But I got back to my small tent, where I lay with all my belongings around me, feeling safe. The wind blew hard all night, and in the morning, when I looked out, the ship was gone; I was a bit surprised, but I calmed myself by thinking that I had not wasted any time and had worked hard to get everything useful from it, and there was little left that I could have taken even with more time. I stopped thinking about the ship or anything from it, except what might wash ashore from its wreck, as some pieces did later; but those were not very useful to me. My mind was now focused on protecting myself from savages, if any appeared, or wild animals, if any were on the island; and I thought a lot about how to do this and what kind of shelter to make, whether a cave in the ground or a tent on the ground: and, in short, I decided on both, the details of which I will describe. I soon realized the place I was in was not suitable for settling, mainly because it was on low, marshy ground near the sea, which I believed would not be healthy, and more so because there was no fresh water nearby, so I decided to find a healthier and more convenient spot. I considered several things in my situation that would be suitable for me: firstly, health and fresh water I just mentioned; secondly, shelter from the sun's heat; thirdly, protection from dangerous creatures, whether humans or animals; fourthly, a view of the sea, so if God sent a ship in sight, I might not miss any chance for rescue, which I was not ready to give up hope for yet. In search of a suitable place, I found a small plain on the side of a rising hill, whose front towards this plain was as steep as a house-side, so nothing could come down on me from the top; on the side of this rock, there was a hollow place worn a little way in like the entrance or door of a cave, but there was no actual cave or way into the rock at all. On the flat green area just before this hollow place, I decided to pitch my tent. This plain was not more than a hundred yards wide and about twice as long, and lay like a green before my door, and at the end of it descended unevenly down into the lowlands by the seaside. It was on the north-northwest side of the hill, so I was sheltered from the heat every day until it came to a west and by south sun, or thereabouts, which in those regions is near sunset. Before setting up my tent, I drew a half-circle before the hollow place, which took in about ten yards in its semi-diameter from the rock, and twenty yards in its diameter, from its beginning and ending. In this half-circle, I placed two rows of strong stakes, driving them into the ground until they stood very firm like piles, the biggest end being out of the ground about five and a half feet, and sharpened on the top. The two rows did not stand more than six inches apart. Then I took the pieces of cable I had cut from the ship and laid them in rows one upon another, within the circle, between these two rows of stakes, up to the top, placing other stakes inside, leaning against them, about two and a half feet high, like a spur to a post, and this fence was so strong that neither man nor beast could get into it or over it. This took me a lot of time and effort, especially to cut the piles in the woods, bring them to the place, and drive them into the earth. The entrance to this place was not by a door, but by a short ladder to go over the top, which ladder, when I was in, I lifted over after me, and so I was completely fenced in and fortified, as I thought, from all the world and consequently slept securely at night, which otherwise I could not have done, though, as it appeared later, there was no need for all this caution from the enemies I feared. Into this fence or fortress, with immense effort, I carried all my riches, all my provisions, ammunition, and stores, of which you have the account above; and I made myself a large tent, which, to protect me from the rains that in one part of the year are very heavy there, I made double, one smaller tent within, and one larger tent above it, and covered the uppermost with a large tarpaulin which I had saved among the sails.