36 ROBINSON CRUSOE.

signs for the skin, which they gave me very freely, and brought
me a great deal more of their provisions, which, though I did.
not understand, yet I accepted. I then made signs to them
for some water, and held out one of my jars to them, turning
it bottom upward, to show that it was empty, and that I want-
ed to have it filled. ‘They cailed immediately to some of their
friends, and there came two women, and brought a great vessel
made of earth, and burnt, as I supposed, in the sun ; this they
set down to me, as before, and I sent Xury on shore with my
jars, and filled them all three. The women were as naked as
the men. -

I was now furnished with roots and corn, such as it was,
and water; and leaving my friendly Negroes, I made forward
for about eleven days more, without offering to go near the
shore, till I saw the land run out a great length into the sea,
at about the distance of four or five leagues before me ; and the
sea being very calm, I kept a large offing to make this point.
At length, doubling the point, at about two leagues from the
land, I saw plainly land on the other side, to seaward: then I
concluded, as it was most certain indeed, that this was the Cape
de Verd, and those the islands called, from thence, Cape de
Verd Islands. However, they were at a great distance, and I
could not well tell what I had best to do; for if I should be
taken with a fresh of wind, I might neither reach one or other.

In this dilemma, as I was very pensive, I stepped into the
cabin, and sat down, Xury having the helm ; when, on a sudden,
the boy cried out, “ Master, master, a ship with a sail!” and
the foolish boy was frighted out of his wits, thinking it must
needs be some of his master’s ships sent to pursue us, but I
knew we were far enough out of their reach. I jumped out of
the cabin, and immediately saw, not only the ship, but that it
was a Portuguese ship ; and as I thought, was bound to the coast
of Guinea, for Negroes. But, when I observed the course she
steered was soon convinced they were bound some other way,
and did not design to come any nearer to the shore: upon
which I stretched out to sea as much I could, resolving to
speak with them if possible.

With all the sail I could make, I found I should not be able
to come in their way, but that they would be gone by be-
fore I could make any signal to them: but after I had crowded
to the utmost, and began to despair, they, it seems, saw, by the
help of their glasses, that it was some European boat, which
they supposed must belong to some ship that was lost ; sothey
shortened sail to let me come up. I was encouraged with this,