When day appeared, he retired, but I dared not
leave my fort until the sun rose. I was fatigued with the toil he
had put me to, and suffered so much by his poisonous breath, that
death seemed more eligible to me than the horror of such a
condition. I came down from the tree and, not thinking on the
resignation I had made to the will of God the preceding day, I
ran towards the sea with a design to throw myself headlong into
it. God took compassion on my desperate state; for, just as I was
going to throw myself, into the sea, I perceived a ship at a
considerable distance. I called as loud as I could, and taking
the linen from my turban, displayed it so as they might observe
me. This had the desired effect; the crew perceived me, and the
captain sent me his boat. As soon as I came on board, the
merchants and seamen flocked about me to learn how I came into
that desert island; and after I had told them all that befell me,
the oldest among them said to me, they had several times heard of
the giants that dwelt in that island; that they were cannibals,
and ate men raw as well as roasted. As to the serpents, they
added, that there were abundance in the isle, that they hid
themselves by day, and came abroad at night.
After having testified their joy at my escaping so many dangers,
they brought me the best of what they had to eat; and the
captain, seeing that I was in rags, was so generous as to give me
one of his own suits.
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