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years more. Well, I told these men that I would go with all my heart, if

they would look to my farm in the mean time, which they said they would

do.

So I made my will, and went on board this ship on the same day on which,

eight years since, I had left Hull. She had six guns, twelve men, and a

boy. We took with us saws, chains, toys, beads, bits of glass, and such

like ware, to suit the taste of those with whom we had to trade.

We were not more than twelve days from the Line, when a high wind took

us off we knew not where. All at once there was a cry of "Land!" and the

ship struck on a bank of sand, in which she sank so deep that we could

not get her off. At last we found that we must make up our minds to

leave her, and get to shore as well as we could. There had been a boat

at her stern, but we found it had been torn off by the force of the

waves. One small boat was still left on the ship's side, so we got in

it.

There we were all of us on the wild sea. The heart of each now grew

faint, our cheeks were pale, and our eyes were dim, for there was but

one hope, and that was to find some bay, and so get in the lee of the

land. We now gave up our whole souls to God.

The sea grew more and more rough, and its white foam would curl and

boil. At last the waves, in their wild sport, burst on the boat's side,

and we were all thrown out.

I could swim well, but the force of the waves made me lose my breath too

much to do so. At length one large wave took me to the shore, and left

me high and dry, though half dead with fear. I got on my feet and made

the best of my way for the land; but just then the curve of a huge wave

rose up as high as a hill, and this I had no strength to keep from, so

it took me back to the sea. I did my best to float on the top, and held

my breath to do so. The next wave was quite as high, and shut me up in

its bulk. I held my hands down tight to my side, and then my head shot

out at the top of the waves. This gave me heart and breath too, and soon

my feet felt the ground.

I stood quite still for a short time, to let the sea run back from me,

and then I set off with all my might to the shore, but yet the waves

caught me, and twice more did they take me back, and twice more land me

on the shore. I thought the last wave would have been the death of me,

for it drove me on a piece of rock, and with such force, as to leave me

in a kind of swoon, which, thank God, did not last long. At length, to

my great joy, I got up to the cliffs close to the shore, where I found

some grass, out of the reach of the sea. There, I sat down, safe on land

at last.

I could but cry out in the words of the Psalm, "They that go down to the

sea in ships, these men see the works of the Lord in the deep. For at

His word the storms rise, the winds blow, and lift up the waves; then

do they mount to the sky, and from thence go down to the deep. My soul

faints, I reel to and fro, and am at my wit's end: then the Lord brings

me out of all my fears."

I felt so wrapt in joy, that all I could do was to walk up and down the

coast, now lift up my hands, now fold them on my breast, and thank God

for all that He had done for me, when the rest of the men were lost.

All lost but I, and I was safe! I now cast my eyes round me, to find out

what kind of a place it was that I had been thus thrown in, like a bird

in a storm. Then all the glee I felt at first left me; for I was wet and

cold, and had no dry clothes to put on, no food to eat and not a friend

to help me.

There were wild beasts here, but I had no gun to shoot them with, or to

keep me from their jaws. I had but a knife and a pipe. It now grew dark;

and where was I to go for the night? I thought the top of some high tree

would be a good place to keep me out of harm's way; and that there I

might sit and think of death, for, as yet, I had no hopes of life. Well,

I went to my tree, and made a kind of nest to sleep in. Then I cut a

stick to keep off the beasts of prey, in case they should come, and fell

to sleep just as if the branch I lay on had been a bed of down.

When I woke up it was broad day; the sky too was clear and the sea calm.

But I saw from the top of the tree that in the night the ship had left

the bank of sand, and lay but a mile from me; while the boat was on the

beach, two miles on my right. I went some way down by the shore, to get

to the boat; but an arm of the sea, half a mile broad, kept me from

it. At noon, the tide went a long way out, so that I could get near the

ship; and here I found that if we had but made up our minds to stay on

board, we should all have been safe.

I shed tears at the thought, for I could not help it; yet, as there was

no use in that, it struck me that the best thing for me to do was to

swim to the ship. I soon threw off my clothes, took to the sea, and swam

up to the wreck. But how was I to get on deck? I had swam twice round

the ship, when a piece of rope, caught my eye, which hung down from her

side so low, that at first the waves hid it. By the help of this rope I

got on board. I found that there was a bulge in the ship, and that she

had sprung a leak. You may be sure that my first thought was to look

round for some food, and I soon made my way to the bin, where the bread

was kept, and ate some of it as I went to and fro, for there was no time

to lose. There was, too, some rum, of which I took a good draught, and

this gave me heart. What I stood most in need of, was a boat to take the

goods to shore. But it was vain to wish for that which could not be

had; and as there were some spare yards in the ship, two or three large

planks of wood, and a spare mast or two, I fell to work with these, to

make a raft.

I put four spars side by side, and laid short bits of plank on them,