INWORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 00041406479 &^. tasr' / XsOU****' / Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://archive.org/details/robinsoncrusoeindefo Robinson Crusoe. " 'I WORE A HIGH CAP OF GOAT SKIN.' " ALTEMUS" ONE SYLLABLE SERLES ROBINSON CRUSOE IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE BY DANIEL DEFOE WITH SEVENTY ILLUSTRATIONS PHILADELPHIA HENRY ALTEMUS

n through it, which gave so great a charm to the spot, as to make me wish to live there. But there was no view of the sea from this vale, while from my house, no ships could come on my side of the isle, and not be seen by me ; E^y^^^dfetT IN SEARCH OF WOODS, SPRINGS AND CREEKS. 6l 62 ROBINSON CRUSOE. yet the cool, soft banks were so sweet and new to me, that much of my time was spent there. In the first of the three years in which I had grown corn, I had sown it too late ; in the next it was spoilt by the drought ; but the third year's crop had sprung up well. I found that the hares would lie in it night and day, for which there was no cure but to plant a thick hedge all round it ; and this took me more than three weeks to do. I shot the hares in the day time ; and when it grew dark, I made fast the dog's chain to the gate, and there he stood to bark all night. In a short time the corn grew strong, and at last ripe ; but, just as the hares had hurt it in the blade, so now the birds ate it in the ear. At the noise of my gun, whole flocks of them would fly up ; and at this rate I saw that there would be no corn left ; so I made up my mind to keep a look out night and day. I hid by the side of a hedge, and could see the birds sit on the trees and watch and then come down, one by one, as at first. Now each grain of wheat was, as it were, a small loaf of bread to me. So the great thing ROBINSON CRUSOE. 63 was to get rid of these birds. My plan was this : I shot three, and hung them up like thieves, to scare all that came to the corn ; and from this time, as long as the dead ones hung here, not a bird came near. When the corn PJIm was ripe, I made §|M a scythe out of |\| the swords from the ship, and I FOUND A CREEK. gr got in my crop. Few of us think of the Big cost at which a I loaf of bread f is made. Of course, there ■ ? * was no plow here to turn up the earth, ^ and no spade to dig it with, 64 KOBINSON CRUSO£. so I made one with wood ; but this was soon worn out, and for want of a rake, I made use of the bough of a tree. When I had got the corn home, I had to thresh it, part the grain from the chaff, and store it up. Then came the want of a mill to grind it, of sieves to clean it, and of yeast to make bread of it. Still my bread was made, though I had no tools ; and no one could say that I did not earn it by the sweat of my brow. When the rain kept me indoors, it was good fun to teach my pet bird Poll to talk ; but so mute were all things round me, that the sound of my own voice made me start. My chief wants now were jars, pots, cups, and plates, but I knew not how I could make them. At last I went in search of some clay, and found some a mile from my house ; but it was quite a joke to see the queer shapes and forms that I made out of it. For some of my pots and jars were too weak to bear their own weight; and they would fall out .here, and in there, in all sorts of ways ; while some, when they were put in the sun to bake, would crack with the heat of ROBINSON CRUSOE. 65 its rays. You may guess what my joy was when at last a pot was made which would stand the heat of the fire, so that I could boil the meat for broth. The next thing to be made was a sieve, to WHAT ODD QUEER THINGS I MADE. part the grain from the husks. Goat's hair was of no use to me, as I could not weave or spin ; so I made a shift for two years, with a thin kind of stuff, which I brought from the ship. But to grind the corn with the stones was the worst of all, such hard work did I find it. To bake the 66 ROBINSON CRUSOE. bread I burnt some wood down to an ash, which I threw on the hearth to heat it, and then set my loaves on the hearth, and in this way my bread was made. The next thing to turn my thoughts to was the ship's boat, which lay on the high ridge of sand, where it had been thrust by the storm which had cast me on these shores. But it lay with the keel to the sky, so I had to dig the sand from it, and turn it up with the help of a pole. When I had done this, I found it was all in vain, for I had not the strength to launch it. So all I could do now was to make a boat of less size out of a tree ; and I found one that was just fit for it, which grew not far from the shore, but I could no more stir this than I could the ship's boat. What was to be done ? I first dug the ground flat and smooth all the way from the boat to the sea, so as to let it slide down ; but this plan did not turn out well, so I thought I would try a new way, which was to make a trench, so as to bring the sea up to the boat, as the boat could not be brought to the sea. But to do this, I must have dug down to a great depth, which would take one I SHOT SOME BIRDS. 6 7 68 ROBINSON CRUSOE. man some years to do. And when too late, I found it was not wise to work out a scheme till I first thought of the cost and toil. "Well," thought I, "I must give up the boat, and with it all my hopes to leave the isle. But I have this to think of: I am lord of the whole isle ; in fact, a king. I have wood with which I might build a fleet, and grapes, if not corn, to freight it with, though all my wealth is but a few gold coins." For these I had no sort of use, and could have found it in my heart to give them all for a peck of peas and some ink, which last I stood much in need of. But it was best to dwell more on what I had than on what I had not. I now must needs try once more to build a boat, but this time it was to have a mast, for which the ship's sails would be of great use. I made a deck at each end to keep out the spray of the sea, a bin for my food, and a rest for my gun, with a flap to screen it from the wet. More than all, the boat was one of such a size that I could launch it. My first cruise was up and down the creek, but soon I got bold, and made the whole round Robinson Crusoe. " 'I HAD NO SAIL. NO OARS. ROBINSON CRUSOE. 69 of my isle. I took with me bread, cakes, and a pot full of rice, some rum, half a goat, two great UP AND DOWN THE CREEK. coats, one of which was to lie on, and one to put on at night. I set sail in the sixth year of my $— Crusoe, One Syl. 7© ROBINSON CRUSOE. reign. On the east side of the isle there was a large ridge of rocks which lay two miles from the shore, and a shoal of sand lay for half a mile from the rocks to the beach. To get round to this point I had to sail a great way out. to sea ; and here I all but lost my life. But I got back to my home at last. On my way there, quite worn out with the toils of the boat, I lay down in the shade to rest my limbs, and slept. But judge, if you can, what a start I gave when a voice woke me out of my sleep, and spoke my name three times ! A voice in this wild place ! To call me by name, too ! Then the voice said, "Where are you? Where have you been? How came you here?" But now I saw it all ; for at the top of the hedge sat Poll, who did but say the words she had been taught by me. I now went in search of some goats, and laid snares for them, with rice for a bait. I had set the traps in the night, and found they had all stood, though the bait was all gone. So I thought of a new way to take them, which was to make a pit and lay sticks and' grass on it, so as to hide it ; and in this way I caught an old ROBINSON CRUSOE. 71 goat and some kids. But the old goat was much too fierce for me, so I let him go. 4F%- I brought all the young ones home, and let them g£| I BROIL MY MEAT ON THE COALS. fast a long time, till at last they fed from my hand, and were quite tame. I kept them in a 72 ROBINSON CRUSOE. kind of park, in which there were trees to screen them from the sun. At first my park was three miles round ; but it struck me that, in so great a space, the kids would soon get as wild as if they had the range of the whole vale, and that it would be as well to give them less room ; so I had to make a hedge, which took me three months to plant. My park held a flock of twelve goats, and in two years more there were more than two score. My dog sat at meals with me, and one cat on each side of me, on stools, and we had Poll to talk to us. Now for a word or two as to the dress in which I made a tour round the isle. I could but think how droll it would look in the streets of the town in which I was born. I w r ore a high cap of goat's skin, with a flap that hung down, to keep the sun and rain from my neck, a coat made from the skin of a goat, too, the skirts of which came down to my hips, and the same on my legs, with no shoes, but flaps of the fur round my shins. I had a broad belt of the same round my waist, which drew on with two ROBINSON CRUSOE. 73 thongs ; and from it, on my right side, hung a saw and an axe ; and on my left side a pouch for the shot. My beard had not been cut since I MADE SOME CLOTHES. I came here. But no more need be said of my looks, for there were few to see me. A strange sight was now in store for me, which 74 ROBINSON CRUSOE. was to change the whole course of my life in the isle. One day at noon, while on a stroll down to a part of the shore that was new to me, what should I see on the sand but the print of a man's ;\U '^llas , ^ ■mmmm n in til? M&^^S**^' MY WORK AT DUSK. foot! I felt as if I was bound by a spell, and could not stir from the spot. By-and-by, I stole a look round me, but no one was in sight. What could this mean? I went three or four times to look at it. There it 7^ ROBINSON CRUSOE. was — the print of a man's foot; toes, heel and all the parts of a foot. How could it have come there ? My head swam with fear; and as I left the spot, I made two or three steps, and then took a look around me; then two steps more, and did the same thing, i I took fright at the stump of an old tree, and ran to my house, as if for my life. How could aught in the shape of a man come to that shore, and I not to know it? Where was the ship that he came on? Then a great dread took hold of my mind, that some man, or set of men, had found me out; and it might be that they meant to kill me, or rob me of all I had. How strange a thing is the life of man! One day we love that which the next day we hate. One day we seek what the next day we shun. One day we long for the thing which the next day we fear; and so we go on. Now, from the time that I was cast on this isle, my great cause of grief was that I should be thus cut off from the rest of my race. Why, then, should the thought that a man might be near give me all this pain? Nay, why should the mere sight of ROBINSON CRUSOE. 77 the print of a man's foot make me quake with fear? It seems most strange, yet not more strange than true. Once it struck me that it might be the print of my own foot, when first the storm cast me on these shores. Could I have come this way from the boat? Should it in truth turn out to be the print of my own foot I should be like a boy who tells of a ghost, and feels more fright at his own tale than those to whom he meant to scare. Fear kept me indoors for three days, till the want of food drove me out. At last I was so bold as to go down to the coast to look once more at the print of the foot, to see if it was the same shape as my own. I found it was not so large by a great deal ; so it was clear there were men in the isle. Just at this time my good watch dog fell down dead at my feet. He was old and worn out, and in him I lost my best guard and friend. One day as I went from the hill to the coast, a scene lay in front of me which made me sick at heart. The spot was spread with the bones of men. There was a round place dug in the earth, 78 ROBINSON CRUSOE. where a fire had been made, and here some men had come to feast. Now that I had seen this sight, I knew not how to act ; I kept close to my home, and would scarce stir from it save to milk my flock of goats. To feel safe was now more to me than to be well fed ; and I did not care to drive a nail, or chop a stick of wood, lest the sound of it should be heard, much less would I fire a gun. As to my bread and meat, I had to bake it at night when the smoke could not be seen. But I soon found the way to burn wood with turf at the top of it, which made it like chark or dry coal ; and this I could use by day, as it had no smoke. I found in the wood where I went to get the sticks for my fire, a cave so large that I could stand in it; but I made more haste to get out than in ; for two large eyes, as bright as stars, shone out from it with a fierce glare. I took a torch, and went to see what they could be, and found that there was no cause for fear: for the eyes were those of an old gray goat, which had gone there to die of old age. I gave him a push, to try to get him out of the cave, but he could ROBINSON CRUSOE. n not rise from the ground where he lay; so I left him there to die, as I could not save his life. I found the width of the cave was twelve feet ; ■?rzm%m& € " iff"- ' - L - -W"- W:^^sMm^W£% - fSmSrn fe^» ■■■■■ -■•■-' ^ ***5£;V^: ; --:■• ■"■■ A PLACE WHERE A FIRE HAD KEEN MADE. but part of it, near the end, was so low that I had to creep on my hands and feet to go in. What the length of it was I could not tell, for my light went out, and I had to give up my search. The 80 ROBINSON CRUSOE. next day I went to the cave with large lights made of goat's fat; and when I got to the end, I found that the roof rose to two score feet or more. As my lights shone on the walls and roof of the cave, a sight burst on my view, the charms of which no tongue could tell ; for the walls shone like stars. What was in the rock to cause this it was hard to say ; they might be gems, or bright stones, or gold. But let them be what they may, this cave was a mine of w r ealth to me ; for at such time as I felt dull or sad, the bright scene would flash on my mind's eye and fill it with joy. All these years had gone by, with no new sight to rest my eyes on, till this scene burst on them. I felt as if I should like to spend the rest of my life here, and at its close lie down to die in this cave, like the old goat. As I went home I was struck by the sight of some smoke, which came from a fire no more than two miles off. From this time I lost all my peace of mind. Day and night a dread would haunt me that the men who had made this fire would ROBINSON CRUSOE. 81 &^m find me out. I went home and and drew up my steps, but first I made all things round me look wild and rude. To load my gun h - was the next Spb** thing to do ; ib, I thought it would be best to stay at home and hide. V But this I I could f not bear long. I | had no spy to send out, and all I could do was to get to the top of the 82 ROBINSON CRUSOE. hill and keep a good look-out. At last, through my glass, I could see a group of wild men join in a dance round their fire. As soon as they had left I took two guns, and slung a sword on my side ; then with all speed I set off to the top of the hill, once more to have a good view. This time I made up my mind to go up to the men, but not with a view to kill them, for I felt that it would be wrong to do so. With such a load of arms it took me two hours to reach the spot where the fire was ; and by the time I got there the men had all gone ; but I saw them in four boats out at sea. Down on the shore, there was a proof of what the work of these men had been. The signs of their feast made me sick at heart, and I shut my eyes. I durst not fire my gun when I went out for food on that side of the isle, lest there should be some of the men left, who might hear it, and so find me out. This state of things went on for a year and three months, and for all that time I saw no more men. On the twelfth of May, a great storm of wind blew all day and night. As it was dark, I sat in ROBINSON CRUSOE. 83 my house ; and in the midst of the gale, I heard a gun fire ! My guess was that it must have been from some ship cast on shore by the storm. So t"ji-_' , V: ( TO SEE IF 1 COULD TRACE ANY BOATS. I set a light to some wood on top of the hill, that those in the ship if ship it should be, might know that some one was there to aid them. I 84 ROBINSON CRUSOE. then heard two more guns fire. When it was light, I went to the south side of the isle and there lay the wreck of a ship, cast on the rocks in the night by the storm. She was too far off for me to see if there were men on board. Words cannot tell how much I did long to bring but one of the ship's crew to the shore ! So strong was my wish to save the life of those on board, that I could have laid down my own life to do so. There are some springs in the heart which when hope stirs them, drive the soul on with such a force, that to lose all chance of the thing one hopes for would seem to make one mad ; and thus was it with me. Now, I thought, was time to use my boat; so I set to work at once to fit it out. I took on board some rum (of which I still had a good deal left), some dry grapes, a bag of rice, some goat's milk, and cheese, and then put out to sea. A dread came on me at the thought of the risk I had run on the same rocks ; but my heart did not quite fail me, though I knew that as my boat was small, if a gale of wind should spring up all would be lost. Then I found that I must go ROBINSON CRUSOE. 85 back to the shore till the tide should turn, and the ebb come on. I made up my mind to go out the next day with the high tide, so I slept that night in my boat At dawn I set out to sea, and in less I FOUND A DEAD BOY. than two hours I came up to the wreck. What a scene was there ! The ship had struck on two rocks. The stern was torn by the force of the waves, the masts were swept off, ropes and chains lay strewn on the deck, and all was wrapt b — Crusoe, One Syl. 86 ROBINSON CRUSOE. in gloom. As I came up to the wreck, a dog swam to me with a yelp and a whine. I took him on board my boat, and when I gave him some bread, he ate it like a wolf, and as to drink, he would have burst if I had let him take his fill of it. I went to the cook's room, where I found two men, but they were both dead. The tongue was mute, the ear was deaf, the eye was shut, and the lip was stiff; still the sad tale was told, for each had his arm round his friend's neck, and so they must have sat to wait for death. What a change had come on the scene, once so wild with the lash of the waves and the roar of the wind ! All was calm now — death had done its work, and all had felt its stroke, save the dog, and he was the one thing that still had life. I thought the ship must have come from Spain, and there was much gold on board. I took some of the chests and put them in my boat, but did not wait to see what they held, and with this spoil, and three casks of rum, I came back. I found all things at home just as I had left them — my goats, my cats, and my bird. The ROBINSON CRUSOE. 87 scene in the cook's room was in my mind day and night, and to cheer me up I drank some of the rum. I then set to work to bring my freight from THE TREAS-URE CHESTS. the shore, where I had left it. In the chests there were two great bags of gold and some bars of the same, and near these lay three small flasks and three bags of shot, which were a great prize. 88 . ROBINSON CRUSOE. From this time all went well with me for two years; but it was not to last. One day, as I stood on the hill, I saw six boats on the shore. What could this mean? Where were the men who had brought them? And what had they come for ? I saw through my glass that there were a score and a half at least on the east side of the isle. They had meat on the fire, round which I could see them dance. They then took a man from one of the boats who was bound hand and foot; but when they came to loose his bonds, he set off as fast as his feet would take him, and in a straight line to my house. To tell the truth, when I saw all the rest of the men run to catch him my hair stood on end with fright. In the creek he swam like a fish, and the plunge which he took brought him through it in a few strokes. All the men now gave up the chase but two, and they swam through the creek, but by no means so fast as the slave had done. Now, I thought was the time for me to help the poor man, and my heart told me it would be right to do so. I ran down my steps with my two guns, and went with all speed up the hill, and then down by a short cut to meet them. ROBINSON CRUSOE. 89 I gave a sign to the poor slave to come to me, and at the same time went up to meet the two men who were in chase of him. I made a rush at the first of these, to knock him down with apf THE DANCE ROUND THE FIRE. the stock of my gun, and he fell. I saw the one who was left aim at me with his bow, so, to save my life, I shot him dead. The smoke and noise from my gun gave the poor slave who had been bound such a shock that 90 ROBINSON CRUSOE. he stood still on the spot, as if he had been in a trance. I gave a loud shout for him to come to me, and I took care to show him that I was a friend, and made all the signs I could think of to coax him up to me. At length he came, knelt down to kiss the ground, and then took hold of my foot and set it on his head. All this meant that he was my slave ; and I bade him rise and made much of him. But there was more work to be done yet, for the man who had had the blow from my gun was not dead. I made a sign for my slave (as I shall now call him) to look at him. At this he spoke to me, and though I could not make out what he said, yet it gave me a shock of joy ; for it was the first sound of a man's voice that I had heard for all the years I had been on the isle. The man whom I had struck with the stock of my gun sat up, and my slave, who was in great fear of him, made signs for me to lend him my sword, which hung in a belt at my side. With this he ran up to the man, and with one stroke cut off his head. When he had done this he brought me back my sword with a laugh and put TO SAVE MY LIFE I SHOT HIM DEAD. 9« 92 ROBINSON CRUSOE. it down in front of me. I did not like to see the glee with which he did it, and I did not feel that my own life was quite safe with such a man. He, in his turn, could but lift up his large brown hands with awe to think that I had put his foe to death while I stood so far from him. But as to the sword, he and the rest of his tribe made use of swords of wood, and this was why he knew so well how to wield mine. He made signs to me to let him go and see the man who had been shot ; and he gave him a turn round, first on this side, then on that, and when he saw the wound made in the breast by the shot, he stood quite still once more, as if he had lost his wits. I made signs for him to come back, for my fears told me that the rest of the men might come in search of their friends. I did not like to take my slave to my house, nor to my cave; so I threw down some straw from the rice plant for him to sleep on, and gave him some bread and a bunch of dry grapes to eat. He was a fine man, with straight, strong limbs, tall and young. His hair was thick, like wool, and black. His head was large and high, and he had ROBINSON CRUSOE. 93 bright black eyes. He was of a dark brown hue ; his face was round and his nose small, but not AT ONE STROKE CUT OFF HIS HEAD. flat; he had a good mouth with thin lips, with which he could give a soft smile ; and his teeth were as white as snow- 94 ROBINSON CRUSOE. I had been to milk my goats in a field close by, and when he saw me he ran to me and lay down on the ground to show me his thanks. He then put his head on the ground and set my foot on his head, as he had done at first. He took all the means he could think of to let me know that he would serve me all his life ; and I gave a sign to show that I thought well of him. The next thing was to think of some name to call him by. I chose that of the sixth day of the week (Friday), as he came to me on that day. I took care not to loose sight of him all that night, and when the sun rose I made signs for him to come to me that I might give him some clothes, for he wore none. We then went up to the top of the hill to look out for the men, but as we could not see them or their boats, it was clear that they had left the isle. My slave has since told me that they had had a great fight with the tribe that dwelt next to them, and that all those men whom each side took in war were their own by right. My slave's foes had four who fell to their share, of whom he was one, ROBINSON CRUSOE. 95 I now set to work to make my man ,a cap of hare's skin, and gave him a goat's skin to wear round his waist. It was a great source of pride to him to find that his clothes were as good as my own. At night, I kept my guns, sword, and bow close to my side ; but there was no need for this, as my slave was, in sooth, most true to me. He did all that he was set to do, with all his whole heart in the work ; and I knew that he would lay down his life to save mine. What could a man do more than that? And oh, the joy to have him here to cheer me in this lone isle ! I did my best to teach him, so like a child as he was, to do and feel all that was right. I found him apt, and full of fun ; and he took great pains to learn all that I could tell him. Our lives ran on in a calm, smooth way ; and, but for the vile feasts which were held on the shores, I felt no wish to leave the isle. As Fri-day had by no means lost his love for these meals, it struck me that the best way to cure him was to let him taste the flesh of beasts ; so I took him with me one day to the wood for some 96 ROBINSON CRUSOE. sport. I saw a she goat, in the shade, with her two kids. I caught Friday by the arm, and made signs to him not to stir, and then shot one of the kids ; but the noise of the gun gave the poor man a great shock. He did not see the kid, nor did he know that it was dead. He tore his dress off his breast to feel if there was a wound there ; then he knelt down to me, and took hold of my knees to pray of me not to kill him. To show poor Fri-day that his life was quite safe, I led him by the hand, and told him to fetch the kid. By-and-by, I saw a hawk in a tree, so I bade him look at the gun, the hawk, and the ground ; and then I shot the bird. But my poor slave gave still more signs of fear this time than he did at first, for he shook from head to foot. He must have thought that some fiend of death dwelt in the gun, and I think that he would have knelt down to it, as well as to me ; but he would not so much as touch the gun for some time, though he would speak to it when he thought I was not near. Once he told me that what he said to it was to ask it not to kill him. I brought home the bird, and made broth of it. ROBINSON CRUSOE. 97 Fri-day was much struck to see me eat salt with it, and made a wry face ; but I, in my turn, took some that had no salt with it, and I made a wry SHOT ONE OF THE KIDS. face at that. The next day I gave him a piece of kid's flesh, which I had hung by a string in front of the fire to roast. My plan was to put two poles, one on each side of the fire, and a stick on 98 ROBINSON CRUSOE. the top of them to hold the string. When my slave came to taste the flesh, he took the best means to let me know how good he thought it. The next day I sent him to beat out and sift some corn. I let him see me make the bread, and he soon did all the work. I felt quite a love for his true, warm heart, and he soon learnt to talk to me. One day I said, "Do the men of your tribe win in fight?" He told me, with a smile, that they did. "Well, then," said I, "how came they to let their foes take you?" "They run one, two, three, and make go in the boat that time." "Well, and what do the men do with those they take?" " Eat them all up." This was not good news for me, but I went on, and said, "Where do they take them?" "Go to next place where they think." "Do they come here?" "Yes, yes, they come here, come else place too." " Have you been here with them twice ?" "Yes, come there." ROBINSON CRUSOE. 99 He meant the northwest side of the isle, so to this spot I took him the next day. He knew the place, and told me he was there once, and with him twelve men. To let me know this, he placed twelve stones all of a row, and made me count them. "Are not the boats lost on your shore now and then?" He said that there was no fear, and that no boats were lost. He told me that up a great way by the moon — that is, where the moon then came up — there dwelt a tribe of white men like me, with beards. I felt sure that they must have come from Spain, to work the gold mines. I put this to him: "Could I go from this isle and join those men?" "Yes, yes, you may go in two boats." It was hard to see how one man could go in two boats, but what he meant was, a boat twice as large as my own. One day I said to my slave, " Do you know who made you?" But he could not tell at all what these words meant. So I said, " Do you know who made the sea, the ground we tread on, the hills, and loo ROBINSON CRUSOE. woods ?" He said it was Beek, whose home was a great way off, and that he was so old that the sea and the land were not so old as he. "If this old man has made all things, why do not all things bow down to him ?" My slave gave a grave look, and said, "All things say 'O' to him." "Where do the men in your land go when they die?" "All go to Beek." I then held my hand up to the sky to point to it, and said, "God dwells there. He made the world, and all things in it. The moon and the stars are the work of His hand. God sends the wind and the rain on the earth, and the streams that flow: He hides the face of the sky with clouds, makes the grass to grow for the beasts of the field, and herbs for the use of man. God's love knows no end. When we pray, He draws near to us and hears us." It was a real joy to my poor slave to hear me talk of these things. He sat still for a long time, then gave a sigh, and told me that he would say "O" to Beek no more, for he was but ROBINSON CRUSOE. IOI a short way off, and yet he could not hear till men went up the hill to speak to him. "Did you go up the hill to speak to him?" said I. CRU-SOE TALKS TO FRI-DAY OF GOD. "No, Okes go up to Beek, not young mans." "What do Okes say to him?" "They say 'O.'" Now that I brought my man Fri-day to know that Beek was not the true God, such was the sense he had of my word that I had fears lest 7 — Crusoe, One $yl. io; ROBINSON CRUSOE. I should stand in the place of Beek. I did my best to call forth his faith in Christ, and make it strong and clear, till at last — thanks be to the Lord — I brought him to the love of Him, with the whole grasp of his soul. To please my poor slave, I gave him a sketch of my whole life ; I told him where I was born, and where I spent my days when a child. He was glad to hear tales of the land of my birth, and of the trade which we kept up, in ships, with all parts of the known world. I gave him a knife and a belt, which made him dance with joy. One day as we stood on the top of the hill at the east side of the isle, I saw him fix his eyes on the main land, and stand for a long time to gaze at it; then jump and sing, and call out to me. "What do you see?" said I. "O joy!" said he, with a fierce glee in his eyes, "O glad! There see my land!" Why did he strain his eyes to stare at this land as if he had a wish to be there? It put fears in my mind which made me feel far less at my ease with him. Thought I, if he should go ROBINSON CRUSOE. 103 back to his home, he will think no more of what I have taught him and done for him. He will be sure to tell the rest of his tribe all my ways, and come back with, it may be scores of them, and kill me, and then dance round me, as they did round the men, the last time they came on my isle. But these were all false fears, though they found a place in my mind a long while ; and I was not so kind to him now as I had been. From this time I made it a rule, day by day, to find out if there were grounds for my fears or not. I said, "Do you wish to be once more in your own land?" "Yes! I be much O glad to be at my own land." "What would you do there? Would you turn wild, and be as you were?" "No, no, I would tell them to be good, tell them eat bread, corn, milk, no eat man more!" "Why, they would kill you!" "No, no, they no kill; they love learn." He then told me that some white men who 104 ROBINSON CRUSOE. had come on their shores in a boat had taught them a great deal. "Then will you go back to your land with me?" He said he could not swim so far, so I told him he should help me to build a boat to go in. Then he said, "If you go, I go." "I go? why, they would eat me ! " " No, me make them much love you." Then he told me as well as he could, how kind they had been to some white men. I brought out the large boat to hear what he thought of it, but he said it was too small. We then went to look at the old ship's boat, which, as it had been in the sun for years, was not at all in a sound state. The poor man made sure that it would do. But how were we to know this? I told him we should built a boat as large as that, and that he should go home in it. He spoke not a word, but was grave and sad. "What ails you?" said I. "Why you grieve mad with your man ? "What do you mean? I am not cross with you." ROBINSON CRUSOE. IC5 "No cross? no cross with me? Why send your man home to his own land, then ?" " Did you not tell me you would like to go back?" "Yes, yes, we both there; no wish self there, if you not there!" "And what should I do there?" "You do great deal much good! you teach wild men be good men ; you v tell them know God, pray God, and lead new life." We soon set to work to make a boat that would take us both. The first thing was to look out for some large trees that grew near the shore, so that we could launch our boat when it was made. My slave's plan was to burn the wood to io6 ROBINSON CRUSOE. make it the right shape ; but as mine was to hew it, I set him to work with my tools, and in two month's time we had made a good strong boat; but it took a long while to get her down to the shore. Fri-day had the whole charge of her; and, large as she was, he made her move with ease, and said, "he thought she go there well, though great blow wind!" He did not know that I meant to make a mast and sail. I cut down a young fir tree for the mast, and then I set to work at the sail. It made me laugh to see my man stand and stare, when he came to watch me sail the boat. But he soon gave a jump, a laugh, and a clap of the hands when he saw the sail jib and fall, first on this side, then on that. The next thing to do was to stow our boat up in the creek, where we dug a small dock; and when the tide was low, we made a dam, to keep out the sea. The time of the year had now come for us to set sail, so we got out all our stores, to put them in the boat. One day I sent Fri-day to the shore, to get a ROBINSON CRUSOE. 107 sort of herb that grew there. I soon heard him cry out to me, " O grief! O bad O bad ! O out thare boats, one, two, three!" "Keep a stout heart," said I, to cheer him. The poor man shook with fear ; for he thought that the men who brought him here had now jf come back to ™ kill him. ''Can you fight?" said I. I "Me shoot; but me saw three boats one, two, three!" launch-ing our boat. 11 Have no fear ; those that we do not kill will io8 ROBINSON CRUSOE. be sure to take fright at the sound of our guns. Now will you stand by me and do just as you are bid ?" "Me die when you bid die." I gave him a good draught of rum ; and when he had drunk this, he took up an axe and two guns, each of which had a charge of swan shot. I took two guns as well, and put large shot in them, and then hung my great sword by my side. From the top of the hill, I saw with the help of my glass, that the boats had each brought eight men and one slave. They had come on shore near the creek, where a grove of young trees grew close down to the sea. They had with them three slaves, bound hand and foot, and you who read this, may guess what they were brought here for. I felt that I must try and save them from so hard a fate, and that to do this, I should have to put some of their foes to death. So we set forth on our way. I gave Fri-day strict charge to keep close to me, and not to fire till I told him to do so. We went full a mile out of our way, that we might get round to the wood to hide there. But ROBINSON CRUSOE. 109 we had not gone far, when my old qualms came back to me, and I thought, "Is it for me to dip my hands in man's blood ? Why should I kill those who have done me no harm, and mean not to hurt me? Nay, who do not so much as know that they are in the wrong, when they hold these feasts. Are not their ways a sign that God has left them (with the rest of their tribe) to their own dull hearts? God did not call me to be a judge for Him. He who said 'Thou shalt not kill,' said it for me, as well as the rest of the world." A throng of thoughts like these would rush jjjj|jlj|v jr3^&\SvN*f' SO WE SET FORTH. no ROBINSON CRUSOE. on my mind, as if to warn me to pause, till I felt sure that there was more to call me to the work than I knew of. I took my stand in the wood, to watch the men at their feast, and then crept on, with Fri-day close at my heels. Thus we went till we came to the skirts of the wood. Then I said to Fri-day, "Go up to the top of that tree, and bring me word if you can see the men." He went, and, quick as thought, came back to say that they were all round the fire, and that the man who was bound on the sand would be the next they would kill. But when he told me that it was a white man, one of my own race, I felt the blood boil in my veins. Two of the gang had gone to loose the white man from his bonds ; so now was the time to fire. At the sound of our guns, we saw all the men jump up from the ground where they sat. It must have been the first gun they had heard in their lives. They knew not which way to look. I now threw down my piece, and took up a small gun ; Fri-day did the same ; and I gave him the word to fire. The men ran right and left, with yells and screams. ROBINSON CRUSOE. Il i I now made a rush out of the wood, that they might see me, with my man Fri-day at my heels, of course. We gave a loud shout, and ran up to THE FIRST GUN THEY HAD HEAR». the white man as fast as we could. There he lay on the hot sand. I cut the flag, or rush, by which he was bound, but he was too weak to stand or 112 ROBINSON CRUSOE. speak, so I gave him some rum. He let me know by all the signs that he could think of, how much he stood in my debt for all that I had done for him. I said, "We will talk of that by and by; but now we must do what we can to save our lives." Fri-day, who was free to go where he chose, flew here and^ there, and put all the men to the rout. They fled in full haste to their boats, and were soon out at sea ; and so we got rid of our foes at last. The man whom we had found on the sand told us that his name was Carl, and that he came from Spain. But there was one more man to claim our care ; for the black men had left a small boat on the sands, and in this I saw a poor wretch who lay half dead. He could not so much as look up, so tight was he bound, neck and heels. When I cut the bonds from him he gave a deep groan, for he thought that all this was but to lead him out to die. Fri-day then came up, and I bade him. speak to the old man in his own tongue, and tell him that he was free. This good news gave him strength, I MADE DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE POOR VICTIM. "3 114 ROBINSON CRUSOE. and he sat up in the boat. But when Fri-day came to hear him talk, and to look him in the face, it brought the tears to my eyes to see him kiss and hug the poor old man, and dance round him with joy, then weep, wring his hands, and beat his own face and head, and then laugh once more, sing and leap. For a long time he could not speak to me, so as to let me know what all this meant. But at length he told me that he was the son of this poor old man, and that his name was Jaf. It would be a hard task for me to tell of all the quaint signs Fri-day made to show his joy. He went in and out of the boat five or six times, sat down by old Jaf, and held the poor old man's head close to his breast to warm it; then he set to work to rub his arms and feet, which were cold and stiff from the bonds. I told Fri-day to give him some rum and bread; but he said, "None! Bad dog eat all up self." He then ran off straight to the house, and took no heed of my calls, but went as swift as a deer. In an hour's time, he came back with a jug in his hand. The good soul had gone all the way to the house, that Jaf might have a fresh draught ROBINSON CRUSOE. n; from my well ; and with it he brought two cakes, one of which I bade him take to Carl, who lay in the shade of a tree. His limbs were stiff and cold, and he was too weak to say a word. I set my man to rub his feet with rum, and while he did so, I saw Fri-day turn his head round from time to time, to steal a look at the old man. Then we brought Carl and Jaf home from the boat on our backs, as they could not walk. The door of my house was at the top, and the poor sick men could not climb the steps by which I got in, so we made for them a tent of old sails. I was now a king of these three men, as well as lord of the isle ; and I felt proud to say, "They all owe their lives to their king, and would lay them down for him if he, bade them do so." But I did not think that my reign was so soon to come to an end. The next thing for us to do was to give Carl and Jaf some food, and to kill and roast a kid, to which we all four sat down, and I did my best to cheer them. Carl in a few days grew quite strong, and < Ii6 ROBINSON CRUSOE. set him to work to dig some land for seed ; for it was clear we should want more corn now that we had two more mouths to fill. So we put in the ground all the stock of grain I had, and thus we all four had as much work as we could do for some time. When the crop grew, and was ripe, we found we had a good store of grain. We made a plan that Carl and Jaf should go back to the main land, to try if they could get some of the white men, who had been cast on shore there, to come and live with us ; so they got out the boat, and took with them two guns, and food for eight days. They were to come back in a week's time, and I bade them hang out a sign when they came in sight, so that we might know who they were. One day, Fri-day ran up to me in great glee, and said, "They are back ! They are back !" A mile from shore, there was a boat with a sail, which stood in for the land ; but I knew it could not be the one which our two friends had gone out in, for it was on the wrong side of the isle for that. I saw, too, through my glass, a ship out at sea. There were twelve men in the boat ROBINSON CRUSOE. 117 three of whom were bound in chains, and four had fire-arms. By and by I saw one of the men raise his WM*t -s *> =L—^Z~*?A&? f && I SAW A SHIP OUT AT SEA. sword to those who were in chains, and I felt sure that all was not right. Then I saw that three men who had been bound were set free ; S— Crusoe, One Syl. n8 ROBINSON CRUSOE. and when they had come on shore they lay on the ground, in the shade of a tree. I was soon at their side, for their looks, so sad and worn, brought to my mind the first few hours I had spent in this wild spot, where all to me was wrapt in gloom. I went up to these men and said : "Who are you, Sirs?" They gave a start at my voice and at my strange dress, and made a move as if they would fly from me. I said, "Do not fear me, for it may be that you have a friend at hand, though you do not think it." "He must be sent from the sky then," said one of them with a grave look; and he took off his hat to me at the same time. "All help is from thence, Sir," I said. " But what can I do to aid you? You look as if you had some load of grief on your breast. I saw one of the men lift his sword as if to kill you." The tears ran down the poor man's face, as he said, "Is this a god, or is it but a man ?" "Have no doubt on that score, Sir," said I, "for a god would not have come with a dress like this. No, do not fear — nor raise your hopes too high ; ROBINSON CRUSOE. 119 for you see but a man, yet one who will clo all he can to help you. Your speech shows WHO ARE YOU SIRS ? me that you come from the same land as I do. I will do all I can to serve you. Tell me your case." 120 ROBINSON CRUSOE. " Our case, Sir, is too long to tell you while they who would kill us were so near. My name is Paul. To be short, Sir, my crew have thrust me out of my ship, which you see out there, and have left me here to die. It was as much as I could do to make them sheathe their swords, which you saw were drawn to slay me. They have set me down in this isle with these two men, my friend here, and the ship's mate." "Where have they gone?" said I. "There, in the wood close by. I fear they may have seen and heard us. If they have, they will be sure to kill us all." " Have they fire-arms ?" "They have four guns, one of which is in the boat." "Well, then, leave all to me !" "There are two of the men," said he, "who are worse than the rest. All but these I feel sure would go back to work the ship." I thought it was best to speak out to Paul at once, and I said, " Now if I save your life, there are two things which you must do." But he read my thoughts, and said, "If you ROBINSON CRUSOE. tit save my life, you shall do as you like with me and my ship, and take her where you please." I saw that the two men, in whose charge the boat had been left, had come on shore ; so the first thing I did was to send Fri-day to fetch from it the oars, the sail, and the gun. And now the ship might be said to be in our hands. When the time came for the men to go back to the ship, they were in a great rage ; for, as the boat had now no sail nor oars, they knew not how to get 3ut to their ship. We heard them say that it was a strange sort of isle, for that sprites had come to the boat, to take off the sails and oars. We could see them run to and fro, with great rage ; then go and sit in the boat to rest, and then come on shore once more. When they drew near to us, Paul and Fri-day would fain have had me fall on them at once. But my wish was to spare them, and kill as few as I could. I told two of my men to creep on their hands and feet close to the ground, so that they might not be seen, and when they got up to the men, not to fire till I gave the word. They had not stood thus long when three of 122 ROBINSON CRUSOE. the crew came up to us. Till now we had but heard their voice, but when they came so near as to be seen, Paul and Fri-day stood up and shot at them. Two of the men fell dead, and they were the worst of the crew, and the third ran off. At the sound of the guns I came up, but it was so dark that the men could not tell if there were three of us or three score. It fell out just as I could wish, for I heard the men ask : " To whom must we yield, and where are they ?" Fri-day told them that Paul was there with the king of the isle, who had brought with him a crowd of men ! At this one of the crew said : "If Paul will spare our lives we will yield." "Then," said Fri-day, "you shall know the king's will." Then Paul said to them: "You know my voice ; if you lay down your arms the king will spare your lives." They fell on their knees to beg the same of me. I took good care that they did not see me, but I gave them my word that they should all live, that I should take four of them to work the ship, and that the rest would be bound hand and foot for the good faith of the four. This was to show them what a stern king I was. ROBINSON CRUSOE. 12" Of course I soon set them free, and I put them in a way to take my place on the isle. I THEY FELL ON THEIR KNEES. told them of all my ways, taught them how to mind the goats, how to work the farm and make 124 ROBINSON CRUSOE. the bread. I gave them a house to live in, fire- arms, tools and my two tame cats ; in fact, all but Poll and my gold. As I sat on the top of the hill Paul came up to me. He held out his hand to point to the ship, and with much warmth took me to his arms and said: "My dear friend, there is your ship ! for she is all yours, and so are we, and all that is in her." I cast my eyes to the ship, which rode half a mile off the shore, at the mouth of the creek, and near the place where I had brought my raft to the land. Yes, there she stood, the ship that was to set me free and to take me where I might choose to go. She set her sails to the wind and her flags threw out their gay stripes in the breeze. Such a sight was too much for me, and I fell down faint with joy. Paul then took out a flask, which he had brought for me, and gave me a dram, which I drank, but for a good while I could not speak to him. Fri-day and Paul then went on board the ship, and Paul took charge of her once more. We did not start that night, but at noon the next day I left ROBINSON CRUSOE. 125 the isle — that lone isle, where I had spent so great a part of ¥£%$%<*"■'" r~'~ "'" my life — not B much less than I thrice ten long j| years. When IB came back to || the dear land §§ of my birth all jj was strange (J and new to me. jjji I went to my J old home at York, but none of my friends were there, and to my, great |gj grief I saw, on §| the stone at their grave the sad tale of their death. As they had thought, of course, that I was THE SHIP THAT WAS TO SET ME FREE. 126 ROBINSON CRUSOE. dead, they had not left me their wealth and lands, so that I stood much in want of means, for it was but a small sum that I had brought with me from the isle. But in this time of need I had the luck to find my good friend who once took me up at sea. He was now grown too old for work, and had put his son in the ship in his place. He did not know me at first, but I was soon brought to his mind when I told him who I was. I found from him that the land which I had bought on my way to the isle was now worth much. As it was a long way off I felt no wish to go and live there, so I made up my mind to sell it, and in the course of a few months I got for it a sum so large as to make me a rich man all at once. Weeks, months and years went by. I had a farm, a wife and two sons and was by no means young, but still I could not get rid of a strong wish which dwelt in my thoughts by day and my dreams by night, and that was to set foot once more on my old isle. I had now no need to work for food, or for means of life ; all I had to do was to teach my ROBINSON CRUSOE. 127 boys to be wise and good, to live at my ease and see my wealth grow day by day. Yet the wish to go back to my wild haunts clung round me A RICH MAN ALL AT ONCE. like a cloud, and I could in no way drive it from me, so true is it that "what is bred in the bone will not come out of the flesh." 128 Robinson crusok. At length I lost my wife, which was a great blow to me, and my home was now so sad that I made up my mind to launch out once more on ^T^ J.-" - " 1 MY HOME WAS NOW SO SAD. the broad sea and go with my man Fri-day to that lone isle where dwelt all my hopes. I took with me as large a store of tools, ROBINSON CRUSOE. 129 clothes, and such like goods as I had room for, and men of skill in all kinds of trades to live in the isle. When we set sail we had a fair wind for some time, but one night the mate, who was E£PB0fl[ WE SAW A GREAT LIGHT. at the watch, told me he saw a flash of fire and heard a gun go off. At this we all ran on deck, from whence we saw a great light, and as there was no land that way, we knew that it must be J30 ROBINSON CRUSOE. some ship on fire at sea, which could not be far off. for we heard the sound of the gun. The wind was still fair, so we made our way for the point where we saw the light, and in half an hour it was but too plain that a large ship was on fire in the midst of the broad sea. I gave the word to fire off five guns, and we then lay by to wait till break of day. But in the dead of the night the ship blew up in the air, the flames shot forth, and what there was left of the ship sank. We hung out lights and our guns kept up a fire all night long to let the crew know that there was help at hand. At eight o'clock the next day we found, by the aid of the glass, that two of the ship's boats were out at sea, quite full of men. They had seen us, and had done their best to make us see them, and in half an hour we came up with them. It would be a hard task for me to set forth in words the scene which took place in my ship when the poor French folk (for such they were) came on board. As to grief and fear these are soon told — sighs, tears and groans make up the sum of them, but such a cause of joy as this was, in ROBINSON CRUSOE. 131 sooth, too much for them to bear, weak and all but dead as they were. Some would send up shouts of joy that rent the sky ; some would cry and wring their hands as if in the depths of grief; some would dance, laugh and sing ; not a few were dumb, sick, faint, in a swoon or half mad, and two or three were seen to give thanks to God. In this strange group there was a young French priest, who did his best to soothe those around him, and I saw him go up to some of the crew and say to them : " Why do you scream and tear your hair and wring your hands, my men ? Let your joy be free and full ; give it full range and scope, but leave off this trick of the hands and lift them up in praise ; let your voice swell out, not in screams, but in hymns of thanks to God, who has brought you out of so great a strait, for this will add peace to your joy." The next day they were all in a right frame of mind, so I gave them what stores I could spare and put them on board a ship that we met with on her way to France, all save five, who, with the priest, had a wish to join me. 132 ROBINSON CRUSOE. But we had not set sail long when we fell in with a ship that had been blown out to sea by a storm and had lost her masts ; and, worse than all, her crew had not had an ounce of meat or bread for ten days. I gave them all some food, which they ate like wolves in the snow, but I thought it best to check them, as I had fears that so much all at once would cause the death of some of them. There were a youth and a young girl in the ship who the mate said he thought must be dead, but he had not had the heart to go near them, for the food was all gone. I found that they were faint for the want of it, and as it were in the jaws of death, but in a short time they both got well, and as they had no wish to go back to their ship, I took them with me. So now I had eight more on board my ship than I had when I first set out. In three months from the time when I left home, I came in sight of my isle, and I brought the ship safe up by the side of the creek, which was near my old house. I went up to Fri-day, to ask if he knew where he was. He took a look round him, and soon ROBINSON CRUSOE. 133 with a clap of the hands, said "O yes! O there ! O yes ! O there !" By and by he set up a dance with such wild glee, that it was as much as I I GAVE THEM ALL SOME FOOD. •$m& could do to keep him on deck. "Well, what think you, Fri-day?" said I, "shall we find those whom we left still here ?" -Crusoe, One Syl. 134 ROBINSON CRUSOE. He stood quite mute for a while, but when I spoke of old Jaf (whose son Fri-day was), the tears ran down his face, and his heart was full of grief. "No, no," said he, " no more; no, no more." " How do you know that ?" said I; but he shook his head and said, " O no, O no, he long dead, he much old man." Just then his quick eye caught sight of some men at the top of the hill, and he said, "I see men there, there, there !" I could not see the least sign of them, but I gave the word to fire three guns, to show that we were friends, and soon we saw smoke rise from the side of the creek. I then got out the boat, put up a flag of peace, and went on shore with Fri-day, the French priest, and some of the crew. We all had arms with us, in case there should be foes on the isle that we knew not of, but we found that there was no need to be on our guard. The first man I cast my eyes on at the creek was my old friend Carl from Spain, whom I took from the hands of the red men when I was last on the isle. ROBINSON CRUSOE. "35 I gave strict charge to all in the boat not to go on shore, but Fri-day could not be kept back, for he had caught sight of old Jaf. We stood by to watch him fly to the old man like a shaft from a bow, and catch him in his arms, and .■."'.■^n-Ktic.- *..- y ■^ li ^ r m^ .- .' I BROUGHT THE SHIP SAFE. stroke him and set him down in the shade ; he then stood a short way off to look at him, with all his soul in his eyes, as one might view some choice work of art. He next led the old man by 136 ROBINSON CRUSOE. the hand up and down the shore, and now and then came to the boat to fetch him a cake, or a sip of rum ; then he would set him down once more on the ground, dance round and round him, and all the while tell him strange tales of what he had seen since he and old Jaf had last met. Carl and his friends bore a flag of truce like mine, and at first Carl could not make out who I was ; but when I spoke to him in his own tongue, he threw up his arms and said that he felt shame not to know the face of the man who had once come to save him. He shook my hands with much warmth, and then took me to my old house, which he now gave up to me. I could no more have found the spot than if I had not been there at all, for the trees were so thick and close that the house could not be got at save by such blind ways as none but those who made them could find out. "Why should you raise so strong a fence round you ?" said I ; but Carl told me he felt sure I should think there was much need of it when I had CARL AND HIS FRIENDS BORE A FLAG OF TRUCE. 137 138 ROBINSON CRUSOE. heard all that had come to pass since I was last on the isle. He then sent for the old crew of Paul's ship, but I could not guess who they were, till Carl said, "These, Sir, are some of the men who owe their lives to you." Then one by one they came up to me, not as if they had been the rough crew of a ship, but like men of rank who had come to kiss the hand of their king. The first thing was for me to hear all that had been done in the isle since I left it. I must make a short pause in this part of my tale, and state that when I was last on the isle I sent off Carl and Jaf to the main land to fetch some of Carl's friends who had been cast on shore there on their way from Spain. Of course I had no hope then that a ship was so near to take me to the land of my birth. So when Carl and Jaf came back to the isle they found that I had gone, and that five strange men were there in my place. These five men were part of the crew who had thrust Paul out of his ship. Two of them, ROBINSON CRUSOE. 139 whose names were Sam and Joe, were not so bad as their three mates, who were a set of great rogues, and were led by one of the name of Will. When I left the isle in Paul's ship, I took Sam and Joe on board with me, but just as I was on the point to sail, they got out one of the ship's boats and went back to the isle, to join their three friends. I will now go on to tell, just as I heard it from Carl, all that had come to pass since I had left the isle. When Will and his men saw that their two mates had come to join them, they would have no more to do with them, nor would they let them have a share in the house, nor food to eat. So Sam and Joe had to live as well as they could by hard work, and they set up their home on the north shore of the isle, where they built huts and sheds, and made a farm. To be just to Will, I must here state that bad as he was, he did two kind things, when Carl and his friends came back to the isle, for he gave them food to eat, and he put my note in Carl's hands, as well as a long scroll on which I had set down how they were to bake the bread, bring 140 ROBINSON CRUSOE. up the tame goats, plant the corn, dry the grapes, and make pots and pans, just as I had done. For some time all went on well with Carl and his men in my old home. They had the use of the house and the cave, and went in and out just as they choose. Carl and Jaf did the work, and as for Will and his friends, all they did was to shoot birds, and roam on the shore. When they came home at night, they sat down to eat of all the good things in the house, for which they gave no thanks, and like the dog in the ox's stall, when they did not care to eat, they would not let the rest do so. Of such small things as these it would not be worth my while to tell, but that at last they broke out in a fierce strife with the rest, and their spite grew to such a pitch that flesh and blood could not stand it. When Carl — whom I shall now call the "Chief," as he took the lead of all the rest — first came back from the main land, he would have let all the five men of Paul's crew live in the house, and be good friends if they could ; but the three rogues would not hear of it, so the Chief gave poor Sam and Joe corn for seed, as well as ROBINSON CRUSOE. 141 some peas which I had left on the isle, and they soon learnt to dig and plant, and hedge in their land, in the mode which I had set for them, and in short to lead good lives. When the three bad men saw this, they were full of spite, and set to work to tease and vex them. They told them that the isle was their own, and that no one else had a right to build on it if they did not pay them rent. Sam and Joe thought at first that this was a joke, and said "Come and sit down, and see what fine homes we have built ; then tell us what rent you wish us to pay, and in what coin you would like to have it" But Will soon made it plain that they were not in jest; for he set fire to a torch and put it to the roof of the hut, and would have burnt it down, had not Joe set his foot on the torch and put out the flame. This made Will so full of rage, that he ran at him with a pole which he had in his hand, and a fierce fight then took place, the end of which was that the three rogues had to run off. But in a short time they came back, trod down the corn, and shot the young kids, 142 ROBINSON CRUSOE. which the poor men had got to bring up tame. At last the spite of Will and his friends grew to such a pitch, that one night they set off with firearms to kill poor Sam and Joe while they slept. But when they came to their huts no one was to be found ; so quoth Will, " Ha ! here's the nest, but the birds are flown ! " Then they fell to work to pull down all that they could lay their hands on, and left not a stick, nor so much as a sign to show where the huts had stood ; and they tore up all the young trees by the roots, and flung them far and wide. When Carl and his friends heard of these foul deeds, it made their blood boil, but all that Will had to say was, "You, Sir Jacks of Spain, shall have the same sauce if you do not mend your ways." So Carl took from them their guns and knives, and had them set in chains. As soon as they had time to feel the pain of this kind of life, the three rogues grew more cool, and sought to make peace, and to get back their arms, and live at large. The Chief told them that in time he would set them free, but that he could not let ROBINSON CRUSOE. 143 them live in the house, nor give them their arms for three or four months. At last they came to beg that Carl and his men A FIERCE FIGHT TOOK PLACE. would take them in once more, and give them bread to eat, as they had no food but eggs all that time. But the Chief said that he would not 144 ROBINSON CRUSOE. yield till they had sworn to build up the huts which they had torn down. So they did. One day a whim took Will and his two friends that they would go to the main land to try if they could seize some of the red men, and bring them home as slaves, to do the hard part of their work for them. Carl would have been glad to get rid of men whom he could not well trust from day to day, but told them in good faith how rash he thought his plan was. Yet as their minds were made up, he gave them from the stores all that they could want, and a large boat to go in ; and when the rest of the men bade them "good speed," none thought they would find their way back to the isle. But lo ! in the course of three weeks they did in truth come home. They said they had found the land in two days, and that the red men gave them roots and fish to eat, and they brought with them eight slaves, three of whom were men, and five were girls. So they gave their good hosts an axe, a spade, a screw, and an old key, and brought off the slaves in the boat. As to the young girls, Carl and the rest of the ROBINSON CRUSOE. H5 men from Spain did not care to wed them, so the five men from Paul's crew drew lots for the choice, and each had one of them for a wife, while the male slaves were set to work for the good of all, THE ROGUES MAKE PEACE. though there was not much for them to do. But one of them ran off to the woods, and was not to be found, and as some of the wild tribes had been on the isle to feast and dance, Carl had 146 ROBINSON CRUSOE. good cause to fear that he might have gone back with them, and that if he got safe home, he would be sure to tell his tribe of the white men's haunts so near at hand. One night Carl felt a great weight on his mind, and could get no sleep. He lay still for some time, yet as he did not feel at ease, he got up and took a look out, but as the night was too dark for him to see, he went back to his bed once more. Still it was of no use, for though he knew not why, his thoughts would let him have no rest ; he then woke up one of his friends, and told him how it had been with him. " Say you so ?" said he. " What if some of the wild tribes have come on shore, and it is the sound of their boats that woke you up ?" Then they set off to the top of the hill where I was wont to go, and from thence they saw through a glass a fleet of more than a score of boats, full of men who had bows, darts, clubs, swords of wood, and such like arms of war ; and it was clear that a horde of some fierce tribe had come to trap and slay the white men. Their boats were still far out at sea, so that ROBINSON CRUSOE. 147 Carl and his men had some hours to think what they should do. Their force was so small that they thought it wise to hide and lie in wait. THEY DREW LOTS FOR A WIFE. They first made safe their wives and stores in a thick part of the wood. In the next place, as soon as the^ saw that the red men had come 148 ROBINSON CRUSOfc. on shore, and that they bent their course that way, they drove all the goats out to stray in the wood just where they chose that the red men might think they were wild. Carl and his men then drew up in a small band, calm and brave. Two of the wives could not be kept back, but would go out and fight with bows and darts. Then Carl, as Chief of the isle, took the lead, but he put Will at the head of one band of men, for at this time he had shown such good faith and such shrewd, keen sense, that all thought well of his skill and zeal. As the Chief had not arms for all he did not give guns to the slaves, but each of them had a long staff with a spike at the end and an axe to hang at his side. They took up their post in the wood near the site of the huts that were burnt down, and there they lay in wait for the red men. The foe now came on with a bold and fierce mien, not in a line, but in crowds here and there, to the point where Carl lay in wait for them. When the first band were so near as to be in range of the guns, Carl gave the word for his men to shoot at them all at once, so th^t those ROBINSON CRUSOE. 149 who came up first fell dead on the spot, and great fear and dread came on the rest. The Chief and his men then went forth from the skirts of the wood where they had lain in wait A HORDE OF SOME FIERCE TRIBE. and fell on the foe from three points with the butt end of their guns, and swords, and staves, and they fought so well that the red men set up a loud shriek and fled for their lives with all the ■Crusoe, On* SyL 150 ROBINSON CRUSOE. speed that fear and swift feet could lend them. As the Chief did not care to give chase they got safe back to the shore where their boats lay. But their rout was not yet at an end, for it blew a great storm that day, so that the boats could not put off; and in the night the tide drove most of them so high on the shore that they could not be got to sea save with great toil, and the waves broke some of them to bits. At dawn of day, when the Chief saw how things stood, he said : "If we let these men get their boats out and go back they will make it known to the rest of the tribe on the main land that we are here, and there will be no end to our wars as long as we live ; but if we keep them here and treat them well they will not harm us." So to make sure that they should not leave the isle the Chief told his men to get some dry wood from dead trees and set the boats on fire. When the red men saw this they ran all round the isle with loud cries as if they were mad, so that Carl did not know at first what to do with them, for they trod all the corn down with their feet, and tore up the vines just as the ROBINSON CRUSOE. 151 grapes were ripe and did a great deal of harm. At last the Chief sent old Jaf to tell the red men in their own tongue how kind he would be to them ; how he would save their lives and give THE FOE CAME IN CROWDS WITH A BOLD AND FIERCE MIEN. them part of the isle to live in if they would keep in their own bounds ; and that they should have corn and rice to plant and bread to eat till such time as the crops should be ripe. 152 ROBINSON CRUSOE. The poor men were but too glad to get such good terms of peace, and they soon learnt to make all kinds of things with canes and wood, such as chairs, stools and beds ; and this they did with great skill when they were once taught. From this time till I came back to the isle my friends saw no more of the wild tribes. When I heard this tale from Carl my heart beat fast at the thought of the great straits that he and the rest had been brought through ; and I was glad to find that in so small a space as my isle (which at first held none but me) all these tribes of the Great Race should now live in peace ! I was much struck with the change in the isle, for the trees had grown, huts had sprung up, and a great part of the land was sown for crops. As to Will's hut, it was quite a work of art; it had strong posts at each point, and the walls and roof were made of cane work ; it had a thatch of straw from the rice plant, and a huge leaf on the top to screen it from the sun. I now told Carl that I had not come to take off his men, but to bring more, and to give them ^lr,:,-:-..|-'.. : .*'*:*1-' ■ '■ . *53 154 ROBINSON CRUSOE. all such things as they might want to guard their homes and cheer their hearts. The next day I made a grand feast for them, and the ship's cook came on shore to dress it. We brought out some of our rounds of salt beef and pork, a bowl of punch and some beer and French wines, while Carl gave the cook five whole kids to roast, three of which were sent to the crew on board ship, that they on their part might feast on fresh meat from the shore. I gave the men coats, shirts, hats, shoes and all kinds of clothes, both for warm and cold days, with gowns and shawls for their wives, and I need not say how glad they were of such gifts. Then I brought out a good stock of tools, from which each man had a spade, a rake, an axe, a crow, a saw and a knife, as well as arms and all that they could want for the use of them. As I now saw that there was good will on all sides I brought on shore the youth and the girl whom I took from the wreck when they were half dead for want of food. The girl had been brought up with care, and all the crew had a good word for her. Both she and the youth felt a wish to be ROBINSON CRUSOE. 155 left on the isle, as well as the French priest ; so I gave them each a plot of ground, on which they built tents and barns. I had brought out with me men of skill to work on the isle, one of whom could turn his hand to all sorts of things, so I gave him the name of "Jack of all trades." One day the French priest came to me to ask if I would leave my man Fri-day on the isle. " For through him," said he, "I could talk to the red men in their own tongue and teach them the things of God ; and need I add, it was for this cause that I came here." I felt that I could not part with my man Fri-day for the whole world, so I told the priest that if I could have made up my mind to leave him, I was quite sure that Fri-day would not leave me. When I had seen that all things were in a good state on the isle, I set to work to put my ship in trim that I might once more quit these shores. As I was on my way to the ship the youth whom I spoke of just now came up to me and said : "Sir, you have brought a priest with you, and while you are still here we wish him to wed two of us." 156 ROBINSON CRUSOE. I made sure that one of these must be the maid that I had brought in my ship, and that it was the wish of the young man to make her his wife. So I spoke to him with some warmth in my tone and bade him turn it well in his mind first, as the girl had not been brought up in the same rank of life as he had. But he said with a smile that I had made a wrong guess, for it was "Jack of all trades" that he had come to plead for. It gave me great joy to hear this, as I knew the girl was as good as she could be, and I thought well, too, of Jack ; so on that day I gave her to him to be his wife. They were to have a large piece of ground where they might grow their crops, with a house to live in, and sheds for their goats and stores. The isle was now set out in this way : all the west end was left waste, so that if the wild tribes should land on it, they might come and go, and hurt no one. The old house was to be the Chief's, with all its woods, which now spread out as far as the creek, while the south end was for the white men and their wives ; and as for the ROBINSON CRUSOE. »57 poor red men whose boats we had burnt, they had the range of the wild part of the isle. It struck me that there was one gift which I I GAVE HER TO HIM TO BE HIS WIFE. had not thought of, and that was the book of God's Word, which I knew would give them fresh strength for their work, and help them to 158 ROBINSON CRUSOE. bear the ills of life. So I bade them all come round me, and as I took up this book of books I said, "Prize it and lay it to your hearts ! for there are words in it which come from the lips of Christ our Lord, words which He speaks to us in love, to win us to Him. Till now you have had no such book on the isle. No doubt these rich plains, these crops, these bright waves that wash the shores which close you in, all prove to you that there is a Great God, a God of Love ; yet these stop short when they tell us of God's skill and God's love; they leave us in the dark as to how we can save our souls. But this book tells us of a world to come, a bright world of love and peace — and the way to gain it." Now that I had been on the isle a month, on the fifth day of May I once more set sail with my man Fri-day, and they all told me that they should stay there till I came to bring them. I gave one long look at them from the deck, and then hid my face in my hands. When we had been out three days, though the sea was smooth and calm, I saw it look quite black at one point, and heard one of the crew give a cry of "Land!" As I knew there was no ROBINSON CRUSOE. 159 coast near, I could not tell what to make of this, so I sent the mate to the mast head, to find out with his glass what it was. lie came down with '^^^'-^iH^W^'llK'ft^ '■■' I GAVE THEM THE BOOK OF GOD'S WORD. the bad news that it was a fleet of scores and scores of small boats, full of wild men who came on fast with fierce looks at us. i6o ROBINSON CRUSOE. As soon as they drew near I gave the word to furl all sail and stop the ship, and as I knew that the worst thing these men could do was to set us on fire, I had the boats out, and made fast one of them at the head, and one at the stern. In this way we lay by for the foe, and in a short time they came up with us, and, as I thought meant to close us in. At first they were struck with awe at the size of the ship, but they soon came so near us, that our crew told them by signs with their hands to keep back, and this, though we did not mean it, brought on a fight with them. They shot a cloud of darts at our boats, which our men kept off with boards for shields. We did not fire at them, yet in half an hour they went back out to sea, and then came straight at us once more. I bade my men get out the guns, and keep close, so as to be safe from their darts if they should shoot, and I then sent Fri-day on deck to call out to the wild men in their own tongue, and ask what they meant to do. It may be that they did not know what he said, but as soon as he spoke to them, I heard him cry out that they would shoot. This was too true, for they let fly Robinson cRusoe. Ibl a thick cloud of shafts, and to my great grief, Fri-day fell dead. There was no one else in \ FRI-DAY WAS SHOT WITH THREE DARTS. sight, and he was shot with three darts, three more of which fell quite near him. I was so r62 ROBINSON CRUSOE. mad with rage that I should have been quite glad to sink all their boats, so I let the men load five guns with small shot, and five with large, and we gave them such a fierce fire as they had not seen in all their lives. Then a strange scene met our eyes, and no words can tell the dread and fear that came on them all ; for most of their boats, which were small, were split and sunk — three or four by one shot. The rest fled as fast as their oars would take them. Our boat took up one poor man who swam for his life, but his speech was so strange to us, that we could have learnt as much from the sound of a horn. At first he would not eat or speak, and we had fears lest he would pine to death, so to cure him we took him out in the boat and threw him in the sea, and told him by signs that if he would not speak or eat, we would not save his life. He swam round and round the boat, and at last made signs that he would do as we told him, so we took him in. When we -had taught him to say a few words, - ^M WE GAVE THEM A FIERCE FIRE. 163 164 kOBINSON CkUSOE. he told us that his tribe and four more had come out with their kings to have a great fight. "But what," said I, "made them come up to us?" At which he said, "To make you see great fight!" So it was for this that poor Fri-day fell, he who for long years had been so good and true to me ! My heart sank with grief. We wound him in a shroud and let him down to his grave in the sea. And now, with deep grief, I must take my leave of him. We went on with a fair wind to All Saints Bay, and here I found the sloop I had brought with me from home, which I meant to send to my isle with men and stores, when I had learnt how things stood there. As one of my crew felt a strong wish to go back to the isle in it, I said he should by all means, and I gave him the red man whom we had on board, for his slave. I found too that a man who was in fear of the Church of Spain would be glad to be safe there with his wife and two girls ; so I put them on board the sloop, and I sent with them three milch cows, five calves, a ROBINSON CRUSOE. 165 horse, four colts, and a score of pigs, all of which, as I heard, went safe and sound. I have now no more to say of my isle, as I ! had left it for the last time. Ill But the rest of my life was fe *©:; BACK TO THE ISLE SAFE AND SOUND. spent for most part in lands quite as far from home. From the Bay of Ail Saints we went straight to the Cape of Good Hope. Here I made // — Crusoe, One Syl. 166 ROBINSON CRUSOE. up my mind to part with the ship in which I had come from the isle, and to stay on land. I soon made friends with some men from France, and two Jews who had come out to the Cape to trade. I found that some goods which I had brought with me from home were worth a great deal, and I made a large sum by the sale of them, which I laid out in gems, as they took up so small a space. When we had been at the Cape of Good Hope nine months, we thought that the best thing we could do was to hire a ship, and sail to the Spice Isle to buy cloves ; so we got a ship and men to work her, and set out. We went from port to port, to and fro, bought and sold our goods, and spent from first to last, six years in this part of the world. At length we thought we would go and seek new scenes, and by and by we fell in with a strange set of men, as you who read this tale will say when you look at the picture. When we had gone on shore we bought a large house built with canes, which had a high fence of the same round it, to keep off thieves, of whom ROBINSON CRUSOE. 167 it seems there are not a few in that land. The name of the town was Ching, and we found that the fair or mart, which was held there once a year, would not take place for three or four months, so we sent our ship back to the Cape, as we meant to stay in this part of the world for some time, and go from place to place to look round us, and then come back to the fair at Ching. We first went to a town which it was well worth our while to see ; it was quite in the heart of the land, and was built with straight streets which ran in cross lines. But I must say, when I came home to the WE WENT FROM PORT TO PORT. l66 ROBINSON CRUSOE. place of my birth, I was much struck to hear my friends say such fine things of the wealth and trade of this part of the world ; for I found that the men were a mere herd of mean slaves, who could boast of but few arts or works of skill, and that their ways were well nigh as rough as those of the red men whom I had left on my isle. What is their trade to ours, or that of France and Spain ? What are their ports, with a few junks and barks, to our grand fleets? One of our large ships of war would sink all their craft, one line of French troops would beat all their horse, and the same may be said of ports, which would not stand for one month such a siege as we could bring to bear on them. In three weeks' time we came to their chief town, where we laid in a large stock of tea, fans, shawls, trays, and raw silk, which we put on the backs of our mules, and set out for the North. We had with us some Scots who had come out to trade here, and had great wealth. As we knew that we should run all kinds of risks on our way, we took a strong force with us, to keep off the wild hordes who rove from place ROBINSON CRUSOE. 169 to place all through the land. We had five guides, and all our coin was put in one purse to buy food on the way, and to pay the men who took charge of us. One of us we chose for our chief, to take the lead in case we should have A STRANGE SET OF MEN. to fight for our lives ; and when that time came we found that we had no small need of his skill. On each side of the road we saw men who were at work on cups, bowls, and jars, of all 170 ROBINSON CRUSOE. shapes that could be thought of, which they made out of a fine clay ; and this is the ware that has so wide a fame, and is the chief trade in this part of the world. One thing the guide said he would shovv me, which could be seen no where else (and this, in good sooth, I could not sneer at, as I had done at most of the things I had seen here), for it was to be a house all built with the same kind of ware as the plates and cups that we use are made of, but much more choice. ' ' How big is this house ? ' ' said I ; " can we take it on the mule's back ? " " On the mule's back ! " said the guide; "why, two score men live in it." He then took me to see this strange sight, and it was in truth a large house, built with laths, on which were hung tiles of the best ware that can be made out of clay. It had a bright glaze on it, which shone in the sun like glass. Down the sides of the house were leaves and scrolls, drawn with blue paint ; and walls of the rooms were made of small tiles in all shades of red, blue, and green, with here and there some gold on them, in rude forms it is true, but done in good taste ; and as the same kind of ROBINSON CRUSOE. 171 earth was made use of to join the tiles, you could not see where they met. The floors of all the rooms were of the same kind of ware and so MEN AT WORK ON CUPS, BOWLS AND JARS. was the roof; but that was quite black to keep off the heat of the sun's rays. If I had had more time to spare, I should have been glad 172 ROBINSON CRUSOE. to see more of this strange place, for there were ponds for the fish, as well as walks, courts, and yards, all of which were made in the same way. This odd sight kept me from my friends for two hours, and when I came up to them, I paid a fine to our Chief, as he and all the rest had had to wait for me so long ; for we ran a great risk if we did not keep close to the rest. In two days' time we came to the Great Wall, which was built as a fort to guard the land from the wild tribes that roam at large through the vast plains to the west. It runs the whole length of the land, and turns, and winds, and is so high that it was thought no foe could climb it, or, if they did, no wall could stop them. Our Chief gave some of us leave to go out and hunt, as they called it ; but what was it but to hunt sheep ! These sheep, as it fell out, were not such bad sport, for they are wild and swift of foot ; they go in large flocks, and, like true sheep, keep close when they fly. In this hunt we met with some of the wild hordes I spoke of, who rove from place to place ROBINSON CRUSOE. 173 in gangs, to rob and kill all they fall in with. They know no true mode of war or skill in fight, their arms are not good, and, as to their steeds, WILD HORDES AVHO ROVE. they are but poor lean beasts, and by no means fit for hard work. As soon as these men saw us, they blew some notes on a kind of horn, the sound of which was quite new to me. We thought it must be to call 174 ROBINSON CRUSOE. their friends round them, and so it was, for in a short time a fresh troop of the same size came to join them, and they were all, as far as we could judge, a mile off. As soon as one of the Scots who was with us heard the horn, he said we must lose no time, but draw up in line, and charge them at once. We told him we would all fight the rogues, if he would take the lead. They stood like a mere crowd, drawn up in no line, and cast a wild gaze at us. But when they saw us come at them they let fly their darts, which, though their aim was true, fell short of us. We made a halt to fire, then rode at full speed and fell on them, sword in hand, led by the bold Scot. As soon as we came up they fled right and left, but three of them, each of whom had a short sword, made a stand and did all they could to call the rest back. Our Scot rode close up to them, and with the stock of his gun threw one from his horse, shot the next, and the third ran off; and this put an end to the fight. All that we lost were the sheep we had in chase, for not a man was hurt. Thus we went on from place to place, and at 175 176 ROBINSON CRUSOE length made our way to the chief town of the North Seas just a year and a half from the time when we left Ching. At last I took ship and set sail for the land of OUR SCOT SHOT THE NEXT, AND THE THIRD RAN OFF. my birth, which I had left this time for ten years, nine months and three days. And now I must bring this tale of my life to a close ; while at the age of three score years and twelve, I feel that the day is at hand when ROBINSON CRUSOE. *77 I must pray to go forth on that sea of peace I SAIL FOR THE LAND OF MY BIRTH. and love which has no waves or shores but those of bliss which knows no end. THE END.