THE WRECK ASHORE. 187

_ When I came down to the ship I found it strangely removed.
The forecastle, which lay before buried in sand, was heaved up
at ‘least’ six feet; and the stern, which was broken to pieces and
parted from the rest by the force of the sea soon after I had. left
rummaging her, was tossed, as it were, up and cast on one side; and
the sand was thrown so high on that side next her stern, that
whereas there was a great place of water before, so that I could not
come within a quarter of a mile of the wreck without swimming,
¥ could now walk quite up to her when the tide was out. I was
surprised with this at first, but soon concluded it must be done
by the earthquake. And as by this violence the ship was more
broken open than formerly, so many things came daily on shore
which the sea had loosened, and which the winds and water rolled
by degrees to the land.

This wholly diverted my thoughts from the design of removing
my habitation; and I busied myself mightily, that day especially, in
searching whether I could make any way into the ship; but I found
nothing was to be expected of that kind, for that all the inside of
the ship was choked up with sand. However, as I had learned not
to despair of anything, I resolved to pull everything to pieces that
I could of the ship, concluding that everything I could get from
her would be of some use or other to me.

May 3.1 began with my saw, and cuta piece of a beam through,
which I thought held some of the upper part or quarter-deck
together; and when I had cut it through, I cleared away the sand
as well as I could from the side which lay highest; but the tide
coming in, I was obliged to give over for that time.

“May 4. I went a-fishing, but caught not one fish that I durst
eat of, till I was weary of my sport; when just going to leave off,

~I caught a young dolphin. I had made me a long line of some
rope yarn, but I had no hooks, yet I frequently caught fish enough,
as much as I cared to eat; all which I dried in the sun, and ate
them dry.

May 5. Worked on the wreck, cut another beam eae and
brought three great fir planks off from the decks, which I tied
together, and made swim on shore when the tide of ‘flood came on.

May 6. Worked on the wreck, got several iron bolts out of her,