MAKING A RAFT. 1Q1

up into the forecastle of the ship. Here I found that the ship was
bulged, and had a great deal of water in her hold, but that she lay
so on the side of a bank of hard sand, or rather earth, that her
stern lay lifted up upon the bank, and her head 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
search and to see what was spoiled and what was free. 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 filled my pockets with biscuit, and ate it as L went about
other things, for I had no time to lose. I also found some rum
in the great cabin, of which I took a large dram, and which I had
indeed need enough of to spirit me for what was beforeme. Now
I wanted nothing but a boat to furnish myself with many things
which I foresaw would be very necessary, to me.

It was in vain 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 top-mast
or two in the ship. I resolved to fall to work with. these, and
flung as many of them overboard as I could manage for their
weight, tying every one with a rope that they might not drive
away. When this was done, I went down the ship’s side, and pull-
ing them to me, I tied four of them fast together at both ends as
well as I could, in the form of a raft, and laying two or three
short pieces of plank upon them crossways, I found I could walk
upon it very well, but that it was not able to bear any great weight,
the pieces being too light. So I went to work, and with the
carpenter's saw I cut a spare top-mast into three lengths, and added
them to my raft, with a great deal of labour and pains; but hope
of furnishing myself with necessaries encouraged me to go beyond
what I should have been able to have done 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
T laid upon it from the surf of the sea. But I was not long con-
sidering this. I first laid all the planks or boards upon it that I
could get, and having considered well what I most wanted, I first
got three of the seamen’s chests, which I had broken open and