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
They had not been many hours on shore before they found the wind began
to rise, and the roaring, which before they heard at a distance, grew
louder and nearer, till at length the floats were lifted up, and driven
on shore by the wind, which increased to a storm, and the water swelled
and grew rough; and, as they were upon the lee shore, the floats were
soon broken in pieces, and went some one way and some another.
In the evening it overcast and grew cloudy, and, about midnight, they
had their share of a violent rain, which yet, they could see was more
violent towards the mountains of the Andes, and towards the course of
the river which they came down in the floats.
The consequence of this was, that the third day, the waters of the lake
swelled again to a frightful height; that is to say, it would have been
frightful to them if they had been up in it, for they supposed it rose
about two fathoms perpendicularly, and the wind continuing fresh, the
water was all a white foam of froth; so that, had they been favoured
with even a good large boat under them, she would scarce have lived
there.
Their tent was a sufficient shelter from the rain, and, as they were on
dry land, and too high to be reached by any inundation, they had no
concern upon them about their safety, but took this for sufficient
notice, not to come up the lake again in haste, unless they were better
provided with boats to ride out a storm.
Our men began now to think they had taken their leave of the golden
lake, and yet they knew not how to think of leaving it so soon. They
were now fourteen or fifteen leagues from the shore where they had found
so much gold, nor did they know the way to it by land; and as for going
by water, that they were unprovided for several ways; besides, the
waters kept up to a considerable height, and the winds blew fresh for
six or eight days, without intermission.
All these obstructions joined together, put them upon considering of
pursuing their march by land, in which, however, they resolved to coast
the lake as near as they could to the eastward, till, if possible, they
should find that the waters had some outlet, that is to say, that the
lake emptied itself by some river towards the sea, as they concluded it
certainly must.
They had not yet seen any inhabitants, or any sign of them, at least,
not near them; they saw, or fancied they saw, some on the other side of
the river, but, as none came within reach of them, it is doubtful
whether they really saw them or not.
Before they decamped for a march, it was needful to get some provisions,
if possible, and this made them the more desirous of finding out some
conversible creatures, but it was in vain. They killed a wild cow and a
deer, and this was all they could get for some time; and with this they
set forward, taking their course east, and rather northerly, in order to
come into the same latitude they set out in, at their first embarking on
the river.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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