moorish ground near the fea, and I believed would not be wholesome, and more particularly becaufe there was no fresh water near it, fo I refolved to find a more healthy and more convenient fpot of ground. I confulted feveral things in my fituation which I found would be proper for me, ift. Health, and fresh water, I just now mentioned. 2dly, Shelter from the heat of the fun. 3dly, Security from ravenous creatures, whether man or beast. 4thly, A view to the fea, that if God fent any fhip in fight, I might not lofe any advantage for my deliverance, of which I was not willing to banish all my expectation yet.

In fearch of a place proper for this, I found a little plain on the fide of a rifing hill, whofe front towards this little plain was fteep as a house-fide, fo that nothing could come down upon me from the top; on the fide of this rock there was a hollow place worn a little way in like the entrance or door of a cave, but there was not really any cave or way into the rock at all.

On the flat of the green, juft before this hollow place, I refolved to pitch my tent: this plain was not above an hundred yards broad, and about twice as long, and lay like a green before my door, and at the end of it defcended irregularly every way down into the low grounds by the fea-fide. It was on the N.N.W. fide of the hill, fo that I was fheltered from the heat every day, till it came to a W. and by S. fun, or thereabouts, which in thofe countries is near the fetting.

Before I fet up my tent, I drew a half circle before the hollow place, which took in about ten yards in its femi-diameter from the rock, and

twenty

twenty yards in its diameter, from its beginning and ending.

In this half circle I pitched two rows of strong ftakes, driving them into the ground till they stood very firm, like piles, the biggest end being out of the ground about five foot and a half, and fharpened on the top; the two rows did not ftand above fix inches from one another.

Then I took the pieces of cable which I had cut in the fhip, and laid them in rows one upon another, within the circle between thefe two rows of stakes, up to the top, placing other stakes in the infide, leaning against them, about two foot and a half high, like a fpur to a poft, and this fence was fo ftrong, that neither man or beaft could get into it or over it: this coft me a great deal of time and labour, cfpecially to cut the piles in the woods, bring them to the place, and drive them into the earth.

The entrance into this place I made to be not by a door, but by a fhort ladder, to go over the top, which ladder, when I was in, I lifted over after me, and fo I was compleatly fenced in, and fortified, as I thought, from all the world, and confequently flept fecure in the night, which otherwife I could not have done, though as it appeared afterward, there was no need of all this caution from the enemies that I I apprehended danger from.

Into this fence or fortrefs, with infinite labour, I carried all my riches, all my provifions, ammunition and ftores, of which you have the account above, and I made me a large tent, which, to preferve me from the rains, that in one part of the year are very violent there, I made double, viz. one fmaller

tent

tent within, and one larger tent above it, and covered the uppermoft with a large tarpaulin which I had faved among the fails.

And now I lay no more for a while in the bed which I had brought on fhore, but in a hammock, which was indeed a very good one, and belonged to the mate of the ship.

Into this tent I brought all my provifions, and every thing that would spoil by the wet; and having thus enclofed all my goods, I made up the entrance, which till now I had left open, and fo paffed and repaffed, as I faid, by a fhort ladder.

When I had done this, I began to work my way into the rock, and bringing all the earth and ftones that I dug down, out through my tent, I laid them up within my fence in the nature of a terras, that fo it raised the ground within about a foot and a half; and thus I made me a cave juft behind my tent, which ferved me like a cellar to my house.

It cost me much labour, and many days, before all these things were brought to perfection, and therefore I must go back to fome other things which took up fome of my thoughts. At the fame time it happened, after I had laid my scheme for the fetting up my tent, and making the cave, that a ftorm of rain. falling from a thick dark cloud, a fudden flash of lightning happened, and after that a great clap of thunder, as is naturally the effect of it; I was not fo much furprized with the lightning, as I was with a thought which darted into my mind as swift as the lightning itfelf: O my powder! my very heart funk within me, when I thought, that at one blast all my powder might be deftroyed: on which, not my defence

defence only, but the providing me food, as I thought, entirely depended; I was nothing near fo anxious about my own danger; though had the powder took fire, I had never known who had hurt me.

Such impreffion did this make upon me, that after the storm was over, I laid afide all my works, my building, and fortifying, and applied myself to make bags and boxes' to feparate the powder, and to keep it a little and a little in a parcel, in hope, that whatever might come, it might not all take fire at once, and to keep it fo apart, that it fhould not be poffible to make one part fire another. I finished this work in about a fortnight, and I think my powder, which in all was about 240 pounds weight, was divided in not lefs than a hundred parcels; as to the barrel that had been wet, I did not apprehend any danger from that, fo I placed it in my new cave, which in my fancy I called my kitchen; and the reft I hid up and down in holes among the rocks, fo that no wet might come to it, marking very carefully where I laid it.

In the interval of time while this was doing, I went out once at leaft every day with my gun, as well to divert myself, as to fee if I could kill any thing fit for food, and as near as I could to acquaint myself with what the inland produced. The first time I went out I prefently difcovered that there were goats in the ifland, which was a great fatisfaction to me; but then it was attended with this misfortune to me, viz. that they were fo fhy, fo fubtle, and fo fwift of foot, that it was the most difficult thing in the world to come at them: but I was not difcouraged

at

at this, not doubting but I might now and then shoot one, as it foon happened, for after I had found their haunts a little, I laid wait in this manner for them: I obferved, if they faw me in the valleys, though they were upon the rocks, they would run away as in a terrible fright; but if they were feeding in the valleys, and I was upon the rocks, they took no notice of me; from whence I concluded, that by the pofition of their opticks, their fight was fo directed downward, that they did not readily fee objects that were above them; fo afterward I took this method, I always climbed the rocks firft, to get above them, and then had frequently a fair mark. The first fhot I made among thefe creatures, I killed a fhe-goat, which had a little kid by her, which fhe gave fuck to, which grieved me heartily; but when the old one fell, the kid ftood ftock ftill by her till I came and took her up, and not only fo, but when I carried the old one with me upon my fhoulders, the kid followed me quite to my enclofure, upon which I laid down the dam, and took the kid in my arms, and carried it over my pale, in hopes to have bred it up tame, but it would not eat, fo I was forced to kill it and eat it myself; these two supplied me with flesh a great while, for I eat fparingly; and faved my provifions (my bread especially) as much as poffibly

I could.

Having now fixed my habitation, I found it abfolutely neceffary to provide a place to make a fire in, and fewel to burn; and what I did for that, as alfo how I enlarged my cave, and what conveniences I made, I fhall give a full account of in its place: but I must first give fome little account of myfelf, and

of