148 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

CHAPTER X.

1 succeed in getting a Canoe afloat, and set out on a Voyage in the sixth Year of my
Reign, or Captivity—-Blown out to Sea—Reach the Shore with great difficulty—
Fall asleep, and am awakened by a Voice calling my Name—Devise various schemes
to tame Goats, and at last succeed.

However, though my little periagua was finished, yet the size of it
‘was not at all answerable to the design which I had in view, when I
made the first,—I mean of venturing over to the terra firma, where
it was above forty miles broad; accordingly, the smallness of my boat
assisted to put an end to that design, and now I thought no more
of it. But as I had a boat, my next design was to make a tour
round the island; for, as I had been on the other side, in one place,
crossing, a8 I have already described it, over the land, so the dis-
coveries I made in that journey made me very eager to see the other
parts of the coast; and now I had a boat, I thought of nothing but
sailing round the island. :

For this purpose, and that I might do every thing with discretion
and consideration, I fitted up a little mast to my boat, and made a sail
to it out of some of the pieces of the ship’s sails, which lay in store,
and of which I had a great store by me.

Having fitted my mast and sail, and tried the boat, I found she
would sail very well. Then I made little lockers and boxes at each
end of my boat, to put provisions, necessaries, and ammunition, &c.
into, to be kept dry, either from rain, or the spray of the sea; and a
little long hollow place I cut in the inside of the boat, where I could
lay my gun, making a flap to hang down over it to keep it dry.

I fixed my umbrella also in a step at the stern, like a mast, to stand
over my head, and keep the heat of the sun off me, like an awning;
and thus I every now and then tgok a little voyage upon the sea, but
never went far out, nor far from the little creek; but at last, being
" eager to view the circumference of my little kingdom, I resolved upon
my tour, and accordingly I victualled my ship for the voyage; putting
in two dozen of my loaves (cakes I should rather call them) of barley-
bread, an earthen pot full of parched rice (a food I ate a great deal
of), a little bottle of rum, half a goat, and powder and shot for killing
more, and two large watch-coats, of those which, as I mentioned before,

‘