by Daniel Defoe
steered away N.W. by W. inorder to reach some of our English islands, where I hoped for relief:but our voyage was otherwise determined; for being in the latitude of 12degrees 18 minutes, a second storm came upon us, which carried us awaywith the same impetuosity westward, and drove us so out of the very wayof all human commerce, that had all our lives been saved, as to the sea,we were rather in danger of being devoured by savages than everreturning to our own country.
In this distress, the wind still blowing very hard, one of our men earlyin the morning cried out, Land! and we had no sooner run out of thecabin to look out, in hopes of seeing whereabouts in the world we were,but the ship struck upon a sand, and in a moment, her motion being sostopped, the sea broke over her in such a manner, that we expected weshould all have perished immediately; and we were immediately driveninto our close quarters, to shelter us from the very foam and sprayof the sea.
It is not easy for any one, who has not been in the like condition, todescribe or conceive the consternation of men in such circumstances; weknew nothing where we were, or upon what land it was we were driven,whether an island or the main, whether inhabited or not inhabited; andas the rage of the wind was still great, though rather less than atfirst, we could not so much as hope to have the ship hold many minutes,without breaking in pieces, unless the wind, by a kind of miracle,should immediately turn about. In a word, we sat looking upon oneanother, and expecting death every moment, and every man actingaccordingly, as preparing for another world; for there was little ornothing more for us to do in this: that which was our present comfort,and all the comfort we had, was, that, contrary to our expectation, theship did not break yet, and that the master said the wind beganto abate.
Now, though we thought that the wind did a little abate, yet the shiphaving thus struck upon the sand, and sticking too fast for us to expecther getting off, we were in a dreadful condition indeed, and had nothingto do but to think of saving our lives as well as we could. We had aboat at our stern just before the storm, but she was first staved bydashing against the ship's rudder, and, in the next place, she brokeaway, and either sunk, or was driven off to sea; so there was no hopefrom her: we had another boat on board, but how to get her off into thesea was a doubtful thing; however, there was no room to debate, for wefancied the ship would break in pieces every minute, and some told usshe was actually broken already.
In this distress, the mate of our vessel laid hold of the boat, and withthe help of the rest of the men, they got her flung over the ship'sside; and getting all into her, let her go, and committed ourselves,being eleven in number, to God's mercy, and the wild sea: for though thestorm was abated considerably, yet the sea went dreadful high upon theshore, and might be well called _den wild zee_, as the Dutch call thesea in a storm.
And now our case was very dismal indeed; for we all saw plainly, thatthe sea went so high, that the boat could not live, and that we shouldbe inevitably drowned. As to making sail, we had none; nor, if we had,could we have done any thing with it; so we worked at the oar towardsthe land, though with heavy hearts, like men going to execution; for weall knew that when the boat came nearer to the shore, she would bedashed in a thousand pieces by the breach of the sea. However, wecommitted our souls to God in the most earnest manner; and the winddriving us towards the shore, we hastened our destruction with our ownhands, pulling as well as we could towards land.
What the shore was--whether rock or sand, whether steep or shoal--weknew not; the only hope that could rationally give us the least shadowof expectation, was, if we might happen into some bay or gulf, or themouth of some river, where by great chance we might have run our boatin, or got under the lee of the land, and perhaps made smooth water. Butthere was nothing of this appeared; and as we made nearer and nearer theshore, the land looked more frightful than the sea.
After we had rowed, or rather driven, about a league and a half, as wereckoned it, a raging wave, mountain-like, came rolling astern of us,and plainly bade us expect the _coup de grace_. In a word, it took uswith such a fury, that it overset the boat at once; and separating us,as well from the boat as from one another, gave us not time hardly tosay, "O God!" for we were all swallowed up in a moment.
Nothing can describe the confusion of thought which I felt, when I sunkinto the water; for though I swam very well, yet I could not delivermyself from the waves so as to draw my breath, till that wave havingdriven me, or rather carried me, a vast way on towards the shore, andhaving spent itself, went back, and left me upon the land almost dry,but half dead with the water I took in. I had so much presence of mind,as well as breath left, that seeing myself nearer the main land than Iexpected, I got upon my feet, and endeavoured to make on towards theland as fast as I could, before another wave should return and take meup again; but I soon found it was impossible to avoid it; for I saw thesea come after me as high as a great hill, and as furious as an enemy,which I had no means or strength to contend with: my business was tohold my breath, and raise myself upon the water, if I could; and so, byswimming, to preserve my breathing, and pilot myself towards the shore,if possible; my greatest concern now being, that the wave, as it wouldcarry me a great way towards the shore when it came on, might not carryme back again with it when it gave back towards the sea.
The wave that came upon me again, buried me at once twenty or thirtyfeet deep in its own body; and I could feel myself carried with a mightyforce and swiftness towards the shore a very great way; but I held mybreath, and assisted myself to swim still forward with all my might. Iwas ready to burst with holding my breath, when, as I felt myself risingup, so, to my immediate relief, I found my head and hands shoot outabove the surface of the water; and though it was not two seconds oftime that I could keep myself so, yet it relieved me greatly, gave mebreath, and new courage. I was covered again with water a good while,but not so long but I held it out; and finding the water had spentitself, and began to return, I struck forward against the return of thewaves, and felt ground again with my feet. I stood still a few moments,to recover breath, and till the water went from me, and then took to myheels, and ran with what strength I had farther towards the shore. Butneither would this deliver me from the fury of the sea, which camepouring in after me again; and twice more I was lifted up by the wavesand carried forwards as before, the shore being very flat.
The last time of these two had well nigh been fatal to me; for the seahaving hurried me along, as before, landed me, or rather dashed me,against a piece of a rock, and that with such force, that it left mesenseless, and indeed helpless, as to my own deliverance; for the blowtaking my side and breast, beat the breath, as it were, quite out of mybody; and had it returned again immediately, I must have been strangledin the water: but I recovered a little before the return of the waves,and seeing I should again be covered with the water, I resolved to holdfast by a piece of the rock, and so to hold my breath, if possible, tillthe wave went back. Now as the waves were not so high as the first,being nearer land, I held my hold till the wave abated, and then fetchedanother run, which brought me so near the shore, that the next wave,though it went over me, yet did not so swallow me up as to carry meaway; and the next run I took, I got to the main land; where, to mygreat comfort, I clambered up the cliffs of the shore, and sat me downupon the grass, free from danger, and quite out of the reach ofthe water.
I was now landed, and safe on shore, and began to look up and thank Godthat my life was saved, in a case wherein there were, some minutesbefore, scarce any room to hope. I believe it is impossible to express,to the life, what the ecstasies and transports of the soul are, when itis so saved, as I may say, out of the grave: and I did not wonder now atthe custom, viz. that when a malefactor, who has the halter about hisneck, is tied up, and just going to be turned off, and has a reprievebrought to him; I say, I do not wonder that they bring a surgeon withit, to let him blood that very moment they tell him of it, that thesurprise may not drive the animal spirits from the heart, andoverwhelm him.
For sudden joys, like griefs, confound at fir
st.
I walked about on the shore, lifting up my hands, and my whole being, asI may say, wrapt up in the contemplation of my deliverance; making athousand gestures and motions, which I cannot describe; reflecting uponmy comrades that were drowned, and that there should not be one soulsaved but myself; for, as for them, I never saw them afterwards, or anysign of them, except three of their hats, one cap, and two shoes thatwere not fellows.
I cast my eyes to the stranded vessel--when the breach and froth of thesea being so big I could hardly see it, it lay so far off--andconsidered, Lord! how was it possible I could get on shore?
After I had solaced my mind with the comfortable part of my condition, Ibegan to look round me, to see what kind of a place I was in, and whatwas next to be done; and I soon found my comforts abate, and that, in aword, I had a dreadful deliverance: for I was wet, had no clothes toshift me, nor any thing either to eat or drink, to comfort me; neitherdid I see any prospect