120 ROBINSON CRUSOE.

I victualled my ship for the voyage, putting in two dozen of
loaves (cakes I should rather call them) of barley bread, an
earthen pot full of parched rice (a food I ate a great deal of),
a little bottle of rum, half a goat, and powder and shot for kill- .
ing more, and two large wat¢h-coats, of those which, as I men-
tioned before, I had saved out of the seamen’s chests: these I
took, one to lie upon, and the other to cover me in the night.

It was the 6th of November, in the sixth year of my reign,
or my captivity, which you please, that I set out on this voyage,
and I found it much longer than I expected ; for though the
island itself was not very large, yet when I came to the east
side of it, I found a great ledge of rocks lie out about two
leagues into the sea, some above water, some under it ; and be-
yond that a shoal of sand, lying dry half a league more, so that
I was obliged to go a great way out te sea to double the point.

When first I discovered them, I was going to give over my
enterprise, and come back again, not knowing how far it might
oblige me to go out to sea; and, above all, doubting how I
should get back again : so I came to an anchor ; for I had made
a kind of an anchor with a piece of a broken grappling which
I got out of the ship. ;

Having secured my boat, I took my gun and wenton shore,
climbing up a hill, which seemed to overlook that point, where
I saw the full extent of it, and resolved to venture.

In my viewing the sea from that hill where I stood, I per:
ceived a strong, and, indeed, a most furious current, which ran
to the east, and even came close to the point ; and I took the
more notice of it, because I saw there might be some danger,
that when I came into it, I might be carried out to sea by the
strength of it, and not be able to make the island again : and,
indeed, had I not got first upon this hill, I believe it would have
been so ; for there was the same current on the other side the
island, only that it set off at a farther distance, and I saw there
was a strong eddy under the shore ; soI had nothing to do but
to get out of the first current, and I should presently be in an
eddy.

I lay here, however, two days, because the wind blowing
pretty fresh at E. S. E., and that being just contrary to the cur-
rent, made a great breach of the sea upon the point ; so that
it was not safe for me to keep too close to the shore for the
breach, nor to go too far off, because of the stream.

The third day, in the morning, the wind having abated over-
night, the sea was calm, and I ventured: but I am a warning
to all rash and ignorant pilots ; for no. sooner was I come, to