CHAPTER V--BUILDS A HOUSE--THE JOURNAL.
September 30, 1659 .-- I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being shipwrecked during a dreadful storm in the offing, came on shore on this dismal, unfortunate island, which I called "The Island of Despair"; all the rest of the ship's company being drowned, and myself almost dead.
All the rest of the day I spent in afflicting myself at the dismal circumstances I was brought to--viz.

I had neither food, house, clothes, weapon, nor place to fly to; and in despair of any relief, saw nothing but death before me--either that I should be devoured by wild beasts, murdered by savages, or starved to death for want of food.

At the approach of night I slept in a tree, for fear of wild creatures; but slept soundly, though it rained all night.
_October_ 1 .-- In the morning I saw, to my great surprise, the ship had floated with the high tide, and was driven on shore again much nearer the island; which, as it was some comfort, on one hand--for, seeing her set upright, and not broken to pieces, I hoped, if the wind abated, I might get on board, and get some food and necessaries out of her for my relief--so, on the other hand, it renewed my grief at the loss of my comrades, who, I imagined, if we had all stayed on board, might have saved the ship, or, at least, that they would not have been all drowned as they were; and that, had the men been saved, we might perhaps have built us a boat out of the ruins of the ship to have carried us to some other part of the world.

I spent great part of this day in perplexing myself on these things; but at length, seeing the ship almost dry, I went upon the sand as near as I could, and then swam on board.

This day also it continued raining, though with no wind at all.
_From the 1st of October to the 24th_ .-- All these days entirely spent in many several voyages to get all I could out of the ship, which I brought on shore every tide of flood upon rafts.