78 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

 

I took out one of the fowling-pieces, and one of the pistols, and a horn
of powder; and thus armed, I travelled for discovery up to the top of
that hill, where, after I had with great labour and difficulty got to the
top, I saw my fate to my great affliction; namely, that I was in an
island, environed every way with the sea,—no land to be seen, except
some rocks which lay a great way off, and two small islands less than
this, which lay about three leagues to the west.

I found also, that the island I was in was barren, and, as I saw good
reason to believe, uninhabited, except by wild beasts, of which, how-
ever, I saw none; yet I saw abundance of fowls, but knew not their
kinds; neither, when I killed them, could I tell-what was fit for food,
and what not. At my coming back, I shot at a great bird, which I
saw sitting upon a tree on the side of a great wood: I believe it was
the first gun that had been fired there since the creation of the world.
T had no sooner fired, but, from all parts of the wood, there arose an
innumerable number of fowls of many sorts, making a confused scream-
ing, and crying every one according to his usual note; but not one of
them of any kind that I knew. As for the creature I killed, I took
it to be a kind of a hawk, its colour and beak resembling it, but had
no talons, or claws, more than common; its flesh was carrion, and fit
for nothing.

Contented with this discovery, I came back to my raft, and fell to
work to bring my cargo on shore, which took me up the rest of that
day; and what to do with myself at night I knew not, nor indeed
where to rest; for I was afraid to lie down on the ground, not knowing
but some wild beast might devour me; though, as I afterwards found,
there was really no need for those fears.

However, as well as I could, I barricadoed myself round with the
chests and boards that I had brought on shore, and made a kind of a
hut for that night’s lodging. As for food, I yet saw not which way to
supply myself, except that I had seen two or three creatures like hares
run out of the wood where I shot the fowl.

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 ;
and as I knew that the first storm that blew must necessarily break
her all in pieces, I resolved to set all other things apart, till I got every
thing out of the ship that I could get. Then I called a council (that
.is to say, in my thoughts), whether I should take back the raft; but
this appeared impracticable; so I resolved to go as before, when the
tide was down, and I did so, only that I stripped before I went from