nd a fresh renewing of my grief; 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 water,
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 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 th