When I waked, it was broad day. The weather was clear, and the storm had
abated, so that the sea did not rage and swell as before; but what
surprised me most was, that by the swelling of the tide the ship was
lifted off in the night from the sand where she lay, and was driven up
almost as far as the rock where I had been so bruised by the waves
dashing me against it. I saw that I could easily swim to the vessel,
and accordingly I pulled off my clothes and took to the water. But when
I reached 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 by which to climb on board. I swam round her
twice, and the second time I spied a small piece of rope, by the help of
which I got into the forecastle of the ship.
[Illustration: DANIEL DEFOE]
When I had climbed on board, I found that the ship was bulged, and that
she had a great deal of water in her hold, but that she lay on the side
of a bank of hard earth, in such a way that her stern was lifted up on
the bank, while her bow was 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 find out what was spoiled and what was not.
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 filling my pockets with biscuits, ate them.
I now needed nothing but a boat, to furnish myself with many things
which I foresaw would be very necessary to me. It was in vain, however,
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 so flung as many of them overboard as I
could manage, tying each one with a rope, that they might not float
away. When I had done this, I went down the ship’s side, and, pulling
them to me, tied four of them together at both ends, as well as I could,
in the form of a raft. By laying two or three short pieces of plank upon
them, crossways, I found I could walk upon them very well, but that they
were not able to bear any great weight, the pieces being too light. So I
went to work, and with a carpenter’s saw cut a spare topmast into three
lengths, and added these to my raft, with a great deal of labor and
pains. But the hope of furnishing myself with necessaries encouraged me
to go beyond what I should have been able to do upon another occasion.
My raft was now strong enough to bear any reasonable weight. My next
care was what to load it with, and how to preserve what I laid upon it
from the surf of the sea. However, I was not long considering this. I
first laid all the plank, or boards, upon it that I could get, and,
having considered well what I most needed, I first got three of the
seamen’s chests, which I had broken open and emptied, and lowered them
down upon my raft. The first of these I filled with provisions; namely,
bread, rice, three cheeses, five pieces of dried goat’s flesh and a
little remainder of grain which had been laid by for some fowls which we
brought to sea with us, but which had been killed. There had been some
barley and wheat together; but, to my great disappointment, I found
afterwards that the rats had eaten or spoiled it all.
While I was doing this, I found that the tide had begun to flow, though
it was very calm, and I had the mortification to see my coat, shirt, and
waistcoat, which I had left on the shore, upon the sands, swim away. As
for my trousers, which were only linen, and open-kneed, I had swam on
board in them and my stockings. However, this set me on rummaging for
clothes, of which I found enough, but took no more than I needed for
present use, for I had other things which my eye was more upon; as,
first, tools to work with on shore. And it was after long searching that
I found out the carpenter’s chest, which was, indeed, a very useful
prize to me, and much more valuable than a ship-load of gold would have
been at that time. I got it down to my raft, whole as it was, without
losing time to look into it, for I knew in general what it contained.
My next care was for some ammunition and arms. There were two very good
fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and two pistols. These I secured
first, with some powder-horns and a small bag of shot, and two old rusty
swords. I knew there were three barrels of powder in the ship, but knew
not where our gunner had stowed them; but with much search I found them.
Two of them were dry and good, the third had taken water. These two I
got to my raft, with the arms. And now, I thought myself pretty
[Illustration: CRUSOE ON THE RAFT]
well freighted, and began to think how I should get to shore with them,
having neither sail, oar, nor rudder; and the least capful of wind would
have overset all my navigation.
I had three encouragements: first, a smooth, calm sea; secondly, the
fact that the tide was rising and setting in to the shore; thirdly, what
little wind there was blew me towards the land. And thus, having found
two or three broken oars belonging to the boat, and, besides the tools
which were in the chest, two saws, an axe, and a hammer, with this cargo
I put to sea. For a mile or thereabouts my raft went very well, only
that I found it drive a little distant from the place where I had landed
before. By this I perceived that there was some indraft of the water,
and consequently hoped to find some creek or river there, which I might
use as a port to get to land with my cargo.
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 almost dropped all my cargo into the sea again; for the
shore lay pretty steep and sloping, and, wherever I might land, one end
of my float, if it ran on shore, would lie so high, and the other be
sunk so low, 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 up on that flat piece of ground, and there
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. Thus
I lay till the water ebbed away, and left my raft and all my cargo safe
on shore.
I now began to consider that I might yet get a great many things out of
the ship, which would be useful to me, and particularly some of the
rigging and sails, and such other things as might come to land; and I
resolved to make another voyage on board the vessel, if possible. I got
on board the ship as before and prepared a second raft; and, having had
experience of the first, I neither made this so unwieldy, nor loaded it
so hard. Still, I brought away many things very useful to me; as, first,
in the carpenter’s stores, I found two or three bags full of nails and
spikes, a great screw-jack, a dozen or two of hatchets, and, above all,
that most useful thing, a grindstone. All these I secured, together with
several things belonging to the gunner, particularly two or three iron
crowbars, and two barrels of musket bullets, seven muskets, and another
fowling-piece, with a small quantity of powder, a large bagful of small
shot, and a great roll of sheet-lead; but this last was so heavy I could
not hoist it up to get it over the ship’s side. Besides these things, I
took all the men’s clothes that I could find, and a spare foretop-sail,
a hammock, and some bedding; and with these I loaded my second raft,
and brought them all safe on shore, to my very great comfort.
On the thirteenth day I was preparing for my twelfth trip, when I found
the sky overcast. The wind began to rise, and in a quarter of an hour it
blew a gale from the shore. It blew very hard all that night, and in the
morning, when I looked out, behold, no ship was to be seen! I was a
little surprised, but recovered myself with this satisfactory
reflection, that I had lost no time, nor omitted any diligence, to get
everything out of her that could be useful to me; and, indeed, there was
little left in her that I was able to bring away, even if I had had more
time.--DANIEL DEFOE.