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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
OF
ODEN SON Or wSOr
BY DANIEL. DEROE
A NEW EDITION, EDITED FOR YOUNG READERS BY E. O. CHAPMAN.
WITH UPWARDS OF TWO HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS BY DALZIEL, GRISET, J. D. WATSON AND OTHERS.
CHICAGO:
DONOHUE, HENNEBERRY & CO.,
407-429 DEARBORN STREET.
COPYRIGHT, 186.
DONOHUE, HENNEBERRY & CO.
_ CHICAGO:
DONOHUE & HENNEBERRY,
PRINTERS & BINDERS.
PNR OD UCR IN:
————_
Tue story of Rosin-
son Crrsog was Write
entirely true story, but it is not. It is, ne
doubt, however, founded in part on the real
adventures of Alexander Selkirk, the son
of a shoemaker in Scotland. The following
brief account of him is given by Wilson,
the biographer of De Foe:
“TTis real name was Selcraig, which he
| changed to that of Selkirk, when he went
ten by Daniel De Foe,
to sea. He was born at Largo, in the
and first published in | county of Fife, in 1676, and, after a com
1719, nearly one hundred and seventy years
ago. The author called it “The Life and
Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson
Crusoe, of York, Mariner: who lived eight-
and-twenty years all alone in an uninhabited
island on the coast of America, near the
mouth of the great river Oroonoque; hav-
ing been cast on shore by shipwreck, where-
in all the men perished but himself. With
un account how he was at last strangely
delivered by Pirates. Written by himself.â€
They gave their books very long titles
in those days. But the people soon found
that this was a very interesting book, de-
spite its long title. No publisher wanted
to print it at first, but as soon as it was
published, a large number of copies were
sold, and publishers have been printing it
and selling it ever since.
It was at first thought by some to be an
mon school education, was put to his
father's tusiness, which was that of a shoe-
maker. Being a spoiled child, he soon dis:
covered a waywardness of temper that gave
much uneasiness to his parents; whilst an
early propensity to the sea rendered his
employzent irksome. At length an inci-
dent oecured that put him upon indulging
his humor; for, being brought under church-
censure for irregular conduct when he was
eighteen years of age, rather than submit,
he suddenly left home, and was never heard
of for six years. It is supposed that he was
with the buccaneers in the South Seas, In
1701 we find him again at Largo, but the
same intractable person as ever, being en-
gaged in constant broils with his family.
As the sea was his favorite element, he did
not continue long in Scotland, but, going
to London, engaged with Captain Dampier
6 INTRODUCTION.
upon a cruising expedition to the South
Seas. This was the voyage that rendered
his subsequent history so mteresting to the
lovers of romance.
“Being appointed sailing-master of the
Cinque Ports galley, a companion to the
St. George, commanded by Dampier, he left
England in the spring of 1703, and, after
various adventures, both vessels reached
the island of Juan Fernandez in the follow-
ing February. After staying some time to
re-fit, they sailed again in quest of booty ;
but a violent quarrel arising between Sel-
kirk and his commander, Stradling, which
settled into a rooted aaimosity, the former
resolved to take the first opportunity of
This occurred at the
beginning of September, 1704, when her
leaving the vessel.
erazy state obliged Stradling to return to
Juan Fermandez for fresh repairs; which
being completed, Selkirk bade a final adie
to his comrades at the end of the same
month, Upon this island he lived by him.
self four years and four months, until he
was released by Captain Woodes Rogers,
in the month of February, 1709.â€
It has been said that this wild fellow
wrote a story of his adventures and gave it
to De Foe, and that De Foe made the story
of Ropryson Crusoe from it, but this is not
believed to be true.
Whether the story is founded upon that
of Selkirk or not, it 1s one that every body
finds full of interest. The picture of Crusoe,
with his coat and umbrella of goat skins.
watching day after day for a ship, until the
days pass into months and the months into
years, is one which readers will never tire
of, and is especially attractive to boys and.
girls.
ROBINSON
—_——@—__—_
of York, in the year 16382.
\\ My father’s right name
was Kreutznaer, and he
N had come to England from
VW 4, Bremen. My moments re-
AS lations were named Robin-
son, so J was named Robinson Kreutznaer.
The English people called ii Crusoe, and
after a while we came to write it so.
My father was not rich, but he had
become well to do by trading, and he
wished me to stay at home and be happy ;
and all the more because both he and my
mother were getting old, and further, be-
cause one of my elder brothers had been
CRUSOE.
killed in the war with the Spaniards, and
the other had gone away from home and
had not been heard from; but I would be
satisfied with nothing but going to sea;
and my inclination to this led me so
strongly against the will of my father, and
against all the entreaties of my mother
that there seemed to be something fatal in
my perversity y, tending directly to the life
of misery which was to befall me.
One morning, my father called me into
his chamber, where he was. sick with the
gout, and talked to me very seriously
about it. He told me that if I staid at
home, I had a prospect of raising my
fortunes and living a life of happiness
8
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
We said that it was only the very wealthy
on the one hand, or the very desperate on
the other, who went abroad in search of
adventure. Mine was the middle state,
which he-had found by experience was the
best state in the world. This was the
state of life that was envied both by kings
and beggars. This condition of life was
what the wise man meant when he prayed
that he might have neither poverty nor
wiches.
Much more he told me to dissuade me
from going to sea, and he ended by saying
that though he should not cease to pray
for me, if I did take this foolish step,
God would not bless me.
I was deeply affected by what my father
said, and I resolved not to think any more
of going abroad. But in a few days my
good resolutions were all given up and I
began to think of running away from
home in spite of the entreaties of my
fathe: and the tears of my mother. How-
ever, aS no opportunity presented itself, I
still remained at home, though I refused
to engage in any business or to learn ary
trade.
One day, being at Hull, I met one of my
companions who was going by sea to Lon-
don, and he invited me so strongly to go
with him that 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 Septemver, 1651, I went on board a ship
bound for Lopdon.
Never any young adventurer’s misfor
tunes, I believe, began sooner or continued
longer than mine. The skip was no sooner
got out of the Humber than the wine
began to blow, and the sca te rise in a
most frightful manner ; and, as I had never
been at sea before, I was most inexpresstbly
sick in body, and terrified in mind. |
began now seriously to reflect upon what 1]
had done, and how justly I was overtaken
by the judgment of Heaven for my wicked
leaving my father’s house, and abandoning
my duty. All the good counsels of my
parents 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.
I thought that every wave would swallow
us up, and that every time the ship fe’]
into the hollow or trough of the sea, it
would never rise again. In this agony of
mind I made many vows and resolutions,
ROBINSON CRUSOE. $
that if it would please God to spare my }| made a sight that I thought the most
—
de
life in this one voyage, if ever I got once | lightful I ever saw.
yage, g g
my foot upon dry land again, I would go
directly home to my father, and never set
I had slept well in the night and was
now no more sea-sick, but very cheerful.
it into a ship again while I lived; that I
would take his advice, and never rua my-
self into such miseries as these any more.
J had these wise and good thoughts as
long as the storm lasted, and, indeed, for
some time after. But the next day, the
wind abated and the sea grew calmer, and
a fine evening followed. My sea-sickness
and my fears disappeared, and with them
all my thoughts of home and duty. The
sun rose clear the next morning, and his
beams shining upon the sea, which was
quite smooth, there being little or no wind,
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 re
solutions 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 frightened, wer’n’t you,
last night, when it blew but a capftul of
wind ¢â€
“A capful d’you call it?†said 1; “twas
a terrible storm,â€
“A storm, you foot !†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 youre but a fresh-water
sailor, Bob. Come, let us make a bowl of
punch, and we'll forget all that.â€
To make short this sad part of my story,
we went the way of all sailors; the punch
was mada, and I was made half-drunk with
it; and in that one night’s wickedness I
drowned all my repentance, all my reflec-
tions upon my past conduct, all my resolu-
tions for the future. In a word, as the sea
was returned to its smoothness, so the
hurry of my thoughts being over, my fears
of bering 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.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
I found, indeed, some intervals of reflec
tion; and the serious thoughts did, as it
were, endeavor to return again sometimes;
but I shook them off, and roused myself
from them, and applying myself to drink-
ing and company, soon mastered the return
of those fits. But I was to have another
trial for it still; and Providence, as in such
cases generally it does, resolved 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.
The sixth day of our being at sea, we
came into Yarmouth Reads; 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, for seven or eight days,
during which time a great many ships from
Newcastle came into the same Roads,
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 an harbor, the anchor.
age good, and our ground-tackle very
strong, our men were unconcerned, 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 increasea, an \ 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 forecastle in, shipped
several seas, and we thought once or twice
our anchor had come home; upon which
our master o rdred out the sheet-anchor.
The storm grew fiercer and fiercer until
1 began to see terror in the faces of the
seamen themselves. At first, I was quite
stupid with sickness and fear, and I lay in
the cabin; but now I clambered on deck,
and looked about. Two of the ships near us
bad cut their masts, and I heard the sailors
ROBINSON. CRUSOL. Ti
ve)
‘
distress, and, the storm. somewhat abating,
a boat was put off to us from a ship that
had not been damaged, because she was
hight. We had great difficulty in getting
into the boat when it reached us; but we
did it safely and after several hours of
drifting, in danger of being swamped every
minute, we reached the shore, drenched
and destitute. The ship sank soon after
we left her.
say that two more had been blown out to
sea, Finally a great ship foundered before
our eyes, and the master ordered our masts
to be cut away. Then came a cry that we
had sprung a leak, and we all wert to
work at the pumps.
All our efforts were useless; the water
gained rapidly in the hold, and it became
certain that we could not ride out the
storm. Guns were now fired as signals of
At Yarmouth, we were given some money,
and J might easily have gone back to Hull,
but my ill fate pushed me on. With what
money I had, I made my way to London.
There I fell in with the master of a ship
bound for the coast of Guinea on a trading
voyage. He took quite a fancy to me at
once and became my friend. I raised some
forty pounds by corresponding with some
relations, and investing it 1a trinkets, such
1a ROBINSON CRUSOE.
ag “ne captain carried to trade with the
natives, we set sail, and made a most suc-
cessful voyage.
eS
My success I owed entirely to my
friend the captain, who first showed me
what things to buy in London, and then
how to trade them with the natives of
Guinea for gold-dust. On the voyage, he
taught me the use of the ship’s instruments,
by which an account of our course was
taken every day, and I became a navigator
as well as a Guinea trader.
My friend died soon after his arrival at
home, but I resolved to go the same voy-
age again on the same ship. This was a
most unhappy voyage, for though I left a
good portion of my money with my friend’s
widow, yet I fell into terrible misfortunes.
ae
Our ship making her course towards tna
Canary Islands, was surprised, in the gray
of the morning, by a Moorish rover of Sal-
lee, who gave chase to us, We crowded as
much canvas as our yards would spread, or
our masts carry, to get clear; but finding
the pirate gained upon us, we prepared to
fight, our ship having twelve guns and the
rogue eighteen. About three in the after
noon he came up with us, and bringing te,
by mistake, just athwart our quarter, 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 cuttmg and hacking
the sails and rigging. We plied them with
small shot, half-pikes, powder-chests, and
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
saen like. aud cleared our deck of them
twice. However, to cut short this melan-
choly part of our story, our ship being dis-
abled, and three of our men killed, and
eight wounded, we were obliged to yield,
and were all carried prisoners into Sallee,
a port belonging to the Moors.
The usage I had there was not so
dreadful as I at first feared ; nor was I car-
ried mp the country to the Emperotr’s court,
as the rest of our men were, but was kept
by the captain as his proper prize, and
made his slave, being young and nimble,
and fit for his business. At this surpris-
ing change of my circumstances, from a
merchant to a slave, I was perfectly over-
whelmed; and now I looked back upon
my father’s prophetic discourse to me, that
I should be miserable; 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 undone. But alas! this was but a
taste of the misery I was to go through.
As my new patron, or master, had taken
me home to his house, so I was in hopes
that le 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 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 drudgery
of slaves about his house.
{ had no one to talk to, for, though
there were other slaves, not one of them
could understand my language, nor could
L understand theirs. But while at work
digging in the garden or grinding grain, I
43
thought of nothing but my escape, Tut
for a long time no means of escaping pre
sented itself.
After about two years, my master stayed
at home longer than usual, and two or
three times a week he used to go out
a-fishing in his boat. He always took me
and a young Moresco, besides a Moos, with
him, for we made him very merry, and I
was very dexterous in catching fish.
It happened one time, that, going s-fish-
ing with him in a calm morning, a fog rose
so thick, that though we were not half a
league from the shore, we lost sight of is;
and rowing we knew not whither, we
labored all day and all the next night; and
when the morning came, we found we had
pulied out to sea instead of pulling in for
14 ROBINSON CRUSO,
nem
the sucre. However, we got well in again, | Moor to take me and the young Moresea,
though with a great deal of labor and some | whose name was Xury, and go and catck
danger, and we were all very hungry. But | some fish, as he expected some distinguished
our master, warned by this disaster, resolv- | company to sup with him. Now, thought
ed to take more care of himself in the | I, is my chance to get my liberty.
future: and having lying by him the long| My first contrivance was to speak to the
boat of our English ship which he had | Moor and ask him if we ought not to take
taken, he resolved he would not go a-fish- | along some food for our dinner; for I told
ing any more without a compass and some | him we must not presume to eat of our
provision. So he ordered the carpenter of ' master’s bread. He said that was true; se
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his snip to build a little cabin in the | he brought a basket full of their kind, and
middie of the long-boat and fit a place for | three jars with fresh water into the boat.
provisions and water, also for a compass, | I knew where my master’s case of bottles
and put ina mast and sails. After that, | stood, and I conveyed them into the boas
we used to go a-fishing in the long-boat. whils the Moor was on shore, as if they
ime day my master commanded the | had been there before for our master g
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
18
conveyed also a great lump of beeswax | southerly, I had been sure to make the
into the boat, which weighed about half
an hundred weight, with a parcel of twine
- or thread, a hatchet, a saw, and a hammer,
all of whizh were of great use to us after-
wards,
Another trick J
coast of Spain; 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
tried upon him, which
-he imnocenriy came
into also: “ Moely,â€
said I, ‘ our patron’s
guns are all on board
the boat; can you not
get a little powder
and shot? It may be
we may kill some
alcamies (a fow! like
our curlews) for our-
selves.â€
he, “Pl bring some ;â€
and accordingly, he
brought a great leath-
er pouch, which held
about a pound and a
half of powder, 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, and thus fur-
nished with everything needful, we sailed
out of the port to fish.
» The castle, which is at the entrance of the
port, knew who 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 sat us down to fish. The wind
blew from the N. N. E., which was con-
trary to my desire; for had it blown
“Yes,†says
caught nothing (for when T 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; our master will not be
thus served; we must stand further off.â€
He, thinking no harm, agreed, and, being
in the head of the boat, set tle sails; and,
as I had the helm, I ran the boat out near
a league farther, and then brought her to,
as if I would fish; when, giving the bey
the helm, I stepped forward to where the
Moor was, and making as if I stooped for
16 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
something behind him, I took him by sur-
prise with my arm under his waist, and
tossed him clear overboard into the sea.
He rose immediately, for he swam like a
cork, and begged to be taken in.
As he continued to swim after us I
fetched a fowling-piece from the cabin,
and pointing it at him, said: “You can
swim well enough to reach the shore. If
you try to get iu the boat, I will shoot
you.†He turned about when he saw I
was determined, and swam toward the
shore, which I have no doubt he reached
in safety.
When he was gone, I turned to the boy,
and said to him, “Xury, if yoa will be
faithful to me, ’il 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
_ stopping.
'in great numbers.
noises in the night, and sometimes we could
/see great creatures bathing on the beach.
not mistrust him, and swore to be faithful
to me, and go all over the world with me.
As long as the swimming Moor could
see me, I steered the boat straight out to
sea, for I knew he would tell his master
which way I had gone. But as soon as
I thought the boat was out of his sight,
I turned her head to the south-east.
With a good breeze and a smooth sea, at
three o’clock on the afternoon of the next
day, I had no doubt that we were one
hundred and fifty miles from Sallee. At
this time we were within sight of the
coast, and J knew that we were were out
of the kingdom of the Moors.
But so afraid was I of being followed
by my late master, that we sailed on
toward the south for five days, without
At the close of the fifth day,
we anchored at the mouth of a little river;
but I was afraid to go on shore for fear ef
the wild beasts, which inhabit that coast
They made hideous
One of them swam off toward the boat,
but a shot from a fowling-piece sent him
| quickly back to the shore.
However, we had to go on shore for
water, for we had not a pint left, so, the
next day, we drew the boat in as close as
we could, and waded ashore, taking our
fowling-pieces and two jars. I stad by
the boat, while Xury scon found some
water and filled the jars. He also shot a
hare, which we roasted on tle shore, and
had quite a feast.
Several times I was obliged to land for
fresh water, after we had left this place;
and once in particular, being early in the
KOBINSON CRUSOE. i?
iittle point of land. 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,â€
says he, “look, yonder les a dreadful
monster on the side of that hillock, fast
asleep.†1 looked where he pointed, and
saw a terrible great lion that lay on the
morning, we came to an anchor under a} lay so, with his leg raiseu 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
broke, fell down again; and then got up
upon three legs, and gave the most hideous
roar that ever I heard. I took up the
second piece immediately, and though he
began to move off. fired again, and shot
side of the shore, under the shade of a
piece of the hill. J took our biggest gun,
and loaded it with a good charge of pow-
der, and with two slugs, and Jaid it down;
then I Joaded another gun with two bul-
him in the head, and had the pleasure te
see him drop.
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
lets; and the third (for we had three | creature that was good for nothing to us,
pieces) I loaded with five smaller bullets. | I bethought myself, however, that perhaps
I took the best aim I could with the first | the skin of him might, one way or other,
tiece to have shot him in the head, but he | be of some value to us,
So Xury and ]
48 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
went to work with him; but Xury was
such the better workman at it, for I knew
very ill how to do it. Indeed, it took us
both the whole day, but at last we got off
the hide of him, and spreading it on the
devour the flesh, making signs ¢o offer me
some. I shook my head, but signified that
I would take the skin, if they would put it
on the shore and go away. ‘This they did,
and I seut Xury for it. They also left on
top of our cabin, the sun effectually dried
it in two days’ time, and it afterwards
served me to lie upon.
After sailing on for twelve days more I
found that the land was inhabited by
negroes, who ran along the shore and made
siuns tous, As I thought them savages, I
did not venture to go on shore. One day
1 great leopard ran down among them to
the water, at which they were greatly
When I shot him, they were
eveatly surprised and very grateful. They
ouickly tcok off the skin and began to
irightened.
the shore a great jar of water anu some
dried roots and corn for which I was:
thankful.
I sailed on for eleven days m ve without
going near the shore till I saw the Jand run
out a great way into the sea. T his I took
to be Cape de Verde. On sailing out to.
the point of the Cape, I saw land far out.
to sea which I thought was the Cape de
Verde Islands. I stepped into the cabix
and was thinking whether I ought not te
sail for the Islands when I heard Xury erv
out: “Master, master, a ship with a sai.â€
KOBINSON CRUSOE. 19
— —$
I rushed from the cabin and found Xury | utensils and things as [ wanted ; which he
in a great fright, he thinking that it must | did, and brought them ta me ea. his next
needs be a ship of his old master, the | voyage.
pirate. I saw, however, that it was a] Iwas now very prosperous and happy,
Portuguese ship, and I crowded all sail to | but I was not to remain so. I often talked
come up to her, and was soon on board. to the planters about me of my voyage to
Upon hearing my story, the captain | the coast of Guinea, and how easy it was to
offered to take me to the Brazils, whither | trade with the natives for gold-dust, or
he was going, without any pay whatever, and | even for slaves, which were very dear in
to take all my goods also, He offered to | the Brazils.
give me a good sum for my boat, which I] One day some of the planters came to
accepted. He wanted also to buy Xury, | me and proposed, that, as there was noth.
but I was loth to sell the boy’s liberty as | ing we needed so much as slaves to work
soon as he hail gained it. But as he offered | our plantations, they would fit out a ship
to set him free in ten years and to treat | to go to the coast of Guinea for slaves, and
him well, and, moreover, Xury being will- | that I would take charge of the affair. Al.
ing, I let the Captain have him. though I was very well situated where I
We made a good voyage to the Brazils, | was, I accepted their proposal, providiag
landing in Als Saints’ Bay in twenty-two
days. The generous treatment the captain
gave me, I can never enough remember. He
would take nothing of me for my passage,
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; such as the case of bottles, two of
my guns, and a piece of the lump of bees’-
wax, for I had made candles of the rest 3 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.
I soon learned that the planters of that
country lived well and became rich, so I
bought land and became a planter, raising |
sugar and tobacco, When the Portuguese
captain sailed, I sent by him an order for
the.money which I had left with the
Suglish captain’s widow, and gave him in-
mxuctions to invest it in Lisbor in such
aoâ€
they would take care of my property while
I was gone. In short, I obeyed blindly the
dictates of my fancy rather than my reason;
and, accordingly, the ship being fitted out,
and the cargo finished, and all things done
20
as by agreement, by my partners in the
voyage, 1 went op board. in an evil bour
again, the Ist of September, 1659, being the
sane day eght years that L went from my
father and mother at Huil, acting the rebel
to their authority, and the fool to my own
interest.
Our ship was about one hundred and
twenty tons burden, carried six guns, and
fourteen men, besides the master, his boy,
and myself,
cargo of goods, except of such toys as were
fit for our trade with the negroes, such as
beads, bits of glass, shells, and odd trifies,
especially little looking-glasses, knives,
scissors, hatchets, and the like.
We had very good weather, and we
sailed north, at first, along our own coast.
We passed the line in about twelve days’
Hime, and were, by our last observation, in
seven degrees twenty-two minutes north
latitude, when a violent tornado took us
suite out of our knowledge. 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
erry us wherever fate and the fury of the
waves directed; and during these twelve
days, I need not say that I expected every
We had on board no large |
ROBINSON CH&USO#.
At last we perceived land ahead, hut he
fore we could make out whether it was an
island or the mainland, the ship struck on
the sand a long distance from the shore,
Now, we were in a dreadful condition in
deed, and had nothing to do but to think
of saving our lives as best we could. We
haa 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 ker. We had another boat on board,
but how to get her off into the sea was a
doubtful thing; however, there was no
room to debate, for we fancied the ship
would break in pieces every minute, and
some told us she was actually broken
already.
Tn this distress, the mate of our vessel
lay hold of the boat, and with the heip of
the rest of the men, they got ter flung over
the ship’s side; and getting all into her, let
go, aud committed ourselves, being eleven
in number, to God’s merey and the wiid
sea; for though the storm was abated cou
day to be swallowed up; nor did any in | siderably, yet the sea went dreadfully image
the ship expect to save their lives.
| upon the shore.
a,
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 21
so
—_—-— —
And now we all saw plainly that the
boat could not escape, and that we should
be 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 land, though with heavy hearts,
like men going to execution; for we all
knew that when the boat came near the
shore ske would be dashed in a thousand
perhaps make smooth water. But there
was nothing of this appeared; but as we
made nearer and nearer the shore, the land
looked more frightful than the sea.
At last, a great wave came rolling after
us, overset the boat, and we were all swal-
lowed up in a moment. Nothing can de.
scribe what I felt when I sank into the
water; for though I swam very well, yet â€
pieces by the breach of the sea. [However,
we committed our souls to God in the most
garnest manner.
What the shore was, whether rock or
sand, whether steep or shoal, we knew not;
the only hope was that we might happen
into some bay or gulf, or the mouth cf some
river, where by great chance we might run
our boat in under the lee of the Jand, and
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 J
took in. I had so much presence of mind,
as well as breath left, that seeing myself
nearer the main land than T expected, I ge%
upon my feet and ran.
Another wave soon over-
took me and then another, until I was
dashed against a rock with such force as to
make me nearly senseless.
T held on to the rock, however, until the
wave receded, and the next run I took I
got to the mainland, exhausted and bruised,
and, indeed, more dead than alive.
But I was now landed, and safe on
shore, and began to look up and to thank
God that my life was saved. I walked
about the shore, lifting up my hands, and
my whole being, I may say, wrapt up in
a contemplation of my deliverance; mak-
ing 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
myself; 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 around me, to see what kind of
piace I was in, and what was next to be
KOBINSON CRUSOE.
done; and I soon found my comforts abate,
and that, in a word, I had a dreadful de-
liverance; for I was wet, had no clothes to
shift me, nor anything either to eat or
drink, to comfort me. Neither did I see
any prospect before me, but that of per-
ishing with hunger, or being devoured by
wild beasts ; and that which was particu-
larly affecting to me was, that I had no
weapon, either to hunt and kill any crea-
ture for my sustenance, or to defend my-
self against any other creature that might
desire to kill me for theirs. In a word, I
had nothing about me but a knife, a to-
bacco-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 Iran 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, seeing at night they always come
abroad for prey.
All the vemedy 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, to see if I could
find any fresh water to drink, which I did
to my great joy; and having drunk, and
put alittle tobacco in my mouth to pre-
vent hunger, I went to the tree, and get-
ting up into it, endeavoured to place my-
self so that if I should sleep I might not
fall, And having cut me a short stick,
like a truncheon, for my defence, I took up
my lodging; and being excessively fatigued,
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 23
{ 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.
=
that at least I might save some necessary
things for my use.
When I came down from my apartment
in the tree, ] looked about me again, and
the first thing I found was the boat, which
When I waked up it was broad day-
Night, the weather clear, and the storm
abated, so that the sea did not rage and
swell as before; but that which surprised
me more 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 [at first
mentioned, where I had been so bruised
by the wave dashing me 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,
lay, as the wind and sea kad tossed her up,
upon the land, about two miles on my right
hand. J walked as far as I could upon
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
24
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
Auac here J found afresh renew-
ing 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 J had not been so miserable as
to be left entirely destitute of all comfort
and company as I now was.
This forced the tears to my eyes again.
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, and
sne alilp.
But when I came to the
ship my difficulty was still greater to know
how to get on board, for as she Jay high out
of the water, there was nothing within my
took to the water.
reach to lay hold of. I swam around her
twice, and the second time I espied a small
piece of rope hanging down the fore-chains
so low, that with great difficulty I got hold
of it, and by the help of that rope got up
into the forecastle of the ship.
I found that the ship was bulged, and
had a great deal of water in her hold; but
that she lay soon 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 provisions 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 bis-
cuit, and ate itas L went about other things,
for I had no time to lose. I also found
some rum in the great cabin, of which |
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 |
toresaw 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 |
could manage for their weight, tying every
one with a rope, that they might not drive
When this was done I went down
the ship's side, and pulling them to me, F
away.
J
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
0
tied four of them together at both ends, as
weil as f could. in the form of a raft, and
laying two or three short pieces of plank
npon them, crossways, 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 carpen-
ter’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 had laid upon it from the surf of
the sea: but I was not long considering
this.
I first laid all the planks 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 J 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
flesh Qwhich 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 disap-
pointment, I found afterwards that the rats
had eaten or spoiled it all, As for liquors,
I found several cases of bottles belonging
to our skipper, in which were some cordial
wines; and, in all, about five or six gallons
of arrack.
These I stowed by ttsa.selv 3s,
there being no need to put Shem into the
chest, nor any room for them.
While I was doing th’s, I found the tide
began to flow, though very calm; and I had
the mortification to see my coat, shirt and
waistcoat, which I had left on the shore
upon the sand, swim away.
breeches, which were only linen, and open-
kneed, I swam on board in them and my
stockings.
However, this put me upon rummaging
for clothes, of which I found enough, but
took no more than what I wanted for pre-
sent 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
26°
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
chest, which was indeed a very useful prize
to rae, 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 fowling-pieces
in the cabin, and two pistols. These I
secured first, with some powder-horns, and
two old, rusty swords. I knew there were
three barrels of powder in the ship and,
with much search, I found them; two of
them were dry and good, and these I got
to my raft, with the arms.
And now I thought myself pretty weil
freighted, and I began to think how I
should get to shore with all my things,
having neither sail, oar, nor rudder, and
the least puff of wind would have overset
my raft. But the sea was calm, the tide
was setting toward the shore, and what
little wind there was, blew in that direc-
tion. I found, however, two or three
broken oars, and with these I put to sea.
The raft went very well; but I found
that the tide took me some distance from
the point where I had landed before, bz
which I perceived that there was an m-
draft of the water. This led me to think
that there might be a creek or river there;
and so J found there was.
I steered my raft toward it as well as I
could. At the mouth of the little creek I
came very near suffering a second ship-
| wreck, which, I verily believe, would have
broken my heart. The raft ran on a shoal,
and nearly upset. I held all the things in
_ their places, and when the tide rose a little
higher, it floated safely off. I Janded at
high tide, when the water covered the
‘bank, and when it receded, the raft was
high and dry.
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, north-
ward. I took out one of the fowling
pieces, and one of the pistols, and a horn
of powder; and thus armed, I traveled for
discovery up tc 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 every way with the sea ne
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.
ROBINSON CRUSOE. av
J found also that the island I was in was
barren, and, as I saw good reason to
believe, uninhabited, except by wild beasts,
of which, however, I saw none. Yet I saw
abundance of fowls, but kaew not their
kinds; neither, when I killed them, could
ee
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, but from all parts of the wood
I tell what was fit for food and what not. | there arose an innumerable number of
aM
(
i
H
HH
He
TAME HIN
HAS
HY
Rs ROBINSON CRUSOE.
fowls of aany sorts, making a confused | found, there was really no need for these
screaming and crying, every one according
to his usual note, but nct one of them of
any kind that I knew. As for the creature
{ killed, I took it to be a kind of 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 all the
rest of the 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
eround, not knowing but some wild beast
might devour me, though, as I afterwards
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 hat for that night’s lodging. As
tor food, I yet saw not which way to sup-
ply myself, except that I had seen two or
three creatures, like hares, run out of the
wood where I shot the fowl.
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
particularly some of the rigging and sails,
and such other things as might come to
land; and I resolved to make another voy-
age on board the vessel, if possible. And
as I knew that the first storm that blew
must necessarily break ler all in pieces, I
resolved to set all other things apart, till I
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 im-
_ practicable; 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 chequered
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 tirst, I neither made this
so unwieldy, nor loaded it so hard, but yet
T brought away several things very useful
to me; as, first, in the carpenter’s stores I
tound 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.
ROBINSON CRUSOE. a
All these I secured, together with seve-
ral 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 bag-full
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.
Besides these things, I took all the men’s
clothes that I could find, and a spare fore-
top sail, a hammock, and some bedding;
and with this I loaded my second raft, and
brought them all safe on shore, to my very
ereat 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, pon one of the chests. which,
when I came towards it, ran away e, litt!e
distance, and then stood still. She sat very
composed and unconcerned, and looked ful
in my face, as if she had a mind to be
acquainted with me. I presented my gun
to her, but, as she did net understand 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, IT 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 pleased) for more ;
but I thanked her, and could spare no
more, so she marched off.
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
everything 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:
aw ROBINSON CRUSOE.
an spreading one of the beds upon the
ground, laying 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. I was very weary and
heavy; for the night before I had slept
little, and had labored hard all day, as
well to fetch those things from the ship, as
to get them on shore.
T had the biggest magazine of all kinds
now that ever was laid up, I believe, for one
man; but still I was not satisfied, for while
the ship stood upright in that posture, I
thought I ought to get everything out of
her I could. So every day, at low water, I
went on board, and brought away some-
thing 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
rope 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 fain to cut them in pieces, and bring
as much at a time as I could, for they were
no more useful to me for sails, but as mere
canvas only.
But that which comforted me more stiil, '
was, that at 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 hogs-
head of bread, three large runlets of rum
or spirits, a box of fine sugar, and a barrel
of fine flour; this was surprising to me, be-
cause 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 ail this on shore also,
though at several times.
The next day I made another voyage, and
now, having plundered the ship of what
was portable, I cut up the cable in pieces
that I could lift, and gathered all the iron
work that I could move. I cut up the
yards and made a raft to take it all ashore,
but when I got into the little cove, the razt
upset and my load all went to the bottom.
However, when it was low water, I got the
most of it out.
If it had remained calm, I verily believe
that I would have cut up the whole ship
and got it ashore. The twelfth time that
I went on board, I found some money and.
some knives. The former was of no worth
to me, but I took it, and as the wind began
to rise I hurried on shore. It blew very
hard that night, and in the morning there
was no more ship to be seen.
I now began to think of securing myself
against wild beasts and savages, by build:
Tan
i
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
and J resolved to make me
both a tent and a cave, and I set about
‘ng a dwelling,
finding a more healthy and suitable spot
than where I then was.
I consulted several things in my situa-
tion, which I found would be proper for
ine: first, health and fresh water; secondly,
shelter from the heat of the sun; thirdly,
security from ravenous creatures, whether
man or beast ; fourthly, 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 my
expectation yet.
In search of a place proper for this, I
found a little plain on the side of a rising
bill, whose front towards this little plain
vas 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 hoilow
place, worn a little way in, like the en-
trance or door of a cave;.but there was
not really aay cave, or way into the rock,
at all.
On the flat of the green, just below this
hollow place, T resolved to piteh my tent.
This plain was not above a hundred 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.
Before I set up my tent, 1 drew a half-
circle before the hollow place, and in this
half-circle I pitched two rows of strong
stakes, driving them into the ground till
they stood very firm, the biggest end being
out of the ground above five feet and a
half, and sharpened on the top. The two
j rows did vot stand above six inches fros;
one anotnei,
Then I took the pieces of cable which I
had cut in the ship, and laid them in rows,
upon one another, within the circle, be.
tween these two rows of stakes, up te the
top, placing other stakes in the inside,
leaning against them, about two feet and a
| half hich, like a spur to a post; and this
ROBINSON
fenee was so strong, that neither man nor
heast could get into it or over it.
The entrance into this place I made to
be, not by a door, but by a short ladder to
go over the top; which ladder, when I was
in, I lifted over after me; and so I was
completely fenced in and fortified, as I
thought, from all the world, and conse-
quently slept secure in the nigh, which
CRUSOE. DE
7 ; . 7101 +har
year are very violent there.
double—viz., one smaller tent within, anc
one larger tent above it; and covered tie
uppermost part of it with a large tar:
paulin, which I had saved among the sails,
When I had done all this, I dug a cave
in the hill-side, piling the earth and stones
within my fence so as to raise the ground
nearly to the top. Before I had done all
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 infnite
labor, I carried all my riches, all wy pro-
visions, ammunition, and stores; and I
made me a large tent also, to preserve me
from the rains, that in one part of the
this, a thunder-storm, accompanied by shar}
much for fear that my powder would take
fire. As soon as the storm was over, lL
weut to work and separated the powder
into small parcels and hid it away in
different places in the rocks.
in the interval of time while this was
doing, I went out at least once every day -
flashes of lightning, frightened me very
i ROBINSON CRUSOE.
a
with my gun, as well to divert myself, as | and I was upon the rocks, they teok ao
to see if I could kill anything fit for food; | notice of me; from whence I conelnded,
and, as near as I could, to acquaint myself | that by the position of their optics, their
with what the island produced. The first | sight was so directed downward, that they
Te
TT
|
|
}
si
(i
,
a
time I went out, I discovered that there | did not readily see objects that were abova
were goats ‘n the island, which was a great | them; so afterwards I always climbed the
satislaction to me; but they were so shy, |1ocks first, to get above them, and then
eo subtle, a.d so swift of foot, that it was | had frequently a fair mark.
the most difficult thing in the world to; The first shot I made among these crea
come at them; but I was not discouraged | tures I killed a she-goat, which had a little
at this, I observed if they saw me in the ; kid by her, which grieved me heartily; for,
valleys. though they were upon the rocks, | when the old one fell, the kid stood stock
taey would run away, as ina terrible fright; | still by her, till I came and took her up:
wot if they were feeding in the vaileys,| and not only so, but when I carried the
36
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 ié up tame;
but it would not eat, so I was forced to
kill if and eat it myself.
After J had been there about ten or
twelve days, it came into my thoughts that
I should lose my reckoning of time, and
should even forget the Sabbath-day from
the working-days; but to prevent this, I
cut it with my knife upon a large post, in
capital letters, and making it into a great
cross, I set if up on the shore where I first
landed, viz., “I came on shore here on the
80th of September, 1659.â€
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 Jong again as that long one; and thus I
kept mv calendar,
I had breught from the ship some pens,
ink and paper, and while they lasted I|
a a a a a fey a ape
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
pad
kept a strict account cf everything, but
they were soon gone. We had cn the
ship two cats and a dog, and I had brought
both of the cats on shore. As for the dog
he swam ashore, and became my trusty
servant for many years.
The want of tools made every work I
did go on heavily; and it was near a whole
year beiore I had entirely finished my
littie pale, or surrounded 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 bringing home; so that I spent
sometimes two days in cutting and bring:
ing home one of those posts; and a third
day in driving it into the ground. 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,
and climbing the high rocks to see if any
vessel was within sight.
Uaving 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; I say, giving over these things, I
began to apply myself to accommodate 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 (J think
it was a year and a half) I raised rafters
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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.
T have already observed how I brought
all my goods into this pale, and into this
cave which I had made behind me. But I
must observe, too, that at first this was a
confused heap of goods, which, as they lay
in no order, so they took up all my place.
[ had no room to turn myself; so I set my |
self to enlarge my cave, and worked far-
ther 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 th2 right
hand, into the rock; and then turning to
the right again, worked quite out, and
made me a door te come out on the out-
side of my pale or fortification.
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 comforts I had in the world.
I could not write, or eat, or do several
things with so much pieasure without a
table.
T had never handed a tool in my life ;
and yet, in time, by labor, application, and
contrivance, I found, at last, that I wanted
nothing but I could have made it, espe-
cially if I had had the tools. However, I
made abundance of things, even without
tools; and some with no more tools than
an aidze 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 before
me, and hevw it flat on either side with my
axe, till I had brought it to be as 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.
However, I made me a table and a chair,
in the first place; and this I did out of the
short pieces of boards that I brought on
my 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
an 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 sepa:
rate everything at large into their places,
that I might come easily at them; also J
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 }+
38
seen, it looked like a general 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.
As long as my ink
lasted I kept a jour-
nal of all that happened to me, of wuich I
will now give a part, for much that I wrote
at that time I have already told, and need
not repeat.
September 30, 1659.—I, poor, miserable
Robinson Crusoe, being shipwrecked, dur-
ing a dreadful storm, in the offing, came on
shore on this dismal, unfortunate island,
which I called “The Island of Despair ;â€
all the rest of the ship’s company being
drowned, and myself almost dead,
All the rest of the day I spent in afflict-
ing myself at the dismal circumstances I
was brought to; viz, I had neither food,
house, clothes, weapon, nor place to fly to;
and, in despair of any relief, saw nothing
but death before me: either that I should
be devoured by wild beasts, or perish by
starvation.
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,
ROBINSON
CRUSOE.
and was no more to be seen, except tke
wreck of her, and that only at low water.
I spent this day in govering and securing
the goods which I 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 en-
campment, which I resolved to strengthen
with a work, wall, or fortification, made of
double piles, lined within with cables, and
without with turf.
From the 26th to the 30th, I worked
very hard in carrying all my goods to my
new habitation, though some part of the
time it rained exceediug hard.
Nov. 1—On this day I made a strict
division of my time, fixing the hours which
I would devote to my several duties, viz.:
every morning, to walk out with my gun
for two or three hours, if it did not rain;
then to employ myself to work till about
eleven o’clock; then to eat what I had to
live on; then to lie down and sleep, the
weather being very hot; then to work
again. The working yart of this day was
wholly employed in making my table.
Nov. 5.—This day I went abroad with
my gun and my dog, and killed a wild cat;
her skin pretty soft, but her flesh good for
nothing. Of every creature that I killed,
I took off the skin and preserved it.
Coming back by the seashore, I saw two
or three seals, but not well knowing what
they were at first, while I stood gaz:ng at
them, they got into the sea and escaped me.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
Nov. 17.—This day I began to dig behind | worked it by little and little into the form
my tent into the rock, to make room for
my further conveniency.
Note—Three things I wanted exceed-
ingly for this work, viz, a pickaxe, a
shovel, and a wheelbarrow, or basket ; so 1
desisted from my work, and began to con-
sider iow 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; and the
next thing was a shovel, or spade. This was
so absolutely necessary, that, indeed, I
could do nothing effectually 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, |
with difficulty enough, for it was exceed-
ingly heavy. The excessive hardness of
the wood, and having no other way, made
me a long while upon this machine, for I
89
of ashovel or spade; the handle exactly
shaped like ours in England, only that the
board part having no iron shod upon it at
bottom, it would not last me so long ; how
ever, it served well enough for the aszes
which I had occasion to put it to; but
never was a shoyel, I believe, made nfter
that fashion or so long making.
I was still deficient, for J wanted a
basket, or a wheelbarrow. 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 the wheelbarrow, I fancied
JT could make all but the wheel; but that
/I had no notion of; neither did J know
S| how to go abont it; besides, J had no
possible way to make iron gudgeons for ihe
spindle or axis of the wheel to run in; so
I gave it over, and so, for carrying away
40
the earth which i dug out of the cave, 1 | in widening and deepening my cave, that
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
we
made a thing like a hod, which the laborers | it might hold my goods commodiously.
carry mortar in, when they serve the brick-
layers,
Note.—During all this time I worked to
make this room, or cave, spacious enough
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 no
less than four days, I mean always except-
ing my morning’s walk with my gun, which
I seldom failed, and very seldom failed
also of bringing home something fit to eat.
Nov. 23.—My other work having 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, I spent eighteen days entizely
to accommodate me as a warehouse, ot
magazine, a kitchen, a dining-room, and a
cellar. As for a lodging, I kept to the
tent; except that sometimes, in the wet
season of the year, it rained so hard, that |
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.
Dec. 10.—I began now to think my cave
or vault finished, when on a sudden {#
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
seems I had made it too large), a great
quantity of earth fell down from the top.
I now had a great deal of work to do over
again, for I had the loose earth to carry
eut, and then I had to prop un the ceiling. | day.
41
him upon some goats, but they all faced
about upon him, and he knew his danger
and would not come near them.
All this time it rained hard nearly every,
I made rounds in the woods for game
Dec. 11.—This day I went to work and
got posts pitched upright to the top, with
boards across over each top, and in a week
I had the roof secured.
Dee. 27.—Willed a young goat, and lamed
another, so that I catched it and led it home
by a string. When I had it home, I bound
and splintered up its leg, which was broke,
Note—I took such care of it that it
lived, and the leg grew as strong as ever.
By nursing it so long, it grew tame and
would not go away. This led me to think
of taming more goats.
Jan. 2.—Went out with my dog, and set
when the rain permitted me, and made fre-
quent discoveries in these walks of some-
thing 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 en-
deavored to breed them up tame, and did
so; but when they grew older they flew all
away, Which perhaps was at first for want
of feeding them, for I had nothing to give
them; however, I frequently found their
nests, and got their young ones, which were
very good meat.
42
And now, in the managing my household
affairs, I found myself wanting m many
things, which I thought at first it was im-
possible for me to make; as, indeed, as to
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 to the capacity of
making one by them, though I spent many
weeks about it; I could never put in the
LW
Made manos
Ss
heads, nor join the staves so true to one an-
other 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 it was dark,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
which was generally by seven o’clock, I
was obliged to go to bed. J remembered
the lump of bees’-wax with which I made
candles inmy 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 hap-
pened that, rummaging my things, I found
a little bag, which had been filled with corn
for the feeding of poultry. What little re-
mainder of corn had been in the bag was
all devoured by the rats, and I saw nothing
in the bag but husks and dust; and being
willing to have the bag for some other 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 of anything, and not so
much as remembering that I had thrown any-
thing there, when, about a month after, I
saw some few stalks of something green
shooting upon the ground, which I fancied
might be some plant I had not seen. But I
was surprised when, after a little longer
time, I saw about ten or twelve ears come
out, which were perfect green barley, of
the same kind as our English barley.
It is impossible to express the astonish-
ment and confusion of my thoughts on this
oceasion. J had hitherto acted upon no re-
ligious foundation at all; indeed, I had
very few notions of religion in my head,
nor had entertained any sense of anything
that had befallen me, otherwise than as a
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
chance, or, as we lightly say, what pleases
God, without so much as inquiring into the
end of Providence in these things. But
after I saw barley grow there in a climate
which J knew was not proper for corn, and
especially that I knew not how it came
there, it startled me strangely, and I began
to suggest that God had miraculously caused
this grain to grow without any help of seed
sown.
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, be-
cause I saw near it still, all along by the
side of the rock, straggling stalks of rice,
and which I knew, because I had seen it
grow in Africa, when I was ashore there.
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 sufficient to
supply me with bread. But it was not
till the fourth year that I would allow
myself the least grain of this corn to eat,
and even then but sparingly; for I lost all
that J 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.
Besides this barley, there were twenty
or thirty stalks of rice, which I preserved
with the same care, and whose use was of
the same kind, or to the same purpose,
viz., to make me bread, or rather food;
for I found ways to cook it up without
baking, though I did that also after some
time.
43
But to return to my Journal :—
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 on
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 Jabor
overthrown at once, and myself killed.
The case was thus:—As I was busy in the
inside of it, behind my tent, just in the
entrance into my cave, I was terribly
frightened with a most dreadful surpris-
ing thing indeed; for, all on a sudden, I
found the earth came tumbling 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 fright-
ful manner. I was heartily scared; and for
fear J 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 upen me. I was no sooner
stepped down upon the firm ¢round, than
I plainly saw it was a terrible earthquake ;
4h ROBINSON CRUSOE.
ee
for the ground I stood on shook three { hurricane of wind. The sea was lashed to
times, with such shocks as would have | foam; and trees were torn up by the roots,
overturned the strongest building that | and, in short, it was a dreadful storm.
could be supposed to have stood upon the In about three hours the wind abated,
earth; and a great piece of the top of the | but the rain continued all night and all the
rock, which stood about half a mile from | next day. As there were no more shocks,
me, next the sea, fell down with such a|I climbed over the wall and went into my
terrible noise as I never heard in all my | cave to escape the rain, but still in great
life. I perceived also the very sea was put | fear that it would fall upon me.
into a violent motion by it. | This led me to a resolve that I would
I was so amazed with the thing itself, | find a new place for my home, where a2
having never felt the like, or discoursed | earthquake could not harm me, and I find
with any one that had, that £ was like one | this in my journal:
dead or stupefied; and the motion of the} April 22.—I began to consider of means
to put this resolve in execution; but I
was at a great loss about my tools. I
had three large axes, and abundance of
hatchets (for we carried the hatchets for
traffic with the Indians); 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. At
length, I contrived a wheel with a string,
to turn it with my foot, that I might have
both my hands at liberty.
ea,ih made my stomach sick like one that; Vote—lI had not seen any such thing in
way tossed at sea. But the noise of the | England, or at least not to take notice how
falling of the rock awaked me as it were, | it was done, though since I have observed
and rousing me from the stupefied condi-| it was very common there; besides that,
tion I was in, filled me with horror, and I} my grindstone was very large and heavy.
thonght of nothing then, but the hill fall-| This machine cost me a full week’s work
ing upon isy tent and all my househoid | to bring it to perfection.
goods, and burying all at once. April 28, 29.—These two whole days 1
When I found there were no more shocks, | took up in grinding my tools, my machine
I began to take courage, but I was for a| for turning my grindstone performing very
long time afraid to get over the wall for | well.
fear the hill would fall on me. To make] Apri? 80.—Having perceived my bread
my situation worse, the rain began to fall | had been low a great while, I now tock a
down in torrents, and there came a terrible | survey of it, and reduced myself to one
4 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
biscuit-cake a day, which made my heart
very heavy.
45
May 5—Worked on the wreck; cut
another beam asunder. and brought three
May 1.—In the morning, looking toward | great fir planks from off the decks, wnica £
the seaside, the tide being low, I saw
something lie on the shore 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 shore by the
late hurricane; and looking towards the
wreck, I thought it seemed to lie higher
out of the water than it used to do. I
exumined the barrel which was driven
on shore, and soon found that 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 to look
for more.
When I came to the ship, I found that
the earthquake or the hurricane had cast it
so close to the shore that I could walk
quite to ii at low water. The wreck was
also much broken up, and many things
were washed ashore.
This wholly diverted my thoughts from
moving my habitation, and I busied myself
tied together, and made swim on shore
i when the tide of flood came in.
mightily to make my way into the ship, |
which I found was filled with sand. This |
I could not do, but I resolved to pull her |
ia pieves, and to that end I worked every
day.
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 doiphin. 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 1 cared to eat; all
ot which I dried in the sun, and ate them
dry
v
May 6—Worked on the wreck; got
several iron bolts, and other pieces of ircn-
work; worked very hard, and came home
very much tired.
| May 7.—Went to the wreck again, with
an intent not to work, but found the weight
of the wreck had broken itself down; that
several pieces of the ship seemed to He
loose, and the inside of the hold lay so
open that I could see inte ii.
6 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
the first I had seen, which, it seems, was
only my misfortune; for had I happened
to be on the other side of the island, I
might have had hundreds of them every
day.
June 17 I spent in cooking the turtle. £
found in her threescore eggs; and her flesh
was to me, at that time, the mcst savory
and pleasant that ever I tasted in my life,
having had no flesh, but of goats and
fowls, since I landed in this horr:ble place.
June 18.—Rained all the day, and Istayed
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; frightened almost to
death with the apprehensicn of my sad con-
dition—to be sick, and no help; prayed
to God, for the first time since the storm
off of Hull, but scarce knew what I said
or why; my thoughts being all confused.
June 22.—A little better; but under
dreadful apprehensicus of sickness.
Jung 23.—Very bad again; cold and
shivering, and then a violent headache.
June 24.—Much better.
June 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
May 8.—Went to the wreck, and car-
ried 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.
May 9.—Went to the wreck, and with
the crow made way into the body of the
wreck, and felt several casks, and loosened
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 move.
May 10, 11, 12, 18, 14.—Went every
day to the wreck; and got a good ceal of
pieces of timber, and boards, or planks, and
two or three hundredweight of iron.
May 15.—I carried two hatchets, to try
if I could not cut a piece off the roll of
lead, 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 ot the water; but I stayed so
long in the woods, to get pigeons for food,
that the tide prevented me going to the
wreck,
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 gotten timber, and plank, and iron-
work enough to have built a good boat, if | victuals to eat, took my gun, but found my-
I had known how; and also I got, at seve- | self very weak; however, I killed a she.
ral times, and in several pieces, near one | goat, and with much difficulty got it home,
hundredweight of the sheet-lead. and broiled some of it, and ate. I wouia
June 16.—Going down to the sea-side, I | fain have stewed it, and made some brotr
found a large tortoise, or turtle. This was | but had no pot.
|
|
es AS
48
June 27.-—The ague again so violent that
I Jay a-bed all day, and neither ate nor
drank. J was ready to perish with thirst ;
but so weak I had no 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 I
knew not what to say; only I Jay and
cried, “Lord, look upon me! Lord, pity
me! Lerd, have merey upon me!†I sup-
pose I did nothing else for two or three
hours; till, the fit wearing off, I fell asleep,
and did not awake till far in the night.
When I awoke, I found myself much re-
freshed, but weak, anc exceeding thirsty ;
liowever, as I had no water in my whole
habitation, I was forced to Ve till morning.
and went to sleep again.’ in this second '
sleep, I had this terrikie dream: I thought
that I was sitting on the ground, and that
T saw a man descend from a great black
cioud, in a bright flame of fire. His
countenance was most Greadful. When he
ROBINSON CRUSOE,
stepped upon the ground, I thought the
earth trembled, just as it had done in the
earthquake. ‘Then I heard a voice so
terrible that it is impossible to express
the terror of it. All that 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 shculd be able to de-
scribe the horrors of my soul at this terrible
vision. 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.
{ had, alas! no divine knowledge. What
1 had received from my father had been
worn out by eight years of seafaring
wickedness. During all that time I had
never thought seriousity of God, nor had ]
been thankful to Him for His great mer
cies. But now I began to pray for the
first time in many years, after which I fell
into a refreshing sleep.
June 28.—Feeling much better, I arose
and cooked three of the turtle’s eggs in
the ashes, and ate them. I tned to walk
about with my gun, nut was too weak to
go far, and I sat down to think. I knew
that the ague would return the next day,
and then I remembered that the Brazilians
took tobacco for such distempers. I had
some tobacco in one of the chests that I
had saved, and I went to get it. I was
| directed by heaven, no doubt, for I found
in the chest a cure both for soul and body.
Packed in with the tobacco was a Bible,
which I had forgotten all about, but which
{ was now overjoyed to find.
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 49
I took it to | limes and lemons in another place; and
taking a few of each with me, I traveled
my table and read from it a long time, and
having taken a dose of tobacco steeped in
rum, I went to bed.
The next day I had the fever, but not so
bad, and July 3d I missed it for good and
al]. I was, however, so weak for many
days that I could do but little more than
sit at the mouth of my cave and try to |
make baskets.
It was the 15th of July that I began to |
take a more particular survey of the qaland |
itself. J went up the creek first, where, as
IT hinted, I brought my rafts on shore. I
found, after [ came about twe miles up,
that the tide did not float any higher; and
that it was no more than a little brook. |
On its banks were many meadows covered
with grass, and on the higher parts I found |
tobacco growing. There were many other |
plants that I had never seen before. |
On the next day I went farther the same |
way, and, much to my joy, found melons
upon the ground in great abundance, and |
grapes hanging in great clusters ae the |
branches of the trees. I staid there all |
that night, sleeping in a tree as when I |
first landed: In the morning, I traveled on !
some four miles farther. Here I found a|
delicious valley, where everything appeared |
so fresh and green that it looked like a
planted garden. Here were orange, lemon,
lime and cocoa trees, but few of them bore
fruit. I gathered some green limes, and,
mixed with water, I found their juice very
refreshing. I resolved to lay up a store of
all for the wet season.
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
home, 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.
SEG
Apes End
The next day I went back, having made
1ae two small bags to bring home my har.
7 get; but I was surprised, when, coming to
sly heap of grapes, I found them all spread
abroad, trodden to pieces, and dragged
about, some here, some there, and abund:
ance eaten and devoured. By this I con-
cluded there were some wild creatures
thereabouts, which had done this; but
what they were I knew not. However, I
took another course; for I gathered a large
60
quantity of the
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
grapes, and hung them | equally safe as where now I was situate, if
upon the out branches of the trees, that | possible, in that pleasant, fruitful part of
they might cure and dzy in the sun; and | the isiand.
as for the ‘imes and lemons, I carried as
many back as I could well stand under.
When I came home from this journey, [
contemplated with great pleasure the fruit-
fulness of that valley, and the pleasantness
of the situation; the security from storm
on that side of the water, and the wood;
and concluded that I had pitched upon a
place to fix my abode, which was by far
she worst part of the country. Upon the
whole, I began to consider of removing my
nabitation, and to look out for a place
This thought ran long in my head, and
f was exceedingly fond of it for some time,
the pleasantness of the place tempting me;
but when I came to a nearer view of it, T
considered that I was now by the aeaedey
where it was at least possible that some-
thing might happen to my advantage ;
and bat ihe same ill fate that br ough
me hither, might bring some other un.
happy arteries to the same place ; and to
enclose myself among the hills and woods.
in the centre of the island, was to antici-
pate my bondage, and to render such an
affair not only inigrobable, but impossible;
and that therefore I ought not by any
means to remove.
However, I was so enamored with
this place, that I speat much of my time
there for the whole remaining part of the
month of July; and though, upon secon
thoughts, I resolved as aber e not to remove,
yet ie 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 T
! could reach, well staked, and filled etcen
with bres ood; and here I lay very
secure, sometimes ere or three nights to
gether, always going over it with a ladder
as before; so that I fancied now I had my
country one and my sea-coast house.
The 8rd of August, I found the grapes ]
had hung up were 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 sc.
for the rains which followed would have
spoiled them, and J had lost the better part
52
of my winter’s food; for t had above two
hundred large bunches of them. No sooner
had J taken them al! down, and carried
most of them home to my cave, but it began
to rain; and it rained, move or less, every
day, till the middle of October, and some-
times so violently, that I could not stir ové
of my cave for several days.
In this season Iwas much surprised with
the increase of my family. I had been con-
cerned for the loss of one of my cats, who |
ran away from me, and I heard no more
tidings of her, till, to my astonishment, she
came home about the end of August, with
three kittens. I afterward 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.
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 straitr
ene! 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
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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 supper.
Sept. 30.—I was uow come to the un-
happy 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 asolemn
fast, setting it apart for religious exercises,
prostrating myself on the ground with the
most serious humiliation, confessing my
sins to God, acknowledging his righteous
judgment upon me, and praying to him to
have mercy upon me through Jesus Christ ;
and having not tasted the least refreshment
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 began it. I now set off every
seventh day as the Sabbath day.
My ink gave out about this time, and I
gave up my journal. After a time I learned
how to divide the rainy season from the
dry season, but at first the lack of this
knowledge came near costing me dear, for
I sowed my grain before the dry season,
and not a stalk came up. Fortunately ]
had not sown it all, and I sowed the few
grains left before the rainy season and it
grew very well, though it was several years
befcre I had enough to make a crop.
After I had found, by experience, the ill
consequences of being abroad in the rain,
I took care to furnish myself with provi
sions before hand, that I might not be
obliged to go out, and J sat within doors
as much as possible during the wet months,
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 53
Tn this time I found much employment,
and very suitable also to the time, for I
found great occasion of many things which
I had no way to furnish myself with but
by hard labor and constant application ;
particularly, I had 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 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 England,
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. During the next season,
I employed myself in making, as well as
ereat many baskets, both to
I could, a
Me
carry earth or lay up anything, as I had
occasion ; and though I did not finish them
very handsomely, yet I made them sufti-
ciently servicable for my purpose; and
thus, afterwards, 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.
I now resolved to travel quite across to
the other side of the island, so, taking a
hatchet with my gun and dog, and a larger
quantity of powder and shot than usual,
and putting a great bunch of raisins and
two biscuit cakes in my pouch, I began
my journey.
I saw abundance of parrots, and fain
would I have caught one, if possible, to
have kept it to be tame, and taught it to
54. ROBINSON CRUSOE.
——
—_ =.
speak to me. I did, after some painstak- | much pleasanter than mine; but yet T had
ing, catch a young parrot, for I knocked it | not the least inclination to remove, for, as
down with a stick, and having recovered | I was fixed in my habitation, it became
it, 1 brought it home; but it was some | natural to me, and I seemed all the while
years before I could make him speak; | Iwas here to be as it were upon a jour
however, at last, I taught him to call me | ney, and from home. However, I trav-
by my name very familiarly, eled 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.
I took another way going home, and
became bewildered and lost, so that J had
to go back to my post and start again. In
this journey, my dog surprised a kid, which
I caught and led by a string till I came to
my bower, where I left him, securely tied.
I cannot express my satisfaction when I
came to what I called my home and threw
myself in my hammock. I had been gone
a month, and it all appeared so comfortable
that I resolved never to leave it for so long
a time again, while I remained on the
island,
It was now that I began sensibly to feel
how much more happy the life I now led
was, with all its miserable circumstances,
than the wicked, abominable life I Jed all
the past part of my days; and now having
changed both my sorrows and my joys;
my very desires altered, aud my delights
were perfectly new from what they were
at first coming.
Before, as I walked about, either on my
a she-goat, if I could, which I could better | hunting, or for viewing the country, the
feed on; and though there were many | anguish of my soul at my condition would
goats here, more than on the other side of | break out upon me on a sudden, and my
the island, yet it was with much more | very heart would die within me, to think
difficulty that I could come near them. | of the woods, the mountains, the deserts I
I confess this side of the country was | was in, and how I was a prisoner, locked
As soon as I came to the seashore, 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
inumerable 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 of which I
had net seen before, and many of them
very good meat, but such as I knew not
the names of, except those called penguins.
T could have shot as many as I pleased,
but was very sparing of my powder and
shot, and therefore had more mind to kill
5
I SS
SOD eee at ENTE ay WE A RAI Me te ae nl CoS
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 55
up with the eternal bars and bolts of the | would go off, and the grief having ex-
ocean, in an uninhabited wilderness, with: | hausted itself would abate.
out redemption. In the midst of the} But now I began to exercise myself
greatest composures of my mind, this | with new thoughts. I daily read the Word
would break out upon me like a storm, | of God, and applied all the comforts of it
and make me wring my hands, and weep | to my present stats. One morning, being
Sh
SAY
DA
like a child. Sometimes it would take me | very sad, I opened the Bible upon these
in the middle of my work, and I would sit | words, “I will never leave thee, never for-
down and sigh, and look upon the ground | sake thee.†Immediately it occurred that
for an hour or two together; and this| these words were to me; why otherwise
was still worse to me, for if I could burst | should they be directed m such a manner,
out into tears, or vent myself by words, it | just at the moment when I was mourning
5G ROBINSON CRUSOE.
ee
over my condition, as one forsaken of God | mind at that thought, and I durst not
“Well, then,†said i, “if God
and man?
does not forsake me, of what ill conse-
quence can it be, or what matters it, though
—
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 -en.
the world should all forsake me, seeing, on
the other hand, if J had all the world, and
should lose the favor and blessing of God,
there would be no comparison in the loss ?â€
From this moment I began to conclude
in my mind that it was possible for me to
be happy in this forsaken, solitary condi-
tion; and Iwas going to give thanks to
God for bringing me to this place. I know
not what it was, but something shocked my
deavor to be con-
tented with, thou
wouldst rather
pray heartily to be
delivered from?â€
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 afilict-
ieg providences,
to see the former
condition of my
life, and to mourn
for my wickedness
and repent.
Thus I began
my third year. 1]
was seldom idle,
dividing my time
according to my daily employments, such as,
first, my duty to God, and the reading the
Scriptures, which I always set apart some
time for, thrice every day; secondly, the
going abroad with my gun for food, which
generally took up three hours in every
morning, when it did not rain; thirdly,
the ordering, curing, preserving and cook:
ing what I had killed or caught for my
supply. These took up great part of the
58
ROBINSON CROSOE.
day. Also, it is to be considered, that in ‘ of losing it all again by enemies of several
the middle of the cay, 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 all the time I
could be supposed to work in, with this
exception, that sometimes I changed my
hours of hunting ard working, and went
to work in the morning, and abroad with
my gun in the afterrcon,
While in-doors, during the rains, I talked
much to my parrot, which now learned her
own name and seemed to repeat it Zor my
diversion, as it pleased me greatly.
J was now in the months of November
and December, expecting my crop of barley
and rice. The ground I had dug up for
ee ON GES
> 5
them was not great ; for my seed of each
was not above half a peck, for I had lost
me whole crop by sowing in the dry sea-
son; but now my crop promised very well,
when on a sudden [ found I was in danger
sorts, which it was scarcely possible to keep
from it; as, first the goats, and wild crea.
tures which I called hares, which, tasting
the sweetness of the blade, eat it so close
that it could get no time to shoot up into
stalk.
This I saw no remedy for, but making
an inclosure about it with a hedge, which 1
did with a great deal of toil, and the more,
because it required a great deal of speed ;
the creatures daily spoiling my corn. How-
ever, as my arable tand was but smail,
suited to my crop, I got 1% total’; well
fenced in about three weeks’ tune; and
shooting some of the creatures in the day
time, I set my dog to guar. it in the night,
tying him up to a stake at the gate, where
he would stand and bark all mght long: so
in a little time the enemies forsook the
place, and the corn grew very strong and
well.
But now I had even greater trouble to
keep the birds from eating all of the
ripening grain. I finally shot three of
them, and hung them up as scarecrows.
This had the effect I desired, and kept the
birds away. In the latter end of Decem-
ber I 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 broad-swords, or cutlasses,
which I saved among tae arms out of the
ship. However, as iny 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
ib away in a great basket which I had
made, and. so rubbed it out with my hands,
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
and at the end of all my harvesting, I
found that ovt of my half-peck of seed I
had near two bushels of rice, and above
two bushels and a-half of barley; that is
to say, by my guess, for J had no measure
at that time.
I had long studied, by some means or
other, to make myself some earthen vessels,
which, indeed, I wanted sorely. JI did not
doubt but if I could find out any clay, I
might botch up some such pot as might,
being dried by the sun, be hard enough
and strong enough to bear handling, and
to hold anything that was dry, and _ re-
quired to be so; and as this was necessary
in preparing corn, meal, &e., which was
the thing that I was upon, 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
rather laugh at me, to tell how many awk-
ward 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 to
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 can-
not call them jars) in about two months’
labor.
However, as the sun baked these two
very dry and hard, I lifted them very
59
great wicker baskets, which I had made on
purpose for them, that they might not
break.
Though 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 anything my hand turned to; and the
heat of the sup baked them strangely hard
via
x ——
“ih Wh
t
> tf
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 conid 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 witn it, I found a
broken piece of one of my earthenware ves-
gently up, and set them down again in two | sels in the fire. burnt as hard as a stone,
60
and red as a tile. [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 me 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 3 but
T placed three large pipkins, two or three
pots, in a pile, one upon another, and placed
my firewood all round it, with a 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 alls; 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 noé crack, did melt or run;
for the sand which was mixed with the
clay melted with the violence of the heat,
and would Lave run into glass if I had
gone on, So LT siacked iny fire gradually till
the pots began to abate of the red color,
and watching them all night. that I might
ROBINSON CRUSOE,
not let the fire abate too fast, in the morm
ing J had three very good (I will not say
handsome) pipkins, and two other earthen
pots, as hard burnt as could. be desired, and
one them perfectly glazed with the running
of the sand.
After this experiment, I wanted no sort
of earthenware for my use; but I must
needs say as to the shapes of them they
were very indifferent, as any one may sup-
pose, 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.
I now thought to dig out a stone, and
make myself a mortar; but, after searching
a long while I could find no stone hard
enough, as all the rocks on the island were
soft and crumbling. I got instead a great
block of hard wood, and with much labor
I rounded the outside, and then, with the
help of fire, made a hollow place in it, as
the Indians in Brazil make their canoes.
Then I made a heavy pestle of iron-wood,
and laid them both by till I had my next
crop of corn to grind or peund into flour.
With some muslin takeu from the ship, [
made some very good sieves.
The baking part was the next thing to
be considered, but I managed this also.
I made some hollow earthen vessels, which
served as hearths. In there I built hot
fires. Then, raking the ashes and embers
off clean, I put in my loaves and covered
them with earthen jars.
Ali the while these things were doing,
you may be sure my thoughts ran many
times upon the land which I had seen.
from the other side of the island; and I
was not without secret wishes that I was
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
on shore there, fancying that I might find
some way or other to convey myself far-
ther, and perhaps at last find some means
of escape.
But ail this while I made no allowance
for the dangers of such a condition, and
hew [ might fall into the hands of sav-
ages, and perhaps such as I might have
reason to think far worse than the lions
and tigers of Africa; that if I once came
into their power I should run a hazard of
being killed, and perhaps of being eaten ;
for I had heard that the people of the
Caribbean coasts were cannibals, or men-
eaters, and I knew by the latitude, that I
could not be far off from that shore. Adi
these things, I say, which I ought to have
considered well of, and I did cast wp in
my thoughts afterwards, yet took up none
of my apprehensions at first, and my head
ran mightily upon the thought of getting
over to that shore.
Now, I wished for my boy Xury and
the long-beat, with the shoulder-of-mutton
sail, with which I sailed above a thousand
mies on the coast of Africa; but this was
in vain. Then I thought I would go and
look at our ship’s boat, which 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 up-
ward, against the high ridge of rough
‘sand, but no water about her as before.
if i had had hands to have refitted her,
-and to have launched her into the water,
the boat weuld have done well enough,
and Y might have gone back into the
‘sragzils with her easily enough; but J
might have easily foreseen that I could no
more turn her and set her upright upon
her bottom, than I could remove the
island 3 however, I went to the wood, and
cut levers and rollers, and brought them to
the boat, resolved to try what I could do.
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 littls
strength, I fell to digging
to undermine it, and so to make it fall
down, setting pieces of wood to thrust
and guide it right in the fall.
But I was unable to stir it, or to get
away the sand,
$4 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
under it, much less to move it forward to-
wards 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 for the mainland increased.
i This at length set me
SERS" 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 might say, without hands—yviz.,
of the trunk of a great tree. This I not
only thought possible, but easy, and pleased
myself extremely with my thoughts of
making it, and with my having much more
convenience for it than any of the Neeroes
or Indians; but not at all considering the
particular inconveniences which I lay
under more than the Indians did, viz,
want of hands to move it into the water
when it was made.
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 shall find
some way to get it along when it is done.â€
| Temple of Jerusalem.
inches diameter at the lower part, and four
| feet eleven inches diameter at the end of
This was a most preposterous method;
but the eagerness of my fancy prevailed,
and to work I went, and felled a cedar-
tree. I question much whether Solomon
ever had such a one for the building the
It was five feet ten
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 hack-
ing and hewing at it at the bottom; I was
fourteen more getting the branches and
limbs and the vast spreading head of it cut
off, which I hacked and hewed through
with my axe and hatchet. After this, it
cost me a month to shape it to something
like the bottom of a boat. It cost me
near three months more to clesr 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 handsome periagua, and big enough
to have carried six-and-twenty men.
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—for there
remained nothing but to get it into the
water; 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 performed that ever was
undertaken,
But ali my devices to get it into the
water failed me. It lay about one. bun.
114 EEE
ZZ.
pe
epee
SEZ
64
dred 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 prodigious deal of pains (but
who grudge pains that have their deliver-
ance in view?); but when this was worked
through, and this difficulty managed, it was
still much at one, for I could no more stir
the canoe than I could the other boat.
Then I measured the distance of ground,
and resolyed 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. I began this work, but upon cal-
culating the amount of digging and what
I could do in a day, I found it would take
twelve years to finish it, so I was obliged
to abandon it.
In the middle of this work I finished my
fourth year in this place, and kept my anni-
versary with the same devotion, and with
as much comfort as ever before; for, by
a constant study and serious application of
the Word of God, and by the assistance of
His grace, I gained a different knowledge
from what I had before. I looked now
upon the world as a thing remote, which I
had nothing to do with, no expectation
from, and, indeed, no desire about; in a
word, I had nothing indeed to do with it,
nor was ever likely to have.
The next thing to my ink being wasted, |
S): « 2 )
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 one cake of bread a day for
above a vear; and yet I was quite without
|
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
bread for a year before I got any corn of
my own.
My clothes, too, began to decay mightily ;
as to linen, I had had none for a good
while, except some shirts which I had found
in the chests of the other seamen, and
which I carefully preserved ; 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 several thick
watch-coats of the seamen’s, which were
left behind, but they were too hot to wear ;
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 waiscoats, which I hoped would serve
me a great while; as for breeches o1
drawers, I made but a very sorry shift till
afterwards.
I have mentioned that I saved the skins
of all the creatures that I killed, J mean
four-footed ones, and J had hung them 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,
it seems, were very useful. The frst thing
made of these was a great cap for my head,
with the hair on the outside, to shoot off
the rain; and this performed so weil, that
after; I made me a suit of clothes wholly of
those skins. I must not omit to acknow-
ledge they were wretchedly made; for if I
was a bad carpenter, I was a worse tailor.
However, they were such as I made a very
, good shift with, and when I was abroad, if
et
r
$
&
the waist-
wes kept
it happened to rain, the hair
coat and cap being outermogs',
very dry.
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 65
——
After this, I spent a great deal of time
and pains to make an umbrella. I was, in-
deed, in great need of one, and had a great
mind to make one. I had seen them made
in the Brazils, where they are very useful
in the great heats which are there, and I
felt the heats every jot as great here, and
greater too, being nearer the equinox; be-
aides, as I was obliged to be much abroad,
Od
it spread, but if it did not let down too,
and draw in, it would not be portable for
me any way but just over my head, which
would not do. However, at last, as I said,
‘IT made one to answer. I covered it with
skins, the hair upwards, so that it zast 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 wit’
it was a most useful thing to me, as well
for the rains as the heats. I took a world
of pains at 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 indif-
ferently well; the main difficulty I] found
was to make it to let down. J could make
greater advantage than I could before mm
the coolest.
Thus I lived mighty comfortably, my
mind being entirely composed by resigning
to the will of God, and throwing myself
wholly upon the disposal of His providence.
This made my life better than sociable, for
when I began to regret the want of conver.
sation, I would ask myself whether tius
~~
eonversing mutually with my own thoughts,
ard (as I hope I may say) with even my
Maker, by ejaculations and petitions, was
not better than the utmost enjoyment of
kuman 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, just as before.
The chief thing [ was employed 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 the year’s provision
beforelhand—TI had one labor, to make me
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.
In building this boat I was wiser than
in building my larger one, and I built it
small enough to get to the sea. I was near
two years in building it, but I never
erudged 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 was not at all
answerable to the design which I had in
view when I made the first; I mean of
venturing over to the mainland, so that
design was given over for the present. As
{ had a boat, my next design was to make
a tour round the island.
For this purpose, I fitted up a little mast
iu my boat, and made a sail to it out of
some of the little pieces of the ship’s sails
which lay in store. I tried the boat, and
found she would sail very well.
made little lockers or boxes at each end to
put provisions, ammunition, ete, to be
Then JI |
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
kept dry, either from rain or the spray of
the sea. I made also, a little, long, hollow
place where I could lay my gun, making a
flap to hang dewn over it to keep it dry.
I fixed my umbrella at the stern, to stand
over my head lke an awning. All now
being ready, I loaded my ship for the voy-
-age, putting in two dozen loaves of barley
bread, an earthen pot full of parched
rice, a little bottle of rum, and half a goat,
powder and shot for my gun, and two
large coats, one to lie upon and one to
cover me in the night, and thus I set sail.
When I came to the east side of the
island, I found a great ledge of rocks lie
out about two leagues into the sea, and be-
yond that a shoal of sand lying half a
league more. I was afraid to go so far out
to sea, for fear [ could not get back again,
so I anchored my boat, and, taking my
gun, went on shore and climbed a big hill,
to get a view of the other side of the
ledge.
From the hill I perceived a strong and
intricate current, which would be very
likely to prevent me from being 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 of the
island, only that it set off at a farther dis.
tance, 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 current,
made a great breach of the sea upon the
point; so that it was not safe for me te
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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 overnight, the sea was calm,
and I ventured. But I ama warning-piece
to all rash and ignorant pilots; for no
sooner was I come to 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
amill. 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 farther out from the eddy, which was
on my left hand. There no wind
stirring to help me, and all that 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’ distanee
they must join again, and then I was irve-
Was
68 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
; way, too; for I had no compass on board,
and should never have known how to have
steered towards 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
coverably gone; so that | possible, to get out of the current.
I had no prospect be-} I made such good headway that I soon
fore me but of perishing, not by the sea, | found an eddy which carried me about a
for that was calin enough, but of starving league on my way back. The wind con-
from hunger. I had, indeed, found a tor- | tinuing fair, I continued to near the island
toise on tle shore, as big almostas I could | and soon got to land. When I was on
lift, and had tossed it into the boat; and I} shore, I fell on my knees and gave God
had a great jar of fresh water, that is to | thanks for my deliverance. After which, I
say, one of my earthen pots; but what | drew my boat into a little cove under some
was all this to being driven into the vast | trees, and laid me down to sleep, being
ocean, where, to be sure, there was no | quite spent with the fatigue of the voyage,
shore, no mainland or island, for a thous- | which I resolved not to repeat.
and miles at least ? I was now at a great loss which way to
And now I saw how easy it was for the | get home with my boat. I had runso much
providence of God to make the most mis- | hazard, and knew too much of tlhe case, to
erable condition that mankind could be in j think of attempting it by the way I went
worse. Now I looked back upon my deso- | out; and what might be at the other side 1
late, solitary island as the most pleasant | knew not, nor had I any mind to run any
|
|
place in the world, and ai the happiness | more ventures. So I resolved, on the next
my heart could wish for was to be there | morning, to make my way westward along
again. I stretched out my hands to it, | the shore, and to see if there was no creek
with eager wishes. “O happy desert!’ | where I might lay up my frigate in safety,
said I, “I shall never see thee more. O | so as to have her again, if I wanted her.
miserable creature! whither am I going? | In about three miles, coasting the shore, 1
I still worked hard to get my boat out | came to a very good inlet or bay, about a
vf the current. About noon, a breeze | mile over, which narrowed till it came toa
sprang up from the S. 8. E, which cheered | very little rivulet or brook, where I found
my heart a little, and especially when, in} a very convenient harbor for my boat.
about half an hour more, it blew a pretty | Here I put in, and, having stored my boat
small, gentle gale. By this time, I had; very safe, I went on shore to look about
got at a frightful distance from the island; | me, and see where I was.
and had the least cloudy or hazy weather! I soon found I had but a little passed by
:ntervened, I had been undone another , the place where I had been before, when ¥
ROBINSYN CRUSOE. 69
travelled on foot to that shore; so, taking
nothing cut of my boat but my gun and
umbrella, for it was exceedingly hot, I
began my march. The way was comfort-
able 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.
I got over the fence, and laid me down
to rest my limbs, for I was
~ery weary, and fell asleep.
But judge you, if you can,
what a surprise I must have
been in when I was awaked
out of my sleep by a voice,
calling me by my name sev-
eral times: “Robin, Robin,
Robin Crusoe! poor Robin
Crusoe! Where are you,
Robin Crusoe? Where are
you? . Where have you
been ?â€
I was so dead asleep at
first, being fatigued with
rowing the first part of the
day and walking the latter
part, that I did not awake
thoroughly; and dozing be-
tween sleeping and waking,
thought I dreamed that
somebody spoke to me; but
as the voice continued to
repeat, “Robm Crusoe!
Robin Crusoe!†at last I
began to awake more per-
fectly, and was at first
dreadfully frightened, and
started up in the utmost
ne hes ARTE ete
<1) flaggers
saw my poll sitting on the top of the
hedge, and immediately knew that it was
he that spoke to me; for just im such
bemoaning language I had used to talk
to him and teach him.
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, Tolding out my hand,
sides eee,
SSS
SSN
consternation. No sooner
were my eyes open, but f
70 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
and calling him by his name, “ Poll,†the
sociable creature cams to me, and sat upon
my thumb, as he usec to do, and continued
talking to me, “Poor Robin Crusoe! and
how did I come here! and where lad 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 enougs of rambling to sea for
some time, anc. enough to do for many days
to sit still and xeflect 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
practicable to get it about. As to the east
side of the island, which I kad gone round,
I knew well enough there was no ventur-
ing 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 knew there was a current there
quite as dangerous.
« began to think now what I should do
for goat’s flesh when my powder should be
all gone. Yo meke provision for this, I set
traps, and caught some young kids, which
T tamed, keeping them in a large enclosure,
securely fenced about. It would have
made a stoic smile 49 see me and my littie | middle of my legs.
There was my ! had none, but had made me a pair of some-
family sit down to Ginner.
island. I bad the lives of all my subjects
at absolute command; J could hang, draw,
give ife and 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 favourite, was the only per
son permitted to talk to me; my dog, who
was now grown very old and crazy, sat
always at my right hand; and two cats,
one on one side the table, and one on the
other, expecting now and then a bit from
my hand, as a mark of special favor.
I wanted the use of my boat very much,
but I was very loth to run any more risk
at sea. One day I resolved to go by land
to the little hiil on the other side where J
had observed how the shore lay and the
current set, and so I started, following the
edge of the shore. Had any of the people
of England met me at that time, I should
either have frightened them or raised a
great deal of laughter.
I had a great, high shapeless cap, made
of 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
skirts 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
Stockings and shoes [
majesty, the prince and lord of the whole | things, I scarce know what to call them,
¢2
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 «!othes,
T 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 a hatchet, one on one side,
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 skot. At my back I carried my
basket, on my shoulder my gun, and over
ROBINSON CRUSOE,
my head a great, clumsy, ugly goat-skin
umbrella, but which, after all, was the
most necessary thing I had about me next
to iny gun.
When I reached the hill, { found the sea
quite still, which convinced me that the
current was formed by the ebb and flow
of the tide. Still I resolved to leave the
boat for use on that side of the island, and
to make me another boat to use on my
home side.
It happened one day, about noon, going
towards my boat, [ was exceedingly sur-
prised with the print of a man’s naked foot
on the shore, which was very plain to be
seen on the sand. J stood like one thun.
derstruck, or as if I bad seen an appar:
ition.
I listened, I Jooked around me, but
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 73
I eouid hear nothing, nor see anything; I |
went ap to a rising ground, to look far-
ther; 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 again to see if there were any more, and
but there was no room for that, for there
was exactly the print of a foot—toes, heel,
and every part of a foot. How it came
thither I knew not, nor could in the least
imagine. But after innumerable fluttering
thoughts, like s man perfectly confused
and out of myself, I came home to my for-
tification, not feeling,
as we say, the ground
I went on, but tevti-
fied to the last ce.
gree, looking behind
me at every two or
three steps, mistaking:
vvery bush and tree,
and fancying every
stamp at a distance
to be aman. Norisit
possible to describe -
how many various
shapes my affrighted
Imagination represent-
ed things to me in;
how many wild ideas
were formed every
moment in my fancy,
and what strange un-
accountable whimseys
came into my thoughts
|
ety
by the way. Rest 2 —_
When I came to INCY be Wry if
my castle (for so I RK Sy hs c=
(
Sh ees
after this), I fled into it like one pur.
sued. Whether I went over by the
ladder, as first contrived, or went in at
(the hole in the rock, which I called a
door, [cannot remember; for never frighted.
hare fled to cover, or fox to earth, with
nf ° . |
to observe if it might not be my fancy;
more terror of mind than I did to this
retreat.
I had no sleep that might, but lay
trembling with fright and thinking who or
what it could be that had visited the
island. I fancied all sorts of things, but
finally concluded that some of the savages
of the main land had been there, and this
ATTN Waly [Tp F,
Bay Wy
ne
LAV ANI
7 iF a Aid
=U
3
ya oN
AN YV0Z : SS SS
SS —
SSID SES aN Le
Sy SS
aE RQ
SSS =~
See ——s
iS
Sy
think I called it ever
74 ROBINSON CRUSOK.
did not in the least allay my fear, for after-
wards [ was in constant dread that I
should meet them. When milking my
goats or gathering my fruit, if I heard the
least noise, I was ready to drop every-
thing and flee to my house.
Now I began sorely to repent that I had
dug my cave so large as to bring a door
through again beyond where my fortifica-
tion joined to the rock. Therefore I re-
solved to draw me a second fortification, in
the same manner of a semicirele, at a dis-
tance from my wall, just where I had
planted a double row of trees about twelve
years before. These trees having been planted
so thick before, there wanted but few piles
to be driven between them, 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,
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 contrived to plant the muskets like
cannon, so 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.
Then I planted the ground without as
full of trees as could well stand and grow,
so that, in two years’ time, I had a grove so
thick that no one would ever imagine there
was any human habitation beyond it.
While I was doing this I thought much of
the safety of my goats; so I made a strong
ROBINSUN CRUSO.
enclosure in a retired part of the island,
and removed to it ten she-goats and two
he-goats and left them there.
One day as I wandered more to the west
part of the island, being ona hill, I thought
I saw a boat far out at sea, but I was not
sure. On coming down from the hill, I
was confounded and amazed to see the
shore spread with skulls and other bones of
human bodies. There was a place where
a lire had been made, and a circle dug in
the earth, where I supposed the savage
wretches had sat down to their inhuman
feast. When I recovered from my horror
at such a sight, I began to thank God that
I was cast ashore upon a part of the island
that was not visited by the cannibals.
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, anything here; and having
often, no doubt, been up in 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 manner of occasion to do; it being
my only business to keep myself entirely
concealed where I was, unless I found a
better sort of creatures than cannibals to
Yet { entertained
make myself known to.
such an abhorrence of the savage wretches
that I have been speaking of, and of the
i]
wretched inhuman custom of their devour-
ing and eating one another up, that I con-
tinued 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 f look after this for any other use
than as an enclosure for my goats; for the
aversion which nature gave me to these
wretches was such, that I did not so much
as go to look after my boat in all this time,
but began rather to think of making me
KOBINSON CRUSOE.
destroying of these
creatures, or at least
frightening them so as
to prevent their coming
hither any more. But
all was abortive; noth.
ing 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
perhaps there might
be twenty or thirty of
them, tcegetner with
thei darts, or their
bows and arrows, with
which they probably
could shoot as true to
a mark as I could with
my gun ?
Sometimes I thought
of digging a_ hole
under the place where
‘ of ever
making any more attempts to bring the
other boat round the island to me, lest I
should meet with scme of those creatures
at sea; in which case, if I had happened to
have fallen into their hands, I knew what
would have been my fot.
Night and day, I could think of nothing
now but how L miecht destroy some ot
these monsters, and, if possible, save the
victim they should bring hither to destroy.
It would take up a larger volume than this
whole work is intended te be, to set down
all the contrivances I hatched, or rather
brooded upon, in my theughts, for the
another: for I could not think
they made their fire,
and putting in five or six pounds of gun-
powder, which, when they kindled their
fire, would consequently 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 being now
within the quantity of one barrel, so neither
could I be sure of its going off at any cer-
tain 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.
I continually made my tour every morn-
ing to the tcp of the hill, which was from
i
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Hat
my castle, as I called it,
about three miles or
more, to see if I could
observe any boats upon the sea, ccming near
the island, or scanding 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.
I began to think, too, that it was not
for me to judge these wretches, and for a
year, 1 gave up watching for them. This
I did, however: I removed my boat and
hid it securely on the east end of the
island, and I kept myself more retired
than ever.
I believe the reader of this will not
think it strange if I confess these anxie-
ties, these constant fears I lived in, and
the concern that was now upon me, put
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
an end to all invention, and to all the
contrivances that I had laid for my future
accommodations and conveniences. JI had
the care of my safety more now upon
hands than that of my food. I cared not
to drive a nail, or chop a stick of wood
now, for fear the noise 1 should make
should be heard; much tess would I fire
a gun for the same reason; and, above all,
I was intolerably uneasy at making any
fire, lest the smoke, which is visible at
a great distance in the day, should betray
me. Tor this reason, I removed that part |
of my business which required fire, such
as burning of pots and pipes, etc. inte
my new apartment in the woods; where,
after I had been some time, I found, to
my unspeakable consolation, a mere nat-
ural cave in the earth, which went in a
vast way, and where, I dare say, no sav-
age, had he been at uhe mouth of it, would
be so hardy as to venture in; nor, indeed,
would any man else, but one wha, like me,
wanted nothing so much as a saie retreat
On entering with a lighted torch, I stum
bled over an old he-goat that had crept ir
there to die, and whe did die the next day
The entrance to this cave was a smali
hole at the base of a jarge rock, but withi
it was large and roomy and quite dry. ]
was greatly rejoiced at the discovery, and
I brought here my magazine of powder,
several muskets and other things.
XA
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\
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\
ROBINSON CRUSOE. ym
: It was now the month of December in
my twenty-third year; and. this, being the
southern solstice (for winter I cannot call
tt), was the particular time of my harvest,
and required me to be pretty much abroad
in the fields, when, going out early in the
morning, I was surprised with seeing a
aught of some fire upon the shore, at a dis-
ec ae eS Se dine
tance from me of about two miles towards
the end of the island where L had observed
some savages had been, as before, and not
on the other side, but, 10 my great affite.
tion, it was on my side
I was, indeed, terribly surprised at the
sight, and stopped short within my grove,
not daring to go out, lest I might be sur-
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prisen; and yet I had no more peace
within, from the apprehensions I had
that if these savages, in rambling over
the isiand, should find my corn standing
or cut, or any of my works. they would
immediately conclude that there were peo-
ple in the place, and would then never rest
till they had found me out. In this ex-
tremity I went back directly to my castle,
and pulled up the ladder after me, having
made all things without look as wild and
natural as T could.
Then fF prepared myself within, putting
inyself in a posture of defence; I loaded
ul my cannon, as I called them—that is to
ROBINSON CRUSOLK.
ees,
say, my muskets, wuich were mounted
upon my new fortifications, 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,
And in this posture I continued about
two hours, and began to be impatient for
intelligence abroad, for I had no spies to
send out. I was not able to bear sitting
in ignorance any longer; so setting up my
ladder to the side of the hill, and then
pulling the ladder after me, I set it up
again, and mounted to the top of the hill,
and pulling out my perspective-glass, I laid
me down flat on the ground, and began to
look for the place. I presently found
there were no less than nine naked sav
ages 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 know.
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 the return of the flood to go
away again. As I expected, so it proved;
for, as soon as the tide made to the west-
ward, J saw them all take boat and row
(or paddle, as we call it) away. I shculd
have observed, that for an hour or more
_before they went off they were dancing
and I could easily discern theiz postures
and gestures by my
As soon as i saw them gone, I took my
and pistols and went away to the
glass.
; guns
KOBINSON CRUSOE. 8!
hill on the other side. I saw there had
been three canoes of savages there, and
they were out at sea, making over for the
main. Going down to the shore I saw
with horror, the marks of their dreadful
feast, in the blood and bones of human
hodies.
T was so filled with indignation at this
sight, that I began to ponder how I could
destroy them when they should come
again. I went often to the hill to look for
them, and if they had come, I should cer-
tainly have attacked them. But more than
a year elapsed and I saw no signs of them,
and I lived on very comfortably. In the
meantime, an event happened which
intensely excited me.
There had been a storm of wind all day,
with a great deal of lightning and thunder,
and a very foul night it was after it. As
I was reading in the Bible, and taken up
with very serious thoughts about my pres-
ent condition, I was surprised with the
noise of a gun, as I thought, fired at sea.
This was, to be sure, a surprise of a differ-
ent nature from any I had met before ; for
the notions this put into my thoughts were
of another kind. I started up in the
greatest haste, and, in a trice, clapped my
ladder to the middle place of the rock, and
pulied it after me; and, mounting it the
second time, got to the top of the hill the
very moment that a flash of fire bid me
listen for a second gun, which, accordingly,
in about half a minute, T heard; ard by
the sound, knew that it was from that part
of the sea where I was dr‘ven out with the
current, in my boat. I immediately con-
sidered that this must be some ship in dis-
tress. I had the presence of mind, at that
minute, to think, that though 1 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 my fire blazed up,
I heard another and then several
more.
gun
In the morning I saw to my great sor-
row the wreck of a ship upon the concealed
rocks, far out from shore. I cannot ex-
82 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
plain, by any possible energy of words,
what a strange longing I felt in my soul
upon this sight, breaking out sometimes
thus :—“ Oh, 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,
And now the thought so pressed upon
me night and day that I must go off to this
wreck, that, at last, I loaded my boat with
everything necessary and ventured to sea,
after making a careful study of the dan-
gerous currents,
When I came close to the ship, a dog
appeared upor her, who, seeing me coming,
yelped and cried; and, as soon as I ealled
him, jumped into the sea to come to me. I
so strong a desire after the society of my
fellow-creatures, or so deep a regret at the
want of it.
But there was no sign of any living
thine on the wreck, and I had only the
affliction, some days after, to see the corpse
«fs drowned boy come on shore. 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.
took him into the boat, but found him
almost dead with hunger and thirst. I gave
him a cake of my bread, and he devoured
it like a ravenous wolf that had been starv-
ing a fortnight in the snow; I then gave
the poor creature some fresh water, witb
which, if I would have let him, he would
have burst himself. After this l went on
board ; but the first sight I met with was
with two men drowned in the forecastle.
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 83
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besides the dog, there was nothing left in I found, besides these chests, a little cask
the ship that had life; nor any goods, that | full of liquor, of about twenty gallons,
T could see, but what wers spoiled by the | which I got into my boat with much diffi.
water. I saw several chests, which I, culty. There were several muskets in the
believe belonged to some of the seamen; | cabin, and a great powder-horn, with about
and I got two of them into the boat, with- | four pounds of powder in it. As for tie
out exambiing what was in them, muskets, I had no occasion for them, so
84: ROBINSON CRUSOE.
~
left them, and took the powder-horn. I | to me; and about a dozen and a half of
took a fire shovel and tongs, which I} white linen handkerchiefs. Besides this,
wanted extremely ; as also two little brass
kettles, a copper pot to make chocolate,
and a
oO
oO
ridiron; and with this cargo, and
when I came to the till in the chest, I
found there three great bags of pieces of
eight; and in one of them, six doubloons
the dog, I came away, and the same even-
ing I reached the island again, weary and
fatigued to the last degree. I reposed that
night in the boat, and in the morning I got
all my cargo on shore. The cask of liquor
J found to be a kind of rum, 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, filled with cordial waters, I found
two pots ot very good succades, or sweat-
meats, so fastened on the top that the salt
water had not hurt them. I found some
of gold, and some smail bars of gold; I
suppose they mightall weigh near a pound.
Upon the whole, I got very little by this
voyage that was of any use to me; for aa
to the money, I had no manner of occasion
for it; for it was to me as the dirt under
my feet, and I would have given it all for
three or four pair of English shoes and
stockings, which were things I greatly
wanted. I had,. indeed, got two pairs of
shoes now, which I took off the feet of the
two drowned men whom If saw 1a the
wreck, and I found two pairs more in one
very good shirts, which were very welcome | of the chests, which were very welcome to
ROBINSON
CRUSOE.
|
ar
me. ![ found in
this seaman’s chest
about fifty pieces
of eight, in rials,
but no gold. Well,
however, I lugged
this money home
to my cave, and
laid it up, as I had
done that before
which I had got
in our own. ship.
But it was a great
pity that the other
part of this ship had not come to my
share; for I am satisfied I might have
loaded my canoe several times over
with money; which, if I had ever escaped
to England, would have lain here safe
=S
= Be ———
CPE DIFAPSESS
enough till I might have come again and
fetched it.
After this event, I lived easy enough for
near two years, but I thought constantly
of how I should get away from the island.
One night I dreamed that one of the vic-
tims of the cannibals ran away from them
and came to me. “Now,†thouzht I, in
my dream, “I may venture to the main
land, for this savage will be my pilot.â€
After this dream, I watched every day for
the cannibals, determined to capture one of
their victims.
T had watched thus for about a year aad
a half, when I saw one morning no less
than five canoes on shore, and there were
about thirty of the savages dancing around
a fire. While I looked, I saw two miser
able wretches dragged from the boats.
One was knocked down immediately and
cut up for their cookery, while the other
was left standing by himself till they
would be ready for him.
This poor wretch, seeing limself a little
at liberty, and unbound, started away from
them, and ran with incredible switftuess
86 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
along the sands, directly towards me. I
was dreadfully frightened, when I perceived
him run my way; and especially when, as
I thought, I saw him pursued by the whole
body. Tlowever, my spirits began to re-
cover when J found that there was not
above three men that followed him; and
still more was { encouraged, when I found
that te outstripped them exceedingly in
running.
There was between them and my castle,
the creek; but he made nothing of it, but,
plunging in, swam throvgh in about thirty
strokes, landed, and ran with exceeding
streneth and swiftness. When the three
persons came to the creek, I found that two
of them could swim, but the third went no
farther, and soon after went softly back
again. It came very warmly upon my
thoughts that now was the time to get me
a servant, and perhaps a companion. I
immediately ran down the ladder, fetched
my two guns, and getting up again with
the same haste to the top of the hill, 1
crossed towards the sea; and having a
very short cut, and all down hill, elap’d
myself in the way between the pursuers
and the pursued, hallooing aloud te
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,
rushing at once upon the fcremost, I
knocked him down with the stock of my
piece. I was loth to fire, because I would
not have the rest hear, Having knocked
this fellow down, the other stopped, as if
he had been frightened, and I advanced
towards him. But as I came nearer, I per-
ceived 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, was so
frightened with the fire and noise of my
piece that he stood stock still. I hallooed
again to him, and made signs to come for
ward, which he easily understood, and
<3
&
gS
S
:
88
came a little way, and stood, trembling. I
smiled at him pleasantly, and beckored,
and at length he came close to me, laid his
head wpon the ground, and put my foot
upon it. This, it seems, meant that he
would be my slave forever
But there was more work to do. The
savage that I had knocked down began to
come to himself, and sat up on the ground.
My savage motioned for me to give him my
sword, and when I gave it to him he ran
quickly and cut off his head at a single
stroke. "When he had done this, he comes
laughing to me in sign of triumph, and
brought me the sword again. But that
which astonished him most, was to know
how I killed the other Indian so far off.
When he came to him, he stood like one
amazed, looking at him, turning him first
on one side, then on the other. He took
up his bow and arrows and came back; so
T turned to go away, and beckoned him to
follow me.
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 fol-
lowed; and so I made signs to him again
ROBINSON CRUSOH,
to do so. He fell to work; and in an in
stant he lad 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 dy the cher also.
Then calling him away, I carried him, not
to my castle, but quite away to my cave,
on the farther part of the island. Here 1
gave lim bread and a bunch of raisins to
eat, and a draught of water, which I found:
he was indeed in great distress for, and
having refreshed him, I made signs for
him to go and lie dowr to sleep, so the
poor creature lay down, aad went to sleep.
He was a comely, handsome fellow, with
straight, strong limbs, tall and well shaped;
and, as I reckon, about twenty-six years of
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
89
age. He had a very good countenance, not
a fierce and surly aspect, but seemed to
have something very manly in his face.
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 his
skin was not quite black, but very tawny.
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 slept about half an hour, he awoke and
came out of the cave tome: for I had been
milking my goats. When he espied me he
came running to me, laying himself down
again upon the ground, with all the pos-
sible signs of an humble, thankful disposi-
tion, making a great many antic gestures
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.
I let him know that I understood him
and was very well pleased. 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 Fripay, which
was the day I saved his life. X 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 hkewise
taught him to say Yes and No, and to
know the meaning of them. I gave him
some milk in an earthen vot, 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 bee
koned to him to come with me, and let
him know I would give him some clothes;
at which he seemed very glad, for he was
stark naked.
As we went by the place
where he had buried the two men, hs
pointed exactly to the place, and showed
me the marks that he had made to find
them again, making signs to me that we
should dig them up again and eat them.
At this I appeared very angry, made as if
I would vomit at the thoughts of it, and
beckoned with my hand to him to come
away, Which he did immediately, with
great submission. I then led him up te
90
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
the top of the hill, to see if his enemies
were gone, and pulling out my glass, I saw
plainly the place where they’had been, but
no appearance of them cr their canoe.
We visited the place, and carefully
buried the remains of their horrible feast.
Friday let me know that there had been
a great battle, and that four prisoners, of
which he was one, were brought here to
inside. As to the weapons, I took thena
all into my habitation every night. But I
needed none of all this precaution; for
never 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
child to a father ; and I dare say he would
When we came back to our
castle, I fell to work to dress my man,
be eaten.
Friday. I gave him a pair of linen
drawers, and made him a jerkin of goat’s
skin, and a very good eap of hare’s skin,
and he was mightily pleased to see himself
clothed like his master.
IT then made him a little tent between
my two fortifications, and I fixed all my
doors so that I could fasten them on the |
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 no precavitions for my safety on his
account,
I was greatly delighted with him, and
made it my business to teach him eyery-
thing that was proper to make him useful,
handy, and helpful; ‘but especially te
92 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
make him speak, and understand me when
I spoke. And he was the aptest scholar
that ever was; and particularly was so
merry, so constantly diligent, and so pleased
when he could but understand me, or make
me understand him, that it was very pleas-
ant to me to talk to him,
After I. had beer two or three days
returned to my eastie, { thought that, in
order to pring Friday off from his horrid
way of feeding, and from the relisn of a
eannibal’s stomach, t cught 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 holu of Fuday 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 his
enemy, but did not know nor could
imagine 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 kified it, but ripped
up his waistcoat, to feel whether he was
not wounded ; and,as I found presently,
thought I was resolved to kill him; for he
came and kneeled down to me, and embrac-
ing my knees, said a great many things I
did not understand; 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-Ly I saw;
a great fowl sitting upon a tree within,
shot; so, to let Friday understand a little
what I would do, I calleé him te me again,
pointed at the fowl, which was indeed a
parrot, and to my gun, and to the ground
under the parrot, to ies iim see I would
make it fall. I fired, and bade him look,
and immediately he saw the parrot fall.
He stood like one frightened again, not:
withstanding all I had said te him; and J
a een
ROBINSON CRUSOE. 93
<—_
believe, if I would have iet him, he would
have worshipped me and the gun. As for
the gun itself, he would not so much as
touch it for several days.
When Friday tasted the stewed kid he
let me know that he liked it very much.
The next day I roasted a piece, and when
Friday came to eat it he expressed great
satisfaction, and made me understand that
he would never eat human flesh any more.
i taught him to beat and sift the corn and
LG Al) | Wass
ey 7 WS
to make bread, and in a short time he was
able to do all my work as well as I could
do it myself, and we lived: very happily.
I had a mind once to try if he had any
hankering inclination to 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
he belonged to never conquered in battle,
At which he smiled, and said, “ Yes, yes
we always fight the better.â€
94
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
Master—How came
4
you to be taken pris-
oner, then ?
J rly 5.
viday—They more many than my na-
tion, in the place 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 re-
sover you from your enemies ?
Yriday—They run, one, two three, and
me, and make me go in the canoe; my
nation have no canoe that time.
Master—Well, Friday, what does your
nation do with the men they take? Do
they carry them away and eat them ?
Friday—yY es, :1y nation eat mans too.
Master—Where do they carry them ?
Friday—Go to other place, where they
think.
Master—Do they come hither?
Firiday—Yes, yes, they come hither;
come other else place.
Master —Tave you been here with
them ?
Eriday—Yes, 1 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 said
man-eating occasions that 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 eat 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 asked Friday a thousand questions
about his country, and he told me all he
knew. THe said his sort of people were
called Caribs; but further west there were
white-bearded men like me, and that they
had killed “much mans;†by all of which,
I knew he meant the Spaniards whose
cruelties in America had spread over the
whole country, and were remembered from
father to son. As the time passed away,
I talked much to Friday about God and
the Saviour, and I-verily believe that he
became a better Christian than I was,
i When he could understand me well I told
him of the countries of Europe, and how
I came to be on the island. When I
showed him the ship’s boat which was
now falling to pieces on the shore, he told
me that such a boat had come ashore in
his country with seventeen white men in it,
and that these white men were then living
with his people.
It was after this some time, that being
upon the top of the hill, at the east side of
the island, Friday, the weather being very
serene, looked very earnestly towards the
main land, then fell to dancing and cried,
“Oh, joy! oh, glad! there see my country.â€
ROBINSON CRUSOE. vd
That set me to thiaking whether I could
not make the voyage with Friday, or send
Friday alone to see if the white men were
still there.
When I proposed to Friday that he
should go over alone to see hi8 people, he
felt very badly, and said he would like to
go, but would not leave me; so I resolved
to make a large canoe and make the ven-
ture. We felled a large tree near the
water, and, with a month’s hard labor, we
shaped a very handsome boat, and in an-
other fortnight we got her into the water.
Though she was large enough to carry
26 ROBINSON CRUSOE,
twenty men, I was surprised to see with | great fright, crying out to me, “O, master!
wiat dexterity and how swift my man | O, master! O, bad!†“ What’s the matter,
Friday could manage her, turn her, and| Friday?†said I. “Oh! yonder, there,â€
paddle her along. So I asked him if we|says he; “one, two, three canoes, one,
would, and if we might venture over in | two, three!†“ Weil, Friday,†says I, “do
her. “Yes,†he said; “wwe venture over in | not be frightened.†So I heartened him
her very well, though great blow wind.†} up as well as I could. However, I saw
Ilowever, I had a farther design that he | the poor fellow was most terribly scared,
knew nothing of, and that was to make a | for nothing ran in his head but that they
mast and a sail, and to fit her with an] were come back to look for him, and would
anchor and cable. 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 J could, and told him I was
in as much danger as he, and that they
would eat me as well as him. “But,†said
I, “Friday, we must resolve to fight them.
Can you fight, Friday?†“Me shoot,â€
says he; “but there come many great num-
ber.†“ No matter for that,†said I, again ;
“our guns will fright them that we do not
kill.†So I asked him whether, if I re
solved to defend him, he would defend
me, and stand by me, and do just as I bid
him. He said, “Me die when you bid die.
master.â€
I loaded the two fowling-pieces with
swan shot as large as small pistol-bullets.
Then I took four muskets, and loaded
However, with a little use I made all these | them with two slugs, and five small bullets
things familiar to him, and he became an j each; and my two pistols I loaded witn a
expert sailor, except that as to the com-]| brace of bullets each. I hung my great
pass I could make him understand very | sword by my side, and gave Friday his
little of that. hatchet. When I had thus prepared my-
By the time I had the boat finished the | self, I took my perspective-glass, and went
rainy season was upon us, and we had to! up to the side of the hill; and I found
keep within doors. When we began to go | quickly by my glass that there were one-
wit again, I sent Friday down to the shore | and-twenty savages, three prisoners, and
one day to find a turtle. In a short time | three canoes; and that their whole busi-
he came flying over my outer wall in a | ness seemed to be the triumphant banquet
After all this was done, f had my man
Friday to teach as to what belonged to the
navigation of wy boat; for, though he
knew very wel: how to paddle the canoe,
ho 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.
