particularly afflicting to me was, that I had no weapon, ei-
ther to hunt and kill any creature for my sustenance, or to
defend myself against any other creature that might desire
to kill me for theirs. In a word, I had nothing about me but
a knife, a tobacco-pipe, and a little tobacco in a box. This
was all my provisions; and this threw me into such terrible
agonies of mind, that for a while I ran about like a mad-
man. Night coming upon me, I began with a heavy heart to
consider what would be my lot if there were any ravenous
beasts in that country, as at night they always come abroad
for their prey.
All the remedy that offered to my thoughts at that time
was to get up into a thick bushy tree like a fir, but thorny,
which grew near me, and where I resolved to sit all night,
and consider the next day what death I should die, for as yet
I saw no prospect of life. I walked about a furlong from the
shore, to see if I could find any fresh water to drink, which
I did, to my great joy; and having drank, and put a little to-
bacco into my mouth to prevent hunger, I went to the tree,
and getting up into it, endeavoured to place myself so that
if I should sleep I might not fall. And having cut me a short
stick, like a truncheon, for my defence, I took up my lodg-
ing; and having been excessively fatigued, I fell fast asleep,
and slept as comfortably as, I believe, few could have done
in my condition, and found myself more refreshed with it
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0
than, I think, I ever was on such an occasion.
1
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CHAPTER IV - FIRST
WEEKS ON THE ISLAND
WHEN I waked it was broad day, the weather clear, and the
storm abated, so that the sea did not rage and swell as be-
fore. But that which surprised me most was, that the ship
was lifted off in the night from the sand where she lay by the
swelling of the tide, and was driven up almost as far as the
rock which I at first mentioned, where I had been so bruised
by the wave dashing me against it. This being within about
a mile from the shore where I was, and the ship seeming to
stand upright still, I wished myself on board, that at least I
might save some necessary things for my use.
When I came down from my apartment in the tree, I
looked about me again, and the first thing I found was the
boat, which lay, as the wind and the sea had tossed her up,
upon the land, about two miles on my right hand. I walked
as far as I could upon the shore to have got to her; but found
a neck or inlet of water between me and the boat which was
about half a mile broad; so I came back for the present, be-
ing more intent upon getting at the ship, where I hoped to
find something for my present subsistence.
A little after noon I found the sea very calm, and the tide
ebbed so far out that I could come within a quarter of a mile
of the ship. And here I found a fresh renewing of my grief;
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for I saw evidently that if we had kept on board we had been
all safe - that is to say, we had all got safe on shore, and I
had not been so miserable as to be left entirety destitute of
all comfort and company as I now was. This forced tears to
my eyes again; but as there was little relief in that, I resolved,
if possible, to get to the ship; so I pulled off my clothes -
for the weather was hot to extremity - and took the water.
But when I came to the ship my difficulty was still greater
to know how to get on board; for, as she lay aground, and
high out of the water, there was nothing within my reach to
lay hold of. I swam round her twice, and the second time I
spied a small piece of rope, which I wondered I did not see
at first, hung down by the fore-chains so low, as that with
great difficulty I got hold of it, and by the help of that rope
I got up into the forecastle of the ship. Here I found that
the ship was bulged, and had a great deal of water in her
hold, but that she lay so on the side of a bank of hard sand,
or, rather earth, that her stern lay lifted up upon the bank,
and her head low, almost to the water. By this means all
her quarter was free, and all that was in that part was dry;
for you may be sure my first work was to search, and to see
what was spoiled and what was free. And, first, I found that
all the ship’s provisions were dry and untouched by the wa-
ter, and being very well disposed to eat, I went to the bread
room and filled my pockets with biscuit, and ate it as I went
about other things, for I had no time to lose. I also found
some rum in the great cabin, of which I took a large dram,
and which I had, indeed, need enough of to spirit me for
what was before me. Now I wanted nothing but a boat to
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furnish myself with many things which I foresaw would be
very necessary to me.
It was in vain to sit still and wish for what was not to
be had; and this extremity roused my application. We had
several spare yards, and two or three large spars of wood,
and a spare topmast or two in the ship; I resolved to fall to
work with these, and I flung as many of them overboard as I
could manage for their weight, tying every one with a rope,
that they might not drive away. When this was done I went
down the ship’s side, and pulling them to me, I tied four of
them together at both ends as well as I could, in the form
of a raft, and laying two or three short pieces of plank upon
them crossways, I found I could walk upon it very well, but
that it was not able to bear any great weight, the pieces be-
ing too light. So I went to work, and with a carpenter’s saw
I cut a spare topmast into three lengths, and added them to
my raft, with a great deal of labour and pains. But the hope
of furnishing myself with necessaries encouraged me to go
beyond what I should have been able to have done upon an-
other occasion.
My raft was now strong enough to bear any reasonable
weight. My next care was what to load it with, and how to
preserve what I laid upon it from the surf of the sea; but I was
not long considering this. I first laid all the planks or boards
upon it that I could get, and having considered well what I
most wanted, I got three of the seamen’s chests, which I had
broken open, and emptied, and lowered them down upon
my raft; the first of these I filled with provisions - viz. bread,
rice, three Dutch cheeses, five pieces of dried goat’s flesh
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(which we lived much upon), and a little remainder of Eu-
ropean corn, which had been laid by for some fowls which
we brought to sea with us, but the fowls were killed. There
had been some barley and wheat together; but, to my great
disappointment, I found afterwards that the rats had eaten
or spoiled it all. As for liquors, I found several, cases of bot-
tles belonging to our skipper, in which were some cordial
waters; and, in all, about five or six gallons of rack. These I
stowed by themselves, there being no need to put them into
the chest, nor any room for them. While I was doing this, I
found the tide begin to flow, though very calm; and I had
the mortification to see my coat, shirt, and waistcoat, which
I had left on the shore, upon the sand, swim away. As for my
breeches, which were only linen, and open- kneed, I swam
on board in them and my stockings. However, this set me
on rummaging for clothes, of which I found enough, but
took no more than I wanted for present use, for I had oth-
ers things which my eye was more upon - as, first, tools to
work with on shore. And it was after long searching that I
found out the carpenter’s chest, which was, indeed, a very
useful prize to me, and much more valuable than a shipload
of gold would have been at that time. I got it down to my
raft, whole as it was, without losing time to look into it, for
I knew in general what it contained.
My next care was for some ammunition and arms. There
were two very good fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and
two pistols. These I secured first, with some powder-horns
and a small bag of shot, and two old rusty swords. I knew
there were three barrels of powder in the ship, but knew not
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where our gunner had stowed them; but with much search I
found them, two of them dry and good, the third had taken
water. Those two I got to my raft with the arms. And now
I thought myself pretty well freighted, and began to think
how I should get to shore with them, having neither sail, oar,
nor rudder; and the least capful of wind would have overset
all my navigation.
I had three encouragements - 1st, a smooth, calm sea;
2ndly, the tide rising, and setting in to the shore; 3rdly, what
little wind there was blew me towards the land. And thus,
having found two or three broken oars belonging to the
boat - and, besides the tools which were in the chest, I found
two saws, an axe, and a hammer; with this cargo I put to sea.
For a mile or thereabouts my raft went very well, only that
I found it drive a little distant from the place where I had
landed before; by which I perceived that there was some in-
draft of the water, and consequently I hoped to find some
creek or river there, which I might make use of as a port to
get to land with my cargo.
As I imagined, so it was. There appeared before me a lit-
tle opening of the land, and I found a strong current of the
tide set into it; so I guided my raft as well as I could, to keep
in the middle of the stream.
But here I had like to have suffered a second shipwreck,
which, if I had, I think verily would have broken my heart;
for, knowing nothing of the coast, my raft ran aground at
one end of it upon a shoal, and not being aground at the oth-
er end, it wanted but a little that all my cargo had slipped off
towards the end that was afloat, and to fallen into the water.
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I did 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 a level; and a
little after, the water still-rising, my raft floated again, and I
thrust her off with the oar I had into the channel, and then
driving up higher, I at length found myself in the mouth of
a little river, with land on both sides, and a strong current
of tide running up. I looked on 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 ships at sea, and there-
fore resolved to place myself as near the coast as I could.
At length I spied a little cove on the right shore of the
creek, to which with great pain and difficulty I guided my
raft, and at last got 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 the 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 flow
over; 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 fastened or moored her, by stick-
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ing 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
all my cargo safe on shore.
My next work was to view the country, and seek a prop-
er place for my habitation, and where to stow my goods to
secure them from whatever might happen. Where I was,
I yet knew not; whether on the continent or on an island;
whether inhabited or not inhabited; 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 trav-
elled for discovery up to the top of that hill, where, after I
had with great labour and difficulty got to the top, I saw any
fate, to my great affliction - viz. that I was in an island en-
vironed every way with the sea: no land to be seen except
some rocks, which lay a great way off; and two small islands,
less than this, which lay about three leagues to the west.
I found also that the island I was in was barren, and, as
I saw good reason 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 what not. 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
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there arose an innumerable number of fowls, of many sorts,
making a confused screaming and crying, and every one
according to his usual note, but not one of them of any kind
that I knew. As for the creature I killed, I took it to be a kind
of hawk, its colour and beak resembling it, but it had no tal-
ons 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 my cargo on shore, which took
me up 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 those fears.
However, as well as I could, I barricaded myself round
with the chest and boards that I had brought on shore, and
made a kind of hut for that night’s lodging. As for food, I yet
saw not which way to supply myself, except that I had seen
two or three creatures like hares run out of the wood where
I 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
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