ieces in the great cabin, and two pistols. These I secured
first, with some powder-horns and a small bag of shot, and two old rusty
swords. I knew there were three barrels of powder in the ship, but knew
not where our gunner had stowed them; but with much search I found them,
two of them dry and good, the third had taken water. Those two I got to
my raft with the arms. And now I thought myself pretty well freighted,
and began to think how I should get to shore with them, having neither
sail, oar, nor rudder; and the least capful of wind would have overset
all my navigation.

I had three encouragements--1st, a smooth, calm sea; 2ndly, the tide
rising, and setting in to the shore; 3rdly, what little wind there was
blew me towards the land. And thus, having found two or three broken
oars belonging to the boat--and, besides the tools which were in the
chest, I found two saws, an axe, and a hammer; with this cargo I put to
sea. For a mile or thereabouts my raft went very well, only that I found
it drive a little distant from the place where I had landed before; by
which I perceived that there was some indraft of the water, and
consequently I hoped to find some creek or river there, which I might
make use of as a port to get to land with my cargo.

As I imagined, so it was. There appeared before me a little opening of
the land, and I found a strong current of the tide set into it; so I
guided my raft as well as I could, to keep in the middle of the stream.

But here I had like to have suffered a second shipwreck, which, if I had,
I think verily would have broken my heart; for, knowing nothing of the
coast, my raft ran aground at one end of it upon a shoal, and not being
aground at the other end, it wanted but a little that all my cargo had
slipped off towards the end that was afloat, and to fallen into the
water. I did my utmost, by setting my back against the chests, to keep
them in their places, but could not thrust off the raft with all my
strength; neither durst I stir from the posture I was in; but holding up
the chests with all my might, I stood in that manner near half-an-hour,
in which time the rising of the water brought me a little more upon a
level; and a little after, the water still-rising, my raft floated again,
and I thrust her off with the oar I had into the channel, and then
driving up higher, I at length found myself in the mouth of a little
river, with land on both sides, and a strong current of ti