f it; but the weather
continuing clear, I applied myself to get up my mast again, and spread
my sail, standing away to the north as much as possible, to get out of
the current.

Just as I had set my mast and sail, and the boat began to stretch away,
I saw even by the clearness of the water, some alteration of the current
was near; where the current was so strong, the water was foul; but
perceiving the water clear, I found the current abate, and presently I
found to the east, at about half a mile, a breach of the sea upon some
rocks: these rocks I found caused the current to part again; and as the
main stress of it ran away more southerly, leaving the rocks to the
north-east, so the other returned by the repulse of the rock, and made a
strong eddy, which ran back again to the north-west with a very
sharp stream.

They who know what it is to have a reprieve brought to them upon the
ladder, or to be rescued from thieves just going to murder them, or who
have been in such like extremities, may guess what my present surprise
of joy was, and how gladly I put my boat into the stream of this eddy;
and the wind also freshening, how gladly I spread my sail to it, running
cheerfully before the wind, and with a strong tide or eddy under foot.

This eddy carried me about a league in my way back again directly
towards the island, but about two leagues more towards the northward
than the current lay, which carried me away at first; so that when I
came near the island, I found myself open to the northern shore of it,
that is to say, the other end of the island, opposite to that which I
went out from.

When I had made something more than a league of way by the help of this
current or eddy, I found it was spent, and served me no farther. However
I found, that being between the two great currents, viz. that on the
south side which had hurried me away, and that on the north which lay
about two leagues on the other side; I say, between these two, in the
west of the island, I found the water at least still, and running no
way; and having still a breeze of wind fair for me, I kept on steering
directly for the island, though not making such fresh way as I
did before.

About four o'clock in the evening, being then within about a league of
the island, I found the point of the rocks which occasioned this
distance stretching out as is described before, to the southward, and
casting off the current more southwardly, had of course made another