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

24 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
it being not able to bear a ponderous burden. And
this I foon thought of, firft laying upon it all the
planks and boards I could get; next I lowered down
three of the feamens chefls, after I had filled them
with bread, rice, three Dutch cheefes, five pieces
of dried goat’s flefh, and fome European corn, what
little the rats had fpared; but for the liquors, I
found feveral cafes of bottles belonging to our fkip-
per, in which were fome cordial waters, and four
or five gallons of arrack, which I flowed by them-
felves. By this time the tide beginning to flow, I
perceived my coat, waiftcoat, and fliirt fwim away,
which I had left on the fhore;' as for my linen,
breeches, and ftockings, I fwam with them on to the
fliip: But I foon found cloaths enough, yet took
no more than I wanted for the prefent. My eyes
were chiefly on tools to work with; and after
long fearch I found out the carpenter’s chefi,
which I got fafe down on my .raft: Then I looked
for arms and ammunition, and, in the great cabin,
found two good fowling-pieces, two piftols, feveral
powder-horns filled, a fmall bag of fhot, and two
rufty old fwords. I alfo found three barrels of pow¬
der, two of which were good, but the third had
taken water: With two or three broken oars, two
faws, an axe, and a hammer, I put to lea; and in
getting to fhore, I had three encouragements; i. A
fmooth calm fea. 2. The tide riling and fetting in
to the fhore. 3. The little wind there was blew to¬
wards land. But after I had failed about a mile, I
found the raft to drive a little diftance from the place
where I firfl: landed; and then I perceived a little
opening of the land, and a ftrong current of the tide
running intCKit, upon which I kept in the middle of
the fiream : But great was my concern, when on a
hidden the fore-part of my raft run aground; fothat
had I not with great difficulty, for near half an hour,
kept,