228 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

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had for it that failed, I think it cost me almost as math abou as
making the boat. i
After all this was done, I had my man Friday to teach as to what

- belonged to the navigation of my boat; for though he knew very w ell?
how to paddle the canoe, he knew nothing what belonged toasniland 9
a rudder, and was the more amazed when he saw me work the boat to
and again in the sea by the rudder, and how the sail gibed and filled
this way or that way, as the course we sailed changed ; I say, when
he saw this, he stood like one astonished and amazed: however, with
a little use, I made all these things familiar to him and he became an
expert sailor, except that as to the compass I could make him under-
stand very little of that: on the other hand, as there was very little
cloudy weather, and seldom or never any fogs in those parts, there
was the less occasion for a compass, seeing the stars were always to be
seen by night, and the shore by day, except in the rainy seasons : and
then nobody cared to stir abroad, either by land or sea.

. Twas now @ntered on the seven-and-twenticth year of my captivity
in this place; though the three last years that I had this creature
with me ought rather to be left out of the account, my habitation being
quite of another kind than in all the rest of my time. I kept the an-
niversary of my landing here with the same thankfulness to God for
his mercies as at first; and if I had such cause of acknowledgment at
first, I had much more so now, having such additional testimonies of
the care of Providence over me, and the great hopes I had of being
effectually and speedily delivered; for I had an invincible impression
upon my thoughts, that my deliverance was at hand, and that I should
not be another year in this place. However, I went on with my hus-
bandry, digging, planting, and fencing, as usual ; I gathered and cured
my grapes, and did every necessary thing, as before.

The rainy season was in the meantime upon me, when I kept more
within doors than at other times; so I had stowed our new vessel as
secure as we could, bringing her up into the creek, where, as I said in
the beginning, I landed my rafts from the ship; and hauling her up
to the shore, at high-water mark, I made my man Friday dig a little
dock, just big enough for her to float in; and then, when the tide was
out, we made a strong dam across the end of it, to keep the water out ;
and so she lay dry, as to the tide, from the sea; and to keep the rain
off, we laid a great many boughs of trees so thick, that she was as well
thatched as a house; and thus we waited for the months of November
aud December, in which I designed to make my adventure.

When the settled season began to come in, as the thought of my
design returned with the fair weather, I was preparing daily for the