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. 77
ftrous fize, as would have amazed any in England to
have feen.
JBut all this was of no confequence here, there
being none to obl'erve my behaviour or habit. And
fo without fear, and without controul, I proceeded
on my journey, the profecution of which took me up
live or fix days. I firft travelled along the fea-lhore
directly to the place where I lirib brought my boat
, to an anchor, to get upon the rocks. But now, ha¬
ving no boat to take care of, I went over the land a
nearer way, to the fame height that I was before
upon ; when looking forward to the point of the
rock which lay out, and which I was forced to
double with niy boat, I was amazed to fee the fea io
fmooth and quiet, there being noripling motiort, or
current, any more than in other places: Which
made me indeed ponder fome time to imagine the
reafon of it, when at laftl was convinced how it was,
which was this •, the ebb fetting from the weft, and
joining with the currents of waters from fome great
rivers on the Ihore, muft be the oecafion of thei’e ra¬
pid ftreams ; and that confequently, as the winds blew
more weftwardly,or more fouthwardly,fo the current
came the nearer, or went the further from fhore. To
latisfy my curiolity, I waited there till evening, when
the tide of ebb being made from the rock, 1 plainly
perceived the current again as before, with this dif¬
ference, that it ran farther oft', near half a league from
the fhore; whereas in my expedition it Jet quite up¬
on it, furioufly hurrying me and my canoe along with
it, which at another time it would not have done.
And now I was convinced that, by obferving the
ebbing and flowing of the tide, I might eafily bring
my boat round the ifland again: But when I began to
think of putting it in pradtice, the remembrance of
the late danger I was in ftruck me with fuch horror,
that 1 ctianged my refolution, which was more fafe,
tho! more laborious •, and this was to make another
G 3 tanceJ2