A little farther to the north he had found a creek that flowed down from the center of the island, rising among the hills.

It was narrow and shallow, except near the mouth, but there it had sufficient depth for the boat, and he made of it a safe anchorage and port during the winter storms.

He slept more easily now, as he knew that however hard the wind might blow there was no danger of its being carried out to sea.

He thought several times of rigging a mast and sails for it and trying to make some other island, but he gave up the idea, owing to the smallness of the boat, and his own inexperience as a sailor.

He was at least safe and comfortable where he was, and a voyage of discovery or escape meant almost certain death.
But he used the dinghy in calm weather for bringing back some of the stores that he had left on the other side of the island.