of them of a kind that I knew.. As for the creature I killed, I took it to be a kind of a hawk, from its color and beak, though it had no talons or claws more than common. Its flesh was carrion, and fit for nothing.

Contented with this discovery I came back to my raft, and fell to work to bring the cargo on shore, which took me the rest of that day; what to do with myself at night I knew not, nor indeed where to rest, for I was afraid to lie down on the ground, not knowing but some wild beast might devour me, though, as I afterwards found, there was really no need for such fears.

However, as well as I could, I barricaded myself round with chests and boards that I had brought on shore, and made a kind of a hut for that night's lodging. As for food, I saw not how to supply myself, except that I had seen two or three creatures, like hares, run out of the wood where I had shot the fowl.

I now began to consider that I might yet get a great many things out of the ship which would be useful to me, and particularly some of the rigging and sails, and I resolved to make another voyage to the vessel if possible. As I knew that the first storm that blew must necessarily break her all in pieces, I resolved to set all other things aside till I had taken everything out of the ship that I could. Then I called a council- that is to say, in my thoughts whether I should take the raft back with me; but this appeared impracticable; so I resolved to go as before, when the tide was down, and I did so, only that I stripped before I went from my hut, having nothing on but a checkered shirt, a pair of linen drawers, and a pair of pumps on my feet.

I got on board as before, and prepared a second raft; and having had experience with the first, I neither made this so unwieldy nor loaded it so heavily, but yet I brought away several things very useful to me; as, first, in the carpenter's stores, I found two or three bags full of nails and spikes, a great jackscrew, a dozen or two of hatchets, and, above all, the most useful thing called a grindstone. All these I secured, together with several things belonging to the gunner, particularly two or three iron crowbars, and two barrels of musket bullets, seven muskets, another fowling piece, a small quantity of powder, a large bagful of shot, and a great roll of sheet lead; but this last was so heavy that I could not hoist it up to get it over the ship's side.

Besides these things, I took all the men's clothes that I could find, a spare fore-topsail, a hammock, and some bedding; with these I loaded my second raft, and brought them all safe on shore, to my very great comfort.

I was under some apprehension, during my absence from land, that at least my provisions on shore might be devoured; but when I returned, I found no sign of any visitor; only there sat a creature like a wild cat upon one of the chests, which, when I came toward it, ran away a little distance, and then stood still. She sat very composed and unconcerned, and looked full in my face, as if she had a mind to be acquainted with me. I presented my gun to her, but, as she did not understand it, she was perfectly unconcerned at it, nor did she offer to stir away; upon which I tossed her a bit of biscuit, though, by the way, I was not very free of it, for my store was not great; however, I spared her a bit, and she went to it, and smelled

of it, and ate it, and looked (as if pleased) for more; but I thanked her, and could spare no more; so she marched off.

Having brought my second cargo on shore, though I was obliged to open the barrels of powder and bring them by parcels, for they were too heavy, being large casks, I went to work to make me a little tent, with a sail, and some poles which I cut for that purpose; and into this tent I brought everything that I knew would spoil either with rain or sun; and I piled all the empty casks and chests up in a circle round the tent, to fortify it from any sudden attempt, either from man or beast.

When I had done this, I blocked up the door of the tent with some boards within and an empty cask set up on end without; and spreading one of the beds on the ground, laying my two pistols just at my head, and my gun at length by me, I went to bed for the first time, and slept very quietly all night, for I was very weary; for the night before I had slept little, and had labored very hard all day to bring all the things from the ship safe to shore.

I now had the biggest magazine of all kinds that was ever laid up, I believe, for one man; but I was not satisfied, for while the ship sat upright, I thought I ought to get everything out of her that I could; so every day, at low tide, I went on board, and brought away something or other; but particularly the third time I went, I brought away as much of the rigging as I could, as well as all the small ropes and rope twine I could get, with a piece of spare canvas, which was to mend the sails upon occasion ; and also the barrel of wet gunpowder. In a word I brought away all the sails first and last; only that I was obliged to cut them in pieces, and bring as much at a time

CH. LIT. V. 3