The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
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The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
Children's literature
Contented with this discovery, I came back to my raft, and fell to
work to bring my cargo on shore, which took me up the rest of that
day. What to do with myself at night I knew not, nor indeed where
to rest, for I was afraid to lie down on the ground, not knowing
but some wild beast might devour me, though, as I afterwards
found, there was really no need for those fears.
However, as well as I could, I barricaded myself round with the
chests and boards that I had brought on shore, and made a kind of
hut for that night's lodging. As for food, I yet saw not which way
to supply myself, except that I had seen two or three creatures
like hares run out of the wood where I shot the fowl.
I now began to consider that I might yet get a great many things
out of the ship which would be useful to me, and particularly some
of the rigging and sails, and such other things as might come to
land; and I resolved to make another voyage on board the vessel,
if possible. And as I knew that the first storm that blew must
necessarily break her all in pieces, I resolved to set all other
things apart till I had got everything out of the ship that I
could get. Then I called a council--that is to say, in my
thoughts--whether I should take back the raft; but this appeared
impracticable; so I resolved to go as before, when the tide was
down; and I did so, only that I stripped before I went from my
hut, having nothing on but my chequered shirt, a pair of linen
drawers, and a pair of pumps on my feet.
I got on board the ship as before, and prepared a second raft;
and, having had experience of the first, I neither made this so
unwieldy nor loaded it so hard, but yet I brought away several
things very useful to me; as first, in the carpenter's stores I
found two or three bags full of nails and spikes, a great
screwjack, a dozen or two of hatchets, and, above all, that most
useful thing called a grindstone. All these I secured, together
with several things belonging to the gunner, particularly two or
three iron crows, and two barrels of musket bullets, seven
muskets, another fowling-piece, with some small quantity of powder
more; a large bagful of small shot, and a great roll of sheet-
lead; but this last was so heavy I could not hoist it up to get it
over the ship's side.
Besides these things, I took all the men's clothes that I could
find, and a spare fore-topsail, a hammock, and some bedding, and
with this I loaded my second raft, and brought them all safe on
shore, to my very great comfort.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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