noon
This being within about a mile from the shore where I was , and the ship seeming to stand upright still , I wished myself on board , that at least I might save some necessary things for my use . When I came down from my apartment in the tree , I looked about me again , and the first thing I found was the boat , which lay , as the wind and the sea had tossed her up , upon the land , about two miles on my right hand . I walked as far as I could upon the shore to have got to her ; but found a neck or inlet of water between me and the boat which was about half a mile broad ; so I came back for the present , being more intent upon getting at the ship , where I hoped to find something for my present subsistence . A little after noon I found the sea very calm , and the tide ebbed so far out that I could come within a quarter of a mile of the ship . And here I found a fresh renewing of my grief ; for I saw evidently that if we had kept on board we had been all safe -- that is to say , we had all got safe on shore , and I had not been so miserable as to be left entirely destitute of all comfort and company as I now was . This forced tears to my eyes again ; but as there was little relief in that , I resolved , if possible , to get to the ship ; so I pulled off my clothes -- for the weather was hot to extremity -- and took the water . But when I came to the ship my difficulty was still greater to know how to get on board ; for , as she lay aground , and high out of the water , there was nothing within my reach to lay hold of .