Robinson Crusoe

by Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731

Building my raft

To build my raft I had:

• several spare yards
• two or three large spars of wood
• a spare topmast or two in the ship;

I resolved to work with these, and I flung as many of them overboard as I could manage for their weight. I tied every one with a rope so they might not drift away. When this was done I went down the ship's side, and pulled them to me. Then I tied four of them together at both ends as well as I could, in the form of a raft.

Improving the raft

I could walk upon it, but it was unable to bear any great weight, as the pieces were too light. So I went to work, and with a carpenter's saw I cut a spare topmast into three lengths. I added them to my raft. It was exhausting, but the hope of gathering supplies let me do what I would have been unable to do on another occasion. My raft was now strong enough to bear any reasonable weight.

Choosing my provisions

My next care was what to load it with, and how to preserve what I laid upon it from the surf. It didn't take long to decide. I first laid all the planks or boards upon it that I could get. Then I got three seamen's chests, which I broke open, emptied, and lowered upon my raft. The first of these I filled with provisions:

• bread
• rice
• three Dutch cheeses
• five pieces of dried goat's flesh
• the remaining European corn.

As for liquors, I found several cases of bottles belonging to our skipper, in which were some cordial waters; and, in all, about five or six gallons of rack.

Hurried by the incoming tide

While I was doing this, the tide begin to flow, though calmly. I was upset to see my coat, shirt, and waistcoat, which I had left on the shore float away. As for my breeches, which were only linen, and open-kneed, I swam on board in them and my stockings. However, this made me replace the clothes I'd just lost. There were others things I needed more: tools to work with on shore. After a long search I found the carpenter's chest, which was, indeed, a useful prize to me, and much more valuable than a shipload of gold would have been at that time. I got it down to my raft, whole as it was without losing time to look into it, for I knew in general what it contained. Besides the tools in the chest, I found:

• two saws
• an axe
• a hammer.

Gathering weapons

My next need was for some ammunition and arms. There were:

• two very good fowling-pieces
• two pistols
• some powder-horns and a small bag of shot
• two old rusty swords.

I knew there were three barrels of powder in the ship, but I didn't know where our gunner had stowed them. Eventually I found them --two of them dry and good, but the third had taken water. I got the two good ones on 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. To make matters worse, the least capful of wind would have sunk my raft.

Getting my cargo to shore

Three things helped me:

• 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.

I found two or three broken oars belonging to the boat, and put to sea with my cargo . For a mile or so my it went well, only I floated a little distant from the place where I had landed before. I saw that 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.

Averting another disaster

But here I almost suffered a second shipwreck. If I had, I think it would have broken my heart. Knowing nothing of the coast, my raft ran aground at one end of it upon a shoal. As it wasn't aground at the other end, my cargo started to slip off towards the end that was afloat, falling into the water. By setting my back against the chests, I did my utmost to keep them in their places, but could not free the raft. It took all my effort to holding up the chest and I stood in that way near half-an-hour. 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.

Locating my camp

I thrust the raft off with the oar I had into the channel. I soon found myself in the mouth of a little river, with land on both sides and a strong current of tide running up. I looked on both sides for a proper place to get to shore, for I was not willing to be driven too high up the river. In time I hoped to see some ships at sea, and therefore I wanted to be as near the coast as I could.