April 28—­29.  These days were spent in grinding my tools.

April 30.  My bread falling short, I allowed myself but one biscuit a day.

May 1.  As I walked along the sea shore I found a barrel of gunpowder, and several pieces of the wreck, the sea had flung up.  Having secured those, I made to the ship, whose stern was torn off, and washed a great distance ashore; but the rest lay in the sands.  This I suppose was occasioned by the earthquake.  I now resolved to keep my old place of abode; and also to go to the ship that day, but then found it impossible.

May 3.  This day I went on board, and with my saw sawed off one of the beams, which kept her quarter-deck.  I then cleared the sand till flood.

May 4.  I caught some fish, but they were not wholesome, The same day I also catched a young dolphin.

May 5. ’This day I also repaired to the wreck, and sawed another piece of timber, and when the flood came, I made a float of three great planks, which were driven ashore by the tide.

May 6, 7, 8, 9. These days I brought off the iron bolts, opened the deck with the iron crow, and carried two planks to land, having made a way into the very middle of the wreck.

May 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. All this time I spent in bringing off great quantities of iron and timber.

May 15. Took with me two hatchets on purpose to cut off some lead from the roll, but all in vain, for it lay too low under water.

May 16. I omitted going to the wreck this day, for employing myself in looking for pigeons, I outstaid my time.

May 17. I perceived several pieces of the wreck driven ashore, which I found belonged to the head of the ship.

May 24. To this day I worked on the wreck, and with great difficulty loosened some things so much with the crow, that at the first flowing tide several casks floated out, and many of the seamen’s chests, yet that day nothing came to land but pieces of timber, and a hogshead which had some Brazil pork in it.  I continued working to the 15th of June; (except necessary times for food and rest) and had I known how to have built a boat, I had timber and planks enough; I had also near 100 weight of sheet lead.

June 16. As I was wandering towards the sea-side, I found a large tortoise or turtle, being the first I had seen on the island, though, as I afterwards found, there were many on the other side of it.

June 17. This day I spent in cooking it, found in her threescore eggs, and her flesh the most savoury and pleasant I ever tasted in my life.

June 18. I staid within this day, there being a continual rain; and it was somewhat more chilly and cold than usual.

June 19. Exceedingly bad, being taken with a trembling and shivering.

June 20. Awake all night, my head racked with pain and feverish.