Robinson Crusoe

SIT OF MUTINEERS

In a little time, however, no more canoes appearing, the fear of their
coming wore off; and I began to take my former thoughts of a voyage to
the main into consideration; being likewise assured by Friday’s father
that I might depend upon good usage from their nation, on his account,
if I would go. But my thoughts were a little suspended when I had a
serious discourse with the Spaniard, and when I understood that there
were sixteen more of his countrymen and Portuguese, who having been
cast away and made their escape to that side, lived there at peace,
indeed, with the savages, but were very sore put to it for necessaries,
and, indeed, for life. I asked him all the particulars of their voyage,
and found they were a Spanish ship, bound from the Rio de la Plata to
the Havanna, being directed to leave their loading there, which was
chiefly hides and silver, and to bring back what European goods they
could meet with there; that they had five Portuguese seamen on board,
whom they took out of another wreck; that five of their own men were
drowned when first the ship was lost, and that these escaped through
infinite dangers and hazards, and arrived, almost starved, on the
cannibal coast, where they expected to have been devoured every moment.
He told me they had some arms with them, but they were perfectly
useless, for that they had neither powder nor ball, the washing of the
sea having spoiled all their powder but a little, which they used at
their first landing to provide themselves with some food.

I asked him what he thought would become of them there, and if they had
formed any design of making their escape. He said they had many
consultations about it; but that having neither vessel nor tools to
build one, nor provisions of any kind, their councils always ended in
tears and despair. I asked him how he thought they would receive a
proposal from me, which might tend towards an escape; and whether, if
they were all here, it might not be done. I told him with freedom, I
feared mostly their treachery and ill-usage of me, if I put my life in
their hands; for that gratitude was no inherent virtue in the nature of
man, nor did men always square their dealings by the obligations they
had received so much as they did by the advantages they expected. I
told him it would be very hard that I should be made the instrument of
their deliverance, and that they should afterwards make me their
prisoner in New Spain, where an Englishman was certain to be made a
sacrifice, what necessity or what accident soever brought him thither;
and that I had rather be delivered up to the savages, and be devoured
alive, than fall into the merciless claws of the priests, and be
carried into the Inquisition. I added that, otherwise, I was persuaded,
if they were all here, we might, with so many hands, build a barque
large enough to carry us all away, either to the Brazils southward, or
to the islands or Spanish coast northward; but that if, in requital,
they should, when I had put weapons into their hands, carry me by force
among their own people, I might be ill-used for my kindness to them,
and make my case worse than it was before.

He answered, with a great deal of candour and ingenuousness, that their
condition was so miserable, and that they were so sensible of it, that
he believed they would abhor the thought of using any man unkindly that
should contribute to their deliverance; and that, if I pleased, he
would go to them with the old man, and discourse with them about it,
and return again and bring me their answer; that he would make
conditions with them upon their solemn oath, that they should be
absolutely under my direction as their commander and captain; and they
should swear upon the holy sacraments and gospel to be true to me, and
go to such Christian country as I should agree to, and no other; and to
be directed wholly and absolutely by my orders till they were landed
safely in such country as I intended, and that he would bring a
contract from them, under their hands, for that purpose. Then he told
me he would first swear to me himself that he would never stir from me
as long as he lived till I gave him orders; and that he would take my
side to the last drop of his blood, if there should happen the least
breach of faith among his countrymen. He told me they were all of them
very civil, honest men, and they were under the greatest distress
imaginable, having neither weapons nor clothes, nor any food, but at
the mercy and discretion of the savages; out of all hopes of ever
returning to their own country; and that he was sure, if I would
undertake their relief, they would live and die by me.

Upon these assurances, I resolved to venture to relieve them, if
possible, and to send the old savage and this Spaniard over to them to
treat. But when we had got all things in readiness to go, the Spaniard
himself started an objection, which had so much prudence in it on one
hand, and so much sincerity on the other hand, that I could not but be
very well satisfied in it; and, by his advice, put off the deliverance
of his comrades for at least half a year. The case was thus: he had
been with us now about a month, during which time I had let him see in
what manner I had provided, with the assistance of Providence, for my
support; and he saw evidently what stock of corn and rice I had laid
up; which, though it was more than sufficient for myself, yet it was
not sufficient, without good husbandry, for my family, now it was
increased to four; but much less would it be sufficient if his
countrymen, who were, as he said, sixteen, still alive, should come
over; and least of all would it be sufficient to victual our vessel, if
we should build one, for a voyage to any of the Christian colonies of
America; so he told me he thought it would be more advisable to let him
and the other two dig and cultivate some more land, as much as I could
spare seed to sow, and that we should wait another harvest, that we
might have a supply of corn for his countrymen, when they should come;
for want might be a temptation to them to disagree, or not to think
themselves delivered, otherwise than out of one difficulty into
another. “You know,” says he, “the children of Israel, though they
rejoiced at first for their being delivered out of Egypt, yet rebelled
even against God Himself, that delivered them, when they came to want
bread in the wilderness.”

His caution was so seasonable, and his advice so good, that I could not
but be very well pleased with his proposal, as well as I was satisfied
with his fidelity; so we fell to digging, all four of us, as well as
the wooden tools we were furnished with permitted; and in about a
month’s time, by the end of which it was seed-time, we had got as much
land cured and trimmed up as we sowed two-and-twenty bushels of barley
on, and sixteen jars of rice, which was, in short, all the seed we had
to spare: indeed, we left ourselves barely sufficient, for our own food
for the six months that we had to expect our crop; that is to say
reckoning from the time we set our seed aside for sowing; for it is not
to be supposed it is six months in the ground in that country.

Having now society enough, and our numbers being sufficient to put us
out of fear of the savages, if they had come, unless their number had
been very great, we went freely all over the island, whenever we found
occasion; and as we had our escape or deliverance upon our thoughts, it
was impossible, at least for me, to have the means of it out of mine.
For this purpose I marked out several trees, which I thought fit for
our work, and I set Friday and his father to cut them down; and then I
caused the Spaniard, to whom I imparted my thoughts on that affair, to
oversee and direct their work. I showed them with what indefatigable
pains I had hewed a large tree into single planks, and I caused them to
do the like, till they made about a dozen large planks, of good oak,
near two feet broad, thirty-five feet long, and from two inches to four
inches thick: what prodigious labour it took up any one may imagine.

At the same time I contrived to increase my little flock of tame goats
as much as I could; and for this purpose I made Friday and the Spaniard
go out one day, and myself with Friday the next day (for we took our
turns), and by this means we got about twenty young kids to breed up
with the rest; for whenever we shot the dam, we saved the kids, and
added them to our flock. But above all, the season for curing the
grapes coming on, I caused such a prodigious quantity to be hung up in
the sun, that, I believe, had we been at Alicant, where the raisins of
the sun are cured, we could have filled sixty or eighty barrels; and
these, with our bread, formed a great part of our food—very good living
too, I assure you, for they are exceedingly nourishing.

It was now harvest, and our crop in good order: it was not the most
plentiful increase I had seen in the island, but, however, it was
enough to answer our end; for from twenty-two bushels of barley we
brought in and thrashed out above two hundred and twenty bushels; and
the like in proportion of the rice; which was store enough for our food
to the next harvest, though all the sixteen Spaniards had been on shore
with me; or, if we had been ready for a voyage, it would very
plentifully have victualled our ship to have carried us to any part of
the world; that is to say, any part of America. When we had thus housed
and secured our magazine of corn, we fell to work to make more
wicker-ware, viz. great baskets, in which we kept it; and the Spaniard
was very handy and dexterous at this part, and often blamed me that I
did not make some things for defence of this kind of work; but I saw no
need of it.

And now, having a full supply of food for all the guests I expected, I
gave the Spaniard leave to go over to the main, to see what he could do
with those he had left behind him there. I gave him a strict charge not
to bring any man who would not first swear in the presence of himself
and the old savage that he would in no way injure, fight with, or
attack the person he should find in the island, who was so kind as to
send for them in order to their deliverance; but that they would stand
by him and defend him against all such attempts, and wherever they went
would be entirely under and subjected to his command; and that this
should be put in writing, and signed in their hands. How they were to
have done this, when I knew they had neither pen nor ink, was a
question which we never asked. Under these instructions, the Spaniard
and the old savage, the father of Friday, went away in one of the
canoes which they might be said to have come in, or rather were brought
in, when they came as prisoners to be devoured by the savages. I gave
each of them a musket, with a firelock on it, and about eight charges
of powder and ball, charging them to be very good husbands of both, and
not to use either of them but upon urgent occasions.

This was a cheerful work, being the first measures used by me in view
of my deliverance for now twenty-seven years and some days. I gave them
provisions of bread and of dried grapes, sufficient for themselves for
many days, and sufficient for all the Spaniards—for about eight days’
time; and wishing them a good voyage, I saw them go, agreeing with them
about a signal they should hang out at their return, by which I should
know them again when they came back, at a distance, before they came on
shore. They went away with a fair gale on the day that the moon was at
full, by my account in the month of October; but as for an exact
reckoning of days, after I had once lost it I could never recover it
again; nor had I kept even the number of years so punctually as to be
sure I was right; though, as it proved when I afterwards examined my
account, I found I had kept a true reckoning of years.

It was no less than eight days I had waited for them, when a strange
and unforeseen accident intervened, of which the like has not, perhaps,
been heard of in history. I was fast asleep in my hutch one morning,
when my man Friday came running in to me, and called aloud, “Master,
master, they are come, they are come!” I jumped up, and regardless of
danger I went, as soon as I could get my clothes on, through my little
grove, which, by the way, was by this time grown to be a very thick
wood; I say, regardless of danger I went without my arms, which was not
my custom to do; but I was surprised when, turning my eyes to the sea,
I presently saw a boat at about a league and a half distance, standing
in for the shore, with a shoulder-of-mutton sail, as they call it, and
the wind blowing pretty fair to bring them in: also I observed,
presently, that they did not come from that side which the shore lay
on, but from the southernmost end of the island. Upon this I called
Friday in, and bade him lie close, for these were not the people we
looked for, and that we might not know yet whether they were friends or
enemies. In the next place I went in to fetch my perspective glass to
see what I could make of them; and having taken the ladder out, I
climbed up to the top of the hill, as I used to do when I was
apprehensive of anything, and to take my view the plainer without being
discovered. I had scarce set my foot upon the hill when my eye plainly
discovered a ship lying at anchor, at about two leagues and a half
distance from me, SSE., but not above a league and a half from the
shore. By my observation it appeared plainly to be an English ship, and
the boat appeared to be an English long-boat.

I cannot express the confusion I was in, though the joy of seeing a
ship, and one that I had reason to believe was manned by my own
countrymen, and consequently friends, was such as I cannot describe;
but yet I had some secret doubts hung about me—I cannot tell from
whence they came—bidding me keep upon my guard. In the first place, it
occurred to me to consider what business an English ship could have in
that part of the world, since it was not the way to or from any part of
the world where the English had any traffic; and I knew there had been
no storms to drive them in there in distress; and that if they were
really English it was most probable that they were here upon no good
design; and that I had better continue as I was than fall into the
hands of thieves and murderers.

Let no man despise the secret hints and notices of danger which
sometimes are given him when he may think there is no possibility of
its being real. That such hints and notices are given us I believe few
that have made any observation of things can deny; that they are
certain discoveries of an invisible world, and a converse of spirits,
we cannot doubt; and if the tendency of them seems to be to warn us of
danger, why should we not suppose they are from some friendly agent
(whether supreme, or inferior and subordinate, is not the question),
and that they are given for our good?

The present question abundantly confirms me in the justice of this
reasoning; for had I not been made cautious by this secret admonition,
come it from whence it will, I had been done inevitably, and in a far
worse condition than before, as you will see presently. I had not kept
myself long in this posture till I saw the boat draw near the shore, as
if they looked for a creek to thrust in at, for the convenience of
landing; however, as they did not come quite far enough, they did not
see the little inlet where I formerly landed my rafts, but ran their
boat on shore upon the beach, at about half a mile from me, which was
very happy for me; for otherwise they would have landed just at my
door, as I may say, and would soon have beaten me out of my castle, and
perhaps have plundered me of all I had. When they were on shore I was
fully satisfied they were Englishmen, at least most of them; one or two
I thought were Dutch, but it did not prove so; there were in all eleven
men, whereof three of them I found were unarmed and, as I thought,
bound; and when the first four or five of them were jumped on shore,
they took those three out of the boat as prisoners: one of the three I
could perceive using the most passionate gestures of entreaty,
affliction, and despair, even to a kind of extravagance; the other two,
I could perceive, lifted up their hands sometimes, and appeared
concerned indeed, but not to such a degree as the first. I was
perfectly confounded at the sight, and knew not what the meaning of it
should be. Friday called out to me in English, as well as he could, “O
master! you see English mans eat prisoner as well as savage mans.”
“Why, Friday,” says I, “do you think they are going to eat them, then?”
“Yes,” says Friday, “they will eat them.” “No no,” says I, “Friday; I
am afraid they will murder them, indeed; but you may be sure they will
not eat them.”

All this while I had no thought of what the matter really was, but
stood trembling with the horror of the sight, expecting every moment
when the three prisoners should be killed; nay, once I saw one of the
villains lift up his arm with a great cutlass, as the seamen call it,
or sword, to strike one of the poor men; and I expected to see him fall
every moment; at which all the blood in my body seemed to run chill in
my veins. I wished heartily now for the Spaniard, and the savage that
had gone with him, or that I had any way to have come undiscovered
within shot of them, that I might have secured the three men, for I saw
no firearms they had among them; but it fell out to my mind another
way. After I had observed the outrageous usage of the three men by the
insolent seamen, I observed the fellows run scattering about the
island, as if they wanted to see the country. I observed that the three
other men had liberty to go also where they pleased; but they sat down
all three upon the ground, very pensive, and looked like men in
despair. This put me in mind of the first time when I came on shore,
and began to look about me; how I gave myself over for lost; how wildly
I looked round me; what dreadful apprehensions I had; and how I lodged
in the tree all night for fear of being devoured by wild beasts. As I
knew nothing that night of the supply I was to receive by the
providential driving of the ship nearer the land by the storms and
tide, by which I have since been so long nourished and supported; so
these three poor desolate men knew nothing how certain of deliverance
and supply they were, how near it was to them, and how effectually and
really they were in a condition of safety, at the same time that they
thought themselves lost and their case desperate. So little do we see
before us in the world, and so much reason have we to depend cheerfully
upon the great Maker of the world, that He does not leave His creatures
so absolutely destitute, but that in the worst circumstances they have
always something to be thankful for, and sometimes are nearer
deliverance than they imagine; nay, are even brought to their
deliverance by the means by which they seem to be brought to their
destruction.

It was just at high-water when these people came on shore; and while
they rambled about to see what kind of a place they were in, they had
carelessly stayed till the tide was spent, and the water was ebbed
considerably away, leaving their boat aground. They had left two men in
the boat, who, as I found afterwards, having drunk a little too much
brandy, fell asleep; however, one of them waking a little sooner than
the other and finding the boat too fast aground for him to stir it,
hallooed out for the rest, who were straggling about: upon which they
all soon came to the boat: but it was past all their strength to launch
her, the boat being very heavy, and the shore on that side being a soft
oozy sand, almost like a quicksand. In this condition, like true
seamen, who are, perhaps, the least of all mankind given to
forethought, they gave it over, and away they strolled about the
country again; and I heard one of them say aloud to another, calling
them off from the boat, “Why, let her alone, Jack, can’t you? she’ll
float next tide;” by which I was fully confirmed in the main inquiry of
what countrymen they were. All this while I kept myself very close, not
once daring to stir out of my castle any farther than to my place of
observation near the top of the hill: and very glad I was to think how
well it was fortified. I knew it was no less than ten hours before the
boat could float again, and by that time it would be dark, and I might
be at more liberty to see their motions, and to hear their discourse,
if they had any. In the meantime I fitted myself up for a battle as
before, though with more caution, knowing I had to do with another kind
of enemy than I had at first. I ordered Friday also, whom I had made an
excellent marksman with his gun, to load himself with arms. I took
myself two fowling-pieces, and I gave him three muskets. My figure,
indeed, was very fierce; I had my formidable goat-skin coat on, with
the great cap I have mentioned, a naked sword by my side, two pistols
in my belt, and a gun upon each shoulder.

It was my design, as I said above, not to have made any attempt till it
was dark; but about two o’clock, being the heat of the day, I found
that they were all gone straggling into the woods, and, as I thought,
laid down to sleep. The three poor distressed men, too anxious for
their condition to get any sleep, had, however, sat down under the
shelter of a great tree, at about a quarter of a mile from me, and, as
I thought, out of sight of any of the rest. Upon this I resolved to
discover myself to them, and learn something of their condition;
immediately I marched as above, my man Friday at a good distance behind
me, as formidable for his arms as I, but not making quite so staring a
spectre-like figure as I did. I came as near them undiscovered as I
could, and then, before any of them saw me, I called aloud to them in
Spanish, “What are ye, gentlemen?” They started up at the noise, but
were ten times more confounded when they saw me, and the uncouth figure
that I made. They made no answer at all, but I thought I perceived them
just going to fly from me, when I spoke to them in English.
“Gentlemen,” said I, “do not be surprised at me; perhaps you may have a
friend near when you did not expect it.” “He must be sent directly from
heaven then,” said one of them very gravely to me, and pulling off his
hat at the same time to me; “for our condition is past the help of
man.” “All help is from heaven, sir,” said I, “but can you put a
stranger in the way to help you? for you seem to be in some great
distress. I saw you when you landed; and when you seemed to make
application to the brutes that came with you, I saw one of them lift up
his sword to kill you.”

The poor man, with tears running down his face, and trembling, looking
like one astonished, returned, “Am I talking to God or man? Is it a
real man or an angel?” “Be in no fear about that, sir,” said I; “if God
had sent an angel to relieve you, he would have come better clothed,
and armed after another manner than you see me; pray lay aside your
fears; I am a man, an Englishman, and disposed to assist you; you see I
have one servant only; we have arms and ammunition; tell us freely, can
we serve you? What is your case?” “Our case, sir,” said he, “is too
long to tell you while our murderers are so near us; but, in short,
sir, I was commander of that ship—my men have mutinied against me; they
have been hardly prevailed on not to murder me, and, at last, have set
me on shore in this desolate place, with these two men with me—one my
mate, the other a passenger—where we expected to perish, believing the
place to be uninhabited, and know not yet what to think of it.” “Where
are these brutes, your enemies?” said I; “do you know where they are
gone?” “There they lie, sir,” said he, pointing to a thicket of trees;
“my heart trembles for fear they have seen us and heard you speak; if
they have, they will certainly murder us all.” “Have they any
firearms?” said I. He answered, “They had only two pieces, one of which
they left in the boat.” “Well, then,” said I, “leave the rest to me; I
see they are all asleep; it is an easy thing to kill them all; but
shall we rather take them prisoners?” He told me there were two
desperate villains among them that it was scarce safe to show any mercy
to; but if they were secured, he believed all the rest would return to
their duty. I asked him which they were. He told me he could not at
that distance distinguish them, but he would obey my orders in anything
I would direct. “Well,” says I, “let us retreat out of their view or
hearing, lest they awake, and we will resolve further.” So they
willingly went back with me, till the woods covered us from them.

“Look you, sir,” said I, “if I venture upon your deliverance, are you
willing to make two conditions with me?” He anticipated my proposals by
telling me that both he and the ship, if recovered, should be wholly
directed and commanded by me in everything; and if the ship was not
recovered, he would live and die with me in what part of the world
soever I would send him; and the two other men said the same. “Well,”
says I, “my conditions are but two; first, that while you stay in this
island with me, you will not pretend to any authority here; and if I
put arms in your hands, you will, upon all occasions, give them up to
me, and do no prejudice to me or mine upon this island, and in the
meantime be governed by my orders; secondly, that if the ship is or may
be recovered, you will carry me and my man to England passage free.”

He gave me all the assurances that the invention or faith of man could
devise that he would comply with these most reasonable demands, and
besides would owe his life to me, and acknowledge it upon all occasions
as long as he lived. “Well, then,” said I, “here are three muskets for
you, with powder and ball; tell me next what you think is proper to be
done.” He showed all the testimonies of his gratitude that he was able,
but offered to be wholly guided by me. I told him I thought it was very
hard venturing anything; but the best method I could think of was to
fire on them at once as they lay, and if any were not killed at the
first volley, and offered to submit, we might save them, and so put it
wholly upon God’s providence to direct the shot. He said, very
modestly, that he was loath to kill them if he could help it; but that
those two were incorrigible villains, and had been the authors of all
the mutiny in the ship, and if they escaped, we should be undone still,
for they would go on board and bring the whole ship’s company, and
destroy us all. “Well, then,” says I, “necessity legitimates my advice,
for it is the only way to save our lives.” However, seeing him still
cautious of shedding blood, I told him they should go themselves, and
manage as they found convenient.

In the middle of this discourse we heard some of them awake, and soon
after we saw two of them on their feet. I asked him if either of them
were the heads of the mutiny? He said, “No.” “Well, then,” said I, “you
may let them escape; and Providence seems to have awakened them on
purpose to save themselves. Now,” says I, “if the rest escape you, it
is your fault.” Animated with this, he took the musket I had given him
in his hand, and a pistol in his belt, and his two comrades with him,
with each a piece in his hand; the two men who were with him going
first made some noise, at which one of the seamen who was awake turned
about, and seeing them coming, cried out to the rest; but was too late
then, for the moment he cried out they fired—I mean the two men, the
captain wisely reserving his own piece. They had so well aimed their
shot at the men they knew, that one of them was killed on the spot, and
the other very much wounded; but not being dead, he started up on his
feet, and called eagerly for help to the other; but the captain
stepping to him, told him it was too late to cry for help, he should
call upon God to forgive his villainy, and with that word knocked him
down with the stock of his musket, so that he never spoke more; there
were three more in the company, and one of them was slightly wounded.
By this time I was come; and when they saw their danger, and that it
was in vain to resist, they begged for mercy. The captain told them he
would spare their lives if they would give him an assurance of their
abhorrence of the treachery they had been guilty of, and would swear to
be faithful to him in recovering the ship, and afterwards in carrying
her back to Jamaica, from whence they came. They gave him all the
protestations of their sincerity that could be desired; and he was
willing to believe them, and spare their lives, which I was not
against, only that I obliged him to keep them bound hand and foot while
they were on the island.

While this was doing, I sent Friday with the captain’s mate to the boat
with orders to secure her, and bring away the oars and sails, which
they did; and by-and-by three straggling men, that were (happily for
them) parted from the rest, came back upon hearing the guns fired; and
seeing the captain, who was before their prisoner, now their conqueror,
they submitted to be bound also; and so our victory was complete.

It now remained that the captain and I should inquire into one
another’s circumstances. I began first, and told him my whole history,
which he heard with an attention even to amazement—and particularly at
the wonderful manner of my being furnished with provisions and
ammunition; and, indeed, as my story is a whole collection of wonders,
it affected him deeply. But when he reflected from thence upon himself,
and how I seemed to have been preserved there on purpose to save his
life, the tears ran down his face, and he could not speak a word more.
After this communication was at an end, I carried him and his two men
into my apartment, leading them in just where I came out, viz. at the
top of the house, where I refreshed them with such provisions as I had,
and showed them all the contrivances I had made during my long, long
inhabiting that place.

All I showed them, all I said to them, was perfectly amazing; but above
all, the captain admired my fortification, and how perfectly I had
concealed my retreat with a grove of trees, which having been now
planted nearly twenty years, and the trees growing much faster than in
England, was become a little wood, so thick that it was impassable in
any part of it but at that one side where I had reserved my little
winding passage into it. I told him this was my castle and my
residence, but that I had a seat in the country, as most princes have,
whither I could retreat upon occasion, and I would show him that too
another time; but at present our business was to consider how to
recover the ship. He agreed with me as to that, but told me he was
perfectly at a loss what measures to take, for that there were still
six-and-twenty hands on board, who, having entered into a cursed
conspiracy, by which they had all forfeited their lives to the law,
would be hardened in it now by desperation, and would carry it on,
knowing that if they were subdued they would be brought to the gallows
as soon as they came to England, or to any of the English colonies, and
that, therefore, there would be no attacking them with so small a
number as we were.

I mused for some time on what he had said, and found it was a very
rational conclusion, and that therefore something was to be resolved on
speedily, as well to draw the men on board into some snare for their
surprise as to prevent their landing upon us, and destroying us. Upon
this, it presently occurred to me that in a little while the ship’s
crew, wondering what was become of their comrades and of the boat,
would certainly come on shore in their other boat to look for them, and
that then, perhaps, they might come armed, and be too strong for us:
this he allowed to be rational. Upon this, I told him the first thing
we had to do was to stave the boat which lay upon the beach, so that
they might not carry her off, and taking everything out of her, leave
her so far useless as not to be fit to swim. Accordingly, we went on
board, took the arms which were left on board out of her, and whatever
else we found there—which was a bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a
few biscuit-cakes, a horn of powder, and a great lump of sugar in a
piece of canvas (the sugar was five or six pounds): all which was very
welcome to me, especially the brandy and sugar, of which I had had none
left for many years.

When we had carried all these things on shore (the oars, mast, sail,
and rudder of the boat were carried away before), we knocked a great
hole in her bottom, that if they had come strong enough to master us,
yet they could not carry off the boat. Indeed, it was not much in my
thoughts that we could be able to recover the ship; but my view was,
that if they went away without the boat, I did not much question to
make her again fit to carry us to the Leeward Islands, and call upon
our friends the Spaniards in my way, for I had them still in my
thoughts.