de 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 therefore 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 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 all my 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 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 travelled for discovery up to the top of that hill, where, after
I had with great labour and difficulty got to the top, I saw my fate, to
my great affliction--viz. that I was in an island environed 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 no