cco. The darksome night coming on upon me, increased my
fears of being devoured by wild creatures; my mind was plunged in
despair, and having no prospect, as I thought, of life before me, I
prepared for another kind of death then what I had lately escaped. I
walked about a furlong to see if I could find any fresh water, which I
did, to my great joy: and taking a quid of tobacco to prevent hunger, I
got up into a thick bushy tree, and seating myself so that I could not
fall, a deep sleep overtook me, and for that night buried my sorrows in
a quiet repose.

It was broad day the next morning before I awaked; when I not only
perceived the tempest was ceased, but law the ship driven almost as far
as the rock before-mentioned, which the waves had dashed me against, and
which was about a mile from the place where I was. When I came down from
my apartment in the tree, I perceived the ship's boat two miles distant
on my right-hand, lying on shore, as the waves had cast her. I thought
to have got to her; but there being an inlet of water of about half a
mile's breadth between it and me, I returned again towards the ship, as
hoping to find something for my more immediate subsistence. About noon,
when the sea was calm, that I could come within a quarter of a mile of
her, it was to my grief I perceived, that, if we had kept on board all
our lives had been saved. These thoughts, and my solitude drew tears
from my eyes, though all in vain. So resolving to get to the ship, I
stripped and leapt into the water, when swimming round her, I was afraid
I should not get any thing to lay hold of; but it was my good fortune to
espy a small piece of rope hang down by the fore chains, so low that, by
the help of it, though with great difficulty, I got into the forecastle
of the ship. Here I found that the ship was bulged, and had a great deal
of water in her hold: her stern was lifted up against a bank, and her
head almost to the water. All her quarter and what was there, was free
and dry. The provisions I found in good order, with which I crammed my
pockets, and losing no time, ate while I was doing other things: I also
found some rum, of which I took a hearty dram: and now I wanted for
nothing except a boat, which indeed was all, to carry away what was
needful for me.

Necessity occasions quickness of thought. We had several spare yards, a
spare topmast or two, and two or three large spars of wood. With these I
fell to work, and flung as many