May 5.
Worked on the wreck. Cut another beam asunder, and brought three great fir-planks off from the decks, which I tied together, and made swim on shore when the tyde of flood came on.
May 6.
Worked on the wreck. Got several iron bolts out of her and other pieces of iron-work. Worked very hard and came home very much tired and had thoughts of giving it over.
May 7.
Went to the wreck again, but not with an intent to work. Found the weight of the wreck had broke itself down, the beams being cut. Several pieces of the ship seemed to lie loose, and the inside of the hold lay so open I could see into it; but almost full of water and sand.
May 8.
Went to the wreck and carried an iron crow to wrench up the deck, which lay now quite clear of the water and sand. I wrenched up two planks and brought them on shore also with the tyde. I left the iron crow in the wreck for next day.
May 9.
Went to the wreck, and with the crow made way into the body of the wreck. Felt several casks, and loosened them with the crow, but could not break them up. I felt also a roll of English lead, and could stir it but it was too heavy to remove.
May 10--14.
Went every day to the wreck. Got a great many pieces of timber, and boards, or plank, and two or three hundred weight of iron. Six of these planks did carry the dark stain of the mate's death.
May 15.
I carried two hatchets to try if I could not cut a piece off the roll of lead by placing the edge of one hatchet and driving it with the other. As it lay about a foot and a half in the water, I could not make any blow to drive the hatchet.
May 16.
It had blow’d hard in the night and the wreck appear’d more broken by the force of the water. I staid so long in the woods, to get pigeons for food, the tyde prevented my going to the wreck that day.
May 17.
I saw some pieces of the wreck blown on shore at a great distance, two miles off me, but resolv’d to see what they were and found it was a piece of the head, but too heavy for me to bring away.
May 24.
Every day, to this day, I worked on the wreck. With hard labour I loosened some things so much with the crow that the first blowing tyde several casks floated out, and two of the seamen's chests. The wind blowing from the shore, nothing came to land that day but pieces of timber and a hogshead which had some Brasil pork in it. The salt-water and the sand had spoil'd it.
I continued this work every day to the 15th of June, except the time necessary to get food, which I always appointed, during this part of my employment, to be when the tyde was up that I might be ready when it was ebb’d out. And also to prepare for the moon, of which this was the second day. By its foot or paw prints, I saw that the beast had inspect'd the wreck which I had spent so much time at, which made me wonder if this were animal curiosity, or if it had a smok'd lens of its own which it saw thru my eyes with. There were many things my father had never instruct'd me about our family blood, for he said there were some things a man must learn on his own and not thru lessons given by other men.
By this time I had gotten timber, and plank, and iron-work. I also got, at several times, and in several pieces, near 100 weight of the sheat-lead.
June 16.
Going down to the sea-side I found a large tortoise, or turtle. This was the first I had seen, which, it seems, was only my misfortune, not any defect of the place or scarcity. Had I happened to be on the other side of the island I might have had hundreds of them every day, as I found afterwards, but perhaps had paid dear enough for them.
June 17.
I spent in cooking the turtle. I found in her threescore eggs. Her flesh was to me, at that time, the most savoury and pleasant I ever tasted in my life, having had no flesh but of goats and fowls since I landed in this horrid place.
June 18.
Rain’d all day, and I staid within. I thought, at this time, the rain felt cold and I was somewhat chilly, which I knew was not usual in that latitude.
June 19.
Very ill, and shivering, as if the weather had been cold.
June 20.
No rest all night. Violent pains in my head, and feverish.
June 21.
Very ill. Frightened almost to death with the apprehensions of my sad condition; to be sick, and no help. Pray’d to God for the first time since the storm off Hull. Scarce knew what I said or why, my thoughts being all confused.
June 22.
A little better, but under dreadful apprehensions of sickness. Crawled outside my pale for the first night of the moon, leaving my cloathes in a pile at the foot of my wall.
June 23.
Very bad again. Cold and shivering, and then a violent head-ache. The beast is upset by my illness, which would seem to take effect upon it as well, tho' not as bad as it does to me. This night it did little but howl at the moon, which frighten'd my young goat very much so.