But leaving this part I return to my journal.

My condition began now to be, though not lefs miferable as to my way of living, yet much easier to my mind; and my thoughts being directed, by a constant reading the fcripture, and praying to God, to things of a higher nature, I had a great deal of comfort within, which till now I knew nothing of: alfo as my health and ftrength returned, I beftirred myself to turnish myself with every thing that, I wanted, and make my way of living as regular as I could.

From the 4th of July to the 14th, I was chiefly employed in walking about with my gun in my hand a little and a little at a time, as a man that was gathering up his、 ftrength after a fit of fickness; for it is hardly to be imagined, how low I was, and to what weakness I was reduced. The application which I made ufe of, was per fectly new, and perhaps what had never cured an ague before; neither can I recommend it to any one to practife by this experiment; and though it did carry off the fit, yet it rather contributed to weaken me; for I had fréquent convulfions in my nerves and limbs for fome time.

I learnt from it also this in particular, that being abroad in the rainy feafon was the most pernicious thing to my health that could be, especially in those rains which came attended with ftorms and hurricanes of wind; for as the rain which came in a dry season was always molt accompanied with fuch ftorms, fo I found this rain was much more dangerous than the rain which fell in September and October.

I had been now in this unhappy ifland above ten months; all poffibility of deliverance from this condition feemed to be entirely taken from me, and I firmly believed, that no human fhape had ever fet foot upon that place. Having now fecured my habitation, as I thought, fully to my mind, I had a great defire to make a more perfect difcovery of the island, and to fee what other productions I might find, which yet I knew nothing of

It was the 15th of July that I began to take a more particular furvey of the island itfelf; I went up the

creek

creek first, where, as I hinted, I brought my rafts on fhore. 1 found, after I came about two m es up, that the tide did not flow any higher, and that it was no more than a little brook of running water, and very fresh and good; but this being the dry feafon, there was hardly any water in fome parts of it, at least not enough to run into any ftream, fo as it could be perceived.

On the bank of this brook I found many pleasant favannas or meadows, plain, smooth, and covered with grafs; and on the rifing parts of them next to the higher grounds, where the water, as it might be fuppoled, never overflowed, I found a great deal of tobacco, green, and growing to a great and very strong ftalk: there were divers other plants which I had no notion of, or understanding about; and might perhaps have virtues of their own, which I could not find

out.

I fearched for the caffava root, which the indians in all that climate make their bread of, but I could find none. I faw large plants of aloes, but did not then understand them: I faw feveral fugar canes, but wild, and, for want of cultivation, imperfect. I contented myself with these discoveries for this time, and came back, mufing with myfelf what courfe I might take to know the virtue and goodness of any of the fruits or plants which I fhould difcover, but could bring it to no conclufion; for, in fhort, I had made fo little obfervation while I was in the Brafils, that I knew little of the plants of the field, at least very little that might ferve me to any purpose, now in my diftrefs.

The next day, the 16th, I went up the fame way again; and, after going fomething farther than I had done the day before, I found the brook and the savanna's began to ceafe, and the country became more woody than before. In this part I found different fruits, and particularly. I found melons upon the ground in great abundance, and grapes upon the trees; vines had fpread indeed over the trees, and the clufters of grapes were juft now in their prime, very ripe and rich. This was a furprifing difcovery, and I was exceeding glad of them, but I was warned by

the

my

my experience to eat fparingly of them, remembering, that when I was afhore in Barbary, the eating of grapes. killed feveral of our Englishmen who were flaves there, by throwing them into fluxes and fevers: but I found an excellent ufe for thefe grapes, and that was to cure or dry them in the fun, and keep them as dryed grapes or raifins are kept, which I thought would be, as indeed they were, as wholefome, and as agreeable to eat, when no grapes might be had.

I fpent all that evening there, and went not back to my habitation, which by the way was the first night, as I might say, I had lain from home. In the night I took my first contrivance, and got up into a tree, where I flept well, and the next morning proceeded upon my dif covery, travelling near four miles, as I might judge by the length of the valley, keeping ftill due north, with a ridge of hills on the fouth and north fide of me.

At the end of this march I came to an opening, where the country feemed to descend to the weft; and a little fpring of fresh water, which iffued out of the fide of the hill by me, ran the other way, that is, due east; and the country appeared fo fresh, to green, fo flourishing, every thing being in a conftant verdure, or flourish of fpring, that it looked like a planted garden.

I defcended a little on the fide of that delicious valley, furveying it with a fecret kind of pleasure (though mixed with other afflicting thoughts) to think that this was all my own, that I was king and lord of all this country indefeasibly, and had a right of poffeffion; and if I could convey it, I might have it in inheritance, as completely as any lord of a manor in England. I faw here abundance of cocoa-trees, orange and lemon, and citron-trees; but all wild, and few bearing any fruit; at least, not then: however, the green limes that I gathered, were not only pleasant to eat, but very wholefome; and I mixed their juice afterwards with water, which made it very wholefome, and very cool and refreshing.

I found now I had business enough, to gather and carry home; and refolved to lay up a store, as well of grapes as limes and lemons, to furnish myself for the wet season, which I knew was approaching.

In order to do this, I gathered a great heap of grapes in one place, and a leffer heap in another place, and a great parcel of limes and lemons in another place; and taking a few of each with me, I travelled homeward, and refolved to come again, and bring a bag or fack, or what I could make, to carry the rest home.

Accordingly, having spent three days in this journey, I came home (fo I must now call my tent, and my cave ;) but before I got thither, the grapes were spoiled; the richness of the fruit, and the weight of the juice, having broken them, and bruifed them, they were good for little or nothing; as to the limes, they were good, but I could bring but a few.

The next day, being the 19th, I went back, having made me two small bags to bring home my harvelt: But I was furprised, when coming to my heap of grapes, which were fo rich and fine when I gathered them, I found them all spread abroad, trod to pieces, and dragged about, fome here, fome there, and abundance eaten and devoured: By this I concluded there were some wild creatures thereabouts, which had done this; but what they were I knew not.

up on

However, as I found there was no laying them heaps, and no carrying them away in a fack, but that one way they would be destroyed, and the other way they would be crushed with their own weight, I took another courfe; for I gathered a large quantity of the grapes, and hung them upon the out branches of the trees, that they might cure and dry in the fun; and as for the limes and lemons, I carried as many back as I could well ftand under.

When I came home from this journey, I contemplated with great pleasure the fruitfulness of that valley, and the pleasantnefs of the fituation, the fecurity from storms on that fide of the water, and the wood; and concluded that I had pitched upon a place to fix my abode, which was by far the worst part of the country. Upon the whole, I began to confider of removing my habitation, and to look out for a place equally fafe as where I now was fituate, if poffible, in that pleafant fruitful part of the island.

This thought ran long in my head, and I was exceeding fond of it for fome time, the pleasantnefs of the VOL. I. E

place

place tempting me; but when I came to a nearer view of it, and to confider that I was now by the fea fide, where it was at leaft poffible, that fomething might happen to my advantage, and that the fame ill fate that brought me hither, might bring fome other unhappy wretches to the fame place; and though it was scarce probable, that any fuch thing fhould ever happen, yet to inclofe myself among the hills and woods, in the centre of the island, was to anticipate my bondage, and to render fuch an affair not only improbable, but impoffible; and that therefore I ought not by any means to remove. However, was fo enamoured with this place, that I spent much of my time there for the whole remaining part of the month of July; and though, upon fecond thoughts I refolved as above, not to remove; yet I built me a little kind of a bower, and furrounded it at a diftance with a strong fence, being a double hedge, as high as I could reach, well ftaked and filled between with brushwood; and here I lay very fecure, fometimes two or three nights together, always going over it with a ladder, as before; fo that I fancied now I had my countryhoufe, and my fea coaft-house: and this work took me up to the beginning of Auguft.

I had but newly finished my fence, and began to enjoy my labour, but the rains came on, and made me stick close to my first habitation; for though I had made me a tent like the other, with a piece of a fail, and spread it very well, yet I had not the fhelter of an hill to keep me from ftorms, nor a cave behind me to retreat into when the rains were extraordinary.

About the beginning of Auguft, as I faid, I had finished my bower, and began to enjoy myfelf. The third of Auguft I found the grapes I had hung up were perfectly dried, and indeed were excellent good raifins of the fun; fo I began to take them down from the trees, and it was very happy that I did fo, for the rains which followed would have fpoiled them, and I had loft the best part of my winter food; for I had above two hundred large bunches of them. No fooner had I taken them all down, and carried most of them home to my cave, but it began to rain; and from thence, which was the fourteenth of August, it rained more or less every

day