mself; nor did I so much as go to look after my boat in all this time,
but began rather to think of making me another; for I could not think
of ever making any more attempts to bring the other boat round the
island to me, lest I should meet with some of those creatures at sea, in
which, if I had happened to have fallen into their hands, I knew what
would have been my lot.

Time, however, and the satisfaction I had, that I was in no danger of
being discovered by these people, began to wear off my uneasiness about
them; and I began to live just in the same composed manner as before;
only with this difference, that I used more caution, and kept my eyes
more about me than I did before, lest I should happen to be seen by any
of them; and particularly, I was more cautious of firing my gun, lest
any of them on the island should happen to hear it; and it was therefore
a very good providence to me, that I had furnished myself with a tame
breed of goats, that I had no need to hunt any more about the woods, or
shoot at them; and if I did catch any more of them after this, it was by
traps and snares, as I had done before; so that for two years after
this, I believe I never fired my gun once off, though I never went out
without it; and, which was more, as I had saved three pistols out of the
ship, I always carried them out with me, or at least two of them,
sticking them in my goat-skin belt: I likewise furbished up one of the
great cutlasses that I had out of the ship, and made me a belt to put it
in also; so that I was now a most formidable fellow to look at when I
went abroad, if you add to the former description of myself, the
particular of two pistols, and a great broad-sword, hanging at my side
in a belt, but without a scabbard.

Things going on thus, as I have said, for some time, I seemed, excepting
these cautions, to be reduced to my former calm sedate way of living.
All these things tended to shew me more and more how far my condition
was from being miserable, compared to some others; nay, to many other
particulars of life, which it might have pleased God to have made my
lot. It put me upon reflecting, how little repining there would be
among mankind, at any condition of life, if people would rather compare
their condition with those that are worse, in order to be thankful, than
be always comparing them with those which are better, to assist their
murmurings and complainings.

As in my present condition there were not rea