earthen pot full
of parched rice (a food I ate a good deal of), a little bottle of rum,
half a goat, and powder and shot for killing more, and two large
watch-coats, of those which, as I mentioned before, I had saved out of
the seamen's chests; these I took, one to lie upon, and the other to
cover me in the night.

It was the 6th of November, in the sixth year of my reign--or my
captivity, which you please--that I set out on this voyage, and I found
it much longer than I expected; for though the island itself was not very
large, yet when I came to the east side of it, I found a great ledge of
rocks lie out about two leagues into the sea, some above water, some
under it; and beyond that a shoal of sand, lying dry half a league more,
so that I was obliged to go a great way out to sea to double the point.

When I first discovered them, I was going to give over my enterprise, and
come back again, not knowing how far it might oblige me to go out to sea;
and above all, doubting how I should get back again: so I came to an
anchor; for I had made a kind of an anchor with a piece of a broken
grappling which I got out of the ship.

Having secured my boat, I took my gun and went on shore, climbing up a
hill, which seemed to overlook that point where I saw the full extent of
it, and resolved to venture.

In my viewing the sea from that hill where I stood, I perceived a strong,
and indeed a most furious current, which ran to the east, and even came
close to the point; and I took the more notice of it because I saw there
might be some danger that when I came into it I might be carried out to
sea by the strength of it, and not be able to make the island again; and
indeed, had I not got first upon this hill, I believe it would have been
so; for there was the same current on the other side the island, only
that it set off at a further distance, and I saw there was a strong eddy
under the shore; so I had nothing to do but to get out of the first
current, and I should presently be in an eddy.

I lay here, however, two days, because the wind blowing pretty fresh at
ESE., and that being just contrary to the current, made a great breach of
the sea upon the point: so that it was not safe for me to keep too close
to the shore for the breach, nor to go too far off, because of the
stream.

The third day, in the morning, the wind having abated overnight, the sea
was calm, and I ventured: but I am a warning to all rash and ignorant
pilots;