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

ROBINSON CRUSOE. 25
kept my back Braining againft the cherts, to keep
my effects in their places, all I had would have gone
into the Tea. But after fome time, the riling of the
water caufed the raft to float again, when coming up
a little river, with land on both fides, I landed in a
little cove, as near the mouth as poflible, the better
to difcover a fail, if any fuch providentially parted
by that way.
Not far off, I fpied a hill of a ftupcndous height,
furrounded with lefl’er hills about it: And thither I
was refolved to go and view the country, that I
might fee what part was the beft place tc fix my Ira-
bitation in: Accordingly, arming myfelf with a
piftol, a fowling-piece, powder and ball, I afcended
the mountain: There I perceived I was in an ifland
encompafled by the fea; no diftant lands to be
feen, but fcattering rocks that lay to the weft ; that
it feemed a barren place, and, as I thought, inhabi¬
ted only by wild hearts. I perceived abundance of
fowls, but was ignorant of what kind, or whether
good for nourifliment; I Ihot one of them at my re¬
turn, which occalioned a confufed fereaming among
the other birds; and I found it, by its colour and
beak, to be a kind of hawk, but its flelh was perfedt
carrion.
When I came to my raft, I brought m^vefFeifls on
fhore, which work fpent that day entirely; and
fearing that fome cruel hearts might devour me in
the night while I flept, I made a kind of hut or bar¬
ricade with the chefts and boards I brought from
fhore. That night I flept very comfortably, and the
next morning my thoughts were employed to make
a further attempt 011 the fhip, and bring away what
necertaries I could find, before another ftorm fhould
break her to pieces. Accordingly I got on board as
before, and prepared a fecond raft, far more nice
than the firft; upon which I brought away the car-
penter’s ftores, two or three bags full of nails, a
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