Accidents > Life and most surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, mariner, who lived eight and twenty years in an uninhabited island on the coast of America, near the mouth of the great river Oroonoque

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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
No tongue can e'xprefs the extaties and tranfports
that my foul feU at this happy deliverance; it was like
a reprieve to a dying malefactor, with the halter about
his neck, and ready to be turned off. I was wrapt
up in contemplation, and often lifted up, my hands,
with the profoundeft humility, to the Divine Powers
for faring my life, when the reft of my companions
were all drowned. And now I began to call; my
eyes around, to behold what place I was in, and what
I had next to do. I xould fee no houfe, nor people:
I was wet, yet had no deaths to ftiift me; hungry
and thirfty, yet nothing to eat or drink; no weapon
to deftroy any creature for my fuftenance, nor de¬
fend myi'elf again ft devouring beafts: In fliort; I
had nothing but a knife, a tobacco-pipe, and a box
half-filed with tobacco. The darkfome night com¬
ing upon me, increafed my fears of being devoured
by wild creatures ; my mind was plunged in de-
fpair ; and, having no prolpect, as I thought, of
life before me, prepared for another kind of death
than what I had lately efcaped. Iwalked about a
furlong, to fee if I could find any frefh water, which
I did to my great joy, and taking a quid of tobacco
to.prevent hunger, I got up into a thick bufhy tree,
and feating myfelf fo that I could not fall, a deep
fleep overtook me, and for that night buried my fur¬
rows in a quiet repofe.
It was broad day the next morning before I awak¬
ed ; when not only I perceived the tempeft was
ceafed, but the fhip was driven almoft as far as the
rock before-mentioned, which the waves had dalli¬
ed me againft, and which was about a mile from the
place where I was. When I came down from my
apartment in the tree, I perceived the Ihip’s boat
two miles diftant on my right hand, lying on Ihore,
as the waves had call her. I thought to have got to
her, but there being an inlet of water of about half
a mile’s breadth between it and me, I returned again
towards