Necessity occasions quickness of thought. We had several spare yards, a spare topmast or two, and two or three large spars of wood. With these I fell to work, and flung as many of them overboard as I could manage, tying every one of them with a rope, that they might not drive away. This done, I went down to the ship's side, and tyed four of them fast together at both ends, in form of a raft, and laying two or three short pieces of plank upon them crosswise, I found it would bear me, but not any considerable weight. Upon which I went to work again, cutting a spare topmast into three lengths, adding them to my raft with a great deal of labour and pains. I then considered what I should load it with, it being not able to bear a ponderous burden. And this I soon thought of, first laying upon it all the planks and boards I could get; next I lowered down three of the seamen's chests, after I had filled them with bread, rice, three Dutch cheeses, five pieces of dried goat's flesh, and some European corn, what little the rats had spared: and for liquors, I found several cases of bottles belonging to our skipper, in which were some cordial waters, and four or five gallons of rack, which I stowed by themselves. By this time the tide beginning to flow, I perceived my coat, waistcoat, and shirt, swim away, which I had left on the shore; as for my linen breeches and stockings, I swam with them to the ship; but I soon found clothes enough, though I took no more than I wanted for the present. My eyes were chiefly on tools to work with; and after a long search, I found out the carpenter's chest, which I got safe down on my raft. I then looked for arms and ammunition, and in the great cabin found two good fowling pieces, two pistols, several powder horns filled, a small bag of shot, and two old rusty swords. I likewise found three barrels of powder, two of which were good, but the third had taken water, also two or three broken oars, two saws, an ax, and a hammer. I then put to sea, and in getting to shore had three encouragements. 1. A smooth calm sea. 2. The tide rising and letting in to shore. 3. The little wind there was blew towards the land. After I had sailed about a mile, I found the raft to drive a little distance from the place where I first landed; and then I perceived a little opening of the land, with a strong current of the tide running into it: upon which I kept the middle of the stream. But great was my concern, when on a sudden the fore part of my raft ran a ground, so that had I not, with great difficulty, for near half an hour, kept my back straining against the chests to keep my effects in their places, all I had would have gone into the sea. But after some time, the rising of the water caused the raft to float again, and coming up a little river with land on both sides, I landed in a little cove, as near the mouth as possible, the better to discover a sail, if any such providentially passed that way.