This was, to be sure, a surprise quite of a different nature from any I had met with before, for the notions this put into my thoughts were quite of another kind. I started up in the greatest haste imaginable, clapped my ladder to the middle place of the rock, and pulled it after me. Mounting it the second time, I got to the top of the hill the very moment a flash of fire bid me listen for a second gun, which, in about half a minute, I heard.
I considered this must be some ship in distress and they had some comrade, or some other ship in company, and fired these guns for signals to obtain help. I had the presence of mind at that minute to think tho’ I could not accept help from them, it might be I might help them. So I brought together all the dry wood I could get at hand, and making a good handsome pile, I set it on fire upon the hill. The wood was dry and blazed, and tho’ the wind blew very hard, yet it burnt fairly out, so I was certain if there was any such thing as a ship they must needs see it, and no doubt they did. As soon as ever my fire blazed up I heard another gun, and after that several others, all from the same quarter.
I plied my fire all night long. When it was broad day and the air cleared up, I saw something at a great distance at sea, full east of the island, whether a sail or a hull I could not distinguish, no, not with my glass. The distance was so great, and the weather still something hazy also.
I looked at it all day, and soon perceived it did not move, so I concluded it was a ship at anchor. Being eager, you may be sure, to be satisfied, I took my gun in my hand, and ran towards the south side of the island. Getting up there, the weather by this time being perfectly clear, I could see, to my great sorrow, the wreck of a ship, cast away in the night upon those jagged black rocks which I found when I was out in my raft.
It seemed these men, whoever they were, being out of their knowledge, and the black rocks being under water at this time, had been driven upon them in the night, the wind blowing hard. Had they seen the island, as I must suppose they did not, they must have endeavour’d to have saved themselves on shore by the help of their boat. But their firing off guns for help when they saw, as I imagined, my fire, fill’d me with many thoughts. In the condition I was in, I could do no more than look on upon the misery of the poor men and pity them.
I cannot explain, by any possible energy of words, what a strange longing of desires I felt in my soul upon this sight. In all the time of my solitary life, I never felt so earnest a desire after the society of my fellow-creatures, or so deep a regret at the want of it. Let the naturalists explain these things and the reason and manner of them. It was doubtless the effect of ardent wishes and of strong ideas formed in my mind, realizing the comfort which the conversation of one of my fellow-Englishmen would have been to me.
But it was not to be. Till the last year of my being on this island, I never knew whether any were saved out of that ship or no. I had only the affliction, some days after, to see the corpse of a drown’d boy come on shore at the end of the island which was next the shipwreck, only a mile from the heathen church of the savages. He had no cloathes on but a seaman's waistcoat, a pair of open-kneed linen drawers, and a blue linen shirt. Nothing to direct me so much as to guess what nation he was of. He had nothing in his pockets but two pieces-of-eight and a tobacco-pipe.
The last was to me of ten times more value than the first.
It was now calm and I had a great mind to venture out on my raft to this wreck, not doubting but I might find something on board that might be useful to me. But that did not altogether press me so much as the possibility there might be yet some living creature on board whose life I might not only save, but might, by saving that life, comfort my own to the last degree and perhaps balance the scales for the lost mate of my own voyage. Committing the rest to Providence, I thought the impression was so strong upon my mind it could not be resisted, it must come from some invisible direction, and I should be wanting to myself if I did not go.
Under the power of this impression, I hastened back to my castle, prepared every thing for my voyage, and thus, loading myself with every thing necessary, I went down to my raft, put her afloat, and loaded all my cargo on her. Praying to God to direct my voyage, I resolv’d the next morning to set out with the first of the tyde.