646 A SPANISH ROBLNSON CRUSOK,

Sea, in latitude 14° north, and longitude 80° west; or about two degrees
further south and eighteen degrees further cast than the locality attributed
to Robinson Crusoo’s island by the English novelist. Serrano’s story is con-
tained in tho well-known book, published in 1688.—‘ Tho Royal Comment-
aries of Peru, written originally in Spanish by the Don Gareillassu do Ta
Voga, and rendered into English by Sir Paul Rycant, Kt.” It is so full of
interest that tho reader will thank us for transeribing it in these pages,

Attor narrating his oseape, by swimming, from the wreeked ship, and his
reaching a disconsolate island, without wator, wood, or grass, or anything
for support of human life, Ryeaut continues :—

“ With tho sad thoughts hereof ho passed tho first night, lamenting his
affliction with as many molancholy reflections as wo may imagine capable ta
enter into the mind of a wretch in like extremities. So soon as it grow day
he began to traverso his island, and found on the shore some cockles,
shrimps, and other creatures of like nature, which the sea had thrown up,
and which ho was forced to eat raw, because he wanted fire wherewith to
roast them. And with this small entertainment he passed his time, till
observing somo turtles not far from the shore, ho watched a convenience
until they came within his reach; and then throwing them on their backs
(which is the mannor of taking that sort of fish), he cut the throat, drinking
the blood instead of water; and slicing out the flesh with a knife which was
fastened to his girdle, ho laid the pieces to be dried and roasted by the sun:
the shell he mado use of to rake up rain water, which lay in little puddles,
for that is a country often subject to great and sudden rains. In this
manner he passed tho first of his days by killing all the turtles ho was able,
somo of which were so large that their shells were as big as targets or
bueklers; others were so great that he was not able to stop them on their
way to the sea, so that in a short timo experience taught him which sort he
was able to deal with, and which were too unwieldy for his foree. With his
losser shells he poured water into the greater, some of which contained
twelve gallons: so that having made sufficient: provision of meat and drink,
he began to contrive some way to strike fire, that so he might not only dress
his moat with it, but also make a smoko to give a sign to any ship which
was passing in theso seas. Considering of this invention (for seamen are
much more ingenious in all times of extremity than men bred on land), be
searched everywhere to find out a couple of hard pebbles instead of flint, his
knife serving in placo of a steel, But the island being all covered with a
dead sand, and no stone appearing, ho swam into the sea, and diving often
to the bottom, he at length found a couple of stones fit for his purpose,
which he rubbed together until he got them to an edge; with which being
able to strike fire, he drew some thread out of his shirt, which he worked so
small that it was like cotton, and served for tinder. So that having con
trived a means to kindlo fire, he then gathered a great quantity of sea
weed thrown up by tho waves, which, with the shells of fish and tho planks