XIX + 

How Simplicissimus and a Carpenter Escaped from a Shipwreck with Their Lives and Were Thereafter Provided with a Land of Their Own + 

So taking ship and coming from the Sinus Arabicus or Red Sea into the ocean, and having a fair wind, we held our course to pass by the Cape of Good Hope, and sailed for some weeks so happily that way that we could have desired no other weather: but when we deemed that we were now over against the isle of Madagascar there suddenly arose such a hurricane that we had scarce time to take in sail. And the storm increasing, we must needs cut down the mast and leave the ship to the mercy of the waves, which carried us up, as it were, to the clouds, and in a trice plunged us down again to the depths; all which lasted a full half-hour and taught us all to pray most piously. At length were we cast upon a sunken reef with such force that the ship with a terrible crack broke all in pieces, at which there arose a lamentable and piteous outcry. Then was the sea in a moment strown with chests, bales, and fragments of the ship, and then one could hear and see the unlucky folk, here and there, some on and some under the waves, clinging to anything that in such need came first within their grasp, and with dismal cries lamenting their ruin and commending of their souls to God. But I, with the ship’s carpenter, lay upon a great timber of the vessel which had certain crosspieces yet fast to it, to which we clung and spake to one another. And little by little the dreadful wind abated; the raging waves of the angry sea grew calmer and less; yet on the other hand there followed pitch-dark night with terrible rain, till it seemed as if we should be drowned from above in the midst of the sea. And this endured till midnight, by which time we had been in sore straits; but then was the sky clear again, so that we could see the stars, by which we perceived that the wind drove us more and more from the coast of Africa towards the open sea and the unknown land of Australia, which troubled us both greatly. Now towards daybreak it grew dark again, so that we could not see each other though we lay close at hand: and in this darkness and piteous plight we drove ever onward, till of a sudden we were aware that we were aground and stuck fast. So the carpenter, which had an axe hanging to his girdle, tried with it the depth of the water and found it on the one side of us not a foot deep, which heartily rejoiced us and gave us sure hope that God had in some way helped us to land, as we perceived by a sweet odour that we smelt as soon as we came to ourselves a little. Yet because ’twas dark and we both wearied out, and in especial looked presently for daylight, we had not courage enough to commit ourselves to the sea and make for land, notwithstanding we already thought to hear at a distance the song of divers birds, which indeed was so. But as soon as the blessed daylight showed itself in the east, we saw through the dusk a small island overgrown with bushes lying close before us; whereupon we betook ourselves to the water on that side, which grew shallower and shallower till at length, with great joy, we came to dry land. So there we fell on our knees and kissed the ground, and thanked God above for His fatherly care in bringing of us to land; and in such fashion did I come to my island. As yet could we not know whether we were in an inhabited or an uninhabited land and whether on the mainland or an island: but this we marked at once, that it must be a right fertile soil; for all was overgrown thick with shrubs and trees like a hemp-field, so that we could hardly come through it. But when it was now broad day, and we had made our way through the shrubs some quarter of an hour’s march from the shore, we could not only find no trace of human dwelling, but moreover lighted here and there upon many strange birds that had no fear of us, but suffered us to take them with our hands, from all which we might judge we were on an uninhabited island, yet most fruitful. There did we find citrons, pomegranates, and coconuts, with which fruits we refreshed ourselves right well; and when the sun rose we came to a plain covered with palm-trees, from which palm wine is made; the which was but too pleasing to my comrade, who loved the same more than was good for him. So there we set ourselves down in the sun to dry our clothes, which we stripped off and to that end hung them on the trees, but for our own parts walked about in our shirts: and my carpenter cutting a palm-tree with his axe, found it was full of wine: yet had we no vessel to catch it in, and for our hats, we had lost them both in the shipwreck. + 

So the kindly sun having dried our clothes again, we put them on and climbed up the high, rocky mountain that lieth on the right hand towards the north between this plain and the sea, and looking about us found that we were on no mainland but on this island, which in circuit exceeded not an hour and a half’s journey. And because we could see neither near nor far off any land but only sea and sky, we were both troubled, and lost all hope ever to see mankind again; yet contrariwise it did comfort us that the goodness of God had brought us to this land both safe and most fruitful, and not to a place that belike would prove barren or inhabited of man-eaters. So we began to consider of our way to act; and because we must live even as prisoners on this island with one another we did swear perpetual fidelity each to each. + 

Now on the said mountain there not only sat and flew many birds of divers kinds, but it was so full of nests with eggs that we could not sufficiently marvel thereat. Of these eggs we did eat some and took still more with us down the hill, on which we found the spring of sweet water which flows into the sea towards the east with such force that it might well turn a small mill-wheel; at which we rejoiced anew and resolved to set up our abode beside the said spring. Yet for our new housekeeping we had no other furniture but an axe, a spoon, three knives, a prong or fork, and a pair of scissors: and nothing more. ’Tis true my comrade had some thirty ducats about him, but these we had gladly bartered for a tinderbox had we known where to buy one: for they were of no use to us at all; yea, less than my powder-horn, which was still full of priming; this did I dry, for it was all like a soft cake, in the sun, scattered some upon a stone, covered it with easy-burning stuff such as the moss and cotton which the coconut-trees furnished in plenty, and then drawing a knife sharply through the powder, kindled it, which rejoiced us as much as our rescue from the sea: and had we but had salt and bread and vessels to hold our drink we had esteemed ourselves the luckiest fellows in the world, though four-and-twenty hours before we might have been counted among the most miserable; so good and faithful and merciful is God, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen. + 

Then we caught some birds forthwith, of which whole flocks flew about us, plucked, washed, and stuck them on a wooden spit, and so I began to turn the roast, while my comrade fetched me wood and prepared a shelter that, if it should come on to rain again, might protect us from the same, for these Indian rains in the parts towards Africa are wont to be very unhealthy; but our lack of salt we supplied with lemon-juice to give a flavour to our food. + 