by Daniel Defoe
lying pretty steep, that is to say sloping, therewas no place to land, but where one end of the float, if it run onshore, would lie so high, and the other sink lower as before, that itwould endanger my cargo again: all that I could do, was to wait till thetide was at the highest, keeping the raft with my oar like an anchor tohold the side of it fast to the shore, near a flat piece of ground,which I expected the water would flow over; and so it did. As soon as Ifound water enough, for my raft drew about a foot of water, I thrust heron upon that flat piece of ground, and there fastened or moored her bysticking my two broken oars into the ground; one on one side near oneend, and one on the other side near the other end; and thus I lay tillthe water ebbed away, and left my raft and all my cargo safe on shore.
My next work was to view the country, and seek a proper place for myhabitation, and where to stow my goods, to secure them from whatevermight happen. Where I was I yet knew not; whether on the continent or onan island, whether inhabited or not inhabited, whether in danger of wildbeasts or not. There was a hill not above a mile from me, which rose upvery 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 thefowling-pieces, and one of the pistols, and an horn of powder, and thusarmed I travelled for discovery up to the top of that hill, where, afterI had with great labour and difficulty got to the top, I saw my fates tomy great affliction, viz. that I was in an island environed every waywith the sea, no land to be seen, except some rocks which lay a greatway off, and two small islands less than this, which lay about threeleagues to the west.
I found also that the island I was in was barren, and, as I saw goodreason to believe, uninhabited, except by wild beasts, of whom, however,I saw none; yet I saw abundance of fowls, but knew not their kinds;neither when I killed them could I tell what was fit for food, and whatnot. At my coming back I shot at a great bird, which I saw sitting upona tree on the side of a great wood--I believe it was the first gun thathad been fired there since the creation of the world. I had no soonerfired, but from all parts of the wood there arose an innumerable numberof fowls of many sorts, making a confused screaming, and crying everyone according to his usual note; but not one of them of any kind that Iknew. As for the creature I killed, I took it to be a kind of a hawk,its colour and beak resembling it, but had no talons or claws more thancommon; its flesh was carrion, and fit for nothing.
Contented with this discovery, I came back to my raft, and fell to workto bring my cargo on shore, which took me up the rest of that day; andwhat 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 wildbeast might devour me; though, as I afterwards found, there was reallyno need for those fears.
However, as well as I could, I barricadoed myself round with the chestsand boards that I had brought on shore, and made a kind of a hut forthat night's lodging. As for food, I yet saw not which way to supplymyself, except that I had seen two or three creatures like hares runout of the wood where I shot the fowl.
I now began to consider, that I might yet get a great many things out ofthe ship, which would be useful to me, and particularly some of therigging and sails, and such other things as might come to land, and Iresolved to make another voyage on board the vessel, if possible; and asI knew that the first storm that blew must necessarily break her all inpieces, I resolved to set all other things apart, till I got every thingout of the ship that I could get. Then I called a council, that is tosay, in my thoughts, whether I should take back the raft; but thisappeared impracticable; so I resolved to go as before, when the tide wasdown, and I did so, only that I stripped before I went from my hut,having nothing on but a checked shirt and a pair of linen trowsers, anda pair of pumps on my feet.
I got on board the ship, as before, and prepared a second raft; andhaving had experience of the first, I neither made this so unwieldy, norloaded it so hard, but yet I brought away several things very useful tome; as first, in the carpenter's stores I found two or three bags fullof nails and spikes, a great screw-jack, a dozen or two of hatchets,and, above all, that most useful thing called a grindstone; all these Isecured, together with several things belonging to the gunner,particularly two or three iron crows, and two barrels of musket-bullets,seven muskets, and another fowling-piece, with some small quantity ofpowder more; a large bag full of small shot, and a great roll of sheetlead; but this last was so heavy I could not hoist it up to get it overthe ship's side.
Besides these things, I took all the men's clothes that I could find,and a spare fore-topsail, hammock, and some bedding; and with this Iloaded my second raft, and brought them all safe on shore, to my verygreat comfort.
I was under some apprehensions during my absence from the land, that atleast my provisions might be devoured on shore; but when I came back, Ifound no sign of any visitor, only there sat a creature like a wild catupon one of the chests, which, when I came towards it, ran away a littledistance, 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 withme; I presented my gun at her, but as she did not understand it, she wasperfectly unconcerned at it, nor did she offer to stir away; upon whichI tossed her a bit of biscuit, though by the way I was not very free ofit, for my store was not great: however, I spared her a bit, I say, andshe went to it, smelled of it, and ate it, and looked, as pleased, formore; but I thanked her, and could spare no more; so she marched off.
Having got my second cargo on shore, though I was fain to open thebarrels 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 the sailand some poles which I cut for that purpose; and into this tent Ibrought every thing that I knew would spoil, either with rain or sun;and I piled all the empty chests and casks up in a circle round thetent, 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 boardswithin; and an empty chest set up an end without, and spreading one ofthe beds upon the ground, laying my two pistols just at my head, and mygun at length by me, I went to bed for the first time, and slept veryquietly all night, for I was very weary and heavy, as the night before Ihad slept little, and had laboured very hard all day, as well to fetchall those things from the ship as to get them on shore.
I had the biggest magazine of all kinds now that ever were laid up, Ibelieve, for one man; but I was not satisfied still; for while the shipsat upright in that posture, I thought I ought to get every thing out ofher that I could; so every day at low water I went on board, andbrought away something or other; but particularly the third time I went,I brought away as much of the rigging as I could, as also all the smallropes and rope-twine I could get, with a piece of spare canvass, whichwas to mend the sails upon occasion, and the barrel of wet gunpowder; ina word, I brought away all the sails first and last, only that I wasfain to cut them in pieces, and bring as much at a time as I could; forthey were no more useful to be sails, but as mere canvass only.
But that which comforted me more still, was, that at last of all, afterI had made five or six such voyages as these, and thought I had nothingmore to expect from the ship that was worth my meddling with; I say,after all this, I found a great hogshead of bread, and three largerunlets of rum or spirits, and a box of sugar, and a barrel of fineflower; this was surprising to me, because I had given over expectingany more provisions, except what was spoiled by the water: I soonemptied the hogshead of that bread, and wrapped it up, parcel by parcel,in pieces of the sails, which I cut out; and in a word, I got all thissafe on shore also.
The next day I made another voyage; and now, having plundered the shipof what was portable and fit to hand out, I began with the cables; andcutting the great cable into pieces, such as I could move, I got twocables and a hawser on shore, with all the iron-work I could get; andhaving cut down the spritsail-yard, and the mizen-yard, and every thingI could to make a large raft, I loaded it with all those heavy goods,and ca
me away: but my good luck began now to leave me; for this raft wasso unwieldy and so overladen, that after I had entered the little covewhere I had landed the rest of my goods, not being able to guide it sohandily as I did the other, it overset, and threw me and all my cargointo the water. As for myself, it was no great harm, for I was near theshore; but as to my cargo, it was great part of it lost, especially theiron, which I expected would have been of great use to me: however,when the tide was out, I got most of the pieces of cable ashore, andsome of the iron, though with infinite labour; for I was fain to dip forit into the water, a work which fatigued me very much. After this, Iwent every day on board, and brought away what I could get.
I had been now thirteen days on shore, and had been eleven times onboard the ship; in which time I had brought away all that one pair ofhands could well be supposed capable to bring, though I believe, verily,had the calm weather held, I should have brought away the whole ship,piece by piece;
