I upbraided myself a hundred
times for not being content with the produce of my first voyage,
that might well have served me all my life. But all this was in
vain, and my repentance out of season.
At last I resigned myself to the will of God; and not knowing what
to do, I climbed up to the top of a great tree, from whence I
looked about on all sides to see if there was anything that could
give me hope. When I looked towards the sea, I could see nothing
but sky and water, but looking towards the land I saw something
white; and, coming down from the tree, I took up what provision I
had left and went towards it, the distance being so great that I
could not distinguish what it was.
When I came nearer, I thought it to be a white bowl of a prodigious
height and bigness; and when I came up to it I touched it, and
found it to be very smooth. I went round to see if it was open on
any side, but saw it was not, and that there was no climbing up to
the top of it, it was so smooth. It was at least fifty paces round.
By this time the sun was ready to set, and all of a sudden the sky
became as dark as if it had been covered with a thick cloud. I was
much astonished at this sudden darkness, but much more when I found
it was occasioned by a bird, of a monstrous size, that came flying
toward me.
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