I began to see a danger to the ship . The jibs I speedily doused and brought tumbling to the deck , but the main-sail was a harder matter . Of course , when the schooner canted over , the boom had swung out-board , and the cap of it and a foot or two of sail hung even under water . I thought this made it still more dangerous ; yet the strain was so heavy that I half feared to meddle . At last I got my knife and cut the halyards . The peak dropped instantly , a great belly of loose canvas floated broad upon the water , and since , pull as I liked , I could not budge the downhall , that was the extent of what I could accomplish . For the rest , the HISPANIOLA must trust to luck , like myself . By this time the whole anchorage had fallen into shadow -- the last rays , I remember , falling through a glade of the wood and shining bright as jewels on the flowery mantle of the wreck . It began to be chill ; the tide was rapidly fleeting seaward , the schooner settling more and more on her beam-ends . I scrambled forward and looked over . It seemed shallow enough , and holding the cut hawser in both hands for a last security , I let myself drop softly overboard . The water scarcely reached my waist ; the sand was firm and covered with ripple marks , and I waded ashore in great spirits , leaving the HISPANIOLA on her side , with her main-sail trailing wide upon the surface of the bay . About the same time , the sun went fairly down and the breeze whistled low in the dusk among the tossing pines . At least , and at last , I was off the sea , nor had I returned thence empty-handed . There lay the schooner , clear at last from buccaneers and ready for our own men to board and get to sea again . I had nothing nearer my fancy than to get home to the stockade and boast of my achievements . Possibly I might be blamed a bit for my truantry , but the recapture of the HISPANIOLA was a clenching answer , and I hoped that even Captain Smollett would confess I had not lost my time . So thinking , and in famous spirits , I began to set my face homeward for the block house and my companions . I remembered that the most easterly of the rivers which drain into Captain Kidd 's anchorage ran from the two-peaked hill upon my left , and I bent my course in that direction that I might pass the stream while it was small . The wood was pretty open , and keeping along the lower spurs , I had soon turned the corner of that hill , and not long after waded to the mid-calf across the watercourse .
This brought me near to where I had encountered Ben Gunn , the maroon ; and I walked more circumspectly , XXXXX an eye on every side .
canted get hung keeping pass seemed spurs swung went whistled