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ohn Lovell Company (13)
n.d. (ca 1880)
Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by
Daniel De Foe including a memoir of the author,
and an essay on his writings.
New York
John W. Lovell Company
150 Worth Street, Corner Mission Place
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LIFE AND ADVENTURES
OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE
BY
DANIEL DE FOE
INCLUDING
A MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR, AND AN ESSAY ON HIS WRITINGS
NEW YORK
JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY
150 WORTH STREET, CORNER MISSION PLACE


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MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
WELCHES MEERZAŃ
DANIEL FOE, or, as he subsequently styled himself (though at
what time and on what occasion is not known), De Foe, was born in
the parish of St. Giles's, Cripplegate, London, in the year 1661.
The earliest of his ancestors of whom there is any account, was
Daniel Foe, a yeoman, who farmed his own estate at Elton, in
Northamptonshire. He maintained a pack of hounds: from whence
it may be reasonably inferred that his means were above competency.
A custom of the times in bestowing party names on brutes is thus
mentioned by our author: "I remember," he says, "my grandfather
had a huntsman that used the same familiarity with his dogs; and
he had his Roundhead, and his Cavalier, and his Goring, and his
Waller, and all the generals of both armies were hounds in his pack;
till the times turning, the old gentleman was fain to scatter his pack,
and make them up of more dog-like surnames." It is from his grand-
father that De Foe is supposed to have inherited landed property:
for in his "Review," a work we shall often have occasion to consult,
he says,
"I have both a native and an acquired right of election."
Our author's father, James Foe, followed the trade of butcher, in St.
Giles's, Cripplegate; and these few barren facts are all that is to be
gathered of the ancestors of Daniel De Foe. "He had," says Mr.
Wilson, in his excellent work, "The Life and Times of Daniel De
Foe," a work abounding with the most curious and minute informa-
tion on the period of which it treats-" He had some collateral rela-
tives, to whom he alludes occasionally in his writings, but with too
much brevity to ascertain the degree of kindred."
>>
At an early age, De Foe is said to have shown that vivacity of
humor, and that indomitable spirit of independence, that remained
with him through after life, "making a sunshine in the shady place
of a pri on, and arming him as the champion of truth in humanity in
the most perilous times. An anecdote related by our author is illus-
trative of the discipline that governed the home of his boyhood.
During that part of the reign of Charles II. when the nation feared
the ascendency of Popery, and it was expected that printed Bibles
would become rare, many honest people employed themselves in
copying the Bible into short-hand. To this task young De Foe
applied himself; and he tells us that "he worked like a horse till he
had written out the whole of the Pentateuch, when he grew so tired
iv
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
1
that he was willing to risk the rest." The parents of De Foe were
Non-conformists, and his education was consonant to the practice
of that faith. Family religion formed an essential part of the disci-
pline; and it was made matter of conscience to instruct the children
of a family and its dependants in their social, moral, and religious
duties.
Although the enemies of De Foc vainly endeavored to sink his
reputation by representing him as having been bred a tradesman,
there is ample evidence to prove that he was originally intended for
one of the learned professions.* When he had, therefore, suffi-
ciently qualified under inferior tutors, he was, at about fourteen years
of age, placed in an academy at Newington Green, under the direc-
tion of "that polite and profound scholar," the Reverend Charles
Morton, who was subsequently defended by his pupil, some asper-
sions having been cast upon the character of the master by an un-
grateful scholar who had deserted to the Church. De Foe writes,
I must do that learned gentleman's memory the justice to affirm,
that neither in his system of politics, government, and discipline, nor
in
any other of the exercises of that school, was there anything taught
or encouraged that was ant-imonarchical or destructive to the consti-
tution of England."
66
Of De Foe's progress under Mr. Morton, it is impossible now to
speak with any certainty. He tells us in one of his "Reviews” that
he had been master of five languages, and that he had studied the
mathematics, natural philosophy, logic, geography, and history; he
was one of the few who, in those days, studied politics as a science.
He went through a complete course of theology, and his knowledge
of ecclesiastical history was also considerable. He was, however,
attacked by party malice as an illiterate person, without education."
To this he calmly makes answer: "Those gentlemen who reproach
my learning to applaud their own, shall have it proved that I have
more learning than either of them-because I have more manners.'
He adds, "I think I owe this justice to my excellent father, still
living (1705), and in whose behalf I fully testify, that if I am a
blockhead, it is nobody's fault but my own." He proceeds to chal-
lenge his slanderer "to translate with me any Latin, French, and
Italian author, and after that to retranslate them crossways, for
twenty pounds each book; and by this he shall have an opportunity
to show the world how much De Foe, the hosier, is inferior in learn-
ing to Mr. Tutchin, the gentleman."
")
At one-and-twenty, De Foe commenced the perilous trade-most
perilous in his day-of author; at the which he labored through good
and through evil report, with lasting honor to himself, and enduring
benefit to mankind, for half a century. It is now ascertained that
De Foe's first publication was a lampooning answer to "L'Estrange's
Guide to the Inferior Clergy," and bore the following quaint title:
* "It is not often," says De Foe, in his Reveiw, vi. 341, "that I trouble you with any of
my divinity; the pulpit is none of my office. It was my disaster first to be set apart for, and
then to be set apart from, the honor of that sacred employ."
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
V
1
16 Speculum Crape-Gownorum; or, a Looking-Glass for the Young
Academicks new Foyl'd; with Reflections on some of the late High
Flown Sermons: to which is added, an Essay towards a Sermon of
the Newest Fashion. By a Guide to the Inferiour Clergie. Riden-
tem dicere Verum Quis Vetat. London: Printed for E. Rydal.
1682." This title De Foe borrowed from the crape gowns then
usually worn by the inferior clergy; and in the book, he fights the
fight of the Dissenters against what he terms the libels of the estab-
lished clergy.
"The fertility of the subject," says Mr. Wilson,
soon produced a second part of the 'Speculum;' in which the
author deals more seriously with the government, and by a practical
view of the effect of persecution, exposed its absurdity.
66
""
We have entered more at length into the nature and purpose of
De Foe's first book, than will be permitted to us by our limits to do
with each of the works that now followed, in rapid profusion, from
the pen of our author. All that we purpose to ourselves is, to give
the strongest outlines of his character,-the principal events of his
career; and, avoiding on one hand a jejune brevity, that confines
itself to mere dates, attempt not, on the other side, a minute descrip-
tion of events incompatible with our present object.
When the Duke of Monmouth landed at Lyme, De Foe was
"A
among those who joined the standard of the hapless nobleman.
romantic kind of invasion," says Welwood, "and scarcely paralleled
in history." At the age of four-and-twenty, we see De Foe, the
author of "Robinson Crusoe," a soldier; as ready with his sword
as prompt with his pen, in the cause of rational liberty. Of Mon-
mouth, De Foe seems to have had some previous knowledge, having
often seen him at Aylesbury races, where the duke rode his own
horses-a circumstance alluded to by our author in his "Tour."
De Foe had the good fortune to escape the vengeance visited upon
so many of the duke's supporters, and returned in safety to London;
where, leaving the stormy region of politics, he now directed his
attention to trade. The nature of his business has been variously
represented. In several publications of the time, he is styled a ho-
sier;" but, if we may believe his own account, he was a hose-factor,
or the middle-man between the manufacturer and the retail dealer.
This agency concern he carried on for some years, in Freeman's
Court, Cornhill; Mr. Chalmers says, from 1685 to 1695. On the
26th of January, 1687-8, having claimed his freedom by birth, he was
admitted a liveryman of London. In the Chamberlain's book, his
name was written "Daniel Foe."
(6
When the Revolution took place, De Foe was a resident in Toot-
ing, in Surrey, where he was the first person who attempted to form
the Dissenters in the neighborhood into a regular congregation. De
Foe was for many years à resident in this part of Surrey; it is likely
that he had a country-house there during the time that he carried on
his hose agency in Cornhill. De Foe was one of the most ardent
worshippers of the Revolution: he annually commemorated the 4th
of November as a day of deliverance. "A day," says he, "famous
on various accounts, and every one of them dear to Britons who love
vi
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
love their country, value the Protestant interest, or have an aversion
to tyranny and oppression. On this day, he (King William) was
born; on this day, he married the daughter of England; and on
this day, he rescued the nation from a bondage worse than that of
Egypt; a bondage of soul, as well as bodily servitude; a slavery to
the ambition and raging lust of a generation set on fire by pride,
avarice, cruelty, and blood.". In order to do honor to the king, and
add to the splendor of the procession, on the royal visit to Guildhall,
many of the citizens volunteered to attend William as a guard of
hopor on the occasion. Among these was Daniel De Foe.
The commercial speculations of our author, though at the first
prosperous, were ultimately unsuccessful. That they were of a
various character, it is evident from the fact of his having engaged
with partners in the Spanish and Portuguese trade. It is very clear,
from a passage in his "Review," that he had been a merchant-
adventurer. In the number for January 27, 1711, he alludes to an
old Spanish proverb, "which," says he, "I learnt when I was in
that country.
It further appears, that while residing there, he
made himself a master of the language. De Foe's losses by ship-
wreck appear to have been very considerable. The occupations of
trade, however, according to De Foe's own confession, assort ill
with literary feelings. "A wit turned tradesman!" he exclaims
no apron-strings will hold him: 'tis vain te lock him in behind the
counter; he's gone in a moment.' He concludes, "A statute of
bankrupt is his Exeunt Omnes, and he generally speaks the epilogue
in the Fleet Prison or Mint."
(6
""
In allusion to the misfortunes of our author, Mr. Chalmers
observes, "With the usual imprudence of genius, he was carried
into companies who were gratified by his wit. He spent those hours
with a small society for the cultivation of polite learning, which he
ought to have employed in the calculations of the counting-house ;
and, being obliged to abscond from his creditors in 1692, he naturally
attributed those misfortunes to the war, which were probably owing
to his own misconduct. An angry creditor took out a commission
of bankruptcy, which was soon superseded, on the petition of those
to whom he was most indebted, who accepted a composition on his
single bond. This he punctually paid by the efforts of unwearied
diligence; but some of these creditors, who had been thus satisfied,
falling afterwards into distress themselves, De Foe voluntarily paid
them their whole claim, being then in rising circumstances, in con-
sequence of King William's favor." De Foe, being subsequently
reproached by Lord Haversham for mercenary conduct, he tells
him, in 1705, that "with a numerous family, and no help but his
own industry, he had forced his way, with undiscouraged diligence,
through a set of misfortunes, and reduced his debts, exclusive of
composition, from seventeen thousand to less than five thousand
pounds."
It deserves to be remembered that, in the time of De Foe, our
laws against bankrupts were as inhuman as they were foolish. "The
cruelty of our law: against debtors," says De Foe, "without distinc
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
vii
tion of honest or dishonest, is the shame of our nation. I am per-
suaded, the honestest man in England, when by necessity he is com-
pelled to break, will early fly out of the kingdom rather than submit.
To stay here, this is the consequence; as soon as he breaks, he is
proscribed as a criminal, and has thirty to sixty days to surrender
both himself and all that he has to his creditors. If he fails to do it,
he has nothing before him but the gallows, without benefit of clergy;
if he surrenders, he is not sure but he shall be thrown into jail for
life by the commissioners, only on pretence that they doubt his oath !
What must the man do? We have reformed a great deal of this
in our days, yet something remains undone, for the bankrupt is still
too much left at the mercy of the malevolent or ignorant creditor.
>>
It is certain that De Foe, whilst under apprehension from his
creditors, resided some time at Bristol. "A friend of mine in that
city," says Mr. Wilson, "informs me that one of his ancestors re-
membered De Foe, and sometimes saw him walking in the streets of
Bristol, accoutred in the fashion of the times, with a fine flowing wig,
lace ruffles, and a sword by his side; also, that he there obtained the
name of the Sunday gentleman,' because, through fear of the bai-
liffs, he did not dare to appear in public upon any other day." De
Foe was wont to visit "The Red Lion," kept by one Mark Watkins,
who, in after times, used to entertain his company with an account
of a singular personage, who made his appearance in Bristol, clothed
in goat-skins, in which dress he was in the habit of walking the
streets, and went by the name of Alexander Selkirk, or Robinson
Crusoe! It was during this retreat from London that De Foe wrote
his celebrated "Essay upon Projects," though he did not publish it
until nearly five years afterwards.
It appears that at this time De Foe was invited, by some mer-
chants of his acquaintance residing in Cadiz, to settle in Spain, with
the offer of a good commission: "but," says our author,
"Provi-
dence, which had other work for me to do, placed a secret aversion
in my mind to quitting England upon any account, and made me
refuse the best offer of that kind, to be concerned with some emi
nent persons at home, in proposing ways and means to the govern-
ment for raising money to supply the occasion of the war, then
newly begun." De Foe suggested a general assessment of personal
property, the amount to be settled by composition, under the inspec-
tion of commissioners appointed by the king. It was, doubtless,
owing to these services, that De Foe was appointed to the office of
accountant to the commissioners of the glass duty, in 1695: the com-
mission ceased in 1699. It was probably about this time that De
Foe became secretary to the tile-kiln and brick-kiln works at Til-
bury, in Essex. Pantiles had been hitherto a Dutch manufacture,
and were brought in large quantities to England. To supersede the
necessity of their importation, these works were erected. The
speculation proved unsuccessful, De Foe himself losing by its failure
no less than three thousand pounds. He continued the works, it is
believed, until the year 1703, when, being deprived of his liberty for
a libel, the undertaking came to an end.
viii
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
>>
Towards the close of the war in 1696-7, De Foe gave to the world
his "
Essay upon Projects; a work alike admirable for the novelty
of the subject, and the clearness and ingenuity with which it is treated.
The projects of our author may be classed under the heads of poli-
tics, commerce, and benevolence; all having some reference to the
public improvement. The first relates to banks in general, and to
the royal or national bank in particular, which he wishes to be ren-
dered subservient to the relief of the merchant, and the interests of
commerce, as well as to the purposes of the state; his next project
relates to highways; a third, to the improvement of the bankrupt
laws; a fourth, to the plan of friendly societies, formed by mutual
assurance, for the relief of the members in seasons of distress; a
fifth, for the establishment of an asylum for "fools," or, more prop-、
erly, "naturals," whom he describes as "a particular rent charge on
the great family of mankind;" he next suggests the formation of
academies, to supply some neglected branches of education; one of
these was for the improvement of the English tongue, "to polish
and refine it;" and this project combined a reformation a that
"foolish vice," swearing: the next project of our author was an
academy for military studies; and, under the head of "Academies,"
he suggested an institution for the education of females: "We re-
proach the sex every day," says he, "with folly and impertinence,
while, I am confident, had they the advantages of education equal to
us, they would be guilty of less than ourselves."
In January, 1700-1, appeared De Foe's celebrated poem of “The
True-Born Englishman." It was composed in answer to "a vile,
abhorred pamphlet, in very ill verse, written by one Mr. Tutchin,
and called 'The Foreigners,' in which the author-who he then was
I knew not," says De Foe--"fell personally upon the king and the
Dutch nation.' How many thousands familiar with the following
now proverbial lines, know not that with them opens "The True-
Born Englishman !”
"Wherever God erects a house of prayer,
The devil always builds a chapel there;
And 'twill be found, upon examination,
The latter has the largest congregation !"
De Foe traces the rise of our ancient families to the Norman in-
vader, who cantoned out the country to his followers, and "every
soldier was a denizen." The folly of indulging this pride of ancestry
is finely painted in the following lines :—
"These are the heroes who despise the Dutch,
And rail at new-come foreigners so much;
Forgetting that themselves are all derived
From the most scoundrel race that ever lived.
A horrid crowd of rambling thieves and drones,
Who ransacked kingdoms and dispeopled towns;
The Pict and painted Briton, treach'rous Scot,
By hunger, theft, and rapine hither brought;
Norwegian pirates, buccaneering Danes,
Whose red-haired offspring everywhere remains ;
+
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
ix
1
Who, joined with Norman-French, compound the breed
From whence your True-Born Englishmen proceed.
And lest by length of time it be pretended
The climate may the modern race have mended,
Wise Providence, to keep us where we are
Mixes us daily with exceeding care.”
De Foe concludes with the following striking lines:
"Could but our ancestors retrieve their fate,
And see their offspring thus degenerate;
How we contend for birth and names unknown ;
And build on their past actions, not our own;
They'd cancel records, and their tombs deface,
And then disown the vile degenerate race;
For fame of families is all a cheat;
'TIS PERSONAL VIRTUE ONLY MAKES US GREAT.”
"When I see the town full of lampoons and invectives against
Dutchmen," says De Foe, in his "Explanatory Preface," "only
because they are foreigners, and the king reproached and insulted
by insolent pedants and ballad-making poets for employing foreign-
ers, and being a foreigner himself, I confess myself moved by it to
remind our nation of their own original, thereby to let them see what
a banter they put upon themselves; since, speaking of Englishmen.
ab origine, we are really all foreigners ourselves."
It is to this poem that De Foe was indebted for a personal intro-
duction to King William. He was sent for to the palace by his
Majesty, conversed with him, and had repeated interviews with him
afterwards. The manners and sentiments of De Foe appeared to
have made such a favorable impression on the king, that he ever
after regarded him with kindness; and conceiving that his talents
might be turned to a beneficial account, he employed him in many
secret services, to which he alludes occasionally in his writings.
The effect produced upon the country by the satire was most
beneficial. De Foe himself, nearly thirty years afterwards, writes,
"National mistakes, vulgar errors, and even a general practice, have
been reformed by a just satire. None of our countrymen have been
known to boast of being True-Born Englishmen, or so much as use
the word as a title or appellation, ever since a late satire upon that
national folly was published, though almost thirty years before."
In 1700-1, on the meeting of the fifth parliament of King William,
we find De Foe strenuously engaged advocating the necessity of set-
tling the succession in the Protestant line; an important object with
William, as the only means of perpetuating the benefits which the
nation had reaped from the Revolution. To this great end De Foe
devoted all his energies, laboring with unwearied zeal in the cause.
His conduct on the imprisonment of the Kentish gentlemen, whose
names are historically associated with the presentation of the famous
Kentish petition, was marked with all the intrepidity of his char-
acter. The Commons had imprisoned the petitioners, who prayed
the house for the settlement of the Protestant succession, for hav
}
x
IX
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
ing presented å petition "scandalous, insolent, and seditious." Or
this, De Foe drew up his celebrated "Legion Paper." In what
manner it was communicated to the house does not appear upon
the journals. It was reported at the time that De Foe, dis-
guised as a woman, presented it to the Speaker as he entered the
House of Commons. The "Legion" petition rang like a tocsin
throughout the kingdom. As, however, the author remained con-
cealed, the Commons did not think fit to pass any particular censure
upon it. The Kentish petitioners were discharged by the proroga-
tion of parliament on the 24th of June: they were subsequently
"Next the
feasted at Mercers' Hall, where De Foe attended.
Worthis," says a pamphlet of the time, "was placed their secretary
of state, the author of the 'Legion Paper;' and one might have
read the downfall of parliaments in his very countenance."
By the death of King William, "more mortally wounded," says
De Foe, "with the pointed rage of parties, and an ungrateful peo-
ple, than by the fall from his horse," our author lost a kind friend
and powerful protector. Towards the latter part of this reign, De
Foe took up his abode at Hackney, and resided there many years.
Here some of his children were born and buried. In the parish
register is the following entry: "Sophia, daughter to Daniel De Foe,
by Mary his wife, was baptized December 24, 1701,
""
The next important work of De Foe-a work that exercised the
greatest influence on his fortunes-was the "Shortest Way with the
Dissenters; or, Proposals for the Establishment of the Church;
1702." In this work, the author, assuming the character of an Ultra
High Churchman, advocates the adoption of the severest measures
against the Dissenters. "'Tis vain," writes De Foe, "to trifle in
this matter. The light, foolish handling of them by fines, is their
glory and advantage. If the gallows instead of the compter, and the
galleys instead of the fines, were the reward of going to a conven-
ticle, there would not be so many sufferers." These arguments
found high favor with both the Universities. The High Church
Party never suspected the sincerity of their partisan, and charmed
and won by the fierce doctrines of their champion, were unsuspi-
cious of the satire of their extravagance. It was, however, De Foe's
hard fate to be misunderstood by both parties. Whilst the High
Churchmen congratulated themselves on the addition of another.ad-
vocate, the Dissenters treated him as a real enemy. The Church
party, however, fell into the trap laid for them by De Foe; for by
expressing their delight at the fiery sentiments of the author, they
avowed them as their own true feelings on the question. De Foe
subsequently taunts the party thus: "We have innumerable testi-
monies," he says, "with which that party embraced the proposal of
sending all the Dissenting ministers to the gallows and the galleys;
of having all their meeting-houses demolished; and being let loose
upon the people to plunder and destroy them." In another place,
De Foe characteristically portrays the common fate of the subtlety
"All the fault I
of wit, when judged by the multitude. He says,
can find with myself as to these people (the Dissenters) is, that when
MEIR OF DE FOE.
I had drawn the picture, I did not, like the Dutchman with his man
and bear, write under them, 'This is the man,' and 'This is the
bear,' lest the people should mistake me; and having in a compli-
ment to their judgment shunned so sharp a reflection upon their
senses, I have left them at liberty to treat me like one that put a
value upon their penetration at the expense of my own." The first
detection of our author is said to have been owing to the industry of
the Earl of Nottingham, one of the secretaries of state. When the
author's name was known, people were at no loss to decipher his
object; and those who had committed themselves by launching forth
in his praises were stung with madness at their own folly. It was at
once resolved by the party in power to crush De Foe by a state pros-
ecution. In the height of the storm, our author sought conceal-
ment; when a proclamation was issued by the government, offering
£50 for the discovery of his retreat, and advertised in "The Lon-
don Gazette," for January 10, 1702-3. It was as follows:
Whereas, Daniel De Foe, alias De Fooe, is charged with wri-
ting a scandalous and seditious pamphlet, entitled, "The Shortest
Way with the Dissenters.' He is a middle-sized, spare man, about
forty years old; of a brown complexion, and dark brown colored
hair, but wears a wig; a hook nose, a sharp chin, gray eyes, and a
large mole near his mouth: was born in London, and for many years
was a hose-factor in Freeman's Yard, Cornhill: and now is owner of
the brick and pantile works, near Tilbury Fort, in Essex: whoever
shall discover the said Daniel De Foe to one of her Majesty's prin-
cipal secretaries of state, or any of her Majesty's justices of peace,
so he may be apprehended, shall have a reward of £50, which her
Majesty has ordered immediately to be paid upon such discovery."
In the House of Commons, it was resolved that the book "be
burnt by the hands of the common hangman in Palace Yard." The
printer of the work and the bookseller being taken into custody, De
Foe issued forth from his retirement, to brave the storm, resolving,
as he expresses it, "to throw himself upon the favor of government,
rather than that others should be ruined by his mistake." De Foe
was indicted at the Old Bailey sessions, the 24th of February, 1703,
and proceeded to trial the following July. It may be gathered from
his own account of the prosecution, that when his enemies had him
in their power, they were at a loss to know what to do with him. He
was therefore advised to throw himself on the mercy of the queen,
with a promise of protection; which induced him to quit his defence,
and acknowledge himself as the author of the offensive work. On
this, De Foe was sentenced to pay a fine of 200 marks to the queen; to
stand three times in the pillory; to be imprisoned during the queen's
pleasure, and to find sureties for his good behavior for seven years.
The people, however, were with De Foe. Hence, he was guard-
ed to the pillory by the populace; and descended from it with the
triumphant acclamations of the surrounding multitude. De Foe has
himself related, that "the people, who were expected to treat him
very ill, on the contrary pitied him, and wished those who set him
there were placed in his room, and expressed their affections by loud
xii
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
4
او
shouts and acclamations when he was taken down." Tradition
reports that the pillory was adorned with garlands, it being in the
middle of summer. The odium intended for De Foe fell upon his
persecutors, and the pillory became to him a place of honor.
A triumphant evidence of the high spirit of De Foe-a spirit ele
vated and strengthened by its unconquerable love of truth-is mani
fested by the fact, that on the very day of his exhibition to the peo
ple, he published "A Hymn to the Pillory!" This poem, which
successively passed through several editions, being eagerly bought
up by the people, opens nobly as follows:-
Hail! hieroglyphick state machine,
Contrived to punish fancy in;
Men that are men in thee can feel no pain,
And all thy insignificants disdain.
Contempt, that false new word for shame,
Is, without crime, an empty name;
A shadow to amuse mankind,
But never frights the wise or well-fixed mind;
Virtue despises human scorn,
And scandals innocence adorn.
""
De Foe is now presented to us, stripped of his fortunes, and a
prisoner. In consequence of his imprisonment, he could no longer
attend to his pantile works, which produced the chief source of his
revenue, and they were consequently given up. By this affair he
lost, as he himself informs us, £3,500; and he had now a wife and
six children dependent upon him, with no other resource for their
support than the product of his pen. Hence the leisure of De Foe,
whilst in Newgate, was not that of idleness or dissipation. Some of
his subsequent writings leave no doubt that he now stored his mind
with those facts relative to the habits and pursuits of the prisoners,
which he has detailed with so much nature as well as interest. A
great part of his time was devoted to the composition of political
works which our limits will not permit us to dwell upon. It was
likewise whilst in Newgate that he projected his "Review," a pe-
riodical work of four quarto pages, which was published for nine
successive years without intermission; during the greater part of
the time, three times a week, and without having received any as-
sistance whatever in its production. Throughout this work, he car-
ried on an unsparing warfare against folly and vice in all their dis-
guises it pointed the way to the "Tatlers," "Spectators," and
"Guardians," and may be referred to as containing a vast body of
matter on subjects of high interest, written with all the author's char-
acteristic spirit and vigor.
:
The Tories vainly endeavored to buy up De Foe: but Newgate
had no terrors of him, and he continued at once their prisoner and
their assailant. Upon the accession of Mr. Harley to office, his
own politics not being dissimilar to those of De Foe, the minister
made a private communication to our author, with the view of ob-
taining his support. No immediate arrangement, however, took
place between them, as De Foe remained a prisoner some months
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
xiu
afterwards. Notwithstanding, it is most likely that the queen be-
came acquainted with De Foe's real merits through the medium oi
the minister, and was made conscious of the injustice of our author's
sufferings, which she now appeared desirous to mitigate. For this
purpose, she sent money to his wife and family, at the same time
transmitting to him a sufficient sum for the payment of his fine, and
the expenses attending his discharge from prison.
On his release from Prison, De Foe retired to Bury St. Ed-
munds. Party clamor, and party malice, however, pursued him
there. On the miserable libels issued at this time against him, he
says, "I tried retirement, and banished myself from the town. I
thought, as the boys used to say, 'twas but fair they should let me
alone, while I did not meddle with them. But neither a country re-
cess, any more than a stone doublet, can secure a man from the
clamor of the pen." In his elegy on the author of "The True-Born
Englishman," he alludes to the report that the Tories had exerted
themselves in his favor. He says, in answer,-
"So I, by Whigs abandoned, bear
The Satyr's unjust lash
;
Die with the scandal of their help,
But never saw their cash."
It appears that in 1705 De Foe was employed by Harley to ex-
ecute some mission of a secret nature, which required his presence
upon the continent. The mission, whatever it was, appears to have
been attended with some danger, and to have required his absence
for about two months. Harley seems to have been so well satisfied,
that upon De Foe's return, he was rewarded with an appointment at
home. In 1706, De Foe wrote voluminously on the subject of the
union with Scotland, which measure he advocated with all the strength
of his powers. This advocacy obtained for him a confidential mis-
sion to Scotland, where he was received with great consideration.
While in Edinburgh, he published his "Caledonia," &c., a poem in
honor of Scotland and the Scots nation. Of the union, he says in
his "Review," "I have told Scotland of improvement in trade,
wealth, and shipping, that shall accrue to them on the happy con-
clusion of this affair; and I am pleased doubly with this, that I am
likely to be one of the first men that shall give them the pleasure of
the experiment." In 1708, De Foe was rewarded with an appoint-
ment and a fixed salary. When the union was completed, he pub-
lished "The Union of Great Britain." In 1710, De Foe resided at
Stoke-Newington, and appears to have been comfortable in his cir-
cumstances. In 1712 was closed the last volume of the "Review."
In a long preface to this volume, De Foe has a most eloquent de-
fence of this work, and of the mode in which he had conducted it.
Nothing can be finer, more manly, or more conclusive. In allusion
to his sufferings during the progress of the work, he says, "I have
gone through a life of wonders, and am the subject of a vast variety
of providences; I have been fed more by miracle than Elijah when
#
Xiv
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
the ravens were his purveyors. I have some time ago summed up
my life in this distich :~
No man has tasted differing fortunes more,
And thirteen times I have been rich and poor.
>
In the school of affliction I have learnt more than at the academy,
and more divinity than from the pulpit; in prison, I have learnt to
know that liberty does not consist in open doors, and the free egress
and regress of locomotion. I have seen the rough side of the world
as well as the smooth, and have, in less than half a year, tasted the
difference between the closet of a king and the dungeon of New-
gate." This preface may be considered as a review, a summing
up of the events of De Foe's political life, and as such is of the
highest value for the noble spirit of conscious truth breathing in and
animating every line of it. As a piece of English, it is exquisite
for its inate strength-the beauty of its simplicity. De Foe, how-
ever, was again doomed to taste the dungeon sweets of Newgate,
being committed there upon the foolish charge of writing libels in
favor of the Pretender.
•
After the death of Queen Anne, De Foe, who had been a politi-
cal writer for thirty years, retired from the thorny field to the more
pleasant paths of instructive fiction. Whilst writing "An Appeal
to Honor and Justice," he was struck with apoplexy; he however
recovered, and in the early part of 1715, committed to the press one
of his most valuable treatises, "The Family Instructor."
In 1719
appeared the immortal "Robinson Crusoe." Nearly the whole
circle of booksellers had in vain been canvassed for a publisher.
William Taylor, the fortunate speculator, is said to have cleared a
thousand pounds by the work, which rose into immediate popularity,
despite of the rancorous assaults of the petty, vulgar minds abound-
ing amongst De Foe's political enemies. There can be no doubt
that the idea of the work was first suggested to De Foe by the story
of Alexander Selkirk, which had been given to the public seven
years before. The enemies of De Foe charged him with having ob
tained this man's journal, and from its contents producing "Robin
son Crusoe." The truth is, De Foe was as much indebted to Sel
kirk for the materials nsed in his immortal work, as was Vandyk..
for his portraits to the colorman who furnished him with pigments
In a number of "The Englishman," Sir Richard Steele gave the
'true and particular history of Selkirk. The place in which "Row-
inson Crusoe" was composed has been variously contested. It
seems most probable (says Mr. Wilson), that De Foe wrote it in his
retirement in Stoke-Newington, where he resided, during the prin-
cipal part of Queen Anne's reign, in a large white house, rebuilt by
himself, and still standing in Church Street. The work has been
printed in almost every written language,-nas been the delight of
men of all creeds and all distinctions-from the London apprentice
in his garret to the Arab in his tent.
"Robinson Crusoe " was speedily followed by the "Account of
Dickory Crooke," the "Life and Piracies of Captain Singleton,"

MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
XV
the "History of Duncan Campbell," the "Fortunes and Misfor-
tunes of Moll Flanders," the "Life of Colonel Jacque," the
"Memoirs of a Cavalier," and that extraordinary work, the "Ac-
count of the Plague." We might possibly have laid before the
ader a correct list of the multifarious productions of our author,
many of them, until of late, most difficult to be obtained, had not the
spirit of the times called for complete editions of De Foe's works,
most welcome and valuable offerings to the reading part of the nation.
re
The latter years of De Foe's life must have been those of com-
etence, a most honorable competence, insured to him by his works,
ard the rapidity with which editions followed editions. There is,
however, a too miserable proof of his sufferings, inflicted upon him
by the cruelty and undutifulness of his son, who, to quote a letter of
De Foe, written in his anguish, "has both ruined my family and
Loroken my heart." De Foe adds, "I depended upon him, I trusted
thim, I gave up my two dear unprovided children into his hands; but
he has no compassion, and suffers them and their poor dying mother
to beg their bread at his door, and to crave, as if it were an alms,
what he is bound under hand and seal, besides the most sacred
promises, to supply them with; himself at the same time, living in
profusion of plenty. It is too much for me."
For some years before his death, De Foe was tormented with
those dreadful maladies, the gout and the stone, occasioned, in part,
most probably, by his close application to study, whilst making pos-
terity the heirs of undying wisdom. De Foe expired on the 24th of
April, 1731, when he was about seventy years of age, having been
born in the year 1661. The parish of St. Giles's, Cripplegate, in
which he drew his first breath, was also destined to receive his last.
He was buried from thence, on the 26th of April, in Tindall's burial-
ground, now most known by the name of Bunhill Fields. His wife
died at the latter end of the following year. De Foe left six chil-
dren, two sons and four daughters, whose descendants are living at
the present time.
The character of De Foe was but the practical example of his
noble writings. As a citizen of the world, his love of truth, and the
patience, the cheerfulness, with which he endured the obloquy and
persecution of his enemies, endear him to us as a great working
benefactor to his race. His memory is enshrined with the memories
of those who make steadfast our faith in the nobility and goodness
of human nature. As a writer, De Foe has bequeathed to us im-
perishable stores of the highest and the most useful wisdom. If he
paint vice, it is to show its hideousness; whilst virtue itself receives
a new attraction at his hands. His poetry is chiefly distinguished
for its fine common sense; it has no flights-it never wraps us by
its imagination, but convinces us by its terseness; by the irresist-
ible eloquence of its truth. De Foe's prose, though occasionally
careless, is remarkable for its simplicity and strength. What he has
to say, he says in the shortest manner, and in the simplest style. He
does not the vice of our day-hide his thoughts under a glittering
mass of words, but uses words as the pictures of things. It is owing

xvi
MEMOIR OF DE foe.
"
to this appy faculty, this unforced power, that De Foe occasionally
rises, as in many instances in the golden volume now offered to the
reader, almost to the sublime. In his picture of the despair of
Crusoe, we have, in words intelligible even to infancy, a wondres
delineation of the soul of man in a most trying and most terrible
hour. De Foe is, in the most emphatic sense of the word, an Eng-
lish writer. Cobbett has been compared to him; and in many of
the minor parts of authorship there is, certainly, a similitude; but
Cobbett was singularly deficient of imagination, the power which
gave a color and a beauty to all that De Foe touched, even though
of the homeliest and most unpromising materials.
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I
LIFE AND ADVENTURES
1
OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good
family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner
of Bremen, who settled first at Hull: he got a good estate by
merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York;
from whence he had married my mother, whose relations were
named Robinson, a very good family in that country, and from
whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but, by the usual
corruption of words in England, we are now called-nay, we
call ourselves, and write our name-Crusoe; and so my com-
panions always called me.
I had two elder brothers, one of whom was lieutenant-colonel
to an English regiment of foot in Flanders, formerly commanded.
by the famous Colonel Lockhart, and was killed at the battle
near Dunkirk against the Spaniards.
What became of my
second brother I never knew, any more than my father or
mother did know what was become of me.
Being the third son of the family, and not bred to any trade,
my head began to be filled very early with rambling thoughts;
my father, who was very ancient, had given me a competent
share of learning, as far as house-education and a country free-
school generally go, and designed me for the law; but I would
be satisfied with nothing but going to sea; and my inclination
to this led me so strongly against the will, nay, the commands
of my father, and against all the entreaties and persuasions of
my mother and other friends, that there seemed to be some-
thing fatal in that propensity of nature, tending directly to the
life of misery which was to befall me.
My father, a wise and grave man, gave me serious and ex-
له
14
ROBINSON CRISOE.
cellent counsel against what he foresaw was my design. He
called me one morning into his chamber, where he was confined
by the gout, and expostulated very warmly with me upon this
subject he asked me what reasons, more than a meré wander-
ing inclination, I had for leaving my father's house and my
native country, where I might be well introduced, and had a
prospect of raising my fortune by application and industry, with
a life of ease and pleasure. He told me it was men of desper-
ate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortunes on
the other, who went abroad upon adventures, to rise by enter-
prise, and make themselves famous in undertakings of a nature
out of the common road; and these things were all either too
far above me, or too far below me; that mine was the middle
state, or what might be called the upper station of low life, which
he had found, by long experience, was the best state in the
world, the most suited to human happiness, not exposed to the
miseries and hardships, the labor and sufferings of the me-
chanic part of mankind, and not embarrassed with the pride,
luxury, ambition, and envy of the upper part of mankind. He
told me I might judge of the happiness of this state by this one
thing, viz.: that this was the state of life which all other people
envied; that kings have frequently lamented the miserable con-
sequence of being born to great things, and wished they had
been placed in the middle of the two extremes, between the
mean and the great; that the wise man gave his testimony to
this, as the standard of felicity, when he prayed to have neither
poverty nor riches.
He bade me observe it, and I should always find, that the
calamities of life were shared among the upper and lower part
of mankind; but that the middle station had the fewest disas-
ters, and was not exposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher
or lower part of mankind; nay, they were not subjected to so
many distempers, and uneasiness, either of body or mind, as
those were who, by vicious living, luxury, and extravagances on
one hand, or by hard labor, want of necessaries, and mean or
insufficient diet on the other hand, bring distempers upon them-
selves by the natural consequences of their way of living; that
the middle station of life was calculated for all kind of virtues
and all kind of enjoyments; that peace and plenty were the
handmaids of a middle fortune; that temperance, moderation,
quietness, health, society, all agreeable diversions, and all de-
sirable pleasures, were the blessings attending the middle
station of life; that this way men went silently and smoothly
through the world, and comfortably out of it, not embarrassed
MIU
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
15
with the labors of the hands or of the head, not sold to a life of
slavery for daily bread, nor harassed with perplexed circum-
stances, which rob the soul of peace, and the body of rest; nor
enraged with the passion of envy, or the secret burning lust of
ambition for great things; but, in easy circumstances, sliding
gently through the world, and sensibly tasting the sweets of
living, without the bitter; feeling that they are happy, and
learning by every day's experience to know it more sensibly.
After this, he pressed me earnestly, and in the most affec-
tionate manner, not to play the young man, nor to precipitate
myself into miseries which nature, and the station of life I was
born in seemed to have provided against; that I was under no
necessity of seeking my bread; that he would do well for me,
and endeavor to enter me fairly into the station of life which he
had just been recommending to me; and that if I was not very
easy and happy in the world, it must be my mere fate or fault
that must hinder it; and that he should have nothing to answer
for, having thus discharged his duty in warning me against
measures which he knew would be to my hurt; in a word, that
as he would do very kind things for me if I would stay and
settle at home as he directed, so he would not have so much
hand in my misfortunes, as to give me any encouragement to
go away; and to close all, he told me I had my elder brother
for an example, to whom he had used the same earnest persua-
sions to keep him from going into the Low Country wars, but
could not prevail, his young desires prompting him to run into
the army, where he was killed; and though he said he would
not cease to pray for me, yet he would venture to say to me,
that if I did take this foolish step God would not bless me, and
I should have leisure hereafter to reflect upon having neglected
*his counsel, when there might be none to assist in my re-
covery.
I observed in this last part of his discourse, which was truly
prophetic, though I suppose my father did not know it to be so
himself; I say, I observed the tears run down his face very
plentifully, especially when he spoke of my brother who was
killed; and that when he spoke of my having leisure to repent,
and none to assist me, he was so moved that he broke off the
discourse, and told me his heart was so full he could say no
more to me.
I was sincerely affected with this discourse, as indeed who
could be otherwise? and I resolved not to think of going
abroad any more, but to settle at home according to my father's
desire. But alas! a few days wore it all off; and, in short, to
16
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
prevent any of my father's further importunities, in a few weeks
after, I resolved to run quite away from him. However, I
did not act quite so hastily as the first heat of my resolution
prompted, but I took my mother at a time when I thought her a
little more pleasant than ordinary, and told her that my thoughts
were so entirely bent upon seeing the world that I should never
settle to anything witli resolution enough to go through with it,
and my father had better give me his consent than force me to
go without it; that I was now eighteen years old, which was too
late to go apprentice to a trade, or clerk to an attorney; that I
was sure if I did I should never serve out my time, but I should
certainly run away from my master before my time was out, and
go to sea; and if she would speak to my father to let me go
one voyage abroad, if I came home again, and did not like it, I
would go no more; and I would promise, by a double diligence,
to recover the time that I had lost.
This put my mother into a great passion; she told me she
knew it would be to no purpose to speak to my father upon any
such subject; that he knew too well what was my interest to
give his consent to anything so much for my hurt; and that
she wondered how I could think of any such thing after the
discourse I had had with my father, and such kind and tender
expressions as she knew my father had used to me; and that,
in short, if I would ruin myself, there was no help for me; but
I might depend I should never have their consent to it; that
for her part, she would not have so much hand in my destruc-
tion;
and I should never have it to say that my mother was
willing when my father was not.
Though my mother refused to name it to my father, yet I
heard afterwards that she reported all the discourse to him.
and that my father, after showing a great concern at it, said to
her, with a sigh, "That boy might be happy if he would stay at
home; but if he goes abroad he will be the most miserable
wretch that ever was born: I can give no consent to it."
It was not till almost a year after this that I broke loose,
though, in the mean time, I continued obstinately deaf to all
proposals of settling to business, and frequently expostulated
with my father and mother about their being so positively
determined against what they knew my inclinations prompted
me to. But being one day at Hull, whither I went casually,
and without any purpose of making an elopement at that time;
but, I say, being there, and one of my companions being going
by sea to London in his father's ship, and prompting me to go
with them, with the common allurement of a seafaring man,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
I
猪
​that it should cost me nothing for my passage, I consulted
neither father nor mother any more, nor so much as sent
them word of it; but leaving them to hear of it as they might,
without asking God's blessing or my father's, without any con-
sideration of circumstances or consequences, and in an ill hour,
God knows, on the 1st of September, 1651, I went on board a
ship bound for London. Never any young adventurer's mis-
fortunes, I believe, began sooner or continued longer than
mine. The ship was no sooner got out of the Humber, than
the wind began to blow and the sea to rise in a most frightful
manner; and, as I had never been at sea before, I was most
inexpressibly sick in body, and terrified in mind. I began now
seriously to reflect upon what I had done, and how justly I
was overtaken by the judgment of Heaven for my wicked leav-
ing my father's house, and abandoning my duty. All the good
counsels of my parents, my father's tears and my mother's en-
treaties, came now fresh into my mind; and my conscience,
which was not yet come to the pitch of hardness to which it has
come since, reproached me with the contempt of advice, and
the breach of my duty to God and my father.
All this while the storm increased, and the sea went very
high, though nothing like what I have seen many times since;
no, nor what I saw a few days after; but it was enough to
affect me then, who was but a young sailor, and had never
known anything of the matter. I expected every wave would
have swallowed us up, and that every time the ship fell down,
as I thought it did, in the trough or hollow of the sea, we
should never rise more in this agony of mind, I made many
vows and resolutions, that if it would please God to spare my
life in this one voyage, if ever I got once my foot upon dry
land again, I would go directly home to my father, and never
set it into a ship again while I lived; that I would take his
advice, and never run myself into such miseries as these any
more. Now I saw plainly the goodness of his observations
about the middle station of life, how easy, how comfortably he
had lived all his days, and never had been exposed to tem-
pests at sea, or troubles on shore; and, in short, I resolved
that I would, like a true repenting prodigal, go home to my
father.
These wise and sober thoughts continued ail the while the
storm lasted, and indeed some time after; but the next day the
wind was abated, and the sea calmer, and I began to be a little
inured to it; however, I was very grave for all that day, being
2
"
18
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
also a little sea-sick still; but towards night the weather cleared
up, the wind was quite over, and a charming fine evening fol
lowed; the sun went down perfectly clear, and rose so the next
morning; and having little or no wind, and a smooth sea, the
sun shining upon it, the sight was, as I thought, the most de-
lightful that ever I saw.
I had slept well in the night, and was now no more sea-sick,
but very cheerful, looking with wonder upon the sea that was
so rough and terrible the day before, and could be so calm and
so pleasant in so little a time after. And now, lest my good
resolutions should continue, my companion, who had enticed
me away, comes to me: "Well, Bob," says he, clapping me
upon the shoulder, “how do you do after it? I warrant you
were frighted, wer'n't you, last night, when it blew but a capful
of wind?" (6
A capful d'you call it?" said I; "'twas a ter-
rible storm." "A storm, you fool you," replies he; "do you
call that a storm? why, it was nothing at all; give us but a
good ship and sea-room, and we think nothing of such a squall
of wind as that; but you're but a fresh-water sailor, Bob.
Come, let us make a bowl of punch, and we'll forget all that;
d'ye see what charming weather 'tis now?" To make short
this sad part of my story, we went the way of all sailors; the
punch was made, and I was made half drunk with it; and in
that one night's wickedness I drowned all my repentance, all
my reflections upon my past conduct, all my resolutions for the
future. In a word, as the sea was returned to its smoothness
of surface and settled calmness by the abatement of that storm,
so the hurry of my thoughts being over, my fears and appre-
hensions of being swallowed up by the sea being forgotten, and
the current of my former desires returned, I entirely forgot the
vows and promises that I made in my distress. I found, in
deed, some intervals of reflection; and the serious thoughts
did, as it were, endeavor to return again sometimes; but I
shook them off, and roused myself from them as it were from a
distemper, and applying myself to drinking and company, soon
mastered the return of those fits-for so I called them; and I
had in five or six days got as complete a victory over my con-
science as any young fellow that resolved not to be troubled
with it could desire. But I was to have another trial for it
still; and Providence, as in such cases generally it does, re-
solved to leave me entirely without excuse; for if I would not
take this for a deliverance, the next was to be such a one as
the worst and most hardened wretch among us would confess
both the danger and the mercy of.
中
​1
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
19
The sixth day of our being at sea we came into Yarmouth
Roads; the wind having been contrary, and the weather calm,
we had made but little way since the storm. Here we were
obliged to come to an anchor, and here we lay, the wind con-
tinuing contrary, viz. : at the south-west, for seven or eight days,
during which time a great many ships from Newcastle came
into the same roads, as the common harbor where the ships.
might wait for a wind for the river.
We had not, however, rid here so long, but we should have
tided it up the river, but that the wind blew too fresh, and
after we had lain four or five days, blew very hard. However,
the roads being reckoned as good as a harbor, the anchorage
good, and our ground-tackle very strong, our men were uncon-
cerned, and not in the least apprehensive of danger, but spent
the time in rest and mirth, after the manner of the sea; but
the eighth day, in the morning, the wind increased, and we had
all hands at work to strike our top-masts, and make everything
snug and close, that the ship might ride as easy as possible.
By noon the sea went very high indeed, and our ship rode fore-
castle in, shipped several seas, and we thought once or twice
our anchor had come home; upon which our master ordered
out the sheet-anchor, so that we rode with two anchors ahead,
and the cables veered out to the better end.
""
By this time it blew a terrible storm indeed; and now I
began to see terror and amazement in the faces even of the
seamen themselves. The master, though vigilant in the busi-
ness of preserving the ship, yet as he went in and out of his
cabin by me, I could hear him softly to himself say several
times, "Lord, be merciful to us! we shall be all lost; we shall
be all undone ! and the like. During these first hurries I was
stupid, lying still in my cabin, which was in the steerage, and
cannot describe my temper: I could ill resume the first peni-
tence which I had so apparently trampled upon, and hardened
myself against: I thought the bitterness of death had been
past, and that this would be nothing like the first; but when
the master himself came by me, as I said just now, and said
we should be all lost, I was dreadfully frighted. I got up out of
my cabin, and looked out; but such a dismal sight I never
saw the sea ran mountains high, and broke upon us every
three or four minutes; when I could look about, I could see
nothing but distress round us; two ships that rode near us, we
found, had cut their masts by the board, being deep laden; and
our men cried out, that a ship which rode about a mile ahead
of us was foundered. Two more ships, being driven from their
20
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
anchors, were run out of the roads to sea, at all adventures,
and that not with a mast standing. The light ships fared the
best, as not so much laboring in the sea; but two or three of
them drove, and came close by us, running away with only their
spritsail out before the wind.
Towards evening the mate and boatswain begged the mas-
ter of our ship to let them cut away the foremast, which he was
very unwilling to do; but the boatswain protesting to him, that
if he did not, the ship would founder, he consented; and when
they had cut away the foremast, the main-mast stood so loose,
and shook the ship so much, they were obliged to cut that away
also, and make a clear deck.
And one must judge what a condition I must be in at all
this, who was but a young sailor, and who had been in such a
fright before at but a little. But if I can express at this dis-
tance the thoughts I had about me at that time, I was in tenfold
more horror of mind upon account of my former convictions,
and the having returned from them to the resolutions I had
wickedly taken at first, than I was at death itself! and these,
added to the terror of the storm, put me into such a condition
that I can by no words describe it. But the worst was not
come yet; the storm continued with such fury that the seamen
themselves acknowledged they had never seen a worse. We
had a good ship, but she was deep laden, and wallowed in the
sea, so that the seamen every now and then cried out she would
founder. It was my advantage in one respect that I did not
know what they meant by founder, till I inquired. However
the storm was so violent, that I saw, what is not often seen,
the master, the boatswain, and some others more sensible than
the rest, at their prayers, and expecting every moment when
the ship would go to the bottom. In the middle of the night,
and under all the rest of our distresses, one of the men that
had been down to see, cried out we had sprung a leak; another
said, there was four feet water in the hold. Then all hands
were called to the pump. At that word, my heart, as I thought,
died within me ; and I fell backwards upon the side of my bed
where I sat, into the cabin. However, the men roused me,
and told me, that I, that was able to do nothing before, was as
well able to pump as another; at which I stirred up, and went
to the pump and worked very heartily. While this was doing,
the master, seeing some light colliers, who, not able to ride out
the storm, were obliged to slip, and run away to the sea, and
would come near us, ordered to fire a gun as a signal of distress.
I, who knew nothing what they meant, thought the ship had
+}
(
ROBINSON CRUSOÈ.
21
broken, or some dreadful thing happened. In a word, I was
so surprised that I fell down in a swoon. As this was a time
when everybody had his own life to think of, nobody minded
me, or what was become of me; but. another man stepped to
the pump, and thrusting me aside with his foot, let me lie, think-
ing I had been dead and it was a great while before I came
to myself.
We worked on; but the water increasing in the hold, it
was apparent that the ship would founder; and though the
storm began to abate a little, yet as it was not possible she
could swim till we might run into any port, so the master con-
tinued firing guns for help; and a light ship, who had rid it out
just ahead of us, ventured a boat out to help us. It was with
the utmost hazard the boat came near us; but it was impossible
for us to get on board, or for the boat to lie near the ship's side,
till at last the men rowing very heartily, and venturing their
lives to save ours, our men cast them a rope over the stern with
a buoy to it, and then veered it out a great length, which they,
after much labor and hazard, took hold of, and we hauled them
close under our stern, and got all into their boat. It was to no
purpose for them or us, after we were in the boat, to think of
reaching to their own ship; so all agreed to let her drive, and
only to pull her in towards shore as much as we could; and
our master promised them, that if the boat was staved upon
shore, he would make it good to their master; so partly row-
ing and partly driving, our boat went away to the northward,
sloping towards the shore almost as far as Winterton Ness.
We were not much more than a quarter of an hour out of
our ship till we saw her sink, and then I understood for the
first time what was meant by a ship foundering in the sea. I
must acknowledge I had hardly eyes to look up when the seamen
told me she was sinking; for from the moment that they rather
put me into the boat, than that I might be said to go in, my
heart was, as it were, dead within me, partly with fright, partly
with horror of mind, and the thoughts of what was yet before
me.
While we were in this condition, the men yet laboring at
the oar to bring the boat near the shore,-we could see (when
our boat mounting the waves, we were able to see the shore) a
great many people running along the strand, to assist us when
we should come near; but we made but slow way towards the
shore; nor were we able to reach the shore, till, being past
the lighthouse at Winterton, the shore falls off to the westward
towards Cromer, and so the land broke off a little the violence of
⭑2
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
the wind. Here we got in, and, though not without much diff-
culty, got ali safe on shore, and walked afterwards on foot to
Yarmouth, where, as unfortunate men, we were used with great
humanity, as well by the magistrates of the town, who assigned
us good quarters, as by particular merchants and owners of
ships, and had money given us sufficient to carry us either to
London or back to Hull, as we thought fit.
Had I now had the sense to have gone back to Hull, and
have gone home, I had been happy, and my father, as in our
blessed Saviour's parable, had even killed the fatted calf for me ;
for hearing the ship I went away in was cast away in Yarmouth
Roads, it was a great while before he had any assurances that
I was not drowned.
But my ill fate pushed me on now with an obstinacy that
nothing could resist ; and though I had several times loud calls
from my reason, and my more composed judgment, to go home,
yet I had no power to do it. I know not what to call this, nor
will I urge that it is a secret overruling decree, that hurries us
on to be the instruments of our own destruction, even though it
be before us, and that we rush upon it with our eyes open.
Certainly, nothing but some such decreed unavoidable misery,
which it was impossible for me to escape, could have pushed me
forward against the calm reasonings and persuasions of my most
retired thoughts, and against two such visible instructions as I
had met with in my first attempt.
My comrade, who had helped to harden me before, and who
was the master's son, was now less forward than I. The first
time he spoke to me after we were at Yarmouth, which was not
till two or three days, for we were separated in the town to sev-
eral quarters; I say, the first time he saw me, it appeared his
tone was altered; and looking very melancholy, and shaking his
head, he asked me how I did, and telling his father who I was,
and how I had come this voyage only for a trial, in order to go
farther abroad: his father, turning to me with a very grave and
concerned tone, "Young man," says he, "you ought never to
go to sea any more; you ought to take this for a plain and
visible token that you are not to be a seafaring man."
"Why,
sir," said I, "will you go to sea no more!"
"That is another
case," said he; "it is my calling, and therefore my duty; but,
as you made this voyage for a trial, you see what a taste Heaven
has given you of what you are to expect if you persist. Perhaps
this has all befallen us on your account, like Jonah in the ship
of Tarshish. Pray," continues he, "what are you? and on
what account did you go to sea?" Upon that I told him some
"
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
23
T
}
of my story; at the end of which he burst out into a strange
kind of passion: "What had I done," says he, “that such an
unhappy wretch should come into my ship? I would not set
my foot in the same ship with thee again for a thousand pounds."
This indeed was, as I said, an excursion of his spirits, which
were yet agitated by the sense of his loss, and was farther than
he could have authority to go. However, hre afterwards talked
very gravely to me, exhorting me to go back to my father, and
not tempt Providence to my ruin, telling me I might see a vis-
ible hand of Heaven against me. And, young man,” said he,
"depend upon it, if you do not go back, wherever you go, you
will meet with nothing but disasters and disappointments, till
your father's words are fulfilled upon you.”
،،
We parted soon after; for I made him little answer, and I
saw him no more; which way he went I knew not.
As for me,
having some money in my pocket, I travelled to London by
land; and there, as well as on the road, had many struggles
with myself, what course of life I should take, and whether I
should go home or go to sea.
As to going home, shame opposed the best motions that
offered to my thoughts; and it immediately occurred to me how
I should be laughed at among the neighbors, and should be
ashamed to see, not my father and mother only, but even every-
body else; from whence I have since often observed, how
incongruous and irrational the common temper of mankind is,
especially of youth, to that reason which ought to guide them in
such cases, viz.: that they are not ashamed to sin, and yet are
ashamed to repent; not ashamed of the action for which they
ought justly to be esteemed fools, but are ashamed of the re-
turning, which only can make them be esteemed wise men.
In this state of life, however, I remained some time, uncer-
tain what measures to take, and what course of life to lead. An
irresistible reluctance continued to going home; and as I staid
a while, the remembrance of the distress I had been in wore
off; and as that abated, the little motion I had in my desires to
return wore off with it, till at last I quite laid aside the thoughts
of it, and looked out for a voyage.
That evil influence which carried me first away from my
father's house, which hurried me into the wild and indigested
notion of raising my fortune, and that impressed those conceits
so forcibly upon me as to make me deaf to all good advice, and
to the entreaties and even the commands of my father,—I say,
the same influence, whatever it was, presented the most unfor-
tunate of all enterprises to my view; and I went on board a
P
24
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
A
vessel bound to the coast of Africa, or, as our sailors vulgarly
called it, a voyage to Guinea.
It was my great misfortune that in all these adventures I
did not ship myself as a sailor; when, though I might indeed
have worked a little harder than ordinary, yet at the same time
I should have learned the duty and office of a foremast man, and
in time might have qualified myself for a mate or lieutenant, if
not for a master. But as it was always my fate.to choose for
the worse, so I did here; for having money in my pocket, and
good clothes upon my back, I would always go on board in the
habit of a gentleman; and so I neither had any business in the
ship, nor learned to do any.
It was my lot first of all to fall into pretty good company in
London, which does not always happen to such loose and mis-
guided young fellows as I then was; the devil generally not
omitting to lay some snare for them very early; but it was not
so with me. I first got acquainted with the master of a ship
who had been on the coast of Guinea, and who, having had very
good success there, was resolved to go again. This captain,
taking a fancy to my conversation, which was not at all disagree-
able at that time, hearing me say I had a mind to see the world,
told me if I would go the voyage with him I should be at no
expense; I should be his messmate and his companion; and if
I could carry anything with me, I should have all the advantage
of it that the trade would admit; and perhaps I might meet
with some encouragement.
I embraced the offer; and entering into a strict friendship
with this captain, who was an honest, plain-dealing man, I went
the voyage with him, and carried a small adventure with me,
which, by the disinterested honesty of my friend the captain, I
increased very considerably; for I carried about £40 in such
toys and trifles as the captain directed me to buy. These £40
I had mustered together by the assistance of some of my relations
whom I corresponded with; and who, I believe, got my father, or
at least my mother, to contribute so much as that to my first
adventure.
This was the only voyage which I may say was successful in
all my adventures, which I owe to the integrity and honesty of
my friend the captain; under whom also I got a competent
knowledge of the mathematics and the rules of navigation,
learned how to keep an account of the ship's course, take an
observation, and, in short, to understand some things that were
needful to be understood by a sailor; for, as he took delight to
instruct me, I took delight to learn ; and, in a word, this voyage
+
0
}}
ROBINSON 25
憋
​CRUSOE
made me both a sailor and a merchant; for I brought home
five pounds nine ounces of gold-dust for my adventure, which
yielded me in London, at my return, almost £300; and this
filled me with those aspiring thoughts which have since so com-
pleted my ruin.
Yet even in this voyage I had my misfortunes too; particu-
larly, that I was continually sick, being thrown into a violent.
calenture by the excessive heat of the climate; our principal
trading being upon the coast, from the latitude of fifteen degrees
north even to the line itself.
I was now set up for a Guinea trader; and my friend, to my
great misfortune, dying soon after his arrival, I resolved to go
the same voyage again, and I embarked in the same vessel with
one who was his mate in the former voyage, and had now got
the command of the ship. This was the unhappiest voyage that
ever man made; for though I did not carry quite £100 of my
new-gained wealt!, so that I had £200 left, which I had lodged
with my friend's widow, who was very just to me, yet I fell into
terrible misfortunes: the first was this-our ship, making her
course towards the Canary Islands, or rather between those
Islands and the African shore, was surprised in the gray of the
morning by a Turkish rover of Sallee, who gave chase to us
with all the sail she could make. We crowded also as much
canvas as our yards would spread, or our masts carry, to get
clear; but finding the pirate gained upon us, and would cer-
tainly come up with us in a few hours, we prepared to fight;
our ship having twelve guns, and the rogue eighteen. About
three in the afternoon he came up with us, and bringing to, by
mistake, just athwart our quarter, instead of athwart our stern,
as he intended, we brought eight of our guns to bear on that
side, and poured in a broadside upon him, which made him
sheer off again, after returning our fire, and pouring in also his
small shot from near two hundred men which he had on board.
However, we had not a man touched, all our men keeping close.
He prepared to attack us again, and we to defend ourselves ;
but laying us on board the next time upon our other quarter, he
entered sixty men upon our decks, who immediately fell to cut-
ting and hacking the sails and rigging. We plied them with
small shot, half-pikes, powder-chests, and such like, and cleared
our deck of them twice. However, to cut short this melancholy
part of our story, our ship being disabled, and three of our men
killed and eight wounded, we were obliged to yield, and were
carried all prisoners into Sallee, a port belonging to the Moors.
The usage I had there was not so dreadful as at first I ap-
26
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
*
prehended; nor was I carried up the country to the emperor's
court, as the rest of our men were, but was kept by the captain
of the rover as his proper prize, and made his slave, being
young and nimble, and fit for his business. At this surprising
change of my circumstances, from a merchant to a miserable
slave, I was perfectly overwhelmed; and now I looked back
upon my father's prophetic discourse to me, that I should be
miserable and have none to relieve me, which I thought was
now so effectually brought to pass, that I could not be worse;
for now the hand of Heaven had overtaken me, and I was un-
done without redemption; but, alas! this was but a taste of the
misery I was to go through, as will appear in the sequel of this
story.
mà
As my new patron, or master, had taken me home to his
house, so I was in hopes that he would take me with him when
he went to sea again, believing that it would some time or other
be his fate to be taken by a Spanish or Portuguese man-of-war,
and that then I should be set at liberty. But this hope of mine
was soon taken away; for when he went to sea, he left me on
shore to look after his little garden, and do the common drudg-
ery of slaves about his house; and when he come home again
from his cruise, he ordered me to lie in the cabin to look after
the ship.
Here I meditated nothing but my escape, and what method
I might take to effect it, but found no way that had the least
probability in it; nothing presented to make the supposition of
it rational; for I had nobody to communicate it to that would
embark with me-no fellow-slave, no Englishman, Irishman, or
Scotsman, there but myself; so that for two years, though I
often pleased myself with the imagination, yet I never had the
least encouraging prospect of putting it in practice.
After about two years, an odd circumstance presented itself,
which put the old thought of making some attempt for my liberty
again in my head. My patron lying at home longer than usual
without fitting out his ship, which, as I heard, was for want of
money, he used, constantly, once or twice a week, sometimes
oftener, if the weather was fair, to take the ship's pinnace, and
go out into the road a-fishing; and as he always took me and
the young Maresco with him to row the boat, we made him very
merry, and I proved very dexterous in catching fish; insomuch
that sometimes he would send me with a Moor, one of his kins-
men, and the youth-the Maresco, as they called him-to catch
a dish of fish for him.
It happened one time, that going a-fishing in a calm morn-
I
1
{1
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
27
ing, a fog rose so thick that, though we were not half a league
from the shore, we lost sight of it; and rowing we knew not
whither or which way, we labored all day, and all the next
night; and when the morning came, we found we had pulled
off to sea instead of pulling in for the shore; and that we were
at least two leagues from the shore. However, we got well
in again, though with a great deal of labor and some danger;
for the wind began to blow pretty fresh in the morning; but we
were all very hungry.
But our patron, warned by this disaster, resolved to take
more care of himself for the future; and having lying by him
the long-boat of our English ship that he had taken, he resolved
he would not go a-fishing any more without a compass and
some provision; so he ordered the carpenter of his ship, who
also was an English slave, to build a little state-room, or cabin,
in the middle of the long-boat, like that of a barge, with a place
to stand behind it to steer, and haul home the main-sheet: and
room before for a hand or two to stand and work the sails.
She sailed with what we call a shoulder-of-mutton sail; and the
boom gibed over the top of the cabin, which lay very snug and
low, and had in it room for him to lie, with a slave or two, and
a table to eat on, with some small lockers to put in some bottles
of such liquor as he thought fit to drink, and his bread, rice,
and coffee.
We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as I
was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without
me. It happened that he had appointed to go out in this boat,
either for pleasure or for fish, with two or three Moors of some
distinction in that place, and for whom he had provided extraor-
dinarily, and had therefore sent on board the boat over-night
a larger store of provisions than ordinary; and had ordered me
to get ready three fusees with powder and shot, which were on
board his ship, for that they designed some sport of fowling as
well as fishing.
I got all things ready as he had directed, and waited the
next morning with the boat washed clean, her ancient and pen
dants out, and everything to accommodate his guests; when by
and by my patron came on board alone, and told me his guests
had put off going, from some business that fell out, and ordered
me, with the man and boy, as usual, to go out with the boat
and catch them some fish, for that his friends were to sup at
his house; and commanded that as soon as I got some fish I
should bring it home to his house: all which I prepared to do.
This moment my former notions of deliverance darted into
28
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
my thoughts, for now I found I was likely to have a little shi
at my command; and my master being gone, I prepared to fur
nish myself, not for fishing business, but for a voyage; though
I knew not, neither did I so much as consider, whither I should
steer, anywhere to get out of that place was my desire.
A
(6
My first contrivance was to make a pretence to speak to this
Moor, to get something for our subsistence on board; for I
told him we must not presume to eat of our patron's bread.
He said that was true; so he brought a large basket of rusk or
biscuit, and three jars of fresh water, into the boat. I knew
where my patron's case of bottles stood, which it was evident,
by the make, were taken out of some English prize, and I con-
veyed them into the boat while the Moor was on shore, as if
they had been there before for our master, I conveyed also a
great lump of beeswax into the boat, which weighed above half
a hundred-weight, with a parcel of twine or thread, a hatchet, a
saw, and a hammer, all of which were of great use to us after-
wards, especially the wax to make candles. Another trick I
.ried upon him, which he innocently came into also: his name
was Ismael, which they call Muley, or Moely; so I called to
him: "Moely," said I, our patron's guns are on board the
boat; can you not get a little powder and shot? It may be we
nay kill some alcamies (a fowl like our curlews) for ourselves,
for I know he keeps the gunner's stores in the ship." "Yes,
says he, "I'll bring some;" and accordingly he brought a great
leather pouch, which held a pound and a half of powder, or
rather more; and another with shot, that had five or six pounds,
with some bullets, and put all into the boat. At the same time,
I had found some powder of my master's in the great cabin,
with which I filled one of the large bottles in the case, which
was almost empty, pouring what was in it into another; and
thus furnished with everything needful, we sailed out of the
port to fish. The castle, which is at the entrance of the port,
knew w.. we were, and took no notice of us; and we were not
above a mile out of the port before we hauled in our sail, and set
us down to fish. The wind blew from the N. N. E., which was
contrary to my desire, for had it blown southerly, I had been
sure to have made the coast of Spain, and at least reached to
the Bay of Cadiz; but my resolutions were, blow which way it
would, I would be gone from that horrid place where I was, and
leave the rest to fate.
""
After we had fished some time and caught nothing,-for
when I had fish on my hook I would not pull them up, that he
might not see them,-I said to the Moor, "This will not do ;
ROBINSON crusoe.
29
our master will not be thus served; we must stand farther off."
He, thinking no harm, agreed, and being in the head of the
boat, set the sails; and, as I had the helm, I run the boat out
near a league farther, and then brought her to as if I would fish ;
when, giving the boy the helm, I stepped forward to where the
Moor was, and making as if I stooped for something behind
him, I took him by surprise with my arm under his waist, and
tossed him clear overboard into the sea. He rose immediately.
for he swam like a cork, and called to me, begged to be taken in,
told me he would go all over the world with me. He swam so
strong after the boat, that he would have reached me very
quickly, there being but little wind; upon which I stepped into
the cabin, and fetching one of the fowling-pieces, I presented
it at him, and told him I had done him no hurt, and if he would
be quiet I would do him none. 'But," said I, "you swim well
enough to reach to the shore, and the sea is calm; make the
best of your way to shore, and I will do you no harm; but if
you come near the boat, I'll shoot you through the head, for I
am resolved to have my liberty: so he turned himself about,
and swam for the shore, and I make no doubt but he reached
it with ease, for he was an excellent swimmer.
(6
I could have been content to have taken this Moor with me,
and have drowned the boy, but there was no venturing to trust
him. When he was gone, I turned to the boy, whom they called
Xury, and said to him, "Xury, if you will be faithful to me, I'll
make you a great man; but if you will not stroke your face to be
true to me,"—that is, swear by Mahomet and his father's beard,
"I must throw you into the sea too." The boy smiled in my
face, and spoke so innocently, that I could not distrust him,
and swore to be faithful to me, and go all over the world
with me.
S
While I was in view of the Moor that was swimming, I stood
out directly to sea with the boat, rather stretching to windward,
that they might think me gone towards the strait's mouth (as
indeed any one that had been in their wits must have been sup-
posed to do): for who would have supposed we were sailed on to
the southward to the truly Barbarian coast, where whole nations
of Negroes were sure to surround us with their canoes, and
destroy us; where we could not go on shore but we should be
devoured by savage beasts, or more merciless savages of human
kind?
But as soon as it grew dusk in the evening, I changed
my course, and steered directly south and by east, bending my
course a little towards the east, that I might keep in with the
30
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
shore; and having a fair, fresh gale of wind, and a smooth,
quiet sea, I made such sail that I believe by the next day at
three o'clock in the afternoon, when I first made the land, I
could not be less than one hundred and fifty miles south of
Sallee; quite beyond the Emperor of Morocco's dominions, or
indeed of any other king thereabouts, for we saw no people.
♫
}
Yet such was the fright I had taken of the Moors, and the
dreadful apprehensions I had of falling into their hands, that I
would not stop, or go on shore, or come to an anchor; the
wind continuing fair till I had sailed in that manner five days;
and then the wind shifting to the southward, I concluded also
that if any of our vessels were in chase of me, they also would
now give over; so I ventured to make to the coast, and came
to an anchor in the mouth of a little river, I knew not what,
nor where; neither what latitude, what country, what nation, or
what river. I neither saw, nor desired to see any people; the
principal thing I wanted was fresh water. We came into this
creek in the evening, resolving to swim on shore as soon as is
was dark, and discover the country; but as soon as it was quite
dark, we heard such dreadful noises of the barking, roaring,.
and howling of wild creatures, of we knew not what kinds, that
the poor boy was ready to die with fear, and begged of me not
to go on shore till day. Well, Xury," said I, "then I won't;
but it may be we may see men by day, who will be as bad to us
as those lions." "Then we give them the shoot gun," says
Xury, laughing; "make them run wey." Such English Xury
spoke by conversing among us slaves. However, I was glad to
see the boy so cheerful, and I gave him a dram (out of our
patron's case of bottles) to cheer him up. After all, Xury's ad-
vice was good, and I took it: we dropped our little anchor, and
lay still all night; I say still, for we slept none; for in two or
three hours we saw vast great creatures (we knew not what to
call them) of many sorts, come down to the sea-shore, and run
into the water, wallowing and washing themselves for the pleas-
ure of cooling themselves; and they made such hideous howl-
ings and yellings, that I never indeed heard the like.
(4
Xury was dreadfully frightened, and so was I too; but we
were both more frighted when we heard one of these mighty
creatures come swimming towards our boat; we could not see
him, but we might hear him by his blowing to be a monstrous
huge and furious beast. Xury said it was a lion, and it might
be so for aught I know; but poor Xury cried to me to weigh
the anchor and row away. "No," says I, "Xury; we can slip
our cable, with the buoy to it, and go off to sea; they cannot
·
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
31
+
follow us far." I had no sooner said so, but I perceived the
creature (whatever it was) within two oars' length, which some-
thing surprised me; however, I immediately stepped to the
cabin-door, and taking up my gun, fired at him; upon which he
immediately turned about, and swam towards the shore again.
But it is impossible to describe the horrid noises, and hid-
eous cries and howlings, that were raised, as well upon the edge
of the shore as higher within the country, upon the noise or
report of the gun—a thing I have some reason to believe those
creatures had never heard before :-this convinced me that
there was no going on shore for us in the night on that coast,
and how to venture on shore in the day was another question
too;
for to have fallen into the hands of any of the savages
had been as bad as to have fallen into the hands of the lions
and tigers; at least we were equally apprehensive of the dan-
ger of it.
Be that as it would, we were obliged to go on shore some-
where or other for water, for we had not a pint left in the boat;
when or where to get it was the point. Xury said, if I would
let him go on shore with one of the jars, he would find if there
was any water, and bring some to me. I asked him why he
would go; why I should not go, and he stay in the boat. The
boy answered with so much affection, as made me love him
ever after. Says he, “If wild mans come, they eat me, you go
wey." "Well, Xury," said I, "we will both go, and if the wild
mans come, we will kill them, they shall eat neither of us."
So I gave Xury a piece of rusk bread to eat, and a dram out of
our patron's case of bottles which I mentioned before; and we
hauled the boat in as near the shore as we thought was proper,
and so waded on shore, carrying nothing but our arms, and two
jars for water.
I did not care to go out of sight of the boat, fearing the
coming of canoes with savages down the river; but the boy,
seeing a low place about a mile up the country, rambled to
it, and by and by I saw him come running towards me. I
thought he was pursued by some savage, or frighted with some
wild beast, and I ran towards him to help him; but when I
came nearer to him, I saw something hanging over his shoul-
ders, which was a creature that he had shot, like a hare, but
different in color, and longer legs: however, we were very glad
of it, and it was very good meat; but the great joy that poor
Xury came with, was to tell me he had found good water, and
seen no wild mans.
But we found afterwards that we need not take such pains
32
KUBINSON CRUSOE.
for water, for a little higher up the creek where we were, we
found the water fresh when the tide was out, which flowed but
a little way up; so we filled our jars, and feasted on the hare
we had killed, and prepared to go on our way, having seen no
footsteps of any human creature in that part of the country.
As I had been one voyage to this coast before, I knew very
well that the islands of the Canaries, and the Cape de Verd
Islands also, lay not far off from the coast. But as I had no
instruments to take an observation to know what latitude we
were in, and not exactly knowing, or at least remembering, what
latitude they were in, I knew not where to look for them, or
when to stand off to sea towards them; otherwise I might now
easily have found some of these islands. But my hope was, that
if I stood along this coast till I came to that part where the
English traded, I should find some of their vessels upon their
usual design of trade, that would relieve and take us in.
By the best of my calculation, that place where I now was
must be that country which, lying between the Emperor of Mo-
rocco's dominions and the Negroes, lies waste and uninhabited,
except by wild beasts; the Negroes having abandoned it, and
gone farther south, for fear of the Moors; and the Moors not
thinking it worth inhabiting, by reason of its barrenness; and,
indeed, both forsaking it because of the prodigious numbers of
tigers, lions, leopards, and other furious creatures which har-
bor there; so that the Moors use it for their hunting only,
where they go like an army, two or three thousand men ať a
time: and, indeed, for near a hundred miles together upon this
coast, we saw nothing but a waste, uninhabited country by day,
and heard nothing but howlings and roaring of wild beasts by
night.
Once or twice in the daytime, I thought I saw the Pico of
Teneriffe, being the high top of the Mountain Teneriffe in the
Canaries; and had a great mind to venture out, in hopes of
reaching thither; but having tried twice, I was forced in
again by contrary winds, the sea also going too high for my little
vessel; so I resolved to pursue my first design and keep along
the shore.
Several times I was obliged to land for fresh water, after
we had left this place, and once in particular, being early in
the morning, we came to an anchor under a little point of land,
which was pretty high ; and the tide beginning to flow, we lay still
to go farther in. Xury, whose eyes were more about him than
it seems mine were, calls softly to me, and tells me that we had
best go farther off the shore; "for," says he, "look, yonder
ROBINSON CRUsoe.
•
[
33
""
lies a dreadful monster on the side of that hillock, fast asleep."
I looked where he pointed, and saw a dreadful monster in-
deed, for it was a terrible great lion that lay on the side of the
shore, under the shade of a piece of the hill that hung as it
were a little over him. " Xury," says I, "you shall go on shore
and kill him." Xury looked frighted, and said, “Me kill! he
eat me at one mouth; one mouthful he meant. However, I
said no more to the boy, but bade him lie still, and I took our
biggest gun, which was almost musket bore, and loaded it with
a good charge of powder, and with two slugs, and laid it down;
then I loaded another gun with two bullets; and the third (for
we had three pieces) I loaded with five smaller bullets. I took
the best aim I could with the first piece to have shot him in
the head, but he lay so with his leg raised a little above his nose
that the slugs hit his leg about the knee, and broke the bone.
He started up, growling at first, but finding his leg broken, fell
down again; and then got up upon three legs, and gave the
most hideous roar that ever I heard. I was a little surprised
that I had not hit him on the head; however, I took up the second
piece immediately, and, though he began to move off, fired
again, and shot him in the head, and had the pleasure to see
him drop and make but little noise, but lie struggling for life.
Then Xury took heart, and would have me let him go on shore.
"Well, go," said I: so the boy jumped into the water, and tak-
ing a little gun in one hand, swam to shore with the other
hand, and coming close to the creature, put the muzzle of the
piece to his ear, and shot him in the head again, which de-
spatched him quite.
This was game indeed to us, but this was no food; and I
was very sorry to lose three charges of powder and shot upon
a creature that was good for nothing to us. However, Xury
said he would have some of him; so he comes on board, and
asked me to give him the hatchet. "For what, Xury?" said
I. "Me cut off his head," said he. However, Xury could
not cut off his head, but he cut off a foot, and brought it with
him, and it was a monstrous great one.
I bethought myself, however, that perhaps the skin of him
might, one way or other, be of some value to us; and I re-
solved to take off his skin if I could. So Xury and I went to
work with him; but Xury was much the better workman at it,
for I knew very ill how to do it. Indeed, it took us both up
the whole day, but at last we got off the hide, and spreading it
on the top of our cabin, the sun effectually dried it in two days'
time, and it afterwards served me to lie upon.
34
ROBINSON CRUusoe.
After this we made on to the southward continually for
ten or twelve days, living very sparingly on our provisions,
which began to abate very much, and going no oftener to the
shore than we were obliged for fresh water. My design in this
was to make the River Gambia or Senegal, that is to say, any-
where about the Cape de Verd, where I was in hopes to meet
with some European ship; and if I did not, I knew not what
course I had to take, but to seek for the islands, or perish there
among the Negroes. I knew that all the ships from Europe,
which sailed either to the coast of Guinea or to Brazil, or to
the East Indies, made this cape, or those islands; and, in a
word, I put the whole of my fortune upon this single point,
either that I must meet with some ship, or must perish.
When I had pursued this resolution about ten days longer,
as I have said, I began to see that the land was inhabited; and
in two or three places, as we sailed by, we saw people stand
upon the shore to look at us; we could also perceive they
were quite black and naked. I was once inclined to have gone
on shore to them; but Xury was my better counsellor, and
said to me,
“No go, no go." However, I hauled in nearer the
shore that I might talk to them, and I found they ran along the
shore by me a good way: I observed they had no weapons in
their hands, except one, who had a long slender stick, which
Xury said was a lance, and that they could throw them a great
way with good aim; so I kept at a distance, but talked with
them by signs as well as I could; and particularly made signs
for something to eat: they beckoned to me to stop my boat,
and they would fetch me some meat. Upon this, I lowered
the top of my sail, and lay by, and two of them ran up into
the country, and in less than half an hour came back, and
brought back two pieces of dry flesh and some corn, such as
is the produce of their country; but we neither knew what the
one or the other was: however, we were willing to accept it;
but how to come at it was our next dispute, for I would not
venture on shore to them, and they were as much afraid of us :
but they took a safe way for us all, for they brought it to the
shore and laid it down, and went and stood a great way off till
we fetched it on board, and then came close to us again.
We made signs of thanks to them, for we had nothing to
make them amends; but an opportunity offered that very in-
stant to oblige them wonderfully for while we were lying by
the shore, came two mighty creatures, one pursuing the other
(as we took it) with great fury from the mountains towards the
sea; whether it was the male pursuing the female, or whether
*
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
35
they were in sport or in rage, we could not tell, any more than
we could tell whether it was usual or strange, but I believe it
was the latter; because, in the first place, those ravenous crea-
tures seldom appear but in the night; and, in the second place,
we found the people terribly frighted, especially the women.
The man that had the lance or dart did not fly from them, but
the rest did; however, as the two creatures ran directly into
the water, they did not offer to fall upon any of the Negroes,
but plunged themselves into the sea, and swam about, as if
they had come for their diversion: at last one of them began
to come nearer our boat than at first I expected; but I lay
ready for him, for I had loaded my gun with all possible expe-
dition, and bade Xury load both the others. As soon as he
came fairly within my reach, I fired, and shot him directly in
the head immediately he sank down into the water, but rose
instantly, and plunged up and down, as if he was struggling
for life, and so indeed he was: he immediately made to the
shore; but between the wound, which was his mortal hurt, and
the strangling of the water, he died just before he reached the
shore.
It is impossible to express the astonishment of these poor
creatures at the noise and fire of my gun; some of them were
even ready to die for fear, and fell down as dead with the very
terror; but when they saw the creature dead, and sunk in the
water, and that I made signs to them to come to the shore,
they took heart and came, and began to search for the crea-
ture. I found him by his blood staining the water; and by the
help of a rope, which I slung round him, and gave the Negroes
to haul, they dragged him on shore, and found that it was a
most curious leopard, spotted, and fine to an admirable degree;
and the Negroes held up their hands with admiration, to think
what it was I had killed him with.
The other creature, frighted with the flash of fire and the
noise of the gun, swam on the shore, and ran up directly to the
mountains from whence they came; nor could I, at that dis-
tance, know what it was. I found quickly the Negroes wished
to eat the flesh of this creature, so I was willing to have them
take it as a favor from me; which, when I made signs to them
that they might take him, they were very thankful for. Imme-
diately they fell to work with him; and though they had no
knife, yet, with a sharpened piece of wood, they took off his
skin as readily, and much more readily, than we could have
done with a knife. They offered me some of the flesh, which
I declined, pointing out that I would give it them; but made
36
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
signs for the skin, which they gave me very freely, and brought
me a great deal more of their provisions, which, though I did
not understand, yet I accepted. I then made signs to them
for some water, and held out one of my jars to them, turning
it bottom upward, to show that it was empty, and that I want-
ed to have it filled. They called immediately to some of their
friends, and there came two women, and brought a great vessel
made of earth, and burnt, as I supposed, in the sun; this they
set down to me, as before, and I sent Xury on shore with my
jars, and filled them all three. The women were as naked as
the men.
I was now furnished with roots and corn, such as it was,
and water; and leaving my friendly Negroes, I made forward
for about eleven days more, without offering to go near the
shore, till I saw the land run out a great length into the sea,
at about the distance of four or five leagues before me; and the
sea being very calm, I kept a large offing to make this point.
At length, doubling the point, at about two leagues from the.
land, I saw plainly land on the other side, to seaward: then I
concluded, as it was most certain indeed, that this was the Cape
de Verd, and those the islands called, from thence, Cape de
Verd Islands. However, they were at a great distance, and I
could not well tell what I had best to do; for if I should be
taken with a fresh of wind, I might neither reach one or other.
In this dilemma, as I was very pensive, I stepped into the
cabin, and sat down, Xury having the helm; when, on a sudden,
the boy cried out, "Master, master, a ship with a sail!" and
the foolish boy was frighted out of his wits, thinking it must
needs be some of his master's ships sent to pursue us, but I
knew we were far enough out of their reach. I jumped out of
the cabin, and immediately saw, not only the ship, but that it
was a Portuguese ship; and as I thought, was bound to the coast
of Guinea, for Negroes. But, when I observed the course she
steered was soon convinced they were bound some other way,
and did not design to come any nearer to the shore: upon
which I stretched out to sea as much I could, resolving to
speak with them if possible.
With all the sail I could make, I found I should not be able
to come in their way, but that they would be gone by be-
fore I could make any signal to them: but after I had crowded
to the utmost, and began to despair, they, it seems, saw, by the
help of their glasses, that it was some European boat, which
they supposed must belong to some ship that was lost; so they
shortened sail to let me come up. I was encouraged with this,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
37
and as I had my patron's ancient on board, I made a waft of
it to them, for a signal of distress, and fired a gun, both which
they saw; for they told me they saw the smoke, though they
did not hear the gun. Upon these signals they very kindly
brought to, and lay by for me; and in about three hours' time
I came up with them.
They asked me what I was, in Portuguese, and in Spanish,
and in French, but I understood none of them; but at last, a
Scotch sailor, who was on board, called to me: and I answered
him, and told him I was an Englishman, that I had made my
escape out of slavery from the Moors, at Sallee; they then
bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, and all my
goods.
It was an inexpressible joy to me, which any one will
believe, that I was thus delivered, as I esteemed it, from such a
miserable and almost hopeless condition as I was in; and I
immediately offered all I had to the captain of the ship, as a
return for my deliverance; but he generously told me, he would
take nothing from me, but that all I had should be delivered
safe to me when I came to the Brazils. "For," says he, "I
have saved your life on no other terms than I would be glad
to be saved myself; and it may, one time or other, be my
lot to
be taken up in the same condition. Besides," said he, "when
I carry you to the Brazils, so great a way from your own
country, if I should take from you what you have, you will be
starved there, and then I only take away that life I have given.
No, no," says he; "Seignor Inglese " (Mr. Englishman), "I
will carry you thither in charity, and those things will help to
buy your subsistence there, and your passage home again.
>>
As he was charitable in this proposal, so he was just in the
performance to a tittle; for he ordered the seamen, that none
should touch anything that I had: then he took everything into
his own possession, and gave me back an exact inventory of
them, that I might have them, even to my three earthen jars.
As to my boat, it was a very good one; and that he saw,
and told me he would buy it of me for his ship's use; and
asked me what I would have for it. I told him he had been so
generous to me in everything, that I could not offer to make
any price of the boat, but left it entirely to him : upon which he
told me he would give me a note of hand to pay me eighty
pieces of eight for it at Brazil; and when it came there, if any
one offered to give more, he would make it up.
He offered me
also sixty pieces of eight more for my boy Xury, which I was
loath to take; not that I was unwilling to let the captain have
38
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
him, but I was very loath to sell the poor boy's liberty, who had
assisted me so faithfully in procuring my own. However,
when I let him know my reason, he owned it to be just, and
offered me this medium, that he would give the boy an obliga-
tion to set him free in ten years, if he turned Christian: upon
this, and Xury saying he was willing to go to him, I let the
captain have him.
•
We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and I arrived in
the Bay de Todos los Santos, or All Saints' Bay, in about
twenty-two days after. And now I was once more delivered
from the most miserable of all conditions of life; and what to
do next with myself I was to consider.
The generous treatment the captain gave me I can never
enough remember: he would take nothing of me for my pas-
sage, gave me twenty ducats for the leopard's skin, and forty
for the lion's skin, which I had in my boat, and caused
everything I had in the ship to be punctually delivered to me;
and what I was willing to sell, he bought of me; such as
the case of bottles, two of my guns, and a piece of the lump
of beeswax,—for I had made candles of the rest in a word,
I made about two hundred and twenty pieces of eight
of all my cargo; and with this stock, I went on shore in
the Brazils.
I had not been long here, before I was recommended to the
house of a good, honest man, like himself, who had an ingenio,
as they call it (that is, a plantation and a sugar-house). I lived
with him some time, and acquainted myself, by that means, with
the manner of planting and making of sugar; and seeing how
well the planters lived, and how they got rich suddenly, I
resolved, if I could get a license to settle there, I would turn
planter among them; resolving, in the mean time, to find out
some way to get my money, which I had left in London,
remitted to me. To this purpose, getting a kind of letter of
naturalization, I purchased as much land that was uncured as
my money would reach, and formed a plan for my plantation
and settlement; such a one as might be suitable to the stock
which I proposed to myself to receive from England.
I had a neighbor, a Portuguese, of Lisbon, but born of
English parents, who name was Wells, and in much such cir-
cumstances as I was. I call him my neighbor, because his
plantation lay next to mine, and we went on very sociably to-
gether. My stock was but low, as well as his; and we rather
planted for food than anything else, for about two years. How-
ever, we began to increase, and our land began to come into
M
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
39
order; so that the third year we planted some tobacco, and
made each of us a large piece of ground ready for planting
canes in the year to come: but we both wanted help; and now
I found, more than before, I had done wrong in parting with my
boy Xury.
But, alas! for me to do wrong, that never did right, was no
great wonder. I had no remedy but to go on: I had got into
an employment quite remote to my genius, and directly contrary
to the life I delighted in, and for which I forsook my father's
house, and broke through all his good advice; nay, I was
coming into the very middle station, or upper degree of low life,
which my father advised me to before, and which, if I resolved
to go on with, I might as well have staid at home, and never
have fatigued myself in the world, as I had done; and I used
often to say to myself, I could have done this as well in
England, among my friends, as have gone five thousand miles
off to do it among strangers and savages, in a wilderness, and
at such a distance as never to hear from any part of the world
that had the least knowledge of me.
In this manner I used to look upon my condition with the
utmost regret. I had nobody to converse with, but now and
then this neighbor; no work to be done, but by the labor of my
hands; and I used to say, I lived just like a man cast away
upon some desolate island, that had nobody there but himself.
But how just has it been; and how should all men reflect, that
when they compare their present conditions with others that
are worse, Heaven may oblige them to make the exchange, and
be convinced of their former felicity by their experience: I say,
how just has it been, that the truly solitary life I reflected on,
in an island of mere desolation, should be my lot, who had so
often unjustly compared it with the life which I then led, in
which, had I continued, I had, in all probability, been exceeding
prosperous and rich.
I was, in some degree, settled in my measures for carrying
on the plantation, before my kind friend, the captain of the ship
that took me up at sea, went back; for the ship remained
there, in providing his lading, and preparing for his voyage,
nearly three months; when, telling him what little stock I had
left behind me in London, he gave me this friendly and sincere
advice: "Seignor Inglese," says he (for so he always called
me), "if you will give me letters, and a procuration in form to
me, with orders to the person who has your money in London,
to send your effects to Lisbon, to such persons as I shall direct,
and in such goods as are proper for this country, I will bring
40
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
you the produce of them, God willing, at my return; but, since
human affairs are all subject to changes and disasters, I would
have you give orders but for one hundred pounds sterling,
which, you say, is half your stock, and let the hazard be run for
the first; so that, if it come safe, you may order the rest the
same way; and, if it miscarry, you may have the other half to
have recourse to for your supply."
This was so wholesome advice, and looked so friendly,
that I could not but be convinced it was the best course I
could take; so I accordingly prepared letters to the gentle-
woman with whom I had left my money, and a procuration to
the Portuguese captain, as he desired.
I wrote the English captain's widow a full account of all
my adventures; my slavery, escape, and how I had met with
the Portuguese captain at sea, the humanity of his behavior,
and what condition I was now in, with all other necessary
directions for my supply; and when this honest captain came
to Lisbon, he found means, by some of the English merchants
there, to send over, not the order only, but a full account of
my story to a merchant at London, who represented it effect-
ually to her; whereupon she not only delivered the money, but,
out of her own pocket, sent the Portugal captain a very hand-
some present for his humanity and charity to me,
The merchant in London, vesting this hundred pounds in
English goods, such as the captain had written for, sent them
directly to him at Lisbon, and he brought them all safe to me
to the Brazils; among which, without my direction (for I was
too young in my business to think of them), he had taken
care to have all sorts of tools, iron work, and utensils, neces.
sary for my plantation, and which were of great use to me.
When this cargo arrived, I thought my fortunes made, for
I was surprised with the joy of it; and my good steward, the
captain, had laid out the five pounds, which my friend had
sent him for a present for himself, to purchase and bring me.
over a servant, under bond for six years' service, and would
not accept of any consideration, except a little tobacco, which
I would have him accept, being of my own produce.
Neither was this all; for my goods being all English manu.
facture, such as cloths, stuffs, baize, and things particularly
valuable and desirable in the country, I found means to sell
them to a very great advantage; so that I might say I had
more than four times the value of my first cargo, and was now
infinitely beyond my poor neighbor-I mean in the advance-
ment of my plantation; for the first thing I did, I bought me
ROBINSON crusoe.
41
a negro slave, and a European servant also-I mean another
besides that which the captain brought me from Lisbon.
But as abused prosperity is oftentimes made the very
means of our greatest adversity, so was it with me. I went on
the next year with great success in my plantation: I raised
fifty great rolls of tobacco on my own ground, more than I had
disposed of for necessaries among my neighbors; and these
fifty rolls, being each of above a hundred weight, were well
cured, and laid by against the return of the fleet from Lisbon:
and now increasing in business and in wealth, my head began
to be full of projects and undertakings beyond my reach 1;
such as are, indeed, often the ruin of the best heads in busi-
ness. Had I continued in the station I was now in, I had
room for all the happy things to have yet befallen me, for
which my father so earnestly recommended a quiet, retired life,
and which he had so sensibly described the middle station of
life to be full of; but other things attended me, and I was still
to be the wilful agent of all my own miseries; and particularly,
to increase my fault, and double the reflections upon myself,
which in my future sorrows I should have leisure to make, all
these miscarriages were procured by my apparent obstinate
adhering to my foolish inclination of wandering abroad, and
pursuing that inclination, in contradiction to the clearest views
of doing myself good in a fair and plain pursuit of those pros-
pects, and those measures of life, which nature and Providence
concurred to present me with, and to make my duty.
As I had once done thus in my breaking away from my
parents, so I could not be content now, but I must go and
leave the happy view I had of being a rich and thriving man
in my new plantation, only to pursue a rash and immoderate
desire of rising faster than the nature of the thing admitted;
and thus I cast myself down again into the deepest gulf of
human misery that ever man fell into, or perhaps could be con-
sistent with life and a state of health in the world.
To come, then, by the just degrees, to the particulars of
this part of my story: You may suppose, that having now
lived almost four years in the Brazils, and beginning to thrive
and prosper very well upon my plantation, I had not only
learned the language, but had contracted acquaintance and
friendship among my fellow-planters, as well as among the
merchants at St. Salvador, which was our port; and that, in
my discourses among them, I had frequently given them an
account of my two voyages to the coast of Guinea; the man-
ner of trading with the Negroes there, and how easy it was to
:
42
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
purchase upon the coast for trifles-such as beads, toys, knives,
scissors, hatchets, bits of glass, and the like-not only gold
dust, Guinea grains, elephants' teeth, &c., but Negroes, for
the service of the Brazils, in great numbers.
They listened always very attentively to my discourse on
these heads, but especially to that part which related to the
buying Negroes; which was a trade, at that time, not only not
far entered into, but as far as it was, had been carried on by
assientos, or permission of the kings of Spain and Portugal,
and engrossed in the public stock; so that few Negroes were
bought, and those excessively dear.
It happened, being in company with some merchants and
planters of my acquaintance, and talking of those things very
earnestly, three of them came to me the next morning, and
told me they had been musing very much upon what I had dis-
coursed with them of the last night, and they came to make a
secret proposal to me; and, after enjoining me secrecy, they
told me that they had a mind to fit out a ship to go to Guinea;
that they had all plantations as well as I, and were straitened
for nothing so much as servants; that as it was a trade that
could not be carried on, because they could not publicly sell
the Negroes when they came home, so they desired to make
but one voyage, to bring the Negroes on shore privately, and
divide them among their own plantations; and, in a word, the
question was, whether I would go their supercargo in the ship,
to manage the trading part upon the coast of Guinea; and
they offered me that I should have my equal share of the Ne-
groes, without providing any part of the stock.
This was a fair proposal, it must be confessed, had it been
made to any one that had not had a settlement and a planta-
tion of his own to look after, which was in a fair way of coming
to be very considerable, and with a good stock upon it. But
for me, that was thus entered and established, and had nothing
"to do but to go on as I had begun, for three or four years
more, and to have sent for the other hundred pounds from
England; and who in that time, and with that little addition,
could scarce have failed of being worth three or four thousand
pounds sterling, and that increasing too-for me to think of
such a voyage was the most preposterous thing that ever man
in such circumstances could be guilty of.
But I, that was born to be my own destroyer, could no
more resist the offer, than I could restrain my first rambling
designs, when my father's good counsel was lost upon me. In
a word, I told them I would go with all my heart, if they would
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
43
undertake to look after my plantation in my absence, and
would dispose of it to such as I should direct, if I miscarried.
This they all engaged to do, and entered into writings or cove-
nants to do so; and I made a formal will, disposing of my
plantation and effects in case of my death, making the captain
of the ship that had saved my life, as before, my universai
heir, but obliging him to dispose of my effects as I had directed
in my will; one half of the produce being to himself, and the
other to be shipped in England.
In short, I took all possible caution to preserve my effects,
and to keep up my plantation: had I used half as much pru-
dence to have looked into my own interest, and have made a
judgment of what I ought to have done and not to have done,
I had certainly never gone away from so prosperous an under-
taking, leaving all the probable views of a thriving circumstance,
and gone upon a voyage to sea, attended with all its common
hazards, to say nothing of the reasons I had to expect particular
misfortunes to myself.
But I was hurried on, and obeyed blindly the dictates of my
fancy rather than my reason; and, accordingly, the ship being
fitted out, and the cargo furnished, and all things done, as by
agreement, by my partners in the voyage, I went on board in
an evil hour, the 1st of September, 1659, being the same day
eight years that I went from my father and mother at Hull, in
order to act the rebel to their authority, and the fool to my own
interests.
Our ship was about one hundred and twenty tons burden,
carried six guns, and fourteen men, besides the master, his
boy, and myself; we had on board no large cargo of goods,
except of such toys as were fit for our trade with the Negroes,
such as beads, bits of glass, shells, and other trifles, especially
little looking-glasses, knives, scissors, hatchets, and the like.
The same day I went on board we set sail, standing away
to the northward upon our own coast, with design to stretch
over for the African coast, when we came about ten or twelve
degrees of northern latitude, which, it seems, was the manner
of course in those days. We had very good weather, only ex-
cessively hot, all the way upon our own coast, till we came to
the height of Cape St. Augustino; from whence, keeping far-
ther off at sea, we lost sight of land, and steered as if we were
bound for the Isle Fernando de Noronha, holding our course
N. E. by N., and leaving those isles on the east. In this course
we passed the line in about twelve days' time, and were, by
our last observation, in seven degrees twenty-two minutes
44.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
**
northern latitude, when a violent tornado, or hurricane, took ust
quite out of our knowledge. It began from the south-east,
came about to the north-west, and then settled in the north-
east; from whence it blew in such a terrible manner, that for
twelve days together we could do nothing but drive, and
scudding away before it, let it carry us whither ever fate and
the fury of the winds directed; and during these twelve days, I
need not say that I expected every day to be swallowed up;
nor, indeed, did any in the ship expect to save their lives.
In this distress we had, besides the terror of the storm, one
of our men die of the calenture, and one man and the boy
washed overboard. About the twelfth day, the weather abating
a little, the master made an observation as well as he could,
and found that he was in about eleven degrees north latitude,
but that he was twenty-two degrees of longitude difference
west from Cape St Augustino; so that he found he was upon
the coast of Guiana, or the north part of Brazil, beyond the
River Amazons, towards that of the River Oroonoque, com-
monly called the Great River; and began to consult with me
what course he should take, for the ship was leaky, and very
much disabled, and he was going directly back to the coast of
Brazil.
I was positively against that; and looking over the charts.
of the sea-coast of America with him, we concluded there was
no inhabited country for us to have recourse to, till we came
within the circle of the Caribbee Islands, and therefore
resolved to stand away for Barbadoes; which, by keeping off
at sea, to avoid the indraft of the Bay or Gulf of Mexico, we
might easily perform, as we hoped, in about fifteen days'
sail; whereas we could not possibly make our voyage to the
coast of Africa without some assistance both to our ship and to
ourselves.
With this design, we changed our course, and steered away
N. W. by W., in order to reach some of our English islands,
where I hoped for relief; but our voyage was otherwise
determined; for, being in the latitude of twelve degrees
eighteen minutes, a second storm came upon us, which carried
us away with the same impetuosity westward, and drove us
so out of the way of all human commerce, that had all our
lives been saved as to the sea, we were rather in danger of
being devoured by savages, than ever returning to our own
country.
In this distress, the wind still blowing very hard, one of our
men early in the morning cried out, "Land!" and we had no
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
45
sooner run out of the cabin to look out, in hopes of seeing where-
abouts in the world we were, than the ship struck upon a sand,
and in a moment, her motion being so stopped, the sea broke
over her in such a manner, that we expected that we should all
have perished immediately; and we were immediately driven
into our close quarters, to shelter us from the very foam and
spray of the sea.
It is not easy for any one who has not been in the like con-
dition to describe or conceive the consternation of men in such
circumstances. We knew nothing where we were, or upon what
land it was we were driven; whether an island or the main-
whether inhabited or not inhabited; as the rage of the wind
was still great, though rather less than at first, we could not so
much as hope to have the ship hold many minutes without
breaking into pieces, unless the winds, by a kind of miracle,
should turn immediately about. In a word, we sat looking upon
one another, and expecting death every moment, and every
man, accordingly, preparing for another world; for there was
little or nothing more for us to do in this; that which was our
present comfort, and all the comfort we had, was that, contrary
to our expectation, the ship did not break yet, and that the
master said the wind began to abate.
Now, though we thought that the wind did a little abate,
yet the ship having thus struck upon the sand, and sticking
too fast for us to expect her getting off, we were in a dreadful
condition indeed, and had nothing to do but to think of saving
our lives as well as we could. We had a boat at our stern
just before the storm, but she was first staved by dashing
against the ship's rudder, and in the next place, she broke
away, and either sunk, or was driven off to sea; so there was
no hope from her. We had another boat on board, but how
to get her off into the sea was a doubtful thing; however, there
was no time to debate, for we fancied the ship would break in
pieces every minute, and some told us she was actually broken
already.
In this distress, the mate of our vessel laid hold of the boat,
and with the help of the rest of the men, got her slung over the
ship's side; and getting all into her, let go, and committed
ourselves, being eleven in number, to God's mercy and the wild
sea: for though the storm was abated considerably, yet the
sea ran dreadfully high upon the shore, and might be well called
den wild zee, as the Dutch call the sea in a storm.
And now our case was very dismal indeed; for we all saw
plainly, that the sea went so high, that the boat could not live,
46
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
1
and that we should be inevitably drowned. As to making sail,
we had none, nor if we had, could we have done anything with
it; so we worked at the oar towards the land, though with
heavy hearts, like men going to execution; for we all knew
that when the boat came nearer the shore, she would be dashed
in a thousand pieces by the breach of the sea. However, we
committed our souls to God in the most earnest manner; and
the wind driving us towards the shore, we hastened our de-
struction with our own hands, pulling as well as we could towards
land.
What the shore was, whether rock or sand, whether steep or
shoal, we knew not; the only hope that could rationally give
us the least shadow of expectation, was, if we might find some
bay or gulf, or the mouth of some river, where by great chance
we might have run our boat in, or got under the lee of the land,
and perhaps made smooth water. But there was nothing like
this appeared; but as we made nearer and nearer the shore,
the land looked more frightful than the sea.
After we had rowed, or rather driven, about a league and
a half, as we reckoned it, a raging wave, mountain-like, came
rolling astern of us, and plainly bade us expect the coup de grace.
In a word, it took us with such a fury, that it overset the boat
at once; and separating us, as well from the boat as from one
another, gave us not time to say, "O God!" for we were all
swallowed up in a moment.
Nothing can describe the confusion of thought which I felt,
when I sunk into the water: for though I swam very well, yet
I could not deliver myself from the waves so as to draw breath,
till that wave having driven me, or rather carried me, a vast
way on towards the shore, and having spent itself, went back,
and left me upon the land almost dry, but half dead with the
water I took in. I had so much presence of mind, as well as
breath left, that seeing myself nearer the main land than I ex-
pected, I got upon my feet, and endeavored to make on towards
the land as fast as I could, before another wave should return
and take me up again; but I soon found it was impossible to
avoid it; for I saw the sea coming after me as high as a great
hill, and as furious as an enemy, which I had no means or
strength to contend with my business was to hold my breath,
and raise myself upon the water, if I could; and so, by swim-
ming, to preserve my breathing and pilot myself towards the
shore, if possible, my greatest concern now being, that the sea,
as it would carry me a great way towards the shore when it
came on, might not carry me back again with it when it gave
back towards the sea,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
47
KT
The wave that came upon me again, buried me at once
twenty or thirty feet deep in its own body, and I could feel my-
self carried with a mighty force and swiftness towards the shore
a very great way; but I held my breath, and assisted myself to
swim still forward with all my might. I was ready to burst
with holding my breath, when as I felt myself raising up, so,
to my immediate relief, I found my head and hands shoot out
above the surface of the water; and though it was not two
seconds of time that I could keep myself so, yet it relieved me
greatly, gave me breath and new courage. I was covered again
with water a good while, but not so long but I held it out; and
finding the water had spent itself, and began to return, I struck
forward against the return of the waves, and felt ground again
with my feet. I stood still a few moments, to recover breath,
and till the waters went from me, and then took to my heels
and ran, with what strength I had, farther towards the shore.
But neither would this deliver me from the fury of the sea,
which came pouring in after me again; and twice more I was
lifted up by the waves and carried forwards as before, the shore
being very flat.
The last time of these two had wellnigh been fatal to me ;
for the sea having hurried me along, as before, landed me, or
rather dashed me, against a piece of a rock, and that with such
force, as it left me senseless, and indeed helpless, as to my own
deliverance; for the blow taking my side and breath, beat the
breath, as it were, quite out of my body; and had it returned
again immediately, I must have been strangled in the water :
but I recovered a little before the return of the waves, and see
ing I should be covered again with the water, I resolved to hold
fast by a piece of the rock, and so to hold my breath, if possible,
till the wave went back. Now, as the waves were not so high
as at first, being nearer land, I held my hold till the wave
abated, and then fetched another run, which brought me so near
the shore, that the next wave, though it went over me, yet did
not so swallow me up as to carry me away; and the next run I
took, I got to the main land; where, to my great comfort, I
clambered up the cliffs of the shore, and sat me down upon the
grass, free from danger, and quite out of the reach of the
water.
I was now landed, and safe on shore, and began to look up
and thank God that my life was saved, in a case wherein there
was, some minutes before, scarce any room to hope. I believe
it is impossible to express, to the life, what the ecstasies and
transports of the soul are, when it is so saved, as I may say,
48
ROBINSON Crusoe.
out of the very grave; and I do not wonder now at the custom,
when a malefactor, who has the halter about his neck, is tied
up, and just going to be turned off, and has a reprieve brought
to him; I say, I do not wonder that they bring a surgeon with
it, to let his blood that very moment they tell him of it, that
the surprise may not drive the animal spirits from the heart,
and overwhelm him.
"For sudden joys, like griefs, confound at first.
I walked about on the shore, lifting up my hands; and my
whole being, as I may say, wrapt up in a contemplation of my
deliverance; making a thousand gestures and motions, which
I cannot describe; reflecting upon all my comrades that were
drowned, and that there should not be one soul saved but my-
self; for, as for them, I never saw them afterwards, or any sign
of them, except three of their hats, one cap, and two shoes that
were not fellows.
I cast my eyes to the stranded vessel, when, the breach and
froth of the sea being so big, I could hardly see it, it lay so far
off; and considered, Lord! how was it possible I could get on
shore ?
After I had solaced my mind with the comfortable part of
my condition, I began to look round me, to see what kind of
place I was in, and what was next to be done and I soon
found my comforts abate, and that, in a word, I had a dreadful
deliverance: for I was wet, had no clothes to shift me, nor any
thing either to eat or drink, to comfort me; neither did I see
any prospect before me, but that of perishing with hunger, or
being devoured by wild beasts: and that which was particularly
afflicting to me was, that I had no weapon, either to hunt and
kill any creature for my sustenance, or to defend myself against
any other creature that might desire to kill me for theirs. In
a word, I had nothing about me but a knife, a tobacco-pipe, and
a little tobacco in a box. This was all my provision; and this
threw me into terrible agonies of mind, that for a while, I ran
about like a madman. Night coming upon me, I began, with
a heavy heart, to consider what would be my lot if there were
any ravenous beasts in that country, as at night they always
come abroad for their prey.
All the remedy that offered to my thoughts, at that time,
was to get up into a thick bushy tree, like a fir, but thorny,
which grew near me, and where I resolved to sit all night, and
consider the next day what death I should die, for as yet I saw
no prospect of life. I walked about a furlong from the shore,
臂
​ROBINSON CRUSOE.
49
to see if I could find any fresh water to drink, which I did to
my great joy; and having drank, and put a little tobacco in my
mouth to prevent hunger, I went to the tree, and getting up
into it, endeavored to place myself so that if I should sleep I
might not fall. And having cut me a short stick, like a trun-
cheon, for my defence, I took up my lodging; and having been
excessively fatigued, I fell fast asleep, and slept as comfortably
as, I believe, few could have done in my condition, and found
myself more refreshed with it than, I think, I ever was on such
an occasion.
When I waked it was broad day, the weather clear, and the
storm abated, so that the sea did not rage and swell as before;
but that which surprised me most was, that the ship was lifted
off in the night from the sand where she lay, by the swelling
of the tide, and was driven up almost as far as the rock which
I at first mentioned, where I had been so bruised by the wave
dashing against it. 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 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 com-
fort 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. I
swam around her twice, and the second time I spied a small
piece of rope, which I wondered I did not see at first, hung
50
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
→
down by the forechains so low, that with great difficulty I got
hold of it, and by the help of that rope I got up into the fore-
castle of the ship. Here I found that the ship was bulged,
and had a great deal of water in her hold; but that she
lay so on the side of a bank of hard sand, or rather earth,
that her stern lay lifted up upon the bank, and her head
low, almost to the water. By this means all her quarter was
free, and all that was in that part was dry: for you may be
sure my first work was to search, and to see what was spoiled
and what was free. And, first, I found that all the ship's pro-
visions were dry and untouched by the water, and being very
well disposed to eat, I went to the bread-room, and filled my
pockets with biscuit, and ate it as I went about other things,
for I had no time to lose. I also found some rum in the great
cabin, of which I took a large dram, and which I had, indeed,
need enough of to spirit me for what was before me. Now I
wanted nothing but a boat, to furnish myself with many things
which I foresaw would be very necessary to me.
It was in vain to sit still and wish for what was not to be
had; and this extremity roused my application. We had several
spare yards, and two or three large spars of wood, and a spare
top-mast or two in the ship: I resolved to fall to work with
these, and I flung as many of them overboard as I could man-
age for their weight, tying every one with a rope, that they
might not drive away. When this was done, I went down
the ship's side, and pulling them to me, I tied four of them
together at both ends, as well as I could, in the form of a raft,
and laying two or three short pieces of plank upon them cross-
ways, I found I could walk upon it very well, but that it was
not able to bear any great weight, the pieces being too light.
So I went to work, and with the carpenter's saw I cut a spare
top-mast into three lengths, and added them to my raft, with a
great deal of labor and pains. But the hope of furnishing
myself with necessaries, encouraged me to go beyond what I
should have been able to have done upon another occasion.
My raft was now strong enough to bear any reasonable
weight. My next care was what to load it with, and how to
preserve what I laid upon it from the surf of the sea: but I
was not long considering this. I first laid all the plank or
boards upon it that I could get, and having considered well
what I most wanted, I first got three of the seamen's chests,
which I had broken open and emptied, and lowered them
down upon my raft; the first of these I filled with provisions,
viz.: bread, rice, three Dutch cheeses, five pieces of dried goat's
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
51
flesh (which we lived much upon), and a little remainder of
European corn, which had been laid by for some fowls which
we brought to sea with us, but the fowls were killed. There
had been some barley and wheat together; but to my great dis-
appointment, I found afterwards that the rats had eaten and
spoiled it all. As for liquors, I found several cases or bottles
belonging to our shippers, in which were some cordial waters ;
and, in all, about five or six gallons of rack. These I bestowed
by themselves, there being no need to put them into the chest,
nor any room for them. While I was doing this, I found the
tide began to flow, though very calm; and I had the mortifi-
cation to see my coat, shirt, and waistcoat, which I had left
on the shore, upon the sand, swim away. As for my breeches,
which were only linen, and open-kneed, I swam on board in
them and my stockings. However, this set me on rummaging
for clothes, of which I found enough, but took no more than I
wanted for present use, for I had other things which my eye
was more upon; as, first, tools to work with on shore. And it
was after long searching that I found out the carpenter's chest,
which was, indeed, a very useful prize to me, and much more
valuable than a ship lading of gold would have been at that
time. I got it down to my raft, whole as it was, without losing
time to look into it, for I knew in general what it contained.
My next care was for some ammunition and arms. There
were two very good fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and two
pistols. These I secured first, with some powder-horns and a
small bag of shot, and two old rusty swords. I knew there
were three barrels of powder in the ship, but knew not where
our gunner had stowed them; but with much search I found
them, two of them dry and good, the third had taken water.
Those two I got to my raft, with the arms. And now I
thought myself pretty well freighted, and began to think how I
should get to shore with them, having neither sail, oar, nor
rudder; and the least capful of wind would have overset all
my navigation.
I had three encouragements; 1st, a smooth, calm sea;
2dly, the tide rising, and setting in to the shore; 3dly, what little
wind there was blew me towards the land. And thus, having
found two or three broken oars belonging to the boat, and be-
sides the tools which were in the chest, two saws, an axe, and
a hammer, with this cargo I put to sea. For a mile or there-
abouts, my raft went very well, only that I found it drive a
little distant from the place I had landed before; by which I
perceived that there was some indraft of the water and con-
52
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
sequently, I hoped to find some creek or river there, which I
might make use of as a port to get to land with my cargo.
As I imagined, so it was. There appeared before me a
little opening of the land, and I found a strong current of the
tide set into it; so I guided my raft, as well as I could, to keep
in the middle of the stream.
But here I had like to have suffered a second shipwreck,
which, if I had, I think, verily, would have broken my heart;
for, knowing nothing of the coast, my raft ran aground at one
end of it upon a shoal, and not being aground at the other end,
it wanted but a little that all my cargo had slipped off towards
the end that was afloat, and so fallen into the water. I did my
utmost, by setting my back against the chests, to keep them in
their places, but could not thrust off the raft with all my strength;
neither durst I stir from the posture I was in ; but holding up
the chests with all my might, I stood in that manner near half
an hour, in which time the rising of the water brought me a
little more upon a level; and, a little after, the water still rising,
my. raft floated again, and I thrust her off with the oar I had
into the channel, and then driving up higher, I at length found
myself in the mouth of a little river, with land on both sides,
and a strong current or tide running up.
I looked on both
sides for a proper place to get to shore, for
be driven too high up the river: hoping, in
ship at sea, and therefore resolved to place myself as near the
coast as I could.
I
was not willing to
time, to see some
At length I spied a little cove on the right shore of the
creek, to which, with great pain and difficulty, I guided my raft,
and at last got so near, that reaching ground with my oar, I
could thrust her directly in. But here I had like to have dipped
all my cargo into the sea again; for that shore lying pretty
steep, that is to say, sloping,-there was no place to land,
but where one end of my float, if it ran on shore, would lie so
high, and the other sink lower, as before, that it would endanger
my cargo again. All that I could do, was to wait till the tide
was at the highest, keeping the raft with my oar like an anchor,
to hold the side of it fast to the shore, near a flat piece of
ground, which I expected the water would flow over; and so it
did. As soon as I found water enough, for my raft drew about
a foot of water, I thrust her on upon that flat piece of ground,
and there fastened or moored her, by sticking my two broken
oars into the ground,-one on one side, near one end, and one
on the other side near the other end; and thus I lay till the
water ebbed away, and left my raft and cargo safe on shore.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
53
My next work was to view the country, and seek a proper
place for my habitation, and where to stow my goods, to secure
them from whatever might happen. Where I was, I yet knew
not; whether on the continent or an island; whether inhabited
or not inhabited; whether in danger of wild beasts or not.
There was a hill not above a mile from me which rose up very
steep and high, and which seemed to overtop some other hills,
which lay as in a ridge from it, northward. I took out one
of the fowling-pieces, and one of the pistols, and a horn of
powder; and thus armed, I travelled for discovery up to the
top of that hill, where, after I had with great labor and difficulty
got to the top, I saw my fate, to my great affliction, viz.: that I
was in an island environed on every side by the sea: no land
to be seen except some rocks, which lay a great way off; and
two small islands less than this, which lay about three leagues
to the west.
I found also that the island I was in was barren, and as I
saw good reason to believe, uninhabited except by wild beasts,
of whom, however, I saw none. Yet I saw abundance of fowls,
but I knew not their kinds; neither, when I killed them, could
I tell what was fit for food, and what not. At my coming back,
I shot at a great bird, which I saw sitting upon a tree, on the
side of a great wood. I believe it was the first gun that had
been fired there since the creation of the world. I had no
sooner fired, than from all the parts of the wood there arose an
innumerable number of fowls, of many sorts, making a confused
screaming and crying, every one according to his usual note,
but not one of them of any kind that I knew. As for the crea-
ture I killed, I took it to be a kind of a hawk, its color and
beak resembling it, but it had no talons or claws more than
common. Its flesh was carrion, and fit for nothing.
Contented with this discovery, I came back to my raft, and
fell to work to bring my cargo on shore, which took me up the
rest of that day: what to do with myself at night I knew not,
nor indeed where to rest, for I was afraid to lie down on the
ground, not knowing but some wild beast might devour me,
though, as I afterwards found, there was really no need for
those fears.
However, as well as I could, I barricaded myself round
with the chests and boards that I had brought on shore, and
made a kind of hut for that night's lodging. As for food, I yet
saw not which way to supply myself, except that I had seen two
or three creatures, like hares, run out of the wood where I
shot the fowl,
54
ROBINSÓN CRUSOË.
I now began to consider that I might yet get a great many
things out of the ship, which would be useful to me, and particu-
larly some of the rigging and sails, and such other things as
might come to land; and I resolved to make another voyage on
board the vessel if possible. And as I knew that the first storm
that blew must necessarily break her all in pieces, I resolved to
set all other things apart, till I had got everything out of the ship
that I could get. Then I called a council-that is to say, in
my thoughts—whether I should take back the raft; but this
appeared impracticable; so I resolved to go as before, when
the tide was down, and I did so, only that I stripped before I
went from my hut, having nothing on but a checkered shirt, a
pair of linen drawers, and a pair of pumps on my feet.
I got on board the ship as before, and prepared a second.
raft; and having had experience of the first, I neither made
this so unwieldy, nor loaded it so hard, but yet I brought away
several things very useful to me; as, first, in the carpenter's
stores, I found two or three bags full of nails and spikes, a
great screw-jack, a dozen or two of hatchets, and, above all, that
most useful thing called a grindstone. All these I secured,
together with several things belonging to the gunner, particu-
larly two or three iron crows, and two barrels of musket bullets,
seven muskets, and another fowling-piece, with some small
quantity of powder more ;. a large bagful of small shot, and a
great roll of sheet-lead; but this last was so heavy I could not
hoist it up to get it over the ship's side.
I
Besides these things, I took all the men's clothes that I
could find, and a spare fore-top sail, a hammock, and some bed-
ding; and with this I loaded my second raft, and brought them
all safe on shore, to my very great comfort.
I was under some apprehension, during my absence from
the land, that at least my provisions might be devoured on shore:
but when I came back, I found no sign of any visitor; only
there sat a creature like a wild cat, upon one of the chests,
which, when I came towards it, ran away a little distance, and
then stood still. She sat very composed and unconcerned, and
looked full in my face, as if she had a mind to be acquainted
with me.
I presented my gun to her, but as she did not under-
stand it, she was perfectly unconcerned at it, nor did she offer
to stir away; upon which I tossed her a bit of biscuit, though,
by the way, I was not very free of it, for my store was not great:
however, I spared her a bit, I say, and she went to it, smelled
at it, and ate it, and looked (as if pleased) for more; but I
thanked her, and could spare no more: so she marched off.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
55
Having got my second cargo on shore,-though I was
obliged to open the barrels of powder, and bring them by
parcels, for they were too heavy, being large casks,-I went to
work to make me a little tent, with the sail, and some poles
which I cut for that purpose: and into this tent I brought every-
thing that I knew would spoil either with rain or sun; and I
piled all the empty chests and casks up in a circle round the
tent, to fortify it from any sudden attempt, either from man or
beast.
When I had done this, I blocked up the door of the tent
with some boards within, and an empty chest set up on end
without; and spreading one of the beds upon the ground, lay-
ing my two pistols just at my head, and my gun at length by
me, I went to bed for the first time, and slept very quietly all
night, for I was very weary and heavy; for the night before I
had slept little, and had labored very hard all day, to fetch all
those things from the ship, and to get them on shore.
I had the biggest magazine of all kinds now that ever was
laid up, I believe, for one man: but I was not satisfied still,
for while the ship sat upright in that posture, I thought I
ought to get everything out of her that I could: so every day,
at low tide, I went on board, and brought away something or
other; but particularly the third time I went, I brought away
as much of the rigging as I could, as also all the small ropes
and rope twine I could get, with a piece of spare canvas, which
was to mend the sails upon occasion, and the barrel of wet
gunpowder. In a word, I brought away all the sails first and
last; only that I was obliged to cut them in pieces, and bring
as much at a time as I could, for they were no more useful to
be sails, but as mere canvas only.
But that which comforted me more still, was, that last of
all, after I had made five or six such voyages as these, and
thought I had nothing more to expect from the ship that was
worth my meddling with ;—I say, after all this, I found a great
hogshead of bread, three large runlets of rum, or spirits, and a
box of sugar, and a barrel of fine flour: this was surprising to
me, because I had given over expecting any more provisions,
except what was spoiled by the water. I soon emptied the
hogshead of the bread, and wrapped it up, parcel by parcel, in
pieces of the sails, which I cut out; and, in a word, I got all
this safe on shore also.
The next day I made another voyage, and now, having
plundered the ship of what was portable and fit to hand out, I
began with the cables: cutting the great cable into pieces such
56
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
as I could move, I got two cables and a hawser on shore, with
all the iron work I could get; and having cut down the spirit-
sail-yard, and the mizzen-yard, and everything I could, to
make a large raft, I loaded it with all these heavy goods, and
came away; but my good luck began now to leave me; for
this raft was so unwieldy, and so overladen, that after I was
entered the little cove, where I had landed the rest of my goods,
not being able to guide it so handily as I did the other, it overset,
and threw me and all my cargo into the water; as for myself,
it was no great harm, for I was near the shore; but as to my
cargo, it was a great part of it lost, especially the iron, which I
expected would have been of great use to me: however, when
the tide was out, I got most of the pieces of cable ashore, and
some of the iron, though with infinite labor; for I had to dip
for it into the water, a work which fatigued me very much.
After this, I went every day on board, and brought away what
I could get.
•
I had been now thirteen days on shore, and had been eleven
times on board the ship, in which time I had brought away
all that one pair of hands could well be supposed capable to
bring; though I believe verily, had the calm weather held, I
should have brought away the whole ship, piece by piece; but
preparing the twelfth time to go on board, I found the wind
began to rise; however, at low water I went on board, and
though I thought I had rummaged the cabin so effectually, that
nothing more could be found, yet I discovered a locker with
drawers in it, in one of which I found two or three razors, and
one pair of large scissors, with some ten or a dozen of good
knives and forks in another I found about thirty-six pounds
value in money,-some European coin, some Brazil, some
pieces of eight, some gold and some silver.
I smiled to myself at the sight of this money: "O drug!"
said I aloud, "what art thou good for? Thou art not worth
to me,—no, not the taking off the ground: one of those knives
is worth all this heap: I have no manner of use for thee; e'en
remain where thou art, and go to the bottom, as a creature
whose life is not worth saving." However, upon second
thoughts, I took it away; and wrapping all in a piece of can-
vas, I began to think of making another raft: but while I was
preparing this, I found the sky overcast, and the wind began
to rise, and in a quarter of an hour it blew a fresh gale from
the shore. It presently occurred to me, that it was in vain to
pretend to make a raft with the wind off shore; and that it
was my business to be gone before the tide of flood began,
}
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
57
4
otherwise I might not be able to reach the shore at all. Ac-
cordingly, I let myself down into the water, and swam across
the channel which lay between the ship and the sands, and
even that with difficulty enough, partly with the weight of the
things I had about me, and partly from the roughness of the
water; for the wind rose very hastily, and before it was quite
high water it blew a storm.
But I had got home to my little tent, where I lay, with all
my wealth about me very secure. It blew very hard all that
night, and in the morning, when I looked out, behold no more
ship was to be seen! I was a little surprised, but recovered
myself with this satisfactory reflection, that I had lost no time,
nor abated any diligence, to get everything out of her that
could be useful to me; and that, indeed, there was little left in
her that I was able to bring away, if I had had more time.
I now gave over any more thoughts of the ship, or of any-
thing out of her, except what might drive on shore from her
wreck; as, indeed, divers pieces of her afterwards did; but
those things were of small use to me.
My thoughts were now wholly employed about securing
myself against either savages, if any should appear, or wild
beasts, if any were in the island; and I had many thoughts of
the method how to do this, and what kind of dwelling to make,
whether I should make me a cave in the earth, or a tent upon
the earth; and, in short, I resolved upon both; the manner
and description of which, it may not be improper to give an
account of.
I soon found the place I was in was not fit for my settle-
ment, because it was upon a low, moorish ground, near the
sea, and I believed it would not be wholesome, and more par-
ticularly because there was no fresh water near it; so I re-
solved to find a more healthy and more convenient spot of
ground.
I consulted several things in my situation, which I found
would be proper for me: Ist, health and fresh water, I just
now mentioned: 2dly, shelter from the heat of the sun: 3dly,
security from ravenous creatures, whether men or beasts: 4thly,
a view to the sea, that if God sent any ship in sight, I might
not lose any advantage for my deliverance, of which I was not
willing to banish all my expectation yet.
In search of a place proper for this, I found a little plain
on the side of a rising hill, whose front towards this little plain
was steep as a house-side, so that nothing could come down
upon me from the top. On the side of the rock there was a
J
1
58
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
VA
hollow place, worn a little. way in, like the entrance or door of
a cave; but there was not really any cave, or way into the rock,
at all.
On the flat of the green, just before this hollow place, I
resolved to pitch my tent. This plain was not above a hun-
dred yards broad, and about twice as long, and lay like a green
before my door; and, at the end of it, descended irregularly
every way down into the low ground by the sea-side. It was
on the N. N. W. side of the hill; so that it was sheltered from
the heat every day, till it came to a W. and by S. sun, or there-
about, which, in those countries, is near the setting.
Before I set 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 pitched two rows of strong stakes, driv-
ing them into the ground till they stood very firm like piles, the
biggest end being out of the ground above five feet and a half,
and sharpened on the top. The two rows did not stand above
six inches.from one another.
Then I took the pieces of cable which I had cut in the ship,
and laid them in rows, one upon another, within the circle,
between these rows of stakes, up to the top, placing other stakes
in the inside, leaning against them, about two feet and a half
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 cost me
a great deal of time and labor, especially to cut the piles in the
woods, bring them to the place, and drive them into the earth.
The entrance into this place I made to be, not by a door,
but by a short ladder to go up 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 secure in the night, which otherwise I could not have
done; though, as it appeared afterwards, there was no need
of all this caution from the enemies that I apprehended danger
from.
Into this fence, or fortress, with infinite labor, I carried all
my riches, all my provisions, ammunition, and stores, of which
you have the account above; and I made a large tent, which,
to preserve me from the rains, that in one part of the year are
very violent there, I made double, one smaller tent within, and
one large tent above it; and covered the uppermost with a
large tarpaulin, which I had saved among the sails.
And now I lay no more for a while in the bed which I had
+
V
}
C
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
59
>
brought on shore, but in a hammock, which was indeed a very
good one, and belonged to the mate of the ship.
Into this tent I brought all my provisions, and everything
that would spoil by the wet; and having thus inclosed all my
goods, I made up the entrance, which till now I had left open,
and so passed and repassed, as I said, by a short ladder.
When I had done this, I began to work my way into the
rock, and bringing all the earth and stones that I dug down out
through my tent, I laid them up within my fence, in the nature
of a terrace, so that it raised the ground within about a foot
and a half; and thus I made me a cave, just behind my tent,
which served me like a cellar to my house.
It cost me much labor and many days before all these things
were brought to perfection; and, therefore, I must go back to
some other things which took up some of my thoughts. At the
same time it happened, after I had laid my scheme for the set-
ting up my tent, and making the cave, that a storm of rain fall-
ing from a thick, dark cloud, a sudden flash of lightning
happened, and after that, a great clap of thunder, as is natu-
rally the effect of it. I was not so much surprised with the
lightning, as I was with a thought which darted into my mind
as swift as the lightning itself: O my powder! My very heart
sank within me when I thought that, at one blast, all my powder
might be destroyed; on which, not my defence only, but the
providing me food, as I thought, entirely depended.
I was
nothing near so anxious about my own danger, though, had the
powder took fire, I should never have known who had hurt me.
Such impression did this make upon me, that after the storm
was over, I laid aside all my works, my building and fortifying,
and applied myself to make bags and boxes, to separate the
powder, and to keep it a little and a little in a parcel, in hope
that whatever might come, it might not all take fire at once;
and to keep it so apart, that it should not be possible to make
one part fire another. I finished this work in about a fortnight;
and I think my powder, which in all was about two hundred
and forty pounds weight, was divided into not less than a hun-
dred parcels. As to the barrel that had been wet, I did not
apprehend any danger from that; so I placed it in my new cave,
which, in my fancy, I call my kitchen; and the rest I hid up
and down in holes among the rocks, so that no wet might come
to it, marking very carefully where I laid it.
In the interval of time while this was doing, I went out once
at least every day with my gun, as well to divert myself, as to
see if I could kill anything fit for food; and, as near as I could,
60
ROBINSON CRUSOE,
to acquaint myself with what the island produced. The first
time I went out, I presently discovered that there were goats in
the island, which was a great satisfaction to me; but then it
was attended with this misfortune to me, viz.: that they were
so shy, so subtle, and so swift of foot, that it was the difficultest
thing in the world to come at them; but I was not discouraged
at this, not doubting but I might now and then shoot one, as it
soon happened; for after I had found their haunts a little, I
laid wait in this manner for them: I observed if they saw me
in the valleys, though they were upon the rocks, they would run
away, as in a terrible fright; but if they were feeding in the
valleys, and I was upon the rocks, they took no notice of me;
from whence I concluded that, by the position of their optics,
their sight was so directed downward, that they did not readily
see objects that were above them; so afterwards, I took this
method, I always climbed the rocks first, to get above them,
and then had frequently a fair mark.
The first shot I made among these creatures, I killed a she-
goat, which had a little kid by her, which she gave suck to,
which grieved me, heartily; for, when the old one fell, the kid
stood stock still by her, till I came and took her up; and not
only so, but when I carried the old one with me, upon my
shoulders, the kid followed me quite to my enclosure; upon
which, I laid down the dam, and took the kid in my arms, and
carried it over my pale, in hopes to have bred it up tame; but
it would not eat; so I was forced to kill it, and eat it myself.
These two supplied me with flesh a great while, for I ate
sparingly, and saved my provisions, my bread especially, as
much as possibly I could.
Having now fixed my habitation, I found it absolutely
necessary to provide a place to make a fire in, and fuel to burn;
and what I did for that, as also how I enlarged my cave, and
what conveniences I made, I shall give a full account of in its
place; but I must now give some little account of myself, and
of my thoughts about living, which, it may well be supposed,
were not a few.
I had a dismal prospect of my condition, for as I was not
cast away upon that island without being driven, as is said, by
a violent storm, quite out of the course of our intended voyage,
and a great way, viz.: some hundreds of leagues, out of the
ordinary course of the trade of mankind, I had great reason to
consider it as a determination of Heaven, that in this desolate
place, and in this desolate manner, I should end my life. The
tears would run plentifully down my face when I made these
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
61
reflections; and sometimes I would expostulate with myself
why Providence should thus completely ruin its creatures, and
render them so absolutely miserable; so without help, aban-
doned, so entirely depressed, that it would hardly be rational
to be thankful for such a life.
But something always returned swift upon me to check
these thoughts and to reprove me; and particularly, one day,
walking with my gun in my hand, by the sea-side, I was very
pensive upon the subject of my present condition, when reason,
as it were, expostulated with me the other way, thus: "Well,
you are in a desolate condition, it is true; but, pray remember,
where are the rest of you? Did not you come eleven of you
into the boat? Where are the ten? Why were not they saved,
and you lost? Why were you singled out? Is it better to be
here or there?" And then I pointed to the sea. All evils
are to be considered with the good that is in them, and with
what worse attends them.
66
Then it occurred to me again, how well I was furnished for
my subsistence, and what would have been my case if it had
not happened (which was a hundred thousand to one) that the
ship floated from the place where she first struck, and was
driven so near to the shore, that I had time to get all these
things out of her what would have been my case, if I had
been forced to have lived in the condition in which I at first
came on shore, without necessaries of life, or necessaries to
supply and procure them? Particularly," said I, aloud
(though to myself), "what should I have done without a gun,
without ammunition, without any tools to make anything, or to
work with, without clothes, bedding, a tent, or any manner of
covering?" and that now I had all these in sufficient quantity,
and was in a fair way to provide myself in such a manner as to
live without my gun, when my ammunition was spent: so that
I had a tolerable view of subsisting, without any want, as long
as I lived; for I considered, from the beginning, how I would
provide for the accidents that might happen and for the time
that was to come, even not only after my ammunition should
be spent, but even after my health and strength should decay.
I confess, I had not entertained any notion of my ammunition
being destroyed at one blast,—I mean my powder being blown
up by lightning; and this made the thoughts of it so surprising
to me, when it lightened and thundered, as I observed just now.
And now being to enter into a melancholy relation of a
scene of silent life, such, perhaps, as was never heard of in the
world before, I shall take it from its beginning, and continue it
1
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
62
;
in its order. It was, by my account, the 30th of September,
when, in the manner as above said, I first set foot upon this
horrid island; when the sun, being to us in its autumnal equinox,
was almost just over my head: for I reckoned myself, by ob-
servation, to be in the latitude of nine degrees twenty-two
minutes north of the line.
After I had been there about ten or twelve days, it came
into my thoughts that I should lose my reckoning of time for
want of books, and pen and ink, and should even forget the
Sabbath days; but to prevent this, I cut with my knife upon a
arge post, in capital letters; and making it into a great cross,
I set up on the shore where I first landed, "I came on shore
here on the 30th of September, 1659.”
Upon the sides of this square post I cut every day a notch
with my knife, and every seventh notch was as long again as
the rest, and every first day of the month, as long again as that
long one; and thus I kept my calendar, or weekly, monthly,
and yearly reckoning of time.
In the next place, we are to observe that among the many
things which I brought out of the ship, in the several voyages
which, as above mentioned, I made to it, I got several things
of less value, but not at all less useful to me, which I omitted
setting down before; as, in particular, pens, ink, and paper;
several parcels in the captain's, mate's, gunner's, and carpenter's
keeping; three or four compasses, some mathematical instru-
ments, dials, perspectives, charts, and books of navigation; all
which I huddled together, whether I might want them or no :
also I found three very good Bibles, which came to me in my
cargo from England, and which I had packed up among my
things; some Portuguese books also; and, among them, two
or three Popish prayer-books, and several other books, all which
I carefully secured. And I must not forget, that we had in the
ship a dog, and two cats, of whose eminent history I may have
occasion to say something in its place; for I carried both the
cats with me; and as for the dog, he jumped out of the ship of
himself, and swam on shore to me the day after I went on
shore with my first cargo, and was a trusty servant to me many
years; I wanted nothing that he could fetch me, nor any com-
pany that he could make up to me; I only wanted to have him
talk to me, but that would not do. As I observed before, I
found pens, ink, and paper, and I husbanded them to the ut-
most; and I shall show that while my ink lasted, I kept things
very exact, but after that was gone I could not, for I could not
make any ink by any means that I could devise.
1
ROBINSON Crusoe.
63
And this put me in mind that I wanted many things, not-
withstanding all that I had amassed together; and of these
ink was one; as also a spade, pickaxe, and shovel, to dig or
remove the earth; needles, pins, and thread: as for linen, I
soon learned to want that without much difficulty.
This want of tools made every work I did go on heavily
and it was near a whole year before I had entirely finished my
little pale, or surrounded my habitation. The piles or stakes,
which were as heavy as I could well lift, were a long time in
cutting and preparing in the woods, and more, by far, in bring.
ing home; so that I spent sometimes two days in cutting and
bringing home one of those posts, and a third day in driving it
into the ground; for which purpose, I got a heavy piece of
wood at first, but at last bethought myself of one of the iron
crows; which, however, though I found it, made driving those
posts or piles very laborious and tedious work. But what need
I have been concerned at the tediousness of anything I had to
do, seeing I had time enough to do it in? nor had I any other
employment, if that had been over, at least that I could foresee,
except the ranging the island to seek for food, which I did
more or less every day.
I now began to consider seriously my condition, and the
circumstances I was reduced to; and I drew up the state of my
affairs in writing, not so much to leave them to any that were
to come after me, for I was likely to have but few heirs, as to
deliver my thoughts from daily poring upon them, and afflicting
my mind; and as my reason began now to master my despond-
ency, I began to comfort myself as well as I could, and to set
the good against the evil, that I might have something to dis-
tinguish my case from worse; and I stated very impartially,
like debtor and creditor, the comforts I enjoyed against the
miseries I suffered, thus :-
EVIL.
I am cast upon a horrible,
desolate island, void of all
hope of recovery.
I am singled out and sepa-
rated, as it were, from all the
world. to be miserable.
-
GOOD.
But I am alive; and not
drowned, as all my ship's com-
pany were.
But I am singled out, too,
from all the ship's crew, to be
spared from death; and He
that miraculously saved me
from death, can deliver me
from this condition.
64
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
EVIL.
I am divided from man-
kind, a solitaire; one ban-
ished from human society.
I have not clothes to cover
me.
I am without any defence,
or means to resist any violence
of man or beast.
I have no soul to speak to
or relieve me.
Good.
But I am not starved, and
perishing on a barren place,
affording no sustenance.
But I am in a hot climate,
where, if I had clothes, I could
hardly wear them.
But I am cast on an island
where I see no wild beasts to
hurt me, as I saw on the coast
of Africa: and what if I had
been shipwrecked there?
But God wonderfully sent
the ship in near enough to the
shore, that I have got out as
many necessary things as will
either supply my wants or en-
able me to supply myself, even
as long as I live.
Upon the whore, here was an undoubted testimony, that
there was scarce any condition in the world so miserable, but
there was something negative, or something positive, to be
thankful for in it; and let this stand as a direction, from the
experience of the most miserable of all conditions in this world :
that we may always find in it something to comfort ourselves
from, and to set, in the description of good and evil, on the·
credit side of the account.
Having now brought my mind a little to relish my condition,
and given over looking out to sea, to see if I could spy a ship,—
say, giving over these things, I began to apply myself to arrange
my way of living, and to make things as easy to me as I could.
I have already described my habitation, which was a tent
under the side of a rock, surrounded with a strong pale of posts
and cables; but I might now rather call it a wall, for I raised
a kind of wall up against it of turfs, about two feet thick on the
outside and after some time (I think it was a year and a half)
I raised rafters from it, leaning to the rock, and thatched or
covered it with boughs of trees, and such things as I could get,
to keep out the rain; which I found at some times of the year
very violent.
:
I have already observed how I brought all my goods into.
this pale, and into the cave which I had made behind me. But
I must observe, too, that at first this was a confused heap of
S
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
65
goods, which, as they lay in no order, so they took up all my
place; I had no room to turn myself: so I set myself to en-
large my cave, and work farther into the earth; for it was a
loose sandy rock, which yielded easily to the labor I bestowed
on it and so when I found I was pretty safe as to beasts of
prey, I worked sideways, to the right hand into the rock; and
then turning to the right again, worked quite out, and made
me a door to come out on the outside of my pale or fortifica-
tion.
This gave me not only egress and regress, as it was a back
way to my tent and to my storehouse, but gave me room to
store my goods.
And now I began to apply myself to make such necessary
things as I found I most wanted, particularly a chair and a
table; for without these I was not able to enjoy the few com-
forts I had in the world; I could not write, or eat, or do several
things with so much pleasure, without a table: so I went to
work. And here I must needs observe, that as reason is the
substance and origin of the mathematics, so by stating and
squaring everything by reason, and by making the most rational
judgment of things, every man may be, in time, master of every
mechanic art. I had never handled a tool in my life
life; and yet,
in time, by labor, application, and contrivance, I found, at last,
that I wanted nothing but I could have made it, especially if I
had had tools. However, I made abundance of things, even
without tools; and some with no more tools than an adze and
a hatchet, which perhaps were never made that way before, and
that with infinite labor. For example, if I wanted a board, I
had no other way but to cut down a tree, set it on an edge be-
fore me, and hew it flat on either side with an axe, till I had
brought it to be thin as a plank, and then dub it smooth with
my adze. It is true, by this method I could make but one
board out of a whole tree; but this I had no remedy for but
patience, any more than I had for the prodigious deal of time
and labor which it took me up to make a plank or board: but
my time or labor was little worth, and so it was as well em-
ployed one way as another.
Ho vever, I made me a table and a chair, as I observed
above, in the first place; and this I did out of the short pieces.
of boards that I brought on the raft from the ship. But when
I had wrought out some boards as above, I made large shelves,
of the breadth of a foot and a half, one over another all along
one side of my cave, to lay all my tools, nails, and iron-work on;
and, in a word, to separate everything at large into their places,
66
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
that I might come easily at them. I knocked pieces into the
wall of the rock to hang my guns and all things that would hang
up: so that had my cave been to be seen, it looked like a gen-
eral magazine of all necessary things; and I had everything
so ready at my hand, that it was a great pleasure to me to see
all my goods in such order, and especially to find my stock of
all necessaries so great.
And now it was that I began to keep a journal of every
day's employment; for, indeed, at first, I was in too much
hurry, and not only hurry as to labor, but in too much discom-
posure of mind; and my journal would have been full of many
dull things for example, I must have said thus: "Sept. 30th.
—After I had got to shore, and had escaped drowning, instead
of being thankful to God for my deliverance, having first
vomited, with the great quantity of salt water which had got
into my stomach, and recovering myself a little, I ran about the
shore wringing my hands and beating my head and face; ex-
claiming at my misery, and cying out, I was undone, undone!'
till, tired and faint, I was forced to lie down on the ground to
repose; but durst not sleep, for fear of being devoured."
Some days after this, and after I had been on board the
ship, and got all that I could out of her, yet I could not for-
bear getting up to the top of a little mountain, and looking out
to sea, in hopes of seeing a ship; then fancy, at a vast dis-
tance, I spied a sail, please myself with the hopes of it, and
then after looking steadily, till I was almost blind, lose it quite,
and sit down and weep like a child, and thus increase my mis-
ery by my folly.
But having gotten over these things in some measure, and
having settled my household stuff and habitation, made me a
table and chair, and all as handsome about me as I could, I
began to keep my journal; of which I shall here give you the
copy (though in it will be told all these particulars over again)
as long as it lasted: for having no more ink, I was forced to
leave it off.
THE JOURNAL.
September 30, 1659.-I, poor, miserable Robinson Crusoe,
being shipwrecked, during a dreadful storm, in the offing, came
on shore on this dismal, unfortunate island, which I called
"The Island of Despair;" all the rest of the ship's company
being drowned, and myself almost dead.
All the rest of the day I spent in afflicting myself at the
Pag
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
67
%
•
dismal circumstances I was brought to; viz.: I had neither
food, house, clothes, weapon, nor place to fly to: and, in de-
spair of any relief, saw nothing but death before me: either that
I should be devoured by wild beasts, murdered by savages, or
starved to death for want of food. At the approach of night I
slept in a tree, for fear of wild creatures; but slept soundly,
though it rained all night.
October 1.-In the morning I saw, to my great surprise, the
ship had floated with the high tide, and was driven on shore
again much nearer the island; which as it was some comfort,
on one hand, for seeing her sit upright, and not broken to
pieces, I hoped, if the wind abated, I might get on board, and
get some food and necessaries out of her for my relief; so, on
the other hand, it renewed my grief at the loss of my comrades,
who, I imagined, if we had all staid on board, might have saved
the ship, or, at least, that they would not have been all
drowned, as they were; and that, had the men been saved, we
might perhaps have built us a boat out of the ruins of the ship,
to have carried us to some other part of the world. I spent
great part of this day in perplexing myself on these things;
but, at length, seeing the ship almost dry, I went upon the sand
as near as I could, and then swam on board. This day also it
continued raining, though with no wind at all.
From the 1st of October to the 24th.-All these days en-
tirely spent in many several voyages to get all I could out of
the ship, which I brought on shore, every tide of flood, upon
rafts. Much rain also, in the days, though with some intervals
of fair weather; but it seems this was the rainy season.
Oct. 20.—I overset my raft, and all the goods I had got
upon it; but being in shoal water, and the things being chiefly
heavy, Í recovered many of them when the tide was out.
Oct. 25.-It rained all night and all day, with some gusts of
wind; during which time the ship broke in pieces, the wind
blowing a little harder than before, and was no more to be seen,
except the wreck of her, and that only at low water. I spent
this day in covering and securing the goods which I had saved,
that the rain might not spoil them.
Oct. 26.—I walked about the shore almost all day, to find
out a place to fix my habitation, greatly concerned to secure
myself from any attack in the night, either from wild beasts or
men. Towards night, I fixed upon a proper place, under a
rock, and marked out a semicircle for my encampment; which
I resolved to strengthen with a work, wall, or fortification, made
of double piles, lined within with cables, and without with turf.
4
68
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
A
From the 26th to the 30th, I worked very nard in carrying
all my goods to my new habitation, though some part of the
time it rained exceedingly hard.
The 31st, in the morning, I went out into the island with my
gun, to see for some food, and discover the country; when I
killed a she-goat, and her kid followed me home, which I after-
wards killed also because it would not feed.
November 1.—I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there
for the first night; making it as large as I could, with stakes
driven in to swing my hammock upon.
Nov. 2.—I set up all my chests and boards, and the pieces
of timber which made my rafts, and with them formed a fence
round me, a little within the place I had marked out for my
fortification.
Nov. 3.-I went out with my gun, and killed two fowls like
ducks, which were very good food. In the afternoon went to
work to make me a table.
Nov. 4.—This morning I began to order my times of work,
of going out with my gun, time of sleep, and time of diversion;
viz.: every morning I walked out with my gun for two or three
hours, if it did not rain; then employed myself to work till
about eleven o'clock; then ate what I had to live on; and from
twelve till two I lay down to sleep, the weather being excessively
hot; and then, in the evening, to work again. The working
part of this day and of the next was wholly employed in making
my table, for I was yet but a very sorry workman, though time
and necessity made me a complete natural mechanic soon after,
as I believe they would do any one else.
Nov. 5.-This day, went abroad with my gun and my dog,
and killed a wild cat; her skin pretty soft, but her flesh good
for nothing; every creature that I killed I took off the skins and
preserved them. Coming back by the sea-shore, I saw many
sorts of sea-fowls, which I did not understand; but was sur-
prised, and almost frightened, with two or three seals, which,
while I was gazing at, not well knowing what they were, got into
the sea, and escaped me for that time.
Nov. 6.—After my morning walk, I went to work with my
table again, and finished it, though not to my liking; nor was
it long before I learned to mend it.
Nov. 7.-Now it began to be settled fair weather. The 7th,
-8th, 9th, 10th, and part of the 12th (for the 11th was Sunday),
I took wholly up to make me a chair, and with much ado
brought it to a tolerable shape, but never to please me; and
even in the making I pulled it in pieces several times.
t
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
69
Note.-I soon neglected my keeping Sundays; for, omitting
my mark for them on my post, I forgot which was which.
Nov. 13.-This day it rained, which refreshed me exceed-
ingly, and cooled the earth; but it was accompanied with
terrible thunder and lightning, which frighted me dreadfully,
for fear of my powder. As soon as it was over, I resolved to
separate my stock of powder into as many little parcels as
possible, that it might not be in danger.
Nov. 14, 15, 16.-These three days I spent in making little
square chests, or boxes, which might hold about a pound, or
two pounds at most, of powder; and so, putting the powder in,
stowed it in places as secure and remote from one another as
possible. On one of these three days, I killed a large bird that
was good to eat, but I knew not what to call it.
Nov. 17.-This day I began to dig behind my tent into the
rock, to make room for my further conveniency.
Note. Three things I wanted exceedingly for this work:
viz.: a pickaxe, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow, or basket; so I
desisted from my work, and began to consider how to supply
that want, and make me some tools. As for the pickaxe, I
made use of the iron crows, which were proper enough, though
heavy; but the next thing was a shovel, or spade; this was so
absolutely necessary, that, indeed, I could do nothing effect-
ually without it; but what kind of one to make I knew not.
Nov. 18.-The next day, in searching the woods, I found a
tree of that wood, or like it, which, in the Brazils, they call the
iron-tree, for its exceeding hardness; of this, with great labor,
and almost spoiling my axe, I cut a piece, and brought it home,
too, with difficulty, enough, for it was exceeding heavy. The
excessive hardness of the wood, and my having no other way,
made me a long while upon this machine, for I worked it effect-
ually by little and little into the form of a shovel or spade ; the
handle exactly shaped like ours in England, only that the broad
part having no iron shod upon it at bottom, it would not last
me so long; however, it served well enough for the uses which
I had occasion to put it to; but never was a shovel, I believe,
made after that fashion, or so long in making.
I was still deficient, for I wanted a basket, or a wheel-
barrow. A basket I could not make by any means, having no
such things as twigs that would bend to make wicker-ware-at
least, none yet found out; and as to a wheelbarrow, I fancied I
could make all but the wheel; but that I had no notion of;
neither did I know how to go about it; besides, I had no possible
way to make the iron gudgeons for the spindle or axis of the
70
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
¿
"
>
wheel to run in; so I gave it over, and so, for carrying away
the earth which I dug out of the cave, I made me a thing like
a hod, which the laborers carry mortar in, when they serve the
bricklayers. This was not so difficult to me as the making the
shovel; and yet this and the shovel, and the attempt which I
made in vain to make a wheelbarrow, took me up no less than
four days—I mean always excepting my morning walk with my
gun, which I seldom failed, and very seldom failed also bring
ing home something fit to eat.
Nov. 23.-My other work having now stood still, because
of my making these tools, when they were finished I went on,
and working every day, as my strength and time allowed, Í
spent eighteen days entirely in widening and deepening my
cave, that it might hold my goods commodiously.
Note. During all this time, I worked to make this room,
or cave, spacious enough to accommodate me as a warehouse,
or magazine, a kitchen, a dining-room, and a cellar. As for
my lodging, I kept to the tent; except that sometimes, in the wet
season of the year, it rained so hard, that I could not keep myself
dry, which caused me afterwards to cover all my place within my
pale with long poles, in the form of rafters, leaning against the
rock, and load them with flags and large leaves of trees, like a
thatch.
December 10.-I began now to think my cave or vault
finished, when on a sudden (it seems I had made it too large)
a great quantity of earth fell down from the top and one side;
so much that, in short, it frighted me, and not without reason,
too; for if I had been under it, I had never wanted a grave-
digger. I had now a great deal of work to do over again,
for I had the loose earth to carry out; and, which was of more
importance, I had the ceiling to prop up, so that I might be
sure no more would come down.
Dec. 11. This day I went to work with it accordingly, and
got two shores or posts pitched upright to the top, with two
pieces of boards across over each post; this I finished the
next day; and setting more posts up with boards, in about a
weer more I had the roof secured; and the posts, standing in
rows, served me for partitions to part off the house.
Dec. 17.-From this day to the 20th I placed shelves, and
knocked up nails on the posts, to hang everything up that
could be hung up; and now I began to be in some order within
doors.
Pag
J
Dec. 20.-Now I carried everything into the cave, and be-
gan to furnish my house, and set up some pieces of boards like
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
71
a dresser, to order my victuals upon; but boards began to be
very scarce with me: also I made me another table.
Dec. 24.-Much rain all night and all day: no stirring
out.
Dec. 25.-Rain all day.
Dec. 26.—No rain, and the earth much cooler than before
and pleasanter.
Dec. 27.-Killed a young goat, and lamed another so that
I caught it, and led it home in a string; when I had it at home,
I bound and splintered up its leg, which was broke.
N. B.-I took such care of it that it lived, and the leg
grew well and as strong as ever; but by my nursing it so long
it grew tame, and fed upon the little green at my door, and
would not go away. This was the first time that I entertained
a thought of breeding up some tame creatures, that I might
have food when my powder and shot were all spent.
Dec. 28, 29, 30, 31.-Great heats, and no breeze, so that
there was no stirring abroad, except in the evening, for food;
this time I spent in putting all my things in order within
doors.
Fanuary. 1-Very hot still: but I went abroad early and
late with my gun, and lay still in the middle of the day. This
evening, going farther into the valleys which lay towards the
centre of the island, I found there were plenty of goats, though
exceedingly shy, and hard to come at; however, I resolved to
try if I could not bring my dog to hunt them down.
Fan. 2.-Accordingly, the next day I went out with my
dog, and set him upon the goats; but I was mistaken, for they
all faced about upon the dog, and he knew his danger too
well, for he would not come near them.
Fan. 3.-I began my fence, or wall; which, being still
jealous of my being attacked by somebody, I resolved to make
very thick and strong.
N. B.-This wall being described before, I purposely omit
what was said in the journal; it is sufficient to observe that I
was no less time than from the 3d of January to the 14th of
April working, finishing, and perfecting this wall, though it was
no more than about twenty-four yards in length, being a half
circle, from one place in the rock to another place, about eight
yards from it, the door of the cave being in the centre be-
hind it.
All this time I worked very hard, the rains hindering me
many days, nay, sometimes weeks together: but I thought I
should never be perfectly secure till this wall was finished;
j
72
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
10
and it is scarce credible what inexpressible labor everything
was done with, especially the bringing piles out of the woods,
and driving them into the ground; for I made them much
bigger than I needed to have done.
When this wall was finished, and the outside double-fenced,
with a turf wall raised up close to it, I persuaded myself that
if any people were to come on shore there, they would not per
ceive anything like a habitation; and it was very well I did
so, as may be observed hereafter, upon a very remarkable oc-
casion.
}
During this time I made my rounds in the woods for game
every day, when the rain permitted me, and made frequent dis-
coveries in these walks of something or other to my advantage;
particularly I found a kind of wild pigeons, which build, not as
wood pigeons, in a tree, but rather as house pigeons, in the
holes of the rocks; and taking some young ones, I endeavored
to breed them up tame, and did so ; but when they grew older
they flew away, which perhaps was at first for want of feed-
ing them, for I had nothing to give them; however, I fre-
quently found their nests, and got their young ones, which
were very good meat. And now, in the managing my house-
hold affairs, I found myself wanting in many things, which
I thought at first it was impossible for me to make; as, in-
deed, with some of them it was; for instance, I could never
make a cask to be hooped. I had a small runlet or two,
as I observed before; but I could never arrive at the ca
pacity of making one by them, though I spent many weeks
about it; I could neither put in the heads, nor join the
staves so true to one another as to make them hold water; so
I gave that also over. In the next place, I was at a great
loss for candles; so that as soon as ever it was dark, which
was generally by seven o'clock, I was obliged to go to bed.
I remembered the lump of beeswax with which I made can-
dles in my African adventure; but I had none of that now;
the only remedy I had was, that when I had killed a goat
I saved the tallow, and with a little dish made of clay,
which I baked in the sun, to which I added a wick of some
oakum, I made me a lamp; and this gave me light, though
not a clear steady light like a candle. In the middle of all
my labors it happened that, rummaging my things, I found
a little bag, which, as I hinted before, had been filled with corn
for the feeding of poultry,—not for this voyage, but before, as
I suppose, when the ship came from Lisbon. The little re-
mainder of corn that had been in the bag was all devoured with
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
73
the rats, and I saw nothing in the bag but husks and dust; and
bung willing to have the bag for some other use (I think it was
to put powder in, when I divided it, for the fear of the light-
ning, or some such use), I shook the husks of corn out of it
on one side of my fortification, under the rock.
It was a little before the great rains just now mentioned,
that I threw this stuff away, taking no notice, and not so much
as remembering that I had thrown anything there, when, about
a month after, or thereabouts, I saw some few stalks of some-
thing green shooting out of the ground, which I fancied might
be some plant I had not seen; but I was surprised and per-
fectly astonished, when, after a little longer time, I saw about
ten or twelve ears come out, which were perfectly green barley,
of the same kind as our European nay, as our English
barley.
M
It is impossible to express the astonishment and confusion
of my thoughts on this occasion; I had hitherto acted upon
no religious foundation at all; indeed, I had very few notions
of religion in my head, nor had entertained any sense of any-
thing that had befallen me, otherwise than as chance, or, as we
lightly say, what pleases God, without so much as inquiring
into the end of Providence in these things, or his order in gov-
erning events for the world. But after I saw barley grow there,
in a climate which I knew was not proper for corn, and espe-
cially that I knew not how it came there, it startled me strangely,
and I began to suggest that God had miraculously caused his
grain to grow without any help of seed sown, and that it was so
directed purely for my sustenance on that wild, miserable place.
This touched my heart a little, and brought tears out of my
eyes, and I began to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature
should happen upon my account; and this was the more strange
to me, because I saw near it still, all along by the side of the
rock, some other straggling stalks, which proved to be stalks
of rice, and which I knew, because I had seen it grow in Africa,
when I was ashore there.
I not only thought these the pure productions of Providence
for my support, but not doubting that there was more in the
place, I went all over that part of the island where I had been
before, peering in every corner, and under every rock, to see
for more of it, but I could not find any. At last it occurred to
my thoughts, that I shook a bag of chickens' meat out in that
place; and then the wonder began to cease; and I must con-
fess, my religious thankfulness to God's providence began to
abate, too, upon the discovering that all this was nothing but
·74
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
{
what was common; though I ought to have been as thankful
for so strange and unforeseen a providence, as if it had been
miraculous; for it was really the work of Providence to me,
that should order or appoint that ten or twelve grains of corn
should remain unspoiled, when the rats had destroyed all the
rest, as if it had been dropped from heaven; as also, that I
should throw it out in that particular place, where, it being in
the shade of a high rock, it sprang up immediately; whereas,
if I had thrown it anywhere else, at that time, it had been burnt.
up and destroyed.
I carefully saved the ears of this corn, you may be sure, in
their season, which was about the end of June; and, laying up
every corn, I resolved to sow them all again, hoping, in time,
to have some quantity, sufficient to supply me with bread. But
it was not till the fourth year that I could allow myself the least
grain of this corn to eat, and even then but sparingly, as I shall
say afterwards, in its order; for I lost all that I sowed the first
season, by not observing the proper time; for I sowed it just
before the dry season, so that it never came up at all, at least
not as it would have done: of which in its place.
Besides this barley, there were, as above, twenty or thirty
stalks of rice, which I preserved with the same care and for the
same use, or to the same purpose, to make me bread, or rather
food; for I found ways to cook it without baking, though I did
that also after some time.
But to return to my journal :-
worked excessively hard these three or four months, to get
my wall done; and the 14th of April, I closed it up, contriving
to go inte it, not by a door, but over the wall by a ladder, that
there might be no sign on the outside of my habitation.
April 16.—I finished the ladder; so I went up the ladder
to the top, and then pulled it up after me, and let it down in
the inside this was a complete enclosure to me; for within I
had room enough, and nothing could come at me from without,
unless it could first mount my wall.
:
The very next day after this wall was finished, I had almost
had all my labor overthrown at once, and myself killed. The case
was thus: As I was busy in the inside, behind my tent, just as¨
the entrance into my cave, I was terribly frighted with a most
dreadful surprising thing indeed for, all on a sudden, I foun
the earth come crumbling down from the roof of my cave, and
from the edge of the hill over my head, and two of the posts I
had set up in the cave cracked in a frightful manner.
I was
heartily scared; but thought nothing of what was really the
•
3
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
75
cause, only thinking that the top of my cave was fallen in, as
some of it had done before: and for fear I should be buried in
it, I ran forward to my ladder, and not thinking myself safe
there neither, I got over my wall for fear of the pieces of the
hill, which I expected might roll down upon me.
I had no
sooner stepped down upon the firm ground, than I plainly saw
it was a terrible earthquake; for the ground I stood on shook
three times at about eight minutes' distance, with three such
shocks as would have overturned the strongest building that
could be supposed to have stood on the earth, and a great piece
of the top of a rock, which stood about half a mile from me,
next the sea, fell down, with such a terrible noise as I never
heard in all my life. I perceived also the very sea was put
into violent motion by it; and I believe the
and I believe the shocks were
stronger under the water than on the island.
I was so much amazed with the thing itself, having never
felt the like, nor discoursed with any one that had, that I was
like one dead or stupefied; and the motion of the earth made
my stomach sick, like one that was tossed at sea; but the noise
of the falling of the rock awaked me, as it were, and rousing
me from the stupefied condition I was in, filled me with horror,
and I thought of nothing then but the hill falling upon my tent
and all my household goods, and burying all at once; and this
sunk my very soul within me a second time.
After the third shock was over, and I felt no more for some
time, I began to take courage; and yet I had not heart enough
to go over my wall again, for fear of being buried alive, but sat
still upon the ground greatly cast down and disconsolate, not
knowing what to do. All this while, I had not the least serious
religious thought; nothing but the common "Lord, have mercy
upon me!" and when it was over, that went away too.
:
While I sat thus, I found the air overcast, and grow cloudy,
as if it would rain; soon after that, the wind arose by little and
little, so that in less than half an hour it blew a most dreadful
hurricane the sea was, all on a sudden, covered over with foam
and froth; the shore was covered with the breach of the water ;
the trees were torn up by the roots; and a terrible storm it was.
This held about three hours, and then began to abate; and in
two hours more it was quite calm, and began to rain very hard.
All this while I sat upon the ground, very much terrified and
dejected; when on a suddon it came into my thoughts, that
these winds and rain being the consequences of the earthquake,
the earthquake itself was spent and over, and I might venture
into my cave again. With this thought, my spirits began to
76
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
revive; and the rain also helping to persuade me, I went in
and sat down in my tent; but the rain was so violent, that my
tent was ready to be beaten down with it; and I was forced to
go into my cave, though very much afraid and uneasy, for fear
it should fall on my head. This violent rain forced me to a
new work, viz.: to cut a hole through my new fortification, like
a sink, to let the water go out, which would else have flooded
my cave. After I had been in my cave for some time, and found
still no more shocks of the earthquake follow, I began to be
more composed. And now to support my spirits, which indeed
wanted it very much, I went to my little store, and took a small
sup of rum; which, however, I did then and always very spar-
ingly, knowing I could have no more when that was gone. It
continued raining all that night, and great part of the next day,
so that I could not stir abroad; but my mind being more com-
posed, I began to think of what I had best do; concluding,
that if the island was subject to these earthquakes, there would
be no living for me in a cave, but I must consider of building
a little hut in an open place, which I might surround with a
wall, as I had done here, and so make myself secure from wild
beasts or men ; for I concluded if I staid where I was, I should
certainly, one time or other, be buried alive.
With these thoughts, I resolved to remove my tent from the
place where it now stood, which was just under the hanging
precipice of the hill; and which, if it should be shaken again,
would certainly fall upon my tent: and I spent the two next
days, being the 19th and 20th of April, in contriving where and
how to remove my habitation. The fear of being swallowed,
up alive made me that I never slept in quiet; and yet the ap-
prehension of lying abroad without any fence was almost equal
to it but still, when I looked about, and saw how everything
was put in order, how pleasantly concealed I was, and how safe
from danger, it made me very loath to remove. In the mean
time, it occurred to me that it would require a vast deal of time
for me to do this, and that I must be contented to venture where I
was, till I had formed a camp for myself, and had secured it so as
to remove to it. So with this resolution I composed myself for
a time; and resolved that I would go to work with all speed to
build me a wall with piles and cables, &c., in a circle, as before,
and set my tent up in it, when it was finished; but that I would
venture to stay where I was till it was finished, and fit to re-
move. This was the 21st.
April 22.-The next morning I began to consider of means
to put this resolve into execution; but I was at a great loss
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
77
·
about my tools. I had three large axes, and abundance of
hatchets (for we carried the hatchets for traffic with the In-
dians); but with much chopping and cutting knotty, hard wood,
they were all full of notches, and dull; and though I had a
grindstone, I could not turn it and grind my tools too. This
cost me as much thought as a statesman would have bestowed
upon a grand point of politics, or a judge upon the life and
death of a man. At length I contrived a wheel with a string,
to turn it with my foot, that I might have both of my hands at
liberty.
Note.-I had never seen any such thing in England, or at
least not to take notice how it was done, though since I have
observed it is very common there; besides that, my grindstone
was very large and heavy. This machine cost me a full week'.
work to bring it to perfection.
April 28, 29.-These two whole days I took up in grinding
my tools, my machine for turning my grindstone performing
very well.
April 30.-Having perceived my bread had been low a
great while, now I took a survey of it, and reduced myself to
one biscuit-cake a day, which made my heart very heavy.
May 1-In the morning, looking towards the sea-side, the
tide being very low, I saw something lie on the shore bigger
than ordinary, and it looked like a cask; when I came to it, I
found a small barrel, and two or three pieces of the wreck of
the ship, which were driven on the shore by the late hurricane;
and looking towards the wreck itself, I thought it seemed to
lie higher out of the water than it used to do. I examined the
barrel which was driven on shore, and soon found it was a bar-
rel of gunpowder; but it had taken water, and the powder was
caked as hard as a stone: however, I rolled it farther on shore
for the present, and went on upon the sands, as near as I could
to the wreck of the ship, to look for more.
When I came down to the ship, I found it strangely re-
moved. The forecastle, which lay before buried in sand, was
heaved up at least six feet, and the stern, which was broke in
pieces and parted from the rest by the force of the sea, soon
after I had left rummaging her, was tossed, as it were, up, and
cast on one side; and the sand was thrown so high on that side
next her stern, that whereas there was a great place of water
before, so that I could not come within a quarter of a mile of
the wreck without swimming, I could now walk quite up to her
when the tide was out. I was surprised with this at first, but
soon concluded it must be done by the earthquake; and as by
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
is violence the ship was more broken open than formerly, so
many things came daily on shore, which the sea had loosened,
and which the winds and water rolled by degrees to the land.
This wholly diverted my thoughts from the design of remov-
ing my habitation, and I busied myself mightily, that day es-
pecially, in searching whether I could make any way into the
ship; but I found nothing was to be expected of that kind, for
all the inside of the ship was choked up with sand. However,
as I had learned not to despair of anything, I resolved to pull
everything to pieces that I could of the ship, concluding that
everything I could get from her would be of some use or other
to me.
May 3.—I began with my saw, and cut a piece of a beam
through, which I thought held some of the upper part or quar-
ter-deck together, and when I cut it through, I cleared away
the sand as well as I could from the side which lay highest ;
but the tide coming in, I was obliged to give .over for that
time.
May 4.-I went a-fishing, but caught not one fish that I
durst eat of, till I was weary of my sport; when, just going to
leave off, I caught a young dolphin. I had made me a long
line of some rope-yarn, but I had no hooks; yet I frequently
caught fish enough, as much as I cared to eat; all which I dried
in the sun, and ate them dry.
May 5.-Worked on the wreck; cut another beam asunder,
and brought three great fir planks from the decks, which I tied
together, and made to float on shore when the tide of flood
came on.
May 6.-Worked on the wreck; got several iron bolts out
of her, and other pieces of iron-work; worked very hard, and
came home very much tired, and had thoughts of giving it
over.
May 7.-Went to the wreck again, not with an intent to work,
but found the weight of the wreck had broke itself down, the
beams being cut; the several pieces of the ship seemed to lie
loose, and the inside of the hold lay so open that I could see
into it; but it was almost full of water and sand.
May 8.-Went to the wreck, and carried an iron crow to
wrench up the deck, which lay now quite clear of the water or
sand. I wrenched open two planks, and brought them on
shore also with the tide. I left the iron crow in the wreck for
next day.
May 9.-Went to the wreck, and with the crow made way
into the body of the wreck, and felt several casks, and loos
ROBINSON CRUSOE,
79
ened them with the crow, but could not break them up. I felt
also a roll of English lead, and could stir it, but it was too
heavy to remove.
May 10-14.-Went every day to the wreck; and got a
great many pieces of timber, and boards, or plank, and two or
three hundred-weight of iron.
May 15.-I carried two hatchets, to try if I could not cut a
piece off the roll of lead, by placing the edge of one hatchet,
and driving it with the other; but as it lay about a foot and a
half in the water, I could not make any blow to drive the
hatchet.
May 16.-It had blown hard in the night, and the wreck
appeared more broken by the force of the water; but I staid so
long in the woods, to get pigeons for food, that the tide pre-
vented my going to the wreck that day.
May 17.—I saw some pieces of the wreck blown on shore,
at a great distance, near two miles off me, but resolved to see
what they were, and found it was a piece of the head, but too
heavy for me to bring away.
May 24.-Every day, to this day, I worked on the wreck;
and with hard labor I loosened some things so much with the
crow, that the first blowing tide several casks floated out, and
two of the seamen's chests; but the wind blowing from the
shore, nothing came to land that day but pieces of timber, and
a hogshead, which had some Brazil pork in it; but the salt
water and the sand had spoiled it. I continued this work every
day to the 15th of June, except the time necessary to get food,
which I always appointed, during this part of my employment,
to be when the tide was up, that I might be ready when it was
ebbed out; and by this time I had got timber, and plank, and
iron-work enough to have built a good boat, if I had known
how; and also I got, at several times, and in several pieces,
near one hundred-weight of the sheet-lead.
June 16.-Going down to the sea-side, I found a large tor-
toise, or tu le. This was the first I had seen, which, it seems,
was only my misfortune, not any defect of the place, or scarcity;
for had I happened to be on the other side of the island, I
might have had hundreds of them every day, as I found after-
wards; but perhaps had paid dear enough for them.
June 17.-I spent in cooking the turtle. I found in her
threescore eggs; and her flesh was to me, at that time, the
most savory and pleasant that ever I tasted in my life, having
had no flesh, but of goats and fowls, since I landed in this
horrid place.
80
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
June 18.--Rained all day, and I staid within. I thought
at this time, the rain felt cold, and I was something chilly;
which I knew was not usual in that latitude.
June 19.-Very ill, and shivering, as if the weather had
been cold.
June 20.-No rest all night; violent pains in my head, and
feverish.
June 21.-Very ill; frighted almost to death with the ap-
prehensions of my sad condition,-to be sick, and no help:
prayed to God, for the first time since the storm off Hull, but
scarce knew what I said, or why; my thoughts being all con-
fused.
June 22.--A little better; but under dreadful apprehen-
sions of sickness.
June 23.-Very bad again; cold and shivering, and then a
violent headache.
June 24.-Much better.
Fune 25:
An ague very violent; the fit held me seven
hours; cold fit, and hot, with faint sweats after it.
June 26.-Better; and having no victuals to eat, took my
gun, but found myself very weak; however, I killed a she-goat,
and with much difficulty got it home, and broiled some of it,
and ate. I would fain have stewed it, and made some broth,
but had no pot.
June 27.-The ague again so violent that I lay abed all
day, and neither ate nor drank. I was ready to perish for
thirst; but so weak, I had not strength to stand up, or to get
myself any water to drink. Prayed to God again, but was light-
headed; and when I was not, I was so ignorant that I knew
not what to say; only I lay and cried, "Lord, look upon me!
Lord, pity me! Lord have mercy upon me!" I suppose I did
nothing else for two or three hours; till the fit wearing off, I
fell asleep, and did not wake till far in the night. When I
awoke, I found myself much refreshed, but weak, and exceed-
ing thirsty; however, as I had no water in my habitation, I was
forced to lie till morning, and went to sleep again. In this
second sleep, I had this terrible dream: I thought that I was
sitting on the ground, on the outside of my wall, where I sat
when the storm blew after the earthquake, and that I saw a
'man descend from a great black cloud, in a bright flame of fire,
and light upon the ground: he was all over as bright as a flame.
so that I could just bear to look towards him his countenance
was most inexpressibly dreadful, impossible for words to de-
scribe; when he stepped upon the ground with his feet, I
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
81
thought the earth trembled, just as it had done before in the
earthquake, and all the air looked, to my apprehension, as if it
had been filled with flashes of fire. He was no sooner landed
upon the earth, but he moved forward towards me, with a long
spear or weapon in his hand, to kill me; and when he came to
a rising ground, at some distance, he spoke to me,-or I heard
a voice so terrible that it is impossible to express the terror of
it. All that I can say I understood, was this: "Seeing all
these things have not brought thee to repentance, now thou
shalt die :".
-at which words, I thought he lifted up the spear
that was in his hand to kill me.
No one that shall ever read this account will expect that I
should be able to describe the horrors of my soul at this ter-
rible vision. I mean, that even while it was a dream, I even
dreamed of those horrors. Nor is it any more possible to de-
scribe the impression that remained upon my mind when I
awaked, and found it was but a dream.
I had, alas! no divine knowledge. What I had received by
the good instruction of my father was then worn out by an un-
interrupted series, for eight years, of seafaring wickedness, and
a constant conversation with none but such as were, like myself,
wicked and profane to the last degree. I do not remember that
I had, in all that time, one thought that so much as tended
either to looking upwards towards God, or inwards towards a
reflection upon my own ways; but a certain stupidity of soul,
without desire of good, or consciousness of evil, had entirely over-
whelmed me; and I was all that the most hardened, unthink-
ing, wicked creature among our common sailors can be sup-
posed to be; not having the least sense, either of the fear af
God, in danger, or of thankfulness to God, in deliverance.
In the relating what is already past of my story, this will be
the more easily believed, when I shall add, that through all the
variety of miseries that had to this day befallen me, I never
had so much as one thought of it being the hand of God, or
that it was a just punishment for my sin-my rebellious be-
havior against my father, or my present sins, which were
great,—or so much as a punishment for the general course of
my wicked life. When I was on the desperate expedition on
the desert shores of Africa, I never had so much as one thought
of what would become of me, or one wish to God to direct me
whither I should go, or to keep me from the danger which ap-
parently surrounded me, as well from voracious creatures as
cruel savages. But I was merely thoughtless of a God or a
Providence, acted like a mere brute, from the principles of
M
82
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
nature, and by the dictates of common sense only, and, indeed,
hardly that. When I was delivered and taken up at sea by the
Portuguese captain, well used, and dealt justly and honorably
with, as well as charitably, I had not the least thankfulness in
my thoughts. When, again, I was shipwrecked, ruined, and in
danger of drowning, on this island, I was as far from remorse,
or looking on it as a judgment. I only said to myself often,
that I was an unfortunate dog, and born to be always miser-
able.
It is true, when I got on shore first here, and found all my
ship's crew drowned, and myself spared, I was surprised with
a kind of ecstasy, and some transports of soul, which, had the
grace of God assisted, might have come up to true thankful-
ness; but it ended where it began, in a mere common flight of
joy, or, as I may say, being glad I was alive, without the least
reflection upon the distinguished goodness of the hand which
had preserved me, and had singled me out to be preserved
when all the rest were destroyed, or an inquiry why Providence
had been thus merciful unto me. Even just the same common
sort of joy which seamen generally have, after they are got safe
ashore from a shipwreck, which they drown all in the next bowl
of punch, and forget almost as soon as it is over; and all the
rest of my life was like it. Even when I was, afterwards, on
due consideration, made sensible of my condition, how I was
cast on this dreadful place, out of the reach of human kind, out
of all hope of relief, or prospect of redemption, as soon as I
saw but a prospect of living, and that I should not starve and
perish for hunger, all the sense of my affliction wore off; and I
began to be very easy, applied myself to the works proper for
my preservation and supply, and was far enough from being
afflicted at my condition, as a judgment from Heaven, or as
the hand of God against me: these were thoughts which very
seldom entered my head.
The growing up of the corn, as is hinted in my Journal,
had, at first, some little influence upon me, and began to affect
me with seriousness, as long as I thought it had something mi-
raculous in it; but as soon as ever that part of the thought was
removed, all the impression that was raised from it wore off
also, as I have noted already. Even the earthquake, though
nothing could be more terrible in its nature, or more immedi-
ately directing to the invisible power which alone directs such
things, yet no sooner was the first fright over, but the impres-
sion it had made went off also. I had no more sense of God,
or his judgments-much less of the present affliction of my
+
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
83
circumstances being from his hand-than if I had been in the
most prosperous condition of life. But now, when I began to
be sick, and a leisurely view of the miseries of death came to
place itself before me; when my spirits began to sink under
the burden of a strong distemper, and nature was exhausted
with the violence of the fever; conscience, that had slept so
long began to awake, and I began to reproach myself with my
past life, in which I had so evidently, by uncommon wicked-
ness, provoked the justice of God to lay me under uncommon
strokes, and to deal with me in so vindictive a manner. These
reflections oppressed me for the second or third day of my
distemper, and in the violence, as well of the fever as of the
dreadful reproaches of my conscience, extorted some words
from me like praying to God, though I cannot say they were
either a prayer attended with desires or with hopes: it was rather
the voice of mere fright and distress. My thoughts were con-
fused, the convictions great upon my mind, and the horror of
dying in such a miserable condition raised vapors into my head
with the mere apprehension; and in these hurries of my soul,
I knew not what my tongue might express. But it was rather
exclamation, such as, "Lord, what a miserable creature am I!
If I should be sick, I shall certainly die for want of help; and
what will become of me?" Then the tears burst out of my eyes,
and I could say no more for a good while. In this interval the
good advice of my father came to my mind, and presently his
prediction, which I mentioned at the beginning of this story,
viz.: that if I did take this foolish step, God would not bless me,
and I would have leisure hereafter to reflect upon having neg-
lected his counsel, when there might be none to assist in my
recovery. Now,” said I, aloud, "my dear father's words are
come to pass; God's justice has overtaken me, and I have
none to help or hear me. I rejected the voice of Providence,
which had mercifully put me in a posture or station of life
wherein I might have been happy and easy but I would
neither see it myself, nor learn to know the blessing of it from
my parents. I left them to mourn over my folly, and now I am
left to mourn under the consequences of it. I refused their
help and assistance, who would have lifted me in the world,
and would have made everything easy to me. And now I have
difficulties to struggle with, too great for even nature itself to
support, and no assistance, no help, no comfort, no advice.”
Then I cried out, "Lord, be my help, for I am in great dis
tress!" This was the first prayer, if I may call it so, that i
had made for many years.
66
84
ROBINSÓN CRUSOE.
t
But to return to my Journal
:
June 28.-Having been somewhat refreshed with the sleep
I had had, and the fit being entirely off, I got up; and though
the fright and terror of my dream were very great, yet I con-
sidered that the fit of the ague would return again the next
day, and now was my time to get something to refresh and
support myself when I should be ill and the first thing I did,
I filled a large square case-bottle with water, and set it upon
my table, in reach of my bed; and to take off the chill or agu-
ish disposition of the water, I put about a quarter of a pint of
rum into it, and mixed them together. Then I got me a piece
of the goat's flesh and broiled it on the coals, but could eat
very little. I walked about, but was very weak, and withal very
sad and heavy-hearted under a sense of my miserable condition,
dreading the return of my distemper the next day. At night,
I made my supper of three of the turtles' eggs, which I roasted
in the ashes, and ate, as we call it, in the shell, and this was
the first bit of meat I had ever asked God's blessing to, that I
could remember, in my whole life. After I had eaten, I tried
to walk, but found myself so weak, that I could hardly carry a
gun, for I never went out without that; so I went but a little
way, and sat down upon the ground, looking out upon the sea,
which was just before me, and very calm and smooth. As I
sat here, some such thoughts as these occurred to me: What is
this earth and sea of which I have seen so much? Whence is
iť produced? And what am I, and all the other creatures, wild
and tame, human and brutal? Whence are we? Sure we are
all made by some secret power, who formed the earth and sea,
the air and sky. And who is that? Then it followed most
naturally, It is God that has made all. Well, but then, it comes
on strangely, if God has made all these things, He guides and
governs them all, and all things that concern them; for the
power that could make all things must certainly have power to
guide and direct them. If so, nothing can happen in the great
ircuit of His works, either without His knowledge or appoint-
ent.
And if nothing happens without His knowledge, He knows
I at I am here, and am in this dreadful condition; and if noth-
.ng happens without His appointment, He has appointed all
this to befall me. Nothing occurred to my thought to contra-
dict any of these conclusions, and therefore it rested upon me
with the greater force, that it must needs be that God had
appointed all this to befall me; that I was brought into this
miserable circumstance by His direction, He having the sole
1
•
f
}
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
85
power, not of me only, but of everything that happened in the
world. Immediately it followed, Why has God done this to
me? What have I done to be thus used? My conscience
presently checked me in that inquiry, as if I had blasphemed,
and methought it spoke to me like a voice, "Wretch! dost
thou ask what thou hast done? Look back upon a dreadful
misspent life, and ask thyself, what thou hast not done? Ask,
why is it that thou wert not long ago destroyed? Why wert
thou not drowned in Yarmouth Roads; killed in the fight when
the ship was taken by the Sallee man-of-war; devoured by the
wild beasts on the coast of Africa; or drowned here, when all
the crew perished but thyself? Dost thou ask, What have I
done?" I was struck dumb with these reflections, as one
astonished, and had not a word to say,-no, not to answer to
myself, but rose up pensive and sad, walked back to my retreat,
and went up over my wall, as if I had been going to bed; but
iny thoughts were sadly disturbed, and I had no inclination to
sleep; so I sat down in my chair, and lighted my lamp, for it
began to be dark. Now, as the apprehension of the return of
my distemper terrified me very much, it occurred to my thought,
that the Brazilians take no physic but their tobacco for almost
all distempers, and I had a piece of a roll of tobacco in one of
the chests, which was quite cured, and some also that was
green, and not quite cured.
I went, directed by Heaven no doubt; for in this chest I
found a cure both for soul and body. I opened the chest, and
found what I looked for, the tobacco; and as the few books I
had saved lay there too, I took out one of the Bibles which I
mentioned before, and which to this time I had not found leisure,
or inclination, to look into. I say, I took it out, and brought
both that and the tobacco with me to the table. What use to
make of the tobacco I knew not, in my distemper, or whether
it was good for it or no; but I tried several experiments with
it, as if I was resolved it should hit one way or other. I first
took a piece of leaf, and chewed it in my mouth, which, indeed,
at first, almost stupefied my brain, the tobacco being green and
strong, and that I had not been much used to. Then I took
some and steeped it an hour or two in some rum, and resolved
to take a dose of it when I lay down; and, lastly, I burnt some
upon a pan of coals, and held my nose close over the smoke of
it as long as I could bear it, as well for the heat, as almost for
suffocation. In the interval of this operation, I took up the
Bible, and began to read; but my head was too much disturbed
with the tobacco to bear reading, at least at the time; only
86
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
99
having opened the book casually, the first words that occurred
to me were these: "Call on me in the day of trouble, and I
will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." These words
were very apt to my case, and made some impression upon my
thoughts at the time of reading them, though not so much as
they did afterwards; for, as for being delivered, the word had
no sound, as I may say, to me; the thing was so remote, so
impossible in my apprehension of things, that I began to say
as the children of Israel did when they were promised flesh to
eat, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?" so I began
to say, “Can God himself deliver me from this place? And
as it was not for many years that any hopes appeared, this
prevailed very often upon my thoughts; but, however, the
words made a great impression upon me, and I mused upon
them very often. It grew now late, and the tobacco had, as I
said, dozed my head so much that I inclined to sleep; so I
left my lamp burning in the cave, lest I should want anything in
the night, and went to bed. But before I lay down, I did what
I never had done in all my life; I kneeled down, and prayed
to God to fulfil the promise to me, that if I called upon him in
the day of trouble, he would deliver me. After my broken
and imperfect prayer was over, I drank the rum in which I had
steeped the tobacco, which was so strong and rank of the to-
bacco, that I could scarcely get it down; immediately upon
this I went to bed. I found presently it flew up into my head
violently; but I fell into a sound sleep, and waked no more
till, by the sun, it must necessarily be near three o'clock in
the afternoon the next day; nay, to this hour I am partly of
opinion that I slept all the next day and night, and till almost
three the day after; for otherwise, I know not how I should lose
a day out of my reckoning in the days of the week, as it appeared
some years after I had done; for if I had lost it by crossing
and recrossing the line, I should have lost more than one day;
but certainly I lost a day in my account, and I never knew
which way. Be that, however, one way or the other, when I
awaked I found myself exceedingly refreshed, and my spirits
lively and cheerful; when I got up I was stronger than I wás
the day before, and my stomach better, for I was hungry; and,
in short, I had no fit the next day, but continued much altered for
the better. This was the 29th.
The 30th was my well day, of course, and I went abroad
with my gun, but did not care to travel too far. I killed a sea
fowl or two, something like a brand goose, and brought them
home; but was not very forward to eat them; so I ate some
•
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
87
more of the turtles' eggs, which were very good. This even-
ing I renewed the medicine, which I had supposed did me
good the day before,—the tobacco steeped in rum; only I did
not take so much as before, nor did I chew any of the leaf, or
hold my head over the smoke; however, I was not so well the
next day, which was the 1st of July, as I hoped I should have
been;
for I had a little spice of the cold fit, but it was not
much.
Fuly 2.-I renewed the medicine all the three ways; and
dosed myself with it as at first, and doubled the quantity which
I drank.
July 3.-I missed the fit for good and all, though I did not
recover my full strength for some weeks after. While I was
thus gathering strength my thoughts ran exceedingly upon this
scripture, "I will deliver thee;" and the impossibility of my
deliverance lay much upon my mind, in bar of my ever expect-
ing it; but as I was discouraging myself with such thoughts, it
occurred to my mind that I pored so much upon my deliver-
ance from the main affliction, that I disregarded the deliver-
ance I had received, and I was, as it were, made to ask myself
such questions as these; viz. : Have I not been delivered,
and wonderfully too, from sickness? from the most distressed
condition that could be, and that was so frightful to me? and
what notice had I taken of it? Had I done my part? God
had delivered me, but I had not glorified Him; that is to say, I
had not owned and been thankful for that as a deliverance:
and how could I expect greater deliverance? This touched
my heart very much; and immediately I knelt down and gave
God thanks aloud for the recovery from my sickness.
July 4.—In the morning, I took the Bible; and beginning
at the New Testament, I began seriously to read it, and im-
posed upon myself to read awhile every morning and every
night; not tying myself to the number of chapters, but as
long as my thoughts should engage me. It was not long after
I set seriously to this work, till I found my heart more deeply and
sincerely affected with the wickedness of my past life. The im-
pression of my dream revived; and the words, "All these things
have not brought thee to repentance," ran seriously in my
thoughts. I was earnestly begging of God to give me repentance,
when it happened providentially, the very day, that, reading the
Scripture, I came to these words: "He is exalted a Prince and a
Saviour, to give repentance and give to rermission." I threw down
the book; and with my heart as well as my hands lifted up to
heaven, in a kind of ecstasy of joy, I cried out aloud. “Jesus,
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
thou Son of David! Jesus, thou exalted Prince and Saviour!
give me repentance!" This was the first time I could say, in
the true sense of the words, that I prayed in all my life; for
now I prayed with a sense of my condition, and with a true
Scripture view of hope, founded on the encouragement of the
word of God; and from this time, I may say, that I began to
have hope that God would hear me.
Now I began to construe the words mentioned above,
Call on me and I will deliver thee," in a different sense from
what I had ever done before; for then I had no notion of any-
thing being called deliverance, but my being delivered from the
captivity I was in; for though I was indeed at large in the
place, yet the island was certainly a prison to me, and that in
the worse sense in the world. But now I learned to take it in
another sense: now I looked back upon my past life with such
horror, and my sins appeared so dreadful, that my soul sought
nothing of God but deliverance from the load of guilt that bore
down all my comfort. As for my solitary life, it was nothing;
I did not so much as pray to be delivered from it, or think of
it; it was all of no consideration, in comparison to this. And
I add this part here, to hint to whoever shall read it, that
whenever they come to a true sense of things, they will find
deliverance from sin a much greater blessing than deliverance
from affliction.
But leaving this part, I return to my Journal :-
My condition began now to be, though not less miserable
as to my way of living, yet much easier to my mind: and my
thoughts being directed, by a constant reading the Scripture
and praying to God, to things of a higher nature, I had a great
deal of comfort within, which, till now, I knew nothing of;
also, my health and strength returned, I bestirred myself to
furnish myself with everything that I wanted, and make my
way of living as regular as I could.
From the 4th of July to the 14th, I was chiefly employed in
walking about with my gun in my hand, a little and a little at a
time, as a man that was gathering up his strength after a fit of
sickness for it is hardly to be imagined how low I was, and to
what weakness I was reduced. The application which I made
use of was perfectly new, and perhaps which had never cured
an ague before; neither can I recommend it to any to practise,
by this experiment: and though it did carry off the fit, yet it
rather contributed to weakening me; for I had frequent con-
vulsions in my nerves and limbs for some time; I learned from
it also, this, in particular, that being abroad in the rainy season
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
89
was the most pernicious thing to my health that could be,
especially in those rains which came attended with storms and
hurricanes of wind; for as the rain which came in the dry season
was almost always accompanied with such storms, so I found
that rain was much more dangerous than the rain which fell in
September and October.
I had now been in this unhappy island above ten months ;
all possibility of deliverance from this condition seemed to be
entirely taken from me; and I firmly believe that no human
shape had ever set foot upon that place. Having now secured
my habitation, as I thought, fully to my mind, I had a great
desire to make a more perfect discovery of the island, and to
see what other productions I might find, which I yet knew
nothing of.
It was on the 15th of July that I began to take a more
particular survey of the island itself. I went up the creek first,
where, as I hinted, I brought my rafts on shore. I found, after
I came about two miles up, that the tide did not flow any higher;
and that it was no more than a little brook of running water,
very fresh and good: but this being the dry season there was
hardly any water in some parts of it; at least, not enough to
run in any stream, so as it could be perceived. On the banks
of this brook I found many pleasant savannas or meadows,
plain, smooth, and covered with grass; and on the rising parts
of them, next to the higher grounds, where the water, as might
be supposed, never overflowed, I found a great deal of tobacco,
green, and growing to a great and very strong stalk; there were
divers other plants, which I had no notion of or understanding
about, that might, perhaps, have virtues of their own, which I
could not find out. I searched for the cassava root, which the
Indians, in all that climate, make their bread of, but I could
find none.
I saw large plants of aloes, but did not understand
them. I saw several sugar-canes, but wild, and for want of
cultivation, imperfect. I contented myself with these discoveries
for this time, and came back, musing with myself what course I
might take to know the virtue and goodness of any of the fruits
or plants which I should discover; but could bring it to no
conclusion; for, in short, I had made so little observation while
I was in the Brazils, that I knew little of the plants in the field;
at least very little that might serve me to any purpose now in
my distress.
The next day, the 16th, I went up the same way again; and
after going something farther than I had gone the day before, I
found the brook and savannas cease, and the country became
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
more woody than before. In this part I found different fruits,
and particularly I found melons upon the ground, in great
abundance, and grapes upon the trees; the vines had spread
indeed over the trees, and the clusters of grapes were just now
in their prime, very ripe and rich. This was a surprising dis-
covery, and I was exceeding glad of them; but I was warned
by my experience to eat sparingly of them, remembering that
when I was ashore in Barbary the eating of grapes killed several
of our Englishmen, who were slaves there, by throwing them
into fluxes and fevers. But I found an excellent use for these
grapes; and that was, to cure or dry them in the sun, and keep
them as dried grapes or raisins are kept, which I thought would
be, as indeed they were, wholesome and agreeable to eat, when
no grapes could be had.
I spent all that evening there, and went not back to my
habitation, which, by the way, was the first night, as I might
say, I had lain from home. In the night I took my first con-
trivance, and got up into a tree, where I slept well; and the
next morning, proceeded upon my discovery, travelling nearly
four miles, as I might judge by the length of the valley, keeping
still due north, with a ridge of hills on the south and north side
of me.
At the end of this march, I came to an opening, where
the country seemed to descend to the west; and a little spring
of fresh water, which issued out of the side of the hill by me,
ran the other way, that is, due east; and the country appeared
so fresh, so green, so flourishing, everything being in a constant
verdure, or flourish of spring, that it looked like a planted
garden. I descended a little on the side of that delicious vale,
surveying it with a secret kind of pleasure, though mixed with
my other afflicting thoughts, to think that this was all my own;
that I was king and lord of all this country indefeasibly, and
had a right of possession; and, if I could convey it, I might
have it in inheritance, as completely as any lord of a manor in
England. I saw here abundance of cocoa-trees, orange, and
lemon, and citron trees; but all wild, and very few bearing any
fruit, at least not then. However, the green limes that I
gathered were not only pleasant to eat, but very wholesome;
and I mixed their juice afterwards with water, which made it
very wholesome, and very cool and refreshing. I found now I
had business enough to gather and carry home; and I resolved
to lay up a store, as well of grapes as limes and lemons, to
furnish myself for the wet season, which I knew was approaching.
In order to do this, I gathered a great heap of grapes in one
place, a lesser heap in another place, and a great parcel of
ROBINSON Crusoe.
91
limes and lemons in another place; and taking a few of each
with me, I travelled homewards; and resolved to come again,
and bring a bag or sack, or what I could make, to carry the
rest home. Accordingly, having spent three days in this
journey, I came home (so I must now call my tent and my
cave); but before I got thither the grapes were spoiled; the
richness of the fruit, and the weight of the juice, having
broken them and bruised them, they were good for little or
nothing; as to the limes, they were good, but I could bring but
a few.
The next day, being the 19th, I went back, having made
me two small bags to bring home my harvest; but I was sur-
prised, when coming to my heap of grapes, which were so rich
and fine when I gathered them, I found them all spread about,
trod to pieces, and dragged about, some here, some there, and
abundance eaten and devoured. By this, I concluded there was
some wild creatures thereabouts, which had done this; but
what they were I knew not. However, as I found there was
no laying them up on heaps, and no carrying them away in a
sack, but that one way they would be destroyed, and the other
way they would be crushed with their own weight, I took another
course; for I gathered a large quantity of the grapes, and hung
them upon the out-branches of the trees, that they might cure
and dry in the sun; and as for the limes and lemons, I carried
as many back as I could well stand under.
When I came home from this journey I contemplated with
great pleasure the fruitfulness of that valley, and the pleasant-
ness of the situation; the security from storms on that side, the
water, and the wood; and concluded that I had pitched upon
a place to fix my abode, which was by far the worst part of the
country. Upon the whole, I began to consider of removing
my habitation; and looking out for a place equally safe as
where now I was situate, if possible, in that pleasant, fruitful
part of the island.
This thought ran long in my head, and I was exceeding fond
of it for some time, the pleasantness of the place tempting me;
but when I came to a nearer view of it, I considered that I was
now by the sea-side, where it was at least possible that some-
thing might happen to my advantage; and, by the same ill fate
that brought me hither, might bring some other unhappy
wretches to the same place; and though it was scarcely probable
that any such thing should ever happen, yet to enclose myself
among the hills and woods in the centre of the island, was to
anticipate my bondage, and to render such an affair not only
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CRUS
ތ
improbable, but impossible; and that therefore I ought not by
any means to remove. However, I was so enamored of this
place, that I spent much of my time there for the whole of the
remaining part of the month of July; and though, upon second.
thoughts, I resolved not to remove, yet I built me a little kind
of a bower, and surrounded it at a distance with a strong fence,
being a double hedge, as high as I could reach, well staked, and
filled between with brushwood; and here I lay very secure,
sometimes two or three nights together; always going over it
with a ladder; so that I fancied now I had my country-house
and my sea-coast house; and this work took me up to the
beginning of August.
I had but newly finished my fence, and began to enjoy my
labor, when the rains came on, and made me stick close to my
first habitation; for though I had made me a tent like the other,
with a piece of a sail, and spread it very well, yet I had not the
shelter of a hill to keep me from storms, nor a cave behind me
to retreat into when the rains were extraordinary.
About the beginning of August, as I said, I had finished
my bower, and began to enjoy myself. The 3d of August, I
found the grapes I had hung up perfectly dried, and indeed
were excellent good raisins of the sun; so I began to take them
down from the trees, and it was very happy that I did so, for
the rains which followed would have spoilt them, and I had
lost the best part of my winter food; for I had above two hun-
dred large bunches of them. No sooner had I taken them all
down, and carried most of them home to my cave, but it began
to rain; and from hence, which was the 14th of August, it
rained, more or less, every day till the middle of October; and
sometimes so violently, that I could not stir out of my cave for
several days.
In this season I was much surprised with the increase of
my family; I had been concerned for the loss of one of my cats,
who ran away from me, or, as I thought, had been dead, and Ï
heard no more tidings of her, till, to my astonishment, she
came home about the end of August with three kittens. This
was the more strange to me, because, though I had killed a
wild cat, as I called it, with my gun, yet I thought it a quite
different kind from our European cat; but the young cats
were the same kind of house-breed as the old one; and both
my cats being females, I thought it very strange. But from
these three cats, I afterwards came to be so pestered with cats,
that I was forced to kill them like vermin, or wild beasts, and
to drive them from my house as much as possible.
1
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
93
From the 14th of August to the 26th, incessant rain, so that
I could not stir, and was now very careful not to be much wet.
In this confinement, I began to be straitened for food: but
venturing out twice, I one day killed a goat; and the last day,
which was the 26th, found a very large tortoise, which was a
treat to me, and my food was regulated thus: I ate a bunch of
raisins for my breakfast; a piece of the goat's flesh, or of the
turtle, for my dinner, broiled; for, to my great misfortune, I
had no vessel to boil or stew anything; and two or three of the
turtle's eggs for my supper.
During this confinement in my cover by the rain, I worked
daily two or three hours at enlarging my cave, and by degrees
worked it on towards one side, till I came to the outside of the
hill, and made a doorway out, which came beyond my fence or
wall; and so I came in and out this way. But I was not per-
fectly easy at lying so open; for, as I had managed myself be-
fore, I was in a perfect enclosure; whereas now, I thought I
lay exposed, and open for anything to come in upon me; and
yet I could not perceive that there was any living thing to fear;
the biggest creature that I had yet seen upon the island being
a goat.
Sept. 30.-I was now come to the unhappy anniversary of my
landing. I cast up the notches on my post, and found I had
been on shore three hundred and sixty-five days. I kept this
day as a solemn fast, setting it apart for religious exercise,
prostrating myself on the ground with the most serious humilia-
tion, confessing my sins to God, acknowledging his righteous.
judgments upon me, and praying to him to have mercy on me
through Jesus Christ; and not having tasted the least refresh-
ment for twelve hours, even till the going down of the sun, I
then ate a biscuit-cake and a bunch of grapes, and went to bed,
finishing the day as I had began it. I had all this time observed
no Sabbath-day; for as at first I had no sense of religion upon
my mind, I had, after some time, omitted to distinguish the
weeks, by making a longer notch than ordinary for the Sabbath-
day, and so did not really know what any of the days were ;
but now, having cast up the days as above, I found I had been
there a year; so I divided it into weeks, and set apart every
seventh day for a Sabbath; though I found at the end of my
account, I had lost a day or two in my reckoning. A little after
this, my ink began to fail me, and so I contented myself to use
it more sparingly, and to write down only the most remarkable
events of my life, without continuing a daily memorandum of
ther things,
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
будто
The rainy season and the dry season began now to appear
regular to me, and I learned to divide them so as to provide for
them accordingly; but I bought all my experience before I had
it, and this I am going to relate was one of the most discourag-
ing experiments that I made.
I have mentioned that I had saved the few ears of barley
and rice, which I had so surprisingly found spring up, as I
thought, of themselves, and I believe there were about thirty
stalks of rice, and about twenty of barley; and now I thought
it a proper time to sow it, after the rains, the sun being in its
southern position, going from me. Accordingly, I dug up a
piece of ground as well as I could with my wooden spade, and
dividing it into two parts, I sowed my grain; but as I was
sowing, it casually occurred to my thoughts that I would not
sow it all at first, because I did not know when was the proper
time for it; so I sowed about two thirds of the seed, leaving
about a handful of each. It was a great comfort to me after-
wards that I did so, for not one grain of what I sowed this time
came to anything: for the dry months following, the earth
having had no rain after the seed was sown, it had no moisture
to assist its growth, and never came up at all till the wet sea-
son had come again, and then it grew as if it had been but
newly sown. Finding my first seed did not grow, which I easily
imagined was by the drought, I sought for a moister piece of
ground to make another trial in, and I dug up a piece of ground
near my new bower, and sowed the rest of my seed in February,
a little before the vernal equinox; and this having the rainy
months of March and April to water it, sprung up very pleas-
antly, and yielded a very good crop ; but having part of the seed
left only, and not daring to sow all that I had, I had but a small
quantity at last, my whole crop not amounting to above half a
peck of each kind. But by this experiment I was made master
of my business, and knew exactly when the proper season was
to sow, and that I might expect two seed times and two har-
vests every year.
While this corn was growing, I made a little discovery,
which was of use to me afterwards. As soon as the rains were
over, and the weather began to settle, which was about the
month of November, I made a visit up the country to my
bower, where, though I had not been some months, yet I found
all things just as I left them. The circle or double hedge that
I had made was not only firm and entire, but the stakes which
I had cut out of some trees that grew thereabouts, were all shot
out and grown with long branches, as much as a willow-tree
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
95
*
usually shoots the first year after lopping its head. I could
not tell what tree to call it that these stakes were cut
from. I was surprised, and yet very well pleased, to see the
young trees grow and I pruned them. and led them up to
grow as much alike as I could; and it is scarce credible how
beautiful a figure they grew into in three years; so that though
the edge made a circle of about twenty-five yards in diameter,
yet the trees (for such I might now call them) soon covered it,
and it was a complete shade, sufficient to lodge under all the
dry season. This made me resolve to cut some. more stakes,
and make me a hedge like this, in a semi-circle round my wali
(I mean that of my first dwelling), which I did; and placing
the trees or stakes in a double row, at about eight yards' dis-
tance from my first fence, they grew presently, and were at first
a fine cover to my habitation, and afterwards served for a
defence also, as I shall observe in its order.
I found now that the seasons of the year might generally be
divided, not into summer and winter, as in Europe, but into the
rainy seasons and the dry seasons, which were generally
thus:-
The half of February, the whole of March, and the half of
April-rainy, the sun being then on or near the equinox.
The half of April, the whole of May, June and July, and the
half of August-dry, the sun being then to the north of the
line.
The half of August, the whole of September, and the half
of October-rainy, the sun being then come back.
The half of October, the whole of November, December,
and January, and the half of February-dry, the sun being then
to the south of the line.
The rainy seasons sometimes held longer or shorter as the
winds happened to blow, but this was the general observation I
made. After I had found, by experience, the ill consequences
of being abroad in the rain, I took care to furnish myself with
provisions beforehand, that I might not be obliged to go out,
and I sat within doors as much as possible during the wet
months. This time I found much employment, and very suit-
able also for the time, for I found great occasion for many
things which I had no way to furnish myself with but by hard
labor and constant application; particularly I tried many ways.
to make myself a basket, but all the twigs I could get for the
purpose proved so brittle that they would do nothing.
It
proved of excellent advantage to me now, that when I was a
boy, I used to take great delight in standing at a basket-.
96
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
maker's, in the town where my father lived, to see them make
their wicker-ware; and being, as boys usually are, very officious
to help, and a great observer of the manner in which they
worked those things, and sometimes lending a hand, I had by
these means full knowledge of the methods of it, and I wanted
nothing but the materials, when it came into my mind that the
twigs of that tree from whence I cut my stakes that grew might
possibly be as tough as the sallows, willows, and osiers in Eng-
land, and I resolved to try. Accordingly, the next day I went
to my country-house, as I called it, and cutting some of the
smaller twigs, I found them to my purpose as much as I could
desire; whereupon I came the next time prepared with a
hatchet to cut down a quantity, which I soon found, for there
was great plenty of them. These I set up to dry within my
circle or hedge, and when they were fit for use, I carried them
to my cave; and here, during the next season, I employed my-
self in making, as well as I could, a great many baskets, both
to carry earth or to carry or lay up anything, as I had occasion;
and though I did not finish them very handsomely, yet I made
them sufficiently serviceable for my purpose; and thus, after-
wards, I took care never to be without them; and as my wicker-
ware decayed, I made more, especially strong deep baskets to
place my corn in, instead of sacks, when I should come to have
any quantity of it.
•
Having mastered this difficulty, and employed a world of
time about it, I bestirred myself to see, if possible, how to sup-
ply two wants. I had no vessel to hold anything that was
liquid, except two runlets, which were almost full of rum, and
some glass bottles,-some of the common size, and others which
were case-bottles, square, for the holding of water, spirits, &c.
I had not so much as a pot to boil anything, except a great
kettle, which I saved out of the ship, and which was too big for
such as I desired it, viz. : to make broth, and stew a bit of meat
by itself. The second thing I fain would have had was a
tobacco-pipe, but it was impossible to me to make one; how-
ever, I found a contrivance for that, too, at last. I employed
myself in planting my second rows of stakes or piles, and in
this wicker-working all the summer or dry season, when another
business took me up more time than it could be imagined I
could spare.
I mentioned before that I had a great mind to see the whole
island, and that I had travelled up the brook, and so on to
where I built my bower, and where I had an opening quite to
the sea, on the other side of the island. I now resolved to
Ports &
97
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
travel quite across to the sea-shore on that side; so taking my
gun, a hatchet, and my dog, and a larger quantity of powder
and shot than usual, with two biscuit-cakes and a great bunch
of raisins in my pouch for my store, I began my journey.
When I had passed the vale where my bower stood, as above,
I came within view of the sea to the west, and it being a very
clear day, I fairly descried land,-whether an island or a con-
tinent I could not tell; but it lay very high, extending from the
W. to the W. S. W. at a very great distance; by my guess it
could not be less than fifteen or twenty leagues off.
I could not tell what part of the world this might be, other-
wise than that I knew it must be part of America, and as I
concluded, by all my observations, must be near the Spanish.
dominions, and perhaps was all inhabited by savages, where, if
I had landed, I had been in a worse condition than I was now;
and therefore I acquiesced in the dispositions of Providence,
which I began now to own and to believe ordered everything
for the best; I say I quieted my mind with this, and left off
afflicting myself with fruitless wishes of being there.
Besides, after some thought upon this affair, I considered
that if this land was the Spanish coast, I should certainly, one
time or other, see some vessel pass or repass one way or other ;
but if not, then it was the savage coast between the Spanish
country and Brazils, where are found the worst of savages; for
they are cannibals, or men-eaters, and fail not to murder and
devour all the human bodies that fall into their hands.
With these considerations, I walked very leisurely forward;
I found that side of the island where I now was much pleasanter
than mine, the open or savanna fields sweet, adorned with
flowers and grass, and full of very fine woods. I saw abundance
of parrots, and fain I would have caught one, if possible, to have
kept it to be tame, and taught it to speak to me. I did, after
some painstaking, catch a young parrot, for I knocked it down
with a stick, and having recovered it, I brought it home; but it
was some years before I could make him speak; however, at last,
I taught him to call me by my name very familiarly. But the ac-
cident that followed, though it be a trifle, will be very diverting
in its place.
I was exceedingly diverted with this journey. I found in the
low grounds hares (as I thought them to be) and foxes; but
they differed greatly from all the other kinds I had met with,
nor could I satisfy myself to eat them, though I killed several.
But I had no need to be venturous, for I had no want of food,
and of that which was very good, too, especially these three
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sorts, viz.: goats, pigeons, and turtle, or tortoise, which, added
to my grapes, Leadenhall Market could not have furnished a
table better than I, in proportion to the company; and though
my case was deplorable enough, yet I had great cause for thank-
fulness, that I was not driven to any extremities for food, but
had rather plenty, even to dainties.
I never travelled in this journey above two miles outright
in a day, or thereabouts; but I took so many turns and returns
to see what discoveries I could make, that I came weary enough
to the place where I rcsolved to sit down all night; and then I
either reposed myself in a tree, or surrounded myself with a row
of stakes set upright in the ground, either from one tree to
another, or so as no wild creature could come at me without
waking me.
As soon as I came to the sea-shore, I was surprised to see
that I had taken up my lot on the worst side of the island, for
here, indeed, the shore was covered with innumerable turtles,
whereas, on the other side I had found but three in a year and
a half.
Here was also an infinite number of fowls of many
kinds, some which I had seen, and some which I had not seen
before, and many of them very good meat, but such as I knew
not the names of, except those called penguins.
I could have shot as many as I pleased, but was very spar-
ing of my powder and shot, and therefore had more mind to
kill a she goat, if I could, which I could better feed on; and
though there were many goats here, more than on my side the
island, yet it was with much more difficulty that I could come
near them, the country being flat and even, and they saw me
much sooner than when I was on the hill.
I confess this side of the country was much pleasanter than
mine; but yet I had not the least inclination to remove, for as
I was fixed in my habitation, it became natural to me, and I
seemed all the while I was here to be as it were upon a journey,
and from home. However, I travelled along the shore of the
sea towards the east, I suppose about twelve miles, and then
setting up a great pole upon the shore for a mark, I concluded
I would go home again, and that the next journey I took should
be on the other side of the island east from my dwelling, and so
round till I came to my post again.
I took another way to come back than that I went, thinking
I could easily keep all the island so much in my view, that I
could not miss finding my first dwelling by viewing the country;
but I found myself mistaken, for, being come about two or three
miles, I found myself descended into a very large valley, but so
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1
surrounded with hills, and those hills covered with wood, that
I could not see which was my way by any direction but that of
the sun, nor even then, unless I knew very well the position
of the sun at that time of the day. It happened, to my further
misfortune, that the weather proved hazy for three or four days
while I was in the valley, and not being able to see the sun, I
wandered about very uncomfortably, and at last was obliged to
find the sea side, look for my post, and come back the same
way I went; and then, by easy journeys, I turned homeward,
the weather being exceeding hot, and my gun, ammunition,
hatchet, and other things, very heavy.
In this journey my dog surprised a young kid, and seized
upon it, and I, running in to take hold of it, caught it, and saved
it alive from the dog. I had a great mind to bring it home if I
could, for I had often been musing whether it might not be pos-
sible to get a kid or two, and so raise a breed of tame goats,
which might supply me when my powder and shot should be all
spent. I made a collar for this little creature, and with a
string, which I made of some rope-yarn, which I always carried
about me, I led him along, though with some difficulty, till I
came to my bower, and there I enclosed him and left him, for
I was very impatient to be at home, from whence I had been
absent above a month.
I cannot express what a satisfaction it was to me to come
into my old hutch, and lie down in my hammock bed. This
little wandering journey, without settled place of abode, had
been so unpleasant to me, that my own house, as I called it to
myself, was a perfect settlement to me, compared to that; and
it rendered everything about me so comfortable, that I resolved
I would never go a great way from it again, while it should be
my lot to stay on the island.
I reposed myself here a week, to rest and regale myself
after my long journey; during which, most of the time was taken
up in the weighty affair of making a cage for my Poll, who began
now to be a mere domestic, and to be well acquainted with me.
Then I began to think of the poor kid which I had penned in
within my little circle, and resolved to go and fetch it home, or
give it some food; accordingly I went, and found it where I
left it, for indeed it could not get out, but was almost starved
for want of food. I went and cut boughs of trees, and branches
of such shrubs as I could find, and threw it over, and having
fed it, I tied it as I did before, to lead it away; but it was so
tame with being hungry, that I had no need to have tied it, for
it followed me like a dog; and as I continually fed it, the crea-
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ture became so loving, so gentle, and so fond, that it became
from that time one of my domestics also, and would never leave
me afterwards.
The rainy season of the autumnal equinox was now come,
and I kept the 30th of September in the same solemn manner
as before, being the anniversary of my landing on the island,
having now been there two years, and no more prospect of being.
delivered than the first day I came there. I spent the whole
day in humble and thankful acknowledgments of the many won-
derful mercies which my solitary condition was attended with,
and without which it might have been infinitely more miserable.
I gave humble and hearty thanks that God had been pleased to
discover to me that it was possible I might be more happy in
this solitary condition, than I should have been in the liberty
of society, and in all the pleasures of the world: that he could
fully make up to me the deficiencies of my solitary state, and
the want of human society, by his presence, and the communica-
tions of his grace to my soul; supporting, comforting, and en-
couraging me to depend upon his providence here, and hope for
his eternal presence hereafter.
It was now that I began sensibly to feel how much more
happy this life I now led was, with all its miserable circumstances,
than the wicked, cursed, abominable life I led all the past part
of my days; and now I changed both my sorrows and my joys;
my very desires altered, my affections changed their gusts, and
my delights were perfectly new from what they were at my first
coming, or, indeed, for the two years past.
Before, as I walked about, either on my hunting, or for
viewing the country, the anguish of my soul at my condition
would break out upon me on a sudden, and my very heart
would die within me, to think of the woods, the mountains, the
deserts I was in, and how I was a prisoner, locked up with the
eternal bars and bolts of the ocean, in an uninhabited wilder-
ness, without redemption. In the midst of the greatest com-
posure of my mind, this would break out upon me like a storm,
and make me wring my hands, and weep like a child; some-
times it would take me in the middle of my work, and I would
immediately sit down and sigh, and look upon the ground for
an hour or two together; and this was still worse to me, for if
I could burst out into tears, or vent myself by words, it would
go off, and the grief, having exhausted itself, would abate.
But now I began to exercise myself with new thoughts; I
daily read the word of God, and applied all the comforts of it
to my present state. One morning, being very sad, I opened
>
IOI
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;
the Bible upon these words: "I will never, never leave thee,
nor forsake thee." Immediately it occurred that these words
were to me; why else should they be directed in such a manner,
just at the moment when I was mourning over my condition,
as one forsaken of God and man? "Well, then,” said I, “if
God does not forsake me, of what ill consequence can it be, or
what matters it, though the world should all forsake me, seeing
on the other hand, if I had all the world, and should lose the
favor and blessing of God, there would be no comparison in
the loss?"
From this moment, I began to conclude in my mind, that it
was possible for me to be more happy in this forsaken, solitary
condition, than it was probable I should ever have been in any
other particular state in the world; and with this thought I was
going to give thanks to God for bringing me to this place. I
know not what it was, but something shocked my mind at that
thought, and I durst not speak the words. "How canst thou
become such a hypocrite," said I, even audibly, "to pretend to
be thankful for a condition, which, however thou mayst endeavor
to be contented with, thou wouldst rather pray heartily to be
delivered from?" So I stopped there; but though I could not
say I thanked God for being there, yet I sincerely gave thanks
to God for opening my eyes, by whatever afflicting providences,
to see the former condition of my life, and to mourn for my
wickedness, and repent. I never opened the Bible, or shut it,
but my very soul within me blessed God for directing my friend
in England, without any order of mine, to pack it up among my
goods, and for assisting me afterwards to save it out of the
wreck of the ship.
i
Thus, and in this disposition of mind, I began my third
year; and though I have not given the reader the trouble of so
particular an account of my works this year as the first, yet in
general it may be observed, that I was very seldom idle, but
having regularly divided my time according to the several daily
employments that were before me, such as, first, my duty to
God, and the reading the Scriptures, which I constantly set
apart some time for, thrice every day; secondly, the going
abroad with my gun for food, which generally took me up three
hours in every morning, when it did not rain; thirdly, the
ordering, cutting, preserving, and cooking what I had killed or
caught for my supply: these took up great part of the day;
also, it is to be considered, that in the middle of the day, when
the sun was in the zenith, the violence of the heat was too
great to stir out; so that about four hours in the evening was
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!
all the time I could be supposed to work in, with this exception,
that sometimes I changed my hours of hunting and working,
and went to work in the morning, and abroad with my gun in
the afternoon.
To this short time allowed for labor, I desire may be added
the exceeding laboriousness of my work; the many hours which,
for want of tools, want of help, and want of skill, everything I
did took up out of my time; for example, I was full two and
forty days in making a board for a long shelf, which I wanted
in my cave; whereas two sawyers, with their tools and a saw-
pit, would have cut six of them out of the same tree in half a
day.
My case was this: it was to be a large tree which was to be
cut down, because my board was to be a broad one. This tree
I was three days in cutting down, and two more cutting off the
boughs, and reducing it to a log, or piece of timber. With in-
expressible hacking and hewing, I reduced both the sides of it
into chips till it began to be light enough to move; then I
turned it, and made one side of it smooth and flat as a board
from end to end; then turning that side downward, cut the
other side till I brought the plank to be about three inches
thick, and smooth on both sides. Any one may judge the
labor of my hands in such a piece of work; but labor and
patience carried me through that, and many other things; I
only observe this in particular, to show the reason why so much
of my time went away with so little work, viz. : that what might
be a little to be done with help and tools, was a vast labor and
required a prodigious time to do alone, and by hand. But not-
withstanding this, with patience and labor I got through every-
thing that my circumstances made necessary to me to do, as
will appear by what follows.
I was now, in the months of November and December,
expecting my crop of barley and rice. The ground I had
manured and dug up for them was not great; for, as I observed,
my seed of each was not above the quantity of half a peck, for
I had lost one whole crop by sowing in the dry season: but
now my crop promised very well, when on a sudden I found I
was in danger of losing it all again by enemies of several sorts,
which it was scarcely possible to keep from it; as, first the
goats, and wild creatures which I called hares, who, tasting the
sweetness of the blade, lay in it night and day, as soon as it
came up, and ate it so close, that it could get no time to shoot
up into stalk.
This I saw no remedy for, but by making an enclosure about
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1༠༢
it with a hedge; which I did with a great deal of toil, and the
more because it required speed. However, as my arable land
was but small, suited to my crop, I got it totally well fenced in
about three weeks' time; and shooting some of the creatures
in the daytime, I set my dog to guard it in the night, tying him
up to a stake at the gate, where he would stand and bark all
night long so in a little time the enemies forsook the place,
and the corn grew very strong and well, and began to ripen
apace.
:
But as the beasts ruined me before, while my corn was in
the blade, so the birds were as likely to ruin me now, when it
was in the ear; for going along by the place to see how it
throve, I saw my little crop surrounded with fowls, of I know
not how many sorts, who stood, as it were, watching till I should
be gone. I immediately let fly among them, for I always had
my gun with me. I had no sooner shot, but there rose up a
little cloud of fowls, which I had not seen at all, from among
the corn itself.
This touched me sensibly, for I foresaw that in a few days
they would devour all my hopes; that I should be starved, and
never be able to raise a crop at all; and what more to do I.
could not tell; however, I resolved not to lose my corn, if
possible, though I should watch it night and day. In the first
place, I went among it, to see what damage was already done,
and found they had spoiled a good deal of it; but that as it
was yet too green for them, the loss was not so great but that
the remainder was likely to be a good crop, if it could be
saved.
I staid by it to load my gun, and then coming away, I could
easily see the thieves sitting upon all the trees about me, as if
they only waited till I was gone away, and the event proved it
to be so; for as I walked off, as if I was gone, I was no sooner
out of their sight, than they dropped down one by one into the
corn again. I was so provoked, that I could not have patience
to stay till more came on, knowing that every grain that they
ate now was, as it might be said, a peck-loaf to me in the con-
sequence; but coming up to the hedge, I fired again, and killed
three of them. This was what I wished for; so I took them
up, and served them as we serve notorious thieves in England-
hanged them in chains, for a terror to others. It is impossible
to imagine that this should have such an effect as it had, for
the fowls would not only not come at the corn, but, in short,
they forsook all that part of the island, and I could never see
a bird near the place as long as my scare-crows hung there.
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This I was very glad of, you may be sure, and about the latter
end of December, which was our second harvest of the year, 1
reaped my corn.
I was sadly put to it for a scythe or sickle to cut it down,
and all I could do was to make one, as well as I could, out of
one of the broadswords, or cutlasses, which I saved among the
arms out of the ship.. However, as my first crop was but small,
I had no great difficulty to cut it down; in short, I reaped
it in my way, for I cut nothing off but the ears, and carried it
away in a great basket which I had made, and so rubbed it out
with my hands; and at the end of all my harvesting, I found
that out of my half peck of seed I had near two bushels of rice,
and about two bushels and a half of barley; that is to say, by
my guess, for I had no measure at that time,
•
However, this was a great encouragement to me, and 1
foresaw that, in time, it would please God to supply me with
bread and yet, here I was perplexed again, for I neither knew
how to grind, or make meal of my corn, or indeed, how to clean
it and part it, nor, if made into meal, how to make bread of it
and if how to make it, yet I knew not how to bake it these
things being added to my desire of having a good quantity for
store, and to secure a constant supply; I resolved.not to taste any
of this crop, but to preserve it all for seed against the next sea-
son; and, in the mean time, to employ all my study and hours of
working to accomplish this great work of providing myself with
corn and bread.
It might be truly said that now I worked for my bread. I
believe few people have thought much upon the strange multi-
tude of little things necessary in the providing, producing,
curing, dressing, making, and finishing this one article of bread.
I, that was reduced to a mere state of nature, found this to
my daily discouragement, and was made more sensible of it
every hour, even after I had got the first handful of seed-corn,
which, as I have said, came up unexpectedly, and indeed to a
surprise.
First, I had no plough to turn up the earth; no spade or
shovel to dig it. Well, this I conquered by making me a wooden
spade, as I observed before; but this did my work but in a
wooden manner; and though it cost me a great many days to
make it, yet for want of iron, it not only wore out soon, but
made my work the harder, and made it be performed much
worse. However, this I bore with, and was content to work it
out with patience, and bear with the badness of the perform-
ance. When the corn was sown, I had no harrow, but was
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105
forced to go over it myself, and drag a great heavy bough of a
tree over it, to scratch it as it may be called, rather than rake
or harrow it. When it was growing, and grown, I have ob-
served already how many things I wanted to fence it, secure it,
mow or reap it, cure and carry it home, thrash, part it from the
chaff, and save it. Then I wanted a mill to grind it, sieves to
dress it, yeast and salt to make it into bread, and an oven to
bake it; but all these things I did without, as shall be seen;
and yet the corn was an inestimable comfort and advantage
to me too. All this, as I said, made everything laborious and
tedious to me: but that there was no help for; neither was my
time so much loss to me, because, as I had divided it, a certain
part of it was every day appointed to these works; and as I
had resolved to use none of the corn for bread till I had a
greater quantity by me, I had the next six months to apply
myself wholly, by labor and invention, to furnish myself with
utensils proper for the performing all the operations necessary
for making the corn, when I had it fit for my use.
But first I was to prepare more land, for I had now seed
enough to sow above an acre of ground. Before I did this, I
had a week's work at least to make me a spade, which, when it
was done, was but a sorry one indeed, and very heavy, and
required double labor to work with it. However, I got through
that, and sowed my seed in two large flat pieces of ground, as
near my house as I could find them to my mind, and fenced
them in with a good hedge, the stakes of which were all cut off
that wood which I had set before, and knew it would grow; so
that, in one year's time, I knew I should have a quick or living
hedge, that would want but little repair. This work did not take
me up less than three months, because a great part of that time
was the wet season, when I could not go abroad. Within doors,
that is, when it rained, and I could not go out, I found employ-
ment in the following occupations, always observing, that all
the while I was at work, I diverted myself with talking to my
parrot, and teaching him to speak; and I quickly taught him to
know his own name, and at last to speak it out pretty loud,
Poll, which was the first word I ever heard spoken in the island
by any mouth but my own. This, therefore, was not my work,
but an assistance to my work; for now, as I said, I had a great
employment upon my hands, as follows: I had long studied to
make by some means or other, some earthen vessels, which,
indeed, I wanted sorely, but knew not where to come at them.
However, considering the heat of the climate, I did not doubt
but if I could find out any clay, I might make some pots that
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might, being dried in the sun, be hard enough and strong
enough to bear handiing, and to hold anything that was dry,
and required to be kept so; and as this was necessary in thẻ
preparing corn, meal, &c., which was the thing I was doing, I
resolved to make some as large as I could, and fit only to stand
like jars, to hold what should be put into them.
It would make the reader pity me, or laugh at me, to tell
how many awkward ways I took to raise this paste; what odd,
misshapen, ugly things I made; how many of them fell in, and
how many fell out, the clay not being stiff enough to bear its
own weight; how many cracked by the over-violent heat of the
sun, being set out too hastily; and how many fell in pieces with
only removing, as well before as after they were dried; and, in
a word, how, after having labored hard to find the clay-to dig
it, to temper it, to bring it home, and work it—I could not make
above two large earthen ugly things (I cannot call them jars) in
about two months' labor.
However, as the sun baked these two very dry and hard, I
lifted them very gently up, and set them down again in two
great wicker baskets, which I had made on purpose for them,
that they might not break; and as between the pot and the
basket there was a little room to spare, I stuffed it full of the
rice and barley straw; and these two pots being to stand always
dry, I thought would hold my dry corn, and perhaps the meal,
when the corn was bruised.
Though I miscarried so much in my design for large pots,
yet I made several smaller things with better success; such as
little round pots, flat dishes, pitchers, and pipkins, and any
things my hand turned to; and the heat of the sun baked them
quite hard.
But all this would not answer my end, which was to get an
earthen pot to hold what was liquid, and bear the fire, which
none of these could do. It happened after some time, making
a pretty large fire for cooking my meat, when I went to put it
out after I had done with it, I found a broken piece of one of
my earthen-ware vessels in the fire, burnt as hard as a stone,
and red as a tile. I was agreeably surprised to see it, and said
to myself, that certainly they might be made to burn whole, if
they would burn broken.
-
This set me to study how to order my fire, so as to make it
burn some pots. I had no notion of a kiln, such as the potters
burn in, or of glazing them with lead, though I had some lead
to do it with; but I placed three large pipkins, and two or three
pots, in a pile, one upon another, and placed my firewood all
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107
around it with a great heap of embers under them. I plied the
fire with fresh fuel round the outside, and upon the top, till I
saw the pots in the inside red-hot quite through, and observed
that they did not crack at all; when I saw them clear red, I let
them stand in that heat about five or six hours, till I found one
of them, though it did not crack, did melt or run; for the sand
which was mixed with the clay melted by the violence of the
heat, and would have run into glass if I had gone on; so I
slacked my fire gradually till the pots began to abate of the red
color, and watching them all night, that I might not let the fire
abate too fast, in the morning I had three very good (I will
not say handsome) pipkins, and two other earthen pots, as hard
burned as could be desired, and one of them perfectly glazed
with the running of the sand.
After this experiment, I need not say that I wanted no sort
of earthen-ware for my use; but I must needs say as to the
shapes of them, they were very indifferent, as any one may
suppose, when I had no way of making them but as the children
make dirt pies or as a woman would make pies that never
learned to raise paste.
No joy at a thing of so mean a nature was ever equal to
mine, when I found I had made an earthen pot that would bear
the fire; and I had hardly patience to stay till they were cold,
before I set one on the fire again, with some water in it, to boil
me some meat, which it did admirably well; and with a piece of
a kid I made some very good broth, though I wanted oatmeal,
and several other ingredients requisite to make it as good as I
would have had it been.
My next concern was to get me a stone mortar to stamp or
beat some corn in; for as to the mill, there was no thought of
arriving at that perfection of art with one pair of hands. To
supply this want, I was at a great loss; for, of all the trades in
the world, I was as perfectly unqualified for a stonecutter, as
for any whatever; neither had I any tools to go about it with.
I spent many a day to find out a great stone big enough to cut
hollow, and make fit for a mortar, and could find none at all,
except what was in the solid rock, and which I had no way to
dig or cut out; nor indeed were the rocks in the island of hard-
ness sufficient, but were all of a sandy crumbling stone, which
neither would bear the weight of a heavy pestle, nor would
break the corn without filling it with sand; so, after a great
deal of time lost in searching for a stone, I gave it over, and
resolved to look out for a great block of hard wood, which I
found indeed much easier; and getting one as big as I had
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î
strength to stir, I rounded it, and formed it on the outside with
my axe and hatchet, and then, with the help of fire, and infinite
labor, made a hollow place in it, as the Indians in Brazil make
their canoes. After this, I made a great heavy pestle, or beater,
of the wood called the iron-wood; and this I prepared and laid
by against I had my next crop of corn, which I proposed to
myself to grind, or rather pound, into meal, to make bread.
My next difficulty was to make a sieve, or searce, to dress
my meal, and to part it from the bran and the husk, without
which I did not see it possible I could have any bread. This
was a most difficult thing, even to think on, for to be sure I had
nothing like the necessary thing to make it; I mean fine thin
canvas, or stuff, to searce the meal through. And here I was
at a full stop for many months; nor did I really know what to
do. Linen I had none left but what was mere rags; I had
goat's-hair, but neither knew how to weave it or spin it; and
had I known how, here were no tools to work it with. All the
remedy that I found for this was, that at last I did remember I
had, among the seamen's clothes which were saved out of the
ship, some neckcloths of calico or muslin ; and with some pieces
of these I made three small sieves proper enough for the work;
and thus I made shift for some years: how I did afterwards, I
shall show in its place.
The baking part was the next thing to be considered, and
how I should make bread when I came to have corn; for, first,
I had no yeast; as to that part, there was no supplying the
want, so I did not concern myself much about it. But for an
oven, I was indeed in great pain. At length I found out an
experiment for that also, which was this: I made some earthen
vessels very broad, but not deep, that is to say, about two feet
diameter, and not above nine inches deep; these I burned in
the fire, as I had done the other, and laid them by; and when
I wanted to bake, I make a great fire upon my hearth, which I
had paved with some square tiles, of my own baking and burn-
ing also; but I should not call them square.
When the firewood was burned pretty much into embers, or
live coals, 1 drew them forward upon this hearth, so as to cover
it all over, and there I let them lie till the hearth was very hot;
then sweeping away all the embers, I set down my loaf or loaves,
and whelming down the earthen pot upon them, drew the
embers all round the outside of the pot, to keep in and add to
the heat; and thus, as well as in the best oven in the world, I
baked my barley-loaves, and became, in little time, a good
pastry-cook into the bargain; for I made myself several cakes.
}
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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7
and puddings of the rice; but I made no pies, neither had I
anything to put into them, supposing I had, except the flesh
either of fowls or goats.
It need not be wondered at, if all these things took me up
most part of the third year of my abode here; for, it is to be
observed, that in the intervals of these things, I had my new
harvest and husbandry to manage; for I reaped my corn in its
season, and carried it home as well as I could, and laid it up
in the ear, in my large baskets, till I had time to rub it out,
for I had no floor to thrash it on, or instrument to thrash it
with.
And now, indeed, my stock of corn increasing. I really
wanted to build my barns bigger; I wanted a place to lay it up
in, for the increase of the corn now yielded me so much, that
I had of the barley about twenty bushels, and of the rice as
much, or more; insomuch that now I resolved to begin to use
it freely; for my bread had been quite gone a great while;
also I resolved to see what quantity would be sufficient for me
a whole year, and to sow but once a year.
Upon the whole, I found that the forty bushels of barley
and rice were much more than I could consume in a year: so
I resolved to sow just the same quantity every year that I
sowed the last, in hopes that such a quantity would fully pro-
vide me with bread, &c.
All the while these things were doing, you may be sure my
thoughts ran many times upon the prospect of land which I had
seen from the other side of the island; and I was not without
secret wishes that I were on shore there, fancying that, seeing
the main-land, and an inhabited country, I might find some
way or other to convey myself farther, and perhaps at last find
some means of escape.
But all this while I made no allowance for the dangers of
such an undertaking, and how I might fall into the hands of
savages, and perhaps such as I might have reason to think far
worse than the lions and tigers of Africa: that if I once came
in their power, I should run a hazard of more than a thousand
to one of being killed, and perhaps of being eaten; for I had
heard that the people of the Caribbean coast were cannibals, or
man-eaters, and I knew by the latitude that I could not be far
from that shore. Then, supposing they were not cannibals, yet
they might kill me, as many Europeans who had fallen into
their hands had been served, even when they had been ten or
twenty together-much more I, that was but one, and could
make little or no defence; all these things, I say, which I ought
I10
Q
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
*
to have considered well, and did come into my thoughts after
wards, yet gave me no apprehensions at first, and my head raw
mightily upon the thought of getting over to the shore.
Now I wished for my boy Xury, and the long-boat with
the shoulder-of-mutton sail, with which I sailed above a thou-
sand miles on the coast of Africa; but this was in vain then
I thought I would go and look at our ship's boat, which, as I
have said, was blown up upon the shore a great way, in the
storm, when we were first cast away. She lay almost where
she did at first, but not quite; and was turned, by the force of
the waves and the winds, almost bottom upward, against a high
ridge of beachy, rough sand, but no water about her. If I had
had hands to have refitted her, and to have launched her into
the water, the boat would have done well enough, and I might
have gone back into the Brazils with her easily enough; but I
might have foreseen that I could no more turn her and set her
upright upon her bottom, than I could remove the island; how-
ever, I went to the woods, and cut levers and rollers, and
brought them to the boat, resolving to try what I could do;
suggesting to myself, that if I could but turn her down,
I might repair the damage she had received, and she would
be a very good boat, and I might go to sea in her very
easily.
I spared no pains, indeed, in this piece of fruitless toil, and
spent, I think, three or four weeks about it; at last, finding
it impossible to heave it up with my little strength, I fell to
digging away the sand, to undermine it, and so to make it
fall down, setting pieces of wood to thrust and guide it right
in the fall.
But when I had done this, I was unable to stir it up
again, or to get under it, much less to move it forward towards
the water; so I was forced to give it over; and yet, though I
gave over the hopes of the boat, my desire to venture over the
main increased, rather than decreased, as the means for it
seemed impossible.
This at length put me upon thinking whether it was not
possible to make myself a canoe, or periagua, such as the
natives of those climates make, even without tools, or, as I
This I
might say, without hands, of the trunk of a great tree.
not only thought possible, but easy, and pleased myself ex-
tremely with the thoughts of making it, and with my having
much more convenience for it than any of the Negroes or
Indians; but not at all considering the particular incon-
veniences which I lay under more than the Indians did, viz.:
་་
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
III
want of hands to move it, when it was made, into the water—a
difficulty much harder for me to surmount than all the conse-
quences of want of tools could be to them; for what was it to
me, if when I had chosen a vast tree in the woods, and with
much trouble cut it down, if I had been able with my tools to
hew and dub the outside into the proper shape of a boat, and
burn or cut out the inside to make it hollow, so as to make a
boat of it—if, after all this, I must leave it just there where I
found it, and not be able to launch it into the water?
One would have thought I could not have had the least re-
flection upon my mind of my circumstances while I was making
this boat, but I should have immediately thought how I should
get it into the sea; but my thoughts were so intent upon my
voyage over the sea in it, that I never once considered how I
should get it off the land: and it was really, in its own nature,
more easy for me to guide it over forty-five miles in sea, than
about forty-five fathoms of land, where it lay, to set it afloat in
the water.
I went to work upon this boat the most like a fool that ever
man did, who had any of his senses awake. I pleased myself
with the design, without determining whether I was ever able to
undertake it; not but that the difficulty of launching my boat
came often into my head; but I put a stop to my inquiries into
it, by this foolish answer, which I gave myself : "Let me first
make it; I warrant I will find some way or other to get it along
when it is done."
我
​This was a most preposterous method; but the eagerness of
my fancy prevailed, and to work I went. I felled a cedar-tree,
and I question much whether Solomon ever had such a one for
the building of the Temple of Jerusalem; it was five feet ten
inches diameter at the lower part next the stump, and four feet
eleven inches diameter at the end of twenty-two feet; after
which it lessened for a while, and then parted into branches.
It was not without infinite labor that I felled this tree;
I was
twenty days hacking and hewing at it at the bottom; I was
fourteen more getting the branches and limbs, and the vast
spreading head, cut off, which I hacked and hewed through
with axe and hatchet, and inexpressible labor: after this, it cost
me a month to shape it and dub it to a proportion, and to some-
thing like the bottom of a boat, that it might swim upright as it
ought to do. It cost me near three months more to clear the
inside, and work it out so as to make an exact boat of it: this
I did, indeed, without fire, by mere mallet and chisel, and by
the dint of hard labor, till I had brought it to be a very
vý
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handsome periagua, and big enough to have carried six and
twenty men, and consequently big enough to have carried me
and all my cargo.
When I had gone through this work, I was extremely
delighted with it. The boat was really much bigger than ever
I saw a canoe or periagua, that was made of one tree, in my life.
Many a weary stroke it had cost, you may be sure; and had I
gotten it into the water, I make no question but I should have
begun the maddest voyage, and the most unlikely to be per-
formed, that ever was undertaken.
But all my devices to get it into the water failed me; though
they cost me infinite labor too. It lay about one hundred
yards from the water, and not more; but the first inconvenience
was, it was up hill towards the creek. Well, to take away this
discouragement, I resolved to dig into the surface of the earth,
and so make a declivity: this I began, and it cost me a pro-
digious deal of pains (but who grudge pains that have their
deliverance in view?); but when this was worked through, and
this difficulty managed, it was still much the same, for I could
no more stir the canoe than I could the other boat. Then I
measured the distance of ground, and resolved to cut a dock or
canal, to bring the water up to the canoe, seeing I could not
bring the canoe down to the water. Well, I began this work ;
and when I began to enter upon it, and calculate how deep it
was to be dug, how broad, how the stuff was to be thrown out,
I found that, by the number of hands I had, being none but my
own, it must have been ten or twelve years before I could have
gone through with it; for the shore lay so high, that at the
upper end it must have been at least twenty feet deep; so at
length, though with great reluctancy, I gave this attempt over
also.
This grieved me heartily; and now I saw, though too late,
the folly of beginning a work before we count the cost, and be
fore we judge rightly of our own strength to go through with it.
In the middle of this work I finished my fourth year in this
place, and kept my anniversary with the same devotion, and
with as much comfort as ever before; for, by a constant study
and serious application to the Word of God, and by the assist-
ance of His grace, I gained a different knowledge from what I
had before. I entertained different notions of things. I looked
now upon the world as a thing remote, which I had nothing to
do with, no expectation from, and, indeed, no desires about:
in a word, I had nothing indeed to do with it, nor was ever
likely to have; so I thought it looked, as we may perhaps look
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
113
upon it hereafter, viz.: as a place I had lived in, but was come
out of it; and well might I say, as Father Abraham to Dives,
"Between me and thee is a great gulf fixed."
In the first place, I was removed from all the wickedness of
the world here; I had neither the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of
the eye, or the pride of life. I had nothing to covet, for I had
all that I was now capable of enjoying; I was lord of the whole
manor; or, if I pleased, I might call myself king or emperor
over the whole country which I had possession of; there were
no rivals; I had no competitor, none to dispute sovereignty
or command with me: I might have raised ship-loadings of
corn, but I had no use for it; so I let as little grow as I thought
enough for my occasion. I had tortoise or turtle enough, but
now and then one was as much as I could put to any use I
had timber enough to have built a fleet of ships; and I had
grapes enough to have made wine, or to have cured into raisins,
to have loaded that fleet when it had been built.
But all I could make use of was all that was valuable: I
had enough to eat and supply my wants, and what was all the
rest to me? If I killed more flesh than I could eat, the dog
must eat it, or vermin; if I sowed more corn than I could eat,
it must be spoiled; the trees that I cut down were lying to rot
on the ground; I could make no more use of them but for
fuel, and that I had no occasion for but to dress my food.
In a word, the nature and experience of things dictated to
me, upon just reflection, that all the good things of this world
are no farther good to us than they are for our use; and that
whatever we may heap up to give others, we enjoy just as much
as we can use, and no more. The most covetous, griping miser
in the world would have been cured of the vice of covetousness
if he had been in my case; for I possessed infinitely more than I
knew what to do with. I had no room for desire, except it was
of things which I had not, and they were but trifles, though, in-
deed, of great use to me. I had, as I hinted before, a parcel
of money, as well gold as silver, about thirty-six pounds ster-
ling. Alas! there the sorry, useless stuff lay; I had no man-
ner of business for it; and often thought with myself, that I
would have given a handful of it for a gross of tobacco-pipes;
or for a hand-mill to grind my corn; nay, I would have given
it all for a sixpenny worth of turnip and carrot seed out of
England, or for a handful of peas and beans, and a bottle
of ink. As it was, I had not the least advantage by it or bene-
fit from it; but there it lay in a drawer, and grew mouldy with
the damp of the cave in the wet seasons; and if I had had the
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?
drawer full or diamonds, it had been the same case-they had
been of no manner of value to me, because of no use.
I had now brought my state of life to be much easier in
itself than it was at first, and much easier to my mind, as well
as to my body. I frequently sat down to meat with thankful-
ness, and admired the hand of God's providence, which had
thus spread my table in the wilderness. I learned to look
more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the
dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed rather than what I
wanted; and this gave me sometimes such secret comforts, that
I cannot express them; and which I take notice of here, to put
those discontented people in mind of it, who cannot enjoy
comfortably what God has given them, because they see and
covet something that He has not given them. All our discon-
tents about what we want appeared to me to spring from the
want of thankfulness for what we have.
was;
Another reflection was of great use to me, and doubtless
would be so to any one that should fall into such distress as mine
and this was, to compare my present condition with what
I at first expected it would be; nay, with what it would cer-
tainly have been, if the good providence of God had not won-
derfully ordered the ship to be cast up nearer to the shore,
where I not only could come at her, but could bring what I
got out of her to the shore, for my relief and comfort; without
which, I had wanted for tools to work, weapons for defence,
and gunpowder and shot for getting my food.
I spent whole hours, I may say whole days, in representing
to myself, in the most lively colors, how I must have acted if I
had got nothing out of the ship; how I could not have so much
as got any food, except fish and turtles; and that, as it was
long before I found any of them, I must have perished first ;
that I should have lived, if I had not perished, like a mere
savage; that if I had killed a goat or a fowl, by any contri-
vance, I had no way to flay or open it, or part the flesh from .
the skin and the bowels, or to cut it up; but must gnaw it with
my teeth and pull it with my claws, like a beast
These reflections made me very sensible of the goodness
of Providence to me, and very thankful for my present condi-
tion, with all its hardships and misfortunes: and this part also
I cannot but recommend to the reflection of those who are
apt, in their misery, to say, "Is any affliction like mine?" Let
them consider how much worse the cases of some people are,
and their case might have been, if Providence had thought fit..
I had another reflection, which assisted me also to comfort
3
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
115
my mind with hopes; and this was comparing my present sit-
uation with what I had deserved, and had therefore reason to
expect from the hand of Providence. I had lived a dreadful
life, perfectly destitute of the knowledge and fear of God. I
had been well instructed by father and mother; neither had
they been wanting to me, in their early endeavors to infuse a
religious awe of God into my mind, a sense of my duty, and
But
what the nature and end of my being required of me.
alas! falling early into the seafaring life, which, of all lives,
is the most destitute of the fear of God, though his terrors are
always before them; I say, falling early into the seafaring life,
and into seafaring company, all that little sense of religion
which I had entertained was laughed out of me by my mess-
mates; by a hardened despising of dangers, and the views of
death, which grew habitual to me; by my long absence from
all manner of opportunities to converse with anything but what
was like myself, or to hear anything that was good, or tended
towards it.
So void was I of everything that was good, or the least
sense of what I was, or was to be, that in the greatest deliver-
ances I enjoyed-such as my escape from Sallee; my being
taken up by the Portuguese master of the ship; my being
planted so well in the Brazils; my receiving the cargo from
England, and the like-I never had once the words, "Thank
God," so much as on my mind, or in my mouth; nor in the
greatest distress had I so much as a thought to pray to him, or
so much as to say, "Lord, have mercy upon me! no, nor to
mention the name of God, unless it was to swear by and blas-
pheme it.
""
I had terrible reflections upon my mind for many months,
as I have already observed, on account of my wicked and hard-
ened life past; and when I looked about me, and considered
what particular providences had attended me since my coming
into this place, and how God had dealt bountifully with me,
had not only punished me less than my iniquity had deserved,
but had so plentifully provided for me, this gave me great hopes.
that my repentance was accepted, and that God had yet mercy
in store for me.
With these reflections, I worked my mind up, not only to a
resignation to the will of God in the present disposition of my
circumstances, but even to a sincere thankfulness for my condi-
tion; and that I, who was yet a living man, ought not to com-
plain, seeing I had not the due punishment of my sins; that I
enjoyed so many mercies which I had no reason to have ex-
!
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pected in that place; that I ought never more to repine at my
condition, but to rejcice, and to give daily thanks for that daily
bread which nothing but a crowd of wonders could have
brought; that I ought to consider I had been fed even by a
miracle, even as great as that of feeding Elijah by ravens;
nay, by a long series of miracles; and that I could hardly have
named a place in the uninhabitable part of the world where I
could have been cast more to my advantage; a place where,
as I had no society, which was my affliction on one hand, so I
found no ravenous beasts, no furious wolves or tigers, to threaten
my life
; no venomous creatures, or poisons, which I might feed
on to my hurt; no savages to murder and devour me.
In a
word, as my life was a life of sorrow one way, so it was a life
of mercy another; and I wanted nothing to make it a life of
comfort, but to be able to make my sense of God's goodness to
me, and care over me in this condition, be my daily consola-
tion; and after I did make a just improvement of these things,
I went away, and was no more sad. I had now been here so
long, that many things which I had brought on shore for my
help were either quite gone, or very much wasted and near
spent.
My ink, as I observed, had been gone some time, all but a
very little, which I eked out with water, a little and a little, till
it was so pale, it scarce left any appearance of black upon the
paper. As long as it lasted I made use of it to minute down
the days of the month on which any remarkable thing happened
to me; and first, by casting up times past, I remembered that
there was a strange concurrence of days in the various provi-
dences which befell me, and which, if I had been superstitiously
inclined to observe days as fatal or fortunate, I might have had
reason to have looked upon with a great deal of curiosity.
First, I had observed, that the same day that I broke away
from my father and friends, and ran away to Hull, in order to
go to sea, the same day afterwards I was taken by the Sallee
man-of-war, and made a slave; the same day of the year that I
escaped out of the wreck of that ship in Yarmouth Roads, that
same day year afterwards I made my escape from Sallee in a
boat; the same day of the year I was born on, viz.: the 30th of
September, that same day I had my life so miraculously saved
twenty-six years after, when I was cast on shore in this island
so that my wicked life and my solitary life began both on a day.
The next thing to my ink being wasted, was that of my
bread; I mean the biscuit which I brought out of the ship:
this I had husbanded to the last degree, allowing myself but
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
117
one cake of bread a day for above a year; and yet I was quite
without bread for near a year before I got any corn of my own;
and great reason I had to be thankful that I had any at all, the
getting it being, as has been already observed, next to miracu-
lous.
My clothes, too, began to decay; as to linen, I had had
none a good while, except some checkered shirts which I found
in the chests of the other seamen, and which I carefully pre-
served; because many times I could bear no other clothes on
but a shirt; and it was a very great help to me that I had,
among all the men's clothes of the ship, almost three dozen of
shirts. There were also, indeed, several thick watch-coats of
the seamen's which were left, but they were too hot to wear;
and though it is true that the weather was so violently hot that
there was no need of clothes, yet I could not go quite naked,—
no, though I had been inclined to it, which I was not ;-nor could
I abide the thought of it, though I was alone. The reason why I
could not go naked was, I could not bear the heat of the sun
so well when quite naked as with some clothes on; nay, the
very heat frequently blistered my skin; whereas, with a shirt
on, the air itself made some motion, and whistling under the
shirt, was twofold cooler than without it. No more could I
ever bring myself to go out in the heat of the sun without a
cap or a hat; the heat of the sun, beating with such violence as
it does in that place, would give me the headache presently, by
darting so directly on my head, without a cap or hat on, so
that I could not bear it; whereas, if I put on my hat, it would
presently go away.
Upon these views I began to consider about putting the few
rags I had, which I called clothes, into some order; I had
worn out all the waistcoats I had, and my business was now to
try if I could not make jackets out of the watch-coats which I
had by me, and with such other materials as I had; so I set
to work tailoring, or rather, indeed, botching, for I made most
piteous work of it. However, I made shift to make two or
three new waistcoats, which I hoped would serve me a great
while; as for breeches or drawers, I made but a very sorry
shift indeed till afterwards.
I have mentioned that I saved the skins of all the creatures
that I killed, I mean four-footed ones, and I had them hung
up stretched out with sticks in the sun, by which means some
of them were so dry and hard that they were fit for little, but
others were very useful. The first thing I made of these was
a great cap for my head, with the hair on the outside, to shoot
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3
C
off the rain; and this I performed so well, that after, I made
me a suit of clothes wholly of these skins,-that is to say, a
waistcoat, and breeches open at the knees, and both loose, for
they were rather wanting to keep me cool than to keep me
warm. I must not omit to acknowledge that they were wretch-
edly made; for if I was a bad carpenter, I was a worse tailor.
However, they were such as I made very good shift with, and
when I was out, if it happened to rain, the hair of my waistcoat
and cap being outermost, I was kept very dry.
After this, I spent a great deal of time and pains to make
an umbrella; I was indeed in great want of one, and had a
great mind to make one: I had seen them made in the Bra-
zils, where they are very useful in the great heats there, and I
felt the heats every jot as great here, and greater too, being
nearer the equinox; besides, as I was obliged to be much
abroad, it was a most useful thing to me, as well for the rains
as the heats. I took a world of pains with it, and was a great
while before I could make anything likely to hold: nay, after
I thought I had hit the way, I spoiled two or three before I
made one to my mind: but at last I made one that answered
indifferently well; the main difficulty I found was to make it
let down. I could make it spread, but if it did not let down
too, and draw in, it was not portable for me any way but just
over my head, which would not do. However, at last, as I said,
I made one to answer, and covered it with skins, the hair up-
wards, so that it cast off the rain like a pent-house, and kept
off the sun so effectually, that I could walk out in the hottest
of the weather with greater advantage than I could before in
the coolest, and when I had no need of it, could close it, and
carry it under my arm.
Thus I lived mighty comfortably, my mind being entirely
composed by resigning myself to the will of God, and throw-
ing myself wholly upon the disposal of His providence. This
made my life better than sociable, for when I began to regret
the want of conversation, I would ask myself, whether thus
conversing mutually with my own thoughts, and (as I hope I
may say) with even God Himself, by ejaculations, was not better
than the utmost enjoyment of human society in the world?
I cannot say that, after this, for five years, any extraordinary
thing happened to me, but I lived on in the same course, in the
same posture and place, as before; the chief things I was em-
ployed in, besides my yearly labor of planting my barley and
rice, and curing my raisins, of both which I always kept up
just enough to have sufficient stock of one year's provision be-
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​ROBINSON CRUSOE.
119
forehand; I say, besides this yearly labor, and my daily pur-
suit of going out with my gun, I had one labor, to make a canoe,
which at last I finished so that, by digging a canal to it of six
feet wide and four feet deep, I brought it into the creek, almost
half a mile. As for the first, which was so vastly big, for I
made it without considering beforehand, as I ought to do, how
I should be able to launch it, so, never being able to bring it
into the water, or bring the water to it, I was obliged to let it
lie where it was, as a memorandum to teach me to be wiser the
next time indeed, the next time, though I could not get a tree
proper for it, and was in a place where I could not get the
water to it at any less distance than, as I have said, near half-
a mile, yet, as I saw it was practicable at last, I never gave it
over; and though I was near two years about it, yet I never
grudged my labor, in hopes of having a boat to go off to sea
at last.
•
However, though my little periagua was finished, yet the
size of it which I had in view when I made the first; I mean
of venturing over to the terra firma, where it was above forty
miles broad; accordingly, the smallness of my boat assisted to
put an end to that design, and now I thought no more of it.
As I had a boat, my next design was to make a cruise round
the island; for as I had been on the other side in one place,
crossing, as I have already described it, over the land, so the
discoveries I made in that little journey made me very eager
to see other parts of the coast; and now I had a boat, I thought
of nothing but sailing round the island.
For this purpose, that I might do everything with discretion
and consideration, I fitted up a little mast in my boat, and
made a sail too out of some of the pieces of the ship's sails
which lay in store, and of which I had a great stock by me.
Having fitted my mast and sail, and tried the boat, I found she
would sail very well: then I made little lockers, or boxes, at
each end of my boat, to put provisions, necessaries, ammunition,
&c., into, to be kept dry, either from rain or the spray of the
sea; and a little, long, hollow place I cut in the inside of the
boat, where I could lay my gun, making a flap to hang down
over it, to keep it dry.
I fixed my umbrella also in a step at the stern, like a mast,
to stand over my head, and keep the heat of the sun off me,
like an awning; and thus I every now and then took a little
voyage upon the sea, but never went far out, nor far from the
little creek. At last, being eager to view the circumference of
my little kingdom, I resolved upon my cruise; and accordingly
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I victualled my ship for the voyage, putting in two dozen of
loaves (cakes I should rather call them) of barley bread, an
earthen pot full of parched rice (a food I ate a great deal of),
a little bottle of rum, half a goat, and powder and shot for kill-
ing more, and two large watch-coats, of those which, as I men-
tioned before, I had saved out of the seamen's chests: these I
took, one to lie upon, and the other to cover me in the night.
It was the 6th of November, in the sixth year of my reign,
or my captivity, which you please, that I set out on this voyage,
and I found it much longer than I expected; for though the
island itself was not very large, yet when I came to the east
side of it, I found a great ledge of rocks lie out about two
leagues into the sea, some above water, some under it; and be-
yond that a shoal of sand, lying dry half a league more, so that
I was obliged to go a great way out to sea to double the point.
When first I discovered them, I was going to give over my
enterprise, and come back again, not knowing how far it might
oblige me to go out to sea; and, above all, doubting how I
should get back again: so I came to an anchor; for I had made
a kind of an anchor with a piece of a broken grappling which
I got out of the ship.
Having secured my boat, I took my gun and went on shore,
climbing up a hill, which seemed to overlook that point, where
I saw the full extent of it, and resolved to venture.
In my viewing the sea from that hill where I stood, I per-
ceived a strong, and, indeed, a most furious current, which ran
to the east, and even came close to the point; and I took the
more notice of it, because I saw there might be some danger,
that when I came into it, I might be carried out to sea by the
strength of it, and not be able to make the island again: and,
indeed, had I not got first upon this hill, I believe it would have
been so; for there was the same current on the other side the
island, only that it set off at a farther distance, and I saw there
was a strong eddy under the shore; so I had nothing to do but
to get out of the first current, and I should presently be in an
eddy.
I lay here, however, two days, because the wind blowing
pretty fresh at E. S. E., and that being just contrary to the cur-
rent, made a great breach of the sea upon the point; so that
it was not safe for me to keep too close to the shore for the
breach, nor to go too far off, because of the stream.
The third day, in the morning, the wind having abated over-
night, the sea was calm, and I ventured: but I am a warning
to all rash and ignorant lots · for no sooner was I come to
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121
the point, when I was not even my boat's length from the shore,
but I found myself in a great depth of water, and a current
like the sluice of a mill: it carried my boat along with it with
such violence that all I could do could not keep her so much
as on the edge of it; but I found it hurried me farther and far-
ther out from the eddy, which was on my left hand. There was
no wind stirring to help me, and all I could do with my paddles
signified nothing and now I began to give myself over for
lost; for as the current was on both sides of the island, I knew
in a few leagues' distance they must join again, and then I was
irrecoverably gone; nor did I see any possibility of avoiding
it; so that I had no prospect before me but of perishing, not
by the sea, for that was calm enough, but of starving from
hunger. I had, indeed, found a tortoise on the shore, as big
almost as I could lift, and had tossed it into the boat; and I
had a great jar of fresh water, that is to say, one of my earthen
pots; but what was all this to being driven into the vast ocean,
where, to be sure, there was no shore, no main land or island,
for a thousand leagues at least?
And now I saw how easy it was for the providence of God
to make even the most miserable condition of mankind worse.
Now I looked back upon my desolate, solitary island, as the
most pleasant place in the world, and all the happiness my
heart could wish for was to be but there again. I stretched
out my hands to it, with eager wishes: "O happy desert!" said I,
"I shall never see thee more. O miserable creature! whither
am I going?" Then I reproached myself with my unthankful
temper, and that I had repined at my solitary condition;
and now what would I give to be on shore there again! Thus,
we never see the true state of our condition till it is illus-
trated to us by its contraries, nor know how to value what we
enjoy, but by the want of it. It is scarcely possible to imagine
the consternation I was now in, being driven from my beloved
island (for so it appeared to me now to be) into the wide ocean,
almost two leagues, and in the utmost despair of ever recover- ·
ing it again. However, I worked hard till indeed my strength
was almost exhausted, and kept my boat as much to the north-
ward, that is, towards the side of the current which the eddy
lay on, as possibly I could; when about noon, as the sun passed
the meridian, I thought I felt a little breeze of wind in my face,
springing up from S. S. E. This cheered my heart a little, and
especially when, in about half an hour more, it blew a pretty
gentle gale. By this time, I had got at a frightful distance from
the island, and had the least cloudy or hazy weather intervened,
*
Ath
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I had been undone another way, too; for I had no compass on
board, and should never have known how to have steered to-
wards the island, if I had but once lost sight of it; but the
weather continuing clear, I applied myself to get up my mast.
again, and spread my sail, standing away to the north as much
as possible, to get out of the current.
Just as I had set my mast and sail, and the boat began to
stretch away, I saw even by the clearness of the water some
alteration of the current was near; for where the current was
so strong the water was foul; but perceiving the water clear, I
found the current abate and presently I found to the east, at
about half a mile, a breach of the sea upon some rocks; these
rocks I found caused the current to part again, and as the main
stress of it ran away more southerly, leaving the rocks to the
north-east, so the other returned by the repulse of the rocks,
and made a strong eddy, which ran back again to the north-
west, with a very sharp stream.
They who know what it is to have a reprieve brought to
them upon the ladder, or to be rescued from thieves just going
to murder them, or who have been in such extremities, may
guess what my present surprise of joy was, and how gladly I
put my boat into the stream of this eddy; and the wind also
freshening, how gladly I spread my sail to it, running cheerfully
before the wind, and with a strong tide or eddy under foot. .
This eddy carried me about a league in my way back again,
directly towards the island, but about two leagues more to the
northward than the current which carried me away at first; so
that when I came near the island, I found myself open to the
northern shore of it, that is to say, the other end of the island,
opposite to that which I went out from.
When I had made something more than a league of way by
the help of this current or eddy, I found it was spent, and
served me no farther. However, I found that being between
two great currents, viz. : that on the south side, which had hur-
ried me away, and that on the north, which lay about a league
on the other side; I say, between these two, in the wake of the
island, I found the water at least still, and running no way;
and having still a breeze of wind fair for me, I kept on steering
directly for the island, though not making such fresh way as I
did before.
About four o'clock in the evening, being then within a league
of the island, I found the point of the rocks which occasioned
this disaster, stretching out, as is described before, to the
southward, and casting off the current more southerly, had, of
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
123
course, made another eddy to the north; and this I found very
strong, but not directly setting the way my course lay, which
was due west, but almost full north. However, having a fresh
gale, I stretched across this eddy, slanting north-west; and in
about an hour came within about a mile of the shore, where, it
being smooth. water, I soon got tɔ land.
When I was on shore, I fell on my knees, and gave God
thanks for my deliverance, resolving to lay aside all thoughts
of my deliverance by my boat; and refreshing myself with such
things as I had, I brought my boat close to the shore, in a little
cove that I had spied under some trees, and laid me down to
sleep, being quite spent with the labor and fatigue of the
voyage.
I was now at a great loss which way to get home with my
boat! I had run so much hazard, and knew too much of the
case, to think of attempting it by the way I went out; and
what might be at the other side (I mean the west side) I knew
not, nor had I any mind to run any more ventures: so I re-
solved on the next morning to make my way westward along
the shore, and to see if there was no creek where I might lay
up my frigate in safety, so as to have her again, if I wanted
her. In about three miles, or thereabouts, coasting the shore,
I came to a very good inlet or bay, about a mile over, which
narrowed till I came to a very little rivulet or brook, where I
found a very convenient harbor for my boat, and where she lay
as if she had been in a little dock made on purpose for her.
Here I put in, and having stowed my boat very safe, I went on
shore to look about me, and see where I was.
I soon found I had but a little passed by the place where I
had been before, when I travelled on foot to that shore; so
taking nothing out of my boat but my gun and umbrella, for it
was exceedingly hot, I began my march. The way was com-
fortable enough after such a voyage as I had been upon, and I
reached my old bower in the evening, where I found everything
standing as I left it; for I always kept it in good order, being,
as I said before, my country-house.
I got over the fence, and laid me down in the shade to rest
my limbs, for I was very weary, and fell asleep; but judge you,
if you can, that read my story, what a surprise I must be in
when I was awakened out of my sleep by a voice, calling me
by my name several times, "Robin, Robin, Robin Crusoe:
poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you, Robin Crusoe? Where
are you? Where have you been ?”
I was so dead asleep at first, being fatigued with rowing, or
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paddling as it is called, the first part of the day, and with walk-
ing the latter part, that I did not wake thoroughly; but dozing
between sleeping and waking, thought I dreamed that some-
body spoke to me; but as the voice continued to repeat,
"Robin Crusoe, Robin Crusoe," at last I began to wake more
perfectly, and was at first dreadfully frightened, and started up
in the utmost consternation; but no sooner were my eyes open,
but I saw my Poll sitting on the top of the hedge; and imme-
diately knew that it was he that spoke to me; for just in such
bemoaning language I had used to talk to him, and teach him;
and he had learned it so perfectly that he would sit upon my
finger, and lay his bill close to my face, and cry, "Poor Robin
Crusoe ! Where are you? Where have you been?
came you here?" and such things as I had taught him.
How
However, even though I knew it was the parrot, and that
indeed it could be nobody else, it was a good while before I
could compose myself. First, I was amazed how the creature
got thither; and then, how he should just keep about the
place, and nowhere else; but as I was well satisfied it would
be nobody but honest Poll, I got over it; and holding out my
hand, and calling him by his name, "Poll," the sociable crea-
ture came to me, and sat upon my thumb, as he used to do,
and continued talking to me, "Poor Robin Crusoe! and how
did I come hear? and where had I been?" just as if he had
been overjoyed to see me again; and so I carried him home
along with me.
I had now had enough of rambling to sea for some time,
and had enough to do for many days, to sit still, and reflect
upon the danger I had been in. I would have been very glad
to have had my boat again on my side of the island; but I
knew not how it was practical to get it about. As to the east
side of the island which I had gone round, I knew well enough
there was no venturing that way; my very heart would shrink,
and my very blood run chill, but to think of it; and as to the
other side of the island, I did not know how it might be there ;
but supposing the current ran with the same force against the
shore at the east as it passed by it on the other, I might run the
same risk of being driven down the stream, and carried by the
island, as I had been before of being carried away from it: so
with these thoughts, I contented myself to be without any boat,
though it had been the product of so many months' labor to
make it, and of so many more to get it into the sea.
In this government of my temper, I remained near a year;
and lived a very sedate, retired life, as you may well suppose ;
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
125
and my thoughts being very much composed, as to my condition,
and fully comforted in resigning myself to the dispositions of
Providence, I thought I lived really very happily in all things,
except that of society.
I improved myself in this time in all the mechanic exercises
which my necessities put me upon applying myself to; and I
believe I should, upon occasion, have made a very good car-
penter, especially considering how few tools I had.
Besides this, I arrived at an unexpected perfection in my
earthen-ware, and contrived well enough to make them with a
wheel, which I found infinitely easier and better; because I
made things round and shaped, which before were filthy things
indeed to look on. But I think I was never more vain of my
own performance, or more joyful for anything I found out, than
for my being able to make a tobacco-pipe; and though it was
a very ugly, clumsy thing when it was done, and only burned
red, like other earthen-ware, yet as it was hard and firm, and
would draw the smoke, I was exceedingly comforted with it, for
I had been always used to smoke; and there were pipes in the
ship, but I forgot them at first, not thinking that there was
tobacco in the island; and afterwards, when I searched the
ship again, I could not come at any pipes.
In my wicker-ware, also, I improved much, and made abun-
dance of necessary baskets, as well as my invention showed me;
though not very handsome, yet they were such as were very
handy and convenient for laying things up in, or fetching things
home. For example, if I killed a goat abroad, I could hang it
up in a tree, flay it, dress it, and cut it in pieces, and bring it
home in a basket; and the like by a turtle: I could cut it up,
take out the eggs, and a piece or two of the flesh, which was
enough for me, and bring them home in a basket, and leave the
rest behind me. Also, large deep baskets were the receivers
of my corn, which I always rubbed out as soon as it was dry,
and cured, and kept it in great baskets.
I began now to perceive my powder abated considerably;
this was a want which it was impossible for me to supply, and
I began seriously to consider what I must do when I should
have no more powder; that is to say, how I should kill any
goats. I had, as is observed, in the third year of my being
here, kept a young kid, and bread her up tame, and I was in
hopes of getting a he-goat: but I could not by any means bring
it to pass, till my kid grew an old goat; and as I could never
- find in my heart to kill her, she died at last of mere age.
踏
​But being now in the eleventh year of my residence, and,
126
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
·
as I have said, my ammunition growing low, I set myself to
study some art to trap and snare the goats, to see whether I
could not catch some of them alive; and particularly, I wanted
a she-goat great with young. For this purpose I made snares
to hamper them; and I do believe they were more than once
taken in them; but my tackle was not good, for I had no wire,
and I always found them broken, and my bait devoured. At
length I resolved to try a pitfall: so I dug several large pits in
the earth, in places where I had observed the goats used to
feed, and over those pits I placed hurdles, of my own making
too, with a great weight upon them; and several times I put
ears of barley and dry rice, without setting the trap; and I
could easily perceive that the goats had gone in and eaten up
the corn, for I could see the marks of their feet. At length, I
set three traps in one night, and going the next morning, I
found them all standing, and yet the bait eaten and gone this
was very discouraging. However, I altered my traps; and, not
to trouble you with particulars, going one morning to see my
traps, I found in one of them a large old he-goat; and in one
of the others three kids, a male and two females.
As to the old one, I knew not what to do with him; he was
so fierce, I durst not go into the pit to him; that is to say, to
bring him away alive, which was what I wanted. I could have
killed him, but that was not my business, nor would it answer
my end; so I even let him out, and he ran away as if he had
been frightened out of his wits. But I did not then know what
I afterwards learned, that hunger will tame a lion. If I had
let him stay there three or four days without food, and then
have carried him some water to drink, and then a little corn,
he would have been as tame as one of the kids; for they are
mighty sagacious, tractable creatures, where they are well ured.
However, for the present, I let him go, knowing no be e
at that time then I went to the three kids, and, taking them
one by one, I tied them with strings together, and with s me
difficulty brought them all home.
:
It was a good while before they would feed; but throwing
them some sweet corn, it tempted them, and they began to be
tame. And now I found that if I expected to supply myself
with goats' flesh, when I had no powder or shot left, breeding
some up tame was my only way, when, perhaps, I might have
them about my house like a flock of sheep. But, then, it
occurred to me that I must keep the tame from the wild, or else
they would always run wild when they grew up; and the only
way for this was to have some enclosed piece of ground, well
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
127
fenced either with hedge or pale, to keep them in so effect-
ually that those within might not break out, or those without
break in.
This was a great undertaking for one pair of hands; yet, as
I saw there was an absolute necessity for doing it, my first work
was to find out a proper piece of ground, where there was likely
to be herbage for them to eat, water for them to drink, and
cover to keep them from the sun.
Those who understand such enclosures will think I had
very little contrivance, when I pitched upon a place very proper
for all these (being a plain open piece of meadow land, or
savanna, as our people call it in the western colonies), which
had two or three little drills of fresh water in it, and at one end
was very woody,—I say, they will smile at my forecast, when I
shall tell them I began by enclosing this piece of ground in
such a manner, that my hedge or pale must have been at least
two miles about. Nor was the madness of it so great as to the
compass, for if it was ten miles about, I was like to have time
enough to do it in; but I did not consider that my goats would
be as wild in so much compass as if they had had the whole
island, and I should have so much room to chase them in that
I should never catch them.
My hedge was begun and carried on, I believe, about fifty
yards when this thought occurred to me; so I presently stopped
short, and for the beginning, I resolved to enclose a piece of
about one hundred and fifty yards in length, and one hundred
yards in breadth, which, as it would maintain as many as I
should have in any reasonable time, so, as my stock increased, I
could add more ground to my enclosure.
This was acting with some prudence, and I went to work
with courage. I was about three months hedging in the first
piece; and, till I had done it, I tethered the three kids in the
best part of it, and used them to feed as near me as possible,
to make them familiar; and very often I would go and carry
them some ears of barley, or a handful of rice, and feed them
out of my hand; so that after my enclosure was finished, and
I let them loose, they would follow me up and down, bleating
after me for a handful of corn.
This answered my end, and in about a year and a half I
had a flock of about twelve goats, kids and all; and in two
years more I had three and forty, besides several that I took
and killed for my food. After that, I enclosed five several
pieces of ground to feed them in, with little pens to drive them
into, to take them as I wanted, and gates out of one piece of
ground into another.
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
#
But this was not all; for now I not only had goats' flesh to
feed on when I pleased, but milk too,—a thing which, indeed,
in the beginning I did not so much as think of, and which,
when it came into my thoughts, was really an agreeable sur-
prise, for now I set up my dairy, and had sometimes a gallon
or two of milk in a day. And as Nature, who gives supplies of
food to every creature, dictates even naturally how to make use
of it, so I, that had never milked a cow, much less a goat, or
seen butter or cheese made only when I was a boy, after a great
many essays and miscarriages, made both butter and cheese at
last, also salt (though I found it partly made to my hand by the
heat of the sun upon some of the rocks of the sea), and never
wanted it afterwards. How mercifully can our Creator treat
His creatures, even in those conditions in which they seem to
be overwhelmed in destruction! How can He sweeten the
bitterest providences, and give us cause to praise Him for dun-
geons and prisons! What a table was here spread for me in
the wilderness, where I saw nothing at first but to perish for
hunger.
It would have made a Stoic smile to have seen me and my
little family sit down to dinner. There was my majesty, the
prince and lord of the whole island; I had the lives of all my
subjects at my absolute command; I could hang, draw, give
liberty, and take it away, and no rebels among all my subjects.
Then, to see how like a king I dined, too, all alone, attended
by my servants! Poll, as if he had been my favorite, was the
only person permitted to talk to me. My dog, who was now
grown very old and crazy, and had found no species to multiply
his kind upon, sat always at my right hand; and two cats, one
on one side of the table and one on the other, expecting now
and then a bit from my hand, as a mark of especial favor.
But these were not the two cats which I brought on shore
at first, for they were both of them dead, and had been interred
near my habitation by my own hand; but one of them having
multiplied by I know not what kind of creature, these were two
which I had preserved tame; whereas the rest run wild in the
woods, and became indeed troublesome to me at last, for they
yould often come into my house, and plunder me, too, till at
last I was obliged to shoot them, and did kill a great many ;
at length they left me. With this attendance and in this plen-
tiful manner I lived; neither could I be said to want anything
but society; and of that, some time after this, I was likely to
have much.
I was something impatient, as I have observed, to have the
•
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
129
use of my boat, though very loath to run any more hazards;
and therefore sometimes I sat contriving ways to get her about
the island, and at other times I sat myself down contented
enough without her. But I had a strange uneasiness in my
mind to go down to the point of the island, where, as I have
said, in my last ramble, I went up the hill to see how the shore
lay, and how the current set, that I might see what I had to
do this inclination increased upon me every day, and at
length I resolved to travel thither by land, following the edge.
of the shore. I did so; but had any one in England met such
a man as I was, it must either have frightened him, or raised a
great deal of laughter; and as I frequently stood still to look
at myself, I could not but smile at the notion of my travelling
through Yorkshire with such an equipage, and in such a dress.
Be pleased to take a sketch of my figure, as follows:-
I had a great, high, shapeless cap, made of a goat's skin,
with a flap hanging down behind, as well to keep the sun from
me as to shoot the rain off from running into my neck, nothing
being so hurtful in these climates as the rain upon the flesh
under the clothes.
•
I had a short jacket of goat's skin, the shirts coming down
to about the middle of the thighs, and a pair of open-kneed
breeches of the same; the breeches were made of the skin of
an old he-goat, whose hair hung down such a length on either
side, that, like pantaloons, it reached to the middle of my legs;
stockings and shoes I had none, but had made me a pair of
somethings, I scarce know what to call them, like buskins, to
flap over my legs, and lace on either side like spatterdashes,
but of a most barbarous shape, as indeed were all the rest of
my clothes.
•
I had on a broad belt of goat's skin dried, which I drew
together with two thongs of the same instead of buckles, and
in a kind of a frog on either side of this, instead of a sword and
dagger, hung a little saw and hatchet, one on one side, and one
on the other. I had another belt not so broad, and fastened
in the same manner, which hung over my shoulder, and at the
end of it, under my left arm, hung two pouches, both made of
goat's skin too, in one of which hung my powder, in the other
my shot. At my back I carried my basket, and on my shoul-
der my gun, and over my head a great clumsy, ugly, goat's-skin
umbrella, but which, after all, was the most necessary thing I
had about me next to my gun. As for my face, the color of
it was really not so mulatto-like as one might expect from a
an not at all careful of it, and living within nine or ten de-
9
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
grees of the equinox. My beard I had once suffered to grow
till it was about a quarter of a yard long; but as I had bọth
scissors and razors sufficient, I had cut it pretty short, except
what grew on my upper lip, which I had trimmed into a large
pair of Mahometan whiskers, such as I had seen worn by some
Turks at Sallee, for the Moors did not wear such, though the
Turks did; of these mustaches, or whiskers, I will not say
they were long enough to hang my hat upon them, but they
were of a length and shape monstrous enough, and such as in
England would have passed for frightful.
But all this is by the bye; for, as to my figure, I had so
few to observe me, that it was of no manner of consequence,
so I say no more of that. In this kind of dress I went my
new journey, and was out five or six days. I travelled first
along the sea-shore, directly to the place where I first brought
my boat to an anchor to get upon the rocks; and having no
boat now to take care of, I went over the la..d a nearer way to
the same height that I was upon before, when, looking forward
to the points of the rocks which lay out, and which I was
obliged to double with my boat, as is said above, I was sur-
prised to see the sea all smooth and quiet-no rippling, no
motion, no current, any more there than in any other places.
I was at a strange loss to understand this, and resolved to
spend some time in the observing it, to see if nothing from the
sets of the tide had occasioned it; but I was presently con-
vinced how it was, viz.: that the tide of ebb setting from the
west, and joining with the current of waters from some great
river on the shore, must be the occasion of this current, and
that, according as the wind blew more forcibly from the west
or from the north, this current came nearer, or went farther
from the shore; for, waiting thereabouts till evening, I went up
to the rock again, and then the tide of ebb being made, I
plainly saw the current again as before, only that it ran farther
off, being near half a league from the shore, whereas in my
case it set close upon the shore, and hurried me and my canoe
along with it, which at another time it would not have done.
This observation convinced me that I had nothing to do
but to observe the ebbing and the flowing of the tide, and I.
might very easily bring my boat about the island again; but
when I began to think of putting it in practice, I had such
terror upon my spirits at the remembrance of the danger I had
been in, that I could not think of it again with any patience,
but, on the contrary, I took up another resolution, which was
more safe, though more laborious-and this was, that I would
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131
build, or rather make, me another periagua or canoe, and so
have one for one side of the island, and one for the other.
You are to understand, that now I had, as I may call it,
two plantations in the island,-one my little fortification or
tent, with the wall about it, under the rock, with the cave be-
hind me, which by this time I had enlarged into several apart-
ments, or caves, one within another. One of these, which was
the driest and largest, and had a door out beyond my wall or
fortification, that is to say, beyond where my wall joined to
the rock, was all filled up with the large earthen pots, of
which I have given an account, and with fourteen or fifteen
great baskets, which would hold five or six bushels each, where
I laid up my stores of provisions, especially my corn, some in
the ear, cut off short from the straw, and the other rubbed out
with my hand.
As for my wall, made, as before, with long stakes or piles,
those piles grew all like trees, and were by this time grown so
big, and spread so very much, that there was not the least ap-
pearance, to any one's view, of any habitation behind them.
Near this dwelling of mine, but a little farther within the
land, and upon lower ground, lay my two pieces of corn-land,
which I kept duly cultivated and sowed, and which duly yielded
me their harvest in its season; and whenever I had occasion
for more corn, I had more land adjoining as fit as that.
Besides this, I had my country-seat, and I had now a toler
able plantation there also; for, first, I had my little bower, a
I called it, which I kept in repair-that is to say, I kept the
hedge, which encircled it in, constantly fitted up to its usual
height, the ladder standing always in the inside. I kept the
trees, which at first were no more than stakes, but were now
grown very firm and tall, always cut, so that they might spread
and grow thick and wild, and make the more agreeable shade,
which they did effectually to my mind. In the middle of this
I had my tent always standing, being a piece of a sail spread
over poles, set up for that purpose, and which never wanted
any repair or renewing; and under this I had made me a squab
or couch, with the skins of the creatures I had killed, and with
other soft things, and a blanket laid on them, such as belonged
to our sea-bedding, which I had saved; and a great watch-coat
to cover me. And here, whenever I had occasion to be absent
from my chief seat, I took up my country habitation.
Adjoining to this, I had my enclosures for my cattle, that
is to say, my goats; and I had taken an inconceivable deal of
pains to fence and enclose this ground. I was so anxious to
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$
see it kept entire, lest the goats should break through, that I
never leſt off till, with infinite labor, I had stuck the outside of
the hedge so full of small stakes, and so near to one another,
that it was rather a pale than a hedge, and there was scarce
room to put a hand through between them; which afterwards,
when those stakes grew, as they all did in the next rainy season,
made the enclosure strong like a wall, indeed stronger than any
wall.
This will testify for me that I was not idle, and that I
spared no pains to bring to pass whatever appeared necessary
for my comfortable support, for I considered the keeping up a
breed of tame creatures thus at my hand would be a living
magazine of flesh, milk, butter, and cheese for me as long as I
lived in the place, if it were to be forty years; and that keep-
ing them in my reach depended entirely upon my perfecting
my enclosures to such a degree, that I might be sure of keeping
them together; which, by this method, indeed, I so effectually
secured, that when these little stakes began to grow, I had
planted them so very thick, that I was forced to pull some of
them up again.
In this place also I had my grapes growing, which I princi-
pally depended on for my winter store of raisins, and which I
never failed to preserve very carefully, as the best and most
agreeable dainty of my whole diet; and indeed they were not
only agreeable, but medicinal, wholesome, nourishing, and re-
freshing to the last degree.
As this was also about half-way between my other habita-
tion and the place where I had laid up my boat, I generally
staid and lay here in my way thither, for I used frequently to
visit my boat; and I kept all things about, or belonging to her,
in very good order. Sometimes I went out in her to divert
myself, but no more hazardous voyages would I go, scarcely
ever above a stone's cast or two from the shore, I was so ap-
prehensive of being hurried out of my knowledge again by the
currents or winds, or any other accident. But now
But now I come to
a new scene of my life.
It happened one day, about noon, going towards my boat,
I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a man's naked
foot on the shore, which was very plain to be seen on the sand.
I stood like one thunderstruck, or as if I had seen an appa-
rition. I listened, I looked round me, but I could hear nothing,
nor see anything; I went up to a rising ground, to look farther;
I went up the shore, and down the shore, but it was all one: I
could see no other impression but that one. I went to it agai™
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133
to see if there were any more, and to observe if it might not be
my fancy; but there was no room for that, for there was ex-
actly the print of a foot-toes, heel, and every part of a foot.
How came it thither I knew not, nor could I in the least im-
agine; but after innumerable fluttering thoughts, like a man
perfectly confused and out of myself, I came home to my forti-
fication, not feeling, as we say, the ground I went on, but ter-
rified to the last degree, looking behind me at every two of
three steps, mistaking every bush and tree, and fancying every
stump at a distance to be a man. Nor is it possible to describe
how many various shapes my affrighted imagination represented
things to me in, how many wild ideas were found every moment
in my fancy, and what strange, unaccountable whimseys came
into my thoughts by the way.
When I came to my castle (for so I think I called it ever
after this), I fled into it like one pursued. Whether I went
over by the ladder, as first contrived, or went in at the hole in
the rock, which I had called a door, I cannot remember; no,
nor could I remember the next morning, for never frightened
hare fled to cover, or fox to earth, with more terror of mind
than I to this retreat..
I slept none that night; the farther I was from the occasion
of my fright, the greater my apprehensions were, which is some-
thing contrary to the nature of such things, and especially to
the usual practice of all creatures in fear; but I was so embar-
rassed with my own frightful ideas of the thing, that I formed
nothing but dismal imaginations to myself, even though I was
now a great way off. Sometimes I fancied it must be the devil,
and reason joined in with me in this supposition, for how
should any other thing in human shape come into the place?
Where was the vessel that brought them? What marks were
there of any other footstep? And how was it possible a man
should come there? But then, to think that Satan should take
human shape upon him in such a place, where there could be
no manner of occasion for it, but to leave the print of his foot.
behind him, and that even for no purpose too, for he could not
be sure I should see it,-this was an amazement the other way.
I considered that the devil might have found out abundance of
other ways to have terrified me than this of the single print of
a foot; that as I lived quite on the other side of the island, he
would never have been so simple as to leave a mark in a place
where it was ten thousand to one whether I should ever see it
or not, and in the sand too, which the first surge of the sea,
upon a high wind, would have defaced entirely. All this
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•
seemed inconsistent with the thing itself, and with all the no-
tions we usually entertain of the subtlety of the devil.
Abundance of such things as these assisted to argue me
out of all apprehensions of its being the devil; and I presently
concluded then, that it must be some more dangerous creature,
viz.: that it must be some of the savages of the main land op-
posite, who had wandered out to sea in their canoes, and either
driven by the currents or by contrary winds, had made the
island, and had been on shore, but were gone away again to
sea; being as loath, perhaps, to have staid in this desolate
island as I would have been to have had them.
While these reflections were rolling in my mind, I was very
thankful in my thoughts, that I was so happy as not to be there-
abouts at that time, or that they did not see my boat, by which
they would have concluded that some inhabitants had been in the
place, and perhaps have searched farther for me. Then ter-
rible thoughts racked my imagination about their having found
out my boat, and that there were people here; and that, if so,
I should certainly have them come again in greater numbers,
and devour me; that if it should happen that they should not
find me, yet they would find my enclosure, destroy all my corn,
and carry away all my flock of tame goats, and I should perish
at last for mere want.
Thus my fear banished all my religious hope, all that for-
mer confidence in God, which was founded upon such wonder-
ful experience as I had had of His goodness; as if He that
had fed me by miracle hitherto could not preserve, by His
power, the provisions which He had made for me by His good-
ness. I reproached myself with my laziness, that would not
sow any more corn one year than would just serve me till the
next season, as if no accident could intervene to prevent my
enjoying the crop that was upon the ground; and this I thought
so just a reproof, that I resolved for the future to have two
or three years' corn beforehand; so that, whatever might come,
I might not perish for want of bread.
How strange a checker-work of Providence is the life of
man! and by what secret different springs are the affections
hurried about, as different circumstances present! To-day we
love what to-morrow we hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow
we shun; to-day we desire what to-morrow we fear, nay, even
tremble at the apprehensions of. This was exemplified in me,
at this time, in the most lively manner imaginable, for I, whose
only affliction was that I seemed banished from human society,
that I was alone, circumscribed by the boundless ocean, cut
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
135
off from mankind, and condemned to what I called silent life :
that I was one whom Heaven thought not worthy to be num-
bered among the living, or to appear among the rest of his
creatures; that to have seen one of my own species would
have seemed to me a raising me from death to life, and the
greatest blessing that Heaven itself, next to the supreme bless-
ing of salvation, could bestow. I say, that I should now trem-
ble at the very apprehensions of seeing a man, and was ready
to sink into the ground at but the shadow or silent appearance
of a man having set his foot in the island.
Such is the uneven state of human life; and it afforded me
a great many curious speculations afterwards, when I had a
little recovered my first surprise. I considered that this was
the station of life the infinitely wise and good providence of
God had determined for me; that as I could not foresee what
the ends of Divine wisdom might be in all this, so I was not to
dispute his sovereignty; who, as I was his creature, had an un-
doubted right, by creation, to govern and dispose of me abso-
lutely as he thought fit; and who, as I was a creature that had
offended him, bad likewise a judicial right to condemn me to
what punishment he thought fit; and that it was my part to
submit to bear his indignation, because I had sinned against
him. I then reflected, that as God, who was not only right-
eous, but omnipotent, had thought fit thus to punish and
afflict me, so he was able to deliver me; that if he did not
think fit to do so, it was my unquestioned duty to resign my-
self absolutely and entirely to his will; and, on the other hand,
it was my duty also to hope in him, pray to him, and quietly
to attend the dictates and directions of his daily providence.
•
These thoughts took me up many hours, days, nay, I may
say weeks and months; and one particular effect of my cogita-
tions on this occasion I cannot omit. One morning early, lying
in my bed, and filled with thoughts about my danger from the
appearance of savages, I found it discomposed me very much;
upon which these words of the Scripture came into my thoughts:
(C Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee,
and thou shalt glorify me." Upon this, rising cheerfully out of
my bed, my heart was not only comforted, but I was guided
and encouraged to pray earnestly to God for deliverance: when
I had done praying, I took up my Bible, and opening it to read,
the first words that presented to me were, "Wait on the Lord,
and be of good cheer, and he shall strengthen thy heart; wait,
I
say, on the Lord." It is impossible to express the comfort
this gave me. In answer, I thankfully laid down the book, and
was no more sad, at least on that occasion.
136
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
*
In the middle of these cogitations, apprehensions, and re-
flections, it came into my thoughts one day, that all this might
Le a mere chimera of my own, and that this foot might be the
print of my own foot, when I came on shore from my boat :
this cheered me up a little, too, and I began to persuade my-
self it was all a delusion; that it was nothing else but my own
foot; and why might I not come that way from the boat, as
well as I was going that way to the boat? Again I considered
also, that I could by no means tell, for certain, where I had
trod, and where I had not; and that if, at last, this was only
the print of my own foot, I had played the part of those fools
who try to make stories of spectres and apparitions, and then
are frightened at them more than anybody.
Now I began to take courage, and to peep abroad again,
for I had not stirred out of my castle for three days and nights,
so that I began to starve for provisions; for I had little or
nothing within doors but some barley-cakes and water; then I
knew that my goats wanted to be milked too, which usually
was my evening diversion; and the poor creatures were in
great pain and inconvenience for want of it; and, indeed, it
almost spoiled some of them, and almost dried up their milk.
Encouraging myself, therefore, with the belief that this was
nothing but the print of one of my own feèt, and that I might
be truly said to start at my own shadow, I began to go abroad
again, and went to my country-house to milk my flock: but to
see with what fear I went forward, how often I looked behind
me, how I was ready, every now and then, to lay down my
basket, and run for my life, it would have made any one have
thought I was haunted with an evil conscience, or that I had
been lately most terribly frightened; and so, indeed, I had.
However, I went down thus two or three days, and having seen.
nothing, I began to be a little bolder, and to think there was
really nothing in it but my own imagination; but I could
not persuade myself fully of this till I should go down to the
shore again, and see this print of a foot, and measure it by my
own, and see if there was any similitude or fitness, that I might
be assured it was my own foot: but when I came to the place
-first, it appeared evidently to me, that when I laid up my
boat, I could not possibly be on shore anywhere thereabouts:
secondly, when I came to measure the mark with my own foot,
I found my foot rot so large by a great deal. Both these
things filled my head with new imaginations, and gave me the
vapors again to the highest degree, so that I shook with cold.
like one in an ague; and I went home again, filled with the
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
137
belief that some man or men had been on shore there; or, in
short, that the island was inhabited, and I might be surprised.
before I was aware; and what course to take for my security I
knew not.
O what ridiculous resolutions men take when possessed with
fear! It deprives them of the use of those means which reason
offers for their relief. The first thing I proposed to myself was,
to throw down my enclosures, and turn all my tame cattle wild
into the woods, lest the enemy should find them, and then fre-
quent the island in prospect of the same or the like booty: then
the simple thing of digging up my two corn-fields, lest they
should find such a grain there, and still be prompted to fre-
quent the island: then to demolish my bower and tent, that
they might not see any vestiges of habitation, and be prompted
to look farther, in order to find out the persons inhabiting.
These were the subject of the first night's cogitations after
I was come home again, while the apprehensions which had so
overrun my mind were fresh upon me, and my head was full of
vapors. Thus, fear of danger is ten thousand times more ter-
rifying than danger itself, when apparent to the eyes; and we
find the burden of anxiety greater, by much, than the evil which
we are anxious about: and what was worse than all this, I had
not that relief in this trouble that, from the resignation I used
to practise, I hoped to have. I looked, I thought, like Saul,
who complained not only that the Philistines were upon him,
but that God had forsaken him; for I did not now take due
ways to compose my mind, by crying to God in my distress, and
resting upon his providence, as I had done before, for my de-
liverance; which if I had done, I had at least been more cheer-
fully supported under this new surprise, and perhaps carried
through it with more resolution.
This confusion of my thoughts kept me awake all night; but
in the morning I fell asleep; and having, by the amusement of
my mind, been, as it were, tired, and my spirits exhausted, I
slept very soundly, and waked much better composed than I had
ever been before. And now I began to think sedately; and
upon debate with myself, I concluded that this island (which
was so exceedingly pleasant, fruitful, and no farther from the
main land than as I had seen) was not so entirely abandoned
as I might imagine; that although there were no stated inhab-
itants who lived on the spot, yet that there might sometimes
come boats off from the shore, who, either with design, or per-
haps never but when they were driven by cross winds, might
come to this place; that I had lived here fifteen years now, and
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
!!
had not met with the least shadow or figure of any people yet ;
and that, if at any time they should be driven here, it was prob-
able they went away again as soon as ever they could, seeing
they had never thought fit to fix here upon any occasion; that
the most I could suggest any danger from was, from any casual.
accidental landing of straggling people from the main, who, as
it was likely, if they were driven hither, were here against their
wills, so they made no stay here, but went off again with all
possible speed; seldom staying one night on shore, lest they
should not have the help of the tides and daylight back again ;
and that, therefore, I had nothing to do but to consider of some
safe retreat, in case I should see any savages land upon the
spot.
Now I began sorely to repent that I had dug my cave so
large as to bring a door through again, which door, as I said,
came out beyond where my fortification joined to the rock:
upon maturely considering this, therefore, I resolved to draw
me a second fortification, in the same manner of a semicircle,
at a distance from my wall, just where I had planted a double
row of trees about twelve years before, of which I made mention :
these trees having been planted so thick before, they wanted.
but few piles to be driven between them, that they might be
thicker and stronger, and my wall would be soon finished. So
that I had now a double wall; and my outer wall was thickened
with pieces of timber, old cables, and everything I could think.
of, to make it strong; having in it seven little holes, about as
big as I might put my arm out at. In the inside of this, I
thickened my wall to about ten feet thick, with continually
bringing earth out of my cave, and laying it at the foot of the
wall and walking upon it; and through the seven holes I con-
trived to plant the muskets, of which I took notice that I had
got seven on shore out of the ship; these I planted like my
cannon, and fitted them into frames, that held them like a car
riage, so that I could fire all the seven guns in two minutes'
time; this wall I was many a weary month in finishing, and yet
never thought myself safe till it was done.
When this was done I stuck all the ground without my wall,
for a great length every way, as full with stakes or sticks of the
osier-like wood, which I found so apt to grow, as they could
well stand; insomuch, that I believe I might set in near twenty
thousand of them, leaving a pretty large space between them
and my wall, that I might have room to see an enemy, and they
might have no shelter from the young trees, if they attempted
to approach my outer wall.
•
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
139
:
Thus, in two years' time, I had a thick grove; and in five
or six years' time I had a wood before my dwelling, growing so
monstrously thick and strong that it was indeed perfectly im-
passable and no men, of what kind soever, could ever imagine
that there was anything beyond it, much less a habitation. As
for the way which I proposed to myself to go in and out (for I
left no avenue), it was by setting two ladders, one to a part of
the rock which was low, and then broke in, and left room to
place another ladder upon that; so that when the two ladders
were taken down, no man living could come down to me with-
out doing himself mischief; and if they had come down, they
were still on the outside of my outer wall.
Thus I took all the measures human prudence could sug-
gest for my own preservation; and it will be seen, at length,
that they were not altogether without just reason; though I
foresaw nothing at that time more than my mere fear suggested
to me.
While this was doing, I was not altogether careless of my
other affairs; for I had a great concern upon me for my little
herd of goats: they were not only a ready supply to me on every
occasion, and began to be sufficient for me, without the expense
of powder and shot, but also without the fatigue of hunting
after the wild ones; and I was loath to lose the advantage of
them, and to have them all to nurse up over again.
For this purpose, after long consideration, I could think of
but two ways to preserve them: one was, to find another con-
venient place to dig a cave under ground, and to drive them
into it every night; and the other was to enclose two or three
little bits of land, remote from one another, and as much con-.
cealed as I could, where I might keep about half a dozen young
goats in each place; so that if any disaster happened to the
flock in general, I might be able to raise them again with little
trouble and time; and this, though it would require a good
deal of time and labor, I thought was the most rational
design.
Accordingly, I spent some time to find out the most retired
parts of the island; and I pitched upon one, which was as pri-
vate, indeed, as my heart could wish for it was a little damp
piece of ground, in the middle of the hollow and thick woods,
where, as is observed, I almost lost myself once before, endea-
voring to come back that way from the eastern part of the
island. Here I found a clear piece of land, near three acres, so
surrounded with woods, that it was alınost an enclosure by
nature; at least, it did not want near so much labor to make it
so, as the other piece of ground I had worked so hard at.
140
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
I immediately went to work with this piece of ground; and,
in less than a month's time, I had so fenced it round that my
flock, or herd, call it which you please, which were not so wild
now as at first they might be supposed to be, were well enough
secured in it: so, without any further delay, I removed ten
young she-goats, and two he-goats, to this piece; and when they
were there, I continued to perfect the fence, till I had made it
as secure as the other; which, however, I did at more leisure,
and it took me up more time by a great deal. All this labor I
was at the expense of purely from my apprehensions on the ac-
count of the print of a man's foot; for, as yet, I had never seen
any human creature come near the island; and I had now lived
two years under this uneasiness, which, indeed, made my life
much less comfortable than it was before, as may be well imag-
ined by any who know what it is to live in the constant snare
of the fear of man, And this I must observe, with grief, too,
that, the discomposure of my mind had great impression also
upon the religious part of my thoughts; for the dread and ter-
ror of falling into the hands of savages and cannibals lay so
upon my spirits, that I seldom found myself in a due temper
for application to my Maker; at least, not with the sedate
calmness and resignation of soul which I was wont to do: I
rather prayed to God as under great affliction and pressure of
mind, surrounded with danger, and in expectation every night.
of being murdered and devoured before morning; and I must
testify, from my experience, that a temper of peace, thankful.
ness, love, and affection, is much the more proper frame for
prayer than that of terror and discomposure; and that under
the dread of mischief impending, a man is no more fit for a
comforting performance of the duty of praying to God, than he
is for a repentance on a sick-bed; for these discomposures af-
fect the mind, as the others do the body; and the discomposure
of the mind must necessarily be as great a disability as that of
the body, and much greater; praying to God being properly an
act of the mind, not of the body.
But to go on: after I had thus secured one part of my
little living stock, I went about the whole island, searching for
another private place to make such another deposit; when,
wandering more to the west point of the island than I had ever
done yet, and looking out to sea, I thought I saw a boat upon
the sea, at a great distance. I had found a perspective glass
or two in one of the seamen's chests, which I saved out of our
ship, but I had it not about me; and this was so remote that I
could not tell what to make of it, though I looked at it till my
+
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
141
eyes were not able to hold to look any longer: whether it was
a boat or not, I do not know, but as I descended from the hill
I could see no more of it, so I gave it over; only I resolved to
go no more out without a perspective glass in my pocket. When
I was come down the hill to the end of the island, where, in-
deed, I had never been before, I was presently convinced that
the seeing the print of a man's foot was not such a strange
thing in the island as I imagined; and but that it was a special
providence that I was cast upon the side of the island where
the savages never came, I should easily have known that noth-
ing was more frequent than for the canoes from the main, when
they happened to be a little too far out at sea, to shoot over
to that side of the island for harbor; likewise, as they often
met and fought in their canoes, the victors, having taken any
prisoners, would bring them over to this shore, where, accord-
ing to their dreadful customs, being all cannibals, they would
kill and eat them; of which hereafter.
When I was come down the hill to the shore, as I said
above, being the S, W. point of the island, I was perfectly con-
founded and amazed; nor is it possible for me to express the
horror of my mind, at seeing the shore spread with skulls,
hands, feet, and other bones of human bodies; and particularly,
I observed a place where there had been a fire made, and a
circle dug in the earth, like a cockpit, where I supposed the
savage wretches had sat down to their inhuman feastings upon
the bodies of their fellow-creatures.
I was so astonished with the sight of these things, that
entertained no notions of any danger to myself from it for a
long while all my apprehensions were buried in the thoughts
of such a pitch of inhuman, hellish brutality, and the horror of
the degeneracy of human nature, which though I had heard of
it often, yet I never had so near a view of before; in short, I
turned away my face from the horrid spectacle; my stomach
grew sick, and I was just at the point of fainting, when nature
discharged the disorder from my stomach; and having vomited
with uncommon violence, I was a little relieved, but could not
bear to stay in the place a moment: so I got up the hill again
with all the speed I could, and walked on towards my own
habitation.
When I came a little out of that part of that island, I stood
still awhile, as amazed, and then, recovering myself, I looked
up with the utmost affection of my soul, and, with a flood of
tears in my eyes, gave God thanks, that had cast my first lot in
a part of the world where I was distinguished from such dread-
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ful creatures as these; and that, though I had esteemed my
present condition very miserable, had yet given me so many
comforts in it that I had still more to give thanks for than to
complain of; and this, above all, that I had, even in this mis-
erable condition, been comforted with the knowledge of Him-
self, and the hope of His blessing: which was a felicity more
than sufficiently equivalent to all the misery which I had suffer-
ed or could suffer.
In this frame of thankfulness, I went home to my castle, and
began to be much easier now, as to the safety of my circum-
stances, than ever I was before; for I observed that these
wretches never came to this island in search of what they could
get; perhaps not seeking, not wanting, or not expecting, any-
thing here; and having often, no doubt, been up the covered,
woody part of it, without finding anything to their purpose. I
knew I had been here now almost eighteen years, and never
saw the least footsteps of human creature there before; and I
might be eighteen years more as entirely concealed as I was
now, if I did not discover myself to them, which I had no man-
ner of occasion to de; it being my only business to keep my-
self entirely concealed where I was, unless I found a better
sort of creatures than cannibals to make myself known to.
Yet I entertained such an abhorrence of the savage wretches
that I have been speaking of, and of the wretched inhuman
custom of their devouring and eating one another up, that I
continued pensive and sad, and kept close within my own circle,
for almost two years after this: when I say my own circle,
I mean by it my three plantations, viz.: my castle, my country-
seat (which I called my bower), and my enclosure in the woods :
nor did I look after this for any other use than as an enclosure
for my goats; for the aversion which nature gave me to these
hellish wretches was such, that I was as fearful of seeing them
as of seeing the devil himself. I did not so much as go to
look after my boat all this time, but began rather to think of
making another; for I could not think of ever making any
more attempts to bring the other boat round the island to me,
lest I should meet with some of these creatures at sea; in
which case, if I had happened to have fallen into their hands, I
knew what would have been my lot.
Time, however, and the satisfaction I had that I was in no
danger of being discovered by these people, began to wear off
my uneasiness about them; and I began to live just in the
same composed manner as before, only with this difference,
that I used more caution, and kept my eyes more about me
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
143
than I did before, lest I should happen to be seen by any of
them ; and particularly, I was more cautious of firing my gun,
lest any of them, being on the island, should happen to hear it.
It was, therefore, a very good providence to me that I had fur-
nished myself with a tame breed of goats, and that I had no
need to hunt any more about the woods, or shoot at them; and
if I did catch any of them after this, it was by traps and snares,
as I had done before: so that for two years after this, I believe
I never fired my gun once off, though I never went out without
it; and, what was more, as I had saved three pistols out of the
ship, I always carried them out with me, or at least two of
them, sticking them in my goat-skin belt. I also furbished up
one of the great cutlasses that I had out of the ship, and made
me a belt to hang it on also; so that I was now a most formi-
dable fellow to look at when I went abroad, if you add to the
former description of myself, the particular of two pistols, and
a great broadsword hanging at my side in a belt, but without a
scabbard.
Things going on thus, as I have said, for some time, I
seemed, excepting these cautions, to be reduced to my former
calm, sedate way of living. All these things tended to show
me, more and more, how far my condition was from being mis-
erable, compared to some others; nay, to many other particu-
lars of life, which it might have pleased God to have made my
lot. It put me upon reflecting how little repining there would
be among mankind at any condition of life, if people would
rather compare their condition with those that were worse, in
order to be thankful, than be always comparing them with those
which are better, to assist their murmurings and complain-
ings.
As in my present condition there were not really many
things which I wanted, so, indeed, I thought that the frights I
had been in about these savage wretches, and the concern I
had been in for my own preservation, had taken off the edge
of my invention for my own conveniences; and I had dropped
a good design, which I had once bent my thoughts too much
upon, and that was to try if I could not make some of my barley
into malt, and then try to brew myself some beer. This was
really a whimsical thought, and I reproved myself often for the
simplicity of it: for I presently saw there would be the want of
several things necessary to the making my beer, that it would be
impossible for me to supply; as, first, casks to preserve it in,
which was a thing that, as I have observed already, I could
never compass: no, though I spent not only many days, but
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weeks, nay, months, in attempting it, but to no purpose. In
the next place, I had no hops to make it keep, no yeast to
make it work, no copper or kettle to make it boil; and yet
with all these things wanting, I verily believe, had not the
frights and terrors I was in about the savages intervened,
I had undertaken it, and perhaps brought it to pass too;
for I seldom gave anything over without accomplishing it,
when once I had it in my head to begin it. But my inven-
tion now ran quite another way; for night and day, I could
think of nothing but how I might destroy some of these
monsters in their cruel, bloody entertainment, and, if pos-
sible, save the victim they should bring hither to destroy.
It would take up a larger volume than this whole work is in-
tended to be, to set down all the contrivances I hatched, or •
rather brooded upon, in my thoughts, for the destroying these
creatures, or at least frightening them so as to prevent their
coming hither any more; but all this was abortive: nothing
could be possible to take effect, unless I was to be there to do
it myself and what could one man do among them, when per-
haps there might be twenty or thirty of them together with
their darts, or their bows and arrows, with which they could
shoot as true to a mark as I could with my gun?
:
Sometimes I thought of digging a hole under the place
where they made their fire, and putting in five or six pounds of
gunpowder, which, when they kindled their fire, would conse-
quently take fire, and blow up all that was near it: but as, in
the first place, I should be unwilling to waste so much powder
upon them, my store being now within the quantity of one bar-
rel, so neither could I be sure of its going off at any certain
time, when it might surprise them; and, at best, that it would
do little more than just blow the fire about their ears and
fright them, but not sufficient to make them forsake the place:
so I laid it aside; and then proposed that I would place my-
self in ambush in some convenient place, with my three guns
all double loaded, and in the middle of their bloody ceremony
let fly at them, when I should be sure to kill or wound perhaps
two or three at every shot; and then falling in upon them with
my three pistols and my sword, I made no doubt but that, if
there were twenty, I should kill them all. This fancy pleased
my thoughts for some weeks, and I was so full of it, that I
often dreamed of it, and sometimes, that i was just going to
let fly at them in my sleep. I went so far with it in my imagi
nation, that I cmployed myself several days to find out proper
places to put myself in ambuscade, as I said, to watch for
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145
ན་
them, and I went frequently to the place itself, which was now
grown more familiar to me; but while my mind was thus filled
with thoughts of revenge and a bloody putting twenty or thirty
of them to the sword, as I may call it, the horror I had at the
place, and at the signals of the barbarous wretches devouring
one another, abetted my malice. Well, at length I found a
place in the side of the hill, where I was satisfied I might sc-
curely wait till I saw any of their boats coming; and might
then, even before they would be ready to come on shore, con-
vey myself unseen into some thickets of trees, in one of which
there was a hollow large enough to conceal me entirely; and
there I might sit and observe all their bloody doings, and take
my full aim at their heads, when they were so close together as
that it would be next to impossible that I should miss my shot,
or that I could fail wounding three or four of them at the first
shot. In this place, then, I resolved to fulfil my design; and
accordingly, I prepared two muskets and my ordinary fowling-
piece. The two muskets I loaded with a brace of slugs each,
and four or five smaller bullets, about the size of pistol bullets ;
and the fowling-piece I loaded with near a handful of swan-
shot of the largest size; I also loaded my pistols with about
four bullets each; and, in this posture, well provided with am-
munition for a second and third charge, I prepared myself for
my expedition.
After I had thus laid the scheme of my design, and in my
imagination put it in practice, I continually made my tour
every morning to the top of the hill, which was from my castle,
as I called it, about three miles, or more, to see if I could ob-
serve any boats upon the sea, coming near the island, or stand-
ing over towards it; but I began to tire of this hard duty, after
I had for two or three months constantly kept my watch, but
came always back without any discovery; there having not, in
all that time, been the least appearance, not only on or near
the shore, but on the whole ocean, so far as my eyes or glass
could reach every way.
As long as I kept my daily tour to the hill to look out, so
long also I kept up the vigor of my design, and my spirits
seemed to be all the while in a suitable form for so outrageous
an execution as the killing twenty or thirty naked savages, for
an offence which I had not at all entered into any discussion of
in my thoughts, any farther than my passions were at first fired
by the horror I conceived at the unnatural custom of the peo-
ple of that country; who, it seems, had been suffered by Provi-
dence, in His wise disposition of the world, to have no other
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guide than that of their own abominable and vitiated passions;
and, consequently, were left, and perhaps had been so for
some ages, to act such horrid things, and receive such dreadful
customs, as nothing but nature, entirely abandoned by Heaven,
and actuated by some hellish degeneracy, could have run them
into. But now, when, as I have said, I began to be weary of
the fruitless excursion which I had made so long and so far
every morning in vain, so my opinion of the action itself began
to alter; and I began, with cooler and calmer thoughts, to con-
sider what I was going to engage in; what authority or call I
had to pretend to be judge and executioner upon these men as
criminals, whom Heaven had thought fit, for so many ages, to
suffer, unpunished, to go on, and to be, as it were, the execu-
tioners of His judgments one upon another; how far these peo-
ple were offenders against me, and what right I had to engage
in the quarrel of that blood which they shed promiscuously
upon one another. I debated this very often with myself thus :
"How do I know what God himself judges in this particular
case? It is certain these people do not commit this as a crime;
it is not against their own consciences reproving, or their light
reproaching them; they do not know it to be an offence, and
then commit it in defiance of divine justice, as we do in almost
all the sins we commit. They think it no more a crime to kill
a captive taken in war, than we do to kill an ox; or to eat
human flesh, than we do to eat mutton."
When I considered this a little, it followed necessarily that
I was certainly in the wrong; that these people were not mur-
derers, in the sense that I had before condemned them in my
thoughts, any more than those Christians were murderers who
often put to death the prisoners taken in battle; or more fre-
quently, upon many occasions, put whole troops of men to the
sword, without giving quarter, though they threw down their
arms, and submitted. In the next place, it occurred to me,
that although the usage they gave one another was thus brutish
and inhuman, yet it was really nothing to me-these people had
done me no injury; that if they attempted, or I saw it necessary;
for my immediate preservation, to fall upon them, something
might be said for it; but that I was yet out of their power, and
they really had no knowledge of me, and consequently no design
upon me; and therefore it could not be just for me to fall upon
them;
that this would justify the conduct of the Spaniards in
all their barbarities practised in America, where they destroyed
millions of these people; who, however they were idolaters and
barbarians, and had several bloody and barbarous rites in their
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
147
Customs, such as sacrificing human bodies to their idols, were
yet, as to the Spaniards, very innocent people; and that the
rooting them out of the country is spoken of with the utmost
abhorrence and detestation by even the Spaniards themselves,
at this time, and by all other Christian nations in Europe, as a
mere butchery, a bloody and unnatural piece of cruelty, unjusti-
fiable either to God or man; and for which the very name of a
Spaniard is reckoned to be frightful and terrible to all people
of humanity or of Christian compassion; as if the kingdom of
Spain were particularly eminent for the produce of a race of
men, who were without principles of tenderness, or the common
bowels of pity to the miserable, which is reckoned to be a mark
of generous temper in the mind.
These considerations really put me to a pause, and to a
kind of a full stop; and I began, by little and little, to be off
my design, and to conclude I had taken wrong measures in my
resolution to attack the savages; and that it was not my busi-
ness to meddle with them, unless they first attacked me; and
this it was my business, if possible, to prevent: but that, if I
were discovered and attacked by them, I knew my duty. On
the other hand, I argued with myself, that this really was the
way not to deliver myself, but entirely to ruin and destroy my-
self; for, unless I was sure to kill every one that not only should
be on shore at that time, but that should ever come on shore
afterwards, if but one of them escaped to tell their country peo-
ple what had happened, they would come over again by thou-
sands to revenge the death of their fellows, and I should only
bring upon myself a certain destruction, which, at present, I
had no manner of occasion for. Upon the whole, I concluded
that I ought, neither in principle nor in policy, one way or
other, to concern myself in this affair that my business was,
by all possible means, to conceal myself from them, and not to
leave the least sign for them to guess by that there were any
living creatures upon the island-I mean of human shape. Re-
ligion joined in with this prudential resolution; and I was con-
vinced now, many ways, that I was perfectly out of my duty
when I was laying all my bloody schemes for the destruction
of innocent creatures-I mean innocent as to me. As to
the crimes they were guilty of towards one another, I had
nothing to do with them; they were national, and I ought to
leave them to the justice of God, who is the Governor of na-
tions, and knows how, by national punishments, to make a just
retribution for national offences, and to bring public judgments
upon those who offend in a public manner, by such ways as
Ï48
ROBINSON CRUSOÊ.
*
best please Him. This appeared so clear to me now, that
nothing was a greater satisfaction to me than that I had not
been suffered to do a thing which I now saw so much reason
to believe would have been no less a sin than that of wilful mur-
ner, if I had committed it; and I gave most humble thanks, on
my knees, to God, that He had thus delivered me from blood-
guiltiness; beseeching Him to grant me the protection of His
providence, that I might not fall into the hands of the barbarians,
or, that I might not lay my hands upon them, unless I had a
more clear call from Heaven to do it, in defence of my own
life.
In this disposition I continued for near a year after this;
and so far was I from desiring an occasion for falling upon
these wretches, that in all that time I never once went up the
hill to see whether there were any of them in sight, or to know
whether any of them had been on shore there or not, that I
might not be tempted to renew any of my contrivances against
them or be provoked, by any advantage that might present
itself, to fall upon them: only this I did; I went and removed
my boat, which I had on the other side of the island, and car
ried it down to the east end of the whole island, where I ran
it into a little cove, which I found under some high rocks, and
where I knew, by reason of the currents, the savages durst not,
at least would not, come with their boats upon any account what-
ever. With my boat I carried away everything that I had left
there belonging to her, though not necessary for the bare going
thither, viz.: a mast and sail which I had made for her, and a
thing like an anchor, but which indeed could not be called
either anchor or grapnel; however, it was the best I could
make of its kind: all these I removed, that there might not be
the least shadow for discovery, or appearance of any boat,
or of any human habitation upon the island. Besides this,
I kept myself, as I said, more retired than ever, and seldom
went from my cell except upon my constant employment, to
milk my she-goats, and manage my little flock in the wood,
which, as it was quite on the other part of the island, was
out of danger; for certain it is that these savage people,
who sometimes haunted this island, never came with any
thoughts of finding anything here, and consequently never
wandered off from the coast, and I doubt not but they might
have been several times on shore after my apprehensions of
them had made me cautious, as well as before. Indeed I
· looked back with some horror upon the thoughts of what my
condition would have been, if I had chopped upon them and
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
149
had been discovered before that; when, naked and unarmed,
except with one gun, and that loaded often only with small
shot, I walked everywhere, peeping and peering about the
island to see what I could get; what a surprise should I have
been in, if, when I discovered the print of a man's foot, I had,
instead of that, seen fifteen or twenty savages, and found them
pursuing me, and, by the swiftness of their running, no possi-
bility of my escaping them! The thoughts of this sometimes
sunk my very soul within me, and distressed my mind so much
that I could not soon recover it, to think what I should have
done, and how I should not only have been unable to resist
them, but even should not have had presence of mind enough
to do what I might have done; much less what now, after so
much consideration and preparation, I might be able to do.
Indeed, after serious thinking of these things, I would be very
melancholy, and, sometimes, it would last a great while; but I
resolved it all, at last, into thankfulness to that Providence
which had delivered me from so many unseen dangers, and had
kept me from those mischiefs which I could have no way been
the agent in delivering myself from, because I had not the least
notion of any such thing depending, or the least supposition of
its being possible. This renewed a contemplation which had
often come into my thoughts in former times, when first I
began to see the merciful dispositions of Heaven, in the dan-
gers we run through in this life; how wonderfully we are de-
livered when we know nothing of it; how, when we are in a
quandary (as we call it), a doubt or hesitation whether to go
this way or that way, a secret hint shall direct us this way, when
we intended to go that way; nay, when sense, our own inclina-
tion, and perhaps business, has called us to go the other way,
yet a strange impression upon the mind, from we know not
what springs, and by we know not what power, shall overrule
us to go this way; and it shall afterwards appear, that had we
gone that way which we should have gone, and even to our im-
agination ought to have gone, we should have been ruined and
lost. Upon these, and many like reflections, I afterwards made
it a certain rule with me, that whenever I found those secret
hints or pressings of mind, to doing or not doing anything that
presented, or going this way or that way, I never failed to obey
the secret dictate; though I knew no other reason for it than
that such a pressure, or such a hint, hung upon my mind. I could
give many examples of the success of this conduct in the course
of my life, but more especially in the latter part of my inhabit-
ing this unhappy island; besides many occasions which it is
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+
very likely I might have taken notice of, if I had seen with the
same eyes then that I see with now. But it is never too late to
be wise; and I cannot but advise all considering men, whose
lives are attended with such extraordinary incidents as mine, or
even though not so extraordinary, not to slight such secret in-
timations of Providence, let them come from what invisible
intelligence they will. That I shall not discuss, and perhaps
cannot account for ; but certainly they are a proof of the con-
verse of spirits, and a secret communication between those em-
bodied and those unembodied, and such a proof as can never
be withstood; of which I shall have occasion to give some very
remarkable instances in the remainder of my solitary residence
in this dismal place.
I believe the reader of this will not think it strange, if I con-
fess that these anxieties, these constant dangers I lived in, and
the concern that was now upon me, put an end to all invention,
and to all the contrivances that I had laid for my future accom-
modations and conveniences. I had the care of my safety more
now upon my hands than that of my food. I cared not to drive
a nail, or chop a stick of wood now, for fear the noise I might
make should be heard; much less would I fire a gun for the
same reason: and, above all, I was intolerably uneasy at mak-
ing any fire, lest the smoke, which is visible at a great distance
in the day, should betray me. For this reason, I removed that
part of my business which required fire, such as burning of pots
and pipes, &c., into my new apartment in the woods; where,
after I had been some time, I found to my unspeakable conso-
lation, a mere natural cave in the earth, which went in a vast
way, and where, I dare say, no savage, had he been at the mouth
of it, would be so hardy as to venture in; nor, indeed, would
any man else, but one who, like me, wanted nothing so much
as a safe retreat.
The mouth of this hollow was at the bottom of a great rock,
where (by mere accident I would say, if I did not see abundant
reason to ascribe all such things now to Providence) I was cutting
down some thick branches of trees to make charcoal; and be-
fore I go on I must observe the reason of my making this char-
coal, which was thus: I was afraid of making a smoke about
my habitation, as I said before; and yet I could not live there
without baking my bread, cooking my meat, &c. ; so I contrived
to burn some wood here, as I had seen done in England, under
turf, till it became chark or dry coal; and then putting the fire
out, I preserved the coal to carry home, and perform the other
services for which fire was wanting, without danger of smoke.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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But this is by the bye. While I was cutting down some wood
here, I perceived that, behind a very thick branch of low brush-
wood or underwood, there was a kind of hollow place: I was
curious to look in it; and getting with difficulty into the mouth
of it, I found it was pretty large, that is to say, sufficient for me
to stand upright in it, and perhaps another with me; but I must
confess to you that I made more haste out than I did in, when
looking farther into the place, and which was perfectly dark, I
saw two broad shining eyes of some creature, whether devil or
man I knew not, which twinkled like two stars; the dim light
from the cave's mouth shining directly in, and making the re-
flection. However, after some pause, I recovered myself, and
began to call myself a thousand fools, and to think that he that
was afraid to see the devil, was not fit to live twenty years in
an island all alone; and that I might well think there was
nothing in this cave that was more frightful than myself. Upon
this, plucking up my courage, I took up a firebrand, and in I
rushed again, with the stick flaming in my hand; I had not
gone three steps in, before I was almost as much frightened as
before; for I heard a very loud sigh, like that of a man in some
pain, and it was followed by a broken noise, as of words half
expressed, and then a deep sigh again. I stepped back, and
was indeed struck with such a surprise that it put me into a cold
sweat, and if I had had a hat on my head, I will not answer for
it that my hair might not have lifted it off. But still plucking up
my spirits as well as I could, and encouraging myself a little
with considering that the power and presence of God was every-
where, and was able to protect me, I stepped forward again, and
by the light of the firebrand, holding it up a little over my head,
I saw lying on the ground a monstrous, frightful, old he-goat,
just making his will, as we say, and gasping for life, and dying,
indeed, of mere old age. I stirred him a little to see if I could
get him out, and he essayed to get up, but was not able to raise
himself; and I thought with myself he might even lie there,-
for if he had frightened me, so he would certainly fright any of
the savages, if any one of them should be so hardy as to come
in there while he had any life in him.
I was now recovered from my surprise, and began to look
round me, when I found the cave was but very small; that is to
say, it might be about twelve feet over, but in no manner of
shape, neither round nor square, no hands having ever been
employed in making it but those of mere nature. I observed
also that there was a place at the farther side that went in fur-
ther, but was so low that it required me to creep upon my hands
-
152
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and knees to go into it, and whither it went I knew not; so,
having no candle, I gave it over for that time, but resolved to
come again the next day provided with candles and a tinder-
box, which I had made of the lock of one of the muskets, with
some wildfire in the pan.
not.
Accordingly, the next day, I came provided with six large
candles of my own making (for I made very good candles now
of goats' tallow, but was hard set for candle-wick, using some-
times rags or rope-yarn, and sometimes the dried rind of a
weed-like nettles); and going into this low place I was obliged
to creep upon all-fours, as I have said, almost ten yards,-
which, by the way, I thought was a venture bold enough, con-
sidering that I knew not how far it might go, nor what was be-
yond it. When I had got through the strait, I found the roof
rose higher up, I believe nearly twenty feet; but never was
such a glorious sight seen in the island, I dare say, as it was to
look round the sides and roof of this vault or cave-the wall
reflected a hundred thousand lights to me from my two candles.
What it was in the rock-whether diamonds or any other pre-
cious stones, or gold—which I rather supposed it to be-I knew
The place I was in was a most delightful cavity, or grotto,
though perfectly dark; the floor was dry and level, and had a
sort of a small loose gravel upon it, so that there was no nause-
ous or venomous creature to be seen, neither was there any
damp or wet on the sides or roof: the only difficulty in it was
the entrance,—which, however, as it was a place of security,
and such a retreat as I wanted, I thought was a convenience,
so that I was really rejoiced at the discovery, and resolved,
without any delay, to bring some of those things which I was
most anxious about to this place; particularly, I resolved to
bring hither my magazine of powder, and all my spare arms,-
viz.: two fowling-pieces-for I had three in all—and three mus-
kets for of them I had eight in all; so I kept in my castle only
five, which stood ready mounted like pieces of cannon on my
outmost fence, and were ready also to take out upon any ex-
pedition. Upon this occasion of removing my ammunition, I
happened to open the barrel of powder which I took up out of
the sea, and which had been wet, and I found that the water
had penetrated about three or four inches into the powder on
every side, which caking and growing hard, had preserved the
inside like a kernel in the shell, so that I had near sixty pounds
of very good powder in the centre of the cask. This was a very
agreeable discovery to me at that time; so I carried all away
thither, never keeping above two or three pounds of powder
S
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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with me in my castle, for fear of a surprise of any kind; I also
carried hither all the lead I had left for bullets.
I fancied myself now like one of the ancient giants who were
said to live in caves and holes in the rocks, where none could
come at them; for I persuaded myself, while I was here, that if
five hundred savages were to hunt me, they could never find me
out or if they did, they would not venture to attack me
here. The old goat whom I found expiring, died in the mouth
of the cave the next day after I made this discovery; and I
found it much easier to dig a great hole there, and throw him
in and cover him with earth, than to drag him out; so I interred
him there, to prevent offence to my nose.
I was now in the twenty-third year of my residence in this
island, and was so naturalized to the place and the manner of
living, that, could I but have enjoyed the certainty that no sav-
ages would come to the place to disturb me, I could have been
content to have capitulated for spending the rest of my time
there, even to the last moment, till I had laid me down and
died, like the old goat in the cave. I had also arrived to some
little diversions and amusements, which made the time pass a
great deal more pleasantly with me than it did before;-first, I
had taught my Poll, as I named before, to speak; and he did it so
familiarly, and talked so articulately and plain, that it was very
pleasant to me, for I believe no bird ever spoke plainer,—and
he lived with me no less than six-and-twenty years; how long
he might have lived afterwards I know not, though I know they
have a notion in the Brazils that they live a hundred years.
My dog was a pleasant and loving companion to me for no less
than sixteen years of my time, and then died of mere old age.
As for my cats, they multiplied, as I have observed, to that de-
gree, that I was obliged to shoot several of them at first, to keep
them from devouring me and all I had; but at length, when the
two old ones I brought with me were gone, and after some time
continually driving them from me, and letting them have no
provisions with me, they all ran wild into the woods, except two
or three favorites, which I kept tame, and whose young, when
they had any, I always drowned; and these were part of my
family. Besides these, I always kept two or three household
kids about me, whom I taught to feed out of my hand; and I
had two more parrots, which talked pretty well, and would all
call "Robin Crusoe," but none like my first; nor, indeed, did
I take the pains with any of them that I had done with him.
I had also several tame sea-fowls, whose name I knew not, that
I caught upon the shore, and cut their wings; and the little
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stakes which I had planted before my castle-wall being now
grown up to a good thick grove, these fowls all lived among
these low trees, and bred there, which was very agreeable to me,
so that, as I said above, I began to be very well contented with
the life I led, if I could have been secured from the dread of
the savages. But it was otherwise directed; and it may not be
amiss for all people who shall meet with my story to make this
just observation from it—how frequently, in the course of our
lives, the evil which in itself we seek most to shun, and which,
when we are fallen into, is the most dreadful to us, is oftentimes
the very means or door of our deliverance, by which alone we
can be raised again from the affliction we are fallen into. I
could give many examples of this in the course of my unac-
countable life, but in nothing was it more particularly remark-
able than in the circumstances of my last years of solitary resi-
dence in this island.
It was now the month of December, as I said above, in my
twenty-third year; and this, being the southern solstice (for
winter I cannot call it), was the particular time of my har-
vest, and required me to be pretty much abroad in the fields,
when, going out early in the morning, even before it was through
daylight, I was surprised with seeing a light of some fire upon
the shore, at a distance from me of about two miles, towards
that part of the island where I had observed some savages had
been, aş before, and not on the other side,-but, to my great
affliction, it was on my side of the island.
I was indeed terribly surprised at the sight, and stopped
short within my grove, not daring to go out, lest I might be sur-
prised; and yet I had no more peace within, from the appre-
hensions I had that if these savages, in rambling over the
island, should find my corn standing or cut, or any of my works
and improvements, they would immediately conclude that there
were people in the place, and would then never rest till they
had found me out. In this extremity I went back directly to
my castle, pulled up the ladder after me, and made all things
without look as wild and natural as I could.
Then I prepared myself within, putting myself in a posture
of defence; I loaded all my cannon, as I called them,-that is
to say, my muskets which were mounted upon my new fortifica-
tion, and all my pistols, and resolved to defend myself to the
last gasp, not forgetting seriously to commend myself to the
Divine protection, and earnestly to pray to God to deliver me
out of the hands of the barbarians. I continued in this pos
ture about two hours, and began to be impatient for intelligence
+
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
155
abroad, for I had no spies to send out. After sitting awhile
longer, and musing what I should do in this case, I was not
able to bear sitting in ignorance any longer; so setting up my
ladder to the side of the hill, where there was a flat place, as I
observed before, and then pulling the ladder after me, I set it
up again, and mounted the top of the hill, and pulling out my
perspective-glass, which I had taken on purpose, I laid me
down flat on my belly on the ground, and began to look for the
place. I presently found there were no less than nine naked
savages, sitting round a small fire they had made, not to warm
them, for they had no need of that, the weather being extremely
hot, but, as I supposed, to dress some of their barbarous diet
of human flesh which they had brought with them, whether
alive or dead I could not tell.
They had two canoes with them, which they had hauled up
upon the shore ; and as it was then ebb of tide, they seemed to
me to wait for the return of the flood to go away again. It is
not easy to imagine what confusion this sight put me into, es-
pecially seeing them come on my side of the island, and so
near to me; but when I considered their coming must be
always with the current of the ebb, I began afterwards to be
more sedate in my mind, being satisfied that I might go abroad
with safety all the time of the flood of tide, if they were not
on shore before; and having made this observation, I went
abroad about my harvest work with the more composure.
(
As I expected, so it proved; for, as soon as the tide made
to the westward, I saw them all take boat and row (or paddle,
as we call it) away. I should have observed, that for an hour
or more before they went off they were dancing, and I could
easily discern their postures and gestures by my glass. I could
not perceive, by my nicest observation, but that they were stark
naked, and had not the least covering upon them; but whether
they were men or women I could not distinguish.
As soon as I saw them shipped and gone, I took two guns
upon my shoulders, and two pistols in my girdle, and my great
sword by my side without a scabbard, and with all the speed I
was able to make went away to the hill where I had discovered
the first appearance of all; and as soon as I got thither, which
was not in less than two hours (for I could not go quickly,
being so loaded with arms as I was), I perceived there had
been three canoes more of the savages at that place; and
looking out farther, I saw they were all at sea together, making
over for the main. This was a dreadful sight to me, especially
as, going down to the shore, I could see the marks of horror
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
:
which the dismal work they had been about had left behind it,
viz. the blood, the bones, and part of the flesh of human
bodies eaten and devoured by those wretches with merriment
and sport. I was so filled with indignation at the sight, that I
now began to premeditate the destruction of the next that I
saw there, let them be whom or how many soever. It seemed
evident to me that the visits which they made thus to this island
were not very frequent, for it was above fifteen months before
any more of them came on shore there again, that is to say
I neither saw them nor any footsteps or signals of them in all
that time; for as to the rainy seasons, then they are sure not
to come abroad, at least not so far; yet all this while I lived
uncomfortably, by reason of the constant apprehensions of
their coming upon me by surprise; from whence I observe,
that the expectation of evil is more bitter than the suffering,
especially if there is no room to shake off that expectation, or
those apprehensions.
During all this time I was in the murdering humor, and
spent most of my hours, which should have been better em-
ployed, in contriving how to circumvent and fall upon them the
very next time I should see them,—especially if they should be
divided, as they were the last time, into two parties; nor did I
consider at all that if I killed one party--suppose ten or a
dozen—I was still the next day, or week, or month, to kill
another, and so another, even ad infinitum, till I should be, at
length, no less a murderer than they were in being man-eaters,
and perhaps much more so. I spent my days now in great
perplexity and anxiety of mind, expecting that I should one
day or other fall into the hands of these merciless creatures :`
and if I did at any time venture abroad, it was not without
looking around me with the greatest care and caution imagin-
able. And now I found, to my great comfort, how happy it
was that I had provided a tame flock or herd of goats; for I
durst not upon any account fire my gun, especially near that
side of the island where they usually came, lest I should alarm
the savages; and if they had fled from me now, I was sure to
have them come again with perhaps two or three hundred
canoes with them in a few days, and then I knew what to ex-
pect. However, I wore out a year and three months more
before I ever saw any more of the savages, and then I found
them again, as I shall soon observe. It is true they might have
been there once or twice; but either they made no stay, or at
least I did not see them; but, in the month of May, as near as
I could calculate, and in my four-and-twentieth year, I had a
very strange encounter with them; of which in its place.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
157
"
The perturbation of my mind, during this fifteen or sixteen
months' interval, was very great; I slept unquietly, dreamed
always frightful dreams, and often started out of my sleep in
the night. In the day, great troubles overwhelmed my mind ;
and in the night I dreamed often of killing the savages, and of
the reasons why I might justify doing it. But to waive all this
for a while. It was in the middle of May, on the sixteenth
day, I think, as well as my poor wooden calendar would reckon,
for I marked all upon my post still; I say, it was on the six-
teenth of May, that it blew a very great storm of wind all day,
with a great deal of lightning and thunder, and a very foul
night it was after it. I knew not what was the particular occa-
sion of it; but as I was reading in the Bible, and taken up
with very serious thoughts about my present condition, I was
surprised with the noise of a gun, as I thought, fired at sea.
This was, to be sure, a surprise quite of a different nature from
any I had met with before; for the notions this put into my
thoughts were quite of another kind. I started up in the
greatest haste imaginable; and, in a trice, clapped my ladder
to the middle place of the rock, and pulled it after me; and
mounting it the second time, got to the top of the hill at the
very moment that a flash of fire bid me listen for a second gun,
which, accordingly, in about half a minute, I heard; and by
the sound, knew that it was from that part of the sea where I
was driven down the current in my boat. I immediately con-
sidered that this must be some ship in distress, and that they
had some comrade, or some other ship in company, and fired
these signals of distress, and to obtain help. I had the pres-
ence of mind, at that minute, to think, that though I could not
help them, it might be they might help me ; so I brought
together all the dry wood I could get at hand, and, making a
good handsome pile, I set it on fire upon the hill. The wood
was dry, and blazed freely; and, though the wind blew very
hard, yet it burned fairly out, so that I was certain, if there
was any such thing as a ship, they must need see it, and no
doubt they did; for as soon as ever my fire blazed up, I heard
another gun, and after that several others, all from the same
quarter. I plied my fire all night long, till daybreak: and
when it was broad day, and the air cleared up, I saw some-
thing at a great distance at sea, full east of the island, whether
a sail or a hull I could not distinguish-no, not with my glass;
the distance was so great, and the weather still something hazy
also; at least, it was so out at sea.
I looked frequently at it all that day, and soon perceived that
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3
it did not move; so I presently concluded that it was a ship
at anchor; and being eager, you may be sure, to be satisfied, I
took my gun in my hand, and ran towards the south side of
the island, to the rocks where I had formerly been carried
away by the current; and getting up there, the weather by this
time being perfectly clear, I could plainly see, to my great
sorrow, the wreck of a ship, cast away in the night upon those
concealed rocks which I found when I was out in my boat;
and which rocks, as they checked the violence of the stream,
and made a kind of counter-stream, or eddy, were the occa-
sion of my recovering from the most desperate, hopeless condi
tion that ever I had been in in all my life. Thus, what is one
man's safety is another man's destruction; for it seems these
men, whoever they were, being out of their knowledge, and
the rocks being wholly under water, had been driven upon
them in the night, the wind blowing hard at E. N. E. Had
they seen the island, as I must necessarily suppose they did
not, they must, as I thought, have endeavored to have saved
themselves on shore by the help of their boat; but their firing
off guns for help, especially when they saw, as I imagined, my
fire, filled me with many thoughts. First, I imagined that
upon seeing my light, they might have put themselves into
their boat, and endeavored to make the shore; but that the
sea running very high, they might have been cast away. Other
times, I imagined that they might have lost their boat before,
as might be the case many ways; particularly, by the breaking
of the sea upon their ship, which many times obliged men to
stave, or take in pieces, their boat, and sometimes to throw
it overboard with their own hands. Other times, I imagined
they had some other ship or ships in company, who, upon the
signals of distress they made, had taken them up, and carried
them off. Other times, I fancied they were all gone off to sea
in their boat, and being hurried away by the current that I had
been formerly in, were carried out into the great ocean, where
there was nothing but misery and perishing; and that, perhaps,
they might by this time think of starving, and of being in a
condition to eat one another.
As all these were but conjectures at best, so, in the condi-
tion I was in, I could do no more than look on upon the misery
of the poor men, and pity them; which had still this good
effect upon my side, that it gave me more and more cause to
give thanks to God, who had so happily and comfortably pro-
vided for me in my desolate condition; and that of two ships'
companies, who were now cast away upon this part of the
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159
world, not one life should be spared but mine. I learned here
again to observe, that it is very rare that the providence of
God casts us into any condition of life so low, or any misery
so great, but we may see something or other to be thankful
for, and may see others in worse circumstances than our own.
Such certainly was the case of these men, of whom I could
not so much as see room to suppose any of them were saved;
nothing could make it rational so much as to wish or expect
that they did not all perish there, except the possibility only
of their being taken up by another ship in company; and this
was but mere possibility indeed, for I saw not the least sign of
appearance of any such thing. I cannot explain, by any pos-
sible energy of words, what a strange longing I felt in my soul
upon this sight, breaking out sometimes thus :-"O that there
had been but one or two, nay, or but one soul, saved out of
this ship, to have escaped to me that I might but have had
one companion, one fellow-creature, to have spoken to me and
to have conversed with!" In all the time of my solitary life,
I never felt so earnest, so strong a desire after the society of
my fellow-creatures, or so deep a regret at the want of it.
There are some secret moving springs in the affections,
which, when they are set a-going by some object in view, or
though not in view, yet rendered present to the mind by the
power of imagination, that motion carries out the soul, by its
impetuosity, to such violent eager embracings of the object
that the absence of it is insupportable. Such were these
earnest wishings that but one man had been saved. I believe
I repeated the words, "O that it had been but one!" a thou-
sand times; and my desires were so moved by it, that when I
spoke the words my hands would clinch together, and my
fingers would press the palms of my hands, so that if I had
had any soft thing in my hand, I would have crushed it invol
untarily; and the teeth in my head would strike together, and
set against one another so strong, that for some time I could
not part them again. Let the naturalists explain these things,
and the reason and manner of them. All I can do is, to de-
scribe the fact, which was even surprising to me, when I found
it, though I knew not from whence it proceeded; it was, doubt-
less, the effect of ardent wishes, and of strong ideas formed in
my mind, realizing the comfort which the conversation of one
of my fellow-Christians would have been to me.
But it was
not to be; either their fate or mine, or both, forbade it, for till
the last year of my being on this island, I never knew whether
any were saved out of that ship or no; and had only the afflic
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tion, some days after, to see the corpse of a drowned boy come
on shore at the end of the island which was next the ship-
wreck. He had no clothes on but a seaman's waistcoat, a
pair of open-kneed linen drawers, and a blue linen shirt; but
nothing to direct me so much as to guess what nation he was
of. He had nothing in his pockets but two pieces-of-eight
and a tobacco pipe-the last was to me of ten times more value
than the first.
It was now calm, and I had a great mind to venture out in
my boat to this wreck, not doubting but I might find something.
on board that might be useful to me. But that did not alto-
gether press me so much as the possibility that there might be
yet some living creature on board, whose life I might not only
save, but might, by saving that life, comfort my own to the
last degree; and this thought clung so to my heart that I could
not be quiet night or day, but I must venture out in
my boat
on board this wreck; and committing the rest to God's provi-
dence, I thought the impression was so strong upon my mind
that it could not be resisted, that it must come from some in-
visible direction, and that I should be wanting to myself if I
did not go.
Under the power of this impression, I hastened back to my
castle, prepared everything for my voyage, took a quantity of
bread, a great pot of fresh water, a compass to steer by, a
bottle of rum (for I had still a great deal of that left), and a
basket of raisins; and thus, loading myself with everything
necessary, I went down to my boat, got the water out of her,
got her afloat, loaded all my cargo in her, and then went home
again for more. My second cargo was a great bag of rice, the
umbrella to set up over my head for a shade, another large pot
of fresh water, and about two dozen of small loaves, or barley
cakes, more than before, with a bottle of goat's milk, and a
cheese all which with great labor and sweat I carried to my
boat; and praying to God to direct my voyage, I put out, and
rowing, or paddling the canoe along the shore, came at last to
the utmost point of the island on the north-east side. And
now I was to launch out into the ocean, and either to venture
or not to venture. I looked on the rapid currents which ran
constantly on both sides of the island at a distance, and which
were very terrible to me, from the remembrance of the hazard
I had been in before, and my heart began to fail me; for I
foresaw that if I was driven into either of those currents, I
should be carried a great way out to sea, and perhaps out of
my reach, or sight of the island again; and that then, as my
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161
boat was but small, if any little gale of wina should rise, I
should be inevitably lost.
These thoughts so oppressed my mind, that I began to give
over my enterprise; and having hauled my boat into a little
creek on the shore, I stepped out, and sat down upon a rising
bit of ground, very pensive and anxious, between fear and de-
sire, about my voyage; when as I was musing, I could perceive
that the tide was turned, and the flood came on; upon which,
my going was impracticable for so many hours. Upon this,
presently it occurred to me, that I should go up to the highest
piece of ground I could find, and observe, if I could, how the
sets of the tide or currents lay, when the flood came in, that I
might judge whether, if I was driven one way out, I might not
expect to be driven another way home, with the same rapidity
of the currents. This thought was no sooner in my head than
I cast my eye upon a little hill, which sufficiently overlooked
the sea both ways, and from whence I had a clear view of the
currents, or sets of the tide, and which way I was to guide my-
self in my return. Here I found that as the current of ebb set
out close by the south point of the island, so the current of the
flood set in close by the shore of the north side; and that I
had nothing to do but to keep the north side of the island in
my return, and I should do well enough.
Encouraged with this observation, I resolved, the next
morning, to set out with the first of the tide; and, reposing
myself for the night in my canoe, under the great watch-coat I
mentioned, I launched out. I first made a little out to sea, full
north, till I began to feel the benefit of the current, which set
eastward, and which carried me at a great rate; and yet did
not so hurry me as the current on the south side had done
before, so as to take from me all government of the boat ; but
having a strong steerage with my paddle, I went, at a great
rate, directly for the wreck, and in less than two hours I came
up to it. It was a dismal sight to look at: the ship, which, by its
building, was Spanish, stuck fast, jammed in between two rocks:
all the stern and quarter of her were beaten to pieces by the
sea; and as her forecastle, which stuck in the rocks, had run on
with great violence, her mainmast and foremast were brought
by the board, that is to say, broken short off; but her bowsprit
was sound, and the head and bow appeared firm. When I
came close to her, a dog appeared upon her, who, seeing me
coming, yelped and cried; and, as soon as I called him, jumped
into the sea to come to me: I took him into the boat, but found
him almost dead with hunger and thirst. I gave him a cake
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of my bread, and he devoured it like a ravenous wolf that had
been starving a fortnight in the snow: I then gave the poor
creature some fresh water, with which, if I would have let him,
he would burst himself. After this I went on board; but the
first sight I met with was two men drowned in the cook-room,
or forecastle of the ship, with their arms fast about one another.
I concluded, as is indeed probable, that when the ship struck,
it being in a storm, the sea broke so high, and so continually
over her, that the men were not able to bear it, and were
strangled with the constant rushing in of the water, as much
as if they had been under water. Besides the dog, there was
nothing left in the ship that had life; nor any goods, that I
could see, but what were spoiled by the water. There were
some casks of liquor, whether wine or brandy I knew not, which
lay lower in the hold, and which the water being ebbed out, I
could see; but they were too big to meddle with. I saw several
chests, which I believe belonged to some of the seamen; and
I got two of them into the boat, without examining what was
in them. Had the stern of the ship been fixed, and the fore
part broken off, I am persuaded I might have made a good
voyage; for, by what I found in these two chests, I had room
to suppose the ship had a great deal of wealth on board; and,
if I may guess from the course she steered, she must have been
bound from Buenos Ayres, or the Rio de la Plata, in the
south part of America, beyond the Brazils to the Havana, in
the Gulf of Mexico, and so perhaps to Spain. She had, no
doubt a great treasure in her, but of no use, at that time, to
anybody; but what became of the crew I then knew not.
I found, besides these chests, a little cask full of liquor, of
about twenty gallons, which I got into my boat, with much
difficulty. There were several muskets in the cabin, and a
great powder-horn, with about four pounds of powder in it: as
for the muskets, I had no occasion for them; so I left them,
but took the powder-horn. I took a fire-shovel and tongs,
which I wanted extremely; as also two little brass kettles, a
copper pot to make chocolate, and a gridiron; and with this
cargo, and the dog, I came away, the tide beginning to make
home again: and the same evening, about an hour within night,
I reached the island again, weary and fatigued to the last
degree. I reposed that night in the boat; and in the morning
I resolved to harbor what I had got in my new cave, and not
carry it home to my castle. After refreshing myself, I got all
my cargo on shore, and began to examine the particulars. The
cask of liquor I found to be a kind of rum, but not such as we
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163
had at the Brazils; and, in a word, not at all good; but when
I came to open the chests, I found several things of great use
to me; for example, I found in one a fine case of bottles, of an
extraordinary kind, and filled with cordial waters, fine and very
good; the bottles held about three pints each, and were tipped
with silver. I found two pots of very good succades, or sweet-
meats, so fastened also on the top that the salt water had not
hurt them; and two more of the same, which the water had
spoiled. I found some very good shirts, which were very wel-
come to me; and about a dozen and a half of white linen
handkerchiefs and colored neck-cloths; the former were also
very welcome, being exceedingly refreshing to wipe my face
in a hot day. Besides this, when I came to the till in the chest, I
found there three great bags of pieces-of-eight, which held about
eleven hundred pieces in all; and in one of them, wrapped
up in paper, six doubloons of gold, and some small bars or
wedges of gold; I suppose they might all weigh near a pound.
In the other chest were some clothes, but of little value; but,
by the circumstances, it must have belonged to the gunner's
mate; though there was no powder in it, except two pounds of
fine glazed powder, in three small flasks, kept, I suppose, for
charging their fowling-pieces on occasion. Upon the whole,
I got very little by this voyage that was of any use to me; for,
as to the money, I had no manner of occasion for it; it was
to me as the dirt under my feet, and I would have given it all for
three or four pairs of English shoes and stockings, which were
things I greatly wanted, but had none on my feet for many
years. I had, indeed, got two pairs of shoes now, which I took
off the feet of the two drowned men whom I saw in the wreck,
and I found two pair more in one of the chests, which were
very welcome to me; but they were not like our English shoes
either for ease or service, being rather what we call pumps than
shoes. I found in this seaman's chest about fifty pieces-of-
eight, in rials, but no gold: I suppose this belonged to a poorer
man than the other, which seemed to belong to some officer.
Well, however, I lugged this money home to my cave, and laid
it up, as I had done that before which I had brought from our
own ship; but it was a great pity, as I said, that the other
part of this ship had not come to my share; for I am satis-
fied I might have loaded my canoe several times over with
money; and, thought I, if I ever escape to England, it might
lie here safe enough till I come again and fetch it.
Having now brought all my things on shore, and secured
them, I went back to my boat, and rowed or paddled her along
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the shore to her old harbor, where I laid her up, and made the
best of my way to my old habitation, where I found everything
safe and quiet. I began now to repose myself, live after my
old fashion, and take care of my family affairs; and for a while
I lived easy enough, only that I was more vigilant than I used
to be, looked out oftener, and did not go abroad so much; and
if, at any time, I did stir with any freedom, it was always to the
east part of the island, where I was pretty well satisfied the
savages never came, and where I could go without so many
precautions, and such a load of arms and ammunition as I
always carried with me if I went the other way. I lived in this
condition near two years more; but my unlucky head, that was
always to let me know it was born to make my body miserable,
was all these two years filled with projects and designs, how, if
it were possible, I might get away from this island: for some-
times I was for making another voyage to the wreck, though
my reason told me that there was nothing left there worth the
hazard of my voyage; sometimes for a ramble one way, some-
times another: and I believe verily if I had had the boat that
I went from Sallee in, I should have ventured to sea, bound
anywhere, I knew not whither. I have been, in all my circum-
stances, a memento to those who are touched with the general
plague of mankind, whence, for aught I know, one half of their
miseries flow; I mean that of not being satisfied with the
station wherein God and Nature hath placed them: for, not to
look back upon my primitive condition, and the excellent advice
of my father, the opposition to which was, as I may call it, my
original sin, my subsequent mistakes of the same kind had been
the means of my coming into this miserable condition; for had
that Providence, which so happily seated me at the Brazils as
a planter, blessed me with confined desires, and I could have
been contented to have gone on gradually, I might have been
by this time (I mean in the time of my being in this island) one
of the most considerable planters in the Brazils: nay, I am
persuaded, that by the improvements I had made in that little
time I lived there, and the increase I should probably have
made if I had remained, I might have been worth a hundred
thousand moidores; and what business had I to leave a settled
fortune, a well-stocked plantation, improving and increasing, to
turn supercargo to Guinea to fetch negroes, when patience and
time would have so increased our stock at home, that we could
have bought them at our own door from those whose business it
was to fetch them? and though it had cost us something more,
yet the difference of that price was by no means worth saving
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at so great a hazard. But as this is usually the fate of young
heads, so reflection upon the folly of it is as commonly the
exercise of more years, or of the dear-bought experience of
time so it was with me now; and yet so deep had the mistake
taken root in my temper, that I could not satisfy myself in my
station, but was continually poring upon the means and possi-
bility of my escape from this place: and that I may, with the
greater pleasure to the reader, bring on the remaining part of
my story, it may not be improper to give some account of my
first conceptions on the subject of this foolish scheme for my
escape, and how, and upon what foundation I acted.
I am now to be supposed retired into my castle, after my
late voyage to the wreck, my frigate laid up and secured under
water, as usual, and my condition restored to what it was before :
I had more wealth, indeed, than I had before, but was not at
all the richer; for I had no more use for it than the Indians of
Peru had before the Spaniards came there.
It was one of the nights in the rainy season in March, the
four-and-twentieth year of my first setting foot in this island of
solitude, I was lying in my bed or hammock, awake, very well
in health, had no pain, no distemper, no uneasiness of body,
nor any uneasiness of mind more than ordinary, but could by
no means close my eyes, that is, so as to sleep; no, not a wink
all night long, otherwise than as follows:-It is impossible to
set down the innumerable crowd of thoughts that whirled
through that great thoroughfare of the brain-the memory, in
this night's time: I ran over the whole history of my life in
miniature, or by abridgment, as I may call it, to my coming to
this island, and also of that part of my life since I came to this
island. In my reflections upon the state of my case since I
came on shore on this island, I was comparing the happy
posture of my affairs in the first years of my habitation here,
with the life of anxiety, fear, and care, which I had lived in
ever since I had seen the print of a foot in the sand; not that
I did not believe the savages had frequented the island even
all the while, and might have been several hundreds of them at
times on shore there; but I had never known it, and was in-
capable of any apprehensions about it; my satisfaction was
perfect, though my danger was the same, and I was as happy
in not knowing my danger as if I had never really been exposed
to it. This furnished my thoughts with many very profitable
reflections, and particularly this one: How infinitely good that
Providence is, which has provided, in its government of man-
kind, such narrow bounds to his sight and knowledge of things;
M
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and though he walks in the midst of so many thousand dangers,
the sight of which, if discovered to him, would distract his
mind and sink his spirits, he is kept serene and calm, by having
the events of things hid from his eyes, and knowing nothing of
the dangers which surround him.
After these thoughts had for some time entertained me, I
came to reflect seriously upon the real danger I had been in
for so many years in this very island, and how I had walked
about in the greatest security, and with all possible tranquillity,
even when perhaps nothing but the brow of a hill, a great tree,
or the casual approach of night, had been between me and the
worst kind of destruction, viz. : that of falling into the hands of
cannibals and savages, who would have seized on me with the
same view as I would on a goat or a turtle; and have thought
it no more crime to kill and devour me, than I did of a pigeon
or a curlew. I would unjustly slander myself, if I should say
I was not sincerely thankful to my great Preserver, to whose
singular protection I acknowledged, with great humility, all
these unknown deliverances were due, and without which I must
inevitably have fallen into their merciless hands.
When these thoughts were over, my head was for some time
taken up in considering the nature of these wretched creatures
(I mean the savages), and how it came to pass in the world,
that the wise Governor of all things should give up any of his
creatures to such inhumanity, nay, to something so much below
even brutality itself, as to devour its own kind; but as this
ended in some (at that time) fruitless speculations, it occurred
to me to inquire, what part of the world these wretches lived
in? how far off the coast was from whence they came? what
they ventured over so far from home for? what kind of boats
they had? and why I might not order myself and my business
so, that I might be as able to go over thither, as they were to
come to me.
I never so much as troubled myself to consider what I
should do with myself when I went thither; what would
become of me if I fell into the hands of these savages; or
how I should escape them if they attacked me; no, nor so
much as how it was possible for me to reach the coast, and
not be attacked by some or other of them, without any possi-
bility of delivering myself; and if I should not fall into their
hands, what I should do for provision, or whither I should
bend my course: none of these thoughts, I say, so much as
came in my way; but my mind was wholly bent upon the notion
of my passing over in my boat to the main land. I looked
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upon my present condition as the most miserable that could
possibly be; that I was not able to throw myself into anything
but death, that could be called worse; and if I reached the
shore or the main, I might perhaps meet with relief, or I might
coast along, as I did on the African shore, till I came to some
inhabited country, and where I might find some relief; and,
after all, perhaps I might fall in with some Christian ship that
might take me in; and if the worst came to the worst, I could
but die, which would put an end to all these miseries at once.
Pray note, all this was the fruit of a disturbed mind, an im-
patient temper, made desperate, as it were, by the long con-
tinuance of my troubles, and the disappointments I had met in
the wreck I had been on board of, and where I had been so
near obtaining what I so earnestly longed for, somebody to
speak to, and to learn some knowledge from them of the place
where I was, and of the probable means of my deliverance. I
was agitated wholly by these thoughts: all my calm of mind
in my resignation to Providence, and waiting the issue of the
dispositions of Heaven, seemed to be suspended; and I had,
as it were, no power to turn my thoughts to anything but to the
project of a voyage to the main, which came upon me with such
force, and such an impetuosity of desire, that it was not to be
resisted.
When this had agitated my thoughts for two hours or more,
with such violence that it set my very blood into a ferment,
and my pulse beat as if I had been in a fever, merely with the
extraordinary fervor of my mind about it, Nature, as if I had
been fatigued and exhausted with the very thoughts of it,
threw me into a sound sleep. One would have thought I should
have dreamed of it, but I did not, nor of anything relating to
it; but I dreamed that as I was going out in the morning as
usual, from my castle, I saw upon the shore two canoes and
eleven savages, coming to land, and that they brought with
them another savage, whom they were going to kill in order to
eat him; when, on a sudden, the savage that they were going
to kill jumped away, and ran for his life; and I thought, in my
sleep, that he came running into my little thick grove before
my fortification, to hide himself; and that I, seeing him alone,
and not perceiving that the others sought him that way, showed
myself to him, and smiling upon him, encouraged him; that he
kneeled down to me, seeming to pray me to assist him; upon
which I showed him my ladder, made him go up, and carried
him into my cave, and he became my servant: and that as soon
as I had got this man, I said to myself, "Now I may certainly
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venture to the main land, for this fellow will serve me as a pilot,
and will tell me what to do, and whither to go for provisions,
and whither not to go for fear of being devoured; what places
to venture into, and what to shun." I waked with this thought;
and was under such inexpressible impressions of joy at the
prospect of my escape in my dream, that the disappointments
which I felt upon coming to myself, and finding that it was no
more than a dream, were equally extravagant the other way,
and threw me into a very great dejection of spirits.
Upon this, however, I made this conclusion; that my only
way to go about to attempt an escape was, if possible, to get a
savage into my possession; and, if possible, it should be one
of their prisoners, whom they had condemned to be eaten, and
should bring hither to kill. But these thoughts still were
attended with this difficulty, that it was impossible to effect
this without attacking a whole caravan of them and killing
them all; and this was not only a very desperate attempt, and
might miscarry, but, on the other hand, I had greatly scrupled
the lawfulness of it to myself; and my heart trembled at the
thoughts of shedding so much blood, though it was for my
deliverance. I need not repeat the arguments which occurred
to me against this, they being the same mentioned before; but
though I had other reasons to offer now, viz.: that those men
were enemies to my life, and would devour me if they could;
that it was self-preservation, in the highest degree, to deliver
myself from this death of a life, and was acting in my own de-
fence as much. as if they were actually assaulting me, and the
like; I say, though these things argued for it, yet the thoughts
of shedding human blood for my deliverance were very terrible
to me, and such as I could by no means reconcile myself to for
a great while. However, at last, after many secret disputes
with myself, and after great perplexities about it (for all these
arguments, one way and another, struggled in my head a long
time), the eager prevailing desire of deliverance at length
mastered all the rest; and I resolved, if possible, to get one of
these savages into my hands, cost what it would. My next
thing was to contrive how to do it, and this indeed was very
difficult to resolve on ; but as I could pitch upon no probable
means for it, so I resolved to put myself upon the watch, to
see them when they came on shore, and leave the rest to the
event; taking such measures as the opportunity should present,
let what would be.
With these resolutions in my thoughts, I set myself upon
the scout as often as possible, and indeed so often, that I was
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169
heartily tired of it; for it was above a year and a half that I
waited; and for great part of that time went out to the west
end, and to the south-west corner of the island almost every
day, to look for canoes, but none appeared. This was very
discouraging, and began to trouble me much, though I cannot
say that it did in this case (as it had done some time before)
wear off the edge of my desire to the thing; but the longer it
seemed to be delayed, the more eager I was for it: in a word, I
was not at first so careful to shun the sight of these savages,
and avoid being seen by them, as I was now eager to be upon
them. Besides, I fancied myself able to manage one, nay, two
or three savages, if I had them, so as to make them entirely
slaves to me, to do whatever I should direct them, and to pre-
vent their being able at any time to do me any hurt. It was
a great while that I pleased myself with this affair; but noth-
ing still presented itself; all my fancies and schemes came to
nothing, for no savages came near me for a great while.
About a year and a half after I entertained these notions
(and by long musing had, as it were, resolved them all into
nothing, for want of an occasion to put them into execution), I
was surprised one morning by seeing no less than five canoes
all on shore together on my side the island, and the people
who belonged to them all landed and out of my sight. The
number of them broke all my measures; for seeing so many,
and knowing that they always came four or six, or sometimes
more in a boat, I could not tell what to think of it, or how to
take my measures, to attack twenty or thirty men single-handed ;
so lay still in my castle, perplexed and discomforted. However,
I put myself into the same position for an attack that I had
formerly provided, and was just ready for action, if anything
had presented. Having waited a good while, listening to hear
if they made any noise, at length, being very impatient, I set
my guns at the foot of my ladder, and clambered up to the top
of the hill, by my two stages, as usual; standing so, however,
that my head did not appear above the hill, so that they could
not perceive me by any means. Here I observed, by the help
of my perspective-glass, that they were no less than thirty in
number; that they had a fire kindled, and that they had meat
dressed. How they had cooked it, I knew not, or what it was ;
but they were all dancing, in I know not how many barbarous
gestures and figures, their own way, round the fire.
While I was thus looking on them I perceived, by my per-
spective, two miserable wretches dragged from the boats, where,
it seems, they were laid by, and were now brought out for the
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slaughter. I perceived one of them immediately fall; being
knocked down, I suppose, with a club, or wooden sword, for
that was their way; and two or three others were at work im-
mediately, cutting him open for their cookery, while the other
victim was left standing by himself, till they should be ready for
him. In that very moment, this poor wretch seeing himself a
little at liberty, and unbound, Nature inspired him with hopes
of life, and he started away from them, and ran with incredible
swiftness along the sands, directly towards me; I mean, towards
that part of the coast where my habitation was. I was dread-
fully frightened, I must acknowledge, when I perceived him run
my way; and especially when, as I thought, I saw him pursued by
the whole body; and now I expected the part of my dream was
coming to pass, and that he would certainly take shelter in my
grove: but I could not depend, by any means, upon my dream,
that the other savages would not pursue him thither, and find
him there. However, I kept my station, and my spirits began
to recover when I found that there was not above three men
that followed him; and still more was I encouraged, when I
found that he outstripped them exceedingly in running, and
gained ground on them; so that, if he could but hold out
for half an hour, I saw easily he would fairly get away from
them all.
There was between them and my castle, the creek, which
I mentioned often in the first part of my story, where I landed
my cargoes out of the ship; and this I saw plainly he must ne-
cessarily swim over, or the poor wretch would be taken there;
but when the savage escaping came thither, he made nothing of
it, though the tide was then up; but, plunging in, swam through
in about thirty strokes, or thereabouts, landed, and ran with ex-
ceeding strength and swiftness. When the three persons came
to the creek, I found that two of them could swim, but the third
could not, and that, standing on the other side, he looked at the
· others, but went no farther, and soon after went softly back
again; which, as it happened, was very well for him in the end.
I observed that the two who swam were yet more than twice as
long swimming over the creek as the fellow was that fled from
them. It came very warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed
irresistibly, that now was the time to get me a servant, and per-
haps a companion or assistant; and that I was plainly called
by Providence to save this poor creature's life. I immediately
ran down the ladders with all possible expedition, fetched my
two guns, for they were both at the foot of the ladders, as I ob-
served before, and getting up again with the same haste to the
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171
top of the hill, I crossed towards the sea; and having a very
short cut, and all down hill, placed myself in the way between
the pursuers and the pursued, hallooing aloud to him that fled,
who, looking back, was at first perhaps as much frightened at
me as at them; but I beckoned with my hand to him to come
back; and, in the mean time, I slowly advanced towards the two
that followed; then rushing at once upon the foremost, I knock-
ed him down with the stock of my piece. I was loath to fire,
because I would not have the rest hear; though, at that distance,
it would not have been easily heard, and being out of sight of
the smoke, too, they would not have known what to make of it.
Having knocked this fellow down, the other who pursued him
stopped, as if he had been frightened, and I advanced towards
him but as I came nearer, I perceived presently he had a bow
and arrow, and was fitting it to shoot at me: so I was then
obliged to shoot at him first, which I did, and killed him at the
first shot. The poor savage who fled, but had stopped, though
he saw both his enemies fallen and killed, as he thought, yet
was so frightened with the fire and noise of my piece, that he
stood stock still, and neither came forward, nor went backward,
though he seemed rather inclined still to fly than to come on.
I hallooed again to him, and made signs to come forward, which
he easily understood, and came a little way; then stopped again,
and then a little farther, and stopped again; and I could then
perceive that he stood trembling, as if he had been taken
prisoner, and had just been to be killed, as his two enemies
were. I beckoned to him again to come to me, and gave him
all the signs of encouragement that I could think of; and he
came nearer and nearer, kneeling down every ten or twelve
steps, in token of acknowledgment for saving his life. I smiled
at him, and looked pleasantly, and beckoned to him to come
still nearer ; at length, he came close to me; and then he kneeled
down again, kissed the ground, and laid his head upon the
ground, and, taking me by the foot, set my foot upon his head;
this, it seems, was in token of swearing to be my slave forever.
I took him up and made much of him, and encouraged him all
I could. But there was more work to do yet; for I perceived the
savage whom I had knocked down was not killed, but stunned
with the blow, and began to come to himself: so I pointed to
him, and showed him the savage, that he was not dead upon
this he spoke some words to me, and though I could not under-
stand them, yet I thought they were pleasant to hear; for they
were the first sound of a man's voice that I had heard, my own
excepted, for above twenty-five years. But there was no time
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A
for such reflections now; the savage who was knocked down
recovered himself so far as to sit up upon the ground, and I per-
ceived that my savage began to be afraid; but when I saw that,
I presented my other piece at the man, as if I would shoot him:
upon this, my savage, for so I call him now, made a motion to
me to lend him my sword, which hung naked in a belt by my
side, which I did. He no sooner had it, but he runs to his
enemy, and at one blow, cut off his head so cleverly, no execu-
tioner in Germany could have done it sooner or better; which
I thought very strange for one who, I had reason to believe,
never saw a sword in his life before, except their own wooden
swords: however, it seems, as I learned afterwards, they make
their wooden swords so sharp, so heavy, and the wood is so
hard, that they will even cut off heads with them, ay, and arms,
and that at one blow too. When he had done this, he comes
laughing to me in sign of triumph, and brought me the sword
again, and with abundance of gestures which I did not under-
stand, laid it down, with the head of the savage that he had
killed, just before me. But that which astonished him most,
was to know how I killed the other Indian so far off; so point-
ing to him, he made signs to me to let him go to him; and I
bade him go, as well as I could. When he came to him, he
stood like one amazed, looking at him, turning him first on one
side, then on the other; looked at the wound the bullet had
made, which it seems was just in his breast, where it had made
a hole, and no great quantity of blood had followed; but he
had bled inwardly, for he was quite dead. He took up his bow
and arrows, and came back; so I turned to go away, and beck-
oned him to follow me, making signs to him that more might
come after them. Upon this he made signs to me that he should
bury them with sand, that they might not be seen by the rest, if
they followed; and so I made signs to him again to do so. He
fell to work; and in an instant he had scraped a hole in the
sand with his hands, big enough to bury the first in, and then
dragged him into it, and covered him; and did so by the other
also ;
I believe he had buried them both in a quarter of an hour.
Then calling him away, I carried him, not to my castle, but
quite away to my cave, on the farther part of the island: so I
did not let my dream come to pass in that part, that he came
into my grove for shelter. Here I gave him bread and a bunch
of raisins to eat, and a draught of water, which I found he was
indeed in great distress for, from his running: and having re-
freshed him, I made signs for him to go and lie down to sleep,
showing him a place where I had laid some rice-straw, and a
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173
blanket upon it, which I used to sleep upon myself sometimes;
so the poor creature lay down and went to sleep.
He was a comely, handsome fellow, perfectly well made,
with strait strong limbs, not too large, tall and well shaped;
and, as I reckon, about twenty-six years of age. He had a
very good countenance, not a fierce and surly aspect, but
seemed to have something very manly in his face and yet he
had all the sweetness and softness of a European in his coun-
tenance too, especially when he smiled. His hair was long
and black, not curled like wool; his forehead very high and
large; and a great vivacity and sparkling sharpness in his
eyes. The color of the skin was not quite black, but very
tawny; and yet not an ugly, yellow, nauseous tawny, as the
Brazilians and Virginians, and other natives of America are,
but of a bright kind of a dun olive color, that had in it some-
thing very agreeable, though not very easy to describe. His
face was round and plump; his nose small, not flat like the
Negroes; a very good mouth, thin lips, and his fine teeth well
set, and as white as ivory.
After he had slumbered, rather than slept, about half an
hour, he awoke again, and came out of the cave to me; for I
had been milking my goats, which I had in the enclosure just
by; when he espied me, he came running to me, laying him-
self down again upon the ground, with all the possible signs of a
humble, thankful disposition, making a great many antic ges-
tures to show it. At last he lays his head flat upon the ground,
close to my foot, and sets my other foot upon his head, as he
had done before; and after this made all the signs to me of
subjection, servitude, and submission, imaginable, to let me
know how he would serve me so long as he lived. I under-
stood him in many things, and let him know I was very well
pleased with him. In a little time I began to speak to him,
and teach him to speak to me; and, first, I let him know his
name should be FRIDAY, which was the day I saved his life:
I called him so for the memory of the time. I likewise taught
him to say Master; and then let him know that was to be my
name: I likewise taught him to say Yes and No, and to know
the meaning of them. I gave him some milk in an earthen
pot, and let him see me drink it before him, and sop my bread
in it; and gave him a cake of bread to do the like, which he
quickly complied with, and made signs that it was very good
for him. I kept there with him all that night; but, as soon as
it was day, I beckoned to him to come with me, and let him know
I would give him some clothes; at which he seemed very glad,
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for he was stark naked. As he went by the place where he
had buried the two men, he pointed exactly to the place, and
showed me the marks that he had made to find them again,
making signs to me that he should dig them up again and eat
them. At this, I appeared very angry, expressed my abhor-
rence of it, made as if I would vomit at the thoughts of it, and
beckoned with my hand to him to come away, which he did im-
mediately, with great submission. I then led him up to the
top of the hill, to see if his enemies were gone; and pulling
out my glass, I looked, and saw plainly the place where they
had been, but no appearance of them or their canoes; so that
it was plain they were gone, and had left their two comrades
behind them, without any search after them.
But I was not content with this discovery; but having now
more courage, and consequently more curiosity, I took my man
Friday with me, giving him the sword in his hand, with the
bow and arrows at his back, which I found he could use very
dexterously, making him carry one gun for me, and I two for
myself and away we marched to the place where these creatures
had been; for I had a mind now to get some fuller intelligence
of them. When I came to the place, my very blood ran chill
in my veins, and my heart sunk within me, at the horror of the
spectacle; indeed, it was a dreadful sight, at least it was so to
me, though Friday made nothing of it. The place was covered
with human bones, the ground dyed with their blood, and great
pieces of flesh left here and there, half eaten, mangled, and
scorched; and, in short, all the tokens of the triumphant feast
they had been making there, after a victory over their enemies.
I saw three skulls, five hands, and the bones of three or four
legs and feet, and abundance of other parts of the bodies; and
Friday, by his signs, made me understand that they brought
over four prisoners to feast upon; that three of them were
eaten up, and that he, pointing to himself, was the fourth; that
there had been a great battle between them and their next
king, of whose subjects, it seems, he had been one, and that
they had taken a great number of prisoners; all which were
carried to several places, by those who had taken them in the
fight, in order to feast upon them, as was done here by these
wretches upon those they brought hither.
I caused Friday to gather up all the skulls, bones, flesh,
and whatever remained, and lay them together in a heap, and
make a great fire upon it, and burn them all to ashes. I found
Friday had still a hankering stomach after some of the flesh,
and was still a cannibal in his nature; but I showed so much
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175
abhorrence at the very thoughts of it, and at the least appear-
ance of it, that he durst not discover it; for I had, by some
means, let him know that I would kill him if he offered it.
When he had done this, we came back to our castle; and
there I fell to work for my man Friday; and first of all, I gave
him a pair of linen drawers, which I had out of the poor gun-
ner's chest I. mentioned, which I found in the wreck, and
which, with a little alteration, fitted him very well; and then I
made him a jerkin of goat's skin, as well as my skill would al-
low (for I was now grown a tolerably good tailor); and I gave
him a cap which I made of hare's skin, very convenient, and
fashionable enough; and thus he was clothed, for the present,
tolerably well, and was mighty well pleased to see himself
almost as well clothed as his master. It is true, he went
awkwardly in these clothes at first; wearing the drawers was
very awkward to him, and the sleeves of the waistcoat galled
his shoulders and the inside of his arms; but a little easing
them where he complained they hurt him, and using himself
to them, he took to them at length very well.
The next day, after I came home to my hutch with him, I
began to consider where I should lodge him; and that I might
do well for him and yet be perfectly easy myself, I made a little
tent for him in the vacant place between my two fortifications,
in the inside of the last, and in the outside of the first. As
there was a door or entrance there into my cave, I made a for-
mal framed door-case, and a door to it of boards, and set it up
in the passage, a little within the entrance; and causing the
door to open in the inside, I barred it up in the night, taking in
my ladder, too; so that Friday could no way come at me in
the inside of my innermost wall without making so much noise
in getting over that it must needs awaken me; for my first
wall had now a complete roof over it of long poles, covering
all my tent, and leaning up to the side of the hill; which was
again laid across with smaller sticks, instead of laths, and then
thatched over a great thickness with the rice-straw, which was
strong, like reeds; and at the hole or place which was left to
go in or out by the ladder, I had placed a kind of a trap-door,
which, if it had been attempted on the outside, would not have
opened at all, but would have fallen down and inade a great
noise; as to weapons, I took them all into my side every night.
But I needed none of all this precaution; for never a man had
a more faithful, loving, sincere servant than Friday was to me;
without passions, sullenness, or designs, perfectly obliged and
engaged; his very affections were tied to me, like those of a
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child to a father; and I dare say he would have sacrificed his
life to save mine, upon any occasion whatsoever: the many
testimonies he gave me of this, put it out of doubt, and soon
convinced me that I needed to use no precautions for my
safety on his account.
This frequently gave me occasion to observe, and that with
wonder, that however it had pleased God in His providence,
and in the government of the works of His hands, to take from
so great a part of the world of His creatures the best uses to
which their faculties and the powers of their souls are adapted,
yet that He has bestowed upon them the same powers, the same
reason, the same affections; the same sentiments of kindness
and obligation; the same passions, and resentments of wrongs;
the same sense of gratitude, sincerity, fidelity, and all the capaci-
ties of doing good, and receiving good, that He has given to us;
and that when He pleases to offer them occasions of exerting
these, they are as ready, nay, more ready, to apply them to the
right uses for which they were bestowed, than we are. This
made me very melancholy sometimes, in reflecting, as the sev-
eral occasions presented, how mean a use we make of all these,
even though we have these powers enlightened by the great
lamp of instruction, the Spirit of God, and by the knowledge
of His word added to our understanding; and why it has
pleased God to hide the like saving knowledge from so many
millions of souls, who, if I might judge by this poor savage,
would make a much better use of it than we did. From hence,
I sometimes was led too far, to invade the sovereignty of Prov-
idence, and, as it were, arraign the justice of so arbitrary a dis-
position of things, that should hide that sight from some, and
reveal it to others, and yet expect a like duty from both; but I
shut it up, and checked my thoughts with this conclusion: first,
That we did not know by what light and law these should be
condemned; but that as God was necessarily, and by the nature
of His being, infinitely holy and just, so it could not be, but if
these creatures were all sentenced to absence from Himself, it
was on account of sinning against that light, which, as the
Scriptures say, was a law to themselves, and by such rules as
their conscience would acknowledge to be just, though the
foundation was not discovered to us; and, secondly, That still,
as we all are the clay in the hand of the potter, no vessel could.
say to him, "Why hast thou formed me thus?"
But to return to my new companion:-I was greatly de-
lighted with him, and made it my business to teach him every-
thing that was proper to make him useful, handy, and helpful;
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
177
but especially to make him speak, and understand me when I
spoke; and he was the aptest scholar that ever was, and par-
ticularly was so merry, so constantly diligent, and so pleased
when he could but understand me, or make me understand
him, that it was very pleasant to me to talk to him. Now my
life began to be so easy that I began to say to myself, that
could I but have been safe from more savages, I cared not if
I was never to remove from the place where I lived.
After I had been two or three days returned to my castle, I
thought that, in order to bring Friday off from his horrid way
of feeding, and from the relish of a cannibal's stomach, I ought
to let him taste other flesh; so I took him out with me one
morning to the woods. I went, indeed, intending to kill a kid
out of my own flock, and bring it home and dress it; but as I
was going, I saw a she-goat lying down in the shade, and two
young kids sitting by her. I catched hold of Friday. "Hold,"
said I ; "stand still;" and made signs to him not to stir:
immediately, I presented my piece, shot, and killed one of the
kids. The poor creature, who had, at a distance, indeed, seen
me kill the savage, his enemy, but did not know, nor could im-
agine how it was done, was sensibly surprised; trembled, and
shook, and looked so amazed that I thought he would have
sunk down. He did not see the kid I shot at, or perceive I
had killed it, but ripped up his waistcoat, to feel whether he
was not wounded; and, as I found presently, thought I was re-
solved to kill him; for he came and kneeled down to me, and
embracing my knees, said a great many things I did not under-
stand; but I could easily see the meaning was, to pray me not
to kill him.
•
I soon found a way to convince him that I would do him no
harm; and taking him up by the hand, laughed at him, and
pointing to the kid which I had killed, beckoned to him to run
and fetch it, which he did and while he was wondering, and
looking to see how the creature was killed, I loaded my gun
again. By and by, I saw a great fowl, like a hawk, sitting upon
a tree within shot; so, to let Friday understand a little what I
would do, I called him to me again, pointed at the fowl, which
was indeed a parrot, though I thought it had been a hawk; I
say, pointing to the parrot, and to my gun, and to the ground
under the parrot, to let him see I would make it fall, I made
him understand that I would shoot and kill that bird`; accord-
´ingly, I fired, and bade him look, and immediately he saw the
parrot fall. He stood like one frightened again, notwithstand-
ing all I said to him; and I found he was the more amazed,
༢
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because he did not see me put anything into the gun, but
thought that there must be some wonderful fund of death and
destruction in that thing, able to kill man, beast, bird, or any-
thing near or far off; and the astonishment this created in
him was such as could not wear off for a long time; and I be-
lieve, if I would have let him, he would have worshipped me
and my gun,
As for the gun itself, he would not so much as
touch it for several days after; but he would speak to it and
talk to it, as if it had answered him, when he was by himself;
which, as I afterwards learned of him, was to desire it not to
kill him. Well, after his astonishment was a little over at this,
I pointed to him to run and fetch the bird I had shot, which he
did, but staid some time; for the parrot, not being quite dead,
had fluttered away a good distance from the place where she
fell however, he found her, took her up, and brought her to
me; and as I had perceived his ignorance about the gun be-
fore, I took this advantage to charge the gun again, and not to
let him see me do it, that I might be ready for any other mark
that might present; but nothing more offered at that time: so
I brought home the kid, and the same evening I took the skin
off, and cut it out as well as I could; and having a pot fit for
that purpose, I boiled or stewed some of the flesh, and made
some very good broth. After I had begun to eat some, I gave
some to my man, who seemed very glad of it, and liked it very
well; but that which was strangest to him was to see me eat
salt with it. He made a sign to me that the salt was not good
to eat; and putting a little into his own mouth, he seemed to
nauseate it, and would spit and sputter at it, washing his mouth
with fresh water after it on the other hand, I took some meat
into my mouth without salt, and pretended to spit and sputter for
want of salt, as much as he had done at the salt; but it would
not do; he would never care for salt with his meat or in his
broth; at least not for a great while, and then but a very little.
Having thus fed him with boiled meat and broth, I was
resolved to feast him the next day by roasting a piece of the
kid: this I did by hanging it before the fire on a string, as I
had seen many people do in England, setting two poles up, one
on each side of the fire, and one across on the top, and tying the
string to the cross stick, letting the meat turn continually. This
Friday admired very much; but when he came to taste the
flesh, he took so many ways to tell me how well he liked it, that
I could not but understand him and at last he told me, as well
as he could, he would never eat man's flesh any more, which I
was very glad to hear.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
179
The next day I set him to work to beating some corn out,
and sifting it in the manner I used to do, as I observed before;
and he soon understood how to do it as well as I, especially
after he had seen what the meaning of it was, and that it was
to make bread of; for after that, I let him see me make my
bread, and bake it too, and in a little time, Friday was able to
do all the work for me, as well as I could do it myself.
I began now to consider that having two mouths to feed in-
stead of one, I must provide more ground for my harvest, and
plant a larger quantity of corn than I used to do; so I marked
out a larger piece of land, and began the fence in the same
manner as before, in which Friday worked not only very will-
ingly and very hard, but did it very cheerfully: and I told him
what it was for; that it was for corn to make more bread, be-
cause he was now with me, and that I might have enough for
him and myself too. He appeared very sensible of that part,
and let me know that he thought I had much more labor upon
me on his account, than I had for myself; and that he would
work the harder for me, if I would tell him what to do.
This was the pleasantest year of all the life I led in this
place. Friday began to talk pretty well, and understand the
names of almost everything I had occasion to call for, and of
every place I had to send him to, and talked a great deal to
me; so that, in short, I began now to have some use for my
tongue again, which, indeed, I had very little occasion for be-
fore. Besides the pleasure of talking to him, I had a singular
satisfaction in the fellow himself: his simple, unfeigned honesty
appeared to me more and more every day, and I began really
to love the creature; and on his side, I believe he loved me
more than it was possible for him ever to love anything
before.
I had a mind once to try if he had any inclination for his
own country again; and having taught him English so well that
he could answer me almost any question, I asked him whether
the nation that he belonged to never conquered in battle? At
which he smiled, and said, "Yes, yes, we always fight the
better;" that is, he meant, always get the better in fight; and
so we began the following discourse:-
Master. You always fight the better; how came you to be
taken prisoner then, Friday?
Friday. My nation beat much for all that.
Master.-How beat? If your nation beat them, how came
you to be taken ?
Friday. They more many than my nation, in the place
K
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JA
where me was; they take one, two, three, and me: my nation
over-beat them in the yonder place, where me no was; there my
nation take one, two, great thousand.
Master. But why, did not your side recover you from the
hands of your enemies then?
Friday. They run, one, two, three, and me, and make go in
the canoe; my nation have no canoe that time.
M
Master.—Well, Friday, and what does your nation do with
the men they take? Do they carry them away and eat them,
as these did?
Friday.-Yes, my nation eat mans too: eat all up.
Master. Where do they carry them?
Friday.-Go to other place, where they think.
Master.-Do they come hither?
Friday.-Yes, yes, they come hither; come other else
W
4
place.
Master.-Have you been here with them?
Friday. Yes, I have been here (points to the N. W. side of
the island, which, it seems, was their side).
By this, I understood that my man Friday had formerly been
among the savages who used to come on shore on the farther
part of the island, on the same man-eating occasions he was now
brought for; and, some time after, when I took the courage to
carry him to that side, being the same I formerly mentioned, he
presently knew the place, and told me he was there once when
they ate up twenty men, two women, and one child; he could
not tell twenty in English, but he numbered them, by laying so
many stones in a row, and pointing to me to tell them over.
I have told this passage, because it introduces what follows;
that after this discourse I had with him, I asked him how far it
was from our island to the shore, and whether the canoes were
not often lost. He told me there was no danger, no canoes ever
lost, but that after a little way out to sea, there was a current
and wind, always one way in the morning, the other in the
afternoon. This I understood to be no more than the sets of
the tide, as going out or coming in; but I afterwards under-
stood it was occasioned by the great draught and reflux of the
mighty river Oroonoko, in the mouth or gulf of which river, as
I found afterwards, our island lay; and that this land which I
perceived to the W. and N. W. was the great island Trinidad,
on the north point of the mouth of the river. I asked Friday a
thousand questions about the country, the inhabitants, the sea,
coast, and what nations were near: he told me all he knew,
with the greatest openness imaginable. I asked him the names
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
181
of the several nations of his sort of people, but could get no
other name then Caribs: from whence I easily understood that
these were the Caribbees, which our maps place on the part of
America which reaches from the mouth of the River Oroonoko
to Guiana, and onwards to St. Martha. He told me, that up a
great way beyond the moon, that was, beyond the setting of the
moon, which must be west from their country, there dwelt white,
bearded men, like me, and pointed to my great whiskers,
which I mentioned before; and that they had killed much
mans-that was his word; by all which I understood he meant
the Spaniards, whose cruelties in America had been spread over
the whole country, and were remembered by all the nations
from father to son.
I inquired if he could tell me how I might go from this
island, and get among those white men; he told me, “Yes, yes,
you may go in two canoe.' I could not understand what he
meant, or make him describe to me what he meant by two
canoe, till at last, with great difficulty, I found he meant it
must be in a large boat, as big as two canoes. This part of
Friday's discourse I began to relish very well; and from this
time I entertained some hopes that, one time or other, I might
find an opportunity to make my escape from this place, and that
this poor savage might be a means to help me.
During the long time that Friday had now been with me,
and that he began to speak to me, and understand me, I was
not wanting to lay a foundation of religious knowledge in his
mind; particularly I asked him one time, who made him.
The poor creature did not understand me at all, but thought I
had asked him whom was his father: but I took it up by an-
other handle, and asked him, who made the sea, the ground we
walked on, and the hills and woods. He told me, "It was one
Benamuckee, that lived beyond all ;" he could describe nothing
of this great person, but that he was very old, "much older,
he said, "than the sea or the land, than the moon or the stars."
I asked him then, if this old person had made all things, why
did not all things worship him? He looked very grave, and,
with a perfect look of innocence, said, "All things say O to
him.” I asked him, if the people who die in his country went
away anywhere? He said, "Yes; they all went to Bena-
muckee.' Then I asked him whether those they eat up went
thither too? He said, "Yes."
""
""
From these things, I began to instruct him in the knowledge
of the true God: I told him that the great Maker of all things
lived up there, pointing up towards heaven; that He governed
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af
ላ
the world by the same power and providence by which He
made it; that He was omnipotent, and could do everything for
us, give everything to us-take everything from us; and thus,
by degrees, I opened his eyes. He listened with great atten-
tion, and received with pleasure the notion of Jesus Christ being
sent to redeem us, and of the manner of making our prayers to
God, and His being able to hear us, even in heaven. He told
me one day, that if our God could hear us, up beyond the sun,
he must needs be a greater God than their Benamuckee, who
lived but a little way off, and yet could not hear till they went
up to the great mountains where he dwelt to speak to him. I
asked him if ever he went thither to speak to him? He said,
"No; they never went that were young men ; none went thither
but the old inen," whom he called their Oowokakee; that is,
as I made him explain it to me, their religious, or clergy; and
that they went to say O (so he called saying prayers), and then
came back and told them what Benamuckee said. By this I
observed, that there is priestcraft even among the most blinded,
ignorant pagans in the world; and the policy of making a secret
of religion, in order to preserve the veneration of the people to
the clergy, is not only to be found in the Roman, but, perhaps,
among all religions in the world, even among the most brutish
and barbarous savages.
I endeavored to clear up this fraud to my man Friday; and
told him that the pretence of their old men going up the moun-
tains to say O to their god Benamuckee was a cheat; and their
bringing word from thence what he said was much more so ;
that if they met with any answer, or spake with any one there,
it must be with an evil spirit: and then I entered into a long
discourse with him about the devil, the origin of him, his rebel-
lion against God, his enmity to man, the reason of it, his setting
himself up in the dark parts of the world to be worshipped in-
stead of God, and as God, and the many stratagems he made
use of to delude mankind to their ruin; how he had a secret
access to our passions and to our affections, and to adapt his
snares to our inclinations, so as to cause us even to be our own
tempters, and run upon our destruction by our own choice.
I found it was not so easy to imprint right notions in his
mind about the devil as it was about the being of a God: nature
assisted all my arguments to evidence to him even the necessity
of a great First Cause-an overruling, governing Power-a
secret directing Providence; and of the equity and justice of
paying homage to Him that made us, and the like; but there
appeared nothing of this kind in the notion of an evil spirit; of
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
183
his origin, his being, his nature; and, above all, of his inclina-
tion to do evil, and to draw us in to do so too; and the poor
creature puzzled me once in such a manner, by a question
merely natural and innocent, that I scarce knew what to say to
him. I had been talking a great deal to him of the power of
God, His omnipotence, His aversion to sin, His being a consum-
ing fire to the workers of iniquity; how, as He had made us
all, He could destroy us and all the world in a moment; and
he listened with great seriousness to me all the while. After
this, I had been telling him how the devil was God's enemy in
the hearts of men, and used all his malice and skill to defeat
the good designs of Providence, and to ruin the kingdom of
Christ in the world, and the like. "Well," says Friday,
"but
you say God is so strong, so great; is he not much strong, much
might as the devil?"
“Yes, yes," says I, "Friday; God is
stronger than the devil: God is above the devil, and therefore
we pray to God to tread him down under our feet, and enable
us to resist his temptations and quench his fiery darts." "But,"
says he again, "if God much stronger, much might as the
wicked devil, why God no kill the devil, so make him no more
do wicked?" I was strangely surprised at this question; and,
after all, though I was now an old man, yet I was but a young
doctor. and ill-qualified for a casuist, or a solver of difficulties;
and at first I could not tell what to say; so I pretended not to
hear him, and asked him what he said; but he was too earnest -
for an answer to forget his question, so he repeated it in the
very same broken words as above. By this time I had recovered
myself a little, and I said, "God will at last punish him
severely; he is reserved for the judgment, and is to be cast
into the bottomless pit, to dwell with everlasting fire." This
did not satisfy Friday: but he returns upon me, repeating my
words, "Reserve at last!' me no understand: but why not kill
the devil now? not kill great ago? You may as well ask
me," said I, "why God does not kill you or me, when we do
wicked things here that offend him: we are preserved to repent
and be pardoned." He mused some time on this. 'Well,
well," says he, mightily affectionately, "that well: so you, I,
devil, all wicked, all preserve, repent, God pardon all." Here
I was run down again by him to the last degree: and it was a
testimony to me, how the mere notions of nature, though they
will guide reasonable creatures to the knowledge of a God, and
of a worship or homage due to the supreme being of God, as
the consequence of our nature, yet nothing but divine revela.
tion can form the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and of redemption
(C
""
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purchased for us; of a Mediator of the new covenant, and of
an Intercessor at the footstool of God's throne; I say, nothing
but a revelation from heaven can form these in the soul; and
that, therefore, the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
(I mean the Word of God), and the Spirit of God, promised for
the guide and sanctifier of his people, are the absolutely neces-
sary instructors of the souls of men in the saving knowledge of
God, and the means of salvation.
I therefore diverted the present discourse between me and
my man, rising up hastily, as upon some sudden occasion of
going out; then sending him for something a good way off, I
seriously prayed to God that he would enable me to instruct
savingly this poor savage; assisting, by His Spirit, the heart of
the poor ignorant creature to receive the light of the knowledge
of God in Christ, reconciling him to Himself, and would guide
me to speak so to him from the Word of God, that his con-
science might be convinced, his eyes opened, and his soul
saved. When he came again to me, I entered into a long dis-
course with him upon the subject of the redemption of man by
the Saviour of the world, and of the doctrine of the gospel
preached from heaven, viz.: of repentance towards God, and
faith in our blessed Lord Jesus. I then explained to him as
well as I could why our blessed Redeemer took not on him the
nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham; and how, for that
reason, the fallen angels had no share in the redemption; that
he came only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and the
like.
I had, God knows, more sincerity than knowledge in all
the methods I took for this poor creature's instruction, and
must acknowledge, what I believe all that act upon the same
principle will find, that in laying things open to him, I really
informed and instructed myself in many things that either I did
not know, or had not fully considered before, but which oc-
curred naturally to my mind upon searching into them, for the
information of this poor savage; and I had more affection in
my inquiry after things upon this occasion than ever I felt be-
fore: so that, whether this poor wild wretch was the better for
me or no, I had great reason to be thankful that ever he came
to me; my grief sat lighter upon me; my habitation grew com-
fortable to me beyond measure and when I reflected that in
this solitary life which I had been confined to, I had not only
been moved to look up to heaven myself, and to seek the hand
that had brought me here, but was now to be made an instru-
ment, under Providence, to savé the life, and, for aught I knew,
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
185
the soul of a poor savage, and bring him to the true knowledge
of religion, and of the Christian doctrine, that he might know
Christ Jesus, in whom is life eternal; I say, when I reflected
upon all these things, a secret joy ran through every part of my
soul, and I frequently rejoiced that ever I was brought to this
place, which I had so often thought the most dreadful of all
afflictions that could possibly have befallen me.
I continued in this thankful frame all the remainder of my
time; and the conversation which employed the hours between
Friday and me was such as made the three years which we
lived there together perfectly and completely happy, if any such
thing as complete happiness can be found in a sublunary state.
This savage was now a good Christian, a much better than I;
though I have reason to hope, and bless God for it, that we
were equally penitent, and comforted, restored penitents. We
had here the Word of God to read, and no farther off from His
Spirit to instruct, than if we had been in England. I always
applied myself, in reading the Scriptures, to let him know, as
well as I could, the meaning of what I read; and he again, by
his serious inquiries and questionings, made me, as I said be-
fore, a much better scholar in the Scripture knowledge than I
should ever have been by my own mere private reading. An-
other thing I cannot refrain from observing here also, from
experience in this retired part of my life, viz.: how infinite
and inexpressible a blessing it is that the knowledge of God,
and of the doctrine of salvation by Christ Jesus, is so plainly
laid down in the Word of God, so easy to be received and
understood, that, as the bare reading the Scripture made me
capable of understanding enough of my duty to carry me
directly on to the great work of sincere repentance for my sins,
and laying hold of a Saviour for life and salvation, to a stated
reformation in practice, and obedience to all God's commands,
and this without any teacher or instructor, I mean human; so
the same plain instruction sufficiently served to the enlightening
this savage creature, and bringing him to be such a Christian
as I have known few equal to him in my life.
As to all the disputes, wrangling, strife, and contention.
which have happened in the world about religion, whether nice-
ties in doctrines, or schemes of church government, they were
all perfectly useless to us, and, for aught I can yet see, they
have been so to the rest of the world. We had the sure guide
to heaven, viz.: the Word of God; and we had, blessed be
God, comfortable views of the Spirit of God teaching and in-
structing by His Word, leading us into all truth, and making
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
us both willing and obedient to the instruction of His Word.
And I cannot see the least use that the greatest knowledge
of the disputed points of religion, which have made such con-
fusion in the world, would have been to us, if we could have
obtained it; but I must go on with the historical part of things;
and take every part in its order.
After Friday and I became more intimately acquainted, and
that he could understand almost all I said to him, and speak
pretty fluently, though in broken English, to me, I acquainted
him with my own history, or at least so much of it as related to
my coming to this place; how I had lived there, and how long:
I let him into the mystery, for such it was to him, of gunpowder
and bullet, and taught him how to shoot. I gave him a knife,
which he was wonderfully delighted with; and I made him a
belt with a frog hanging to it, such as in England we wear hang-
ers in; and in the frog, instead of a hanger, I gave him a
hatchet, which was not only as good a weapon in some cases
but much more useful upon other occasions.
I described to him the country of Europe, particularly Eng
land, which I came from; how we lived, how we worshipped
God, how we behaved to one another, and how we traded in
ships to all parts of the world. I gave him an account of the
wreck which I had been on board of, and showed him, as near
as I could, the place where she lay: but she was all beaten in
pieces before, and gone. I showed him the ruins of our boat,
which we lost when we escaped, and which I could not stir
with my whole strength then; but was now fallen almost all to
pieces. Upon seeing this boat, Friday stood musing a great
while, and said nothing. I asked him what it was he studied
upon. At last, says he, "Me see such boat like come to place
at my nation." I did not understand him a good while; but,
at last, when I had examined further into it, I understood by
him, that a boat, such as that had been, came on shore upon
the country where he lived: that is, as he explained it, was
driven thither by stress of weather. I presently imagined that
some European ship must have been cast away upon their
coast, and the boat might get loose and drive ashore; but was
so dull that I never once thought of men making their escape
from a wreck thither, much less whence they might come: so I
only inquired after a description of the boat.
Friday described the boat to me well enough; but brought
me better to understand him when he added with some warmth,
"We save the white mans from drown." Then I presently
asked if there were any white mans, as he called them, in the
J
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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་
boat. "Yes," he said; "the boat full of white mans." I asked
him how many. He told upon his fingers seventeen. I asked
him then what became of them. He told me, They live,
they dwell at my nation."
This put new thoughts into my head; for I presently im-
agined that these might be the men belonging to the ship that
was cast away in the sight of my island, as I now called it; and
who, after the ship was struck on the rock, and they saw her
inevitably lost, had saved themselves in their boat, and were
landed upon that wild shore among the savages. Upon this I
inquired of him more critically what was become of them. He
assured me they lived still there; that they had been there
about four years; that the savages left them alone, and give
them victuals to live on. I asked him how it came to pass they
did not kill them and eat them. He said, "No, they make
brother with them;" that is, as I understood him, a truce;
and then he added, "They no eat mans but when make the
war fight;" that is to say, they never eat any men but such as
come to fight with them, and are taken in battle.
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It was after this some considerable time, that being upon
the top of the hill, at the east side of the island, from whence
as I have said, I had, in a clear day, discovered the main or
continent of America, Friday, the weather being very serene,
looks very earnestly towards the main land, and, in a kind of
surprise, falls a jumping and dancing, and calls out to me, for
I was at some distance from him. I asked him what was the
matter. "O joy!" says he; "O glad! there see my country,
there my nation ! I observed an extraordinary sense of
pleasure appeared in his face, and his eyes sparkled, and his
countenance discovered a strange eagerness, as if he had a
mind to be in his own country again. This observation of mine
put a great many thoughts into me, which made me, at first, not
so easy about my new man Friday as I was before; and I made
no doubt but that, if Friday could get back to his own nation
again, he would not only forget all his religion, but all his
obligation to me, and would be forward enough to give his
countrymen an account of me, and come back, perhaps,
with a hundred or two of them, and make a feast upon
me, at which he might be as merry as he used to be with those
of his enemies, when they were taken in war. But I wronged
the poor, honest creature very much, for which I was very sorry
afterwards. However, as my jealousy increased, and held me
some weeks, I was a little more circumspect, and not so famil-
iar and kind to him as before: in which I was certainly wrong
188
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
too; the honest, grateful creature having no thought about it,
but what consisted with the best principles, both as a religious
Christian, and as a grateful friend; as appeared afterwards to
my full satisfaction.
While my jealousy of him lasted, you may be sure I was
every day pumping him, to see if he would discover any of the
new thoughts which I suspected were in him; but I found every-
thing he said was so honest and so innocent, that I could find
nothing to nourish my suspicion; and, in spite of all my un-
easiness, he made me at last entirely his own again; nor did
he in the least perceive that I was uneasy, and therefore I could
not suspect him of deceit.
MAR
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One day, walking up the same hill, but the weather being
hazy at sea so that we could not see the continent, I called to
him, and said, " Friday, do not you wish yourself in your own
country, your own nation? Yes," he said, "I be much O
glad to be at my own nation." "What would you do there?"
said I: "would you turn wild again, eat men's flesh again, and
be a savage, as you were before?" He looked full of concern,
and shaking his head said, "No, no, Friday tell them to live
good; tell thein to pray God; tell them to eat corn-bread, cattle-
flesh, milk; no eat man again." "Why, then, "said I to him,
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they will kill you." He looked grave at that, and then said,
No, no, they no kill me, they willing love learn." He meant
by this, they would be willing to learn. He added, they learned
much of the bearded mans that came in the boat. Then I
asked him if he would go back to them. He smiled at that,
and told me that he could not swim so far. I told him I would
make a canoe for him. He told me he would go, if I would go
with him. I go!" says I ; why they will eat me if I come
there." No, no," says he, “ me make they no eat you; me
make they much love you. He meant, he would tell them
how I had killed his enemies, and saved his life, and so he
would make them love me. Then he told me, as well as he
could, how kind they were to seventeen white men, or bearded
men, as he called them, who came on shore there in distress.
From this time, I confess, I had a mind to venture over, and
see if I could possibly join with those bearded men, who I
made no doubt were Spaniards and Portuguese; not doubting,
but if I could, we might find some method to escape from
thence, being upon the continent, and a good company together,
better than I could from an island forty miles off the shore,
alone, and without help. So, after some days, I took Friday
to work again, by way of discourse, and told him I would give
66
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
189
him a boat to go back to his own nation; and accordingly, I
carried him to my frigate, which lay on the other side of the
island, and having cleared it of water (for I always kept it sunk
in water), I brought it out, showed it him, and we both went
into it. I found he was a most dexterous fellow at managing
So
it, and would make it go almost as swift again as I could.
when he was in, I said to him, "Well, now Friday, shall we go
to your nation ?"
He looked very dull at my saying so; which
it seems was because he thought the boat too small to go sa
far. I then told him I had a bigger; so the next day I went tu
the place were the first boat lay which I had made, but whick
I could not get into the water. He said that was big enough,
but then as I had taken no care of it, and it had lain two ov
three and twenty years there, the sun had split and dried it,
that it was rotten. Friday told me such a boat would do very
well, and would carry "much enough vittle, drink, bread;"
that was his way of talking.
((
Upon the whole, I was by this time so fixed upon my design
of going over with him to the continent, that I told him we
would go and make one as big as that, and he should go home
in it. He answered not one word, but looked very grave and
sad. I asked him what was the matter with him. He asked
me again, "Why you angry mad with Friday?—what me done?"
I asked him what he meant. I told him I was not angry with
him at all. "No angry!" says he, repeating the words several
times; "why send Friday home away to my nation ?” Why,"
says I, Friday, did not you say you wished you were there?
"Yes, yes," says he, "wish we both there; no wish Friday
there, no master there." In a word he would not think of
going there without me. "I go there, Friday?" says I; "what
shall I do there?" He turned very quick upon me at this.
"You do great deal much good," says he; "you teach wild
mans be good, sober, tame mans; you tell them know God,
pray God, and live new life." "Alas, Friday!" says I, "thou
knowest not what thou sayest; I am but an ignorant man
myself." "Yes, yes," says he, "you teachee me good, you
teachee them good. No, no, Friday," says I, "you shall go
without me; leave me here to live by myself, as I did before."
He looked confused again at that word; and running to one of
the hatchets which he used to wear, he takes it up hastily, and
gives it to me. "What must I do with this?" says I to him.
""
You take kill Friday," says he. "What must I kill you for?"
said I again. He returns very quick-" What you send Friday
away for? Take kill Friday, no send Friday away." This he
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190
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
In a
spoke so earnestly that I saw tears stand in his eyes.
word, I so plainly discovered the utmost affection in him to me,
and a firm resolution in him, that I told him then, and often
after, that I would never send him away from me, if he was
willing to stay with me.
Upon the whole, as I found by all his discourse a settled
affection to me, and that nothing could part him from me, so I
found all the foundation of his desire to go to his own country
was laid in his ardent affection to the people, and his hopes of
my doing them good; a thing which, as I had no notion of
myself, so I had not the least thought or intention, or desire of
undertaking it. But still I found a strong inclination to
attempting my escape, founded on the supposition gathered
from the discourse, that there were seventeen bearded men
there; and therefore without any more delay, I went to work
with Friday to find out a great tree proper to fell, and make a
large periagua, or canoe, to undertake the voyage. There were
trees enough in the island to have built a little fleet, not of
periaguas or canoes, but even of good large vessels; but the
main thing I looked at was, to get one so near the water that
we might launch it when it was made, to avoid the mistake I
committed at first. At last, Friday pitched upon a tree; for I
found he knew much better than I what kind of wood was fittest
for it; nor can I tell, to this day, what wood to call the tree we
cut down, except that it was very like the tree we call fustic, or
between that and the Nicaragua wood, for it was much of the
same color and smell. Friday wished to burn the hollow or
cavity of this tree out, to make it for a boat, but I showed him
how to cut it with tools; which after I had showed him how to
use, he did very handily; and in about a month's hard labor,
we finished it and made it very handsome; especially, when
with our axes, which I showed him how to handle, we cut and
hewed the outside into the true shape of a boat. After this,
however, it cost us near a fortnight's time to get her along, as
it were inch by inch, upon great rollers into the water: but
when she was in, she would have carried twenty men with great
ease.
CC
When she was in the water, though she was so big, it amazed
me to see with what dexterity and how swift my man Friday
could manage her, turn her, and paddle her along. So I asked
him if he would, and if we might venture over in her. "Yes,"
he said, "we venture over in her very well, though great blow
wind." However, I had a further design that he knew nothing
of, and that was, to make a mast and a sail, and to fit her with
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
191
an anchor and cable. As to a mast, that was easy enough to
get; so I pitched upon a straight young cedar tree, which I
found near the place, and which there were great plenty of in
the island, and I set Friday to work to cut it down, and give
him directions how to shape and order it. But as to the sail,
that was my particular care. I knew I had old sails, or rather
pieces of old sails, enough; but as I had had them now six-and-
twenty years by me, and had not been very careful to preserve
them, not imagining that I should ever have this kind of use
for them, I did not doubt but they were all rotten; and indeed
most of them were so. However, I found two pieces, which
appeared pretty good, and with these I went to work; and with
a great deal of pains, and awkward stitching, you may be sure,
for want of needles, I at length made a three-cornered ugly
thing, like what we call in England a shoulder-of-mutton sail,
to go with a boom at bottom, and a little short sprit at the top,
such as usually our ships' long-boats sail with, and such as I
best knew how to manage, as it was such a one as I had to the
boat in which I made my escape from Barbary, as related in
the first part of my story.
I was near two months performing this last work, viz.: rig-
ging and fitting my mast and sails; for I finished them very
complete, making a small stay, and a sail, or foresail to it, to
assist if we should turn to windward; and what was more than
all, I fixed a rudder to the stern of her to steer with. I was
but a bungling shipwright, yet as I knew the usefulness, and
even necessity of such a thing, I applied myself with so much
pains to do it, that at last I brought it to pass; though, con-
sidering the many dull contrivances I had for it that failed, I
think it cost me almost as much labor as making the boat.
After all this was done I had my man Friday to teach as to
what belonged to the navigation of my boat: for though he
knew very well how to paddle a canoe, he knew nothing of what
belonged to a sail and a rudder; and was the most amazed when
he saw me work the boat to and again in the sea by the rudder,
and how the sail gibbed, and filled this way or that way, as the
course we sailed changed; I say, when he saw this, he stood
like one astonished and amazed. However, with a little use,
I made all these things familiar to him, and he became an ex-
pert sailor, except that of the compass I could make him under-
stand very little. On the other hand, as there was very little
cloudy weather, and seldom or never any fogs in those parts,
there was the less occasion for a compass, seeing the stars were
always to be seen by night and the shore by day, except in the
А
192
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
rainy seasons, and then nobody cared to stir abroad either by
land or sea.
→
I was now entered on the seven-and-twentieth year of my
captivity in this place; though the three last years that I had
this creature with me ought rather to be left out of the account,
my
habitation being quite of another kind than in all the rest
of the time. I kept the anniversary of my landing here with
the same thankfulness to God for his mercies as at first; and
if I had such cause of acknowledgment at first, I had much
more so now, having such additional testimonies of the care of
Providence over me, and the great hopes I had of being effect-
ually and speedily delivered; for I had an invincible impression
upon my thoughts that my deliverance was at hand, and that I
should not be another year in this place I went on, however,
with my husbandry, digging, planting, and fencing, as usual.
I gathered and cured my grapes, and did every necessary thing
as before.
The rainy season was, in the mean time, upon me, when I
kept more within doors than at other times. We had stowed
our new vessel as secure as we could, bringing her up into the
creek, where, as I said in the beginning, I landed my rafts from
the ship; and hauling her up to the shore at high-water mark,
I made my man Friday dig a little dock, just big enough to hold
her, and just deep enough to give her water enough to float in ;
and then, when the tide was out, we made a strong dam across
the end of it, to keep the water out; and so she lay dry as to
the tide from the sea: and to keep the rain off, we laid a great
many boughs of trees, so thick that she was as well thatched as
a house; and thus we waited for the months of November and
December, in which I designed to make my adventure.
When the settled season began to come in, as the thought
of my design returned with the fair weather, I was preparing
daily for the voyage. And the first thing I did was to lay by a
certain quantity of provisions, being the stores for our voyage,
and intended, in a week or a fortnight's time, to open the dock,
and launch out our boat. I was busy one morning upon some-
thing of this kind, when I called to Friday and bade him to go
to the sea-shore, and see if he could find a turtle or tortoise, a
thing which we generally got once a week, for the sake of the
eggs as well as the flesh. Friday had not been long gone when
he came running back, and flew over my outer wall, or fence,
like one that felt not the ground, or the steps he set his feet
on; and before I had time to speak to him, he cries out to me,
"O master! O master! O sorrow! O bad!
O bad!" "What's the
*
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
193
،،
matter, Friday?" says I. "O yonder there," says he, one,
two, three canoes; one, two, three!" By this way of speaking,
I concluded there were six; but on inquiry I found there were
but three. "Well, Friday," says I, "do not be frightened."
So I heartened him up as well as I could. However, I saw the
poor fellow was most terribly scared, for nothing ran in his head
but that they were come to look for him, and would cut him in
pieces and eat him; and the poor fellow trembled so that I
scarcely knew what to do with him. I comforted him as well
as I could, and told him I was in as much danger as he, and
that they would eat me as well as him. "But," says I, “Friday,
we must resolve to fight them. Can you fight, Friday?
"Me
"No
shoot," says he, "but there come many great number."
matter for that," said I again; "our guns will fright them that
we do not kill." So I asked him whether, if I resolved to
defend him, he would defend me, and stand by me, and do just
as I bade him. He said, "Me die, when you bid die, master."
So I went and fetched a good dram of rum and gave him; for
I had been so good a husband of my rum, that I had a great
deal left. When he had drunk it, I made him take the two
fowling-pieces, which we always carried, and loaded them with
large swan-shot, as big as small pistol-bullets. Then I took
four muskets, and loaded them with two slugs, and five small
bullets each; and my two pistols I loaded with a brace of bullets
each. I hung my great sword, as usual, naked by my side, and
gave Friday his hatchet. When I had thus prepared myself, I
took my perspective-glass, and went up to the side of the hill,
to see what I could discover; and I found quickly by my glass,
that there were one-and-twenty savages, three prisoners, and
three canoes; and that their whole business seemed to be the
triumphant banquet upon these three human bodies; a barbar-
ous feast, indeed! but nothing more than, as I had observed,
was usual with them. I observed also, that they had landed,
not where they had done when Friday made his escape, but
nearer to my creek, where the shore was low, and where a thick
wood came almost close down to the sea. This, with the
abhorrence of the inhuman errand these wretches came about,
filled me with such indignation that I came down again to
Friday, and told him I was resolved to go down to them, and
kill them all; and asked him if he would stand by me. He had
now got over his fright, and his spirits being a little raised with
the dram I had given him, he was very cheerful, and told me,
as before, he would die when I bid die.
In this fit of fury I divided the arms which I had charged,
""
194
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
as before, between us; I gave Friday one pistol to stick in his
girdle, and three guns upon his shoulder, and I took one pistol
and the other three guns myself; and in this posture we
marched out. I took a small bottle of rum in my pocket, and
gave Friday a large bag with more powder and bullets; and as
to orders, I charged him to keep close behind me, and not to
stir, or shoot, or do anything till I bade him, and in the mean
time not to speak a word. In this posture I fetched a compass
to my right hand of near a mile, as well to get over the creek
as to get into the wood, so that I could come within shot of
them before I should be discovered, which I had seen by my
glass it was easy to do.
While I was making this march, my former thoughts return-
ing, I began to abate my resolution :-I do not mean that I en-
tertained any fear of their number, for, as they were naked, un-
armed wretches, it is certain I was superior to them-nay,
though I had been alone. But it occurred to my thoughts,
what call, what occasion, much less what necessity, I was in
to go and dip my hands in blood, to attack people who had
neither done or intended me any wrong? who, as to me, were
innocent, and whose barbarous customs were their own disaster,
being in them a token, indeed, of God's having left them, with
the other nations of that part of the world, to such stupidity,
and to such inhuman courses, but did not call me to take upon
me to be a judge of their actions, much less an executioner of
His justice, that whenever He thought fit He would take the
cause into His own hands, and by national vengeance punish
them as a people for national crimes, but that, in the mean
time, it was none of my business,-that it was true Friday
might justify it, because he was a declared enemy, and in a
state of war with those very particular people, and it was lawful
for him to attack them, but I could not say the same with re-
gard to myself. These things were so warmly pressed upon
my thoughts all the way as I went, that I resolved I would only
go and place myself near them that I might observe their bar-
barous feast, and that I would act then as God should direct ;
but that unless something offered that was more a call to me
than yet I knew of, I would not meddle with them.
With this resolution I entered the wood, and, with all pos-
sible wariness and silence, Friday following close at my heels,
I marched till I came to the skirt of the wood on the side
which was next to them, only that one corner of the wood lay
between me and them. Here I called softly to Friday, and
showing him a great tree which was just at the corner of the
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
195
wood, I bade him go to the tree, and bring me word if he could
see there plainly what they were doing. He did so, and came
immediately back to me, and told me they might be plainly
viewed there, that they were all about their fire eating the
flesh of one of their prisoners, and that another lay bound upon
the sand a little from them, whom he said they would kill next;
and this fired the very soul within me. He told me it was not
one of their nation, but one of the bearded men he had told me
of, that came to their country in the boat. I was filled with
horror at the very naming of the white, bearded man; and
going to the tree, I saw plainly by my glass a white man, who
lay upon the beach of the sea with his hands and his feet tied
with flags, or things like rushes, and that he was a European,
and had clothes on.
There was another tree, and a little thicket beyond it, about
fifty yards nearer to them than the place where I was, which,
by going a little way about, I saw I might come at undiscovered,
and that then I should be within half a shot of them; so I with-
held my passion, though I was indeed enraged to the highest
degree; and going back about twenty paces, I got behind some
bushes, which held all the way till I came to the other tree, and
then came to a little rising ground, which gave me a full view
of them at the distance of about eighty yards.
I had now not a moment to lose, for nineteen of the dread-
ful wretches sat upon the ground, all close huddled together,
and had just sent the other two to butcher the poor Christian,
and bring him perhaps limb by limb to their fire, and they were
stooping down to untie the bands at his feet. I turned to
Friday. "Now, Friday," said I, "do as I bid thee." Friday
said he would. "Then, Friday," says I, "do exactly as you
see me do ; fail in nothing." So I set down one of the muskets
and the fowling-piece upon the ground, and Friday did the like
by his, and with the other musket I took my aim at the savages,
bidding him to do the like; then asking him if he was ready, he
said, "Yes." "Then fire at them," said I; and at the same
moment I fired also.
Friday took his aim so much better than I, that on the side
that he shot he killed two of them, and wounded three more ;
and on my side I killed one, and wounded two. They were,
you may be sure, in a dreadful consternation; and all of them
that were not hurt jumped upon their feet, but did not imme-
diately know which way to run, or which way to look, for they
knew not from whence their destruction came. Friday kept
his eyes close upon me, that, as I had bid him, he might ob-
196
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
serve what I did; so, as soon as the first shot was made, 1
threw down the piece, and took up the fowling-piece, and Friday
did the like; he saw me cock and present; he did the same
again. "Are you ready, Friday?" said I. "Yes," says he.
Let fly then," says I, "in the name of God!" and with that
I fired again among the amazed wretches, and so did Friday;
and as our pieces were now loaded with what I call swan-shot,
or small pistol-bullets, we found only two drop; but so many
were wounded, that they ran about yelling and screaming like
mad creatures, all bloody, and most of them miserably wounded ;
whereof three more fell quickly after, though not quite dead.
""
1
"Now, Friday," says I, laying down the discharged pieces,
and taking up the musket which was yet loaded, "follow me,
which he did with a great deal of courage; upon which I rushed
out of the wood and showed myself, and Friday close at my
foot. As soon as I perceived they saw me, I shouted as loud
as I could, and bade Friday do so too, and running as fast
as I could, which by the way was not very fast, being loaded
with arms as I was, I made directly towards the poor vic-
tim, who was, as I said, lying upon the beach or shore, be-
tween the place where they sat and the sea. The two butchers
who were just going to work with him had left him at the sur-
prise of our first fire, and fled in a terrible fright to the sea-
side, and had jumped into a canoe, and three more of the rest
made the same way. I turned to Friday, and bade him step
forwards and fire at them; he understood me immediately, and
running about forty yards, to be nearer them, he shot at them;
and I thought he had killed them all, for I saw them all fall of
a heap into the boat, though I saw two of them up again
quickly; however, he killed two of them, and wounded the
third so that he lay down in the bottom of the boat as if he had
been dead.
While my man Friday fired at them, I pulled out my knife
and cut the flags that bound the poor victim; and loosing his
hands and feet, I lifted him up, and asked him, in the Portu-
guese tongue, what he was. He answered in Latin, Christianus ;
but was so weak and faint that he could scarce stand or speak.
I took my bottle out of my pocket, and gave it him, making
signs that he should drink, which he did; and I gave him a
piece of bread, which he ate. Then I asked him what country-
man he was and he said Espagniole; and being a little re-
covered, let me know, by all the signs he could possibly make,
how much he was in my debt for his deliverance. "Seignior,"
said I, with as much Spanish as I could make up, "we will talk·
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
197
afterwards, but we must fight now; if you have any strength
left, take this pistol and sword, and lay about you." He took
them very thankfully; and no sooner had he the arms in his
hands, but, as if they had put new vigor into him, he flew upon
his murderers like a fury, and had cut two of them in pieces in
an instant; for the truth is, as the whole was a surprise to them,
so the poor creatures were so much frightened with the noise
of our pieces that they fell down for mere amazement and fear,
and had no more power to attempt their own escape, than their
flesh had to resist our shot: and that was the case of those five
that Friday shot at in the boat; for as three of them fell with
the hurt they received, so the other two fell with the fright.
I kept my piece in my hand still without firing, being will-
ing to keep my charge ready, because I had given the Spaniard
my pistol and sword: so I called to Friday, and bade him run
up to the tree from whence we first fired, and fetch the arms
which lay there that had been discharged, which he did with
great swiftness; and then giving him my musket, I sat down
myself to load all the rest again, and bade them come to me
when they wanted. While I was loading these pieces, there
happened a fierce engagement between the Spaniard and one
of the savages, who made at him with one of their great wooden
swords, the weapon that was to have killed him before, if I had
not prevented it. The Spaniard, who was as bold and brave
as could be imagined, though weak, had fought the Indian a
good while, and had cut two great wounds on his head; but the
savage, being a stout, lusty fellow, closing in with him, had
thrown him down, being faint. and was wringing my sword out
of his hand; when the Spaniard, though undermost, wisely
quitting the sword, drew the pistol from his girdle, shot the
savage through the body, and killed him upon the spot, before
I, who was running to help him, could come near him.
Friday, being now left to his liberty, pursued the flying
wretches, with no weapon in his hand but his hatchet; and
with that he despatched those three who, as I said before, were
wounded at first, and fallen, and all the rest he could come up
with and the Spaniard coming to me for a gun, I gave him one
of the fowling-pieces, with which he pursued two of the savages,
and wounded them both; but, as he was not able to run, they
both got from him into the wood, where Friday pursued them and
killed one of them, but the other was too nimble for him; and
though he was wounded, yet had plunged himself into the sea,
and swam with all his might off to those two who were left in the
canoe; which three in the canoe, with one wounded, that we
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{
knew not whether he died or no, were all that escaped our hands,
of one-and-twenty. The account of the whole is as follows:—
three killed at our first shot from the tree; two killed at the
next shot; two killed by Friday in the boat; two killed by
Friday of those at first wounded; one killed by Friday in the
wood; three killed by the Spaniard; four killed, being found
dropped here and there, of the wounds, or killed by Friday in
his chase of them; four escaped in the boat, whereof one
wounded, if not dead-twenty-one in all.
Those that were in the canoe worked hard to get out of
gunshot, and though Friday made two or three shots at them,
I did not find that he hit any of them. Friday would fain have
had me take one of their canoes, and pursue them; and, in-
deed, I was very anxious about their escape, lest carrying the
news home to their people, they should come back perhaps with
two or three hundred of the canoes, and devour us by mere
multitude; so I consented to pursue them by sea, and running to
one of their canoes, I jumped in, and bade Friday follow me ;
but when I was in the canoe, I was surprised to find another
poor creature lie there, bound hand and foot, as the Spaniard
was, for the slaughter, and almost dead with fear, not knowing
what was the matter; for he had not been able to look up over
the side of the boat, he was tied so hard neck and heels, and
had been tied so long, that he had really but little life in him.
I immediately cut the twisted flags or rushes, which they
had bound him with, and would have helped him up; but he
could not stand or speak, but groaned most piteously, believ-
ing, it seems, still, that he was only unbound in order to be
killed. When Friday came to him, I bade him speak to him,
and tell him of his deliverance; and pulling out my bottle,
made him give the poor wretch a dram; which, with the news
of his being delivered, revived him, and he sat up in the boat.
But when Friday came to hear him speak, and look in his face,
it would have moved any one to tears to have seen how Friday
kissed him, embraced him, hugged him, cried, laughed, hallooed
jumped about, danced, sung; then cried again, wrung his hands,
beat his own face and head; and then sung and jumped about
again like a distracted creature. It was a good while before I
could make him speak to me, or tell me what was the matter ;
but when he came a little to himself, he told me that it was his
father.
It is not easy for me to express how it moved me to see
what ecstasy and filial affection had worked in this poor savage
at the sight of his father, and of his being delivered from death;
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
199
nor, indeed, can I describe half the extravagances of his affec-
tion after this: for he went into the boat, and out of the boat,
a great many times: when he went in to him, he would sit down
by him, open his breast, and hold his father's head close to his
bosom for many minutes together, to nourish it; then he took
his arms and ankles, which were numbed and stiff with the
binding, and chafed and rubbed them with his hands; and I,
perceiving what the case was, gave him some rum out of my
bottle to rub them with, which did them a great deal of good.
This affair put an end to our pursuit of the canoe with the
other savages, who were now almost out of sight: and it was
happy for us that we did not, for it blew so hard within two
hours after, and before they could be got a quarter of their way,
and continued blowing so hard all night, and that from the
north-west, which was against them, that I could not suppose
their boat could live, or that they ever reached their own coast.
But to return to Friday: he was so busy about his father,
that I could not find in my heart to take him off for some time;
but after I thought he could leave him a little, I called him to
me, and he came jumping and laughing, and pleased to the
highest extreme; then I asked him if he had given his father
any bread. He shook his head, and said, "None; ugly dog.
eat all up self." I then gave him a cake of bread, out of a little
pouch I carried on purpose; I also gave him a dram for him-
self; but he would not taste it, but carried it to his father. I
had in my pocket two or three bunches of raisins; so I gave
him a handful of them for his father. He had no sooner given
his father these raisins, but I saw him come out of the boat and
run away as if he had been bewitched, for he was the swiftest
fellow on his feet that ever I saw: I say, he ran at such a rate
that he was out of sight, as it were, in an instant; and though
I called and hallooed out too, after him, it was all one-away he
went; and in a quarter of an hour I saw him come back again,
though not so fast as he went; as he came nearer, I found his
pace slacker, because he had something in his hand. When he
came up to me, I found he had been quite home for an earthen
jug or pot, to bring his father some fresh water, and that he
`had got two more cakes or loaves of bread: the bread he gave
me, but the water he carried to his father; however, as I was
very thirsty too, I took a little of it. The water revived his
father more than all the rum or spirits I had given him, for he
was fainting with thirst.
When his father had drank, I called to him to know if there
was any water left: he said, "Yes;
Yes;" and I bade him give it to
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;
the poor Spaniard, who was in as much want of it as his father
and I sent one of the cakes, that Friday brought, to the Spaniard
too, who was indeed very weak, and was reposing himself upon a
green place under the shade of a tree; and whose limbs were
also very stiff, and very much swelled with the rude bandage he
had been tied with. When I saw that upon Friday's coming to
him with the water he sat up and drank, and took the bread
and began to eat, I went to him and gave him a handful of
raisins; he looked up in my face with all the tokens of grati-
tude and thankfulness that could appear in any countenance;
but was so weak, notwithstanding he had so exerted himself in
the fight, that he could not stand up upon his feet: he tried to
do it two or three times, but was really not able, his ankles were
so swelled and so painful to him; so I bade him sit still, and
caused Friday to rub his ankles, and bathe them with rum, as
he had done his father's.
I observed the poor affectionate creature, every two min-
utes, or perhaps less, all the while he was here, turn his head
about, to see if his father was in the same place and posture as
he left him sitting; and at last he found he was not to be seen ;
at which he started up, and, without speaking a word, flew with
that swiftness to him, that one could scarce perceive his feet to
touch the ground as he went: but when he came, he only found
he had laid himself down to ease his limbs; so Friday came
back to me presently; and then I spoke to the Spaniard to let
Friday help him up, if he could, and lead him to the boat, and
then he should carry him to our dwelling, where I would take
care of him. But Friday, a lusty, strong fellow, took the Span-
iard upon his back, and carried him away to the boat, and set
him down softly upon the side or gunnel of the canoe, with his
feet in the inside of it; and then lifting him quite in, he set him
close to his father; and presently stepping out again, launched
the boat off, and paddled it along the shore faster than I could
walk, though the wind blew pretty hard too; so he brought
them both safe into our creek, and leaving them in the boat,
ran away to fetch the other canoe. As he passed me I spoke
to him, and asked him whither he went.
He told me,
fetch more boat: so away he went like the wind, for sure never
man or horse ran like him; and he had the other canoe in the
creek almost as soon as I got to it by land; so he wafted me
over, and then went to help our new guests out of the boat, which
he did; but they were neither of them able to walk; so that
poor Friday knew not what to do.
"Go.
""
To remedy this, I went to work in my thought, and calling
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
201
to Friday to bid them sit down on the bank while he came to
me, I soon made a kind of hand-barrow to lay them on, and
Friday and I carried them both up together upon it between us.
;
But when we got them to the outside of our wall, or fortifi-
cation, we were at a worse loss than before, for it was impos-
sible to get them over, and I was resolved not to break it down
so I set to work again, and Friday and I, in about two hours'
time, made a very handsome tent, covered with old sails, and
above that with boughs of trees, being in the space without our
outward fence, and between that and the grove of our young
wood which I had planted; and here we made them two beds
of such things as I had; viz.: of good rice-straw, with blankets
laid upon it, to lie on, and another to cover them, on each bed.
My island was now peopled, and I thought myself very rich
in subjects; and it was a merry reflection, which I frequently
made, how like a king I looked. First of all, the whole coun-
try was my own property, so that I had an undoubted right of
dominion. Secondly, my people were perfectly subjected: I
was absolutely lord and lawgiver: they all owed their lives to
me, and were ready to lay down their lives, if there had been
occasion for it, for me. It was remarkable, too, I had but three
subjects, and they were of three different religions: my man
Friday was a Protestant, his father was a Pagan and a can-
nibal, and the Spaniard was a Papist. However, I allowed
liberty of conscience throughout my dominions. But this is
by the way.
As soon as I had secured my two weak rescued prisoners,
and given them shelter, and a place to rest them upon, I began
to think of making some provision for them: and the first
thing I did, I ordered Friday to take a yearling goat, betwixt a
kid and a goat, out of my particular flock, to be killed; when I
cut off the hinder quarter, and chopping it into small pieces, I
set Friday to work to boiling and stewing, and made them a
very good dish, I assure you, of flesh and broth; and as I
cooked it without doors, for I made no fire within my inner
wall, so I carried it all into the new tent, and having set a table
there for them, I sat down, and ate my own dinner also with
them, and, as well as I could, cheered them and encouraged
them. Friday was my interpreter, especially to his father, and,
indeed, to the Spaniard too; for the Spaniard spoke the lan-
guage of the savages pretty well.
After we had dined, or rather supped, I ordered Friday to
take one of the canoes, and go fetch our muskets and other fire-
arms, which for want of time, we had left upon the place of
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battle; and, the next day, I ordered him to go and bury the
dead bodies of the savages, which lay open to the sun, and
would presently be offensive. I also ordered him to bury the
horrid remains of their barbarous feast, which I could not think
of doing myself: nay, I could not bear to see them, if I went
that way; all which he punctually performed, and effaced the
very appearance of the savages being there; so that when I
went again, I could scarce know where it was, otherwise than by
the corner of the wood pointing to the place.
I then began to enter into a little conversation with my two
new subjects; and first, I set Friday to inquire of his father
what he thought of the escape of the savages in that canoe, and
whether we might expect a return of them, with a power too
great for us to resist. His first opinion was, that the savages
in the boat never could live out the storm which blew that night
they went off, but must, of necessity, be drowned, or driven
south to those other shores, where they were as sure to be de-
voured as they were to be drowned if they were cast away;
but, as to what they would do if they came safe on shore, he
said he knew not; but it was his opinion, that they were so
dreadfully frightened with the manner of their being attacked,
the noise, and the fire, that he believed they would tell the peo-
ple they were all killed by thunder and lightning, not by the
hand of man; and that the two which appeared, viz.: Friday
and I, were two heavenly spirits, or furies, come down to de-
stroy them, and not men with weapons. This, he said, he knew ;
because he heard them all cry out so, in their language, one to
another; for it was impossible for them to conceive that a man
could dart fire, and speak thunder, and kill at a distance, with-
out lifting up the hand, as was done now: and this old savage
was in the right; for as I understood since, by other hands, the
savages never attempted to go over to the island afterwards,
they were so terrified by the accounts given by those four men
(for it seems they did escape the sea), that they believed who-
ever went to that enchanted island would be destroyed by fire
from the gods. This, however, I knew not; and therefore was
under continual apprehensions for a good while, and kept
always upon my guard, with all my army; for, as there were
now four of us, I would have ventured upon a hundred of them,
fairly in the open field, at any time.
In a little time, however, no more canoes appearing, the
fear of their coming wore off; and I began to take my former
thoughts of a voyage to the main into consideration; being
likewise assured, by Friday's father, that I might depend upon
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
203
good usage from their nation, on his account, if I would go.
But my thoughts were a little suspended when I had a serious
discourse with the Spaniard, and when I understood that there
were sixteen more of his countrymen and Portuguese, who,
having been cast away and made their escape to that side,
lived there at peace, indeed, with the savages, but were very
sore put to it for necessaries, and, indeed, for life. I asked
him all the particulars of their voyage, and found they were a
Spanish ship, bound from the Rio de la Plata to the Havana,
being directed to leave their loading there, which was chiefly
hides and silver, and to bring back what European goods they
could meet with there; that they had five Portuguese seamen
on board, whom they took out of another wreck; that five of
their own men were drowned, when first the ship was lost, and
that these escaped through infinite dangers and hazards, and
arrived, almost starved, on the cannibal coast, where they ex-
pected to have been devoured every moment. He told me
they had some arms with them, but they were perfectly useless,
for that they had neither powder nor ball, the washing of the
sea having spoiled all their powder but a little, which they used
at their first landing, to provide themselves some food.
I asked him what he thought would become of them there,
and if they had formed any design of making their escape.
He said they had many consultations about it; but that, having
neither vessel, nor tools to build one, nor provisions of any
kind, their councils always ended in tears and despair. I
asked him how he thought they would receive a proposal from
me, which might tend towards an escape; and, whether, if
they were all here, it might not be done. I told him with free-
dom, I feared mostly their treachery and ill usage of me, if I
put my life in their hands; for that gratitude was no inherent
virtue in the nature of man, nor did men always square their
dealings by the obligations they had received, so much as they
did by the advantages they expected. I told him it would be
very hard that I should be the instrument of their deliverance,
and that they should afterwards make me their prisoner in
New Spain, where an Englishman was certain to be made a
sacrifice, what necessity, or what accident soever brought him
thither; and that I had rather be delivered up to the savages,
and be devoured alive, than fall into the merciless claws of the
priests, and be carried into the Inquisition. I added that,
otherwise, I was persuaded, if they were all here, we might,
with so many hands, build a bark large enough to carry us all
away, either to the Brazils southward, or to the islands or
1
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'
Spanish coast northward; but that if, in requital, they should,
when I had put weapons into their hands, carry me by force
among their own people, I might be ill used for my kindness.
to them, and make my case worse than it was before.
He answered, with a great deal of candor and ingenuous-
ness, that their condition was so miserable, and that they were
so sensible of it, that he believed they would abhor the thought
of using any man unkindly that should contribute to their
deliverance; and that, if I pleased, he would go to them, with
the old man, and discourse with them about it, and return
again, and bring me their answer; that he would make condi-
tions with them upon their solemn oath, that they should be
absolutely under my direction, as their commander and captain;
and they should swear upon the holy sacraments and gospel,
to be true to me, and go to such Christian country as I should
agree to, and no other; and to be directed wholly and abso-
lutely by my orders, till they were landed safely in such country
as I intended; and that he would bring a contract from them,
under their hands, for that purpose. Then he told me he would
first swear to me himself, that he would never stir from me as
long as he lived, till I gave him orders; and that he would take
my side to the last drop of his blood, if there should happen
the least breach of faith among his countrymen. He told me
they were all of them very civil, honest men, and they were
under the greatest distress imaginable, having neither weapons
or clothes, nor any food, but at the mercy and discretion of the
savages; out of all hopes of ever returning to their own coun-
try; and that he was sure, if I would undertake their relief,
they would live and die by me.
Upon these assurances, I resolved to venture to relieve
them, if possible, and to send the old savage and this Spaniard
over to them to treat. But when he had got all things in
readiness to go, the Spaniard himself started an objection,
which had so much prudence in it on one hand, and so much
sincerity on the other hand, that I could not but be very well
satisfied in it; and, by his advice, put off the deliverance of
his comrades for at least half a year. The case was thus: he
had been with us now about a month, during which time I had
let him see in what manner I had provided, with the assistance
of Providence, for my support; and he saw evidently what
stock of corn and rice I had laid up; which, though it was
more than sufficient for myself, yet it was not sufficient, without
good husbandry, for my family, now it was increased to four;
but much less would it be sufficient if his countrymen, who
C
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205
were, as he said, sixteen, still alive, should come over; and
least of all would it be sufficient to victual our vessel, if we
should build one, for a voyage to any of the Christian colonies
of America; so he told me he thought it would be more advis-
able to let him and the other two dig and cultivate some more
land, as much as I could spare seed to sow, and that we should
wait another harvest, that we might have a supply of corn for
his countrymen, when they should come; for want might be a
temptation to them to disagree, or not to think themselves
delivered, otherwise than out of one difficulty into another.
"You know," says he, "the children of Israel, though they
rejoiced at first for their being delivered out of Egypt, yet
rebelled even against God himself, that delivered them, when
they came to want bread in the wilderness."
His caution was so seasonable, and his advice so good,
that I could not but be very well pleased with his proposal,
as well as I was satisfied with his fidelity; so we fell to dig-
ging, all four of us, as well as the wooden tools we were fur-
nished with permitted; and, in about a month's time, by the
end of which it was seed-time, we had got as much land cured
and trimmed up, as we sowed two-and-twenty bushels of barley
on, and sixteen jars of rice, which was, in short, all the seed
we had to spare indeed, we left ourselves barely sufficient for
our own food for the six months that we had to expect our
crop; that is to say, reckoning from the time we set our seed
aside for sowing; for it is not to be supposed it is six months
in the ground in that country.
Having now society enough, and our number being suffi-
cient to put us out of fear of the savages, if they had come,
unless their number had been very great, we went freely all
over the island, whenever we found occasion; and as we had
our escape or deliverance upon our thoughts, it was impossible,
at least for me, to have the means of it out of mine. For
this purpose, I marked out several trees, which I thought fit
for our work, and I set Friday and his father to cut them
down; and then I caused the Spaniard, to whom I imparted
my thoughts on that affair, to oversee and direct their work.
I showed them with what indefatigable pains I had hewed a
large tree into single planks, and I caused them to do the like,
till they had made about a dozen large planks of good oak,
near two feet broad, thirty-five feet long, and from two inches
to four inches thick: what prodigious labor it took up, any one
may imagine.
At the same time, I contrived to increase my little flock of
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•
tame goats as much as I could; and, for this purpose, I made
Friday and the Spaniard go out one day, and myself with Fri-
day the next day (for we took our turns), and by this means we
got about twenty young kids to breed up with the rest; for
whenever we shot the dam, we saved the kids, and added them
to our flock. But, above all, the season for curing the grapes
coming on, I caused such a prodigious quantity to be hung up
in the sun, that, I believe, had we been at Alicant, where the
raisins of the sun are cured, we could have filled sixty or eighty
barrels; and these, with our bread, formed a great part of our
food—very good living too, I assure you, for they are exceeding
nourishing.
It was now harvest, and our crop in good order: it was
not the most plentiful increase I had seen in the island, but,
however, it was enough to answer our end; for, from twenty-
two bushels of barley, we brought in and thrashed out above
two hundred and twenty bushels; and the like in proportion of
the rice; which was store enough for our food to the next har
vest, though all the sixteen Spaniards had been on shore with
me; or, if we had been ready for a voyage, it would very plen-
tifully have victualled our ship to have carried us to any part
of the world, that is to say, any part of America. When we
had thus housed and secured our magazine of corn, we fell to
work to make more wicker-ware, viz.: great baskets, in which
we kept it; and the Spaniard was very handy and dexterous
at this part, and often blamed me that I did not make some
things for defence of this kind of work; but I saw no need
of it.
And now, having a full supply of food for all the guests I
expected, I gave the Spaniard leave to go over to the main, to
see what he could do with those he had left behind him there.
I gave him a strict charge not to bring any man with him who
would not swear, in the presence of himself and the old savage,
that he would no way injure, fight with, or attack the person
he should find in the island, who was so kind as to send for
them in order to their deliverance; but that they should stand
by him and defend him against all such attempts, and wherever
they went, would be entirely under and subjected to his com-
mand; and that this should be put in writing, and signed in
their hands. How they were to have done this, when I knew
they had neither pen nor ink, was a question which we never
asked. Under these instructions, the Spaniard and the old
savage, the father of Friday, went away in one of the canoes
which they might be said to have come in, or rather were
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207
brought in, when they came as prisoners to be devoured by the
savage. I gave each of them a musket, with a firelock on it,
and about eight charges of powder and ball, charging them to
be very good husbands of both, and not to use either of them
but upon urgent occasions.
This was a cheerful work, being the first measures used by
me, in view of my deliverance, for now twenty-seven years
and some days. I gave them provisions of bread, and of dried
grapes, sufficient for themselves for many days, and sufficient for
all the Spaniards for about eight days' time; and wishing them
a good voyage, I saw them go, agreeing with them about a
signal they should hang out at their return, by which I should
know them again, when they came back, at a distance, before
they came on shore. They went away, with a fair gale, on the
day that the moon was at full, by my account in the month of
October; but as for an exact reckoning of days, after I had
once lost it, I could never recover it again; nor had I kept
even the number of years so punctually as to be sure I was
right; though, as it proved, when I afterwards examined my
account, I found I had kept a true reckoning of years.
It was no less than eight days I had waited for them, when
a strange and unforeseen accident intervened, of which like has
not, perhaps, been heard of in history. I was fast asleep in
my hutch one morning, when my man Friday came running in
to me, and called aloud, "Master, master, they are come, they
are come!" I jumped up, and, regardless of danger, I went
out as soon as I could get my clothes on, through my little
grove, which, by the way, was by this time grown to be a very
thick wood; I say, regardless of danger, I went out without my
arms, which was not my custom to do: but I was surprised,
when, turning my eyes to the sea, I presently saw a boat at
about a league and a half distance, standing in for the shore,
with a shoulder-of-mutton sail, as they call it, and the wind
blowing pretty fair to bring them.in : also I observed, presently,
that they did not come from the side which the shore lay on,
but from the southernmost end of the island. Upon this I called
Friday in, and bade him lie close, for these were not the people
we looked for, and that we might not know yet whether they
were friends or enemies. In the next, I went in to fetch my
perspective-glass, to see what I could make of them; and hav-
ing taken the ladder out, I climbed up to the top of the hill, as
I used to do when I was apprehensive of anything, and to take
my view the plainer, without being discovered. I had sca13
set my foot upon the hill, when my eye plainly discovered a
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ship lying at an anchor, at about two leagues and a half distance.
from me S. S. E., but not above a league and a half from
the shore. By my observation, it appeared plainly to be an
English ship, and the boat appeared to be an English long-
boat.
I cannot express the confusion I was in, though the joy of
seeing a ship, and one that I had reason to believe was manned
by my own countrymen, and consequently friends, was such as I
cannot describe; but yet I had some secret doubts hung about
me-I cannot tell from whence they came-bidding me keep
upon my guard. In the first place, it occurred to me to consider
what business an English ship could have in that part of the
world, since it was not the way to or from any part of the world
where the English had any traffic; and I knew there had been
no storms to drive them in there, in distress; and that if they
were really English, it was most probable that they were here
upon no good design; and that I had better continue as I was,
than fall into the hands of thieves and murderers.
Let no man despise the secret hints and notices of danger
which sometimes are given him when he may think there is no
possibility of its being real. That such hints and notices are
given us, I believe few that have made any observations of
things can deny; that they are certain discoveries of an invis-
ible world, and a converse of spirits, we cannot doubt; and if
the tendency of them seems to be to warn us of danger, why
should we not suppose they are from some friendly agent
(whether supreme, or inferior and subordinate, is not the ques-
tion), and that they are given for our good?
The present question abundantly confirms me in the justice.
of this reasoning; for had I not been made cautious by this
secret admonition, come it from whence it will, I had been un-
done inevitably, and in a far worse condition than before, as
you will see presently. I had not kept himself long in this
posture, till I saw the boat draw near the shore, as if they looked
for a creek to thrust in at, for the convenience of landing;
however, as they did not come quite far enough, they did not
see the little inlet where I formerly landed my rafts, but ran
their boat on shore upon the beach, at about half a mile from me ;
which was very happy for me; for otherwise they would have
landed just at my door, as I may say, and would soon have
beaten me out of my castle, and perhaps have plundered me of
all I had. When they were on shore, I was fully satisfied they
were Englishmen, at least most of them; one or two I thought were
Dutch, but it did not prove so; there were in all eleven mer,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
209
whereof three of them I found were unarmed, and, as I thought,
bound; and when the first four or five of them were jumped on
shore, they took those three out of the boat, as prisoners; one
of the three I could perceive using the most passionate gestures
of entreaty, affliction, and despair, even to a kind of extrav-
agance; the other two, I could perceive, lifted up their hands
sometimes, and appeared concerned, indeed, but not to such a
degree as the first. I was perfectly confounded at the sight,
and knew not what the meaning of it should be. Friday called
out to me in English, as well as he could, “O master! you see
English mans eat prisoners as well as savage mans.
"Why,
Friday," says I, "do you think they are going to eat them,
then?" "Yes," says Friday, "they will eat them." 'No, no,"
says I, "Friday; I am afraid they will murder them, indeed;
but you may be sure they will not eat them."
(6
All this while I had no thought of what the matter really
was, but stood trembling with the horror of the sight, expecting
every moment when the three prisoners should be killed; nay,
once I saw one of the villains lift up his arm with a great cut-
lass, as the seamen call it, or sword, to strike one of the poor
men; and I expected to see him fall every moment; at which
all the blood in my body seemed to run chill in my veins. I
wished heartily now for the Spaniard, and the savage that was
gone with him, or that I had any way to have come undis-
covered within shot of them, that I might have secured the
three men, for I saw no fire-arms they had among them; but
it fell out to my mind another way. After I had observed the
outrageous usage of the three men by the insolent seamen, I
observed the fellows run scattering about the island, as if they
wanted to see the country. I observed that the three other
men had liberty to go also where they pleased; but they sat
down all three upon the ground, very pensive, and looked like
men in despair. This put me in mind of the first time when I
came on shore, and began to look about me; how I gave my-
Self over for lost; how wildly I looked round me; what dread-
ful apprehensions I had; and how I lodged in the tree all
night, for fear of being devoured by wild beasts. As I knew
nothing, that night, of the supply I was to receive by the pro-
vidential driving of the ship nearer the land by the storms and
tide, by which I have since been so long nourished and sup-
ported, so these three poor desolate men knew nothing how
certain of deliverance and supply they were, how near it was
to them, and how effectually and really they were in a condi-
tion of safety, at the same time that they thought themselves.
""
210
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
t
lost, and their case desperate. So little do we see before us
in the world, and so much reason have we to depend cheerfully
upon the great Maker of the world, that He does not leave
His creatures so absolutely destitute, but that, in the worst
circumstances, they have always something to be thankful for,
and sometimes are nearer deliverance than they imagine; nay,
are even brought to their deliverance by the means by which
they seem to be brought to their destruction.
It was just at high water when these people came on shore ;
and while they rambled about to see what kind of a place they
were in, they had carelessly staid till the tide was spent, and
the water was ebbed considerably away, leaving their boat
aground. They had left two men in the boat, who, as I found
afterwards, having drunk a little too much brandy, fell asleep;
however, one of them, waking a little sooner than the other,
and finding the boat too fast aground for him to stir it, hallooed
out for the rest, who were straggling about; upon which they
all soon came to the boat: but it was past all their strength
to launch her, the boat being very heavy, and the shore on that
side being a soft oozy sand, almost like a quicksand. In this con-
dition, like true seamen, who are, perhaps, the least of all man-
kind given to forethought, they gave it over, and away they
strolled about the country again; and I heard one of them
say aloud to another, calling them off from the boat, "Why,
let her alone, Jack, can't you? she'll float next tide;" by which
I was fully confirmed in the main inquiry of what countrymen
they were. All this while I kept myself very close, not once
daring to stir out of my castle, any farther than to my place of
observation, near the top of the hill: and very glad I was to
think how well it was fortified. knew it was no less than
ten hours before the boat could float again, and by that time
it would be dark, and I might be at more liberty to see their
motions, and to hear their discourse, if they had any. In the
mean time, I fitted myself up for a battle, as before, though
with more caution, knowing I had to do with another kind of
enemy than I had at first. I ordered Friday also, whom I had
made an excellent marksman with his gun, to load himself with
arms. I took myself two fowling-pieces, and I gave him three
muskets. My figure, indeed, was very fierce; I had my for-
midable goat-skin coat on, with the great cap I have mentioned,
a naked sword by my side, two pistols in my belt, and a gun
upon each shoulder.
It was my design, as I said above, not to have made any at-
tempt till it was dark; but about two o'clock, being the heat
ROBINSON CRUSOË.
211
of the day, I found that they were all gone straggling into the
woods, and, as I thought, laid down to sleep. The three poor
distressed men, too anxious for their condition to get any sleep,
had, however, sat down under the shelter of a great tree, at
about a quarter of a mile from me, and, as I thought, out of
sight of any of the rest. Upon this I resolved to discover my-
self to them, and learn something of their condition; immedi-
ately I marched as above, my man Friday at a good distance
behind me, as formidable for his arms as I, but not making
quite so staring a spectre-like figure as I did. I came as near
them undiscovered as I could, and then, before any of them
saw me, I called aloud to them in Spanish, "What are ye,
gentlemen?" They started up at the noise, but were ten times
more confounded when they saw me, and the uncouth figure
that I made. They made no answer at all, but I thought I
perceived them just going to fly from me, when I spoke to
them in English. Gentlemen," said I, "do not be sur-
prised at me; perhaps you may have a friend near, when
you did not expect it.' "He must be sent directly from
Heaven then," said one of them very gravely to me, and
pulling off his hat at the same time to me; "for our condition
is past the help of man." "All help is from Heaven, sir,"
said I: "but can you put a stranger in the way to help you?
for you seem to be in some great distress. I saw you when
you landed; and when you seemed to make application to the
brutes that came with you, I saw one of them lift up his sword
to kill you.
""
""
(6
The poor man, with tears running down his face, and trem-
bling, looking like one astonished, returned, “Am I talking to
God, or man? Is it a real man, or an angel?" "Be in no
fear about that, sir," said I, "if God had sent an angel to
relieve you, he would have come better clothed, and armed
after another manner than you see me; pray lay aside your
fears; I am a man, an Englishman, and disposed to assist you;
you see I have one servant only; we have arms and ammuni-
tion; tell us freely, can we serve you? What is your case ? "
“Our case, sir," said he, "is too long to tell you, while our
murderers are so near us; but, in short, sir, I was commander
of that ship; my men have mutined against me; they have
been hardly prevailed on not to murder me, and, at last, have
set me on shore in this desolate place, with these two men
with me,—one my mate, the other a passenger,—where we ex-
pected to perish, believing the place to be uninhabited, and
know not yet what to think of it." "Where are these brutes,
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""
your enemies?" said I; "do you know where they are gone?
"There they lie, sir," said he, pointing to a thicket of trees;
"my heart trembles for fear they have seen us, and heard you
speak; if they have, they will certainly murder us all." "Have
they any fire-arms?" said I. He answered, "they had only
two pieces, one of which they left in the boat." "Well, then,'
said I, ،،
leave the rest to me; I see they are all asleep; it is
an easy thing to kill them all; but shall we rather take them
prisoners?" He told me there were two desperate villains
among them that it was scarce safe to show any mercy to; but
if they were secured, he believed all the rest would return to
their duty. I asked him which they were. He told me he
could not at that distance distinguish them, but he would obey
my orders in anything I would direct. "Well," says I, "let
us retreat out of their view or hearing, lest they awake, and we
will resolve further.". So they willingly went back with me,
till the woods covered us from them.
""
"Look you, sir," said I, "if I venture upon your deliver-
ance, are you willing to make two conditions with me? He
anticipated my proposals by telling me that both he and the
ship, if recovered, should be wholly directed and commanded
by me in everything; and if the ship was not recovered, he
would live and die with me in what part of the world soever I
would send him; and the two other men said the same.
Well," says I, "my conditions are but two; first, that while
you stay in this island with me, you will not pretend to any
authority here; and if I put arms in your hands, you will, upon
all occasions, give them up to me, and do no prejudice to me
or mine upon this island, and in the mean time be governed
by my orders; secondly, that if the ship is or may be recov-
ered, you will carry me and my man to England passage free.”
He gave me all the assurances that the invention or faith
of man could devise that he would comply with these most
reasonable demands, and besides would owe his life to me, and
acknowledge it upon all occasions as long as he lived. "Well,
then," said I, "here are three muskets for you, with powder
and ball; tell me next what you think is proper to be done."
He showed all the testimonies of his gratitude that he was
able, but offered to be wholly guided by me. I told him I
thought it was hard venturing anything; but the best method I
could think of was to fire on them at once as they lay, and if
any were not killed at the first volley, and offered to submit,
we might save them, and so put it wholly upon God's provi-
dence to direct the shot. He said, very modestly, that he was
،،
29
App
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213
loath to kill them, if he could help it; but that those two were
incorrigible villains, and had been the authors of all the mutiny
in the ship, and if they escaped, we should be undone still, for
they would go on board and bring the whole ship's company,
and destroy us all. "Well, then," says I, "necessity legiti-
mates my advice, for it is the only way to save our lives."
However, seeing him still cautious of shedding blood, I told
him they should go themselves, and manage as they found con-
venient.
He
66
In the middle of this discourse we heard some of them
I
awake, and soon after we saw two of them on their feet.
asked him if either of them were the heads of the mutiny.
said, "No." 'Well, then,” said I, "you may let them escape;
and Providence seems to have awakened them on purpose to
save themselves. Now," says I, "if the rest escape you, it is
your fault." Animated with this, he took the musket I had
given him in his hand, and a pistol in his belt, and his two
comrades with him, with each a piece in his hand; the two
men who were with him, going first, made some noise, at which
one of the seamen, who was awake, turned about, and seeing
them coming, cried out to the rest; but it was too late then,
for the moment he cried out they fired-I mean the two men,
the captain wisely reserving his own piece. They had so well
aimed their shot at the men they knew, that one of them was
killed on the spot, and the other very much wounded; but not
being dead, he started up on his feet, and called eagerly for
help to the other; but the captain, stepping to him, told him it
was too late to cry for help; he should call upon God to for-
give his villany, and with that word knocked him down with
the stock of his musket, so that he never spoke more: there
were three more in the company, and one of them was slightly
wounded. By this time I was come; and when they saw their
danger, and that it was in vain to resist, they begged for mercy.
The captain told them he would spare their lives if they would
give him an assurance of their abhorrence of the treachery they
had been guilty of, and would swear to be faithful to him in
recovering the ship, and afterwards in carrying her back to
Jamaica, from whence they came. They gave him all the pro-
testations of their sincerity that could be desired; and he was
willing to believe them, and spare their lives, which I was not
against, only that I obliged him to keep them bound hand and
foot while they were on the island.
While this was doing, I sent Friday with the captain's mate
to the boat, with orders to secure ner, and bring away the oars
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and sails, which they did; and by and by three straggling men,
that were (happily for them) parted from the rest, came back
upon hearing the guns fired; and seeing the captain, who was
before their prisoner, now their conqueror, they subraitted to
be bound also; and so our victory was complete.
It now remained that the captain and I should inquire into
one another's circumstances. I began first, and told him my
whole history, which he heard with an attention even to amaze-
ment, and particularly at the wonderful manner of my being
furnished with provisions and ammunition; and, indeed, as my
story is a whole collection of wonders, it affected him deeply.
But when he reflected from thence upon himself, and how I
seemed to have been preserved there on purpose to save his
life, the tears ran down his face, and he could not speak a word
more. After this communication was at an end, I carried him
and his two men into my apartment, leading them in just where
I came out, viz.: at the top of the house, where I refreshed him
with such provision as I had, and showed them all the con-
trivances I had made during my long, long inhabiting that
place.
All I showed them, all I said to them, was perfectly amaz-
ing; but above all, the captain admired my fortification, and
how perfectly I had concealed my retreat with a grove of trees,
which, having been now planted near twenty years, and the
trees growing much faster than in England, was become a little
wood, so thick that it was impassable in any part of it but at
that one side where I had' reserved my little winding passage
into it. I told him this was my castle and my residence, but
that I had a seat in the country, as most princes have, whither
I could retreat upon occasion, and I would show him that too
another time; but at present our business was to consider how
to recover the ship. He agreed with me as to that, but told
me he was perfectly at a loss what measures to take, for that
there were still six-and-twenty hands on board, who, having
entered into a cursed conspiracy, by which they had all forfeited
their lives to the law, would be hardened in it now by despera-
tion, and would carry it on, knowing that if they were subdued
they would be brought to the gallows as soon as they came to
England, or to any of the English colonies, and that, therefore,
there would be no attacking them with so small a number as
we were.
I mused for some time upon what he had said, and found
it was a very rational conclusion, and that therefore something
was to be resolved on speedily, as well to draw the men on
Į
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
215
board into some snare for their surprise, as to prevent their
landing upon us and destroying us. Upon this it presently
occurred to me that in a little while the ship's crew, wondering
what was become of their comrades and of the boat, would
certainly come on shore in their other boat to look for them,
and that then, perhaps, they might come armed, and be too strong
for us: this he allowed to be rational. Upon this, I told him the
first thing we had to do was to stave the boat, which lay upon
the beach, so that they might not carry her off, and taking
everything out of her, leave her so far useless as not to be fit
to swim. Accordingly we went on board, took the arms which
were left on board out of her, and whatever else we found
there, which was a bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a
few biscuit cakes, a horn of powder, and a great lump of sugar
in a piece of canvas (the sugar was five or six pounds); all
which was very welcome to me, especially the brandy and
sugar, of which I had had none left for many years.
When we had carried all these things on shore (the oars,
mast, sail, and rudder of the boat were carried away before),
we knocked a great hole in her bottom, that if they had come
strong enough to master us, yet they could not carry off the boat.
Indeed, it was not much in my thoughts that we could be able
to recover the ship; but my view was, that if they went away
without the boat, I did not much question to make her again
fit to carry us to the Leeward Islands, and call upon our
friends the Spaniards in my way, for I had them still in my
thoughts.
K
While we were thus preparing our designs, and had first, by
main strength, heaved the boat upon the beach, so high that
the tide would not float her off at high-water mark, and besides,
had broke a hole in her bottom too big to be quickly stopped,
and were set down musing what we should do, we heard the
ship fire a gun, and make a waft with her ensign as a signal for
the boat to come on board : but no boat stirred; and they fired
several times, making other signals for the boat. At last, when
all their signals and firing proved fruitless, and they found the
boat did not stir, we saw them, by the help of my glasses,
hoist another boat out, and row towards the shore; and we
found, as they approached, that there were no less than ten
men in her, and that they had fire-arms with them.
As the ship lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had
a full view of them as they came, and a plain sight even of
their faces; because the tide having set them a little to the
east of the other boat, they rowed up under shore, to come to
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the same place where the other had landed, and where the
boat lay; by this means, I say, we had a full view of them, and
the captain knew the persons and characters of all the men in
the boat, of whom, he said, there were three very honest
fellows, who, he was sure, were led into this conspiracy by the
rest, being overpowered and frightened; but that as for the
boatswain, who it seems was the chief officer among them, and
all the rest, they were as outrageous as any of the ship's crew,
and were no doubt made desperate in their new enterprise ;
and terribly apprehensive he was that they would be too pow-
erful for us. I smiled at him, and told him that men in our
circumstances were past the operation of fear; that seeing
almost every condition that could be was better than that
which we were supposed to be in, we ought to expect that the
consequence, whether death or life, would be sure to be a de-
liverance. I asked him what he thought of the circumstances
of my life, and whether a deliverance were not worth venturing
for? "And where, sir," said I, "is your belief of my being
preserved here on purpose to save your life, which elevated you
a little while ago? For my part," said I, "there seems to be
but one thing amiss in all the prospect of it." "What is that?"
says he.
"Why," said I, "it is, that, as you say, there are
three or four honest fellows among them, which should be
spared; had they been all of the wicked part of the crew, I
should have thought God's providence had singled them out
to deliver them into your hands; for depend upon it, every
man that comes ashore is our own, and shall die or live as they
behave to us." As I spoke this with a raised voice and cheer-
ful countenance, I found it greatly encouraged him; so we set
vigorously to our business.
((
We had, upon the first appearance of the boats coming from
the ship, considered of separating our prisoners; and we had
indeed, secured them effectually. Two of them, of whom the
captain was less assured than ordinary, I sent with Friday, and
one of the three delivered men, to my cave, where they were
remote enough, and out of danger of being heard or discovered,
or of finding their way out of the woods, if they could have
delivered themselves: here they left them bound, but gave
them provisions; and promised them, if they continued there
quietly, to give them their liberty in a day or two; but if they
attempted their escape, they should be put to death without
mercy. They promised faithfully to bear their confinement
with patience, and were very thankful that they had such good
usage as to have provisions and light left them; for Friday
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
217
着
​gave them candles (such as we made ourselves) for their com-
fort and they did not know but that he stood sentinel over
them at the entrance.
The other prisoners had better usage; two of them were
kept pinioned, indeed, because the captain was not able to
trust them; but the other two were taken into my service, upon
the captain's recommendation, and upon their solemnly engag-
ing to live and die with us; so with them and the three honest
men we were seven men, well armed; and I made no doubt we
should be able to deal well enough with the ten that were
coming, considering that the captain had said there were three
or four honest men among them also. As soon as they got to
the place where the other boat lay, they ran their boat into the
beach, and came all on shore, hauling the boat up after them,
which I was glad to see, for I was afraid they would rather
have left the boat at an anchor some distance from the shore,
with some hands in her, to guard her, and so we should not be
able to seize the boat. Being on shore, the first thing they did,
they ran all to their other boat; and it was easy to see they
were under a great surprise to find her stripped, as above, of
all that was in her, and a great hole in her bottom. After they
had mused awhile upon this, they set up two or three great
shouts, hallooing with all their might, to try if they could make
their companions hear; but all was to no purpose: then they
came all close in a ring, and fired a volley of their small arms,
which, indeed, we heard, and the echoes made the woods ring:
but it was all one; those in the cave, we were sure, could not
hear; and those in our keeping, though they heard it well
enough, yet durst give no answer to them. They were so
astonished at the surprise of this, that, as they told us after-
wards, they resolved to go all on board again to their ship, and
let them know that the men were all murdered, and the long-
boat staved; accordingly, they immediately launched their boat
again, and got all of them on board.
-
The captain was terribly amazed, and even confounded, at
this, believing they would go on board the ship again, and set
sail, giving their comrades over for lost, and so he should still
lose the ship, which he was in hopes we should have recovered;
but he was quickly as much frightened the other way.
They had not been long put off with the boat, when we
perceived them all coming on shore again; but with this new
measure in their conduct, which it seems they consulted to-
gether upon, viz. : to leave three men in the boat, and the rest
go on shore, and go up into the country to look for their
>
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
fellows. This was a great disappointment to us, for now we
were at a loss what to do, as our seizing those seven men on
shore would be no advantage to us if we let the boat escape ;
because they would row away to the ship, and then the rest of
them would be sure to weigh and set sail, and so our recovering.
the ship would be lost. However, we had no remedy but to
wait and see what the issue of things might present. The
seven men came on shore, and the three who remained in the
boat put her off to a good distance from the shore, and came
to an anchor to wait for them; so that it was impossible for us
to come at them in the boat. Those that came on shore kept
close together, marching towards the top of the little hill under
which my habitation lay; and we could see them plainly, though
they could not perceive us. We should have been very glad if
they would have come nearer to us, so that we might have fired
at them, or that they would have gone farther off, that we
might come abroad. But when they were come to the brow of
the hill where they could see a great way into the valleys and
woods, which lay towards the north-east part, and where the
island lay lowest, they shouted and hallooed till they were
weary and not caring, it seems, to venture far from the shore,
nor far from one another, they sat down together under a tree
to consider it. Had they thought fit to have gone to sleep
there, as the other part of them had done, they had done the
job for us; but they were too full of apprehensions of danger
to venture to go to sleep, though they could not tell what the
danger was they had to fear.
The captain made a very just proposal to me upon this con-
sultation of theirs, viz. : that perhaps they would all fire a vol-
ley again, to endeavor to make their fellows hear, and that we
should all sally upon them just at the juncture when their pieces
were all discharged, and they would certainly yield, and we
should have them without bloodshed. I liked this proposal,
provided it was done while we were near enough to come up to
them before they could load their pieces again. But this event
did not happen; and we lay still a long time, very irresolute
what course to take. At length, I told them there would be
nothing done, in my opinion, till night; and then, if they did
not return to the boat, perhaps we might find a way to get be-
tween them and the shore, and so might use some stratagem
with them in the boat to get them on shore. We waited a great
while, though very impatient for their removing, and were very
uneasy, when after a long consultation, we saw them all start
up, and march. down towards the sea; it seems they had such
1
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
219
:
dreadful apprehensions of the danger of the place, that they
resolved to go on board the ship again, giving their companions.
over for lost, and so go on their intended voyage with the ship.
As soon as I perceived them go towards the shore, I imag-
ined it to be, as it really was, that they had given over their
search, and were going back again; and the captain, as soon
as I told him my thoughts, was ready to sink at the apprehen-
sions of it; but I presently thought of a stratagem to fetch
them back again, and which answered my end to a tittle. I
ordered Friday and the captain's mate to go over the little
creek westward, towards the place where the savages came on
shore when Friday was rescued, and so soon as they came to a
little rising ground, at about half a mile distance, I bade them
halloo out, as loud as they could, and wait till they found the
seamen heard them; that as soon as ever they heard the sea-
men answer them, they should return it again; and then keep-
ing out of sight, take a round, always answering when the
others hallooed, to draw them as far into the island, and among
the woods, as possible, and then wheel about again to me by
such ways as I directed them.
They were just going into the boat when Friday and the
mate hallooed; and they presently heard them, and, answering,
ran along the shore westward, towards the voice they heard,
when they were stopped by the creek, where, the water being up,
they could not get over, and called for the boat to come up and
set them over; as, indeed, I expected. When they had set
themselves over, I observed that the boat being gone a good
way in into the creek, and, as it were, in a harbor within the
land, they took one of the three men out of her, to go along
with them, and left only two in the boat, having fastened her to
the stump of a little tree on the shore. This was what I wished
for; and immediately leaving Friday and the captain's mate to
their business, I took the rest with me, and crossing the creek
out of their sight we surprised the two men before they were
aware; one of them lying on shore, and the other being in the
boat. The fellow on shore was between sleeping and waking,
and going to start up the captain, who was foremost, ran in
upon him, and knocked him down; and then called out to him
in the boat to yield, or he was a dead man. There needed very
few arguments to persuade a single man to yield, when he saw
five men upon him, and his comrade knocked down; besides,
this was, it seems, one of the three who were not so hearty in
the mutiny as the rest of the crew; and, therefore, was easily
persuaded not only to yield, but afterwards to join very sin-
220
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
cerely with us. In the mean time, Friday and the captain's
mate so well managed their business with the rest, that they
drew them, by hallooing and answering, from one hill to an-
other, and from one wood to another, till they not only heartily
tired them, but left them where they were very sure they could
not reach back to the boat before it was dark; and, indeed,
they were heartily tired themselves also, by the time they came
back to us.
We had nothing now to do but to watch for them in the dark,
and to fall upon them, so as to make sure work with them. It
was several hours after Friday came back to me before they
came back to their boat; and we could hear the foremost of
them, long before they came quite up, calling to those behind
to come along; and could also hear them answer, and com-
plain how lame and tired they were, and not able to come any
faster; which was very welcome news to us. At length they
came up to the boat: but it is impossible to express their con-
fusion when they found the boat fast aground in the creek,
the tide ebbed out, and their two men gone. We could
hear them call to one another in a most lamentable man-
ner, telling one another they were got into an enchanted
island; that either there were inhabitants in it, and they
should all be murdered, or else there were devils and spir-
its in it, and they should be all carried away and devoured.
They hallooed again, and called their two comrades by their
names a great many times: but no answer. After some time,
we could see them, by the little light there was, run about,
wringing their hands like men in despair, and sometimes they
would go and sit down in the boat to rest themselves; then
come ashore again, and walk about again, and so the same
thing over again. My men would fain have had me give them
leave to fall upon them at once in the dark; but I was willing
to take them at some advantage, so as to spare them, and kill
as few of them as I could; and especially I was unwilling to
hazard the killing of any of our men, knowing the others were
very well armed. I resolved to wait, to see if they did not sep-
arate; and, therefore, to make sure of them, I drew my ambus-
cade nearer, and ordered Friday and the captain to creep upon
their hands and feet, as close to the ground as they could, that
they might not be discovered, and get as near them as they
could possibly, before they offered to fire.
They had not been long in that posture, when the boat-
swain, who was the principal ringleader of the mutiny, and had
now shown himself the most dejected and dispirited of all the
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
221
ان
rust, came walking towards them with two more of the crew:
the captain was so eager at having this principal rogue so much
in his power, that he could hardly have patience to let him come
so near as to be sure of him, for they only heard his tongue
before; but when they came nearer, the captain and Friday,
starting up on their feet, let fly at them. The boatswain was
killed upon the spot; the next man was shot in the body, and
fell just by him, though he did not die till an hour or two after;
and the third ran for it. At the noise of the fire, I immediately
advanced with my whole army, which was now eight men viz.:
myself generalissimo; Friday, my lieutenant-general; the cap-
tain and his two men, and the three prisoners of war whom we
had trusted with arms. We came upon them, indeed, in the
dark, so that they could not see our number; and I made the
man they had left in the boat, who was now one of us, to call
them by name, to try if I could bring them to a parley, and so
perhaps might reduce them to terms; which fell out just as we
desired: for, indeed, it was easy to think, as their condition
then was, they would be very willing to capitulate. So he
calls out as loud as he could to one of them, "Tom Smith !
Tom Smith!" Tom Smith answered immediately, "Is that
Robinson?" for it seems he knew the voice. The other an-
swered, Ay, ay; for God's sake, Tom Smith, throw down
your arms and yield, or you are all dead men this moment."
"Who must we yield to? Where are they?" says Smith again.
Here they are," says he
says he; "here's our captain, and fifty men
with him, have been hunting you these two hours; the boat-
swain is killed, Will Fry is wounded, and I am a prisoner; and
if you do not yield, you are all lost." "Will they give us
quarter then?" says Tom Smith, "and we will yield." "I'll
go and ask, if you promise to yield," said Robinson: so he
asked the captain; and the captain himself then called out,
You, Smith, you know my voice; if you lay down your arms
immediately, and submit, you shall have your lives, all but Will
Atkins."
66
66
Upon this, Will Atkins cried out, "For God's sake, cap-
tain, give me quarter; what have I done? They have all been
as bad as I ; which by the way, was not true: for it seems,
this Will Atkins was the first man that had hold of the captain,
when they first mutinied, and used him barbarously in tying
his hands, and giving him injurious language. However, the
captain told him he must lay down his arms at discretion, and
trust to the governor's mercy; by which he meant me, for they
all called me governor. In a word, they all laid down their
222
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
arms, and begged their lives; and I sent the man that had
parleyed with them, and two more, who bound them all; and
then my great army of fifty men, which, with those three, were
in all but eight, came up and seized upon them, and upon their
boat; only that I kept myself and one more out of sight, for
reasons of state.
Our next work was to repair the boat, and think of seizing
the ship: and as for the captain, now he had leisure to parley
with them, he expostulated with them upon the villany of their
practices with him, and upon the further wickedness of their
design, and how certainly it must bring them to misery and
distress in the end, and perhaps to the gallows. They all ap-
peared very penitent, and begged hard for their lives. As for
that, he told them they were not his prisoners, but the com-
mander's of the island; that they thought they had set him on
shore in a barren, uninhabited island; but it had pleased God
so to direct them, that it was inhabited, and that the governor
was an Englishman; that he might hang them all there, if he
pleased; but as he had given them all quarter, he supposed he
would send them to England, to be dealt with there as justice
required, except Atkins, whom he was commanded by the
governor to advise to prepare for death, for that he would be
hanged in the morning.
Though this was all but a fiction of his own, yet it had its
desired effect; Atkins fell upon his knees, to beg the captain
to intercede with the governor for his life; and all the rest
begged of him, for God's sake, that they might not be sent to
England.
""
It now occurred to me, that the time of our deliverance was
come, and that it would be a most easy thing to bring these
fellows in to be hearty in getting possession of the ship; so I
retired in the dark from them, that they might not see what
kind of a governor they had, and called the captain to me;
when I called, at a good distance, one of the men was ordered
to speak again, and say to the captain, "Captain, the com-
mander calls for you; and presently the captain replied,
"Tell his Excellency, I am just coming." This more perfectly
amazed them, and they all believed that the commander was
just by, with his fifty men. Upon the captain coming to me, I
told him my project for seizing the ship, which he liked won-
derfully well, and resolved to put in execution the next morning.
But, in order to execute it with more art, and to be secure of
success, I told him we must divide the prisoners, and that he
should go and take Atkins, and two more of the worst of them,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
223
and send them pinioned to the cave where the others lay.
This was committed to Friday and the two men who came on
shore with the captain. They conveyed them to the cave as to
a prison: and it was, indeed, a dismal place, especially to men
in their condition. The others I ordered to my bower, as I
called it, of which I have given a full description: and as it
was fenced in, and they pinioned, the place was secure enough,
considering they were upon their behavior.
To these in the morning I sent the captain, who was to
enter into a parley with them; in a word, to try them, and tell
me whether he thought they might be trusted or not to go or
board and surprise the ship. He talked to them of the injury
done him, of the condition they were brought to, and that
though the governor had given them quarter for their lives as
to the present action, yet that if they were sent to England, they
would all be hanged in chains; but that if they would join in
so just an attempt as to recover the ship, he would have the
governor's engagement for their pardon.
Any one may guess how readily such a proposal would be
accepted by men in their condition; they fell down on their
knees to the captain, and promised, with the deepest impreca-
tions, that they would be faithful to him to the last drop, and
that they should owe their lives to him, and would go with him
all over the world; that they would own him as a father to
them as long as they lived. "Well," says the captain, "I
must go and tell the governor what you say, and see what I
can do to bring him to consent to it." So he brought me an
account of the temper he found them in, and that he verily
believed they would be faithful. However, that we might be
very secure, I told him he should go back again and choose
out those five, and tell them, that they might see he did not
want men, that he would take out those five to be his assistants,
and that the governor would keep the other two and the three
that were sent prisoners to the castle (my cave), as hostages
for the fidelity of those five; and that if they proved unfaithful
in the execution, the five hostages should be hanged in chain.
alive on the shore. This looked severe, and convinced them
that the governor was in earnest: however, they had no way
left them but to accept it; and it was now the business of the
prisoners, as much as of the captain, to persuade the other five
to do their duty.
Our strength was now thus ordered for the expedition:
first, the captain, his mate, and passenger: second, then the
two prisoners of the first gang, to whom, having their character
224
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
from the captain, I had given their liberty, and trusted them
with arms; third, the other two that I had kept till now in my
bower pinioned, but, on the captain's motion, had now released;
fourth, these five released at last; so that they were twelve in
all, besides five we kept prisoners in the cave for hostages.
I asked the captain if he was willing to venture with these
hands on board the ship: but as for me and my man Friday, I
did not think it was proper for us to stir, having seven men left
behind; and it was employment enough for us to keep them
asunder, and supply them with victuals. As to the five in the
cave, I resolved to keep them fast; but Friday went in twice a
day to them, to supply them with necessaries; and I made the
other two carry provisions to a certain distance, where Friday
was to take it.
When I showed myself to the two hostages, it was with the
captain, who told them I was the person the governor had or-
dered to look after them; and that it was the governor's pleas
ure they should not stir anywhere but by my direction; that if
they did, they would be fetched into the castle, and be laid in
irons; so that, as we never suffered them to see me as governor,
I now appeared as another person, and spoke of the governor,
the garrison, the castle, and the like, upon all occasions.
The captain now had no difficulty before him, but to furnish
his two boats, stop the breach of one, and man them. He
made his passenger captain of one, with four of the men; and
himself, his mate, and five more, went in the other; and they
contrived their business very well, for they came up to the ship
about midnight. As soon as they came within call of the ship,
he made Robinson hail them, and tell them they had brought
off the men and the boat, but that it was a long time before
they had found them, and the like; holding them in a chat till
they came to the ship's side; when the captain and the mate,
entering first with their arms, immediately knocked down the
second mate and carpenter with the butt-end of their muskets,
being very faithfully seconded by their men; they secured all
the rest that were upon the main and quarter-decks, and began
to fasten the hatches, to keep them down that were below;
when the other boat and their men, entering at the forechains,
secured the forecastle of the ship, and the scuttle which went
"down into the cook-room, making three men they found there
prisoners. When this was done, and all safe upon deck, the
captain ordered the nate, with three men, to break into the
round-house, where the new rebel captain lay, who, having taken
the alarm, had got up and with two men and a boy had got
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
225
fire-arms in their hands; and when the mate, with a crow, split
open the door, the new captain and his men fired boldly among
them, and wounded the mate with a musket ball, which broke
his arm, and wounded two more of the men, but killed nobody.
The mate, calling for help, rushed, however, into the round-
house, wounded as he was, and, with his pistol, shot the new
captain through the head, the bullet entering at his mouth, and
came out again behind one of his ears, so that he never spoke
a word more upon which the rest yielded, and the ship was
taken effectually, without any more lives lost.
As soon as the ship was thus secured, the captain ordered
seven guns to be fired, which was the signal agreed upon with
me to give me notice of his success, which, you may be sure, I
was very glad to hear, having sat watching upon the shore for
it till near two o'clock in the morning. Having thus heard the
signal plainly, I laid me down; and it having been a day of
great fatigue to me, I slept very sound, till I was surprised with
the noise of a gun; and presently starting up, I heard a man
call me by the name of "Governor! Governor!" and presently
I knew the captain's voice; when climbing up to the top of the
hill, there he stood, and, pointing to the ship, he embraced me
in his arms. "My dear friend and deliverer," says he, "there's
your ship; for she is all yours, and so are we, and all that be-
long to her." I cast my eyes to the ship, and there she rode,
within little more than half a mile of the shore, for they had
weighed her anchor as soon as they were masters of her, and the
weather being fair, had brought her to an anchor just against
the mouth of the little creek; and, the tide being up, the captain
had brought the pinnace in near the place where I had first land-
ed my rafts, and so landed just at my door. I was at first ready
to sink down with the surprise; for I saw my deliverance, indeed,
visibly put into my hands, all things easy, and a large ship just
ready to carry me away whither I pleased to go. At first, for
some time I was not able to answer him one word; but as he had
taken me in his arms, I held fast by him, or I should have fallen
to the ground. He perceived the surprise, and immediately
pulled a bottle out of his pocket, and gave me a dram of cordial,
which he had brought on purpose for me. After I had drunk it, I
sat down upon the ground; and though it brought me to myself,
yet it was a good while before I could speak a word to him.
All this time the poor man was in as great an ecstasy as I, only
not under any surprise, as I was; and he said a thousand kind
and tender things to me, to compose and bring me to myself;
but such was the flood of joy in my breast, that it put all my
226
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
{^~
spirits into confusion: at last it broke out into tears; and, in
little while after, I recovered my speech. I then took my turn,
and embraced him as my deliverer, and we rejoiced together.
I told him I looked upon him as a man sent from Heaven to
deliver me, and that the whole transaction seemed to be a chain
of wonders; that such things as these were the testimonies we
had of a secret hand of Providence governing the world, and
an evidence that the eye of an infinite power could search into
the remotest corner of the world, and send help to the miser-
able whenever He pleased. I forgot not to lift up my heart
in thankfulness to Heaven; and what heart could forbear to
bless Him, who had not only in a miraculous manner provided
for me in such a wilderness, and in such a desolate condition,
but from whom every deliverance must always be acknowl-
edged to proceed?
When we had talked a while, the captain told me he had
brought me some little refreshment, such as the ship afforded,
and such as the wretches that had been so long hi. masters
had not plundered him of. Upon this, he called aloud to the
boat, and bade his men bring the things ashore that were for
the governor; and, indeed, it was a present as if I had been
one that was not to be carried away with them, but as if I had
been to dwell upon the island still. First, he had brought me
a case of bottles full of excellent cordial waters, six large bot-
tles of Madeira wine (the bottles held two quarts each), two
pounds of excellent good tobacco, twelve good pieces of the
ship's beef, and six pieces of pork, with a bag of peas, and
about a hundred-weight of biscuit; he also brought me a box
of sugar, a box of flour, a bag full of lemons, and two bottles
of lime-juice, and abundance of other things. But besides
these, and what was a thousand times more useful to me, he
brought me six new clean shirts, six very good neck-cloths, two
pair of gloves, one pair of shoes, a hat, and one pair of stock-
ings, with a very good suit of clothes of his own, which had
been worn but very little in a word, he clothed me from head
to foot. It was a very kind and agreeable present, as any
one may imagine, to one in my circumstances; but never was
anything in the world of that kind so unpleasant, awkward,
and uneasy as it was to me to wear such clothes at first.
After these ceremonies were past, and after all his good
things were brought into my little apartment, we began to con-
sult what was to be done with the prisoners we had; for it was
worth considering whether we might venture to take them away
with us or no, especially two of them, whom he knew to be in
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
221
(C
corrigible and refractory to the last degree; and the captain
said he knew they were such rogues that there was no obliging
them, and if he did carry them away, it must be in irons, as
malefactors, to be delivered over to justice at the first English
colony he could come to; and I found that the captain him-
self was very anxious about it. Upon this, I told him that, if
he desired it, I would undertake to bring the two men he spoke
of to make it their own request that he should leave them upon
the island. “I should be very glad of that," says the captain,
"with all my heart.” Well," says I, "I will send for them ap,
and talk with them for you." So I caused Friday and the two
hostages, for they were now discharged, their comrades having
performed their promise; I say, I caused them to go to the
cave, and bring up the five men, pinioned as they were, to the
bower, and keep them there till I came. After some time, I
came thither dressed in my new habit; and now I was called
governor again. Being all met, and the captain with me, I
caused the men to be brought before me, and I told them I had
got a full account of their villanous behavior to the captain, and
how they had run away with the ship, and were preparing to
commit further robberies, but that Providence had ensnared
them in their own ways, and that they were fallen into the pit
which they had dug for others. I let them know that by my
direction the ship had seen seized; that she lay now in the
road; and they might see by and by, that their new captain had
received the reward of his villany, and that they would see him
hanging at the yard-arm; that, as to them, I wanted to know
what they had to say why I should not execute them as pirates,
taken in the fact, as by my commission they could not doubt
but I had authority so to do.
One of them answered in the name of the rest, that they had
nothing to say but this-that when they were taken, the captain
promised them their lives, and they humbly implored my mercy.
But I told them I knew not what mercy to show them; for as
for myself, I had resolved to quit the island with all my men,
and had taken passage with the captain to go for England; and
as for the captain, he could not carry them to England, other
than as prisoners in irons, to be tried for mutiny, and running
away with the ship; the consequence of w.ich, they must needs
know, would be the gallows; so that I could not tell what was
best for them, unless they had a mind to take their fate in the
island. If they desired that, as I had liberty to leave the island,
I had some inclination to give them their lives if they thought
thev could shift on shore. They seemed very thankful for it,
278
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
and said they would rather venture to stay there than be carried
to England to be hanged. So I left it on that issue.
However, the captain seemed to make some difficulty of it,
as if he durst not leave them there. Upon this, I seemed a little
angry with the captain, and told him that they were my prison-
ers, not his; and that seeing I had offered them so much favor,
I would be as good as my word; and that if he did not think
fit to consent to it, I would set them at liberty, as I found them ;
and if he did not like it, he might take them again if he could
catch them. Upon this, they appeared very thankful, and I
accordingly set them at liberty, and bade them retire into the
woods, to the place whence they came, and I would leave them
some fire-arms, some ammunition, and some directions how
they should live very well, if they thought fit. Upon this I
prepared to go on board the ship; but told the captain I would
stay that night to prepare my things, and desired him to go on
board in the mean time, and keep all right in the ship, and
send the boat on shore next day for me; ordering him, at all
events, to cause the new captain, who was killed, to be hanged
at the yard-arm, that these men might see him.
}
When the captain was gone, I sent for the men up to me to
my apartment, and entered seriously into discourse with them
on their circumstances. I told them I thought they had made
a right choice; that if the captain had carried them away, they
would certainly be hanged. I showed them the new captain
hanging at the yard-arm of the ship, and told them they had
nothing less to expect.
When they had all declared their willingness to stay, I then
told them I would let them into the story of my living there,
and put them into the way of making it easy to them. Accord·
ingly, I gave them the whole history of the place, and of my
coming to it; showed them my fortifications, the way I made
my bread, planted my corn, cured my grapes; and, in a word,
all that was necessary to make them easy. I told them the
story also of the seventeen Spaniards that were to expected, for
whom I left a letter, and made them promise to treat them in
common with themselves. Here it may be noted that the cap-
tain had ink on board, who was greatly surprised that I never
hit upon a way of making ink of charcoal and water, or of some-
thing else, as I had done things much more difficult.
I left them my fire-arms, viz. : fire muskets, three fowling-
pieces, and three swords. I had above a barrel and a half of
powder left; for after the first year or two I used but little, and
wasted none. I gave them a description of the way I managed
KOBINSON CRUSOE.
229
the goats, and directions to milk and fatten them, and to make
both butter and cheese. In a word, I gave them every part of
my own story; and told them I should prevail with the captain
to leave them two barrels of gunpowder more, and some garden-
seeds, which I told them I would have been very glad of.
Also, I gave them the bag of peas which the captain had
brought me to eat, and bade them be sure to sow and increase
them.
Having done all this, I left them the next day, and went on
board the ship. We prepared immediately to sail, but did not
weigh that night. The next morning early, two of the five men
came swimming to the ship's side, and, making the most lamen-
table complaint of the other three, begged to be taken into the
ship for God's sake, for they should be murdered, and begged
the captain to take them on board, though he hanged them im-
mediately. Upon this, the captain pretended to have no power
without me; but after some difficulty, and after their solemn
promise of amendment, they were taken on board, and were,
some time after, soundly whipped and pickled; after which
they proved very honest and quiet fellows.
Some time after this, the boat was ordered on shore, the
tide being up, with the things promised to the men; to which
the captain, at my intercession, caused their chests and
clothes to be added, which they took, and were very thankful
for. I also encouraged them, by telling them, that if it lay
in my power to send any vessel to take them in, I would not
forget them.
When I took leave of this island, I carried on board, for
relics, the great goat-skin cap I had made, my umbrella, and
one of my parrots; also I forgot not to take the money I for-
merly mentioned, which had lain by me so long useless that it
had grown rusty or tarnished, and could hardly pass for silver
till it had been a little rubbed and handled, as also the money I
found in the wreck of the Spanish ship. And thus I left the
island, the 19th of December, as I found by the ship's account,
in the year 1686, after I had been upon it eight-and-twenty
years, two months, and nineteen days; being, delivered from
this second captivity the same day of the month that I first made
my escape in the long-boat, from among the Moors of Sallee.
In this vessel, after a long voyage, I arrived in England the
11th of June, in the year 1687, having been thirty-five years
I
absent.
When I came to England, I was as perfect a stranger to all
the world as if I had never been known there. My benefactor
:
KOBINSON CRUSOE.
230
I
and faithful steward, whom I had left my money in trust with,
was alive, but had had great misfortunes in the world; was be-
come a widow the second time, and very low in the world.
made her very easy as to what she owed me, assuring her I
would give her no trouble; but, on the contrary, in gratitude
for ler former care and faithfulness to me, I relieved her as my
little stock would afford; which at that time would, indeed,
allow me to do but little for her: but I assured her I would
never forget her former kindness to me; nor did I forget her
when I had sufficient to help her, as shall be observed in its
proper place. I went down afterwards into Yorkshire; but my
father was dead, and my mother and all the family extinct, except
that I found two sisters, and two of the children of one of my
brothers; and as I had been long ago given over for dead,
there had been no provision made for me; so that, in a word,
I found nothing to relieve or assist me; and that the little
money I had would not do much for me as to settling in the
world.
I met with one piece of gratitude, indeed, which I did not
expect; and this was, that the master of the ship, whom I had
so happily delivered, and by the same means saved the ship
and cargo, having given a very handsome account to the own-
ers of the manner how I had saved the lives of the men, and
the ship, they invited me to meet them and some other mer-
chants concerned, and all together made me a very handsome
compliment upon the subject, and a present of almost £200
sterling.
But after making several reflections upon the circumstances
of my life, and how little way this would go towards settling me
in the world, I resolved to go to Lisbon, and see if I might not
come at some information of the state of my plantation in the
Brazils, and of what was become of my partner, who, I had
reason to suppose, had some years past given me over for dead.
With this view, I took shipping for Lisbon, where I arrived in
April following; my man Friday accompanying me very hon-
estly in all these ramblings, and proving a most faithful ser-
vant upon all occasions. When I came to Lisbon, I found out
by inquiry and to my particular satisfaction, my old friend, the
captain of the ship, who first took me up at sea off the shore of
Africa. He was now grown old, and had left off going to sea,
having put his son, who was far from a young man, into his
ship, and who still used the Brazil trade. The old man did
not know me; and, indeed, I hardly knew him. But I soon
brought him to my remembrance, and as soon brought myse
to his remembrance, when I told him who I was.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
231
After some passionate expressions of the old acquaintance
between us, I inquired, you may be sure, after my plantation
and my partner. The old man told me he had not been in the
Brazils for about nine years; but that he could assure me, that
when he came away my partner was living; but the trustees,
whom I had joined with him to take cognizance of my part,
were both dead: that, however, he believed I would have a
very good account of the improvement of the plantation; for
that, upon the general belief of my being cast away and drown-
ed, my trustees had given in the account of the produce of my
part of the plantation to the procurator-fiscal, who had appro-
priated it, in case I never came to claim it, one third to the
king, and two thirds to the monastery of St. Augustine, to be
expended for the benefit of the poor, and for the conversion of
the Indians to the Catholic faith: but that, if I appeared, or
any one for me, to claim the inheritance, it would be restored;
only that the improvement, or annual production, being dis-
tributed to charitable uses, could not be restored: but he
assured me that the steward of the king's revenue from lands,
and the providore, or steward of the monastery, had taken
great care all along that the incumbent, that is to say, my part-
ner, gave every year a faithful account of the produce, of which
they had duly received my moiety. I asked him if he knew
to what height of improvement he had brought the plantation,"
and whether he thought it might be worth looking after; or
whether, on my going thither, I should meet with any obstruc-
tion to my possessing my just right in the moiety. He told me.
he could not tell exactly to what degree the plantation was im-
proved; but this he knew, that my partner was grown exceed-
ing rich upon the enjoying his part of it; and that, to the best
of his remembrance, he had heard that the king's third of my
part, which was, it seems, granted away to some other monas-
tery or religious house, amounted to above two hundred moi-
dores a year that as to my being restored to a quiet possession
of it, there was no question to be made of that, my partner be-
ing alive to witness my title, and my name being also enrolled
in the register of the country; also he told me that the sur-
vivors of my two trustees were very fair, honest people, and
very wealthy; and he believed I would not only have their
assistance for putting me in possession, but would find a very
considerable sum of money in their hands for my account, being
the produce of the farm while their fathers held the trust, and
before it was given up, as above; which, as he remembered,
was for about twelve years.
232
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
I showed myself a little concerned and uneasy at this ac-
count, and inquired of the old captain how it came to pass that
the trustees should thus dispose of my effects, when he knew
that I had made my will, and had made him, the Portuguese
captain, my universal heir, &c.
،،
He told me that was true; but that as there was no proof
of my being dead, he could not act as executor, until some
certain account should come of my death; and, besides, he was
not willing to intermeddle with a thing so remote: that it was
true he had registered my will, and put in his claim; and could
he have given any account of my being dead or alive, he would
have acted by procuration, and taken possession of the ingenio
(so they called the sugar-house), and have given his son, who
was now at the Brazils, orders to do it. But," says the old
man, I have one piece of news to tell you, which perhaps
may not be so acceptable to you as the rest; and that is,
believing you were lost, and all the world believing so
also, your partner and trustees did offer to account with
me, in your name, for the first six or eight years' profits,
which I received. There being at that time great disburse-
ments for increasing the works, building an ingenio, and buy-
ing slaves, it did not amount to near so much as afterwards it
produced however," says the old man, "I shall give you a
true account of what I have received in all, and how I have
disposed of it.”
،،
After a few days' further conference with this ancient friend,
he brought me an account of the first six years' income of my
plantation, signed by the partner and the merchant trustees,
being always delivered in goods, viz.: tobacco in roll, and sugar
in chests, besides rum, molasses, &c., which is the consequence
of a sugar-work; and I found by this account, that every year
the income considerably increased; but, as above, the disburse-
ments being large, the sum at first was small however, the old
man let me see that he was debtor to me four hundred and
seventy moidores of gold, besides sixty chests of sugar, and
fifteen double rolls of tobacco, which were lost in his ship; he
having been shipwrecked coming home to Lisbon, about eleven
years after my leaving the place. The good man then began
to complain of his misfortunes, and how he had been obliged to
make use of my money to recover his losses, and buy him a
share in a new ship. "However, my old friend," says he, "you
shall not want a supply in your necessity; and as soon as my
son returns, you shall be fully satisfied." Upon this he pulls
out an old pouch, and gives me one hundred and sixty Portu-
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
233
guese moidores in gold; and giving the writings of his title to
the ship, which his son was gone to the Brazils in, of which
he was quarter-part owner, and his son another, he puts them
both into my hands for security for the rest.
I was too much moved with the honesty and kindness of
the poor man to be able to bear this; and remembering what
he had done for me, how he had taken me up at sea, and how
generously he had used me on all occasions, and particularly
how sincere a friend he was now to me, I could hardly refrain
weeping at what he had said to me; therefore I asked him if
his circumstances admitted him to spare so much money at that
time, and if it would not straiten him. He told me he could
not say but it might straiten him a little; but, however, it was
my money, and I might want it more than he.
Everything the good man said was full of affection, and I
could hardly refrain from tears while he spoke ; in short, I took
one hundred of the moidores, and called for a pen and ink to
give him a receipt for them: then I returned him the rest, and
told him if ever I had possession of the plantation I would re-
turn the other to him also (as, indeed, I afterwards did); and
that as to the bill of sale of his part in his son's ship, I would
not take it by any means; but that if I wanted the money, I
found he was honest enough to pay me; and if I did not, but
came to receive what he gave me reason to expect, I would
never have a penny more from him.
When this was past, the old man asked me if he should put
me into a method to make my claim to my plantation. I told
him I thought to go over to it myself. He said I might do so
if I pleased; but that, if I did not, there were ways enough to
secure my right, and immediately to appropriate the profits to
my use; and as there were ships in the river of Lisbon just
ready to go away to Brazil, he made me enter my name in a
public register, with his affidavit, affirming, upon oath, that I
was alive, and that I was the same person who took up the land
for the planting the said plantation at first. This being regu-
larly attested by a notary, and a procuration affixed, he directed
me to send it, with a letter of his writing, to a merchant of his
acquaintance at the place; and then proposed my staying with
him till an account came of the return.
Never was anything more honorable than the proceedings
upon this procuration; for in less than seven months I received
a large packet from the survivors of my trustees, the merchants,
for whose account I went to sea, in which were the following
particular letters and papers enclosed,
234
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
First, there was the account current of the produce of my
farm or plantation, from the year when their fathers had bal-
anced with my old Portuguese captain, being for six years; the
balance appeared to be one thousand one hundred and seventy-
four moidores in my favor.
Secondly, there was the account of four years more, while
they kept the effects in their hands, before the government
claimed the administration, as being the effects of a person not
to be found, which they called civil death; and the balance of
this, the value of the plantation increasing, amounted to nine-
teen thousand four hundred and forty-six crusadoes, being about-
three thousand two hundred and forty moidores.
Thirdly, there was the Prior of St. Augustine's account,
who had received the profits for above fourteen years; but not
being to account for what was disposed of by the hospital, very
honestly declared he had eight hundred and seventy-two moi-
dores not distributed, which he acknowledged to my account :
as to the king's part, that refunded nothing.
There was a letter of my partner's, congratulating me very
affectionately upon my being alive, giving me an account how
the estate was improved, and what it produced, a year; with
the particulars of the number of squares or acres that it con-
tained, how planted, how many slaves there were upon it; and
making two-and-twenty crosses for blessings, told me he had
said so many Ave Marias to thank the Blessed Virgin that I
was alive; inviting me very passionately to come over and take
possession of my own; and, in the mean time, to give him or-
ders to whom he should deliver my effects, if I did not come
myself; concluding with a hearty tender of his friendship, and
that of his family; and sent me, as a present, seven fine leo-
pards' skins, which he had, it seems, received from Africa, by
some other ship that he had sent thither, and which, it seems,
had made a better voyage than I. He sent me also five chests
of excellent sweetmeats, and a hundred pieces of gold uncoined,
not quite so large as moidores. By the same fleet, my two mer-
chant-trustees shipped me one thousand two hundred chests of
sugar, eight hundred rolls of tobacco, and the rest of the whole
account in gold.
I might well say now, indeed, that the latter end of Job was
better than the beginning. It is impossible to express the
flutterings of my very heart when I found all my wealth about
me; for as the Brazil ships come all in fleets, the same ships
which brought my letters brought my goods and the effects
were safe in the river before the letters came to my hand. In
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
235
a word, I turned pale, and grew sick; and, had not the old
man run and fetched me a cordial, I believe the sudden sur-
prise of joy haď overset nature, and I had died upon the spot :
nay, after that, I continued very ill, and was so some hours, till
a physician being sent for, and something of the real cause of
my illness being known, he ordered me to be let blood; after
which I had relief, and grew well: but I verily believe, if I
had not been eased by a vent given in that manner to the
spirits, I should have died.
0
I was now master, all on a sudden, of above five thousand
pounds sterling in money, and had an estate, as I might well
call it, in the Brazils, of above a thousand pounds a year, as sure
as an estate of lands in England: and, in a word, I was in a con-
dition which I scarce knew how to understand, or how to com-
pose myself for the enjoyment of it. The first thing I did was
to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain,
who had been first charitable to me in my distress, kind to me
in my beginning, and honest to me at the end. I showed him
all that was sent to me; I told him, that next to the providence
of Heaven, which disposed all things, it was owing to him
and that it now lay on me to reward him, which I would do a
hundred-fold: so I first returned to him the hundred moidores
I had received of him; then I sent for a notary, and caused
him to draw up a general release or discharge from the four
hundred and seventy moidores, which he had acknowledged he
owed me, in the fullest and firmest manner possible. After
which, I caused a procuration to be drawn, empowering him to
be the receiver of the annual profits of my plantation; and ap-
pointing my partner to account with him, and make the returns,
by the usual fleets, to him in my name; and by a clause in the
end, made a grant of one hundred moidores a year to him dur-
ing his life, out of the effects, and fifty moidores a year to his
son after him, for his life; and thus I requited my old man.
I had now to consider which way to steer my course next
and what to do with the estate that Providence had thus put
into my hands; and indeed, I had more care upon my head
now than I had in my silent state of life in the island, where I
wanted nothing but what I had, and had nothing but what I
wanted; whereas I had now a great charge upon me, and my
business was how to secure it. I had not a cave now to hide
my money in, or a place where it might lie without lock or key,
till it grew mouldy and tarnished before anybody would meddle
with it; on the contrary, I knew not where to put it, or whom
to trust with it. My old patron, the captain, indeed, was honest,
236
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
and that was the only refuge I had. In the next place, my in-
terest in the Brazils seemed to summon me thither; but now. I
could not tell how to think of going thither till I had settled
my affairs, and left my effects in some safe hands behind me.
At first I thought of my old friend the widow, who I knew was
honest, and would be just to me; but then she was in years,
and but poor, and, for aught I knew, might be in debt; so that,
in a word, I had no way but to go back to England myself, and
take my effects with me.
It was some months, however, before I resolved upon this;
and therefore, as I had rewarded the old captain fully, and to
his satisfaction, who had been my former benefactor, so I began
to think of the poor widow, whose husband had been my first
benefactor, and she, while it was in her power, my faithful
steward and instructor. So, the first thing I did, I got a mer-
chant in Lisbon to write to his correspondent in London, not
only to pay a bill, but to go find her out, and carry her, in
money, a hundred pounds from me, and to talk with her, and
comfort her in her poverty, by telling her she should, if I lived,
have a further supply: at the same time, I sent my two sisters
in the country a hundred pounds each, they being, though not
in want, yet not in very good circumstances; one having been
married and left a widow; and the other having a husband not
so kind to her as he should be. But, among all my relations
or acquaintances, I could not yet pitch upon one to whom I
durst commit the gross of my stock, that I might go away to
the Brazils, and leave things safe behind me; and this greatly
perplexed me.
I had once a mind to have gone to the Brazils, and have
settled myself there, for I was, as it were, naturalized to the
place; but I had some little scruple in my mind about religion,
which insensibly drew me back. However, it was not religion
that kept me from going there for the present; and as I had
made no scruple of being openly of the religion of the country
all the while I was among them, so neither did I yet; only that,
now and then, having of late thought more of it than formerly,
when I began to think of living and dying among them, I began
to regret my having professed myself a Papist, and thought
it might not be the best religion to die with.
But, as I have said, this was not the main thing that kept
me from going to the Brazils, but that really I did not know
with whom to leave my effects behind me; so I resolved at last
to go to England, where, if I arrived, I concluded I should
make some acquaintance, or find some relations, that would be
•
ROBINSON CPUSOE.
237
faithful to me; and, accordingly, I prepared to go to England.
with all my wealth.
In order to prepare things for my going home, I first (the
Brazil fleet being just going away) resolved to give answers suit-
able to the just and faithful account of things I had from thence;
and, first, to the Prior of St. Augustine I wrote a letter full of
thanks for his just dealings, and the offer of the eight hundred
and seventy-two moidores which were undisposed of, which I
desired might be given, five hundred to the monastery, and
three hundred and seventy-two to the poor, as the prior should
direct; desiring the good padre's prayers for me, and the like.
I wrote next a letter of thanks to my two trustees, with all the
acknowledgment that so much justice and honesty called for:
as for sending them any present, they were far above having
any occasion for it. Lastly, I wrote to my partner, acknowledging
his industry in the improving the plantation, and his integrity
in increasing the stock of the works; giving him instruction's
for his future government of my part, according to the powers
I had left with my old patron, to whom I desired him to send
whatever became due to me, till he should hear from me more
particularly; assuring him that it was my intention not only to
come to him, but to settle myself there for the remainder of my
life. To this I added a very handsome present of some Italian
silks for his wife and two daughters (for such the captain's son
informed me he had), with two pieces of fine English broadcloth,
the best I could get in Lisbon, five pieces of black baize, and
some Flanders lace of a good value.
Having thus settled my affairs, sold my cargo, and turned
all my effects into good bills of exchange, my next difficulty
was which way to go to England: I had been accustomed
enough to the sea, and yet I had a strange aversion to go to
England by sea at that time; and though I could give no reason
for it, yet the difficulty increased upon me so much, that though
I had once shipped my baggage in order to go, yet I altered
my mind, and that not once, but two or three times.
It is true I had been very unfortunate by sea, and this
might be one of the reasons; but let no man slight the strong im-
pulses of his own thoughts in cases of such moment: two of
the ships which I had singled out to go in, I mean more par-
ticularly singled out than any other, having put my things on
board one of them, and in the other having agreed with the
captain; I say two of these ships miscarried; viz.: one was
taken by the Algerines, and the other was cast away on the
Start, near Torbay, and all the people drowned, except three;
so that i ~~~~f those vessels I had been made miserable.
238
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
+
:
Having been thus harassed in my thoughts, my old pilot, to
whom I communicated everything, pressed me earnestly not to
go by sea, but either to go by land to the Groyne, and cross
over the Bay of Biscay to Rochelle, from whence it was but an
easy and safe journey by land to Paris, and so to Calais and
Dover; or to go up to Madrid, and so all the way by land
through France. In a word, I was so prepossessed against my
going by sea at all, except from Calais to Dover, that I resolved
to travel all the way by land; which, as I was not in haste,
and did not value the charge, was by much the pleasanter way:
and to make it more so, my old captain brought an English
gentleman, the son of a merchant in Lisbon, who was willing
to travel with me: after which we picked up two more English
merchants also, and two young Portuguese gentlemen, the last
going to Paris only; so that in all, there were six of us, and five
servants; the two merchants and the two Portuguese contenting
themselves with one servant between two, to save the charge ;
and as for me, I got an English sailor to travel with me as a
servant, besides my man Friday, who was too much a stranger
to be capable of supplying the place of a servant on the road.
纛
​In this manner I set out from Lisbon; and our company
being very well mounted and armed, we made a little troop,
whereof they did me the honor to call me captain, as well because
I was the oldest man, as because I had two servants, and, indeed,
was the origin of the whole journey.
As I have troubled you with none of my sea journals, so I
shall trouble you now with none of my land journal; but some
adventures that happened to us in this tedious and difficult
journey I must not omit.
When we came to Madrid, we, being all of us strangers to
Spain, were willing to stay some time to see the court of Spain,
and what was worth observing; but, it being the latter part of
the summer, we hastened away, and set out from Madrid about
the middle of October; but when we came to the edge of Na-
varre, we were alarmed, at several towns on the way, with an
account that so much snow was fallen on the French side of
the mountains, that several travellers were obliged to come
back to Pampeluna, after having attempted at an extreme hazard
to pass on.
When we came to Pampeluna itself, we found it so indeed,
and to me, that had been always used to a hot climate, and to
countries where I could scarce bear any clothes on, the cold
was insufferable: nor, indeed, was it more painful than surprising,
to come but ten days before out of Old Castile, where the
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
239
weather was not only warm, but very hot, and immediately to
feel a wind from the Pyrenean Mountains so very keen, so
severely cold, as to be intolerable, and to endanger benumbing
and perishing of our fingers and toes.
Poor Friday was really frightened when he saw the moun-
tains all covered with snow, and felt cold weather, which he had
never seen or felt before in his life. To mend the matter, when
we came to Pampeluna, it continued snowing with so much
violence and so long, that the people said winter was come before
its time; and the roads, which were difficult before, were now
quite impassable; for, in a word, the snow lay in some places
too thick for us to travel, and being not hard frozen, as is the
case in the northern countries, there was no going without be-
ing in danger of being buried alive every step. We staid no
less than twenty days at Pampeluna; when (seeing the winter
coming on, and no likelihood of its being better, for it was the
severest winter all over Europe that had been known in the
memory of man,) I proposed that we should go away to Font-
arabia, and there take shipping for Bordeaux, which was a very
little voyage. But, while I was considering this, there came in
four French gentlemen, who, having been stopped on the French
side of the passes, as we were on the Spanish, had found out a
guide, who, traversing the country near the head of Languedoc,
had brought them over the mountains by such ways that they
were not much incommoded with the snow; for where they met
with snow in any quantity, they said it was frozen hard enough
to bear them and their horses. We sent for this guide, who
told us he would undertake to carry us the same way, with no
hazard from the snow, provided we were armed sufficiently to
protect ourselves from wild beasts; for, he said, in these great
snows, it was frequent for some wolves to show themselves at
the foot of the mountains, being made ravenous for want of
food, the ground being covered with snow. We told him we
were well enough prepared for such creatures as they were, if
he would insure us from a kind of two legged wolves, which, we
are told, we were in most danger from, especially on the French
side of the mountains. He satisfied us that there was no dan-
ger of that kind in the way that we were to go; so we readily
agreed to follow him, as did also twelve other gentlemen, with
their servants, some French, some Spanish, who, as I said, had
attempted to go, and were obliged to come back again.
Accordingly, we set out from Pampeluna with our guide, on
the 15th of November; and, indeed, I was surprised, when, in-
stead of going forward, he came directly back with us on the
240
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
same road that we came from Madrid, about twenty miles ;
when, having passed two rivers, and come into the plain country,.
we found ourselves in a warm climate again, where the country
was pleasant, and no snow to be seen; but, on a sudden, turn-
ing to his left, he approached the mountains another way; and
though it is true the hills and precipices looked dreadful, yet
he made so many tours, such meanders, and led us by such
winding ways, that we insensibly passed the height of the moun-
tains without being much encumbered with the snow; and all
on a sudden, he showed us the pleasant and fruitful provinces
of Languedoc and Gascony, all green and flourishing, though,
indeed, at a great distance, and we had some rough way to
pass still.
We were a little uneasy, however, when we found it snowed
one whole day and a night so fast that we could not travel; but
he bade us be easy; we should soon be past it all: we found,
indeed, that we began to descend every day, and to come more
north than before; and so, depending upon our guide, we
went on.
It was about two hours before night, when, our guide being
something before us, and not just in sight, out rushed three
monstrous wolves, and after them a bear, from a hollow way
adjoining to a thick wood: two of the wolves made at the guide,
and, had he been far before us, he would have been devoured
before we could have helped him; one of them fastened upon
his horse, and the other attacked the man with such violence,
that he had not time or presence of mind enough to draw his
pistol, but hallooed and cried out to us most lustily. My man
Friday being next me, I bade him ride up, and see what was the
matter. As soon as Friday came in sight of the man, he hal-
looed out as loud as the other, "O master! O master!
like a bold fellow, rode directly up to the poor man, and with
his pistol shot the wolf that attacked him in the head.
›› but
J
It was happy for the poor man that it was my man Friday;
for, having been used to such creatures in his country, he had
no fear upon him, but went close up to him and shot him
whereas, any other of us would have fired at a farther distance,
and have perhaps either missed the wolf, or endangered shoot-
ing the man.
But it was enough to have terrified a bolder man than I;
and, indeed, it alarmed all our company, when, with the noise
of Friday's pistol, we heard on both sides the most dismal howl-
ing of wolves; and the noise, redoubled by the echo of the
mountains, appeared to us as if there had been a prodigious
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
241
F
number of them; and perhaps there was not such a few as that
we had no cause of apprehension: however, as Friday had
killed this wolf, the other that had fastened upon the horse left
him immediately, and fled, without doing him any damage,
having happily fastened upon his head, where the bosses of the
bridle had stuck in his teeth. But the man was most hurt; for
the raging creature had bit him twice, once in the arm, and the
other time a little above his knee; and though he had made
some defence, he was just tumbling down by the disorder of his
horse, when Friday came up and shot the wolf.
It is easy to suppose that at the noise of Friday's pistol we
all mended our pace, and rode up as fast as the way, which was
very difficult, would give us leave, to see what was the matter.
As soon as we came clear of the trees, which blinded us before,
we saw clearly what had been the case, and how Friday had
disengaged the poor guide, though we did not presently discern
what kind of creature it was he had killed.
But never was a fight managed so hardly, and in such a sur-
prising manner, as that which followed between Friday and the
bear, which gave us all, though at first we were surprised and
afraid for him, the greatest diversion imaginable. As the bear
is a heavy, clumsy creature, and does not gallop as the wolf
does, who is swift and light, so he has two particular qualities,
which generally are the rule of his actions: first, as to men, who
are not his proper prey (he does not usually attempt them, ex-
cept they first attack him, unless he be excessively hungry, which
it is probable might now be the case, the ground being covered
with snow), if you do not meddle with him, he will not meddle
with you; but then you must take care to be very civil to him,
and give him the road, for he is a very nice gentleman; he will
not go a step out of his way for a prince; nay, if you are really
afraid, your best way is to look another way and keep going on,
for sometimes if you stop, and stand still, and look steadfastly
at him, he takes it for an affront: but if you throw or toss any-
thing at him, and it hits him, though it were but a bit of stick as
big as your finger, he thinks himself abused, and sets all other
business aside to pursue his revenge, and will have satisfaction
in point of honor;-that is his first quality: the next is, if he
be once affronted, he will never leave you, night or day, till he
has his revenge, but follows at a good round rate till he over-
takes you.
My man Friday had delivered our guide, and when we came
up to him, he was helping him off his horse, for the man was
both hurt and frightened, when on a sudden we espied the bear
242
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
come out of the wood, and a monstrous one it was, the biggest
by far that ever I saw. We were all a little surprised when we
saw him; but when Friday saw him, it was easy to see joy and
courage in the fellow's countenance. "O, O, O!" says Friday,
three times, pointing to him; "O master! you give me te leave,
me shakee te hand with him; me makee you good laugh."
>>
I was surprised to see the fellow so well pleased. "You fool,
says I, "he will eat you up. "Eatee me up! eatee me up!"
says Friday, twice over again ; “me eatee him up; me makee
you good laugh; you all stay here, me show you good laugh."
So down he sits, and gets off his boots in a moment, and puts
on a pair of pumps (as we call the flat shoes they wear, and
which he had in his pocket), gives my other servant his horse,
and with his gun away he flew, swift like the wind.
The bear was walking softly on, and offered to meddle with
nobody, till Friday, coming pretty near, calls to him, as if the
bear could understand him. "Hark ye, hark ye," says Friday,
(6
""
me speakee with you." We followed at a distance, for now
being come down on the Gascony side of the mountains, we
were entered a vast forest, where the country was plain and
pretty open, though it had many trees in it scattered here and
there. Friday, who had, as we say, the heels of the bear, come
up with him quickly, and took up a great stone, and threw it at
him, and hit him just on the head, but did him no more harm
than if he had thrown it against a wall; but it answered Fri-
day's end, for the rogue was so void of fear that he did it purely
to make the bear follow him, and show us some laugh, as he
called it. As soon as the bear felt the blow, and saw him, he
turns about, and comes after him, taking very long strides, and
shuffling on at a strange rate, so as would have put a horse to
a middling gallop: away runs Friday, and takes his course as
if he ran towards us for help; so we all resolved to fire at once
upon the bear, and deliver my man; though I was angry at him
heartily for bringing the bear back upon us, when he was going
about his own business another way; and especially I was angry
that he had turned the bear upon us, and then run away; and
I called out, "You dog! is this your making us laugh? Come
away, and take your horse, that we may shoot the creature."
He heard me, and cried out. "No shoot, no shoot; stand still,
and you get much laugh: " and as the nimble creature ran two
feet for the bear's one, he turned on a sudden on one side of
us, and seeing a great oak tree fit for his purpose, he beckoned
to us to follow; and doubling his pace, he got nimbly up the
tree, and laying his gun down upon the ground, at about five
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
243
f
or six yards from the bottom of the tree. The bear soon came
to the tree, and we followed at a distance; the first thing he
did, he stopped at the gun, smelled at it, but let it lie, and up
he scrambles into the tree, climbing like a cat, though so mon-
strous heavy. I was amazed at the folly, as I thought it, of my
man, and could not for my life see anything to laugh at yet, till
seeing the bear get up the tree, we all rode near to him.
""
(6
When we came to the tree, there was Friday got out to the
small end of a large branch, and the bear got about half way to
him. As soon as the bear got out to that part where the limb
of the tree was weaker,-" Ha! says he to us, now you see
me teachee the bear dance : " so he began jumping and shaking
the bough, at which the bear began to totter, but stood still,
and began to look behind him, to see how he should get back ;
then, indeed, we did laugh heartily. But Friday had not done
with him by a great deal; when seeing him stand still, he called
out to him again, as if he had supposed the bear could speak
English, “What, you come no farther? pray you come farther;
so he left jumping and shaking the tree; and the bear, just as
if he understood what he said, did come a little farther; then
he began jumping again, and the bear stopped again. We
thought now was a good time to knock him in the head, and
called to Friday to stand still, and we would shoot the bear;
but he cried out earnestly, "O pray! O pray! no shoot; me
shoot by and then :" he would have said by and by. However,
to shorten the story, Friday danced so much, and the bear
stood so ticklish, that we had laughing enough, but still could
not imagine what the fellow would do: for first we thought he
depended upon shaking the bear off; and we found the bear
was too cunning for that too; for he would not go out far
enough to be thrown down, but clung fast with his great broad
claws and feet, so that we could not imagine what would be the
end of it, and what the jest would be at last. But Friday put
us out of our doubt quickly for seeing the bear cling fast to
the bough, and that he would not be persuaded to come any
farther, "Well, well," says Friday, "you no come farther, me
go; you no come to me, me come to you ;" and upon this he
went out to the smaller end of the bough, where it would bend
with his weight, and gently let himself down by it,,sliding down
the bough till he came near enough to jump down on his feet;
and away he ran to his gun, took it up, and stood still. "Well,
said I to him, "Friday, what will you do now? Why don't you
shoot him?” "No shoot," says Friday, no yet; me shoot
now, me no kill; me stay, give you one n.or laugh:" and,
(
}}
>>
244
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
indeed, so he did; for when the bear saw his enemy gone, he
came back from the bough where he stood, but did it very cau-
tiously, looking behind him every step, and coming backward
till he got into the body of the tree; then, with the same hinder
end foremost, he came down the tree, grasping it with his claws,
and moving one foot at a time, very leisurely. At this juncture,
and just before he could set his hind foot on the ground, Fri-
day stepped up close to him, clapped the muzzle of his piece
into his ear, and shot him dead. Then the rogue turned about
to see if we did not laugh; and when he saw we were pleased,
by our looks, he began to laugh very loud. "So we kill bear
in my country," says Friday. "So you kill them?
kill them?" says I ;
(C
why, you have no guns.” No," says he, "no gun, but shoot
great much long arrow." This was a good diversion to us ; but
we were still in a wild place, and our guide very much hurt, and
what to do we hardly knew; the howling of wolves ran much
in my head; and, indeed, except the noise I once heard on the
shore of Africa, of which I have said something already, I never
heard anything that filled me with so much horror.
(6
These things, and the approach of night, called us off, or else,
as Friday would have had us, we should certainly have taken
the skin of this monstrous creature off, which was worth saving;
but we had near three leagues to go, and our guide hastened
us: so we left him, and went forward on our journey.
The ground was still covered with snow, though not so deep
and dangerous as on the mountains; and the ravenous crea-
tures, as we heard afterwards, were come down into the forest
and plain country, pressed by hunger, to seek for food, and had
done a great deal of mischief in the villages, where they sur-
prised the country people, killed a great many of their sheep
and horses, and some people too. We had one dangerous place
to pass, and our guide told us, if there were more wolves in the
country we should find them there; and this was a small plain
surrounded with woods on every side, and a long narrow defile,
or lane, which we were to pass to get through the wood, and
then we should come to the village where we were to lodge. It
was within half an hour of sunset when we entered the wood,
and a little after sunset when we came into the plain: we met
with nothing in the first wood, except that in a little plain
within the wood, which was not above two furlongs over,
we saw five great wolves cross the road, full speed, one
after another, as if they had been in chase of some prey,
and had it in view; they took no notice of us, and were
gone out of sight in a few moments. Upon this, our guide who,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
245
by the way, was but a faint-hearted fellow, bade us keep in a
ready posture, for he believed there were more wolves a-coming.
We kept our arms ready, and our eyes about us; but we saw
no more wolves till we came through that wood, which was
near half a league, and entered the plain. As soon as we came
into the plain, we had occasion enough to look about us: the
first object we met with was a dead horse; that is to say, a
poor horse which the wolves had killed, and at least a dozen of
them at work, we could not say eating him, but picking his bones.
rather; for they had eaten up all the flesh before. We did not
think fit to disturb them at their feast, neither did they take
much notice of us. Friday would have let fly at them, but I
would not suffer him by any means; for I found we were like
to have more business upon our hands than we were aware of.
We had not gone half over the plain, when we began to hear
the wolves howl in the wood on our left in a frightful manner,
and presently after we saw about a hundred coming on directly
towards us, all in a body, and most of them in a line, as regu-
larly as an army drawn up by experienced officers. I scarce
knew in what manner to receive them, but found to draw our-
selves in a close line was the only way; so we formed in a mo-
ment; but that we might not have too much interval, I ordered
that only every other man should fire, and that the others, who
had not fired, should stand ready to give them a second volley
immediately, if they continued to advance upon us; and then
that those who had fired at first, should not pretend to load
their fusees again, but stand ready, every one with a pistol, for
we were all armed with a fusee and a pair of pistols each man ;
so we were, by this method, able to fire six volleys, half of us
at a time however, at present we had no necessity; for upon
firing the first volley, the enemy made a full stop, being terrified
as well with the noise as with the fire. Four of them, being
shot in the head, dropped; several others were wounded, and
went bleeding off, as we could see by the snow. I found they
stopped, but did not immediately retreat; whereupon, remem,
bering that I had been told that the fiercest creatures were ter
rified at the voice of a man, I caused all the company to halloo
as loud as we could; and I found the notion not altogether
mistaken; for upon our shout they began to retire and turn
about. I then ordered a second volley to be fired in their rear,
which put them to the gallop, and away they went to the woods.
This gave us leisure to charge our pieces again; and that we
might lose no time, we kept going; but we had but little more
than loaded our fusees. and "ut ourselves in readiness, when
246
ROBINSON CRUsoe.
we heard a terrible noise in the same wood on our left, only
that it was farther onward, the same way we were to go.
The night was coming on, and the light began to be dusky,
which made it worse on our side; but the noise increasing, we
could easily perceive that it was the howling and yelling of those
hellish creatures; and, on a sudden, we perceived two or three
troops of wolves, one on our left, one behind us, and one in our
front, so that we seemed to be surrounded with them : however,
as they did not fall upon us, we kept our way forward, as fast
as we could make our horses go, which, the way being very
rough, was only a good hard trot. In this manner, we came in
view of the entrance of a wood, through which we were to pass,
at the farther side of the plain; but we were greatly surprised,
when coming nearer the lane or pass, we saw a confused number
of wolves standing just at the entrance. On a sudden, at an-
other opening of the wood, we heard the noise of a gun, and
looking that way, out rushed a horse, with a saddle and a bridle
on him, flying like the wind, and sixteen or seventeen wolves
after him full speed: the horse had the advantage of them; but
as we supposed that he could not hold it at that rate, we doubted
not but they would get up with him at last: no question but
they did.
But here we had a most horrible sight: for, riding up to the
entrance where the horse came out, we found the carcases of
another horse and of two men, devoured by the ravenous crea-
tures; and one of the men was no doubt the same whom we
heard fire the gun, for there lay a gun just by him fired off; but
as to the man, his head and the upper part of his body were
eaten up. This filled us with horror, and we knew not what
course to take; but the creatures resolved us soon, for they
gathered about us presently, in hopes of prey; and I verily be-
lieve there were three hundred of them. It happened, very
much to our advantage, that at the entrance into the wood, but
a little way from it, there lay some large timber-trees, which had
been cut down the summer before, and I suppose lay there for
carriage. I drew my little troop in among those trees, and pla-
cing ourselves in a line behind one long tree, I advised them all
to alight, and keeping that tree before us for a breastwork, to
stand in a triangle, or three fronts, enclosing our horses in the
centre. We did so, and it was well we did; for never was a
more furious charge than the creatures made upon us in this
place. They came on with a growling kind of noise, and
mounted the piece of timber, which, as I said, was our breast-
work, as if they were only rushing upon their prey; and this
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
247
fury of theirs, it seems, was principally occasioned by their see-
ing our horses behind us. I ordered our men to fire as before,
every other man; and they took their aim so sure that they
killed several of the wolves at the first volley; but there was a
necessity to keep a continued firing, for they came on like
devils, those behind pushing on those before.
When we had fired a second volley of our fusees, we thought
they stopped a little, and I hoped they would have gone off,
but it was but a moment, for others came forward again ; so we
fired two volleys of our pistols; and I believe in these four
firings we had killed seventeen or eighteen of them, and lamed
twice as many, yet they came on again. I was loath to spend
our shot too hastily; so I called my servant, not my man Friday,
for he was better employed, for, with the greatest dexterity
imaginable, he had charged my fusee and his own while we were
engaged, but, as I said, I called my other man, and giving him
a horn of powder, I bade him lay a train all along the piece of
timber, and let it be a large train. He did so, and had but just
time to get away, when the wolves came up to it, and some got
upon it, when I, snapping an uncharged pistol close to the
powder, set it on fire; those that were upon the timber were
scorched with it, and six or seven of them fell, or rather jumped
in among us with the force and fright of the fire: we despatched
these in an instant, and the rest were so frightened with the
light, which the night-for it was now very dark-made more
terrible, that they drew back a little; upon which I ordered our
last pistols to be fired off in one volley, and after that we gave
a shout; upon this the wolves turned tail, and we sallied imme-
diately upon near twenty lame ones that we found struggling on
the ground, and fell to cutting them with our swords, which an-
swered our expectation, for the crying and howling they made
was better understood by their fellows; so that they all fled
and left us.
We had, first and last, killed about threescore of them, and
had it been daylight we had killed many more. The field of
battle being thus cleared, we made forward again, for we had
still near a league to go. We heard the ravenous creatures
howl and yell in the woods as we went several times, and some-
times we fancied we saw some of them; but the snow dazzling
our eyes, we were not certain. In about an hour more we came
to the town where we were to lodge, which we found in a ter-
rible fright, and all in arms, for, it seems, the night before, the
wolves and some bears had broke into the village, and put them
in such terror, and they were obliged to keep guard night and
11
"
:
248
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
day, but especially in the night, to preserve their cattle, and
indeed their people.
The next morning our guide was so ill, and his limbs swelled
so much with the rankling of his two wounds, that he could go
no farther; so we were obliged to take a new guide here, and
go to Toulouse, where we found a warm climate, a fruitful,
pleasant country, and no snow, no wolves, nor anything like
them; but when we told our story at Toulouse, they told us it
was nothing but what was ordinary in the great forest at the
foot of the mountains, especially when the snow lay on the
ground; but they inquired much what kind of a guide we had
got, who would venture to bring us that way in such a severe
season, and told us it was surprising we were not all devoured.
When we told them how we placed ourselves and the horses in
the middle, they blamed us exceedingly, and told us it was fifty
to one but we had been all destroyed, for it was the sight of
the horses which made the wolves so furious, seeing their prey,
and that at other times they are really afraid of a gun,-but
being excessively hungry, and raging on that account, the eager-
ness to come at the horses had made them senseless of danger,
-and that if we had not by the continued fire, and at last by
the stratagem of the train of powder, mastered them, it had
been great odds but that we had been torn to pieces; whereas,
had we been content to have sat still on horseback, and fired
as horsemen, they would not have taken the horses so much for
their own, when men were on their backs, as otherwise; and,
withal, they told us that at last, if we had stood all together,
and left our horses, they would have been so eager to have
devoured them, that we might have come off safe, especially
having our fire-arms in our hands, and being so many in number.
For my part, I was never so sensible of danger in my life,-
for, seeing above three hundred devils come roaring and open-
mouthed to devour us, and having nothing to shelter us or
retreat to, I gave myself over for lost; and, as it was, I believe
I shall never care to cross those mountains again; I think I
would much rather go a thousand leagues by sea, though I was
sure to meet with a storm once a week.
I have nothing uncommon to take notice of in my passage
through France,-nothing but what other travellers have given
an account of with much more advantage than I can. I
travelled from Toulouse to Paris, and without any considerabie
stay came to Calais, and landed safe at Dover the 14th of
January, after having a severe cold season to travel in.
I was now come to the centre of my travels, and had in a
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
249
little time all my new-discovered estate safe about me, the bills
of exchange which I brought with me having been very currently
paid.
My principal guide and privy-counsellor was my good ancient
widow, who, in gratitude for the money I had sent her, thought
no pains too much nor care too great to employ for me; and
I trusted her so entirely with everything, that I was perfectly
easy as to the security of my effects; and, indeed, I was very
happy from the beginning, and now to the end, in the unspotted
integrity of this good gentlewoman.
And now, having resolved to dispose of my plantation in
the Brazils, I wrote to my old friend at Lisbon, who having
offered it to the two merchants, the survivors of my trustees,
who lived in the Brazils, they accepted the offer, and remitted
thirty-three thousand pieces of eight to a correspondent of theirs
at Lisbon to pay for it.
In return, I signed the instrument of sale in the form which
they sent from Lisbon, and sent it to my old man, who sent me
the bills of exchange for thirty-two thousand eight hundred
pieces-of-eight for the estate, reserving the payment of one
hundred moidores a year to him (the old man) during his life,
and fifty moidores afterwards to his son for his life, which I
promised them, and which the plantation was to make good as
a rent-charge. And thus I have given the first part of a life:
of fortune and adventure,—a life of Frovidence's checker-work,
and of a variety which the world will seldom be able to show
the like of;— beginning foolishly, but closing much more
happily than any part of it ever gave me leave so much as to
hope for.
Any one would think that in this state of complicated good
fortune I was past running any more hazards,—and so, indeed,
I had been, if other circumstances had concurred; but I was
inured to a wandering life, had no family, nor many relations;
nor, however rich, had I contracted much acquaintance; and
though I had sold my estate in the Brazils, yet I could not keep
that country out of my head, and had a great mind to be upon
the wing again; especially I could not resist the strong incli-
nation I had to see my island, and to know if the poor Spaniards
were in being there. My true friend, the widow, earnestly dis-
suaded me from it, and so far prevailed with me, that for almost
seven years she prevented my running abroad, during which
time I took my two nephews, the children of one of my brothers,
into my care; the eldest, having something of his own, I bred
up as a gentleman, and gave him a settlement of some addition
250
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
·
to his estate after my decease. The other I placed with the
captain of a ship; and after five years, finding him a sensible,
bold, enterprising young fellow, I put him into a good ship, and
sent him to sea; and this young fellow afterwards drew me in,
as old as I was, to further adventures myself.
In the mean time, I in part settled myself here; for, first of
all, I married, and that not either to my disadvantage or dis-
satisfaction, and had three children, two sons and one daughter;
but my wife dying, and my nephew coming home with good
success from a voyage to Spain, my inclination to go abroad,
and his importunity, prevailed, and engaged me to go in his
ship as a private trader to the East Indies; that was in the
year 1694.
In this voyage I visited my new colony in the island,—saw
my successors the Spaniards, had the whole story of their
lives, and of the villains I left there,-how at first they insulted
the poor Spaniards,-how they afterwards agreed, disagreed,
united, separated, and how at last the Spaniards were obliged
to use violence with them,-how they were subjected to the
Spaniards, how honestly the Spaniards used them; a history,
if it were entered into, as full of variety and wonderful accidents
as my own part,-particularly, also, as to their battles with the
Caribbeans, who landed several times upon the island, and as
to the improvement they made upon the island itself,-and how
five of them made an attempt upon the main land, and brought
away eleven men and five women prisoners, by which, at my
coming, I found about twenty young children on the island.
Here I staid about twenty days, left them supplies of
all necessary things, and particularly of arms, powder, shot,
clothes, tools, and two workmen, which I brought from England
with me,-viz.: a carpenter and a smith.
Besides this, I shared the lands into parts with them, re
served to myself the property of the whole, but gave them such
parts respectively as they agreed on; and having settled all
things with them, and engaged them not to leave the place, I
left them there.
J
From thence I touched at the Brazils, from whence I sent
a bark, which I brought there, with more people to the island;
and in it, besides other supplies, I sent seven women, being
such as I found proper for service, or for wives to such as
would take them. As to the Englishmen, I promised them to
send them some women from England, with a good cargo of
necessaries, if they would apply themselves to planting,-which
I afterwards could not perform. The fellows proved very
•
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
251
honest and diligent after they were mastered, and had their
properties set apart for them. I sent them also from the
Brazils, five cows, three of them being big with calf, some sheep,
and some hogs, which when I came again were considerably
increased.
But all these things, with an account how three hundred
Caribbees came and invaded them, and ruined their planta-
tions, and how they fought with that whole number twice, and
were at first defeated, and one of them killed; but, at last, a
storm destroying their enemies' canoes, they famished or de-
stroyed almost all the rest, and renewed and recovered the
possession of their plantation, and still lived upon the island.
All these things, with some very surprising incidents in
some new adventures of my own, for ten years more, I shal?
give a further account of in the second part of my history.
+
THE
FURTHER ADVENTURES
OF
ROBINSON
CRUSOE.
THAT homely proverb, used on so many occasions in Eng-
land, viz.: "That what is bred in the bone will not go out of
the flesh," was never more verified than in the story of my life.
Any one would think that after thirty-five years' affliction, and
a variety of unhappy circumstances, which few men, if any,
ever went through before, and after seven years of peace and
enjoyment in the fulness of all things, grown old, and when, if
ever, it might be allowed me to have had experience of every
state of middle life, and to know which was most adapted to
make a man completely happy; I say, after all this, any one
would have thought that the native propensity to rambling,
which I gave an account of in my first setting out in the world
to have been so predominant in my thoughts, should be worn
out, the volatile part be fully evacuated, or at least condensed,
and I might, at sixty-one years of age, have been a little in-
clined to stay at home, and have done venturing life and for-
tune any more.
Nay, further, the common motive of foreign adventures
was taken away in me, for I had no fortune to make; I had
nothing to seek if I had gained ten thousand pounds, I had
been no richer; for I had already sufficient for me, and for
those I had to leave it to; and what I had was visibly increas-
ing; for, having no great family, I could not spend the income
of what I had, unless I would set up for an expensive way of
living, such as a great family, servants, equipage, gayety, and
the like, which were things I had no notion of, or inclination
to; so that I had nothing, indeed, to do, but to sit still, and
(253)
254
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
fully enjoy what I had got, and see it increase daily upon my
hands. Yet all these things had no effect upon me, or at least
not enough to resist the strong inclination I had to go abroad
again, which hung about me like a chronical distemper. In
particular, the desire of seeing my new plantation in the island,
and the colony I left there, ran in my head continually. I
dreamed of it all night, and my imagination ran upon it all
day; it was uppermost in all my thoughts; and my fancy
worked so steadily and strongly upon it, that I talked of it in
my sleep; in short, nothing could remove it out of my mind:
it even broke so violently into all my discourses that it made
my conversation tiresome, for I could talk of nothing else; all
my discourse ran into it, even to impertinence; and I saw it
myself.
I have often heard persons of good judgment say, that all
the stir people make in the world about ghosts and apparitions
is owing to the strength of imagination, and the powerful oper-
ation of fancy in their minds; that there is no such thing as a
spirit appearing, or a ghost walking; that people's poring affec-
tionately upon the past conversation of their deceased friends,
so realizes it to them, that they are capable of fancying, upon
some extraordinary circumstances, that they see them, talk to
them, and are answered by them, when, in truth, there is nothing
but shadow and vapor in the thing, and they really know nothing
of the matter.
For my part, I know not to this hour whether there are
any such things as real apparitions, spectres, or walking of
people after they are dead; or whether there is anything in the
stories they tell us of that kind more than the product of va-
pors, sick minds, and wandering fancies: but this I know, that
my imagination worked up to such a height, and brought me
into such excess of vapors, or what else I may call it, that I
actually supposed myself often upon the spot, at my old castle,
behind the trees; saw my old Spaniard, Friday's father, and the
reprobate sailors I left upon the island; nay, I fancied I talked
with them, and looked at them steadily, though I was broad awake,
as at persons just before me; and this I did till I often fright-
ened myself with the images my fancy represented to me. One
time, in my sleep, I had the villany of the three pirate sailors
so lively related to me by the first Spaniard and Friday's father,
that it was surprising: they told me how they barbarously at-
tempted to murder all the Spaniards, and that they sat fire to
the provisions they had laid up, on purpose to distress and
starve them; things that I had never heard of, and that, indeed,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
255
یا
were never all of them true in fact: but it was so warm in my
imagination, and so realized to me, that, to the hour I saw
them, I could not be persuaded but that it was, or would be,
true: also how I resented it, when the Spaniard complained to
me; and how I brought them to justice, tried them, and or
dered them all three to be hanged. What there was really in
this shall be seen in its place: for however I came to form such
things in my dream, and what secret converse of spirits in-
jected it, yet there was, I say, much of it, true. I own that this
dream had nothing in it literally and specifically true; but the
general part was so true, the base, villanous behavior of
these hardened rogues was such, and had been so much worse
than all I can describe, that the dream had too much similitude
of the fact; and as I would afterwards have punished them
severely, so, if I had hanged them all, I had been much in the
right, and even should have been justified both by the laws of
God and man. But to return to my story: In this kind of
temper I lived some years I had no enjoyment of my life, no
pleasant hours, no agreeable diversion, but what had something
or other of this in it; so that my wife, who saw my mind wholly
bent upon it, told me very seriously one night, that she believed
there was some secret, powerful impulse of Providence upon me,
which had determined me to go thither again; and that she
found nothing hindered my going, but my being engaged to a
wife and children. She told me that it was true she could not
think of parting with me: but as she was assured that if she
was dead it would be the first thing I would do; so, as it
seemed to her that the thing was determined above, she would
not be the only obstruction; for, if I thought fit and resolved.
to go-
[Here she found me very intent upon her words, and
that I looked very earnestly at her, so that it a little disordered
her, and she stopped. I asked her why she did not go on, and
say out what she was going to say? But I perceived that her
heart was too full, and some tears stood in her eyes.] Speak
out, my dear," said I ; "are you willing I should go?" "No,"
says she, very affectionately, "I am far from willing; but if
you are resolved to go," says she, "rather than I would be the
only hinderance, I will go with you: for though I think it a
most preposterous thing for one of your years, and in your con-
dition, yet, if it must be,'
it must be," said she, again weeping, "I would
not leave you; for, if it be of Heaven, you must do it; there
is no resisting it; and if Heaven make it your duty to go, He
will also make it mine to go with you, or otherwise dispose of
me, that I may not obstruct it."
<<
256
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
This affectionate behavior of my wife's brought me a little
out of the vapors, and I began to consider what I was doing; I
corrected my wandering fancy, and began to argue with myself
sedately what business I had after three score years, and after
such a life of tedious sufferings and disasters, and closed in so
happy and easy a manner,-I say, what business had I to rush
into new hazards, and put myself upon adventures fit only for
youth and poverty to run into?
:
With these thoughts I considered my new engagement; that
I had a wife, one child born, and my wife then great with child
of another; that I had all the world could give me, and had
no need to seek hazard for gain, that I was declining in years,
and ought to think rather of leaving what I had gained than of
seeking to increase it; that as to what my wife had said of its
being an impulse from Heaven, and that it should be my duty
to go, I had no notion of that; so, after many of these cogita-
tions, I struggled with the power of my imagination, reasoned
myself out of it, as I believe people may always do in like
cases if they will; and, in a word, I conquered it; composed
myself with such arguments as occurred to my thoughts, and
which my present condition furnished me plentifully with and
particularly, as the most effectual method, I resolved to divert
myself with other things, and to engage in some business that
might effectually tie me up from any more excursions of this
kind; for I found that thing return upon me chiefly when I
was idle, and had nothing to do, nor anything of moment im-
mediately before me. To this purpose, I bought a little farm
in the county of Bedford, and resolved to remove myself thither.
I had a little convenient house upon it, and the land about it,
I found, was capable of great improvement; and it was many
ways suited to my inclination, which delighted in cultivating,
managing, planting, and improving of land; and particularly,
being an inland country, I was removed from conversing among
sailors, and things relating to the remote parts of the world.
In a word, I went down to my farm, settled my family,
bought ploughs, harrows, a cart, wagon, horses, cows, and sheep,
and, setting seriously to work, became in one half year a mere
country gentleman: my thoughts were entirely taken up in man-
aging my servants, cultivating the ground, enclosing, planting,
&c.; and I lived, as I thought, the most agreeable life that na-
ture was capable of directing, or that a man always bred to
misfortunes was capable of retreating to.
I farmed upon my own land; I had no rent to pay, was
limited by no articles; I could pull up or cut down as I pleased:
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
257
what I planted was for myself, and what I improved was for
my family; and having thus left off the thoughts of wandering,
I had not the least discomfort in any part of life as to this
world. Now I thought indeed that I enjoyed the middle state
of life, which my father so earnestly recommended to me, and
lived a kind of heavenly life, something like what is described
by the poet, upon the subject of a country life :
"Free from vices, free from care,
Age has no pain, and youth no snare."
But in the middle of all this felicity, one blow from unseen
Providence unhinged me at once; and not only made a breach
upon me inevitable and incurable, but drove me, by its conse-
quences, into a deep relapse of the wandering disposition,
which, as I may say, being born in my very blood, soon recov-
ered its hold of me; and like the returns of a violent distemper,
came on with an irresistible force upon me. This blow was the
loss of my wife. It is not my business here to write an elegy
upon my wife, give a character of her particular virtues, and
make my court to the sex by the flattery of a funeral sermon.
She was, in a few words, the stay of all my affairs, the centre of
all my enterprises, the engine that, by her prudence, reduced
me to that happy compass I was in, from the most extravagant
and ruinous projects that filled my head, and did more to guide
my rambling genius than a mother's tears, a father's instruction,
a friend's counsel, or all my own reasoning powers could do. I
was happy in listening to her, and in being moved by her en-
treaties; and to the last degree desolate and dislocated in the
world by the loss of her.
When she was gone, the world looked awkwardly round me.
I was as much a stranger in it, in my thoughts, as I was in the
Brazils, when I first went on shore there; and as much alone,
except for the assistance of servants, as I was in my island. I
knew neither what to think nor what to do. I saw the world
busy around me; one part laboring for bread, another part
squandering in vile excesses, or empty pleasures, equally mis-
erable, because the end they proposed still fled from them; for
the men of pleasure every day surfeited of their vice, and
heaped up work for sorrow and repentance; and the men of
labor spent their strength in daily struggling for bread to main-
tain the vital strength they labored with; so living in a daily
circulation of sorrow, living but to work, and working but to
live, as if daily bread were the only end of wearisome life, and
a wearisome life the only occasion of daily bread.
258
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
This put me in mind of the life I lived in my kingdom, the
island; where I suffered no more corn to grow, because I did
not want it; and bred no more goats, because I had no more
use for them; where the money lay in the drawer till it grew
mouldy, and had scarce the favor to be looked upon in twenty
years.
All these things, had I improved them as I ought to have
done, and as reason and religion had dictated to me, would
have taught me to search farther than human enjoyments for a
full felicity; and that there was something which certainly was
the reason and end of life, superior to all these things, and
which was either to be possessed, or at least hoped for, on this
side the grave.
But my sage counsellor was gone: I was like a ship with-
out a pilot, that could only run afore the wind. My thoughts
ran all away again into the old affair; my head was quite
turned with the whimseys of foreign adventures; and all the
pleasant, innocent amusements of my farm, my garden, my
cattle, and my family, which before entirely possessed me, were
nothing to me, had no relish, and were like music to one that
has no ear, or food to one that has no taste: in a word, I re-
solved to leave off housekeeping, let my farm, and return to
London; and in a few months after I did so.
When I came to London, I was still as uneasy as I was be-
fore; I had no relish for the place, no employment in it, noth-
ing to do but to saunter about like an idle person, of whom it
may be said he is perfectly useless in God's creation, and it is
not one farthing's matter to the rest of his kind whether he be
dead or alive. This also was the thing which, of all circum-
stances of life, was the most my aversion, who had been all my
days used to an active life; and I would often say to myself,
"Á state of idleness is the very dregs of life;" and, indeed, I
thought I was much more suitably employed when I was twenty-
six days making a deal board.
It was now the beginning of the year 1693, when my nephew,
whom, as I have observed before, I had brought up to the sea,
and had made him commander of a ship, was come home from
a short voyage to Bilboa, being the first he had made. He
came to me, and told me that some merchants of his acquaint-
ance had been proposing to him to go a voyage for them to
the East Indies, and to China, as private traders.
uncle," says he, "if you will go to sea with me, I will engage
to land you upon your old habitation in the island; for we are
to touch at the Brazils."
"And now,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
259
Nothing can be a greater demonstration of a future state,
and of the existence of an invisible world, than the concurrence
of second causes with the ideas of things which we form in our
minds, perfectly reserved, and not communicated to any in the
world.
My nephew knew nothing how far my distemper of wan-
dering was returned upon me, and I knew nothing of what
he had in his thought to say, when that very morning, be-
fore he came to me, I had, in a great deal of confusion of
thought, and revolving every part of my circumstances in my
mind, come to this resolution, that I would go to Lisbon,
and consult with my old sea-captain; and if it was rational
and practicable, I would go and see the island again, and
what was become of my people there. I had pleased myself
with the thoughts of peopling the place, and carrying inhab-
itants from hence, getting a patent for the possession, and I
know not what: when, in the middle of all this, in comes
my nephew, as I have said, with his project of carrying me
thither in his way to the East Indies.
""
'
I paused awhile at his words, and looking steadily at him,
"What devil,” said I, sent you on this unlucky errand?
My nephew stared as if he had been frightened, at first;
but perceiving that I was not much displeased with the pro-
posal, he recovered himself. "I hope it may not be an un-
lucky proposal, sir," says he; "I dare say you would be
pleased to see your new colony there, where you once reigned
with more felicity than most of your brother monarchs in the
world."
In a word, the scheme hit so exactly with my temper,
that is to say, the prepossession I was under, and of which
I have said so much, that I told him, in a few words, if he
agreed with the merchants, I would go with him; but I told
him I would not promise to go any farther than my own
island. "Why, sir," says he, "you don't want to be left there
again I hope?" "Why," said I, "can you not take me up again
on your return?" He told me it would not be possible to do
so; that the merchants would never allow him to come that way
with a laden ship of such value, it being a month's sail out of
his way, and might be three or four. "Besides, sir, if I should
miscarry," said he, "and not return at all, then you would be
just reduced to the condition you were in before."
This was very rational; but we both found out a remedy for
it; which was to carry a framed sloop on board the ship, which
being taken in pieces, and shipped on board the ship, might, by
260
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
43
the help of some carpenters, whom we agreed to carry with us,
be set up again in the island, and finished fit to go to sea in a
few days.
I was not long resolving; for, indeed, the importunities of
my nephew joined so effectually with my inclination, that noth-
ing could oppose me; on the other hand, my wife being dead,
nobody concerned themselves so much for me as to persuade
me to one way or the other, except my ancient good friend the
widow, who earnestly struggled with me to consider my years,
my easy circumstances, and the needless hazards of a long
voyage; and above all, my young children. But it was all to
no purpose; I had an irresistible desire for the voyage; and I
told her I thought there was something so uncommon in the
impressions I had upon my mind, that it would be a kind of re-
sisting Providence if I should attempt to stay at home; after
which she ceased her expostulations, and joined with me, not
only in making provision for my voyage, but also in settling my
family affairs for my absence, and providing for the education
of my children.
In order to do this, I made my will, and settled the estate
I had in such a manner for my children, and placed in such
hands, that I was perfectly easy and satisfied they would have
justice done them, whatever might befall me; and for their
education, I left it wholly to the widow, with a sufficient main-
tenance to herself for her care; all which she richly deserved;
for no mother could have taken more care in their education,
or understood it better: and as she lived till I came home, I
also lived to thank her for it.
My nephew was ready to sail about the beginning of Jan-
uary, 1694-5; and I, with my man Friday, went on board, in
the Downs, the 8th; having, besides that sloop, which I men-
tioned above, a very considerable cargo of all kinds of neces-
sary things for my colony; which if I did not find in good con-
dition, I resolved to leave so.
First, I carried with me some servants, whom I pro-
posed to place there as inhabitants, or at least to set on work
there, upon my account, while I staid, and either to leave them
there or carry them forward, as they should appear willing:
particularly I carried two carpenters, a smith, and a very handy,
ingenious fellow, who was a cooper by trade, and was also a
general mechanic: for he was dexterous at making wheels, and
hand-mills to grind corn, was a good turner, and a good pot-
maker; he also made anything that was proper to make of
earth or of wood in a wor we called him our Jack-of-all-
l
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
261
trades. With these I carried a tailor, who had offered himself
to go a passenger to the East Indies with my nephew, but
afterwards consented to stay on our new plantation; and who
proved a most necessary, handy fellow, as could be desired in
many other businesses besides that of his trade; for as I ob-
served formerly, necessity arms us for all employments.
My cargo, as near as I can recollect, for I have not kept ac-
count of the particulars, consisted of a sufficient quantity of
linen, and some English thin stuffs, for clothing the Spaniards
that I expected to find there; and enough of them, as, by my
calculation, might comfortably supply them for seven years;
if
I remember right, the materials I carried for clothing them,
with gloves, hats, shoes, stockings, and all such things as they
could want for wearing, amounted to above two hundred pounds,
including some beds, bedding, and household stuff, particu-
larly kitchen utensils, with pots, kettles, pewter, brass, &c.,
and near a hundred pounds more in iron work, nails, tools of
every kind, staples, hooks, hinges, and every necessary thing I
could think of.
I carried also a hundred spare arms, muskets, and fusees;
besides some pistols, a considerable qnantity of shot of all
sizes, three or four tons of lead, and two pieces of brass can-
non; and, because I knew not what time and what extremities I
was providing for, I carried a hundred barrels of powder, besides
swords, cutlasses, and the iron part of some pikes and halberds;
so that, in short, we had a large magazine of all sorts of stores:
and I made my nephew carry two small quarter-deck guns
more than he wanted for his ship, to leave behind if there was
occasion; that when we came there, we might build a fort, and
man it against all sorts of enemies: and, indeed, I at first
thought there would be need enough for all, and much more,
if we hoped to maintain our possession of the Island; as shall
be seen in the course of that story.
I had not such bad luck in this voyage as I had been used
to meet with; and, therefore, shall have less occasion to inter-
rupt the reader, who, perhaps, may be impatient to hear how mat-
ters went with my colony: yet some old accidents, cross winds,
and bad weather happened on this first setting out, which made
the voyage longer than I expected it at first; and I, who had
never made but one voyage, my first voyage to Guinea, in
which I might be said to come back again, as the voyage was
at first designed, began to think the same ill fate attended me;
and that I was born to be never contented with being on
shore, and yet to be always unfortunate at sea.
262
1
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
Contrary winds first put us to the northward, and we were
obliged to put in at Galway, in Ireland, where we lay wind-
bound two-and-twenty days; but we had this satisfaction with
the disaster, that provisions were here exceeding cheap, and
in the utmost plenty; so that while we lay here, we never
touched the ship's stores, but rather added to them. Here,
also, I took in several live hogs, and two cows with their calves,
which I resolved, if I had a good passage, to put on shore in my
Island but we found occasion to dinose otherwise of them.
:
We set out the 5th of February from Ireland, and had a
very fair gale of wind for some days. As I remember, it might
be about the 20th of February, in the evening late, when the
mate, having the watch, came into the round-house and told us he
saw a flash of fire, and heard a gun fired; and while he was
telling us of it, a boy came in, and told us the boatswain heard
another. This made us all run out upon the quarter-deck, where,
for awhile, we heard nothing; but in a few minutes we saw a
very great light, and found that there was some very terrible fire
at a distance; immediately we had recourse to our reckonings, in
which we all agreed that there could be no land that way in which
the fire showed itself, no, not for five hundred leagues, for it ap-
peared at W. N. W. Upon this, we concluded it must be some
ship on fire at sea; and as, by our hearing the noise of guns
just before, we concluded that it could not be far off, we stood
directly towards it, and were presently satisfied we should dis-
cover it, because the farther we sailed, the greater the light ap-
peared; though, the weather being hazy, we could not per-
ceive anything but the light for a while. In about half an
hour's sailing, the wind being fair for us, though not much of
it, and the weather clearing up a little, we could plainly dis-
cern that it was a great ship on fire, in the middle of the sea.
I was most sensibly touched with the disaster, though
not at all acquainted with the persons engaged in it: I pres-
ently recollected my former circumstances, and what condition
I was in when taken up by the Portuguese captain, and how
much more deplorable the circumstances of the poor creatures
belonging to that ship must be, if they had no other ship in
company with them. Upon this, I immediately ordered that
five guns should be fired, one soon after another, that, if
possible, we might give notice to them that there was help
for them at hand, and that they might endeavor to save them-
selves in their boat; for though we could see the flames of
the ship, yet they, it being night, could see nothing of us.
We lay by some time upon this, only driving as the burning
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
263
ship drove, waiting for daylight; when, on a sudden, to our
great terror, though we had reason to expect it, the ship blew
up in the air, and immediately, that is to say, in a few minutes,
all the fire was out, that is to say, the rest of the ship sunk.
This was a terrible, and, indeed, an afflicting sight, for the sake
of the poor men, who, I concluded, must be either all de-
stroyed in the ship, or be in the utmost distress in their boat,
in the middle of the ocean; which, at present, as it was dark,
I could not see. However, to direct them as well as I could,
I caused lights to be hung out in all the parts of the ship
where we could, and which we had lanterns for, and kept firing
guns all night long; letting them know by this that there was
a ship not far off.
About eight o'clock in the morning, we discovered the ship's
boats by help of our perspective-glasses, and found there were
two of them, both thronged with people, and deep in the
water. We perceived they rowed, the wind being against
them; and they saw our ship, and did their utmost to make us
see them.
We immediately spread our ancient, to let them know we
saw them, and hung a waft out, as a signal for them to come
on board; and then made more sail, standing directly to them.
In little more than half an hour, we came up with them; and,
in a word, took them all in, being no less than sixty-four men,
women, and children; for there were a great many passengers.
Upon inquiry, we found it was a French merchant ship of
three hundred tons, home bound from Quebec, in the river of
Canada. The master gave us a long account of the distress
of his ship; how the fire began in the steerage, by the negli-
gence of the steersman; but, on his crying out for help, was,
as everybody thought, entirely put out; but they soon found
that some sparks of the first fire had got into some part of the
ship so difficult to come at that they could not effectually
quench it; and afterwards getting in between the timbers, and
within the ceiling of the ship, it proceeded into the hold, and
mastered all the skill and all the application they were able to
exert.
They had no more to do then but to get into their boats,
which, to their great comfort, were pretty large; being their
long-boat, and a great shallop, besides a small skiff, which was
of no great service to them, other than to get some fresh water
and provisions into her, after they had secured their lives from
the fire. They had, indeed, small hope of their lives by getting
into these boats, at that distance from any land; only, as they
264
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
said, that they thus escaped from the fire, and there was a
possibility that some ship might happen to be at sea, and might
take them in. They had sails, oars, and a compass; and were
preparing to make the best of their way back to Newfoundland,
the wind blowing pretty fair, for it blew an easy gale at S. E.
by E. They had as much provision and water as, with sparing
it, so as to be next door to starving, might support them about
twelve days, in which, if they had no bad weather and no con-
trary winds, the captain said he hoped he might get to the
Banks of Newfoundland, and might perhaps take some fish, to
sustain them till they might go on shore. But there were so
many chances against them in all these cases, such as storms,
to overset and founder them; rains and cold, to benumb and
perish their limbs ; contrary winds, to keep them out and starve
them; that it must have been next to miraculous if they had
escaped.
In the midst of their consternation, every one being hope-
less and ready to despair, the captain, with tears in his eyes,
told me they were on a sudden surprised with the joy of hear-
ing a gun fire, and after that four more: these were the five
guns which I caused to be fired at first seeing the light. This
revived their hearts, and gave them the notice, which, as above,
I desired it should, that there was a ship at hand for their help.
It was upon the hearing of these guns that they took down
their masts and sails: the sound coming from the windward,
they resolved to lie by till morning. Some time after this, hear-
ing no more guns, they fired three muskets, one a considerable
while after another; but these, the wind being contrary, we
never heard.
Some time after that again, they were still more agreeably
surprised with seeing our lights, and hearing the guns which, as
I have said, I caused to be fired all the rest of the night. This
set them to work with their oars, to keep their boats ahead, at
least, that we might the sooner come up with them; and, at
last, to their inexpressible joy, they found we saw them.
It is impossible for me to express the several gestures, the
strange ecstasies, the variety of postures, which these poor
delivered people ran into, to express the joy of their souls at
so unexpected a deliverance. Grief and fear are easily de-
scribed; sighs, tears, groans, and a very few motions of the
head and hands, make up the sum of its variety; but an excess
of joy, a surprise of joy, has a thousand extravagances in it.
There were some in tears; some raging and tearing themselves,
as if they had been in the greatest agonies of sorrow; some
Robinson CRUSOE.
265
stark raving and downright lunatic; some ran about the ship
stamping with their feet, others wringing their hands; some
were dancing, some singing, some laughing, more crying, many
quite dumb, not able to speak a word; others sick and vomiting;
several swooning and ready to faint; and a few were crossing
themselves, and giving God thanks.
I would not wrong them either; there might be many that
were thankful afterwards; but the passion was too strong for
them at first, and they were not able to master it; they were
thrown into ecstasies, and a kind of frenzy, and it was but a
very few that were composed and serious in their joy.
Perhaps, also, the case may have some addition to it from
the particular circumstances of that nation they belonged to; I
mean the French, whose temper is allowed to be more volatile,
more passionate, and more sprightly, and their spirits more fluid
than in other nations. I am not philosopher enough to deter-
mine the cause; but nothing I had ever seen before came up
to it. The ecstasies poor Friday, my trusty savage, was in,
when he found his father in the boat, came the nearest to it;
and the surprise of the master and his two companions, whom
I delivered from the villains and set them on shore in the island,
came a little way towards it; but nothing was to compare to
this, either that I saw in Friday, or anywhere else in my life.
It is further observable, that these extravagances did not
show themselves in that different manner I have mentioned, in
different persons only; but all the variety would appear, in a
short succession of moments, in one and the same person.
A
man that we saw this minute dumb, and, as it were, stupid and
confounded, would the next minute be dancing and hallooing
like an antic; and the next moment be tearing his hair, or pull-
ing his clothes to pieces, and stamping them under his feet like
a madman; in a few moments after that we would have him all
in tears, then sick, swooning, and, had not immediate help been
had, he would in a few moments have been dead; and thus it
was, not with one or two, or ten or twenty, but with the greatest
part of them; and, if I remember right, our surgeon was obliged
to let blood of about thirty of them.
There were two priests among them: one an old man, and
the other a young men ; and that which was strangest was, the
oldest man was the worst. As soon as he set his foot on board
our ship, and saw himself safe, he dropped down stone dead to
all appearance; not the least sign of life could be perceived in
him: our surgeon immediately applied proper remedies to
recover him, and was the only man in the ship that believed he
*
266
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
was not dead. At length he opened a vein in his arm, having
first chafed and rubbed the part, so as to warm it as much as
possible. Upon this, the blood, which only dropped at first,
flowing freely, in three minutes after the man opened his eyes;
and a quarter of an hour after he spoke, grew better, and in a
little time quite well. After the blood was stopped, he walked
about, told us he was perfectly well, took a dram of cordial
which the surgeon gave him, and had come to himself. About
a quarter of an hour after this, they came running into the cabin
to the surgeon, who was bleeding a French woman that had
fainted, and told him the priest was gone stark mad. It seems
he had begun to revolve the change of his circumstances in his
mind, and again this put him into an ecstasy of joy. His spirits
whirled about faster than the vessels could convey them, the
blood grew hot and feverish ; and the man was as fit for Bedlam
as any creature that ever was in it. The surgeon would not
bleed him again in that condition, but gave him something to
doze and put him to sleep; which, after some time, operated
upon him, and he awoke next morning perfectly composed and
well.
The younger priest behaved with great command of his
passions, and was really an example of a serious, well-governed
mind. At his first coming on board the ship, he threw himself
flat on his face, prostrating himself in thankfulness for his
deliverance, in which I unhappily and unseasonably disturbed
him, really thinking he had been in a swoon; but he spoke
calmly, thanked me, told me he was giving God thanks for his
deliverance, begged me to leave him a few moments, and that,
next to his Maker, he would give me thanks also.
I was heartily sorry that I disturbed him, and not only left
him, but kept others from interrupting him also. He continued
in that posture about three minutes, or little more, after I left
him, then came to me, as he had said he would, and, with a
great deal of seriousness and affection, but with tears in his
eyes, thanked me, that had, under God, given him and so many
miserable creatures their lives. I told him I had no need to
tell him to thank God for it, rather than me, for I had seen that
he had done that already; but I added that it was nothing but
what reason and humanity dictated to all men, and that we
had as much reason as he to give thanks to God, who had blessed
us so far as to make us the instruments of his mercy to so many
of his creatures.
•
After this, the young priest applied himself to his country-
men; labored to compose them; persuaded, entreated, argued,
1
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267
reasoned with them, and did his utmost to keep them within
the exercise of their reason; and with some he had success,
though, others were for a time out of all government of them-
selves.
I cannot help committing this to writing, as perhaps it may
be useful to those into whose hands it may fall, for guiding
themselves in the the extravagances of their passions; for if an
excess of joy can carry men out to such a length beyond the
reach of their reason, what will not the extravagances of anger,
rage, and a provoked mind, carry us to? And, indeed, here I
saw reason for keeping an exceeding watch over our passions
of every kind, as well those of joy and satisfaction, as those of
sorrow and anger.
We were somewhat disordered by these extravagances
among our new guests, for the first day; but after they had
retired to lodgings provided for them as well as our ship would
allow, and they had slept heartily-as most of them did, being
fatigued and frightened-they were quite another sort of people
the next day.
Nothing of good manners, or civil acknowledgments for
the kindness shown them, was wanting; the French, it is
known, are naturally apt enough to exceed that way. The
captain and one of the priests came to me the next day, and
desired to speak with me and my nephew; the commander
began to consult with us what should be done with them; and,
first, told us we had saved their lives; so all they had was
little enough for a return to us for that kindness received. The
captain said they had saved some money and some things of
value in their boats, caught hastily out of the flames, and if we
would accept it, they were ordered to make an offer of it all to
us; they only desired to be set on shore somewhere in our way,
where, if possible, they might get a passage to France. My
nephew wished to accept their money at first word, and to con-
sider what to do with them afterwards; but I overruled him in
that part, for I knew what it was to be set on shore in a strange
country; and if the Portuguese captain that took me up at sea
had served me so, and taken all I had for my deliverance, I
must have starved, or have been as much a slave at the Brazils
as I had been at Barbary, the mere being sold to a Mahometan
excepted; and perhaps a Portuguese is not a much better
master than a Turk, if not, in some cases, much worse.
I therefore told the French captain that we had taken them
up in their distress, it was true, but that it was our duty to do
so, as we were fellow-creatures; and we would desire to be so
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T
I
delivered, if we were in the like or any other extremity; that
we had done nothing for them but what we believed they would
have done for us, if we had been in their case, and they in
ours; but that we took them up to save them, not to plunder
them; and it would be a most barbarous thing to take that
little from them which they had saved out of the fire, and then
set them on shore and leave them; that this would be first to
save them from death, and then kill them ourselves; save them
from drowning, and abandon them to starving; and, therefore,
I would not let the least thing be taken from them. As to
setting them on shore, I told them, indeed, that was an exceed-
ing difficulty to us, for that the ship was bound to the East
Indies; and though we were driven out of our course to the
westward a very great way, and perhaps were directed by
Heaven on purpose for their deliverance, yet it was impossible
for us wilfully to change our voyage on their particular account;
nor could my nephew, the captain, answer it to the freighters,
with whom he was under charter to pursue his voyage by
way of Brazil; and all I knew we could do for them was, to
put ourselves in the way of meeting with other ships homeward
bound from the West Indies, and get them a passage, if possible,
to England or France.
The first part of the proposal was so generous and kind,
they could not but be very thankful for it; but they were in
very great consternation, especially for the passengers, at the
notion of being carried away to the East Indies; they then
entreated me, that as I was driven so far to the westward before
I met with them, I would, at least, keep on the same course to
the Banks of Newfoundland, where it was probable I might
meet with some ship or sloop that they might hire to carry them
back to Canada, from whence they came.
I thought this was but a reasonable request on their part,
and therefore I inclined to agree to it; for, indeed, I con-
sidered that to carry this whole company to the East Indies,
would not only be an intolerable severity upon the poor people,
but would be ruining our whole voyage, by devouring all our
provisions; so I thought it no breach of charter-party, but what
an unforeseen accident made absolutely necessary to us, and in
which no one could say we were to blame; for the laws of God
and nature would have forbid that we should refuse to take
up two boats full of people, in such a distressed condition ;
and the nature of the thing, as well respecting ourselves as the
poor people, obliged us to set them on shore somewhere or
other for their deliverance. So I consented that we would
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269
carry them to Newfoundland, if wind and weather would
permit; and if not, that I would carry them to Martinico, in
the West Indies.
The wind continued fresh easterly, but the weather pretty
good; and as the winds had continued in the points between
N. E. and S. E. a long time, we missed several opportunities of
sending them to France; for we met several ships bound to
Europe, whereof two were French, from St. Christopher's ;
but they had been so long beating up against the wind that they
durst take in no passengers, for fear of wanting provisions for
the voyage, as well for themselves as for those they should take
in; so we were obliged to go on. It was about a week after
this that we made the Banks of Newfoundland; where, to
shorten my story, we put all our French people on board a
bark, which they hired at sea there, to put them on shore, and
afterwards to carry them to France, if they could get provisions
to victual themselves with. When I say all the French went
on shore, I should remember, that the young priest I spoke of,
hearing we were bound to the East Indies, desired to go the
voyage with us, and to be set on shore on the coast of Coro-
mandel; which I readily agreed to, for I wonderfully liked
the man, and had very good reason, as will appear afterwards:
also four of the seamen entered themselves on our ship, and
proved very useful fellows.
From hence we directed our course for the West Indies,
steering away S. and S. by E. for about twenty days together,
sometimes little or no wind at all; when we met with another
subject for our humanity to work upon, almost as deplorable
as that before.
It was in the latitude of 27 degrees 5 minutes north, on the
19th day of March, 1694-5, when we spied a sail, our course
S. E. and by S. We soon perceived it was a large vessel, and
that she bore up to us, but could not at first know what to
make of her, till, after coming a little nearer, we found she had
lost her main-topmast, foremast, and bowsprit; and presently
she fired a gun as a signal of distress. The weather was pretty
good, wind at N. N. W., a fresh gale, and we soon came to
speak with her.
We found her a ship of Bristol, bound home from Barba-
does, but had been blown out of the road at Barbadoes a few
days before she was ready to sail, by a terrible hurricane, while
the captain and chief mate were both gone on shore; so that,
besides the terror of the storm, they were in an indifferent
çase for good artists to bring the ship home. They had been
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already nine weeks at sea, and had met with another terrible
storm, after the hurricane was over, which had blown them
quite out of their knowledge to the westward, and in which
they lost their masts. They told us they expected to have
seen the Bahama Islands, but were then driven away again to
the south-east, by a strong gale of wind at N. N. W., the same
that blew now; and having no sails to work the ship with but
a main course, and a kind of square sail upon a jury-foremast,
which they had set up, they could not lie near the wind, but
were endeavoring to stand away for the Canaries.
But that which was worst of all, was, that they were almost
starved for want of provisions, besides the fatigues they had
undergone their bread and flesh were quite gone; they had
not one ounce left in the ship, and had had none for eleven
days. The only relief they had was, their water was not all
spent, and they had about half a barrel of flour left; they had
sugar enough; some succades, or sweetmeats, they had at
first, but they were all devoured; and they had seven casks of
rum.
There was a youth, and his mother, and a maid-servant on
board, who were passengers, and thinking the ship was ready
to sail, unhappily came on board the evening before the hurri-
cane began; and having no provisions of their own left, they
were in a more deplorable condition than the rest; for the
seamen, being reduced to such an extreme necessity themselves,
had no compassion, we may be sure, for the poor passengers;
and they were, indeed, in such a condition that their misery is
very hard to describe.
I had perhaps not known this part, if my curiosity had not
led me (the weather being fair, and the wind abated) to go on
board the ship. The second mate, who upon this occasion
commanded the ship, had been on board our ship, and he told
me, they had three passengers in the great cabin, that were in
a deplorable condition. Nay," says he, "I believe they are
dead, for I have heard nothing of them for about two days :
and I was afraid to inquire after them," said he, "for I had
nothing to relieve them with.”
(C
We immediately applied ourselves to give them what relief
we could spare; and, indeed, I had so far overruled things
with my nephew, that I would have victualled them, though we
had gone away to Virginia, or any other part of the coast of
America, to have supplied ourselves; but there was no neces-
sity for that.
But now they were in a new danger; for they were afraid
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271
of eating too much, even of that little we gave them. The
mate, or commander, brought six men with him in his boat;
but these poor wretches looked like skeletons, and were so
weak that they could hardly sit to their oars. The mate him-
self was very ill, and half-starved; for he declared he had
reserved nothing from the men, and went share and share
alike with them in every bit they ate.
I cautioned him to eat sparingly, but set meat before him
immediately; and he had not eaten three mouthfuls before he
began to be sick and out of order; so he stopped awhile,
and our surgeon mixed him up something with some broth,
which he said would be to him both food and physic; and
after he had taken it he grew better. In the mean time, I forgot
not the men; I ordered victuals to be given them, and the
poor creatures rather devoured than ate it: they were so ex-
ceedingly hungry that they were in a manner ravenous, and
had no command of themselves; and two of them ate with so
much greediness, that they were in danger of their lives the
next morning.
The sight of these people's distress was very moving to me,
and brought to mind what I had a terrible prospect of at my
first coming on shore in my island, where I had never the least
mouthful of food, or any prospect of procuring any; besides
the hourly apprehensions I had of being made the food of
other creatures. But all the while the mate was thus relating
to me the miserable condition of the ship's company, I could
not put out of my thoughts the story he had told me of the
three poor creatures in the great cabin, viz.: the mother, her
son, and the maid-servant, whom he had heard nothing of for
two or three days, and whom, he seemed to confess, they had
wholly neglected, their own extremities being so great; by
which I understood, that they had really given them no food
at all, and that therefore they must be perished, and be all
lying dead, perhaps, on the floor or deck of the cabin.
As I therefore kept the mate, whom we then called captain,
on board with his men, to refresh them, so I also forgot not the
starving crew that were left on board; but ordered my own
boat to go on board the ship, and, with my mate and twelve
men, to carry them a sack of bread, and four or five pieces of
beef to boil. Our surgeon charged the men to cause the meat
to be boiled while they staid, and to keep guard in the cook-
room, to prevent the men taking it to eat raw, or taking it out
of the pot before it was well boiled, and then to give every
man but a very little at a time; and by this caution he pre-
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served the men, who would otherwise have killed themselves
with that very food that was given them on purpose to save
their lives.
At the same time I ordered the mate to go into the great
cabin, and see what condition the poor passengers were in;
and if they were alive, to comfort them, and give them what
refreshment was proper: and the surgeon gave him a large
pitcher, with some of the prepared broth which he had given
the mate that was on board, and which he did not question
would restore them gradually.
I was not satisfied with this: but, as I said above, having
a great mind to see the scene of misery which I knew the ship
itself would present me with, in a more lively manner than I
could have it by report, I took the captain of the ship, as we
now called him, with me, and went myself, a little after, in
their boat.
I found the poor men on board almost in a tumult, to get
the victuals out of the boiler before it was ready; but my mate
observed his orders, and kept a good guard at the cook-room
door; and the man he placed there, after using all possible
persuasion to have patience, kept them off by force: however,
he caused some biscuit cakes to be dipped in the pot, and
softened with the liquor of the meat, which they called brewis,
and gave them every one some, to stay their stomachs, and
told them it was for their own safety that he was obliged to
give them but little at a time. But it was all in vain; and
had I not come on board, and their own commander and offi-
cers with me, and with good words, and some threats also of
giving them no more, I believe they would have broken into
the cook-room by force, and torn the meat out of the furnace ;
for words are indeed of very small force to a hungry belly;
however, we pacified them, and fed them gradually and cau-
tiously for the first, and the next time gave them more, and at
last filled their bellies, and the men did well enough.
K
But the misery of the poor passengers in the cabin was of
another nature, and far beyond the rest; for as, first, the ship's
company had so little for themselves, it was but too true that
they had at first kept them very low, and at last totally neglected
them: so that for six or seven days it might be said they had
really no food at all, and for several days before very little.
The poor mother, who, as the men reported, was a woman of
sense and good breeding, had spared all she could so affection-
ately for her son, that at last she entirely sank under it; and
when the mate of our ship went in, she sat upon the floor or
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
273
deck, with her back up against the sides, between two chairs,
which were lashed fast, and her head sunk between her shoul-
ders, like a corpse, though not quite dead. My mate said all
he could to revive and encourage her, and with a spoon put
some broth into her mouth. She opened her lips, and lifted up
one hand, but could not speak yet she understood what he
said, and made signs to him, intimating that it was too late for
her, but pointed to her child, as if she would have said they
should take care of him.. However, the mate, who was exceed-
ingly moved at the sight, endeavored to get some of the broth
into her mouth, and, as he said, got two or three spoonfuls
down; though I question whether he could be sure of it or not;
but it was too late, and she died the same night.
The youth, who was preserved at the price of his most
affectionate mother's life, was not so far gone; yet he lay
in a cabin bed, as one stretched out, with hardly any life
left in him. He had a piece of an old glove in his mouth,
having eaten up the rest of it: however, being young, and
having more strength than his mother, the mate got something
down his throat, and he began sensibly to revive; though by
giving him, some time after, but two or three spoonfuls ex-
traordinary, he was very sick, and brought it up again.
But the next care was the poor maid: she lay all alone upon
the deck, hard by her mistress, and just like one that had fallen
down with an apoplexy, and struggled for life. Her limbs were
distorted; one of her hands was clasped round the frame of
the chair, and she gripped it so hard that we could not easily
make her let it go; her other arm lay over her head, and her
feet lay both together, set fast against the frame of the cabin
table; in short, she lay just like one in the agonies of death,
and yet she was alive too.
The poor creature was not only starved with hunger, and
terrified with the thoughts of death, but, as the men told us
afterwards, was broken-hearted for her mistress, whom she saw
dying for two or three days before, and whom she loved most
tenderly.
We knew not what to do with this poor girl; for when our
surgeon, who was a man of very great knowledge and experience,
had, with great application, recovered her as to life, he had her
upon his hands still; for she was little less than distracted for
a considerable time after.
Whoever shall read these memorandums must be desired
to consider, that visits at sea are not like a journey into the
country, where sometimes people stay a week or a fortnight at
274
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
a place our business was to relieve this distressed ship's crew,
but not lie by for them; and though they were willing to steer
the same course with us for some days, yet we could carry no
sail, to keep pace with a ship that had no masts: however, as
their captain begged of us to help him to set up a main-top-
mast, and a kind of a topmast to his jury-foremast, we did, as
it were, lie by him for three or four days; and then, having
given him five barrels of beef, a barrel of pork, two hogsheads
of biscuit, and a proportion of peas, flour, and what other things
we could spare; and taking three casks of sugar, some rum, and
some pieces-of-eight from them for satisfaction, we left them,
taking on board with us, at their own earnest request, the youth
and the maid, and all their goods.
The young lad was about seventeen years of age; a pretty,
well-bred, modest, and sensible youth, greatly dejected with the
loss of his mother, and, as it seems, he had lost his father but
a few months before, at Barbadoes: he begged of the surgeon
to speak to me to take him out of the ship; for he said the
cruel fellows had murdered his mother: and, indeed, so they
had, that is to say, passively; for they might have spared a
small sustenance to the poor, helpless widow, that might have
preserved her life, though it had been but just enough to keep
her alive; but hunger knows no friend, no relation, no justice,
no right, and therefore is remorseless and capable of no com-
passion.
The surgeon told him how far we were going, and that it
would carry him away from all his friends, and put him, per-
haps, in as bad circumstances almost as those we found him in,
that is to say, starving in the world. He said it mattered not
whither he went, if he was but delivered from the terrible crew
that he was among; that the captain (by which he meant me, for
he could know nothing of my nephew) had saved his life, and
he was sure would not hurt him; and as for the maid, he was
sure, if she came to herself, she would be very thankful for it,
let us carry them where we would. The surgeon represented
the case so affectionately to me that I yielded, and we took
them both on board, with all their goods, except eleven hogs-
heads of sugar, which could not be removed or come at; and
as the youth had a bill of lading for them, I made his com-
mander sign a writing, obliging himself to go, as soon as he
came to Bristol, to one Mr. Rogers, a merchant there, to whom
the youth said he was related, and to deliver a letter which I
wrote to him, and all the goods he had belonging to the deceased
widow; which I suppose was not done, for I could never learn
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
275
that the ship came to Bristol, but was, as is most probable, lost
at sea; being in so disabled a condition, and so far from any
land, that I am of opinion the first storm she met with after-
wards, she might founder in the sea, for she was leaky, and had
damage in her hold, when we met with her.
I was now in the latitude of 19 degrees 32 minutes, and had
hitherto a tolerable voyage as to weather, though, at first, the
winds had been contrary. I shall trouble nobody with the little
incidents of wind, weather, currents, &c., on the rest of our
voyage; but, to shorten my story, shall observe that I came to
my old habitation, the island, on the 10th of April, 1695. It
was with no small difficulty that I found the place; for as I
came to it, and went from it, before, on the south and east side
of the island, coming from the Brazils, so now, coming in be-
tween the main and the island, and having no chart for the
coast, nor any landmark, I did not know it when I saw it, or
know whether I saw it or not.
We beat about a great while, and went on shore on several
islands in the mouth of the great River Oroonoque, but none
for my purpose; only this I learned by my coasting the shore,
that I was under one great mistake before, viz.: that the con-
tinent which I thought I saw from the island I lived in, was
really no continent, but a long island, or rather a ridge of
islands, reaching from one to the other side of the extended
mouth of that great river; and that the savages who came to
my island were not properly those which we call Caribbees, but
islanders, and other barbarians of the same kind, who inhabited
nearer to our side than the rest.
In short, I visited several of these islands to no purpose;
some I found were inhabited, and some were not on one of
them I found some Spaniards, and thought they had lived
there; but, speaking with them, found they had a sloop lying
in a small creek hard by, and came thither to make salt, and to
catch some pearl mussels if they could; but that they belonged
to the Isle de Trinidad, which lay farther north, in the latitude
of 10 and 11 degrees.
Thus coasting from one island to another, sometimes with
the ship, sometimes with the Frenchmen's shallop, which we
had found a convenient boat, and therefore kept her with their
very good-will, at length I came fair on the south side of my
island, and presently knew the very countenance of the place';
so I brought the ship to an anchor, broadside with the little
creek where my old habitation was.
As soon as I saw the lace, I called for Friday, and asked
2.76
ROBINSÒN CRUSOE.
-
him if he knew where he was? He looked about a little, and
presently clapping his hands, cried, "O yes, O there, O yes,
O there!" pointing to our old habitation, and fell dancing and
capering like a mad fellow; and I had much ado to keep him
from jumping into the sea, to swim ashore to the place.
(C
66
((
"Well, Friday," says I, " do you think we shall find anybody
here or no? and do you ever think we shall see your father?"
The fellow stood mute as a stock a good while; but, when I
named his father, the poor affectionate creature looked de-
jected, and I could see the tears run down his face very plenti-
fully. "What is the matter, Friday," says I; "are you troubled
because you may see your father?" No, no," says he, shak-
ing his head, no see him more: no, never more see him
again." Why so," said I, "Friday? how do
Friday? how do you know that?”
"O no, O no,” says Friday, "he long ago die, long ago; he
much old man." ((
Well, well," says I, "Friday, you don't
know; but shall we see any one else, then?" The fellow, it
seems, had better eyes than I, and he points to the hill just
above my old house; and, though we lay half a league off, he
cries out, "We see, we see, yes, yes, we see much man there,
and there, and there." I looked, but I saw nobody-no, not
with a perspective-glass, which was, I suppose, because I could
not hit the place; for the fellow was right, as I found upon in-
quiry the next day; and there were five or six men all together,
who stood to look at the ship, not knowing what to think of us.
As soon as Friday told me he saw people, I caused the Eng-
lish ancient to be spread, and fired three guns, to give them
notice we were friends; and in about a quarter of an hour after we
perceived a smoke arise from the side of the creek; so I imme-
diately ordered the boat out, taking Friday with me; and, hang-
ing out a white flag, or a flag of truce, I went directly on shore,
taking with me the young friar I mentioned, to whom I had told
the story of my living there, and the manner of it, and every
particular, both of myself and those I left there, and who was,
on that account, extremely desirous to go with me.
We had,
besides, about sixteen men well armed, if we had found any new
guests there which we did not know of; but we had no need of
weapons.
As we went on shore upon the tide of flood, near high water,
we rowed directly into the creek; and the first man I fixed my
eye upon was the Spaniard whose life I had saved, and whom
I knew by his face perfectly well as to his habit, I shall de-
scribe it afterwards. I ordered nobody to go on shore at first
but myself; but there was no keeping Friday in the boat, for
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277
; one
the affectionate creature had spied his father at a distance, a
good way off the Spaniards, where, indeed, I saw nothing of
him ; and if they had not let him go ashore, he would have jumped
into the sea. He was no sooner on shore, but he flew away
to his father, like an arrow out of a bow. It would have made
any man shed tears, in spite of the firmest resolution, to have
seen the first transports of this poor fellow's joy when he came
to his father; how he embraced him, kissed him, stroked his
face, took him up in his arms, set him down upon a tree, and
lay down by him; then stood and looked at him, as any one
would look at a strange picture, for a quarter of an hour to-
gether, then lay down on the ground, and stroked his legs, and
kissed them, and then got up again, and stared at him ;
would have thought the fellow bewitched. But it would have
made a dog laugh the next day to see how his passion ran out
another way; in the morning, he walked along the shore, with
his father, several hours, always leading him by the hand, as if
he had been a lady; and every now and then he would come
to the boat to fetch something or other for him, either a lump
of sugar, a dram, a biscuit cake, or something or other that was
good. In the afternoon his frolics ran another way; for then
he would set the old man down upon the ground, and dance
about him, and make a thousand antic postures and gestures;
and all the while he did this, he would be talking to him, and
telling him one story or another of his travels, and of what had
happened to him abroad, to divert him. In short, if the same
filial affection was to be found in Christians to their parents, in
our part of the world, one would be tempted to say there would
hardly have been any need of the fifth commandment.
But this is a digression: I return to my landing. It would be
needless to take notice of all the ceremonies and civilities that
the Spaniards received me with. The first Spaniard, whom, as
I said, I knew very well, was he whose life I had saved. He
came towards the boat, attended by one more, carrying a flag
of truce also; and he not only did not know me at first, but he
had no thoughts, no notion of its being me that was come, till
I spoke to him. "Seignior," said I, in Portuguese, "do you not
know me ?" At which he spoke not a word, but, giving his
musket to the man that was with him, threw his arms abroad,
saying something in Spanish that I did not perfectly hear, came
forward and embraced me, telling me he was inexcusable not to
know that face again that he had once seen as if an angel from
Heaven, sent to save his life: he said abundance of very hand-
some things, as a well-bred Spaniard always knows how; and
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then, beckoning to the person that attended him, bade him go
and call out his comrades. He then asked me if I would walk
to my old habitation, where he would give me possession of my
own house again, and where I should see they had made but
mean improvements: so I walked along with him; but alas! I
could no more find the place than if I had never been there;
for they had planted so many trees, and placed them in such a
position, so thick and close to one another, and in ten years'
time they were grown so big, that, in short, the place was inac-
cessible, except by such windings and blind ways as they them-
selves only, who made them, could find.
I asked them what put them upon all these fortifications:
he told me I would say there was need enough of it, when they
had given me an account how they had passed their time since
their arriving in the island, especially after they had the misfor-
tune to find that I was gone. "He told me he could not but have
some satisfaction in my good fortune, when he heard that I was
gone in a good ship, and to my satisfaction; and that he had
oftentimes a strong persuasion that one time or other he should
see me again; but nothing that ever befell him in his life, he
said, was so surprising and afflicting to him at first, as the dis-
appointment he was under when he came back to the island and
found I was not there.
As to the three barbarians (so he called them) that were
left behind, and of whom, he said, he had a long story to tell
me, the Spaniards all thought themselves much better among
the savages, only that their number was so small. "And,'
says he, "had they been strong enough, we had been all long
ago in purgatory;" and with that he crossed himself on the
breast. "But, sir," says he, "I hope you will not be displeased
when I shall tell you how, forced by necessity, we were obliged,
for our own preservation, to disarm them, and make them our
subjects, as they would not be content with being moderately
our masters, but would be our murderers." I answered, I was
afraid of it when I left them there, and nothing troubled me
at my parting from the island but that they were not come back,
that I might have put them in possession of everything first,
and left the others in a state of subjection, as they deserved;
but if they had reduced them to it, I was very glad, and should
be very far from finding any fault with it; for I knew they were a
parcel of refractory, ungoverned villains, and were fit for any
manner of mischief.
""
While I was thus saying this, the man came whom he had
sent back, and with him eleven more. In the dress they were
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
279
in, it was impossible to guess what nation they were of; but he
made all clear, both to them and to me. First he turned to
me, and pointing to them, said, “These, sir, are some of the
gentlemen who owe their lives to you;
" and then turning to
them, and pointing to me, he let them know who I was; upon
which they all came up, one by one, not as if they had been
sailors, and ordinary fellows, and the like, but really as if they
had been ambassadors or noblemen, and I a monarch or great
conqueror their behavior was, to the last degree, obliging and
courteous, and yet mixed with a manly, majestic gravity, which
very well became them; and, in short, they had so much more
manners than I, that I scarce knew how to receive their civil-
ities, much less how to return them in kind.
:
The history of their coming to and conduct in the island,
after my going away, is so very remarkable, and has so many
incidents, which the former part of my relation will help to un-
derstand, and which will, in most of the particulars, refer to the
account I have already given, that I cannot but commit them,
with great delight, to the reading of those that come after me.
I shall no longer trouble the story with a relation in the first
person, which will put me to the expense of ten thousand "said
I's," and "said he's," and "he told me's," and "I told him's,"
and the like; but I shall collect the facts historically, as near
as I can gather them out of my memory, from what they related
to me, and from what I met with in my conversing with them,
and with the place.
In order to do this succinctly, and as intelligibly as I can, I
must go back to the circumstances in which I left the island,
and in which the persons were of whom I am to speak. And
first, it is necessary to repeat that I had sent away Friday's
father and the Spaniard (the two whose lives I had rescued from
the savages) in a large canoe to the main, as I then thought it,
to fetch over the Spaniard's companions that he left behind him,
in order to save them from the like calamity that he had been
in, and in order to succor them for the present; and that, if
possible, we might together find some way for our deliverance
afterwards.
When I sent them away, I had no visible appearance of,
or the least room to hope for, my own deliverance, any more
than I had twenty years before, much less had I any fore-
knowledge of what afterwards happened; I mean, of an English
ship coming on shore there to fetch me off and it could not be
but a very great surprise to them, when they came back, not
only to find that I was gone, but to find three strangers left on
:
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
the spot, possessed of all that I had left behind me, which
would otherwise have been their own.
The first thing, however, which I inquired into, that I might
begin where I left off, was of their own part; and I desired the
Spaniard would give me a particular account of his voyage back
to his countrymen with the boat, when I sent him to fetch them
over. He told me there was little variety in that part, for
nothing remarkable happened to them on the way, having had
calm weather and a smooth sea. As for his countrymen, it
could not be doubted, he said, but that they were overjoyed to
see him (it seems he was the principal man among them, the
captain of the vessel they had been shipwrecked in having been
dead some time); they were, he said, the more surprised to see
him, because they knew that he was fallen into the hands of the
savages, who, they were satisfied, would devour him, as they
did all the rest of their prisoners; that when he told them the
story of his deliverance, and in what manner he was furnished
for carrying them away, it was like a dream to them, and their
astonishment, he said, was somewhat like that of Joseph's
brethren, when he told them who he was, and the story of his
exaltation in Pharaoh's court; but when he showed them the
arms, the powder, the ball, and provisions, that he brought
them for their journey or voyage, they were restored to them-
selves, took a just share of the joy of their deliverance, and im-
mediately prepared to come away with him.
Their first business was to get canoes; and in this they were
obliged not to stick so much upon the honesty of it, but to tres-
pass upon their friendly savages, and to borrow two large
canoes, or periaguas, on pretence of going out a-fishing, or for
pleasure. In these they came away the next morning. It
seems they wanted no time to get themselves ready; for they
had no baggage, neither clothes, nor provisions, nor anything in
the world but what they had on them, and a few roots to eat,
of which they used to make their bread.
They were, in all, three weeks absent; and in that time, un-
luckily for them, I had the occasion offered for my escape, as I
mentioned in the other part, and to get off from the island, leav-
ing three of the most impudent, hardened, ungoverned, dis-
agreeable villains behind me, that any man could desire to
meet with; to the poor Spaniards' great grief and disappoint-
ment, you may be sure.
The only just thing the rogues did was, that when the
Spaniards came ashore, they gave my letter to them, and gave
them provisions, and other relief, as I had ordered them to do;
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
281
also they gave them the long paper of directions which I had
left for them, containing the particular methods which I took
for managing every part of my life there; the way I baked my
bread, bred my tame goats, and planted my corn; how I cured
my grapes, made my pots, and, in a word, everything I did;
all this, being written down, they gave to the Spaniards (two of
them understood English well enough); nor did they refuse to
accommodate the Spaniards with anything else, for they agreed
very well for some time. They gave them an equal admission
into the house, or cave, and they began to live very sociably;
and the head Spaniard, who had seen pretty much of my meth-
ods, and Friday's father together, managed all their affairs;
but as for the Englishmen, they did nothing but ramble about
the island, shoot parrots, and catch tortoises; and when they
came home at night, the Spaniards provided their suppers for
them.
The Spaniards would have been satisfied with this, had the
others but let them alone; which, however, they could not find
in their hearts to do long; but, like the dog in the manger, they
would not eat themselves, neither would they let the others eat.
The differences, nevertheless, were at first but trivial, and such
as are not worth relating; but at last it broke out into open
war and it began with all the rudeness and insolence that can
be imagined, without reason, without provocation, contrary to
nature, and, indeed, to common sense; and though, it is true,
the first relation of it came from the Spaniards themselves,
whom I may call the accusers, yet when I came to examine the
fellows, they could not deny a word of it.
But before I come to the particulars of this part, I must
supply a defect in my former relation; and this was, I forgot to
set down, among the rest, that just as we were weighing anchor
to set sail, there happened a little quarrel on board of our ship,
which I was once afraid would have turned to a second mutiny ;
nor was it appeased till the captain, rousing up his courage, and
taking us all to his assistance, parted them by force, and, mak-
ing two of the most refractory fellows prisoners, he laid them
in irons and as they had been active in the former disorders,
and let fall some ugly, dangerous words, the second time he
threatened to carry them in irons to England, and have them
hanged their for mutiny, and running away with the ship. This,
it, seems though the captain did not intend to do it, frightened
some other men in the ship; and some of them had put it into
the heads of the rest, that the captain only gave them good
words for the present, till they should come to some English
M
282
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
port, and that then they should be all put in jail, and
tried for their lives. The mate got intelligence of this, and
acquainted us with it; upon which it was desired that I, who
still passed for a great man among them, should go down with
the mate, and satisfy the men, and tell them that they might be
assured, if they behaved well the rest of the voyage, all they
had done for the time past should be pardoned. So I went,
and after passing my honor's word to them, they appeared easy,
and the more so when I caused the two men that were in irons
to be released and forgiven.
But this mutiny had brought us to an anchor for that night;
the wind also falling next morning, we found that our two
men, who had been laid in irons, had stolen each of them a
musket, and some other weapons (what powder or shot they
had we knew not), and had taken the ship's pinnace, which
was not yet hauled up, and run away with her to their com-
panions in roguery on shore. As soon as we found this, I or-
dered the long-boat on shore with twelve men and the mate,
and away they went to seek the rogues; but they could neither
find them nor any of the rest, for they all fled into the woods
when they saw the boat coming on shore. The mate was once
resolved, in justice to their roguery, to have destroyed their
plantations, burned all their household stuff and furniture, and
left them to shift without it; but having no orders, he let it all
alone, left everything as he found it, and, bringing the pinnace
away, came on board without them. These two men made their
number five; but the other three villains were so much more
wicked than they, that after they had been two or three days
together, they turned the two new-comers out of doors to shift
for themselves, and would have nothing to do with them; nor
could they, for a good while, be persuaded to give them any
food as for the Spaniards, they were not yet come.
When the Spaniards came first on shore, the business began
to go forward: the Spaniards would have persuaded the three
English brutes to have taken in their countrymen again, that,
as they said, they might be all one family; but they would not
hear of it so the two poor fellows lived by themselves; and
finding nothing but industry and application would make them
live comfortably, they pitched their tents on the north shore of
the island, but a little more to the west, to be out of danger of
the savages, who always landed on the east parts of the island.
Here they built them two huts, one to lodge in, and the
other to lay up their magazines and stores in; and the Span-
iards having given them some corn for seed, and some of the
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
283
peas which I had left them, they dug, planted, and enclosea
after the pattern I had set for them all, and began to live
pretty well. Their first crop of corn was on the ground; and
though it was but a little bit of land which they had dug up at
first, having had but a little time, yet it was enough to relieve
them, and find them with bread and other eatables; and one
of the fellows, being the cook's mate of the ship, was very
ready at making soup, puddings, and such other preparations
as the rice and the milk, and such little flesh as they got, fur-
nished him to do.
They were going on in this little thriving position when the
three unnatural rogues, their own countrymen too, in mere hu-
mor, and to insult them, came and bullied them, and told them
the island was theirs: that the governor, meaning me, had
given them the possession of it, and nobody else had any right
to it;
and that they should build no houses upon their ground,
unless they would pay rent for them.
The two men, thinking they were jesting at first, asked them
to come in and sit down, and see what fine houses they were
that they had built, and to tell them wha rent they demanded;
and one of them merrily said, if they were the ground-land-
lords, he hoped, if they built tenements upon their land, and
made improvements, they would, according to the custom of
landlords, grant a long lease; and desired they would get a
scrivener to draw the writings. One of the three, cursing and
raging, told them they should see they were not in jest; and
going to a little place at a distance, where the honest men had
made a fire to dress their victuals, he takes a firebrand, and
claps it to the outside of their hut, and very fairly set it on fire;
and it would have been all burned down in a few minutes, if
one of the two had not run to the fellow, thrust him away, and
trod the fire out with his feet, and that not without some diffi-
culty too.
The fellow was in such a rage at the honest man's thrusting
him away, that he returned upon him, with a pole he had in his
hand; and had not the man avoided the blow very nimbly, and
run into the hut, he had ended his days at once. His comrade,
seeing the danger they were both in, ran in after him, and im-
mediately they came both out with their muskets, and the man
that was first struck at with the pole knocked the fellow down
that began the quarrel, with the stock of his musket, and that
before the other two could come to help him ; and then seeing
the rest come at them, they stood together, and presenting the
the other ends of their pieces to them, bade them stand off,
284
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
The others had fire-arms with them too; but one of the
two honest men, bolder than his comrade, and made desperate
by his danger, told them, if they offered to move hand or
foot, they were dead men, and boldly commanded them to lay
down their arms. They did not, indeed, lay down their arms,
but seeing him so resolute, it brought them to a parley, and
they consented to take their wounded man with them and be
gone and, indeed, it seems the fellow was wounded sufficiently
with the blow. However, they were much in the wrong, since
they had the advantage, that they did not disarm them effectu-
ally, as they might have done, and have gone immediately to
the Spaniards, and given them an account how the rogues had
treated them; for the three villains studied nothing but
revenge, and every day gave them some intimation that they
did so.
But not to crowd this part with an account of the lesser
part of the rogueries, such as treading down their corn; shoot-
ing three young kids and a she-goat, which the poor men had
got to breed up tame for their store; and, in a word, plaguing
them night and day in this manner; it forced the two men to
such a desperation, that they resolved to fight them all three,
the first time they had a fair opportunity. In order to do this,
they resolved to go to the castle, as they called it (that was my
old dwelling), where the three rogues and the Spaniards all
lived together at that time, intending to have a fair battle, and
the Spaniards should stand by to see fair play: so they got up
in the morning before day, and came to the place, and called
the Englishmen by their names, telling the Spaniards, that
answered, that they wanted to speak with them.
It happened that, the day before, two of the Spaniards,
having been in the woods, had seen one of the two English-
men, whom, for distinction, I called the honest men, and he had
made a sad complaint to the Spaniards of the barbarous usage
they had met with from their three countrymen, and how they
had ruined their plantation, and destroyed their corn that they
had labored so hard to bring forward, and killed the milch-goat
and their three kids, which was all they had provided for their
sustenance; and that if he and his friends (meaning the
Spaniards) did not assist them again, they should be starved.
When the Spaniards came home at night, and they were all at
supper, one of them took the freedom to reprove the three
Englishmen, though in very gentle and mannerly terms, and
asked them how they could be so cruel, they being harmless,
inoffensive fellows that they were putting themselves in a way
:
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
285
1
to subsist by their labor, and that it had cost them a great
deal of pains to bring things to such perfection as they were
then in.
One of the Englishmen returned very briskly, "What had
they to do there? that they came on shore without leave ;
and that they should not plant or build upon the island;
it was
none of their ground." "Why," says the Spaniard, very calmly,
"Seignior Inglese, they must not starve." The Englishman re-
plied, like a rough-hewn tarpauling, "They might starve: they
should not plant nor build in that place."
"But what must they
do then, seignior?" said the Spaniard. Another of the brutes
returned, "Do? they should be servants, and work for them."
"But how can you expect that of them? says the Spaniard;
they are not bought with your money; you have no right to
make them servants." The Englishman answered, "The island
was theirs; the governor had given it to them, and no man had
anything to do there but themselves;" and with that swore by
his Maker that they would go and burn all their new huts; they
should build none upon their land. "Why, seignior," says the
Spaniard, "by the same rule, we must be your servants too.”
""
((
Ay," says the bold dog, "and so you shall, too, before we
have done with you;" mixing two or three oaths in the proper
intervals of his speech. The Spaniard only smiled at that, and
made him no answer. However, this little discourse had heated
them; and starting up, one says to the other (I think it was he
they called Will Atkins), “Come, Jack, let's go, and have t'other
brush with them; we'll demolish their castle, I'll warrant you ;
they shall plant no colony in our dominions.'
Upon this, they went all trooping away, with every man a
gun, a pistol, and a sword, and muttered some insolent things
among themselves, of what they would do to the Spaniards too,
when opportunity offered; but the Spaniards, it seems, did not
so perfectly understand them as to know all the particulars,
only that, in general, they threatened them hard for taking the
two Englishmen's part.
Whither they went or how they bestowed their time that
evening the Spaniards said they did not know; but it seems
they wandered about the country, part of the night, and then
lying down in the place which I used to call my bower, they
were weary and overslept themselves. The case was this: they
had resolved to stay till midnight, and so to take the two poor
men when they were asleep, and as they acknowledged after-
wards, intended to set fire to their huts while they were in them,
and either burn them there, or murder them as they came out.
66
"",
286
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
As malice seldom sleeps very sound, it was very strange they
should not have been kept awake.
However, as the two men had also a design upon them, as
I have said, though a much fairer one than that of burning and
murdering, it happened, and very luckily for them all, that they
were up and gone abroad before the bloody-minded rogues came
to their huts.
When they came there, and found the men gone, Atkins,
who, it seems, was the forwardest man, called out to his com-
rade, "Ha, Jack, here's the nest, but the birds are flown."
They mused awhile, to think what should be the occasion of
their being gone abroad so soon, and suggested presently that
the Spaniards had given them notice of it; and with that they
shook hands, and swore to one another that they would be re-
venged of the Spaniards. As soon as they had made this
bloody bargain, they fell to work with the poor men's habita-
tion; they did not set fire, indeed, to anything, but they pulled
down both their houses, and pulled them so limb from limb
that they left not the least stick standing, or scarce any sign on
the ground where they stood; they tore all their little col-
lected household stuff in pieces, and threw everything about in
such a manner, that the poor men afterwards found some of
their things a mile off their habitation. When they had done
this, they pulled up all the young trees which the poor men had
planted; pulled up an enclosure they had made to secure their
cattle and their corn; and, in a word, sacked and plundered
everything as completely as a horde of Tartars would have
done.
The two men were, at this juncture, gone to find them out,
and had resolved to fight them wherever they had been, though
they were but two to three; so that, had they met, there cer-
tainly would have been bloodshed among them; for they were
all very stout, resolute fellows, to give them their due.
But Providence took more care to keep them asunder than
they themselves could do to meet; for, as if they had dogged
one another, when the three were gone thither, the two were
here and afterwards, when the two went back to find them,
the three were come to the old habitation again: we shall see
their different conduct presently. When the three came back
like furious creatures, flushed with the rage which the work they
had been about had put them into,they came up to the Spaniards,
and told them what they had done, by way of scoff and bra-
vado; and one of them stepping up to one of the Spaniards, as
if they had been a couple of boys at play, takes hold of his hat
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
287
as it was upon his head, and giving it a twirl about, fleering in
his face, says to him, "And you, Seignior Jack Spaniard, shall
have the same sauce, if you do not mend your manners." The
Spaniard, who, though a quiet, civil man, was as brave a man
as could be, and, withal, a strong well-made man, looked at him
for a good while, and then, having no weapon in his hand,
stepped gravely up to him, and, with one blow of his fist,
knocked him down, as an ox is felled with a pole-axe; at which
one of the rogues, as insolent as the first, fired his pistol at the
Spaniard immediately: he missed his body, indeed, for the
bullets went through his hair, but one of them touched the tip
of his ear, and he bled pretty much. The blood made the
Spaniard believe he was more hurt than he really was, and that
put him into some heat, for before he acted all in a perfect calm ;
but now, resolving to go through with his work, he stooped, and
took the fellow's musket whom he had knocked down, and was
just going to shoot the man who had fired at him, when the
rest of the Spaniards, being in the cave, came out, and calling
to him not to shoot, they stepped in, secured the other two, and
took their arms from them.
When they were thus disarmed, and found they had made
all the Spaniards their enemies, as well as their own country-
men, they began to cool, and giving the Spaniards better words,
would have had their arms again; but the Spaniards, consider-
ing the feud that was between them and the other two English-
men, and that it would be the best method they could take to
keep them from killing one another, told them they would do
them no harm; and if they would live peaceably, they would be
very willing to assist and associate with them as they did before ;
but that they could not think of giving them their arms again,
while they appeared so resolved to do mischief with them to
their own countrymen, and had even threatened them all to
make them their servants.
›
The rogues were now no more capable to hear reason than
to act with reason; but being refused their arms, they went
raving away, and raging like madmen, threatening what they
would do, though they had no fire-arms. But the Spaniards,
despising their threatening, told them they should take care
how they offered any injury to their plantation or cattle; for if
they did, they should shoot them as they would ravenous beasts,
wherever they found them; and if they fell into their hands
alive, they should certainly be hanged. However, this was far
from cooling them, but away they went, raging and swearing
like furies of hell. As soon as they were gone, the two men
288
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
came back, in passion and rage enough also, though of another
kind; for having been at their plantation, and finding it all de-
molished and destroyed, as above, it will easily be supposed
they had provocation enough. They could scarce have room
to tell their tale, the Spaniards were so eager to tell them theirs ;
and it was strange enough to find that three men should thus
bully nineteen, and receive no punishment at all.
(6
The Spaniards, indeed, despised them, and especially, hav-
ing thus disarmed them, made light of their threatenings; but
the two Englishmen resolved to have their remedy against them,
what pains soever it cost to find them out. But the Spaniards
interposed here too, and told them, that as they had disarmed
them, they could not consent that they (the two) should pursue
them with fire-arms, and perhaps kill them. But," said the
grave Spaniard, who was their governor, "we will endeavor to
make them do you justice, if you will leave it to us; for there
is no doubt but they will come to us again, when their passion
is over, being not able to subsist without our assistance. We
promise you to make no peace with them without having a full
satisfaction for you; and, upon this condition, we hope you will
promise to use no violence with them, other than in your own
defence." The two Englishmen yielded to this very awkwardly,
and with great reluctance; but the Spaniards protested that
they did it only to keep them from bloodshed, and to make
them all easy at last. For," said they, we are not so many
of us; here is room enough for us all, and it is a great pity that
we should not be all good friends." At length they did con-
sent, and waited for the issue of the thing, living for some days
with the Spaniards; for their own habitation was destroyed.
..
64
In about five days' time, the three vagrants, tired with wan-
dering, and almost starved with hunger, having chiefly lived on
turtles' eggs all that while, came back to the grove; and finding
my Spaniard, who, as I have said, was the governor, and two
more with him, walking by the side of the creek, they came up in
a very submissive, humble manner, and begged to be received
again into the family. The Spaniards used them civilly, but
told them they had acted so unnaturally to their countrymen,
and so very grossly to them (the Spaniards), that they could
not come to any conclusion without consulting the two English-
men and the rest; but, however, they would go to them and
discourse about it, and they should know in half an hour. It
may be guessed that they were very hard put to it; for, it seems,
as they were to wait this half hour for an answer, they begged
they would send them out some bread in the mean time, which
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
289
they did, sending, at the same time, a large piece of goat's flesh,
and a boiled parrot, which they ate very heartily, for they were
hungry enough.
After half an hour's consultation, they were called in, and
a long debate ensued, their two countrymen charging them with
the ruin of all their labor, and a design to murder them; all
which they owned before, and therefore could not deny now.
Upon the whole, the Spaniards acted the moderators between
them; and as they had obliged the two Englishmen not to hurt
the three while they were naked and unarmed, so they now
obliged the three to go and rebuild their fellows' two huts, one
to be of the same and the other of larger dimensions than they
were before; to fence their ground again where they had pulled
up their fences, plant trees in the room of those pulled up, dig
up the land again for planting corn where they had spoiled it,
and, in a word, to restore everything to the same state as they
found it, as near as they could; for entirely it could not be, the
season for the corn, and the growth of the trees and hedges,
not being possible to be recovered.
Well, they submitted to all this; and as they had plenty of
provisions given them all the while, they grew very orderly, and
the whole society began to live pleasantly and agreeably to-
gether again; only that these three fellows could never be per-
suaded to work-I mean for themselves-except now and then
a little, just as they pleased; however, the Spaniards told them
plainly, that if they would but live sociably and friendly to-
gether, and study the good of the whole plantation, they would
be content to work for them, and let them walk about and be as
idle as they pleased; and thus, having lived pretty well together
for a month or two, the Spaniards gave them arms again, and
gave them liberty to go abroad with them as before.
It was not above a week after they had these arms, and
went abroad, before the ungrateful creatures began to be as
insolent and troublesome as ever; but, however, an accident
happened presently upon this, which endangered the safety of
them all; and they were obliged to lay by all private resent-
ments, and look to the preservation of their lives.
It happened one night that the Spanish governor, as I call
him, that is to say, the Spaniard whose life I had saved,-who
was now the captain, or leader, or governor of the rest, found
himself very uneasy in the night, and could by no means get
any sleep; he was perfectly well in body, as he told me the
story, only found his thoughts tumultuous; his mind ran upon
men fighting and killing one another; but he was broad awake,
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ROBINSON Crusoe.
and could not by any means get any sleep; in short, he lay a
great while, but, growing more and more uneasy, he resolved
to rise. As they lay, being so many of them, on goat-skins
laid thick upon such couches and pads as they made for them-
selves, and not in hammocks and ship-beds as I did, who was
but one, so they had little to do, when they were willing to rise,
but to get upon their feet, and perhaps put on a coat, such as
it was, and their pumps, and they were ready for going any
way that their thoughts guided them. Being thus got up, he
looked out; but, being dark, he could see little or nothing:
and, besides, the trees which I had planted, as in my former
account is described, and which were now grown tall, intercept-
ed his sight, so that he could only look up, and see that it was
a clear starlight night, and, hearing no noise, he returned and
laid him down again; but it was all one: he could not sleep,
nor could he compose himself to anything like rest; but his
thoughts were to the last degree uneasy, and he knew not for
what.
""
LC
Having made some noise with rising and walking about, go-
ing out and coming in, another of them waked, and, calling,
asked who it was that was up. The governor told him how it
had been with him. "Say you so?" says the other Spaniard ;
"such things are not to be slighted, I assure you; there is cer-
tainly some mischief working near us; and presently he asked
him, "Where are the Englishmen ?" They are all in their
huts," says he, "safe enough." It seems the Spaniards had
kept possession of the main apartment, and had made a place
for the three Englishmen, who, since their last mutiny, were al-
ways quartered by themselves, and could not come at the rest.
"Well," says the Spaniard, "there is something in it, I am per-
suaded, from my own experience. I am satisfied our spirits
embodied have a converse with, and receive intelligence from,
the spirits unembodied, and inhabiting the invisible world; and
this friendly notice is given for our advantage, if we knew how
to make us of it. Come," says he, “let us go and look abroad;
and if we find nothing at all in it to justify the trouble, I'll tell
you a story to the purpose, that shall convince you of the jus-
tice of my proposing it."
In a word, they went out, to go up to the top of the hill,
where I used to go; but they, being strong, and a good com-
pany, not alone, as I was, used none of my cautions, to go up
by the ladder, and pulling it up after them, to go up a second
stage to the top, but were going round through the grove, un-
concerned and unwary, when they were surprised with seeing a
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
291
*
light as of fire, a very little way off from them, and hearing the
voices of men- not of one or two, but of a great number.
In all the discoveries I had made of the savages landing on
the island, it was my constant care to prevent them making the
least discovery of there being any inhabitant upon the place ;
and when by any occasion they came to know it, they felt it so
effectually that they that got away were scarce able to give any
account of it; for we disappeared as soon as possible; nor did
ever any that had seen me, escape to tell any one else, except
it was the three savages in our last encounter, who jumped into
the boat; of whom, I mentioned, I was afraid they should go
home and bring more help. Whether it was the consequence
of the escape of those men that so great a number came now
together, or whether they came ignorantly, and by accident, on
their usual bloody errand, the Spaniards could not, it seems,
understand; but, whatever it was, it had been their business
either to have concealed themselves, or not to have seen them
at all, much less to have let the savages have seen that there
were any inhabitants in the place; or to have fallen upon them
so effectually as that not a man of them should have escaped,
which could only have been by getting in between them and
their boats; but this presence of mind was wanting to them,
which was the ruin of their tranquillity for a great while.
We need not doubt but that the governor and the man with
him, surprised with this sight, ran back immediately, and raised
their fellows, giving them an account of the imminent danger
they were all in, and they again as readily took the alarm; but
it was impossible to persuade them to stay close within where
they were, but they must all run out to see how things stood.
While it was dark, indeed, they were well enough, and they
had opportunity enough, for some hours, to view them by the
light of three fires they had made at a distance from one
another; what they were doing they knew not, and what to do
themselves they knew not. For, first, the enemy were too
many; and, secondly, they did not keep together, but were
divided into several parties, and were on shore in several
places.
The Spaniards were in no small consternation at this sight;
and, as they found that the fellows ran straggling all over the
shore, they made no doubt but, first or last, some of them
would chop in upon their habitation, or upon some other place
where they would see the token of inhabitants; and they were
in great perplexity also for fear of their flock of goats, which
would have been little less than starving them, if they should
292
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
have been destroyed; so the first thing they resolved upon was
to despatch three men away before it was light, two Spaniards.
and one Englishman, to drive all the goats away to the great
valley where the cave was, and, if need were, to drive them into
the very cave itself. Could they have seen the savages all to-
gether in one body, and at a distance from their canoes, they
resolved, if there had been a hundred of them, to have attacked
them; but that could not be obtained, for they were some of
them two miles off from the other; and, as it appeared after-
wards, were of two different nations.
After having mused a great while on the course they should
take, and beating their brains in considering their present cir-
cumstances, they resolved, at last, while it was still dark, to
send the old savage, Friday's father, out as a spy, to learn, if
possible, something concerning them, as what they came for,
what they intended to do, and the like. The old man readily
undertook it; and stripping himself quite naked, as most of the
savages were, away he went. After he had been gone an hour
or two, he brings word that he had been among them undis-
covered, that he found they were two parties, and of two
several nations, who had war with one another, and had a great
battle in their own country; and that both sides having had
several prisoners taken in the fight, they were, by mere chance,
landed all on the same island, for the devouring their prisoners
and making merry; but their coming so by chance to the same
place had spoiled all their mirth,-that they were in a great
rage at one another, and were so near, that he believed they
would fight again as soon as daylight began to appear; but he
did not perceive that they had any notion of anybody being on
the island but themselves. He had hardly made an end of
telling his story, when they could perceive, by the unusual noise
they made, that the two little armies were engaged in a bloody
fight.
Mag
Gde
Friday's father used all the arguments he could to persuade
our people to lie close, and not be seen; he told them their
safety consisted in it, and that they had nothing to do but lie
still, and the savages would kill one another to their hands,
and then the rest would go away; and it was so to a tittle. But
it was impossible to prevail, especially upon the Englishmen ;
their curiosity was so importunate upon their prudentials, that
they must run out and see the battle; however, they used some
caution, too; they did not go openly, just by their own dwelling,
but went farther into the woods, and placed themselves to ad-
vantage, where they might securely see them manage the fight,
*
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
293
and, as they thought, not be seen by them; but it seems the
savages did see them, as we shall find hereafter.
The battle was very fierce; and, if I might believe the Eng-
lishmen, one of them said he could perceive that some of them
were men of great bravery, of invincible spirits, and of great
policy in guiding the fight. The battle, they said, held two
hours before they could guess which party would be beaten ;
but then that party which was nearest our people's habitation
began to appear weakest, and after some time more, some
of them began to fly; and this put our men again into a
great consternation, lest any one of those that fled should run
into the grove before their dwelling for shelter, and thereby
involuntarily discover the place; and that, by consequence, the
pursuers would do the like in search of them. Upon this, they
resolved that they would stand armed within the wall, and
whoever came into the grove, they resolved to sally out over
the wall and kill them, so that, if possible, not one should
return to give an account of it; they ordered also that it should
be done with their swords, or by knocking them down with the
stocks of their muskets, but not by shooting them, for fear of
raising an alarm by the noise.
As they expected it fell out; three of the routed army fled
for life, and crossing the creek, ran directly into the place, not
in the least knowing whither they went, but running as into a
thick wood for shelter. The scout they kept to look abroad
gave notice of this within, with this addition, to our men's
great satisfaction, viz.: that the conquerors had not pursued
them, or seen which way they were gone: upon this the Spaniard
governor, a man of humanity, would not suffer them to kill the
three fugitives, but sending three men out by the top of the
hill, ordered them to go round, come in behind them, and sur-
prise and take them prisoners; which was done. The residue
of the conquered people fled to their canoes, and got off to sea;
the victors retired, made no pursuit, or very little, but drawing
themselves into a body together, gave two great screaming
shouts, which they supposed was by way of triumph-and so
the fight ended; and the same day, about three o'clock in the
afternoon, they also marched to their canoes. And thus the
Spaniards had the island again free to themselves, their fright
was over, and they saw no savages for several years after.
After they were all gone, the Spaniards came out of their
den, and viewing the field of battle, they found about two-and-
thirty men dead on the spot: some were killed with great long
arrows, some of which were found sticking in their bodies;
294
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
but most of them were killed with great wooden swords, six-
teen or seventeen of which they found in the field of battle,
and as many bows, with a great many arrows. These swords
were strange, great unwieldy things, and they must be very
strong men that used them; most of those men that were killed
with them had their heads mashed to pieces, as we may say,
or, as we call it in English, their brains knocked out, and sev-
eral their arms and legs broken; so that it is evident they fight
with inexpressible rage and fury. We found not one man that
was not stone dead,-for either they stay by their enemy till
they have killed him, or they carry all the wounded men that
are not quite dead away with them.
This deliverance tamed our Englishmen for a great while;
the sight had filled them with horror, and the consequences
appeared terrible to the last degree, especially upon supposing
that some time or other they should fall into the hands of those
creatures, who would not only kill them as enemies, but kill
them for food, as we kill our cattle; and they professed to me
that the thoughts of being eaten up like beef and mutton,
though it was supposed it was not to be till they were dead,
had something in it so horrible that it nauseated their very
stomachs, made them sick when they thought of it, and filled
their minds with such unusual terror, that they were not them-
selves for some weeks after. This, as I said, tamed even the
three English brutes I have been speaking of; and for a great
while after they were tractable, and went about the common
business of the whole society well enough,-planted, sowed,
reaped, and began to be all naturalized to the country. But
some time after this they fell into such simple measures again,
as brought them into a great deal of trouble.
• They had taken three prisoners, as I observed; and these
three being lusty stout young fellows, they made them ser-
vants, and taught them to work for them; and as slaves they
did well enough; but they did not take their measures with
them as I did by my man Friday, viz.: to begin with them upon
the principle of having saved their lives, and then instruct them
in the rational principles of life,-much less of religion,-civil-
izing and reducing them by kind usage and affectionate argu-
ments; but as they gave them their food every day, so they
gave them their work too, and kept them fully employed in
drudgery enough; but they failed in this by it, that they never
had them to assist them and fight for them as I had my man
Friday, who was as true to me as the very flesh upon my bones.
But to come to the family part. Being all now good friends,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
295
for common danger, as I said above, had effectually reconciled
them, they began to consider their general circumstances; and
the first thing that came under consideration was whether,
seeing the savages particularly haunted that side of the island,
and that there were more remote and retired parts of it equally
adapted to their way of living, and manifestly to their advan-
tage, they should not rather move their habitation, and plant
in some more proper place for their safety, and especially for
the security of their cattle and corn.
Upon this, after long debate, it was concluded that they
would not remove their habitation; because that, some time or
other, they thought they might hear from their governor again,
meaning me; and if I should send any one to seek them, I
should be sure to direct them to that side, where, if they should
find the place demolished, they would conclude the savages
had killed us all, and we were gone, and so our supply would
go too.
But as to their corn and cattle, they agreed to remove
them into the valley where my cave was, where the land was as
proper for both, and where, indeed, there was land enough;
however, upon second thoughts, they altered one part of their
resolution too, and resolved only to remove part of their cattle
thither, and plant part of their corn there; and so if one part
was destroyed, the other might be saved. And one part of
prudence they used, which it was very well they did,—that they
never trusted those three savages which they had prisoners with
knowing anything of the plantation they had made in that val-
ley, or of any cattle they had there, much less of the cave there,
which they kept, in case of necessity, as a safe retreat; and
thither they carried also the two barrels of powder, which I had
sent them at my coming away. But, however, they resolved
not to change their habitation; yet they agreed, that as I had
carefully covered it first with a wall or fortification, and then
with a grove of trees, so, seeing their safety consisted entirely
in their being concealed, of which they were now fully con-
vinced, they set to work to cover and conceal the place yet
more effectually than before. For this purpose, as I planted
trees, or rather thrust in stakes, which in time all grew up to be
trees, for some good distance before the entrance into my
apartments, they went on in the same manner, and filled up
the rest of that whole space of ground from the trees I had set
quite down to the side of the creek, where, as I said, I landed
my floats, and even into the very ooze where the tide flowed,
not so much as leaving any place to land, or any sign that there
had been any landing thereabouts,-these stakes also being of
296
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
*
a wood very forward to grow, as I have noted formerly, they
took care to have them generally much larger and taller than
those which I had planted; and as they grew apace, so they
planted them so very thick and close together, that when they
had been three or four years grown, there was no piercing with
the eye any considerable way into the plantation; and as for
that part which I had planted, the trees were grown as thick
as a man's thigh, and among them they placed so many other
short ones, and so thick, that, in a word, it stood like a palisado
a quarter of a mile thick, and it was next to impossible to pen-
etrate it, but with a little army to cut it all down,—for a little
dog could hardly get between the trees, they stood so close.
But this was not all; for they did the same by all the
ground to the right hand and to the left, and round even to the
side of the hill, leaving no way, not so much as for themselves,
to come out but by the ladder placed up to the side of the hill,
and then lifted up, and placed again from the first stage up to
the top; and when the ladder was taken down, nothing but
what had wings or witchcraft to assist it could come at them.
This was excellently well contrived; nor was it less than what
they afterwards found occasion for, which served to convince
me, that as human prudence has the authority of Providence
to justify it, so it has doubtless the direction of Providence to
set it to work; and if we listened carefully to the voice of it,
I am persuaded we might prevent many of the disasters which
our lives are now, by our own negligence, subjected to.
I return to the story. They lived two years after this in
perfect retirement, and had no more visits from the savages.
They had, indeed, an alarm given them one morning, which
put them into a great consternation; for, some of the Spaniards
being out early one morning on the west side, or rather end, of
the island (which was that end where I never went, for fear of
being discovered), they were surprised with seeing above
twenty canoes of Indians just coming on shore. They made
the best of their way home in hurry enough; and giving the
alarm to their comrades, they kept close all that day and the
next, going out only at night to make their observation; but
they had the good luck to be mistaken, for wherever the sav-
ages went, they did not land that time on the island, but pur-
sued some other design.
And now they had another broil with the three Englishmen ;
one of whom, a most turbulent fellow, being in a rage at one
of the three slaves, whom I mentioned they had taken, because
the fellow had not done something right which he bade him
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
297
do, and seemed a little untractable in his showing him, drew a
hatchet out of a frog-belt, in which he wore it by his side, and
fell upon the poor savage, not to correct him, but to kill him.
One of the Spaniards, who was by, seeing him give the fellow
a barbarous cut with the hatchet, which he aimed at his head, but
struck into his shoulder, so that he thought he had cut the poor
creature's arm off, ran to him and entreating him not to mur-
der the poor man, placed himself between him and the savage,
to prevent the mischief. The fellow, being enraged the more
at this, struck at the Spaniard with his hatchet, and swore he
would serve him as he intended to serve the savage; which the
Spaniard perceiving, avoided the blow, and with a shovel which
he had in his hand (for they were all working in the field about
their corn land) knocked the brute down. Another of the
Englishmen, running at the same time to help his comrade,
knocked the Spaniard down; and then two Spaniards more
came in to help their man, and a third Englishman fell in upon
them. They had none of them any fire-arms, or any other
weapons but hatchets and other tools, except this third English-
he had one of my rusty cutlasses, with which he made at
the two last Spaniards, and wounded them both. This fray
set the whole family in an uproar, and more help coming in,
they took the three Englishmen prisoners. The next question
was, what should be done with them? They had been so often
mutinous, and hey were so very furious, so desperate, and so
idle withal, they knew not what course to take with them, for
they were mischievous to the highest degree, and cared not what
hurt they did to any man; so that, in short, it was not safe to
live with them.
man;
The Spaniard who was governor told them, in so many
words, that if they had been of his own country, he would
have hanged them; for all laws and all governors were to
preserve society, and those who were dangerous to the so-
ciety ought to be expelled out of it; but as they were English-
men, and that it was to the generous kindness of an Englishman
that they all owed their preservation and deliverance, he would
use them with all possible lenity, and would leave them to the
judgment of the other two Englishmen, who were their country-
men.
One of the two honest Englishmen stood up, and said they
desired it might not be left to them. "For," says he, "I am sure
we ought to sentence them to the gallows;" and with that he
gives an account how Will Atkins, one of the three, had pro-
posed to have all the five Englishmen join together, and mur-
der all the Spaniards when they were in their sleep.
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
¿
When the Spanish governor heard this, he calls to Will
Atkins, How, Seignior Atkins, would you murder us all?
What have you to say to that ? "
The hardened villain was so
far from denying it, that he said it was true, and swore they
would do it still before they had done with them. "Well, but,
Seignior Atkins," says the Spaniard, "what have we done to
you, that you would kill us? And what would you get by kill-
ing us? And what must we do to prevent your killing us?
Must we kill you, or you kill us? Why will you put us to the
necessity of this, Seignior Atkins?" says the Spaniard very
calmly, and smiling. Seignior Atkins was in such a rage at the
Spaniard's making a jest of it, that, had he not been held by
three men, and withal had no weapon near him, it was thought
he would have attempted to kill the Spaniard in the middle of
all the company. This hair-brain carriage obliged them to
consider seriously what was to be done; the two Englishinen,
and the Spaniard who saved the poor savage, were of the opinion
that they should hang one of the three, for an example to the
rest, and that particularly it should be he that had twice at-
tempted to commit murder with his hatchet; and, indeed, there
was some reason to believe he had done it, for the poor savage
was in such a miserable condition with the wound he had
received, that it was thought he could not live. But the gover-
nor Spaniard still said no; it was an Englishman that had
saved all their lives, and he would never consent to put an
Englishman to death, though he had murdered half of them,—
nay, he said if he had been killed himself by an Englishman, and
had time left to speak, it should be that they should pardon him.
This was so positively insisted on by the governor Spaniard,
that there was no gainsaying it; and as merciful counsels are
most apt to prevail, where they are so earnestly pressed, so
they all came into it; but then it was to be considered what
should be done to keep them from doing the mischief they de-
signed; for all agreed, governor and all, that means were to
be used for preserving the society from danger. After a long
debate, it was agreed, first, that they should be disarmed, and
not permitted to have either gun, powder, shot, sword, or any
weapon; and should be turned out of the society, and left to
live where they would, and how they would, by themselves; but
that none of the rest, either Spanish or English, should converse
with them, speak with them, or have anything to do with them
;
that they should be forbid to come within a certain distance of
the place where the rest dwelt; and if they offered to commit
any disorder, so as to spoil, burn, kill, or destroy any of the
CC
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
299
corn, plantings, buildings, fences, or cattle belonging to the
society, they should die without mercy, and they would shoot
them wherever they could find them.
""
The governor, a man of great humanity, musing upon the
sentence, considered a little upon it; and turning to the two
honest Englishmen, said, "Hold; you must reflect that it will
be long ere they can raise corn and cattle of their own, and
they must not starve; we must therefore allow them provisions.'
So he caused to be added, that they should have a proportion
of corn given them to last them eight months, and for seed to
sow, by which time they might be supposed to raise some of
their own; that they should have six milch-goats, four he-goats
and six kids given them, as well for present subsistence as for
a store; and that they should have tools given them for their
work in the fields, such as six hatchets, an adz, a saw, and the
like; but they should have none of these tools or provisions,
unless they would swear solemnly that they would not hurt
or injure any of the Spaniards with them, or of their fellow-
Englishmen.
Thus they dismissed them the society, and turned them out
to shift for themselves. They went away sullen and refractory,
as neither content to go away nor to stay; but, as there was
no remedy, they went, pretending to go and choose a place
where they would settle themselves; and some provisions were
given them, but no weapons.
About four or five days after, they came again for some
victuals, and gave the governor an account where they had
pitched their tents, and marked themselves out a habitation
and plantation; and it was a very convenient place, indeed,
on the remotest part of the island, N. E., much about the
place where I providentially landed in my first voyage, when I
was driven out to sea, the Lord knows whither, in my foolish
attempt to sail round the island.
Here they built themselves two handsome huts, and con
trived them in a manner like my first habitation, being close
under the side of a hill, having some trees growing already
on three sides of it, so that by planting others, it would be
very easily covered from the sight, unless narrowly searched
for. They desired some dried goat-skins, for beds and cover-
ing, which were given them; and upon giving their words that
they would not disturb the rest, or injure any of their planta-
tions, they gave them hatchets, and what other tools they could
spare; some peas, barley, and rice, for sowing; and, in a word,
anything they wanted, except arms and ammunition.
300
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
They lived in this separate condition about six months,
and had got in their first harvest, though the quantity was but
small, the parcel of land they had planted being but little;
for, indeed, having all their plantation to form, they had a
great deal of work upon their hands; and when they came to
make boards and pots, and such things, they were quite out of
their element, and could make nothing of it, and when the
rainy season came on, for want of a cave in the earth, they
could not keep their grain dry, and it was in great danger of
spoiling; and this humbled them much so they came and
begged the Spaniards to help them, which they very readily
did; and in four days worked a great hole in the side of
the hill for them, big enough to secure their corn and other
things from the rain: but it was a poor place, at best, com-
pared to mine, and especially as mine was then, for the Span-
iards had greatly enlarged it, and made several new apart-
ments in it.
:
About three quarters of a year after this separation, a new
frolic took these rogues, which, together with the former villany
they had committed, brought mischief enough upon them, and
had very near been the ruin of the whole colony. The three
new associates began, it seems, to be weary of the laborious
life they led, and that without hope of bettering their circum-
stances and a whim took them that they would make a voy-
age to the continent, from whence the savages came, and would
try if they could seize upon some prisoners among the natives
there, and bring them home, so as to make them do the labo-
rious part of the work for them.
The project was not so preposterous, if they had gone no
further. But they did nothing, but had either mischief in the
design, or mischief in the event. And if I may give my opinion,
they seemed to be under a blast from Heaven; for if we will
not allow a visible curse to pursue visible crimes, how shall we
reconcile the events of things with the Divine justice? It was
certainly an apparent vengeance on their crime of mutiny and
piracy that brought them to the state they were in; and they
showed not the least remorse for the crime, but added new
villanies to it, such as the piece of monstrous cruelty of wound-
ing a poor slave because he did not, or perhaps could not, un-
derstand to do what he was directed, and to wound him in
such a manner as made him a cripple all his life, and in a place
where no surgeon or medicine could be had for his cure; and,
what was still worse, the murderous intent, or, to do justice to
the crime, the intentional murder,-for such, to be sure, it was,
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-as was afterwards the formed design they all laid, to murder
the Spaniards in cold blood, and in their sleep.
But I leave observing, and return to the story. The three
fellows came down to the Spaniards one morning, and in very
humble terms desired to be admitted to speak with them. The
Spaniards very readily heard what they had to say, which was
this: that they were tired of living in the manner they did, and
that they were not handy enough to make the necessaries they
wanted, and that having no help, they found they should be
starved; but if the Spaniards would give them leave to take
one of the canoes which they came over in, and give them
arms and ammunition proportioned to their defence, they
would go over to the main, and seek their fortunes, and so
deliver them from the trouble of supplying them with any
other provisions.
The Spaniards were glad enough to get rid of them, but
very honestly represented to them the certain destruction they
were running into ; told them they had suffered such hardships
upon that very spot, that they could, without any spirit of pro-
phecy, tell them they would be starved or murdered, and bade
them consider of it.
The men replied audaciously, they should be starved if they
staid here, for they could not work, and would not work, and
they could but be starved abroad; and if they were murdered,
there was an end of them; they had no wives or children to
crafter them; and, in short, insisted importunately upon.
their demand, declaring they would go, whether they gave them
any arms or no.
The Spaniards told them, with great kindness, that if they
were resolved to go, they should not go like naked men, and be
in no condition to defend themselves; and that though they
could ill spare their fire-arms, having not enough for them-
selves, yet they would let them have two muskets, a pistol, and
a cutlass, and each man a hatchet, which the thought was suf-
ficient for them. In a word, they accepted the offer; and
having baked bread enough to serve them a month, and given
them as much goats' flesh as they could eat while it was sweet,
and a great basket of dried grapes, a pot of fresh water, and a
young kid alive, they boldly set out in the canoe for a voyage
over the sea, where it was at least forty miles broad.
The boat, indeed, was a large, one, and would very well
have carried fifteen or twenty men, and therefore was rather
too big for them to manage; but as they had a fair breeze, and
flood-tide with them, they did well enough. They had made
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a mast of a long pole, and a sail of four large goat-skins dried,
which they had sewed or laced together; and away they went
merrily enough. The Spaniards called after them, "Bon
veyajo; and no man ever thought of seeing them any more.
""
The Spaniards were often saying to one another, and to the
two honest Englishmen who remained behind, how quietly and
comfortably they lived, now these three turbulent fellows were
gone. As for their coming again, that was the remotest thing
from their thoughts that could be imagined; when, behold,
after two-and-twenty days, absence, one of the Englishmen,
being abroad upon his planting-work, sees three strange men
coming towards him at a distance, with guns upon their
shoulders.
،،
Away runs the Englishman, as if he was bewitched, comes
frightened and amazed to the governor Spaniard, and tells him
they were all undone, for there were strangers upon the island,
but could not tell who they were. The Spaniard, pausing
awhile, says to him, "How do you mean-you cannot tell who?
They are the savages, to be sure." No, no," says the Eng-
lishman; "they are men in clothes, with arms." "Nay, then,"
says the Spaniard, why are you so concerned? If they are
not savages, they must be friends; for there is no Christian
nation upon earth brt will do us good rather than harm."
""
66
While they wer debating thus, came the three English-
men, and, standing without the wood, which was new planted,
hallooed to them. They presently knew their voices, and so
all the wonder ceased. But now the admiration was turned
upon another question-what could be the matter, and what
made them come back again?
It was not long before they brought the men in, and in-
quiring where they had been, and what they had been doing,
they gave them a full account of their voyage in a few words ;
—that they reached the land in two days, or something less;
but finding the people alarmed at their coming, and preparing
with bows and arrows to fight them, they durst not go on shore,
but sailed on to the northward six or seven hours, till they
came to a great opening, by which they perceived that the land
they saw from our island was not the main, but an island.
Upon entering that opening of the sea, they saw another island
on the right hand, north, and several more west; and being
resolved to land somewhere, they put over to one of the islands
which lay west, and went boldly on shore; that they found the
people very courteous and friendly to them; and that they
gave them several roots and some dried fish, and appeared
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very sociable; and the women, as well as the men, were very
forward to supply them with anything they could get for them
to eat, and brought it to them a great way upon their heads.
They continued here four days, and inquired, as well as they
could of them, by signs, what nations were this way, and that
way, and were told of several fierce and terrible people that.
lived almost every way, who, as they made known by signs to
them, used to eat men; but, as for themselves, they said, they
never ate men or women, except only such as they took in the
wars; and then, they owned, they made a great feast, and ate
their prisoners.
The Englishmen inquired when they had had a feast of that
kind; and they told them about two moons ago, pointing to the
moon and to two fingers; and that their great king had two
hundred prisoners now, which he had taken in his war, and
they were feeding them to make them fat for the next feast.
The Englishmen seemed mighty desirous of seeing those
prisoners; but the others, mistaking them, thought they were
desirous to have some of them to carry away for their own eat-
ing. So they beckoned to them, pointing to the setting of the
sun, and then to the rising; which was to signify that the next
morning at sunrising they would bring some for them; and, ac-
cordingly, the next morning they brought down five women and
eleven men, and gave them to the Englishmen, to carry with
them on their voyage, just as we would bring so many cows and
oxen down to a seaport town to victual a ship.
As brutish and barbarous as these fellows were at home,
their stomachs turned at this sight, and they did not know what
to do. To refuse the prisoners would have been the highest
affront to the savage gentry that could be offered them, and
what to do with them they knew not. However, after some de-
bate, they resolved to accept of them; and, in return, they gave
the savages that brought them one of their hatchets, an old key,
a knife, and six or seven of their bullets, which, though they
did not understand their use, they seemed particularly pleased
with; and then tying the poor creatures' hands behind them,
they dragged the prisoners into the boat for our men.
The Englishmen were obliged to come away as soon as they
had them, or else they that gave them this noble present would
certainly have expected that they should have gone to work with
them, have killed two or three of them the next morning, and,
perhaps, have invited the donors to dinner. But having taken
their leave, with all the respect and thanks that could well pass
between people, where, on either side, they understood not ono
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:
word they could say, they put off with their boat, and came back
towards the first island; where, when they arrived, they set
eight of their prisoners at liberty, there being too many of them
for their occasion.
In their voyage, they endeavored to have some communi-
cation with their prisoners; but it was impossible to make them
understand anything. Nothing they could say to them, or give
them, or do for them, but what was looked upon as going to
murder them. They first of all unbound them; but the poor
creatures screamed at that, especially the women, as if they had
just felt the knife at their throats; for they immediately con-
cluded they were unbound on purpose to be killed. If they gave
them anything to eat, it was the same thing; they then con-
cluded it was for fear they should sink in flesh, and so not be fat
enough to kill. If they looked at one of them more particularly,
the party presently concluded it was to see whether he or she
was fattest, and fittest to kill first; nay, after they had brought
them quite over, and began to use them kindly, and treat them
well, still they expected every day to make a dinner or supper
for their new masters.
When the three wanderers had given this unaccountable his-
tory or journal of their voyage, the Spaniard asked them where
their new family was; and being told that they had brought
them on shore, and put them into one of their huts, and were
come up to beg some victuals for them, they (the Spaniards)
and the other two Englishmen, that is to say, the whole colony,
resolved to go all down to the place and see them; and did so,
and Friday's father with them.
When they came into the hut, there they sat, all bound; for
when they had brought them on shore, they bound their hands,
that they might not take the boat and make their escape; there,
I say, they sat, all of them stark naked. First, there were three
men, lusty, comely fellows, well shaped, straight and fair limbs,
about thirty to thirty-five years of age; and five women, whereof
two might be from thirty to forty; two more not above four or
five and twenty; and the fifth, a tall, comely maiden, about six-
teen or seventeen. The women were well-favored, agreeable
persons, both in shape and features, only tawny; and two of
them, had they been perfect white, would have passed for very
handsome women, even in London itself, having pleasant, agree-
able countenances, and of a very modest behavior; especially
when they came afterwards to be clothed and dressed, as they
called it, though that dress was very indifferent, it must be
confessed.
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The sight, you may be sure, was something uncouth to our
Spaniards, who were, to give them a just character, men of the
best behavior, of the most calm, sedate tempers, and perfect
good humor, that ever I met with; and, in particular, of the
most modesty; I say, the sight was very uncouth, to see three
naked men and five naked women, all together bound, and in
the most miserable circumstances that human nature could be
supposed to be, viz.: to be expecting every moment to be drag-
ged out, and have their brains knocked out, and then to be
eaten up like a calf that is killed for a dainty.
The first thing they did was to cause the old Indian, Friday's
father, to go in, and see, first, if he knew any of them, and then
if he understood any of their speech. As soon as the old man
came in, he looked seriously at them, but knew none of them;
neither could any of them understand a word he said, or a sign
he could make, except one of the women. However, this was
enough to answer the end, which was to satisfy them that the
men into whose hands they were fallen were Christians; that
they abhorred eating men or women; and that they might be
sure they would not be killed. As soon as they were assured
of this, they discovered such a joy, and by such awkward ges-
tures, several ways, as is hard to describe; for it seems they
were of several nations.
The woman who was their interpreter was bid, in the next
place, to ask them if they were willing to be servants, and to
work for the men who had brought them away, to save their
lives; at which they all fell a dancing: and presently one fell
to taking up this, and another that, anything that lay next, to
carry on their shoulders, to intimate they were willing to work.
The governor, who found that the having women among them
would presently be attended with some inconvenience, and
might occasion some strife, and perhaps blood, asked the three
men what they intended to do with these women, and how they
intended to use them, whether as servants or as wives? One
of the Englishmen answered, very boldly and readily, that they.
would use them as both; to which the governor said, "I am
not going to restrain you from it-you are your own masters as
to that; but this I think is but just, for avoiding disorders and
quarrels among you, and I desire it of you for that reason only,
viz. that you
:
will all engage, that if any of you take any of these
women as a wife, that he shall take but one; and that, having
taken one, none else shall touch her; for though we cannot
marry any one of you, yet it is but reasonable that, while you
stay here, the woman any of you takes shall be maintained
پدیکو
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95
by the man that takes her, and should be his wife—I mean,'
says he, "while he continues here, and that none else shall have
anything to do with her." All this appeared so just, that every
one agreed to it without any difficulty.
Then the Englishmen asked the Spaniards if they designed
to take any of them. But every one of them answered "No."
Some of them said they had wives in Spain, and the others did
not like women that were not Christians; and all together de-
clared that they would not touch one of them, which was an
instance of such virtue as I have not met with in all my travels.
On the other hand, to be short, the five Englishmen took them
every one a wife-that is to say, a temporary wife; and so they
set up a new form of living; for the Spaniards and Friday's
father lived in my old habitation, which they had enlarged ex-
ceedingly within. The three servants which were taken in the
last battle of the savages lived with them; and these carried on
the main part of the colony, supplied all the rest with food, and
assisted them in anything as they could, or as they found
necessity required.
But the wonder of the story was, how five such refractory,
ill-matched fellows should agree about these women, and that
two of them should not choose the same woman, especially
seeing two or three of them were, without comparison, more
agreeable than the others; but they took a good way enough
to prevent quarrelling among themselves, for they set the five
women by themselves in one of their huts, and they went all
into the other hut, and drew lots among them who should choose
first.
He that drew to choose first went away by himself to the
hut where the poor naked creatures wère, and fetched out her
he chose; and it was worth observing, that he that chose
first took her that was reckoned the homeliest and oldest of
the five, which made mirth enough among the rest; and even
the Spaniards laughed at it; but the fellow considered better
than any of them, that it was application and business they
were to expect assistance in, as much as in anything else; and
she proved to be the best wife of all the parcel.
When the poor women saw themselves set in a row thus,
and fetched out one by one, the terrors of their condition re-
turned upon them again, and they firmly believed they were
now going to be devoured. Accordingly, when the English
sailor came in and fetched out one of them, the rest set up
a most lamentable cry, and hung about her, and took their
leave of her with such agonies and affection as would have
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grieved the hardest heart in the world; nor was it possible
for the Englishmen to satisfy them that they were not to be
immediately murdered, till they fetched the old man, Friday's
father, who immediately let them know that the five men, who
were to fetch them out one by one, had chosen them for their
wives.
When they had done, and the fright the women were in was
a little over, the men went to work, and the Spaniards came
and helped them; and in a few hours they had built them every
one a new hut or tent for their lodging apart; for those they
had already were crowded with their tools, household stuff, and
provisions. The three wicked ones had pitched farthest off,
and, the two honest ones nearer, but both on the north shore
of the island, so that they continued separated as before; and
thus my island was peopled in three places, and, as I might say,
three towns were begun to be built.
And here it is very well worth observing that, as it often
happens in the world (what the wise ends of God's providence
are, in such a disposition of things, I cannot say), the two honest
fellows had the two worst wives; and the three reprobates,
that were scarce worth hanging, that were fit for nothing, and
neither seemed born to do themselves good, nor any one else,
had three clever, diligent, careful, and ingenious wives; not
that the first two were bad wives as to their temper and humor,
for all the five were most willing, quiet, passive, and subjected
creatures, rather like slaves than wives; but my meaning is,
they were not alike capable, ingenious, or industrious, or alike
cleanly and neat.
Another observation I must make, to the honor of a diligent
application on one hand, and to the disgrace of a slothful, neg-
ligent, idle temper on the other, that when I came to the place,
and viewed the several improvements, plantings, and manage-
ment of the several little colonies, the two men had so far out-
gone the three, that there was no comparison. They had, in-
deed, both of them as much ground laid out for corn as they
wanted, and the reason was, because, according to my rule,
nature dictated that it was to no purpose to sow more corn
than they wanted; but the difference of the cultivation, of the
planting, of the fences, and, indeed, of everything else, was
easy to be seen at first view.
The two men had innumerable young trees planted about
their huts, so that when you came to the place, nothing was to
be seen but a wood; and though they had twice had their plan-
tation demolished, once by their own countrymen, and once by
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the enemy, as shall be shown in its place, yet they had restored
all again, and everything was thriving and flourishing about
them; they had grapes planted in order, and managed like a
vineyard, though they had themselves never seen anything of
that kind; and, by their good ordering their vines, their grapes
were as good again as any of the others. They had also found
themselves out a retreat in the thickest part of the woods,
where, though there was not a natural cave, as I had found, yet
they made one with incessant labor of their hands, and where,
when the mischief which followed happened, they secured their
wives and children so as they could never be found; they
having, by sticking innumerable stakes and poles of the wood,
which, as I said, grew so readily, made the grove unpassable,
except in some places, where they climbed up to get over the
outside part, and then went on by ways of their own leaving.,
As to the three reprobates, as I justly call them, though
they were much civilized by their settlement compared to what
they were before, and were not so quarrelsome, having not the
same opportunity, yet one of the certain companions of a prof-
ligate mind never left them, and that was their idleness. It is
true, they planted corn, and made fences; but Solomon's
words were never better verified than in them: "I went by the
vineyard of the slothful, and it was all overgrown with thorns ;"
for when the Spaniards came to view their crop, they could not
see it in some places for weeds; the hedge had several gaps in
it, where the wild goats had got in and eaten up the corn;
perhaps here and there a dead bush was crammed in, to stop
them out for the present, but it was only shutting the stable
door after the steed was stolen: whereas, when they looked on
the colony of the other two, there was the very face of industry
and success upon all they did; there was not a weed to be seen
in all their corn, or a gap in any of their hedges; and they, on
the other hand, verified Solomon's words in another place,
"that the diligent hand maketh rich;" for everything grew
and thrived, and they had plenty within and without; they
had more tame cattle than the others, more utensils and neces-
saries within doors, and yet more pleasure and diversion too.
It is true, the wives of the three were very handy and cleanly
within doors; and having learned the English ways of dressing
and cooking from one of the other Englishmen, who, as I said,
was a cook's mate on board the ship, they dressed their hus-
bands' victuals very nicely and well; whereas the others could
not be brought to understand it; but then the husband, who,
as I say, had been cook's mate, did it himself. But as for the
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*
husbands of the three wives, they loitered about, fetched turtles'
eggs, and caught fish and birds; in a word, anything but labor;
and they fared accordingly. The diligent lived well and com-
fortably, and the slothful hard and beggarly; and so, I believe,
generally speaking, it is all over the world.
But I now come to a scene different from all that had hap-
pened before, either to them or to me; and the origin of the
story was this:-Early one morning, there came on shore five
or six canoes of Indians or savages, call them which you please,
and there is no room to doubt they came upon the old errand
of feeding upon their slaves; but that part was now so familiar
to the Spaniards, and to our men too, that they did not concern
themselves about it, as I did; but having been made sensible,
by their experience, that their only business was to lie concealed,
and if they were not seen by any of the savages, they would go
off again quietly, when their business was done, having, as yet,
not the least notion of there being any inhabitants in the island;
I say, having been made sensible of this, they had nothing to
do but to give notice to all the three plantations to keep within
doors, and not show themselves, only placing a scout in a proper
place, to give notice when the boats went to sea again.
This was, without doubt, very right; but a disaster spoiled
all these measures, and made it known among the savages that
there were inhabitants there; which was, in the end, the deso-
lation of almost the whole colony. After the canoes with the
savages were gone off, the Spaniards peeped abroad again ;
and some of them had the curiosity to go to the place where
they had been, to see what they had been doing. Here, to
their great surprise, they found three savages left behind, and
lying fast asleep upon the ground. It was supposed they had
either been so gorged with their inhuman feast, that, like beasts,
they were fallen asleep, and would not stir when the others
went, or they had wandered into the woods, and did not come
back in time to be taken in.
The Spaniards were greatly surprised at this sight, and
perfectly at a loss what to do. The Spanish governor, as it
happened, was with them, and his advice was asked, but he pro-
fessed he knew not what to do. As for slaves, they had enough
already; and as to killing them, they were none of them inclined
to do that: the Spaniard governor told me, they could not think
of shedding innocent blood; for as to them, the poor creatures
had done them no wrong, invaded none of their property, and
they thought they had no just quarrel against them, to take
away their lives. And here I must, in justice to these Spaniards,
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observe, that let the accounts of Spanish cruelty in Mexico and
Peru be what they will, I never met with seventeen men of any
nation whatsoever, in any foreign country, who were so univer-
sally modest, temperate, virtuous, so very good-humored, and
so courteous, as these Spaniards: and as to cruelty, they had
nothing of it in their very nature; no inhumanity, no barbarity,
no outrageous passions; and yet all of them men of great cour-
age and spirit. Their temper and calmness had appeared in
their bearing the insufferable usage of the three Englishmen;
and their justice and humanity appeared now in the case of the
savages as above. After some consultation, they resolved upon
this that they would lie still a while longer, till, if possible,
these three men might be gone. But then the governor
Spaniard recollected that the three savages had no boat; and
if they were left to rove about the island, they would certainly
discover that there were inhabitants in it; and so they should
be undone that way. Upon this, they went back again, and
there lay the fellows fast asleep still, and so they resolved to
awake them, and take them prisoners; and they did so. The
poor fellows were strangely frightened when they were seized
upon and bound; and afraid, like the women, that they should
be murdered and eaten : for it seems, those people think all the
world does as they do, eating men's flesh; but they were soon
made easy as to that, and away they carried them.
It was very happy for them that they did not carry them
home to their castle, I mean to my palace under the hill ; but
they carried them first to the bower, where was the chief of
their country work, such as the keeping the goats, the planting
the corn, &c.; and afterwards they carried them to the habita-
tion of the two Englishmen.
Here they were set to work, though it was not much they
had for them to do; and whether it was by negligence in guard-
ing them, or that they thought the fellows could not mend
themselves, I know not, but one of them ran away, and, taking
to the woods, they could never hear of him any more.
They had good reason to believe he got home again soon
after in some other boats or canoes of savages who came on
shore three or four weeks afterwards, and who, carrying on their
revels as usual, went off in two days' time. This thought ter-
rified them exceedingly; for they concluded, and that not
without good cause indeed, that if this fellow came home safe
among his comrades, he would certainly give them an account
that there were people in the island, and also how few and weak.
they were for this savage, as observed before, had never been.
•
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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told (and it was very happy he had not) how many they were,
or where they lived; nor had he ever seen or heard the fire of
any of their guns, much less had they shown him any of their
other retired places, such as the cave in the valley, or the new
retreat which the two Englishmen had made, and the like.
The first testimony they had that this fellow had given in-
telligence of them was, that about two months after this, six
canoes of savages, with about seven, eight, or ten men in a
canoe, came rowing along the north side of the island, where
they never used to come before, and landed, about an hour
after sunrise, at a convenient place, about a mile from the
habitation of the two Englishmen, where this escaped man had
been kept.
As the Spaniard governor said, had they been all
there, the damage would not have been so much, for not a man
of them would have escaped; but the case now differed very
much, for two men to fifty was too much odds. The two men
had the happiness to discover them about a league off, so that
it was above an hour before they landed; and as they landed a
mile from the huts, it was some time before they could come at
them. Now, having great reason to believe that they were be-
trayed, the first thing they did was to bind the two slaves which
were left, and cause two of the three men whom they brought
with the women (who, it seems, proved very faithful to them), to
lead them, with their two wives, and whatever they could carry
away with them, to their retired places in the woods, which I
have spoken of above, and there to bind the two fellows hand
and foot, till they heard farther.
In the next place, seeing the savages were all come on shore,
and that they had bent their course directly that way, they
opened the fences where the milch cows were kept, and drove
them all out; leaving their goats to straggle in the woods,
whither they pleased, that the savages might think they were
all bred wild; but the rogue who came with them was too cun-
ning for that, and gave them an account of it all, for they went
directly to the place.
When the two poor frightened men had secured their wives
and goods, they sent the other slave they had of the three who
came with the women, and who was at their place by accident,
away to the Spaniards with all speed, to give them the alarm,
and desire speedy help, and, in the mean time, they took their
arms, and what ammunition they had, and retreated towards
the place in the wood where their wives were sent; keeping at
a distance, yet so that they might see, if possible which way
the savages took.
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They had not gone far, but that from a rising ground they
could see the little army of their enemies come on directly to
their habitation, and, in a moment more, could see all their huts
and household stuff flaming up together, to their great grief
and mortification; for they had a very great loss, to them irre-
trievable, at least for some time. They kept their station for a
while, till they found the savages, like wild beasts, spread them-
selves all over the place, rummaging every way, and every place
they could think of, in search of prey; and in particular for the
people, of whom now it plainly appeared they had intelligence.
The two Englishmen seeing this, thinking themselves not
secure where they stood, because it was likely some of the wild
people might come that way, and they might come too many
together, thought it proper to make another retreat about half
a mile farther; believing, as it afterwards happened, that the
farther they strolled, the fewer would be together.
Their next halt was at the entrance into a very thick-grown
part of the woods, and where an old trunk of a tree stood,
which was hollow and vastly large; and in this tree they both
took their standing, resolving to see there what might offer.
They had not stood there long before two of the savages ap-
peared running directly that way, as if they already had notice
where they stood, and were coming up to attack them; and a
little way farther they espied three more coming after them, and
five more beyond them, all coming the same way; besides which,
they saw seven or eight more at a distance, running another
way; for, in a word, they ran every way, like sportsmen beating
for their game.
The poor men were now in great perplexity whether they
should stand and keep their posture, or fly; but, after a very
short debate with themselves, they considered, that if the sav-
ages ranged the country thus before help came, they might per-
haps find out their retreat in the woods, and then all would be
lost; so they resolved to stand them there, and if they were too
many to deal with, then they would get up to the top of the
tree, from whence they doubted not to defend themselves, fire
excepted, as long as their ammunition lasted, though all the sav-
ages that were landed, which was near fifty, were to attack
them.
Having resolved upon this, they next considered whether
they should fire at the first two, or wait for the three, and so
take the middle party, by which the two and the five that fol-
lowed would be separated: at length they resolved to let the
first two pass by, unless they should spy them in the tree, and
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313
come to attack them. The first two savages confirmed them
also in this resolution, by turning a little from them towards
another part of the wood; but the three, and the five after them,
came forward directly to the tree, as if they had known the
Englishmen were there. Seeing them come so straight towards
them, they resolved to take them in a line as they came; and
as they resolved to fire but one at a time, perhaps the first shot
might hit them all three; for which purpose the man who was
to fire put three or four small bullets into his piece; and hav-
ing a fair loop-hole, as it were, from a broken hole in the tree,
he took a sure aim, without being seen, waiting till they were
within about thirty yards of the tree, so that he could not miss.
While they were thus waiting, and the savages came on,
they plainly saw that one of the three was the runaway savage
that had escaped from them; and they both knew him distinctly,
and resolved that, if possible, he should not escape, though
they should both fire: so the other stood ready with his piece,
that if he did not drop at the first shot, he should be sure to
have a second. But the first was too good a marksman to miss
his aim; for as the savages kept near one another, a little be-
hind in a line, he fired, and hit two of them directly: the fore-
most was killed outright, being shot in the head; the second,
which was the runaway Indian, was shot through the body, and
fell, but was not quite dead; and the third had a little scratch
in the shoulder, perhaps by the same ball that went through
the body of the second; and being dreadfully frightened, though
not so much hurt, sat down upon the ground, screaming and
yelling in a hideous manner.
The five that were behind, more frightened with the noise
than sensible of the danger, stood still at first; for the woods
made the sound a thousand times bigger than it really was, the
echoes rattling from one side to another, and the fowls rising
from all parts, screaming, and every sort making a different
noise, according to their kind; just as it was when I fired the
first gun that perhaps was ever shot off in the island.
However, all being silent again, and they not knowing what
the matter was, came on unconcerned till they came to the
place where their companions lay in a condition miserable
enough and here the poor ignorant creatures, not sensible that
they were within reach of the same mischief, stood all together
over the wounded man, talking, and, as may be supposed, in-
quiring of him how he came to be hurt; and who, it is very
rational to believe, told them, that a flash of fire first, and im-
mediately after that thunder from their gods, had killed those
4
314
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
two and wounded him: this, I say, is rational; for nothing is
more certain than that, as they saw no man near them, so they
had never heard a gun in all their lives, nor so much as heard
of a gun; neither knew they anything of killing and wounding
at a distance with fire and bullets: if they had, one might
reasonably believe they would not have stood so unconcerned
to view the fate of their fellows, without some apprehensions
of their own.
Our two men, though, as they confessed to me, it grieved
them to be obliged to kill so many poor creatures, who, at the
same time, had no notion of their danger, yet, having them all
thus in their power, and the first having loaded his piece again,
resolved to let fly both together among them; and singling out,
by agreement, which to aim at, they shot together, and killed,
or very much wounded, four of them; the fifth, frightened even
to death, though not hurt, fell with the rest; so that our men,
seeing them all fall together, thought they had killed them all.
The belief that the savages were all killed, made our two
men come boldly out from the tree before they had charged
their guns, which was a wrong step; and they were under some
surprise when they came to the place, and found no less than
four of them alive, and of them two very little hurt, and one
not at all: this obliged them to fall upon them with the stocks
of their muskets; and first they made sure of the runaway sav-
age, that had been the cause of all the mischief, and of an-
other that was hurt in the knee, and put them out of their pain:
then the man that was not hurt at all, came and kneeled down
to them, with his two hands held up, and made piteous moans
to them, by gestures and signs, for his life, but could not say
one word to them that they could understand. However, they
made signs to him to sit down at the foot of a tree hard by;
and one of the Englishmen, with a piece of rope twined, which
he had by great chance in his pocket; tied his two hands be-
hind him, and there they left him; and with what speed they
could, made after the other two, which were gone before, fear-
ing they, or any more of them, should find the way to their
covered place in the woods, where their wives and the few goods
they had left lay. They came once in sight of the two men,
but it was at a great distance; however, they had the satisfac-
tion to see them cross over a valley towards the sea, quite the
contrary way from that which led to their retreat, which they
were afraid of; and being satisfied with that, they went back to
the tree where they left their prisoner, who, as they supposed,
was delivered by his comrades, for he was gone, and the two
*
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
315
pieces of rope-yarn, with which they had bound him, lay just at
the foot of the tree.
They were now in as great concern as before, not knowing
what course to take, or how near the enemy might be, or in
what number; so they resolved to go away to the place where
their wives were, to see if all was well there, and to make them
easy, who were in fright enough, to be sure; for though the
savages were their own countrymen, yet they were most ter-
ribly afraid of them, and perhaps the more for the knowledge
they had of them.
When they came there, they found the savages had been in
the wood, and very near that place, but had not found it ; for
it was indeed inaccessible, from the trees standing so thick,
unless the persons seeking it had been directed by those that
knew it, which these did not: they found, therefore, everything
very safe, only the women in a terrible fright. While they were
here, they had the comfort to have seven of the Spaniards
come to their assistance; the other ten, with their servants, and
old Friday (I mean Friday's father), were gone in a body to
defend their bower, and the corn and cattle that were kept
there, in case the savages should have roved over to that side
of the country; but they did not spread so far. With the seven
Spaniards came one of the three savages, who, as I said, were
their prisoners formerly; and with them also came the savage
whom the Englishmen had left bound hand and foot at the tree;
for it seems they came that way, saw the slaughter of the seven
men, and unbound the eighth, and brought him along with
them; where, however, they were obliged to bind him again, as
they had the two others who were left when the third ran
away.
The prisoners now began to be a burden to them; and they
were so afraid of their escaping, that they were once resolving
to kill them all, believing they were under an absolute necessity
to do so for their own preservation. However, the Spaniard
governor would not consent to it, but ordered, for the present,
that they should be sent out of the way, to my old cave in the
valley, and be kept there, with two Spaniards to guard them,
and give them food for their subsistence, which was done; and
they were bound there, hand and foot, for that night.
When the Spaniards came, the two Englishmen were so en
couraged, that they could not satisfy themselves to stay any
longer there; but taking five of the Spaniards and themselves,
with four muskets and a pistol among them, and two stout
quarter-staves, away they went in quest of the savages. And
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first they came to the tree where the men lay that had been
killed; but it was easy to see that some more of the savages
had been there, for they had attempted to carry their dead men
away, and had dragged two of them a good way, but had given
it over. From thence they advanced to the first rising ground,
where they had stood and seen their camp destroyed, and where
they had the mortification still to see some of the smoke; but
neither could they here see any of the savages. They then re-
solved, though with all possible caution, to go forward towards
their ruined plantation; but, a little before they came thither,
coming in sight of the sea-shore, they saw plainly the savages
all embarked again in their canoes, in order to be gone. They
seemed sorry at first, that there was no way to come at them,
to give them a parting blow; but, upon the whole, they were
very well satisfied to be rid of them.
The poor Englishmen being now twice ruined, and all their
improvements destroyed, the rest all agreed to come and help
them to rebuild, and assist them with needful supplies. Their
three countrymen, who were not yet noted for having the least
inclination to do any good, yet as soon as they heard of it (for
they, living remote eastward, knew nothing of the matter till
all was over), came and offered their help and assistance, and
did, very friendly, work for several days to restore their habita-
tion, and make necessaries for them. And thus in a little time
they were set upon their legs again.
About two days after this they had the further satisfaction
of seeing three of the savages' canoes come driving on shore,
and, at some distance from them, two drowned men, by which
they had reason to believe that they had met with a storm at
sea, which had overset some of them; for it had blown very
hard the night after they went off.
However, as some might miscarry, so, on the other hand,
enough of them escaped to inform the rest, as well of what
they had done as of what had happened to them, and to whet,
them on to another enterprise of the same nature, which they,
it seems, resolved to attempt, with sufficient force to carry all
before them; for except what the first man had told them of
inhabitants, they could say little of it of their own knowledge
for they never saw one man; and the fellow being killed that
had affirmed it, they had no other witness to confirm it to
them.
It was five or six months after this before they heard any
more of the savages, in which time our men were in hopes they
had either forgot their former bad luck, or given over hopes of
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
317
better; when, on a sudden, they were invaded with a most formi-
dable fleet of no less than eight-and-twenty canoes, full of sav-
ages, armed with bows and arrows, great clubs, wooden swords,
and such like engines of war; and they brought such numbers
with them, that, in short, it put all our people into the utmost
consternation.
As they came on shore in the evening, and at the eastern-
most side of the island, our men had that night to consult and
consider what to do; and, in the first place, knowing that their
being entirely concealed was their only safety before, and would
be much more so now, while the number of their enemies
would be so great, they therefore resolved, first of all, to take
down the huts which were built for the two Englishmen, and
drive away their goats to the old cave; because they supposed
the savages would go directly thither, as soon as it was day, to
play the old game over again, though they did not now land
within two leagues of it. In the next place, they drove away
all the flocks of goats they had at the old bower, as I called it,
which belonged to the Spaniards; and, in short, left as little
appearance of inhabitants anywhere as was possible; and the
next morning early they posted themselves, with all their force,
at the plantation of the two men, to wait for their coming. As
they guessed, so it happened: these new invaders, leaving their
canoes at the east end of the island, came ranging along the
shore, directly towards the place, to the number of two hundred
and fifty, as near as our men could judge. Our army was
but small, indeed; but, that which was worse, they had not
arms for all their number neither. The whole account, it seems,
stood thus: first, as to men, seventeen Spaniards, five English-
men, old Friday (or Friday's father), the three slaves taken with
the women, who proved very faithful, and three other slaves,
who lived with the Spaniards. To arm these, they had eleven
muskets, five pistols, three fowling-pieces, five muskets or fowl-
ing-pieces, which were taken by me from the mutinous seamen
whom I reduced, two swords, and three old halberds.
•
To their slaves they did not give either musket or fusee
but they had each a halberd, or a long staff, like a quarter-staff,
with a great spike of iron fastened into each end of it, and by
his side a hatchet; also every one of our men had a hatchet
Two of the women could not be prevailed upon, but they would
come into the fight, and they had bows and arrows, which the
Spaniards had taken from the savages when the first action
happened, which I have spoken of, where the Indians fought
with one another; and the women had hatchets too.
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
The Spaniard governor, whom I described so often, com
manded the whole; and Will Atkins, who, though a dreadful
fellow for wickedness, was a most daring, bold fellow, com-
manded under him. The savages came forward like lions; and
our men, which was the worst of their fate, had no advantage
in their situation; only that Will Atkins, who now proved a
most useful feliow, with six men, was planted just behind a
small thicket of bushes, as an advanced guard, with orders to
let the first of them pass by, and then fire into the middle of
them, and as soon as he had, fired, to make his retreat as
nimbly as he could round a part of the wood, and so come in
behind the Spaniards, where they stood, having a thicket of
trees before them.
When the savages came on, they ran straggling about every
way in heaps, out of all manner of order, and Will Atkins let
about fifty of them pass by him; then seeing the rest come in
a very thick throng, he orders three of his men to fire, having
loaded their muskets with six or seven bullets apiece, about as
big as large pistol bullets. How many they killed or wounded
they knew not, but the consternation and surprise were inex-
pressible among the savages; they were frightened to the last
degree to hear such a dreadful noise, and see their men killed,
and others hurt, but see nobody that did it; when, in the
middle of their fright, Will Atkins and his other three let fly
again among the thickest of them; and in less than a minute,
the first three being loaded again, gave them a third volley.
Had Will Atkins and his men retired immediately, as soon
as they had fired, as they were ordered to do, or had the rest
of the body been at hand, to have poured in their shot contin-
ually, the savages had been effectually routed; for the terror
that was among them came principally from this, that they were
killed by the gods with thunder and lightning, and could see
nobody that hurt them; but Will Atkins, staying to load again,
discovered the cheat: some of the savages who were at a dis-
tance spying them, came upon them behind; and though At-
kins and his men fired at them also, two or three times, and
killed above twenty, retiring as fast as they could, yet they
wounded Atkins himself, and killed one of his fellow-English-
men with their arrows, as they did afterwards one Spaniard,
and one of the Indian slaves who came with the women. This
slave was a most gallant fellow, and fought most desperately,
killing five of them with his own hand, having no weapon
but one of the armed staves and a hatchet.
Our men being thus hard laid at, Atkins wounded. and two
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
319
other men killed, retreated to a rising ground in the wood; and
the Spaniards, after firing three volleys upon them, retreated
also; for their number was so great, and they were so desper-
ate, that though above fifty of them were killed, and more than
as many wounded, yet they came on in the teeth of our men,
fearless of danger, and shot their arrows like a cloud; and it
was observed that their wounded men, who were not quite dis-
abled, were made outrageous by their wounds, and fought like
madmen.
When our men retreated, they left the Spaniard and the
Englishman that were killed behind them; and the savages,
when they came up to them, killed them over again in a
wretched manner, breaking their arms, legs, and heads, with
their clubs and wooden swords, like true savages; but finding
our men were gone, they did not seem to pursue them, but
drew themselves up in a ring, which is, it seems, their custom,
and shouted twice, in token of their victory; after which, they
had the mortification to see several of their wounded' men
fall, dying with the mere loss of blood.
(C
The Spaniard governor having drawn his little body up
together upon a rising ground, Atkins, though he was wounded,
would have had them march and charge again all together at
once but the Spaniard replied, Seignior Atkins, you see how
their wounded men fight; let them alone till morning; all the
wounded men will be stiff and sore with their wounds, and faint
with the loss of blood; and so we shall have the fewer to en-
gage." This advice was good: but Will Atkins replied merrily,
"That is true, seignior, and so shall I too; and that is the
reason I would go on while I am warm." "Well, Seignior
Atkins," says the Spaniard, "you have behaved gallantly, and
done your part; we will fight for you if you cannot come on;
but I think it best to stay till morning :" so they waited.
But as it was a clear moonlight night, and they found the
savages in great disorder about their dead and wounded men,
and a great noise and hurry among them where they lay, they
afterwards resolved to fall upon them in the night; especially
if they could come to give them but one volley before they were
discovered, which they had a fair opportunity to do: for one
of the Englishmen in whose quarter it was where the fight
began, led them round between the woods and the sea-side
westward, and then turning short south, they came so near
where the thickest of them lay, that, before they were seen or
heard, eight of them fired in upon them, and did dreadful exe-
cution upon them; in half a minute more, eight others fired
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after them, pouring in their small shot in such a quantity, that
abundance were killed and wounded; and all this while they
were not able to see who hurt them, or which way to fly.
The Spaniards charged again with the utmost expedition,
and then divided themselves into three bodies, and resolved to
fall in among them all together. They had in each body eight
persons, that is to say, twenty-two men, and the two women,
who, by the way, fought desperately. They divided the fire-
arms equally in each party, as well as the halberds and staves.
They would have had the women kept back, but they said they
were resolved to die with their husbands. Having thus formed
their little army, they marched out from among the trees, and
came up to the teeth of the enemy, shouting and hallooing as
loud as they could; the savages stood all together, but were
in the utmost confusion, hearing the noise of our men shouting
from three quarters together: they would have fought if they
had seen us; for as soon as we came near enough to be seen,
some arrows were shot, and poor old Friday was wounded,
though not dangerously; but our men gave them no time, but,
running up to them, fired among them three ways, and then
fell in with the butt ends of their muskets, their swords, armed
staves, and hatchets, and laid about them so well, that, in a
word, they set up a dismal screaming and howling, flying to save
their lives which way soever they could.
Our men were tired with the execution, and killed or mor-
tally wounded in the two fights about one hundred and eighty
of them; the rest, being frightened out of their wits, scoured
through the woods and over the hills, with all the speed fear
and nimble feet could help them to; and as we did not trouble
ourselves much to pursue them, they got all together to the
sea-side where they landed, and where their canoes lay. But
their disaster was not at an end yet; for it blew a terrible storm
of wind that evening from the sea, so that it was impossible for
them to go off; nay, the storm continuing all night, when the
tide came up, their canoes were most of them driven by the
surge of the sea so high upon the shore that it required infinite
toil to get them off; and some of them were even dashed to
pieces against the beach, or against one another.
Our men, though glad of their victory, yet got little rest that
night; but having refreshed themselves as well as they could,
they resolved to march to that part of the island where the sav-
ages were fled, and see what posture they were in. This neces-
sarily led them over the place where the fight had been, and
where they found several of the poor creatures not quite dead,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
321
and yet past recovering life; a sight disagreeable enough to
generous minds, for a truly great man, though obliged by the
law of battle to destroy his enemy, takes no delight in his mis-
ery. However, there was no need to give any orders in this
case; for their own savages, who were their servants, despatched
these poor creatures with their hatchets.
At length, they came in view of the place where the more
miserable remains of the savages' army lay, where they ap-
peared about a hundred still; their posture was generally sit-
ting upon the ground, with their knees up towards their mouth,
and the head put between the two hands, leaning down upon
the knees.
When our men came within two musket-shots of them, the
Spaniard governor ordered two muskets to be fired, without
ball, to alarm them this he did, that by their countenance he
might know what to expect, whether they were still in heart to
fight, or were so heartily beaten as to be dispirited and dis-
couraged, and so he might manage accordingly. This strata-
gem took; for as soon as the savages heard the first
gun, and
saw the flash of the second, they started up upon their feet in
the greatest consternation imaginable; and as our men ad-
vanced swiftly towards them, they all ran screaming and yelling
away, with a kind of howling noise, which our men did not
understand, and had never heard before; and thus they ran up
the hills into the country.
At first our men had much rather the weather had been
calm, and they had all gone away to sea; but they did not then
consider that this might probably have been the occasion of
their coming again in such multitudes as not to be resisted, or,
at least, to come so many and so often, as would quite desolate
the island, and starve them. Will Atkins, therefore, who, not-
withstanding his wound, kept always with them, proved the
best counsellor in this case: his advice was, to take the advan-
tage that offered, and step in between them and their boats,
and so deprive them of the capacity of ever returning any more
to plague the island.
They consulted long about this; and some were against it
for fear of making the wretches fly to the woods and live there
desperate, and so they should have them to hunt like wild
beasts, be afraid to stir out about their business, and have their
plantations continually rifled, all their tame goats destroyed,
and, in short, be reduced to a life of continual distress.
Will Atkins told them they had better have to do with a
hundred men than with a hundred nations: that as they must
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destroy their boats, so they must destroy the men, or be all of
them destroyed themselves. In a word, he showed them the
necessity of it so plainly, that they all came into it; so they
went to work immediately with the boats, and getting some dry
wood together from a dead tree, they tried to set some of them
on fire, but they were so wet that they would not burn; how-
ever, the fire so burnt the upper part, that it soon made them
unfit for swimming in the sea as boats. When the Indians
saw what they were about, some of them came running out of
the woods, and coming as near as they could to our men,
kneeled down and cried, "Oa, Oa, Waramokoa," and some
other words of their language, which none of the others under-
stood anything of; but as they made pitiful gestures and strange
noises, it was easy to understand they begged to have their
boats spared, and that they would be gone, and never come
there again. But our men were now satisfied that they had no
way to preserve themselves, or to save their colony, but effectu-
ally to prevent any of these people from ever going home again,
depending upon this, that if even so much as one of them got
back into their country to tell the story, the colony was undone ;
so that, letting them know that they should not have any mercy,
they fell to work with their canoes, and destroyed every one
that the storm had not destroyed before; at the sight of which,
the savages raised a hideous cry in the woods, which our
people heard plain enough, after which they ran about the
island like distracted men, so that, in a word, our men did not
really know what at first to do with them. Nor did the Span-
iards, with all their prudence, consider that while they made
those people thus desperate, they ought to have kept a good
guard at the same time upon their plantations; for though, it is
true, they had driven away their cattle, and the Indians did not
find out their main retreat (I mean my old castle at the hill),
nor the cave in the valley, yet they found out my plantation at
the bower, and pulled it all to pieces, and all the fences and
planting about it; trod all the corn under foot, tore up the
vines and grapes, being just then almost ripe, and did our men
an inestimable damage, though to themselves not one farthing's
worth of service.
Though our men were able to fight them upon all occasions,
veev were in no condition to pursue them, or hunt them up
and down; for as they were too nimble of foot for our men
wheney found them single, so our men durst not go abroad
sing, for fear of being surrounded with their numbers. The
best was, they had no weapons; for though they had bows
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323
they nad no arrows left, nor any materials to make any; nor
had they any edge-tool or weapon among them.
The extremity and distress they were reduced to was great,
and indeed deplorable; but, at the same time, our men were
also brought to very bad circumstances by them, for though
their retreats were preserved, yet their provision was destroyed,
and their harvest spoiled, and what to do, or which way to turn
themselves they knew not. The only refuge they had now, was
the stock of cattle they had in the valley by the cave, and some
little corn which grew there, and the plantation of the three
Englishmen, Will Atkins and his comrades, who were now re-
duced to two; one of them being killed by an arrow, which
struck him on the side of his head, just under the temple, so
that he never spoke more; and it was very remarkable that
this was the same barbarous fellow that cut the poor savage
slave with his hatchet, and who afterwards intended to have
murdered the Spaniards.
I looked upon their case to have been worse at this time,
than mine was at any time after I first discovered the grains
of barley and rice, and got into the manner of planting and
raising my corn, and my tame cattle; for now they had, as I
may say, a hundred wolves upon the island, which would de-
vour everything they could come at, yet could be hardly come
at themselves.
When they saw what their circumstances were, the first
thing they concluded was, that they would, if possible, drive.
them up to the farther part of the island, south-west, that if any
more savages came on shore they might not find one another;
then, that they would daily hunt and harass them, and kill as
many of them as they could come at, till they had reduced their
number; and
and if they could at last tame them, and bring them
to anything, they would give them corn, and teach them how to
plant, and live upon their daily labor.
In order to this, they so followed them, and so terrified
them with their guns, that in a few days, if any of them fired
a gun at an Indian, if he did not hit him, yet he would fall
down for fear; and so dreadfully frightened they were that
they kept out of sight farther and farther; till, at last, our
men following them, and almost every day killing or wounding
some of them, they kept up in the woods or hollow places so
much, that it reduced them to the utmost misery for want of
tood; and many were afterwards found dead in the woods,
without any hurt, absolutely starved to death.
When our men found this, it made their hearts relent, and
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▸
pity moved them, especially the Spaniard governor, who was
the most gentleman-like, generous-minded man that I ever met
with in my life; and he proposed, if possible, to take one of
them alive, and bring him to understand what they meant, so
far as to be able to act as interpreter, and go among them,
and see if they might be brought to some conditions that
might be depended upon, to save their lives and do us no
harm.
It was some while before any of them could be taken; but
being weak and half-starve 1, one of them was at last surprised
and made a prisoner. He was sullen at first, and would neither
eat nor drink; but finding himself kindly used, and victuals
given to him, and no violence offered him, he at last grew
tractable, and came to himself. They brought old Friday to
him, who talked often with him, and told him how kind the
others would be to them all; that they would not only save
their lives, but give them part of the island to live in, provided
they would give satisfaction that they would keep in their own
bounds, and not come beyond it to injure or prejudice others;
and that they should have corn given them to plant and make
it grow for their bread, and some bread given them for their
present subsistence; and old Friday bade the fellow go and
talk with the rest of his countrymen, and see what they said
to it, assuring them that, if they did not agree immediately,
they should be all destroyed.
The poor wretches, thoroughly humbled, and reduced in
number to about thirty-seven, closed with the proposal at the
first offer, and begged to have some food given them; upon
which, twelve Spaniards and two Englishmen, well armed, with
three Indian slaves and old Friday, marched to the place where
they were. The three Indian slaves carried them a large
quantity of bread, some rice boiled up to cakes and dried in
the sun, and three live goats; and they were ordered to go to
the side of a hill, where they sat down, ate their provisions
very thankfully, and were the most faithful fellows to their
words that could be thought of; for, except when they came
to beg victuals and directions, they never came out of their
bounds; and there they lived when I came to the island, and
I went to see them.
They had taught them both to plant corn, make bread,
breed tame goats, and milk them: they wanted nothing but
wives, and they soon would have been a nation. They were
confined to a neck of land, surrounded with high rocks be-
hind them, and lying plain towards the sea before them, on
·
ROBINSON CRUsoe
325
the south-east corner of the island. They had land enough,
and it was very good and fruitful; about a mile and a half
broad, and three or four miles in length.
Our men taught them to make wooden spades, such as I
made for myself, and gave among them twelve hatchets and
three or four knives; and there they lived, the most subjected,
innocent creatures that ever were heard of.
After this, the colony enjoyed a perfect tranquillity, with
respect to the savages, till I came to revisit them, which was
about two years after; not but that, now and then, some
canoes of savages came on shore for their triumphal, unnatural
feasts; but as they were of several nations, and perhaps had
never heard of those that came before, or the reason of it, they
did not make any search or inquiry after their countr; n en;
and if they had, it would have been very hard to have found
them out.
5
J
Thus, I think, I have given a full account of all that hap-
pened to them till my return, at least, what was worth notice.
The Indians or savages were wonderfully civilized by them,
and they frequently went among them; but forbid, on pain of
death, any one of the Indians coming to them, because they
would not have their settlement betrayed again. One thing
was very remarkable, viz. : that they taught the savages to make
wicker-work, or baskets, but they soon outdid their masters;
for they made abundance of most ingenious things in wicker-
work, particularly of all sorts of baskets, sieves, bird-cages,
cupboards, &c. ;as also chairs to sit on, stools, beds, couches,
and abundance of other things; being very ingenious at such
work, when they were once put in the way of it.
My coming was a particular relief to these people, because
we furnished them with knives, scissors, spades, shovels, pick-
axes, and all things of that kind which they could want. With
the help of those tools, they were so very handy that they came
at last to build up their huts, or houses, very handsomely, rad-
dling or working it up like basket-work all the way round;
which was a very extraordinary piece of ingenuity, and looked
very odd, but was an exceeding good fence, as well against.
heat as against all sorts of vermin; and our men were so taken
with it, that they got the wild savages to come and do the like
for them; so that when I came to see the two Englishmen's
colonies, they looked, at a distance, as if they all lived like
bees in a hive. As for Will Atkins, who was now become a
very industrious, useful, and sober fellow, he had made himself
such a tent of basket-work as, I believe, was never seen; it
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
was one hundred and twenty paces round on the outside, as I
measured by my steps; the walls were as close worked as a
basket, in panels or squares of thirty-two in number, and very
strong, standing about seven feet high; in the middle was
another not above twenty-two paces round, but built stronger,
being octagon in its form, and in the eight corners stood eight
very strong posts; round the top of which he laid strong pieces,
pinned together with wooden pins, from which he raised a
pyramid for a roof of eight rafters, very handsome, I assure
you, and joined t gether very well, though he had no nails,
and only a few iron spikes, which he made himself too, out of
the old iron that I had left there; and, indeed, this fellow
showed abundance of ingenuity in several things which he had
no knowledge of: he made him a forge, with a pair of wooden
bellows to blow the fire; he made himself charcoal for his
work; and he formed out of the iron crows a middling good
anvil to hammer upon in this manner he made many things,
but especially hooks, staples, spikes, bolts, and hinges.
But to return to the house: after he had pitched the roof of
his innermost tent, he worked it up between the rafters with
basket-work, so firm, and thatched that over again so ingeni-
ously with rice-straw, and over that a large leaf of a tree,
which covered the top, that his house was as dry as if it had
been tiled or slated. Indeed, he owned that the savages had
made the basket-work for him, The outer circuit was covered
as a lean-to, all round this inner apartment, and long rafters
lay from the thirty-two angles to the top posts of the inner
house, being about twenty feet distant, so that there was a
space like a walk within the outer wicker-wall and without the
inner near twenty feet wide.
The inner place he partitioned off with the same wicker-
work, but much fairer, and divided into six apartments, so
that he had six rooms on a floor, and out of every one of these
there was a door; first, into the entry, or coming into the main
tent, and another door into the space or walk that was round
it; so that walk was also divided into six equal parts, which
served not only for a retreat, but to store up any neces-
saries which the family had occasion for. These six spaces
not taking up the whole circumference, what other apartments
the outer circle had were thus ordered: As soon as you were
in at the door of the outer circle, you had a short passage
straight before you to the door of the inner house; but on
either side was a wicker partition, and a door in it, by which
you went first into a large room, or storehouse, twenty feet
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
327
wide and about thirty feet long, and through that into another
not quite so long; so that in the outer circle were ten hand-
some rooms, six of which were only to be come at through the
apartments of the inner tent, and served as closets or retiring-
rooms to the respective chambers of the inner circle; and
four large warehouses, or barns, or what you please to call
them, which went through one another, two on either hand of
the passage, that led through the outer door to the inner tent.
Such a piece of basket-work, I believe, was never seen in
the world, nor a house or tent so neatly contrived, much less
so built.
In this great bee-hive lived the three families, that
is to say, Will Atkins and his companion; the third was killed,
but his wife remained with three children, for she was, it seems,
big with child when he died; and the other two were not at
all backward to give the widow her full share of everything, I
mean as to their corn, milk, grapes, &c., and when they killed
a kid, or found a turtle on the shore; so that they all lived
well enough; though it was true, they were not so industrious
as the other two, as has been observed already.
One thing, however, cannot be omitted, viz.: that as for reli-
gion, I do not know that there was anything of that kind among
them; they often, indeed, put one another in mind that there
was a God, by the very common method of seamen, swearing
by his name; nor were their poor ignorant savage wives much
better for having been married to Christians, as we must call
them; for as they knew very little of God themselves, so they
were utterly incapable of entering into any discourse with their
wives about a God, or to talk anything to them concerning
religion.
The utmost of all the improvement which I can say the
wives had made from them was, that they had taught them to
speak English pretty well; and most of their children, who
were near twenty in all, were taught to speak English too, from
their first learning to speak, though they at first spoke it in a
very broken manner, like their mothers. There was none of
these children above six years old when I came thither, for it
was not much above seven years since they had fetched these
five savage ladies over; but they had all been pretty fruitful,
for they had all children, more or less: I think the cook's mate's
wife was big of her sixth child; and the mothers were all a
good sort of well-governed, quiet, laborious women, modest and
decent, helpful to one another, mighty observant and subject
to their masters (I cannot call them husbands), and wanted
nothing but to be well instructed in the Christian religion, and
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
to be legally married; both which were happily brought about.
afterwards by my means, or at least in consequence of my
coming among them.
Having thus given an account of the colony in general, and
pretty much of my runagate English, I must say something of
the Spaniards, who were the inain body of the family, and in
whose story there are some incidents also remarkable enough.
I had a great many discourses with them about their cir-
cumstances when they were among the savages. They told me
readily that they had no instances to give of their application
or ingenuity in that country; that they were a poor, miserable,
dejected handful of people; that if means had been put into
their hands, yet they had so abandoned themselves to despair,
and so sunk under the weight of their misfortune, that they
thought of nothing but starving. One of them, a grave and
sensible man, told me he was convinced they were in the wrong;
that it was not the part of wise men to give themselves up to
their misery, but always to take hold of the helps which reason
offered, as well for present support as for future deliverance :
he told me that grief was the most senseless, insignificant
passion in the world, for that it regarded only things past, which
were generally impossible to be recalled, or to be remedied, but
had no views of things to come, and had no share in anything
that looked like deliverance, but rather added to the affliction
than proposed a remedy; and upon this he repeated a Spanish
proverb, which though I cannot repeat in just the same words
that he spoke it in, yet I remember I made it into an English
proverb of my own, thus :—
In trouble to be troubled,
Is to have your trouble doubled.
He ran on then in remarks upon all the little improvements
I had made in my solitude; my unwearied application, as he
called it; and how I had made a condition, which in its circum-
stances was at first much worse than theirs, a thousand times.
more happy than theirs was, even now when they were all
together. He told me it was remarkable that Englishmen had
a greater presence of mind, in their distress, than any people.
that ever he met with; that their unhappy nation and the Por-
tuguese were the worst men in the world to struggle with mis-
fortunes; for that their first step in dangers, after the common
efforts were over, was to despair, lie down under it, and die,
without rousing their thoughts up to proper remedies for
escape.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
329
t
66
told him their case and mine differed exceedingly; that
they were cast upon the shore without necessaries, without
supply of food, or present sustenance till they could provide for
it; that, it was true, I had this disadvantage and discomfort,
that I was alone; but then the supplies I had providentially
thrown into my hands, by the unexpected driving of the ship
on shore, was such a help as would have encouraged any
creature in the world to have applied himself as I had done.
"Seignior," says the Spaniard, "had we poor Spaniards been
in your case, we should never have got half those things out of
the ship, as you did: nay," says he, we should never have
found means to have got the raft on shore without boat or sail;
and how much less should we have done if any of us had been
alone!" Well, I desired him to abate his compliments, and
go on with the history of their coming on shore, where they
landed. He told me they unhappily landed at a place where
there were people, without provisions; whereas, had they had
the common sense to put off to sea again, and gone to another
island a little farther, they had found provisions, though with-
out people; there being an island that way, as they had been
told, where there were provisions, though no people; that is to
say, that the Spaniards of Trinidad had frequently been there,
and had filled the island with goats and hogs at several times,
where they had bred in such multitudes, and where turtle and
sea-fowls were in such plenty, that they could have been in no
want of flesh, though they had found no bread; whereas, here
they were only sustained with a few roots and herbs, which
they understood not, and which had no substance in them, and
which the inhabitants gave them sparingly enough; and they
could treat them no better, unless they would turn cannibals,
and eat men's flesh, which was the great dainty of their
country.
They gave me an account how many ways they strove to
civilize the savages they were with, and to teach them rational
customs in the ordinary way of living, but in vain ; and how
they retorted it upon them, as unjust, that they, who came there
for assistance and support, should attempt to set up for in-
structors of those that gave them food, intimating, it seems, that
none should set up for the instructors of others but those who
could live without them.
They gave me dismal accounts of the extremities they were
driven to; how sometimes they were many days without any
food at all, the island they were upon being inhabited by a sort
of savages that lived more indolent, and for that reason were
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
less supplied with the necessaries of life, than they had reason
to believe others were in the same part of the world: and yet
they found that these savages were less ravenous and voracious
than those who had better supplies of food. Also they added,
they could not but see with what demonstrations of wisdom and
goodness the governing providence of God directs the events.
of things in this world; which, they said, appeared in their
circumstances; for if, pressed by the hardships they were
under, and the barrenness of the country where they were, they
had searched after a better to live in, they had been out of the
way of the relief that happened to them by my means.
They then gave me an account how the savages whom they
lived among expected them to go out with them into their wars;
and it was true, that as they had fire-arms with them, had they
not had the disaster to lose their ammunition, they could have
been serviceable not only to their friends, but have made them-
selves terrible both to friends and enemies; but being without
powder and shot, and yet in a condition that they could not in
reason deny to go out with their landlords to their wars, so
when they came into the field of battle, they were in a worse
condition than the savages themselves, for they had neither
bows nor arrows, nor could they use those the savages gave
them; so they could do nothing but stand still and be wounded
with arrows, till they came up to the teeth of their enemy; and
then, indeed, the three halberds they had were of use to them ;
and they would often drive a whole little army before them
with those halberds, and sharpened sticks put into the muzzles
of their muskets: but that, for all this, they were sometimes
surrounded with multitudes, and in great danger from their
arrows, till at last they found the way to make themselves large
targets of wood, which they covered with skins of wild beasts,
whose names they knew not, and these covered them from the
arrows of the savages: that, notwithstanding these, they were
sometimes in great danger; and five of them were once knocked
down together with the clubs of the savages, which was the
time when one of them was taken prisoner, that is to say, the
Spaniard whom I relieved that at first they thought he had
been killed; but when they afterwards heard he was taken
prisoner, they were under the greatest grief imaginable, and
would willingly have all ventured their lives to have rescued
him.
:
They told me that when they were so knocked down, the
rest of their company rescued them, and stood over them fight-
ing till they were come to themselves, all but him who they
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
331
thought had been dead; and then they made their way with
their halberds and pieces, standing close together in a line,
through a body of above a thousand savages, beating down all
that came in their way, got the victory over their enemies, but
to their great sorrow, because it was with the loss of their friend,
whom the other party, finding alive, carried off, with some others,
as I gave an account before.
They described, most affectionately, how they were sur-
prised with joy at the return of their friend and companion in
misery, who they thought had been devoured by wild beasts of
the worst kind-wild men ; and yet, how more and more they
were surprised with the account he gave them of his errand,
and that there was a Christian in any place near, much more
one that was able, and had humanity enough, to contribute to
their deliverance.
They described how they were astonished at the sight of the
relief I sent them, and at the appearance of loaves of breadl—
things they had not seen since their coming to that miserable
place; how often they crossed it and blessed it as bread sent
from Heaven; and what a reviving cordial it was to their spirits
to taste it, as also the other things I had sent for their supply;
and, after all, they would have told me something of the joy
they were in at the sight of a boat and pilots, to carry them
away to the person and place from whence all these new com-
forts came; but it was impossible to express it by words, for
their excessive joy naturally driving them to unbecoming ex-
travagances, they had no way to describe them, but by telling
me they bordered upon lunacy, having no way to give vent to
their passions suitable to the sense that was upon them; that
in some it worked one way, and in some another; and that some
of them, through a surprise of joy, would burst into tears, others.
be stark mad, and others immediately faint. This discourse
extremely affected me, and called to my mind Friday's ecstasy
when he met his father, and the poor people's ecstasy when I
took them up at sea after their ship was on fire; the joy of the
mate of the ship when he found himself delivered in the place
where he expected to perish; and my own joy, when, after
twenty-eight years' captivity, I found a good ship ready to carry
me to my own country. All these things made me more sensible
of the relation of these poor men, and more affected with it.
Having thus given a view of the state of things as I found
them, I must relate the heads of what I did for these people,
and the condition in which I left them. It was their opinion,
and mine too, that they would be troubled no more with the
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savages, or if they were, they would be able to cut them off, if
they were twice as many as before ; so they had no concern about
that. Then I entered into a serious discourse with the Spaniard,
whom I call governor, about their stay in the island; for as I was
not come to carry any of them off, so it would not be just to
carry off some and leave others, who, perhaps, would be unwilling
to stay if their strength was diminished. On the other hand, I
toid them I came to establish them there, not to remove them;
and then I let them know that I had brought with me relief of
sundry kind for them; that I had been at a great charge to
supply them with all things necessary, as well for their conve-
nience as their defence; and that I had such and such particu-
lar persons with me, as well to increase and recruit their num-
ber, as by the particular necessary employments which they
were bred to, being artificers, to assist them in those things in
which at present they were in want.
They were all together when I talked thus to them; and be-
fore I delivered to them the stores I had brought, I asked them,
one by one, if they had entirely forgot and buried the first ani-
mosities that had been among them, and would shake hands
with one another, and engage in a strict friendship and union
of interest, that so there might be no more misunderstandings
and jealousies.
Will Atkins, with abundance of frankness and good humor,
said they had met with affliction enough to make them all sober,
and enemies enough to make them all friends; that, for his
part, he would live and die with them, and was so far from de-
signing anything against the Spaniards, that he owned they had
done nothing to him but what his own mad humor made neces-
sary, and what he would have done, and perhaps worse, in their
case; and that he would ask them pardon, if I desired it, for
the foolish and brutish things he had done to them, and was
very willing and desirous of living in terms of entire friendship
and union with them, and would do anything that lay in his
power to convince them of it; and as for going to England, he
cared not if he did not go thither these twenty years.
The Spaniards said they had, indeed, at first disarmed and
excluded Will Atkins and his two countrymen for their ill con-
duct, as they had let me know, and they appealed to me for the
necessity they were under to do so; but that Will Atkins had
behaved himself so bravely in the great fight they had with
the savages, and on several occasions since, and had showed
himself so faithful to, and concerned for, the general interest
of them all, that they had forgotten all that was passed, and
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
333
:
thought he merited as much to be trusted with arms and sup-
plied with necessaries as any of them; and they had testified
their satisfaction in him, by committing the command to him
next to the governor himself; and as they had entire confidence
in him and all his countrymen, so they acknowledged they had
merited that confidence by all the methods that honest men
could merit to be valued and trusted; and they most heartily
embraced the occasion of giving me this assurance, that they
would never have any interest separate from one another.
Upon these frank and open declarations of friendship we
appointed the next day to dine all together; and, indeed, we
made a splendid feast. I caused the ship's cook and his mate
to come on shore and dress our dinner, and the old cook's mate
we had on shore assisted. We brought on shore six pieces of
good beef and four pieces of pork, out of the ship's provisions,
with our punch-bowl, and materials to fill it; and, in particular,
I gave them ten bottles of French claret, and ten bottles of
English beer; things that neither the Spaniards nor the English
had tasted for many years, and which it may be supposed they
were very glad of. The Spaniards added to our feast five whole
kids, which the cooks roasted; and three of them were sent,
covered up close, on board the ship to the seamen, that they
might feast on fresh meat from on shore, as we did with their
salt meat from on board.
After this feast, at which we were innocently merry, I
brought my cargo of goods; wherein, that there might be no
dispute about dividing, I showed them that there was a suffi-
ciency for them all, desiring that they might all take an equal
quantity of the goods that were for wearing; that is to say,
equal when made up. As, first I distributed linen sufficient to
make every one of them four shirts, and, at the Spaniard's
request, afterwards made them up six; these were exceeding
comfortable to them, having been what they had long since for-
got the use of, or what it was to wear them. I allotted the thin
English stuffs, which I mentioned before, to make every one a
light coat, like a frock, which I judged fittest for the heat of
the season, cool and loose; and ordered that whenever they
decayed, they should make more, as they thought fit; the like
for pumps, shoes, stockings, hats, &c.
I cannot express what pleasure, what satisfaction, sat upon
the countenances of all these poor men, when they saw the
care I had taken of them, and how well I had furnished them.
They told me I was a father to them; and that having such a
correspondent as I was in so remote a part of the world, it
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广
​I
1
would make them forget that they were left in a desolate place;
and they all voluntarily engaged to me not to leave the place
without my consent.
Then I presented to them the people I had brought with me,
particularly the tailor, the smith, and the two carpenters, all of
them most necessary people; but, above all, my general artificer,
than whom they could not name anything that was more useful
to them; and the tailor, to show his concern for them, went to
work immediately, and with my leave, made them every one a
shirt, the first thing he did; and, what was still more, he taught
the women not only how to sew and stitch, and use the needle,
but made them assist to make the shirts for their husbands, and
for all the rest.
As to the carpenters, I scarce need mention how useful they
were; for they took to pieces all my clumsy, unhandy things,
and made clever convenient tables, stools, bedsteads, cup-
boards, lockers, shelves, and everything they wanted of that
kind. But to let them see how nature made artificers at first,
I carried the carpenters to see Will Atkins' basket house, as I
called it; and they both owned they never saw an instance of
such natural ingenuity before, nor anything so regular and so
handily built, at least of its kind; and one of them, when he
saw it, after musing a good while, turning about to me, "I am
sure," says he, "that man has no need of us; you need do
nothing but give him tools."
Then I brought them out all my store of tools, and gave
every man a digging-spade, a shovel, and a rake, for we had no
harrows or plough; and to every separate place a pickaxe, a
crow, a broad axe, and a saw; always appointing, that as often
as any were broken or worn out, they should be supplied with-
out grudging, out of the general stores that I left behind.
Nails, staples, hinges, hammers, chisels, knives, scissors, and
all sorts of iron-work, they had without reserve, as they required;
for no man would take more than he wanted, and he must be
a fool that would waste or spoil them on any account whatever ;
and for the use of the smith, I left two tons of unwrought iron
for a supply.
My magazine of powder and arms which I brought them,
was such, even to profusion, that they could not but rejoice at
them; for now they could march as I used to do, with a musket
upon each shoulder, if there was occasion; and were able to
fight a thousand savages, if they had but some little advantages
of situation, which also they could not miss, if they had occasion,
I carried on shore with me the young man whose mother
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335
BA
was starved to death, and the maid also: she was a sober, well-
educated, religious young woman, and behaved so inoffensively
that every one gave her a good word; she had, indeed, an
unhappy life with us, there being no woman in the ship but her-
self, but she bore it with patience. After a while, seeing things
so well ordered, and in so fine a way of thriving upon my island,
and considering that they had neither business nor acquaintance
in the East Indies, or reason for taking so long a voyage, both
of them came to me, and desired I would give them leave to
remain on the island, and be entered among my family, as they
called it. I agreed to this readily; and they had a little plot
of ground allotted to them, where they had three tents or houses
set up, surrounded with a basket work, palisaded like Atkins',
adjoining to his plantation. Their tents were contrived so that
they had each of then a room apart to lodge in, and a middle
tent like a great storehouse, to lay their goods in, and to eat
and drink in. And now the other two Englishmen removed
their habitation to the same place; and so the island was
divided into three colonies, and no more, viz.: the Spaniards,
with old Friday and the first servants, at my old habitation
under the hill, which was, in a word, the capital city, and where
they had so enlarged and extended their works, as well under
as on the outside of the hill, that they lived, though perfectly
concealed, yet full at large. Never was there such a little city
in a wood, and so hid, in any part of the world; for I verily
believe, that a thousand men might have ranged the island a
month, and, if they had not known there was such a thing, and
looked on purpose for it, they would not have found it; for the
trees stood so thick and so close, and grew so fast woven, one
into another, that nothing but cutting them down first could
discover the place, except the only two narrow entrances where
they went in and out could be found, which was not very easy;
one of them was close down at the water's edge, on the side of
the creek, and it was afterwards above two hundred yards to
the place; and the other was up a ladder at twice, as I have
already described it; and they had also a large wood, thickly
planted, on the top of the hill, containing above an acre, which
grew apace, and concealed the place from all discovery there,
with only one narrow place between two trees, not easily to be
discovered, to enter on that side.
The other colony was that of Will Atkins, where there were
four families of Englishmen, I mean those I had left there, with
their wives and children; three savages that were slaves, the
widow and the children of the Englishman that was killed,
3.36
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
the young man and the maid, and, by the way, we made a wife of
her before we went away. There were also the two carpenters
and the tailor, whom I brought with me for them; also the
smith, who was a very necessary man to them, especially as a
gunsmith, to take care of their arms; and my other man, whom
I called Jack-of-all-trades, who was in himself as good almost.
as twenty men; for he was not only a very ingenious fellow,
but a very merry fellow, and before I went away we married
him to the honest maid that came with the youth in the ship I
mentioned before.
And now I speak of marrying, it brings me naturally to say
scmething of the French ecclesiastic that I had brought with
me out of the ship's crew whom I took up at sea. It is true
this man was a Roman, and perhaps it may give offence to some
hereafter, if I leave anything extraordinary upon record of a
man whom, before I begin, I must (to set him out in just colors)
represent in terms very much to his disadvantage, in the ac-
count of Protestants; as, first, that he was a Papish; secondly,
a Popish priest; and, thirdly, a French Popist priest. But
justice demands of me to give him a due character; and I must
say, he was a grave, sober, pious, and most religious person;
exact in his life, extensive in his charity, and exemplary in
almost everything he did. What then can any one say against
being very sensible of the value of such a man, notwithstanding
his profession? though it may be my opinion, perhaps, as well
as the opinion of others who shall read this, that he was mis-
taken.
The first hour that I began to converse with him after he had
agreed to go with me to the East Indies, I found reason to delight
exceedingly in his conversation; and he first began with me
about religion in the most obliging manner imaginable. "Sir,"
says he, "you have not only under God (and at that he crossed
his breast) saved my life, but you have admitted me to this voy-
age in your ship, and by your obliging civility, have taken me into
your family, giving me an opportunity of free conversation.
Now, sir, you see by my habit what my profession is, and I
guess by your nation what yours is; I may think it is my duty
-and doubtless it is so-to use my utmost endeavors, on all
occasions, to bring all the souls I can to the knowledge of the
truth, and to embrace the Catholic doctrine: but as I am here
under your permission, and in your family, I am bound in
justice to your kindness, as well as in decency and good man-
ners, to be under your government; and therefore I shall not,
without your leave, enter into any debate on the points of
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
337
religion in which we may not agree, farther than you shall give
me leave."
I told him his carriage was so modest that I could not but
acknowledge it; that it was true we were such people as they
called heretics, but that he was not the first Catholic I had
conversed with, without falling into inconveniences, or carrying
the questions to any height in debate; that he should not
find himself the worse used for being of a different opinion
from us, and if we did not converse without any dislike on
either side it should be his fault, not ours.
He replied that he thought all our conversation might be
easily separated from disputes; that it was not his business to
cap principles with every man he conversed with; and that he
rather desired me to converse with him as a gentleman than as
a religionist; and that if I would give him leave at any time
to discourse upon religious subjects, he would readily comply
with it, and that he did not doubt but I would allow him also
to defend his own opinions as well as he could; but that,
without my leave, he would not break in upon me with any
such thing. He told me further, that he would not cease to
do all that became him, in his office as a priest, as well as a
private Christian, to procure the good of the ship, and the
safety of all that was in her; and though, perhaps, we would
not join with him, and he could not pray with us, he hoped he
might pray for us, which he would do upon all occasions. In
this manner we conversed; and as he was of the most oblig-
ing, gentleman-like behavior, so he was, if I may be allowed to
say so, a man of good sense, and as I believe, of great
learning.
He gave me a most diverting account of his life, and of the
many extraordinary events of it; of many adventures which
had befallen him in the few years that he had been abroad in
the world; and particularly it was very remarkable, that in the
voyage he was now engaged in, he had the misfortune to be
five times shipped and unshipped, and never to go to the place.
whither any of the ships he was in at first designed; that his
first intent was to have gone to Martinico, and that he went
on board a ship bound thither at St. Malo; but, being forced
into Lisbon by bad weather, the ship received some damage
by running aground in the mouth of the River Tagus, and was
obliged to unload her cargo there; but finding a Portuguese
ship there bound to the Madeiras, and ready to sail, and sup-
posing he should easily meet with a vessel there bound to
Martinico, he went on board, in order to sail to the Madeiras ;
338
t
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
:
but the master of the Portuguese ship, being but an indifferent
mariner, had been out of his reckoning, and they drove to
Fyal; where, however, he happened to find a very good market
for his cargo, which was corn, and therefore resolved not to go
to the Madeiras, but to load salt at the Isle of May, and to go
away to Newfoundland. He had no remedy in this exigence
but to go with the ship, and had a pretty good voyage as far
as the Banks (so they call the place where they catch the fish),
where meeting with a French ship bound from France to
Quebec, in the River of Canada, and from thence to Martinico,
to carry provisions, he thought he should have an opportunity
to complete his first design; but when he came to Quebec,
the master of the ship died, and the vessel proceeded no
farther; so the next voyage he shipped himself for France, in
the ship that was burnt when we took them up at sea, and then
shipped with us for the East Indies, as I have already said.
Thus he had been disappointed in five voyages, all, as I may
call it, in one voyage, besides what I shall have occasion to
mention farther of him.
But I shall not make digression into other men's stories,
which have no relation to my own: I return to what con-
cerns our affairs in the island, He came to me one morning
(for he lodged among us all the while we were upon the island),
and it happened to be just when I was going to visit the Eng-
lishmen's colony, at the farthest part of the island; I say, he
came to me, and told me, with a very grave countenance, that
he had for two or three days desired an opportunity of some
discourse with me, which he hoped would not be displeasing
to me, because he thought it might in some measure corre-
spond with my general design which was the prosperity of my
new colony, and perhaps might put it, at least more than he
yet thought it was, in the way of God's blessing.
66
I looked a little surprised at the last part of his discourse,
and turned a little short, "How, sir," said I, can it be said
that we are not in the way of God's blessing, after such visible
assistances and deliverances as we have seen here, and of
which I have given you a large account?" "If you had
pleased, sir," said he, with a world of modesty, and yet great
readiness, to have heard me, you would have found no room
to have been displeased, much less to think so hard of me,
that I should suggest that you have not had wonderful as-
sistances and deliverances; and I hope, on your behalf, that
you are in the way of God's blessing, and your design is ex-
ceeding good, and will prosper: but, sir, though it were more
t
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
339
?
4.
so than is even possible to you, yet there may be some among
you that are not equally right in their actions and you know,
that in the story of the children of Israel one Achan in the
camp removed God's blessing from them, and turned his hand
so against them, that six-and-thirty of them, though not con-
cerned in the crime, were the objects of divine vengeance, and
bore the weight of that punishment."
I was sensibly touched with his discourse, and told him his
inference was so just, and the whole design seemed so sincere,
and was really so religious in its own nature, that I was very
sorry I had interrupted him, and begged him to go on; and, in
the mean time, because it seemed that what we had both to say
might take up some time, I told him I was going to the English-
men's plantations, and asked him to go with me, and we might
discourse of it by the way.
He told me he would the more
willingly wait on me thither, because there partly the thing was
acted which he desired to speak to me about; so we walked on,
and I pressed him to be free and plain with me in what he had
to say.
"Why, then, sir," says he, "be pleased to give me leave to
lay down a few propositions, as the foundation of what I have
to say, that we may not differ in the general principles, though
we may be of some differing opinions in the practice of particu-
lars. First, sir, though we differ in some of the doctrinal
articles of religion (and it is very unhappy it is so, especially
in the case before us, as I shall show afterwards), yet there are
some general principles in which we both agree that there is
a God; and that this God having given us some stated general
rules for our service and obedience, we ought not willingly and
knowingly to offend Him, either by neglecting to do what He
has commanded, or by doing what He has expressly forbidden.
And let our different religions be what they will, this general
principle is readily owned by us all, that the blessing of God
does not ordinarily follow presumptuous sinning against His
command; and every good Christian will be affectionately con-
cerned to prevent any that are under his care living in a total
neglect of God and His commands. It is not your men being
Protestants, whatever my opinion may be of such, that dis-
charges me from being concerned for their souls, and from
endeavoring, if it lies before me, that they should live in as
little distance from, and enmity with, their Maker as possible,
especially if you give me leave to meddle so far in your circuit.'
I could not yet imagine what he aimed at, and told him I
granted all he had said, and thanked him that he would so far
""
346
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
B
(4
concern himself for us; and begged he would explain the
particulars of what he had observed, that like Joshua, to take
his own parable, I might put away the accursed thing from us.
Why, then, sir," says he, "I will take the liberty you give
me and there are three things, which, if I am right, must stand
in the way of God's blessing upon your endeavors here, and
which I should rejoice, for your sake and their own, to see re-
moved. And, sir, I promise myself that you will fully agree
with me in them all, as soon as I name them; especially,
because I shall convince you that every one of them may, with
great ease and very much to your satisfaction, be remedied.
First, sir," says he, "you have here four Englishmen, who have
fetched women from among the savages, and have taken them
as their wives, and have had many children by them all, and
yet are not married to them after any stated legal manner, as
the laws of God and man require; and therefore are yet, in the
sense of both, no less than fornicators, if not living in adultery.
To this, sir, I know you will object that there was no clergyman
or priest of any kind, or any profession, to perform the cere-
mony; nor any pen and ink, or paper, to write down a contract
of marriage, and have it signed between them. And I know
also, sir, what the Spaniard governor has told you; I mean, of
the agreement that he obliged them to make when they took
those women, viz.: that they should choose them out by consent,
and keep separately to them; which, by the way, is nothing of
a marriage, no agreement with the women, as wives, but only
an agreement among themselves, to keep them from quarrelling.
But, sir, the essence of the sacrament of matrimony (so he
called it, being a Roman) consists not only in the mutual con-
sent of the parties to take one another as man and wife, but in
the formal and legal obligation that there is in the contract, to
compel the man and woman, at all times, to own and acknowl-
edge each other; obliging the man to abstain from all other
women, to engage in no other contract while these subsist; and,
on all occasions, as ability allows, to provide honestly for them
and their children; and to oblige the women to the same or
like conditions, mutatis mutandis, on their side. Now, sir," says
he, "these men may, when they please, or when occasion pre-
sents, abandon these women, disown their children, leave them
to perish, and take other women, and marry them while these
are living ;" and here he added, with some warmth, "How, sir,
is God honored in this unlawful liberty? And how shall a
blessing succeed your endeavors in this place, however good in
themselves, and however sincere in your design, while these
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
341
men, who at present are your subjects, under your absolute
government and dominion, are allowed by you to live in open
adultery?"
I confess I was struck with the thing itself, but much more
with the convincing arguments he supported it with; for it was
certainly true that, though they had no clergyman upon the
spot, yet a formal contract on both sides, made before witnesses,
and confirmed by any token which they had all agreed to be
bound by, though it had been but breaking a stick between
them, engaging the men to own these women for their wives
upon all occasions, and never to abandon them or their children,
and the women to the same with their husbands, had been an
effectual lawful marriage in the sight of God; and it was a
great neglect that it was not done. But I thought to have got
off my young priest by telling him that all that part was done
when I was not there; and that they had lived so many years
with them now, that if it was adultery, it was past remedy;
nothing could be done in it now.
"Sir," says he, "asking your pardon for such freedom, you
are right in this, that, it being done in your absence, you could
not be charged with that part of the crime; but, I beseech you,
flatter not yourself that you are not, therefore, under an obliga-
tion to do your utmost now to put an end to it. How can you
think but that, let the time past lie on whom it will, all the
guilt, for the future, will lie entirely upon you? because it is
certainly in your power now to put an end to it, and in nobody's
power but yours."
""
I was so dull still that I did not understand him right; but
I imagined that, by putting an end to it, he meant that I should
part them, and not suffer them to live together any longer; and
I said to him I could not do that by any means, for that would
put the whole island into confusion. He seemed surprised
that I should so far mistake him. No, sir," said he, "I do
not mean that you should now separate them, but legally and
effectually marry them; and as, sir, my way of marrying them
may not be easy to reconcile them to, though it will be effec-
tual, even by your own laws, so your way may be as well before
God, and as valid among men. I mean by a written contract,
signed by both man and woman, and by all the witnesses
present, which all the laws of Europe would decree to be
valid."
((
I was amazed to see so much true piety, and so much sin
cerity of zeal, besides the unusual impartiality in his discourse.
as to his own party or church, and such true warmth for pre-
342
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
serving the people, that he had no knowledge of or relation to;
I say, for preserving them from transgressing the laws of God,
the like of which I had, indeed, not met with anywhere. But
1ecollecting what he had said of marrying them by a written
contract, which I knew he would stand to, I returned it back
upon him, and told him I granted all that he had said to be
just, and on his part very kind; that I would discourse with the
men upon the point now, when I came to them; and I knew
no reason why they should scruple to let him marry them all,
which I knew well enough would be granted to be as authentic
and valid in England as if they were married by one of our own
clergymen. What was afterwards done in this matter, I shall
speak of by itself.
I then pressed him to tell me what was the second complaint
which he had to make, acknowledging that I was very much his
debtor for the first, and thanked him heartily for it. He told
me he would use the same freedom and plainness in the second,
and hoped I would take it as well; and this was, that, notwith-
standing these English subjects of mine, as he called them, had
lived with these women almost seven years, had taught them to
speak English, and even to read it, and that they were, as he
perceived, women of tolerable understanding, and capable of
instruction, yet they had not, to this hour, taught them anything
of the Christian religion—no, not so much as to know that there
was a God, or a worship, or in what manner God was to be
served, or that their own idolatry, and worshipping they knew
not whom, was false and absurd. This, he said, was an unac-
countable neglect, and what God would certainly call them to
account for, and perhaps at length take the work out of their
hands. He spoke this very affectionately and warmly. "I
am persuaded," says he, “had those men lived in the savage
country whence their wives came, the savages would have taken
more pains to have brought them to be idolaters, and to worship
the devil, than any of these men, so far as I can see, have
taken with them to teach them the knowledge of the true God.
Now, sir," said he, "though I do not acknowledge your reli-
gion, or you mine, yet we would be glad to see the devil's ser-
vants, and the subjects of his kingdom, taught to know the
general principles of the Christian religion; that they might,
at least, hear of God and a Redeemer, and of the resurrection,
and of a future state-things which we all believe; that they
might, at least, be so much nearer coming into the bosom of
the true church than they are now in the public profession of
idolatry and devil-worship."
1
I
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
343
I could hold no longer: I took him in my arms, and em-
braced him with an excess of passion. "How far," said I to
him, "have I been from understanding the most essential part
of a Christian, viz. : to love the interests of the Christian church,
and the good of other men's souls! I scarce have known what
belongs to the being a Christian." "O, sir! do not say so,"
replied he; "this thing is not your fault." "No," said I; "but
why did I never lay it to heart as well as you?” "It is not too
late yet," said he; "be not too forward to condemn yourself."
"But what can be done now?" said I: "you see I am going
away."
"Will you give me leave to talk with these poor men
about it?" "Yes, with all my heart," said I; "and will
oblige them to give heed to what you say, too."
"As to that,”
said he, "we must leave them to the mercy of Christ; but it
is your business to assist them, encourage them, and instruct
them; and if you give me leave, and God his blessing, I do not
doubt but the poor ignorant souls shall be brought home to the
great circle of Christianity, if not into the particular faith we
all embrace, and that even while you stay here." Upon this I
said, “I shall not only give you leave, but give you a thousand
thanks for it." What followed I shall mention in its place.
I now pressed him for the third article in which we were to
blame. Why, really," says he, "it is of the same nature.
And I will proceed, asking your leave, with the same plainness
as before. It is about your poor savages, who are, as I may
say, your conquered subjects. It is a maxim, sir, that is, or
ought to be, received among all Christians, of what church or
pretended church soever, that the Christian knowledge ought
to be propagated by all possible means, and on all possible occa-
sions. It is on this principle that our Church sends mission-
aries into Persia, India, and China; and that our clergy, even
of the superior sort, willingly engage in the most hazardous
voyages, and the most dangerous residence among murderers
and barbarians, to teach them the knowledge of the true God,
and to bring them over to embrace the Christian faith. Now,
sir, you have such an opportunity here to have six or seven and
thirty poor savages brought over from a state of idolatry to the
knowledge of God, their Maker and Redeemer, that I wonder
how you can pass such an occasion of doing good, which is
really worth the expense of a man's whole life."
66
I was now struck dumb indeed, and had not one word to say.
I had here the spirit of true Christian zeal for God and reli-
gion before me, let his particular principles be of what kind
soever. As for me, I had not so much as entertained a thought
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
of this in my heart before, and I believe I should not have
thought of it; for I looked upon these savages as slaves, and
people whom, had we any work for them to do, we would have
used as such, or would have been glad to have transported
them to any other part of the world; for our business was to
get rid of them, and we would all have been satisfied if they
had been sent to any country, so they had never seen their-own
I was confounded at his discourse, and knew not what answer
to make him.
(6
He looked earnestly at me, seeing me in some disorder
Sir," says he, “I shall be very sorry if what I have said gives
you any offence."
No, no," said I, "I am offended with
nobody but myself; but I am perfectly confounded, not only to
think that I should never take any notice of this before, but
with reflecting what notice I am able to take of it now. You
know, sir," said I, "what circumstances I am in; I am bound to
the East Indies in a ship freighted by merchants, and to whom
it would be an insufferable piece of injustice to detain their
ship here, the men lying all this while at victuals and wages on
the owners' account. It is true, I agreed to be allowed twelve
days here, and if I stay more, I must pay three pounds sterling
per diem demurrage; nor can I stay upon demurrage above eight
days more, and I have been here thirteen already; so that I
am perfectly unable to engage in this work, unless I would
suffer myself to be left behind here again; in which case, if
this single ship should miscarry in any part of her voyage, I
should be just in the same condition that I was left in here at
first, and from which I have been so wonderfully delivered."
He owned the case was very hard upon me as to my voyage;
but laid it home upon my conscience, whether the blessing of
saving thirty-seven souls was not worth venturing all I had in
the world for. I was not so sensible of that as he was.
I re-
plied to him thus: "Why, sir, it is a valuable thing, indeed, to
be an instrument in God's hands to convert thirty-seven heathens
to the knowledge of Christ; but as you are an ecclesiastic, and
are given over to the work, it seems so natural to fall into the
way of your profession; so how is it, then, that you do not
rather offer yourself to undertake it than press me to do it?
Upon this he faced about just before me, as he walked
along, and putting me to a full stop, made me a very low bow,
"I most heartily thank God and you, sir," said he, "for giving
me so evident a call to so blessed a work; and if you think
yourself discharged from it, and desire me to undertake it, I
will most readily do it, and think it a happy reward for all the
6.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
345
hazards and difficulties of such a broken, disappointed voyage
as I have met with, that I am dropped at last into so glorious a
work."
I discovered a kind of rapture in his face while he spoke this
to me; his eyes sparkled like fire, his face glowed, and his
color came and went, as if he had been falling into fits; in a
word, he was fired with the joy of being embarked in such a
work. I paused a considerable while before I could tell what
to say to him; for I was really surprised to find a man of suck
sincerity and zeal, and carried out in his zeal beyond the ordi-
nary rate of men, not of his profession only, but even of any
profession whatsoever. But after I had considered it a while,
I asked him seriously if he was in earnest, and that he would
venture, on the single consideration of an attempt to convert
those poor people, to be locked up in an unplanted island for
perhaps his life, and at last might not know whether he should
be able to do them good or not.
(6
""
He turned short upon me, and asked me what I called a
venture?" "Pray, sir," said he, "what do you think I con-
sented to go in your ship to the East Indies for?" Nay,”
said I, "that I know not, unless it was to preach to the In.
dians.' "Doubtless it was," said he," and do you think, if I
can convert these thirty-seven men to the faith of Jesus Christ,
it is not worth my time, though I should never be fetched off
the island again?-nay, is it not infinitely of more worth to
save so many souls than my life is, or the life of twenty more
of the same profession? Yes, sir," says he, "I would give
Christ and the blessed Virgin thanks all my days, if I could be
made the happy instrument of saving the souls of those poor
men, though I were never to get my foot off this island, or see
my native country any more, But since you will honor me
with putting me into this work, for which I will pray for you all
the days of my life, I have one humble petition to you besides."
"What is that?" said I. "Why," says he, "it is, that you will
leave your man Friday with me, to be my interpreter to them,
and to assist me; for without some help I cannot speak to
them, or they to me.'
I was sensibly touched at his requesting Friday, because I
could not think of parting with him, and that for many rea-
sons: he had been the companion of my travels; he was not
only faithful to me, but sincerely affectionate to the last de-
gree; and I had resolved to do something considerable for him
if he outlived me, as it was probable he would. Then I knew
that, as I had bred Friday up to be a Protestant, it would quite
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ROBINSON CRUsoe.
confound him to bring him to embrace another religion; and
he would never, while his eyes were open, believe that his old
master was a heretic, and would be damned; and this might in
the end ruin the poor fellow's principles, and so turn him back
to his first idolatry. However, a sudden thought relieved me
in this strait, and it was this: I told him I could not say that I
was willing to part with Friday on any account whatever, though
a work that to him was of more value than his life, ought to be
to me of much more value than the keeping or parting with a
servant. But, on the other hand, I was persuaded that Friday
would by no means agree to part with me; and I could not
force him to it without his consent, without manifest injustice;
because I had promised I would never send him away, and he
had promised and engaged to me that he would never leave me,
unless I sent him away.
He seemed very much concerned at it, for he had no rational
access to these poor people, seeing he did not understand one
word of their language, nor they one of his. To remove this
difficulty, I told him Friday's father had learned Spanish, which
I found he als understood, and he should serve him as an in-
terpreter. So he was much better satisfied, and nothing could
persuade him but he would stay and endeavor to convert them;
but Providence gave another very happy turn to all this.
I come back now to the first part of his objections. When
we came to the Englishmen, I sent for them all together, and
after some account given them of what I had done for them,
viz.: what necessary things I had provided for them, and how
they were distributed, which they were very sensible of, and
very thankful for, I began to talk to them of the scandalous
life they led, and gave them a full account of the notice the
clergyman had taken of it; and arguing how unchristian and
irreligious a life it was, I first asked them if they were married
men or bachelors? They soon explained their condition to
me, and showed that two of them were widowers, and the other
three were single men, or bachelors. I asked them with what
conscience they could take these women, and call them their
wives, and have so many children by them, and not be lawfully
married to them?
They all gave me the answer I expected, viz. : that there
was nobody to marry them; that they agreed before the gover-
nor to keep them as their wives, and to maintain them and own
them as their wives; and they thought, as things stood with
them, they were as legally married as if they had been married
by a parson, and with all the formalities in the world.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
347
I told them that no doubt they were married in the sight of
God, and were bound in conscience to keep them as their
wives; but that the laws of men being otherwise, they might
desert the poor women and children hereafter; and that their
wives, being poor desolate women, friendless and moneyless,
would have no way to help themselves. I therefore told them
that, unless I was assured of their honest intent, I could do
nothing for them, but would take care that what I did should
be for the women and children without them; and that, unless
they would give me some assurances that they would marry the
women, I could not think it was convenient they should con-
tinue together as man and wife; for that it was both scandal-
ous to men and offensive to God, who they could not think
would bless them if they went on thus.
All this went on as I expected; and they told me, especially
Will Atkins, who now seemed to speak for the rest, that they
loved their wives as well as if they had been born in their own
native country, and would not leave them on any account what-
ever; and they did verily believe that their wives were as vir-
tuous and as modest, and did, to the utmost of their skill, as
much for them and for their children, as any women could pos-
sibly do; and they would not part with them on any account;
and Will Atkins, for his own particular, added, that if any man
would take him away, and offer to carry him home to England,
and make him captain of the best man-of-war in the navy, he
would not go with him, if he might not carry his wife and chil-
dren with him; and if there was a clergyman in the ship, he
would be married to her now with all his heart.
.
This is just as I would have it. The priest was not with
me at that moment, but was not far off: so to try him farther,
I told him I had a clergyman with me, and, if he was sincere, I
would have him married next morning, and bade him consider
of it, and talk with the rest. He said, as for himself, he need
not consider of it at all, for he was very ready to do it, and
was glad I had a minister with me, and he believed they
would be all willing also. I then told him that my friend, the
minister, was a Frenchman, and could not speak English, but I
would act the clerk between them. He never so much as asked
me whether he was a Papist or Protestant, which was, indeed,
what I was afraid of; so we parted: I went back to my clergy-
man, and Will Atkins went in to talk with his companions.
I desired the French gentleman not to say anything to them
till the business was thoroughly ripe; and I told him what an-
swer the men had given me.
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
Before I went from their quarter, they all came to me, and
told me they had been considering what I had said; that they
were glad to hear I had a clergyman in my company, and they
were very willing to give me the satisfaction I desired, and to
be formally married as soon as I pleased; for they were far
from desiring to part with their wives, and that they meant noth-
ing but what was very honest when they chose them. So I ap-
pointed them to meet me the next morning; and, in the mean
time, they should let their wives know the meaning of the mar-
riage law; and that it was not only to prevent any scandal, but
also to oblige them that they should not forsake them, whatever
might happen.
The women were easily made sensible of the meaning of the
thing, and were very well satisfied with it, as, indeed, they had
reason to be so they failed not to attend all together at my
apartment next morning, when I brought out my clergyman;
and though he had not on a minister's gown, after the manner
of England, or the habit of a priest, after the manner of France,
yet having a black vest something like a cassock, with a sash
round it, he did not look very unlike a minister; and as for his
language, I was his interpreter. But the seriousness of his be-
havior to them, and the scruples he made of marrying the
women, because they were not baptized and professed Chris-
tians, gave them an exceeding reverence for his person; and
there was no need, after that, to inquire whether he was a clergy-
man or not. Indeed, I was afraid his scruples would have been
carried so far as that he would not have married them at all
nay, notwithstanding all I was able to say to him, he resisted
me, though modestly, yet very steadily, and at last refused
absolutely to marry them, unless he had first talked with the
men, and the women too; and though at first I was a little back
ward to it, yet at last I agreed to it with a good-will, perceiving
the sincerity of his design.
•
When he came to them, he let them know that I had
acquainted him with their circumstances, and with the present
design; that he was very willing to perform that part of his
function, and marry them, as I had desired; but that before he
could do it, he must take the liberty to talk with them. He told
them, that in the sight of all indifferent men, and in the sense
of the laws of society, they had lived all this while in open forni-
cation; and that it was true, that nothing but the consenting to
marry. or effectually separating them from one another, could
now put an end to it; but there was a difficulty in it too, with
respect to the laws of Christian matrimony, which he was not
+
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
349
fully satisfied about-that of marrying one that is a professed
Christian to a savage, an idolater, and a heathen,-one that is
not baptized; and yet that he did not see that there was time
left to endeavor to persuade the women to be baptized, or to
profess the name of Christ, whom they had, he doubted, heard
nothing of, and without which they could not be baptized. He
told them he doubted they were but indifferent Christians them-
selves; that they had but little knowledge of God or of his ways,
and therefore he could not expect that they had said much to
their wives on that head yet; but that, unless they would
promise him to use their endeavors with their wives to persuade
them to become Christians, and would, as well as they could,
instruct them in the knowledge and belief of God that made
them, and to worship Jesus Christ that redeemed them, he
could not marry them; for he would have no hand in joining
Christians with savages, nor was it consistent with the principles
of the Christian religion, and was, indeed, expressly forbidden
in God's law.
They heard all this very attentively, and I delivered it very
faithfully to them from his mouth, as near his own words as I
could; only sometimes adding something of my own, to convince
them how just it was, and that I was of his mind; and I always
very faithfully distinguished between what I said from myself,
and what were the clergyman's words. They told me it was
very true what the gentleman said, that they were very indiffer-
ent Christians themselves, and that they had never talked to
their wives about religion. "Lord, sir," says Will Atkins, how
should we teach them religion? Why, we know nothing our-
selves; and besides, sir," said he, "should we talk to them of
God and Jesus Christ, and heaven and hell, it would make them
laugh at us, and ask us what we believe ourselves? And if we
should tell them that we believe all the things we speak of to
them, such as of good people going to heaven, and wicked
people to the devil, they would ask us where we intend to go
ourselves, that believe all this, and are such wicked fellows as
we indeed are? Why, sir, 'tis enough to give them a surfeit of
religion at first hearing; folks must have some religion them-
selves before they pretend to teach other people."
" Will
Atkins," said I to him, "though I am afraid that what you say
has too much truth in it, yet can you not tell your wife she is in
the wrong; that there is a God, and a religion better than her
own; that her gods are idols; that they can neither hear nor
speak; that there is a great Being that made all things, and
that can destroy all that he has made; that he rewards the good
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،،
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and punishes the bad; and that we are to be judged by him at
last for all we do here? You are not so ignorant, but even
nature itself will teach you that all this is true; and I am satis-
fied you know it all to be true, and believe it yourself." "That
is true, sir," said Atkins; "but with what face can I say any-
thing to my wife of all this, when she will tell me immediately
it cannot be true?" "Not true!" said 1; "what do you mean
by that?"
Why, sir," said he, "she will tell me it cannot be
true that this God I shall tell her of can be just, or can punish
or reward, since I am not punished and sent to the devil, that
have been such a wicked creature as she knows I have been,
even to her, and to everybody else; and that I should be
suffered to live, that have been always acting so contrary to
what I must tell her is good, and to what I ought to have done."
"Why, truly, Atkins," said I, "I am afraid thou speakest too
much truth;" and with that I informed the clergyman of what
Atkins had said, for he was impatient to know. "O," said the
priest, “tell him there is one thing will make him the best min-
ister in the world to his wife, and that is, repentance; for none
teach repentance like true penitents. He wants nothing but to
repent, and then he will be so much the better qualified to in-
struct his wife; he will then be able to tell her that there is not
only a God, and he is the just Rewarder of good and evil, but
that he is a merciful Being, and with infinite goodness and long-
suffering forbears to punish those that offend; waiting to be
gracious, and willing not the death of a sinner, but rather that
he should return and live; that oftentimes he suffers wicked
men to go a long time, and even reserves damnation to the
general day of retribution; that it is a clear evidence of God
and of a future state, that righteous men receive not their re-
ward, or wicked men their punishment, till they come into an-
other world; and this will lead him to teach his wife the doc-
trine of the resurrection and of the last judgment. Let him but
repent himself, he will be an excellent preacher of repentance.
to his wife."
I repeated all this to Atkins, who looked very serious all the
while, and who, we could easily perceive, was more than
ordinarily affected with it; when being eager, and hardly suf-
fering me to make an end-"I know all this,.master," says he,
“and a great deal more; but I have not the impudence to talk
thus to my wife, when God and my conscience know, and my
wife will be an undeniable evidence against me, that I have
lived as if I had never heard of a God or future state, or any-
thing about it; and to talk of my repenting, alas !”—and with
Ex
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
351
that he fetched a deep sigh, and I could see that the tears stood
in his eyes,-
"'tis past all that with me." "Past it, Atkins ?”
said I: "what dost thou mean by that? 'I know well enough
what I mean," says he ; I mean 'tis too late, and that is too
true."
""
I told the clergyman, word for word, what he said: the poor,
zealous priest-I must call him so, for, be his opinion what
it will, he had certainly a most singular affection for the good
of other men's souls, and it would be hard to think he had not
the like for his own-I say this affectionate man could not re-
frain from tears; but, recovering himself, said to me, “Ask
him but one question: Is he easy that it is too late; or is he
troubled, and wishes it were not so?" I put the question
fairly to Atkins; and he answered with a great deal of passion,
"How could any man be easy in a condition that must certainly
end in eternal destruction? that he was far from being easy;
but that, on the contrary, he believed it would one time or
other ruin him." "What do you mean by that?" said I.
Why," he said, "he believed he should one time or other cut
his throat, to put an end to the terror of it."
(6
The clergyman shook his head, with great concern in his
face, when I told him all this; but turning quick to me upon
it, says,
"If that be the case, we may assure him it is not too
late; Christ will give him repentance. But pray," says he,
explain this to him; that as no man is saved but by Christ,
and the merit of His passion procuring divine mercy for him,
how can it be too late for any man to receive mercy? Does he
think he is able to sin beyond the power or reach of divine mercy?
Pray tell him, there may be a time when provoked mercy will
no longer strive, and when God may refuse to hear, but that it
is never too late for men to ask mercy; and that we, that are
Christ's servants, are commanded to preach mercy at all times,
in the name of Jesus Christ, to all those that sincerely repent ;
so that it is never too late to repent."
I told Atkins all this, and he heard me with great earnest-
ness; but it seemed as if he turned off the discourse to the
rest, for he said to me, he would go and have some talk with
his wife; so he went out awhile, and we talked to the rest. I
perceived they were all stupidly ignorant as to matters of re-
ligion, as much as I was when I went rambling away from my
father; and yet there were none of them backward to hear
what had been said: and all of them seriously promised that
they would talk with their wives about it, and do their endeavors
to persuade them to turn Christians.
(C
352
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
،،
The clergyman smiled upon me when I reported what
answer they gave, but said nothing a good while; but at last,
shaking his head, "We that are Christ's servants," says he,
can go no farther than to exhort and instruct: and when
men comply, submit to the reproof, and promise what we ask,
'tis all we can do; we are bound to accept their good words;
but believe me, sir," said he, "whatever you may have known
of the life of that man you call Will Atkins, I believe he is the
only sincere convert among them: I will not despair of the
rest; but that man is apparently struck with the sense of his
past life, and I doubt not, when he comes to talk of religion to
his wife, he will talk himself effectually into it: for attempting
to teach others is sometimes the best way of teaching ourselves.
I know a man who, having nothing but a summary notion of
religion himself, and being wicked and profligate to the last
degree in his life, made a thorough reformation in himself by
laboring to convert a Jew. If that poor Atkins begins but
once to talk seriously of Jesus Christ to his wife, my life for it
he talks himself into a thorough convert, makes himself a pen-
itent, and who knows what may follow!'
Upon this discourse, however, and their promising, as
above, to endeavor to persuade their wives to embrace Chris-
tianity, he married the other two couple; but Will Atkins and
his wife were not yet come in. After this, my clergyman, wait-
ing awhile, was curious to know where Atkins was gone; and
turning to me, said, “I entreat you, sir, let us walk out of your
labyrinth here, and look; I dare say we shall find this poor
man somewhere or other talking seriously to his wife, and
- teaching her already something of religion." I began to be of
the same mind; so we went out together, and I carried him a
way which none knew but myself, and where the trees were so
very thick that it was not easy to see through the thicket of
leaves, and so far harder to see in than to see out; when com-
ing to the edge of the wood, I saw Atkins and his tawny wife
sitting under the shade of a bush, very eager in discourse: I
stopped short till my clergyman came up to me, and then,
having showed him where they were, we stood and looked very
steadily at them a good while. We observed him very earnest
with her, pointing up to the sun, and to every quarter of the
heavens, and then down to the earth, then out to the sea, then to
himself, then to her, to the woods, to the trees.
Now," says
the clergyman, "you see my words are made good; the man
preaches to her: mark him now; he is telling her that our God
had made him and her, and the heavens, the earth, the sea, the
66
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
353
woods, the trees, &c." "I believe he is," said I. Immediately
we perceived Will Atkins start upon his feet, fall down upon
his knees, and lift up both his hands. We supposed he said
something, but we could not hear him; it was too far for that.
He did not continue kneeling half a minute, but comes and
sits down again by his wife, and talks to her again; we per-
ceived then the woman very attentive, but whether she said
anything to him we could not tell. While the poor fellow was
upon his knees, I could see the tears run plentifully down my
clergyman's cheeks, and I could hardly forbear myself; but it
was a great affliction to us both that we were not near enough
to hear anything that passed between them. Well, however,
we could come no nearer for fear of disturbing them: so we
resolved to see an end of this piece of still conversation, and it
spoke loud enough to us without the help of voice. He sat down
again, as I have said, close by her, and talked again earnestly
to her, and two or three times we could see him embrace her
most passionately; another time we saw him take out his
handkerchief and wipe her eyes, and then kiss her again with
a kind of transport very unusual; and after several of these
things, we saw him on a sudden jump up again, and lend her
his hand to help her up, when immediately leading her by the
hand a step or two, they both kneeled down together, and con-
tinued so for about two minutes.
My friend could bear it no longer, but cries out aloud, “St.
Paul! St. Paul! behold he prayeth." I was afraid Atkins
would hear him; therefore I entreated him to withhold him-
self awhile, that we might see an end of the scene, which to me,
I must confess, was the most affecting that I ever saw in my
life. Well, he strove with himself for a while, but was in such
raptures, to think that this poor heathen woman was become a
Christian, that he was not able to contain himself; he wept
several times, then throwing up his hands and crossing his
breast, said over several things ejaculatory, and by the way of
giving God thanks for so miraculous a testimony of the success
of our endeavors; some he spoke softly, and I could not well
hear others; some in Latin, some in French; then two or three
times the tears would interrupt him, that he could not speak
at all; but I begged that he would contain himself, and let us
more narrowly and fully observe what was before us, which
he did for a time, the scene not being near ended yet; for after
the poor man and his wife were risen again from their knees,
we observed he stood talking still eagerly to her, and we
observed her motion, that she was greatly affected with what
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(6
he said, by her frequently lifting up her hands, laying her hand
to her breast, and such other postures as express the greatest
seriousness and attention; this continued about half a quarter
of an hour, and then they walked away, so we could see no
more of them in that situation. I took this interval to say to
the clergyman,, first, that I was glad to see the particulars
we had both been witnesses to; that, though I was hard enough
of belief in such cases, yet that I began to think it was all very
sincere here, both in the man and his wife, however ignorant
they might both be, and I hoped such a beginning would yet
have a more happy end. "And who knows," said I, "but these
two may in time, by instruction and example, work upon some
of the others? "Some of them?" said he, turning quick
upon me ; ay, upon all of them: depend upon it, if those two
savages-for he has been but little better, as you relate it—
should embrace Jesus Christ, they will never leave it till they
work upon all the rest; for truc religion is naturally communi-
cative, and he that is once made a Christian will never leave a
Pagan behind him, if he can help it." I owned it was a most
Christian principle to think so, and a testimony of true zeal, as
well as a generous heart in him. 'But, my friend," said I,
" will
you give me leave to start one difficulty here? I cannot
tell how to object the least thing against that affectionate con-
cern which you show for the turning of the poor people from
their Paganism to the Christian religion; but how does this
comfort you, while these people are, in your account, out of the
pale of the Catholic church, without which you believe there is
no salvation? so that you esteem these but heretics, as effectu-
ally lost as the Pagans themselves."
،،
To this he answered, with abundance of candor, thus: "Sir,
I am a Catholic of the Roman church, and a priest of the order
of St. Benedict, and I embrace all the principles of the Roman
faith but yet, if you will believe me, and that I do not speak
in compliment to you, or in respect to my circumstances and
your civilities; I say, nevertheless, I do not look upon you,
who call yourselves reformed, without some charity: I dare
not say (though I know it is our opinion in general) that you
cannot be saved; I will by no means limit the mercy of Christ
so far as to think that he cannot receive you into the bosom of
his church, in a manner to us unperceivable; and I hope you
have the same charity for us: I pray daily for your being all
restored to Christ's church, by whatsoever method He, who
is all-wise, is pleased to direct. In the mean time, surely you
will allow it consists with me, as a Roman, to distinguish far
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
355
:
between a Protestant and a Pagan; between one that calls on
Jesus Christ, though in a way which I do not think is accord-
ing to the true faith, and a savage or a barbarian, that knows
no God, no Christ, no Redeemer; and if you are not within the
pale of the Catholic church, we hope you are nearer being
restored to it than those who know nothing of God or of his
church and I rejoice, therefore, when I see this poor man,
*who, you say, has been a profligate, and almost a murderer,
kneel down and pray to Jesus Christ, as we suppose he did,
though not fully enlightened; believing that God, from whom
every such work proceeds, will sensibly touch his heart, and
bring him to the further knowledge of that truth in his own
time; and if God shall influence this poor man to convert and
instruct the ignorant savage, his wife, I can never believe that
he shall be cast away himself. And have I not reason, then,
to rejoice, the nearer any are brought to the knowledge of
Christ, though they may not be brought quite home into the
bosom of the Catholic church just at the time when I may
desire it, leaving it to the goodness of Christ to perfect his
work in his own time, and in his own way? Certainly, I would
rejoice if all the savages in America were brought, like this
poor woman, to pray to God, though they were all to be Prot-
estants at first, rather than they should continue Pagans or
Heathens; firmly believing, that He that had bestowed the
first light on them would further illuminate them with a beam
of His heavenly grace, and bring them into the pale of His
church, when He should see good."
I was astonished at the sincerity and temper of this pious
Papist, as much as I was oppressed by the power of his reason-
ing; and it presently occurred to my thoughts, that if such a
temper was universal, we might be all Catholic Christians, what-
ever church or particular profession we joined in; that a spirit
of charity would soon work us all up into right principles; and
as he thought that the like charity would make us all Catholics,
so I told him I believed, had all the members of his church the
like moderation, they would soon all be Protestants. And
there we left that part; for we never disputed at all.
However, I talked to him another way, and taking him by
the hand, "My friend," says I, "I wish all the clergy of the
Romish church were blessed with such moderation, and had an
equal share of your charity. I am entirely of your opinion;
but I must tell you, that if you should preach such doctrine in
Spain or Italy, they would put you into the Inquisition." "It
may be so," said he; "I know not what they would do in Spain
356
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
or Italy; but I will not say they would be the better Christians
for that severity; for I am sure there is no heresy in abound-
ing with charity.
Well, as Will Atkins and his wife were gone, our business
there was over; so we went back our own way; and when we
came back, we found them waiting to be called in: observing
this, I asked my clergyman if we should discover to him that
we had seen him under the bush or not; and it was his opinion
we should not, but that we should talk to him first, and hear what
he would say to us: so we called him in alone, nobody being
in the place but ourselves, and I began with him thus :-
"Will Atkins,” said I, "prythee what education had you?
What was your father?
""
""
W. A.-A better man than ever I shall be · sir my father
was a clergyman.
R. C. What education did he give you?
W. A. He would have taught me well, sir, but I despised
all education, instruction, or correction, like a beast as I was.
R. C.-It is true, Solomon says, "He that despises reproof
is brutish."
W. A.—Ay, sir, I was brutish indeed, for I murdered my
father: for God's sake, sir, talk no more about that; sir, I
murdered my poor father.
R. C.-Ha! a murderer!
Here the priest started (for I interpreted every word he
spoke) and looked pale: it seems he believed that Will had
really killed his father.
R. C.-No, no, sir; I do not understand him so: Will
Atkins, explain yourself; you did not kill your father, did you,
with your own hands?
W. A.—No, sir, I did not cut his throat; but I cut the
thread of all his comforts, and shortened his days; I broke his
heart by the most ungrateful, unnatural return, for the most
tender and affectionate treatment that ever father gave, or child
could receive.
R. C.—Well, I did not ask you about your father to extort
this confession: I pray God give you repentance for it, and
forgive that and all your other sins; but I asked you because
I see that though you have not much learning, yet you are not
so ignorant as some are in things that are good; that you have
known more of religion, a great deal, than you have practised.
W. A.—Though you, sir, do not extort the confession that
I make about my father, conscience does ; and whenever we
come to look back upon our lives, the sins against our indul-
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
357
•
gent parents are certainly the first to touch us; the wounds they
make lie deepest, and the weight they leave will lie heaviest
upon the mind, of all the sins we can commit.
R. C.—You talk too feelingly and sensibly for me, Atkins;
I cannot bear it.
W. A.—You bear it, master! I dare say you know nothing
of it.
R. C.-Yes, Atkins, every shore, every hill, nay, I may say
every tree in this island, is witness to the anguish of my soul
for my ingratitude to, and bad usage of, a good tender father,
a father much like yours, by your description: and I murdered
my father as well as you, Will Atkins; but I think, for all that,
my repentance is short of yours too, by a great deal.
I would have said more, if I could have restrained my pas-
sions; but I thought this poor man's repentance was so much
sincerer than mine, that I was going to leave off the discourse
· and retire; for I was surprised with what he said, and thought
that instead of my going about to teach and instruct him, the
man was made a teacher and instructor to me in a most sur-
prising and unexpected manner.
I laid all this before the young clergyman, who was greatly
affected with it, and said to me, "Did I not say, sir, that when
this man was converted he would preach to us all?
I tell you,
sir, if this one man be made a true penitent, there will be no
need of me; he will make Christians of all in the island.” But
having a little composed myself, I renewed my discourse with
Will Atkins. But, Will," said I, "how comes the sense of
this matter to touch you just now?"
W. A.—Sir, you have set me about a work that has struck
a dart through my very soul: I have been talking about God
and religion to my wife, in order, as you directed me, to make
a Christian of her, and she has preached such a sermon to me
as I shall never forget while I live.
66
R. C.-No, no; it is not your wife has preached to you;
but when you were moving religious arguments to her, con-
science has flung them back upon you.
W. A.—Ay, sir, with such force as is not to be resisted.
R. C.-Pray, Will, let us know what passed between you
and your wife; for I know something of it already.
•
W. A.-Sir, it is impossible to give you a full account of it;
I am too full to hold it, and yet have no tongue to express it;
but let her have said what she will, though I cannot give you
an account of it, this I can tell you, that I have resolveď to
amend and reform my life.
358
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
***
R. C.-But tell us some of it: how did you begin, Will?
For this has been an extraordinary case, that is certain. She
has preached a sermon, indeed, if she has wrought this upon
you.
W. A.-Why, I first told her the nature of our laws about
marriage, and what the reasons were that men and women were
obliged to enter into such compacts, as it was neither in the
power of one nor other to break; that otherwise, order and
justice could not be maintained, and men would run from their
wives, and abandon their children, mix confusedly with one an-
other, and neither families be kept entire, nor inheritances be
settled by legal descent.
R. C.-You talk like a civilian, Will. Could you make her
understand what you meant by inheritance and families? They
know no such things among the savages, but marry anyhow,
without regard to relation, consanguinity, or family; brother
and sister, nay, as I have been told, even the father and the
daughter, and the son and the mother.
W. A.-I believe, sir, you are misinformed, and my wife
assures me of the contrary, and that they abhor it; perhaps,
for any further relations, they may not be so exact as we are;
but she tells me never in the near relationship you speak of.
R. C.-Well, what did she say to what you told her?
W. A.—She said she liked it very well, as it was much bet-
ter than in her country.
R. C.-But did you tell her what marriage was?
W. A.-Ay, ay, there began our dialogue. I asked her if
she would be married to me our way. She asked me what way
that was. I told her marriage was appointed by God; and
here we had a strange talk together, indeed, as ever man and
wife had, I believe.
N. B. This dialogue between Will Atkins and his wife I took
down in writing, just after he had told it me, which was as
follows:-
Wife.-Appointed by your God! Why, have you a God in
your country?
W. A.-Yes, my dear, God is in every country.
Wife.-No your God in my country; my country ave the
great old Benamuckee God.
W. A.-Child, I am very unfit to show you who God is;
God is in heaven, and made the heaven and the earth, the sea,
and all that in them is.
Wife.-No makee de earth; no you God makee all earth
no makee my country.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
359
Will Atkins laughed a little at her expression of God not
making her country.
Wife. No laugh; why laugh me? This nothing to laugh.
He was justly reproved by his wife, for she was more seri-
ous than he at first.
W. A.—That's true, indeed; I will not laugh any more, my
dear.
Wife.-Why, you say you God makee all ?
W. A.-Yes, child, our God made the whole world, and you,
and me, and all things; for he is the only true God, and there
is no God but him; he lives forever in heaven.
Wife.-Why you no tell me long ago?
W. A.—That's true, indeed; but I have been a wicked
wretch, and have not only forgotten to acquaint thee with any-
thing before, but have lived without God in the world myself.
Wife.—What, have you a great God in your country, you no
know him? No say O to him? No do good thing for him?
That no possible.
W. A.—It is true; though, for all that, we live as if there
was no God in heaven, or that he had no power on earth.
Wife. But why God let you do so? Why he no makee you
good live?
data g
W. A.-—It is all our own fault.
Wife. But you say me he is great, much great, have much
great power, can makee kill when he will; why he no makee
kill when you no serve him? No say O to him? No be good
mans?
W. A.—That is true; he might strike me dead; and I
ought to expect it, for I have been a wicked wretch, that is
true; but God is merciful, and does not deal with us as we
deserve.
Wife. But then you do not tell God thankee for that too?
W. A.—No, indeed, I have not thanked God for his mercy,
any more than I have feared God for his power.
Wife. Then your God no God; me no think believe he be
such one, great much power strong: no makee kill you, though
you makee him much angry.
W. A.—What, will my wicked life hinder you from believ-
ing in God? What a dreadful creature am I!" and what a sad
truth is it, that the horrid lives of Christians hinder the conver
sion of heathens!
Wife.-How me think you have great much God up there
[she points up to heaven], and yet no do well, no do good
thing? Can he tell? Sure he no tell what you do.
360
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
1
I
W. A.—Yes, yes, he knows and sees all things; he hears
us speak, sees what we do, knows what we think, though we do
not speak.
Wife.-What! he no hear you curse, swear, speak de great
damn?
W. A.-Yes, yes, he hears it all.
Wife. Where be then the much great power strong?
W. A.—He is merciful, that is all we can say for it; and
this proves him to be the true God; he is God, and not man,
and therefore we are not consumed.
Here Will Atkins told us he was struck with horror, to
think how he could tell his wife so clearly that God sees, and
hears, and knows the secret thoughts of the heart, and all that
we do, and yet that he had dared to do all the vile things he
had done.
Wife.-Merciful! What you call that?
W. A.—He is our Father and Maker, and he pities and
spares us.
Wife. So then he never makee kill, never angry when
you do wicked; then he no good himself, or no great able.
W. A.-Yes, yes, my dear, he is infinitely good and in-
finitely great, and able to punish too; and sometimes, to
show his justice and vengeance, he lets fly his anger to de-
stroy sinners and make examples; many are cut off in their sins.
Wife.-But no makee kill you yet; then he tell you, may
be, that he no makee you kill: so you makee de bargain with
him, you do bad thing, he no be angry at you when he be angry
at other mans.
W. A.-No, indeed, my sins are all presumptions upon his
goodness; and he would be infinitely just if he destroyed me,
as he has done other men.
Wifc.-Well, and yet no kill, no makee you dead; what
you say to him for that? You no tell him thankee for all that too?
W. A.-I am an unthankful, ungrateful dog, that is true.
Wife. Why he no makee you much good better? you say
he makee you.
W. A. He made me as he made all the world; it is I have
A p
deformed myself, and abused his goodness, and made myself
an abominable wretch.
Wife.-I wish you makee God know me. I no makee him
angry. I no do bad wicked thing.
Here Will Atkins said his heart sunk within him, to hear a
poor untaught creature desire to be taught to know God, and
he such a wicked wretch, that he could not say one word to her
about God, but what the reproach of his own carriage would
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
361
make most irrational to her to believe; nay, that already she
had told him that she could not believe in God, because he,
that was so wicked, was not destroyed.
W. A.—My dear, you mean, you wish I could teach you to
know God, not God to know you; for he knows you already,
and every thought in your heart.
Wife. Why, then, he know what I say to you now he
know me wish to know him. How shall me know who makee
ine?
W. A. Poor creature, he must teach thee: I cannot teach
thee. I will pray to him to teach thee to know him, and for-
give me, that am unworthy to teach thee.
The poor fellow was in such an agony at her desiring him.
to make her know God, and her wishing to know him, that he
said he fell down on his knees before her, and prayed to God
to enlighten her mind with the saving knowledge of Jesus
Christ, and to pardon his sins, and accept of his being the un-
worthy instrument of instructing her in the principles of relig-
ion; after which he sat down by her again, and their dialogue
went on. This was the time when we saw him kneel down,
and hold up his hands.
Wife. What you put down the knee for? What you hold
up the hand for? What you say? Who you speak to? What
is all that?
M
W. A.—My dear, I bow my knees in token of my sub-
mission to him that made me: I said O to him, as you call it,
and as your old men do to their idol Benamuckee: that is, I
prayed to him.
him.
Kateg
Wife.-What say you O to him for?
W. A.-I prayed to him to open your eyes and your
understanding, that you may know him and be accepted by
Wife.-Can he do that too?
W. A.-Yes, he can; he can ao all things.
Wife.—But now he hear what you say?
W. A.—Yes, he has bid us pray to him, and promised to
hear us.
Wife. Bid you pray? When he bid you? How he bid
you? What, you hear him speak?
M
W. A.—No, we do not hear him speak, but he has revealed
himself many ways to us.
Here he was at a great loss to make her understand that
God has revealed himself to us by his word, and what his word
was; but at last he told it to her thus:
W. A.-God has spoken to some good men in former days,
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
even from heaven, by plain words; and God has inspired good
men by his spirit; and they have written all his laws down in
a book.
Wife.-Me no understand that; where is book?
W. A.-Alas! my poor creature, I have not this book ; but
hope I shall one time or other get it for you, and help you to
read it.
A
Here he embraced her with great affection, but with inex-
pressible grief that he had not a Bible.
Wife. But how you makee me know that God teachee them
to write that book?
A
W. A.-By the same rule that we know him to be God.
Wife.—What rule? What way you know him ?
W. A.-Because he teaches and commands nothing but
what is good, righteous, and holy, and tends to make us per-
fectly good, as well as perfectly happy; and because he forbids,
and commands us to avoid, all that is wicked, that is evil in
itself, or evil in its consequence.
Wife. That me would understand, that me fain see ; if he
teachee all good thing, he makee all good thing, he give all
thing, he hear me when I say O to him, as you do just now;
he makee me good, if I wish to be good; he spare me, no
makee kill me, when I no be good: all this you say he do, yet
he be great God: me takee, think, believe him to be great God ;
me say O to him with you, my dear.
Here the poor man could forbear no longer, but raised her
up, made her kneel by him, and he prayed to God aloud to in-
struct her in the knowledge of himself, by his spirit, and that
by some good providence, if possible, she might, some time or
other, come to have a Bible, that she might read the word of
God, and be taught by it to know him. This was the time that
we saw him lift her up by the hand, and saw him kneel down
by her, as above.
They had several other discourses, it seems, after this, too
long to be set down here; and particularly she made him
promise that, since he confessed his own life had been a wick-
ed, abominable course of provocations against God, he would
reform it, and not make God angry any more, lest he should
make him dead, as she called it, and then she would be left
alone, and never be taught to know this God better; and lest
he should be miserable, as he had told her wicked men would
be, after death.
This was a strange account, and very affecting to us both,
but particularly to the young clergyman; he was, indeed, won-
derfully surprised with it, but under the greatest affliction
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
363
3
imaginable that he could not talk to her, that he could not
speak English, to make her understand him; and as she spoke
but very broken English, he could not understand her; how-
ever, he turned himself to me, and told me that he believed
that there must be more to do with this woman than to marry
her. I did not understand him at first; but at length he ex-
plained himself, viz.: that she ought to be baptized. I agreed.
with him in that part readily, and wished it to be done pres-
ently. "No, no ; hold, sir," said he; "though I would have
her be baptized, by all means, for I must observe that Will
Atkins, her husband, has indeed brought her, in a wonderful
manner, to be willing to embrace a religious life, and has given
her just ideas of the being of a God; of his power, justice, and
mercy,-yet I desire to know of him if he has said anything to
her of Jesus Christ, and of the salvation of sinners; of the
nature of faith in him, and redemption by him; of the Holy
Spirit, the resurrection, the last judgment and the future state.'
""
I called Will Atkins again, and asked him; but the poor
fellow fell immediately into tears, and told us he had said
something to her of all those things, but that he was himself
so wicked a creature, and his own conscience so reproached
him with his horrid, ungodly life, that he trembled at the ap-
prehensions that her knowledge of him should lessen the at-
tention she should give to those things, and make her rather
contemn religion than receive it; but he was assured, he said,
that her mind was so disposed to receive due impressions of
all those things, and that if I would but discourse with her,
she would make it appear to my satisfaction that my labor
would not be lost upon her.
M
Accordingly, I called her in, and placing myself as inter-
preter between my religious priest and the woman, I entreated
him to begin with her; but sure such a sermon was never
preached by a Popish priest in these latter ages of the world;
and, as I told him, I thought he had all the zeal, all the knowl-
edge, all the sincerity of a Christian, without the error of a
Roman Catholic; and that I took him to be such a clergyman
as the Roman bishops were, before the church of Rome as-
sumed spiritual sovereignty over the consciences of men. In
a word, he brought the poor woman to embrace the knowledge
of Christ, and of redemption by him, not with wonder and as-
tonishment only, as she did the first notions of a God, but
with joy and faith; with an affection, and a surprising degree
of understanding, scarce to be imagined, much less to be ex
pressed; and, at her own request, she was baptized.
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
When he was preparing to baptize her, I entreated him
that he would perform that office with some caution, that the
man might not perceive he was of the Roman church, if pos-
sible, because of other ill consequences which might attend a
difference among us in that very religion which we were in-
structing the other in. He told me that as he had no conse-
crated chapel, nor proper things for the office, I should see he
would do it in a manner that I should not know by it that he
was a Roman Catholic myself, if I had not known it before;
and so he did; for saying only some words over to himself in
Latin, which I could not understand, he poured a whole dishful
of water upon the woman's head, pronouncing in French, very
loud, "Mary [which was the name her husband desired to give
her, for I was her godfather], I baptize thee in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;" so that none
could know anything by it what religion he was of. He gave
the benediction afterwards in Latin, but either Will Atkins did
not know but it was French, or else did not take notice of it at
that time.
As soon as this was over, we married them; and after the
marriage was over, he turned to Will Atkins, and in a very
affectionate manner exhorted him, not only to persevere in that
good disposition he was in, but to support the convictions that
were upon him by a resolution to reform his life; told him it
was in vain to say he repented if he did not forsake his crimes:
represented to him how God had honored him with being the
instrument of bringing his wife to the knowledge of the Chris-
tian religion, and that he should be careful he should not dis-
honor the grace of God; and that if he did, he would see the
heathen a better Christian than himself; the savage converted,
and the instrument cast away. He said a great many good
things to them both; and then, recommending them to God's
goodness, gave them the benediction again, I repeating every-
thing to them in English; and thus ended the ceremony. I
think it was the most pleasant and agreeable day to me that
ever I passed in my whole life.
But my clergyman had not done yet: his thoughts hung
continually upon the conversion of the thirty-seven savages, and
fain he would have staid upon the island to have undertaken it;
but I convinced him, first, that his undertaking was impracti-
cable in itself; and, secondly, that perhaps I would put it into
a way of being done in his absence to his satisfaction.
Having thus brought the affairs of the island to a narrow
compass, I was preparing to go on board the ship, when the
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
365
young man I had taken out of the famished ship's company
came to me, and told me he understood I had a clergyman with
me, and that I had caused the Englishmen to be married to the
savages; that he had a match too, which he desired might be
finished before I went, between two Christians, which he hoped
would not be disagreeable to me.
I knew this must be the young woman who was his mother's
servant, for there was no other Christian woman on the island:
so I began to persuade him not to do anything of that kind
rashly, or because he found himself in this solitary circumstance.
I represented to him that he had some considerable substance
in the world, and good friends, as I understood by himself, and
the maid also; that the maid was not only poor, and a servant,
but was unequal to him, she being six or seven and twenty
years old, and he not above seventeen or eighteen; that he
might very probably, with my assistance, make a remove from
this wilderness, and come into his own country again; and
that then, it would be a thousand to one but he would repent
his choice, and the dislike of that circumstance might be dis-
advantageous to both. I was going to say more, but he inter-
rupted me, smiling, and told me, with a great deal of modesty,
that I mistook in my guesses-that he had nothing of that
kind in his thoughts; and he was very glad to hear that I had
an intent of putting them in a way to see their own country
again; and nothing should have made him think of staying
there, but that the voyage I was going was so exceeding long
and hazardous, and would carry him quite out of the reach of
all his friends; that he had nothing to desire of me, but that I
would settle him in some little property in the island where he
was, give him a servant or two, and some few necessaries, and
he would live here like a planter, waiting the good time when,
if ever I returned to England, I would redeem him; and
hoped I would not be unmindful of him when I came to Eng-
land; that he would give me some letters to his friends in
London, to let them know how good I had been to him, and
in what part of the world, and what circumstances I had left
him in and he promised me that whenever I redeemed him,
the plantation, and all the improvements he had made upon it,
let the value be what it would, should be wholly mine.
·
His discourse was very prettily delivered, considering his
youth, and the more agreeable to me, because he told me posi-
tively the match was not for himself. I gave him all possible
assurances that if I lived to come safe to England, I would
deliver his letters, and do his business effectually; and that he
✰
366
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
might depend I should never forget the circumstances I had
left him in; but still I was impatient to know who was the
person to be married; upon which he told me it was my Jack-
of-all-trades and his maid Susan. I was most agreeably sur-
prised when he named the match; for, indeed, I thought it
very suitable. The character of that man I have given already;
and as for the maid, she was a very honest, modest, sober, and
religious young woman; had a very good share of sense, was
agreeable enough in her person, spoke very handsomely and
to the purpose, always with decency and good manners, and
was neither too backward to speak when requisite, nor imper-
tinently forward when it was not her business; very handy and
housewifely, and an excellent manager; fit, indeed, to have
been governess to the whole island, and she knew very well
how to behave in every respect.
The match being proposed in this manner, we married
them the same day; and as I was father at the altar, and gave
"her away, so I gave her a portion; for I appointed her and her
husband a handsome large space of ground for their plantation;
and, indeed, this match, and the proposal the young gentleman
made to give him a small property in the island, put me upon
parcelling it out amongst them, that they might not quarrel
afterwards about their situation.
This sharing out the land to them I left to Will Atkins,
who was now grown a sober, grave, managing fellow, perfectly
reformed, exceedingly pious and religious; and, as far as I
may be allowed to speak positively in such a case, I verily
believe he was a true penitent. He divided things so justly, and
so much to every one's satisfaction, that they only desired one
general writing under my hand for the whole, which I caused
to be drawn up, and signed and sealed, setting out the bounds
and situation of every man's plantation, and testifying that I
gave them thereby severally a right to the whole possession
and inheritance of the respective plantations or farms, with
their improvements, to them and their heirs, reserving all the
rest of the island as my own property, and a certain rent for
every particular plantation after eleven years, if I, or any one
from me, or in my name, came to demand it, producing an
attested copy of the same writing.
As to the government and laws among them, I told them I
was not capable of giving them better rules than they were
able to give themselves; only I made them promise me to live
in love and good neighborhood with one another; and so I
prepared to leave them.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
367
One thing I must not omit, and that is, that being now
settled in a kind of commonwealth among themselves, and
having much business in hand, it was odd to have seven-and-
thirty Indians live in a nook of the island, independent, and,
indeed, unemployed; for, excepting the providing themselves.
food, which they had difficulty enough to do sometimes, they
had no manner of business or property to manage. I proposed,
therefore, to the governor Spaniard, that he should go to them,
with Friday's father, and propose to them to remove, and either
plant for themselves, or be taken into their several families as
servants, to be maintained for their labor, but without being
absolute slaves; for I would not permit them to make them
slaves by force, by any means; because they had their liberty
given them by capitulation, as it were articles of surrender,
which they ought not to break.
They most willingly embraced the proposal, and came all
very cheerfully along with him: so we allotted them land and
plantations, which three or four accepted of, but all the rest
chose to be employed as servants in the several families we had
settled; and thus my colony was in a manner settled as fol-
lows:-The Spaniards possessed my original habitation, which
was the capital city, and extended their plantations all along
the side of the brook, which made the creek that I have so
often described, as far as my bower; and as they increased
their culture, it went always eastward. The English lived in
the north-east part, where Will Atkins and his comrades began,
and came on southward and south-west, towards the back part
of the Spaniards; and every plantation had a great addition of
land to take in, if they found occasion, so that they need not
jostle one another for want of room. All the east end of the
island was left uninhabited, that if any of the savages should
come on shore there only for their usual customary barbarities,
they might come and go; if they disturbed nobody, nobody
would disturb them: and no doubt but they were often ashore,
and went away again; for I never heard that the planters were
ever attacked or disturbed any more.
It now came into my thoughts that I had hinted to my
friend the clergyman that the work of converting the savages
might perhaps be set on foot in his absence to his satisfaction,
and I told him that now I thought that it was put in a fair way;
for the savages, being thus divided among the Christians, if
they would but every one of them do their part with those
which came under their hands, I hoped it might have a very
good effect.
Jan
368
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
"But
He agreed presently in that, if they did their part.
how," says he,
(6 shall we obtain that of them?" I told him
we would call them all together, and leave it in charge with
them, or go to them, one by one, which he thought best; so
we divided it, he to speak to the Spaniards, who were all
Papists, and I to speak to the English, who were all Protes-
tants; and we recommended it earnestly to them, and made
them promise that they would never make any distinction of
Papist or Protestant in their exhorting the savages to turn
Christians, but teach them the general knowledge of the true
God, and of their Saviour Jesus Christ; and they likewise
promised us that they would never have any differences or
disputes one with another about religion.
When I came to Will Atkins's house (I may call it so, for
such å house, or such a piece of basket-work, I believe was not
standing in the world again), there I found the young woman I
have mentioned above and Will Atkins's wife were become in-
timates; and this prudent, religious young woman had perfected
the work Will Atkins had begun; and though it was not above
four days after what I have related, yet the new-baptized
savage woman was made such a Christian as I have seldom
heard of in all my observation or conversation in the world.
It came next into my mind in the morning before I went to
them, that amongst all the needful things I had to leave with
them, I had not left them a Bible, in which I showed myself
less considering for them than my good friend the widow was
for me when she sent me the cargo of a hundred pounds from
Lisbon, where she packed up three Bibles and a Prayer-book.
However, the good woman's charity had a greater extent than
ever she imagined, for they were reserved for the comfort and
instruction of those that made much better use of them than I
had done.
I took one of the Bibles in my pocket, and when I came to
Will Atkins's tent, or house, and found the young woman and
Atkins's baptized wife had been discoursing of religion together
-for Will Atkins told it me with a great deal of joy-I asked
if they were together now, and he said, yes; so I went into the
house, and he with me, and we found them together very ear-
nest in discourse. “O, sir," says Will Atkins, when God
has sinners to reconcile to Himself, and aliens to bring home,
He never wants a messenger; my wife has got a new instruct-
or: I knew I was unworthy as I was incapable of that work;
that young woman has been sent hither from heaven; she is
enough to convert a whole island of savages." The young
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
369
woman blushed, and rose up to go away, but I desired her to
sit still; I told her she had a good work upon her hands, and
I hoped God would bless her in it.
We talked a little, and I did not perceive that they had any
book among them, though I did not ask; but I put my hand
into my pocket, and pulled out my Bible. "Here," said I to
Atkins, "I have brought you an assistant that perhaps you had
not before." The man was so confounded, that he was not
able to speak for some time; but, recovering himself, he takes
it with both his hands, and turning to his wife, "Here, my
dear," says he, "did not I tell you our God, though he lives
above, could hear what we have said? Here's the book I
prayed for when you and I kneeled down under the bush; now
God has heard us, and sent it." When he had said so, the
man fell into such transports of passionate joy, that between
the joy of having it, and giving God thanks for it, the tears ran
down his face like a child that was crying.
The woman was surprised, and was like to have run into a
mistake that none of us were aware of, for she firmly believed
God had sent the book upon her husband's petition. It is true
that providentially it was so, and might be taken so in a con-
sequent sense; but I believe it would have been no difficult
matter at that time to have persuaded the poor woman to have
believed that an express messenger came from heaven on pur-
pose to bring that individual book; but it was too serious a
matter to suffer any delusion to take place; so I turned to the
young woman, and told her we did not desire to impose upon
the new convert in her first and more ignorant understanding
of things, and begged her to explain to her that God may be
very properly said to answer our petitions, when, in the course
of His providence, such things are in a particular manner
brought to pass as we petitioned for: but we did not expect
returns from heaven in a miraculous and particular manner,
and it is a mercy that it is not so.
This the young woman did afterwards effectually, so that
there was, I assure you, no priestcraft used here; and I should
have thought it one of the most unjustifiable frauds in the
world to have had it so. But the surprise of joy upon Will
Atkins is really not to be expressed; and there we may be sure
was no delusion. Sure no man was ever more thankful in the
world for anything of its kind than he was for the Bible,-nor,
I believe, never any man was glad of a Bible from a better
principle; and though he had been a most profligate creature,
headstrong, furious, and desperately wicked, yet this man is a
370
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
standing rule to us all for the well instructing children, viz.:
that parents should never give over to teach and instruct, nor
ever despair of the success of their endeavors, let the children
be ever so refractory, or, to appearance, insensible to in-
struction; for, if ever God, in His providence, touches the con-
science of such, the force of their education returns upon them,
and the early instruction of parents is not lost, though it may
have been many years laid asleep, but some time or other they
may find the benefit of it. Thus it was with this poor man :
however ignorant he was of religion and Christian knowledge,
he found he had some to do with now more ignorant than him-
self, and that the least part of the instruction of his good father
that now came to his mind was of use to him.
Among the rest, it occurred to him, he said, how his father
used to insist so much on the inexpressible value of the Bible,
and the privilege and blessing of it to nations, families, and
persons; but he never entertained the least notion of the worth
of it till now, when, being to talk to heathens, savages, and
barbarians, he wanted the help of the written oracle for his
assistance.
The young woman was glad of it also for the present occa-
sion, though she had one, and so had the youth, on board our
ship, among their goods, which were not yet brought on shore.
And now, having said so many things of this young woman, I
I cannot omit telling one story more of her and myself, which
has something in it very instructive.
I have related to what extremity the poor young woman was
reduced, how her mistress was starved to death, and died on
board that unhappy ship we met at sea, and how the whole
ship's company was reduced to the last extremity. The gentle-
woman, and her son, and this maid, were first hardly used as
to provisions, and at last totally neglected and starved,-that
is to say, brought to the last extremity of hunger. One day,
being discoursing with her on the extremities they had suffered,
I asked her if she could describe, by what she had felt, what it
was to starve, and how it appeared? She told me she believed
she could, and she told her tale very distinctly thus :-
"
(6
First, sir," said she, we had for some days fared exceed-
ingly hard, and suffered very great hunger; but at last we were
wholly without food of any kind, except sugar, and a little wine-
and-water. The first day after I received no food at all, I found
myself, towards evening, first empty and sick at the stomach,
and nearer night much inclined to yawning and sleep. I lay
down on the couch in the great cabin to sleep, and slept about
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
371
three hours, and awaked a little refreshed, having taken a glass
of wine when I lay down; after being about three hours
awake, it being about five o'clock in the morning, I found
myself empty, and my stomach sickish, and lay down again,
but could not sleep at all, being very faint and ill; and thus
I continued all the second day with a strange variety,-first
hungry, then sick again, with retchings to vomit. The second
night, being obliged to go to bed again without any food,
more than a draught of fresh water, and being asleep, I
dreamed I was at Barbadoes, and that the market was mightily
stocked with provisions,-that I bought some for my mistress,
and went and dined very heartily. I thought my stomach was
as full after this as it would have been after a good dinner
but when I awaked, I was exceedingly sunk in my spirits
to find myself in the extremity of famine. The last glass
of wine we had I drank, and put sugar in it, because of its
having some spirit to supply nourishment; but there being
no substance in the stomach for the digesting office to work
upon, I found the only effect of the wine was to raise dis-
agreeable fumes from the stomach into the head; and I lay, as
they told me, stupid and senseless, as one drunk, for some time.
The third day, in the morning, after a night of strange, con-
fused, and inconsistent dreams, and rather dozing than sleep-
ing, I awaked ravenous and furious with hunger; and I ques-
tion, had not my understanding returned and conquered it,
whether, if I had been a mother, and had had a little child
with me, its life would have been safe or not. This lasted
about three hours, during which time I was twice raging mad
as any creature in Bedlam, as my young master told me, and as
he can now inform you.
"6
In one of those fits of lunacy or distraction I fell down
and struck my face against the corner of a pallet-bed, in which
my mistress lay, and with the blow the blood gushed out of my
nose; and the cabin-boy bringing me a little basin, I sat down
and bled into it a great deal; and as the blood came from me,
I came to myself, and the violence of the flame or fever I was
in abated, and so did the ravenous part of the hunger. Then I
grew sick, and retched to vomit, but could not, for I had noth-
ing in my stomach to bring up. After I had bled some time I
swooned, and they all believed I was dead; but I came to my-
self soon after, and then had a most dreadful pain in my stom-
ach not to be described-not like the colic, but a gnawing,
eager pain for food; and towards night it went off with a kind
of earnest wishing or longing for food, something like, as I
372
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
suppose, the longing of a woman with child. I took another
draught of water with sugar in it; but my stomach loathed the
sugar, and brought it all up again; then I took a draught of
water without sugar, and that staid with me; and I laid me
down upon the bed, praying most heartily that it would please
God to take me away; and composing my mind in hopes of it,
I slumbered awhile, and then waking, thought myself dying,
being light with vapors from an empty stomach. I recom-
mended my soul then to God, and earnestly wished that some-
body would throw me into the sea.
"All this while my mistress lay by me, just, as I thought,
expiring, but bore it with much more patience than I,-gave
the last bit of bread she had left to her child, my young master,
who would not have taken it, but she obliged him to eat it ; and
I believe it saved his life.
"Towards the morning I slept again; and when I awoke
I fell into a violent passion of crying, and after that had a
second fit of violent hunger. I got up ravenous, and in a most
dreadful condition; had my mistress been dead, as much as [
loved her, I am certain I should have eaten a piece of her flesh
with as much relish and as unconcerned as ever I did eat the
flesh of any creature appointed for food; and once or twice I
was going to bite my own arm. At last I saw the basin in which
was the blood I had bled at my nose the day before: I ran to
it, and swallowed it with much haste, and such a greedy appetite,
as if I wondered nobody had taken it before, and afraid it
should be taken from me now. After it was down, though the
thoughts of it filled me with horror, yet it checked the fit of
hunger, and I took another draught of water, and was composed
and refreshed for some hours after. This was the fourth day ;
and thus I kept up till toward night, when, within the compass
of three hours, I had all the several circumstances over again,
one after another, viz.: sick, sleepy, eagerly hungry, pain in
the stomach, then ravenous again, then sick, then lunatic, then
crying, then ravenous again, and so every quarter of an hour,
and my strength wasted exceedingly; at night I lay me down,
having no comfort but in the hope that I should die before
morning.
"All this night I had no sleep; but the hunger was now
turned into a disease; and I had a terrible colic and griping,
by wind, instead of food, having found its way into the bowels;
and in this condition I lay till morning, when I was surprised
by the cries and lamentations of my young master, who called
out to me that his mother was dead. I lifted myself up a little,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
373
Jo
for I had not strength to rise, but found she was not dead,
though she was able to give very little signs of life.
"I had then such convulsions in my stomach, for want of
some sustenance, as I cannot describe; with such frequent
throes and pangs of appetite, as nothing but the tortures of
death can imitate; and in this condition I was when I heard
the seamen above cry out, 'A sail! a sail!' and halloo and jump
about as if they were distracted.
"I was not able to get off from the bed, and my mistress
much less; and my young master was so sick, that I thought
he had been expiring; so we could not open the cabin door, or
get any account what it was that occasioned such confusion ;
nor had we had any conversation with the ship's company for
two days, they having told us that they had not a mouthful of
anything to eat in the ship; and this they told us afterwards,
they thought we had been dead. It was this dreadful condition
we were in when you were sent to save our lives; and how you
found us, sir, you know as well as I, and better too."
This was her own relation, and is such a distinct account
f starving to death, as, I confess, I never met with, and was
exceeding entertaining to me. I am the rather apt to believe
it to be a true account, because the youth gave me an account
of a good part of it; though I must own, not so distinct and so
feeling as the maid; and the rather, because it seems his
mother fed him at the price of her own life: but the poor maid,
though her constitution being stronger than that of her mistress,
who was in years, and a weakly woman too, she might struggle
harder with it; I say, the poor maid might be supposed to feel
the extremity something sooner than her mistress, who might be
allowed to keep the last bit something longer than she parted
with any to relieve the maid. No question, as the case is here
related, if our ship, or some other, had not so providentially met
them, a few days more would have ended all their lives, unless
they had prevented it by eating one another; and that even, as
their case stood, would have served them but a little while, they
being five hundred leagues from any land, or any possibility of
relief other than in the miraculous manner it happened: but
this is by the way; I return to my disposition of things among
the people.
And, first, it is to be observed here, that for many reasons
I did not think fit to let them know anything of the sloop I had
framed, and which I thought of setting up among them; for I
found, at least at my first coming, such seeds of division among
them, that I saw plainly, had I set up the sloop, and left it
374
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
•
}
among them, they would, upon every light disgust, have separa-
ted, and gone away from one another; or perhaps have turned
pirates, and so made the island a den of thieves, instead of a
plantation of sober and religious people, as I intended it; nor
did I leave the two pieces of brass cannon that I had on board,
or the two quarter-deck guns that my nephew took extraordinary,
for the same reason: I thought it was enough to qualify them
for a defensive war against any that should invade them, but
not to set them up for an offensive war, or to go abroad to at-
tack others; which, in the end, would only bring ruin and de-
struction upon them: I reserved the sloop, therefore, and the
guns, for their service another way, as I shall observe in its
place.
Having now done with the island, I left them all in good cir-
cumstances, and in a flourishing condition, and went on board.
my ship again on the 6th of May, having been about twenty-five
days among them; and as they were all resolved to stay upon
the island till I came to remove them, I promised to send them
further relief from the Brazils, if I could possibly find an oppor-
tunity; and particularly I promised to send them some cattle,
such as sheep, hogs, and cows: as to the two cows and calves
which I brought from England, we had been obliged, by the
length of our voyage, to kill them at sea, for want of hay to feed
them.
The next day, giving them a salute of five guns at parting,
we set sail, and arrived at the Bay of All Saints in the Brazils,
in about twenty-two days, meeting nothing remarkable in our
passage but this: that about three days after we had sailed,
being becalmed, and the current setting strong to the E. N. E.,
running, as it were, into a bay or gulf on the land side, we were
driven something out of our course, and once or twice our men
cried out, “Land to the eastward!" but whether it was the
continent or islands we could not tell by any means. But the
third day, towards evening, the sea smooth, and the weather
calm, we saw the sea, as it were, covered towards the land with
something very black; not being able to discover what it was,
till after some time, our chief mate, going up the main-shrouds
a little way, and looking at them with a perspective, cried out
it was an army. I could not imagine what he meant by an army,
and thwarted him a little hastily. "Nay, sir," says he, "don't
be angry, for 'tis an army, and a fleet too; for I believe there
are a thousand canoes, and you may see them paddle along, for
they are coming towards us apace.
I was a little surprised then, indeed, and so was my nephew,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
375
the captain; for he had heard such terrible stories of them in
the island, and having never been in those seas before, that he
could not tell what to think of it, but said, two or three times,
we should all be devoured. I must confess, considering we
were becalmed, and the current set strong towards the shore, I
liked it the worse; however, I bade them not be afraid, but
bring the ship to an anchor as soon as we came so near as to
know that we must engage them.
The weather continued calm, and they came on apace
towards us; so I gave orders to come to an anchor, and furl all
our sails; as for the savages, I told them they had nothing to
fear but fire, and therefore they should get their boats out, and
fasten them, one close by the head, and the other by the stern,
and man them both well, and wait the issue in that posture :
this I did that the men in the boats might be ready with sheets
and buckets to put out any fire these savages might endeavor.
to fix to the outside of the ship.
:
In this posture we lay by for them, and in a little while they
came up with us; but never was such horrid sight seen by
Christians though my mate was much mistaken in his cal-
culation of their number, yet when they came up we reckoned
about a hundred and twenty-six; some of them had sixteen
or seventeen men in them, and some more, and the least six or
seven.
When they came nearer to us, they seemed to be struck
with wonder and astonishment, as at a sight which doubtless
they had never seen before; nor could they at first, as we after-
wards understood, know what to make of us; they came boldly
up, however, very near to us, and seemed to go about to row
round us; but we called to our men in the boats not to let them
come too near them. This very order brought us to an engage-
ment with them, without our designing it; for five or six of the
large canoes came so near our long-boat, that our men beckoned
with their hands to keep them back, which they understood
very well, and went back: but at their retreat about fifty arrows
came on board us from those boats, and one of our men in the
long-boat was very much wounded. However, I called to them
not to fire by any means; but we handed down some deal boards
into the boat, and the carpenter presently set up a kind of fence,
like waste boards, to cover them from the arrows of the savages,
if they should shoot again.
About half an hour afterwards they all came up in a body
astern of us, and so near that we could easily discern what they
were, though we could not tell their design; and I easily found
376
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
they were some of my old friends, the same sort of savages
that I had been used to engage with; and in a short time more
they rowed a little farther out to sea, till they came directly
broadside with us, and then rowed down straight upon us, till
they came so near that they could hear us speak; upon this I
ordered all my men to keep close, lest they should shoot any
more arrows, and made all our guns ready; but being so near
as to be within hearing, I made Friday go out upon the deck,
and call out aloud to them. in his language, to know what they
meant; which accordingly he did. Whether they understood
him or not, that I knew not; but as soon as he had called to
them, six of them, who were in the foremost or nighest boat to
us, turned their canoes from us, and stooping down, showed us
their naked backs; whether this was a defiance or challenge
we knew not, or whether it was done in mere contempt, or as a
signal to the rest: but immediately Friday cried out they were
going to shoot, and, unhappily for him, poor fellow, they let
fly about three hundred of their arrows, and, to my inexpres-
sible grief, killed poor Friday, no other man being in their sight.
The poor fellow was shot with no less than three arrows, and
about three more fell very near him; such unlucky marksmen
they were !
I was so enraged at the loss of my old trusty servant and
companion, that I immediately ordered five guns to be loaded
with small shot, and four with great, and gave them such a
broadside as they had never heard in their lives before, to be
sure. They were not above half a cable's length off when we
fired; and our gunners took their aim so well, that three or
four of their canoes were overset, as we had reason to believe,
by one shot only.
:
The ill manners of turning up their bare backs to us gave us
no great offence; neither did I know for certain whether that
which would pass for the greatest contempt among us might be
understood so by them or not; therefore, in return, I had only
resolved to have fired four or five guns at them with powder
only, which I knew would frighten them sufficiently but when
they shot at us directly with all the fury they were capable of,
and especially as they had killed my poor Friday, whom I so
entirely loved and valued, and who, indeed, so well deserved
it, I thought myself not only justifiable before God and man,
but would have been very glad if I could have overset every
canoe there, and drowned every one of them.
I can neither tell how many we killed nor how many we
wounded at this broadside, but sure such a fright and hurry
¿
*
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
377
never were seen among such a multitude: there were thirteen
or fourteen of their canoes split and overset in all, and the men
all set a-swimming: the rest, frightened out of their wits, scoured
away as fast as they could, taking but little care to save those
whose boats were split or spoiled with our shot; so I suppose
that many of them were lost; and our men took up one poor
fellow swimming for his life, above an hour after they were all
gone.
The small shot from our cannon must needs kill and wound
a great many; but, in short, we never knew how it went with
them, for they fled so fast that, in three hours, or thereabouts,
we could not see above three or four straggling canoes, nor did
we ever see the rest any more; for a breeze of wind springing
up
the same evening, we weighed, and set sail for the Brazils.
We had a prisoner, indeed, but the creature was so sullen
that he would neither eat nor speak, and we all fancied he
would starve himself to death: but I took a way to cure him ;
for I made them take him and turn him into the long-boat, and
make him believe they would toss him into the sea again, and
so leave him where they found him, if he would not speak: nor
would that do, but they really did throw him into the sea, and
came away from him; and then he followed them, for he swam
like a cork, and called to them in his tongue, though they knew
not one word of what he said; however, at last they took him
in again, and then he began to be more tractable: nor did I
ever design they should drown him.
We were now under sail again, but I was the most dis-
consolate creature alive for want of my man Friday, and would
have been very glad to have gone back to the island, to have
taken one of the rest from thence for my occasion, but it could
not be so we went on. We had one prisoner, as I have said,
and it was a long time before we could make him understand
anything; but, in time our men taught him some English, and
he began to be a little tractable. Afterwards, we inquired what
country he came from, but could make nothing of what he said;
for his speech was so odd, all gutturals, as he spoke in the
throat in such a hollow, odd manner, that we could never form
a word after him; and we were all of opinion that they might
speak that language as well if they were gagged as otherwise
nor could we perceive that they had any occasion either for
teeth, tongue, lips, or paiate, but formed their words just as a
hunting-horn forms a tune with an open throat.
He told us,
however, some time after, when we had taught him to speak a
little English, that they were going with their kings to fight a
;
378
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
1
great battle. When he said kings, we asked him how many
kings? He said they were five nation (we could not make him
understand the plural s), and that they all joined to go against
two nation. We asked him what made them come up to us?
He said, "To makee te great wonder look." Here it is to be
observed, that all those natives, as also those of Africa, when
they learn English, always add two e's at the end of the words
where we use one; and they place the accent upon them, as
makée, takée, and the like; nay, I could hardly make Friday
leave it off, though at last he did.
And now I name the poor fellow once more, I must take
my last leave of him. Poor honest Friday! We buried him
with all the decency and solemnity possible, by putting him
into a coffin, and throwing him into the sea; and I caused
them to fire eleven guns for him; and so ended the life of the
most grateful, faithful, honest, and most affectionate servant
that ever man had.
We went now away with a fair wind for Brazil; and in
about twelve days' time we made land, in the latitude of five
degrees south of the line, being the north-eastermost land of
all that part of America. We kept on S. by E., in sight of the
shore four days, when we made Cape St. Augustine, and in
three days came to an anchor off the Bay of All Saints, the old
place of my deliverance, from whence came both my good and
evil fate.
Never ship came to this port that had less business than I
had; and yet it was with great difficulty that we were admitted
to hold the least correspondence on shore: not my partner
himself, who was alive, and made a great figure among them,
not my two merchant-trustees, not the fame of my wonderful
preservation in the island, could obtain me that favor; but my
partner, remembering that I had given five hundred moidores
to the prior of the Monastery of the Augustines, and two hun-
dred and seventy-two to the poor, went to the monastery, and
obliged the prior that then was, to go to the governor, and get
leave for me personally, with the captain and one more, besides
eight seamen, to come on shore, and no more; and this upon
condition, absolutely capitulated for, that we should not offer
to land any goods out of the ship, or to carry any person away
without license. They were so strict with us, as to landing any
goods, that it was with extreme difficulty that I got on shore
three bales of English goods, such as fine broadcloths, stuffs,
and some linen, which I had brought for a present to my
partner,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
379
He was a very generous, open-hearted man; though, like
me, he began with little at first; and though he knew not that
I had the least design of giving him anything, he sent me on
board a present of fresh provisions, wine, and sweet-meats,
worth above thirty moidores, including some tobacco, and three
or four fine medals of gold: but I was even with him in my
present, which, as I have said, consisted of fine broadcloth,
English stuffs, lace, and fine Hollands; also I delivered him
about the value of one hundred pounds sterling in the same
goods, for other uses; and I obliged him to set up the sloop,
which I had brought with me from England, as I have said, for
the use of my colony, in order to send the refreshments I
intended to my plantation.
Accordingly, he got hands, and finished the sloop in a very
few days, for she was already framed; and I gave the master
of her such instructions that he could not miss the place; nor
did he, as I had an account from my partner afterwards. I
got him soon loaded with the small cargo I sent them; and
one of our seamen, that had been on shore with me there,
offered to go with the sloop and settle there, upon my letter to
the governor Spaniard, to allot him a sufficient quantity of land
for a plantation, and giving him some clothes and tools for his
planting work, which he said he understood, having been an old
planter at Maryland, and a buccaneer into the bargain. I
encouraged the fellow by granting all he desired; and, as an
addition, I gave him the savage whom he had taken prisoner
of war, to be his slave, and ordered the governor Spaniard to
give him his share of everything he wanted with the rest.
66
""
When we came to fit this man out, my old partner told me
there was a certain very honest fellow, a Brazil planter of his
acquaintance, who had fallen into the displeasure of the church.
'I know not what the matter is with him," says he, "but on
my conscience, I think he is a heretic in his heart, and he has
been obliged to conceal himself for fear of the Inquisition ;
that he would be very glad of such an opportunity to make his
escape, with his wife and two daughters; and if I would let
them go to my island, and allot them a plantation, he would
give them a small stock to begin with,-for the officers of the
Inquisition had seized all his effects and estate, and he had
nothing left but a little household stuff, and two slaves: "and,"
adds he, "though I hate his principles, yet I would not have
him fall into their hands, for he will be assuredly burned alive
if he does."
I granted this presently, and joined my Englishman with
{
380
ROBINSON Crusoe.
them; and we concealed the man, and his wife and daughters,
on board our ship, till the sloop put out to go to sea; and then
having put all their goods on board some time before, we put
them on board the sloop after she was got out of the bay.
Our seaman was mightily pleased with this new partner;
and their stocks, indeed, were much alike, rich in tools, in prep-
arations, and a farm,-but nothing to begin with, except as
above: however, they carried over with them, what was worth
all the rest, some materials for planting sugar-canes, with some
plants of canes, which he-I mean the Portugal man-under-
stood very well.
Among the rest of the supplies sent to my tenants in the
island, I sent them by the sloop three milch cows and five
calves, about twenty-two hogs among them, three sows big with
pig, two mares, and a stone-horse. For my Spaniards, accord-
ing to my promise, I engaged three Portugal women to go, and
recommended it to them to marry them, and use them kindly.
I could have procured more women, but I remembered that the
poor persecuted man had two daughters, and that there were
but five of the Spaniards that wanted,-the rest had wives of
their own, though in another country.
All this cargo arrived safe, and as you may easily suppose,
was very welcome to my old inhabitants, who were now, with
this addition, between sixty and seventy people, besides little
children, of which there were a great many. I found letters at
London from them all, by way of Lisbon, when I came back to
England, of which I shall also take some notice immediately.
I have now done with the island, and all manner of discourse
about it and whoever reads the rest of my memorandums
would do well to turn his thoughts entirely from it, and expect
to read of the follies of an old man, not warned by his own
harms, much less by those of other men, to beware; not cooled
by almost forty years' miseries and disappointments,-not
satisfied with prosperity beyond expectation, nor made cautious
by afflictions and distress beyond imitation.
I had no more business to go to the East Indies than a man
at full liberty has to go to the turnkey at Newgate, and desire
him to lock him up among the prisoners there, and starve him.
Had I taken a small vessel from England, and gone directly to
the island; had I loaded her, as I did the other vessel, with all
the necessaries for the plantation, and for my people; taken z
patent from the government here to have secured my property,
in subjection only to that of England; had I carried over
cannon and ammunition, servants and people to plant, and
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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381
taken possession of the place, fortified and strengthened it in
the name of England, and increased it with people, as I might
easily have done; had I then settled myself there, and sent the
ship back laden with good rice, as I might also have done in
six months' time, and ordered my friends to have fitted her out
again for our supply,-had I done this, and staid there myself,
I had at least acted like a man of common sense: but I was
possessed of a wandering spirit, and scorned all advantages: I
pleased myself with being the patron of the people I placed
there, and doing for them in a kind of haughty, majestic way,
like an old patriarchal monarch, providing for them as if I had
been father of the whole family, as well as of the plantation:
but I never so much as pretended to plant in the name of any
government or nation, or to acknowledge any prince, or to call
my people subjects to any one nation more than another: nay,
I never so much as gave the place a name, but left it as I found
it, belonging to nobody, and the people under no discipline or
government but my own; who, though I had influence over
them as a father and benefactor, had no authority or power to
act or command one way or other, farther than voluntary con-
sent moved them to comply: yet even this, had I staid there,
would have done well enough; but as I rambled from them,
and came there no more, the last letters I had from any of
them were by my partner's means, who afterwards sent another
sloop to the place, and who sent me word, though I had not the
letter till I got to London, several years after it was written,
that they went on but poorly, were discontent with their long
stay there; that Will Atkins was dead, that five of the
Spaniards were came away, and though they had not been
much molested by the savages, yet they had had some skirmishes
with them; and that they begged of him to write to me to think
of the promise I had made to fetch them away, that they might
see their country again before they died.
A
K
But I was gone a wild-goose chase, indeed! and they that
will have any more of me, must be content to follow me into a
new variety of follies, hardships, and wild adventures, wherein
the justice of Providence may be duly observed; and we may
see how easily Heaven can gorge us with our own desires, make
the strongest of our wishes be our affliction, and punish us
most severely with those very things which we think it would
be our utmost happiness to be allowed in. Whether I had
business or no business, away I went: it is no time now to en-
large upon the reason or absurdity of my own conduct, but to
come to the history,—I was embarked for the voyage and the
voyage I went.
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$
I shall only add a word or two concerning my honest Popish
clergyman, for let their opinions of us, and all other heretics
in general, as they call us, be as uncharitable as it may, I verily
believe this man was very sincere, and wished the good of all
men: yet I believe he was upon the reserve in many of his ex-
pressions, to prevent giving me offence; for I scarce heard him
once call on the Blessed Virgin, or mention St. Jago, or his
guardian angel, though so common with the rest of them:
however, I say, I had not the least doubt of his sincerity and
pious intentions; and I am firmly of opinion, if the rest of the
Popish missionaries were like him, they would strive to visit
even the poor Tartars and Laplanders, where they have nothing
to give them, as well as covet to flock to India, Persia, China,
&c., the most wealthy of the heathen countries; for if they ex-
pected to bring no gains to their church by it, it may well be
admired how they came to admit the Chinese Confucius into
the calendar of the Christian saints.
A ship being ready to sail for Lisbon, my pious priest asked
me leave to go thither; being still, as he observed, bound never
to finish any voyage he began. How happy it had been for
me if I had gone with him! But it was too late now: all things
Heaven appoints for the best: had I gone with him, I had never
had so many things to be thankful for, and the reader had never
heard of the second part of the travels and adventures of Rob-
inson Crusoe; so I must here leave exclaiming at myself, and
go on with my voyage.
From the Brazils, we made directly
over the Atlantic Sea to the Cape of Good Hope, and had a
tolerably good voyage, our course generally south-east, now
and then a storm, and some contrary winds: but my disasters
at sea were at an end,—my future rubs and cross events were
to befall me on shore, that it might appear the land was as well
prepared to be our scourge as the ṣea.
Our ship was on a trading voyage, and had a supercargo on
board, who was to direct all her motions after she arrived at
the Cape, only being limited to a certain number of days for
stay, by charter-party, at the several ports she was to go to. This
was none of my business, neither did I meddle with it; my
nephew, the captain, and the supercargo, adjusting all those
things between them as they thought fit.
We staid at the Cape no longer than was needful to take in
fresh water, but made the best of our way for the coast of Coro-
mandel. We were, indeed, informed that a French man-of-war,
of fifty guns, and two large merchant ships, were gone for the
Indies; and as I knew we were at war with France, I had some
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383
apprehensions of them; but they went their own way, and we
heard no more of them.
I shall not pester the reader with a tedious description of
places, journals of our voyages, variations of the compass,
Îatitudes, trade winds, &c. ; it is enough to name the ports and
places which we touched at, and what occurred to us upon our
passage from one to another. We touched first at the Island
of Madagascar, where, though the people are fierce and treach-
erous, and very well armed with lances and bows, which they
use with inconceivable dexterity, yet we fared very well with
them awhile; they treated us very civilly; and for some trifles
which we gave them, such as knives, scissors, &c., they brought
us eleven good fat bullocks, of a middling size, which we took
in partly for fresh provisions for our present spending, and the
rest to salt for the ship's use.
We were obliged to stay here some time after we had fur-
nished ourselves with provisions; and I, who was always too
curious to look into every nook of the world wherever I came,
went on shore as often as I could. It was on the east side of
the island that we went on shore one evening: and the people,
who, by the way, are very numerous, came thronging about us,
and stood gazing at us at a distance: but as we had treated freely
with them, and had been kindly used, we thought ourselves in no
danger; but when we saw the people, we cut three boughs out of
a tree, and stuck them up at a distance from us; which, it seems,
is a mark in that country, not only of a truce and friendship, but
when it is accepted, the other side set up three poles or boughs,
which is a signal that they accept the truce too, but then this is a
known condition of the truce, that you are not to pass beyond their
three poles towards them, nor they to come past your three
poles, or boughs, towards you; so that you are perfectly secure
within the three poles, and all the space between your poles and
theirs is allowed like a market for free converse, traffic, and
commerce. When you go there, you must not carry your
weapons with you: and if they come into that space, they stick
up their javelins and lances all at the first poles, and come on
unarmed; but if any violence is offered them, and the truce
thereby broken, away they run to the poles, and lay hold of
their weapons, and the truce is at an end.
It happened one evening, when we went on shore, that a
greater number of their people came down than usual, but all
very friendly and civil; and they brought several kinds of pro-
visions, for which we satisfied them with such toys as we had;
the women also brought us milk and roots, and several things
·
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By
very acceptable to us, and all was quiet; and we made us a little
tent or hut of some boughs or trees, and lay on shore all night.
I know not what was the occasion, but I was not so well
satisfied to lie on shore as the rest; and the boat riding at an
anchor at about a stone's cast from the land, with two men in
her to take care of her, I made one of them come on shore
;
and getting some boughs of trees to cover us also in the boat,
I spread the sail on the bottom of the boat, and lay under the
cover of the branches of the trees all night in the boat.
About two o'clock in the morning, we heard one of our men
make a terrible noise on the shore, calling out, for God's sake,
to bring the boat in, and come and help them, for they were all
like to be murdered; at the same time I heard the fire of five
muskets, which was the number of guns they had, and that
three times over; for, it seems, the natives here were not su
easily frightened with guns as the savages were in America,
where I had to do with them. All this while I knew not what
was the matter; but rousing immediately from sleep with the
noise, I caused the boat to be thrust in, and resolved, wit'a
three fusees we had on board, to land and assist our men.
We got the boat soon to the shore, but our men were in tou
much haste; for being come to the shore, they plunged into
the water, to get to the boat with all the expedition they could,
being pursued by between three and four hundred men. Our
men were but nine in all, and only five of them had fusees with
them; the rest had pistols and swords, indeed, but they wer
of small use to them.
We took up seven of our men, and with difficulty enough
too, three of them being very ill wounded; and that which was
still worse was, that while we stood in the boat to take our men
in, we were in as much danger as they were in on shore; for they
poured their arrows in upon us so thick that we were glad to
barricade the side of the boat up with the benches, and two or
three loose boards, which, to our great satisfaction, we had by
mere accident in the boat. And yet, had it been daylight, they
are, it seems, such exact marksmen, that if they could have
seen but the least part of any of us, they would have been sure
of us. We had, by the light of the moon, a little sight of them,
as they stood pelting us from the shore with darts and arrows;
and having got ready our fire-arms, we gave them a volley, that
we could hear, by the cries of some of them, had wounded sev-
eral; however, they stood thus in battle array on the shore till
break of day, which we supposed was that they might see the
better to take their aim at us.
My
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
385
In this condition we lay, and could not tell how to weigh
our anchor, or set up our sail, because we must needs stand up
in the boat, and they were as sure to hit us as we were to hit a
bird in a tree with small shot. We made signals of distress to
the ship, and, though she rode a league off, yet my nephew, the
captain, hearing our firing, and by glasses perceiving the pos-
ture we lay in, and that we fired towards the shore, pretty well
understood us; and weighing anchor with all speed, he stood
as near the shore as he durst with the ship, and then sent an-
other boat, with ten hands in her, to assist us; but we called
to them not to come too near, telling them what condition we
were in; however, they stood in near to us, and one of the
men taking the end of a tow-line in his hand, and keeping one
boat between him and the enemy, so that they could not per-
fectly see him, swam on board us, and made fast the line to the
boat; upon which we slipped out a little cable, and leaving
our anchor behind, they towed us out of reach of the arrows;
we all the while lying close behind the barricado we had made.
As soon as we were got from between the ship and the
shore, that we could lay her side to the shore, she ran along
just by them, and poured in a broadside among them, loaded
with pieces of iron and lead, small bullets, and such stuff, be-
sides the great shot, which made a terrible havoc among them.
When we were got on board, and out of danger, we had
time to examine into the occasion of this fray; and, indeed,
our supercargo, who had been often in those parts, put me
upon it; for he said he was sure the inhabitants would not
have touched us after we had a truce, if we had not done some-
thing to provoke them to it. At length it came out that an old
woman, who had come to sell us some milk, had brought it
within our poles, and a young woman with her, who also brought
some roots or herbs; and while the old woman (whether she
was mother to the young woman or no they could not tell) was
selling us the milk, one of our men offered some rudeness to
the wench that was with her, at which the old woman made a
great noise: however, the seaman would not quit his prize, but
carried her out of the old woman's sight, among the trees, it
being almost dark; the old woman went away without her, and,
as we may suppose, made an outcry among the people she
came from; who, upon notice, raised this great army upon us
in three or four hours, and it was great odds but we had all
been destroyed.
One of our men was killed with a lance thrown at him just
at the beginning of the attack, as he sallied out of the tent they
386
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8
had made; the rest came off free, all but the fellow who was
the occasion of all the mischief, who paid dear enough for his
black mistress, for we could not hear what became of him for a
great while. We lay upon the shore two days after, though
the wind presented, and made signals for him, and made our
boat sail up shore and down shore several leagues, but in vain ;
so we were obliged to give him over; and if he alone had suf
fered for it, the loss had been less.
I could not satisfy myself, however, without venturing on
shore once more, to try if I could learn anything of him or
them it was the third night after the action that I had a great
mind to learn, if I could by any means, what mischief we had
done, and how the game stood on the Indians' side. I was car-
ful to do it in the dark, lest we should be attacked again: but I
ought, indeed, to have been sure that the men I went with had
been under my command, before I engaged in a thing so hazard-
ous and mischievous as I was brought into by it, without design.
We took twenty as stout fellows with us as any in the ship,
besides the supercargo and myself, and we landed two hours
before midnight, at the same place where the Indians stood
drawn up in the evening before. I landed here, because my
design, as I have said, was chiefly to see if they had quitted
the field, and if they had left any marks behind them of the
mischief we had done them; and I thought if we could sur-
prise one or two of them, perhaps we might get our man again,
by way of exchange.
We landed without any noise, and divided our men into
two bodies, whereof the boatswain commanded one, and I the
other. We neither saw nor heard anybody stir when we
landed; and we marched up, one body at a distance from the
other, to the place; but at first could see nothing, it being very
dark; till by and by our boatswain, who led the first party,
stumbled and fell over a dead body. This made them halt a
while;
for knowing by the circumstance that they were at the
place where the Indians had stood, they waited for my coming
up there.
We concluded to halt till the moon began to rise,
which we knew would be in less than an hour, when we could
easily discern the havoc we had made among them. We told
thirty-two bodies upon the ground, whereof two were not quite
dead; some had an arm, and some a leg shot off, and one his
head; those that were wounded, we supposed, they had carried
away.
When we had made, as I thought, 2 full discovery of all
we could come to the knowledge of, I resolved on going on
f
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
387
board; but the boatswain and his party sent me word that
they were resolved to make a visit to the Indian town, where
these dogs, as they called them, dwelt, and asked me to go
along with them and if they could find them, as they still
fancied they should, they did not doubt of getting a good booty;
and it might be they might find Tom Jeffry there; that was
the man's name we had lost.
Had they sent to ask my leave to go, I knew well enough
what answer to have given them; for I should have commanded
them instantly on board, knowing it was not a hazard fit for
us to run, who had a ship and ship-loading in our charge, and
a voyage to make which depended very much upon the lives
of the men; but as they sent me word they were resolved to
go, and only asked me and my company to go along with them,
I positively refused it, and rose up (for I was sitting on the
ground) in order to go to the boat. One or two of the men
began to importune me to go; and when I refused, began to
grumble, and say they were not under my command, and they
would go.
Come, Jack," says one of the men,
"will you go
with me? I'll go for one." Jack said he would,—and then
another, and, in a word, they all left me but one, whom I
persuaded to stay, and a boy left in the boat. So the super-
cargo and I, with the third man, went back to the boat, where
we told them we would stay for them, and take care to take in
as many of them as should be left; for I told them it was a
mad thing they were going about, and supposed most of them
would have the fate of Tom Jeffry.
66
They told me, like seamen, they would warrant it they would
come off again, and they would take care, &c. ; so away they
went. I entreated them to consider the ship and the voyage,
that their lives were not their own, and that they were intrusted
with the voyage, in some measure; that if they miscarried, the
ship might be lost for want of their help, and that they could
not answer for it to God or man. But I might as well have
talked to the mainmast of the ship: they were mad upon their
journey; only they gave me good words, and begged I would
not be angry; that they did not doubt but they would be back
again in about an hour at farthest; for the Indian town, they
said, was not above half a mile off, though they found it above
two miles before they got to it.
Well, they all went away, and though the attempt was des-
perate, and such as none but madmen would have gone about,
yet, to give them their due, they went about it as warily as
boldly; they were gallantly armed, for they had every man a
3
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$
fusee or musket, a bayonet, and a pistol; some of them had
broad cutlasses, some of them had hangers, and the boatswain
and two more had poleaxes; besides all which they had among
them thirteen hand grenadoes; bolder fellows, and better pro-
vided, never went about any wicked work in the world.
When they went out, their chief design was plunder, and
they were in mighty hopes of finding gold there; but a circum-
stance which none of them were aware of set them on fire with
revenge, and made devils of them all.
When they came to the few Indian houses which they
thought had been the town, which was not above half a mile
off, they were under a great disappointment, for there were not
above twelve or thirteen houses; and where the town was, or
how big, they knew not. They consulted, therefore, what to
do, and were some time before they could resolve; for if they
fell upon these, they must cut all their throats; and it was ten
to one but some of them might escape, it being in the night,
though the moon was up; and if one escaped, he would run
and raise all the town, so they should have a whole army upon
them again, on the other hand, if they went away and left
those untouched (for the people were all asleep), they could
not tell which way to look for the town: however, the last was
the best advice; so they resolved to leave them, and look for
the town as well as they could. They went on a little way,
and found a cow tied to a tree; this, they presently concluded,
would be a good guide to them; for, they said, the cow cer-
tainly belonged to the town before them, or the town behind
them, and if they untied her, they should see which way she went:
if she went back, they had nothing to say to her; but if she went
forward, they would follow her: so they cut the cord, which
was made of twisted flags, and the cow went on before them,
directly to the town; which, as they reported, consisted of
above two hundred houses or huts, and in some of these they
found several families living together.
Here they found all in silence, as profoundly secure as
sleep could make them: and, first, they called another council,
to consider what they had to do; and, in a word, they resolved
to divide themselves into three bodies, and so set three houses
on fire in three parts of the town; and as the men came out,
to seize them and bind them (if any resisted, they need not be
asked what to do then), and so to search the rest of the houses
for plunder: but they resolved to march silently first through
the town, and see what dimensions it was of, and if they might
venture upon it or no.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
389
They did so, and desperately resolved that they would ven-
ture upon them: but while they were animating one another
to the work, three of them, who were a little before the rest,
called out aloud to them, and told them, that they had found
Tom Jeffry; they all ran up to the place, where they found
the poor fellow hanging up naked by one arm, and his throat
cut. There was an Indian house just by the tree, where they
found sixteen or seventeen of the principal Indians, who had
been concerned in the fray with us before, and two or three of
them wounded with our shot; and our men found they were
awake, and talking one to another in that house, but knew not
their number.
The sight of their poor mangled comrade so enraged them,
as before, that they swore to one another they would be re-
venged, and that not an Indian that came into their hands
should have any quarter; and to work they went immediately,
and yet not so madly as might be expected from the rage and
fury they were in. Their first care was to get something that
woull soon take fire, but, after a little search, they found that
would be to no purpose; for most of the houses were low, and
thatched with flags and rushes, of which the country is full;
so they presently made some wildfire, as we call it, by wetting
a little powder in the palm of their hands, and in a quarter of
an hour they set the town on fire in four or five places, and
particularly that house where the Indians were not gone to bed.
As soon as the fire began to blaze, the poor frightened
creatures began to rush out to save their lives, but met with
their fate in the attempt; and especially at the door, where
they drove them back, the boatswain himself killing one or two
with his poleaxe. The house being large, and many in it, he
did not care to go in, but called for a hand grenado, and threw
it among them, which at first frightened them, but, when it
burst, made such havoc among them that they cried out in a
hideous manner. In short, most of the Indians who were in
the open part of the house were killed or hurt with the grenado,
except two or three more who pressed to the door, which the
boatswain and two more kept, with their bayonets on the muz-
zles of their pieces, and despatched all that came in their way;
but there was another apartment in the house, where the prince
or king, or whatever he was, and several others, were; and
these were kept in till the house, which was by this time all in
a light flame, fell in upon them, and they were smothered
together.
All this while they fired not a gun, because they would not
390
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
waken the people faster than they could master them; but the
fire began to waken them fast enough, and our fellows were
glad to keep a little together in bodies; for the fire grew so
raging, all the houses being made of light combustible stuff,
that they could hardly bear the street between them; and their
business was to follow the fire, for the surer execution: as fast
as the fire either forced the people out of those houses which
were burning, or frightened them out of others, our people were
ready at their doors to knock them on the head, still calling and
hallooing one to another to remember Tom Jeffry.
While this was doing, I must confess I was very uneasy, and
especially when I saw the flames of the town, which, it being
night, seemed to be just by me. My nephew, the captain, who
was roused by his men, seeing such a fire, was very uneasy, not
knowing what the matter was, or what danger I was in, espe-
cially hearing the guns too, for by this time they began to use
their fire-arms; a thousand thoughts oppressed his mind con-
cerning me and the supercargo, what would become of us; and
at last, though he could ill spare any more men, yet not know-
ing what exigence we might be in, he takes another boat, and
with thirteen men and himself comes ashore to me.
He was surprised to see me and the supercargo in the boat
with no more than two men; and though he was glad that we
were well, yet he was in the same impatience with us to know
what was doing; for the noise continued, and the flame in-
creased; in short, it was next to an impossibility for any men
in the world to restrain their curiosity to know what had hap-
pened, or their concern for the safety of the men: in a word,
the captain told me he would go and help his men, let what
would come. I argued with him, as I did before with the men,
the safety of the ship, the danger of the voyage, the interest of
the owners and merchants, &c., and told him I and the two
men would go, and only see if we could at a distance learn
what was likely to be the event, and come back and tell him. It
was in vain to talk to my nephew, as it was to talk to the rest
before; he would go, he said; and he only wished he had left
but ten men in the ship, for he could not think of having his
men lost for want of help; he had rather lose the ship, the
voyage, and his life, and all; and away he went.
I was no more able to stay behind now, than I was to per-
suade them not to go; so, in short, the captain ordered two.
men to row back the pinnace, and fetch twelve men more, leav-
ing the long-boat at an anchor; and that, when they came back,
six men should keep the two boats, and six more come after us;
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
391
19
so that he left only sixteen men in the ship; for the whole
ship's company consisted of sixty-five men, whereof two were
lost in the late quarrel which brought this mischief on.
Being now on the march, you may be sure we felt little of
the ground we trod on: and being guided by the fire, we kept
no path, but went directly to the place of the flame. If the
noise of the guns was surprising to us before, the cries of the
poor people were now quite of another nature, and filled us
with horror. I must confess I was never at the sacking of a
city, or at the taking a town by storm. I had heard of Oliver
Cromwell taking Drogheda, in Ireland, and killing man, woman,
and child; and I had read of Count Tilly sacking the city of
Magdebourg, and cutting the throats of twenty-two thousand,
of all sexes; but I never had an idea of the thing itself before,
nor is it possible to describe it, or the horror that was upon our
minds at hearing it. However, we went on, and at length came to
the town, though there was no entering the streets of it for the
fire. The first object we met with was the ruins of a hut or
house, or rather the ashes of it, for the house was consumed;
and just before it, plainly now to be seen by the light of the
fire, lay four men and three women, killed, and, as we thought,
one or two more lay in the heap among the fire: in short, there
were such instances of rage, altogether barbarous, and of a
fury something beyond what was human, that we thought it im-
possible our men could be guilty of it; or, if they were the
authors of it, we thought they ought to be every one of them
put to the worst of deaths. But this was not all we saw the
fire increased forward, and the cry went on just as the fire went
on; so that we were in the utmost confusion. We advanced a
little way farther, and beheld, to our astonishment, three naked
women, and crying in a most dreadful manner, came flying as if
they had wings, and after them sixteen or seventeen men, natives,
in the same terror and consternation, with three of our English
butchers in the rear, who, when they could not overtake them,
fired in among them, and one that was killed by their shot fell
down in our sight. When the rest saw us, believing us to be
their enemies, and that we would murder them as well as those
that pursed them, they set up a most dreadful shriek, especially
the women; and two of them fell down, as if already dead,
with the fright.
My very soul shrunk within me, and my blood ran chill in
my veins, when I saw this: and, I believe, had the three Eng-
lish sailors that pursued them come on, I had made our men
kill them all; however, we took some means to let the poor
*
392
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
flying creatures know that we would not hurt them; and im
mediately they came up to us, and kneeling down, with their
hands lifted up, made piteous lamentations to us to save them,
which we let them know we would; whereupon they crept all
together in a huddle close behind us as for protection. I left
my men drawn up together, and, charging them to hurt nobody,
but, if possible, to get at some of our people, and see what
devil it was possessed them, and what they intended to do, and
to command them off; assuring them that if they staid till day-
light they would have a hundred thousand men about their ears:
I say I left them and went among those flying people, taking
only two of our men with me; and there was, indeed, a piteous
spectacle among them. Some of them had their feet terribly
burned with trampling and running through the fire; others
their hands burned; one of the women had fallen down in the
fire, and was very much burned before she could get out again ;
and two or three of the men had cuts in their backs and thighs,
from our men pursuing; and another was shot through the
body, and died while I was there.
I would fain have learned what the occasion of all this was;
but I could not understand one word they said; though, by
signs, I perceived some of them knew not what was the occa-
sion themselves. I was so terrified in my thoughts at this out-
rageous attempt, that I could not stay there, but went back to
my own men, and resolved to go into the middle of the town,
through the fire, or whatever might be in the way, and put an
end to it, cost what it would; accordingly, as I came back to
my men, I told them my resolution, and commanded them to
follow me, when, at the very moment, came four of our men,
with the boatswain at their head, roving over heaps of bodies
they had killed, all covered with blood and dust, as if they
wanted more people to massacre, when our men hallooed to
them as loud as they could halloo; and with much ado one of
them made them hear, so that they knew who we were, and
came up to us.
As soon as the boatswain saw us, he set up a halloo like a
shout of triumph, for having, as he thought, more help come;
and, without waiting to hear me, "Captain," says he, "noble
captain! I am glad you are come: we have not half done yet.
Villanous, hell-hound dogs! I'll kill as many of them as poor
Tom has hairs upon his head: we have sworn to spare none of
them; we'll root out the very nation of them from the earth;"
and thus he ran on, out of breath, too with action and would
not give us leave to speak a word.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
393
At last, raising my voice, that I might silence him a little,
"Barbarous dog!" said I, "what are you doing? I won't have
one creature touched more, upon pain of death: I charge you,
upon your life, to stop your hands, and stand still here, or
you are a dead man this minute." Why, sir," says he, do
you know what you do, or what they have done?
If you
want a reason for what we have done, come hither;" and
with that he showed me the poor fellow hanging, with his
throat cut.
""
66
I confess I was urged then myself, and at another time
would have been forward enough; but I thought they had car-
ried their rage too far, and remembered Jacob's words to his
sons Simeon and Levi: "Cursed be their anger, for it was
fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel." But I had now a new
task upon my hands; for when the men I carried with me saw
the sight, as I had done, I had as much to do to restrain them
as I should have had with the others; nay, my nephew himself
fell in with them, and told me, in their hearing, that he was
only concerned for fear of the men being overpowered; and as
to the people, he thought not one of them ought to live; for
they had all glutted themselves with the murder of the poor
man, and that they ought to be used like murderers. Upon
these words, away ran eight of my men, with the boatswain and
his crew, to complete their bloody work; and I, seeing it quite
out of my power to restrain them, came away pensive and sad ;
for I could not bear the sight, much less the horrible noise and
cries of the poor wretches that fell into their hands.
I got nobody to come back with me but the supercargo and
two men, and with these walked back to the boat. It was a
very great piece of folly in me, I confess, to venture back as it
were alone; for as it began now to be almost day, and the
alarm had run over the country, there stood about forty men
armed with lances and bows, at the little place where the
twelve or thirteen houses stood, mentioned before; but by ac-
cident I missed the place, and came directly to the sea-side;
and by the time I got to the sea-side, it was broad day: im-
mediately I took the pinnace and went on board, and sent her
back to assist the men in what might happen.
I observed, about the time that I came to the boat-side, that
the fire was pretty well out, and the noise abated; but in about
half an hour after I got on board, I heard a volley of our men's
fire-arms, and saw a great smoke: this, as I understood after-
wards, was our men falling upon the men, who as I said, stood
at the few houses on the way, of whom they killed sixteen or
394
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
seventeen, and set all the houses on fire, but did not meddle
with the women or children.
By the time the men got to the shore again with the pinnace,
our men began to appear; they came dropping in, not in two
bodies as they went, but straggling here and there in such a
manner, that a small force of resolute men might have cut them
all off. But the dread of them was upon the whole country;
and the men were surprised, and so frightened, that I believe a
hundred of them would have fled at the sight of but five of our
men; nor in all this terrible action was there a man that made any
considerable defence; they were so surprised between the terror
of the fire and the sudden attack of our men in the dark, that
they knew not which way to turn themselves; for if they fled
one way they were met by one party, if back again, by another:
so that they were everywhere knocked down; nor did any of
our men receive the least hurt, except one that sprained his
foot, and another that had one of his hands burned.
I was very angry with my nephew, the captain, and, indeed,
with all the men, in my mind, but with him in particular, as
well for his acting so out of his duty, as commander of the ship,
and having the charge of the voyage upon him, as in his prompt-
ing, rather than cooling, the rage of his blind men, in so bloody
and cruel an enterprise. My nephew answered nie very re-
spectfully, but told me that when he saw the body of the poor
seaman whom they had murdered in so cruel and barbarous a
manner, he was not master of himself, neither could he govern
his passion; he owned he should not have done so as he was
commander of the ship; but as he was a man, and nature
moved him, he could not bear it. As for the rest of the men,
they were not subject to me at all, and they knew it well enough;
so they took no notice of my dislike.
The next day we set sail; so we never heard any more of it.
Our men differed in the account of the number they had killed;
but according to the best of their accounts, put all together,
they killed or destroyed about one hundred and fifty people,
men, women, and children, and left not a house standing in the
town. As for the poor fellow Tom Jeffry, as he was quite dead
(for his throat was so cut that his head was half off), it would
do him no service to bring him away; so they only took him
down from the tree where he was hanging by one hand.
However just our men thought this action, I was against
them in it, and I always, after that time, told them God would
blast the voyage; for I looked upon all the blood they shed
that night to be murder in them. For though it is true that
•
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
395
they had killed Tom Jeffry, yet Jeffry was the aggressor, had
broken the truce, and had violated a young woman of theirs,
who came down to them innocently, and on the faith of the
public capitulation.
The boatswain defended this quarrel when we were after-
wards on board. He said it was true that we seemed to break
the truce, but really had not; and that the war was begun the
night before by the natives themselves, who had shot at us, and
killed one of our men without any just provocation; so that as
we were in a capacity to fight them now, we might also be in a
capacity to do ourselves justice upon them in an extraordinary
manner; that though the poor man had taken a little liberty.
with the wench, he ought not to have been murdered, and that
in such a villanous manner; and that they did nothing but
what was just, and what the laws of God allowed to be done to
murderers.
One would think this should have been enough to have
warned us against going on shore amongst heathens and bar-
barians; but it is impossible to make mankind wise but at their
own expense, and their experience seems to be always of most
use to them when it is dearest bought.
We were now bound to the Gulf of Persia, and from thence
to the coast of Coromandel, only to touch at Surat; but the
chief of the supercargo's design lay at the Bay of Bengal ;
where, if he missed his business outward-bound, he was to go
up to China, and return to the coast as he came home.
The first disaster that befell us was in the Gulf of Persia,
where five of our men, venturing on shore on the Arabian side of
the gulf, were surrounded by the Arabians, and either all killed
or carried away into slavery; the rest of the boat's crew were
not able to rescue them, and had but just time to get off their
boat. I began to upbraid them with the just retribution of
Heaven in this case; but the boatswain very warmly told me,
he thought I went farther in my censures than I could show any
warrant for in Scripture; and referred to Luke xiii. 4, where
our Saviour intimates that those men on whom the Tower of
Siloam fell were not sinners above all the Galileans; but that
which put me to silence in the case was, that not one of these five
men who were now lost were of those who went on shore to the
massacre of Madagascar ; so I always called it, though our men
could not bear to hear the word massacre with any patience.
But my frequent preaching to them on this subject had
worse consequences than I expected; and the boatswain, who
had been the head of the attempt, came up boldly to me one
396
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
time, and told me he found that I brought that affair continu-
ally upon the stage; that I made unjust reflections upon it,
and had used the men very ill on that account, and himself in
particular; that as I was but a passenger, and had no command
in the ship, or concern in the voyage, they were not obliged to
bear it; that they did not know but I might have some ill de-
sign in my head, and perhaps to call them to an account for it
when they came to England; and that, therefore, unless I would
resolve to have done with it, and also not to concern myself
any further with him, or any of his affairs, he would leave the
ship; for he did not think it safe for me to sail among them.
I heard him patiently enough till he had done, and then
told him that I confessed I had all along opposed the massacre.
of Madagascar, and that I had, on all occasions, spoken my.
mind freely about it, though not more upon him than any of
the rest; that as to having no command in the ship, that was
true; nor did I exercise any authority, only took the liberty of
speaking my mind in things which publicly concerned us all;
and what concern I had in the voyage was none of his business ;
that I was a considerable owner in the ship. In that claim, I
conceived I had a right to speak even further than I had
done, and would not be accountable to him or any one else, and
began to be a little warm with him. He made but little reply
to me at that time, and I thought the affair had been over. We
were at this time in the road at Bengal; and being willing to
see the place; I went on shore with the supercargo, in the ship's
boat, to divert myself; and towards evening was preparing to
go on board, when one of the men came to me, and told me he
would not have me trouble myself to come down to the boat,
as he had orders not to carry me on board any more. Any one
may guess what a surprise I was in at so insolent a message,
and I asked the man, who had bade him deliver that message
to me? He told me the coxswain. I said no more to the fel-
low, but bade him let them know he had delivered his message,
and that I had given him no answer to it.
I immediately went and found out the supercargo, and told
him the story, adding, what I presently foresaw, that there
would be a mutiny in the ship; and entreated him to go immedi-
ately on board the ship in an Indian boat, and acquaint the
captain of it. But I might have spared this intelligence, for
before I had spoken to him on shore, the matter was effected
on board. The boatswain, the gunner, the carpenter, and all
the inferior officers, as soon as I was gone off in the boat. came
up, and desired to speak with the captain; and there the boat
•
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
397
swain, making a long harangue, and repeating all he had said
to me, told the captain in a few words, that as I was now gone
peaceably on shore, they were loath to use any violence with
me, which, if I had not gone on shore, they would otherwise
have done, to oblige me to have gone. They therefore thought
fit to tell him, that as they shipped themselves to serve in the
ship under his command, they would perform it well and faith-
fully; but if I would not quit the ship, or the captain oblige me
to quit it, they would all leave the ship, and sail no farther with
him; and at that word all, he turned his face toward the main-
mast, which was, it seems, the signal agreed on between them,
at which the seamen, being got together there, cried out, “One
and all ! one and all!”
My nephew, the captain, was a man of spirit, and of great
presence of mind; and though he was surprised, you may be
sure, at the thing, yet he told them calmly that he would con-
sider of the matter; but that he could do nothing in it till he
had spoken to me about it. He used some arguments with
them, to show them the unreasonableness and injustice of the
thing: but it was all in vain; they swore, and shook hands
round before his face, that they would all go on shore, unless
he would engage to them not to suffer me to come any more on
board the ship.
This was a hard article upon him, who knew his obligation.
to me, and did not know how I might take it; so he began to
talk smartly to them; told them that I was a very considerable
owner of the ship, and that, in justice, he could not put me out
of my own house; that this was next door to serving me as the
famous pirate Kidd had done, who made a mutiny in the ship,
set the captain on shore on an uninhabited island, and ran
away with the ship; that let them go into what ship they would,
if ever they came to England again, it would cost them very
dear; that the ship was mine, and that he could not put me out
of it; and that he would rather lose the ship, and the voyage
too, than disoblige me so much; so they might do as they
pleased. However, he would go on shore and talk with me,
and invited the boatswain to go with him, and perhaps they
might accommodate the matter with me. But they all rejected
the proposal, and said they would have nothing to do with me
any more; and if I came on board, they would all go on shore.
'66 Well," said the captain, "if you are all of this mind, let me go
on shore and talk with him." So away he came to me with
this account, a little after the message had been brought to me
from the coxswain,
398
ROBINSON CRUSoe.
;
I was very glad to see my nephew, I must confess; for I
was not without apprehensions that they would confine him by
violence, set sail, and run away with the ship; and then I had
been stripped naked in a remote country, having nothing to help
myself; in short, I had been in a worse case than when I was
alone in the island. But they had not come to that length, it
seems, to my satisfaction; and when my nephew told me what
they had said to him, and how they had sworn and shook hands
that they would, one and all, leave the ship, if I was suffered
to come on board, I told him he should not be concerned in it
at all, for I would stay on shore. I only desired he would take
care and send me all my necessary things on shore, and leave
me a sufficient sum of money, and I would find my vay to
England as well as I could.
This was a heavy piece of news to my nephew, but there was
no way to help it but to comply; so, in short, he went on board
the ship again, and satisfied the men that his uncle had yielded
to their importunity, and had sent for his goods from on board
the ship; so that the matter was over in a few hours, the men
returned to their duty, and I began to consider what course I
should steer.
I was now alone in the most remote part of the world, as I
think I may call it, for I was near three thousand leagues by
sea farther off from England, than I was at my island; only, it
is true, I might travel here by land over the Great Mogul's
country to Surat, might go from thence to Bassora by sea, up
the Gulf of Persia, and take the way of the caravans, over the
Desert of Arabia, to Aleppo and Scanderoon; from thence
by sea again to Italy, and so overland into France; and this
put together, might at least be a full diameter of the globe or
more.
I had another way before me, which was to wait for some
English ships, which were coming to Bengal from Achin, on the
Island of Sumatra, and get passage on board them for Eng-
land. But as I came hither without any concern with the East
India Company, so it would be difficult to go from hence with-
out their license, unless with great favor of the captains of the
ships, or the company's factors; and to both I was an utter
stranger.
Here I had the mortification to see the ship set sail without
me; a treatment I think a man in my circumstances scarcely
ever met with, except from pirates running away with a ship,
and setting those that would not agree with their villany on
shore. Indeed, this was the next door to it, both ways; how-
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
399
I
ever, my nephew left me two servants, or rather, one companion
and one servant; the first was clerk to the purser, whom he
engaged to go with me, and the other was his own servant.
took me also a good lodging in the house of an Englishwoman,
where several merchants lodged, some French, two Italians, or
rather Jews, and one Englishman. Here I was handsomely
enough entertained; and that I might not be said to run rashly
upon anything, I staid here above nine months, considering
what course to take, and how to manage myself. I had some
English goods with me of value, and a considerable sum of
money; my nephew furnishing me with a thousand pieces-of-
eight, and a letter of credit for more, if I had occasion, that I
might not be straitened, whatever might happen.
I quickly disposed of my goods to advantage; and, as I
originally intended, I bought here some very good diamonds,
which, of all other things, were the most proper for me in my
present circumstances, because I could always carry my whole
estate about me.
After a long stay here, and many proposals made for my
return to England, but none falling out to my mind, the Eng-
lish merchant who lodged with me, and whom I had contracted
an intimate acquaintance with, came to me one morning.
"Countryman," says he, "I have a project to communicate to
you, which, as it suits with my thoughts, may, for aught I know,
suit with yours also, when you shall have thoroughly considered
it. Here we are posted, you by accident, and I by my own
choice, in a part of the world very remote from our own coun-
try; but it is in a country where, by us, who understand trade
and business, a great deal of money is to be got. If you will
put one thousand pounds to my one thousand pounds, we will
hire a ship here, the first we can get to our minds; you shall
be captain, I'll be merchant, and we'll go a trading voyage to
China ; for what should we stand still for? The whole world
is in motion, rolling round and round; all the creatures of God,
heavenly bodies and earthly, are busy and diligent; why should
we be idle? There are no drones in the world but men; why
should we be of that number?"
I liked this proposal very well; and the more so because
it seemed to be expressed with so much good-will, and in so
friendly a manner. I will not say but that I might, by my
loose, unhinged circumstances, be the fitter to embrace a pro-
posal for trade, or indeed anything else; otherwise, trade was
none of my element. However, I might perhaps say with some
truth, that if trade was not my element, rambling was; and no
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
proposal for seeing any part of the world which I had never
seen before could possibly come amiss to me.
It was, however, some time before we could get a ship to
our minds, and when we had got a vessel, it was not easy to
get English sailors; that is to say, so many as were necessary
to govern the voyage and manage the sailors which we should
pick up there.
After some time we got a mate, a boatswain,
and a gunner, English; a Dutch carpenter, and three foremast
men. With these we found we could do well enough, having
India seamen, such as there were, to make up.
There are so many travellers who have written a history of
their voyages and travels this way, that it would be very little
diversion to anybody to give a long account of the places we
went to, and the people who inhabit there; these things I leave
to others, and refer the reader to those journals and travels of
Englishmen, of which many I find are published, and more
promised every day; it is enough for me to tell you that we
made this voyage to Achin, in the Island of Sumatra, and from
thence to Siam, where we exchanged some of our wares for
opium and some arrack; the first a commodity which bears a
great price among the Chinese, and which, at that time, was
much wanted there. In a word, we went up to Suskan, made
a very great voyage, were eight months out, and returned to
Bengal; and I was very well satisfied with my adventure. I
observe that our people in England often admire how officers,
which the Company send into India, and the merchants which
generally stay there, get such very great estates as they do, and
sometimes come home worth sixty or seventy thousand pounds
at a time; but it is no wonder, or at least we shall see so much
farther into it, when we consider the innumerable ports and
places where they have a free commerce, that it will be none;
and much less it will be so when we consider that at those places
and ports where the English ships come, there is such great and
constant demand for the growth of all other countries, that
there is a certain vent for the returns, as well as a market abroad
for the goods carried out.
In short, we made a very good voyage, and I got so much
money by my first adventure, and such an insight into the
method of getting more, that had I been twenty years younger,
I should have been tempted to have staid here, and sought no
farther for making any fortune; but what was all this to a man
upwards of threescore, that was rich enough, and came abroad
more in obedience to a restless desire of seeing the world than
a covetous desire of gaining by it? And, indeed, I think it is
+
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
401
:
1
7
with great justice I now call it restless desire, for it was so.
When I was at home, I was restless to go abroad; and when I
was abroad, I was restless to be at home. I say, what was this
gain to me? I was rich enough already, nor had I any uneasy
desires about getting more money; and therefore the profit of
the voyage to me was of no great force for the prompting me
forward to further undertakings: hence, I thought that by this
voyage I had made no progress at all, because I was come back,
as I might call it, to the place from whence I came, as to a
home; whereas, my eye, like that which Solomon speaks of,
was never satisfied with seeing. I was come into a part of the
world which I was never in before, and that part, in particular,
which I had heard much of, and was resolved to see as much
of it as I could: and then I thought I might say I had seen
all the world that was worth seeing.
But my fellow-traveller and I had different notions: I do
not name this to insist on my own, for I acknowledge his were
the most just, and the more suited to the end of a merchant's
life; who, when he is abroad upon adventures, is wise to stick
to that, as the best thing for him, which he is likely to get the
most money by. My new friend kept himself to the nature of
the thing, and would have been content to have gone like a
carrier's horse, always to the same inn, backward and forward,
provided he could, as he called it, find his account in it. On
the other hand, mine was the motion of a mad, rambling boy,
that never cares to see a thing twice over. But this was not
all: I had a kind of impatience upon me to be nearer home,
and yet the most unsettled resolution imaginable which way to
go. In the interval of these consultations, my friend, who was
always upon the search for business, proposed another voyage
to me among the Spice Islands, and to bring home a loading
of cloves from the Manillas, or thereabouts; places, indeed,
where the Dutch trade, but islands belonging partly to the
Spaniards; though we went not so far, but to some other, where
they have not the whole power, as they have at Batavia, Cey-
lon, &c.
We were not long in preparing for this voyage; the chief
difficulty was in bringing me to come into it: however, at last,
nothing else offering, and finding that really stirring about and
trading, the profit being so great, and, as I may say, certain, had
more pleasure in it, and had more satisfaction to my mind, than
sitting still, which, to me especially, was the unhappiest part of
life, I resolved on this voyage too, which we made very suc-
cessfully, touching at Borneo, and several islands whose names
402
ROBINSON CRUusoe.
I do not remember, and came home in about five months. We
sold our spice, which was chiefly cloves and nutmegs, to the
Persian merchants, who carried them away to the gulf; and
making near five of one, we really got a great deal of money.
My friend, when he made up this account, smiled at me.
"Well, now," said he, with a sort of agreeable insult upon my
indolent temper, "is not this better than walking about here,
like a man with nothing to do, and spending our time in staring
at the nonsense and ignorance of the Pagans?" "Why, truly,"
says I, "my friend, I think it is, and I begin to be a convert to
the principles of merchandising; but I must tell you," said I,
"by the way, you do not know what I am doing; for if I once
conquer my backwardness, and embark heartily, as old as I am,
I shall harass you up and down the world till I tire you; for I
shall pursue it so eagerly, I shall never let you lie still."
But, to be short with my speculations, a little while after
this there came in a Dutch ship from Batavia; she was a
coaster, not a European trader, of about two hundred tons
burden; the men, as they pretended, having been so sickly
that the captain had not hands enough to go to sea with, he lay
by at Bengal; and having, it seems, got money enough, or be-
ing willing, for other reasons, to go for Europe, he gave public
notice he would sell his ship. This came to my ears before my
new partner heard of it, and I had a great mind to buy it ; so I
went to him and told him of it. He considered awhile, for he
was no rash man neither; but musing some time, he replied,
"She is a little too big; but, however, we will have her." Ac-
cordingly, we bought the ship, and agreeing with the master,
we paid for her, and took possession. When we had done so,
we resolved to engage the men, if we could, to join with those
we had, for the pursuing our business; but, on a sudden, they
having received not their wages, but their share of the money,
as we afterwards learned, not one of them was to be found: we
inquired much about them, and at length were told that they
were all gone together by land to Agra, the great city of the
Mogul's residence, and from thence to travel to Surat, and go
by the sea to the Gulf of Persia.
Nothing had so much troubled me a good while as that I
should miss the opportunity of going with them; for such a
ramble, I thought, and in such company as would both have
guarded and diverted me, would have suited mightily with my
great design; and I should have both seen the world, and gone
homeward too, but I was much better satisfied a few days after,
when I came to know what sort of fellows they were; for, in
ROBÍNSÓN CRÜSOÉ.
403
short, their history was, that this man they called captain was
the gunner only, not the commander; that they had been a
trading voyage, in which they had been attacked on shore by
some of the Malays, who had killed the captain and three of
his men; and that, after the captain was killed, these men,
eleven in number, had resolved to run away with the ship, which.
they did, and brought her to Bengal, leaving the mate and five
men more on shore.
Well, let them get the ship how they would, we came honestly
by her, as we thought, though we did not, I confess, examine
into things so exactly as we ought; for we never inquired any-
thing of the seamen, who would certainly have faltered in their
account, contradicted one another, and perhaps contradicted
themselves; somehow or other we should have had reason to
have suspected them; but the man showed us a bill of sale for
the ship, to one Emanuel Clostershoven, or some such name,
for I suppose it was all a forgery, and called himself by that
name, and we could not contradict him and withal, having no
suspicion of the thing, we went through with our bargain.
:
We picked up some more English sailors here after this,
and some Dutch; and now we resolved on a second voyage to
the south-east for cloves, &c. ; that is to say, among the Philip-
pine and Molucca Isles; and, in short, not to fill up this part
´of my story with trifles, when what is to come is so remarkable,
I spent, from first to last, six years in this country, trading
from port to port, backward and forward, and with good suc-
cess, and was now the last year with my new partner, going in
the ship above mentioned, on a voyage to China, but designing
first to go to Siam, to buy rice.
In this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to beat up
and down a great while in the Straits of Malacca, and among
the islands, we were no sooner got clear of those difficult seas,
than we found our ship had sprung a leak, and we were not
able, by all our industry, to find out where it was. This forced
us to make some port; and my partner, who knew the country
better than I did, directed the captain to put into the River of
Cambodia ; for I had made the English mate, one Mr. Thomp-
son, captain, not being willing to take the charge of the ship
upon myself. This river lies on the north side of the great bay
or gulf which goes up to Siam. While we were here, and going
often on shore for refreshment, there comes to me one day an
Englishman; and he was, it seems, a gunner's mate on board
an English East India ship, which rode in the same river, at or
near the city of Cambodia. What brought him hither we knew
404
ROBINSON CRUSOÊ.
not; but he comes to me, and, speaking English, "Sir," says
he, "you are a stranger to me, and I to you; but I have some
thing to tell you that very nearly concerns you."
(6
I look steadfastly at him a good while, and thought at first.
I had known him; but I did not. "If it very nearly concerns
me,” said I, "and not yourself, what moves you to tell it to me?”
"I am moved," says he, "by the imminent danger you are in,
and, for aught I see, you have no knowledge of it." "I know
no danger I am in," says I, "but that my ship is leaky, and I
cannot find it out; but I intend to lay her aground to-morrow,
to see if I can find it." "(
But, sir," says he, "leaky or not
leaky, find it or not find it, you will be wiser than to lay your
ship on shore to-morrow, when you hear what I have to say to
you. Do you know, sir," said he, "the town of Cambodia lies
about fifteen leagues up this river; and there are two large
English ships about five leagues on this side, and three Dutch?"
“Well,” said I, "and what is that to me?" 'Why, sir," said
he, "is it for a man that is upon such adventures as you are, to
come into a port, and not examine first what ships there are
there, and whether he is able to deal with them? I suppose
you do not think you are a match for them?" I was amused
very much at his discourse, but not amazed at, it, for I could
not conceive what he meant ; and I turned short upon him, and
said, "Sir, I wish you would explain yourself; I cannot imagine
what reason I have to be afraid of any of the Company's ships,
or Dutch ships. I am no interloper. What can they have to
say to me?" He looked like a man half angry and half pleased,
and pausing awhile, but smiling, "Well,
Well, sir," says he, “if you
think yourself secure, you must take your chance; I am sorry
your fate should blind you against good advice; but assure
yourself, if you do not put to sea immediately, you will the
very next tide be attacked by five long-boats full of men,
and perhaps, if you are taken, you will be hanged for a
pirate, and the particulars be examined afterwards. I
thought, sir," added he, "I should have met with a better
reception than this, for doing you a piece of service of such
importance." "I can never be ungrateful," said I, “for
any service, or to any man that offers me any kindness; but it
is past my comprehension what they should have such a design
upon me for; however, since you say there is no time to be lost,
and that there is some villanous design on hand against me, I
will go on board this minute, and put to sea immediately, if my
men can stop the leak, or if we can swim without stopping it;
but, sir," said I, "shall I go away ignorant of the cause of all
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
405
:
""
this? Can you give me no further light into it? "I can tell
you but part of the story, sir," says he ; "but I have a Dutch
seaman here with me, and I believe I could persuade him to tell
you the rest; but there is scarce time for it; but the short of
the story is this, the first part of which I suppose you know
well enough, that you were with this ship at Sumatra ; that there
your captain was murdered by the Malays, with three of his
men; and that you, or some of those that were on board with
you, ran away with the ship, and are since turned pirates. This
is the sum of the story, and you will all be seized as pirates, I
can assure you, and executed with very little ceremony; for you
know merchant ships show but little law to pirates, if they get
them into their power." "Now you speak plain English,” said .
I," and I thank you; and though I know nothing that we have
done like what you talk of,-for I am sure we came honestly
- and fairly by the ship,-yet seeing such a work is doing, as you
say, and that you seem to mean honestly, I will be upon my
guard." "Nay, sir," says he, "do not talk of being upon your
guard; the best defence is, to be out of the danger. If you
have any regard for your life, and the lives of all your men, put
to sea without fail at high water; and as you have a whole tide
before you, you will be gone too far out before they can come
down; for they will come away at high water, and as they have
twenty miles to come, you will get near two hours of them by
the difference of the tide, not reckoning the length of the way;
besides, as they are only boats, and not ships, they will not
venture to follow you far out to sea, especially if it blows."
"Well," said I, "you have been very kind in this: what shall
I do for you to make you amends?" 'Sir," says he, “you
may not be willing to make me any amends, because you may
not be convinced of the truth of it. I will make an offer to
you: I have nineteen months' pay due to me on board the ship
which I came out of England in; and the Dutchman that
is with me has seven months' pay due to him. If you will make
good our pay to us, we will go along with you; if you find noth-
ing more in it, we will desire no more; but if we do convince
you that we have saved your lives, and the ship, and the lives
of all the men in her, we will leave the rest to you."
(C
I consented to this readily, and went immediately on board,
and the two men with me. As soon as I came to the ship's
side, my partner, who was on board, came out on the quarter-
deck, and called to me, with a great deal of joy, “O ho! O ho!
we have stopped the leak we have stopped the leak!"
"Say you so?" said I; "thank God but weigh anchor, then,
406
ROBINSON CRUSOE
""
says I; "by what?
66
(4
immediately," "Weigh!" says he; "what do you mean by
that? What is the matter?" "Ask no questions," said I;
"but all hands to work, and weigh without losing a minute."
He was surprised; but, however, he called the captain, and he
immediately ordered the anchor to be got up; and though the
tide was not quite down, yet a little land breeze blowing, we
stood out to sea. Then I called him into the cabin, and told
him the story; and we called in the men, and they told us the
rest of it; but as it took up a great deal of time, before we had
done, a seaman comes to the cabin door, and called out to us
that the captain bade him tell us we were chased. "Chased,"
"By five sloops, or boats," says the fel-
low, full of men." 'Very well," said I, "then it is apparent
there is something in it." In the next place, I ordered all our
men to be called up, and told them there was a design to seize
the ship, and to take us for pirates, and asked them if they
would stand by us, and by one another; the men answered
cheerfully, one and all, that they would live and die with us.
Then I asked the captain what way he thought best for us to,
manage a fight with them; for resist them I was resolved we
would, and that to the last drop. He said readily, that the way
was to keep them off with our great shot as long as we could,
and then to fire at them with our small-arms, to keep them from
boarding us: but when neither of these would do any longer,
we would retire to our close quarters; perhaps they had
not materials to break open our bulkheads, or get in upon us.
The gunner had, in the mean time, orders to bring two guns
to bear fore and aft, out of the steerage, to clear the deck, and
load them with musket bullets and small pieces of old iron,
and what came next to hand; and thus we made ready for
fight but all this while we kept out to sea, with wind enough,
and could see the boats at a distance, being five large long-
boats, following us with all the sail they could make.
Two of those boats (which by our glasses we could see were
English) outsailed the rest, were near two leagues ahead of
them, and gained upon us considerably, so that we found they
would come up with us; upon which we fired a gun without
ball, to intimate that they should bring to: and we put out a
flag of truce, as a signal for parley: but they came crowding
after us, till they came within shot, when we took in our white
flag, they having made no answer to it, and hung out a red flag,
and fired at them with a shot. Notwithstanding this, they came
on till they were near enough to call to them with a speaking-
trumpet which we had on board; so we called to them. and
bade them keep off at their peril.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
407
$
It was all one, they crowded after us, and endeavored to
come under our stern, so as to board us on our quarter; upon
which, seeing they were resolute for mischief, and depended
upon the strength that followed them, I ordered to bring the
ship to, so that they lay upon our broadside; when immediately
we fired five guns at them, one of which had been levelled so
true as to carry away the stern of the hindermost boat, and
bring them to the necessity of taking down their sail, and run-
ning all to the head of the boat, to keep her from sinking, so
she lay by, and had enough of it; but seeing the foremost boat
crowd on after us, we made ready to fire at her in particular.
While this was doing, one of the three boats that was behind,
being forwarder than the other two, made up to the boat which
we had disabled, to relieve her, and we could see her take out
the men; we called again to the foremost boat, and offered a
truce, to parley again, and to know what her business was with
us; but had no answer, only she crowded close under our stern.
Upon this, our gunner, who was a very dexterous fellow, ran out
his two chase-guns, and fired again at her; but the shot missing,
the men in the boat shouted, waved their caps, and came on;
but the gunner, getting quickly ready again, fired among them
a second time, one shot of which, though it missed the boat it-
self, yet fell in among the men, and we could easily see had
done a great deal of mischief among them; but we took no
notice of that, wore the ship again, and brought our quarter to
bear upon them, and firing three guns more, we found the boat
was almost split to pieces; in particular, her rudder and a piece
of her stern were shot quite away; so they handed her sail
immediately, and were in great disorder. But, to complete their
misfortune, our gunner let fly two guns at them again; where
he hit them we could not tell, but we found the boat was sink-
ing, and some of the men already in the water: upon this, I
immediately manned out our pinnace, which we kept close by
our side, with orders to pick up some of the men, if they could,
and save them from drowning, and immediately come on board
ship with them, because we saw the rest of the boats began to
come up. Our men in the pinnace followed their orders, and
took up three men, one of whom was just drowning, and it was
a good while before we could recover him. As soon as they
were on board, we crowded all the sail we could make, and
stood farther out to sea; and we found that when the other
three boats came up to the first, they gave over their chase.
from a danger which, though I knew
seemed to be much greater than Î
Being thus delivered
not the reason of it, yet
408
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
apprehended, I resolved that we should change our course,
and not let any one know whither we were going: so we stood
out to sea eastward, quite out of the course of all European
ships, whether they were bound to China or anywhere else,
within the commerce of the European nations.
When we were at sea, we began to consult with the two sea-
men, and inquire what the meaning of all this should be; and
the Dutchman let us into the secret at once, telling us that the
fellow that sold us the ship, as we said, was no more than a
thief that had run away with her. Then he told us that the
captain, whose name too he told us, though I do not remember
it now, was treacherously murdered by the natives on the coast
of Malacca, with three of his men,-and that he, this Dutch-
man, and four more, got into the woods, where they wandered
about a great while, till at length he, in particular, in a miracu-
lous manner, made his escape, and swam off to a Dutch ship,
which, sailing near the shore in its way from China, had sent
their boat on shore for fresh water,-that he durst not come to
that part of the shore where the boat was, but made a shift in
the night to take the water farther off, and, swimming a great
while, at last the ship's boat took him up.
He then told us that he went to Batavia, where two of the
seamen belonging to the ship arrived, having deserted the rest.
in their travels, and gave an account that the fellow who had
run away with the ship sold her at Bengal to a set of pirates,
who were gone a-cruising in her, and that they had already
taken an English ship and two Dutch ships very richly laden.
This latter part we found to concern us directly, though we
knew it to be false; yet, as my partner said very justly, if we
had fallen into their hands, and they had had such a prepos-
session against us beforehand, it had been in vain for us to de-
fend ourselves, or to hope for any good quarter at their hands,
-and especially, considering that our accusers had been our
judges, and that we could have expected nothing from them
but what rage would have dictated, and an ungoverned passion
have executed; and therefore it was his opinion we should go
directly back to Bengal, from whence we came, without putting
in at any port whatever, because there we could give a good
account of ourselves, could prove where we were when the ship
put in, of whom we bought her, and the like; and, what was
more than all the rest, if we were put upon the necessity of
bringing it before the proper judges, we should be sure to have
some justice and not to be hanged first, and judged after
wards,
ROBINSON CRUsoe.
409
"1
I was some time of my partner's opinion; but after a little
more serious thinking, I told him I thought it was a very great
hazard for us to attempt returning to Bengal, for that we were
on the wrong side of the Straits of Malacca, and that if the
alarm was given, we should be sure to be waylaid on every
side, as well by the Dutch at Batavia as the English else-
where; that if we should be taken, as it were running away, we
shou en condemn ourselves, and there would want no more
evidence to destroy us. I also asked the English sailor's opin-
ion, who said he was of my mind, and that we should certainly
be taken. This danger a little startled my partner, and all the
ship's company, and we at once resolved to go away to the coast
of Tonquin, and so on to the coast of China, and, pursuing the
first design as to trade, find some way or other to dispose of the
ship, and come back in some of the vessels of the country,such as
we could get. This was approved of as the best method for our
security; and accordingly we steered away N. N. E., keeping
above fifty leagues off from the usual course to the eastward.
This, however, put us to some inconvenience,-for, first, the
winds, when we came that distance from the shore, seemed to
be more steadily against us, blowing almost trade, as we call it,
from the E. and E. N. E., so that we were a long while upon
our voyage, and we were but ill provided with victuals for so
long a run,-and what was still worse, there was some danger
that those English and Dutch ships, whose boats pursued us,
whereof some were bound that way, might have got in before
us, and if not, some other ship bound to China might have in-
formation of us from them, and pursue us with the same vigor.
I must confess I was now very uneasy, and thought myself,
including the late escape from the long-boats, to have been in
the most dangerous condition that ever I was in through my
past life; for whatever il circumstances I had been in, I was
never pursued for a thief before; nor had I ever done anything
that merited the name of dishonest or fraudulent, much less
thievish; I had chiefly been my own enemy, or, as I may
rightly say, I had been nobody's enemy but my own; but now I
was embarrassed in the worst condition imaginable; for though
I was perfectly innocent, I was in no condition to make that
innocence appear; and if I had been taken, it had been under
a supposed guilt of the worst kind. This made me very anx-
ious to make an escape, though which way to do it I knew not,
or what port or place we could go to. My partner, seeing me
thus dejected, though he was the most concerned at first, began
to encourage me, and describing to me the several ports of that
✔
410
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
:
coast, told me he would put in on the coast of Cochin China, or
the bay of Tonquin, intending afterwards to go to Macao,
a town once in possession of the Portuguese, and where still a
great many European families resided-and particularly the
missionary priests usually went thither in order to their going
forward to China.
Hither then we resolved to go; and, accordingly, though
after a tedious and irregular course, and very much straitened
for provisions, we came within sight of the coast very early in
the morning; and upon reflection on the past circumstances we
were in, and the danger if we had not escaped, we resolved to put
into a small river, which, however, had depth enough of water
for us, and to see if we could, either over land or by the ship's
pinnace, come to know what ships were in any port thereabouts.
This happy step was, indeed, our deliverance; for though we
did not immediately see any European ships in the Bay of Ton-
quin, yet the next morning there came into the bay two Dutch
ships; and a third, without any colors spread out, but which
we believed to be a Dutchman, passed by at about two leagues'
distance, steering for the coast of China, and in the afternoon
went by two English ships steering the same course; and thus
we thought we saw ourselves beset with enemies both one way
and the other. The place we were in was wild and barbarous-
the people thieves,even by occupation or profession; and though,
it is true, we had not much to seek of them, and, except getting
a few provisions, cared not how little we had to do with them,
yet it was with much difficulty that we kept ourselves from being
insulted by them several ways. We were in a small river of this
country within a few leagues of its utmost limits northward; and
by our boat we coasted north-east, to the point of land which
opens the great Bay of Tonquin; and it was in this beating up
along shore that we discovered that we were surrounded with
enemies. The people we were among were the most barbarous
of all the inhabitants of the coast, having no correspondence with
any other nation, and dealing only in fish and oil, and such gross
commodities; and it may be particularly seen that they are the
most barbarous of any of the inhabitants. Among other cus-
toms, they have this one,-that if any vessel has the misfortune
to be shipwrecked upon their coast, they presently make the
men all prisoners or slaves; and it was not long before we
found a piece of their kindness this way, on the occasion fol-
lowing.
Categ
I have observed above, that our ship sprung a leak at sea,
and that we could not find it out; and it happened that, as I
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
411
have said, it was stopped unexpectedly, in the happy minute of
our being to be seized by the Dutch and English ships in the
Bay of Siam; yet, as we did not find the ship so perfectly tight
and sound as we desired, we resolved, while we were at this
place, to lay her on shore, and take out what heavy things we
had on board, and clean her bottom, and, if possible, to find
out where the leaks were. Accordingly, having lightened the
ship, and brought all our guns and other movables to one side,
we tried to bring her down, that we might come at her bottom;
but, on second thoughts, we did not care to lay her on dry
ground, neither could we find out a proper place for it.
The inhabitants, who had never been acquainted with such
a sight, came wondering down to the shore to look at us; and
seeing the ship lie down on one side in such a manner, and
heeling in towards the shore, and not seeing our men, who
were at work on her bottom with stages, and with their boats
on the off-side, they presently concluded that the ship was cast
away, and lay fast on the ground. On this supposition, they
all came about us, in two or three hours' time, with ten or
twelve large boats, having some of them eight, some of them
ten men in a boat, intending, no doubt, to have come on board
and plundered the ship, and if they found us there, to have
carried us away for slaves to their king, or whatever they call
him, for we knew nothing of their governor.
When they came up to the ship, and began to row round her,
they discovered us all hard at work on the outside of the ship's
bottom and side, washing, and graving, and stopping, as every
seafaring man knows how. They stood for a while gazing at
us, and we, who were a little surprised, could not imagine what
their design was; but being willing to be sure, we took this
opportunity to get some of us into the ship, and others to hand
down arms and ammunition to those that were at work, to de-
fend themselves with, if there should be occasion; and it was
no more than need,-for in less than a quarter of an hour's
consultation, they agreed, it seems, that the ship was really a
wreck, and that we were all at work endeavoring to save her,
or to save our lives by the help of our boats; and when we
handed our arms into the boat, they concluded, by that motion,
that we were endeavoring to save some of our goods: upon
this, they took it for granted we all belonged to them; and
away they came directly upon our men, as if it had been in a
line-of-battle.
Our men, seeing so many of them, began to be frightened,
for we lay but in an ill posture to fight, and cried out to us to
412
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
+
know what they should do. I immediately called to the men
that worked upon the stages, to slip them down, and get up the
side into the ship, and bade those in the boat to row round and
come on board; and the few who were on board worked with
all the strength and hands we had to bring the ship to rights;
but, however, neither the men upon the stages nor those in the
boats could do as they were ordered, before the Cochin Chinese
were upon them; and two of their boats boarded our long-boat,
and began to lay hold of our men as their prisoners.
The first man they laid hold of was an English seaman, a
stout, strong fellow, who, having a musket in his hand, never
offered to fire it, but laid it down in the boat, like a fool, as I
thought; but he understood his business better than I could
teach him, for he grappled the Pagan, and dragged him by
main force out of their boat into ours, where, taking him by
the ears, he beat his head so against the boat's gunnel, that the
fellow died in his hands; and, in the mean time, a Dutchman,
who stood next, took up the musket, and with the butt-end of
it so laid about him, that he knocked down five of them who
attempted to enter the boat. But this was doing little towards
resisting thirty or forty men, who, fearless because ignorant of
their danger, began to throw themselves into the long-boat,
where we had but five men in all to defend it; but the follow-
ing accident, which deserved our laughter, gave our men a com-
plete victory.
Our carpenter being prepared to grave the outside of the
ship, as well as to pay the seams where he had calked her to
stop the leaks, had got two kettles just let down into the boat,
one filled with boiling pitch, and the other with rosin, tallow,
oil, and such stuff as the shipwrights use for that work; and
the man that attended the carpenter had a great iron ladle in
his hand, with which he supplied the men that were at work
with the hot stuff. Two of the enemy's men entered the boat
just where this fellow stood, being in the fore-sheets; he imme-
diately saluted them with a ladleful of the stuff, boiling hot,
which so burned and scalded them, being half-naked, that they
roared out like bulls, and, enraged with the fire, leaped both
into the sea. The carpenter saw it, and cried out, "Well done,
Jack! give them some more of it;" and stepping forward him-
self, takes one of the mops, and dipping it in the pitch-pot, he
and his man threw it among them so plentifully, that, in short,
of all the men in the three boats, there was not one that es-
caped being scalded and burned with it, in a most frightful,
pitiful manner, and made such a howling and crying, that I
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
413
never heard a worse noise; for it is worth observing, that
though pain naturally makes all people call out, yet every na-
tion has a particular way of exclamation, and makes a noise as
different one from another as their speech. I cannot give the
noise these creatures made a better name than howling, nor a
name more proper to the tone of it; for I never heard any-
thing more like the noise of the wolves, which, as I have said,
I heard howl in the forest on the frontiers of Languedoc.
I was never better pleased with a victory in my life; not
only as it was a perfect surprise to me, and that our danger was
imminent before, but as we got this victory without any blood-
shed, except of that man the fellow killed with his naked
hands, and which I was very much concerned at; for I was
sick of killing such poor savage wretches, even though it was
in my own defence, knowing they came on errands which they
thought just, and knew no better; and that, though it may be
a just thing, because necessary (for there is no necessary wick-
edness in nature), yet I thought it was a sad life, when we
must be always obliged to be killing our fellow-creatures to
preserve ourselves; and, indeed, I think so still; and I would
even now suffer a great deal, rather than I would take away the
life even of the worst person injuring me; and I believe all
considering people, who know the value of life, would be of my
opinion if they entered seriously into the consideration of it.
But to return to my story: - All the while this was
doing, my partner and I, who managed the rest of the men
on board, had with great dexterity brought the ship almost
to rights, and having got the guns into their places again,
the gunner called to me to bid our boat get out of the way,
for he would let fly among them.
I called back again to
him, and bade him not offer to fire, for the carpenter would
do the work without him; but bid him heat another pitch-kettle,
which our cook, who was on board, took care of; but the enemy
was so terrified with what they had met with in their first attack,
that they would not come on again; and some of them, who
were farthest off, seeing the ship swim, as it were, upright,
began, as we suppose, to see their mistake, and gave over
the enterprise, finding it was not as they expected. Thus we
got clear of this merry fight; and having got some rice, and
some roots and bread, with about sixteen hogs, on board, two
days before, we resolved to stay here no longer, but go forward,
whatever came of it; for we made no doubt but we should be
surrounded the next day with rogues enough, perhaps more
than our pitch-kettle would dispose of for us. We therefore
*
A
414
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
got all our things on board the same evening, and the next
morning were ready to sail : in the mean time, lying at anchor
at some distance from the shore, we were not so much con-
cerned, being now in a fighting posture, as well as in a sailing
posture, if any enemy had presented. The next day, having
finished our work within board, and finding our ship was per-
fectly healed of all her leaks, we set sail. We would have gone
into the Bay of Tonquin, for we wanted to inform ourselves of
what was to be known concerning the Dutch ships that had been
there; but we durst not stand in there, because we had seen
several ships go in, as we supposed, but a little before; so we
kept on N. E.. towards the island of Formosa, as much afraid
of being seen by a Dutch or English merchant ship, as a Dutch
or English merchant ship in the Mediterranean is of an Algerine
man-of-war.
When we were thus got to sea, we kept on N. E., as if we
would go to the Manillas or the Philippine Islands; and this
we did that we might not fall into the way of any of the Euro-
pean ships; and then we steered north, till we came to the
latitude of 22 degrees 30 minutes, by which means we made the
Island of Formosa directly, where we came to an anchor, in
order to get water and fresh provisions, which the people there,
who are very courteous and civil in their manners, supplied us
with willingly, and dealt very fairly and punctually with us in
all their agreements and bargains; which is what we did not
find among other people, and may be owing to the remains of
Christianity which was once planted here by a Dutch mission-
ary of Protestants, and is a testimony of what I have often ob-
served, viz.: that the Christian religion always civilizes the
people and reforms their manners, where it is received, whether
it works saving effects upon them or no.
From thence we sailed still north, keeping the coast of China
at an equal distance, till we knew we were beyond all the ports
of China where our European ships usually come; being re-
solved, if possible, not to fall into any of their hands, especially
in this country; where, as our circumstances were, we could
not fail of being entirely ruined.
Being now come to the latitude of 30 degrees, we resolved to
put into the first trading port we should come at; and standing
in for the shore, a boat came off two leagues to us with an old
Portuguese pilot on board, who, knowing us to be a European
ship, came to offer his service, which, indeed, we were glad of,
and took him on board; upon which, without asking us whither
we would go, he dismissed the boat he came in, and sent it back.
+
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
415
耆
​I thought it was now so much in our choice to make the old
man carry us whither we would, that I began to talk to him
about carrying us to the Gulf of Nanquin, which is the most
northern part of the coast of China. The old man said he knew
the Gulf of Nanquin very well; but smiling, asked us what we
would do there? I told him we would sell our cargo and pur-
chase China wares, calicoes, raw silks, tea, wrought silks, &c. ;
and so would return by the same course we came. He told us
our best port would have been to put in at Macao, where we
could not have failed of a market for our opium to our satisfac-
tion, and might for our money have purchased all sorts of China
goods as cheap as we could at Nanquin.
(6
Not being able to put the old man out of his talk, of which
he was very opinionated or conceited, I told him we were
gentlemen as well as merchants, and that we had a mind to go
and see the great city of Pekin, and the famous court of the
monarch of China. Why, then," says the old man, “you
should go to Ningpo, where, by the river which runs into the
sea there, you may go up within five leagues of the great canal.
This canal is a navigable stream, which goes through the heart
of that vast empire of China, crosses all the rivers, passes some
considerable hills by the help of sluices and gates, and goes up
to the city of Pekin, being in length near two hundred and
seventy leagues."
"Well," said I, "Seignior Portuguese, but that is not our
business now; the great question is, if you can carry us up to
the city of Nanquin, from whence we can travel to Pekin after-
wards?" He said he could do so very well, and that there
was a great Dutch ship gone up that way just before. This
gave me a little shock, for a Dutch ship was now our terror,
and we would have much rather have met the devil, at least
if he had not come in too frightful a figure; and we de-
pended upon it that a Dutch ship would be our destruc-
tion, for we were in no condition to fight them; all the ships
they trade with into those parts being of great burden, and of
much greater force than we were.
“Sir,
(6
The old man found me a little confused, and under some
concern, when he named a Dutch ship, and said to me,
you need be under no apprehensions of the Dutch; I suppose
they are not now at war with your nation ? ” No," said
I, "that's true; but I know not what liberties men may take
when they are out of the reach of the laws of their own country."
Why," says he, “you are no pirates; what need you fear?
They will not meddle with peaceable merchants, sure.
16
"}
C
416
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
If I had any blood in my body that did not fly up into my
face at that word, it was hindered by some stop in the vessels
appointed by nature to circulate it, for it put me into the
greatest disorder and confusion imaginable; nor was it pos-
sible for me to conceal it so; but the old man easily per-
ceived it.
"L
(6
Sir," says he, "I find you are in some disorder in your
thoughts at my talk; pray be pleased to go which way you
think fit, and depend upon it, I'll do you all the service I can."
'Why, seignior," said I, "it is true I am a little unsettled in
my resolution, at this time, whither to go in particular; and I
am something more so for what you said about pirates. I hope
there are no pirates in these seas. We are but in ill condi-
tion to meet with them, for you see we have but a small force,
and are but very weakly manned." "O, sir," says he, "don't be
concerned; I do not know that there have been any pirates in
these seas these fifteen years, except one, which was seen, as I
hear, in the Bay of Siam, about a month since; but you may
be assured she has gone to the southward; nor was she a ship
of any great force, or fit for the work. She was not built for a
privateer, but was run away with by a reprobate crew that was
on board, after the captain and some of his men had been mur-
dered by the Malayans, at or near the Island of Sumatra."
"What," said I, seeming to know nothing of the matter, “did
they murder the captain?" "No," said he, "I don't understand
that they murdered him; but, as they afterwards ran away with
the ship, it is generally believed that they betrayed him into the
hands of the Malayans, who did murder him, and perhaps they
procured them to do it.' "Why, then," said I, "they deserve
death as much as if they had done it themselves.' Nay,”
says the old man, "they do deserve it; and they will certainly
have it, if they light upon any English or Dutch ship; for they
have all agreed together, that if they meet that rogue, they'll
give him no quarter." But," said I to him, "you say the
pirate is gone out of these seas: how can they meet with him.
then?" (6
Why, that's true," says he, "they do say so ; but he
was, as I tell you, in the Bay of Siam, in the River Cambodia,
and was discovered there by some Dutchmen who belonged to
the ship, and who were left on shore when they ran away with
her; and some English and Dutch traders being in the river,
they were within a little of taking him; nay," said he, "if the
foremost boats had been well seconded by the rest, they had
certainly taken him ; but he, finding only two boats within reach
of him, tacked about, and fired at those two, and disabled them
?"
(6
(6
ry
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
417
before the others came up, and then standing off to sea, the
others were not able to follow, and so he got away; but they
have all so exact a description of the ship, that they will be sure
to know her; and wherever they find her, they have vowed to
give no quarter either to the captain or seamen, but to hang
them all up at the yardarm." "What!" said. I,
"will they
execute them, right or wrong; hang them first, and judge them
afterwards?" "O, sir," says the old pilot, "there is no need to
make a formal business of it with such rogues as those; let
them tie them back to back, and set them a diving—'tis no more
than they deserve."
I knew I had my old man fast on board, and that he could
do no harm, so that I turned short upon him. "Well, now,
seignior," said I, "this is the very reason why I would have you
carry us up to Nanquin, and not put back to Macao, or to any
other part of the country where the English or Dutch ships
come; for be it known to you, seignior, those captains of the
English and Dutch ships are a parcel of rash, proud, insolent
fellows, that neither know what belongs to justice, nor how to
behave themselves as the laws of God and nature direct; but
being proud of their offices, and not understanding their power,
they would act the murderers to punish robbers; would take
upon them to insult men falsely accused, and determine them
guilty without due inquiry; and perhaps I may live to bring
some of them to account for it, when they may be taught how
justice is to be executed; and that no man ought to be treated
as a criminal till some evidence may be had of the crime, and
that he is the man."
With this I told him that this was the very ship they at-
tacked, and gave him a full account of the skirmish we had with
their boats, and how foolishly and cowardly they behaved. I
told him all the story of our buying the ship, and how the
Dutchmen served us. I told him the reasons I had to believe
the story of killing the master by the Malayans was true, as also
the running away with the ship; but it was all a fiction of their
own to suggest that the men had turned pirates, and they ought
to have been sure it was so before they ventured to attack us
by surprise, and oblige us to resist them; adding that they would
have the blood of those men whom we killed there in just
defence to answer for.
The old man was amazed at this relation, and told us we
were very much in the right to go away to the north; and that
if he might advise us, it should be to sell the ship in China,
which we might very well de, and buy or build another in the
418
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
country. "And," said he, "though you will not get so good a
ship, yet you may get one able enough to carry you and all your
goods back again to Bengal, or anywhere else." I told him I
would take his advice when I came to any port where I could
find a ship for my turn, or get any customer to buy this. He
replied I should meet with customers enough for the ship at
Nanquin, and that a Chinese junk would serve me very well to
go back again; and that he would procure me people both to
buy one and sell the other. "Well, but, seignior," said I, “as
you say they know the ship so well, I may, perhaps, if I follow
your measures, be instrumental to bring some honest, innocent
men into a terrible broil, and perhaps to be murdered in cold
blood; for wherever they find the ship they will prove the guilt
upon the men, by proving this was the ship; and so innocent
men may probably be overpowered and murdered." "Why,"
says the old man, “I'll find out a way to prevent that also ; for
as I know all those commanders you speak of very well, and
shall see them all as they pass by, I will be sure to set them at
rights in the thing, and let them know that they had been so
much in the wrong; that though the people who were on board
at first might run away with the ship, yet it was not true that
they had turned pirates; and that, in particular, these were not
the men that first went off with the ship, but innocertly bought
her for their trade; and I am persuaded they will so far believe
me, as at least to act more cautiously for the time to come."
While these things were passing between us by way of dis-
course, we went forward directly for Nanquin, and in about
thirteen days' sail came to an anchor, at the southwest point
of the great Gulf of Nanquin; where, by the way, I came by
accident to understand that two Dutch ships were gone the
length before me, and that I should certainly fall into their
hands. I consulted my partner again in this exigency, and he
was as much at a loss as I was, and would very gladly have been
safe on shore almost anywhere: however, I was not in such
perplexity neither, but I asked the old pilot if there was no
creek or harbor which I might put into and pursue my business
with the Chinese privately, and be in no danger of the enemy.
He told me if I would sail to the southward about forty-two
leagues, there was a little port called Quinchang, where the
fathers of the mission usually landed from Macao, on their
progress to teach the Christian religion to the Chinese, and
where no European ships ever put in; and if I thought to put
in there, I might consider what further course to take when I
was on shore. He confessed, he said, it was not a place for
1
Ja
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
412
merchants, except that at some certain times they had a kind
of a fair there, when the merchants from Japan came over
thither to buy Chinese merchandises.
We all agreed to go back to this place: the name of the
port, as he called it, I may perhaps spell wrong, for I do not
particularly remember it, having lost this, together with the
names of many other places set down in a little pocket-book,
which was spoiled by the water by an accident; but this I
remember that the Chinese or Japanese merchants we corre-
sponded with called it by a different name from that which our
Portuguese pilot gave it, and pronounced it as above, Quin-
chang..
As we were unanimous in our resolution to go to this place,
we weighed the next day, having only gone twice on shore,
where we were, to get fresh water; on both which occasions the
people of the country were very civil to us, and brought abun-
dance of things to sell to us; I mean of provisions, plants,
roots, tea, rice, and some fowls; but nothing without money.
We did not come to the other port (the wind being contrary)
for five days; but it was very much to our satisfaction; and I
was joyful, and I may say thankful, when I set my foot on shore,
resolving, and my partner too, that if it was possible to dispose
of ourselves and effects any other way, though not every way
to our satisfaction, we would never set one foot on board that
unhappy vessel more ; and, indeed, I must acknowledge, that of
all the circumstances of life that ever I had any experience of,
nothing makes mankind so completely miserable as that of
being in constant fear. Well does the Scripture say,
"The
fear of man brings a snare:" it is a life of death, and the mind
is so entirely oppressed by it, that it is capable of no relief.
Nor did it fail of its usual operations upon the fancy, by
heightening every danger; representing the English and Dutch
captains to be men incapable of hearing reason, or of distinguish-
ing between honest men and rogues; or between a story cal-
culated for our own turn, made out of nothing, on purpose to
deceive, and a true, genuine account of our whole voyage, pro-
gress, and design; for we might many ways have convinced
any reasonable creatures that we were not pirates: the goods
we had on board, the course we steered, our frankly showing
ourselves, and entering into such and such ports; and even
our very manner, the force we had, the number of men, the few
arms, the little ammunition, short provisions; all these would
have served to convince any men that we were no pirates. The
opium and other goods we had on board would make it appear
420
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
the ship had been at Bengal. The Dutchmen, who, it was said,
had the names of all the men that were in the ship, might
easily see that we were a mixture of English, Portuguese, and
Indians, and but two Dutchmen on board. These, and many
other particular circumstances, might have made it evident to
the understanding of any commander, whose hands we might
fall into, that we were no pirates. But fear, that blind, useless
passion, worked another way, and threw us into the vapors : it
bewildered our understandings, and set the imagination at work
to form a thousand terrible things that perhaps might never
happen. We first supposed (as indeed everybody had related
to us) that the seamen on board the English and Dutch ships,
but especially the Dutch, were so enraged at the name of a
pirate, and especially at our beating off their boats and escaping,
that they would not give themselves leave to inquire whether
we were pirates or no, but would execute us off hand, without
giving us any room for a defence. We reflected that there
really was so much apparent evidence before them, that they
would scarce inquire after any more; as, first, that the ship
was certainly the same, and that some of the seamen among
them knew her, and had been on board her; and, secondly,
that when we had intelligence at the River of Cambodia that
they were coming down to examine us, we fought their boats
and fled; so that we made no doubt but they were as fully
satisfied of our being pirates, as we were satisfied of the con-
trary; and, as I often said, I know not but I should have been
apt to have taken those circumstances for evidence, if the
tables were turned, ard my case was theirs; and have made
no scruple of cutting all the crew to pieces, without believing,
or perhaps considering, what they might have to offer in their
defence.
But let that be how it will, these were our apprehensions;
and both my partner and I scarce slept a night without dream-
ing of halters and yard-arms, that is to say, gibbets; of fighting,
and being taken; of killing, and being killed; and one night I
was in such a fury in my dream, fancying the Dutchmen had
boarded us, and I was knocking one of their seamen down,
that I struck my double fist against the side of the cabin I lay
in with such a force as wounded my hand grievously, broke my
knuckles, and cut and bruised the flesh, so that it awakened me
out of my sleep.
Another apprehension I had was, the cruel usage we might
meet with from them if we fell into their hands: then the story
of Amboyna came into my head, and how the Dutch might
*
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
421
perhaps torture us, as they did our countrymen there, and make
some of our men, by extremity of torture, confess those crimes
they never were guilty of, or own themselves and all of us to be
pirates, and so they would put us to death with a formal appear-
ance of justice; and that they might be tempted to do this for
the gain of our ship and cargo, which were worth four or five
thousand pounds altogether.
These things tormented me, and my partner too, night and
day; nor did we consider that the captains of ships have no
authority to act thus; and if we had surrendered prisoners to
them, they would not answer the destroying us, or torturing us,
but would be accountable for it when they came to their country;
this, I say, gave me no satisfaction; for if they were to act thus
with us, what advantage would it be to us that they should be
called to an account for it? or if we were first to be murdered,
what satisfaction would it be to us to have them punished when
they came home?
I cannot refrain taking notice here what reflections I now
had upon the vast variety of my particular circumstances; how
hard I thought it was that I, who had spent forty years in a life
of continual difficulties, and was at last come, as it were, to the
port or haven which all men drive at, viz.: to have rest and
plenty, should be a volunteer in new sorrows by my own unhappy
choice; and that I, who had escaped so many dangers in my
youth, should now come to be hanged in my old age, and in so
remote a place, for a crime which I was not in the least inclined
to, much less guilty of.
After these thoughts, something of religion would come in;
and I would be, considering that this seemed to me to be a
disposition of immediate Providence, and I ought to look upon
it and submit to it as such; that although I was innocent as
to men, I was far from being innocent as to my Maker; and I
ought to look in and examine what other crimes in my life were
most obvious to me, and which Providence might justly inflict
this punishment as a retribution; and that I ought to submit
to this, just as I would to a shipwreck, if it had pleased God to
have brought such a disaster upon me.
In its turn, natural courage would sometimes take its place,
and then I would be talking myself up to vigorous resolutions;
that I would not be taken, to be barbarously used by a parce
of merciless wretches in cold blood; that it were much better
to have fallen into the hands of the savages, though I was sure
they would feast upon me when they had taken me, than those
wno would perhaps glut their rage upon me by inhuman tortures
422
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
and barbarities; that in the case of the savages, I always re-
solved to die fighting to the last gasp, and why should I not do
so now, seeing it was much more dreadful, to me at least, to
think of falling into these men's hands, than ever it was to think
of being eaten by men? for the savages, give them their due,
would not eat a man till he was killed and dead, but that these
men had many arts beyond the cruelty of death. Whenever
these thoughts prevailed, I was sure to put myself into a kind
of fever with the agitation of a supposed fight; my blood would
boil, and my eyes sparkle, as if I was engaged, and I was always
resolved to take no quarter at their hands; but even, at last, if
I could resist no longer, I would blow up the ship and all that
was in her, and leave them but little booty to boast of.
The greater weight the anxieties and perplexities of these
things were to our thoughts while we were at sea, the greater
was our satisfaction when we saw ourselves on shore; and my
partner told me he dreamed that he had a very heavy load upon
his back, which he was to carry up a hill, and found that he
was not able to stand longer under it; but that the Portuguese
pilot came and took it off his back, and the hill disappeared,
the ground before him appearing all smooth and plain: and
truly it was so; they were all like men who had a load taken
off their backs. For my part, I had a weight taken off from
my heart that it was not able any longer to bear; and as I said
above, we resolved to go no more to sea in that ship. When
we came on shore, the old pilot, who was now our friend, got
us a lodging and a warehouse for our goods, which, by the way,
was much the same; it was a little house, or hut, with a larger
house adjoining to it, all built with canes, and palisadoed round
with large canes, to keep out pilfering thieves, of which, it seems,
there were not a few in that country: however, the magistrates
allowed us a little guard, and we had a soldier with a kind of
halberd, or half pike, who stood sentinel at our door; to whom
we allowed a pint of rice, and a little piece of money, about the
value of threepence, per day, so that our goods were kept very
safe.
The fair, or mart, usuaïly kept at this place, had been over
some time: however, we found that there were three or four
junks in the river, and two Japanners (I mean ships from Ja-
pan) with goods which they had bought in China, and were
not gone away, having some Japanese merchants on shore.
The first thing our old Portuguese pilot did for us was, to
get us acquainted with three missionary Romish priests who
were in the town, and who had been there some time convert-
ROBINSON CRUsoe.
423
·
:
ing the people to Christianity; but we thought they made but
poor work of it, and made them but sorry Christians when
they had done: however, that was none of our business. One
of these was a Frenchman, whom they called Father Simon ;
another was a Portuguese; and the third a Genoese; but
Father Simon was courteous, easy in his manner, and
very agreeable company; the other two were more reserved,
seemed rigid and austere, and applied seriously to the work
they came about, viz.: to talk with and insinuate themselves
among the inhabitants, wherever they had opportunicy. We
often ate and drank with those men; and though, I must con-
fess, the conversion, as they call it, of the Chinese to Chris-
tianity, is so far from the true conversion required to bring
heathen people to the faith of Christ, that it seems to amount
to little more than letting them know the name or Christ, and
say some prayers to the Virgin Mary and her Son, in a tongue
which they understand not, and to cross themselves and the like;
yet it must be confessed that the religionists, whom we call
missionaries, have a firm belief that these people will be saved,
and that they are the instruments of it; and on this account,
they undergo not only the fatigue of the voyage, and the haz-
ards of living in such places, but oftentimes death itself, and
the most violent tortures, for the sake of this work.
But to return to my story: This French priest, Father
Simon, was appointed, it seems, by order of the chief of the mis-
sion to go up to Pekin, the royal seat of the Chinese emperor,
and waited only for another priest, who was ordered to come to
him from Macao, to go along with him; and we scarce ever met
together but he was inviting me to go that journey; telling
me how he would show me all the glorious things of that mighty
empire, and, among the rest, the greatest city in the world" Á
city," said he, "that your London and our Paris put together
cannot be equal to." This was the city of Pekin, which, I con-
fess, is very great, and infinitely full of people; but as I looked
on those things with different eyes from other men, so I shall
give my opinion of them in a few words, when I come in the
course of my travels to speak more particularly of them.
But first I come to my friar or missionary. Dining with
him one day, and being very merry together, I showed some
little inclination to go with him; and he pressed me and my
partner very hard, and with a great many persuasions, to con-
sent. Why, Father Simon," says my partner, "should you
desire our company so much? You know, we are heretics, and
you do not love us, nor cannot keep as company with any
66
424
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
pleasure." "O," says he, "you may perhaps be good Catholics
in time ; my business here is to convert heathens, and who
knows but I may convert you too?" Very well, Father,"
said I, “so you will preach to us all the way?" "I will not
be troublesome to you," says he; “ our religion does not divest
us of good manners; besides, we are here like countrymen ;
and so we are, compared to the place we are in; and if you
are Huguenots, and I a Catholic, we may all be Christians at
last; at least, we are all gentlemen, and we may converse so,
without being uneasy to one another." I liked this part of
his discourse very well, and it began to put me in mind of my
priest that I had left in the Brazils; but this Father Simon
did not come up to his character by a great deal; for though
Father Simon had no appearance of a criminal levity in him,
yet he had not that fund of Christian zeal, strict piety, and sin-
cere affection to religion, that my other good ecclesiastic had.
But to leave him a little, though he never left us, nor so-
liciting us to go with him, we had something else before us at
first, for we had all this while our ship and our merchandise to
dispose of, and we began to be very doubtful what we should
do, for we were now in a place of very little business ;
and once I was about to venture to sail for the River of Kilam,
and the city of Nanquin; but Providence seemed now more
visibly, as I thought, than ever, to concern itself in our affairs;
and I was encouraged, from this very time, to think I should,
one way or other, get out of this entangled circumstance, and
be brought home to my own country again, though I had not
the least view of the manner. Providence, I say, began here
to clear up our way a little; and the first thing that offered, was,
that our old Portuguese pilot brought a Japan merchant to us,
who inquired what goods we had; and in the first place, he
bought all our opium, and gave us a very good price for it,
paying us in gold by weight, some in small pieces of their own
coin, and some in small wedges, of about ten or twelve ounces
each. While we were dealing with him for our opium, it came
into my head that he might perhaps deal for the ship too, and
I ordered the interpreter to propose it to him; he shrunk up
his shoulders at it, when it was first proposed to him; but in a
few days after he came to me, with one of the missionary
priests for his interpreter, and told me he had a proposal to
make to me, which was this: he had bought a great quantity
of goods of us, when he had no thoughts of proposals made to
him of buying the ship; and that, therefore, he had not money.
to pay for the ship: but if I would let the same men who were
66
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
425
in the ship navigate her, he would hire the ship to go to Japan;
and would send them from thence to the Philippine Islands with
another loading, which he would pay the freight of before they
went from Japan; and that at their return he would buy the ship.
I began to listen to his proposal; and so eager did my head still
run upon rambling, that I could not but begin to entertain a
notion of going myself with him, and so to set sail from the Phil-
ippine Islands away to the South Seas: accordingly, I asked the
Japanese merchant if he would not hire us to the Philippine
Islands and discharge us there. He said no, he could not do
that, for then he could not have the return of his cargo; but
he would discharge us in Japan at the ship's return. Well,
still I was for taking him at that proposal, and going myself;
but my partner, wiser than myself, persuaded me from it, repre-
senting the dangers, as well of the seas as of the Japanese,
who are a false, cruel, and treacherous people; likewise those
of the Spaniards at the Philippines, more false, cruel, and
treacherous than they.
But to bring this long turn of our affairs to a conclusion: the
first thing we had to do was, to consult with the captain of the
ship, and with his men, and know if they were willing to go to Ja-
pan: and while I was doing this, the young man whom my nephew
had left with me as my companion for my travels came to
me, and told me that he thought that voyage promised very fair,
and that there was a great prospect of advantage, and he would
be very glad if I undertook it; but that if I would not, and would
give him leave, he would go as a merchant, or as I pleased to
order him; that if ever he came to England, and I was there and
alive, he would render me a faithful account of his success, which
should be as much mine as I pleased. I was really loath to
part with him; but considering the prospect of advantage,
which really was considerable, and that he was a young fellow
as likely to do well in it as any I knew, I inclined to let him
go; but I told him I would consult my partner, and give him
an answer the next day. My partner and I discoursed about
it, and my partner made a most generous offer. "You know
it has been an unlucky ship," said he, "and we both resolve
not to go to sea in it again; if your steward (so he called
my man) will venture the voyage, I will leave my share of the
vessel to him, and let him make the best of it; and if we live
to meet in England, and he meets with success abroad, he
shall account for one half of the profits of the ship's freight to
us; the other shall be his own.
>>
If my partner, who was no way concerned with my young
426
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
man, made him such an offer, I could do no less than offer him
the same; and all the ship's company being willing to go with
him, we made over half the ship to him in property, and took
a writing from him, obliging him to account for the other, and
away he went to Japan. The Japan merchant proved a very
punctual, honest man to him; protected him at Japan, and
got him a license to come on shore, which the Europeans in
general have not lately obtained; paid him his freight very
punctually; sent him to the Philippines, loaded with Japan
and China wares, and a supercargo of their own, who, traffick-
ing with the Spaniards, brought back European goods again,
and a great quantity of cloves and other spices; and there he
was not only paid his freight very well, and at a very good
price, but not being willing to sell the ship then, the merchant
furnished him goods on his own account; and with some
money, and some spices of his own which he brought with
him, he went back to the Manillas to the Spaniards, where he
sold his cargo very well. Here, having got a good acquaint-
ance at Manilla, he got his ship made a free ship, and the
governor of Manilla hired him to go to Acapulco, in America,
on the coast of Mexico, and gave him a license to land there,
and to travel to Mexico, and to pass in any Spanish ship to
Europe with all his men. He made the voyage to Acapulco
very happily, and there he sold his ship; and having there also
obtained allowance to travel by land to Porto Bello, he found
means, somehow or other, to get to Jamaica, with all his
treasure; and about eight years after, came to England, exceed-
ing rich; of which I shall take notice in its place: in the mean
time, I return to our particular affairs.
Being now to part with the ship and ship's company, it
came before us, of course, to consider what recompense we
should give to the two men that gave us such timely notice of
the design against us in the River Cambodia. The truth was,
they had done us a very considerable service, and deserved
well at our hands; though, by the way, they were a couple of
rogues too; for, as they believed the story of our being pirates
and that we had really run away with the ship, they came dow
to us, not only to betray the design that was formed agains
us, but to go to sea with us as pirates; and one of them con
fessed afterwards that nothing else but the hopes of going
a-roguing brought him to do it: however, the service they did u
was not the less, and, therefore, as I had promised to be grate,
ful to them, I first ordered the money to be paid them which
they said was due to them on board their respective ships;
U
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
427
over and above that, I gave each of them a small sum of
money in gold, which contented them very well; then I made
the Englishman gunner in the ship, the gunner being now
made second mate and purser; the Dutchman I made boat-
swain; so they were both very well pleased, and proved very
serviceable, being both able seamen, and very stout fellows.
We were now on shore in China; if I thought myself ban-
ished, and remote from my own country at Bengal, where I
had many ways to get home for my money, what could I think
of myself now, when I was got about a thousand leagues far-
ther off from home, and perfectly destitute of all manner of
prospect of return? All we had for it was this-that in about
four months' time there was to be another fair at the place
where we were, and then we might be able to purchase all sorts
of the manufactures of the country, and withal might possibly
find some Chinese junks or vessels from Tonquin, that would
be to be sold, and would carry us and our goods whither we
pleased. This I liked very well, and resolved to wait; besides,
as our particular persons were not obnoxious, so if any Eng-
lish or Dutch ships came thither, perhaps we might have an
opportunity to load our goods, and get passage to some other
place in India nearer home. Upon these hopes, we resolveú
to continue here; but, to divert ourselves, we took two or
three journeys into the country. First, we went ten days'
journey to the city of Nanquin, a city well worth seeing, in-
deed; they say it has a million of people in it: it is regularly
built, the streets all exactly straight, and cross one another in
direct lines, which gives the figure of it great advantage. But
when I come to compare the miserable people of these coun-
tries with ours, their fabrics, their manner of living, their gov-
ernment, their religion, their wealth, and their glory, as some
call it, I must confess that I scarcely think it worth my while
to mention them here. It is very observable, that we wonder
at the grandeur, the riches, the pomp, the ceremonies, the gov-
ernment, the manufactures, the commerce, and conduct of these
people; not that it is to be wondered at, or, indeed, in the least
to be regarded, but because having a true notion of the bar-
barity of those countries, the rudeness and the ignorance that
prevail there, we do not expect to find any such thing so far
off. Otherwise, what are their buildings to the palaces and
royal buildings of Europe? What their trade to the universal
commerce of England, Holland, France, and Spain? What
are their cities to ours, for wealth, strength, gayety of apparel,
rich furniture, and infinite variety? What are their ports,
428
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
**
supplied with a few junks and barks, to our navigation, our
merchant fleets, our large and powerful navies? Our city of
London has more trade than half their mighty empire: one
English, Dutch, or French man-of-war of eighty guns, would be
able to fight almost all the shipping belonging to China: but
the greatness of their wealth, their trade, the power of their
government, and the strength of their armies, may be a little
surprising to us, because, as I have said, considering them as
a barbarous nation of Pagans, little better than savages, we
did not expect such things among them: and this, indeed, is
the advantage with which all their greatness and power is
represented to us; otherwise, it is in itself nothing at all; for
what I have said of their ships may be said of their armies and
troops; all the forces of their empire, though they were to
bring two millions of men into the field together, would be
able to do nothing but ruin the country, and starve themselves,
if they were to besiege a strong town in Flanders, or to fight a
disciplined army; one good line of German cuirassiers, or of
French cavalry, might withstand all the horse of China; a mil-
lion of their foot could not stand before one embattled body of
our infantry, posted so as not to be surrounded, though they
were not to be one to twenty in number; nay, I do not boast if I
say that thirty thousand German or English foot, and ten thou-
sand horse, well managed, could defeat all the forces of China.
And so of our fortified towns: and of the art of our engineers
in assaulting and defending towns; there is not a fortified
town in China could hold out one month against the batteries
and attacks of a European army; and, at the same time, all
the armies of China could never take such a town as Dunkirk,
provided it was not starved; no, not in a ten years' siege.
They have fire-arms, it is true, but they are awkward and un-
certain in their going off; and their powder has but little
strength. Their armies are badly disciplined, and want skill
to attack, or temper to retreat; and therefore, I must confess,
it seemed strange to me, when I came home, and heard our
people say such fine things of the power, glory, magnificence,
and trade of the Chinese; because, as far as I saw, they appeared
to be a contemptible herd or crowd of ignorant, sordid slaves,
subjected to a government qualified only to rule such a people;
and were not its distance inconceivably great from Muscovy,
and the Muscovite empire in a manner as rude, impotent, and
ill governed as they, the Czar of Muscovy might with ease.
drive them all out of their country, and conquer them in one
campaign; and had the Czar (who is now a growing prince)
•
}
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
429
fallen this way, instead of attacking the warlike Swedes, and
equally improved himself in the art of war, as they say he has
done, and if none of the powers of Europe had envied or inter-
rupted him, he might by this time have been Emperor of China,
instead of being beaten by the King of Sweden at Narva, when
the latter was not one to six in number. As their strength and
their grandeur, so their navigation, commerce, and husbandry,
are very imperfect, compared to the same things in Europe;
also, in their knowledge, their learning, and in their skill in the
sciences, they are either very awkward or defective, though
they have globes or spheres, and a smattering of the mathe-
matics, and think they know more than all the world besides ;
but they know little of the motions of the heavenly bodies; and
so grossly and absurdly ignorant are their common people,
that when the sun is eclipsed, they think a great dragon has
assaulted it, and is going to run away with it; and they fall a
clattering with all the drums and kettles in the country, to
fright the monster away, just as we do to hive a swarm of
bees.
As this is the only excursion of the kind which I have made
in all the accounts I have given of my travels, so I shall make
no more such; it is none of my business, nor any part of my
design, but to give an account of my own adventures through a
life of inimitable wanderings, and a long variety of changes,
which, perhaps, few that come after me will have heard the
like of: I shall therefore say very little of all the mighty
places, desert countries, and numerous people, I have yet to
pass through, more than relates to my own story, and which
my concern among them makes necessary.
I was now, as near as I can compute, in the heart of China,
about thirty degrees north of the line, for we were returned
from Nanquin. I had, indeed, a mind to see the city of Pekin,
which I had heard so much of, and Father Simon importuned
me daily to do it. At length, his time of going away being set,
and the other missionary who was to go with him being arrived
from Macao, it was necessary that we should resolve either to
go or not; so I referred it wholly to my partner, and left it
wholly to his choice, who at length resolved it in the affirmative,
and we prepared for our journey. We set out with very good.
advantage, as to finding the way; for we got leave to travel in
the retinue of one of their mandarins, a kind of viceroy or
principal magistrate in the province where they reside, and who
take great state upon them, travelling with great attendance,
and great homage from the people, who are sometimes greatly
430
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
impoverished by them, being obliged to furnish provisions ɔr
them and all their attendants in their journeys. That which I
particularly observed in our travelling with his baggage, was
this--that though we received sufficient provisions both for our-
selves and our horses from the country, as belonging to the
mandarin, yet we were obliged to pay for everything we had,
after the market-price of the country, and the mandarin's stew-
ard collected it duly from us; so that our travelling in the ret
inue of the mandarin, though it was a very great kindness to
us, was not such a mighty favor in him, but was a great adva
tage to him, considering there were above thirty other peopl
travelled in the same manner besides us, under the protection of
his retinue; for the country furnished all the provisions for noth-
ing to him, and yet he took our money for them.
We were twenty-five days travelling to Pekin, through a
country infinitely populous, but I think badly cultivated; the
husbandry, the economy, and the way of living miserable, though
they boast so much of the industry of the people; I say miser-
able, if compared with our own, but not so to these poor
wretches, who know no other. The pride of the people is in-
finitely great, and exceeded by nothing but their poverty, in
some parts, which adds to that which I call their misery; and I
must needs think the native savages of America live much more
happy than the poorer sort of these, because as they have noth-
ing, so they desire nothing; whereas these are proud and inso-
lent, and in the main are in many parts mere beggars and
drudges; their ostentation is inexpressible; and, if they can,
they love to keep multitudes of servants or slaves, which is to
the last degree ridiculous, as well as their contempt of all the
world but themselves.
I must confess I travelled more pleasantly afterwards in the
deserts and vast wildernesses of Grand Tartary than here, and
yet the roads here are well paved and well kept, and very con-
venient for travellers; but nothing was more awkward to me
than to see such a haughty, imperious, insolent people, in the
midst of the grossest simplicity and ignorance; and my friend
Father Simon and I used to be very merry upon these occa-
sions, to see the beggarly pride of these people. For example,
coming by the house of a country gentleman, as Father Simon
called him, about ten leagues off the city of Nanquin, we had
first of all the honor to ride with the master of the house about
two miles; the state he rode in was a perfect Don Quixotism,
being a mixture of pomp and poverty. His habit was very
proper for a scararroch, or merry-andrew, being a dirty calico,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
431
:
with hanging sleeves, tassels, and cuts and sashes almost on
every side it covered a taffety vest, as greasy as a butcher's,
and which testified that his honor must be a most exquisite
sloven. His horse was but a poor, starved, hobbling creature,
and he had two slaves followed him on foot to drive the poor
creature along; he had a whip in his hand, and he belabored
the beast as fast about the head, as his slaves did about the
tail; and thus he rode by us, with about ten or twelve servants,
going from the city to his country seat, about half a league be-
fore us. We travelled on gently, but this figure of a gentleman
rode away before us; and as we stopped at a village about an
hour to refresh us, when we came by the country seat of this
great man, we saw him in a little place before his door eating a
repast. It was a kind of garden, but he was easy to be seen;
and we were given to understand that the more we looked at
him the better he would be pleased. He sat under a tree,
something like the palmetto, which effectually shaded him over
head, and on the south side; but under the tree was placed a
large umbrella, which made that part look well enough. He
sat lolling back in a great elbow-chair, being a heavy, corpulent
man, and had his meat brought him by two women slaves. He'
had two more, one of whom fed the squire with a spoon, and
the other held the dish with one hand, and scraped off what he
let fall upon his worship's beard and taffety vest.
Thus leaving the poor wretch to please himself with our
looking at him, as if we admired his pomp, though we really
pitied and contemned him, we pursued our journey; only
Father Simon had the curiosity to stay to inform himself what
dainties the country justice had to feed on in all his state,
which he had the honor to taste of, and which was, I think, a
mess of boiled rice, with a great piece of garlic in it, and a little
bag filled with green pepper, and another plant which they have
there, something like our ginger, but smelling like musk, and
tasting like mustard; all this was put together, and a small
piece of lean mutton boiled in it, and this was his worship's
repast. Four or five servants more attended at a distance,
who we supposed were to eat of the same after their master.
As for our mandarin with whom we travelled, he was re-
spected as a king, surrounded always with his gentlemen, and
attended in all his appearances with such pomp, that I saw little
of him but at a distance. But this I observed, that there was
not a horse in his retinue but that our carriers' packhorses in
England seemed to me to look much better; though it was
hard to judge rightly, for they were so covered with equipage,
4
432
ROBINSON CRUSOE,
mantles, trappings, &c., that we could scarce see anything but
their feet and their heads as they went along.
I was now light-hearted, and all my trouble and perplexity
that I have given an account of being over, I had no anxious
thoughts about me, which made this journey the pleasanter to
me; nor had I any ill accident attended me, only in passing or
fording a small river, my horse fell, and made me free of the
country, as they call it, that is to say, threw me in. The
place was not deep, but it wetted me all over. I mention it
because it spoiled my pocket-book, wherein I had set down the
names of several people and places which I had occasion to
remember, and which not taking due care of, the leaves rotted,
and the words were never after to be read, to my great loss, as
to the names of some of the places I touched at in this journey.
At length we arrived at Pekin. I had nobody with me but
the youth whom my nephew the captain had given me to attend
me as a servant, and who proved very trusty and diligent; and
my partner had nobody with him but one servant, who was a
kinsman. As for the Portuguese pilot, he being desirous to
see the court, we bore his charges for his company, and to use
• him as an interpreter, for he understood the language of the
country, and spoke good French and a little English; and in-
deed this old man was a most useful implement to us every.
where; for we had not been above a week at Pekin, when e
came laughing. "Ah, Seignior Inglese," said he, "I have
something to tell will make your heart glad." "My heart
glad," says I; "what can that be?
"what can that be? I don't know anything in
this country can either give me joy or grief to any great de-
gree.
"Yes, yes," said the old man in broken English,
"make you glad, me sorry." "Why," said I, "will it make
you sorry?" "Because," said he, you have brought me
here twenty-five days' journey, and will leave me to go back
alone; and which way shall I get to my port afterwards, without
a ship, without a horse, without pecune?"—so he called money,
being his broken Latin, of which he had abundance to make us
merry with. In short, he told us there was a great caravan of
Muscovite and Polish merchants in the city, preparing to set
out on their journey by land to Muscovy, within four or five
weeks; and he was sure we would take the opportunity to go
with them, and leave him behind, to go back alone.
66
I confess I was greatly surprised with this good news, and
had scarce power to speak to him for some time; but at last I
turned to him. "How do you know this?" said I:
are you
sure it is true?" "Yes," says he; "I met this morning in the
..
""
**
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
433
*
*
aenian, who is among
as designing to go
but has altered his
aravan to Moscow,
"Well, seignior,"
;
street an old acquaintance of mine, an An
them. He came last from Astracan, and
to Tonquin, where I formerly knew him
mind, and is now resolved to go with th
and so down the River Wolga to Astracan.”
says I, “do not be uneasy about being left to go back alone
if this be a method for my return to England, it shall be your
fault if you go back to Macao at all." We then went to con-
sult together what was to be done; and I asked my partner
what he thought of the pilot's news, and whether it would suit
with his affairs? He told me he would do just as I would ; for
he had settled his affairs so well at Bengal, and left his effects in
such good hands, that as we had made a good voyage here, if he
could invest it in China silks, wrought and raw, such as might be
worth the carriage, he would be content to go to England, and
then make his voyage back to Bengal by the company's ships.
Having resolved upon this, we agreed that if our Portuguese
pilot would go with us, we would bear his charges to Moscow,
or to England, if he pleased; nor, indeed, were we to be
esteemed over-generous in that either, if we had not rewarded
him farther, the service he had done us being really worth more
than that; for he had not only been a pilot to us at sea, but he
had been like a broker for us on shore; and his procuring for
us the Japan merchant was some hundreds of pounds in our
pockets. So we consulted together about it, and being willing
to gratify him, which was but doing him justice, and very will-
ing also to have him with us besides, for he was a most neces-
sary man on all occasions, we agreed to give him a quantity of
coined gold, which, as I compute it, came to about one hundred
and seventy-five pounds sterling, between us, and to bear all
his charges, both for himself and horse, except only a horse to
carry his goods. Having settled this between ourselves, we
called him to let him know what we had resolved. I told him
he had complained of our being willing to let him go back alone,
and I was now about to tell him we were resolved he should
not go back at all; that as we had resolved to go to Europe
with the caravan, we resolved also he should go with us; and
that we called him to know his mind. He shook his head, and
said it was a long journey, and that he had no pecune to carry
him thither, or to subsist himself when he came there. We told
him we believed it was so, and therefore we had resolved to do
something for him that should let him see how sensible we were
of the service he had done us, and also how agreeable he was to
us; and then I told him what we had resolved to give him here,
434
ROBINSON CRUSOE
which he might lay out as we would do our own; and that as
for his charges, if he would go with us we would set him safe
on shore (life and casualties excepted), either in Muscovy or
England, which he would, at our own charge, except only the
carriage of his goods. He received the proposal like a man
transported, and told us he would go with us over the whole
world; and so we all prepared for our journey. However, as
it was with us, so it was with the other merchants; they had
many things to do, and instead of being ready in five weeks, it
was four months and some days before all things were got
together.
It was the beginning of February, our style, when we set
out from Pekin. My partner and the old pilot had gone ex-
press back to the port where we had first put in, to dispose of
some goods which we had left there; and I, with a Chinese
merchant whom I had some knowledge of at Nanquin, and who
came to Pekin on his own affairs, went to Nanquin, where I
bought ninety pieces of fine damasks, with about two hundred
pieces of other very fine silks of several sorts, some mixed with
gold, and had all these brought to Pekin against my partner's re-
turn besides this, we bought a very large quantity of raw silk,
and some other goods, our cargo amounting, in these goods only,
to about three thousand five hundred pounds sterling; which, to-
gether with tea and some fine calicoes, and three camels' loads
of nutmegs and cloves, loaded in all eighteen camels for our
share, besides those we rode upon; which, with two or three
spare horses, and two horses loaded with provisions, made us,
in short, twenty-six camels and horses in our retinue.
The company was very great, and, as near as I can remem-
ber, made between three and four hundred horse, and upwards
of one hundred and twenty men, very well armed, and provided
for all events; for as the Eastern caravans are subject to be
attacked by the Arabs, so are these by the Tartars; but they
are not altogether so dangerous as the Arabs, nor so barbarous
when they prevail.
The company consisted of people of several nations; but
there were above sixty of them merchants or inhabitants of
Moscow, though of them some were Livonians; and to our
particular satisfaction, five of them were Scots, who appeared
also to be men of great experience in business, and of very
good substance.
When we had travelled one day's journey, the guides, who
were five in number, called all the gentlemen and merchants
-that is to say, all the passengers except the servants-te
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
435
*
a great council, as they called it. At this council, every one
deposited a certain quantity of money to a common stock, for
the necessary expense of buying forage on the way, where it
was not otherwise to be had, and for satisfying the guides,
getting horses, and the like: and here they constituted the
journey, as they call it, viz.: they named captains and officers
to draw us all up, and give the word of command, in case of
an attack, and give every one their turn of command; nor was
this forming us into order any more than what we found need-
ful on the way, as shall be observed.
The road all on this side of the country is very populous,
and is full of potters and earth-makers,—that is to say, people
that temper the earth for the China-ware; and as I was com-
ing along, our Portugal pilot, who had always something or
other to say to make us merry, came sneering to me, and told
me he would show me the greatest rarity in all the country,
and that I should have this to say of China, after all the ill-
humored things that I had said of it-that I had seen one thing
which was not to be seen in all the world beside. I was very
importunate to know what it was; at last he told me it was a
gentleman's house built with China-ware. 'Well," says I,
،،
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are not the materials of their buildings the product of their
own country? and so it is all China-ware-is it not?" 'No,
no," says he; "I mean it is a house all made of China-ware,
such as you call it in England, or, as it is called in our country,
porcelain." Well," says I, "such a thing may be: how big
is it?
Can we carry it in a box upon a camel? If we can we
will buy it." Upon a camel!" says the old pilot, holding up
both his hands; "why, there is a family of thirty people lives
in it."
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I was then curious, indeed, to see it; and when I came to
it, it was nothing but this: it was a timber house, or a house
built, as we call it in England, with lath and plaster; but all
this plastering was really China ware, that is to say, it was
plastered with the earth that makes China ware. The out-
side, which the sun shone hot upon, was glazed, and looked
very well, perfectly white, and painted with blue figures, as the
large China-ware in England is painted, and hard as if it had
been burned. As to the inside, all the walls, instead of wain-
scot, were lined with hardened and painted tiles, like the little
square tiles we call galley-tiles in England, all made of the
finest China, and the figures very fine indeed, with extraor-
dinary variety of colors, mixed with gold, many tiles making
but one figure, but joined so artificially, the mortar being made
E
436
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
of the same earth, that it was very hard to see where the tiles
met. The floors of the rooms were of the same composition,
and as hard as the earthen floors we have in use in several
parts of England; as hard as stone, and smooth, but not
burned and painted, except some smaller rooms, like closets,
which were all, as it were, paved with the same tile; the ceiling
and all the plastering work in the whole house were of the
same earth; and, after all, the roof was covered with tiles of
the same, but of a deep shining black. This was a China-
ware-house indeed, truly and literally to be called so; and had
I not been upon the journey, I could have staid some days to
see and examine the particulars of it. They told me there
were fountains and fish-ponds in the garden, all paved on the
bottom and sides with the same; and fine statues set up in
rows on the walks, entirely formed of the porcelain earth, and
burned whole.
As this is one of the singularities of China, so they may
be allowed to excel in it; but I am very sure they excel in
their accounts of it; for they told me such incredible things of
their performance in crockery-ware (for such it is) that I care
not to relate, as knowing it could not be true.
Óne told me,
in particular, of a workman that made a ship, with all its
tackle, and masts, and sails, in earthen-ware, big enough to
carry fifty men. If he had told me he launched it, and made
a voyage to Japan in it, I might have said something to it, in-
deed; but as it was, I knew the whole of the story, which was,
in short, asking pardon for the word, that the fellow lied; so I
smiled, and said nothing to it.
-C
This odd sight kept me two hours behind the caravan, for
which the leader of it for the day fined me about the value of
three shillings; and told me if it had been three days' journey
without the wall, as it was three days within, he must have
fined me four times as much, and made me ask pardon the
next council day: I promised to be more orderly; and, indeed,
I found afterwards the orders made for keeping all together
were absolutely necessary for our common safety.
In two days more we passed the great China wall, made for
a fortification against the Tartars: and a very great work it is,
going over hills and mountains in a needless track, where the
rocks are impassable, and the precipices such as no enemy
could possibly enter, or indeed climb up, or where, if they did,
no wall could hinder them. They tell us its length is near a
thousand English miles, but that the country is five hundred in
straight measured line. which the wall bounds, without
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
437
Jar
measuring the windings and turnings it takes; it is about four
fathoms high, and as inany thick in some places.
I stood still an hour or thereabouts without trespassing our
orders (for so long the caravan was in passing the gate), to
look at it on every side, near and far off,-I mean that was
within my view: and the guide of our caravan, who had been
extolling it for the wonder of the world, was mighty eager to
hear my opinion of it. I told him it was a most excellent thing
to keep out the Tartars; which he happened not to understand
as I meant it, and so took it for a compliment; but the old
pilot laughed. "O, Seignior Inglese," says he, "you speak in
colors." In colors!" said I; "what do you mean by that?
(6
""
Why, you speak what looks white this way, and black that
way, gay one way, and dull another. You tell him it is a
good wall to keep out Tartars; you tell me by that it is good
for nothing but to keep out Tartars. I understand you, Seig-
nior Inglese, I understand you; but Seignior Chinese under-
stood you his own way." "Well," says I, "seignior, do you
think it would stand out an army of our country people, with a
good train of artillery; or our engineers, with two companies
of miners? Would not they batter it down in ten days, that
an army might enter in battalia; or blow it up in the air,
foundation and all, that there should be no sign of it left?"
"Ay, ay," says he, "I know that." The Chinese wanted
mightily to know what I said, and I gave him leave to tell him
a few days after, for we were then almost out of their country,
and he was to leave us a little time after this; but when he
knew what I said, he was dumb all the rest of the way, and
we heard no more of his fine story of the Chinese power and
greatness while he staid.
66
A
J
After we passed this mighty nothing, called a wall, some-
thing like the Picts' wall, so famous in Northumberland, built
by the Romans, we began to find the country thinly inhabited,
and the people rather confined to live in .fortified towns-and
cities, as being subject to the inroads and depredations of the
Tartars, who rob in great armies, and therefore are not to be
resisted by the naked inhabitants of an open country. And
here I began to find the necessity of keeping together in a
caravan as we travelled, for we saw several troops of Tartars
roving about; but when I came to see them distinctly, I
wondered more that the Chinese empire could be conquered by
such contemptible fellows; for they are a mere horde of wild
fellows, keeping no order, and understanding no discipline or
manner of fight. Their horses are poor, lean creatures, taught
438
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
}
nothing, and fit for nothing: and this we found the first day we
saw them, which was after we entered the wilder part of the
country. Our leader for the day gave leave for about sixteen
of us to go a-hunting, as they call it; and what was this but
hunting of sheep!-however, it may be called hunting, too, for the
creatures are the wildest and swiftest of foot that ever I saw of
their kind; only they will not run a great way, and you are sure
of sport when you begin the chase, for they appear generally
thirty or forty in a flock, and, like true sheep, always keep
together when they fly.
In pursuit of this old sort of game, it was our hap to meet
with about forty Tartars: whether they were hunting mutton, as
we were, or whether they looked for another kind of prey, we
know not; but as soon as they saw us, one of them blew a
kind of horn very loud, but with a barbarous sound that I had
never heard before, and, by the way, never care to hear again.
We all supposed this was to call their friends about them; and
so it was; for, in less than ten minutes, a troop of forty or fifty
more appeared, at about a mile distance; but our work was
over first, as it happened.
One of the Scots merchants of Moscow happened to be
amongst us, and as soon as he heard the horn, he told us that
we had nothing to do but to charge them immediately, without
loss of time; and drawing us up in a line, he asked if we were
resolved. We told him we were ready to follow him; so he
rode directly towards them. They stood gazing at us like a
mere crowd, drawn up in no order, nor showing the face of any
order at all; but as soon as they saw us advance, they let fly
their arrows, which, however, missed us, very happily: it seems
they mistook not their aim, but their distance; for their arrows
all fell a little short of us, but with so true an aim, that had
we been about twenty yards nearer, we must have had several
men wounded, if not killed.
Immediately we halted, and though it was at a great dis-
tance, we fired, and sent them leaden bullets for wooden arrows,
following our shot full gallop, to fall in among them sword in
hand, for so our bold Scot that led us directed. He was,
indeed, but a merchant, but he behaved with vigor and bravery
on this occasion, and yet with such cool courage too, that
I never saw any man in action fitter for command. As
soon as we came up to them, we fired our pistols in their
faces, and then drew; but they fled in the greatest confusion
imaginable. The only stand any of them made was on our
right, where three of them stood, and, by signs, called the rest
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
439
1
to come back to them, having a kind of cimeter in their hands,
and their bows hanging to their backs. Our brave commander,
without asking anybody to follow him, gallops up close to them,
and with his fusee knocks one of them off his horse, killed the
second with his pistol, and the third ran away; and thus ended
our fight but we had thi. misfortune attending it, that all our
mutton we had in chase got away. We had not a man killed
or hurt; but as for the Tartars, there were about five of them
killed; how many were wounded we knew not; but this we
knew, that the other party were so frightened with the noise of
our guns, that they made off, and never made any attempt
upon us.
We were all this while in the Chinese dominions, and there-
fore the Tartars were not so bold as afterwards; but in about
five days we entered a vast, great, wild desert, which held us
three days and nights' march: and we were obliged to carry
our water with us in great leathern bottles, and to encamp all
night, just as I have heard they do in the desert of Arabia.
I asked our guides whose dominion this was in: and they
told me this was a kind of border, that might be called no
man's land, being a part of Great Karakathay, or Grand Tar-
tary; that, however, it was all reckoned as belonging to China,
but that there was no care taken here to preserve it from the
inroads of thieves, and therefore it was reckoned the worst
desert in the whole march, though we were to go over some
much larger.
F
- In passing this wilderness, which was at first very frightful
to me, we saw, two or three times, little parties of the Tartars,
but they seemed to be upon their own affairs, and to have no
design upon us; and so, like the man who met the devil, if they
had nothing to say to us, we had nothing to say to them: we
let them go.
Once, however, a party of them came so near as
to stand and gaze at us; whether it was to consider if they
should attack us or not, we knew not; but when we had passed
at some distance by them, we mad rear-guard of forty men,
and stood ready for them, letting the caravan pass half a mile,
or thereabouts, before us: but after a while they marched off;
only we found they saluted us with five arrows at their parting,
which wounded a horse so that it disabled him, and we left him
the next day, poor creature, in great need of a good farrier:
they might shoot more arrows, which might fall short of us, but
we saw no more arrows or Tartars that time.
We travelled near a month after this, the ways not being
so good as at first, though still in the dominions of the Emperor
440
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
of China, but lay for the most part in the villages, some of
which were fortified, because of the incursions of the Tartars.
When we were come to one of these towns (it was about two
days and half's journey before we came to the city of Naum), I
wanted to buy a camel, of which there are plenty to be sold all
the way upon that road, and horses also, such as they are,
because, so many caravans coming that way, they are often
wanted. The person that I spoke to to get me a camel, would
have gone and fetched one for me; but I, like a fool, must be
officious, and go myself along with him; the place was about
two miles out of the village, where, it seems, they kept the
camels and horses feeding, under a guard.
I walked it on foot, with my old pilot and a Chinese, being
very desirous of a little variety. When we came to the place,
it was a low, marshy ground, walled round with a stone wall,
piled up dry, without mortar or earth among it, like a park, with
a little guard of Chinese soldiers at the door. Having bought
a camel, and agreed for the price, I came away, and the Chinese
man that went with me led the camel, when on a sudden came up
five Tartars on horseback. Two of them seized the fellow and
took the camel from him, while the other three stepped up to me
and my old pilot, seeing us, as it were, unarmed, for I had no
weapon about me but my sword, which could but ill defend me
against three horsemen. The first that came up stopped short
upon my drawing my sword, for they are arrant cowards; but
a second, coming upon my left, gave me a blow on the head,
which I never felt till afterwards, and wondered, when I came
to myself, what was the matter, and where I was, for he laid me
flat on the ground; but my never-failing old pilot, the Portuguese
(so Providence, unlooked-for, directs deliverances from dangers
which to us are unforeseen), had a pistol in his pocket, which I
knew nothing of, nor the Tartars either; if they had, I suppose
they would not have attacked us; but cowards are always
boldest when there is no danger. The old man, seeing me
down, with a bold heart stepped up to the fellow that had struck
me, and laying hold of his arm with one hand, and pulling him
down by main force a little towards him, with the other shot
him in the head, and laid him dead upon the spot. He then
immediately stepped up to him who had stopped us, as I said,
and before he could come forward again, made a blow at him
with a cimeter, which he always wore, but missing the man,
struck his horse in the side of his head, cut one of the ears off
by the root, and a great slice down by the side of his face. The
poor beast, enraged with the wound, was no more to be governed
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
441
by his rider, though the fellow sat well enough, too; but away
he flew, and carried him quite out of the pilot's reach, and at
some distance, rising upon his hind legs, threw down the Tar-
tar, and fell upon him.
In this interval, the poor Chinese came in who had lost the
camel, but he had no weapon; however, seeing the Tartar
down, and his horse fallen upon him, away he runs to him, and
seizing upon an ugly, ill-favored weapon he had by his side---
something like a poleaxe, but not a poleaxe neither, he
wrenched it from him, and made shift to knock his Tartarian
brains out with it. But my old man had the third Tartar to deal
with still; and seeing he did not fly, as he expected, nor come
on to fight him, as he apprehended, but stood stock still, the old
man stood still too, and fell to work with his tackle to charge his
pistol again; but as soon as the Tartar saw the pistol, away he
scoured, and left my pilot-my champion I called him after-
wards-a complete victory.
By this time I was a little recovered; for I thought, when
I first began to wake, that I had been in a sweet sleep; but,
as I said above, I wondered where I was, how I came upon
the ground, and what was the matter: but a few moments
after, as sense returned, I felt pain, though I did not know
where; so I clapped my hand to my head, and took it away
bloody; then I felt my head ache: and then in a moment
memory returned, and everything was present to me again. I
jumped upon my feet instantly, and got hold of my sword;
but no enemies were in view; I found a Tartar lying dead,
and his horse standing very quietly by him; and, looking far-
ther, I saw my champion and deliverer, who had been to see
what the Chinese had done, coming back with his hanger in
his hand. The old man, seeing me on my feet, came running
to me, and embraced me with a great deal of joy, being afraid
before that I had been killed; and seeing me bloody, would
see how I was hurt; but it was not much, only what we call a
broken head; neither did I afterwards find any great inconveni-
ence from the blow, for it was well again in two or three days.
We made no great gain, however, by this victory, for we
lost a camel and gained a horse. But that which was remark-
able, when we came back to the village, the man demanded to
be paid for the camel; I disputed it, and it was brought to a
hearing before the Chinese judge of the place. To give him.
his due, he acted with a great deal of prudence and impartiality;
and, having heard both sides, he gravely asked the Chinese
man, that went with me to buy the camel, whose servant he
M
442
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
J
[
was? "I am no servant," says he, "but went win the stran-
ger."
"At whose request?" says the justice.
"C At the stran-
ger's request," says he. "Why, then," says the justice, "you
were the stranger's servant for the time; and the camel being
delivered to his servant, it was delivered to him, and he must
pay for it."
I confess the thing was so clear, that I had not a word to
say; but, admiring to see such just reasoning upon the con-
sequence, and an accurate stating of the case, I paid willingly
for the camel, and sent for another; but, you may observe, I
did not go to fetch it myself any more, for I had had enough
of that.
The city of Naum is a frontier of the Chinese empire; they
call it fortified, and so it is, as fortifications go there; for this
I will venture to affirm, that all the Tartars in Karakathay,
which, I believe, are some millions, could not batter down the
walls with their bows and arrows; but to call it strong, if it
were attacked with cannon, would be to make those who un-
derstand it laugh at you.
We wanted, as I have said, above two days' journey of
this city, when messengers were sent express to every part of
the road to tell all travellers and caravans to halt till they had
a guard sent for them; for that an unusual body of Tartars,
making ten thousand in all, had appeared in the way, about
thirty miles beyond the city.
This was very bad news to travellers; however, it was care-
fully done of the governor, and we were very glad to hear we
should have a guard. Accordingly, two days after, we had two
hundred soldiers sent us from a garrison of the Chinese, on
our left, and three hundred more from the city of Naum, and
with these we advanced boldly: the three hundred soldiers
from Naum marched in our front, the two hundred in our
rear, and our men on each side of our camels, with our bag-
gage, and the whole caravan in the centre; in this order, and
well prepared for battle, we thought ourselves a match for the
whole ten thousand Mogul Tartars, if they had appeared; but
the next day, when they did appear, it was quite another thing.
It was early in the morning, when, marching from a well-
situated little town, called Changu, we had a river to pass,
which we were obliged to ferry; and, had the Tartars had any
intelligence, then had been the time to have attacked us, when,
the caravan being over, the rear-guard was behind; but they
did not appear there. About three hours after, when we were
entered upon a desert of about fifteen or sixteen miles over,
L
ROBINSON CRUSOE
443
behold, by a cloud of dust they raised, we saw an enemy was
at hand; and they were at hand, indeed, for they came on
upon the spur.
""
""
The Chinese, our guard in the front, who had talked so
big the day before, began to stagger; and the soldiers fre-
quently looked behind them, which is a certain sign in a soldier
that he is just ready to run away. My old pilot was of my
mind; and being near me, called out, "Seignior Inglese,
says he,
"those fellows must be encouraged, or they will ruin
us all; for if the Tartars come on they will never stand it."
"I am of your mind," said I; "but what must be done?
"Done!" says he; "let fifty of our men advance, and flank
them on each wing, and encourage them; and they will fight
like brave fellows in brave company; but without this, they
will every man turn his back." Immediately, I rode up to our
leader, and told him, who was exactly of our mind; and ac-
cordingly fifty of us marched to the right wing, and fifty to the
left, and the rest made a line of rescue; and so we marched,
leaving the last two hundred men to make a body by them-
selves, and to guard the camels; only that, if need were, they
should send a hundred men to assist the last fifty.
*
In a word, the Tartars came on, and an innumerable com-
pany they were; how many we could not tell, but ten thousand,
we thought, was the least; a party of them came on first, and
viewed our posture, traversing the ground in the front of our
line; and, as we found them within gun-shot, our leader or-
dered the two wings to advance swiftly, and give them a salvo
on each wing with their shot, which was done; and they went
off, I suppose back, to give an account of the reception they
e like to meet with; and, indeed, that salute cloyed their
stomachs, for they immediately halted, stood awhile to consider
of it, and wheeling off to the left, they gave over their design,
and said no more to us for that time; which was very agree-
able to our circumstances, which were but very indifferent for
a battle with such a number.
Two days after, we came to the city of Naun, or Naum ;
we thanked the governor for his care of us, and collected to
the value of a hundred crowns, or thereabouts, which we gave
to the soldiers sent to guard us; and here we rested one day.
This is a garrison indeed, and there were nine hundred soldiers
kept here but the reason of it was, that formerly the Musco-
vite frontiers lay nearer to them than they now do, the Mus-
covites having abandoned that part of the country, which lies
from this city west for about two hundred miles, as desolate
444
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
4
and unfit for use; and more especially being so very remote,
and so difficult to send troops thither for its defence: for we
were yet above two thousand miles from Muscovy, properly so
called.
After this, we passed several great rivers, and two dreadful
deserts; one of which we were sixteen days passing over, and
which, as I said, was to be called no man's land; and, on the
13th of April, we came to the frontiers of the Muscovite do-
minions. I think the first town, or fortress, whichever it may
be called, that belonged to the Czar of Muscovy, was called
Arguna, being on the west side of the River Arguna.
I could not but discover an infinite satisfaction that I was
so soon arrived in, as I called it, a Christian country, or, at
least, in a country governed by Christians; for though the Mus-
covites do, in my opinion, but just deserve the name of Chris-
tians, yet such they pretend to be, and are very devout in their
way. It would certainly occur to any man who travels the
world as I have done, and who had any power of reflection,
what a blessing it is to be brought into the world where the
name of God and a Redeemer is known, adored, and wor-
shipped; and not where the people, given up. by Heaven to
strong delusions, worship the devil, and prostrate themselves
to stocks and stones; worship monsters, elements, horrid-shaped
animals, and statues or images of monsters. Not a town or
city we passed through but had their pagodas, their idols, and
their temples, and ignorant people worshipping even the works
of their own hands. Now we came where, at least, a face of
the Christian worship appeared; where the knee was bowed to
Jesus; and whether ignorantly or not, yet the Christian religion
was owned, and the name of the true God was called upon and
adored; and it made my soul rejoice to see it. I saluted the
brave Scots merchant I mentioned above with my first acknowl-
edgment of this; and taking him by the hand, I said to him,
"Blessed be God, we are once again amongst Christians." He
smiled and answered, "Do not rejoice too soon, countryman;
these Muscovites are but an odd sort of Christians; and but
for the name of it, you may see very little of the substance for
some months farther of our journey." Well," says I, "but still
it is better than Paganism and worshipping of devils." "Why,
I will tell you," says he; except the Russian soldiers in the
garrisons, and a few of the inhabitants of the cities upon the
road, all the rest of this country, for above a thousand mil
farther, is inhabited by the worst and most ignorant of Pagans.
And so, indeed, we found it,
66
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
445
We were now launched into the greatest piece of solid earth,
if I understand anything of the surface of the globe, that is to
be found in any part of the world; we had, at least, twelve
thousand miles to the sea, eastward; two thousand to the bot-
tom of the Baltic Sea, westward; and above three thousand,
if we left that sea, and went on west, to the British and French
channels: we had full five thousand miles to the Indian or Per-
sian Sea, south; and about eight hundred to the Frozen Sea,
north. Nay, if some people may be believed, there might be
no sea north-east till we came round the Pole, and conse-
quently into the north-west, and so had a continent of land into
America, the Lord knows where; though I could give some
reasons why I believe that to be a mistake.
As we entered into the Muscovite dominions a good while
before we came to any considerable towns, we had nothing to
observe there but this: first, that all the rivers run to the east ;
as I understood by the charts, which some in our caravan had
with them, it was plain all those rivers ran into the great River
Yamour, or Gamour; which river, by the natural course of it,
must run into the East Sea, or Chinese Ocean. The story they
tell us, that the mouth of this river is choked up with bulrushes
of a monstrous growth, viz. three feet about, and twenty or
thirty feet high, I must be allowed to say, I believe nothing of
it; but, as its navigation is of no use, because there is no trade
that way, the Tartars, to whom it alone belongs, dealing in
nothing but cattle, so nobody that ever I heard of has been
curious enough either to go down to the mouth of it in boats,
or come up from the mouth of it in ships, as far as I can find:
but this is certain, that this river running east, in the latitude
of about 50 degrees, carries a vast concourse of rivers along
with it, and finds an ocean to empty itself in that latitude; so
we are sure of sea there.
Some leagues to the north of this river, there are several
considerable rivers, whose streams run as due north as the Ya-
mour runs east; and these are all found to join their waters
with the great River Tartarus, named so from the northernmost
nations of the Mogul Tartars; who, as the Chinese say, were
the first Tartars in the world; and who, as our geographers
allege, are the Gog and Magog mentioned in sacred history.
These rivers running all northward, as well as all the other
rivers I am yet to speak of, make it evident that the northern
ocean bounds the lands also on that side; so that it does not
seem rational in the least to think that the land can extend it
elf to join with America on that side, or that there is not a
446
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
communication between the northern and eastern ocean; but
of this I shall say no more; it was my observation at that time,
and therefore I take notice of it in this place.
We now advanced from the River Arguna by easy and
moderate journeys, and were very visibly obliged to the care
the Czar of Muscovy has taken to have cities and towns built
in as many places as it is possible to place them, where his sol-
diers keep garrison, something like the stationary soldiers placed
by the Romans in the remotest countries of their empire; some
of which I had read of were placed in Britain, for the security
of commerce, and for the lodging of travellers: and thus it
was here; for wherever we came, though at these towns and
stations the garrisons and governors were Russians, and pro-
fessed Christians, yet the inhabitants were mere pagans, sacrifi-
cing to idols, and worshipping the sun, moon, and stars, or all
the host of heaven; and not only so, but were, of all the
heathens and pagans that ever I met with, the most barbarous,
except only that they did not eat men's flesh, as our savages of
America did.
Some instances of this we met with in the country between
Arguna, where we enter the Muscovite dominions, and a city
of Tartars and Russians together, called Nortziousky, in which
is a continued desert or forest, which cost us twenty days to
⚫ travel over. In a village near the last of these places, I had
the curiosity to go and see their way of living, which is most
brutish and unsufferable. They had, I suppose, a great sacri-
fice that day; for there stood out, upon an old stump of a tree,
an idol made of wood, frightful as the devil; at least, as any-
thing we can think of to represent the devil can be made: i
had a head not resembling any creature that the world ever
saw; ears as big as goats' horns, ana as high; eyes as big as
a crown-piece; a nose like a crooked ram's horn, and a mouth
extended four-cornered, like that of a lion, with horrible teeth,
hooked like a parrot's under bill; it was dressed up in the
filthiest manner that you could suppose; its upper garment was
of sheep-skins, with the wool outward; a great Tartar bonnet
on the head, with two horns growing through it; it was about
eight feet high, yet had no feet or legs, nor any other proportion
of parts.
This scarecow was set up at the outer side of the village ;
and, when I came near to it, there were sixteen or seventeen
creatures—whether men or women I could not tell, for they
made no distinction by their habits-all lying flat upon the
ground round this formidable block of shapeless wood;
I saw
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no motion among them, any more than if they had been all logs
of wood, like the idol, and at first I really thought they had
been so; but, when I came a little nearer, they started up upon
their feet, and raised a howling cry, as if they had been so many
deep-mouthed hounds, and walked away, as if they were dis-
pleased at our disturbing them. A little way off from the idol,
and at the door of a tent or hut, made all of sheep-skins and
cow-skins dried, stood three butchers,-I thought they were
such when I came nearer to them, for I found they had long
knives in their hands; and in the middle of the ten appeared
three sheep killed, and one young bullock or steer. These, it
seems, were sacrifices to that senseless log of an idol; the three
men were priests belonging to it, and the seventeen prostrateť
wretches were the people who brought the offering, and were
making their prayers to that stock.
I confess I was more moved at their stupidity and brutish
worship of a hobgoblin_than ever I was at anything in my life,
-to see God's most glorious and best creature, to whom He
had granted so many advantages, even by creation, above the
rest of the works of His hands, vested with a reasonable soul,
and that soul adorned with faculties and capacities adapted
both to honor his Maker, and be honored by Him, sunk and
degenerated to a degree so very stupid as to prostrate itself to
a frightful nothing, a mere imaginary object, dressed up by
themselves, and made terrible to themselves by their own con-
trivance, adorned only with clouts and rags,-and that this
should be the effect of mere ignorance, wrought up into hellish
devotion by the devil himself, who, envying his Maker the hom
age and adoration of his creatures, had deluded hem into such
sordid and brutish things as one would think would shock nature
itself!
But what signified all the astonishment and reflection of
thoughts? And thus it was, and I saw it before my eyes, and
there was no room to wonder at it, or think it impossible; all
my admiration turned to rage, and I rode up to the image or
monster-call it what you will- and with my sword made a
stroke at the bonnet that was on its head, and cut it in two;
and one of our men that was with me took hold of the sheep-
skin that covered it, and pulled at it, when, behold, a most
hideous outcry and howling ran through the village, and two or
three hundred people came about my ears, so that I was glad
to scour for it, for we saw some had bows and arrows; but I
resolved from that moment to visit them again,
Our caravan rested three nights at the town, which was
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E
about four miles off, in order to provide some horses which
they wanted, several of the horses having been lamed and jaded
with the badness of the way and long march over the last
desert; so we had some leisure here to put my design in exe-
cution. I communicated it to the Scots merchant of Moscow,
of whose courage I had sufficient testimony; I told him
what I had seen, and with what indignation I had since thought
that human nature could be so degenerate; I told him if I
could get but four or five men well armed to go with me, I was
resolved to go and destroy that vile, abominable idol, and let
them see that it had no power to help itself, and consequently
could not be an object of worship, or to be prayed to, much less
help them that offered sacrfiices to it.
He laughed at me: says he, "Your zeal may be good, but
what do you propose to yourself by it?" "Propose!" said I;
66
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to vindicate the honor of God, which is insulted by this devil
worship."
"But how will it vindicate the honor of God," said
he, "while the people will not be able to know what you nean
by it, unless you could speak to them, and tell them so? and
then they will fight you, and beat you, too, I assure you; for
they are desperate fellows, and that especially in defence of
their idolatry." Can we not," said I, “do it in the night, and
then leave them the reasons and the causes in writing in their
own language?" Writing!" said he; "why, there is not a
man in five nations of them that knows anything of a letter, or
how to read a word any way." "Wretched ignorance!” said
I to him; "however, I have a great mind to do it; perhaps
nature may draw inferences from it to them, to let them see
how brutish they are to worship such horrid things.
"" "Look
you, sir," said he; "if your zeal prompts you to do it so warmly,
you must do it; but, in the next place, I would have you con-
sider these wild nations of people are subjected by force to the
Czar of Muscovy's dominion; and if you do this, it is ten to one
but they will come by thousands to the governor of Nertsinskay
and demand satisfaction; and if he cannot give them satisfac-
tion, it is ten to one but they revolt, and it will occasion a new
war with all the Tartars in the country.'
""
This, I confess, put new thoughts into my head for a while;
but I harped upon the same string still; and all that day I was
uneasy to put my project in execution.
Towards the evening
the Scots merchant met me by accident in our walk about the
town, and desired to speak with me. “I believe,” said he, “I
have put you off your good design. I have been a little con-
cerned about it since, for I abhor idolatry as much as you can
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،،
""
،،
do." "Truly," said I, "you have put off a little the execution
of it; but you have not put it out of my thoughts, and I believe
I shall do it before I quit this place, though I were to be deliv-
ered up to them for satisfaction." 'No, no," said he ;
"God
forbid they should deliver you up to such a crew of monsters!
They shall not do that either; that would be murdering you,
indeed." Why," said I, "how would they use me?
Use
you!" said he; "I'll tell you how they served a poor Russian
who affronted them in their worship just as you did, and whom
they took prisoner, after they had lamed him with an arrow
that he could not run away. They took him and stripped him
stark naked, and set him upon the top of the idol-monster, and
stood all round him, and shot as many arrows into him as would
stick over his whole body; and then they burned him, and all
the arrows sticking in him, as a sacrifice to the idol."
"And was
this the same idol?" said I. "Yes," said he, "the very same."
“Well,” said I, "I will tell you a story." So I related the story
of our men at Madagascar, and how they burned and sacked
the village there, and killed man, woman, and child, for their
murdering one of our men, just as it is related before; and I
added that I thought we ought to do so to this village.
He listened very attentively to the story; but when I talked
of doing so to that village, said he, "You mistake very much;
it was not this village—it was almost a hundred miles from this
place; but it was the same idol, for they carry him about in
procession all over the country." “Well,” said I, “then that
idol ought to be punished for it; and it shall," said I, "if I
live this night out."
In a word, finding me resolute, he liked the design, and told
me I should not go alone, but he would go with me, but he
would go first and bring a stout fellow, one of his countrymen,
to go also with us; "and one," said he, "as famous for his
zeal as you can desire any one to be against such devilish
things as these." In a word, he brought me his comrade, a
Scotsman, whom he called Captain Richardson; and I gave
him a full account of what I had seen, and also what I intend-
ed; and he told me readily he would go with me if it cost him
his life. So we agreed to go-only we three. I had, indeed,
proposed it to my partner, but he declined it. He said he was
ready to assist me to the utmost, and upon all occasions, for
my defence; but this was an adventure quite out of his way;
so, I say, we resolved upon our work, only we three and my
man-servant, and to put it into execution that night about mid-
night, with all the secrecy imaginable.
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
•
However, upon second thoughts, we were willing to delay it
till the next night, because the caravan being to set forward in
the morning, we supposed the governor could not pretend to
give them any satisfaction upon us when we were out of his
power. The Scots merchant, as steady in his resolution for
the enterprise as bold in executing, brought me a Tartar's robe
or gown of sheep-skins, and a bonnet, with a bow and arrows,
and had provided the same for himself and his countryman,
that the people, if they saw us, should not determine who we
were.
All the first night we spent in mixing up some combus-
tible matter, with aqua vitæ, gunpowder, and such other ma-
terials as we could get; and having a good quantity of tar in
a little pot, about an hour after night we set out upon our ex-
pedition.
We came to the place about eleven o'clock at night, and
found that the people had not the least jealousy of danger.at-
tending their idol. The night was cloudy; yet the moon gave
us light enough to see that the idol stood just in the same pos-
ture and place that it did before. The people seemed to be all
at their rest; only that in the great hut, or tent, as we called
it, where we saw the three priests, whom we mistook for butch-
ers, we saw a light, and going up close to the door, we heard
people talking as if there were five or six of them; we con-
cluded, therefore, that if we set wildfire to the idol, these men
would come out immediately, and run up to the place to rescue
it from the destruction that we intended for it: and what to do
with them we knew not. Once we thought of carrying it away,
and setting fire to it at a distance; but when we came to handle
it, we found it too bulky for our carriage; so we were at a loss
again. The second Scotsman was for setting fire to the tent or
hut, and knocking the creatures that were there on the head
when they came out; but I could not join with that
I was
against killing them, if it were possible to avoid it. "Well,
then," said the Scots merchant, "I will tell you what we will
do we will try to make them prisoners, tie their hands, and
make them stand and see their idol destroyed."
As it happened, we had twine or packthread enough about
us, which we used to tie our firelocks together with; so we re-
solved to attack these people first, and with as little noise as
we could. The first thing we did we knocked at the door, when
one of the priests coming to it, we immediately seized upon
him, stopped his mouth, and tied his hands behind him, and
led him to the idol, where we gagged him that he might not
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
451
make a noise, tied his feet also together, and left him on the
ground.
Two of us then waited at the door, expecting that another
would come out to see what the matter was; but we waited so
long till the third man came back to us; and then nobody com-
ing out, we knocked again gently, and immediately out came two
more, and we served them just in the same manner, but were
obliged to go all with them, and lay them down by the idol.
some distance from one another; when, going back, we found
two more were come out to the door, and a third stood be-
hind them within the door. We seized the two, and imme-
diately tied them, when the third, stepping back and crying out,
my Scots merchant went in after him, and taking out a compo-
sition we had made that would only smoke and stink, he set fire
to it, and threw it in among them. By that time the other
Scotsman and my man, taking charge of the two men already
bound, and tied together also by the arm, led them away to the
idol, and left them there, to see if their idol would relieve them,
making haste back to us.
When the furze we had thrown in had filled the hut with so
much smoke that they were almost suffocated, we then threw
in a small leather bag of another kind, which flamed like a
candle, and following it in, we found there were but four peo-
ple, and, as we supposed, had been about some of their diabolic
sacrifices. They appeared, in short, frightened to death, at
least so as to sit trembling and stupid, and not able to speak
either for the smoke.
In a word, we took them, bound them as we had done the
other, and all without any noise. I should have said we brought
them out of the house or hut first; for indeed we were not able
to bear the smoke any more than they were. When we had done
this, we carried them all together to the idol; when we came
there, we fell to work with him; and first we daubed him all over,
and his robes also, with tar, and such other stuff as we had,
which was tallow mixed with brimstone; and then we stopped
his eyes, and ears, and mouth full of gunpowder; then we
wrapped up a great piece of wildfire in his bonnet; and then
sticking all the combustibles we had brought with us upon him,
we looked about to see if we could find anything else to help
to burn him; when my Scotsman remembered that by the tent
or hut, where the men were, there lay a heap of dry forage,
whether straw or rushes I do not remember; away he and the
other Scotsman ran, and fetched their arms full of that. When
we had done this, we took all our prisoners, and brought them,
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having untied their feet and ungagged their mouths, and made
them stand up, and set them before their monstrous idol, and
then set fire to the whole.
We stayed by it a quarter of an hour, or thereabouts, till
the powder in the eyes, and mouth, and ears of the idol blew
up, and, as we could perceive, had split and deformed the shape
of it; and, in a word, till we saw it burned into a mere block or
log of wood; and setting dry forage to it, we found it would be
quite consumed; so we began to think of going away; but the
Scotsman said, "No, we must not go, for these poor deluded
wretches will all throw themselves into the fire, and burn them-
selves with the idol." So we resolved to stay till the forage
was burned down too, and then came away and left them.
After the feat was performed, we appeared in the morning
among our fellow-travellers, exceedingly busy in getting ready
for our journey; nor could any man suggest that we had been
anywhere but in our beds, as travellers might be supposed to
be, to fit themselves for the fatigues of the day's journey.
But the affair did not end so; the next day came a great
number of the country people to the town gates, and in a most
outrageous manner demanded satisfaction of the Russian gov-
ernor for the insulting their priests, and burning their great
Cham Chi-Thaungu. The people of Nertsinskay were at first
in a great consternation, for they said the Tartars were already
no less than thirty thousand strong. The Russian governor sent
out messengers to appease them, and gave them all the good
words imaginable; assuring them that he knew nothing of it,
and that there had not a soul in his garrison been abroad, so
that it could not be from anybody there but if they could let
him know who did it, they should be exemplarily punished.
They returned haughtily, that all the country reverenced the
great Cham Chi-Thaungu, who dwelt in the sun, and no mortal
would have dared to offer violence to his image but some
Christian miscreant; and they therefore resolved to denounce
war against him and all the Russians, who, they said, were mis-
creants and Christians.
The governor, still patient, and unwilling to make a
breach, or to have any cause of war alleged to be given by him,
the Czar having strictly charged him to treat the conquered
country with gentleness and civility, gave them still all the good
words he could. At last he told them there was a caravan
gone towards Russia that morning, and perhaps it was some, of
them who had done them this injury; and that if they would be
satisfied with that. he would send after them to inquire into it.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
453
1
This seemed to appease them a little; and accordingly the
governor sent after us, and gave us a particular account how the
thing was; intimating withal, that if any in our caravan had
done it, they should make their escape; but that whether we
had done it or no, we should make all the haste forward that
was possible; and that, in the mean time, he would keep them
in play as long as he could.
This was very friendly in the governor; however, when it
came to the caravan, there was nobody knew anything of the
matter; and as for us that were guilty, we were least of all
suspected. However, the captain of the caravan for the time,
took the hint that the governor gave us, and we travelled two
days and two nights, without any considerable stop, and then
we lay at a viliage called Plothus: nor did we make any long
stop here, but hastened on towards Jarawena, another of the
Czar of Muscovy's colonies, and where we expected we should
be safe. But upon the second day's march from Plothus, by the
clouds of dust behind us at a great distance, some of our people
began to be sensible we were pursued. We had entered a
great desert, and had passed by a great lake called Schaks
Oser, when we perceived a very great body of horse appear on
the other side of the lake, to the north, we travelling west.
We observed they went away west, as we did, but had supposed
we would have taken that side of the lake, whereas we very
happily took the south side; and in two days more they dis-
appeared again: for they, believing we were still before them,
pushed on till they reached the River Udda, a very great river
when it passes farther north, but when we came to it, we found
it narrow and fordable.
The third day they had either found their mistake, or and
intelligence of us, and came pouring in upon us towards the
dusk of the evening. We had, to our great satisfaction, just
pitched upon a place for our camp, which was very convenient
for the night; for as we were upon a desert, though but at
the beginning of it, that was above five hundred miles over,
we had no towns to lodge at, and, indeed, expected none but
the city Jarawena, which we had yet two days' march to; the
desert, however, had some few woods in it on this side, and
little rivers, which ran all into the great River Udda; it was in
a narrow strait, between little but very thick woods, that we
pitched our little camp for that night, expecting to be attacked
before morning.
Nobody knew but ourselves what we were pursued for: but
as it was usual with the Mogul Tartars to go about in troops
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in that desert, so the caravans always fortify themselves every
night against them, as against armies of robbers; and it was,
therefore, no new thing to be pursued.
But we had this night, of all the nights of our travels, a
most advantageous camp; for we lay between two woods, with
a little rivulet running just before our front, so that we could
not be surrounded, or attacked any way but in our front or
We took care also to make our front as strong as we
could by placing our packs, with our camels and horses, all
in a line, on the inside of the river, and felling some trees in
rear.
our rear.
In this posture we encamped for the night; but the enemy
was upon us before we had finished. They did not come on us
like thieves, as we expected, but sent three messengers to us
to demand the men to be delivered to them that had abused
their priests, and burned their god Cham Chi-Thaungu with
fire, that they might burn them with fire; and upon this, they
said, they would go away, and do us no further harm, other-
wise they would destroy us all. Our men looked very blank
at this message, and began to stare at one another to see who
looked with the most guilt in their faces; but nobody was the
word-nobody did it. The leader of the caravan sent word he
was well assured that it was not done by any of our camp;
that we were peaceful merchants, travelling on our business;
that we had done no harm to them or to any one else; and
that, therefore, they must look farther for their enemies who
had injured them, for we were not the people; so desired them
not to disturb us, for if they did we should defend ourselves.
;
They were far from being satisfied with this for an answer
and a great crowd of them came running down in the morning,
by break of day, to our camp; but seeing us in such an un-
accountable situation, they durst come no farther than the brook
in our front, where they stood, and showed us such a number
that indeed terrified us very much; for those that spoke least
of them spoke of ten thousand. Here they stood and looked
at us a while, and then setting up a great howl, they let fly a
great crowd of arrows among us; but we were well enough
fortified for that, for we sheltered under our baggage, and I do
not remember that one of us was hurt.
Some time after this, we saw them move a little to our
right, and expected them on the rear; when a cunning fel-
low, a Cossack of Jarawena, in the pay of the Moscovites,
calling to the leader of the caravan, said to him, "I'll go send
all these people away to Siheilka." This was a city four or
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
455
?
five days' journey at least to the right, and rather behind us.
So he takes his bow and arrows, and getting on horseback,
he rides away from our rear directly as it were back to Nert-
sinskay after this he takes a great circuit about, and comes
directly on the army of the Tartars, as if he had been sent
express to tell them a long story that the people who had
burned the Cham Chi-Thaungu were gone to Siheilka, with a
caravan of miscreants, as he called them
- that is to say,
Christians; and that they had resolved to burn the god Schal-
Isar, belonging to the Tongueses.
As this fellow was himself a mere Tartar, and perfectly
spoke their language, he counterfeited so well that they all be-
lieved him, and away they drove in a most violent hurry to Si-
heilka, which, it seems, was five days' journey to the north;
and in less than three hours they were entirely out of our
sight, and we never heard any more of them, nor whether they
went to Siheilka or no. So we passed away safely on to Jara-
wena, where there was a garrison of Muscovites, and there we
rested five days; the caravan being exceedingly fatigued with
the last day's hard march, and with want of rest in the night.
From this city we had a frightful desert, which held us
twenty-three days' march. We furnished ourselves with some
tents here, for the better accommodating ourselves in the night;
and the leader of the caravan procured sixteen carriages or
wagons of the country, for carrying our water or provisions;
and these carriages were our defence, every night round our
little camp; so that had the Tartars appeared, unless they had
been very numerous indeed, they would not have been able to
hurt us.
We may well be supposed to have wanted rest again after
this long journey; for in this desert we neither saw house nor
tree, and scarce a bush; though we saw abundance of the
sable hunters, who are all Tartars of the Mogul Tartary, of
which this country is a part; and they frequently attack small
caravans, but we saw no numbers of them together.
After we had passed this desert, we came into a country
pretty well inhabited; that is to say, we found towns and cas-
tles, settled by the Czar of Muscovy, with garrisons of stationary
soldiers, to protect the caravans and defend the country against
the Tartars, who would otherwise make it very dangerous trav-
elling; and his czarish majesty has given such strict orders
for the well guarding the caravans and merchants, that, if there
are any Tartars heard of in the country, detachments of the gar-
rison are always sent to see the travellers safe from station to
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
station. And thus the governor of Adinskoy-whom I had an
opportunity to make a visit to, by means of the Scots merchant,
who was acquainted with him-offered us a guard of fifty men,
if we thought there was any danger, to the next station.
I thought long before this, that as we came nearer to Eu
rope, we should find the country better inhabited, and the peo-
ple more civilized; but I found myself mistaken in both; for
we had yet the nation of the Tongueses to pass through, where
we saw the same tokens of paganism and barbarity as before;
only, as they were conquered by the Muscovites, they were not
so dangerous, but for rudeness of manners, and idolatry, no
people in the world ever went beyond them; they are clothed
all in skins of beasts, and their houses are built of the same;
you
know not a man from a woman, neither by the ruggedness
of their countenances nor their clothes; and in the winter, when
the ground is covered with snow, they live underground in
vaults, which have cavities going from one to another.
If the Tartars had their Cham Chi-Thaungu for a whole
village or country, these had idols in every hut and every cave:
besides, they worship the stars, the sun, the water, the snow,
and, in a word, everything they do not understand, and they
understand but very little; so that every element, every uncom-
on thing, sets them sacrificing. I met with nothing peculiar
myself in all this country, which I reckon was, from the desert
I spoke of last, at least four hundred miles, half of it being an-
other desert, which took us up twelve days' severe travelling,
without house or tree; and we were obliged again to carry our
own provisions, as well water as bread. After we were out of
this desert, and had travelled two days, we came to Janezay,
a Muscovite city, or station, on the great River Janezay, which,
they told us there, parted Europe from Asia.
Here I observed ignorance and paganism still prevailed,
except in the Muscovite garrisons. All the country between
the River Oby and the River Janezay is as entirely pagan, and
the people as barbarous, as the remotest of the Tartars; nay,
as any nation, for aught I know, in Asia or America. I also
found, which I observed to the Muscovite governors whom I
had an opportunity to converse with, that the poor pagans are
not much wiser, or ncarer Christianity, for being under the
Muscovite government, which they acknowledged was true
enough; but that, as they said, was none of their business; that
if the Czar expected to convert his Siberian, Tonguese, or Tar-
ta subjects, it should be done by sending clergymen among
them, not soldiers; and they added, with more sincerity than
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
457
expected, that they found it was not so much the concern of
their monarch to make the people Christians as it was to make
them subjects.
From this river to the great River Oby we crossed a wild,
uncultivated country, barren of people and good management;
otherwise it is in itself a most pleasant, fruitful, and agreeable
country. What inhabitants we found in it are ali pagans, except
such as are sent among them from Russia; for this is the coun-
try—I mean on both sides the River Oby-whither the Mus-
covite criminals that are not put to death are banished, and from
whence it is next to impossible they should ever get away.
I have nothing material to say of my particular affairs till I
came to Tobolski, the capital city of Siberia, where I continued
some time on the following account.
We had now been almost seven months on our journey, and
winter began to come on apace; whereupon my partner and I
called a council about our particular affairs, in which we found
it proper, as we were bound for England, and not for Mos-
cow, to consider how to dispose of ourselves. They told us of
sledges and reindeer to carry us over the snow in the winter
time; and, indeed, they have such things that it would be in-
credible to relate the particulars of, by which means the Rus-
sians travel more in winter than they can in summer, as in
these sledges they are able to run night and day; the snow,
being frozen, is one universal covering to nature, by which the
hills, vales, rivers, and lakes are all smooth and hard as a stone,
and they run upon the surface, without any regard to what is
underneath.
But I had no occasion to urge a winter journey of this kind:
I was bound to England, not to Moscow, and my route lay two
ways either I must go on as the caravan went, till I came to
Jaroslaw, and then go off west for Narva, and the Gulf of Fin-
land, and so on to Dantzic, where I might possibly sell my
China cargo to good advantage; or I must leave the caravan at
a little town on the Dwina, from whence I had but six days by
water to Archangel, and from thence might be sure of shipping
either to England, Holland, or Hamburg.
Now, to go any of these journeys in the winter would have
. been preposterous; for as to Dantzic, the Baltic would have
been frozen up, and I could not get passage; and to go by land
in those countries was far less safe than among the Mogul Tar-
tars; likewise, to go to Archangel in October, all the ships.
would be gone from thence. and even the merchants who dwell
there in summer retre south to Moscow in the winter, when the
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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
ships are gone; so that I could have nothing but extremity of
cold to encounter, with a scarcity of provisions, and must lie in
an empty town all the winter; so that, upon the whole, I thought
it much my better way to let the caravan go, and make provi-
sion to winter where I was, at Tobolski, in Siberia, in the lati-
tude of about sixty degrees, where I was sure of three things to
wear out a cold winter with, viz.: plenty of provisions, such as
the country afforded, a warm house, with fuel enough, and ex-
cellent company.
I was now in quite a different climate from my beloved
island, where I never felt cold, except when I had my ague; on
the contrary, I had much to do to bear any clothes on my back,
and never made any fire but without doors, which was neces-
sary for dressing my food, &c. Now I had three good vests,
with large robes or gowns over them, to hang down to the feet,
and button close to the wrists; and all these lined with furs, to
make them sufficiently warm.
As to a warm house, I must confess I greatly disliked our
way in England of making fires in every room in the house in
open chimneys, which, when the fire was out, always kept the
air in the room cold as the climate; but taking an apartment in
a good house in the town, I ordered a chimney to be built like
a furnace, in the centre of six several rooms, like a stove; the
funnel to carry the smoke went up one way, the door to come
at the fire went in another, and all the rooms were kept equally
warm, but no fire sera, just as they heat the bagnios in Eng-
land. By this mears we had always the same climate in all the
rooms, and an equal heat was preserved, and how cold soever
it was without, it was always warm within; and yet we saw no
fire, nor were ever incommoded with smoke.
The most wonderful thing of all was, that it should be pos-
sible to meet with good company here, in a country so barbar-
ous as that of the most northerly parts of Europe, near the
Frozen Ocean, within but a very few degrees of Nova Zembla.
But this being the country where the state criminals of Mus-
covy, as I observed before, are all banished, this city was full
of noblemen, gentlemen, soldiers, and courtiers of Muscovy.
Here was the famous Prince Galitzin, the old General Robos
tiski, and several other persons of note, and some ladies. By
means of my Scotch merchant, whom, nevertheless, I parted with
here, I made an acquaintance with several of these gentlemen;
and from these, in the long winter nights in which I staid here,
I received several very agreeable visits.
It was talking one night with Prince
one of the ban-
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
459
ished ministers of state belonging to the Czar of Muscovy, that
the discourse of my particular case began. He had been tell-
ing me abundance of fine things of the greatness, the magnifi-
cence, the dominions, and the absolute power of the Emperor
of the Russians: I interrupted him, and told him I was a greater
and more powerful prince than ever the Czar of Muscovy was,
though my dominions were not so large, or my people so many,
The Russian grandee looked a little surprised, and, fixing his
I told
eyes steadily upon me, began to wonder what I meant.
him his wonder would cease when I had explained myself.
First, I told him I had absolute disposal of the lives and for-
tunes of all my subjects; that notwithstanding my absolute
power, I had not one person disaffected to my government, or
to my person, in all my dominions. He shook his head at that,
and said, there, indeed, I outdid the Czar of Muscovy. I told
him that all the lands in my kingdom were my own, and all my
subjects were not only my tenants, but tenants at will; that
they would all fight for me to the last drop; and that never
tyrant (for such I acknowledged myself to be) was ever so
universally beloved, and yet so horribly feared by his subjects.
After amusing him with these riddles in government for a
while, I opened the case, and told him the story at large of my
living in the island; and how I managed both myself and the
people that were under me, just as I have since minuted it
down. They were exceedingly taken with the story, and es-
pecially the prince, who told me, with a sigh, that the true
greatness of life was to be masters of ourselves; that he would
not have exchanged such a state of life as mine, to be Czar of
Muscovy; a d that he found more felicity in the retirement he
seemed to be banished to there, than ever he found in the
highest authority he enjoyed in the court of his master the
Czar; that the height of human wisdom was to bring our tem-
pers down to our circumstances, and to make a calm within,
under the weight of the greatest storms without. When he
came first hither, he said he used to tear the hair from his
head, and the clothes from his back, as others had done before
him but a little time and consideration had made him look
into himself, as well as round him, to things without that he
found the mind of man, if it was but once brought to reflect
upon the state of universal life, and how little this world was
concerned in its true felicity, was perfectly capable of making
a felicity for itself, fully satisfying to itself, and suitable to its
own best ends and desires, with but very little assistance from
the world; the air to breathe in, food to sustain life, clothes
460
ROBINSON CRusoe.
for warmth, and liberty for exercise, in order to health, com-
pleted, in his opinion, all that the world could do for us; and
though the greatness, the authority, the riches, and the pleas-
ures which some enjoyed in the world, had much in them that
was agreeable to us, yet all those things chiefly gratified the
coarsest of our affections, such as our ambition, our particular
pride, avarice, vanity, and sensuality; all which, being the
mere product of the worst part of man, were in themselves
crimes, and had in them the seeds of all manner of crimes ; but
neither were related to, nor concerned with, any of those virtues
that constituted us wise men, nor of those graces that dis-
tinguished us as Christians; that being now deprived of all the
fancied felicity which he enjoyed in the full exercise of all those
vices, he said he was at leisure to look upon the dark side of
them, where he found all manner of deformity; and was now
convinced that virtue only makes a man truly wise, rich, and
great, and preserves him in the way to a superior happiness in
a future state; and in this, he said, they were more happy in
their banishment than all their enemies were, who had the full
possession of all the wealth and power they had left behind
them. "Nor, sir," says he, "do I bring my mind to this po-
litically, from the necessity of my circumstances, which some
call miserable; but, if I know anything of myself, I would not
now go back, though the Czar my master should call me, and
reinstate me in all my former grandeur; I say, I would no
more go back to it than I believe my soul, when it shall be de-
livered from this prison of the body, and has had a taste of the
glorious state beyond life, would come back to the jail of flesh
and blood it is now enclosed in, and leave heaven, to deal in
the dirt and crime of human affairs."
He spoke this with so much warmth in his temper, so much
earnestness and motion of his spirits, that it was evident it was
the true sense of his soul; there was no room to doubt his
sincerity. I told him I once thought myself a kind of monarch
in my old station, of which I had given him an account; but
that I thought he was not only a monarch, but a great con-
queror; for he that had got a victory over his own exorbitant
desires, and the absolute dominion over himself, he whose rea-
son entirely governs his will, is certainly greater than he that
conquers a city. But, my lord," said I, "shall I take the
liberty to ask you a question?" "With all my heart," says he.
"If the door of your liberty was opened," said I, "would you
not take hold of it, to deliver yourself from this exile? Hold,"
said he; "your question is subtle, and requires some serious,
((
" 66
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
461
just distinctions to give it a sincere answer; and I will give it
you from the bottom of my heart. Nothing that I know of in
the world would move me to deliver myself from this state of
banishment, except these two: first, the enjoyment of my rela-
tions; and, secondly, a little warmer climate; but I protest to
you, that to go back to the pomp of the court, the glory, the
power, the hurry of a minister of state; the wealth, the gayety,
and the pleasures of a courtier; if my master should send me
word this moment that he restores me to all he banished me
from, I protest, if I know myself at all, I would not leave this
wilderness, these deserts, and these frozen lakes, for the palace
at Moscow." "But, my lord," said I, "perhaps you not only
are banished from the pleasures of the court, and from the
power, aut₁rity, and wealth you enjoyed before, but you may
be absent, too, from some of the conveniences of life: your
estate, perhaps, confiscated, and your effects plundered; and
the supplies left you here may not be suitable to the ordinary
demands of life." Ay," says he, "that is as you suppose me
to be a lord, or a prince, &c. ; so, indeed, I am; but you are
now to consider me only as a man, a human creature, not at all
distinguished from another; and so I can suffer no want, un-
less I should be visited with sickness and distempers. How-
ever, to put the question out of dispute, you see our way of
life we are, in this place, five persons of rank; we live perfectly
retired, as suited to a state of banishment; we have something
rescued from the shipwreck of our fortunes, which keeps us
from the mere necessity of hunting for our food; but the poor
soldiers, who are here without that help, live in as much plenty
as we, who go into the woods and catch sables and foxes; the
labor of a month will maintain them a year; and as the way of
living is not expensive, so it is not hard to get sufficient for
ourselves. So that objection is out of doors."
(6
I have not room to give a full account of the most agreeable
conversation I had with this truly great man; in all which he
showed that his mind was so inspired with a superior knowledge
of things, so supported by religion, as well as by a vast share
of wisdom, that his contempt of the world was really as much
as he had expressed, and that he was always the same to the
last, as will appear in the story I am going to tell.
I had been here eight months, and a dark, dreadful winter
I thought it; the cold so intense that I could not so much as
look abroad without being wrapped in furs, and a mask of fur
before my face, or rather a hood, with only a hole for breath,
and two for sight: the little daylight we had was, as we reck-
462
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
11
oned, for three months not above five hours a day, and six at
most; only that the snow lying on the ground continually, and
the weather being clear, it was never quite dark. Our horses
were kept, or rather starved, under ground; and as for our
servants, whom we hired here to look after ourselves and horses,
we had, every now and then, their fingers and toes to thaw and
take care of, lest they should mortify and fall off.
It is true, within doors we were warm, the houses being
close, the walls thick, the lights small, and the glass all double.
Our food was chiefly the flesh of deer, dried and cured in the
season; bread good enough, but baked as biscuits; dried fish
of several sorts, and some flesh of mutton, and of buffaloes,
which is pretty good meat. All the stores of provisions for the
winter are laid up in the summer, and well cured: our drink
was water, mixed with aqua-vitæ instead of brandy; and for a
treat, mead instead of wine, which, however, they have very
good. The hunters, who venture abroad all weathers, frequently
brought us in fine venison, and sometimes bear's flesh, but we
did not much care for the last. We had a good stock of tea,
with which we treated our friends, and we lived very cheerfully
and well, all things considered.
It was now March, the days grown considerably longer, and
the weather at least tolerable; so the other travellers began to
prepare sledges to carry them over the snow, and to get things
ready to be going; but my measures being fixed, as I have said,
for Archangel, and not for Muscovy or the Baltic, I made no
motion; knowing very well that the ships from the south do
not set out for that part of the world till May or June, and that
if I was there by the beginning of August, it would be as soon
as any ships would be ready to go away; and therefore I made
no haste to be gone, as others did: in a word, I saw a great
many people, nay, all the travellers, go away before me. It
seems every year they go from thence to Muscovy for trade, to
carry furs, and buy necessaries, which they bring back with them
to furnish their shops: also others went on the same errand to
Archangel; but then they, all being to come back again above
eight hundred miles, went out before me.
In the month of May I began to make all ready to pack up;
and, as I was doing this, it occurred to me that, seeing all these
people were banished by the Czar of Muscovy to Siberia, and
yet, when they came there, were left at liberty to go whither
they would, why they did not then go away to any part of the
world, wherever they thought fit: and I began to examine what
should hinder them from making such an attempt. But my
1
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
463'
wonder was over when I entered upon that subject with the
person I have mentioned, who answered me thus. "Consider,
first, sir," said he, "the place where we are; and, secondly, the
condition we are in; especially the generality of the people who
are banished hither. We are surrounded with stronger things
than bars or bolts; on the north side, an unnavigable ocean,
where ship never sailed, and boat never swam; every other way
we have above a thousand miles to pass through the Czar's own
dominions, and by ways utterly impassable, except by the roads
made by the government, and through the towns garrisoned by
his troops; so that we could neither pass undiscovered by the
road, nor subsist any other way; so that it is in vain to at-
tempt it."
I was silenced, indeed, at once, and found that they were in
a prison every jot as secure as if they had been locked up in the
castle at Moscow: however, it came into my thoughts that I
might certainly be made an instrument to procure the escape of
this excellent person; and that, whatever hazard I ran, I would
certainly try if I could carry him off. Upon this, I took an oc-
casion, one evening, to tell him my thoughts. I represented to
him that it was very easy for me to carry him away, there being
no guard over him in the country; and as I was not going to
Moscow, but to Archangel, and that I went in the retinue of a
caravan, by which I was not obliged to lie in the stationary towns
in the desert, but could encamp every night where I would, we
might easily pass uninterrupted to Archangel, where I would
immediately secure him on board an English ship, and carry
him safe along with me; and as to his subsistence and other
particulars, it should be my care till he could better supply
himself.
He heard me very attentively, and looked earnestly on me
all the while I spoke ; nay, I could see in his very face that what
I said put his spirits into an exceeding ferment; his color fre-
quently changed, his eyes looked red, and his heart fluttered,
till it might be even perceived in his countenance; nor could
he immediately answer me when I had done, and, as it were, hes-
itated what he would say to it: but after he had paused a little.
he embraced me, and said, "How unhappy are we, unguarded
creatures as we are, that even our greatest acts of friendship are
made snares unto us, and we are made tempters of one another!
My dear friend," said he, "your offer is so sincere, has such
kindness in it, is so disinterested in itself, and is so calculated
for my advantage, that I must have very little knowledge of the .
world if I did not both wonder at it, and acknowledge the obli-
464
ROBINSON CRUsoe.
gation I have upon me to you for it. But did you believe I was
sincere in what I have often said to you of my contempt of the
world? Did you believe I spoke my very soul to you, and that
I had really obtained that degree of felicity here that had placed
me above all that the world could give me ? Did you believe I
was sincere when I told you I would not go back, if I was re-
called even to be all that I once was in the court, with the favor
of the Czar my master? Did you believe me, my friend, to be
an honest man; or did you believe me to be a boasting hypo-
crite?" Here he stopped, as if he would hear what I would
say; but, indeed, I soon after perceived that he stopped because
his spirits were in motion, his great heart was full of struggles,
and he could not go on. I was, I confess, astonished at the
thing as well as at the man, and I used some arguments with
him to urge him to set himself free; that he ought to look upon
this as a door opened by Heaven for his deliverance, and a sum-
mons by Providence, who has the care and disposition of all
events, to do himself good, and to render himself useful in
the world.
He had by this time recovered himself. "How do you
know, sir," says he, warmly, "but that, instead of a summons
from Heaven, it may be a feint of another instrument, represent-
ing in alluring colors to me the show of felicity as a deliverance,
which may in itself be my snare, and tend directly to my ruin?
Here I am free from the temptation of returning to my former
miserable greatness; there I am not sure but that all the seeds
of pride, ambition, avarice, and luxury, which I know remain in
nature, may revive, and take root, and, in a word, again over-
whelm me; and then the happy prisoner, whom you see now
master of his soul's liberty, shall be the miserable slave of his
own senses, in the full enjoyment of all personal liberty. Dear
sir, let me remain in this blessed confinement, banished from
the crimes of life, rather than purchase a show of freedom at
the expense of the liberty of my reason, and at the future
happiness which I now have in my view, but shall then, I fear,
quickly lose sight of ; for I am but flesh; a man, a mere man ;
have passions and affections as likely to possess and over-
throw me as any man: O, be not my friend and tempter both
together!"
If I was surprised before, I was quite dumb now, and stood
silent, looking at him, and, indeed, admiring what I saw. The
struggle in his soul was so great that, though the weather was
extremely cold, it put him into a most violent sweat, and I
found he wanted to give vent to his mind; so I said a word or
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
465
two, that I wou. leave him to consider of it, and wait on him
again, and then I withdrew to my own apartment.
About two hours after, I heard somebody at or near the
door of my room, and I was going to open the door; but he
had opened it and come in. "My dear friend," says he, "you
had almost overset me, but I ain recovered. Do not take it ill
that I do not close with your offer. I assure you it is not for
want of sense of the kindness of it in you; and I came to make
the most sincere acknowledgment of it to you; but I hope I
have got the victory over myself." "My lord," said I, “I hope
you are fully satisfied that you do not resist the call of Heaven."
"
Sir," said he, "if it had been from Heaven, the same power
would have influenced me to have accepted it; but I hope, and
am fully satisfied, that it is from Heaven that I decline it, and
I have infinite satisfaction in the parting, that you shall leave
me an honest man still, though not a free man."
I had nothing to do but to acquiesce, and make professions.
to him of my having no end in it but a sincere desire to serve
him. He embraced me very passionately, and assured me he
was sensible of that, and should always acknowledge it; and
with that he offered me a very fine present of sables,
much, indeed, for me to accept from a man in his circum-
stances, and I would have avoided them, but he would not be
refused.
too
C
The next morning I sent my servant to his lordship with a
small present of tea, and two pieces of China damask, and four
little wedges of Japan gold, which did not all weigh above six
ounces or thereabouts, but were far short of the value of his
sables, which, when I came to England, I found worth near two
hundred pounds. He accepted the tea, and one piece of the
damask, and one of the pieces of gold, which had a fine stamp
upon it, of the Japan coinage, which I found he took for the
rarity of it, but would not take any more: and he sent word by
my servant that he desired to speak with me.
When I came to him, he told me I knew what had passed
between us, and hoped I would not move him any more in that
affair; but that, since I had made such a generous offer to him,
he asked me if I had kindness enough to offer the same to an-
other person that he would name to me, in whom he had a
great share of concern. I told him that I could not say in-
clined to do so much for any but himself, for whom I had a
particular value, and should have been glad to have been the
instrument of his deliverance; however, if he would please to
30
466
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
name the person to me, I would give him my answer. He told
me it was his only son; who, though I had not seen him, yet
was in the same condition with himself, and above two hundred
miles from him, on the other side of the Oby; but that, if I
consented, he would send for him.
I made no hesitation, but told him I would do it. I made
some ceremony in letting him understand that it was wholly on
his account; and that, seeing I could not prevail on him, I
would show my respect to him by my concern for his son ; but
these things are too tedious to repeat here. He sent the next
day for his son; and in about twenty days he came back with
the messenger, bringing six or seven horses, loaded with very
rich furs, which, in the whole, amounted to a very great value.
His servants brought the horses into the town, but left the
young lord at a distance till night, when he came incognito into
our apartment, and his father presented him to me; and, in
short, we concerted the manner of our travelling, and every-
thing proper for the journey.
I had bought a considerable quantity of sables, black fox-
skins, fine ermines, and such other furs as are very rich in that
city, in exchange for some of the goods I had brought from
China; in particular for the cloves and nutmegs, of which I
sold the greatest part here, and the rest afterwards at Arch-
angel, for a much better price than I could have got at London;
and my partner, who was sensible of the profit, and whose
business, more particularly than mine, was merchandise, was
mightily pleased with our stay, on account of the traffic we
made here.
It was the beginning of June when I left this remote place;
a city, I believe, little heard of in the world; and, indeed, it is
so far out of the road of commerce, that I know not how it
should be much talked of. We were now reduced to a very
small caravan, having only thirty-two horses and camels in all,
and all of them passed for mine, though my new guest was
proprietor of eleven of them; it was most natural also that I
should take more servants with me than I had before; and the
young lord passed for my steward; what great man I passed
for myself, I know not, neither did it concern me to inquire.
We had here the worst and the largest desert to pass over that
we met with in our whole journey; I call it the worst, because
the way was very deep in some places, and very uneven in
others; the best we had to say for it was, that we thought we
had no troops of Tartars or robbers to fear, and that they never
ROBINSON CRUSOÈ.
467
came on this side the River Oby, or at least very seldom; but
we found it otherwise.
My young lord had a faithful Siberian servant, who was per-
fectly acquainted with the country, and led us by private roads,
so that we avoided coming into the principal towns and cities
upon the great road, such as Tumen, Soloy Kamskoi, and
several others; because the Muscovite garrisons which are kept
there are very curious and strict in their observation upon
travellers, and searching lest any of the banished persons of
note should make their escape that way into Muscovy; but, by
this means, as we were kept out of the cities, so our whole
journey was a desert, and we were obliged to encamp and lie in
our tents, when we might have had very good accommodation
in the cities on the way; this the young lord was so sensible of,
that he would not allow us to lie abroad when we came to
several cities on the way, but lay abroad himself, with his
servant, in the woods, and met us always at the appointed
places.
We had just entered Europe, having passed the River Kama,
which in these parts is the boundary between Europe and Asia,
and the first city on the European side was called Soloy Kam-
skoi, which is as much as to say, the great city on the River
Kama; and here we thought to see some evident alteration in
the people; but we were mistaken; for as we had a vast desert
to pass, which is near seven hundred miles long in some places,
but not above two hundred miles over where we passed it, so
till we came past that horrible place, we found very little differ-
ence between that country and the Mogul Tartary; the people
are mostly pagans, and little better than the savages of America ;
their houses and towns full of idols, and their way of living
wholly barbarous, except in the cities, and the villages near
them, where they are Christians, as they call themselves, of the
Greek church; but have their religion mingled with so many
relics of superstition, that it is scarce to be known in some
places from mere sorcery and witchcraft.
In passing this forest, I thought, indeed, we must (after all
our dangers were, to our imagination, escaped) have been
plundered and robbed, and perhaps murdered, by a troop of
thieves; of what country they were, I am yet at a loss to know ;
but they were all on horseback, carried bows and arrows, and
were at first about forty-five in number; they came so near to
us as to be within two musket-shots, and asking no questions,
surrounded us with their horses, and looked earnestly upon us
twice; at length, they piaced themselves just in our way; upon
468
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
which we drew up in a little line, before our camels, being not
above sixteen men in all; and, being drawn up thus, we '.alted
and sent out the Siberian servant, who attended his lord, tɔ see
who they were; his master was the more willing to let him go,
because he was not a little apprehensive that they were a
Siberian troop sent out after him. The man came up nearer
them with a flag of truce, and called to them; but though he
spoke several of their languages, or dialects of languages rather,
he could not understand a word they said; however, after some
signs to him not to come near them at his peril, the fellow came
back no wiser than he went; only that by their dress, he said,
he believed them to be some Tartars of Kalmuck, or of the
Circassian hordes, and that there must be more of them upon
the great desert, though he never heard that any of them were
seen so far north before.
About an hour after, they again made a motion to attack us,
and rode round our little wood to see where they might break
in; but finding us always ready to face them, they went off
again; and we resolved not to stir for that night.
This was small comfort to us; however, we had no remedy;
there was, on our left hand, at about a quarter of a mile dis-
tance, a little grove, and very near the road; I immediately
resolved we should advance to those trees, and fortify ourselves
as well as we could there; for, first, I considered that the trees
would in a great measure cover us from their arrows; and, in
the next place, they could not come to charge us in a body; it
was, indeed, my old Portuguese pilot who proposed it, and who
had this excellency attending him, that he was always readiest
and most apt to direct and encourage us in cases of the most
danger. We advanced immediately, with what speed we could,
and gained that little wood; the Tartars, or thieves, for we
knew not what to call them,-keeping their stand, and not at-
tempting to hinder us. When we came thither, we found, to
our great satisfaction, that it was a swampy piece of ground,
and on the one side a very great spring of water, which running
out in a little brook, was a little farther joined by another of
the like size; and was, in short, the source of a considerable
river, called afterwards the Wirtska; the trees which grew
about this spring were not above two hundred, but very large,
and stood pretty thick, so that as soon as we got in, we saw
ourselves perfectly safe from the enemy unless they attacked us
on foot.
While we staid here waiting the motion of the enemy some
hours, without perceiving that they made any movement, our
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
469
Portuguese, with some help, cut several arms of trees half off,
and laid them hanging across from one tree to another, and in
a manner fenced us in. About two hours before night, they
came down directly upon us; and though we had not perceived
it, we found they had been joined by some more, so that they
were near fourscore horse; whereof, however, we fancied some
were women. They came on till they were within half-shot of
our little wood, when we fired one musket without ball, and
called to them in the Russian tongue to know what they wanted,
and bade them keep off; but they came on with a double fury
up to the wood side, not imagining we were so barricaded that
they could not easily break in. Our old pilot was our captain,
as well as our engineer, and desired us not to fire upon them
till they came within pistol-shot, that we might be sure to kill,
and that when we did fire we should be sure to take good aim ;
we bade him give the word of command, which he delayed so
long, that they were some of them within two pikes' length of us
when we let fly. We aimed so true, that we killed fourteen of
them, and wounded several others, as also several of their
horses, for we had all of us loaded our pieces with two or three
bullets at least.
They were terribly surprised with our fire, and retreated
immediately about one hundred rods from us; in which time
we loaded our pieces again, and seeing them keep that distance,
we sallied out, and caught four or five of their horses, whose
riders we supposed were killed; and coming up to the dead, we
judged they were Tartars, but knew not how they came to make
an excursion such an unusual length.
We slept little, you may be sure, but spent the most part of
the night in strengthening our situation, and barricading the
entrances into the wood, and keeping a strict watch. We
waited for daylight, and when it came, it gave us a very unwel-
come discovery indeed; for the enemy, who we thought were
discouraged with the reception they met with, were now greatly
increased, and had set up eleven or twelve huts or tents, as if
they were resolved to besiege us; and this little camp they had
pitched upon the open plain, about three quarters of a mile
from us.
We were indeed surprised at this discovery; and
now, I confess, I gave myself over for lost, and all that I had;
the loss of my effects did not lie so near me, though very con-
siderable, as the thoughts of falling into the hands of such bar-
barians, at the latter end of my journey, after so many difficul-
ties and hazards as I had gone through, and even in sight of
ver port, where we expected safety and deliverance. As to my
470
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
•
partner, he was raging, and declared that to lose his goods
would be his ruin, and that he would rather die than be starved,
and he was for fighting to the last drop.
The young lord, a gallant youth, was for fighting to the last
also; and my old pilot was of opinion that we were able to re-
sist them all in the situation we were then in; and thus we spent
the day in debates of what we should do: but towards evening
we found that the number of our enemies still increased, and we
did not know but by the morning they might still be a greater
number; so I began to inquire of those people we had brought
from Tobolski, if there were no private ways by which we might
avoid them in the night, and perhaps retreat to some town, or
get help to guard us over the desert. The Siberian, who was
servant to the young lord, told us, if we designed to avoid them,
and not fight, he would engage to carry us off in the night, to
a way that went north, towards the River Petrou, by which he
made no question but we might get away, and the Tartars never
discover it; but he said, his lord had told him he would not re-
treat, but would rather choose to fight. I told him he mistook
his lord; for that he was too wise a man to love fighting for the
sake of it; that I knew his lord was brave enough, by what he
had showed already; but that his lord knew better than to de-
sire seventeen or eighteen men to fight five hundred, unless an
unavoidable necessity forced them to it; and that if he thought
possible for us to escape in the night, we had nothing else to
do but to attempt it. He answered, if his lordship gave him
such orders, he would lose his life if he did not perform it; we
soon brought his lord to give that order, though privately, and
we immediately prepared for putting it in practice.
And first, as soon as it began to be dark, we kindled a fire
in our little camp, which we kept burning, and prepared so as
to make it burn all night, that the Tartars might conclude we
were still there; but as soon as it was dark, and we could see
the stars (for our guide would not stir before), having all our
horses and camels ready loaded, we followed our new guide,
who I soon found steered himself by the north star.
After we had travelled two hours very hard, it began to be,
lighter still; not that it was dark all night, but the moon began
to rise, so that, in short, it was rather lighter than we wished it
to be; but by six o'clock the next morning, we had got above
thirty miles, having almost spoiled our horses. Here we found
a Russian village, named Kermazinskoy, where we rested, and
heard nothing of the Kalmuck Tartars that day. About two
hours before night, we set out again, and travelled till eight the
*
robinson crusoeCRUSOE.
.
471
next morning, though not quite so hard as before; and about
seven o'clock, we passed a little river, called Kirtza, and came
to a good large town inhabited by Russians, called Ozomoys ;
there we heard that several troops of Kalmucks had been
abroad upon the desert, but that we were now completely out of
danger of them, which was to our great satisfaction. Here we
were obliged to get some fresh horses, and having need enough
of rest, w staid five days; and my partner and I agreed to
give the honest Siberian who brought us thither the value of
ten pistoles.
In five days more we came to Veuslima upon the River
Wirtzogda, and running into the Dwina: we were there, very
happily, near the end of our travels by land, that river being
navigable, in seven days' passage, to Archangel. From hence,
we came to Lawrenskoy, the 3d of July; and, providing our-
selves with two luggage boats, and a barge for our own con-
venience, we embarked the 7th, and arrived all safe at Arch-
angel the 18th; having been a year, five months, and three
days on the journey, including our stay of eight months at
Tobolski. We were obliged to stay at this place six weeks for
the arrival of the ships, and must have tarried longer, had not
a Hamburger come in above a month sooner than any of the
English ships; when, after some consideration that the city of
Hamburg might happen to be as good a market for our goods
as London, we all took freight with him; and, having put our
goods on board, it was most natural for me to put my steward
on board to take care of them; by which means, my young
lord had a sufficient opportunity to conceal himself, never
coming on shore again all the time we staid there; and this he
did that he might not be seen in the city, where some of the
Moscow merchants would certainly have seen and discovered
him.
We then set sail from Archangel the 20th of August, the
same year; and, after no extraordinary bad voyage, arrived
safe in the Elbe the 18th of September. Here my partner
and I found a very good sale for our goods, as well those of
China, as the sables, &c., of Siberia; and, dividing the pro-
duce, my share amounted to £3475 175. 3d., including about
six hundred pounds' worth of diamonds, which I purchased at
Bengal.
Here the young lord took his leave of us, and went up the
Elbe, in order to go to the court of Vienna, where he resolved
to seek protection, and could correspond with those of his
father's friends who were left alive. He did not part without
472
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
testimonies of gratitude for the service I had done him, and for
my kindness to the prince his father.
To conclude: having staid near four months in Hamburg,
I came from thence by land to the Hague, where I embarked
in the packet, and arrived in London the 10th of January, 1705,
having been absent from England ten years and nine months.
And here I resolved to prepare for a longer journey than all
these, having lived a life of infinite variety seventy-two years,
and learned sufficiently to know the value of retirement, and
the blessing of ending our days in peace.
THE END.
JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY'S PUBLICATIONS.
弯
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. By Lewis Carroll.
Audubon the Naturalist. By Mrs. Horace St. John.
Aunt Diana. By Rosa Nouchette Carey.
Barbara's Triumph. By Mary A. Denison.
Boy Conqueror.
Boy Crusoes; or, The Young Islanders.
Boys' and Girls' Story Book.
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Daniel Boone, Life of.
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Eastern Fairy Legends, Current in Southern India.
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Eight Years' Wandering in Ceylon. By Sir S. Baker.
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Erling the Bold. By R. M. Ballantync.
Esther. By Rosa N. Carey.
Famous Boys.
Famous Men.
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Fire Brigade, The. By R. M. Ballantyne.
Flag of Distress. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
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Forest Exiles. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
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Frank Wildman's Adventures on Land and Water. By
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German Fairy Tales. Translated by Chas. A. Dana.
Gilbert the Trapper. By Capt. C. M. Ashley.
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Golden Magnet, The. By G. M. Fenn.
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Harlie's Letters. By Jacob Abbott.
Hauff's Fairy Tales.
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Mark Seaworth. By W. H. G. Kingston.
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Mountain Cave, The. By Geo. H. Coomer.
Murfreesboro to Fort Pillow. By William M. Thayer.
Mystery of a Diamond, The. By Frank H. Converse.
Nature's Young Nobleman. By Brooks McCormick.
Number 91. By Arthur Lee Putnam.
Ocean Waifs. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
Odd People. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
Old Merry's Travels on the Continent.
On the Trail of Geronimo. By R. H. Jayne.
Oriental Fairy Tales.
Our Young Soldiers. By Lieut. W. R. Hamilton.
Paul Blake. Adventures of a Boy in the Island of Cor-
sica, etc.
Perils of the Jungle. By Lieut. R. H. Jayne.
Peter the Whaler. By W. H. G. Kingston.
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Plant Hunters. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
Popular Natural History.
Ran Away to Sea. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
Red Eric, The. By R. M. Ballantyne.
Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, The. By Sir Samuel Baker.
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Robin Hood and His Merry Forresters.
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Sandford and Merton.
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Spanish Fairy Tales.
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Stories from American History.
Through the Looking Glass. By Lewis Carroll.
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Tom Tracy.
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Wild Sports in the Far West. By Frederick Gerstaecker.
Wolf Boy in China, The. By William Dalton.
Wonders of the Great Deep. By P. H. Gosse.
Young Acrobat. By Horatio Alger.
Young Adventurer.
Young Foresters, The, and Other Tales.
Young Folks' Book of Birds.
Young Folks' Book of Book.
Young Folks' History of France.
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Young Folks' History of Greece.
Young Folks' History of Rome.
Young Voyagers. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
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Young Folks' Historical Tales. By William and Robert
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Young Folks' Tales of Adventures. By William and Rob-
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Young Folks' Popular Tales. By William and Robert
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Young Folks' Scottish Tales. By William and Robert
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Young Folks' Natural History.
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