A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDefoe, Daniel
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A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
It was scarce possible to restrain Englishmen, after so long beating the
sea, from going on shore when they came to such a place of refreshment
as this; nor indeed was it reasonable to restrain them, considering how
we all might be supposed to stand in need of refreshment, and
considering that here was no length of ground for the men to wander in,
no liquors to come at to distract them with their excess, and, which was
still more, no women to disorder or debauch them. We all knew their
chief exercise would be hunting goats for their subsistence, and we knew
also, that, however they wanted the benefit of fresh provision, they
must work hard to catch it before they could taste the sweet of it. Upon
these considerations, I say, our ships being well moored, and riding
safe, we restrained none of them, except a proper number to take care of
each ship; and those were taken out by lot, and then had their turn also
to go on shore some days afterwards, and in the mean time had both fresh
water and fresh meat sent them immediately, and that in sufficient
quantity to their satisfaction. As soon as we were on shore, and had
looked about us, we began first with getting some fresh water, for we
greatly wanted it. Then carrying a small cask of arrack on shore, I made
a quantity of it be put into a whole butt of water before I let our men
drink a drop; so correcting a little the chilness of the water, because
I knew they would drink an immoderate quantity, and endanger their
healths, and the effect answered my care; for, those who drank at the
spring where they took in the water, before I got this butt filled, and
before the arrack was put into it, fell into swoonings and faint sweats,
having gorged themselves too much with the cool water; and two or three
I thought would have died, but our surgeons took such care of them, that
they recovered.
While this was doing, others cut down branches of trees and built us two
large booths, and five or six smaller, and we made two tents with some
old sails; and thus we encamped, as if we had been to take up our
dwelling, and intended to people the island.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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