ARTES
18371
SCIENTIA
VERITAS
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
PLURIBUS UNUM”
TUEBOR
·SI QUÆRIS PENINSULAM AMŒNAM.
CIRCUMSPICE
GIFT OF
REGENT LLHUBBARD
}
Willian Epworth Corp and
from his pecho at
Mil 24th 1845
Hubbard
Imag. Voy.
PR
3403
•AI
1844
1



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Parys
FERNAND
JUEZ
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THE
Life and Adventures
OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE
BY
Danie & DeFoe
WITH A MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR, AND AN ESSAY
ON HIS WRITINGS.
ILLUSTRATED BY GRANDVILLE.
LONDON:
HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
MDCCCXLIV.
LONDON:
VIZETELLY BROTHERS AND CO., PRINTERS,
135 fleet STREET.

DANIEL FOE, or, as he subsequently styled himself (though at what
time and on what occasion is not known), De Foe, was born in the parish
of St. Giles's, Cripplegate, London, in the year 1661. The earliest of his
ancestors of whom there is any account, was Daniel Foe, a yeoman, who
farmed his own estate at Elton, in Northamptonshire. He maintained
a pack of hounds; from whence it may be reasonably inferred that his
means were above competency. A custom of the times in bestowing party
names on brutes is thus mentioned by our author. "I remember," he
says, "my grandfather had a huntsman that used the same familiarity
with his dogs; and he had his Roundhead, and his Cavalier, and his
Goring, and his Waller, and all the generals of both armies were hounds
in his pack; till the times turning, the old gentleman was fain to scatter
the pack, and make them up of more dog-like surnames." It is from his
grandfather that De Foe is supposed to have inherited landed property;
for in his "Review," a work we shall often have occasion to consult,
he says,
"I have both a native and an acquired right of election.' Our
author's father, James Foe, followed the trade of butcher in St. Giles's,
Cripplegate and these few barren facts are all that is to be gathered of
the ancestors of Daniel De Foe. "He had," says Mr. Wilson, in his
excellent work, "The Life and Times of Daniel De Foe," a work abound-
ing with the most curious and minute information on the period of which
it treats; "He had some collateral relatives, to whom he alludes occa-
sionally in his writings, but with too much brevity to ascertain the degree
of kindred."
At an early age, De Foe is said to have shewn that vivacity of humour,
and that indomitable spirit of independence, that remained with him
through after-life, "making a sunshine in the shady place" of a prison,
and arming him as the champion of truth and humanity in the most
perilous times. An anecdote related by our author is illustrative of the
discipline that governed the home of his boyhood. During that part of
the reign of Charles II. when the nation feared the ascendancy of Popery,
and it was expected that printed Bibles would become rare, many honest.
people employed themselves in copying the Bible into short-hand. To
this task, young De Foe applied himself; and he tells us that "he worked
vi
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
like a horse till he had written out the whole of the Pentateuch, when he
grew so tired that he was willing to risk the rest.” The parents of
De Foe were Non-conformists, and his education was consonant to the
practice of that faith. Family religion formed an essential part of its
discipline; and it was made matter of conscience to instruct the children
of a family and its dependents in their social, moral, and religious duties.
Although the enemies of De Foe vainly endeavoured to sink his re-
putation by representing him as having been bred a tradesman, there is
ample evidence to prove that he was originally intended for one of the
learned professions.* When he had, therefore, sufficiently qualified under
inferior tutors, he was, at about fourteen years of age, placed in an
academy at Newington Green, under the direction of "that polite and
profound scholar," the Reverend Charles Morton, who was subsequently
defended by his pupil, some aspersions having been cast upon the character
of the master by an ungrateful scholar who had deserted to the church.
De Foe writes, “I must do that learned gentleman's memory the justice
to affirm, that neither in his system of politics, government, and discipline,
nor in any other of the exercises of that school, was there anything taught
or encouraged that was antimonarchical or destructive to the constitution
of England."
"( an
Of De Foe's progress under Mr. Morton, it is impossible now to speak
with any certainty. He tells us in one of his "Reviews" that he had
been master of five languages, and that he had studied the mathematics,
natural philosophy, logic, geography, and history: he was one of the few
who, in those days, studied politics as a science. He went through a
complete course of theology, and his knowledge of ecclesiastical history
was also considerable. He was, however, attacked by party malice as
illiterate person without education." To this, he calmly makes answer:-
"Those gentlemen who reproach my learning to applaud their own, shall
have it proved that I have more learning than either of them-because I
have more manners." He adds, "I think I owe this justice to my excellent
father, still living (1705), and in whose behalf I fully testify, that if I am
a blockhead, it is nobody's fault but my own." He proceeds to challenge
his slanderer "to translate with me any Latin, French, and Italian author,
and after that to re-translate them crossways, for twenty pounds each book;
and by this he shall have an opportunity to shew the world how much
De Foe, the hosier, is inferior in learning to Mr. Tutchin, the gentleman."
At one-and-twenty, De Foe commenced the perilous trade-most pe-
rilous in his day-of author; at the which he laboured through good and
through evil report with lasting honour to himself, and enduring benefit to
*"It is not often," says De Foe, in his "Review," vi. 341, "that I trouble
you with any of my divinity; the pulpit is none of my office. It was my disaster
first to be set apart for, and then to be set apart from, the honour of that sacred
employ."
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
vii
mankind, for half a century. It is now ascertained that De Foe's first
publication was a lampooning answer to "L'Estrange's Guide to the
Inferior Clergy," and bore the following quaint title :-" Speculum Crape-
Gownorum; or, a Looking-Glass for the Young Academicks new Foyl'd:
with Reflections on some of the late High Flown Sermons: to which is
added, an Essay towards a Sermon of the Newest Fashion. By a Guide
to the Inferiour Clergie. Ridentem discere Verum Quis Vetat. London:
printed for E. Rydal. 1682." This title De Foe borrowed from the crape
gowns then usually worn by the inferior clergy; and in the book, he fights
the fight of the Dissenters against what he terms the libels of the esta-
blished clergy. "The fertility of the subject," says Mr. Wilson,
produced a second part of the "Speculum;" in which the author deals
more seriously with the government, and by a practical view of the effect
of persecution, exposed its absurdity.
soon
We have entered more at length into the nature and purpose of De
Foe's first book, than will be permitted to us by our limits to do with
each of the works that now followed, in rapid profusion, from the pen of
our author. All that we purpose to ourselves is, to give the strongest
outlines of his character,-the principal events of his career: and, avoiding
on one hand a jejune brevity, that confines itself to mere dates, attempt
not, on the other side, a minute description of events incompatible with
our present object.
a
When the Duke of Monmouth landed at Lyme, De Foe was among
those who joined the standard of the hapless nobleman. "A romantic kind
of invasion," says Welwood, "and scarcely paralleled in history." At the age
of four-and-twenty, we see De Foe, the author of "Robinson Crusoe,
soldier; as ready with his sword as prompt with his pen, in the cause of
rational liberty. Of Monmouth, De Foe seems to have had some previous
knowledge, having often seen him at Aylesbury races, where the duke rode
his own horses, a circumstance alluded to by our author in his "Tour."
De Foe had the good fortune to escape the vengeance visited upon so
many of the duke's supporters, and returned in safety to London; where,
leaving the stormy region of politics, he now directed his attention to trade.
The nature of his business has been variously represented. In several pub-
lications of the time, he is styled a "hosier;" but, if we may believe his
own account, he was a hose-factor, or, the middle man between the manu-
facturer and the retail dealer. This agency concern he carried on for some
years, in Freeman's Court, Cornhill; Mr. Chalmers says, from 1685 to
1695. On the 26th of January, 1687-8, having claimed his freedom by
birth, he was admitted a liveryman of London. In the Chamberlain's book,
his name was written "Daniel Foe."
When the Revolution took place, De Foe was a resident in Tooting, in
Surrey, where he was the first person who attempted to form the Dissenters
in the neighbourhood into a regular congregation. De Foe was for many
years a resident in this part of Surrey; it is likely that he had a country
b
viii
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
house there during the time that he carried on his hose-agency in Cornhill
De Foe was one of the most ardent worshippers of the Revolution: he
annually commemorated the 4th of November as a day of deliverance.
"A day," says he, "famous on various accounts, and every one of them
dear to Britons, who love their country, value the Protestant interest, or
have an aversion to tyranny and oppression. On this day, he (King
William) was born; on this day, he married the daughter of England; and
on this day, he rescued the nation from a bondage worse than that of
Egypt; a bondage of soul, as well as bodily servitude; a slavery to the
ambition and raging lust of a generation set on fire by pride, avarice,
cruelty, and blood." In order to do honour to the king, and add to the
splendour of the procession, on the royal visit to Guildhall, many of
the citizens volunteered to attend William as a guard of honour on the
occasion. Among these was Daniel De Foe.
The commercial speculations of our author, though at the first pros-
perous, were ultimately unsuccessful. That they were of a various cha-
racter, is evident from the fact of his having engaged with partners in the
Spanish and Portuguese trade. It is very clear, from a passage in his
"Review," that he had been a merchant-adventurer. In the number for
January 27, 1711, he alludes to an old Spanish proverb, "which," says he,
"I learnt when I was in that country." It further appears, that while
residing there, he made himself a master of the language. De Foe's losses
by shipwreck appear to have been very considerable. The occupations of
trade, however, according to De Foe's own confession, assort ill with
literary feelings. "A wit turned tradesman!" he exclaims; no apron-
strings will hold him: 'tis in vain to lock him in behind the counter, he's
gone in a moment.” He concludes: "A statute of bankrupt is his
Excunt Omnes, and he generally speaks the epilogue in the Fleet Prison or
Mint."
In allusion to the misfortunes of our author, Mr. Chalmers observes :-
"With the usual imprudence of genius, he was carried into companies who
were gratified by his wit. He spent those hours with a small society for the
cultivation of polite learning, which he ought to have employed in the
calculations of the counting-house; and, being obliged to abscond from his
creditors in 1692, he naturally attributed those misfortunes to the war,
which were probably owing to his own misconduct. An angry creditor
took out a commission of bankruptcy, which was soon superseded, on the
petition of those to whom he was most indebted, who accepted a composi-
tion on his single bond. This he punctually paid, by the efforts of un-
wearied diligence; but some of these creditors, who had been thus satis-
fied, falling afterwards into distress themselves, De Foe voluntarily paid
them their whole claim, being then in rising circumstances, in consequence
of King William's favour." De Foe, being subsequently reproached by
Lord Haversham for mercenary conduct, he tells him, in 1705, that, “with
a numerous family, and no help but his own industry, he had forced his
ix
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
way, with undiscouraged diligence, through a set of misfortunes, and
reduced his debts, exclusive of composition, from seventeen thousand to
less than five thousand pounds."
It deserves to be remembered that, in the time of De Foe, our laws
against bankrupts were as inhuman as they were foolish. "The cruelty of
our laws against debtors," says De Foe, "without distinction of honest or
dishonest, is the shame of our nation. I am persuaded, the honestest man
in England, when by necessity he is compelled to break, will early fly out
of the kingdom rather than submit. To stay here, this is the consequence:
as soon as he breaks, he is proscribed as a criminal, and has thirty to sixty
days to surrender both himself and all that he has to his creditors. If
he fails to do it, he has nothing before him but the gallows, without benefit
of clergy; if he surrenders, he is not sure but he shall be thrown into gaol
for life by the commissioners, only on pretence that they doubt his oath!
What must the man do?" We have reformed something of this in our day,
yet much remains undone, for the bankrupt is still left at the mercy of the
malevolent or ignorant creditor.
It is certain that De Foe, whilst under apprehension from his creditors,
resided some time at Bristol. "A friend of mine in that city," says Mr.
Wilson, "informs me that one of his ancestors remembered De Foe, and
sometimes saw him walking in the streets of Bristol, accoutred in the
fashion of the times, with a fine flowing wig, lace ruffles, and a sword by
his side: also, that he there obtained the name of 'the Sunday gentleman,'
because, through fear of the bailiffs, he did not dare to appear in public
upon any other day." De Foe was wont to visit "The Red Lion," kept
by one Mark Watkins, who, in after times, used to entertain his company
with an account of a singular personage, who made his appearance in
Bristol, clothed in goat-skins, in which dress he was in the habit of walking
the streets, and went by the name of Alexander Selkirk, or Robinson
Crusoe! It was during this retreat from London that De Foe wrote his
celebrated "Essay upon Projects," though he did not publish it until nearly
five years afterwards.
It appears that at this time De Foe was invited, by some merchants of
his acquaintance residing in Cadiz, to settle in Spain, with the offer of a
good commission: "but," says our author, "Providence, which had other
work for me to do, placed a secret aversion in my mind to quitting
England upon any account, and made me refuse the best offer of that kind,
to be concerned with some eminent persons at home, in proposing ways
and means to the government for raising money to supply the occasion of
the war, then newly begun." De Foe suggested a general assessment of
personal property, the amount to be settled by composition, under the
inspection of commissioners appointed by the king. It was, doubtless, owing
to these services, that De Foe was appointed to the office of accountant
to the commissioners of the glass duty, in 1695: the commission ceased
in 1699. It was probably about this time that De Foe became secretary to
X
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
the tile-kiln and brick-kiln works at Tilbury, in Essex. Pantiles had been
hitherto a Dutch manufacture, and were brought in large quantities to
England. To supersede the necessity of their importation, these works
were erected. The speculation proved unsuccessful, De Foe himself losing
by its failure no less than three thousand pounds. He continued the
works, it is believed, until the year 1703, when, being deprived of his
liberty for a libel, the undertaking came to an end.
((
Towards the close of the war, in 1696-7, De Foe gave to the world his
Essay upon Projects;" a work alike admirable for the novelty of the
subject, and the clearness and ingenuity with which it is treated. The
projects of our author may be classed under the heads of politics, commerce,
and benevolence; all having some reference to the public improvement.
The first relates to banks in general, and to the royal or national bank
in particular, which he wishes to be rendered subservient to the relief of the
merchant, and the interests of commerce, as well as to the purposes of the
state his next project relates to highways; a third, to the improvement
of the bankrupt laws; a fourth, to the plan of friendly societies, formed by
mutual assurance, for the relief of the members in seasons of distress;
a fifth, for the establishment of an asylum for "fools," or, more properly,
naturals," whom he describes as (6
a particular rent-charge on the great
family of mankind:" he next suggests the formation of academies, to supply
some neglected branches of education; one of these was for the improve-
ment of the English tongue, "to polish and refine it;" and this project
combined a reformation of that "foolish vice," swearing: the next project
of our author was an academy for military studies; and, under the head of
“Academies,” he suggested an institution for the education of females :-
"We reproach the sex every day," says he, "with folly and impertinence,
while, I am confident, had they the advantages of education equal to us,
they would be guilty of less than ourselves."
In January, 1700-1, appeared De Foe's celebrated poem of "The True-
born Englishman." It was composed in answer to "a vile, abhorred
pamphlet, in very ill verse, written by one Mr. Tuchin, and called 'The
Foreigners,' in which the author-who he then was, I knew not" says De
Foe-"fell personally upon the king and the Dutch nation." How
many thousands familiar with the following now proverbial lines, know not
that with them opens "The True-Born Englishman!”
"Wherever God erects a house of prayer,
The devil always builds a chapel there;
And 'twill be found upon examination,
The latter has the largest congregation!"
De Foe traces the rise of our ancient families to the Norman invader,
who cantoned out the country to his followers, and " every soldier was a
denizen." The folly of indulging this pride of ancestry is finely painted in
the following lines :-
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
xi
"These are the heroes who despise the Dutch,
And rail at new-come foreigners so much;
Forgetting that themselves are all derived
From the most scoundrel race that ever lived.
A horrid crowd of rambling thieves and drones,
Who ransacked kingdoms and dispeopled towns;
The Pict and painted Briton, treach'rous Scot,
By hunger, theft, and rapine hither brought;
Norwegian pirates, bucaneering Danes,
Whose red-haired offspring everywhere remains ;
Who, joined with Norman-French, compound the breed
From whence your True-Born Englishmen proceed.
And lest by length of time it be pretended
The climate may the modern race have mended,
Wise Providence, to keep us where we are,
Mixes us daily with exceeding care."
De Foe concludes with the following striking lines :—
"Could but our ancestors retrieve their fate,
And see their offspring thus degenerate :
How we contend for birth and names unknown;
And build on their past actions, not our own ;
They'd cancel records, and their tombs deface,
And then disown the vile, degenerate race;
For fame of families is all a cheat,
'TIS PERSONAL VIRTUE ONLY MAKES US GREAT.”
"When I see the town full of lampoons and invectives against Dutch-
men," says De Foe, in his "Explanatory Preface," "only because they are
foreigners, and the king reproached and insulted by insolent pedants and
ballad-making poets, for employing foreigners, and being a foreigner him-
self, I confess myself moved by it to remind our nation of their own
original, thereby to let them see what a banter they put upon themselves;
since, speaking of Englishmen ab origine, we are really all foreigners our-
selves."
It is to this poem that De Foe was indebted for a personal introduction
to King William. He was sent for to the palace by his Majesty, conversed
with him, and had repeated interviews with him afterwards. The manners
and sentiments of De Foe appeared to have made such a favourable im-
pression on the king, that he ever after regarded him with kindness; and
conceiving that his talents might be turned to a beneficial account, he
employed him in many secret services, to which he alludes occasionally in
his writings.
The effect produced upon the country by the satire was most beneficial.
De Foe himself, nearly thirty years afterwards, writes, "National mistakes,
vulgar errors, and even a general practice, have been reformed by a just
xii
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
satire. None of our countrymen have been known to boast of being True
Born Englishmen, or so much as use the word as a title or appellation,
ever since a late satire upon that national folly was published, though
almost thirty years before.'
In 1700-1, on the meeting of the fifth parliament of King William, we
find De Foe strenuously engaged advocating the necessity of settling the
succession in the Protestant line; an important object with William, as the
only means of perpetuating the benefits which the nation had reaped from
the Revolution. To this great end, De Foe devoted all his energies, labour-
ing with unwearied zeal in the cause. His conduct on the imprisonment
of the Kentish gentlemen, whose names are historically associated with the
presentation of the famous Kentish petition, was marked with all the in-
trepidity of his character. The Commons had imprisoned the petitioners,
who prayed the house for the settlement of the Protestant succession, for
having presented a petition “scandalous, insolent, and seditious.” On this,
De Foe drew up his celebrated "Legion Paper." In what manner it was
communicated to the house does not appear upon the journals. It was
reported at the time that De Foe, disguised as a woman, presented it to
the Speaker as he entered the House of Commons. The "Legion" pe-
tition rang like a tocsin throughout the kingdom. As, however, the author
remained concealed, the Commons did not think fit to pass any particular
censure upon it. The Kentish petitioners were discharged by the proro-
gation of parliament on the 24th of June: they were subsequently feasted
at Mercers' Hall, where De Foe attended. "Next the Worthies," says a
pamphlet of the time, was placed their secretary of state, the author of the
'Legion Paper;' and one might have read the downfal of parliaments in his
very countenance."
((
By the death of King William, "more mortally wounded," says De Foe,
"with the pointed rage of parties, and an ungrateful people, than by the
fall from his horse," our author lost a kind friend and powerful protector.
Toward the latter part of this reign, De Foe took up his abode at Hackney,
and resided there many years. Here some of his children were born and
buried. In the parish register is the following entry: :-"Sophia, daughter
to Daniel De Foe, by Mary his wife, was baptised, December 24, 1701."
The next important work of De Foe-a work that exercised the greatest
influence on his fortunes-was the "Shortest Way with the Dissenters; or,
Proposals for the Establishment of the Church; 1702." In this work, the
author, assuming the character of an Ultra High Churchman, advocates
the adoption of the severest measures against the Dissenters.
writes De Foe, "to trifle in this matter. The light, foolish handling of
them by fines, is their glory and advantage. If the gallows instead of the
compter, and the galleys instead of the fines, were the reward of going to a
conventicle, there would not be so many sufferers." These arguments
found high favour with both the Universities. The High Church Party
never suspected the sincerity of their partisan, and charmed and won by
"'Tis vain,"
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
xiii
the fierce doctrines of their champion, were unsuspicious of the satire of
their extravagance. It was, however, De Foe's hard fate to be misunder-
stood by both parties. Whilst the High Churchmen congratulated them-
selves on the addition of another advocate, the Dissenters treated him as a
real enemy. The Church Party, however, fell into the trap laid for them
by De Foe; for, by expressing their delight at the fiery sentiments of the
author, they avowed them as their own true feelings on the question. De
Foe subsequently taunts the party thus:-"We have innumerable testi-
monies," he says, "with which that party embraced the proposal of send-
ing all the Dissenting ministers to the gallows and the galleys; of having
all their meeting-houses demolished; and being let loose upon the people
to plunder and destroy them." In another place, De Foe characteristically
portrays the common fate of the subtlety of wit, when judged by the mul-
titude. He says-" All the fault I can find with myself as to these people
(the Dissenters) is, that when I had drawn the picture, I did not, like the
Dutchman with his man and bear, write under them, "This is the man," and
"This is the bear," lest the people should mistake me; and having in a com-
pliment to their judgment shunned so sharp a reflection upon their senses, I
have left them at liberty to treat me like one that put a value upon their
penetration at the expense of my own." The first detection of our author
is said to have been owing to the industry of the Earl of Nottingham, one
of the secretaries of state. When the author's name was known, people
were at no loss to decipher his object; and those who had committed them-
selves by launching forth in his praises were stung with madness at their
own folly. It was at once resolved by the party in power to crush De Foe
by a state prosecution. In the height of the storm, our author sought con-
cealment; when a proclamation was issued by the government, offering 501.
for the discovery of his retreat, and advertised in "The London Gazette,'
for January 10, 1702-3. It is as follows:-
"Whereas Daniel De Foe, alias De Fooe, is charged with writing a
scandalous and seditious pamphlet, entitled "The Shortest Way with the
Dissenters." He is a middle-sized, spare man, about 40 years old; of a
brown complexion, and dark brown coloured hair, but wears a wig; a hook
nose, a sharp chin, grey eyes, and a large mole near his mouth: was born
in London, and for many years was a hose-factor in Freeman's Yard,
Cornhill: and now is owner of the brick and pantile works, near Tilbury
Fort, in Essex: whoever shall discover the said Daniel De Foe to one of
her Majesty's principal secretaries of state, or any of her Majesty's justices
of peace, so he may be apprehended, shall have a reward of 50%., which
her Majesty has ordered immediately to be paid upon such discovery.”
In the House of Commons, it was resolved that the book "be burnt by
the hands of the common hangman in Palace Yard." The printer of the
work and the bookseller being taken into custody, De Foe issued forth from
his retirement, to brave the storm, resolving, as he expresses it, "to throw
himself upon the favour of government, rather than that others should be
xiv
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
ruined by his mistake." De Foe was indicted at the Old Bailey sessions,
the 24th of February, 1703, and proceeded to trial in the following July.
It may be gathered from his own account of the prosecution, that when his
enemies had him in their power, they were at a loss to know what to do
with him. He was therefore advised to throw himself on the mercy of the
Queen, with a promise of protection; which induced him to quit his defence,
and acknowledge himself as the author of the offensive work. On this,
De Foe was sentenced to pay a fine of 200 marks to the Queen; to stand
three times in the pillory; to be imprisoned during the Queen's pleasure;
and to find sureties for his good behaviour for seven years.
The people, however, were with De Foe. Hence, he was guarded to
the pillory by the populace; and descended from it with the triumphant
acclamations of the surrounding multitude. De Foe has himself related,
that "the people, who were expected to treat him very ill, on the con-
trary, pitied him, and wished those who set him there were placed in his
room, and expressed their affections by loud shouts and acclamations when
he was taken down." Tradition reports, that the pillory was adorned with
garlands, it being in the middle of summer. The odium intended for De
Foe, fell upon his persecutors, and the pillory became to him a place of
honour.
A triumphant evidence of the high spirit of De Foe-a spirit elevated
and strengthened by its unconquerable love of truth-is manifested by the
fact, that on the very day of his exhibition to the people, he published "A
Hymn to the Pillory!" This poem, which successively passed through
several editions, being eagerly bought up by the people, opens nobly as
follows:-
"Hail! hieroglyphick state machine,
Contrived to punish fancy in;
Men that are men, in thee can feel no pain,
And all thy insignificants disdain.
Contempt, that false new word for shame,
Is, without crime, an empty name;
A shadow to amuse mankind,
But never frights the wise or well-fixed mind;
Virtue despises human scorn,
And scandals innocence adorn.”
De Foe is now presented to us, stripped of his fortunes, and a prisoner.
In consequence of his imprisonment, he could no longer attend to his pantile
works, which produced the chief source of his revenue, and they were conse-
quently given up. By this affair he lost, as he himself informs us, 3,500l.;
and he had now a wife and six children dependant upon him, with no other
resource for their support than the product of his pen. Hence the leisure
of De Foe, whilst in Newgate, was not that of idleness or dissipation.
Some of his subsequent writings leave no doubt that he now stored his
•
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
XV
A great
mind with those facts relative to the habits and pursuits of the prisoners,
which he has detailed with so much nature as well as interest.
part of his time was devoted to the composition of political works which our
limits will not permit us to dwell upon. It was likewise whilst in Newgate
that he projected his "Review," a periodical work of four quarto pages,
which was published for nine successive years without intermission; during
the greater part of the time, three times a week, and without having
received any assistance whatever in its production. Throughout this work,
he carried on an unsparing warfare against folly and vice in all their dis-
guises it pointed the way to the "Tatlers,' "Spectators," and "Guar-
dians," and may be referred to as containing a vast body of matter on
subjects of high interest, written with all the author's characteristic spirit
and vigour.
The Tories vainly endeavoured to buy up De Foe; but Newgate had
no terrors for him, and he continued at once their prisoner and their
assailant. Upon the accession of Mr. Harley to office, his own politics not
being dissimilar to those of De Foe, the minister made a private communi-
cation to our author, with the view of obtaining his support. No imme-
diate arrangement, however, took place between them, as De Foe remained
a prisoner some months afterwards. Notwithstanding, it is most likely
that the queen became acquainted with De Foe's real merits through the
medium of the minister, and was made conscious of the injustice of our
author's sufferings, which she now appeared desirous to mitigate. For this
purpose, she sent money to his wife and family, at the same time transmit-
ting to him a sufficient sum for the payment of his fine, and the expenses
attending his discharge from prison.
On his release from prison, De Foe retired to Bury St. Edmunds. Party
clamour, and party malice, however, pursued him there. On the miserable
libels issued at this time against him, he says, "I tried retirement, and
banished myself from the town. I thought, as the boys used to say,
't was but fair they should let me alone, while I did not meddle with
them. But neither a country recess, any more than a stone doublet, can
secure a man from the clamour of the pen." In his elegy on the author
of "The True-Born Englishman," he alludes to the report that the Tories
had exerted themselves in his favour. He says in answer:—
"So I, by Whigs abandoned, bear
The Satyr's unjust lash;
Dye with the scandal of their help,
But never saw their cash."
It appears that in 1705, De Foe was employed by Harley to execute
some mission of a secret nature, which required his presence upon the
continent. The mission, whatever it was, appears to have been attended
with some danger, and to have required his absence for about two months.
xvi
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
Harley seems to have been so well satisfied, that upon De Foe's return, he
was rewarded with an appointment at home. In 1706, De Foe wrote vo-
luminously on the subject of the union with Scotland; which measure he
advocated with all the strength of his powers. This advocacy obtained for
him a confidential mission to Scotland, where he was received with great
consideration. While in Edinburgh, he published his "Caledonia," &c.,
a poem in honour of Scotland and the Scots nation. Of the union, he says
in his "Review," "I have told Scotland of improvement in trade, wealth,
and shipping, that shall accrue to them on the happy conclusion of this affair;
and I am pleased doubly with this, that I am likely to be one of the first
men, that shall give them the pleasure of the experiment." In 1708, De
Foe was rewarded with an appointment and a fixed salary. When the
union was completed, he published "The Union of Great Britain." In
1710, De Foe resided at Stoke Newington, and appears to have been com-
fortable in his circumstances. In 1712, was closed the last volume of the
"Review." In a long preface to this volume, De Foe has a most eloquent
defence of this work, and of the mode in which he had conducted it.
Nothing can be finer, more manly, or more conclusive. In allusions to his
sufferings during the progress of the work, he says "I have gone through
a life of wonders,—and am the subject of a vast variety of providences; I
have been fed more by miracle than Elijah when the ravens were his
purveyors. I have sometime ago summed up my life in this distich:-
No man has tasted differing fortunes more,
And thirteen times I have been rich and poor.
In the school of affliction, I have learnt more than at the academy,
and more divinity than from the pulpit: in prison, I have learnt to know
that liberty does not consist in open doors, and the free egress and regress
of locomotion. I have seen the rough side of the world as well as the
smooth; and have, in less than half-a-year, tasted the difference between
the closet of a king, and the dungeon of Newgate." This preface may be
considered as a review—a summing up of the events of De Foe's political
life, and as such is of the highest value for the noble spirit of conscious
truth breathing in, and animating every line of it. As a piece of English, it
is exquisite for its innate strength,-the beauty of its simplicity. De Foe,
however, was again doomed to taste the dungeon sweets of Newgate, being
committed there upon the foolish charge of writing libels in favour of the
Pretender.
After the death of Queen Anne, De Foe, who had been a political writer
for thirty years, retired from the thorny field, to the more pleasant paths of
instructive fiction. Whilst writing "An Appeal to Honour and Justice,”
he was struck with apoplexy: he however recovered, and in the early part
of 1715, committed to the press one of his most valuable treatises, "The
Family Instructor." In 1719, appeared the immortal "Robinson Crusoe !"
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
xvii
Nearly the whole circle of booksellers had in vain been canvassed for a
publisher. William Taylor, the fortunate speculator, is said to have cleared
a thousand pounds by the work, which rose into immediate popularity,
despite of the rancorous assaults of the petty, vulgar minds abounding
amongst De Foe's political enemies. There can be no doubt, that the idea
of the work was first suggested to De Foe, by the story of Alexander Selkirk,
which had been given to the public seven years before. The enemies of
De Foe charged him with having obtained this man's journal, and from its
contents, producing "Robinson Crusoe." The truth is, De Foe was as
much indebted to Selkirk, for the materials used in his immortal work, as
was Vandyke for his portraits, to the colourman who furnished him with
pigments. In a number of "The Englishman," Sir Richard Steele gave
the true and particular history of Selkirk. The place in which "Robinson
Crusoe" was composed, has been variously contested. It seems most pro-
bable (says Mr. Wilson) that De Foe wrote it in his retirement, in Stoke-
Newington, where he resided during the principal part of Queen Anne's
reign, in a large white house, re-built by himself, and still standing in
Church-street. The work has been printed in almost every written lan-
guage has been the delight of men of all creeds and all distinctions-from
the London apprentice in his garret, to the Arab in his tent.
"Robinson Crusoe" was speedily followed by the "Account of Dickory
Crooke," the "Life and Piracies of Captain Singleton," the "History of
Duncan Campbell," the "Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders," the
"Life of Colonel Jacque," the "Memoirs of a Cavalier," and that extraor-
dinary work, the "Account of the Plague." We might possibly have laid
before the reader a correct list of the multifarious productions of our author,
many of them, until of late, most difficult to be obtained—had not the spirit
of the times called for complete editions of De Foe's Works; most wel-
come and valuable offerings to the reading part of the nation.
The latter years of De Foe's life must have been those of competence,
a most honourable competence, insured to him by his works, and the
rapidity with which editions followed editions. There is, however, a too
miserable proof of his sufferings, inflicted upon him by the cruelty and un-
dutifulness of his son, who, to quote a letter of De Foe, written in his
anguish," has both ruined my family and broken my heart." De Foe
adds,―
"I depended upon him, I trusted him, I gave up my two dear un-
provided children into his hands; but he has no compassion, and suffers
them and their poor dying mother to beg their bread at his door, and to
crave, as if it were an alms, what he is bound under hand and seal, besides
the most sacred promises, to supply them with; himself, at the same time,
living in a profusion of plenty. It is too much for me."
For some years before his death, De Foe was tormented with those dread-
ful maladies, the gout and the stone, occasioned, in part, most probably by
his close application to study, whilst making posterity the heirs of undying
wisdom. De Foe expired on the 24th of April, 1731, when he was about
xviii
MEMOIR OF DE FOE.
seventy years of age, having been born in the year 1661. The parish of
St. Giles's, Cripplegate, in which he drew his first breath, was also destined
to receive his last. He was buried from thence, on the 26th of April, in Tin-
dall's burial-ground, now most known by the name of Bunhill-Fields. His
wife died at the latter end of the following year. De Foe left six children,
two sons and four daughters, whose descendants are living at the present
time.
The character of De Foe was but the practical example of his noblest
writings. As a citizen of the world, his love of truth, and the patience, the
cheerfulness with which he endured the obloquy and persecution of his
enemies, endear him to us as a great working benefactor to his race. His
memory is enshrined with the memories of those who make stedfast our
faith in the nobility and goodness of human nature. As a writer, De Foe
has bequeathed to us imperishable stores of the highest and the most useful
wisdom. If he paint vice, it is to shew its hideousness; whilst virtue itself
receives a new attraction at his hands. His poetry is chiefly distinguished
for its fine common sense; it has no flights-it never wraps us by its
imagination, but convinces us by its terseness; by the irresistible eloquence
of its truth. De Foe's prose, though occasionally careless, is remarkable
for its simplicity and strength. What he has to say, he says in the shortest
manner, and in the simplest style. He does not-the vice of our day—
hide his thoughts under a glittering mass of words, but uses words as the
pictures of things. It is owing to this happy faculty, this unforced power,
that De Foe occasionally rises, as in many instances in the golden volume
now offered to the reader, almost to the sublime. In his picture of the
despair of Crusoe, we have, in words intelligible even to infancy, a won-
drous delineation of the soul of man in a most trying and most terrible
hour. De Foe is, in the most emphatic sense of the word, an English
writer. Cobbett has been compared to him; and in many of the minor
parts of authorship there is, certainly, a similitude; but Cobbett was sin-
gularly deficient of imagination, the power which gave a colour and a
beauty to all that De Foe touched, even though of the homeliest and most
unpromising materials.


انه
Bible
THE
LIFE AND ADVENTURES
OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE.

› was born in the year 1632,
in the city of York, of a good
family, though not of that
country, my father being a
foreigner of Bremen, who
settled first at Hull: he got
a good estate by merchan-
dise, and leaving off his trade,
lived afterwards at York;
from whence he had married
my mother, whose relations
2
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
were named Robinson, a very good family in that country, and
from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but, by the usual
corruption of words in England, we are now called,-nay, we call
ourselves, and write our name, Crusoe; and so my companions
always called me.
I had two elder brothers, one of which was lieutenant-colonel to
an English regiment of foot in Flanders, formerly commanded by
the famous Colonel Lockhart, and was killed at the battle near
Dunkirk against the Spaniards. What became of my second brother
I never knew, any more than my father or mother did know what
was become of me.
Being the third son of the family, and not bred to any trade, my
head began to be filled very early with rambling thoughts: my
father, who was very ancient, had given me a competent share of
learning, as far as house-education and a country free-school gene-
rally go, and designed me for the law; but I would be satisfied with
nothing but going to sea; and my inclination to this led me so
strongly against the will, nay, the commands of my father, and
against all the entreaties and persuasions of my mother and other
friends, that there seemed to be something fatal in that propension of
nature, tending directly to the life of misery which was to befal me.
My father, a wise and grave man, gave me serious and excellent
counsel against what he foresaw was my design. He called me one
morning into his chamber, where he was confined by the gout, and
expostulated very warmly with me upon this subject: he asked me
what reasons more than a mere wandering inclination I had for
leaving my father's house and my native country, where I might be
well introduced, and had a prospect of raising my fortune by applica-
tion and industry, with a life of ease and pleasure. He told me it
was men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior
fortunes on the other, and who went abroad upon adventures, to
rise by enterprise, and make themselves famous in undertakings of a
nature out of the common road; that these things were all either too
far above me, or too far below me; that mine was the middle state,
or what might be called the upper station of low life, which he had
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
نت
3
found, by long experience, was the best state in the world, the most
suited to human happiness, not exposed to the miseries and hardships,
the labour and sufferings of the mechanic part of mankind, and not
embarrassed with the pride, luxury, ambition, and envy of the upper
part of mankind. He told me, I might judge of the happiness of
this state by this one thing, viz. that this was the state of life which
all other people envied; that kings have frequently lamented the
miserable consequence of being born to great things, and wished they
had been placed in the middle of the two extremes, between the mean
and the great; that the wise man gave his testimony to this, as the
just standard of true felicity, when he prayed to have neither poverty
nor riches.

4
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
He bade me observe it, and I should always find, that the
calamities of life were shared among the upper and lower part of
mankind; but that the middle station had the fewest disasters, and
was not exposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher or lower part
of mankind; nay, they were not subjected to so many distempers,
and uneasiness, either of body or mind, as those were who, by vicious
living, luxury, and extravagances on one hand, or by hard labour,
want of necessaries, and mean or insufficient diet on the other hand,
bring distempers upon themselves by the natural consequences of their
way of living; that the middle station of life was calculated for all
kind of virtues and all kind of enjoyments; that peace and plenty
were the handmaids of a middle fortune; that temperance, modera-
tion, quietness, health, society, all agreeable diversions, and all
desirable pleasures, were the blessings attending the middle station of
life;
that this way men went silently and smoothly through the
world, and comfortably out of it, not embarrassed with the labours of
the hands or of the head, not sold to a life of slavery for daily bread,
or harassed with perplexed circumstances, which rob the soul of
peace, and the body of rest; nor enraged with the passion of envy,
or the secret burning lust of ambition for great things; but, in easy
circumstances, sliding gently through the world, and sensibly tasting
the sweets of living, without the bitter; feeling that they are happy, ·
and learning by every day's experience to know it more sensibly.
After this, he pressed me earnestly, and in the most affectionate
manner, not to play the young man, nor to precipitate myself into
miseries which nature, and the station of life I was born in, seemed to
have provided against; that I was under no necessity of seeking my
bread; that he would do well for me, and endeavour to enter me
fairly into the station of life which he had been just recommending
to me; and that if I was not very easy and happy in the world, it
must be my mere fate or fault that must hinder it; and that he should
have nothing to answer for, having thus discharged his duty in warn-
ing me against measures which he knew would be to my hurt; in a
word, that as he would do very kind things for me if I would stay and
settle at home as he directed, so he would not have so much hand in
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
5
LO
my misfortunes, as to give me any encouragement to go away: and
to close all, he told me I had my elder brother for an example,
to whom he had used the same earnest persuasions to keep him from
going into the Low Country wars, but could not prevail, his young
desires prompting him to run into the army, where he was killed;
and though he said he would not cease to pray for me, yet he would
venture to say to me, that if I did take this foolish step, God would
not bless me, and I would have leisure hereafter to reflect upon having
neglected his counsel, when there might be none to assist in my
recovery.
say,
I observed in this last part of his discourse, which was truly pro-
phetic, though I suppose my father did not know it to be so himself;
I I observed the tears run down his face very plentifully, especially
when he spoke of my brother who was killed: and that when he spoke
of my having leisure to repent, and none to assist me, he was so
moved that he broke off the discourse, and told me his heart was so
full he could say no more to me.
I was sincerely affected with this discourse, as indeed who could
be otherwise? and I resolved not to think of going abroad any more,
but to settle at home according to my father's desire. But, alas! a
few days wore it all off; and, in short, to prevent any of my father's
further importunities, in a few weeks after, I resolved to run quite
away from him. However, I did not act quite so hastily neither as the
first heat of my resolution prompted, but I took my mother, at a time
when I thought her a little pleasanter than ordinary, and told her that
my thoughts were so entirely bent upon seeing the world, that I should
never settle to anything with resolution enough to go through with
it, and my father had better give me his consent than force me to go
without it; that I was now eighteen years old, which was too late to
go apprentice to a trade, or clerk to an attorney; that I was sure, if
I did, I should never serve out my time, but I should certainly run
away from my master before my time was out, and go to sea; and if
she would speak to my father to let me go one voyage abroad, if I came
home again, and did not like it, I would go no more; and I would
promise, by a double diligence, to recover the time that I had lost.
6
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
*****
This put my mother into a great passion: she told me she knew
it would be to no purpose to speak to my father upon any such sub-
ject; that he knew too well what was my interest to give his consent
to anything so much for my hurt; and that she wondered how I
could think of any such thing after the discourse I had had with my
father, and such kind and tender expressions as she knew my father
had used to me; and that, in short, if I would ruin myself, there was
no help for me; but I might depend I should never have their con-
sent to it: that for her part, she would not have so much hand in my
destruction; and I should never have it to say that my mother was
willing when my father was not.
Though my mother refused to move it to my father, yet, I heard
afterwards, that she reported all the discourse to him, and that my
father, after shewing a great concern at it, said to her with a sigh,
"That boy might be happy if he would stay at home; but if he goes
abroad he will be the most miserable wretch that ever was born; I
can give no consent to it.'
It was not till almost a year after this that I broke loose, though,
in the mean time, I continued obstinately deaf to all proposals of
settling to business, and frequently expostulating with my father and
mother about their being so positively determined against what they
knew my inclinations prompted me to. But being one day at Hull,
whither I went casually, and without any purpose of making an elope-
ment that time; but, I say, being there, and one of my companions
being going by sea to London, in his father's ship, and prompting me
to go with them, with the common allurement of a sea-faring man,
that it should cost me nothing for my passage, I consulted neither
father or 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 consideration of circumstances or conse-
quences, and in an ill hour, God knows, on the 1st of September,
1651, I went on board a ship bound for London. Never any young
adventurer's misfortunes, I believe, began sooner or continued longer
than mine. The ship was no sooner got out of the Humber but the
wind began to blow and the sea to rise in a most frightful manner;
!
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
and, as I had never been at sea before, I was most inexpressibly sick
in body and terrified in mind. I began now seriously to reflect upon
what I had done, and how justly I was overtaken by the judgment of
Heaven for my wicked leaving my father's house, and abandoning my
duty. All the good counsels of my parents, my father's tears and my
mother's entreaties, came now fresh into my mind; and my conscience,
which was not yet come to the pitch of hardness to which it has been
since, reproached me with the contempt of advice, and the breach of
my duty to God and my father.
All this while the storm increased, and the sea went very high,
though nothing like what I have seen many times since; no, nor
what I saw a few days after: but it was enough to affect me, then,
who was but a young sailor, and had never known anything of the
matter. I expected every wave would have swallowed us up, and
that every time the ship fell down, as I thought it did, in the trough
or hollow of the sea, we should never rise more: in this agony of
mind, I made many vows and resolutions, that if it would please God
to spare my life in this one voyage, if ever I got once my foot upon
dry land again, I would go directly home to my father, and never set
it into a ship again while I lived; that I would take his advice, and
never run myself into such miseries as these any more. Now I
saw plainly the goodness of his observations about the middle station
of life, how easy, how comfortably he had lived all his days, and
never had been exposed to tempests at sea, or troubles on shore;
and, in short, I resolved that I would, like a true repenting prodigal,
go home to my father.
:
These wise and sober thoughts continued all the while the storm
lasted, and indeed some time after but the next day, the wind
was abated, and the sea calmer, and I began to be a little inured to
it: however, I was very grave for all that day, being also a little sea-
sick still; but towards night the weather cleared up, the wind was
quite over, and a charming fine evening followed; the sun went
down perfectly clear, and rose so the next morning; and having
little or no wind, and a smooth sea, the sun shining upon it, the
sight was, as I thought, the most delightful that ever I saw.
8
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I had slept well in the night, and was now no more sea-sick, but
very cheerful, looking with wonder upon the sea that was so rough
and terrible the day before, and could be so calm and so pleasant in
so little a time after. And now, lest my good resolutions should
continue, my companion who had indeed enticed me away, comes to
me, "Well, Bob," says he, clapping me upon the shoulder, “how

""
do you do after it? I warrant you were frighted, wer' n't you, last
night, when it blew but a cap-full of wind?"—" A cap-full d' you call
it ?" said I "'twas a terrible storm.' "A storm, you fool you,"
replies he, “do you call that a storm? why it was nothing at all ;
give us but a good ship and sea-room, and we think nothing of such
a squall of wind as that; but you're but a fresh-water sailor, Bob.
Come, let us make a bowl of punch, and we'll forget all that; d'ye
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
9
¡
see what charming weather 't is now?" To make short this sad
part of my story, we went the way of all sailors; the punch was
made, and I was made half drunk with it; and in that one night's
wickedness I drowned all my repentance, all my reflections upon my
past conduct, all my resolutions for the future. In a word, as the
sea was returned to its smoothness of surface and settled calmness
by the abatement of that storm, so the hurry of my thoughts being
over, my fears and apprehensions of being swallowed up by the sea
being forgotten, and the current of my former desires returned, I
entirely forgot the vows and promises that I made in my distress. I
found, indeed, some intervals of reflection; and the serious thoughts
did, as it were, endeavour to return again sometimes; but I shook
them off, and roused myself from them, as it were from a distemper,
and applying myself to drinking and company, soon mastered the
return of those fits, for so I called them; and I had in five or six
days got as complete a victory over my conscience, as any young
fellow that resolved not to be troubled with it, could desire but I
was to have another trial for it still; and Providence, as in such
cases generally it does, resolved to leave me entirely without excuse:
for if I would not take this for a deliverance, the next was to be such
an 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 Roads :
the wind having been contrary, and the weather calm, we had made
but little way since the storm. Here we were obliged to come to
an anchor, and here we lay, the wind continuing contrary, viz. at
south-west, for seven or eight days, during which time a great many
ships from Newcastle came into the same roads, as the common har-
bour where the ships might wait for a wind for the River.
We had not, however, rid here so long, but we should have tided
it up the river, but that the wind blew too fresh; and, after we had
lain four or five days, blew very hard. However, the roads being
reckoned as good as an harbour, the anchorage 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
10
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the manner of the sea; but the eighth day, in the morning, the wind
increased, and we had all hands at work to strike our top-masts, and
make everything snug and close, that the ship might ride as easy as
possible. By noon, the sea went very high indeed, and our ship rid
forecastle in, shipped several seas, and we thought once or twice our
anchor had come home; upon which, our master ordered out the
sheet anchor, so that we rode with two anchors a-head, and the cables
veered out to the better end.
By this time it blew a terrible storm indeed; and now I began
to see terror and amazement in the faces even of the seamen them-

OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
11
selves. The master, though vigilant in the business of preserving
the ship, yet as he went in and out of his cabin by me, I could hear
him softly to himself say several times, "Lord, be merciful to us!
we shall be all lost; we shall be all undone!" and the like. During
these first hurries, I was stupid, lying still in my cabin, which was in
the steerage, and cannot describe my temper: I could ill resume the
first penitence which I had so apparently trampled upon, and hard-
ened myself against: I thought the bitterness of death had been
past; and that this would be nothing, too, like the first: but when
the master himself came by me, as I said just now, and said we
should be all lost, I was dreadfully frighted: I got up out of my
cabin, and looked out; but such a dismal sight I never saw; the sea
went mountains high, and broke upon us every three or four minutes :
when I could look about, I could see nothing but distress round us :
two ships that rid near us, we found, had cut their masts by the
board, being deep laden; and our men cried out, that a ship which
rid about a mile a-head of us was foundered. Two more ships
being driven from their anchors, were run out of the roads to sea, at
all adventures, and that not with a mast standing. The light ships
fared the best, as not so much labouring in the sea; but two or
three of them drove, and came close by us, running away with only
their spritsail out before the wind.
Towards evening, the mate and boatswain begged the master of
our ship to let them cut away the fore-mast, which he was very un-
willing to do; but the boatswain protesting to him that if he did
not, the ship would founder, he consented; and when they had cut
away the fore-mast, the main-mast stood so loose, and shook the ship
so much, they were obliged to cut her away also, and make a clear
deck.
Any one must judge what a condition I must be in at all this,
who was but a young sailor, and who had been in such a fright
before at but a little. But if I can express at this distance the
thoughts I had about me at that time, I was in tenfold more horror
of mind upon account of my former convictions, and the having
returned from them to the resolutions I had wickedly taken at first,
12
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
than I was at death itself; and these, added to the terror of the
storm, put me into such a condition, that I can by no words describe
it. But the worst was not come yet; the storm continued with such
fury, that the seamen themselves acknowledged they had never seen
a wosre. We had a good ship, but she was deep laden, and wal-

lowed in the sea, that the seamen every now and then cried out, she
would founder. It was my advantage in one respect, that I did not
know what they meant by founder, till I enquired. However, the
storm was so violent, that I saw what is not often seen, the master,
the boatswain, and some others more sensible than the rest, at their
prayers, and expecting every moment when the ship would go to
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
13
:
the bottom. In the middle of the night, and under all the rest of
our distresses, one of the men that had been down on purpose to see,
cried out, we had sprung a leak; another said, there was four feet
water in the hold. Then all hands were called to the pump. At
that very word, my heart, as I thought, died within me; and I fell
backwards upon the side of my bed where I sat, into the cabin.
However, the men roused me, and told me, that I, that was able to
do nothing before, was as well able to pump as another; at which I
stirred up, and went to the pump, and worked very heartily. While
this was doing, the master seeing some light colliers, who, not able
to ride out the storm, were obliged to slip, and run away to the sea,
and would come near us, ordered to fire a gun as a signal of dis-
tress. I, who knew nothing what they meant, was so surprised, that
I thought the ship had broke, or some dreadful thing happened. In
a word, I was so surprised, that I fell down in a swoon. As this
was a time when everybody had his own life to think of, nobody
minded me, or what was become of me; but another man stepped
up to the pump, and thrusting me aside with his foot, let me lie,
thinking I had been dead; and it was a great while before I came
to myself.
We worked on; but the water increasing in the hold, it was
apparent that the ship would founder; and though the storm began
to abate a little, yet as it was not possible she could swim till we
might run into any port, so the master continued firing guns for
help; and a light ship, who had rid it out just a-head of us, ven-
tured a boat out to help us. It was with the utmost hazard the
boat came near us, but it was impossible for us to get on board, or
for the boat to lie near the ship's side, till at last the men rowing
very heartily, and venturing their lives to save ours, our men cast
them a rope over the stern with a buoy to it, and then veered it out
a great length, which they, after much labour and hazard, took hold
of, and we hauled them close under our stern, and got all into their
boat. It was to no purpose for them or us, after we were in the
boat, to think of reaching to their own ship; so all agreed to let her
drive, and only to pull her in towards shore as much as we could ;
B
14
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
and our master promised them, that if the boat was staved upon
shore, he would make it good to their master: so partly rowing, and
partly driving, our boat went away to the northward, sloping towards
the shore almost as far as Winterton Ness.
We were not much more than a quarter of an hour out of our
ship but we saw her sink, and then I understood for the first time
what was meant by a ship foundering in the sea. I must acknow-
ledge I had hardly eyes to look up when the seamen told me she
was sinking; for from that moment they rather put me into the
boat, than that I might be said to go in; my heart was, as it were,
dead within me, partly with fright, partly with horror of mind, and
the thoughts of what was yet before me.
While we were in this condition, the men yet labouring at the
oar to bring the boat near the shore,—we could see (when, our boat
mounting the waves, we were able to see the shore) a great many
people running along the strand to assist us when we should come
near; but we made but slow way towards the shore; nor were we
able to reach the shore, till, being past the light-house at Winterton,
the shore falls off to the westward towards Cromer, and so the land
broke off a little the violence of the wind. Here we got in, and,
though not without much difficulty, got all safe on shore, and walked
afterwards on foot to Yarmouth, where, as unfortunate men, we
were used with great humanity, as well by the magistrates of the
town, who assigned us good quarters, as by particular merchants and
owners of ships, and had money given us sufficient to carry us either
to London or back to Hull, as we thought fit.
Had I now had the sense to have gone back to Hull, and have
gone home, I had been happy, and my father, an emblem of our
blessed Saviour's parable, had even killed the fatted calf for me; for
hearing the ship I went away in was cast away in Yarmouth Roads,
it was a great while before he had any assurances that I was not
drowned.
But my ill fate pushed me on now with an obstinacy that nothing
could resist; and though I had several times loud calls from my
reason, and my more composed judgment, to go home, yet I had no
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
15
power to do it. I know not what to call this, nor will I urge that it
is a secret overruling decree, that hurries us on to be the instruments
of our own destruction, even though it be before us, and that we rush
upon it with our eyes open. Certainly, nothing but some such decreed
unavoidable misery attending, and which it was impossible for me to
escape, could have pushed me forward against the calm reasonings
and persuasions of my most retired thoughts, and against two such
visible instructions as I had met with in my first attempt.
66
My comrade, who had helped to harden me before, and who was
the master's son, was now less forward than I. The first time he
spoke to me after we were at Yarmouth, which was not till two or
three days, for we were separated in the town to several quarters ; I
say, the first time he saw me, it appeared his tone was altered; and,
looking very melancholy, and shaking his head, asked me how I did,
and telling his father who I was, and how I had come this voyage
only for a trial, in order to go farther abroad: his father turning to
me, with a very grave and concerned tone, "Young man," says he,
you ought never to go to sea any more; you ought to take this for
a plain and visible token that you are not to be a seafaring man.”
Why, sir," said I, "will you go to sea no more?”
"That is
another case," said he, "it is my calling, and therefore my duty; but
as you made this voyage for a trial, you see what a taste Heaven has
given you of what you are to expect if you persist. Perhaps this has
all befallen us on your account, like Jonah in the ship of Tarshish.
Pray," continues he, "what are you; and on what account did you
go to sea?" Upon that, I told him some of my story; at the end of
which, he burst out into a strange kind of passion : "What had I
done,” says he, “that such an unhappy wretch should come into my
ship? I would not set my foot in the same ship with thee again for a
thousand pounds." This indeed was, as I said, an excursion of his
spirits, which were yet agitated by the sense of his loss, and was
farther than he could have authority to go. However, he afterwards
talked very gravely to me, exhorting me to go back to my father, and
not tempt Providence to my ruin; told me I might see a visible hand
of Heaven against me. And, young man," said he, "depend upon
66
16
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

it, if you do not go back, wherever you go, you will meet with
nothing but disasters and disappointments, till your father's words
are fulfilled upon you."
We parted soon after; for I made him little answer, and I saw
him no more; which way he went, I know not. As for me, having
some money in my pocket, I travelled to London by land; and there,
as well as on the road, had many struggles with myself, what course
of life I should take, and whether I should go home, or go to sea.
As to going home, shame opposed the best motions that offered
to my thoughts; and it immediately occurred to me how I should be
laughed at among the neighbours, and should be ashamed to see, not
my father and mother only, but even everybody else; from whence
I have since often observed, how incongruous and irrational the
common temper of mankind is, especially of youth, to that reason
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
17
which ought to guide them in such cases, viz. that they are not
ashamed to sin, and yet are ashamed to repent; not ashamed of the
action for which they ought justly to be esteemed fools, but are
ashamed of the returning, which only can make them be esteemed
wise men.
In this state of life, however, I remained some time, uncertain
what measures to take, and what course of life to lead. An irresistible
reluctance continued to going home; and as I stayed a while, the
remembrance of the distress I had been in wore off; and as that
abated, the little motion I had in my desires to return wore off with
it, till at last I quite laid aside the thoughts of it, and looked out for
a voyage.
That evil influence which carried me first away from my father's
house,—which hurried me into the wild and indigested notion of
raising my fortune; and that impressed those conceits so forcibly
upon me, as to make me deaf to all good advice, and to the entreaties
and even the commands of my father: I say, the same influence,
whatever it was, presented the most unfortunate of all enterprises to
my view; and I went on board a vessel bound to the coast of Africa;
or, as our sailors vulgarly call it, a voyage to Guinea.
It was my great misfortune that in all these adventures I did not
ship myself as a sailor; whereby, though I might indeed have worked
a little harder than ordinary, yet at the same time I had learnt the
duty and office of a foremast-man; and in time might have qualified
myself for a mate or lieutenant, if not for a master. But as it was
always my fate to choose for the worse, so I did here; for having
money in my pocket, and good clothes upon my back, I would always
go on board in the habit of a gentleman; and so I neither had any
business in the ship, nor learnt to do any.
It was my lot first of all to fall into pretty good company in Lon-
don, which does not always happen to such loose and unguided young
fellows as I then was; the devil generally not omitting to lay some
snare for them very early: but it was not so with me. I first fell
acquainted with the master of a ship, who had been on the coast of
Guinea; and who, having had very good success there, was resolved
18
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to go again this captain taking a fancy to my conversation, which
was not all disagreeable at that time, hearing me say I had a mind
to see the world, told me if I would
I would go the voyage with him I should
be at no expense; I should be his messmate and his companion; and
if I could carry anything with me, I should have all the advantage
of it that the trade would admit; and perhaps I might meet with some
encouragement.
I embraced the offer; and entering into a strict friendship with
this captain, who was an honest plain-dealing man, I went the voyage
with him, and carried a small adventure with me, which, by the dis-
interested honesty of my friend the captain, I increased very consider-
ably; for I carried about £40 in such toys and trifles as the captain
directed me to buy. This £40 I had mustered together by the
assistance of some of my relations whom I corresponded with; and
who, I believe, got my father, or least my mother, to contribute
so much as that to my first adventure.
This was the only voyage which I may say was successful in all
my adventures, and which I owe to the integrity and honesty of my
friend the captain; under whom also I got a competent knowledge of
the mathematics and the rules of navigation, learned how to keep an
account of the ship's course, take an observation, and, in short, to
understand some things that were needful to be understood by a
sailor: for, as he took delight to introduce me, I took delight to learn;
and, in a word, this voyage made me both a sailor and a merchant:
for I brought home five pounds nine ounces of gold-dust for my
adventure, which yielded me in London, at my return, almost £300,
and this filled me with those aspiring thoughts which have since so
completed my ruin.
Yet even in this voyage I had my misfortunes too; particularly,
that I was continually sick, being thrown into a violent calenture by
the excessive heat of the climate; our principal trading being upon the
coast, from the latitude of 15 degrees north even to the line itself.
I was now set up for a Guinea trader; and my friend, to my great
misfortune, dying soon after his arrival, I resolved to go the same
voyage again, and I embarked in the same vessel with one who was
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
19
his mate in the former voyage, and had now got the command of the
ship. This was the unhappiest voyage that ever man made; for
though I did not carry quite £100 of my new-gained wealth, so that
I had £200 left, and which I lodged with my friend's widow, who
was very just to me, yet I fell into terrible misfortunes in this voyage;
and the first was this, viz. our ship making her course towards the
Canary Islands, or rather between those islands and the African shore,
was surprised in the grey of the morning by a Turkish rover of Sallee,

who gave chase to us with all the sail she could make. We crowded
also as much canvass as our yards would spread, or our masts carry,
to have got clear; but, finding the pirate gained upon us, and would
certainly come up with us in a few hours, we prepared to fight; our
ship having twelve guns, and the rogue eighteen. About three in the
afternoon he came up with us, and bringing to, by mistake, just
athwart our quarter, instead of athwart our stern, as he intended, we
brought eight of our guns to bear on that side, and poured in a broad-
side 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
20
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
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 imme-
diately fell to cutting and hacking the sails and rigging. We plied
them with small-shot, half-pikes, powder-chests, and such like, and
cleared our deck of them twice. However, to cut short this melan-
choly part of our story, our ship being disabled, and three of our men
killed, and eight wounded, we were obliged to yield, and were carried
all prisoners into Sallee, a port belonging to the Moors.
The usage I had there was not so dreadful as at first I apprehended;
nor was I carried up the country to the emperor's court, as the rest
of our men were, but was kept by the captain of the rover as his proper
prize, and made his slave, being young and nimble, and fit for his
business. At this surprising change of my circumstances, from a
merchant to a miserable slave, I was perfectly overwhelmed; and now
I looked back upon my father's prophetic discourse to me, that I
should be miserable and have none to relieve me, which I thought
was now so effectually brought to pass, that I could not be worse;
that now the hand of Heaven had overtaken me, and I was undone
without redemption: but, alas! this was but a taste of the misery I
was to go through, as will appear in the sequel of this story.
As my new patron, or master, had taken me home to his house,
so I was in hopes that he would take me with him when he went to
sea again, believing that it would sometime or other be his fate to be
taken by a Spanish or Portugal 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; and when he
came home again from his cruise, he ordered me to lie in the cabin to
look after the ship.
Here I meditated nothing but my escape, and what method I
might take to effect it, but found no way that had the least probabi-
lity in it nothing presented to make the supposition of it rational;
for I had nobody to communicate it to that would embark with me,
no fellow slave, no Englishman, Irishman, or Scotsman there but
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
21
myself; so that for two years, though I often pleased myself with
the imagination, yet I never had the least encouraging prospect of
putting it into practice.
After about two years, an odd circumstance presented itself,
which put the old thought of making some attempt for my liberty
again in my head. My patron lying at home longer than usual with-
out fitting out his ship, which, as I heard, was for want of money,
he used, constantly, once or twice a week, sometimes oftener, if the
weather was fair, to take the ship's pinnace, and go out into the road
a-fishing; and as he always took me and a young Maresco with him
to row the boat, we made him very merry, and I proved very dex-
terous in catching fish; insomuch that sometimes he would send me
with a Moor, one of his kinsmen, and the youth-the Maresco, as
they called him, to catch a dish of fish for him.
It happened one time, that going a-fishing in a stark calm morn-
ing, a fog rose so thick that, though we were not half-a-league from
the shore, we lost sight of it; and rowing we knew not whither or
which way, we laboured all day, and all the next night, and when the
morning came, we found we had pulled off to sea instead of pulling in
for the shore; and that we were at least two leagues from the shore:
however, we got well in again, though with a great deal of labour and
some danger; for the wind began to blow pretty fresh in the morning;
but particularly we were all very hungry.
But our patron, warned by this disaster, resolved to take more
care of himself for the future; and having lying by him the long boat
of our English ship he had taken, he resolved he would not go a-
fishing any more without a compass and some provision; so he ordered
the carpenter of his ship, who was also an English slave, to build a
little state-room, or cabin, in the middle of the long-boat, like that of
a barge, with a place to stand behind it to steer, and haul home the
main-sheet; and room before for a hand or two to stand and work
the sails she sailed with what we call a shoulder of mutton sail, and
the boom gibed over the top of the cabin; which lay very snug and
low, and had in it room for him to lie, with a slave or two, and a table
to eat on, with some small lockers to put in some bottles of such
22
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
liquor as he thought fit to drink; and particularly his bread, rice,
and coffee.
We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing, and as I was most
dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me.
It hap-
pened that he had appointed to go out in this boat, either for pleasure
or for fish, with two or three Moors of some distinction in that place,
and for whom he had provided extraordinarily, and had therefore sent
on board the boat over-night a larger store of provisions than ordi-
nary; and had ordered me to get ready three fuzees with powder and
shot, which were on board his ship; for that they designed some sport
of fowling as well as fishing.
I got all things ready as he had directed, and waited the next
morning with the boat washed clean, her ancient and pendants out,
and everything to accommodate his guests; when by-and-by my
patron came on board alone, and told me his guests had put off going,
upon some business that fell out, and ordered me with the man
and boy, as usual, to go out with the boat and catch them some fish,
for that his friends were to sup at his house; and commanded that as
soon as I got some fish I should bring it home to his house; all which
I prepared to do.
This moment, my former notions of deliverance darted into my
thoughts, for now I found I was like to have a little ship at my com-
mand; and my master being gone, I prepared to furnish myself, not
for fishing business, but for a voyage; though I knew not, neither did
I so much as consider, whither I should steer; for anywhere, to get
out of that place was my way.
My first contrivance was to make a pretence to speak to this
Moor, to get something for our subsistence on board; for I told him
we must not presume to eat of our patron's bread; he said, that was
true: so he brought a large basket of rusk or biscuit of their kind,
and three jars with fresh water, into the boat. I knew where my
patron's case of bottles stood, which it was evident, by the make, were
taken out of some English prize, and I conveyed them into the boat
while the Moor was on shore, as if they had been there before for our
master: I conveyed also a great lump of bees'-wax into the boat,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
23
which weighed above half a hundred weight, with a parcel of twine or
thread, a hatchet, a saw, and a hammer, all of which were of great
use to us afterwards, especially the wax to make candles. Another
trick I tried upon him, which he innocently came into also: his name
was Ismael, whom they call Muley, or Moely: so I called to him,
"Moely," said I, our patron's guns are on board the boat; can you
not get me a little powder and shot? it may be we may kill some
alcamies (a fowl like our curlews) for ourselves, for I know he keeps
the gunner's stores in the ship." "Yes," says he, “ I'll bring some,"
and accordingly he brought a great leather pouch, which held a pound
and a half of powder, or rather more; and another with shot, that had
five or six pounds, with some bullets, and put all into a boat; at the

24
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
same time, I had found some powder of my master's in the great
cabin, with which I filled one of the large bottles in the case, which
was almost empty, pouring what was in it into another; and thus
furnished with everything needful, we sailed out of the port to fish.
The castle, which is at the entrance of the port, knew 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 set us down to fish. The wind
blew from the N.N.E., which was contrary to my desire; for had it
blown southerly, I had been sure to have made the coast of Spain,
and at least reached to the bay of Cadiz ; but my resolutions were,
blow which way it would, I would be gone from that horrid place
where I was, and leave the rest to fate.
After we had fished some time and catched nothing, for when I
had fish on my hook I would not pull them up, that he might not
see them, I said to the Moor, "This will not do; our master will
not be thus served; we must stand farther off." He, thinking no
harm, agreed, and being in the head of the boat set the sails; and, as
I had the helm, I run the boat out near a league farther, and then
brought her to as if I would fish; when, giving the boy the helm, I
stepped forward to where the Moor was, and making as if I stooped
for something behind him, I took him by surprise with my arm
under his twist, and tossed him clear overboard into the sea. He
rose immediately, for he swam like a cork, and called to me, begged
to be taken in, told me he would go all over the world with me. He
swam so strong after the boat, that he would have reached me very
quickly, there being but little wind; upon which I stepped into the
cabin, and fetching one of the fowling-pieces, I presented it at him,
and told him I had done him no hurt, and if he would be quiet I
would do him none: "But," said I, you swim well enough to
reach the shore, and the sea is calm; make the bust of your way
to shore, and I will do you no harm; but if you come near the boat,
I'll shoot you through the head, for I am resolved to have my
liberty: so he turned himself about, and swam for the shore, and
I make no doubt but he reached it with ease, for he was an excellent
swimmer.
66

וזי
1
兀
​QUARTLEY
"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."
C
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
25
I could have been content to have taken this Moor with me, and
have drowned the boy, but there was no venturing to trust him.
When he was gone, I turned to the boy, whom they called Xury, and
said to him, "Xury, if you will be faithful to me, I'll make you a
great man; but if you will not stroke your face to be true to me,”
that is, swear by Mahomet and his father's beard, "I must throw
you into the sea too." The boy smiled in my face, and spoke so
innocently, that I could not mistrust him, and swore to be faithful to
me, and go all over the world with me.
While I was in view of the Moor that was swimming, I stood out
directly to sea with the boat, rather stretching to windward, that they
might think me gone towards the Straits' mouth (as indeed any one
that had been in their wits must have been supposed to do); for who
would have supposed we were sailed on to the southward to the truly
Barbarian coast, where whole nations of Negroes were sure to sur-
round us with their canoes, and destroy us; where we could never
once go on shore but we should be devoured by savage beasts, or
more merciless savages of human kind?
But as soon as it grew dusk in the evening, I changed my course,
and steered directly south and by east, bending my course a little
towards the east, that I might keep in with the shore: and having a
fair, fresh gale of wind, and a smooth, quiet sea, I made such sail that
I believe by the next day at three o'clock in the afternoon, when I
first made the land, I could not be less than one hundred and fifty
miles south of Sallee: quite beyond the Emperor of Morocco's domi-
nions, or indeed of any other king thereabouts, for we saw no people.
Yet such was the fright I had taken at the Moors, and the dread-
ful apprehensions I had of falling into their hands, that I would not
stop, or go on shore, or come to an anchor; the wind continuing fair
till I had sailed in that manner five days; and then the wind shifting
to the southward, I concluded also that if any of our vessels were in
chase of me, they also would now give over; so I ventured to make
to the coast, and came to an anchor in the mouth of a little river, I
knew not what, or where; neither what latitude, what country,
what nation, or what river: I neither saw, or desired to see any
26
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
people; the principal thing I wanted was fresh water.
We came
into this creek in the evening, resolving to swim on shore as soon as
it was dark, and discover the country; but as soon as it was quite
dark, we heard such dreadful noises of the barking, roaring, and
howling of wild creatures, of we knew not what kinds, that the poor
boy was ready to die with fear, and begged of me not to go on shore
till day. “Well, Xury," said I, "then I won't; but it may be we
may see men by day, who will be as bad to us as those lions."-
"Then we give them the shoot gun," says Xury, laughing, "make
them run wey." Such English Xury spoke by conversing among us
slaves. However I was glad to see the boy so cheerful, and I gave
him a dram (out of our patron's case of bottles) to cheer him up.
After all, Xury's advice was good, and I took it; we dropped our
little anchor, and lay still all night; I say still, for we slept none;
for in two or three hours we saw vast great creatures (we knew not
what to call them) of many sorts, come down to the sea-shore, and

QUARTLEY.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
27
run into the water, wallowing and washing themselves for the plea-
sure of cooling themselves; and they made such hideous howlings
and yellings, that I never indeed heard the like.
66
Xury was dreadfully frighted, and indeed so was I too; but we
were both more frighted when we heard one of these mighty creatures
come swimming towards our boat; we could not see him, but we
might hear him by his blowing to be a monstrous huge and furious
beast; Xury said it was a lion, and it might be so for aught I know;
but poor Xury cried to me to weigh the anchor and row away:
"No," says I, "Xury; we can slip our cable, with the buoy to it,
and go off to sea; they cannot follow us far." I had no sooner said
so, but I perceived the creature (whatever it was) within two oars'
length, which something surprised me; however, I immediately
stepped to the cabin-door, and taking up my gun, fired at him;
upon which he immediately turned about, and swam towards the
shore again.
But it is impossible to describe the horrid noises, and hideous
cries and howlings, that were raised, as well upon the edge of the
shore as higher within the country, upon the noise or report of the
gun, a thing I have some reason to believe those creatures had never
heard before this convinced me that there was no going on shore
for us in the night on that coast, and how to venture on shore in the
day was another question too; for to have fallen into the hands
of any of the savages, had been as bad as to have fallen into the
hands of lions and tigers; at least we were equally apprehensive of
the danger of it.
Be that as it would, we were obliged to go on shore somewhere
or other for water, for we had not a pint left in the boat; when or
where to get it, was the point: Xury said, if I would let him go on
shore with one of the jars, he would find if there was any water, and
bring some to me. I asked him why he would go? why I should
not go, and he stay in the boat? The boy answered with so much
affection, that made me love him ever after. Says he, “If wild
mans come, they eat me, you go wey."-" Well, Xury," said I, "we
will both go, and if the wild mans come, we will kill them, they
28
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
shall eat neither of us. So I gave Xury a piece of rusk bread to
eat, and a dram out of our patron's case of bottles which I men-
tioned before; and we hauled the boat in as near the shore as we
thought was proper, and so waded on shore; carrying nothing but
our arms, and two jars for water.
I did not care to go out of sight of the boat, fearing the coming
of canoes with savages down the river: but the boy seeing a low
place about a mile up the country, rambled to it; and by-and-by I
saw him come running towards me. I thought he was pursued by
some savage, or frighted with some wild beast, and I ran forwards
towards him to help him; but when I came nearer to him, I saw some-
thing hanging over his shoulders, which was a creature that he had
shot, like a hare, but different in colour, and longer legs: however,
we were very glad of it, and it was very good meat; but the great
joy that poor Xury came with, was to tell me he had found good
water, and seen no wild mans.

MV
VEROFIC
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
29
But we found afterwards that we need not take such pains for
water, for a little higher up the creek where we were we found the
water fresh when the tide was out, which flowed but a little way up;
so we filled our jars, and feasted on the hare we had killed, and pre-
pared to go on our way, having seen no footsteps of any human
creature in that part of the country.
As I had been one voyage to this coast before, I knew very well
that the islands of the Canaries and the Cape de Verd Islands also,
lay not far off from the coast. But as I had no instruments to
take an observation to know what latitude we were in, and not
exactly knowing, or at least remembering, what latitude they were
in, I knew not where to look for them, or when to stand off to sea
towards them; otherwise I might now easily have found some of
these islands. But my hope was, that if I stood along this coast till
I came to that part where the English traded, I should find some of
their vessels upon their usual design of trade, that would relieve and
take us in.
By the best of my calculation, that place where I now was, must
be that country which, lying between the Emperor of Morocco's do-
minions and the Negroes, lies waste and uninhabited, except by wild
beasts; the Negroes having abandoned it, and gone farther south, for
fear of the Moors; and the Moors not thinking it worth inhabiting,
by reason of its barrenness: and, indeed, both forsaking it because of
the prodigious numbers of tigers, lions, leopards, and other furious
creatures which harbour there; so that the Moors use it for their
hunting only, where they go like an army, two or three thousand
men at a time: and, indeed, for near an hundred miles together upon
this coast, we saw nothing but a waste uninhabited country by day,
and heard nothing but howlings and roaring of wild beasts by night.
Once or twice in the day-time, I thought I saw the Pico of Tene-
riffe, being the high top of the Mountain Teneriffe in the Canaries;
and had a great mind to venture out, in hopes of reaching thither
but having tried twice, I was forced in again by contrary winds, the
sea also going too high for my little vessel; so I resolved to pursue
my first design, and keep along the shore.
30
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
""
(C
Several times I was obliged to land for fresh water, after we had
left this place; and once in particular, being early in the morning, we
came to an anchor under a little point of land, which was pretty high;
and the tide beginning to flow, we lay still to go farther in. Xury,
whose eyes were more about him than it seems mine were, calls softly
to me, and tells me that we had best go farther off the shore; for,"
says he, "look yonder lies a dreadful monster on the side of that
hillock, fast asleep." I looked where he pointed, and saw a dreadful
monster indeed, for it was a terrible great lion that lay on the side of
the shore, under the shade of a piece of the hill that hung as it were
a little over him. 66
Xury," says I, "you shall go on shore and kill
him." Xury looked frighted, and said, "Me kill! he eat me at one
mouth; one mouthful he meant. However, I said no more to the
boy, but bade him lie still, and I took our biggest gun, which was
almost musket-bore, and loaded it with a good charge of powder, and
with two slugs, and laid it down; then I loaded another gun with
two bullets; and the third (for we had three pieces) I loaded with
five smaller bullets. I took the best aim I could with the first piece
to have shot him in the head, but he lay so with his leg raised a little
above his nose that the slugs hit his leg about the knee, and broke
the bone, He started up, growling at first, but finding his leg broke
fell down again; and then got up upon three legs, and gave the most
hideous roar that ever I heard. I was a little surprised that I had
not hit him on the head; however, I took up the second piece imme-
diately, and, though he began to move off, fired again, and shot him
in the head, and had the pleasure to see him drop, and make but little
noise, but lie struggling for life. Then Xury took heart, and would
66
have me let him go on shore ; Well, go," said I; so the boy
jumped into the water, and taking a little gun in one hand, swam
to shore with the other hand, and coming close to the creature, put.
the muzzle of the piece to his ear, and shot him in the head again,
which despatched him quite.
This was game indeed to us, but this was no food; and I was
very sorry to lose three charges of powder and shot upon a creature
that was good for nothing to us, However, Xury said he would.

The slugs hit his leg about the knee, and broke the bone.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
31
have some of him; so he comes on board, and asked me to give him
the hatchet. "For what, Xury?" said I. "Me cut off his head,"
However, Xury could not cut off his head, but he cut off
a foot, and brought it with him, and it was a monstrous great one.
said he.
I bethought myself, however, that perhaps the skin of him might,
one way or other, be of some value to us; and I resolved to take off
his skin if I could. So Xury and I went to work with him; but
Xury was much the better workman at it, for I knew very ill how to
do it. Indeed it took us both up the whole day, but at last we got
off the hide of him, and spreading it on the top of our cabin, the
sun effectually dried it in two days' time, and it afterwards served me
to lie upon.
After this stop, we made on to the southward continually for ten
or twelve days, living very sparing on our provisions, which began
to abate very much, and going no oftener into the shore than we
were obliged to for fresh water; my design in this was, to make the
River Gambia or Senegal, that is to say, anywhere about the Cape
de Verd, where I was in hopes to meet with some European ship;
and if I did not, I knew not what course I had to take, but to seek
for the islands, or perish there among the Negroes. I knew that all
the ships from Europe, which sailed either to the coast of Guinea
or to Brasil, or to the East Indies, made this Cape, or those islands;
and in a word, I put the whole of my fortune upon this single point,
either that I must meet with some ship, or must perish.
When I had pursued this resolution about ten days longer, as I
have said, I began to see that the land was inhabited; and, in two or
three places, as we sailed by, we saw people stand upon the shore to
look at us; we could also perceive they were quite black, and stark
naked. I was once inclined to have gone on shore to them; but
Xury was my better counsellor, and said to me, "No go, no go.”
However, I hauled in nearer the shore that I might talk to them, and
I found they ran along the shore by me a good way: I observed they
had no weapons in their hands, except one, who had a long slender
stick, which Xury said was a lance, and that they would throw them
a great way with good aim; so I kept at a distance, but talked with
32
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
them by signs as well as I could; and particularly made signs for
something to eat; they beckoned to me to stop my boat, and they
would fetch me some meat. Upon this, I lowered the top of my sail,
and lay by, and two of them ran up into the country, and in less than
half an hour came back, and brought with them two pieces of dry
flesh and some corn, such as is the produce of their country; but
we neither knew what the one or the other was: however, we were
willing to accept it, but how to come at it was our next dispute, for
I was not for venturing on shore to them, and they were as much
afraid of us but they took a safe way for us all, for they brought it
to the shore and laid it down, and went and stood a great way off
till we fetched it on board, and then came close to us again.
women.
We made signs of thanks to them, for we had nothing to make
them amends; but an opportunity offered that very instant to oblige
them wonderfully: for while we were lying by the shore, came two
mighty creatures, one pursuing the other (as we took it) with great
fury from the mountains towards the sea; whether it was the male
pursuing the female, or whether they were in sport or in rage, we
could not tell, any more than we could tell whether it was usual or
strange, but I believe it was the latter; because, in the first place,
those ravenous creatures seldom appear but in the night; and in the
second place, we found the people terribly frighted, especially the
The man that had the lance or dart did not fly from them,
but the rest did; however, as the two creatures ran directly into the
water, they did not seem to offer to fall upon any of the Negroes, but
plunged themselves into the sea, and swam about, as if they had come
for their diversion: at last, one of them began to come nearer our
boat than at first I expected; but I lay ready for him, for I had
loaded my gun with all possible expedition, and bade Xury load both
the others. As soon as he came fairly within my reach, I fired, and
shot him directly in the head: immediately, he sank down into the
water, but rose instantly, and plunged up and down, as if he was
struggling for life, and so indeed he was: he immediately made to
the shore; but between the wound, which was his mortal hurt, and
the strangling of the water, he died just before he reached the shore.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
33
It is impossible to express the astonishment of these poor
creatures, at the noise and fire of my gun; some of them were even
ready to die for fear, and fell down as dead with the very terror; but
when they saw the creature dead, and sunk in the water, and that I
made signs to them to come to the shore, they took heart and came
to the shore, and began to search for the creature. I found him by
his blood staining the water: and by the help of a rope, which I
slung round him, and gave the Negroes to haul, they dragged him
on shore, and found that it was a most curious leopard, spotted, and
fine to an admirable degree; and the Negroes held up their hands
with admiration, to think what it was I had killed him with.
The other creature, frighted with the flash of fire and the noise
of the gun, swam on shore, and ran up directly to the mountains
from whence they came; nor could I, at that distance, know what it
I found quickly the Negroes were for eating the flesh of this
creature, so I was willing to have them take it as a favour from me;
was.

ست
D
34
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
which, when I made signs to them that they might take him, they
were very thankful for. Immediately they fell to work with him;
and though they had no knife, yet, with a sharpened piece of wood,
they took off his skin as readily, and much more readily, than we
could have done with a knife. They offered me some of the flesh,
which I declined, making as if I would give it them; but made signs
for the skin, which they gave me very freely, and brought me a
great deal more of their provisions, which, though I did not under-
stand, yet I accepted. I then made signs to them for some water, and
held out one of my jars to them, turning it bottom upward, to shew
that it was empty, and that I wanted to have it filled. They called
immediately to some of their friends, and there came two women,
and brought a great vessel made of earth, and burnt, as I supposed
in the sun; this they set down to me, as before, and I sent Xury on
shore with my jars, and filled them all three. The women were as
stark naked as the men.
I was now furnished with roots and corn, such as it was, and
water; and leaving my friendly Negroes, I made forward for about
eleven days more, without offering to go near the shore, till I saw
the land run out a great length into the sea, at about the distance of
four or five leagues before me; and the sea being very calm, I kept
a large offing, to make this point. At length, doubling the point, at
about two leagues from the land, I saw plainly land on the other side,
to seaward then I concluded, as it was most certain indeed, that
this was the Cape de Verd, and those the islands, called, from thence,
Cape de Verd Islands. However, they were at a great distance, and
I could not well tell what I had best to do; for if I should be taken
with a fresh of wind, I might neither reach one or other.
In this dilemma, as I was very pensive, I stepped into the cabin,
and sat me down, Xury having the helm; when, on a sudden, the
boy cried out, "Master, master, a ship with a sail!" and the foolish
boy was frighted out of his wits, thinking it must needs be some of
his master's ships sent to pursue us, when I knew we were gotten
far enough out of their reach. I jumped out of the cabin, and imme-
diately saw, not only the ship, but what she was, viz., that it was
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
35
a Portuguese ship; and, as I thought, was bound to the coast of
Guinea, for Negroes. But, when I observed the course she steered,
I was soon convinced they were bound some other way, and did not
design to come any nearer to the shore: upon which I stretched out
to sea as much as I could, resolving to speak with them if possible.
With all the sail I could make, I found I should not be able to
come in their way, but that they would be gone by before I could
make any signal to them: but after I had crowded to the utmost, and
began to despair, they, it seems, saw me, by the help of their per-
spective glasses, and that it was some European boat, which they
supposed must belong to some ship that was lost; so they shortened
sail, to let me come up. I was encouraged with this, and as I had
my patron's ancient on board, I made a waft of it to them, for a
signal of distress, and fired a gun, both which they saw; for they
told me they saw the smoke, though they did not hear the gun.
Upon these signals, they very kindly brought to, and lay by for me;
and in about three hours' time I came up with them.
They asked me what I was, in Portuguese, and in Spanish, and
in French, but I understood none of them; but, at last, a Scots
sailor, who was on board, called to me; and I answered him, and told
him I was an Englishman, that I had made my escape out of slavery
from the Moors, at Sallee: they then bade me come on board, and
very kindly took me in, and all my goods.
It was an inexpressible joy to me, which any one will believe,
that I was thus delivered, as I esteemed it, from such a miserable,
and almost hopeless, condition as I was in; and I immediately
offered all I had to the captain of the ship, as a return for my
deliverance; but he generously told me, he would take nothing from
me, but that all I had should be delivered safe to me, when I came
to the Brasils. "For," says he, "I have saved your life on no
other terms than I would be glad to be saved myself; and it may,
one time or other, be my lot to be taken up in the same condition.
Besides," said he, "when I carry you to the Brasils, so great a way
from your own country, if I should take from you what you have,
you will be starved there, and then I only take away that life I have
36
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
given. No, no," says he; "Seignor Inglese" (Mr. Englishman),
"I will carry you thither in charity, and those things will help to
buy your subsistence there, and your passage home again.”
As he was charitable in this proposal, so he was just in the per-
formance to a tittle; for he ordered the seamen, that none should
offer to touch anything I had: then he took everything into his
own possession, and gave me back an exact inventory of them, that I
might have them, even so much as my three earthen jars.
As to my boat, it was a very good one; and that he saw, and
told me he would buy it of me for his ship's use; and asked me
what I would have for it? I told him, he had been so generous to
me in everything, that I could not offer to make any price of the
boat, but left it entirely to him: upon which, he told me he would
give me a note of hand to pay me eighty pieces of eight for it at
Brasil; and when it came there, if any one offered to give more, he
would make it up. He offered me also sixty pieces of eight more
for my boy Xury, which I was loath to take; not that I was not
willing to let the captain have him, but I was very loath to sell the
poor boy's liberty, who had assisted me so faithfully in procuring my
However, when I let him know my reason, he owned it to be
just, and offered me this medium, that he would give the boy an
obligation to set him free in ten years, if he turned Christian; upon
this, and Xury saying he was willing to go to him, I let the captain.
have him.
own.
We had a very good voyage to the Brasils, and arrived in the
Bay de Todos los Santos, or All Saints' Bay, in about twenty-two
days after. And now I was once more delivered from the most
miserable of all conditions of life; and what to do next with myself,
I was now to consider.
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; and what I was willing to sell, he bought
of me; such as the case of bottles, two of my guns, and a piece of
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
37
the lump of bees-wax, for I had made candles of the rest in a
word, I made about two hundred and twenty pieces of eight of all
my cargo; and with this stock, I went on shore in the Brasils.
I had not been long here, before I was recommended to the
house of a good honest man, like himself, who had an ingenio as they
call it (that is, a plantation and a sugar house). I lived with him

1
some time, and acquainted myself, by that means, with the manner
of planting and making of sugar; and seeing how well the planters
lived, and how they got rich suddenly, I resolved, if I could get a
licence to settle there, I would turn planter among them: resolving,
in the mean time, to find out some way to get my money, which I
had left in London, remitted to me. To this purpose, getting a kind
of a letter of naturalisation, I purchased as much land that was un-
38
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
cured as my money would reach, and formed a plan for my plantation
and settlement; such a one as might be suitable to the stock which
I proposed to myself to receive from England.
I had a neighbour, a Portuguese, of Lisbon, but born of English
parents, whose name was Wells, and in much such circumstances as
I was.
I call him my neighbour, because his plantation lay next to
mine, and we went on very sociably together. My stock was but
low, as well as his; and we rather planted for food than anything
else, for about two years. However, we began to increase, and our
land began to come into order; so that the third year we planted
some tobacco, and made each of us a large piece of ground ready for
planting canes in the year to come: but we both wanted help; and
now I found, more than before, I had done wrong in parting with
my boy Xury.
But, alas! for me to do wrong that never did right, was no
great wonder. I had no remedy but to go on: I had got into an
employment quite remote to my genius, and directly contrary to the
life I delighted in, and for which I forsook my father's house, and
broke through all his good advice: nay, I was coming into the very
middle station, or upper degree of low life, which my father advised
me to before; and which, if I resolved to go on with, I might as
well have staid at home, and never have fatigued myself in the world,
as I had done: and I used often to say to myself, I could have done
this as well in England, among my friends, as have gone five
thousand miles off to do it among strangers and savages, in a wilder-
ness, and at such a distance as never to hear from any part of the
world that had the least knowledge of me.
In this manner, I used to look upon my condition with the
utmost regret. I had nobody to converse with, but now and then
this neighbour; no work to be done, but by the labour of my hands;
and I used to say, I lived just like a man cast away upon some
desolate island, that had nobody there but himself. But how just has
it been! and how should all men reflect that when they compare
their present conditions with others that are worse, heaven may
oblige them to make the exchange, and be convinced of their former
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
39
felicity by their experience! I say, how just has it been that the
truly solitary life I reflected on, in an island of mere desolation,
should be my lot, who had so often unjustly compared it with the
life which I then led, in which, had I continued, I had, in all pro-
bability, been exceeding prosperous and rich!
I was in some degree settled in my measures for carrying on the
plantation, before my kind friend, the captain of the ship that took
me up at sea went back; for the ship remained there, in providing
his lading, and preparing for his voyage, near three months; when
telling him what little stock I had left behind me in London, he gave
me this friendly and sincere advice: "Seignor Inglese," says he,
for so he always called me, "if you will give me letters, and a pro-
curation here in form to me, with orders to the person who has your
money in London, to send your effects to Lisbon, to such persons as
I shall direct, and in such goods as are proper for this country, I
will bring you the produce of them, God willing, at my return; but,
since human affairs are all subject to changes and disasters, I would
have you give orders but for one hundred pounds sterling, which,
you say, is half your stock, and let the hazard be run for the first,
so that if it come safe, you may order the rest the same way; and, if
it miscarry, you may have the other half to have recourse to for your
supply."
This was so wholesome advice, and looked so friendly, that I
could not but be convinced it was the best course I could take;
so I accordingly prepared letters to the gentlewoman with whom
I had left my money, and a procuration to the Portuguese captain,
as he desired.
I wrote the English captain's widow a full account of all my
adventures; my slavery, escape, and how I had met with the Portu-
gal captain at sea, the humanity of his behaviour, and what condition
I was now in, with all other necessary directions for my supply; and
when this honest captain came to Lisbon, he found means, by some
of the English merchants there, to send over, not the order only, but
a full account of my story to a merchant at London, who represented
it effectually to her: whereupon she not only delivered the money,
40
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
but, out of her own pocket, sent the Portugal captain a very hand-
some present for his humanity and charity to me.
The merchant in London, vesting this hundred pounds in Eng-
lish goods, such as the captain had writ for, sent them directly to
him at Lisbon, and he brought them all safe to me to the Brasils:

VERDAIL
SURIY
among which, without my direction (for I was too young in my
business to think of them), he had taken care to have all sorts of
tools, iron work, and utensils, necessary for my plantation, and
which were of great use to me.
When this cargo arrived, I thought my fortunes made, for I was
surprised with the joy of it; and my good steward, the captain,
had laid out the five pounds, which my friend had sent him for a
present for himself, to purchase and bring me over a servant, under
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
41
bond for six years' service, and would not accept of any considera-
tion, except a little tobacco, which I would have him accept, being
of my own produce.
Neither was this all; but my goods being all English manufac-
tures, such as cloths, stuffs, baize, and things particularly valuable
and desirable in the country, I found means to sell them to a very
great advantage; so that I might say, I had more than four times
the value of my first cargo, and was now infinitely beyond my poor
neighbour, I mean in the advancement of my plantation: for the
first thing I did, I bought me a Negro slave, and an European
servant also: I mean another besides that which the captain brought
me from Lisbon.
But as abused prosperity is oftentimes made the very means of
our greatest adversity, so was it with me. I went on the next year
with great success in my plantation; I raised fifty great rolls of
tobacco on my own ground, more than I had disposed of for neces-
saries among my neighbours; and these fifty rolls, being each of
above a hundred weight, were well cured, and laid by against the
return of the fleet from Lisbon: and now increasing in business
and in wealth, my head began to be full of projects and under-
takings beyond my reach; such as are, indeed, often the ruin of
the best heads in business. Had I continued in the station I was
now in, I had room for all the happy things to have yet befallen me,
for which my father so earnestly recommended a quiet, retired life,
and of which he had so sensibly described the middle station of life
to be full of: but other things attended me, and I was still to be the
wilful agent of all my own miseries; and, particularly, to increase
my fault, and double the reflections upon myself, which in my future
sorrows I should have leisure to make, all these miscarriages were
procured by my apparent obstinate adhering to my foolish inclination
of wandering abroad; and pursuing that inclination, in contradic-
tion to the clearest views of doing myself good in a fair and plain
pursuit of those prospects, and those measures of life, which
nature and providence concurred to present me with, and to make
my duty.
42
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
As I had once done thus in my breaking away from my parents,
so I could not be content now, but I must go and leave the happy
view I had of being a rich and thriving man in my new plantation,
only to pursue a rash and immoderate desire of rising faster than the
nature of the thing admitted; and thus I cast myself down again
into the deepest gulph of human misery that ever man fell into, or
perhaps could be consistent with life, and a state of health in the
world.
To come, then, by the just degrees, to the particulars of this part
of my story:-You may suppose, that having now lived almost four
years in the Brasils, and beginning to thrive and prosper very well
upon my plantation, I had not only learned the language, but had
contracted acquaintance and friendship among my fellow-planters, as
well as among the merchants at St. Salvador, which was our port; and
that, in my discourses among them, I had frequently given them an
account of my two voyages to the coast of Guinea; the manner of
trading with the Negroes there, and how easy it was to purchase
upon the coast for trifles-such as beads, toys, knives, scissors,
hatchets, bits of glass, and the like-not only gold dust, Guinea
grains, elephants' teeth, &c., but Negroes, for the service of the
Brasils, in great numbers.
They listened always very attentively to my discourses on these
heads, but especially to that part which related to the buying Negroes;
which was a trade, at that time, not only not far entered into, but,
as far as it was, had been carried on by the assientos, or permission
of the kings of Spain and Portugal, and engrossed in the public
stock; so that few Negroes were brought, and those excessive dear.
It happened, being in company with some merchants and
planters of my acquaintance, and talking of those things very
earnestly, three of them came to me the next morning, and told me
they had been musing very much upon what I had discoursed with
them of the last night, and they came to make a secret proposal to
me: and, after enjoining me secrecy, they told me that they had
a mind to fit out a ship to go to Guinea; that they had all planta-
tions as well as I, and were straitened for nothing so much as
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
43

花
​CHINES
servants; that as it was a trade that could not be carried on,
because they could not publicly sell the Negroes when they came
home, so they desired to make but one voyage, to bring the Negroes
on shore privately, and divide them among their own plantations :
and, in a word, the question was, whether I would go their super-
cargo in the ship, to manage the trading part upon the coast of
Guinea; and they offered me that I should have my equal share of
the Negroes, without providing any part of the stock.
This was a fair proposal, it must be confessed, had it been made
to any one that had not had a settlement and plantation of his own
to look after, which was in a fair way of coming to be very consider-
able, and with a good stock upon it. But for me, that was thus
entered and established, and had nothing to do but go on as I had
begun, for three or four years more, and to have sent for the other
44
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
hundred pounds from England; and who in that time, and with
that little addition, could scarce have failed of being worth three or
four thousand pounds sterling, and that increasing too; for me to
think of such a voyage, was the most preposterous thing that ever
man, in such circumstances, could be guilty of.
But I, that was born to be my own destroyer, could no more
resist the offer, than I could restrain my first rambling designs, when
my father's good counsel was lost upon me. In a word, I told them
I would go with all my heart, if they would undertake to look after
my plantation in my absence, and would dispose of it to such as I
should direct, if I miscarried. This they all engaged to do, and
entered into writings or covenants to do so and I made a formal
will, disposing of my plantation and effects, in case of my death;
making the captain of the ship that had saved my life as before, my
universal heir; but obliging him to dispose of my effects as I had
directed in my will; one half of the produce being to himself, and
the other to be shipped in England.
In short, I took all possible caution to preserve my effects, and to
keep up my plantation: had I used half as much prudence to have
looked into my own interest, and have made a judgment of what I
ought to have done and not to have done, I had certainly never
gone away from so prosperous an undertaking, leaving all the pro-
bable views of a thriving circumstance, and gone upon a voyage to
sea, attended with all its common hazards, to say nothing of the
reasons I had to expect particular misfortunes to myself.
But I was hurried on, and obeyed blindly the dictates of my
fancy, rather than my reason: and accordingly, the ship being fitted
out, and the cargo furnished, and all things done as by agreement, by
my partners in the voyage, I went on board in an evil hour, the 1st
of September, 1659, being the same day eight year that I went from
my father and mother at Hull, in order to act the rebel to their
authority, and the fool to my own interest.
Our ship was about one hundred and twenty ton burden, carried
guns, and fourteen men, besides the master, his boy, and myself;
we had on board no large cargo of goods, except of such toys as
six
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
45
were fit for our trade with the Negroes, such as beads, bits of glass,
shells, and other trifles, especially little looking-glasses, knives,
scissors, hatchets, and the like.
The same day I went on board we set sail, standing away to the
northward upon our own coast, with design to stretch over for the
African coast, when they came about ten or twelve degrees of
northern latitude, which, it seems, was the manner of their course in
those days. We had very good weather, only excessive hot, all the
way upon our own coast, till we came to the height of Cape St.
Augustino; from whence, keeping further off at sea, we lost sight
of land, and steered as if we were bound for the isle Fernando de
Noronha, holding our course N.E. by N., and leaving those isles on
the east. In this course we passed the line in about twelve days'
time, and were, by our last observation, in 7 degrees 22 minutes
northern latitude, when a violent tornado, or hurricane, took us quite
out of our knowledge; it began from the south-east, came about to
the north-west, and then settled in the north-east; from whence it
blew in such a terrible manner, that for twelve days together we
could do nothing but drive, and, scudding away before it, let it carry
us whither ever fate and the fury of the winds directed; and, during
these twelve days, I need not say that I expected every day to be
swallowed up; nor, indeed, did any in the ship expect to save their
lives.
In this distress, we had, besides the terror of the storm, one of
our men die of the calenture, and one man and the boy washed
overboard. About the twelfth day, the weather abating a little, the
master made an observation as well as he could, and found that he
was in about 11 degrees north latitude, but that he was 22 degrees
of longitude difference west from Cape St. Augustina; so that he
found he was gotten upon the coast of Guiana, or the north part of
Brasil, beyond the river Amazons, towards that of the river
Oroonoque, commonly called the Great River; and began to consult
with me what course he should take, for the ship was leaky and
very much disabled, and he was going directly back to the coast of
Brasil.
E
46
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES.
I was positively against that; and looking over the charts of the
sea-coast of America with him, we concluded there was no inhabited
country for us to have recourse to, till we came within the circle of
the Caribbee islands, and therefore resolved to stand away for
Barbadoes; which, by keeping off at sea, to avoid the in-draft of the
bay or gulf of Mexico, we might easily perform, as we hoped, in
about fifteen days' sail; whereas we could not possibly make our
voyage to the coast of Africa without some assistance, both to our
ship and to ourselves.
With this design, we changed our course, and steered away
N.W. by W., in order to reach some of our English islands, where
I hoped for relief: but our voyage was otherwise determined; for,
being in the latitude of 12 degrees 18 minutes, a second storm came
upon us, which carried us away with the same impetuosity westward,
and drove us so out of the way of all human commerce, that had all
our lives been saved as to the sea, we were rather in danger of being
devoured by savages than ever returning to our own country.
In this distress, the wind still blowing very hard, one of our men
early in the morning cried out, "Land!" and we had no sooner run
out of the cabin to look out, in hopes of seeing whereabouts in the
world we were, but the ship struck upon a sand, and in a moment,
her motion being so stopped, the sea broke over her in such a manner,
that we expected we should all have perished immediately; and we
were immediately driven into our close quarters, to shelter us from
the very foam and spray of the sea.
It is not easy for any one, who has not been in the like condition,
to describe or conceive the consternation of men in such circum-
stances. We knew nothing where we were, or upon what land it was
we were driven; whether an island or the main, whether inhabited
or not inhabited; and as the rage of the wind was still great, though
rather less than at first, we could not so much as hope to have
the ship hold many minutes, without breaking in pieces, unless the
winds, by a kind of miracle, should turn immediately about. In a
word, we sat looking upon one another, and expecting death every
moment; and every man acting accordingly, as preparing for another
OF ROBINSON CRusoe.
47
world; for there was little or nothing more for us to do in this: that
which was our present comfort, and all the comfort we had, was, that,
contrary to our expectation, the ship did not break yet, and that the
master said the wind began to abate.
Now, though we thought that the wind did a little abate, yet the
ship having thus struck upon the sand, and sticking too fast for us
to expect her getting off, we were in a dreadful condition indeed, and
had nothing to do but to think of saving our lives as well as we could.
We had a boat at our stern just before the storm, but she was first
staved by dashing against the ship's rudder, and, in the next place,
she broke away, and either sunk, or was driven off to sea; so there
was no hope from her. We had another boat on board, but how to
get her off into the sea was a doubtful thing; however, there was no
room to debate, for we fancied the ship would break in pieces every
minute, and some told us she was actually broken already.
In this distress, the mate of our vessel lays hold of the boat, and
with the help of the rest of the men, they got her slung over the
ship's side; and getting all into her, let go, and committed ourselves,
being eleven in number, to God's mercy, and the wild sea: for
though the storm was abated considerably, yet the sea went dreadful
high upon the shore, and might be well called den wild zee, as the
Dutch call the sea in a storm.
And now our case was very dismal indeed; for we all saw plainly,
that the sea went so high, that the boat could not live, and that we
should be inevitably drowned. As to making sail, we had none: nor,
if we had, could we have done any thing with it; so we worked at
the oar towards the land, though with heavy hearts, like men going
to execution; for we all knew that when the boat came nearer the
shore, she would be dashed in a thousand pieces by the breach of the
However, we committed our souls to God in the most earnest
manner; and the wind driving us towards the shore, we hastened our
destruction with our own hands, pulling as well as we could towards
land.
sea.
What the shore was, whether rock or sand, whether steep or
shoal, we knew not; the only hope that could rationally give us the
48
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

"
SEANS S
least shadow of expectation, was, if we might happen in some bay or
gulf, or the mouth of some river, where by great chance we might
have run our boat in, or got under the lee of the land, and perhaps
made smooth water. But there was nothing of this appeared; but
as we made nearer and nearer the shore, the land looked more
frightful than the sea.
After we had rowed or rather driven, about a league and a half,
as we reckoned it, a raging wave, mountain-like, came rolling astern
of us, and plainly bade us expect the coup de grace. In a word, it
took us with such a fury, that it overset the boat at once; and sepa-
rating us, as well from the boat as from one another, gave us not
time hardly to say, "O God!" for we were all swallowed up in a
moment.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
49
Nothing can describe the confusion of thought which I felt, when
I sunk into the water; for though I swam very well, yet I could not
deliver myself from the waves so as to draw breath, till that wave
having driven me, or rather carried me, a vast way on towards the
shore, and having spent itself, went back, and left me upon the land
almost dry, but half dead with the water I took in. I had so much
presence of mind, as well as breath left, that seeing myself nearer the
main land than I expected, I got upon my feet, and endeavoured to
make on towards the land as fast as I could, before another wave
should return and take me up again; but I soon found it was
impossible to avoid it; for I saw the sea come after me as high
as a great hill, and as furious as an enemy, which I had no
means or strength to contend with my business was to hold my
breath, and raise myself upon the water, if I could; and so, by
swimming, to preserve my breathing, and pilot myself towards the
shore, if possible; my greatest concern now being, that the sea,
as it would carry me a great way towards the shore when it came
on, might not carry me back again with it when it gave back
towards the sea.
The wave that came upon me again, buried me at once twenty or
thirty feet deep in its own body, and I could feel myself carried with
a mighty force and swiftness towards the shore a very great way;
but I held my breath, and assisted myself to swim still forward with
all my might. I was ready to burst with holding my breath, when,
as I felt myself rising up, so, to my immediate relief, I found my
head and hands shoot out above the surface of the water; and
though it was not two seconds of time that I could keep myself so,
yet it relieved me greatly, gave me breath and new courage. I was
covered again with water a good while, but not so long but I held it
out; and finding the water had spent itself, and began to return, I
struck forward against the return of the waves, and felt ground again.
with my feet. I stood still a few moments, to recover breath, and
till the waters went from me, and then took to my heels and ran,
with what strength I had, further towards the shore. But neither
would this deliver me from the fury of the sea, which came pouring
E 2
50
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
in after me again; and twice more I was lifted up by the waves and
carried forwards as before, the shore being very flat.
The last time of these two had well nigh been fatal to me; for
the sea having hurried me along, as before, landed me, or rather
dashed me, against a piece of a rock, and that with such force, as it
left me senseless, and indeed helpless, as to my own deliverance; for
the blow taking my side and breast, beat the breath, as it were, quite
out of my body; and had it returned again immediately, I must have
been strangled in the water: but I recovered a little before the
return of the waves, and seeing I should be covered again with the
water, I resolved to hold fast by a piece of the rock, and so to hold
my breath, if possible, till the wave went back. Now, as the waves
were not so high as at first, being nearer land, I held my hold till
the wave abated, and then fetched another run, which brought
me so near the shore, that the next wave, though it went over
me, yet did not so swallow me up as to carry me away; and
the next run I took, I got to the main land; where, to my great
comfort, I clambered up the cliffs of the shore, and sat me down
upon the grass, free from danger, and quite out of the reach of
the water.
very
I was now landed, and safe on shore, and began to look up and
thank God that my life was saved, in a case wherein there was,
some minutes before, scarce any room to hope. I believe it is im-
possible to express, to the life, what the ecstacies and transports
of the soul are, when it is so saved, as I may say, out of the
grave and I do not wonder now at the custom, viz., that when a
malefactor, who has the halter about his neck, is tied up, and just
going to be turned off, and has a reprieve brought to him; I say,
I do not wonder that they bring a surgeon with it, to let him blood
that very moment they tell him of it, that the surprise may not
drive the animal spirits from the heart, and overwhelm him.
For sudden joys, like griefs, confound at first.
I walked about on the shore, lifting up my hands; and my whole
being, as I may say, wrapt up in a contemplation of my deliver-

I clambered up the cliffs of the shore, and sat me down upon the grass.
EARS.SC
}
1
1
i
51
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
ance; making a thousand gestures and motions, which I cannot
describe; reflecting upon all my comrades that were drowned, and
that there should not be one soul saved but 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 round me, to see what kind of place I
was in, and what was next to be done; and I soon found my com-
forts abate, and that, in a word, I had a dreadful deliverance: 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 perishing with hunger, or being devoured by wild beasts:
and that which was particularly afflicting to me was, that I had no
weapon, either to hunt and kill any creature for my sustenance, or
to defend myself against any other creature that might desire to
kill me for theirs. In a word, I had nothing about me but a knife,
a tobacco-pipe, and a little tobacco in a box. This was all my pro-
vision; and this threw me into terrible agonies of mind, that, for a
while, I ran about like a madman. Night coming upon me, I began,
with a heavy heart, to consider what would be my lot if there were
any ravenous beasts in that country, seeing at night they always
come abroad for their prey.
All the remedy that offered to my thoughts, at that time, was
to get up into a thick bushy tree, like a fir, but thorny, which grew
near me, and where I resolved to sit all night, and consider the
next day what death I should die, for as yet I saw no prospect of
life. I walked about a furlong from the shore, to see if I could find
any fresh water to drink, which I did, to my great joy; and having
drank, and put a little tobacco in my mouth to prevent hunger,
I went to the tree, and getting up into it, endeavoured to place
myself so as 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
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
52

ADOLPHE BEST.
lodging; and having been excessively fatigued, I fell fast asleep,
and slept as comfortably as, I believe, few could have done in my
condition; and found myself the most refreshed with it that I think
I ever was on such an occasion.
When I waked it was broad day, the weather clear, and the
storm abated, so that the sea did not rage and swell as before; but
that which surprised me most was, that the ship was lifted off in the
night from the sand where she lay, by the swelling of the tide, and
was driven up almost as far as the rock which I at first mentioned,
where I had been so bruised by the wave dashing 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, that
at least I might save some necessary things for my use.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
53
When I came down from my apartment in the tree, I looked
about me again, and the first thing I found was the boat; which
lay, as the wind and sea had tossed her up, upon the land, about
two miles on my right hand. I walked as far as I could upon the
shore to have got to her; but found a neck, or inlet, of water
between me and the boat, which was about half a mile broad; so I
came back for the present, being more intent upon getting at the
ship, where I hoped to find something for my present subsistence.
A little after noon, I found the sea very calm, and the tide ebbed
so far out, that I could come within a quarter of a mile of the ship:
and here I found a fresh renewing of my grief; for I saw evidently,
that if we had kept on board, we had been all safe; that is to say,
we had all got safe on shore, and I had not been so miserable as to
be left entirely destitute of all comfort and company, as I now was.
This forced tears from my eyes again; but as there was little relief
in that, I resolved, if possible, to get to the ship; so I pulled off my
clothes, for the weather was hot to extremity, and took the water;
but when I came to the ship, my difficulty was still greater to know
how to get on board; for as she lay aground, and high out of the
water, there was nothing within my reach to lay hold of.
I swam
round her twice, and the second time I spied a small piece of rope,
which I wondered I did not see at first, hang down by the fore-chains
so low, as that, with great difficulty, I got hold of it, and by the help
of that rope I got up into the forecastle of the ship. Here I found
that the ship was bulged, and had a great deal of water in her hold;
but that she lay so on the side of a bank of hard sand, or rather
earth, that her stern lay lifted up upon the bank, and her head low,
almost to the water. By this means all her quarter was free, and
all that was in that part was dry; for you may be sure my first
work was to search and to see what was spoiled and what was free:
and, first, I found that all the ship's provisions were dry and un-
touched by the water; and being very well disposed to eat, I went
to the bread-room, and filled my pockets with biscuit, and eat it
as I went about other things, for I had no time to lose. I also
found some rum in the great cabin, of which I took a large dram,
54
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
and which I had indeed need enough of to spirit me for what was
before me.
Now I wanted nothing but a boat, to furnish myself
with many things which I foresaw would be very necessary to me.
It was in vain to sit still and wish for what was not to be had;
and this extremity roused my application: we had several spare
yards, and two or three large spars of wood, and a spare top-mast or
two in the ship; I resolved to fall to work with these, and I flung
as many of them overboard as I could manage for their weight, tying
every one with a rope, that they might not drive away. When this
was done, I went down the ship's side, and pulling them to me, I tied
four of them together at both ends, as well as I could, in the form of
a raft, and laying two or three short pieces of plank upon them,
cross-ways, I found I could walk upon it very well, but that it was
not able to bear any great weight, the pieces being too light: so I
went to work, and with the carpenter's saw I cut a spare top-mast
into three lengths, and added them to my raft, with a great deal of
labour and pains. But the hope of furnishing myself with necessa-
ries, encouraged me to go beyond what I should have been able to
have done upon another occasion.
My raft was now strong enough to bear any reasonable weight.
My next care was what to load it with, and how to preserve what I
laid upon it from the surf of the sea; but I was not long considering
this. I first laid all the plank or boards upon it that I could get, and
having considered well what I most wanted, I first got three of the
seamen's chests, which I had broken open and emptied, and lowered
them down upon my raft; the first of these I filled with provisions
viz. bread, rice, three Dutch cheeses, five pieces of dried goats' flesh
(which we lived much upon), and a little remainder of European corn,
which had been laid by for some fowls which we brought to sea with
us, but the fowls were killed. There had been some barley and
wheat together, but to my great disappointment, 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 waters; and, in all, about five or six gallons of rack. These
I stowed by themselves, there being no need to put them into the
OF ROBINSON CRusoe.
55
chest, nor no room for them. While I was doing this, 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 shore, upon
the sand, swim away; as for my breeches, which were only linen,
and open-knee'd, 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 I wanted for present use, for I had
other things which my eye was more upon; as, first, tools to work
with on shore and it was after long searching that I found out the
carpenter's chest, which was indeed a very useful prize to me, and
much more valuable than a ship-lading of gold would have been at
that time. I got it down to my raft, even whole as it was, without
losing time to look into it, for I knew in general what it contained.

a Mat Pagl
56
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
My next care was for some ammunition and arms.
There were
two very good fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and two pistols;
these I secured first, with some powder-horns and a small bag of
shot, and two old rusty swords. I knew there were three barrels of
powder in the ship, but knew not where our gunner had stowed
them; but with much search I found them, two of them dry and
good, the third had taken water. Those two I got to my raft, with
the arms. And now I thought myself pretty well freighted, and
began to think how I should get to shore with them, having neither
sail, oar, or rudder; and the least cap-full of wind would have over-
set all my navigation.
I had three encouragements: 1st, a smooth, calm sea; 2dly,
the tide rising, and setting in to the shore; 3rdly, what little wind
there was blew me towards the land. And thus, having found two
or three broken oars belonging to the boat, and besides the tools
which were in the chest, I found two saws, an axe, and a hammer;
and with this cargo I put to sea. For a mile, or thereabouts, my
raft went very well, only that I found it drive a little distant from
the place where I had landed before; by which I perceived that
there was some indraft of the water, and consequently I hoped to
find some creek or river there, which I might make use of as a port
to get to land with my cargo.
As I imagined, so it was: there appeared before me a little
opening of the land, and I found a strong current of the tide set
into it; so I guided my raft, as well as I could, to keep in the
middle of the stream.
But here I had like to have suffered a second shipwreck, which,
if I had, I think verily would have broke my heart; for, knowing
nothing of the coast, my raft ran aground at one end of it upon a
shoal, and not being aground at the other end, it wanted but a little
that all my cargo had slipped off towards the end that was afloat, and
so fallen into the water. I did my utmost by setting my back against
the chests, to keep them in their places, but could not thrust off the
raft with all my strength; neither durst I stir from the posture I was
in; but, holding up the chests with all my might, I stood in that

I thrust her off with the oar I had into the channel.
QUANTLE.SE
!
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
57
manner near half an hour, in which time the rising of the water
brought me a little more upon a level; and a little after, the
water still rising, my raft floated again, and I thrust her off with the
oar I had into the channel, and then driving up higher, I at length
found myself in the mouth of a little river, with land on both sides,
and a strong current or tide running up. I looked on both sides for
a proper place to get to shore, for I was not willing to be driven too
high up the river; hoping, in time, to see some ship at sea, and
therefore resolved to place myself as near the coast as I could.
At length I spied a little cove on the right shore of the creek, to
which, with great pain and difficulty, I guided my raft, and at last
got so near, as that reaching ground with my oar, I could thrust her
directly in; but here I had like to have dipped all my cargo into the
sea again; for that shore lying pretty steep,-that is to say, sloping,
-there was no place to land, but where one end of my float, if it ran
on shore, would lie so high, and the other sink lower, as before, that
it would endanger my cargo again. All that I could do, was to wait
till the tide was at the highest, keeping the raft with my oar like an
anchor, to hold the side of it fast to the shore, near a flat piece of
ground, which I expected the water would flow over; and so it did.
As soon as I found water enough, for my raft drew about a foot of
water, I thrust her on upon that flat piece of ground, and there
fastened or moored her, by sticking my two broken oars into the
ground; one on one side, near one end, and one on the other side,
near the other end: and thus I lay till the water ebbed away, and
left my raft and all my cargo safe on shore.
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 travelled for discovery up
58
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to the top of that hill; where, after I had, with great labour 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; no land
to be seen except some rocks, which lay a great way off, and two
small islands, less than this, which lay about three leagues to the
west.
I found also that the island I was in was barren; and, as I saw
good reason to believe, uninhabited, except by wild beasts, of whom,
however, I saw none; yet I saw abundance of fowls, but knew not
their kinds; neither, when I killed them, could I tell what was fit
for food, and what not. At my coming back, I shot at a great bird,
which I saw sitting upon a tree, on the side of a great wood. I
believe it was the first gun that had been fired there since the crea-
tion of the world: I had no sooner fired, but from all the parts of
the wood, there arose an innumerable number of fowls, of many sorts,
making a confused screaming, and crying, every one according to his
usual note; but not one of them of any kind that I knew. As for
the creature I killed, I took it to be a kind of a hawk, its colour and
beak resembling it; but it had no talons or claws more than common.
Its flesh was carrion, and fit for nothing.
:
Contented with this discovery, I came back to my raft, and fell
to work to bring my cargo on shore, which took me up the rest of
that day what to do with myself at night I knew not, nor indeed
where to rest; for I was afraid to lie down on the ground, not
knowing but some wild beast might devour me; though, as I after-
wards found, there was really no need for those fears.
However, as well as I could, I barricadoed myself round with the
chests and boards that I had brought on shore, and made a kind of a
hut for that night's lodging. As for food, I yet saw not which way
to supply myself, except that I had seen two or three creatures, like
hares, run out of the wood where I shot the fowl.
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 voyage on board the vessel, if
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
59
possible. And as I knew that the first storm that blew must neces-
sarily break her all in pieces, I resolved to set all other things apart,
till I had got every thing out of the ship that I could get. Then I
called a council,—that is to say, in my thoughts,—whether I should
take back the raft; but this appeared impracticable: so I resolved
to go as before, when the tide was down; and I did so, only that I
stripped before I went from my hut; having nothing on but a che-
quered shirt, a pair of linen drawers, and a pair of pumps on my feet,
I got on board the ship as before, and prepared a second raft;
and, having had experience of the first, I neither made this so
unwieldy, nor loaded it so hard, but yet I brought away several
things very useful to me; as, first, in the carpenter's stores, I found
two or three bags full of nails and spikes, a great screw-jack, a dozen
or two of hatchets; and, above all, that most useful thing called a
grindstone. All these I secured, together with several things belong-
ing to the gunner; particularly 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 great comfort.
I was under some apprehension, during my absence from the
land, that at least my provisions might be devoured on shore: but
when I came back, I found no sign of any visiter; only there sat a
creature like a wild cat, upon one of the chests, which, when I came
towards it, ran away a little distance, and then stood still. She sat
very composed and unconcerned, and looked full in my face, as if she
had a mind to be acquainted with me. I presented my gun to her,
but, as she did not 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, I was not very free of it, for my store
was not great: however, I spared her a bit, I say, and she went to it,
60
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
smelled of 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 fain 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; and spread-
ing 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, for I was very weary and heavy; for the
night before I had slept little, and had laboured very hard all day, as
well to fetch all those things from the ship, as to get them on shore.
I had the biggest magazine of all kinds now that ever was laid up
I believe, for one man: but I was not satisfied still: for while the
ship sat upright in that posture, I thought I ought to get everything
out of her that I could: so every day, at low water, I went on board,
and brought away something or other; but particularly the third
time I went, I brought away as much of the rigging as I could, as
also all the small ropes and rope-twine I could get, with a piece of
spare canvass, 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 be
sails, but as mere canvass only.
But that which comforted me more still, 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 hogshead of bread, and
three large runlets of rum, or spirits, and a box of sugar, and a
barrel of fine flour; this was surprising to me, because I had given
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
61
over expecting any more provisions, except what was spoiled by the
water. I soon emptied the hogshead of that bread, and wrapped it
up, parcel by parcel, in pieces of the sails, which I cut out; and, in
a word, I got all this safe on shore also.
The next day I made another voyage, and now, having plundered
the ship of what was portable and fit to hand out, I began with the
cables, and cutting the great cable into pieces, such as I could move,
I got two cables and a hawser on shore, with all the iron-work I could
get; and having cut down the spritsail-yard, and the mizen-yard,
and everything I could, to make a large raft, I loaded it with all
those heavy goods, and came away; but my good luck began now
to leave me; for this raft was so unwieldy, and so overladen, that
after I was entered the little cove, where I had landed the rest of my
goods, not being able to guide it so handily as I did the other, it
overset, and threw me and all my cargo into the water; as for myself,
it was no great harm, for I was near the shore; but as to my cargo,
it was a great part of it lost, especially the iron, which I expected
would have been of great use to me: however, when the tide was
out, I got most of the pieces of cable ashore, and some of the iron,
though with infinite labour; for I was fain to dip for it into the
water, a work which fatigued me very much. After this, I went
every day on board, and brought away what I could get.
I had been now thirteen days on shore, and had been eleven times
on board the ship; in which time I had brought away all that one
pair of hands could well be supposed capable to bring; though I
believe verily, had the calm weather held, I should have brought
away the whole ship, piece by piece; but preparing the twelfth time
to go on board, I found the wind began to rise: however, at low
water, I went on board; and though I thought I had rummaged the
cabin so effectually, as that nothing more could be found, yet I dis-
covered a locker with drawers in it, in one of which I found two or
three razors, and one pair of large scissors, with some ten or a dozen
of good knives and forks: in another I found about thirty-six pounds
value in money,-some European coin, some Brasil, some pieces-
of-eight, some gold, and some silver.
62
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

ソン
​I smiled to myself at the sight of this money: "O drug!" said I
aloud, "what art thou good for?
Thou art not worth to me,-no,
:
not the taking off of the ground; one of those knives is worth all
this heap I have no manner of use for thee; e'en remain where
thou art, and go to the bottom, as a creature whose life is not worth
saving." However, upon second thoughts, I took it away; and
wrapping all this in a piece of canvass, I began to think of making
another raft; but while I was preparing this, I found the sky over-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
63
cast, and the wind began to rise, and in a quarter of an hour it blew
a fresh gale from the shore. It presently occurred to me, that it
was in vain to pretend to make a raft with the wind off shore; and
that it was my business to be gone before the tide of flood began,
otherwise I might not be able to reach the shore at all. Accordingly,
I let myself down into the water, and swam across the channel which
lay between the ship and the sands, and even that with difficulty
enough, partly with the weight of the things I had about me, and
partly the roughness of the water; for the wind rose very hastily,
and before it was quite high water it blew a storm.
But I was gotten home to my little tent, where I lay, with all
my wealth about me very secure. It blew very hard all that night,
and in the morning, when I looked out, behold, no more ship was to
be seen! I was a little surprised, but recovered myself with this
satisfactory reflection, viz., that I had lost no time, nor abated no
diligence, to get everything out of her that could be useful to me;
and that, indeed, there was little left in her that I was able to bring
away, if I had had more time.
I now gave over any more thoughts of the ship, or of anything
out of her, except what might drive on shore from her wreck; as,
indeed, divers pieces of her afterwards did; but those things were of
small use to me.
My thoughts were now wholly employed about securing myself
against either savages, if any should appear, or wild beasts, if any
were in the island; and I had many thoughts of the method how to
do this, and what kind of dwelling to make,-whether I should
make me a cave in the earth, or a tent upon the earth: and, in short,
I resolved upon both; the manner and description of which, it may
not be improper to give an account of.
I soon found the place I was in was not for my settlement, par-
ticularly because it was upon a low, moorish ground, near the sea,
and I believed it would not be wholesome; and more particularly
because there was no fresh water near it; so I resolved to find a
more healthy and more convenient spot of ground.
I consulted several things in my situation, which I found would
64
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
be proper for me: 1st, health and fresh water, I just now
mentioned: 2ndly, shelter from the heat of the sun: 3rdly, security
from ravenous creatures, whether men or beasts: 4thly, a view to the
sea, that if God sent any ship in sight, I might not lose any advantage
for my deliverance, of which I was not willing to banish all my
expectation yet.
In search of a place proper for this, I found a little plain on the
side of a rising hill, whose front towards this little plain was steep as
a house-side, so that nothing could come down upon me from the
top. On the side of the rock there was a hollow place, worn a little
way in, like the entrance or door of a cave; but there was not really
any cave, or way into the rock, at all.
On the flat of the green, just before this hollow place, I resolved
to pitch my tent. This plain was not above a 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. It was on the N. N. W. side of the hill;
so that it was sheltered from the heat every day, till it came to a
W. and by S. sun, or thereabouts, which, in those countries, is near
the setting.
Before I set up my tent, I drew a half-circle before the hollow
place, which took in about ten yards in its semi-diameter, from the
rock, and twenty yards in its diameter, from its beginning and
ending.
In this half-circle I pitched two rows of strong stakes, driving
them into the ground till they stood very firm like piles, the biggest
end being out of the ground about five feet and a-half and sharpened
on the top. The two rows did not stand above six inches from one
another.
Then I took the pieces of cable which I had cut in the ship, and
laid them in rows, one upon another, within the circle, between these
two rows of stakes, up to the top, placing other stakes in the inside,
leaning against them, about two feet and a-half high, like a spur to
a post; and this fence was so strong, that neither man nor beast
could get into it or over it. This cost me a great deal of time and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
65

寳寳
​167
Designe
labour, especially to cut the piles in the woods, bring them to the
place, and drive them into the earth.
The entrance into this place I made to be not by a door, but by
a short ladder to go over the top; which ladder, when I was in, I
lifter over after me; and so I was completely fenced in and forti-
fied, as I thought, from all the world, and consequently slept secure
in the night, which otherwise I could not have done; though, as it
appeared afterwards, there was no need of all this caution from the
enemies that I apprehended danger from.
66
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Into this fence, or fortress, with infinite labour, I carried all my
riches, all my provisions, ammunition, and stores, of which you have
the account above; and I made me a large tent, which, to preserve
me from the rains, that in one part of the year are very violent there,
I made double, viz., one smaller tent within, and one larger tent
above it; and covered the uppermost with a large tarpaulin, which
I had saved among the sails.
And now I lay no more for a while in the bed which I had
brought on shore, but in a hammock, which was indeed a very good
one, and belonged to the mate of the ship.
Into this tent I brought all my provisions, and everything that
would spoil by the wet; and having thus enclosed all my goods, I
made up the entrance which till now I had left open, and so passed
and repassed, as I said, by a short ladder.
When I had done this, I began to work my way into the rock,
and bringing all the earth and stones that I dug down out through
my tent, I laid them up within my fence, in the nature of a terrace,
so that it raised the ground within about a foot and a half; and
thus I made me a cave, just behind my tent, which served me like a
cellar to my house.
It cost me much labour and many days before all these things
were brought to perfection; and therefore I must go back to some
other things which took up some of my thoughts.
At the same
time, it happened, after I had laid my scheme for the setting up my
tent, and making the cave, that a storm of rain falling from a thick,
dark cloud, a sudden flash of lightning happened, and after that,
a great clap of thunder, as is naturally the effect of it; I was
not so much surprised with the lightning, as I was with a thought
which darted into my mind as swift as the lightning itself: O my
powder! My very heart sank within me when I thought that, at
one blast, all my powder might be destroyed; on which, not my
defence only, but the providing me food, as I thought, entirely
depended. I was nothing near so anxious about my own danger,
though, had the powder took fire, I had never known who had
hurt me.

I presently discovered that there were goats in the island.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
67
Such impression did this make upon me, that after the storm was
over, I laid aside all my works, my building and fortifying, and ap-
plied myself to make bags and boxes, to separate the powder, and to
keep it a little and a little in a parcel, in hope that whatever might
come, it might not all take fire at once; and to keep it so apart, that
it should not be possible to make one part fire another. I finished
this work in about a fortnight; and I think my powder, which in all
was about two hundred and forty pounds weight, was divided in not
less than a hundred parcels. As to the barrel that had been wet,
I did not apprehend any danger from that; so I placed it in my new
cave, which, in my fancy, I called my kitchen; and the rest I hid up
and down in holes among the rocks, so that no wet might come to
it, marking very carefully where I laid it.
In the interval of time while this was doing, I went out once at
least every day with my gun, as well to divert myself, as to see if I
could kill anything fit for food; and, as near as I could, to acquaint
myself with what the island produced. The first time I went out, I
presently discovered that there were goats in the island, which was a
great satisfaction to me; but then it was attended with this misfortune
to me, viz., that they were so shy, so subtle, and so swift of foot, that
it was the difficultest thing in the world to come at them: but I was
not discouraged at this, not doubting but I might now and then shoot.
one, as it soon happened; for after I had found their haunts a little,
I laid wait in this manner for them: I observed if they saw me in
the valleys, though they were upon the rocks, they would run away,
as in a terrible fright; but if they were feeding in the valleys, and I
was upon the rocks, they took no notice of me; from whence I con-
cluded, that by the position of their optics, their sight was so
directed downward, that they did not readily see objects that
were above them: so, afterwards, I took this method,-I always
climbed the rocks first, to get above them, and then had frequently
a fair mark.
The first shot I made among these creatures, I killed a she-goat,
which had a little kid by her, which she gave suck to, which grieved
me heartily; but when the old one fell, the kid stood stock still by
1
68
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
1
her, till I came and took her up; and not only so, but when I
carried the old one with me, upon my shoulders, the kid followed
me quite to my enclosure; upon which, I laid down the dam, and
took the kid in my arms, and carried it over my pale, in hopes to
have bred it up tame; but it would not eat; so I was forced to kill
it, and ate it myself. These two supplied me with flesh a great while,
for I eat sparingly, and saved my provisions, my bread especially, as
much as possibly I could.
Having now fixed my habitation, I found it absolutely necessary
to provide a place to make a fire in, and fuel to burn; and what I
did for that, as also how I enlarged my cave, and what conveniences
I made, I shall give a full acccount of in its place: but I must now
give some little account of myself, and of my thoughts about living,
which, it may well be supposed, were not a few.
I had a dismal prospect of my condition, for as I was not cast
away upon that island without being driven, as is said, by a violent
storm, quite out of the course of our intended voyage, and a great
way, viz., some hundreds of leagues, out of the ordinary course of
the trade of mankind, I had great reason to consider it as a determi-
nation of Heaven, that in this desolate place, and in this desolate
manner, I should end my life. The tears would run plentifully down
my face when I made these reflections; and sometimes I would
expostulate with myself why Providence should thus completely ruin
its creatures, and render them so absolutely miserable; so without
help, abandoned, so entirely depressed, that it could hardly be
rational to be thankful for such a life.
But something always returned swift upon me to check these
thoughts, and to reprove me and particularly, one day, walking
with my gun in my hand, by the sea-side, I was very pensive upon
the subject of my present condition, when reason, as it were, expos-
tulated with me the other way, thus: "Well, you are in a desolate
condition, it is true; but, pray remember, where are the rest of you?
Did not you come eleven of you into the boat? Where are the ten?
Why were not they saved, and you lost? Why were you singled
out? Is it better to be here or there?" And then I pointed to the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
69
sea.
All evils are to be considered with the good that is in them,
and with what worse attends them.
Then it occurred to me again, how well I was furnished for my
subsistence, and what would have been my case if it had not hap-
pened (which was a hundred thousand to one) that the ship floated
from the place where she first struck, and was driven so near to the
shore, that I had time to get all these things out of her: what would
have been my case, if I had been to have lived in the condition in
which I at first came on shore, without necessaries of life, or neces-
saries to supply and procure them? "Particularly," said I, aloud
(though to myself), "what should I have done without a gun, without
ammunition, without any tools to make anything, or to work with,
without clothes, bedding, a tent, or any manner of covering?" and
that now I had all these to a sufficient quantity, and was in a fair
way to provide myself in such a manner as to live without my gun,
when my ammunition was spent: so that I had a tolerable view of
subsisting, without any want, as long as I lived; for I considered,
from the beginning, how I would provide for the accidents that might
happen, and for the time that was to come, even not only after my
ammunition should be spent, but even after my health and strength
should decay.
I confess, I had not entertained any notion of my ammunition
being destroyed at one blast,—I mean my powder being blown up by
lightning; and this made the thoughts of it so surprising to me, when
it lightened and thundered, as I observed just now.
And now being to enter into a melancholy relation of a scene of
silent life, such, perhaps, as was never heard of in the world before,
I shall take it from its beginning, and continue it in its order. It
was, by my account, the 30th of September, when, in the manner as
above said, I first set foot upon this horrid island; when the sun
being to us in its autumnal equinox, was almost just over my head:
for I reckoned myself, by observation, to be in the latitude of 9
degrees 22 minutes north of the Line.
After I had been there about ten or twelve days, it came into my
thoughts, that I should lose my reckoning of time for want of books,
70
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

I CAME ON
SHORE HERE ON
THE 30TH OF
SEPTEMBER, 1659
F
bert
and
pen and ink, and should even forget the sabbath days 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
it up on the shore where I first landed, viz., "I came on shore here
on the 30th of September, 1659."
Upon the sides of this square post I cut every day a notch with
my knife, and every seventh notch was as long again as the rest, and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
71
every first day of the month as long again as that long one; and
thus I kept my calendar, or weekly, monthly, and yearly reckoning
of time.
In the next place, we are to observe that among the many things
which I brought out of the ship, in the several voyages which, as
above mentioned, I made to it, I got several things of less value, but
not all less useful to me, which I omitted setting down before; as,
in particular, pens, ink, and paper; several parcels in the captain's,
mate's, gunner's, and carpenter's keeping; three or four compasses,
some mathematical instruments, dials, perspectives, charts, and books
of navigation; all which I huddled together, whether I might want
them or no also I found three very good bibles, which came to me
in my cargo from England, and which I had packed up among my
things; some Portuguese books also; and, among them, two or three
Popish prayer books, and several other books, all which I carefully
secured. And I must not forget, that we had in the ship a dog,
and two cats, of whose eminent history I may have occasion to say
something, in its place: for I carried both the cats with me; and as
for the dog, he jumped out of the ship of himself, and swam on shore
to me the day after I went on shore with my first cargo, and was a
trusty servant to me many years; I wanted nothing that he could
fetch me, nor any company that he could make up to me; I only
wanted to have him talk to me, but that would not do. As I
observed before, I found pens, ink, and paper, and I husbanded them
to the utmost; and I shall shew that while my ink lasted, I kept
things very exact, but after that was gone I could not; for I could
not make any ink, by any means that I could devise.
And this put me in mind that I wanted many things, notwith-
standing all that I had amassed together; and of these, this of ink
was one; as also a spade, pick-axe, and shovel, to dig or remove the
earth; needles, pins, and thread: as for linen, I soon learned to want
that without much difficulty.
This want of tools made every work I did go on heavily; and it
was near a whole year before I had entirely finished my little pale, or
surrounded my habitation. The piles or stakes, which were as
72
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
1
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 bringing home one of those posts,
and a third day in driving it into the ground; for which purpose, I
got a heavy piece of wood at first, but at last bethought myself of
one of the iron crows; which, however, though I found it, yet it
made driving those posts or piles very laborious and tedious work.
But what need I have been concerned at the tediousness of anything
I had to do, seeing I had time enough to do it in? nor had I any
other employment, if that had been over, at least that I could foresee,
except the ranging the island to seek for food, which I did, more or
less, every day.
I now began to consider seriously my condition, and the circum-
ştance I was reduced to; and I drew up the state of my affairs in
writing, not so much to leave them to any that were to come after
me, for I was like to have but few heirs, as to deliver my thoughts
from daily poring upon them, and afflicting my mind: and as my
reason began now to master my despondency, I began to comfort
myself as well as I could, and to set the good against the evil, that I
might have something to distinguish my case from worse; and I
stated it very impartially, like debtor and creditor,-the comforts I
enjoyed against the miseries I suffered, thus:-
EVIL.
I am cast upon a horrible, de-
solate island, void of all hope of
recovery.
I am singled out and separated,
as it were, from all the world, to be
miserable.
I am divided from mankind,—a
solitaire; one banished from human
society.
I have not clothes to cover me.
Good.
But I am alive; and not drowned,
as all my ship's company were.
But I am singled out, too, from
all the ship's crew, to be spared from
death; and he that miraculously
saved me from death, can deliver
me from this condition.
But I am not starved, and pe-
rishing on a barren place, affording
no sustenance.
But I am in a hot climate, where,
if I had clothes, I could hardly
wear them.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
73
I am without any defence, or
means to resist any violence of man
or beast.
I have no soul to speak to, or
relieve me.
But I am cast on an island
where I see no wild beasts to hurt
me, as I saw on the coast of Africa:
and what if I had been shipwrecked
there?
But God wonderfully sent the
ship in near enough to the shore,
that I have gotten out so many ne-
cessary things as will either supply
my wants, or enable me to supply
myself, even as long as I live.
Upon the whole, here was an undoubted testimony, that there
was scarce any condition in the world so miserable, but there was
something negative, or something positive, to be thankful for in it:
and let this stand as a direction, from the experience of the most
miserable of all conditions in this world, that we may always find in
it something to comfort ourselves from, and to set, in the description
of good and evil, on the credit side of the account.
Having now brought my mind a little to relish my condition,
and given over looking out to sea, to see if I could spy a ship,—I
say, giving over these things, I began to apply myself to accommo-
date my way of living, and to make things as easy to me as I could.
I have already described my habitation, which was a tent under
the side of a rock, surrounded with a strong pale of posts and cables;
but I might now rather call it a wall, for I raised a kind of wall up
against it of turfs, about two feet thick on the outside and after
some time (I think it was a year and a-half) I raised rafters from it,
leaning to the rock, and thatched or covered it with boughs of trees,
and such things as I could get, to keep out the rain; which I found
at some times of the year very violent.
I have already observed how I brought all my goods into this
pale, and into the cave which I had made behind me. But I must
observe, too, that at first this was a confused heap of goods, which,
as they lay in no order, so they took up all my place; I had no room
to turn myself: so I set myself to enlarge my cave, and work farther
into the earth; for it was a loose sandy rock, which yielded easily to
74
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the labour I bestowed on it: and so when I found I was pretty safe
as to beasts of prey, I worked sideways, to the right hand, into the
rock; and then turning to the right again, worked quite out, and made
me a door to come out on the outside of my pale or fortification.

4.
This gave me not only egress and regress, as it was a back-way to
my tent and to my storehouse, but gave me room to stow my goods.
And now I began to apply myself to make such necessary things
as I found I most wanted, as 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
pleasure, without a table: so I went to work.
went to work. And here I must
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
75
needs observe, that as reason is the substance and original of the
mathematics, so by stating and squaring everything by reason, and
by making the most rational judgment of things, every man may be,
in time, master of every mechanic art. I had never handled a tool
in my life; and yet, in time, by labour, application, and contrivance,
I found, at last, that I wanted nothing but I could have made it,
especially if I had had tools. However, I made abundance of things,
even without tools; and some with no more tools than an adze and a
hatchet, which perhaps were never made that way before, and that
with infinite labour. 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
hew it flat on either side with my axe, till I had brought it to be
thin as a plank, and then dub it smooth with my adze.
It is true,
by this method I could make but one board out of a whole tree; but
this I had no remedy for but patience, any more than I had for the
prodigious deal of time and labour which it took me up to make a
plank or board: but my time or labour was little worth, and so it
was as well employed one way as another.
However, I made me a table and a chair, as I observed above,
in the first place; and this I did out of the short pieces of boards
that I brought on 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 a-half, one over another all along one side of my cave, to
lay all my tools, nails, and iron-work on; and, in a word, to separate
everything at large in their places, that I might come easily at them.
I knocked pieces into the wall of the rock to hang my guns and all
things that would hang up: so that had my cave been to be seen, it
looked like a 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, and especially to find my stock of
all necessaries so great.
And now it was when I began to keep a journal of every day's
employment; for, indeed, at first, I was in too much hurry, and
not only hurry as to labour, but in too much discomposure of mind;
and my journal would have been full of many dull things: for ex-
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
ample, I must have said thus, "Sept. 30th. After I got to shore,
and had escaped drowning, instead of being thankful to God for my
deliverance, having first vomited with the great quantity of salt
water which was gotten into my stomach, and recovering myself a
little, I ran about the shore, wringing my hands, and beating my
head and face; exclaiming at my misery, and crying out, 'I was
undone, undone!' till, tired and faint, I was forced to lie down on the
ground to repose; but durst not sleep, for fear of being devoured."
Some days after this, and after I had been on board the ship, and
got all that I could out of her, yet I could not forbear getting up to
the top of a little mountain, and looking out to sea, in hopes of seeing
a ship; then fancy at a vast distance, I spied a sail, please myself
with the hopes of it, and then after looking steadily, till I was almost
blind, lose it quite and sit down and weep like a child, and thus
increase my misery by my folly.
But having gotten over these things in some measure, and having
settled my household stuff and habitation, made me a table and a
chair, and all as handsome about me as I could, I began to keep my
journal; of which I shall here give you the copy (though in it will
be told all these particulars over again) as long as it lasted; for,
having no more ink, I was forced to leave it off.
THE JOURNAL.
September 30, 1659. I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being
shipwrecked, during a dreadful storm, in the offing, came on shore
on this dismal, unfortunate island, which I called "The Island of
Despair;" all the rest of the ship's company being drowned, and
myself almost dead.
All the rest of that day I spent in afflicting 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, murdered by savages, or starved to death for want of
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
77
food. At the approach of night I slept in a tree, for fear of wild
creatures; but slept soundly, though it rained all night.
October 1. In the morning I saw, to my great surprise, the ship
had floated with the high tide, and was driven on shore again much
nearer the island; which, as it was some comfort on one hand, for
seeing her sit upright, and not broken to pieces, I hoped if the wind
abated, I might get on board, and get some food and necessaries out
of her for my relief; so, on the other hand, it renewed my grief at the
loss of my comrades, who, I imagined, if we had all staid on board,
might have saved the ship, or, at least, that they would not have been
all drowned, as they were; and that, had the men been saved, we
might perhaps have built us a boat, out of the ruins of the ship, to
have carried us to some other part of the world. I spent great part
of this day in perplexing myself on these things; but, at length,
seeing the ship almost dry, I went upon the sand as near as I could,
and then swam on board. This day also it continued raining, though
with no wind at all.
From the 1st of October to the 24th. All these days entirely
spent in many several voyages to get all I could out of the ship,
which I brought on shore, every tide of flood, upon rafts. Much
rain also in the days, though with some intervals of fair weather: but,
it seems, this was the rainy season.
Oct. 20. I overset my raft, and all the goods I had got upon it ;
but being in shoal water, and the things being chiefly heavy, I reco-
vered many of them when the tide was out.
Oct. 25. It rained all night and all day, with some gusts of
wind; during which time, the ship broke in pieces, the wind blowing
a little harder than before, and was no more to be seen, except the
wreck of her, and that only at low water. I spent this day in
covering and securing the goods which I had saved, that the rain
might not spoil them.
Oct. 26. I walked about the shore almost all day, to find out a
place to fix my habitation, greatly concerned to secure myself from
any attack in the night, either from wild beasts or men. Towards
night, I fixed upon a proper place, under a rock, and marked out a
H
78
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
semi-circle for my encampment; which I resolved to strengthen with
a work, wall, or fortification, made of double piles, lined within with
cables, and without with turf.
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 exceeding hard.
The 31st, in the morning, I went out into the island with my
gun, to see for some food, and discover the country; when I killed a
she-goat, and her kid followed me home, which I afterwards killed
also, because it would not feed.
November 1. I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there for
the first night; making it as large as I could, with stakes driven in
to swing my hammock upon.
Nov. 2. I set up all my chests and boards, and the pieces of
timber which made my rafts, and with them formed a fence round
me, a little within the place I had marked out for my fortification.
Nov. 3. I went out with my gun, and killed two fowls like
ducks, which were very good food. In the afternoon, went to work
to make me a table.
Nov. 4. This morning I began to order my times of work, of
going out with my gun, time of sleep, and time of diversion; viz.,
every morning I walked out with my gun for two or three hours, if
it did not rain; then employed myself to work till about eleven
o'clock; then eat what I had to live on; and from twelve to two I
lay down to sleep, the weather being excessive hot; and then, in the
evening to work again. The working part of this day and of the
next were wholly employed in making my table, for I was yet but
a very sorry workman, though time and necessity made me a com-
plete natural mechanic soon after, as I believe they would do any
one else.
Nov. 5. This day, went abroad with my gun and my dog, and
killed a wild cat; her skin pretty soft, but her flesh good for nothing :
every creature that I killed I took off the skins, and preserved them.
Coming back by the sea-shore, I saw many sorts of sea-fowls which
I did not understand; but was surprised, and almost frighted, with
!
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
79
two or three seals, which, while I was gazing at, not well knowing
what they were, got into the sea, and escaped me for that time.
Nov. 6. After my morning walk, I went to work with my
table again, and finished it, though not to my liking; nor was it long
before I learned to mend it.

Nov. 7. Now it began to be settled fair weather. The 7th,
8th, 9th, 10th, and part of the 12th (for the 11th was Sunday) I
took wholly up to make me a chair, and with much ado, brought it
to a tolerable shape, but never to please me; and, even in the
making, I pulled it in pieces several times.
Note.-I soon neglected my keeping Sundays; for, omitting
my mark for them on my post, I forgot which was which.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Nov. 13. This day it rained
This day it rained; which refreshed me exceedingly,
and cooled the earth: but it was accompanied with terrible thun-
der and lightning, which frighted me dreadfully, for fear of my
powder. As soon as it was over, I resolved to separate my stock of
powder into as many little parcels as possible, that it might not be in
danger.
Nov. 14, 15, 16. These three days I spent in making little
square chests or boxes, which might hold about a pound, or two
pound at most, of powder; and so, putting the powder in, I stowed
it in places as secure and remote from one another as possible. On
one of these three days, I killed a large bird that was good to eat,
but I knew not what to call it.
Nov. 17. This day I began to dig behind my tent, into the
rock, to make room for my farther conveniency.
Note.-Three things I wanted exceedingly for this work, viz., a
pick-axe, a shovel, and a wheel-barrow, or basket; so I desisted
from my work, and began to consider how to supply that want, and
make me some tools. As for a pick-axe, I made use of the iron
crows, which were proper enough, though heavy; but the next
thing was a shovel or spade; this was so absolutely necessary, that,
indeed, I could do nothing effectually without it; but what kind of
one to make I knew not.
Nov. 18. The next day, in searching the words, I found a tree
of that wood, or like it, which, in the Brasils, they call the iron tree,
for its exceeding hardness; of this, with great labour, and almost
spoiling my axe, I cut a piece, and brought it home, too, with dif-
ficulty enough, for it was exceeding heavy. The excessive hard-
ness of the wood, and my having no other way, made me a long
while upon this machine, for I worked it effectually, by little and
little, into the form of a shovel 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; however, it served
well enough for the uses which I had occasion to put it to; but
never was a shovel, I believe, made after that fashion, or so long
a-making.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
81
I was still deficient, for I wanted a basket, or a wheel-barrow.
A basket I could not make by any means, having no such things as
twigs that would bend to make wicker-ware, at least, none yet found
out; and as to a wheel-barrow, I fancied I could make all but the
wheel, but that I had no notion of; neither did I know how to go
about it; besides, I had no possible way to make the iron gudgeons
for the spindle or axis of the wheel to run in; so I gave it over, and
so for carrying away the earth which I dug out of the cave, I made
me a thing like a hod, which the labourers carry mortar in, when
they serve the bricklayers. This was not so difficult to me as
the making the shovel; and yet this and the shovel, and the attempt
which I made in vain to make a wheel-barrow, took me up no less
than four days, I mean always excepting my morning walk with my
gun, which I seldom failed, and very seldom failed also bringing
home something fit to eat.
Nov. 23. My other work having now stood still, because of my
making these tools, when they were finished I went on, and working
every day, as my strength and time allowed, I spent eighteen days
entirely in widening and deepening my cave, that it might hold my
goods commodiously.
Note. During all this time, I worked to make this room, or
cave, spacious enough to accommodate me as a warehouse or maga-
zine, a kitchen, a dining-room, and a cellar. As for my lodging, I
kept to the tent; except that sometimes, in the wet season of the
year, it rained so hard that I could not keep myself dry, which
caused me afterwards to cover all my place within my pale with long
poles, in the form of rafters, leaning against the rock, and load them
with flags and large leaves of trees, like a thatch.
December 10. I began now to think my cave or vault finished;
when on a sudden (it seems I had made it too large) a great
quantity of earth fell down from the top and one side; so much,
that, in short, it frighted me, and not without reason too; for if I
had been under it, I had never wanted a grave-digger. Upon this
disaster, I had a great deal of work to do over again, for I had the
loose earth to carry out; and, which was of more importance, I
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
had the ceiling to prop up, so that I might be sure no more would
come down.
Dec. 11. This day I went to work with it accordingly, and got
two shores or posts pitched upright to the top, with two pieces of
boards across over each post; this I finished the next day; and
setting more posts up with boards, in about a week more I had the
roof secured; and the posts, standing in rows, served me for par-
titions to part off my house.
Dec. 17. From this day to the 20th, I placed shelves, and
knocked up nails on the posts, to hang everything up that could be
hung up; and now I began to be in some order within doors.

11.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
83
Dec. 20. Now I carried everything into the cave, and began
to furnish my house, and set up some pieces of boards, like a dresser,
to order my victuals upon; but boards began to be very scarce with
me: also I made me another table.
Dec. 24.
Dec. 25.
Dec. 26.
pleasanter.
Dec. 27.
Much rain all night and all day: no stirring out.
Rain all day.
No rain, and the earth much cooler than before, and
Killed a young goat and lamed another, so as that I
catched it, and led it home in a string; when I had it home, I
bound and splintered up its leg, which was broke.
N. B.-I took such care of it that it lived; and the leg grew
well, and as strong as ever; but, by my nursing it so long, it grew
tame, and fed upon the little green at my door, and would not go
away. This was the first time that I entertained a thought of
breeding up some tame creatures, that I might have food when my
powder and shot was all spent.
Dec. 28, 29, 30, 31. Great heats, and no breeze; so that there
was no stirring abroad, except in the evening, for food: this time I
spent in putting all my things in order within doors.
January 1. Very hot still, but I went abroad early and late
with my gun, and lay still in the middle of the day. This evening,
going farther into the valleys which lay towards the centre of the
island, I found there were plenty of goats, though exceeding shy,
and hard to come at; however, I resolved to try if I could not bring
my dog to hunt them down.
Jan. 2. Accordingly, the next day, I went out with my dog,
and set him upon the goats: but I was mistaken, for they all faced
about upon the dog, and he knew his danger too well, for he would
not come near them.
Jan. 3. I began my fence or wall; which, being still jealous of
my being attacked by somebody, I resolved to make very thick and
strong.
N. B. This wall being described before, I purposely omit what
was said in the journal; it is sufficient to observe, that I was no less.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
time than from the 3rd of January to the 14th of April, working,
finishing, and perfecting this wall; though it was no more than
about twenty-four yards in length, being a half circle, from one place
in the rock to another place, about eight yards from it, the door of
the cave being in the centre, behind it.
All this time I worked very hard; the rains hindering me many
days, nay, sometimes weeks together: but I thought I should never
be perfectly secure till this wall was finished; and it is scarce cre-
dible what inexpressible labour everything was done with, especially
the bringing piles out of the woods, and driving them into the
ground; for I made them much bigger than I needed to have done.
When this wall was finished, and the outside doubled-fenced,
with a turf-wall raised up close to it, I persuaded myself that if any
people were to come on shore there they would not perceive any-
thing like a habitation; and it was very well I did so, as may be
observed hereafter, upon a very remarkable occasion.
During this time, I made my rounds in the woods for game
every day, when the rain permitted me, and made frequent discove-
ries, in these walks, of something or other to my advantage; par-
ticularly I found a kind of wild pigeons, who 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 endeavoured 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. And now, in the
managing my household affairs, I found myself wanting in many
things, which I thought at first it was impossible 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 neither
put in the heads, or join the staves so true to one another as to
make them hold water; so I gave that also over. In the next place
I was at a great loss for candles; so that as soon as ever it was dark,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
85
I
which was generally by seven o'clock, I was obliged to go to bed.
remembered the lump of bees'-wax with which I made candles in
my African adventure; but I had none of that now; the only
remedy I had was, that when I had killed a goat, I saved the tallow,
and with a little dish made of clay, which I baked in the sun, to
which I added a wick of some oakum, I made me a lamp; and this
gave me light, though not a clear steady light like a candle. In the
middle of all my labours it happened, that rummaging my things, I
found a little bag; which, as I hinted before, had been filled with
corn, for the feeding of poultry, not for this voyage, but before, as I
suppose, when the ship came from Lisbon. What little remainder
of corn had been in the bag was all devoured with 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 think it was to put powder in,
when I divided it for fear of the lightning, or some such use) I
shook the husks of corn out of it, on one side of my fortification,
under the rock.
It was a little before the great rains just now mentioned, that I
threw this stuff away, taking no notice of anything, and not so much
as remembering that I had thrown anything there; when about a
month after, or thereabouts, I saw some few stalks of something
green, shooting out of the ground, which I fancied might be some
plant I had not seen; but I was surprised, and perfectly astonished,
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
European,―nay, as our English barley.
It is impossible to express the astonishment and confusion of my
thoughts on this occasion: I had hitherto acted upon no religious
foundation at all; indeed, I had very few notion of religions in my
head, nor had entertained any sense of anything that had befallen
me, otherwise than as chance, or, as we lightly say, what pleases
God; without so much as inquiring into the end of Providence in
these things, or his order in governing events in the world. But
after I saw barley grow there, in a climate which I knew was not
proper for corn, and especially that I knew not how it came there, it
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
startled me strangely, and I began to suggest, that God had miracu-
lously caused his grain to grow without any help of seed sown, and
that it was so directed purely for my sustenance, on that wild miser-
able place.

J.
JONQUE
This touched my heart a little, and brought tears out of my eyes,
and I began to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature should
happen upon my account; and this was the more strange to me,
because I saw, near it still, all along by the side of the rock, some
other straggling stalks, which proved to be stalks of rice, and which I
knew, because I had seen it grow in Africa, when I was ashore there.
I not only thought these the pure productions of Providence for
my support, but, not doubting but that there was more in the place,
I went all over that part of the island where I had been before,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
87
peering in every corner, and under every rock, to see for more of it,
but I could not find any. At last it occurred to my thoughts, that
I had shook a bag of chicken's meat out in that place, and then the
wonder began to cease; and I must confess, my religious thank-
fulness to God's providence began to abate, too, upon the discovering
that all this was nothing but what was common; though I ought to
have been as thankful for so strange and unforeseen providence, as if
it had been miraculous; for it was really the work of Providence as
to me, that should order or appoint that ten or twelve grains of corn
should remain unspoiled, when the rats had destroyed all the rest, as
if had been dropped from heaven; as also, that I should throw it out
in that particular place, where, it being in the shade of a high rock,
it sprang up immediately; whereas, if I had thrown it anywhere
else, at that time, it had been burnt up and destroyed.
I carefully saved the ears of this corn, you may be sure, in
their season, which was about the end of June; and, laying up every
corn, I resolved to sow them all again, hoping, in time, to have some
quantity sufficient to supply me with bread. But it was not till the
fourth year that I could allow myself the least grain of this corn to
eat, and even then but sparingly, as I shall say afterwards, in its
order; for I lost all that I sowed the first season, by not observing
the proper time; for I sowed it just before the dry season, so that
it never came up at all, at least not as it would have done: of which
in its place.
Besides this barley, there were, as above, twenty or thirty stalks
of rice, which I preserved with the same care, and 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.
But to return to my Journal :—
I worked excessive hard these three or four months, to get my
wall done; and the 14th of April, I closed it up, contriving to go
into it, not by a door, but over the wall, by a ladder, that there
might be no sign on the outside of my habitation.
April 16. I finished the ladder; so I went up with the ladder
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to the top, and then pulled it up after me, and let it down in the
inside: this was a complete enclosure to me; for within I had room
enough, and nothing could come at me from without, unless it could
first mount my wall.
The very next day after this wall was finished, I had almost had
all my labour overthrown at once, and myself killed; the case was
thus :—As I was busy in the inside of it, behind my tent, just at the
entrance into my cave, I was terribly frighted with a most dreadful
surprising thing indeed for, all on a sudden, I found the earth
come crumbling down from the roof of my cave, and from the edge
of the hill over my head, and two of the posts I had set up in the
cave cracked in a frightful manner. I was heartily scared; but
thought nothing of what was really the cause, only thinking that the
top of my cave was fallen in, as some of it had done before: and for
fear I should be buried in it, I ran forward to my ladder, and not
thinking myself safe there neither, I got over my wall for fear of the
pieces of the hill which I expected might roll down upon me. I
was no sooner stepped down upon the firm ground, but I plainly
saw it was a terrible earthquake: for the ground I stood on shook
three times at about eight minutes distance, with three such shocks
as would have overturned the strongest building that could be sup-
posed to have stood on the earth; and a great piece of the top of a
rock, which stood about half a mile from me, next the sea, fell down,
with such a terrible noise as I never heard in all
never heard in all my life. I perceived
also the very sea was put into violent motion by it; and I believe
the shocks were stronger under the water than on the island.
I was so much amazed with the thing itself, having never felt the
like, nor discoursed with any one that had, that I was like one dead
or stupified; and the motion of the earth made my stomach sick,
like one that was tossed at sea; but the noise of the falling of the
rock awaked me, as it were, and rousing me from the stupified con-
dition I was in, filled me with horror, and I thought of nothing then
but the hill falling upon my tent and all my household goods, and
burying all at once; and this sunk my very soul within me a second
time.

All this while, I sat upon the ground, very much terrified and dejected.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
89
After the third shock was over, and I felt no more for some time,
I began to take courage; and yet I had not heart enough to go over
my wall again, for fear of being buried alive, but sat still upon the
ground greatly cast down and disconsolate, not knowing what to do.
All this while, I had not the least serious religious thought; nothing
but the common "Lord have mercy upon me!" and when it was
over, that went away too.
While I sat thus, I found the air overcast, and grow cloudy, as if
it would rain; soon after that, the wind arose by little and little, so
that in less than half an hour it blew a most dreadful hurricane: the
sea was, all on a sudden, covered over with foam and froth; the
shore was covered with the breach of the water; the trees were torn
up by the roots; and a terrible storm it was. This held about three
hours, and then began to abate; and in two hours more it was stark
calm, and began to rain very hard. All this while, I sat upon the
ground, very much terrified and dejected; when on a sudden it came
into my thoughts, that these winds and rain being the consequences
of the earthquake, the earthquake itself was spent and over, and I
might venture into my cave again. With this thought, my spirits
began to revive; and the rain also helping to persuade me, I went
in, and sat down in my tent; but the rain was so violent, that my
tent was ready to be beaten down with it; and I was forced to go
into my cave, though very much afraid and uneasy, for fear it should
fall on my head. This violent rain forced me to a new work, viz.
to cut a hole through my new fortification, like a sink, to let the
water go out, which would else have drowned my cave. After I had
been in my cave for some time, and found still no more shocks of the
earthquake follow, I began to be more composed. And now to sup-
port my spirits, which indeed wanted it very much, I went to my
little store, and took a small sup of rum; which, however, I did then,
and always, very sparingly, knowing I could have no more when that
was gone. It continued raining all that night, and great part of the
next day, so that I could not stir abroad: but my mind being more
composed, I began to think of what I had best do; concluding, that
if the island was subject to these earthquakes, there would be no
90
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
living for me in a cave, but I must consider of building me some
little hut in an open place, 'which I might surround with a wall, as
I had done here, and so make myself secure from wild beasts or
men; but concluded if I staid where I was, I should certainly, one
time or other, be buried alive.
With these thoughts, I resolved to remove my tent from the
place where it now stood, which was just under the hanging preci-
pice of the hill; and which, if it should be shaken again, would
certainly fall upon my tent: and I spent the two next days, being
the 19th and 20th of April, in contriving where and how to remove
my habitation.
The fear of being swallowed up alive, made me,
that I never slept in quiet; and yet the apprehension of lying abroad,
without any fence, was almost equal to it: but still, when I looked
about, and saw how everything was put in order, how pleasantly con-
cealed I was, and how safe from danger, it made me very loath to
remove. In the mean time, it occurred to me that it would require
a vast deal of time for me to do this, and that I must be contented
to run the venture where I was, till I had formed a camp for myself,
and had secured it so as to remove to it. So with this resolution, I
composed myself for a time; and resolved that I would go to work
with all speed to build me a wall with piles and cables, &c., in a circle
as before, and set my tent up in it when it was finished; but that I
would venture to stay where I was till it was finished, and fit to
remove. This was the 21st.
April 22.
The next morning I began to consider of means to
put this resolve into execution; but I was at a great loss 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 wook, they were all full of notches,
and dull, and though I had a grindstone, I could not turn it, and
grind my tools too. This cost me as much thought as a statesman
would have bestowed upon a grand point of politics, or a judge upon
the life and death of a man. At length, I contrived a wheel with a
string, to turn it with my foot, that I might have both my hands at
liberty.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
91

MARS SC
ما ان شاه
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←
ากา
Note. I had never seen any such thing in England, or at least not
to take notice how it was done, though since I have observed it is very
common there; besides that, my grindstone was very large and heavy.
This machine cost me a full week's work to bring it to perfection.
April 28, 29. These two whole days I took up in grinding my
tools, my machine for turning my grindstone performing very well.
April 30. Having perceived my bread had been low a great
while, now I took a survey of it, and reduced myself to one biscuit-
cake a day, which made my heart very heavy.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
•
May 1. In the morning, looking toward the sea-side, the tide
being low, I saw something lie on the shore bigger than ordinary,
and it looked like a cask; when I came to it, I found a small barrel,
and two or three pieces of the wreck of the ship, which were driven
on shore by the late hurricane; and looking towards the wreck itself,
I thought it seemed to lie higher out of the water than it used to do.
I examined the barrel which was driven on shore, and soon found it
was a barrel of gunpowder, but it had taken water, and the powder
was caked as hard as a stone; however, I rolled it farther on shore
for the present, and went on upon the sands, as near as I could to
the wreck of the ship, to look for more.
When I came down to the ship, I found it strangely removed.
The forecastle, which lay before buried in sand, was heaved up at
least six feet, and the stern, which was broke in pieces, and parted
from the rest, by the force of the sea, soon after I had left rum-
maging her, was tossed, as it were, up, and cast on one side; and the
sand was thrown so high on that side next her stern, that whereas
there was a great place of water before, so that I could not come
within a quarter of a mile of the wreck without swimming, I could ·
now walk quite up to her when the tide was out. I was surprised
with this at first, but soon concluded it must be done by the earth-
quake; and as by this violence the ship was more broke open than
formerly, so many things came daily on shore, which the sea had
loosened, and which the winds and water rolled by degrees to the
land.
This wholly diverted my thoughts from the design of removing
my habitation, and I busied myself mightily, that day especially, in
searching whether I could make any way into the ship; but I found
nothing was to be expected of that kind, for all the inside of the ship
was choked up with sand. However, as I had learned not to de-
spair of anything, I resolved to pull everything to pieces that I could
of the ship, concluding that everything I could get from her would
be of some use or other to me.
May 3. I began with my saw, and cut a piece of a beam
through, which I thought held some of the upper part or quarter
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
93
deck together, and when I had cut it through, I cleared away the
sand as well as I could from the side which lay highest; but the
tide coming in, I was obliged to give over for that time.
May 4. I went a fishing, but caught not one fish that I durst
eat of, till I was weary of my sport; when, just going to leave off,

XAMUR
I caught a young dolphin. I had made me a long line of some rope-
yarn, but I had no hooks; yet I frequently caught fish enough, as much
as I cared to eat; all which I dried in the sun, and eat them dry.
May 5. Worked on the wreck; cut another beam asunder, and
brought three great fir-planks off from the decks, which I tied
together, and made swim on shore when the tide of flood came on.
May 6.
Worked on the wreck; got several iron bolts out of
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
her, and other pieces of iron-work; worked very hard, and came
home very much tired, and had thoughts of giving it over.
May 7. Went to the wreck again, but not with an intent to
work, but found the weight of the wreck had broke itself down, the
beams being cut; that several pieces of the ship seemed to lie loose,
and the inside of the hold lay so open that I could see into it, but
almost full of water and sand.
May 8. Went to the wreck, and carried an iron crow to wrench
up the deck, which lay now quite clear of the water or sand. I
wrenched open two planks, and brought them on shore also with the
tide. I left the iron crow in the wreck for next day.
May 9. Went to the wreck, and with the crow made way into the
body of the wreck, and felt several casks, and 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 remove.
May 10-14. Went every day to the wreck; and got a great
many pieces of timber, and boards, or plank, and two or three
hundred weight of iron.
May 15.
I carried two hatchets, to try if I could not cut a
piece off of the roll of lead, by placing the edge of one hatchet, and
driving it with the other; but as it lay about a foot and a half in the
water, I could not make any blow to drive the hatchet.
May 16. It had blown hard in the night, and the wreck ap-
peared more broken by the force of the water; but I staid so long in
the woods, to get pigeons for food, that the tide prevented my going
to the wreck that day.
May 17. I saw some pieces of the wreck blown on shore, at a
great distance, near two miles off me, but resolved to see what they
were, and found it was a piece of the head, but too heavy for me to
bring away.
May 24.
Every day, to this day, I worked on the wreck; and
with hard labour I loosened some things so much with the crow, that
the first blowing tide several casks floated out, and two of the sea-
men's chests; but the wind blowing from the shore, nothing came to
land that day but pieces of timber, and a hogshead, which had some
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
95
Brasil pork in it, but the salt water and the sand had spoiled it. I
continued this work every day to the 15th of June, except the time
necessary to get food, which I always appointed, during this part of
my employment, to be when the tide was up, that I might be ready
when it was ebbed out and by this time I had gotten timber, and
plank, and iron-work, enough to have built a good boat, if I had
known how; and also I got, at several times, and in several pieces,
near one hundred weight of the sheet-lead.
June 16. Going down to the sea-side, I found a large tortoise,
or turtle. This was the first I had seen, which, it seems, was only
my misfortune, not any defect of the place, or scarcity; for had I
happened to be on the other side of the island, I might have had
hundreds of them every day, as I found afterwards; but perhaps
had paid dear enough for them.
June 17. I spent in cooking the turtle. I found in her three-
score eggs; and her flesh was to me, at that time, the most savoury
and pleasant that ever I tasted in my life, having had no flesh, but of
goats and fowls, since I landed in this horrid place.
June 18. Rained all day, and I staid within. I thought, at this
time, the rain felt cold, and I was something chilly; which I knew
was not usual in that latitude.
June 19. Very ill, and shivering, as if the weather had been cold.
June 20. No rest all night; violent pains in my head, and
feverish.
June 21. Very ill; frighted almost to death with the apprehen-
sions of my sad condition,-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 apprehensions of
sickness.
June 23. Very bad again; cold and shivering, and then a vio-
lent 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.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
June 26.
Better; and having no victuals to eat, took my gun,
but found myself very weak: however, I killed a she-goat, and with
much difficulty got it home, and broiled some of it, and eat. I
would fain have stewed it, and made some broth, but had no pot.
June 27. The ague again so violent that I lay a-bed all day, and
neither eat nor drank. I was ready to perish for thirst; but so
weak, I had not strength to stand up, or to get myself any water to
drink. Prayed to God again, but was light-headed; and when I was
not, I was so ignorant that I knew not what to say; only I lay and
cried, "Lord, look upon me! Lord, pity me! Lord, have mercy
upon me!" I suppose I did nothing else for two or three hours;
till the fit wearing off, I fell asleep, and did not wake till far in the
night. When I awoke, I found myself much refreshed, but weak,
and exceeding thirsty: however, as I had no water in my whole
habitation, I was forced to lie till morning, and went to sleep again.
In this second sleep, I had this terrible dream: I thought that I was
sitting on the ground, on the outside of my wall, where I sat when
the storm blew after the earthquake, and that I saw a man descend
from a great black cloud, in a bright flame of fire, and light upon the
ground: he was all over as bright as a flame, so that I could but
just bear to look towards him: his countenance was most inexpres-
sibly dreadful, impossible for words to describe; when he stepped
upon the ground with his feet, I thought the earth trembled, just as
it had done before in the earthquake, and all the air looked, to my
He was no
apprehension, as if it had been filled with flashes of fire.
sooner landed upon the earth, but he moved forward towards me, with
a long spear or weapon in his hand, to kill me; and when he came
to a rising ground, at some distance, he spoke to me,-or I heard a
voice so terrible that it is impossible to express the terror of it.
All that I can say I understood, was this:-" Seeing all these things
have not brought thee to repentance, now thou shalt die;" at which
words, I thought he lifted up the spear that was in his hand, to kill
me.
No one that shall ever read this account, will expect that I should
be able to describe the horrors of my soul at this terrible vision; I
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
97
mean, that even while it was a dream, I even dreamed of those hor-
rors; nor is it any more possible to describe the impression that
remained upon my mind when I awaked, and found it was but a
dream.
I had, alas! no divine knowledge; what I had received by the
good instruction of my father was then worn out, by an uninterrupted
series, for eight years, of seafaring wickedness; and a constant conver-
sation with none but such as were, like myself, wicked and profane to
the last degree. I do not remember that I had, in all that time, one
thought that so much as tended either to looking upwards towards
God, or inwards towards a reflection upon my own ways; but a cer-
tain stupidity of soul, without desire of good, or conscience of evil,
had entirely overwhelmed me; and I was all that the most hardened,
unthinking, wicked creature among our common sailors, can be sup-
posed to be; not having the least sense, either of the fear of God,
in danger, or of thankfulness to God, in deliverance.
In the relating what is already past of my story, this will be the
more easily believed, when I shall add, that through all the variety
of miseries that had to this day befallen me, I never had so much
as one thought of it being the hand of God, or that it was a just
punishment for my sin; my rebellious behaviour against my father,
or my present sins, which were great,—or so much as a punishment
for the general course of my wicked life. When I was on the des-
perate expedition on the desert shores of Africa, I never had so
much as one thought of what would become of me, or one wish to
God to direct me whither I should go, or to keep me from the danger
which apparently surrounded me, as well from voracious creatures as
cruel savages; but I was merely thoughtless of a God or a Providence,
acted like a mere brute, from the principles of nature, and by the
dictates of common sense only, and indeed hardly that. When I was
delivered and taken up at sea by the Portugal captain, well used,
and dealt justly and honourably with, as well as charitably, I had
not the least thankfulness in my thoughts. When, again, I was
shipwrecked, ruined, and in danger of drowning, on this island, I
was as far from remorse, or looking on it as a judgment; I only said
98
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to myself often, that I was an unfortunate dog, and born to be always
miserable.
It is true, when I got on shore first here, and found all my ship's
crew drowned, and myself spared, I was surprised with a kind of
ecstacy, and some transports of soul, which, had the grace of God
assisted, might have come up to true thankfulness; but it ended
where it began, in a mere common flight of joy, or, as I may say,
being glad I was alive, without the least reflection upon the distin-
guished goodness of the hand which had preserved me, and had singled
me out to be preserved when all the rest were destroyed; or an
enquiry why Providence had been thus merciful unto me: even just
the same common sort of joy which seamen generally have, after they
are got safe ashore from a shipwreck, which they drown all in the
next bowl of punch, and forget almost as soon as it is over; and all
the rest of my life was like it. Even when I was, afterwards, on
due consideration, made sensible of my condition, how I was cast on
this dreadful place, out of the reach of human kind, out of all hope
of relief, or prospect of redemption, as soon as I saw but a prospect
of living, and that I should not starve and perish for hunger, all the
sense of my affliction wore off; and I began to be very easy, applied
myself to the works proper for my preservation and supply, and was
far enough from being afflicted at my condition, as a judgment from
Heaven, or as the hand of God against me; these were thoughts
which very seldom entered my head.
The growing up of the corn, as is hinted in my Journal, had, at
first, some little influence upon me, and began to affect me with
seriousness, as long as I thought it had something miraculous in it;
but as soon as ever that part of the thought was removed, all the im-
pression that was raised from it wore off also, as I have noted already.
Even the earthquake, though nothing could be more terrible in its
nature, or more immediately directing to the invisible power which
alone directs such things, yet no sooner was the first fright over, but
the impression it had made went off also. I had no more sense of
God, or His judgments-much less of the present affliction of my cir-
cumstances being from His hand-than if I had been in the most pros-
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99
perous condition of life. But now, when I began to be sick, and a
leisurely view of the miseries of death came to place itself before me ;
when my spirits began to sink under the burden of a strong dis-
temper, and nature was exhausted with the violence of the fever;
conscience, that had slept so long, began to awake, and I began to
reproach myself with my past life, in which I had so evidently, by
uncommon wickedness, provoked the justice of God to lay me under
uncommon strokes, and to deal with me in so vindictive a manner.
These reflections oppressed me for the second or third day of my
distemper; and in the violence, as well of the fever as of the dread-
ful reproaches of my conscience, extorted some words from me like
praying to God, though I cannot say they were either a prayer
attended with desires or with hopes; it was rather the voice of mere
fright and distress. My thoughts were confused, the convictions great
upon my mind, and the horror of dying in such a miserable condition,
raised vapours into my head with the mere apprehension; and, in
these hurries of my soul, I knew not what my tongue might express:
but it was rather exclamation, such as, "Lord, what a miserable
creature am I! If I should be sick, I shall certainly die for want of
help; and what will become of me?” Then the tears burst out of
my eyes, and I could say no more for a good while. In this interval,
the good advice of my father came to my mind, and presently his
prediction, which I mentioned at the beginning of this story, viz.
that if I did take this foolish step, God would not bless me, and I
would have leisure hereafter to reflect upon having neglected his
counsel, when there might be none to assist in my recovery.
"Now," said I, aloud, my dear father's words are come to pass,
God's justice has overtaken me, and I have none to help or hear me.
I rejected the voice of Providence, which had mercifully put me in a
posture or station of life wherein I might have been happy and easy;
but I would neither see it myself, or learn to know the blessing of it
from my parents. I left them to mourn over my folly, and now I
am left to mourn under the consequences of it: I refused their help
and assistance, who would have lifted me in the world, and would
have made everything easy to me; and now I have difficulties to
""
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100
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
struggle with, too great for even nature itself to support, and no
assistance, no help, no comfort, no advice." Then I cried out,
Lord, be my help, for I am in great distress.' This was the first
prayer, if I may call it so, that I had made for many years.
But I return to my journal:
June 28. Having been somewhat refreshed with the sleep I had
had, and the fit being entirely off, I got up; and through the fright
and terror of my dream was very great, yet I considered that the fit
of the ague would return again the next day, and now was my time
to get something to refresh and support myself when I should be ill;
and the first thing I did, I filled a large square case-bottle with water,
and set it upon my table, in reach of my bed; and to take off the
chill or aguish disposition of the water, I put about a quarter of a
pint of rum into it, and mixed them together. Then I got me a
piece of the goat's flesh, and broiled it on the coals, but could eat
very little. I walked about; but was very weak, and withal very sad
and heavy-hearted under a sense of my miserable condition, dread-
ing the return of my distemper the next day. At night, I made my
supper of three of the turtle's eggs; which I roasted in the ashes,
and eat, as we call it, in the shell, and this was the first bit of meat
I had ever asked God's blessing to, even as I could remember, in
my whole life. After I had eaten, I tried to walk, but found myself
so weak, that I could hardly carry a gun, for I never went out with-
out that, so I went but a little way, and sat down upon the ground,
looking out upon the sea, which was just before me, and very calm
and smooth. As I sat here, some such thoughts as these occurred
to me; what is this earth and sea, of which I have seen so much?
Whence is it produced? And what am I, and all the other creatures,
wild and tame, human and brutal? Whence are we? Sure we are
all made by some secret power, who formed the earth and sea, the
air and sky. And who is that? Then it followed most naturally, it
is God that has made all. Well, but then, it came on strangely, if
God has made all these things, he guides and governs them all, and
all things that concern them; for the power that could make all things,
must certainly have power to guide and direct them; if so, nothing
i.
101
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.

LAGNÉ
can happen in the great circuit of His works, either without His
knowledge or appointment.
And if nothing happens without his knowledge, He knows that I
am here, and am in this dreadful condition; and if nothing happens
without His appointment, He has appointed all this to befal me.
Nothing occurred to my thought, to contradict any of these conclu-
sions, and therefore it rested upon me with the greater force, that it
must needs be that God had appointed all this to befal me; that I
was brought into this miserable circumstance by His direction, He
having the sole power, not of me only, but of everything that hap-
pened in the world. Immediately it followed, Why has God done
this to me? What have I done to be thus used? My conscience
presently checked me in that enquiry, as if I had blasphemed, and
methought it spoke to me like a voice, "Wretch! dost thou ask what
thou hast done? Look back upon a dreadful misspent life, and ask
thyself, what thou hast not done? Ask, why is it that thou wert not
long ago destroyed? Why wert thou not drowned in Yarmouth
Roads; killed in the fight when the ship was taken by the Sallee
J
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
man of war; devoured by the wild beasts on the coast of Africa; or
drowned here, when all the crew perished but thyself? Dost thou
ask, what have I done?" I was struck dumb with these reflections,
as one astonished, and had not a word to say,-no, not to answer to
myself, but rose up pensive and sad, walked back to my retreat, and
went up over my wall, as if I had been going to bed; but my
thoughts were sadly disturbed, and I had no inclination to sleep;
so I sat down in my chair, and lighted my lamp, for it began to be
dark. Now, as the apprehension of the return of my distemper ter-
rified me very much, it occurred to my thought, that the Brazilians
take no physic but their tobacco for almost all distempers, and I had
a piece of a roll of tobacco in one of the chests, which was quite
cured, and some also that was green, and not quite cured.
I went, directed by Heaven no doubt, for in this chest I found a
cure both for soul and body. I opened the chest, and found what I
looked for, viz. the tobacco; and as the few books I had saved lay
there too, I took out one of the Bibles which I mentioned before,
and which to this time I had not found leisure, or so much as incli-
nation, to look into. I say, I took it out, and brought both that and
the tobacco with me to the table. What use to make of the tobacco
I knew not, as to my distemper, or whether it was good for it or no ;
but I tried several experiments with it, as if I was resolved it should
hit one way or other. I first took a piece of a leaf, and chewed it
in my mouth, which, indeed, at first, almost stupified my brain, the
tobacco being green and strong, and that I had not been much used
to. Then I took some and steeped it an hour or two in some rum,
and resolved to take a dose of it when I lay down; and, lastly, I burnt
some upon a pan of coals, and held my nose close over the smoke
of it as long as I could bear it, as well for the heat, as almost for suf-
focation. In the interval of this operation, I took up the Bible, and
began to read, but my head was too much disturbed with the tobacco
to bear reading, at least at that time; only, having opened the book
casually, the first words that occurred to me were these, "Call on
me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify me. These words were very apt to my case, and made some
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
103

d...
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impression upon my thoughts at the time of reading them, thought
not so much as they did afterwards; for, as for being delivered, the
word had no sound, as I may say, to me, the thing was so remote,
so impossible in my apprehension of things, that, I began to say as
the children of Israel did when they were promised flesh to eat,
"Can
God spread a table in the wilderness?" so I began to say, "Can God
himself deliver me from this place?" And as it was not for many
years that any hopes appeared, this prevailed very often upon my
thoughts: but, however, the words made a great impression upon
me, and I mused upon them very often. It grew now late, and the
tobacco had, as I said, dozed my head so
sleep; so I left my lamp burning in the
anything in the night, and went to bed.
did what I never have done in all my life; I kneeled down, and
prayed to God to fulfil the promise to me, that if I called upon him
much that I inclined to
cave, lest I should want
But before I lay down, I
104
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
in the day of trouble, he would deliver me.
After my broken and
imperfect prayer was over, I drank the rum in which I had steep the
tobacco; which was so strong and rank of the tobacco, that indeed I
could scarce get it down; immediately upon this I went to bed. I
found presently it flew up into my head violently; but I fell into a
sound sleep, and waked no more till, by the sun, it must necessarily
be near three o'clock in the afternoon the next day: nay, to this
hour I am partly of opinion, that I slept all the next day and night,
and till almost three the day after; for otherwise, I know not how I
should lose a day out of my reckoning in the days of the week, as it
appeared some years after I had done; for if I had lost it by crossing
and recrossing the Line, I should have lost more than one day; but
certainly I lost a day in my account, and never knew which way.
Be that, however, one way or the other, when I awaked I found
myself exceedingly refreshed, and my spirits lively and cheerful;
when I got up, I was stronger than I was the day before, and my
stomach better, for I was hungry; and, in short, I had no fit the next
day, but continued much altered for the better. This was the 29th.
The 30th was my well day, of course, and I went abroad with my
gun, but did not care to travel too far. I killed a sea-fowl or two,
something like a brand goose, and brought them home; but was not
very forward to eat them; so I eat some more of the turtle's eggs,
which were very good. This evening, I renewed the medicine, which
I had supposed did me good the day before, viz. the tobacco steeped
in rum; only I did not take so much as before, nor did I chew any
of the leaf, or hold my head over the smoke; however, I was not so
well the next day, which was the 1st of July, as I hoped I should have
been; for I had a little spice of the cold fit, but it was not much.
July 2. I renewed the medicine all the three ways: and dosed
myself with it as at first, and doubled the quantity which I drank.
July 3. I missed the fit for good and all, though I did not recover
my full strength for some weeks after. While I was thus gathering
strength, my thoughts ran exceedingly upon this scripture, "I will
deliver thee;" and the impossibility of my deliverance lay much
upon my mind, in bar of my ever expecting it; but as I was dis-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
105
couraging myself with such thoughts, it occurred to my mind that I
pored so much upon my deliverance from the main affliction, that I
disregarded the deliverance I had received; and I was, as it were,
made to ask myself such questions as these, viz.: Have I not been
delivered, and wonderfully too, from sickness? from the most dis-
tressed condition that could be, and that was so frightful to me? and
what notice had I taken of it?
delivered me, but I had not glorified him; that is to say, I had not
owned and been thankful for that as a deliverance: and how could
I expect greater deliverance? This touched my heart very much
and immediately I knelt down, and gave God thanks aloud for my
recovery from my sickness.
Had I done my part? God had

Fram
abert
106
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
(6
""
July 4. In the morning, I took the Bible; and beginning at
the New Testament, I began seriously to read it, and imposed upon
myself to read awhile every morning and every night; not tying
myself to the number of chapters, but as long as my thoughts should
engage me. It was not long after I set seriously to this work, but I
found my heart more deeply and sincerely affected with the wicked-
ness of my past life. The impression of my dream revived; and the
words, "All these things have not brought thee to repentance," ran
seriously in my thoughts. I was earnestly begging of God to give
me repentance, when it happened providentially, the very day that,
reading the scripture, I came to these words, "He is exalted a Prince
and a Saviour; to give repentance, and to give remission.' I threw
down the book; and with my heart as well as my hands lifted up to
heaven, in a kind of ecstasy of joy, I cried out aloud, Jesus, thou
son of David! Jesus, thou exalted Prince and Saviour! give me
repentance!" This was the first time I could say, in the true sense
of the words, that I prayed in all my life; for now I prayed with
a sense of my condition, and with a true scripture view of hope,
founded on the encouragement of the word of God; and from this
time, I
may say, I began to have hope that God would hear me.
Now I began to construe the words mentioned above,
me, and I will deliver thee," in a different sense from what I had
ever done before; for then I had no notion of any thing being called
deliverance, but my being delivered from the captivity I was in for
though I was indeed at large in the place, yet the island was certainly
a prison to me, and that in the worst sense in the world. But now
I learned to take it in another sense: now I looked back upon my
past life with such horror, and my sins appeared so dreadful, that
my soul sought nothing of God but deliverance from the load of guilt
that bore down all my comfort. As for my solitary life, it was
nothing; I did not so much as pray to be delivered from it, or think
of it; it was all of no consideration, in comparison to this. And I
add this part here, to hint to whoever shall read it, that whenever
they come to a true sense of things, they will find deliverance from
sin a much greater blessing than deliverance from affliction.
"Call on
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
107

But, leaving this part, I return to my Journal:
My condition began now to be, though not less miserable as to
my way of living, yet much easier to my mind: and my thoughts
being directed, by a constant reading the Scripture and praying to
God, to things of a higher nature, I had a great deal of comfort
within, which, till now, I knew nothing of; also, as my health and
strength returned, I bestirred myself to furnish myself with everything
that I wanted, and make my way of living as regular as I could.
From the 4th of July to the 14th, I was chiefly employed in walk-
ing about with my gun in my hand, a little and a little at a time, as a
man that was gathering up his strength after a fit of sickness: for it
is hardly to be imagined how low I was, and to what weakness I was
reduced. The application which I made use of was perfectly new,
and perhaps what had never cured an ague before; neither can I
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
recommend it to any one to practise, by this experiment: and
though it did carry off the fit, yet it rather contributed to weakening
me; for I had frequent convulsions in my nerves and limbs for some
time: I learned from it also this, in particular, that being abroad in
the rainy season was the most pernicious thing to my health that
could be, especially in those rains which came attended with storms
and hurricanes of wind; for as the rain which came in the dry
season was almost always accompanied with such storms, so I found
that rain was much more dangerous than the rain which fell in Sep-
tember and October.
I had been now in this unhappy island above ten months: all
possibility of deliverance from this condition seemed to be entirely
taken from me; and I firmly believed that no human shape had
ever set foot upon that place. Having now secured my habitation,
as I thought, fully to my mind, I had a great desire to make a
more perfect discovery of the island, and to see what other produc-
tions I might find, which I yet knew nothing of.
It was on the 15th of July that I began to take a more particular
survey of the island itself. I went up the creek first, where, as I
hinted, I brought my rafts on shore. I found, after I came about
two miles up, that the tide did not flow any higher; and that it was no
more than a little brook of running water, and very fresh and good :
but this being the dry season, there was hardly any water in some
parts of it; at least, not enough to run in any stream, so as it could
be perceived. On the banks of this brook, I found many pleasant
savannahs or meadows, plain, smooth, and covered with grass; and
on the rising parts of them, next to the higher grounds, where the
water, as it might be supposed, never overflowed, I found a great
deal of tobacco, green, and growing to a great and very strong stalk;
there were divers other plants, which I had no notion of, or under-
standing about, and might, perhaps, have virtues of their own, which
I could not find out. I searched for the cassava root, which the
Indians, in all that climate, make their bread of, but I could find
none. I saw large plants of aloes, but did not understand them. I
saw several sugar-canes, but wild, and, for want of cultivation, im-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
109
perfect. I contented myself with these discoveries for this time, and
came back, musing with myself what course I might take to know
the virtue and goodness of any of the fruits or plants which I should
discover; but could bring it to no conclusion; for, in short, I had
made so little observation while I was in the Brasils, that I knew little
of the plants in the field; at least, very little that might serve me
to any purpose now in my distress.
The next day, the 16th, I went up the same way again; and
after going something farther than I had gone the day before, I
found the brook and the savannahs began to cease, and the country
became more woody than before. In this part, I found different
fruits, and particularly I found melons upon the ground, in great
abundance, and grapes upon the trees; the vines had spread indeed
over the trees, and the clusters of grapes were just now in their
prime, very ripe and rich. This was a surprising discovery, and I
was exceeding glad of them; but I was warned by my experience
to eat sparingly of them, remembering that when I was ashore in
Barbary, the eating of grapes killed several of our Englishmen, who
were slaves there, by throwing them into fluxes and fevers. But I
found an excellent use for these grapes; and that was, to cure or
dry them in the sun, and keep them as dried grapes or raisins are
kept, which I thought would be, as indeed they were, as wholesome
as agreeable to eat, when no grapes might be to be had.
•
I spent all that evening there, and went not back to my habita-
tion; which, by the way, was the first night, as I might say, I had
lain from home. In the night, I took my first contrivance, and got
up into a tree, where I slept well; and the next morning, proceeded
upon my discovery, travelling nearly four miles, as I might judge by
the length of the valley, keeping still due north, with a ridge of hills
on the south and north side of me. At the end of this march, I came
to an opening, where the country seemed to descend to the west;
and a little spring of fresh water, which issued out of the side of the
hill by me, ran the other way, that is, due east; and the country
appeared so fresh, so green, so flourishing, everything being in a
constant verdure, or flourish of spring, that it looked like a planted
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
garden. I descended a little on the side of that delicious vale, sur-
veying it with a secret kind of pleasure, though mixed with my
other afflicting thoughts, to think that this was all my own; that I
was king and lord of all this country indefeasibly, and had a right of
possession; and, if I could convey it, I might have it in inheritance
as completely as any lord of a manor in England. I saw here
abundance of cocoa trees, orange, and lemon, and citron trees; but
all wild, and very few bearing any fruit, at least, not then. However,
the green limes that I gathered were not only pleasant to eat, but
very wholesome; and I mixed their juice afterwards with water, which
made it very wholesome, and very cool and refreshing. I found now I
had business enough, to gather and carry home; and I resolved to lay
up a store, as well of grapes as limes and lemons, to furnish myself for
the wet season, which I knew was approaching. In order to this, I
gathered a great heap of grapes in one place, a lesser heap in another
place, and a great parcel of limes and lemons in another place; and,
taking a few of each with me, I travelled homeward; and resolved
to come again, and bring a bag or sack, or what I could make, to
carry the rest home. Accordingly, having spent three days in this
journey, I came home (so I must now call my tent and my cave);
but before I got thither, the grapes were spoiled; the richness of the
fruit, and the weight of the juice, having broken them and bruised
them, they were good for little or nothing: as to the limes, they
were good, but I could bring but a few.
The next day, being the 19th, I went back, having made me two
small bags to bring home my harvest; but I was surprised, when,
coming to my heap of grapes, which were so rich and fine when I
gathered them, I found them all spread about, trod to pieces, and
dragged about, some here, some there, and abundance eaten and
devoured. By this, I concluded there were some wild creatures
thereabouts, which had done this; but what they were, I knew not.
However, as I found there was no laying them up on heaps, and no
carrying them away in a sack, but that one way they would be de-
stroyed, and the other way they would be crushed with their own
weight, I took another course; for I gathered a large quantity of

S
I descended a little on the side of that delicious vale.
Payenge
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
111
the grapes, and hung them upon the out branches of the trees, that
they might cure and dry in the sun; and as for the limes and lemons,
I carried as many back as I could well stand under.
:
When I came home from this journey, I contemplated with great
pleasure the fruitfulness of that valley, and the pleasantness of the
situation; the security from storms on that side the water, and the
wood and concluded that I had pitched upon a place to fix my
abode, which was by far the worst part of the country. Upon the
whole, I began to consider of removing my habitation; and to look
out for a place equally safe as where now I was situate, if possible,
in that pleasant fruitful part of the island.
This thought ran long in my head, and I was exceeding fond of
it for some time, the pleasantness of the place tempting me; but
when I came to a nearer view of it, I considered that I was now by
the sea-side, where it was at least possible that something might
happen to my advantage; and, by the same ill fate that brought me
hither, might bring some other unhappy wretches to the same place;
and though it was scarce probable that any such thing should ever
happen, yet to enclose myself among the hills and woods in the
centre of the island, was to anticipate my bondage, and to render
such an affair not only improbable, but impossible; and that there-
fore I ought not by any means to remove. However, I was so
enamoured of this place, that I spent much of my time there for the
whole remaining part of the month of July; and though, upon second
thoughts, I resolved as above, not to remove, yet I built me a little
kind of a bower, and surrounded it at a distance with a strong fence,
being a double hedge, as high as I could reach, well staked, and
filled between with brush-wood; and here I lay very secure, some-
times two or three nights together; always going over it with a
ladder, as before; so that I fancied now I had my country house and
my sea-coast house; and this work took me up to the beginning of
August.
I had but newly finished my fence, and began to enjoy my labour,
when the rains came on, and made me stick close to my first habita-
tion; for though I had made me a tent like the other, with a piece
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of a sail, and spread it very well, yet I had not the shelter of a hill
to keep me from storms, nor a cave behind me to retreat into when
the rains were extraordinary.
About the beginning of August, as I said, I had finished my
bower, and began to enjoy myself. The 3rd of August, I found the
grapes I had hung up were perfectly dried, and indeed were excel-
lent good raisins of the sun; so I began to take them down from the
trees, and it was very happy that I did so, for the rains which
followed would have spoiled them, and I had lost the best part of my
winter food; for I had above two hundred large bunches of them.
No sooner had I taken them all down, and carried most of them
home to my cave, but it began to rain; and from hence, which was
the 14th of August, it rained, more or less, every day till the middle
of October; and sometimes so violently, that I could not stir out of
my cave for several days.
In this season, I was much surprised with the increase of my
family; I had been concerned for the loss of one of my cats, who ran
away from me, or, as I thought had been dead, and I heard no more
tale or tidings of her, till, to my astonishment, she came home about
the end of August, with three kittens. This was the more strange to

N
//
VERDEIZ
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
113
me, because, though I had killed a wild cat, as I called it, with my gun,
yet I thought it was a quite different kind from our European cats;
and the young cats were the same kind of house-breed like the old
one; and both my cats being females, I thought it very strange.
But from these three cats, I afterwards came to be so pestered with
cats, that I was forced to kill them like vermin, or wild beasts, and
to drive them from my house as much as possible.
From the 14th of August to the 26th, incessant rain, so that I
could not stir, and was now very careful not to be much wet. In
this confinement, I began to be straitened for food: but venturing
out twice, I one day killed a goat; and the last day, which was the
26th, found a very large tortoise, which was a treat to me, and my
food was regulated thus :-I eat a bunch of raisins for my breakfast: a
piece of the goat's flesh, or of the turtle, for my dinner, broiled; for,
to my great misfortune, I had no vessel to boil or stew anything;
and two or three of the turtle's eggs for my supper.
During this confinement in my cover by the rain, I worked daily
two or three hours at enlarging my cave, and by degrees worked it
on towards one side, till I came to the outside of the hill, and made
a door or way out, which came beyond my fence or wall; and so I
came in and out this way. But I was not perfectly easy at lying so
open; for, as I had managed myself before, I was in a perfect enclo-
sure; whereas now, I thought I lay exposed, and open for anything
to come in upon me; and yet I could not perceive that there was
any living thing to fear, the biggest creature that I had yet seen
upon the island being a goat.
Sept. 30. I was now come to the unhappy anniversary of my
landing. I cast up the notches on my post, and found I had been
on shore three hundred and sixty-five days. I kept this day as a
solemn fast, setting it apart to religious exercise, prostrating myself
on the ground with the most serious humiliation, confessing my sins
to God, acknowledging his righteous judgments upon me, and pray-
ing to him to have mercy on me through Jesus Christ; and not
having tasted the least refreshment for twelve hours, even till the
going down of the sun, I then eat a biscuit-cake and a bunch of
114
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
•
grapes, and went to bed, finishing the day as I began it. I had all
this time observed no Sabbath-day; for as at first I had no sense of
religion upon my mind, I had, after some time, omitted to distin-
guish the weeks, by making a longer notch than ordinary for the
Sabbath-day, and so did not really know what any of the days were;
but now, having cast up the days as above, I found I had been there
a year, so I divided it into weeks, and set apart every seventh day
for a Sabbath; though I found at the end of my account, I had lost
a day or two in my reckoning. A little after this, my ink began to
fail me, and so I contented myself to use it more sparingly, and to
write down only the most remarkable events of my life, without con-
tinuing a daily memorandum of other things.
The rainy season and the dry season began now to appear regu-
lar to me, and I learned to divide them so as to provide for them
accordingly; but I bought all my experience before I had it, and
this I am going to relate, was one of the most discouraging experi-
ments that I made at all.
I have mentioned that I had saved the few ears of barley and
and rice, which I had so surprisingly found spring up, as I thought,
of themselves, and I believe there were about thirty stalks of rice,
and about twenty of barley; and now I thought it a proper time to
sow it, after the rains, the sun being in its southern position, going
from me. Accordingly, I dug up a piece of ground as well as I
could with my wooden spade, and dividing it into two parts, I sowed
my grain; but as I was sowing, it casually occurred to my thoughts
that I would not sow it all at first, because I did not know when was
the proper time for it, so I sowed about two-thirds of the seed,
leaving about a handful of each. It was a great comfort to me
afterwards that I did so, for not one grain of what I sowed this time
came to anything; for the dry months following, the earth having
had no rain after the seed was sown, it had no moisture to assist its
growth, and never came up at all till the wet season had come again,
and then it grew as if it had been but newly sown. Finding my first
seed did not grow, which I easily imagined was by the drought, I
sought for a moister piece of ground to make another trial in, and I
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
115
dug up a piece of ground near my new bower, and sowed the rest of
my seed in February, a little before the vernal equinox; and this
having the rainy months of March and April to water it, sprung up
very pleasantly, and yielded a very good crop; but having part of
the seed left only, and not daring to sow all that I had, I had but a

GUARTLEY.
small quantity at last, my whole crop not amounting to above half a
peck of each kind. But by this experiment I was made master of
my business, and knew exactly when the proper season was to sow,
and that I might expect two seed-times, and two harvests every year.
While this corn was growing, I made a little discovery, which
was of use to me afterwards. As soon as the rains were over, and
the weather began to settle, which was about the month of Novem-
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
ber, I made a visit up the country to my bower, where, though I
had not been some months, yet I found all things just as I left them.
The circle or double hedge that I had made was not only firm and
entire, but the stakes which I had cut out of some trees that grew
thereabouts, were all shot out, and grown with long branches, as
much as a willow-tree usually shoots the first year after lopping its
head. I could not tell what tree to call it that these stakes were cut
from. I was surprised, and yet very well pleased to see the young
trees grow; and I pruned them, and led them up to grow as much
alike as I could; and it is scarce credible how beautiful a figure they
grew into in three years; so that though the edge made a circle of
about twenty-five yards in diameter, yet the trees, for such I might
now call them, soon covered it, and it was a complete shade, suffi-
cient to lodge under all the dry season. This made me resolve to
cut some more stakes, and make me a hedge like this, in a semi-
circle round my wall (I mean that of my first dwelling), which I
did; and placing the trees or stakes in a double row, at about eight
yards distance from my first fence, they grew presently, and were at
first a fine cover to my habitation, and afterwards served for a
defence also, as I shall observe in its order.
I found now that the seasons of the year might generally be
divided, not into summer and winter, as in Europe, but into the rainy
seasons and the dry seasons; which were generally thus :-
The half of February, the whole of March, and the half of
April: rainy, the sun being then on, or near the equinox.
The half of April, the whole of May, June, and July, and the
half of August :-dry, the sun being then to the north of the Line.
The half of August, the whole of September, and the half of
October :-rainy, the sun being then come back.
The half of October, the whole of November, December, and
January, and the half of February:-dry, the sun being then to the
south of the Line.
The rainy seasons sometimes held longer or shorter as the winds
happened to blow, but this was the general observation I made.
After I had found by experience the ill consequences of being abroad
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
117
in the rain, I took care to furnish myself with provisions beforehand,
that I might not be obliged go out; and I sat within doors as much
as possible during the wet months. This time I found much employ-
ment, and very suitable also to the time, for I found great occasion
for many things which I had no way to furnish myself with but by
hard labour and constant application; particularly, I tried many ways
to make myself a basket, but all the twigs I could get for the purpose
proved so brittle, that they would do nothing. It proved of excel-
lent advantage to me now, that when I was a boy, I used to take
great delight in standing at a basket-maker's in the town where my
father lived, to see them make their wicker-ware; and being, as boys
usually are, very officious to help, and a great observer of the manner
how they worked those things, and sometimes lending a hand, I had
by these means, full knowledge of the methods of it, that I wanted
nothing but the materials; when it came into my mind that the
twigs of that tree from whence I cut my stakes that grew, might
possibly be as tough as the sallows, willows, and osiers in 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; whereupon
I came the next time prepared with a hatchet to cut down a quantity,
which I soon found, for there was great plenty of them. These I
set up to dry within my circle or hedge, and when they were fit for
use, I carried them to my cave; and here, during the next season, I
employed myself in making, as well as I could, a great many baskets,
both to carry earth, or to carry or lay up anything, as I had occa-
sion; and though I did not finish them very handsomely, yet I made
them sufficiently serviceable 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, in-
stead of sacks, when I should come to have any quantity of it.
Having mastered this difficulty, and employed a world of time
about it, I bestired myself to see, if possible, how to supply two
wants. I had no vessel to hold anything that was liquid, except two
runlets, which were almost full of rum, and some glass bottles,-some
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of the common size, and others which were case-bottles-square, for
the holding of waters, spirits, &c. I had not so much as a pot to
boil anything, except a great kettle, which I saved out of the ship,
and which was too big for such use as I desired it, viz. to make
broth, and stew a bit of meat by itself. The second thing I fain
would have had, was a tobacco-pipe, but it was impossible to me to
make one; however, I found a contrivance for that too at last. I
employed myself in planting my second rows of stakes or piles, and
in this wicker-working all the summer or dry season, when another
business took me up more time than it could be imagined I could spare.
I mentioned before that I had a great mind to see the whole
island; and that I had travelled up the brook, and so on to where I
built my bower, and where I had an opening quite to the sea, on the
other side of the island. I now resolved to travel quite across to
the sea-shore on that side; so taking my gun, a hatchet, and my
dog, and a larger quantity of powder and shot than usual, with two
biscuit-cakes, and a great bunch of raisins in my pouch for my store,
I began my journey. When I had passed the vale where my bower
stood, as above, I came within view of the sea to the west, and it
being a very clear day, I fairly descried land, whether an island or a
continent, could not tell; but it lay very high, extending from the
W. to the W. S. W. at a very great distance; by my guess, it
could not be less than fifteen or twenty leagues off.
I could not tell what part of the world this might be, otherwise
than that I knew it must be part of America; and, as I concluded, by
all my observations, must be near the Spanish dominions, and perhaps
was all inhabited by savages, where, if I should have landed, I had
been in a worse condition than I was now; and therefore I ac-
quiesced in the dispositions of Providence, which I began now to
own and to believe ordered everything for the best; I say I quieted
my mind with this, and left afflicting myself with fruitless wishes of
being there.
Besides, after some pause upon this affair, I considered that if
this land was the Spanish coast, I should certainly, one time or other,
see some vessel pass or repass one way or other; but if not, then it
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
119
was the savage coast between the Spanish country and Brasils, which
are indeed the worst of savages; for they are cannibals, or men-
eaters, and fail not to murder and devour all the human bodies that
fall into their hands.
With these considerations, I walked very leisurely forward; I
found that side of the island, where I now was, much pleasanter than
mine; the open or savannah fields sweet, adorned with flowers and
grass, and full of very fine woods. I saw abundance of parrots, and
fain I would have caught one, if possible, to have kept it to be tame,
and taught it to speak to me. I did, after some pains-taking, catch
a young parrot, for I knocked it down with a stick, and having re-
covered it, I brought it home; but it was some years before I could
make him speak: however, at last I taught him to call me by my
name very familiarly. But the accident that followed, though it be
a trifle, will be very diverting in its place.
I was exceedingly diverted with this journey. I found, in the
low grounds, hares (as I thought them to be) and foxes; but they
differed greatly from all the other kinds I had met with, nor could I
satisfy myself to eat them, though I killed several. But I had no
need to be venturous, for I had no want of food, and of that which
was very good too; especially these three sorts, viz. goats, pigeons,
and turtle, or tortoise; which, added to my grapes, Leadenhall
Market could not have furnished a table better than I, in proportion
to the company; and though my case was deplorable enough, yet I
had great cause for thankfulness, that I was not driven to any ex-
tremities for food, but had rather plenty, even to dainties.
I never travelled in this journey above two miles outright in a
day, or thereabouts; but I took so many turns and returns, to see
what discoveries I could make, that I came weary enough to the
place where I resolved to sit down for all night: and then I either
reposed myself in a tree, or surrounded myself with a row of stakes,
set upright in the ground, either from one tree to another, or so as
no wild creature could come at me without waking me.
As soon as I came to the sea-shore, I was surprised to see that I
had taken up my lot on the worst side of the island, for here indeed
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Here was
the shore was covered with innumerable turtles; whereas, on the
other side, I had found but three in a year and a half.
also an infinite number of fowls of many kinds, some which I had
seen, and some which I had not seen, before, and many of them
very good meat, but such as I knew not the names of, except those
called Penguins.
I could have shot as many as I pleased, but was very sparing of
my powder and shot, and therefore had more mind to kill a she-goat,
if I could, which I could better feed on; and though there were many
goats here, more than on my side the island, yet it was with much
more difficulty that I could come near them, the country being flat
and even, and they saw me much sooner than when I was on the hill.
I confess this side of the country was much pleasanter than mine;
but yet I had not the least inclination to remove, for as I was fixed
in my habitation, it became natural to me, and I seemed all the while
I was here to be as it were upon a journey, and from home. How-
ever, I travelled along the shore of the sea towards the east, I sup-
pose about twelve miles, and then setting up a great pole upon the
shore for a mark, I concluded I would go home again; and that the
next journey I took should be on the other side of the island, east
from my dwelling, and so round till I came to my post again; of
which in its place.
I took another way to come back than that I went, thinking I
could easily keep all the island so much in my view, that I could not
miss finding my first dwelling by viewing the country; but I found
myself mistaken; for being come about two or three miles, I found
myself descended into a very large valley; but so surrounded with
hills, and those hills covered with wood, that I could not see which was
my way by any direction but that of the sun, nor even then, unless I
knew very well the position of the sun at that time of the day, It
happened to my further misfortune, that the weather proved hazy for
three or four days while I was in the valley, and not being able to
see the sun, I wandered about very uncomfortably, and at last was
obliged to find out the sea-side, look for my post, and come back the
same way I went; and then by easy journeys I turned homeward,

SEARC.SC,
The shore was covered by innumerable turtles.
13'9
;
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
121
the weather being exceeding hot, and my gun, ammunition, hatchet,
and other things, very heavy.
In this journey, my dog surprised a young kid, and seized upon
it, and I, running in to take hold of it, caught it, and saved it alive
from the dog. I had a great mind to bring it home if I could, for I
had often been musing whether it might not be possible to get a kid
or two, and so raise a breed of tame goats, which might supply me
when my powder and shot should be all spent. I made a collar to
this little creature, and with a string which I made of some rope-
yarn, which I always carried about me, I led him along, though with
some difficulty, till I came to my bower, and there I enclosed him
and left him, for I was very impatient to be at home, from whence I
had been absent above a month.
I cannot express what a satisfaction it was to me to come into
my old hutch, and lie down in my hammock-bed. This little
wandering journey, without settled place of abode, had been so
unpleasant to me, that my own house, as I called it to myself, was a
perfect settlement to me, compared to that; and it rendered every-
thing about me so comfortable, that I resolved I would never go a
great way from it again, while it should be my lot to stay on the
island.
I reposed myself here a week, to rest and regale myself after my
long journey; during which, most of the time was taken up in the
weighty affair of making a cage for my Poll, who began now to be a
mere domestic, and to be mighty well acquainted with me. Then I
began to think of the poor kid which I had penned in within my
little circle, and resolved to go and fetch it home, or give it some
food; accordingly I went, and found it where I left it, for indeed it
could not get out, but was almost starved for want of food. I went
and cut boughs of trees, and branches of such shrubs as I could find,
and threw it over, and having fed it, I tied it as I did before, to lead
it away; but it was so tame with being hungry, that I had no need
to have tied it, for it followed me like a dog; and as I continually
fed it, the creature became so loving, so gentle, and so fond, that it
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became from that time one of my domestics also, and would never
leave me afterwards.
The rainy season of the autumnal equinox was now come, and I
kept the 30th of September in the same solemn manner as before,
being the anniversary of my landing on the island, having now been
there two years, and no more prospect of being delivered than the
first day I came there. I spent the whole day in humble and
thankful acknowledgments of the many wonderful mercies which my
solitary condition was attended with, and without which it might
have been infinitely more miserable. I gave humble and hearty
thanks that God had been pleased to discover to me, even that it
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
123
was possible I might be more happy in this solitary condition, than
I should have been in a liberty of society, and in all the pleasures of
the world: that he could fully make up to me the deficiencies of my
solitary state, and the want of human society, by his presence, and
the communications of his grace to my soul; supporting, comforting,
and encouraging me to depend upon his providence here, and hope
for his eternal presence hereafter.
It was now that I began sensibly to feel how much more happy
this life I now led was, with all its miserable circumstances, than
the wicked, cursed, abominable life I led all the past part of my
days; and now I changed both my sorrows and my joys; my very
desires altered, my affections changed their gusts, and my delights
were perfectly new from what they were at my first coming, or,
indeed, for the two years past.
I
Before, as I walked about, either on my hunting, or for viewing
the country, the anguish of my soul at my condition would break
out upon me on a sudden, and my very heart would die within me,
to think of the woods, the mountains, the deserts I was in, and how
I was a prisoner, locked up with the eternal bars and bolts of the
ocean, in an uninhabited wilderness, without redemption. In the
midst of the greatest composures of my mind, this would break out
upon me like a storm, and make me wring my hands, and weep like
a child: sometimes it would take me in the middle of my work, and
I would immediately sit down and sigh, and look upon the ground
for an hour or two together; and this was still worse to me, for if
I could burst out into tears, or vent myself by words, it would go
off, and the grief having exhausted itself would abate.
But now I began to exercise myself with new thoughts; I daily
read the word of God, and applied all the comforts of it to my pre-
sent state. One morning, being very sad, I opened the Bible upon
these words, "I will never, never leave thee, nor forsake thee:"
immediately it occurred that these words were to me; why else
should they be directed in such a manner, just at the moment when
I was mourning over my condition, as one forsaken of God and
man? "Well, then," said I, "if God does not forsake me, of what
124
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
ill consequence can it be, or what matters it, though the world
should all forsake me, seeing on the other hand, if I had all the
world, and should lose the favour and blessing of God, there would
be no comparison in the loss ?"

Mare
BREVIERE
From this moment, I began to conclude in my mind, that it was
possible for me to be more happy in this forsaken solitary condition,
than it was probable I should ever have been in any other particular
state in the world; and with this thought I was going to give thanks
to God for bringing me to this place. I know not what it was, but
OF ROBINSON CRusoe.
125
something shocked my mind at that thought, and I durst not speak
the words. "How canst thou become such a hypocrite," said I,
even audibly, "to pretend to be thankful for a condition, which
however thou mayst endeavour to be contented with, thou wouldst
rather pray heartily to be delivered from?" So I stopped there,
but though I could not say I thanked God for being there, yet I
sincerely gave thanks to God for opening my eyes, by whatever
afflicting providences, to see the former condition of my life, and to
mourn for my wickedness, and repent. I never opened the Bible,
or shut it, but my very soul within me blessed God for directing my
friend in England, without any order of mine, to pack it up among
my goods, and for assisting me afterwards to save it out of the
wreck of the ship.
Thus, and in this disposition of mind, I began my third year;
and though I have not given the reader the trouble of so particular
an account of my works this year as the first; yet in general it may
be observed, that I was very seldom idle, but having regularly
divided my time according to the several daily employments that
were before me, such as, first, my duty to God, and the reading the
Scriptures, which I constantly set apart some time for, thrice every
day; secondly, the going abroad with my gun for food, which
generally took me up three hours in every morning, when it did not
rain; thirdly, the ordering, cutting, preserving, and cooking what I
had killed or catched for my supply: these took up great part of the
day; also, it is to be considered, that in the middle of the day, when
the sun was in the zenith, the violence of the heat was too great to
stir out; so that about four hours in the evening was all the time I
could be supposed to work in, with this exception, that sometimes I
changed my hours of hunting and working, and went to work in the
morning, and abroad with my gun in the afternoon.
To this short time allowed for labour, I desire may be added the
exceeding laboriousness of my work; the many hours which for
want of tools, want of help, and want of skill, everything I did took
up out of my time: for example, I was full two and forty days
making me a board for a long shelf, which I wanted in my cave;
126
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
whereas, two sawyers, with their tools and a saw-pit, would have
cut six of them out of the same tree in half a day.
My case was this: it was to be a large tree which was to be cut
down, because my board was to be a broad one. This tree I was
three days a cutting down, and two more cutting off the boughs, and
reducing it to a log, or piece of timber. With inexpressible hacking
and hewing, I reduced both the sides of it into chips till it began to
to be light enough to move; then I turned it, and made one side of
it smooth and flat as a board from end to end; then turning that
side downward, cut the other side, till I brought the plank to be
about three inches thick, and smooth on both sides. Any one may
judge the labour of my hands in such a piece of work, but labour
and patience carried me through that, and many other things; I
only observe this in particular, to shew the reason why so much of
my time went away with so little work, viz. that what might be a
little to be done with help and tools, was a vast labour, and required
a prodigious time to do alone, and by hand. But notwithstanding
this, with patience and labour I went through many things, and,
indeed, everything that my circumstances made necessary to me to
do, as will appear by what follows.
I was now in the months of November and December, expecting
my crop of barley and rice. The ground I had manured or dug up
for them was not great; for, as I observed, my seed of each was not
above the quantity of half a peck, for I had lost one whole crop by
sowing in the dry season; but now my crop promised very well,
when, on a sudden I found I was in danger of losing it all again
by enemies of several sorts, which it was scarce possible to keep
from it; as, first the goats, and wild creatures which I called hares,
who, tasting the sweetness of the blade, lay in it night and day, as
soon as it came up, and eat it so close, that it could get no time to
shoot up into stalk.
·
This I saw no remedy for, but by making an enclosure about it
with a hedge, which I did with a great deal of toil; and the more,
because it required speed. However, as my arable land was but
small, suited to my crop, I got it totally well fenced, in about three
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
127
weeks' time, and shooting some of the creatures in the day-time, I
set my dog to guard it in the night, tying him up to a stake at the
gate, where he would stand and bark all night long; so in a little
time, the enemies forsook the place, and the corn grew very strong
and well, and began to ripen apace.
But as the beasts ruined me before, while my corn was in the
blade, so the birds were as likely to ruin me now, when it was in the
ear; for going along by the place to see how it throve, I saw my
little crop surrounded wlth fowls, of I know not how many sorts,
who stood, as it were, watching till I should be gone. I imme-
I
diately let fly among them, for I always had my gun with me.
had no sooner shot, but there rose up a little cloud of fowls, which
I had not seen at all, from among the corn itself.
This touched me sensibly, for I foresaw that in a few days they
would devour all my hopes; that I should be starved, and never be
able to raise a crop at all, and what to do I could not tell; however,
I resolved not to lose my corn, if possible, though I should watch it
night and day. In the first place, I went among it, to see what
damage was already done, and found they had spoiled a good deal
of it, but that as it was yet too green for them, the loss was not so
great; but that the remainder was like to be a good crop, if it could
be saved.
I staid by it to load my gun, and then coming away, I could
easily see the thieves sitting upon all the trees about me, as if they
only waited till I was gone away, and the event proved it to be so;
for as I walked off, as if I was gone, I was no sooner out of their
sight, than they dropt down, one by one, into the corn again. I was
so provoked, that I could not have patience to stay till more came
on, knowing that every grain that they eat now was, as it might be
said, a peck-loaf to me in the consequence; but coming up to the
hedge, I fired again, and killed three of them. This was what I
wished for; so I took them up, and served them as we serve
notorious thieves in England, viz. hanged them in chains, for a
terror to others. It is impossible to imagine almost that this should
have such an effect as it had, for the fowls would not only not come
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
at the corn, but, in short, they forsook all that part of the island,
and I could never see a bird near the place as long as my scare-
crows hung there. This I was very glad of, you may be sure, and
about the latter end of December, which was our second harvest of
the year, 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 the arms out of the
ship. However, as my first crop was but small, I had no great
difficulty to cut it down; in short, I reaped it my way, for I cut
nothing off but the ears, and carried it away in a great basket which
I had made, and so rubbed it out with my hands, and at the end of
all my harvesting, I found that out of my half-peck of seed I had
near two bushels of rice, and above two bushels and a half of barley;
that is to say, by my guess, for I had no measure at that time.
However, this was a great encouragement to me, and I foresaw
that, in time, it would please God to supply me with bread: and
yet, here I was perplexed again, for I neither knew how to grind,
or make meal of my corn, or indeed, how to clean it and part it;
nor, if made into meal, how to make bread of it; and if how to make
it, yet I knew not how to bake it; these things being added to my
desire of having a good quantity for store, and to secure a constant
supply, I resolved not to taste any of this crop, but to preserve it all
for seed against the next season; and, in the mean time, to employ
all my study and hours of working to accomplish this great work of
providing myself with corn and bread.
It might be truly said, that now I worked for my bread. 'Tis
a little wonderful, and what I believe few people have thought much
upon, viz. the strange multitude of little things necessary in the
providing, producing, curing, dressing, making, and finishing this
one article of bread.
I, that was reduced to a mere state of nature, found this to my
daily discouragement, and was made more sensible of it every hour,
even after I had got the first handful of seed-corn, which, as I have
said, came up unexpectedly, and indeed to a surprise.


I could never see a bird near the place as long as my scare-crows hung there.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
129
First, I had no plough to turn up the earth; no spade or shovel
to dig it. Well, this I conquered by making me a wooden spade, as
I observed before, but this did my work but in a wooden manner;
and though it cost me a great many days to make it, yet, for want
of iron, it not only wore out the sooner, but made my work the
harder, and made it be performed much worse. However, this I
bore with, and was content to work it out with patience, and bear
with the badness of the performance. When the corn was sown, I
had no harrow, but was forced to go over it myself, and drag a great
heavy bough of a tree over it, to scratch it, as it may be called,
rather than rake or harrow it. When it was growing and grown, I
have observed already how many things I wanted to fence it, secure
it, mow or reap it, cure and carry it home, thrash, part it from the
chaff, and save it. Then I wanted a mill to grind it, sieves to dress
it, yeast and salt to make it into bread, and an oven to bake it, and
yet all these things I did without, as shall be observed; and yet the
corn was an inestimable comfort and advantage to me, too. All this,
as I said, made everything laborious and tedious to me, but that
there was no help for; neither was my time so much loss to me,
because, as I had divided it, a certain part of it was every day
appointed to these works, and as I had resolved to use none of the
corn for bread till I had a greater quantity by me, I had the next
six months to apply myself wholly, by labour and invention, to
furnish myself with utensils proper for the performing all the opera-
tions necessary for making the corn, when I had it, fit for my use.
But first I was to prepare more land, for I had now seed
enough to sow above an acre of ground. Before I did this, I had a
week's work at least to make me a spade, which, when it was done,
was but a sorry one indeed, and very heavy, and required double
labour to work with it; however, I went through that, and sowed
my seed in two large flat pieces of ground, as near my house as I
could find them to my mind, and fenced them in with a good hedge,
the stakes of which were all cut off that wood which I had set before,
and knew it would grow; so that in one year's time, I knew 1
should have a quick or living hedge, that would want but little
N
130
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
repair. This work was not so little as to take me up less than three
months, because a great part of that time was of the wet season,
when I could not go abroad. Within doors, that is, when it rained,
and I could not go out, I found employment on the following occa-
sions; always observing, that all the while I was at work, I diverted
myself with talking to my parrot, and teaching him to speak; and I

WESIGNE
quickly learned him to know his own name, and at last to speak
it out pretty loud, Poll, which was the first word I ever heard
spoken in the island by any mouth but my own. This, therefore,
was not my work, but an assistant to my work, for now, as I said,
I had a great employment upon my hands, as follows: viz. I had
long studied to make myself, by some means or other, some earthen
vessels, which indeed I wanted sorely, but knew not where to come
at them however, considering the heat of the climate, I did not.
doubt but if I could find out any such clay, I might botch up some
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
131
such pot as might, being dried in the sun, be hard enough and strong
enough to bear handling, and to hold anything that was dry, and
required to be kept so; and as this was necessary in the preparing
corn, meal, &c. which was the thing 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 awkward ways I took to raise this paste; what odd, mis-
shapen, ugly things I made; how many of them fell in, and how
many fell out, the clay not being stiff enough to bear its own weight;
how many cracked by the over violent heat of the sun, being set out
too hastily; and how many fell in pieces with only removing, as well
before as after they were dried; and, in a word, how, after having
laboured hard to find the clay-to dig it, to temper it, to bring it
home, and work it-I could not make above two large earthen ugly
things (I cannot call them jars) in about two months' labour.
However, as the sun baked these two very dry and hard, I lifted
them very gently up, and set them down again in two great wicker
baskets, which I had made on purpose for them, that they might not
break; and as between the pot and the basket there was a little room
to spare, I stuffed it full of the rice and barley-straw, and these two
pots being to stand always dry, I thought would hold my dry corn,
and perhaps the meal, when the corn was bruised.
Though I miscarried so much in my design for large pots, yet I
made several smaller things with better success; such as little round
pots, flat dishes, pitchers, and pipkins, and any things my hand
turned to; and the heat of the sun baked them strangely hard.
But all this would not answer my end, which was to get an
earthen pot to hold what was liquid, and bear the fire, which none
of these could do. It happened after some time, making a pretty
large fire for cooking my meat, when I went to put it out after I had
done with it, I found a broken piece of one of my earthen-ware
vessels in the fire, burnt as hard as a stone, and red as a tile.
I was
agreeably surprised to see it, and said to myself, that certainly they
might be made to burn whole, if they would burn broken.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
This set me to study how to order my fire, so as to make it burn
some pots. I had no notion of a kiln, such as the potters burn in,
or of glazing them with lead, though I had some lead to do it with;
but I placed three large pipkins, and two or three pots, in a pile, one
upon another, and placed my fire-wood all round it, with a great
heap of embers under them. I plied the fire with fresh fuel round
the outside, and upon the top, till I saw the pots in the inside red-
hot quite through, and observed that they did not crack at all; when
I saw them clear red, I let them stand in that heat about five or six
hours, till I found one of them, though it did not crack, did melt or
run; for the sand which was mixed with the clay melted by the
violence of the heat, and would have run into glass if I had gone on;
so I slacked my fire gradually till the pots began to abate of the red
colour, and watching them all night, that I might not let the fire
abate too fast, in the morning I had three very good (I will not say

OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
133
handsome) pipkins, and two other earthen pots, as hard burnt as
could be desired, and one of them perfectly glazed with the running
of the sand.
After this experiment, I need not say that I wanted no sort of
earthen-ware for my use; but I must needs say, as to the shapes of
them, they were very indifferent, as any one may suppose, when I
had no way of making them, but as the children make dirt pies, or
as a woman would make pies that never learned to raise paste.
No joy at a thing of so mean a nature was ever equal to mine,
when I found I had made an earthen pot that would bear the fire;
and I had hardly patience to stay till they were cold, before I set one
on the fire again, with some water in it, to boil me some meat, which
it did admirably well; and with a piece of a kid I made some very
good broth, though I wanted oatmeal, and several other ingredients
requisite to make it so good as I would have had it been,
My next concern was to get me a stone mortar to stamp or beat
some corn in; for as to the mill, there was no thought of arriving to
that perfection of art with one pair of hands. To supply this want, I
was at a great loss; for, of all the trades in the world, I was as per-
fectly unqualified for a stone-cutter, as for any whatever; neither had
I any tools to go about it with. I spent many a day to find out a
great stone big enough to cut hollow, and make fit for a mortar, and
could find none at all, except what was in the solid rock, and which
I had no way to dig or cut out; nor indeed were the rocks in the
island of hardness sufficient, but were all of a sandy crumbling stone,
which neither would bear the weight of a heavy pestle, nor would
break the corn without filling it with sand; so, after a great deal of
time lost in searching for a stone, I gave it over, and resolved to look
out for a great block of hard wood, which I found indeed much
easier; and getting one as big as I had strength to stir, I rounded
it, and formed it on the outside with my axe and hatchet, and then,
with the help of fire, and infinite labour, made a hollow place in it,
as the Indians in Brasil make their canoes. After this, I made a
great heavy pestle, or beater, of the wood called the iron-wood; and
this I prepared and laid by against I had my next crop of corn,
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
when I proposed to myself to grind, or rather pound my corn into
meal, to make my bread.
My next difficulty was to make a sieve, or searce, to dress my
meal, and to part it from the bran and the husk; without which I
did not see it possible I could have any bread. This was a most
difficult thing, so much as but to think on, for to be sure I had
nothing like the necessary thing to make it; I mean fine thin canvass
or stuff, to searce the meal through. And here I was at a full stop
for many months; nor did I really know what to do; linen I had
none left, but what was mere rags; I had goats'-hair, but neither
knew how to weave it or spin it; and had I known how, here were
no tools to work it with all the remedy that I found for this was,
that at last I did remember I had, among the seamen's clothes which
were saved out of the ship, some neckcloths of calico or muslin; and
with some pieces of these I made three small sieves, proper enough
for the work; and thus I made shift for some years: how I did after-
wards, I shall shew in its place.
The baking part was the next thing to be considered, and how I
should make bread when I came to have corn; for, first, I had no
yeast; as to that part, there was no supplying the want, so I did not
concern myself much about it; but for an oven, I was indeed in great
pain. At length, I found out an experiment for that also, which was
this; I made some earthen vessels very broad, but not deep, that is
to say, about two feet diameter, and not above nine inches deep;
these I burned in the fire, as I had done the other, and laid them
by; and when I wanted to bake, I made a great fire upon my hearth,
which I had paved with some square tiles, of my own baking and
burning also; but I should not call them square.
When the fire-wood was burned pretty much into embers, or
live coals, I drew them forward upon this earth, so as to cover it all
over, and there I let them lie till the hearth was very hot; then
sweeping away all the embers, I set down my loaf, or loaves, and
whelming down the earthen pot upon them, drew the embers all
round the outside of the pot, to keep in and add to the heat; and
thus, as well as in the best oven in the world, I baked my barley-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE
135
loaves, and became, in little time, a good pastry-cook into the bar-
gain; for I made myself several cakes and puddings of the rice;
but I made no pies, neither had I anything to put into them, sup-
posing I had, except the flesh either of fowls or goats.

It need not be wondered at, if all these things took me up most
part of the third year of my abode here; for, it is to be observed,
that in the intervals of these things, I had my new harvest and hus-
bandry to manage; for I reaped my corn in its season, and carried
it home as well as I could, and laid it up in the ear, in my large
baskets, till I had time to rub it out, for I had no floor to thrash it
on, or instrument to thrash it with.
And now, indeed, my stock of corn increasing, I really wanted
to build my barns bigger; I wanted a place to lay it up in, for the in-
crease of the corn now yielded me so much, that I had of the barley
about twenty bushels, and of the rice as much, or more, insomuch
136
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
that now I resolved to begin to use it freely; for my bread had been
quite gone a great while; also I resolved to see what quantity would
be sufficient for me a whole year, and to sow but once a year.
Upon the whole, I found that the forty bushels of barley and rice
were much more than I could consume in a year; so I resolved to
sow just the same quantity every year that I sowed the last, in hopes
that such a quantity would fully provide me with bread, &c.
All the while these things were doing, you may be sure my
thoughts ran many times upon the prospect of land which I had seen
from the other side of the island, and I was not without secret wishes
that I were on shore there, fancying that, seeing the main land, and
an inhabited country, I might find some way or other to convey
myself farther, and perhaps at last find some means of escape.
But all this while I made no allowance for the dangers of such
a condition, and how I might fall into the hands of savages, and
perhaps such as I might have reason to think far worse than the lions
and tigers of Africa; that if I once came in their power, I should
run a hazard of more than a thousand to one of being killed, and
perhaps of being eaten; for I had heard that the people of the Carib-
bean coast were cannibals, or man-eaters, and I knew by the latitude
that I could not be far off from that shore. Then, supposing they
were not cannibals, yet that they might kill me, as many Europeans
who had fallen into their hands had been served, even when they had
been ten or twenty together-much more I, that was but one, and
could make little or no defence; all these things, I say, which I ought
to have considered well of, and did cast up in my thoughts after-
wards, yet took up none of my apprehensions at first, and my head
ran mightily upon the thought of getting over to the shore.
Now I wished for my boy Xury, and the long-boat with the
shoulder-of-mutton sail, with which I sailed above a thousand miles
on the coast of Africa; but this was in vain: then I thought I would
go and look at our ship's boat, which, as I have said, was blown up
upon the shore a great way, in the storm, when we were first cast
away.
She lay almost where she did at first, but not quite; and
was turned, by the force of the waves and the winds, almost bottom
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
137
upward, against a high ridge of beachy, 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 would have done well
enough, and I might have gone back into the Brasils with her easily
enough; but I might have foreseen that I could no more turn her and
set her upright upon her bottom, than I could remove the island;
however, I went to the woods, and cut levers and rollers, and brought
them to the boat, resolving to try what I could do; suggesting to
myself, that if I could but turn her down, I might repair the damage
she had received, and she would be a very good boat, and I might
go to sea in her very easily.
I spared no pains, indeed, in this piece of fruitless toil, and spent
I think, three or four weeks about it; at last, finding it impossible
to heave it up with my little strength, I fell to digging away the sand,
to undermine it, and so to make it fall down, setting pieces of wood
to thrust and guide it right in the fall.
But when I had done this, I was unable to stir it up again, or to
get under it, much less to move it forward towards the water; so I
was forced to give it over; and yet, though I gave over the hopes of
the boat, my desire to venture over the main increased, rather than
decreased, as the means for it seemed impossible.
This at length put me upon thinking whether it was not possible
to make myself a canoe, or periagua, such as the natives of those
climates make, even without tools, or, as I might say, without hands,
of the trunk of a great tree. This I not only thought possible, but
easy, and pleased myself extremely with the thoughts of making it,
and with my having much more convenience for it than any of the
Negroes or Indians, but not at all considering the particular incon-
veniences which I lay under more than the Indians did, viz. want of
hands to move it, when it was made, into the water-a difficulty much
harder for me to surmount than all the consequences of want of tools
could be to them; for what was it to me, if that when I had chosen
a vast tree in the woods, I might with much trouble cut it down,
if after I might be able with my tools to hew and dub the outside
into the proper shape of a boat, and burn or cut out the inside to
138
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
:
make it hollow, so to make a boat of it; if, after all this, I must
leave it just there where I found it, and was not able to launch it
into the water?
One would have thought I could not have had the least reflection
upon my mind of my circumstances while I was making this boat, but
I should have immediately thought how I should get it into the sea;
but my thoughts were so intent upon my voyage over the sea in it
that I never once considered how I should get it off of the land; and
it was really, in its own nature, more easy for me to guide it over
forty-five miles of sea, than about forty-five fathom of land, where it
lay, to set it afloat in the water.
I went to work upon this boat the most like a fool that ever man
did, who had any of his senses awake. I pleased myself with the
design, without determining whether I was ever able to undertake it;
not but that the difficulty of launching my boat came often into my
head; but I put a stop to my enquiries into it, by this foolish answer,
which I gave myself: "Let me first make it; I warrant I will find
some way or other to get it along when it is done.”
This was a most preposterous method; but the eagerness of my
fancy prevailed, and to work I went. I felled a cedar tree, and I
question much whether Solomon ever had such a one for the building
of the Temple of Jerusalem; it was five feet ten inches diameter at
the lower part next the stump, and four feet eleven inches diameter
at the end of twenty-two feet, after which it lessened for awhile, and
then parted into branches. It was not without infinite labour that I
felled this tree; I was twenty days hacking and hewing at it at the
bottom; I was fourteen more getting the branches and limbs, and
the vast spreading head of it, cut off, which I hacked and hewed
through with axe and hatchet, and inexpressible labour: after this,
it cost me a month to shape it and dub it to a proportion, and to
something like the bottom of a boat, that it might swim upright as
it ought to do. It cost me near three months more to clear the
inside, and work it out so as to make an exact boat of it: this I did,
indeed, without fire, by mere mallet and chisel, and by the dint of
hard labour, till I had brought it to be a very handsome periagua,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
139

GEAPE
and big enough to have carried six and twenty men, and conse-
quently big enough to have carried me and all my cargo.
When I had gone through this work, I was extremely delighted
with it. The boat was really much bigger than ever I saw a canoe
or periagua, that was made of one tree, in my life. Many a weary
stroke it had cost, you may be sure: and had I gotten it into the
water, I make no question but I should have begun the maddest
voyage, and the most unlikely to be performed, that ever was
undertaken.
140
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
But all my devices to get it into the water failed me; though
they cost me infinite labour, too. It lay about one hundred yards
from the water, and not more; but the first inconvenience was, it
was up hill towards the creek. Well, to take away this discourage-

LAISNO
ment, I resolved to dig into the surface of the earth, and so make a
declivity this I begun, and it cost me a prodigious deal of pains;
(but who grudge pains that have their deliverance in view?) but when
this was worked through, and this difficulty managed, it was still
much the same, for I could no more stir the canoe than I could the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
141
other boat. Then I measured the distance of ground, and resolved
to cut a dock or canal, to bring the water up to the canoe, seeing I
could not bring the canoe down to the water. Well, I began this
work; and when I began to enter upon it, and calculate how deep it
was to be dug, how broad, how the stuff was to be thrown out, I
found that, by the number of hands I had, being none but my own,
it must have been ten or twelve years before I could have gone
through with it; for the shore lay so high, that at the upper end it
must have been at least twenty feet deep; so at length, though with
great reluctancy, I gave this attempt over also.
This grieved me heartily; and now I saw, though too late, the
folly of beginning a work before we count the cost, and before we
judge rightly of our own strength to go through with it.
In the middle of this work, I finished my fourth year in this
place, and kept my anniversary with the same devotion, and with as
much comfort as ever before; for, by a constant study and serious
application to the Word of God, and by the assistance of his grace, I
gained a different knowledge from what I had before. I entertained
different notions of things. I looked now upon the world as a thing
remote, which I had nothing to do with, no expectation from, and,
indeed, no desires about: in a word, I had nothing indeed to do with
it, nor was ever likely to have; so I thought it looked, as we may
perhaps look upon it hereafter, viz. as a place I had lived in, but
was come out of it; and well might I say, as Father Abraham to
Dives, "Between me and thee is a great gulf fixed."
In the first place, I was removed from all the wickedness of the
world here; I had neither the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye,
or the pride of life. I had nothing to covet, for I had all that I was
now capable of enjoying; I was lord of the whole manor; or, if I
pleased, I might call myself king or emperor over the whole country
which I had possession of; there were no rivals; I had no compe-
titor, none to dispute sovereignty or command with me: I might
have raised ship-loadings of corn, but I had no use for it; so I let
as little grow as I thought enough for my occasion. I had tortoise
or turtle enough, but now and then one was as much as I could put
0
142
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to any use: I had timber enough to have built a fleet of ships; and
I had grapes enough to have made wine, or to have cured into raisins,
to have loaded that fleet when it had been built.
But all I could make use of was all that was valuable: I had
enough to eat and supply my wants, and what was all the rest to me?
If I killed more flesh than I could eat, the dog must eat it, or
vermin; if I sowed more corn than I could eat, it must be spoiled;
the trees that I cut down were lying to rot on the ground; I could
make no more use of them than for fuel, and that I had no occasion
for but to dress my food.
In a word the nature and experience of things dictated to me,
upon just reflection, that all the good things of this world are no
farther good to us than they are for our use; and that, whatever we
may heap up indeed to give others, we enjoy just as much as we can
use and no more. The most covetous griping miser in the world
would have been cured of the vice of covetousness, if he had been in
my case; for I possessed infinitely more than I knew what to do
with. I had no room for desire, except it was of things which I had
not, and they were but trifles, though, indeed, of great use to me. I
had, as I hinted before, a parcel of money, as well gold as silver, about
thirty-six pounds sterling.. Alas! there the nasty, sorry, useless
stuff lay; I had no manner of business for it; and I often thought
with myself, that I would have given a handful of it for a gross of
tobacco-pipes, or for a hand-mill to grind my corn; nay, I would
have given it all for sixpenny-worth of turnip and carrot seed out of
England, or for a handful of peas and beans, and a bottle of ink.
As it was, I had not the least advantage by it, or benefit from it;
but there it lay in a drawer, and grew mouldy with the damp of the
cave in the wet seasons; and if I had had the drawer full of
diamonds, it had been the same case, they had been of no manner of
value to me, because of no use.
I had now brought my state of life to be much easier in itself
than it was at first, and much easier to my mind, as well as to my
body. I frequently sat down to meat with thankfulness, and
admired the hand of God's providence, which had thus spread my
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
143
table in the wilderness. I learned to look more upon the bright side
of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I
enjoyed, rather than what I wanted; and this gave me sometimes
such secret comforts, that I cannot express them; and which I take
notice of here, to put those discontented people in mind of it, who
cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given them, because they
see and covet something that he has not given them. All our dis-
contents about what we want, appeared to me to spring from the
want of thankfulness for what we have.
Another reflection was of great use to me, and doubtless would
be so to any one that should fall into such distress as mine was; and
this was, to compare my present condition with what I at first ex-
pected it should be; nay, with what it would certainly have been, if
the good providence of God had not wonderfully ordered the ship to
be cast up nearer to the shore, where I not only could come at her,
but could bring what I got out of her to the shore, for my relief and
comfort; without which, I had wanted for tools to work, weapons
for defence, or gunpowder and shot for getting my food.
I spent whole hours, I may say whole days, in representing to
myself, in the most lively colours, how I must have acted if I had
got nothing out of the ship. How I could not have so much as got
any food, except fish and turtles; and that, as it was long before I
found any of them, I must have perished first; that I should have
lived, if I had not perished, like a mere savage; that if I had killed
a goat or a fowl, by any contrivance, I had no way to flay or open
it, or part the flesh from the skin and the bowels, or to cut it up;
but must gnaw it with my teeth, and pull it with my claws, like a
beast.
These reflections made me very sensible of the goodness of
Providence to me, and very thankful for my present condition, with
all its hardships and misfortunes: and this part also I cannot but
recommend to the reflection of those who are apt, in their misery, to
say, "Is any affliction like mine?" Let them consider how much
worse the cases of some people are, and their case might have been,
if Providence had thought fit.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I had another reflection, which assisted me also to comfort my
mind with hopes; and this was comparing my present situation with
what I had deserved, and had therefore reason to expect from the
hand of Providence. I had lived a dreadful life, perfectly destitute
of the knowledge and fear of God. I had been well instructed by
father and mother; neither had they been wanting to me, in their
early endeavours to infuse a religious awe of God into my mind, a
sense of my duty, and what the nature and end of my being required
of me. But, alas! falling early into the seafaring life, which, of all
lives, is the most destitute of the fear of God, though his terrors are
always before them; I say, falling early into the seafaring life, and
into seafaring company, all that little sense of religion which I had
entertained was laughed out of me by my messmates; by a hardened
despising of dangers, and the views of death, which grew habitual to
me; by my long absence from all manner of opportunities to con-
verse with anything but what was like myself, or to hear anything
that was good, or tended towards it.
So void was I of everything that was good, or of the least sense
of what I was, or was to be, that, in the greatest deliverances I
enjoyed—such as my escape from Sallee; my being taken up by the
Portuguese master of the ship; my being planted so well in the
Brasils; my receiving the cargo from England, and the like-I never
had once the words, "Thank God," so much as on my mind, or in
my mouth; nor in the greatest distress had I so much as a thought
to pray to him, or so much as to say, Lord, have mercy upon
me! no, nor to mention the name of God, unless it was to swear
by, and blaspheme it.
""
I had terrible reflections upon my mind for many months, as I
have already observed, on account of my wicked and hardened life
past; and when I looked about me, and considered what particular
providences had attended me since my coming into this place, and
how God had dealt bountifully with me; had not only punished me
less than my iniquity had deserved, but had so plentifully provided
for me: this gave me great hopes that my repentance was accepted,
and that God had yet mercy in store for me.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
145
With these reflections, I worked my mind up, not only to a re-
signation to the will of God in the present disposition of my circum-
stances, but even to a sincere thankfulness for my condition; and
that I, who was yet a living man, ought not to complain, seeing I
had not the due punishment of my sins; that I enjoyed so many
mercies which I had no reason to have expected in that place; that
I ought never more to repine at my condition, but to rejoice, and to
give daily thanks for that daily bread, which nothing but a crowd of
wonders could have brought; that I ought to consider I had been
fed even by a miracle, even as great as that of feeding Elijah by
ravens; nay, by a long series of miracles: and that I could hardly
have named a place in the uninhabitable part of the world where I
could have been cast more to my advantage; a place where, as I had
no society, which was my affliction on one hand, so I found no
ravenous beasts, no furious wolves or tigers, to threaten my life; no
venomous creatures or poisonous, which I might feed on to my hurt;
no savages to murder and devour me. In a word, as my life was a
life of sorrow one way, so it was a life of mercy another; and I
wanted nothing to make it a life of comfort, but to be able to make
my sense of God's goodness to me, and care over me in this condition,
be my daily consolation; and after I did make a just improvement of
these things, I went away, and was no more sad.
I had now been here so long, that many things which I brought
on shore for my help were either quite gone, or very much wasted,
and near spent.
My ink, as I observed, had been gone some time, all but a very
little, which I eked out with water, a little and a little, till it was so
pale, it scarce left any appearance of black upon the paper. As long
as it lasted, I made use of it to minute down the days of the month
on which any remarkable thing happened to me: and, first, by casting
up times past, I remembered that there was a strange concurrence of
days in the various providences which befel me, and which, if I had
been superstitiously inclined to observe days as fatal or fortunate, I
might have had reason to have looked upon with a great deal of
curiosity.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
First, I had observed, that the same day that I broke away from
my father and my friends, and ran away to Hull, in order to go to
sea, the same day afterwards I was taken by the Sallee man of war,
and made a slave; the same day of the year that I escaped out of the
wreck of that ship in Yarmouth Roads, that same day-year after-
wards I made my escape from Sallee in a boat; the same day of the
year I was born on, viz. the 30th of September, that same day I
had my life so miraculously saved twenty-six years after, when I was
cast on shore in this island; so that my wicked life and my solitary
life began both on a day.
The next thing to my ink being wasted, was that of my bread, I
mean the biscuit which I brought out of the ship; this I had hus-
banded to the last degree, allowing myself but one cake of bread a
day for above a year; and yet I was quite without bread for near a
year before I got any corn of my own; and great reason I had to be
thankful that I had any at all, the getting it being, as has been
already observed, next to miraculous.
My clothes, too, began to decay mightily; as to linen, I had had
none a good while, except some chequered shirts which I 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, indeed,
several thick watch-coats of the seamen's which were left, but they
were too hot to wear and though it is true that the weather was so
violently hot that there was no need of clothes, yet I could not go
quite naked, no, though I had been inclined to it, which I was not,
—nor could I abide the thought of it, though I was all alone. The
reason why I could not go naked was, I could not bear the heat of
the sun so well when quite naked as with some clothes on; nay, the
very heat frequently blistered my skin; whereas, with a shirt on, the
air itself made some motion, and whistling under the shirt, was
twofold cooler than without it. No more could I ever bring myself
to go out in the heat of the sun without a cap or a hat; the heat of
the sun, beating with such violence as it does in that place, would
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
147
give me the head-ache presently, by darting so directly on my head,
without a cap or hat on, so that I could not bear it; whereas, if I
put on my hat, it would presently go away.

zambert
།
Upon these views, I began to consider about putting the few
rags I had, which I called clothes, into some order; I had worn out
all the waistcoats I had, and my business was now to try if I could
not make jackets out of the great watch-coats which I had by me,
and with such other materials as I had; so I set to work a tailoring,
or rather, indeed, a botching, for I made most piteous work of it.
However, I made shift to make two or three new waistcoats, which
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I hoped would serve me a great while; as for breeches or drawers,
I made but a very sorry shift indeed till afterwards:
I have mentioned that I saved the skins of all the creatures that
I killed, I mean four-footed ones, and I had 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 first thing I made of these was a great cap for my
head, with the hair on the outside, to shoot off the rain; and this I
performed so well, that after this I made me a suit of clothes wholly
of these skins,—that is to say, a waistcoat, and breeches open at the
knees, and both loose, for they were rather wanting to keep me cool
than to keep me warm. I must not omit to acknowledge that they
were wretchedly made; for if I was a bad carpenter, I was a worse
tailor. However, they were such as I made very good shift with,
and when I was abroad, if it happened to rain, the hair of my waist-
coat and cap being outermost, I was kept very dry.
After this, I spent a great deal of time and pains to make me an
umbrella; I was indeed in great want of one, and had a great mind
to make one; I had seen them made in the Brasils, 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;
besides, as I was obliged to be much abroad, it was a most useful
thing to me, as well for the rains as the heats. I took a world of
pains 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 indifferently well; the main difficulty I found was to make
it to let down. I could make it to spread, but if it did not let down
too, and draw in, it was not portable for me any way but just over
my head, which would not do. However, at last, as I said, I made
one to answer, and covered it with skins, the hair upwards, so that
it cast off the rain like a pent-house, and kept off the sun so
effectually, that I could walk out in the hottest of the weather
with greater advantage than I could before in the coolest, and when
I had no need of it, could close it, and carry it under my arm.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
149
Thus I lived mighty comfortably, my mind being entirely com-
posed 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 conversation, I
would ask myself, whether thus conversing mutually with my own
thoughts, and (as I hope I may say) with even God himself, by
ejaculations, was not better than the utmost enjoyment of human
society in the world?
I cannot say that, after this, for five years, any extraordinary
thing happened to me, but I lived on in the same course, in the
same posture and place, just as before; the chief things I was
employed in, besides my yearly labour of planting my barley and
rice, and curing my raisins, of both which I always kept up just
enough to have sufficient stock of one year's provision beforehand;
I say, besides this yearly labour, and my daily pursuit of going out
with my gun, I had one labour, 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. As
for the first, which was so vastly big, as I made it without con-
sidering beforehand, as I ought to do, how I should be able to
launch it, so, never being able to bring it into the water, or bring
the water to it, I was obliged to let it lie where it was, as a
memorandum to teach me to be wiser the next time: indeed, the
next time, though I could not get a tree proper for it, and was in a
place where I could not get the water to it at any less distance than,
as I have said, near half a mile, yet, as I saw it was practicable at
last, I never gave it over: and though I was near two years about it,
yet I never grudged my labour, 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 terra firma, where
it was above forty miles broad; accordingly, the smallness of my
boat assisted to put an end to that design, and now I thought no
more of it.
As I had a boat, my next design was to make a cruise
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
round the island; for as I had been on the other side in one place,
crossing, as I have already described it, over the land, so the dis-
coveries I made in that little journey made me very eager to see
other parts of the coast; and now I had a boat, I thought of nothing
but sailing round the island.

SEARS
For this purpose, that I might do everything with discretion and
consideration, I fitted up a little mast in my boat, and made a sail to
it out of some of the pieces of the ship's sails which lay in store, and
of which I had a great stock by me. Having fitted my mast and
sail, and tried the boat, I found she would sail very well: then I
made little lockers, or boxes, at each end of my boat, to put provi-
sions, necessaries, ammunition, &c. into, to be kept dry, either from
SC
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
151
rain or the spray of the sea; and a little, long, hollow place I cut in
the inside of the boat, where I could lay my gun, making a flap to
hang down over it, to keep it dry.
I fixed my umbrella also in a step at the stern, like a mast, to
stand over my head, and keep the heat of the sun off me, like an
awning; and thus I every now and then took a little voyage upon
the sea but never went far out, nor far from the little creek. At
last, being eager to view the circumference of my little kingdom, I
resolved upon my cruise; and accordingly I victualled my ship for
the voyage, putting in two dozen of loaves (cakes I should rather
call them) of barley bread, an earthen pot full of, parched rice (a
food I ate a great deal of), a little bottle of rum, half a goat, and
powder and shot for killing more, and two large watchcoats, of those
which, as I mentioned before, I had saved out of the seamen's
chests; these I took, one to lie upon, and the other to cover me
in the night.
It was the 6th of November, in the sixth year of my reign, or
my captivity, which you please, that I set out on this voyage, and I
found it much longer than I expected; for though the island itself
was not very large, yet when I came to the east side of it, I found a
great ledge of rocks lie out about two leagues into the sea, some
above water, some under it; and beyond that a shoal of sand, lying
dry half a league more, so that I was obliged to go a great way out
to sea to double the point.
When first I discovered them, I was going to give over my
enterprise, and come back again, not knowing how far it might
oblige me to go out to sea; and, above all, doubting how I should
get back again: so I came to an anchor; for I had made me a kind
of an anchor with a piece of a broken grappling which I got out of
the ship.
Having secured my boat, I took my gun and went on shore,
climbing up on a hill, which seemed to overlook that point, where I
saw the full extent of it, and resolved to venture.
In my viewing the sea from that hill where I stood, I perceived
a strong and, indeed, a most furious current, which ran to the east,
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
152
and even came close to the point; and I took the more notice of it,
because I saw there might be some danger, that when I came into it,
I might be carried out to sea by the strength of it, and not be able
to make the island again: and, indeed, had I not got first upon this
hill, I believe it would have been so; for there was the same current
on the other side the island, only that it set off at a farther distance,
and I saw there was a strong eddy under the shore; so I had
nothing to do but to get out of the first current, and I should
presently be in an eddy.
I lay here, however, two days, because the wind blowing pretty
fresh at E.S.E., and that being just contrary to the said current,
made a great breach of the sea upon the point; so that it was not
safe for me to keep too close to the shore for the breach, nor to go
too far off, because of the stream.
The third day, in the morning, the wind having abated over-
night, the sea was calm, and I ventured: but I am a warning-piece
again 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 a mill it carried my boat along with it with such violence
that all I could do could not keep her so much as on the edge of it;
but I found it hurried me farther and farther out from the eddy,
which was on my left hand. There was no wind stirring to help me,
and all I could do with my paddles signified nothing: and now I
began to give myself over for lost; for as the current was on both
sides of the island, I knew in a few leagues distance they must join
again, and then I was irrecoverably gone; nor did I see any
possibility of avoiding it; so that I had no prospect before me
but of perishing, not by the sea, for that was calm enough, but of
starving for hunger. I had, indeed, found a tortoise on the shore,
as big almost as I could lift, and had tossed it into the boat; and I
had a great jar of fresh water, that is to say, one of my earthen pots;
but what was all this to being driven into the vast ocean, where, to
be sure, there was no shore, no main land or island, for a thousand
leagues at least ?
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
153
And now I saw how easy it was for the providence of God to
make even the most miserable condition of mankind worse. Now I
looked back upon my desolate, solitary island, as the most pleasant
place in the world; and all the happiness my heart could wish for
was to be but there again. I stretched out my hands to it, with
"I shall never see thee
eager wishes: “O happy desert!" said I,
more. O miserable creature! whither am I going!" Then I re-
proached myself with my unthankful temper, and how I had repined
at my solitary condition; and now what would I give to be on shore
there again! Thus, we never see the true state of our condition till
it is illustrated to us by its contraries, nor know how to value what
we enjoy, but by the want of it. It is scarce possible to imagine the
consternation I was now in, being driven from my beloved island (for
so it appeared to me now to be) into the wide ocean, almost two
leagues, and in the utmost despair of ever recovering it again.
However, I worked hard, till indeed my strength was almost ex-
hausted, and kept my boat as much to the northward, that is,
towards the side of the current which the eddy lay on, as possibly I
could; when about noon, as the sun passed the meridian, I thought
I felt a little breeze of wind in my face, springing up from S.S.E.
This cheered my heart a little, and especially when, in about half an
hour more, it blew a pretty gentle gale. By this time, I was got at a
frightful distance from the island, and had the least cloudy or hazy
weather intervened, I had been undone another way, too; for I had
no compass on board, and should never have known how to have
steered toward the island, if I had but once lost sight of it; but
the weather continuing clear, I applied myself to get up my mast
again, and spread my sail, standing away to the north as much as
possible, to get out of the current.
Just as I had set my mast and sail, and the boat began to stretch
away, I saw even by the clearness of the water some alteration of the
current was near; for where the current was so strong, the water
was foul; but perceiving the water clear, I found the current abate;
and presently I found to the east, at about half a mile, a breach of
the sea upon some rocks: these rocks I found caused the current to
Р
154
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
part again, and as the main stress of it ran away more southerly,
leaving the rocks to the north-east, so the other returned by the
repulse of the rocks, and made a strong eddy, which ran back again
to the north-west, with a very sharp stream.
They who know what it is to have a reprieve brought to them
upon the ladder, or to be rescued from thieves just going to murder
them, or who have been in such-like extremities, may guess what
my present surprise of joy was, and how gladly I put my boat into
the stream of this eddy; and the wind also freshening, how gladly I
spread my sail to it, running cheerfully before the wind, and with a
strong tide or eddy under foot.
This eddy carried me about a league in my way back again,
directly towards the island, but about two leagues more to the
northward than the current which carried me away at first: so that
when I came near the island, I found myself open to the northern
shore of it, that is to say, the other end of the island, opposite to
that which I went out from.
When I had made something more than a league of way by the
help of this current or eddy, I found it was spent, and served me no
farther. However, I found that being between two great currents,
viz. that on the south side, which had hurried me away, and that on
the north, which lay about a league on the other side; I say,
between these two, in the wake of the island, I found the water at
least still, and running no way; and having still a breeze of wind
fair for me, I kept on steering directly for the island, though not
making such fresh way as I did before.
About four o'clock in the evening, being then within a league of
the island, I found the point of the rocks which occasioned this
disaster, stretching out, as is described before, to the southward, and
casting off the current more southerly, had, of course, made another
eddy to the north; and this I found very strong, but not directly
setting the way my course lay, which was due west, but almost full
north. However, having a fresh gale, I stretched across this eddy,
slanting north-west; and in about an hour came within about a mile
of the shore, where, it being smooth water, I soon got to land.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
155
When I was on shore, I fell on my knees, and gave God thanks
for my deliverance, resolving to lay aside all thoughts of my deliver-
ance by my boat; and refreshing myself with such things as I had,
I brought my boat close to the shore, in a little cove that I had
spied under some trees, and laid me down to sleep, being quite spent
with the labour and fatigue of the voyage.
I was now at a great loss which way to get home with my boat;
I had run so much hazard, and knew too much of the case, to think
of attempting it by the way I went out; and what might be at the
other side (I mean the west side) I knew not, nor had I any mind to
run any more ventures; so I only resolved in the morning to make
my way westward along the shore, and to see if there was no creek
where I might lay up my frigate in safety, so as to have her again,
if I wanted her. In about three miles, or thereabouts, coasting the
shore, I came to a very good inlet or bay, about a mile over, which
narrowed till it came to a very little rivulet or brook, where I found
a very convenient harbour for my boat, and where she lay as if she
had been in a little dock made on purpose for her. Here I put in,
and having stowed my boat very safe, I went on shore, to look about
me, and see where I was.
I soon found I had but a little passed by the place where I had
been before, when I travelled on foot to that shore; so taking nothing
out of my boat but my gun and umbrella, for it was exceedingly hot,
I began my march. The way was comfortable enough after such a
voyage as I had been upon, and I reached my old bower in the
evening, where I found everything standing as I left it; for I always
kept it in good order, being, as I said before, my country house.
I got over the fence, and laid me down in the shade to rest my
limbs, for I was very weary, and fell asleep; but judge you, if you
can, that read my story, what a surprise I must be in, when I was
awaked out of my sleep by a voice, calling me by my name several
times," Robin, Robin, Robin Crusoe; poor Robin Crusoe! Where
are you, Robin Crusoe? Where are you? Where have you been?"
I was so dead asleep at first, being fatigued with rowing, or
paddling as it is called, the first part of the day, and with walking
156
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

HANS
the latter part, that I did not wake thoroughly; but dozing between
sleeping and waking, thought I dreamed that somebody spoke to
me; but as the voice continued to repeat "Robin Crusoe, Robin
Crusoe," at last I began to wake more perfectly, and was at first
dreadfully frightened, and started up in the utmost consternation;
but no sooner were my eyes open, but I saw my Poll sitting on the
top of the hedge; and immediately knew that it was he that spoke
to me; for just in such bemoaning language I had used to talk to
him, and teach him; and he had learned it so perfectly that he
would sit upon my finger, and lay his bill close to my face, and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
157
cry, "Poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you? Where have you been?
How came you here?" and such things as I had taught 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. First, I was amazed how the creature got thither; and
then, how he should just keep about the place, and nowhere else :
but as I was well satisfied it could be nobody but honest Poll, I got
over it and holding out my hand, and calling him by his name,
'Poll," the sociable creature came to me, and sat upon my thumb,
as he used to do, and continued talking to me, "Poor Robin
Crusoe! and how did I come here? and where had I been?" just
as if he had been overjoyed to see me again: and so I carried him
home along with me.
66
:
I now had enough of rambling to sea for some time, and had
enough to do for many days, to sit still, and reflect upon the danger
I had been in. I would have been very glad to have had my boat
again on my side of the island; but I knew not how it was prac-
ticable to get it about. As to the east side of the island, which I
had gone round, I knew well enough there was no venturing that
way; my very heart would shrink, and my very blood run chill, but
to think of it; and as to the other side of the island, I did not know
how it might be there; but supposing the current ran with the
same force against the shore at the east as it passed by it on
the other, I might run the same risk of being driven down the
stream, and carried by the island, as I had been before of being
carried away from it; so with these thoughts, I contented myself
to be without any boat, though it had been the product of so
many months' labour to make it, and of so many more to get it
into the sea.
In this government of my temper, I remained near a year; and
lived a very sedate, retired life, as you may well suppose; and my
thoughts being very much composed, as to my condition, and fully
comforted in resigning myself to the dispositions of Providence, I
thought I lived really very happily in all things, except that of
society.
158
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I improved myself in this time in all the mechanic exercises
which my necessities put me upon applying myself to; and I believe
I could, upon occasion, have made a very good carpenter, especially
considering how few tools I had.
Besides this, I arrived at an unexpected perfection in my earthen-
ware, and contrived well enough to make them with a wheel, which
I found infinitely easier and better; because I made things round
and shapable, which before were filthy things indeed to look on.
But I think I was never more vain of my own performance, or
more joyful for anything I found out, than for my being able to
make a tobacco-pipe; and though it was a very ugly, clumsy thing
when it was done, and only burned red, like other earthenware,
yet as it was hard and firm, and would draw the smoke, I was ex-
ceedingly comforted with it, for I had been always used to smoke:
and there were pipes in the ship, but I forgot them at first, not
thinking that there was tobacco in the island; and afterwards, when
I searched the ship again, I could not come at any pipes at all.
In my wickerware, also, I improved much, and made abundance
of necessary baskets, as well as my invention shewed me; though
not very handsome, yet they were such as were very handy and
convenient for my laying things up in, or fetching things home.
For example, if I killed a goat abroad, I could hang it up in a tree,
flay it, dress it, and cut it in pieces, and bring it home in a basket
and the like by a turtle: I could cut it up, take out the eggs, and
a piece or two of the flesh, which was enough for me, and bring
them home in a basket, and leave the rest behind me. Also, large
deep baskets were the receivers of my corn, which I always rubbed
out as soon as it was dry, and cured, and kept it in great baskets.
I began now to perceive my powder abated considerably; this
was a want which it was impossible for me to supply, and I began
seriously to consider what I must do when I should have no more
powder; that is to say, how I should do to kill any goats. I had,
as is observed, in the third year of my being here, kept a young
kid, and bred her up tame, and I was in hopes of getting a he-goat :
but I could not by any means bring it to pass, till my kid grew an
CF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
159
old goat; and as I could never find in my heart to kill her, she
died at last of mere age.
But being now in the eleventh year of my residence, and, as I
have said, my ammunition growing low, I set myself to study some
art to trap and snare the goats, to see whether I could not catch
some of them alive; and particularly, I wanted a she-goat great
with young. For this purpose, I made snares to hamper them;
and I do believe they were more than once taken in them; but my
tackle was not good, for I had no wire, and I always found them
broken, and my bait devoured. At length, I resolved to try a pit-
fall: so I dug several large pits in the earth, in places where I had
observed the goats used to feed, and over those pits I placed hur-
dles, of my own making too, with a great weight upon them; and
several times I put ears of barley and dry rice, without setting the
trap; and I could easily perceive that the goats had gone in and
eaten up the corn, for I could see the marks of their feet. At
length, I set three traps in one night, and going the next morning,
I found them all standing, and yet the bait eaten and gone: this
was very discouraging. However, I altered my traps; and, not to
trouble you with particulars, going one morning to see my traps, I
found in one of them a large old he-goat; and in one of the others,
three kids, a male and two females.
As to the old one, I knew not what to do with him; he was so
fierce, I durst not go into the pit to him; that is to say, to go about
to bring him away alive, which was what I wanted; I could have
killed him, but that was not my business, nor would it answer my
end; so I even let him out, and he ran away as if he had been
frightened out of his wits. But I did not then know what I after-
wards learned, that hunger will tame a lion. If I had let him stay
there three or four days without food, and then have carried him
some water to drink, and then a little corn, he would have been
as tame as one of the kids; for they are mighty sagacious, tractable
creatures, where they are well used.
However, for the present I let him go, knowing no better at that
time then I went to the three kids, and taking them one by one,
160
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

ADOLPHE BEST
MI
0
I tied them with strings together, and with some difficulty brought
them all home.
It was a good while before they would feed; but throwing them
some sweet corn, it tempted them, and they began to be tame.
And now I found that if I expected to supply myself with goat's
flesh when I had no powder or shot left, breeding some up tame
was my only way; when, perhaps, I might have them about my
house like a flock of sheep. But then it occurred to me, that I
must keep the tame from the wild, or else they would always run
wild when they grew up and the only way for this was, to have
some enclosed piece of ground, well fenced, either with hedge or
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE
161
pale, to keep them in so effectually that those within might not
break out, or those without break in.
This was a great undertaking for one pair of hands; yet as I
saw there was an absolute necessity for doing it, my first work was
to find out a proper piece of ground, where there was likely to be
herbage for them to eat, water for them to drink, and cover to keep
them from the sun.
Those who understand such enclosures will think I had very
little contrivance, when I pitched upon a place very proper for all
these (being a plain open piece of meadow land, or savannah, as
our people call it in the western colonies), which had two or three
little drills of fresh water in it, and at one end was very woody;
I say, they will smile at my forecast, when I shall tell them, I began
by enclosing this piece of ground in such a manner, that my hedge
or pale must have been at least two miles about. Nor was the
madness of it so great as to the compass, for if it was ten miles
about, I was like to have time enough to do it in; but I did not
consider that my goats would be as wild in so much compass as if
they had had the whole island, and I should have so much room to
chase them in that I should never catch them.
My hedge was begun and carried on, I believe about fifty yards,
when this thought occurred to me; so I presently stopped short,
and, for the first beginning, I resolved to enclose a piece of about
one hundred and fifty yards in length, and one hundred yards in
breadth; which, as it would maintain as many as I should have in
any reasonable time, so, as my stock increased, I could add more
ground to my enclosure.
This was acting with some prudence, and I went to work with
courage. I was about three months hedging in the first piece; and,
till I had done it, I tethered the three kids in the best part of it, and
used them to feed as near me as possible, to make them familiar;
and very often I would go and carry them some ears of barley, or a
handful of rice, and feed them out of my hand: so that after my
enclosure was finished, and I let them loose, they would follow me
up and down, bleating after me for a handful of corn.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
This answered my end: and in about a year and a-half I had a
flock of about twelve goats, kids and all; and in two years more, I
had three and forty, besides several that I took and killed for my
food. After that, I enclosed five several pieces of ground to feed
them in, with little pens to drive them into, to take them as I
wanted, and gates out of one piece of ground into another.
But this was not all; for now I not only had goat's flesh, to feed
on when I pleased, but milk too; a thing which, indeed, in the be-
ginning, I did not so much as think of, and which, when it came
into my thoughts, was really an agreeable surprise; for now I set
up my dairy, and had sometimes a gallon or two of milk in a day.
And as Nature, who gives supplies of food to every creature, dic-
tates even naturally how to make use of it, so I, that had never
milked a cow, much less a goat, or seen butter or cheese made, only
when I was a boy, after a great many essays and miscarriages, made
me both butter and cheese at last, also salt (though I found it partly
made to my hand by the heat of the sun upon some of the rocks of
the sea), and never wanted it afterwards. How mercifully can our
Creator treat His creatures, even in those conditions in which they
seemed to be overwhelmed in destruction!
How can He sweeten
the bitterest providences, and give us cause to praise Him for dun-
geons and prisons! What a table was here spread for me in a
wilderness, where I saw nothing at first but to perish for hunger.
It would have made a stoic smile to have seen me and my little
family sit down to dinner: there was my majesty, the prince and
lord of the whole island; I had the lives of all my subjects at my
absolute command; I could hang, draw, give liberty, and take it
away; and no rebels among all my subjects. Then to see how like
a king I dined too, all alone, attended by my servants! Poll, as if
he had been my favourite, was the only person permitted to talk to
me. My dog, who was now grown very old and crazy, and had
found no species to multiply his kind upon, sat always at my right
hand; and two cats, one on one side of the table, and one on the
other, expecting now and then a bit from my hand, as a mark of
special favour.

CORNU
LAISNE
It would have made a stoic smile, to have seen me and my little family
sit down to dinner.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
163
But these were not the two cats which I brought on shore at
first, for they were both of them dead, and had been interred near
my habitation by my own hand; but one of them having multiplied
by I know not what kind of creature, these were two which I had
preserved tame; whereas the rest run wild in the woods, and be-
came indeed troublesome to me at last; for they would often come
into my house, and plunder me too, till at last I was obliged to
shoot them, and did kill a great many; at length, they left me.
With this attendance, and in this plentiful manner, I lived; neither
could I be said to want anything but society: and of that, some time
after this, I was like to have too much.
I was something impatient, as I have observed, to have the use
of my boat, though very loath to run any more hazards; and there-
fore sometimes I sat contriving ways to get her about the island,
and at other times I sat myself down contented enough without
her. But I had a strange uneasiness in my mind to go down to
the point of the island, where, as I have said, in my last ramble,
I went up the hill to see how the shore lay, and how the current
set, that I might see what I had to do: this inclination increased
upon me every day, and at length I resolved to travel thither by
land, following the edge of the shore. I did so; but had any one
in England been to meet such a man as I was, it must either have
frightened him, or raised a great deal of laughter and as I fre-
quently stood still to look at myself, I could not but smile at the
notion of my travelling through Yorkshire, with such an equipage,
and in such a dress. Be pleased to take a sketch of my figure, as
follows:-
:
I had a great, high, shapeless cap, made of a goat's skin, with a
flap hanging down behind, as well to keep the sun from me as to
shoot the rain off from running into my neck: nothing being so
hurtful in these climates as the rain upon the flesh, under the
clothes.
I had a short jacket of goat's skin, the 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,
164
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
whose hair hung down such a length on either side, that, like pan-
taloons, it reached to the middle of my legs; stockings and shoes I
had none, but had made me a pair of somethings, I scarce know
what to call them, like buskins, to flap over my legs, and lace on
either side like spatterdashes: but of a most barbarous shape, as,
indeed, were all the rest of my clothes.

CAJUE
I had on a broad belt of goat's skin dried, which I drew to-
gether 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, and one on the
other. I had another belt, not so broad, and fastened in the same
manner, which hung over my shoulder; and at the end of it, under
my
left
arm, hung two pouches, both made of goat's skin, too; in one
of which hung my powder, in the other my shot. At my back, I

In this kind of figure I went my new 'ourney.
SEARS
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
165
carried my basket, and on my shoulder my gun; and over my head
a great, clumsy, ugly, goat's skin umbrella, but which, after all, was
the most necessary thing I had about me, next to my gun. As for
my face, the colour of it was really not so mulatto-like as one might
expect from a man not at all careful of it, and living within nine or
ten degrees of the equinox. My beard I had once suffered to grow
till it was about a quarter of a yard long; but as I had both scissars
and razors sufficient, I had cut it pretty short, except what grew on
my upper lip, which I had trimmed into a large pair of Mahometan
whiskers, such as I had seen worn by some Turks at Sallee; for the
Moors did not wear such, though the Turks did: of these mous-
tachios or whiskers, I will not say they were long enough to hang
my_hat upon them, but they were of a length and shape monstrous
enough, and such as, in England, would have passed for frightful.
But all this is by the by; for, as to my figure, I had so few to
observe me that it was of no manner of consequence; so I say no
more to that part. In this kind of figure I went my new journey,
and was out five or six days. I travelled first along the seashore,
directly to the place where I first brought my boat to an anchor, to
get upon the rocks; and having no boat now to take care of, I went
over the land, a nearer way, to the same height that I was upon
before; when looking forward to the point of the rocks which lay
out, and which I was obliged to double with my boat, as is said
above, I was surprised to see the sea all smooth and quiet; no
rippling, no motion, no current, any more there than in any other
places. I was at a strange loss to understand this, and resolved to
spend some time in the observing it, to see if nothing from the sets
of the tide had occasioned it; but I was presently convinced how it
was, viz. that the tide of ebb setting from the west, and joining with
the current of waters from some great river on the shore, must be
the occasion of this current; and that according as the wind blew
more forcibly from the west, or from the north, this current came
nearer, or went farther from the shore; for waiting thereabouts till
evening, I went up to the rock again, and then the tide of ebb being
Q
166
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
made, I plainly saw the current again as before, only that it ran far-
ther off, being near half a league from the shore; whereas in my
case it set close upon the shore, and hurried me and my canoe along
with it; which, at another time, it would not have done.
This observation convinced me that I had nothing to do but to
observe the ebbing and the flowing of the tide, and I might very
easily bring my boat about the island again: but when I began to
think of putting it in practice, I had such a terror upon my spirits,
at the remembrance of the danger I had been in, that I could not
think of it again with any patience; but, on the contrary, I took up
another resolution, which was more safe though more laborious; and
this was, that I would build or rather make me another perigua or
canoe; and so have one for one side of the island, and one for the
other.
You are to understand, that now I had, as I may call it, two
plantations in the island; one, my little fortification or tent, with the
wall about it, under the rock, with the cave behind me, which, by
this time, I had enlarged into several apartments or caves, one
within another. One of these, which was the driest and largest, and
had a door out beyond my wall or fortification, that is to say, beyond
where my wall joined to the rock, was all filled up with the large
earthen pots of which I have given an account, and with fourteen or
fifteen great baskets, which would hold five or six bushels each,
where I laid up my stores of provisions, especially my corn, some in
the ear, cut off short from the straw, and the other rubbed out with
my hand.
As for my wall, made, as before, with long stakes or piles, those
piles grew all like trees, and were by this time grown so big, and
spread so very much, that there was not the least appearance, to
any one's view, of any habitation behind them.
Near this dwelling of mine, but a little farther within the land,
and upon lower ground, lay my two pieces of corn land, which I
kept duly cultivated and sowed, and which duly yielded me their
harvest in its season: and whenever I had occasion for more corn,
I had more land adjoining as fit as that.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
167
Besides this, I had my country seat; and I had now a tolerable
plantation there also; for, first, I had my little bower, as I called it,
which I kept in repair; that is to say, I kept the hedge which en-
circled it in constantly fitted up to its usual height, the ladder stand-
ing always in the inside: I kept the trees, which at first were no
more than my stakes, but were now grown very firm and tall, always
cut, so that they might spread and grow thick and wild, and make
the more agreeable shade; which they did effectually to my mind.
In the middle of this I had my tent always standing, being a piece
of a sail spread over poles, set up for that purpose, and which never
wanted any repair or renewing; and under this I had made me a
squab or couch, with the skins of the creatures I had killed, and
with other soft things; and a blanket laid on them, such as belonged
to our sea-bedding, which I had saved, and a great watch-coat to
cover me; and here, whenever I had occasion to be absent from
chief seat, I took up my country habitation.
my
Adjoining to this, I had my enclosures for my cattle, that is to
say, my goats; and as I had taken an inconceivable deal of pains to
fence and enclose this ground, I was so anxious to see it kept entire,
lest the goats should break through, that I never left off, till, with
infinite labour, I had stuck the outside of the hedge so full of small
stakes, and so near to one another, that it was rather a pale than a
hedge, and there was scarce room to put a hand through between
them; which afterwards, when those stakes grew, as they all did in
the next rainy season, made the enclosure strong like a wall, indeed
stronger than any wall.
This will testify for me that I was not idle, and that I spared no
pains to bring to pass whatever appeared necessary for my com-
fortable support; for I considered the keeping up a breed of tame
creatures thus at my hand would be a living magazine of flesh, milk,
butter, and cheese for me as long as I lived in the place, if it were
to be forty years; and that keeping them in my reach depended
entirely upon my perfecting my enclosures to such a degree, that I
might be sure of keeping them together; which, by this method,
indeed, I so effectually secured, that when these little stakes began
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to grow, I had planted them so very thick, that I was forced to pull
some of them up again.

SEARS UG
In this place also I had my grapes growing, which I principally
depended on for my winter store of raisins, and which I never failed
to preserve very carefully, as the best and most agreeable dainty of
my whole diet; and indeed they were not only agreeable, but medi-
cinal, wholesome, nourishing, and refreshing to the last degree.

II Fan will
Pierced.
I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a man's naked foot on the shore
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
169
As this was also about half-way between my other habitation and
the place where I had laid up my boat, I generally staid and lay
here in my way thither; for I used frequently to visit my boat; and
I kept all things about, or belonging to her, in very good order:
sometimes I went out in her to divert myself, but no more hazardous
voyages would I go, nor scarce ever above a stone's cast or two from
the shore, I was so apprehensive of being hurried out of my know-
ledge again by the currents or winds, or any other accident. But
now I come to a new scene of my life.
It happened one day, about noon, going towards my boat, I was
exceedingly surprised with the print of a man's naked foot on the
shore, which was very plain to be seen in the sand. I stood like
one thunderstruck, or as if I had seen an apparition; I listened, I
looked round me, but I could hear nothing, nor see any thing; I
went up to a rising ground, to look farther; I went up the shore,
and down the shore, but it was all one; I could see no other impres-
sion but that one. I went to it again to see if there were any more,
and to observe if it might not be my fancy; but there was no room
for that, for there was exactly the print of a foot-toes, heel, and
every part of a foot: how it came thither I knew not, nor could I in
the least imagine: but after innumerable fluttering thoughts, like a
man perfectly confused and out of myself, I came home to my forti-
fication, not feeling, as we say, the ground I went on, but terrified
to the last degree, looking behind me at every two or three steps,
mistaking every bush and tree, and fancying every stump at a dis-
tance to be a man. Nor is it possible to describe how many various
shapes my affrighted imagination represented things to me in, how
many wild ideas were found every moment in my fancy, and what
strange unaccountable whimseys came into my thoughts by the way.
When I came to my castle (for so I think I called it ever after
this), I fled into it like one pursued; whether I went over by the
ladder, as first contrived, or went in at the hole in the rock, which I
had called a door, I cannot remember; no, nor could I remember
the next morning: for never frightened hare fled to cover, or fox to
earth, with more terror of mind than I to this retreat.
170
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I slept none that night; the farther I was from the occasion of
my fright, the greater my apprehensions were; which is something
contrary to the nature of such things, and especially to the usual
practice of all creatures in fear; but I was so embarrassed with
my own frightful ideas of the thing, that I formed nothing but
dismal imaginations to myself, even though I was now a great way
off it. Some times I fancied it must be the Devil, and reason
joined in with me upon this supposition; for how should any other
thing in human shape come into the place? Where was the vessel
that brought them? What marks were there of any other footstep?
And how was it possible a man should come there? But then, to
think that Satan should take human shape upon him in such a
place, where there could be no manner of occasion for it, but to
leave the print of his foot behind him, and that even for no purpose
too, for he could not be sure I should see it,-this was an amusement
the other way. I considered that the Devil might have found out
abundance of other ways to have terrified me than this of the single
print of a foot; that, as I lived quite on the other side of the island,
he would never have been so simple as to leave a mark in a place
where it was ten thousand to one whether I should ever see it or
not, and in the sand too, which the first surge of the sea, upon a
high wind, would have defaced entirely all this seemed inconsistent
with the thing itself, and with all the notions we usually entertain of
the subtilty of the Devil.
:
Abundance of such things as these assisted to argue me out of all
apprehensions of its being the Devil; and I presently concluded
then, that it must be some more dangerous creature, viz. that it must
be some of the savages of the main land over against me, who had
wandered out to sea in their canoes, and either driven by the
currents or by contrary winds, had made the island, and had been
on shore, but were gone away again to sea; being as loath, perhaps,
to have stayed in this desolate island as I would have been to have
had them.
While these reflections were rolling upon my mind, I was very
thankful in my thoughts that I was so happy as not to be there-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
171
abouts at that time, or that they did not see my boat, by which they
would have concluded that some inhabitants had been in the place,
and perhaps have searched farther for me: then terrible thoughts
racked my imagination about their having found my boat, and that
there were people here; and that, if so, I should certainly have them
come again in greater numbers, and devour me; that if it should
happen so that they should not find me, yet they would find my
enclosure, destroy all my corn, and carry away all my flock of tame
goats, and I should perish at last for mere want.
Thus my fear banished all my religious hope, all that former
confidence in God, which was founded upon such wonderful expe-
rience as I had had of his goodness; as if he that had fed me by
miracle hitherto could not preserve, by his power, the provision
which he had made for me by his goodness. I reproached myself
with my laziness, that would not sow any more corn one year than
would just serve me till the next season, as if no accident would
intervene to prevent my enjoying the crop that was upon the
ground; and this I thought so just a reproof, that I resolved for the
future to have two or three years' corn beforehand; so that, what-
ever might come, I might not perish for want of bread.
How strange a chequer-work of Providence is the life of man!
and by what secret different springs are the affections hurried about,
as different circumstances present! To-day we love what to-morrow
we hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; to-day we
desire what to-morrow we fear, nay, even tremble at the apprehen-
sions of this was exemplified in me, at this time, in the most lively
manner imaginable; for I, whose only affliction was that I seemed
banished from human society, that I was alone, circumscribed by
the boundless ocean, cut off from mankind, and condemned to what
I called silent life; that I was as one whom Heaven thought not
worthy to be numbered among the living, or to appear among the
rest of his creatures; that to have seen one of my own species would
have seemed to me a raising me from death to life, and the greatest
blessing that Heaven itself, next to the supreme blessing of salvation,
172
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
could bestow I say, that I should now tremble at the very appre-
hensions of seeing a man, and was ready to sink into the ground at
but the shadow or silent appearance of a man's having set his foot in
the island.
Such is the uneven state of human life; and it afforded me a
great many curious speculations afterwards, when I had a little reco-
vered my first surprise. I considered that this was the station of
life the infinitely wise and good providence of God had determined
for me; that as I could not foresee what the ends of divine wisdom
might be in all this, so I was not to dispute his sovereignty; who, as
I was his creature, had an undoubted right, by creation, to govern
and dispose of me absolutely as he thought fit; and who, as I was a
creature that had offended him, had likewise a judicial right to con-
demn me to what punishment he thought fit; and that it was my
part to submit to bear his indignation, because I had sinned against
him. I then reflected, that as God, who was not only righteous,
but omnipotent, had thought fit thus to punish and afflict me, so he
was able to deliver me; that if he did not think fit to do so, it was
my unquestioned duty to resign myself absolutely and entirely to
his will; and, on the other hand, it was my duty also to hope in
him, pray to him, and quietly to attend the dictates and directions of
his daily providence.
These thoughts took me up many hours, days, nay, I may say
weeks and months; and one particular effect of my cogitations on this
occasion I cannot omit. One morning early, lying in my bed, and
filled with thoughts about my danger from the appearances of sa-
vages, I found it discomposed me very much; upon which these
words of the Scripture came into my thoughts, "Call upon me in
the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify
me." Upon this, rising cheerfully out of my bed, my heart was
not only comforted, but I was guided and encouraged to pray
earnestly to God for deliverance: when I had done praying, I took
up my Bible, and opening it to read, the first words that presented
"Wait on the Lord, and be of good cheer, and he shall
to me were,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
173
strengthen thy heart; wait, I say, on the Lord." It is impossible
to express the comfort this gave me. In answer, I thankfully laid
down the book, and was no more sad, at least on that occasion.
In the middle of these cogitations, apprehensions, and reflections,
it came into my thoughts one day, that all this might be a mere
chimera of my own, and that this foot might be the print of my own
foot, when I came on shore from my boat: this cheered me up a little,
too, and I began to persuade myself it was all a delusion; that it
was nothing else but my own foot; and why might I not come that
way from the boat, as well as I was going that way to the boat?
Again I considered also, that I could by no means tell, for certain,
where I had trod, and where I had not; and that if, at last, this was
only the print of my own foot, I had played the part of those fools
who try to make stories of spectres and apparitions, and then are
frightened at them more than any body.
Now I began to take courage, and to peep abroad again, for I
had not stirred out of my castle for three days and nights, so that I
began to starve for provisions; for I had little or nothing within
doors but some barley-cakes and water: then I knew that my goats
wanted to be milked too, which usually was my evening diversion;
and the poor creatures were in great pain and inconvenience for want
of it; and, indeed, it almost spoiled some of them, and almost dried
up their milk. Encouraging myself, therefore, with the belief that
this was nothing but the print of one of my own feet, and that I
might be truly said to start at my own shadow, I began to go
abroad again, and went to my country-house to milk my flock: but
to see with what fear I went forward, how often I looked behind me,
how I was ready, every now and then, to lay down my basket, and
run for my life, it would have made any one have thought I was
haunted with an evil conscience, or that I had been lately most
terribly frightened; and so, indeed, I had. However, as I went
down thus two or three days, and having seen nothing, I began to be
a little bolder, and to think there was really nothing in it but my own
imagination; but I could not persuade myself fully of this till I should
go down to the shore again, and see this print of a foot, and measure
174
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
it by my own, and see if there was any similitude or fitness, that I
might be assured it was my own foot: but when I came to the place
first, it appeared evidently to me, that when I laid up my boat, I
could not possibly be on shore any where thereabouts: secondly,

when I came to measure the mark with my own foot, I found my
foot not so large by a great deal. Both these things filled my
head with new imaginations, and gave me the vapours again to the
highest degree, so that I shook with cold like one in an ague; and I
went home again, filled with the belief that some man or men had
been on shore there; or, in short, that the island was inhabited, and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
175
I might be surprised before I was aware; and what course to take
for my security I knew not.
O what ridiculous resolutions men take when possessed with
fear! It deprives them of the use of those means which reason offers
for their relief. The first thing I proposed to myself was, to throw
down my enclosures, and turn all my tame cattle wild into the
woods, lest the enemy should find them, and then frequent the
island in prospect of the same or the like booty: then to the simple
thing of digging up my two corn-fields, lest they should find such a
grain there, and still be prompted to frequent the island: then to
demolish my bower and tent, that they might not see any vestiges
of habitation, and be prompted to look farther, in order to find out
the persons inhabiting.
These were the subject of the first night's cogitations after I was
come home again, while the apprehensions which had so overrun my
mind were fresh upon me, and my head was full of vapours as above.
Thus, fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than dan-
ger itself, when apparent to the eyes; and we find the burden of
anxiety greater, by much, than the evil which we are anxious about:
and, which was worse than all this, I had not that relief in this
trouble that, from the resignation I used to practise, I hoped to
have. I looked, I thought, like Saul, who complained not only that
the Philistines were upon him, but that God had forsaken him; for
I did not now take due ways to compose my mind, by crying to God
in my distress, and resting upon his providence, as I had done.
before, for my defence and deliverance; which, if I had done, I had
at least been more cheerfully supported under this new surprise, and
perhaps carried through it with more resolution.
This confusion of my thoughts kept me awake all night; but in
the morning I fell asleep; and having, by the amusement of my
mind, been, as it were, tired, and my spirits exhausted, I slept very
soundly, and waked much better composed than I had ever been be-
fore. And now I began to think sedately; and, upon the utmost
debate with myself, I concluded that this island (which was so exceed-
ingly pleasant, fruitful, and no farther from the main land than as
ì
176
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I had seen) was not so entirely abandoned as I might imagine; that
although there were no stated inhabitants who lived on the spot, yet
that there might sometimes come boats off from the shore, who,
either with design, or perhaps never but when they were driven by
cross winds, might come to this place; that I had lived here fifteen
years now, and had not met with the least shadow or figure of any
people yet; and that, if at any time they should be driven here, it
was probable they went away again as soon as ever they could,
seeing they had never thought fit to fix here upon any occasion;
that the most I could suggest any danger from was from any casual
accidental landing of straggling people from the main, who, as it was
likely, if they were driven hither, were here against their wills, so
they made no stay here, but went off again with all possible speed;
seldom staying one night on shore, lest they should not have the
help of the tides and daylight back again; and that, therefore, I
had nothing to do but to consider of some safe retreat, in case I
should see any savages land upon the spot.
Now I began sorely to repent that I had dug my cave so large
as to bring a door through again, which door, as I said, came out
beyond where my fortification joined to the rock: upon maturely
considering this, therefore, I resolved to draw me a second fortifica-
tion, in the same manner of a semicircle, at a distance from my wall,
just where I had planted a double row of trees about twelve years
before, of which I made mention: these trees having been planted so
thick before, they wanted but few piles to be driven between them,
that they might be thicker and stronger, and my wall would be soon
finished. So that I had now a double wall; and my outer wall was
thickened with pieces of timber, old cables, and everything I could
think of, to make it strong; having in it seven little holes, about as
big as I might put my arm out at. In the inside of this, I thick-
ened my wall to about ten feet thick, with continually bringing
earth out of my cave, and laying it at the foot of the wall, and
walking upon it; and through the seven holes I contrived to plant
the muskets, of which I took notice that I had got seven on shore
out of the ship; these I planted like my cannon, and fitted them
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
177
1
into frames, that held them like a carriage, so that I could fire all
the seven guns in two minutes' time; this wall I was many a weary
month in finishing, and yet never thought myself safe till it was
done.

CHERRIER
When this was done, I stuck all the ground without my wall, for
a great length every way, as full with stakes or sticks of the osier-
like wood, which I found so apt to grow, as they could well stand;
insomuch, that I believe I might set in near twenty thousand of
them, leaving a pretty large space between them and my wall, that
I might have room to see an enemy, and they might have no shelter
from the young trees, if they attempted to approach my outer wall.
Thus, in two years' time, I had a thick grove; and in five or six
years' time I had a wood before my dwelling, growing so monstrous
thick and strong that it was indeed perfectly impassable; and no men,
of what kind soever, would ever imagine that there was anything
beyond it, much less a habitation. As for the way which I proposed
R
178
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to myself to go in and out (for I left no avenue), it was by setting
two ladders, one to a part of the rock which was low, and then
broke in, and left room to place another ladder upon that; so when
the two ladders were taken down, no man living could come down
to me without doing himself mischief; and if they had come down,
they were still on the outside of my outer wall.
Thus I took all the measures human prudence could suggest for
my own preservation; and it will be seen, at length, that they were
not altogether without just reason; though I foresaw nothing at that
time more than my mere fear suggested to me.
While this was doing, I was not altogether careless of my other
affairs; for I had a great concern upon me for my little herd of
goats: they were not only a ready supply to me on every occasion,
and began to be sufficient for me, without the expense of powder
and shot, but also without the fatigue of hunting after the wild
ones; and I was loath to lose the advantage of them, and to have
them all to nurse up over again.
For this purpose, after long consideration, I could think of but
two ways to preserve them: one was, to find another convenient
place to dig a cave under ground, and to drive them into it every
night; and the other was to enclose two or three little bits of land,
remote from one another, and as much concealed as I could, where I
might keep about half a dozen young goats in each place; so that if
any disaster happened to the flock in general, I might be able to raise
them again with little trouble and time: and this, though it would
require a great deal of time and labour, I thought was the most
rational design.
Accordingly, I spent some time to find out the most retired
parts of the island; and I pitched upon one, which was as private,
indeed, as my heart could wish for: it was a little damp piece of
ground, in the middle of the hollow and thick woods, where, as is
observed, I almost lost myself once before, endeavouring to come.
back that way from the eastern part of the island. Here I found a
clear piece of land, near three acres, so surrounded with woods,
that it was almost an enclosure by nature; at least, it did not want
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
179
near so much labour to make it so, as the other pieces of ground
I had worked so hard at.
I immediately went to work with this piece of ground; and, in
less than a month's time, I had so fenced it round that my flock, or
herd, call it which you please, who were not so wild now as at first
they might be supposed to be, were well enough secured in it: so,

CHERRIER
without any further delay, I removed ten young she-goats, and two
he-goats, to this piece; and, when they were there, I continued to
perfect the fence, till I had made it as secure as the other; which,
however, I did at more leisure, and it took me up more time by a
great deal. All this labour I was at the expense of, purely from
my apprehensions on the account of the print of a man's foot which
I had seen; for, as yet, I never saw any human creature come
near the island; and I had now lived two years under this uneasi-
ness, which, indeed, made my life much less comfortable than it
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
4
was before, as may be well imagined by any who know what it is to
live in the constant snare of the fear of man. And this I must
observe, with grief, too, that the discomposure of my mind had too
great impressions also upon the religious part of my thoughts; for
the dread and terror of falling into the hands of savages and can-
nibals lay so upon my spirits, that I seldom found myself in a due
temper for application to my Maker; at least, not with the sedate
calmness and resignation of soul which I was wont to do: I rather
prayed to God as under great affliction and pressure of mind, sur-
rounded with danger, and in expectation every night of being mur-
dered and devoured before morning; and I must testify, from my
experience, that a temper of peace, thankfulness, love, and affection,
is much the more proper frame for prayer than that of terror and
discomposure; and that under the dread of mischief impending,
a man is no more fit for a comforting performance of the duty of
praying to God, than he is for a repentance on a sick bed; for these
discomposures affect the mind, as the others do the body; and the
discomposure of the mind must necessarily be as great a disability
as that of the body, and much greater; praying to God being pro-
perly an act of the mind, not of the body.
But to go on after I had thus secured one part of my little
living stock, I went about the whole island, searching for another
private place to make such another deposit; when, wandering more
to the west point of the island than I had ever done yet, and looking
out to sea, I thought I saw a boat upon the sea, at a great distance.
I had found a perspective glass or two in one of the seamen's chests,
which I saved out of our ship, but I had it not about me; and this
was so remote that I could not tell what to make of it, though I
looked at it till my eyes were not able to hold to look any longer :
whether it was a boat or not, I do not know, but as I descended
from the hill I could see no more of it; so I gave it over; only I
resolved to go no more out without a perspective glass in my pocket.
When I was come down the hill to the end of the island, where,
indeed, I had never been before, I was presently convinced that the
seeing the print of a man's foot was not such a strange thing in

I was perfectly confounded and amazed.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
181
the island as I imagined: and but that it was a special providence
that I was cast upon the side of the island where the savages never
came, I should easily have known that nothing was more frequent
than for the canoes from the main, when they happened to be a
little too far out at sea, to shoot over to that side of the island for
harbour likewise, as they often met and fought in their canoes, the
victors, having taken any prisoners, would bring them over to this
shore, where, according to their dreadful customs, being all canni-
bals, they would kill and eat them; of which hereafter.
:
When I was come down the hill to the shore, as I said above,
being the S. W. point of the island, I was perfectly confounded and
amazed; nor is it possible for me to express the horror of my mind,
at seeing the shore spread with skulls, hands, feet, and other bones
of human bodies; and particularly, I observed a place where there
had been a fire made, and a circle dug in the earth, like a cockpit,
where I supposed the savage wretches had sat down to their inhu-
man feastings upon the bodies of their fellow creatures.
I was so astonished with the sight of these things, that I enter-
tained no notions of any danger to myself from it for a long while :
all my apprehensions were buried in the thoughts of such a pitch
of inhuman, hellish brutality, and the horror of the degeneracy of
human nature, which, though I had heard of it often, yet I never
had so near a view of before; in short, I turned away my face
from the horrid spectacle; my stomach grew sick, and I was just at
the point of fainting, when nature discharged the disorder from my
stomach; and having vomited with uncommon violence, I was a
little relieved, but could not bear to stay in the place a moment; so
I got me up the hill again with all the speed I could, and walked on
towards my own habitation.
When I came a little out of that part of the island, I stood still
awhile, as amazed, and then, recovering myself, I looked up with the
utmost affection of my soul, and, with a flood of tears in my eyes,
gave God thanks, that had cast my first lot in a part of the world
where I was distinguished from such dreadful creatures as these;
and that, though I had esteemed my present condition very miser-
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
able, had yet given me so many comforts in it that I had still more
to give thanks for than to complain of: and this, above all, that I
had, even in this miserable condition, been comforted with the
knowledge of Himself, and the hope of His blessing which was a
felicity more than sufficiently equivalent to all the misery which I
had suffered, or could suffer.
In this frame of thankfulness, I went home to my castle, and
began to be much easier now, as to the safety of my circumstances,
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 en-
tirely 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 make myself known to.
Yet I entertained such an abhorrence of the savage wretches that
I have been speaking of, and of the wretched inhuman custom of
their devouring and eating one another up, that I continued pensive
and sad, and kept close within my own circle, for almost two years
after this: when I say my own circle, I mean by it my three plan-
tations, viz. my castle, my country seat (which I called my bower),
and my enclosure in the woods: nor did I look after this for any
other use than as an enclosure for my goats; for the aversion which
nature gave me to these hellish wretches was such, that I was as
fearful of seeing them as of seeing the Devil himself.
I did not so
much as go to look after my boat all this time, but began rather to
think of making me another; for I could not think of ever making
any more attempts to bring the other boat round the island to me,
lest I should meet with some of these creatures at sea; in which if I
had happened to have fallen into their hands, I knew what would
have been my lot.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
183
Time, however, and the satisfaction I had that I was in no
danger of being discovered by these people, began to wear off my
uneasiness about them; and I began to live just in the same com-
posed manner as before, only with this difference, that I used more
caution, and kept my eyes more about me than I did before, lest I
should happen to be seen by any of them; and particularly, I was
more cautious of firing my gun, lest any of them, being on the
island, should happen to hear it. It was, therefore, a very good

VERDEIL.Sc.
184
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
providence to me that. I had furnished myself with a tame breed of
goats, and that I had no need to hunt any more about the woods,
or shoot at them; and if I did catch any of them after this, it was
by traps and snares, as I had done before: so that for two years
after this, I believe I never fired my gun once off, though I never
went out without it; and, which was more, as I had saved three
pistols out of the ship, I always carried them out with me, or at least
two of them, sticking them in my goat-skin belt. I also furbished
up one of the great cutlasses that I had out of the ship, and made
me a belt to hang it on also; so that I was now a most formidable
fellow to look at when I went abroad, if you add to the former de-
scription of myself, the particular of two pistols, and a great broad-
sword hanging at my side in a belt, but without a scabbard.
Things going on thus, as I have said, for some time, I seemed,
excepting these cautions, to be reduced to my former calm, sedate
way of living. All these things tended to shew me, more and more,
how far my condition was from being miserable, compared to some
others; nay, to many other particulars of life, which it might have
pleased God to have made my lot. It put me upon reflecting how
little repining there would be among mankind at any condition of
life, if people would rather compare their condition with those that
were worse, in order to be thankful, than be always comparing them
with those which are better, to assist their murmurings and com-
plainings.
As in my present condition there were not really many things
which I wanted, so, indeed, I thought that the frights I had been in
about these savage wretches, and the concern I had been in for my
own preservation, had taken off the edge of my invention for my
own conveniences; and I had dropped a good design, which I had
once bent my thoughts too much upon, and that was to try if I
could not make some of my barley into malt, and then try to brew
myself some beer. This was really a whimsical thought, and I re-
proved myself often for the simplicity of it; for I presently saw
there would be the want of several things necessary to the making
my beer, that it would be impossible for me to supply: as, first, casks
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
185
to preserve it in, which was a thing that, as I have observed already,
I could never compass: no, though I spent not only many days,
but weeks, nay months, in attempting it, but to no purpose. In the
next place, I had no hops to make it keep, no yeast to make it work,
no copper or kettle to make it boil; and yet with all these things
wanting, I verily believe, had not the frights and terrors I was in
about the savages intervened, I had undertaken it, and perhaps
brought it to pass, too; for I seldom gave anything over without
accomplishing it, when once I had it in my head to begin it. But
my invention now ran quite another way; for, night and day, I
could think of nothing but how I might destroy some of these mon-
sters in their cruel, bloody entertainment; 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 to be, to set down
all the contrivances I hatched, or rather brooded upon, in my
thoughts, for the destroying these creatures, or at least frightening
them so as to prevent their coming hither any more: but all this
was abortive; nothing could be possible to take effect, unless I was
to be there to do it myself: and what could one man do among
them, when perhaps there might be twenty or thirty of them to-
gether, with their darts, or their bows and arrows, with which they
could shoot as true to a mark as I could with my gun?
Sometimes I thought of digging a hole under the place where
they made their fire, and putting in five or six pounds of 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
store being now within the quantity of one barrel, so neither could
I be sure of its going off at any certain time, when it might surprise
them; and, at best, that it would do little more than just blow the
fire about their ears and fright them, but not sufficient to make
them forsake the place: so I laid it aside; and then proposed that
I would place myself in ambush in some convenient place, with my
three guns all double loaded; and, in the middle of their bloody
ceremony, let fly at them, when I should be sure to kill or wound
186
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
perhaps two or three at every shot; and then falling in upon them
with my three pistols and my sword, I made no doubt but that, if
there were twenty, I should kill them all. This fancy pleased my
thoughts for some weeks; and I was so full of it, that I often
dreamed of it, and sometimes, that I was just going to let fly at
them in my sleep. I went so far with it in my imagination, that I
employed myself several days to find out proper places to put
myself in ambuscade, as I said, to watch for them; and I went fre-
quently to the place itself, which was now grown more familiar to
me: but while my mind was thus filled with thoughts of revenge,
and a bloody putting twenty or thirty of them to the sword, as I
may call it, the horror I had at the place, and at the signals of
the barbarous wretches devouring one another, abetted my malice.
Well, at length, I found a place in the side of the hill, where I was
satisfied I might securely wait till I saw any of their boats coming;
and might then, even before they would be ready to come on shore,
convey myself unseen into some thickets of trees, in one of which
there was a hollow large enough to conceal me entirely; and there I
might sit and observe all their bloody doings, and take my full aim
at their heads, when they were so close together as that it would
be next to impossible that I should miss my shot, or that I could
fail wounding three or four of them at the first shot. In this place,
then, I resolved to fix my design; and, accordingly, I prepared two
muskets and my ordinary fowling-piece. The two muskets I loaded
with a brace of slugs each, and four or five smaller bullets, about the
size of pistol bullets; and the fowling-piece I loaded with near a
handful of swan-shot of the largest size: I also loaded my pistols
with about four bullets each; and, in this posture, well provided
with ammunition for a second and third charge, I prepared myself
for my expedition.
After I had thus laid the scheme of my design, and in my ima-
gination put it in practice, I continually made my tour every morn-
ing up to the top of the hill, which was from my castle, as I called
it, about three miles, or more, to see if I could observe any boats
upon the sea, coming near the island, or standing over towards it;
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
187
but I began to tire of this hard duty, after I had, for two or three
months, constantly kept my watch, but came always back without
any discovery; there having not, in all that time, been the least
appearance, not only on or near the shore, but on the whole ocean,
so far as my eyes or glasses could reach every way.
As long as I kept my daily tour to the hill to look out, so long
also I kept up the vigour of my design, and my spirits seemed to
be all the while in a suitable form for so outrageous an execution as
the killing twenty or thirty naked savages, for an offence which I
had not at all entered into any discussion of in my thoughts, any
farther than my passions were at first fired by the horror I con-
ceived at the unnatural custom of the people of that country; who,
it seems, had been suffered by Providence, in His wise disposition of
the world, to have no other guide than that of their own abominable
and vitiated passions; and, consequently, were left, and perhaps had
been so for some ages, to act such horrid things, and receive such
dreadful customs, as nothing but nature, entirely abandoned by
Heaven, and actuated by some hellish degeneracy, could have run
them into. But now, when, as I have said, I began to be weary of
the fruitless excursion which I had made so long and so far every
morning in vain, so my opinion of the action itself began to alter;
and I began, with cooler and calmer thoughts, to consider what I
was going to engage in; what authority or call I had to pretend
to be judge and executioner upon these men as criminals, whom
Heaven had thought fit, for so many ages to suffer, unpunished, to
go on, and to be, as it were, the executioners of His judgments
one upon another; how far these people were offenders against me,
and what right I had to engage in the quarrel of that blood which
they shed promiscuously upon one another. I debated this very often
with myself thus: "How do I know what God himself judges in
this particular case? It is certain these people do not commit this as
a crime; it is not against their own consciences reproving, or their
light reproaching them; they do not know it to be an offence, and
then commit it in defiance of divine justice, as we do in almost all
the sins we commit. They think it no more a crime to kill a cap-
188
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
tive taken in war, than we do to kill an ox; nor to eat human flesh,
than we do to eat mutton.

Rambert
When I considered this a little, it followed necessarily that I was
certainly in the wrong in it; that these people were not murderers
in the sense that I had before condemned them in my thoughts, any
more than those Christians were murderers who often put to death
the prisoners taken in battle; or more frequently, upon many occa-
sions, put whole troops of men to the sword, without giving quarter,
though they threw down their arms, and submitted. In the next
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
189
place, it occurred to me, that although the usage they gave one
another was thus brutish and inhuman, yet it was really nothing to
me; these people had done me no injury: that if they attempted
me, or I saw it necessary, for my immediate preservation, to fall
upon them, something might be said for it; but that I was yet out
of their power, and they really had no knowledge of me, and con-
sequently no design upon me; and therefore it could not be just
for me to fall upon them: that this would justify the conduct of the
Spaniards in all their barbarities practised in America, where they
destroyed millions of these people; who, however they were idola-
ters and barbarians, and had several bloody and barbarous rites in
their customs, such as sacrificing human bodies to their idols, were
yet, as to the Spaniards, very innocent people; and that the rooting
them out of the country is spoken of with the utmost abhorrence and
detestation by even the Spaniards themselves at this time, and by all
other Christian nations in Europe, as a mere butchery, a bloody and
unnatural piece of cruelty, unjustifiable either to God or man; and
for which the very name of a Spaniard is reckoned to be frightful
and terrible to all people of humanity or of Christian compassion;
as if the kingdom of Spain were particularly eminent for the produce
of a race of men, who were without principles of tenderness or the
common bowels of pity to the miserable, which is reckoned to be a
mark of generous temper in the mind.
These considerations really put me to a pause, and to a kind of a
full stop; and I began by little and little to be off my design, and to
conclude I had taken wrong measures in my resolution to attack the
savages; and that it was not my business to meddle with them,
unless they first attacked me; and this it was my business, if pos-
sible, to prevent; but that, if I were discovered and attacked by
them, I knew my duty. On the other hand, I argued with myself,
that this really was the way not to deliver myself, but entirely to
ruin and destroy myself; for, unless I was sure to kill every one that
not only should be on shore at that time, but that should ever come
on shore afterwards, if but one of them escaped to tell their
country-people what had happened, they would come over again by
S
190
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
thousands to revenge the death of their fellows, and I should only
bring upon myself a certain destruction, which, at present, I had
no manner of occasion for. Upon the whole, I concluded that
I ought, neither in principle nor in policy, one way or other, to
concern myself in this affair: that my business was, by all possible
means, to conceal myself from them, and not to leave the least
signal to them to guess by that there were any living creatures upon
the island, I mean of human shape. Religion joined in with this
prudential resolution; and I was convinced now, many ways, that
I was perfectly out of my duty when I was laying all my bloody
schemes for the destruction of innocent creatures, I mean innocent as
to me.
As to the crimes they were guilty of towards one another,
I had nothing to do with them; they were national, and I ought
to leave them to the justice of God, who is the governor of nations,
and knows how, by national punishments, to make a just retribution
for national offences, and to bring public judgments upon those who
This
offend in a public manner, by such ways as best please Him.
appeared so clear to me now, that nothing was a greater satisfaction
to me than that I had not been suffered to do a thing which I now
saw so much reason to believe would have been no less a sin than
that of wilful murder, if I had committed it; and I gave most
humble thanks on my knees to God that He had thus delivered me
from blood-guiltiness; beseeching him to grant me the protection of
His providence, that I might not fall into the hands of the bar-
barians, or that I might not lay my hands upon them, unless I have
a more clear call from Heaven to do it, in defence of my own life.
In this disposition I continued for near a year after this; and so
far was I from desiring an occasion for falling upon these wretches,
that in all that time I never once went up the hill to see whether
there were any of them in sight, or to know whether any of them
had been on shore there or not, that I might not be tempted to
renew any of my contrivances against them, or be provoked, by
any advantage that might present itself, to fall upon them: only this
I did, I went and removed my boat, which I had on the other side
of the island, and carried it down to the east end of the whole island,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
191
where I ran it into a little cove, which I found under some high
rocks, and where I knew, by reason of the currents, the savages durst
not, at least would not, come with their boats upon any account
whatever. With my boat I carried away everything that I had left
there belonging to her, though not necessary for the bare going
thither, viz. a mast and sail which I had made for her, and a thing
like an anchor, but which indeed could not be called either anchor or
grapnel; however, it was the best I could make of its kind all these
I removed, that there might not be the least shadow of any disco-
very, or any appearance of any boat, or of any human habitation
upon the island. Besides this, I kept myself, as I said, more retired
than ever, and seldom went from my cell, other than upon my con-
stant employment, viz. to milk my she-goats, and manage my little
flock in the wood, which, as it was quite on the other part of the
island, was quite out of danger; for certain it is that these savage

+H
:
2.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
people, who sometimes haunted this island, never came with any
thoughts of finding anything here, and consequently never wandered
off from the coast; and I doubt not but they might have been seve-
ral times on shore after my apprehensions of them had made me
cautious, as well as before. Indeed I looked back with some horror
upon the thoughts of what my condition would have been, if I had
chopped upon them and been discovered before that; when, naked
and unarmed, except with one gun, and that loaded often only with
small shot, I walked everywhere, peeping and peering about the
island to see what I could get; what a surprise should I have been
in, if, when I discovered the print of a man's foot, I had, instead of
that, seen fifteen or twenty savages, and found them pursuing me,
and, by the swiftness of their running, no possibility of my escaping
them! The thoughts of this sometimes sunk my very soul within
me, and distressed my mind so much that I could not soon recover
it, to think what I should have done, and how I should not only have
been unable to resist them, but even should not have had presence of
mind enough to do what I might have done; much less what now,
after so much consideration and preparation, I might be able to do.
Indeed, after serious thinking of these things, I would be very me-
lancholy, and sometimes it would last a great while; but I resolved
it all, at last, into thankfulness to that Providence which had deli-
vered me from so many unseen dangers, and had kept from me those
mischiefs which I could have no way been the agent in delivering
myself from, because I had not the least notion of any such thing
depending, or the least supposition of its being possible. This
renewed a contemplation which often had come to my thoughts in
former time, when first I began to see the merciful dispositions of
Heaven, in the dangers we run through in this life; how wonder-
fully we are delivered when we know nothing of it; how, when we
are in a quandary (as we call it), a doubt or hesitation whether to
go this way or that way, a secret hint shall direct us this way, when
we intended to go that way: nay, when sense, our own inclination,
and perhaps business, has called to go the other way, yet a strange
impression upon the mind, from we know not what springs, and by
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
193
we know not what power, shall overrule us to go this way; and it
shall afterwards appear, that had we gone that way which we should
have gone, and even to our imagination ought to have gone, we
should have been ruined and lost. Upon these, and many like
reflections, I afterwards made it a certain rule with me, that when-
ever I found those secret hints or pressings of mind, to doing or
not doing anything that presented, or going this way or that way,
I never failed to obey the secret dictate; though I knew no other
reason for it than that such a pressure, or such a hint, hung
upon my mind. I could give many examples of the success of this
conduct in the course of my life, but more especially in the lat-
ter part of my inhabiting this unhappy island; besides many
occasions which it is very likely I might have taken notice of, if I
had seen with the same eyes then that I see with now. But it is
never too late to be wise; and I cannot but advise all considering
men, whose lives are attended with such extraordinary incidents as
mine, or even though not so extraordinary, not to slight such secret
intimations of Providence, let them come from what invisible intel-
ligence they will. That I shall not discuss, and perhaps cannot ac-
count for; but certainly they are a proof of the converse of spirits,
and a secret communication between those embodied and those
unembodied, and such a proof as can never be withstood; of which
I shall have occasion to give some very remarkable instances in the
remainder of my solitary residence in this dismal place.
I believe the reader of this will not think it strange, if I confess
that these anxieties, these constant dangers I lived in, and the con-
cern that was now upon me, put an end to all invention, and to all
the contrivances that I had laid for my future accommodations and
conveniences. I had the care of my safety more now upon my hands
than that of my food. I cared not to drive a nail, or chop a stick of
wood now, for fear the noise I might make should be heard: much
less would I fire a gun, for the same reason: and, above all, I was
intolerably uneasy at making any fire, lest the smoke, which is visible
at a great distance in the day, should betray me.
For this reason,
I removed that part of my business which required fire, such as
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
burning of pots and pipes, &c., into my new apartment in the
woods; where, after I had been some time, I found to my un-
speakable consolation, a mere natural cave in the earth, which went
in a vast way, and where, I dare say, no savage, had he been at
the mouth of it, would be so hardy as to venture in; nor, indeed,
would any man else, but one who, like me, wanted nothing so much
as a safe retreat.
The mouth of this hollow was at the bottom of a great rock,
where, by mere accident (I would say, if I did not see abundant rea-
son to ascribe all such things now to Providence), I was cutting
down some thick branches of trees to make charcoal; and before I
go on I must observe the reason of my making this charcoal, which
was thus: I was afraid of making a smoke about my habitation, as
I said before; and yet I could not live there without baking my
bread, cooking my meat, &c.; so I contrived to burn some wood
here, as I had seen done in England, under turf, till it became
chark, or dry coal: and then putting the fire out, I preserved the
coal to carry home, and perform the other services for which fire was
wanting, without danger of smoke. But this is by the by:-While
I was cutting down some wood here, I perceived that, behind a very
thick branch of low brushwood or underwood, there was a kind of
hollow place: I was curious to look in it; and getting with difficulty
into the mouth of it, I found it was pretty large; that is to say, suf-
ficient for me to stand upright in it, and perhaps another with me:
but I must confess to you that I made more haste out than I did in,
when, looking farther into the place, and which was perfectly dark, I
saw two broad, shining eyes of some creature, whether devil or man
I knew not, which twinkled like two stars; the dim light from the
cave's mouth shining directly in, and making the reflection. How-
ever, after some pause I recovered myself, and began to call myself
a thousand fools, and to think that he that was afraid to see the
Devil was not fit to live twenty years in an island all alone; and
that I might well think there was nothing in this cave that was more
frightful than myself. Upon this, plucking up my courage, I took
up a firebrand, and in I rushed again, with the stick flaming in my

I took up a firebrand, and in I rushed again.
“
JJ Shy
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
195

hand: I had not gone three steps in, but I was almost as much
frightened as before; for I heard a very loud sigh, like that of a
man in some pain, and it was followed by a broken noise, as of
words half expressed, and then a deep sigh again. I stepped back,
and was indeed struck with such a surprise that it put me into a
cold sweat, and if I had had a hat on my head, I will not answer for
it that my hair might not have lifted it off. But still plucking up
my spirits as well as I could, and encouraging myself a little with
considering that the power and presence of God was everywhere,
and was able to protect me, upon this I stepped forward again, and
by the light of the firebrand, holding it up a little over my head, I
saw lying on the ground a most monstrous, frightful, old he-goat,
just making his will, as we say, and gasping for life; and dying,
indeed, of mere old age. I stirred him a little to see if I could get
him out, and he essayed to get up, but was not able to raise himself;
and I thought with myself he might even lie there; for if he had
196
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
frightened me, so he would certainly fright any of the savages, if any
one of them should be so hardy as to come in there while he had
any life in him.
I was now recovered from my surprise, and began to look round
me, when I found the cave was but very small, that is to say, it
might be about twelve feet over, but in no manner of shape, neither
round nor square, no hands having ever been employed in making it
but those of mere Nature. I observed also that there was a place at
the farther side of it that went in further, but was so low that
required me to creep upon my hands and knees to go into it, and
whither it went I knew not: so, having no candle, I gave it over for
that time; but resolved to come again the next day, provided with
candles and a tinder-box, which I had made of the lock of one of the
muskets, with some wild fire in the pan.
Accordingly, the next day I came provided with six large
candles of my own making (for I made very good candles now of
goats' tallow, but was hard set for candle-wick, using sometimes rags
or rope-yarn, and sometimes the dried rind of a weed like nettles);
and going into this low place, I was obliged to creep upon all fours,
as I have said, almost ten yards; which, by the way, I thought was
a venture bold enough, considering that I knew not how far it might
go, nor what was beyond it. When I had got through the strait, I
found the roof rose higher up, I believe near twenty feet; but never
was such a glorious sight seen in the island, I dare say, as it was, to
look round the sides and roof of this vault or cave; the wall re-
flected an hundred thousand lights to me from my two candles.
What it was in the rock, whether diamonds, or any other precious
stones, or gold, which I rather supposed it to be, I knew not. The
place I was in was a most delightful cavity or grotto of its kind, as
could be expected, though perfectly dark; the floor was dry and
level, and had a sort of a small loose gravel upon it, so that there
was no nauseous or venomous creature to be seen, neither was there
any damp or wet on the sides or roof: the only difficulty in it was
the entrance; which, however, as it was a place of security, and
such a retreat as I wanted, I thought that was a convenience; so
or ROBINSON CRUSOE.
197
that I was really rejoiced at the discovery, and resolved, without any
delay, to bring some of those things which I was most anxious about
to this place; particularly, I resolved to bring hither my magazine
of powder, and all my spare arms, viz. two fowling-pieces, for I had
three in all, and three muskets, for of them I had eight in all: so I
kept in my castle only five, which stood ready mounted, like pieces.
of cannon, on my outmost fence; and were ready also to take out
upon any expedition. Upon this occasion of removing my ammu-
nition, I happened to open the barrel of powder, which I took up out
of the sea, and which had been wet; and I found that the water
had penetrated about three or four inches into the powder, on
every side, which, caking, and growing hard, had preserved the
inside like a kernel in the shell; so that I had near sixty pounds of
very good powder in the centre of the cask; this was a very agree-
able discovery to me at that time; so I carried all away thither,
never keeping above two or three pounds of powder with me in my
castle, for fear of a surprise of any kind: I also carried thither all the
lead I had left for bullets.
I fancied myself now like one of the ancient giants, which were
said to live in caves and holes in the rocks, where none could come
at them; for I persuaded myself while I was here, that if five hun-
dred savages were to hunt me, they could never find me out; or, if
they did, they would not venture to attack me here.
The old goat,
whom I found expiring, died in the mouth of the cave the next day
after I made this discovery: and I found it much easier to dig a
great hole there, and throw him in and cover him with earth, than to
drag him out: so I interred him there, to prevent offence to my nose.
I was now in the twenty-third year of my residence in this
island; and was so naturalised to the place, and the manner of
living, that, could I have but enjoyed the certainty that no savages
would come to the place to disturb me, I could have been content to
have capitulated for spending the rest of my time there, even to the
last moment, till I had laid me down and died, like the old goat, in
the cave.
I had also arrived to some little diversions and amuse-
ments, which made the time pass a great deal more pleasantly with
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
me than it did before; as, first, I had taught my Poll, as I noted
before, to speak; and he did it so familiarly, and talked so arti-
culately and plain, that it was very pleasant to me; for I believe no
bird ever spoke plainer; and he lived with me no less than six and
twenty years: how long he might have lived afterwards I know not,
though I know they have a notion in the Brasils that they live a
hundred years. My dog was a pleasant and loving companion to
me for no less than sixteen years of my time, and then died of mere
old age. As for my cats, they multiplied, as I have observed, to
that degree, that I was obliged to shoot several of them at first, to
keep them from devouring me and all I had; but, at length, when
the two old ones I brought with me were gone, and after some time
continually driving them from me, and letting them have no pro-
vision with me, they all ran wild into the woods, except two or three
favourites, which I kept tame, and whose young, when they had
any, I always drowned; and these were part of my family. Besides
these, I always kept two or three household kids about me, whom I
taught to feed out of my hand; and I had two more parrots, which
talked pretty well, and would all call "Robin Crusoe," but none like
my first; nor, indeed, did I take the pains with any of them that I
had done with him. I had also several tame sea-fowls, whose names
I knew not, that I caught upon the shore, and cut their wings; and
the little stakes which I had planted before my castle-wall being now
grown up to a good thick grove, these fowls all lived among these
low trees, and bred there, which was very agreeable to me; so that,
as I said above, I began to be very well contented with the life I
led, if I could have been secured from the dread of the savages.
But it was otherwise directed; and it may not be amiss for all
people who shall meet with my story, to make this just observation
from it, viz. — How frequently, in the course of our lives, the evil
which in itself we seek most to shun, and which, when we are fallen
into, is the most dreadful to us, is oftentimes the very means or door
of our deliverance, by which alone we can be raised again from the
affliction we are fallen into. I could give many examples of this in
the course of my unaccountable life; but in nothing was it more
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
199
particularly remarkable than in the circumstances of my last years of
solitary residence in this island.
It was now the month of December, as I said above, in my
twenty-third year; and this, being the southern solstice (for winter I
cannot call it), was the particular time of my harvest, and required
my being pretty much abroad in the fields: when, going out pretty
early in the morning, even before it was thorough daylight, I was
surprised with seeing a light of some fire upon the shore, at a dis-
tance from me of about two miles, towards the island where I had
observed some savages had been, as before, and not on the other
side; but, to my great affliction, it was on my side of the island.
I was indeed terribly surprised at the sight, and stopped short
within my grove, not daring to go out, lest I might be surprised,
and yet I had no more peace within, from the apprehensions I had
that if these avages, in rambling over the island, should find my corn
standing or cut, or any of my works and improvements, they would
immediately conclude that there were people in the place, and would
then never give over till they had found me out. In this extremity,
I went back directly to my castle, pulled up the ladder after me,
and made all things without look as wild and natural as I could.
Then I prepared myself within, putting myself in a posture of
defence: I loaded all my cannon, as I called them, that is to say,
my muskets, which were mounted upon my new fortification, 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 bar-
barians. I continued in this posture about two hours; and began
to be mighty impatient for intelligence abroad, for I had no spies to
send out. After sitting awhile longer, and musing what I should do
in this case, I was not able to bear sitting in ignorance any longer ;
so setting up my ladder to the side of the hill, where there was a
flat place, as I observed before, and then pulling the ladder after me,
I set it up again, and mounted the top of the hill; and pulling out
my perspective-glass, which I had taken on purpose, I laid me down
flat on my belly on the ground, and began to look for the place. I
200
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
presently found there were no less than nine naked savages, sitting
round a small fire they had made, not to warm them, for they had
no need of that, the weather being extremely hot, but, as I supposed,
to dress some of their barbarous diet of human flesh, which they had
brought with them, whether alive or dead, I could not tell.

ADOLPHE BEST.
They had two canoes with them, which they had hauled up upon
the shore; and has it was then tide of ebb, they seemed to me to
wait for the return of the flood to go away again. It is not easy to
imagine what confusion this night put me into, especially seeing
them come on my side of the island, and so near me too; but when
I considered their coming must be always with the current of the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
201
>
ebb, I began, afterwards, to be more sedate in my mind, being satis-
fied that I might go abroad with safety all the time of the tide of
flood, if they were not on shore before: and having made this
observation, I went abroad about my harvest work with the more
composure.
As I expected, so it proved; for as soon as the tide made to the
westward, I saw them all take boat, and row (or paddle, as we call
it) away. I should have observed that, for an hour or more before
they went off, they went a dancing; and I could easily discern their
postures and gestures by my glass. I could not perceive, by my
nicest observation, but that they were stark naked, and had not the
least covering upon them; but whether they were men or women, I
could not distinguish.
As soon as I saw them shipped and gone, I took two guns upon
my shoulders, and two pistols in my girdle, and my great sword by
my side, without a scabbard; and, with all the speed I was able to
make, went away to the hill where I had discovered the first appear-
ance of all; and as soon as I got thither, which was not in less than
two hours (for I could not go apace, being so loaded with arms as
I was), I perceived there had been three canoes more of the savages
at that place; and looking out farther, I saw they were all at sea
together, making over for the main. This was a dreadful sight to
me, especially as, going down to the shore, I could see the marks of
horror which the dismal work they had been about had left behind
it, viz. the blood, the bones, and part of the flesh, of human bodies,
eaten and devoured by those wretches, with merriment and sport. I
was so filled with indignation at the sight, that I now began to pre-
meditate the destruction of the next that I saw there, let them be
whom or how many soever. It seemed evident to me that the visits
which they made thus to this island were not very frequent, for it
was above fifteen months before any more of them came on shore
there again; that is to say, I neither saw them, nor any footsteps or
signals of them, in all that time; for, as to the rainy seasons, then
they are sure not to come abroad, at least not so far: yet all this
while I lived uncomfortably, by reason of the constant apprehen-
T
202
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
A
sions of their coming upon me by surprise; from whence I observe,
that the expectation of evil is more bitter than the suffering, espe-
cially if there is no room to shake off that expectation, or those
apprehensions.
During all this time, I was in the murdering humour, and took
up most of my hours, which should have been better employed, in
contriving how to circumvent and fall upon them, the very next time
I should see them; especially if they should be divided, as they
were the last time, into two parties: nor did I consider at all, that if
I killed one party, suppose ten or a dozen, I was still the next day,
or week, or month, to kill another, and so another, even ad infinitum,
till I should be at length no less a murderer than they were in
being man-eaters; and, perhaps, much more so. I spent my days
now in great perplexity and anxiety of mind, expecting that I
should, one day or other, fall into the hands of these merciless crea-
tures; and if I did at any time venture abroad, it was not without
looking round me with the greatest care and caution imaginable.
And now I found, to my great comfort, how happy it was that I
had provided a tame flock or herd of goats; for I durst not upon
any account fire my gun, especially near that side of the island
where they usually came, lest I should alarm the savages; and if
they had fled from me now, I was sure to have them come again,
with perhaps two or three hundred canoes with them, in a few days,
and then I knew what to expect. However, I wore out a year and
three months more before I ever saw any more of the savages, and
then I found them again, as I shall soon observe. It is true, they
might have been there once or twice; but either they made no stay,
or at least I did not see them: but in the month of May, as near as
I could calculate, and in my four and twentieth year, I had a very
strange encounter with them; of which, in its place.
The perturbation of my mind, during this fifteen or sixteen
months' interval, was very great; I slept unquiet, dreamed always
frightful dreams, and often started out of my sleep in the night: in
the day, great troubles overwhelmed my mind; and in the night,
I dreamed often of killing the savages, and of the reasons why I
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
203
might justify the doing of it. But to wave all this for a while.-
It was in the middle of May, on the sixteenth day, I think, as
well as my poor wooden calendar would reckon, for I marked all
upon the post still; I say, it was on the sixteenth of May that it
blew a very great storm of wind all day, with a great deal of light-
ning and thunder, and a very foul night it was after it. I knew
not what was the particular occasion of it; but as I was reading
in the Bible, and taken up with very serious thoughts about my
present condition, I was surprised with the noise of a gun, as I
thought, fired at sea. This was, to be sure, a surprise quite of a
different nature from any I had met with before; for the notions
this put into my thoughts were quite of another kind.
I started up
in the greatest haste imaginable; and, in a trice, clapped my ladder
to the middle place of the rock, and pulled it after me; and mount-
ing 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, accord-
ingly, in about half a minute, I heard; and, by the sound, knew
that it was from that part of the sea where I was driven down the
current in my boat. I immediately considered that this must be
some ship in distress, and that they had some comrade or some other
ship in company, and fired these for signals of distress, and to obtain
help. I had the presence of mind, at that minute, to think, that
though I could not help them, it might be they might help me: so
I brought together all the dry wood I could get at hand, and making
a good handsome pile, I set it on fire upon the hill. The wood was
dry, and blazed freely; and though the wind blew very hard, yet it
burned fairly out, so that I was certain, if there was any such thing
as a ship, they must needs see it, and no doubt they did; for as soon
as ever my fire blazed up I heard another gun, and after that several
others, all from the same quarter. I plied my fire all night long,,
till daybreak; and when it was broad day, and the air cleared up,
I saw something at a great distance at sea, full east of the island,
whether a sail or a hull I could not distinguish-no, not with my
glass; the distance was so great, and the weather still something
hazy also; at least, it was so out at sea.
204
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
:

S.EARS
I looked frequently at it all that day, and soon perceived that it
did not move; so I presently concluded that it was a ship at anchor;
and being eager, you may be sure, to be satisfied, I took my gun in
my hand, and ran towards the south side of the island, to the rocks
where I had formerly been carried away with the current; and get-
ting up there, the weather by this time being perfectly clear, I could
plainly see, to my great sorrow, the wreck of a ship, cast away in the
night upon those concealed rocks which I found when I was out
in my boat; and which rocks, as they checked the violence of the
stream, and made a kind of counter-stream, or eddy, were the occa-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
205
sion of my recovering from the most desperate, hopeless condition
that ever I had been in, in all my life. Thus, what is one man's
safety is another man's destruction; for it seems these men, whoever
they were, being out of their knowledge, and the rocks being wholly
under water, had been driven upon them in the night, the wind
blowing hard at E. N. E. Had they seen the island, as I must
necessarily suppose they did not, they must, as I thought, have
endeavoured to have saved themselves on shore by the help of their
boat; but their firing off guns for help, especially when they saw, as
I imagined, my fire, filled me with many thoughts: first, I imagined
that upon seeing my light, they might have put themselves into
their boat, and endeavoured to make the shore; but that the sea
going very high, they might have been cast away: other times, I
imagined that they might have lost their boat before, as might be the
case many ways; as, particularly, by the breaking of the sea upon
their ship, which many times obliged men to stave, or take in pieces,
their boat, and sometimes to throw it overboard with their own
hands: other times, I imagined they had some other ship or ships in
company, who, upon the signals of distress they had made, had
taken them up, and carried them off: other times, I fancied they
were all gone off to sea in their boat, and being hurried away by the
current that I had been formerly in, were carried out into the great
ocean, where there was nothing but misery and perishing; and that,
perhaps, they might by this time think of starving, and of being in a
condition to eat one another.
As all these were but conjectures at best, so, in the condition
I was in, I could do no more than look on upon the misery of the
poor men, and pity them; which had still this good effect on my
side, that it gave me more and more cause to give thanks to God,
who had so happily and comfortably provided for me in my desolate
condition; and that of two ships' companies, who were now cast
away upon this part of the world, not one life should be spared but
mine. I learned here again to observe, that it is very rare that the
providence of God casts us into any condition of life so low, or any
misery so great, but we may see something or other to be thankful
206
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
for, and may see others in worse circumstances than our own. Such
certainly was the case of these men, of whom I could not so much as
see room to suppose any of them were saved; nothing could make
it rational so much as to wish or expect that they did not all perish
there, except the possibility only of their being taken up by another
ship in company; and this was but mere possibility indeed, for I
saw not the least sign or appearance of any such thing. I cannot
´explain, by any possible energy of words, what a strange longing or
hankering of desires I felt in my soul upon this sight, breaking out
sometimes thus:- "O that there had been but one or two, nay, or
but one soul, saved out of this ship, to have escaped to me, that
I might but have had one companion, one fellow-creature to have
spoken to me and to have conversed with!" In all the time of my
solitary life, I never felt so earnest, so strong a desire after the
society of my fellow-creatures, or so deep a regret at the want of it.
There are some secret moving springs in the affections, which,
when they are set a-going by some object in view, or, though not in
view, yet rendered present to the mind by the power of imagination,
that motion carries out the soul, by its impetuosity, to such violent,
eager embracings of the object that the absence of it is insupportable.
Such were these earnest wishings that but one man had been saved.
I believe I repeated the words, "O that it had been but one!" a
thousand times; and my desires were so moved by it, that when I
spoke the words, my hands would clinch together, and my fingers
would press the palms of my hands, so that if I had had any soft
thing in my hand, it would have crushed it involuntarily; and the
teeth in my head would strike together, and set against one another
so strong, that for some time I could not part them again. Let the
naturalists explain these things, and the reason and manner of
them all I can say to them is, to describe the fact, which was
even surprising to me, when I found it, though I knew not from
whence it proceeded: it was, doubtless, the effect of ardent wishes,
and of strong ideas formed in my mind, realising the comfort which
the conversation of one of my fellow-christians would have been to
me. But it was not to be; either their fate or mine, or both, for-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
207
bade it for till the last year of my being on this island, I never
knew whether any were saved out of that ship or no; and had only
the affliction, some days after, to see the corpse of a drowned boy
come on shore at the end of the island which was next the ship-

HAVS
wreck. He had no clothes on but a seaman's waistcoat, a pair of
open-kneed linen drawers, and a blue linen shirt; but nothing to
direct me so much as to guess what nation he was of; he had
nothing in his pockets but two pieces-of-eight and a tobacco-pipe ;-
the last was to me of ten times more value than the first.
It was now calm, and I had a great mind to venture out in my
boat to this wreck, not doubting but I might find something on
board that might be useful to me: but that did not altogether
press me so much, as the possibility that there might be yet some
208
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
living creature on board, whose life I might not only save, but
might, by saving that life, comfort my own to the last degree;
and this thought clung so to my heart that I could not be quiet
night or day, but I must venture out in my boat on board this
wreck; and committing the rest to God's providence, I thought the
impression was so strong upon my mind that it could not be resisted,
that it must come from some invisible direction, and that I should
be wanting to myself if I did not go.
Under the power of this impression, I hastened back to my
castle, prepared everything for my voyage, took a quantity of bread,
a great pot of fresh water, a compass to steer by, a bottle of rum
(for I had still a great deal of that left), and a basket of raisins: and
thus, loading myself with everything necessary, I went down to my
boat, got the water out of her, got her afloat, loaded all my cargo
in her, and then went home again for more. My second cargo was
a great bag of rice, the umbrella to set up over my head for a shade,
another large pot of fresh water, and about two dozen of small
loaves, or barley-cakes, more than before, with a bottle of goat's
milk, and a cheese: all which, with great labour and sweat, I carried
to my boat; and praying to God to direct my voyage, I put out;
and rowing, or paddling, the canoe along the shore, came at last to
the utmost point of the island on the north-east side.
And now I
was to launch out into the ocean, and either to venture or not to
venture. I looked on the rapid currents which ran constantly on
both sides of the island at a distance, and which were very terrible
to me, from the remembrance of the hazard I had been in before,
and my heart began to fail me; for I foresaw that if I was driven
into either of those currents, I should be carried a great way out
to sea, and perhaps out of my reach, or sight of the island again;
and that then, as my boat was but small, if any little gale of wind
should rise, I should be inevitably lost.
These thoughts so oppressed my mind, that I began to give over
my enterprise; and having hauled my boat into a little creek on the
shore, I stepped out, and set me down upon a rising bit of ground,
very pensive and anxious, between fear and desire, about my voyage;

دوشه
When I came close to her, a dog appeared upon her.
SEARS
SC
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
209
1
when, as I was musing, I could perceive that the tide was turned,
and the flood come on; upon which, my going was impracticable for
so many hours. Upon this, presently it occurred to me, that I should
go up to the highest piece of ground I could find, and observe, if I
could, how the sets of the tide, or currents, lay when the flood came
in, that I might judge whether, if I was driven one way out, I might
not expect to be driven another way home, with the same rapidness
of the currents. This thought was no sooner in my head than I cast
my eye upon a little hill, which sufficiently overlooked the sea both
ways, and from whence I had a clear view of the currents, or sets of
the tide, and which way I was to guide myself in my return. Here
I found, that as the current of ebb set out close by the south point of
the island, so the current of the flood set in close by the shore of the
north side; and that I had nothing to do but to keep to the north
side of the island in my return, and I should do well enough.
Encouraged with this observation, I resolved, the next morning,
to set out with the first of the tide; and reposing myself for the
night in my canoe, under the great watch-coat I mentioned, I
launched out. I first made a little out to sea, full north, till I
began to feel the benefit of the current, which set eastward, and
which carried me at a great rate; and yet did not so hurry me as the
current on the south side had done before, so as to take from me
all government of the boat; but having a strong steerage with my
paddle, I went at a great rate directly for the wreck, and in less than
two hours I came up to it. It was a dismal sight to look at: the
ship, which, by its building, was Spanish, stuck fast, jammed in
between two rocks; all the stern and quarter of her were beaten
to pieces by the sea; and as her forecastle, which stuck in the rocks,
had run on with great violence, her mainmast and foremast were
brought by the board, that is to say, broken short off; but her
bowsprit was sound, and the head and bow appeared firm. When
I came close to her, a dog appeared upon her, who, seeing me
coming, yelped and cried; and as soon as I called him, jumped into
the sea to come to me; I took him into the boat, but found him.
almost dead with hunger and thirst. I gave him a cake of my
210
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Besides the
bread, and he devoured it like a ravenous wolf, that had been
starving a fortnight in the snow: I then gave the poor creature
some fresh water, with which, if I would have let him, he would
have burst himself. After this, I went on board; but the first sight
I met with was two men drowned in the cook-room, or forecastle of
the ship, with their arms fast about one another. I concluded, as is
indeed probable, that when the ship struck, it being in a storm, the
sea broke so high, and so continually over her, that the men were
not able to bear it, and were strangled with the constant rushing in
of the water, as much as if they had been under water.
dog, there was nothing left in the ship that had life; nor any goods,
that I could see, but what were spoiled by the water.
There were
some casks of liquor, whether wine or brandy I knew not, which lay
lower in the hold, and which, the water being ebbed out, I could
see; but they were too big to meddle with. I saw several chests,
which I believed belonged to some of the seamen; and I got two of
them into the boat, without examining what was in them. Had the
stern of the ship been fixed, and the forepart broken off, I am
persuaded I might have made a good voyage; for, by what I found
in these two chests, I had room to suppose the ship had a great deal
of wealth on board; and, if I may guess from the course she steered,
she must have been bound from Buenos Ayres, or the Rio de la
Plata, in the south part of America, beyond the Brasils, to the
Havannah, in the gulf of Mexico, and so perhaps to Spain. She
had, no doubt, a great treasure in her, but of no use, at that time, to
anybody; and what became of the crew, I then knew not.
I found, besides these chests, a little cask full of liquor, of about
twenty gallons, which I got into my boat with much difficulty.
There were several muskets in the cabin, and a great powder-horn,
with about four pounds of powder in it: as for the muskets, I had
no occasion for them, so I left them, but took the powder-horn. I
took a fire-shovel and tongs, which I wanted extremely; as also two
little brass kettles, a copper pot to make chocolate, and a gridiron;
and with this cargo, and the dog, I came away, the tide beginning to
make home again: and the same evening, about an hour within
*
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
211
night, I reached the island again, weary and fatigued to the last
degree. I reposed that night in the boat; and in the morning I
resolved to harbour what I had got in my new cave, and not carry it
home to my castle. After refreshing myself, I got all my cargo în

LAISHE
shore, and began to examine the particulars. The cask of liquor I
found to be a kind of rum, but not such as we had at the Brasils; and,
in a word, not at all good; but when I came to open the chests, I
found several things of great use to me: for example, I found in one
a fine case of bottles, of an extraordinary kind, and filled with cordial
waters, fine and very good; the bottles held about three pints each,
and were tipped with silver. I found two pots of very good suc-
cades, or sweatmeats, so fastened also on the top that the salt water
had not hurt them; and two more of the same, which the water had
212
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
spoiled. I found some very good shirts, which were very welcome to
me; and about a dozen and a half of white linen handkerchiefs and
coloured neckcloths; the former were also very welcome, being ex-
ceeding refreshing to wipe my face in a hot day. Besides this, when I
came to the till in the chest, I found there three great bags of pieces-
of-eight, which held about eleven hundred pieces in all; and in one
of them, wrapped up in a paper, six doubloons of gold, and some
small bars or wedges of gold; I suppose they might all weigh near a
pound. In the other chest were some clothes, but of little value;
but, by the circumstances, it must have belonged to the gunner's
mate; though there was no powder in it, except two pounds of fine
glazed powder, in three small flasks, kept, I suppose, for charging
their fowling-pieces on occasion. Upon the whole, I got very little
by this voyage that was of any use to me; for, as to the money, I
had no manner of occasion for it; it was to me as the dirt under my
feet; and I would have given it all for three or four pair of English
shoes and stockings, which were things I greatly wanted, but had
none on my feet for many years. I had indeed got two pair of
shoes now, which I took off the feet of the two drowned men whom
I saw in the wreck, and I found two pair more in one of the chests,
which were very welcome to me; but they were not like our English
shoes, either for ease or service, being rather what we call pumps
than shoes. I found in this seaman's chest about fifty pieces-of-
eight in rials, but no gold: I suppose this belonged to a poorer man
than the other, which seemed to belong to some officer. Well, how-
ever, I lugged this money home to my cave, and laid it up, as I had
done that before which I brought from our own ship; but it was a
great pity, as I said, that the other part of this ship had not come to
my share; for I am satisfied I might have loaded my canoe several
times over with money; and thought I, if I ever escape to England,
it might lie here safe enough till I may come again and fetch it.
Having now brought all my things on shore, and secured them,
I went back to my boat, and rowed or paddled her along the shore
to her old harbour, where I laid her up, and made the best of my
way to my old habitation, where I found everything safe and quiet.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
213
I began now to repose myself, live after my old fashion, and take
care of my family affairs; and for a while I lived easy enough, only
that I was more vigilant than I used to be, looked out oftener, and
did not go abroad so much; and if, at any time, I did stir with any
freedom, it was always to the east part of the island, where I was
pretty well satisfied the savages never came, and where I could go
without so many precautions, and such a load of arms and ammu-
I lived
nition as I always carried with me if I went the other way.
in this condition near two years more; but my unlucky head, that
was always to let me know it was born to make my body miserable,
was all these two years filled with projects and designs, how, if it
were possible, I might get away from this island: for, sometimes I
was for making another voyage to the wreck, though my reason told
me that there was nothing left there worth the hazard of my voyage;
sometimes for a ramble one way, sometimes another; and I believe
verily, if I had had the boat that I went from Sallee in, I should
have ventured to sea, bound anywhere, I knew not whither. I have
been, in all my circumstances, a memento to those who are touched
with the general plague of mankind, whence, for aught I know, one
half of their miseries flow; I mean that of not being satisfied with
the station wherein God and Nature hath placed them: for, not to
look back upon my primitive condition, and the excellent advice of
my father, the opposition to which was, as I may call it, my original
sin, my subsequent mistakes of the same kind had been the means of
my coming into this miserable condition; for had that Providence,
which so happily seated me at the Brasils as a planter, blessed me
with confined desires, and I could have been contented to have gone
on gradually, I might have been by this time, I mean in the time of
my being in this island, one of the most considerable planters in the
Brasils; nay, I am persuaded, that by the improvements I had made
in that little time I lived there, and the increase I should probably
have made if I had remained, I might have been worth a hundred
thousand moidores: and what business had I to leave a settled
fortune, a well stocked plantation, improving and increasing, to turn
supercargo to Guinea to fetch negroes, when patience and time
U
214
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
would have so increased our stock at home, that we could have
bought them at our own door from those whose business it was to
fetch them? and though it had cost us something more, yet the
difference of that price was by no means worth saving at so great
a hazard. But as this is usually the fate of young heads, so reflec-
tion
upon the folly of it is as commonly the exercise of more years,
or of the dear-bought experience of time: so it was with me now;
and yet so deep had the mistake taken root in my temper, that I
could not satisfy myself in my station, but was continually poring
upon the means and possibility of my escape from this place: and
that I may, with the greater pleasure to the reader, bring on the
remaining part of my story, it may not be improper to give some
account of my first conceptions on the subject of this foolish scheme
for my escape, and how, and upon what foundation I acted.
I am now to be supposed retired into my castle, after my late
voyage to the wreck, my frigate laid up and secured under water, as
usual, and my condition restored to what it was before; I had more
wealth, indeed, than I had before, but was not at all the richer; for
I had no more use for it than the Indians of Peru had before the
Spaniards came there.
It was one of the nights in the rainy season in March, the four-
and-twentieth year of my first setting foot in this island of solitude,
I was lying in my bed or hammock, awake; very well in health, had
no pain, no distemper, no uneasiness of body, nor any uneasiness of
mind more than ordinary, but could by no means close my eyes,
that is, so as to sleep; no, not a wink all night long, otherwise than
as follows:—It is impossible to set down the innumerable crowd of
thoughts that whirled through that great thoroughfare of the brain—
the memory, in this night's time: I ran over the whole history of my
life, in miniature, or by abridgment, as I may call it, to my coming
to this island, and also of that part of my life since I came to this
island. In my reflections upon the state of my case since I came
on shore on this island, I was comparing the happy posture of my
affairs in the first years of my habitation here, compared to the life
of anxiety, fear, and care, which I had lived in ever since I had seen
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
215
the print of a foot in the sand; not that I did not believe the savages
had frequented the island even all the while, and might have been
several hundreds of them at times on shore there; but I had never
known it, and was incapable of any apprehensions about it; my
satisfaction was perfect, though my danger was the same, and I
was as happy in not knowing my danger as if I had never really
been exposed to it. This furnished my thoughts with many very
profitable reflections, and particularly this one: How infinitely good
that Providence is, which has provided, in its government of man-
kind, such narrow bounds to his sight and knowledge of things; and
though he walks in the midst of so many thousand dangers, the
sight of which, if discovered to him, would distract his mind and
sink his spirits, he is kept serene and calm, by having the events of
things hid from his eyes, and knowing nothing of the dangers which
surround him.
After these thoughts had for some time entertained me, I came
to reflect seriously upon the real danger I had been in for so many
years in this very island, and how I had walked about in the greatest
security, and with all possible tranquillity, even when perhaps nothing
but the brow of a hill, a great tree, or the casual approach of night,
had been between me and the worst kind of destruction, viz. that of
falling into the hands of cannibals and savages, who would have
seized on me with the same view as I would on a goat or a turtle;
and have thought it no more crime to kill and devour me, than I
did of a pigeon or a curlew. I would unjustly slander myself, if I
should say I was not sincerely thankful to my great Preserver, to
whose singular protection I acknowledged, with great humility, all
these unknown deliverances were due, and without which I must
inevitably have fallen into their merciless hands.
When these thoughts were over, my head was for some time
taken up in considering the nature of these wretched creatures, I
mean the savages, and how it came to pass in the world, that the
wise Governor of all things should give up any of his creatures to
such inhumanity, nay, to something so much below even brutality
itself, as to devour its own kind: but as this ended in some (at that
216
LIFE AND ADVENTURES
THE
time) fruitless speculations, it occurred to me to enquire, what part
of the world these wretches lived in? how far off the coast was from
whence they came? what they ventured over so far from home for ?
what kind of boats they had? and why I might not order myself and
my business so, that I might be as able to go over thither, as they
were to come to me?
I never so much as troubled myself to consider what I should do
with myself when I went thither; what would become of me if I fell
into the hands of the savages; or how I should escape them if they
attacked me; no, nor so much as how it was possible for me to reach
the coast, and not be attacked by some or other of them, without
any possibility of delivering myself: and if I should not fall into
their hands, what I should do for provision, or whither I should
bend my course: none of these thoughts, I say, so much as came
in my way; but my mind was wholly bent upon the notion of
I looked upon my
my passing over in my boat to the main land.
present condition as the most miserable that could possibly be; that
I was not able to throw myself into anything but death, that could
be called worse; and if I reached the shore of the main, I might
perhaps meet with relief, or I might coast along, as I did on the
African shore, till I came to some inhabited country, and where I
might find some relief; and after all, perhaps I might fall in with
some Christian ship that might take me in; and if the worst came
to the worst, I could but die, which would put an end to all these
miseries at once. Pray note, all this was the fruit of a disturbed
mind, an impatient temper, made desperate, as it were, by the long
continuance of my troubles, and the disappointments I had met in
the wreck I had been on board of, and where I had been so near
obtaining what I so earnestly longed for, viz. somebody to speak to,
and to learn some knowledge from them of the place where I
was, and of the probable means of my deliverance. I was agitated
wholly by these thoughts; all my calm of mind, in my resignation.
to Providence, and waiting the issue of the dispositions of Heaven,
seemed to be suspended; and I had, as it were, no power to turn my
thoughts to anything but to the project of a voyage to the main,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
217

Crambert
which came upon me with such force, and such an impetuosity of
desire, that it was not to be resisted.
When this had agitated my thoughts for two hours or more, with
such violence that it set my very blood into a ferment, and my pulse
beat as if I had been in a fever, merely with the extraordinary fervour
of my mind about it, Nature, as if I had been fatigued and exhausted
with the very thoughts of it, threw me into a sound sleep. One
would have thought I should have dreamed of it, but I did not, nor
of anything relating to it: but I dreamed that as I was going out in
the morning as usual, from my castle, I saw upon the shore two
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
canoes and eleven savages, coming to land, and that they brought
with them another savage, whom they were going to kill, in order to
eat him; when, on a sudden, the savage that they were going to kill
jumped away, and ran for his life; and I thought, in my sleep, that
he came running into my little thick grove before my fortification, to
hide himself; and that I, seeing him alone, and not perceiving that
the others sought him that way, shewed myself to him, and smiling.
upon him, encouraged him that he kneeled down to me, seeming
to pray me to assist him; upon which I shewed him my ladder,
made him go up, and carried him into my cave, and he became my
servant and that as soon as I had got this man, I said to myself,
Now I may certainly venture to the main land, for this fellow will
serve me as a pilot, and will tell me what to do, and whither to go
for provisions, and whither not to go for fear of being devoured;
what places to venture into, and what to shun.' I waked with this
thought; and was under such inexpressible impressions of joy at the
prospect of my escape in my dream, that the disappointments which
I felt upon coming to myself, and finding that it was no more than a
dream, were equally extravagant the other way, and threw me into a
very great dejection of spirits.
99
Upon this, however, I made this conclusion; that my only way
to go about to attempt an escape was, if possible, to get a savage
into my possession; and, if possible, it should be one of their pri-
soners, whom they had condemned to be eaten, and should bring
hither to kill. But these thoughts still were attended with this
difficulty, that it was impossible to effect this without attacking a
whole caravan of them, and killing them all; and this was not only
a very desperate attempt, and might miscarry; but, on the other
hand, I had greatly scrupled the lawfulness of it to myself; and my
heart trembled at the thoughts of shedding so much blood, though
it was for my deliverance. I need not repeat the arguments which
occurred to me against this, they being the same mentioned before :
but though I had other reasons to offer now, viz. that those men
were enemies to my life, and would devour me if they could; that it
was self-preservation, in the highest degree, to deliver myself from
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
219
this death of a life, and was acting in my own defence as much as if
they were actually assaulting me, and the like; I say, though these
things argued for it, yet the thoughts of shedding human blood for
my deliverance were very terrible to me, and such as I could by no
means reconcile myself to for a great while. However, at last, after
many secret disputes with myself, and after great perplexities about
it (for all these arguments, one way and another, struggled in my
head a long time), the eager prevailing desire of deliverance at
length mastered all the rest; and I resolved, if possible, to get one
of those savages into my hands, cost what it would. My next thing
was to contrive how to do it, and this indeed was very difficult to
resolve on but as I could pitch upon no probable means for it, so I
resolved to put myself upon the watch, to see them when they came
on shore, and leave the rest to the event; taking such measures as
the opportunity should present, let what would be.
With these resolutions in my thoughts, I set myself upon the
scout as often as possible, and indeed so often, that I was heartily
tired of it; for it was above a year and a-half that I waited; and for
great part of that time went out to the west end, and to the south-
west corner of the island almost every day, to look for canoes, but
none appeared. This was very discouraging, and began to trouble
me much, though I cannot say that it did in this case (as it had done
some time before) wear off the edge of my desire to the thing; but
the longer it seemed to be delayed, the more eager I was for it:
in a word, I was not at first so careful to shun the sight of these
savages, and avoid being seen by them, as I was now eager to be
upon them. Besides, I fancied myself able to manage one, nay, two
or three savages, if I had them, so as to make them entirely slaves
to me, to do whatever I should direct them, and to prevent their
being able at any time to do me any hurt. It was a great while
that I pleased myself with this affair; but nothing still presented;
all my fancies and schemes came to nothing, for no savages came
near me for a great while.
About a year and a-half after I entertained these notions (and
by long musing had, as it were, resolved them all into nothing, for
220
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
want of an occasion to put them into execution), I was surprised one
morning with seeing no less than five canoes all on shore together on
my side the island, and the people who belonged to them all landed,
and out of my sight. The number of them broke all my measures;

for seeing so many, and knowing that they always came four or six,
or sometimes more in a boat, I could not tell what to think of it,
or how to take my measures, to attack twenty or thirty men single
handed; so lay still in my castle, perplexed and discomforted.
However, I put myself into all the same postures for an attack
that I had formerly provided, and was just ready for action, if any-
thing had presented. Having waited a good while, listening to hear
if they made any noise, at length, being very impatient, I set my
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
221
guns at the foot of my ladder, and clambered up to the top of the
hill, by my two stages, as usual; standing so, however, that my head
did not appear above the hill, so that they could not perceive me by
any means. Here I observed, by the help of my perspective glass,
that they were no less than thirty in number; that they had a fire
kindled, and that they had meat dressed. How they had cooked it I
knew not, or what it was; but they were all dancing, in I know not how
many barbarous gestures and figures, their own way, round the fire.
While I was thus looking on them, I perceived, by my per-
spective, two miserable wretches dragged from the boats, where, it
seems, they were laid by, and were now brought out for the
slaughter. I perceived one of them immediately fall; being knocked
down, I suppose, with a club, or wooden sword, for that was their
way; and two or three others were at work immediately, cutting
him open for their cookery, while the other victim was left standing
by himself, till they should be ready for him. In that very moment,
this poor wretch, seeing himself a little at liberty, and unbound,
Nature inspired him with hopes of life, and he started away from
them, and ran with incredible swiftness along the sands, directly
towards me; I mean, towards that part of the coast where my
habitation was. I was dreadfully frightened, I must acknowledge,
when I perceived him run my way; and especially when, as I
thought, I saw him pursued by the whole body; and now I expected
that part of my dream was coming to pass, and that he would cer-
tainly take shelter in my grove: but I could not depend, by any
means, upon my dream, for the rest of it, viz. that the other
savages would not pursue him thither, and find him there. How-
ever, I kept my station, and my spirits began to recover when I
found that there was not above three men that followed him; and
still more was I encouraged, when I found that he outstripped them
exceedingly in running, and gained ground of them; so that, if he
could but hold it for half an hour, I saw easily he would fairly get
away from them all.
a
There was, between them and my castle, the creek, which I
mentioned often in the first part of my story, where I landed my
222
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
cargoes out of the ship; and this I saw plainly he must necessarily
swim over, or the poor wretch would be taken there but when the
savage escaping came thither, he made nothing of it, though the
tide was then up; but, plunging in, swam through in about thirty
strokes, or thereabouts, landed, and ran on with exceeding strength
and swiftness. When the three persons came to the creek, I found
that two of them could swim, but the third could not, and that,
standing on the other side, he looked at the others, but went no
farther, and soon after went softly back again; which, as it hap-
pened, was very well for him in the end. I observed that the two
who swam were yet more than twice as long swimming over the
creek as the fellow was that fled from them. It came now very
warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed irresistibly, that now was
the time to get me a servant, and perhaps a companion or as-
sistant; and that I was plainly called by Providence to save this
poor creature's life. I immediately ran down the ladders with all
possible expedition, fetched my two guns, for they were both at the
foot of the ladders, as I observed before, and getting up again with
the same haste to the top of the hill, I crossed towards the sea; and,
having a very short cut, and all down hill, placed myself in the way
between the pursuers and the pursued, hallooing aloud to him that
fled, who, looking back, was at first perhaps as much frightened at
me as at them; but I beckoned with my hand to him to come back;
and, in the mean time, I slowly advanced towards the two that fol-
lowed; then rushing at once upon the foremost, I knocked him
down with the stock of my piece. I was loath to fire, because I
would not have the rest hear; though, at that distance, it would not
have been easily heard, and being out of sight of the smoke, too,
they would not have easily known what to make of it. Having
knocked this fellow down, the other who pursued him stopped, as if
he had been frightened, and I advanced apace towards him: but as
I came nearer, I perceived presently he had a bow and arrow, and
was fitting it to shoot at me; so I was then necessitated to shoot at
him first, which I did, and killed him at the first shot.
The poor
savage who fled, but had stopped, though he saw both his enemies
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
22
fallen and killed, as he thought, yet was so frightened with the fire
and noise of my piece, that he stood stock still, and neither came
forward, nor went backward, though he seemed rather inclined still
to fly than to come on. I hallooed again to him, and made signs to
come forward, which he easily understood, and came a little way;
then stopped again, and then a little farther, and stopped again;
and I could then perceive that he stood trembling, as if he had been
taken prisoner, and had just been to be killed, as his two enemies
were. I beckoned to him again to come to me, and gave him all
the signs of encouragement that I could think of; and he came
nearer and nearer, kneeling down every ten or twelve steps, in token
of acknowledgment for saving his life. I smiled at him, and looked
pleasantly, and beckoned to him to come still nearer at length, he
came close to me; and then he kneeled down again, kissed the
ground, and laid his head upon the ground, and, taking me by the
foot, set my foot upon his head; this, it seems, was in token of
swearing to be my slave for ever. I took him up, and made much
of him, and encouraged him all I could. But there was more work
to do yet; for I perceived the savage whom I had knocked down
was not killed, but stunned with the blow, and began to come to
himself: so I pointed to him, and shewed him the savage, that he
was not dead; upon this, he spoke some words to me, and though I
could not understand them, yet I thought they were pleasant to
hear; for they were the first sound of a man's voice that I had
heard, my own excepted, for above twenty-five years. But there
was no time for such reflections now; the savage who was knocked
down recovered himself so far as to sit up upon the ground, and I
perceived that my savage began to be afraid; but when I saw that,
I presented my other piece at the man, as if I would shoot him:
upon this, my savage, for so I call him now, made a motion to me to
lend him my sword, which hung naked in a belt by my side, which I
did. He no sooner had it, but he runs to his enemy, and, at one
blow, cut off his head so cleverly, no executioner in Germany could
have done it sooner or better; which I thought very strange for one
who, I had reason to believe, never saw a sword in his life before,
224
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
1
except their own wooden swords: however, it seems, as I learned
afterwards, they make their wooden swords so sharp, so heavy, and
the wood is so hard, that they will even cut off heads with them, ay,
and arms, and that at one blow too. When he had done this, he
comes laughing to me in sign of triumph, and brought me the sword
again, and with abundance of gestures which I did not understand,
laid it down, with the head of the savage that he had killed, just
before me.
But that which astonished him most, was to know how
I killed the other Indian so far off: so pointing to him, he made
signs to me to let him go to him; so I bade him go, as well as I
could. When he came to him, he stood like one amazed, looking at
him, turning him first on one side, then on the other; looked at the
wound the bullet had made, which, it seems, was just in his breast,
where it had made a hole, and no great quantity of blood had fol-
lowed; but he had bled inwardly, for he was quite dead. He took
up his bow and arrows, and came back; so I turned to go away, and
beckoned him to follow me, making signs to him that more might
come after them. Upon this, he made signs to me that he should
bury them with sand, that they might not be seen by the rest, if they
followed; and so I made signs to him again to do so. He fell to work;
and in an instant he had scraped a hole in the sand with his hands,
big enough to bury the first in, and then dragged him into it, and
covered him; and did so by the other also: I believe he had buried
them both in a quarter of an hour. Then calling him away, I
carried him, not to my castle, but quite away to my cave, on the
farther part of the island: so I did not let my dream come to pass
in that part, viz. that he came into my grove for shelter. Here I
gave him bread and a bunch of raisins to eat, and a draught of
water, which I found he was indeed in great distress for, by his
running; and having refreshed him, I made signs for him to go
and lie down to sleep, shewing him a place where I had laid some
rice straw, and a blanket upon it, which I used to sleep upon my-
self sometimes; so the poor creature lay down, and went to sleep.
He was a comely, handsome fellow, perfectly well made, with
straight strong limbs, not too large, tall and well shaped; and, as I

At length he came close to me. and then he kneeled down again.
u
QUARTI EY
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
225
reckon, about twenty-six years of age. He had a very good coun-
tenance, not a fierce and surly aspect, but seemed to have some-
thing very manly in his face; and yet he had all the sweetness and
softness of an European in his countenance too, especially when he
smiled. His hair was long and black, not curled like wool; his
forehead very high and large; and a great vivacity and sparkling
sharpness in his eyes. The colour of his skin was not quite black,
but very tawny; and yet not a ugly, yellow, nauseous tawny, as the
Brazilians, and Virginians, and other natives of America are, but of
a bright kind of a dun olive colour, that had in it something very
agreeable, though not very easy to describe. His face was round
and plump; his nose small, not flat like the Negroes; a very good
mouth, thin lips, and his fine teeth well set, and as white as ivory.
After he had slumbered, rather than slept, about half an hour, he
awoke again, and came out of the cave to me, for I had been milking
my goats, which I had in the enclosure just by: when he espied me,
he came running to me, laying himself down again upon the ground,
with all the possible signs of an humble thankful disposition, making
a great many antic gentures to shew it. At last, he lays his head
flat upon the ground, close to my foot, and sets my other foot upon
his head, as he had done before; and after this, made all the signs
to me of subjection, servitude, and submission, imaginable, to let me
know how he would serve me so long as he lived. I understood
him in many things, and let him know I was very well pleased
with him. In a little time, I began to speak to him, and teach
him to speak to me; and first I let him know his name should be
FRIDAY, which was the day I saved his life: I called him so for
the memory of the time. I likewise taught him to say Master; and
then let him know that was to be my name: I likewise taught him
to say Yes and No, and to know the meaning of them.
I gave him
some milk in an earthen pot, and let him see me drink it before him,
and sop my bread in it; and gave him a cake of bread to do the
like, which he quickly complied with, and made signs that it was
very good for him. I kept there with him all that night; but as
soon as it was day, I beckoned to him to come with me, and let him
V
226
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
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, he pointed exactly to the place, and
shewed 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

リー
​this, I appeared very angry, expressed my abhorrence of it, made
as if I would vomit at the thoughts of it, and beckoned with my hand
to him to come away; which he did immediately, with great sub-
mission. I then led him up to the top of the hill, to see if his
enemies were gone; and pulling out my glass, I looked, and saw
plainly the place where they had been, but no appearance of them or
their canoes; so that it was plain they were gone, and had left their
two comrades behind them, without any search after them.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
227
But I was not content with this discovery; but having now
more courage, and consequently more curiosity, I took my man
Friday with me, giving him the sword in his hand, with the bow
and arrows at his back, which I found he could use very dex-
terously, making him carry one gun for me, and I two for myself;
and away we marched to the place where these creatures had been;
for I had a mind now to get some fuller intelligence of them.
When I came to the place, my very blood ran chill in my veins,
and my heart sunk within me, at the horror of the spectacle ;
indeed, it was a dreadful sight, at least it was so to me, though
Friday made nothing of it. The place was covered with human
bones, the ground dyed with their blood, and great pieces of
flesh left here and there, half eaten, mangled and scorched; and,
in short, all the tokens of the triumphant feast they had been
making there, after a victory over their enemies. I saw three
skulls, five hands, and the bones of three or four legs and feet, and
abundance of other parts of the bodies; and Friday, by his signs,
made me understand that they brought over four prisoners to feast
upon; that three of them were eaten up, and that he, pointing to
himself, was the fourth; that there had been a great battle between
them and their next king, of whose subjects, it seems, he had been
one, and that they had taken a great number of prisoners; all which
were carried to several places by those who had taken them in the
fight, in order to feast upon them, as was done here by these
wretches upon those they brought hither.
I caused Friday to gather all the skulls, bones, flesh, and what-
ever remained, and lay them together in a heap, and make a great
fire upon it, and burn them all to ashes. I found Friday had still a
hankering stomach after some of the flesh, and was still a cannibal
in his nature; but I discovered so much abhorrence at the very
thoughts of it, and at the least appearance of it, that he durst not
discover it for I had, by some means, let him know that I would
kill him, if he offered it.
When he had done this, we came back to our castle; and there
I fell to work for my man Friday; and first of all, I gave him a pair
228
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of linen drawers, which I had out of the poor gunner's chest I men-
tioned, which I found in the wreck; and which, with a little altera-
tion, fitted him very well; and then I made him a jerkin of goats'
skin, as well as my skill would allow (for I was now grown a tole-
rable good tailor); and I gave him a cap which I made of hare's
skin, very convenient, and fashionable enough: and thus he was
clothed for the present tolerably well, and was mighty well pleased to
see himself almost as well clothed as his master. It is true, he went
awkwardly in these clothes at first: wearing the drawers was very
awkward to him, and the sleeves of the waistcoat galled his shoul-
ders, and the inside of his arms; but a little easing them where he
complained they hurt him, and using himself to them, he took to
them at length very well.
The next day after I came home to my hutch with him, I began
to consider where I should lodge him; and that I might do well for
him, and yet be perfectly easy myself, I made a little tent for him in
the vacant place between my two fortifications, in the inside of
the last, and in the outside of the first. As there was a door or
entrance there into my cave, I made a formal framed door case, and
a door to it of boards, and set it up in the passage, a little within the
entrance; and causing the door to open in the inside, I barred it up
in the night, taking in my ladders too; so that Friday could no way
come at me in the inside of my innermost wall, without making so
much noise in getting over that it must needs waken me; for my
first wall had now a complete roof over it of long poles, covering all
my tent, and leaning up to the side of the hill; which was again laid
across with smaller sticks, instead of laths, and then thatched over a
great thickness with the rice straw, which was strong, like reeds;
and at the hole or place which was left to go in or out by the lad-
der, I had placed a kind of trap-door, which if it had been attempted
on the outside, would not have opened at all, but would have fallen
down and made a great noise: as to weapons, I took them all into
my side every night. But I needed none of all this precaution;
for never man had a more faithful, loving, sincere servant than
Friday was to me; without passions, sullenness, or designs, per-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
229
fectly obliged and engaged; his very affections were tied to me, like
those of a child to a father; and I dare say he would have sacrificed
his life for the saving mine, upon any occasion whatsoever the
many testimonies he gave me of this, put it out of doubt, and soon
convinced me that I needed to use no precautions as to my safety
on his account.
This frequently gave me occasion to observe, and that with won-
der, that however it had pleased God, in His providence, and in the
government of the works of His hands, to take from so great a part
of the world of His creatures the best uses to which their faculties
and the powers of their souls are adapted, yet that He has bestowed
upon them the same powers, the same reason, the same affections,
the same sentiments of kindness and obligation, the same passions
and resentments of wrongs, the same sense of gratitude, sincerity,
fidelity, and all the capacities of doing good, and receiving good,
that He has given to us; and that when He pleases to offer them
occasions of exerting these, they are as ready, nay, more ready, to
apply them to the right uses for which they were bestowed, than we
are. This made me very melancholy sometimes, in reflecting, as
the several occasions presented, how mean a use we make of all
these, even though we have these powers enlightened by the great
lamp of instruction, the Spirit of God, and by the knowledge of His
word added to our understanding; and why it has pleased God to
hide the like saving knowledge from so many millions of souls, who,
if I might judge by this poor savage, would make a much better use
of it than we did. From hence, I sometimes was led too far, to
invade the sovereignty of Providence, and, as it were, arraign the
justice of so arbitrary a disposition of things, that should hide that
sight from some, and reveal it to others, and yet expect a like duty
from both; but I shut it up, and checked my thoughts with this
conclusion: first, That we did not know by what light and law these
should be condemned; but that as God was necessarily, and, by the
nature of His being, infinitely holy and just, so it could not be, but
if these creatures were all sentenced to absence from Himself, it
was on account of sinning against that light, which, as the Scrip-
230
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
ture says, was a law to themselves, and by such rules as their
consciences would acknowledge to be just, though the foundation
was not discovered to us; and secondly, That still, as we all are the
clay in the hand of the potter, no vessel could say to him, Why
hast thou formed me thus?"
But to return to my new companion :-I was greatly delighted
with him, and made it my business to teach him everything that was
proper to make him useful, handy, and helpful; but especially to
make him speak, and understand me when I spoke and he was the
aptest scholar that ever was; and particularly was so merry, so con-
stantly diligent, and so pleased when he could but understand me, or
make me understand him, that it was very pleasant to me to talk
to him. Now my life began to be so easy that I began to say to
myself, that could I but have been safe from more savages, I cared
not if I was never to remove from the place where I lived.
After I had been two or three days returned to my castle, I
thought that, in order to bring Friday off from his horrid way of
feeding, and from the relish of a cannibal's stomach, I ought to let
him taste other flesh; so I took him out with me one morning to the
woods. I went, indeed, intending to kill a kid out of my own flock,
and bring it home and dress it; but as I was going, I saw a she-
I
goat lying down in the shade, and two young kids sitting by her.
catched hold of Friday ;—“ Hold," said I, "stand still;" and made
signs to him not to stir: immediately, I presented my piece, shot, and
killed one of the kids. The poor creature, who had, at a distance,
indeed, seen me kill the savage, his enemy, but did not know, nor
could 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 killed 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 embracing 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.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
231

LAISNE
I soon found a way to convince him that I would do him no
harm; and taking him up by the hand, laughed at him, and pointing
to the kid which I had killed, beckoned to him to run and fetch it,
which he did and while he was wondering, and looking to see how
the creature was killed, I loaded my gun again. By and by, I saw
a great fowl, like a hawk, sitting upon a tree within shot; so, to let
:
232
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Friday understand a little what I would do, I called him to me
again, pointed at the fowl, which was indeed a parrot, though I
thought it had been a hawk; I say, pointing to the parrot, and to
my gun, and to the ground under the parrot, to let him see I would
make it fall, I made him understand that I would shoot and kill that
bird; accordingly, I fired, and bade him look, and immediately he
saw the parrot fall. He stood like one frightened again, notwith-
standing all I had said to him; and I found he was the more amazed,
because he did not see me put anything into the gun, but thought
that there must be some wonderful fund of death, and destruction in
that thing, able to kill man, beast, bird, or anything near or far off;
and the astonishment this created in him was such as could not wear
off for a long time; and, I believe, if I would have let him, he would
have worshipped me and my gun. As for the gun itself, he would
not so much as touch it for several days after; but he would speak
to it, and talk to it, as if it had answered him, when he was by him-
self; which, as I afterwards learned of him, was to desire it not to
kill him. Well, after his astonishment was a little over at this, I
pointed to him to run and fetch the bird I had shot, which he did,
but staid some time; for the parrot, not being quite dead, had flut-
tered away a good distance from the place where she fell however,
he found her, took her up, and brought her to me; and as I had
perceived his ignorance about the gun before, I took this advantage
to charge the gun again, and not to let him see me do it, that I
might be ready for any other mark that might present; but nothing
more offered at that time: so I brought home the kid, and the same
evening I took the skin off, and cut it out as well as I could; and
having a pot fit for that purpose, I boiled or stewed some of the
flesh, and made some very good broth. After I had begun to eat
some, I gave some to my man, who seemed very glad of it, and liked
it very well; but that which was strangest to him was to see me eat
salt with it. He made a sign to me that the salt was not good to
eat; and putting a little into his own mouth, he seemed to nauseate
it, and would spit and sputter at it, washing his mouth with fresh
water after it on the other hand, I took some meat into my mouth
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
233
without salt, and I pretended to spit and sputter for want of salt, as
fast as he had done at the salt; but it would not do; he would never
care for salt with his meat or in his broth; at least, not for a great
while, and then but a very little.

LAI2N3
Having thus fed him with boiled meat and broth, I was resolved
to feast him the next day with roasting a piece of the kid: this I did
by hanging it before the fire on a string, as I had seen many people
do in England, setting two poles up, one on each side of the fire, and
one across on the top, and tying the string to the cross stick, letting
the meat turn continually. This Friday admired very much; but
when he came to taste the flesh, he took so many ways to tell me
how well he liked it, that I could not but understand him and at
last he told me, as well as he could, he would never eat man's flesh
any more, which I was very glad to hear.
234
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
The next day, I set him to work to beating some corn out, and
sifting it in the manner I used to do, as I observed before; and he
soon understood how to do it as well as I, especially after he had
seen what the meaning of it was, and that it was to make bread of;
for after that, I let him see me make my bread, and bake it too; and
in a little time, Friday was able to do all the work for me, as well as
I could do it myself.
I began now to consider, that having two mouths, to feed instead
of one, I must provide more ground for my harvest, and plant a
larger quantity of corn than I used to do; so I marked out a larger
piece of land, and began the fence in the same manner as before, in
which Friday worked not only very willingly and very hard, but did
it very cheerfully and I told him what it was for; that it was for
corn to make more bread, because he was now with me, and that I
might have enough for him and myself too. He appeared very sen-
sible of that part, and let me know that he thought I had much more
labour upon me on his account, than I had for myself; and that he
would work the harder for me, if I would tell him what to do.
:
This was the pleasantest year of all the life I led in this place;
Friday began to talk pretty well, and understand the names of almost
everything I had occasion to call for, and of every place I had to send
him to, and talked a great deal to me; so that, in short, I began now
to have some use for my tongue again, which, indeed, I had very
little occasion for before, that is to say, about speech. Besides the
pleasure of talking to him, I had a singular satisfaction in the fellow
himself: his simple unfeigned honesty appeared to me more and
more every day, and I began really to love the creature; and on his
side, I believe he loved me more than it was possible for him ever to
love anything before.
I had a mind once to try if he had any 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 that he belonged to never conquered in battle? At which he
smiled, and said, "Yes, yes, we always fight the better:" that is, he
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
235
meant, always get the better in fight; and so we began the following
discourse:
Master. You always fight the better; how came you to be
taken prisoner then, Friday?
Friday. My nation beat much for all that.
Master.
to be taken?
How beat? If your nation beat them, how came you
Friday. They more many than my nation, 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 recover you from the hands
of your enemies then?
Friday. They run one, two, three, and me, and make go in the
canoe; my nation have no canoe that time.
Master. Well, Friday, and what does your nation do with the men
they take. Do they carry them away and eat them, as these did?
Friday. Yes, my nation eat mans too; eat all up.
Master. Where do they carry them?
Friday. Go to other place, where they think.
Master. Do they come hither?
Friday. Yes, yes, they come hither; come other else place.
Master. Have you been here with them?
Friday. Yes, I have been here (points to the N.W. side of the
island, which, it seems, was their side).
By this, I understood that my man Friday had formerly been
among the savages who used to come on shore on the farther part of
the island, on the same man-eating occasions he was now brought
for; and, some time after, when I took the courage to carry him to
that side, being the same I formerly mentioned, he presently knew
the place, and told me he was there once, when they eat up twenty
men, two women, and one child: he could not tell twenty in English,
236
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

}
་
-DÉSIGKE
but he numbered them, by laying so many stones in a row, and
pointing to me to tell them over.
I have told this passage, because it introduces what follows; that
after this discourse I had with him, I asked him how far it was from
our island to the shore, and whether the canoes were not often lost.
He told me there was no danger, no canoes ever lost; but that after
a little way out to sea, there was a current and wind, always one
way in the morning, the other in the afternoon. This I understood
to be no more than the sets of the tide, as going out or coming in;
but I afterwards understood it was occasioned by the great draft and
reflux of the mighty river Oroonoko, in the mouth or gulph of which
river, as I found afterwards, our island lay; and that this land which
I perceived to the W. and N.W. was the great island Trinidad, on
the north point of the mouth of the river. I asked Friday a thou-
sand questions about the country, the inhabitants, the sea, the coast,
and what nations were near: he told me all he knew, with the
greatest openness imaginable. I asked him the names of the several
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
237
:
nations of his sort of people, but could get no other name than
Caribs from whence I easily understood that these were the Ca-
ribbees, which our maps place on the part of America which reaches
from the mouth of the river Oroonoko to Guiana, and onwards to
St. Martha. He told me, that up a great way beyond the moon,
that was, beyond the setting of the moon, which must be west from
their country, there dwelt white bearded men, like me, and pointed
to my great whiskers, which I mentioned before; and that they had
killed much mans, that was his word: by all which, I understood he
meant the Spaniards, whose cruelties in America had been spread
over the whole country, and were remembered by all the nations,
from father to son.
I enquired if he could tell me how I might go from this island
and get among those white men: he told me, "Yes, yes, you may
go in two canoe." I could not understand what he meant, or make
him describe to me what he meant by two canoe; till at last, with
great difficulty, I found he meant it must be in a large boat, as big
as two canoes. This part of Friday's discourse began to relish with
me very well; and from this time I entertained some hopes that, one
time or other, I might find an opportunity to make my escape from
this place, and that this poor savage might be a means to help me.
During the long time that Friday had now been with me, and
that he began to speak to me, and understand me, I was not
wanting to lay a foundation of religious knowledge in his mind;
particularly I asked him one time, who made him. The poor crea-
ture did not understand me at all, but thought I had asked him who
was his father: but I took it up by another handle, and asked him,
who made the sea, the ground we walked on, and the hills and
woods. He told me,
"It was one old Benamuckee, that lived beyond
all;" he could describe nothing of this great person, but that he was
very old, "much older," he said, "than the sea or the land, than the
moon or the stars." I asked him then, if this old person had made
all things, why did not all things worship him. He looked very
grave, and, with a perfect look of innocence, said, “All things say O
to him." I asked him, if the people who die in his country went
W
238
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
away anywhere. He said, "Yes; they all went to Benamuckee."
Then I asked him whether those they eat up went thither too. He
said, "Yes."
From these things, I began to instruct him in the knowledge of
the true God: I told him that the great Maker of all things lived
up there, pointing up towards heaven; that He governed the world
by the same power and providence by which He made it; that He
was omnipotent, and could do everything for us, give everything to
us, take everything from us; and thus, by degrees, I opened his
eyes. He listened with great attention, and received with pleasure
the notion of Jesus Christ being sent to redeem us, and of the man-
ner of making our prayers to God, and His being able to hear us,
even in heaven. He told me one day, that if our God could hear us
up beyond the sun, he must needs be a greater God than their Bena-
muckee, who lived but a little way off, and yet could not hear till
they went up to the great mountains where he dwelt to speak to
him. I asked him if ever he went thither to speak to him. He
said, "No; they never went that were young men; none went
thither but the old men," whom he called their Oowokakee; that is,
as I made him explain it to me, their religious, or clergy; and that
they went to say O (so he called saying prayers), and then came
back, and told them what Benamuckee said. By this I observed,
that there is priestcraft even among the most blinded ignorant pa-
gans in the world; and the policy of making a secret of religion, in
order to preserve the veneration of the people to the clergy, is not
only to be found in the Roman, but, perhaps, among all religions in
the world, even among the most brutish and barbarous savages.
I endeavoured to clear up this fraud to my man Friday; and
told him, that the pretence of their old men going up to the moun-
tains to say O to their god Benamuckee was a cheat; and their
bringing word from thence what he said was much more so; that
if they met with any answer, or spake with any one there, it must
be with an evil spirit: and then I entered into a long discourse
with him about the devil, the original of him, his rebellion against
God, his enmity to man, the reason of it, his setting himself up in
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
239
the dark parts of the world to be worshipped instead of God, and as
God, and the many stratagems he made use of to delude mankind
to their ruin; how he had a secret access to our passions and to
our affections, and to adapt his snares to our inclinations, so as to
cause us even to be our own tempters, and run upon our destruction
by our own choice.
I found it was not so easy to imprint right notions in his mind
about the devil as it was about the being of a God: nature assisted
all my arguments to evidence to him even the necessity of a great
First Cause-an overruling, governing Power-a secret, directing
Providence; and of the equity and justice of paying homage to Him
that made us, and the like; but there appeared nothing of this kind
in the notion of an evil spirit; of his original, his being, his nature;
and, above all, of his inclination to do evil, and to draw us in to do
so too and the poor creature puzzled me once in such a manner,
by a question merely natural and innocent, that I scarce knew what
to say to him. I had been talking a great deal to him of the power
of God, His omnipotence, His aversion to sin, His being a consum-
ing fire to the workers of iniquity; how, as He had made us all,
He could destroy us and all the world in a moment; and he listened
with great seriousness to me all the while. After this, I had been
telling him how the devil was God's enemy in the hearts of men,
and used all his malice and skill to defeat the good designs of Provi-
dence, and to ruin the kingdom of Christ in the world, and the like.
"Well," says Friday, "but you say God is so strong, so great; is
he not much strong, much might as the devil?"
Yes, yes," says
I, "Friday; God is stronger than the devil: God is above the devil,
and therefore we pray to God to tread him down under our feet,
and enable us to resist his temptations and quench his fiery darts."
But," says he again, "if God much stronger, much might as the
devil, why God no kill the devil, so make him no more do wicked?"
I was strangely surprised at this question; and, after all, though I
was now an old man, yet I was but a young doctor, and ill qualified
for a casuist, or a solver of difficulties; and at first I could not tell
what to say; so I pretended not to hear him, and asked him what
240
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
and me, when we do wicked
he said; but he was too earnest for an answer, to forget his ques-
tion, so that he repeated it in the very same broken words as above.
By this time I had recovered myself a little, and I said "God will
at last punish him severely; he is reserved for the judgment, and is
to be cast into the bottomless pit, to dwell with everlasting fire."
This did not satisfy Friday; but he returns upon me, repeating my
words, "Reserve at last!' me no understand: but why not kill
the devil now; not kill great ago?" "You may as well ask me,"
said I, " why God does not kill you
things here that offend him: we are preserved to repent and be
pardoned." He mused some time on this: "Well, well," says he,
mightily affectionately, "that well: so you, I, devil, all wicked, all
preserve, repent, God pardon all." Here I was run down again by
him to the last degree: and it was a testimony to me, how the mere
notions of nature, though they will guide reasonable creatures to
the knowledge of a God, and of a worship or homage due to the
supreme being of God, as the consequence of our nature, yet nothing
but divine revelation can form the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and
of redemption purchased for us; of a Mediator of the new cove-
nant, and of an Intercessor at the footstool of God's throne; I say,
nothing but a revelation from heaven can form these in the soul;
and that, therefore, the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
I mean the Word of God, and the Spirit of God, promised for the
guide and sanctifier of His people, are the absolutely necessary in-
structors of the souls of men in the saving knowledge of God, and
the means of salvation.
I therefore diverted the present discourse between me and my
man, rising up hastily, as upon some sudden occasion of going out;
then sending him for something a good way off, I seriously prayed
to God that he would enable me to instruct savingly this poor
savage; assisting, by His Spirit, the heart of the poor ignorant
creature to receive the light of the knowledge of God in Christ,
reconciling him to Himself, and would guide me to speak so to him
from the Word of God, as his conscience might be convinced, hist
eyes opened, and his soul saved. When he came again to me, I
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
241
entered into a long discourse with him upon the subject of the
redemption of man by the Saviour of the world, and of the doc-
trine of the gospel preached from heaven, viz. of repentance to-
wards God, and faith in our blessed Lord Jesus. I then explained
to him as well as I could, why our blessed Redeemer took not
on him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham; and how,
for that reason, the fallen angels had no share in the redemption ;
that he came only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and
the like.
I had, God knows, more sincerity than knowledge in all the
methods I took for this poor creature's instruction, and must ac-
knowledge, what I believe all that act upon the same principle will
find, that in laying things open to him, I really informed and
instructed myself in many things that either I did not know, or
had not fully considered before, but which occurred naturally to
my mind upon searching into them, for the information of this poor
savage; and I had more affection in my enquiry after things upon
this occasion than ever I felt before so that, whether this poor
wild wretch was the better for me or no, I had great reason to be
thankful that ever he came to me; my grief sat lighter upon me;
my habitation grew comfortable to me beyond measure: and when
I reflected that in this solitary life which I had been confined to,
I had not only been moved to look up to heaven myself, and to
seek to the hand that had brought me here, but was now to be
made an instrument, under Providence, to save the life, and, for
aught I knew, the soul of a poor savage, and bring him to the true
knowledge of religion, and of the Christian doctrine, that he might
know Christ Jesus, in whom is life eternal; I say, when I reflected
upon all these things, a secret joy ran through every part of my
soul, and I frequently rejoiced that ever I was brought to this
place, which I had so often thought the most dreadful of all afflic-
tions that could possibly have befallen me.
I continued in this thankful frame all the remainder of my time;
and the conversation which employed the hours between Friday and
me was such as made the three years which we lived there together
242
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
perfectly and completely happy, if any such thing as complete hap-
piness can be formed in a sublunary state. This savage was now
a good Christian, a much better than I; though I have reason
to hope, and bless God for it, that we were equally penitent, and
comforted, restored penitents. We had here the word of God to
read, and no farther off from His Spirit to instruct, than if we had
been in England. I always applied myself, in reading the Scrip-
tures, to let him know, as well as I could, the meaning of what I
read; and he again, by his serious enquiries and questionings,
made me, as I said before, a much better scholar in the Scripture
knowledge than I should ever have been by my own mere private
reading. Another thing I cannot refrain from observing here also,
from experience in this retired part of my life, viz. how infinite an
inexpressible a blessing it is that the knowledge of God, and of the
doctrine of salvation by Christ Jesus, is so plainly laid down in the
Word of God, so easy to be received and understood, that, as the
bare reading the Scripture made me capable of understanding
enough of my duty to carry me directly on to the great work of
sincere repentance for my sins, and laying hold of a Saviour for
life and salvation, to a stated reformation in practice, and obedience
to all God's commands, and this without any teacher or instructor,
I mean human; so the same plain instruction sufficiently served to
the enlightening this savage creature, and bringing him to be such
a Christian as I have known few equal to him in my life.
As to all the disputes, wrangling, strife, and contention which
have happened in the world about religion, whether niceties in doc-
trines, or schemes of church government, they were all perfectly
useless to us, and, for aught I can yet see, they have been so to
the rest of the world. We had the sure guide to heaven, viz. the
Word of God; and we had, blessed be God, comfortable views of
the Spirit of God teaching and instructing us by His word, lead-
ing us into all truth, and making us both willing and obedient to
the instruction of His word. And I cannot see the least use that
the greatest knowledge of the disputed points of religion, which
have made such confusions in the world, would have been to us,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
243
if we could have obtained it: but I must go on with the historical
part of things, and take every part in its order.
After Friday and I became more intimately acquainted, and
that he could understand almost all I said to him, and speak pretty
fluently, though in broken English, to me, I acquainted him with

*
NA45.50
my own history, or at least so much of it as related to my coming
to this place; how I had lived here, and how long: I let him into
the mystery, for such it was to him, of gunpowder and bullet, and
taught him how to shoot. I gave him a knife, which he was won-
derfully delighted with; and I made him a belt, with a frog hang-
ing to it, such as in England we wear hangers in; and in the frog,
instead of a hanger, I gave him a hatchet, which was not only as
good a weapon in some cases, but much more useful upon other
occasions.
244
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I described to him the country of Europe, particularly England,
which I came from; how we lived, how we worshipped God, how
we behaved to one another, and how we traded in ships to all parts
of the world. I gave him an account of the wreck which I had
been on board of, and shewed him, as near as I could, the place
where she lay; but she was all beaten in pieces before, and gone.
I shewed him the ruins of our boat, which we lost when we escaped,
and which I could not stir with my whole strength then; but was
now fallen almost all to pieces. Upon seeing this boat, Friday stood
musing a great while, and said nothing. I asked him what it was
he studied upon.
At last, says he, "Me see such boat like come
to place at my nation." I did not understand him a good while;
but, at last, when I had examined farther into it, I understood by
him, that a boat, such as that had been, came on shore upon the
country where he lived; that is, as he explained it, was driven
thither by stress of weather. I presently imagined that some Eu-
ropean ship must have been cast away upon their coast, and the
boat might get loose and drive ashore; but was so dull that I never
once thought of men making their escape from a wreck thither,
much less whence they might come: so I only enquired after a
description of the boat.
(6
Friday described the boat to me well enough; but brought me
better to understand him when he added with some warmth, “ We
save the white mans from drown." Then I presently asked him if
there were any white mans, as he called them, in the boat. 'Yes,"
he said; "the boat full of white mans." I asked him how many.
He told upon his fingers seventeen. I asked him then what became
of them. He told me, "They live, they dwell at my nation."
This put new thoughts into my head; for I presently imagined
that these might be the men belonging to the ship that was cast
away in the sight of my island, as I now called it; and who, after
the ship was struck on the rock and they saw her inevitably lost,
had saved themselves in their boat, and were landed upon that wild
shore among the savages. Upon this I enquired of him more cri-
tically what was become of them. He assured me they lived still
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
245
there; that they had been there about four years; that the savages
left them alone, and gave them victuals to live on. I asked him
He said,
how it came to pass they did not kill them and eat them.
66
No, they make brother with them;" that is, as I understood him,
a truce; and then he added, "They no eat mans but when make
the war fight;" that is to say, they never eat any men but such as
come to fight with them, and are taken in battle.
It was after this some considerable time, that being upon the top
of the hill at the east side of the island, from whence, as I have said,
I had in a clear day discovered the main or continent of America,
Friday, the weather being very serene, looks very earnestly towards

८
LAISHE
246
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the main land, and in a kind of surprise, falls a jumping and
dancing, and calls out to me, for I was at some distance from him.
I asked him what was the matter. "O joy!" says he; "O glad!
there see my country, there my nation!" I observed an extra-
ordinary sense of pleasure appeared in his face, and his eyes sparkled,
and his countenance discovered a strange eagerness, as if he had a
mind to be in his own country again. This observation of mine put
a great many thoughts into me, which made me at first not so easy
about my new man Friday as I was before; and I made no doubt but
that if Friday could get back to his own nation again, he would not
only forget all his religion, but all his obligation to me, and would be
forward enough to give his countrymen an account of me, and come
back perhaps with a hundred or two of them, and make a feast upon
me, at which he might be as merry as he used to be with those of
his enemies, when they were taken in war. But I wronged the
poor, honest creature very much, for which I was very sorry after-
wards. However, as my jealousy increased, and held me some
weeks, I was a little more circumspect, and not so familiar and kind
to him as before: in which I was certainly in the wrong too; the
honest, grateful creature having no thought about it, but what con-
sisted with the best principles, both as a religious Christian, and as
a grateful friend; as appeared afterwards to my full satisfaction.
While my jealousy of him lasted, you may be sure I was
every day pumping him, to see if he would discover any of the new
thoughts which I suspected were in him: but I found everything
he said was so honest and so innocent that I could find nothing
to nourish my suspicion; and, in spite of all my uneasiness, he made
me at last entirely his own again; nor did he in the least perceive
that I was uneasy, and therefore I could not suspect him of deceit.
One day, walking up the same hill, but the weather being hazy
at sea, so that we could not see the continent, I called to him, and
said, "Friday, do not you wish yourself in your own country, your
own_nation ?”____"Yes," he said, "I be much O glad to be at my
own nation.” “What would you do there? said I: "would you turn
wild again, eat men's flesh again, and be a savage, as you were
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
247
66
before?" He looked full of concern, and shaking his head, said,
'No, no, Friday tell them to live good; tell them to pray God; tell
them to eat corn bread, cattle flesh, milk; no eat man again.".
66
Why then," said I to him, "they will kill you." He looked grave
at that, and then said, "No, no; they no kill me, they willing love
learn." He meant by this, they would be willing to learn. He
added, they learned much of the bearded mans that came in the boat.
Then I asked him if he would go back to them. He smiled at that,
and told me that he could not swim so far. I told him, I would
make a canoe for him. He told me he would go, if I would go with
him. "I go!" says I, "why, they will eat me if I come there.'
"No, no," says he, "me make they no eat you; me make they
much love you." He meant, he would tell them how I had killed
his enemies, and saved his life, and so he would make them love me.
Then he told me, as well as he could, how kind they were to seven-
teen white men, or bearded men, as he called them, who came on
shore there in distress.
""
From this time, I confess I had a mind to venture over, and
see if I could possibly join with those bearded men, who I made no
doubt were Spaniards and Portuguese: not doubting but if I could,
we might find some method to escape from thence, being upon the
continent, and a good company together, better than I could from
an island forty miles off the shore, and alone, without help. So,
after some days, I took Friday to work again, by way of discourse,
and told him I would give him a boat to go back to his own nation ;
and, accordingly, I carried him to my frigate, which lay on the other
side of the island, and having cleared it of water (for I always kept
it sunk in water), I brought it out, shewed it him, and we both went
into it. I found he was a most dexterous fellow at managing it, and
would make it go almost as swift again as I could. So when he was
in, I said to him, "Well, now, Friday, shall we go to your nation?"
He looked very dull at my saying so; which it seems was because
he thought the boat too small to go so far: I then told him I had a
bigger; so the next day I went to the place where the first boat lay
which I had made, but which I could not get into the water. He
248
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
said that was big enough: but then, as I had taken no care of it, and
it had lain two or three and twenty years there, the sun had split and
dried it, that it was in a manner rotten. Friday told me such a boat
would do very well, and would carry "much enough vittle, drink,
bread;" that was his way of talking.
I asked
"No
Upon the whole, I was by this time so fixed upon my design of
going over with him to the continent, that I told him we would go
He
and make one as big as that, and he should go home in it.
answered not one word, but looked very grave and sad.
him what was the matter with him. He asked me again, “Why
you angry mad with Friday? what me done?" I asked him what
he meant: I told him I was not angry with him at all.
angry!" says he, repeating the words several times, "why send
Friday home away to my nation ?"-"Why," says I, "Friday, did not
you say you wished you were there?"-" Yes, yes," says he, “wish
be both there; no wish Friday there, no master there." In a word,
he would not think of going there without me. "I go there,
Friday!" says I, "what shall I do there ?" He returned very
66
quick upon me at this: "You do great deal much good," says he;
"you teach wild mans be good, sober, tame mans; you tell them
know God, pray God, and live new life." Alas, Friday!" says I,
"thou knowest not what thou sayest; I am but an ignorant man
myself.”—“Yes, yes," says he, "you teachee me good, you teachee
them good."-"No,
"No, no, Friday," says I, "you shall go without me;
leave me here to live by myself, as I did before." He looked con-
fused again at that word; and running to one of the hatchets which
"What
he used to wear, he takes it up hastily, and gives it to me.
must I do with this?" says I to him. "You take kill Friday," says
he. "What must I kill you for?" said I again. He returns very
quick, "What you send Friday away for? Take kill Friday, no send
Friday away." This he spoke so earnestly that I saw tears stand in
his eyes in a word, I so plainly discovered the utmost affection in
him to me, and a firm resolution in him, that I told him then, and
often after, that I would never send him away from me, if he was
willing to stay with me.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
249
Upon the whole, as I found by all his discourse a settled affection
to me, and that nothing should part him from me, so I found all the
foundation of his desire to go to his own country was laid in his
ardent affection to the people, and his hopes of my doing them good;
a thing which, as I had no notion of myself, so I had not the least
thought or intention or desire of undertaking it. But still I found
a strong inclination to my attempting an escape, as above, founded
on the supposition gathered from the discourse, viz. that there were
seventeen bearded men there: and therefore, without any more delay,
I went to work with Friday, to find out a great tree proper to fell,
and make a large periagua, or canoe, to undertake the voyage.
There were trees enough in the island to have built a little fleet, not
of periaguas or canoes, but even of good large vessels; but the main
thing I looked at was, to get one so near the water that we might
launch it when it was made, to avoid the mistake I committed at
first. At last, Friday pitched upon a tree; for I found he knew
much better than I what kind of wood was fittest for it; nor can I
tell, to this day, what wood to call the tree we cut down, except that
it was very like the tree we call fustic, or between that and the
Nicaragua wood, for it was much of the same colour and smell.
Friday was for burning the hollow or cavity of this tree out, to make
it for a boat, but I shewed him how to cut it with tools; which, after
I had shewed him how to use, he did very handily: and in about a
month's hard labour, we finished it, and made it very handsome;
especially when, with our axes, which I shewed him how to handle,
we cut and hewed the outside into the true shape of a boat. After
this, however, it cost us near a fortnight's time to get her along, as
it were, inch by inch, upon great rollers into the water; but when
she was in, she would have carried twenty men with great ease.
When she was in the water, and though she was so big, it amazed
me to see with what dexterity and how swift my man Friday would
manage her, turn her, and paddle her along. So I asked him if he
would, and if we might venture over in her. "Yes," he said, “
we
venture over in her very well, though great blow wind." However,
I had a farther design that he knew nothing of, and that was to make
X
250
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

HANS. SC
a mast and a sail, and to fit her with an anchor and cable. As to a
mast, that was easy enough to get; so I pitched upon a straight
young cedar tree, which I found near the place, and which there were
great plenty of in the island: and I set Friday to work to cut it down,
and gave him directions how to shape and order it. But as to the
sail, that was my particular care. I knew I had old sails, or rather
pieces of old sails, enough; but as I had had them now six-and-
twenty years by me, and had not been very careful to preserve them,
not imagining that I should ever have this kind of use for them, I did
not doubt but they were all rotten; and, indeed, most of them were
So. However, I found two pieces, which appeared pretty good, and
with these I went to work; and with a great deal of pains, and
awkward stitching you may be sure, for want of needles, I at length
made a three cornered ugly thing, like what we call in England a
shoulder-of-mutton sail, to go with a boom at bottom, and a little
short sprit at the top, such as usually our ships' long-boats sail with,
and such as I best knew how to manage, as it was such a one as I
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
251
had to the boat in which I made my escape from Barbary, as related
in the first part of my story.
I was near two months performing this last work, viz. rigging
and fitting my mast and sails; for I finished them very complete,
making a small stay, and a sail, or foresail, to it, to assist if we
should turn to windward; and, which was more than all, I fixed a
rudder to the stern of her to steer with. I was but a bungling ship-
wright, yet as I knew the usefulness, and even necessity of such a
thing, I applied myself with so much pains to do it, that at last I
brought it to pass; though, considering the many dull contrivances
I had for it that failed, I think it cost me almost as much labour as
making the boat.
After all this was done, I had my man Friday to teach as to what
belonged to the navigation of my boat; for, though he knew very well
how to paddle a canoe, he knew nothing of what belonged to a sail
and a rudder; and was the most amazed when he saw me work the
boat to and again in the sea by the rudder, and how the sail gibbed,
and filled this way or that way, as the course we sailed changed; I
say, when he saw this, he stood like one astonished and amazed.
However, with a little use, I made all these things familiar to him,
and he became an expert sailor, except that as to the compass; I
could make him understand very little of that. On the other hand,
as there was very little cloudy weather, and seldom or never any fogs
in those parts, there was the less occasion for a compass, seeing the
stars were always to be seen by night, and the shore by day, except
in the rainy seasons, and then nobody cared to stir abroad either by
land or sea.
I was now entered on the seven-and-twentieth year of my cap-
tivity in this place; though the three last years that I had this
creature with me ought rather to be left out of the account, my
habitation being quite of another kind than in all the rest of the
I kept the anniversary of my landing here with the same
thankfulness to God for his mercies as at first; and if I had such
cause of acknowledgment at first, I had much more so now, having
such additional testimonies of the care of Providence over me, and
252
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the great hopes I had of being effectually and speedily delivered ;
for I had an invincible impression upon my thoughts that my de-
liverance was at hand, and that I should not be another year in this
place. I went on, however, with my husbandry; digging, planting,
and fencing, as usual. I gathered and cured my grapes, and did
every necessary thing as before.
The rainy season was, in the mean time, upon me, when I kept
more within doors than at other times. We had stowed our new
vessel as secure as we could, bringing her up into the creek, where,
as I said in the beginning, I landed my rafts from the ship; and
hauling her up to the shore at high-water mark, I made my man
Friday dig a little dock, just big enough to hold her, and just deep
enough to give her water enough to float in; and then, when the
tide was out, we made a strong dam across the end of it, to keep the
water out; and so she lay dry as to the tide from the sea; and to
keep the rain off, we laid a great many boughs of trees, so thick that
she was as well thatched as a house; and thus we waited for the
months of November and December, in which I designed to make
my adventure.
When the settled season began to come in, as the thought of my
design returned with the fair weather, I was preparing daily for the
voyage: and the first thing I did was to lay by a certain quantity of
provisions, being the stores for our voyage; and intended, in a week
or a fortnight's time, to open the dock, and launch out our boat. I
was busy one morning upon something of this kind, when I called to
Friday, and bid him to go to the sea-shore, and see if he could find a
turtle or tortoise, a thing which we generally got once a week, for the
sake of the eggs as well as the flesh. Friday had not been long gone
when he came running back, and flew over my outer wall, or fence,
like one that felt not the ground, or the steps he set his feet on;
and before I had time to speak to him, he cries out to me, "O
master! O master! O sorrow! O bad!"-"What's the matter,
Friday?" says I. "O yonder, there," says he,
"O yonder, there," says he, "one, two, three
canoes; one, two, three!" By this way of speaking, I concluded there
were six; but on enquiry I found there were but three.
"Well,

SEARS.SC
We made a strong dam across the end of it, to keep the water out.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
253
"
Friday," says I, "do not be frightened." So I heartened him up
as well as I could: however, I saw the poor fellow was most terribly
scared; for nothing ran in his head but that they were come to look
for him, and would cut him in pieces and eat him; and the poor
fellow trembled so that I scarce knew what to do with him. I com-
forted him as well as I could, and told him I was in as much danger
as he, and that they would eat me as well as him. But," says I,
'Friday, we must resolve to fight them. Can you fight, Friday?"
-"Me shoot," says he, "but there come many great number.".
"No matter for that," said I, again; "our guns will fright them
that we do not kill." So I asked him whether, if I resolved to
defend him, he would defend me, and stand by me, and do just as I
bid him. He said, "Me die, when you bid die, master." So I
went and fetched a good dram of rum and gave him; for I had been
so good a husband of my rum, that I had a great deal left. When
he drank it, I made him take the two fowling-pieces, which we
always carried, and loaded them with large swan-shot, as big as small
pistol bullets: then I took four muskets, and loaded them with two
slugs, and five small bullets each; and my two pistols I loaded with
a brace of bullets each: I hung my great sword, as usual, naked by
my side, and gave Friday his hatchet. When I had thus prepared
myself, I took my perspective glass, and went up to the side of the
hill, to see what I could discover; and I found quickly by my glass,
that there were one-and-twenty savages, three prisoners, and three
canoes; and that their whole business seemed to be the triumphant
banquet upon these three human bodies; a barbarous feast indeed!
but nothing more than, as I had observed, was usual with them. I
observed also, that they were landed, not where they had done
when Friday made his escape, but nearer to my creek, where the
shore was low, and where a thick wood came almost close down to
the sea.
This, with the abhorrence of the inhuman errand these
wretches came about, filled me with such indignation that I came
down again to Friday, and told him I was resolved to go down to
them, and kill them all; and asked him if he would stand by me.
He had now got over his fright, and his spirits being a little raised
254
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
with the dram I had given him, he was very cheerful, and told me,
as before, he would die when I bid die.
In this fit of fury, I took and divided the arms which I had
charged, as before, between us: I gave Friday one pistol to stick in
his girdle, and three guns upon his shoulder; and I took one pistol,
and the other three guns, myself; and in this posture we marched
out. I took a small bottle of rum in my pocket, and gave Friday
a large bag with more powder and bullets; and, as to orders, I
charged him to keep close behind me, and not to stir, or shoot, or
do anything, till I bid him; and, in the mean time, not to speak a
word. In this posture, I fetched a compass to my right hand of
near a mile, as well to get over the creek as to get into the wood,
so that I could come within shot of them before I should be dis-
covered, which I had seen by my glass it was easy to do.
While I was making this march, my former thoughts returning,
I began to abate my resolution: I do not mean that I entertained
any fear of their number; for, as they were naked, unarmed
wretches, it is certain I was superior to them,-nay, though I had
been alone. But it occurred to my thoughts, what call, what occa-
sion, much less what necessity, I was in, to go and dip my hands in
blood, to attack people who had neither done or intended me any
wrong? who, as to me, were innocent, and whose barbarous cus-
toms were their own disaster; being, in them, a token indeed of
God's having left them, with the other nations of that part of the
world, to such stupidity, and to such inhuman courses; but did not
call me to take upon me to be a judge of their actions, much less an
executioner of His justice; that, whenever He thought fit, He would
take the cause into His own hands, and, by national vengeance,
punish them, as a people, for national crimes; but that, in the mean
time, it was none of my business; that it was true, Friday might
justify it, because he was a declared enemy, and in a state of war
with those very particular people, and it was lawful for him to attack
them; but I could not say the same with regard to myself. These
things were so warmly pressed upon my thoughts all the way as I
went, that I resolved I would only go and place myself near them,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
255
that I might observe their barbarous feast, and that I would act then
as God should direct; but that unless something offered that was
more a call to me than yet I knew of, I would not meddle with
them.
With this resolution I entered the wood; and, with all possible
wariness and silence, Friday following close at my heels, I marched
till I came to the skirt of the wood, on the side which was next to
them, only that one corner of the wood lay between me and them.
Here I called softly to Friday, and shewing him a great tree which
was just at the corner of the wood, I bade him go to the tree, and
bring me word if he could see there plainly what they were doing.
He did so, and came immediately back to me, and told me they
might be plainly viewed there; that they were all about their fire,
eating the flesh of one of their prisoners, and that another lay bound
upon the sand, a little from them, which, he said, they would kill
next, and which fired the very soul within me. He told me it was
not one of their nation, but one of the bearded men he had told me
of, that came to their country in the boat. I was filled with horror
at the very naming the white bearded man; and, going to the tree, I
saw plainly by my glass a white man, who lay upon the beach of the
sea, with his hands and his feet tied with flags, or things like rushes,
and that he was an European, and had clothes on.
There was another tree, and a little thicket beyond it, about
fifty yards nearer to them than the place where I was, which, by
going a little way about, I saw I might come at undiscovered, and
that then I should be within half a shot of them: so I withheld my
passion, though I was indeed enraged to the highest degree; and
going back about twenty paces, I got behind some bushes, which
held all the way till I came to the other tree; and then came to a
little rising ground, which gave me a full view of them, at the dis-
tance of about eighty yards.
I had now not a moment to lose, for nineteen of the dreadful
wretches sat upon the ground, all close huddled together, and had
just sent the other two to butcher the poor Christian, and bring him,
perhaps limb by limb, to their fire; and they were stooping down
256
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to untie the bands at his feet. I turned to Friday :-- "Now, Friday,"
said I, "do as I bid thee." Friday said he would. "Then, Friday,"
says I, "do exactly as you see me do; fail in nothing." So I set
down one of the muskets and the fowling-piece upon the ground, and
Friday did the like by his and with the other musket I took my
aim at the savages, bidding him to do the like; then asking him if
he was ready, he said, "Yes." "Then fire at them," said I; and
the same moment I fired also.
Friday took his aim so much better than I, that on the side that
he shot, he killed two of them, and wounded three more; and on
my side, I killed one, and wounded two. They were, you may be
sure, in a dreadful consternation; and all of them that were not hurt
jumped upon their feet, but did not immediately know which way to
run, or which way to look, for they knew not from whence their
destruction came. Friday kept his eyes close upon me, that, as I
had bid him, he might observe what I did; so, as soon as the first
shot was made, I threw down the piece, and took up the fowling-
piece, and Friday did the like: he saw me cock and present; he did
the same again. "Are you ready, Friday?" said I.-"Yes," says
he. 'Let fly, then," says I, "in the name of God!" and with that
I fired again among the amazed wretches, and so did Friday; and
as our pieces were now loaden with what I called swanshot, or small
pistol bullets, we found only two drop, but so many were wounded,
that they ran about yelling and screaming like mad creatures, all
bloody, and most of them miserably wounded, whereof three more
fell quickly after, though not quite dead.
"Now, Friday," says I, laying down the discharged pieces, and
taking up the musket which was yet loaden, "follow me ;" which he
did with a great deal of courage; upon which I rushed out of the
wood, and shewed myself, and Friday close at my foot.
As soon as
I perceived they saw me, I shouted as loud as I could, and bade
Friday do so too; and running as fast as I could, which by the way
was not very fast, being loaded with arms as I was, I made directly
towards the poor victim, who was, as I said, lying upon the beach
or shore, between the place were they sat and the sea. The two

AROLPHE GESI
I took my aim at the savages, bidding him do the like.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
257
butchers, who were just going to work with him, had left him at the
surprise of our first fire, and fled in a terrible fright to the sea-side,
and had jumped into a canoe, and three more of the rest made the
same way. I turned to Friday, and bade him step forwards, and
fire at them; he understood me immediately, and running about
forty yards, to be nearer them, he shot at them, and I thought he
had killed them all, for I saw them all fall of a heap into the boat,
though I saw two of them up again quickly: however, he killed two
of them, and wounded the third so that he lay down in the bottom
of the boat as if he had been dead.
While my man Friday fired at them, I pulled out my knife and
cut the flags that bound the poor victim; and loosing his hands and
feet, I lifted him up, and asked him in the Portuguese tongue, what
He answered in Latin, Christianus; but was so weak and
faint that he could scarce stand or speak. I took my bottle out of
my pocket, and gave it him, making signs that he should drink,
which he did; and I gave him a piece of bread, which he eat.
he was.

LAISIE
:
258
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Then I asked him what countryman he was: and he said Espagniole;
and being a little recovered, let me know, by all the signs he could
possibly make, how much he was in my debt for his deliverance.
Seignior," said I, with as much Spanish as I could make up, we
will talk afterwards, but we must fight now: if you have any strength
left, take this pistol and sword, and lay about you.” He took them
very thankfully; and no sooner had he the arms in his hands, but, as
if they had put new vigour into him, he flew upon his murderers like
a fury, and had cut two of them in pieces in an instant; for the truth
is, as the whole was a surprise to them, so the poor creatures were
so much frightened with the noise of our pieces that they fell down
for mere amazement and fear, and had no more power to attempt
their own escape, than their flesh had to resist our shot: and that
was the case of those five that Friday shot at in the boat; for as three
of them fell with the hurt they received, so the other two fell with
the fright.
I kept my piece in my hand still without firing, being willing to
keep my charge ready, because I had given the Spaniard my pistol
and sword: so I called to Friday, and bade him run up to the tree
from whence we first fired, and fetch the arms which lay there that
had been discharged, which he did with great swiftness; and then
giving him my musket, I sat down myself to load all the rest again,
and bade them come to me when they wanted. While I was load-
ing these pieces, there happened a fierce engagement between the
Spaniard, and one of the savages, who made at him with one of their
great wooden swords, the same-like weapon that was to have killed
him before, if I had not prevented it. The Spaniard, who was as bold
and brave as could be imagined, though weak, had fought the Indian
a good while, and had cut him two great wounds on his head; but
the savage being a stout, lusty fellow, closing in with him, had thrown
him down, being faint, and was wringing my sword out of his hand;
when the Spaniard, though undermost, wisely quitting the sword,
drew the pistol from his girdle, shot the savage through the body,
and killed him upon the spot, before I, who was running to help
him, could come near him.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
259
Friday, being now left to his liberty, pursued the flying wretches,
with no weapon in his hand but his hatchet; and with that he des-
patched those three, who, as I said before, were wounded at first,
and fallen, and all the rest he could come up with: and the
Spaniard coming to me for a gun, I gave him one of the fowling-
pieces, with which he pursued two of the savages, and wounded them
both; but, as he was not able to run, they both got from him into
the wood, where Friday pursued them, and killed one of them, but
the other was too nimble for him; and though he was wounded, yet
had plunged himself into the sea, and swam with all his might off
to those two who were left in the canoe, which three in the canoe,
with one wounded, that we knew not whether he died or no, were
all that escaped our hands of one and twenty; the account of the
whole is as follows: three killed at our first shot from the tree; two
killed at the next shot; two killed by Friday in the boat; two killed
by Friday, of those at first wounded; one killed by Friday in the
wood; three killed by the Spaniard; four killed, being found
dropped here and there, of the wounds, or killed by Friday in his
chase of them; four escaped in the boat, whereof one wounded, if
not dead. Twenty-one in all.
Those that were in the canoe worked hard to get out of gunshot,
and though Friday made two or three shots at them, I did not find
that he hit any of them. Friday would fain have had me take one
of their canoes, and pursue them; and indeed, I was very anxious
about their escape, lest carrying the news home to their people, they
should come back perhaps with two or three hundred of the canoes,
and devour us by mere multitude; so I consented to pursue them
by sea, and running to one of their canoes, I jumped in, and bade
Friday follow me; but when I was in the canoe, I was surprised to
find another poor creature lie there, bound hand and foot, as the
Spaniard was, for the slaughter, and almost dead with fear, not
knowing what was the matter; for he had not been able to look up
over the side of the boat, he was tied so hard neck and heels, and
had been tied so long, that he had really but little life in him.
260
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I immediately cut the twisted flags or rushes, which they had
bound him with, and would have helped him up; but he could not
stand or speak, but groaned most piteously, believing, it seems, still,
that he was only unbound in order to be killed. When Friday came
to him, I bade him speak to him, and tell him of his deliverance ;
and, pulling out my bottle, made him give the poor wretch a dram;
which, with the news of his being delivered, revived him, and he
sat up in the boat. But when Friday came to hear him speak, and
look in his face, it would have moved any one to tears to have
seen how Friday kissed him, embraced him, hugged him, cried,
laughed, hallooed, jumped about, danced, sung; then cried again,
wrung his hands, beat his own face and head; and then sung and
jumped about again, like a distracted creature. It was a good
while before I could make him speak to me, or tell me what was
the matter; but when he came a little to himself, he told me that
it was his father.
It is not easy for me to express how it moved me to see what
ecstasy and filial affection had worked in this poor savage at the
sight of his father, and of his being delivered from death; nor,
indeed, can I describe half the extravagances of his affection after
this; for he went into the boat, and out of the boat, a great many
times: when he went in to him, he would sit down by him, open
his breast, and hold his father's head close to his bosom for many
minutes together, to nourish it; then he took his arms and ankles,
which were numbed and stiff with the binding, and chafed and
rubbed them with his hands; and I, perceiving what the case was,
gave him some rum out of my bottle to rub them with, which did
them a great deal of good.
This affair put an end to our pursuit of the canoe with the other
savages, who were now got almost out of sight; and it was happy
for us that we did not, for it blew so hard within two hours after,
and before they could be got a quarter of their way, and continued
blowing so hard all night, and that from the north-west, which was
against them, that I could not suppose their boat could live, or that
they ever reached their own coast.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
261

7121
Mambert
But, to return to Friday; he was so busy about his father, that
I could not find in my heart to take him off for some time; but
after I thought he could leave him a little, I called him to me, and
he came jumping and laughing, and pleased to the highest extreme ;
then I asked him if he had given his father any bread. He shook
his head, and said, "None; ugly dog eat all up self." I then gave
him a cake of bread, out of a little pouch I carried on purpose; I
also gave him a dram for himself, but he would not taste it, but
carried it to his father. I had in my pocket two or three bunches
of raisins, so I gave him a handful of them for his father. He had
no sooner given his father these raisins, but I saw him come out of
the boat, and run away as if he had been bewitched, he ran at such a
rate; for he was the swiftest fellow on his feet that ever I saw: I
say, he ran at such a rate that he was out of sight, as it were, in an
Y
262
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
instant; and though I called, and hallooed out too, after him, it was
all one, away he went; and in a quarter of an hour I saw him come
back again, though not so fast as he went; and as he came nearer,
I found his pace slacker, because he had something in his hand.
When he came up to me, I found he had been quite home for an
earthen jug, or pot, to bring his father some fresh water, and that
he had got two more cakes or loaves of bread; the bread he gave
me, but the water he carried to his father; however, as I was very
thirsty too, I took a little sup of it. The water revived his father
more than all the rum or spirits I had given him, for he was just
fainting with thirst.
When his father had drank, I called to him to know if there was
any water left: he said, "Yes ;" and I bade him give it to the poor
Spaniard, who was in as much want of it as his father; and I sent
one of the cakes, that Friday brought, to the Spaniard too, who was
indeed very weak, and was reposing himself upon a green place
under the shade of a tree; and whose limbs were also very stiff, and
very much swelled with the rude bandage he had been tied with.
When I saw that upon Friday's coming to him with the water, he
sat up and drank, and took the bread, and began to eat, I went to
him and gave him a handful of raisins: he looked up in my face
with all the tokens of gratitude and thankfulness that could appear
in any countenance; but was so weak, notwithstanding he had so
exerted himself in the fight, that he could not stand up upon his
feet; he tried to do it two or three times, but was really not able,
his ankles were so swelled and so painful to him; so I bade him sit
still, and caused Friday to rub his ankles, and bathe them with rum,
as he had done his father's.
I observed the poor affectionate creature, every two minutes, or
perhaps less, all the while he was here, turn his head about, to see if
his father was in the same place and posture as he left him sitting ;
and at last he found he was not to be seen; at which he started up,
and without speaking a word, flew with that swiftness to him, that
one could scarce perceive his feet to touch the ground as he went:
but when he came he only found he had laid himself down to ease
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
263
his limbs, so Friday came back to me presently; and then I spoke
to the Spaniard to let Friday help him up, if he could, and lead him
to the boat, and then he should carry him to our dwelling, where I
would take care of him: but Friday, a lusty strong fellow, took the
Spaniard quite up upon his back, and carried him away to the boat,
and set him down softly upon the side or gunnel of the canoe, with
his feet in the inside of it; and then lifting him quite in, he set him
close to his father; and presently stepping out again, launched the
boat off, and paddled it along the shore faster than I could walk,
though the wind blew pretty hard too; so he brought them both
safe into our creek, and leaving them in the boat, ran away to fetch
the other canoe. As he passed me, I spoke to him, and asked him
whither he went. He told me, "Go fetch more boat
Go fetch more boat:" so away he
went like the wind, for sure never man or horse ran like him; and
he had the other canoe in the creek almost as soon as I got to it by
land; so he wafted me over, and then went to help our new guests
out of the boat, which he did; but they were neither of them able to
walk, so that poor Friday knew not what to do.
To remedy this, I went to work in my thought, and calling to
Friday to bid them sit down on the bank while he came to me, I
soon made a kind of hand-barrow to lay them on, and Friday and I
carried them both up together upon it, between us.
But when we got them to the outside of our wall, or fortification,
we were at a worse loss than before, for it was impossible to get
them over, and I was resolved not to break it down; so I set to
work again; and Friday and I, in about two hours' time, made a
very handsome tent, covered with old sails, and above that with
boughs of trees, being in the space without our outward fence, and
between that and the grove of young wood which I had planted :
and here we made them two beds of such things as I had, viz. of
good rice-straw, with blankets laid upon it, to lie on, and another to
cover them, on each bed.
My island was now peopled, and I thought myself very rich in
subjects; and it was a merry reflection, which I frequently made,
how like a king I looked. First of all, the whole country was my
264
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
own mere property, so that I had an undoubted right of dominion.
Secondly, my people were perfectly subjected; I was absolutely lord
and lawgiver; they all owed their lives to me, and were ready to lay
down their lives, if there had been occasion for it, for me.
It was

th
དུས་
remarkable, too, I had but three subjects, and they were of three
different religions: my man Friday was a Protestant, his father was
a Pagan and a cannibal, and the Spaniard was a Papist: however, I
allowed liberty of conscience throughout my dominions :-But this
is by the way.
As soon as I had secured my two weak, rescued prisoners, and
given them shelter, and a place to rest them upon, I began to think
I
of making some provision for them; and the first thing I did,
ordered Friday to take a yearling goat, betwixt a kid and a goat,
out of my particular flock, to be killed; when I cut off the hinder-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
265
quarter, and chopping it into small pieces, I set Friday to work to
boiling and stewing, and made them a very good dish, I assure you,
of flesh and broth: and as I cooked it without doors, for I made no
fire within my inner wall, so I carried it all into the new tent, and
having set a table there for them, I sat down, and ate my own dinner
also with them, and, as well as I could, cheered them and encou-
raged them. Friday was my interpreter, especially to his father,
and, indeed, to the Spaniard too; for the Spaniard spoke the lan-
guage of the savages pretty well.
After we had dined, or rather supped, I ordered Friday to take
one of the canoes, and go and fetch our muskets and other fire-arms,
which, for want of time, we had left upon the place of battle; and,
the next day, I ordered him to go and bury the dead bodies of the
savages, which lay open to the sun, and would presently be offensive.
I also ordered him to bury the horrid remains of their barbarous
feast, which I knew were pretty much, and which I could not think
of doing myself; nay, I could not bear to see them, if I went that

Derveil
J
266
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
way; all which he punctually performed, and effaced the very ap-
pearance of the savages being there; so that when I went again, I
could scarce know where it was, otherwise than by the corner of the
wood pointing to the place.
I then began to enter into a little conversation with my two new
subjects and, first, I set Friday to enquire of his father what he
thought of the escape of the savages in that canoe, and whether we
might expect a return of them, with a power too great for us to
resist. His first opinion was, that the savages in the boat never
could live out the storm which blew that night they went off, but
must, of necessity, be drowned, or driven south to those other shores,
where they were as sure to be devoured as they were to be drowned,
if they were cast away: but, as to what they would, if they came
safe on shore, he said he knew not; but it was his opinion, that
they were so dreadfully frightened with the manner of their being
attacked, the noise, and the fire, that he believed they would tell the
people they were all killed by thunder and lightning, not by the
hand of man; and that the two which appeared, viz. Friday and I,
were two heavenly spirits, or furies, come down to destroy them, and
not men with weapons. This, he said, he knew; because he heard
them all cry out so, in their language, one to another; for it was
impossible for them to conceive that a man could dart fire, and speak
thunder, and kill at a distance, without lifting up the hand, as was
done now and this old savage was in the right; for, as I understood
since, by other hands, the savages never attempted to go over to the
island afterwards, they were so terrified with the accounts given by
those four men (for, it seems, they did escape the sea), that they
believed whoever went to that enchanted island would be destroyed
with fire from the gods. This, however, I knew not; and, therefore,
was under continual apprehensions for a good while, and kept always
upon my guard, with all my army: for, as there were now four of
I would have ventured upon a hundred of them, fairly in the
open field, at any time.
us,
In a little time, however, no more canoes appearing, the fear of
their coming wore off; and I began to take my former thoughts of a
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
267
voyage to the main into consideration; being likewise assured, by
Friday's father, that I might depend upon good usage from their
nation, on his account, if I would go. But my thoughts were a little
suspended when I had a serious discourse with the Spaniard, and
when I understood that there were sixteen more of his countrymen
and Portuguese, who, having been cast away, and made their escape
to that side, lived there at peace, indeed, with the savages, but were
very sore put to it for necessaries, and, indeed, for life. I asked him
all the particulars of their voyage, and found they were a Spanish
ship, bound from the Rio de la Plata to the Havanna, being directed
to leave their loading there, which was chiefly hides and silver, and
to bring back what European goods they could meet with there;
that they had five Portuguese seamen on board, whom they took out
of another wreck; that five of their own men were drowned, when
first the ship was lost, and that these escaped through infinite dangers
and hazards, and arrived, almost starved, on the cannibal coast, where
they expected to have been devoured every moment. He told me
they had some arms with them, but they were perfectly useless, for
that they had neither powder nor ball, the washing of the sea having
spoiled all their powder, but a little, which they used, at their first
landing, to provide themselves some food.
I asked him what he thought would become of them there, and
if they had formed any design of making their escape. He said they
had many consultations about it; but that having neither vessel, nor
tools to build one, nor provisions of any kind, their councils always
ended in tears and despair. I asked him how he thought they would
receive a proposal from me, which might tend towards an escape ;
and whether, if they were all here, it might not be done. I told him
with freedom, I feared mostly their treachery and ill usage of me,
if I put my life in their hands; for that gratitude was no inherent
virtue in the nature of man, nor did men always square their deal-
ings by the obligations they had received, so much as they did by
the advantages they expected. I told him it would be very hard
that I should be the instrument of their deliverance, and that they
should afterwards make me their prisoner in New Spain, where an
268
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Englishman was certain to be made a sacrifice, what necessity, or
what accident soever brought him thither; and that I had rather
be delivered up to the savages, and be devoured alive, than fall into
the merciless claws of the priests, and be carried into the Inquisition.
I added that, otherwise, I was persuaded, if they were all here, we
might, with so many hands, build a bark large enough to carry us all
away, either to the Brazils, southward, or to the islands, or Spanish
coast, northward; but that if, in requital, they should, when I had
put weapons into their hands, carry me by force among their own
people, I might be ill used for my kindness to them, and make my
case worse than it was before.
He answered, with a great deal of candour and ingenuousness,
that their condition was so miserable, and that they were so sensible
of it, that he believed they would abhor the thought of using any
man unkindly that should contribute to their deliverance; and that,
if I pleased, he would go to them, with the old man, and discourse
with them about it and return again, and bring me their answer;
that he would make conditions with them, upon their solemn oath,
that they should be absolutely under my leading, as their commander
and captain; and they should swear upon the holy sacraments and
gospel, to be true to me, and go to such Christian country as that I
should agree to, and no other; and to be directed wholly and abso-
lutely by my orders, till they were landed safely in such country as
I intended; and that he would bring a contract from them, under
their hands, for that purpose. Then he told me he would first swear
to me himself, that he would never stir from me as long as he lived,
till I gave him orders; and that he would take my side to the last
drop of his blood, if there should happen the least breach of faith
among his countrymen. He told me they were all of them very
civil, honest men, and they were under the greatest distress imagin-
able, having neither weapons or clothes, nor any food, but at the
mercy and discretion of the savages; out of all hopes of ever return-
ing to their own country; and that he was sure, if I would under-
take their relief, they would live and die by me.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
269
Upon these assurances, I resolved to venture to relieve them, if
possible, and to send the old savage and this Spaniard over to them
to treat. But when we had got all things in readiness to go, the
Spaniard himself started an objection, which had so much prudence
in it on one hand, and so much sincerity on the other hand, that I
could not but be very well satisfied in it; and, by his advice, put off
the deliverance of his comrades for at least half a year. The case
was thus he had been with us now about a month, during which
time I had let him see in what manner I had provided, with the
assistance of Providence, for my support; and he saw evidently what
stock of corn and rice I had laid up; which, though it was more
than sufficient for myself, yet it was not sufficient, without good
husbandry, for my family, now it was increased to four; but much
less would it be sufficient if his countrymen, who were, as he said,
sixteen, still alive, should come over; and, least of all, would it be
sufficient to victual our vessel, if we should build one, for a voyage to
any of the Christian colonies of America; so he told me he thought
it would be more advisable to let him and the other two dig and
cultivate some more land, as much as I could spare seed to sow, and
that we should wait another harvest that we might have a supply of
corn for his countrymen, when they should come; for want might
be a temptation to them to disagree, or not to think themselves de-
livered, otherwise than out of one difficulty into another.
"You
know," says he, "the children of Israel, though they rejoiced at first
for their being delivered out of Egypt, yet rebelled even against God
himself, that delivered them, when they came to want bread in the
wilderness."
His caution was so seasonable, and his advice so good, that I
could not but be very well pleased with his proposal, as well as I
was satisfied with his fidelity: so we fell to digging, all four of us,
as well as the wooden tools we were furnished with permitted; and,
in about a month's time, by the end of which it was seed time, we
had got as much land cured and trimmed up, as we sowed two and
twenty bushels of barley on, and sixteen jars of rice, which was, in
short, all the seed we had to spare: nor, indeed, did we leave our-
270
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

selves barley sufficient for our own food, for the six months that we
had to expect our crop; that is to say, reckoning from the time we
set our seed aside for sowing; for it is not to be supposed it is six
months in the ground in that country.
Having now society enough, and our number being sufficient to
put us out of fear of the savages, if they had come, unless their num-
ber had been very great, we went freely all over the island, whenever
we found occasion; and as here we had our escape or deliverance
upon our thoughts, it was impossible, at least for me, to have the
means of it out of mine. For this purpose, I marked out several
trees, which I thought fit for our work, and I set Friday and his
ather to cutting them down; and then I caused the Spaniard, to
whom I imparted my thoughts on that affair, to oversee and direct
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
271
their work. I shewed them with what indefatigable pains I had
hewed a large tree into single planks, and I caused them to do the
like, till they had made about a dozen large planks of good oak,
near two feet broad, thirty-five feet long, and from two inches to
four inches thick: what prodigious labour it took up, any one may
imagine.
At the same time, I contrived to increase my little flock of tame
goats as much as I could; and, for this purpose, I made Friday and
the Spaniard go out one day, and myself with Friday the next day
(for we took our turns), and by this means we got about twenty
young kids to breed up with the rest; for whenever we shot the
dam, we saved the kids, and added them to our flock. But, above
all, the season for curing the grapes coming on, I caused such a
prodigious quantity to be hung up in the sun, that, I believe, had
we been at Alicant, where the raisins of the sun are cured, we could
have filled sixty or eighty barrels; and these, with our bread, was a
great part of our food, and was very good living too, I assure you,
for it is exceeding nourishing.
It was now harvest, and our crop in good order; it was not the
most plentiful increase I had seen in the island, but, however, it was
enough to answer our end; for, from twenty-two bushels of barley,
we brought in and threshed out above two hundred and twenty
bushels ;
and the like in proportion of the rice, which was store
enough for our food to the next harvest, though all the sixteen
Spaniards had been on shore with me; or, if we had been ready
for a voyage, it would very plentifully have victualled our ship to
have carried us to any part of the world, that is to say, any part of
America. When we had thus housed and secured our magazine of
corn, we fell to work to make more wicker-ware, viz. great baskets,
in which we kept it; and the Spaniard was very handy and dexterous
at this part, and often blamed me that I did not make some things
for defence of this kind of work; but I saw no need of it.
And now having a full supply of food for all the guests I
expected, I gave the Spaniard leave to go over to the main, to see
what he could do with those he had left behind him there. I gave
272
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

Lambert
him a strict charge not to bring any man with him who would not
first swear, in the presence of himself and the old savage, that he
would no way injure, fight with, or attack the person he should find
in the island, who was so kind as to send for them in order to their
deliverance; but that they would stand by him, and defend him
against all such attempts, and wherever they went, would be entirely
under and subjected to his command; and that this should be put in
writing, and signed in their hands. How they were to have done
this, when I knew they had neither pen or ink, was a question which
we never asked. Under these instructions, the Spaniard and the old
savage, the father of Friday, went away in one of the canoes which
they might be said to come in, or rather were brought in, when they
came as prisoners to be devoured by the savages. I gave each of
them a musket, with a firelock on it, and about eight charges of
powder and ball, charging them to be very good husbands of both,
and not to use either of them but upon urgent occasions.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
273
This was a cheerful work, being the first measures used by me,
in view of my deliverance, for now twenty-seven years and some
days. I gave them provisions of bread, and of dried grapes, suffi-
cient for themselves for many days, and sufficient for all the Spaniards
for about eight days' time; and wishing them a good voyage, I saw
them go; agreeing with them about a signal they should hang out
at their return, by which I should know them again, when they came
back, at a distance, before they came on shore. They went away,
with a fair gale, on the day that the moon was at full, by my account
in the month of October; but as for an exact reckoning of days,
after I had once lost it, I could never recover it again; nor had
I kept even the number of years so punctually as to be sure
I was right; though, as it proved, when I afterwards examined
my account, I found I had kept a true reckoning of years.
It was no less than eight days I had waited for them, when a
strange and unforeseen accident intervened, of which the like has not,
perhaps, been heard of in history. I was fast asleep in my hutch one
morning, when my man Friday came running in to me, and called
aloud, "Master, master, they are come, they are come!" I jumped
up, and, regardless of danger, I went out as soon as I could get my
clothes on, through my little grove, which, by the way, was by this
time grown to be a very thick wood; I say, regardless of danger, I
went without my arms, which was not my custom to do: but I was
surprised, when, turning my eyes to the sea, I presently saw a boat
at about a league and a half distance, standing in for the shore, with
a shoulder-of-mutton sail, as they call it, and the wind blowing pretty
fair to bring them in: also I observed, presently, that they did not
come from that side which the shore lay on, but from the southern-
most end of the island. Upon this, I called Friday in, and bade him
lie close, for these were not the people we looked for, and that we
might not know yet whether they were friends or enemies. In the
next place, I went in to fetch my perspective glass, to see what I
could make of them; and having taken the ladder out, I climbed up
to the top of the hill, as I used to do when I was apprehensive of
anything, and to take my view the plainer, without being discovered.
Z
274
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I had scarce set my foot upon the hill, when my eye plainly dis-
covered a ship lying at an anchor, at about two leagues and a half
distance from me, S.S.E., but not above a league and a half from
the shore. By my observation, it appeared plainly to be an English
ship, and the boat appeared to be an English long-boat.
I cannot express the confusion I was in, though the joy of seeing
a ship, and one that I had reason to believe was manned by my own
countrymen, and consequently friends, was such as I cannot describe;
but yet I had some secret doubts hung about me-I cannot tell from
whence they came-bidding me keep upon my guard. In the first
place, it occurred to me to consider what business an English ship
could have in that part of the world, since it was not the way to or
from any part of the world where the English had any traffic; and I
knew there had been no storms to drive them in there, as in distress;
and that if they were really English, it was most probable that they
were here upon no good design; and that I had better continue as
I was, than fall into the hands of thieves and murderers.
Let no man despise the secret hints and notices of danger which
sometimes are given him when he may think there is no possibility of
its being real. That such hints and notices are given us, I believe
few that have made any observations of things can deny; that they
are certain discoveries of an invisible world, and a converse of spirits,
we cannot doubt; and if the tendency of them seems to be to warn
us of danger, why should we not suppose they are from some friendly
agent (whether supreme, or inferior and subordinate, is not the ques-
tion), and that they are given for our good?
The present question abundantly confirms me in the justice of
this reasoning; for had I not been made cautious by this secret
admonition, come it from whence it will, I had been undone inevit-
ably, and in a far worse condition than before, as you will see
presently. I had not kept myself long in this posture, but I saw
the boat draw near the shore, as if they looked for a creek to thrust
in at, for the convenience of landing; however, as they did not come
quite far enough, they did not see the little inlet where I formerly
landed my rafts, but run their boat on shore upon the beach, at

I saw one of the villains lift up his arm with a great cutlass.
C
^
FOUT THE SEST
¡
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
275
about half a mile from me, which was very happy for me; for other-
wise they would have landed just at my door, as I may say, and
would soon have beaten me out of my castle, and perhaps have
plundered me of all I had. When they were on shore, I was fully
satisfied they were Englishmen, at least most of them; one or two
I thought were Dutch, but it did not prove so; there were in all
eleven men, whereof three of them I found were unarmed, and,
as I thought, bound; and when the first four or five of them
were jumped on shore, they took those three out of the boat, as
prisoners: one of the three I could perceive using the most pas-
sionate gestures of entreaty, affliction, and despair, even to a kind of
extravagance; the other two, I could perceive, lifted up their hands
sometimes, and appeared concerned, indeed, but not to such a de-
gree as the first. I was perfectly confounded at the sight, and knew
not what the meaning of it should be. Friday called out to me in
English, as well as he could, "O master! you see English mans eat
prisoner as well as savage mans."-" Why, Friday," says I,
"do
66
you think they are going to eat them then?"—"Yes," says Friday,
they will eat them."-" No, no," says I, " Friday; I am afraid
they will murder them, indeed, but you may be sure they will not
eat them."
2
All this while I had no thought of what the matter really was,
but stood trembling with the horror of the sight, expecting every
moment when the three prisoners should be killed; nay, once I saw
one of the villains lift up his arm with a great cutlass, as the seamen
call it, or sword, to strike one of the poor men; and I expected to
see him fall every moment; at which all the blood in my body
seemed to run chill in my veins. I wished heartily now for my
Spaniard, and the savage that was done with him, or that I had any
way to have come undiscovered within shot of them, that I might
have secured the three men, for I saw no fire-arms they had among
them; but it fell out to my mind another way. After I had ob-
served the outrageous usage of the three men by the insolent
seamen, I observed the fellows run scattering about the island, as
if they wanted to see the country. I observed that the three other
276
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
men had liberty to go also where they pleased; but they sat down
all three upon the ground, very pensive, and looked like men in
despair. This put me in mind of the first time when I came on
shore, and began to look about me; how I gave myself over for
lost, how wildly I looked round me; what dreadful apprehensions
I had; and how I lodged in the tree all night, for fear of being
devoured by wild beasts. As I knew nothing, that night, of the
supply I was to receive by the providential driving of the ship
nearer the land by the storms and tide, by which I have since been
so long nourished and supported; so these three poor desolate men
knew nothing how certain of deliverance and supply they were, how
near it was to them, and how effectually and really they were in a
condition of safety, at the same time that they thought themselves
lost, and their case desperate. So little do we see before us in the
world, and so much reason have we to depend cheerfully upon the
great Maker of the world, that he does not leave his creatures so
absolutely destitute, but that, in the worst circumstances, they have
always something to be thankful for, and sometimes are nearer their
deliverance than they imagine; nay, are even brought to their de-
liverance by the means by which they seem to be brought to their
destruction.
It was just at the top of high water when these people came on
shore; and partly while they rambled about to see what kind of a
place they were in, they had carelessly staid till the tide was spent,
and the water was ebbed considerably away, leaving their boat
aground. They had left two men in the boat, who, as I found after-
wards, having drank a little too much brandy, fell asleep; however,
one of them waking a little sooner than the other, and finding the
boat too fast aground for him to stir it, hallooed out for the rest, who
were straggling about; upon which they all soon came to the boat :
but it was past all their strength to launch her, the boat being very
heavy, and the shore on that side being a soft oozy sand, almost
like a quicksand. In this condition, like true seamen, who are,
perhaps, the least of all mankind given to forethought, they gave
it over, and away they strolled about the country again; and I heard

www
I came as near them undiscovered as I could.
QUANTENY
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
277
one of them say aloud to another, calling them off from the boat,
'Why, let her alone, Jack, can't you? she'll float next tide:" by
which I was fully confirmed in the main enquiry of what countrymen
they were. All this while I kept myself very close, not once daring
to stir out of my castle, any farther than to my place of observation,
near the top of the hill; and very glad I was to think how well it
was fortified. I knew it was no less than ten hours before the boat
could float again, and by that time it would be dark, and I might be
at more liberty to see their motions, and to hear their discourse, if
they had any. In the mean time, I fitted myself up for a battle, as
before, though with more caution, knowing I had to do with another
kind of enemy than I had at first. I ordered Friday also, whom I
had made an excellent marksman with his gun, to load himself with
arms. I took myself two fowling-pieces, and I gave him three
muskets. My figure, indeed, was very fierce; I had my formidable
goat-skin coat on, with the great cap I have mentioned, a naked
sword by my side, two pistols in my belt, and a gun upon each
shoulder.
It was my design, as I said above, not to have made any attempt
till it was dark; but about two o'clock, being the heat of the day, I
found that, in short, they were all gone straggling into the woods,
and, as I thought, laid down to sleep. The three poor distressed
men, too anxious for their condition to get any sleep, were, however,
sat down under the shelter of a great tree, at about a quarter of a
mile from me, and, as I thought, out of sight of any of the rest.
Upon this I resolved to discover myself to them, and learn some-
thing of their condition; immediately I marched in the figure as
above, my man Friday at a good distance behind me, as formidable for
his arms as I, but not making quite so staring a spectre-like figure
as I did. I came as near them undiscovered as I could, and then,
before any of them saw me, I called aloud to them in Spanish, "What
are ye, gentlemen ?" They started up at the noise, but were ten
times more confounded when they saw me, and the uncouth figure
that I made. They made no answer at all, but I thought I perceived
them just going to fly from me, when I spoke to them in English :
278
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
"He must
?
"Gentlemen," said I, "do not be surprised at me; perhaps you
may have a friend near, when you did not expect it."
be sent directly from Heaven then," said one of them very gravely
to me, and pulling off his hat at the same time to me;
"for our
condition is past the help of man.” "All help is from Heaven, sir,"
said I: “but can you put a stranger in the way how to help you?
for you seem to be in some great distress. I saw you when you
landed; and when you seemed to make application to the brutes
that came with you, I saw one of them lift up his sword to kill you."
The poor man, with tears running down his face, and trembling,
looked like one astonished, returned, "Am I talking to God or man
Is it a real man or an angel?"—"Be in no fear about that, sir,”
said I; “if God had sent an angel to relieve you, he would have
come better clothed, and armed after another manner than you see
me: pray lay aside your fears; I am a man, an Englishman, and
disposed to assist you: you see I have one servant only; we have
arms and ammunition; tell us freely, can we serve you? What is
your case?"
"Our case, sir," said he, "is too long to tell you,
while our murderers are so near us: but, in short, sir, I was com-
mander of that ship; my men have mutinied against me; they have
been hardly prevailed on not to murder me; and at last have set me
on shore in this desolate place, with these two men with me, one my
mate, the other a passenger, where we expected to perish, believing
the place to be uninhabited, and know not yet what to think of it.”
"Where are these brutes, your enemies?" said I: "Do you know
where they are gone?" "There they lie, sir," said he, pointing to
a thicket of trees; "my heart trembles for fear they have seen us,
and heard you speak; if they have, they will certainly murder us
all." "Have they any fire-arms?" said I. He answered, "They
had only two pieces, one of which they left in the boat." 'Well,
then," said I, "leave the rest to me; I see they are all asleep: it is
an easy thing to kill them all: but shall we rather take them pri-
soners?" He told me there were two desperate villains among them,
that it was scarce safe to shew any mercy to; but if they were
secured, he believed all the rest would return to their duty. I
(6
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
279
asked him which they were? He told me he could not, at that
distance, distinguish them, but he would obey my orders in anything
I would direct. "Well," says I, "let us retreat out of their view
or hearing, lest they awake, and we will resolve further." So they
willingly went back with me, till the woods covered us from them.
(6
Look you, sir," said I, "if I venture upon your deliverance, are
you willing to make two conditions with me?" He anticipated my
proposals, by telling me, that both he and the ship, if recovered,
should be wholly directed and commanded by me in everything;
and, if the ship was not recovered, he would live and die with me
in what part of the world soever I would send him; and the two
other men said the same. Well," says I,
says I, “my conditions are but
two first, That while you stay in this island with me, you will not
pretend to any authority here; and if I put arms in your hands, you
will, upon all occasions, give them up to me, and do no prejudice to
me or mine upon this island; and, in the mean time, be governed by
my orders: secondly, That if the ship is or may be recovered, you
will carry me and my man to England, passage free."
He gave me all the assurances that the invention or faith of man
could devise, that he would comply with these most reasonable de-
mands; and, besides, would owe his life to me, and acknowledge it
upon all occasions, as long as he lived." "Well then," said I, "here
are three muskets for you, with powder and ball: tell me next what
you think is proper to be done." He shewed all the testimonies of
his gratitude that he was able, but offered to be wholly guided by
me. I told him I thought it was hard venturing anything; but the
best method I could think of was to fire upon them at once, as they
lay, and if any were not killed at the first volley, and offered to
submit, we might save them, and so put it wholly upon God's pro-
vidence to direct the shot. He said, very modestly, that he was
loath to kill them, if he could help it: but that those two were in-
corrigible villains, and had been the authors of all the mutiny in the
ship, and if they escaped, we should be undone still; for they would
go on board and bring the whole ship's company, and destroy us all.
"Well then," says I, "necessity legitimates my advice, for it is the
280
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
only way to save our lives." However, seeing him still cautious of
shedding blood, I told him they should go themselves, and manage
as they found convenient.
In the middle of this discourse we heard some of them awake, and
soon after we saw two of them on their feet. I asked him if either
of them were the heads of the mutiny? He said, "No." "Well
then," said I," you may let them escape; and Providence seems to
have awakened them on purpose to save themselves. Now," says I,
"if the rest escape you, it is your fault." Animated with this, he
took the musket I had given him in his hand, and a pistol in his belt,
and his two comrades with him, with each a piece in his hand; the
two men who were with him, going first, made some noise, at which
one of the seamen, who was awake, turned about, and seeing them
coming, cried out to the rest; but it was too late then, for the mo-
ment he cried out they fired; I mean the two men, the captain
wisely reserving his own piece. They had so well aimed their shot

OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
281
at the men they knew, that one of them was killed on the spot, and
the other very much wounded; but not being dead, he started up on
his feet, and called eagerly for help to the other; but the captain,
stepping to him, told him it was too late to cry for help, he should
call upon God to forgive his villany; and, with that word, knocked
him down with the stock of his musket, so that he never spoke more:
there were three more in the company, and one of them was also
slightly wounded. By this time, I was come; and when they saw
their danger, and that it was in vain to resist, they begged for mercy.
The captain told them he would spare their lives, if they would give
him an assurance of their abhorrence of the treachery they had been
guilty of, and would swear to be faithful to him in recovering the
ship, and afterwards in carrying her back to Jamaica, from whence
they came. They gave him all the protestations of their sincerity
that could be desired, and he was willing to believe them, and spare
their lives, which I was not against, only that I obliged him to keep
them bound hand and foot while they were on the island.
While this was doing, I sent Friday, with the captain's mate, to
the boat with orders to secure her, and bring away the oars and sails,
which they did; and by and by, three straggling men, that were
(happily for them) parted from the rest, came back upon hearing the
guns fired; and seeing the captain, who was before their prisoner,
now their conqueror, they submitted to be bound also; and so our
victory was complete.
It now remained that the captain and I should enquire into one
another's circumstances: I began first, and told him my whole his-
tory, which he heard with an attention even to amazement; and
particularly at the wonderful manner of my being furnished with
provisions and ammunition; and, indeed, as my story is a whole
collection of wonders, it affected him deeply. But when he reflected
from thence upon himself, and how I seemed to have been preserved
there on purpose to save his life, the tears ran down his face, and he
could not speak a word more. After this communication was at an
end, I carried him and his two men into my apartment, leading them
in just where I came out, viz. at the top of the house, where I re-
282
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
freshed them with such provision as I had, and shewed them all the
contrivances I had made, during my long, long inhabiting that place.
All I shewed them, all I said to them, was perfectly amazing ;
but, above all, the captain admired my fortification, and how per-
fectly I had concealed my retreat with a grove of trees, which, having
been now planted near twenty years, and the trees growing much
faster than in England, was become a little wood, and so thick, that
it was impassable in any part of it but at that one side where I had
reserved my little winding passage into it. I told him this was my
castle and my residence, but that I had a seat in the country, as
most princes have, whither I could retreat upon occasion, and I
would shew him that too another time: but at present our business
was to consider how to recover the ship. He agreed with me as to
that; but told me, he was perfectly at a loss what measures to take,
for that there were still six and twenty hands on board, who having
entered into a cursed conspiracy, by which they had all forfeited
their lives to the law, would be hardened in it now by desperation,
and would carry it on, knowing that if they were subdued, they
would be brought to the gallows as soon as they came to England,
or to any of the English colonies; and that, therefore, there would
be no attacking them with so small a number as we were.
I mused for some time upon what he had said, and found it was
a very rational conclusion, and that, therefore, something was to be
resolved on speedily, as well to draw the men on board into some
snare for their surprise, as to prevent their landing upon us, and
destroying us. Upon this, it presently occurred to me, that, in a
little while, the ship's crew, wondering what was become of their
comrades and of the boat, would certainly come on shore in their
other boat, to look for them; and that then, perhaps, they might
come armed, and be too strong for us: this he allowed to be ra-
tional. Upon this, I told him the first thing we had to do was to
stave the boat, which lay upon the beach, so that they might not
carry her off; and, taking everything out of her, leave her so far
useless as not to be fit to swim; accordingly we went on board, took
the arms which were left on board out of her, and whatever else we
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
283
found there, which was a bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a
,
few biscuit cakes, a horn of powder, and a great lump of sugar in a
piece of canvass (the sugar was five or six pounds); all which was
very welcome to me, especially the brandy and sugar, of which I
had none left for many years.
When we had carried all these things on shore (the oars, mast,
sail, and rudder of the boat were carried away before, as above), we
knocked a great hole in her bottom, that if they had come strong
enough to master us, yet they could not carry off the boat. Indeed,
it was not much in my thoughts that we could be able to recover the
ship; but my view was, that if they went away without the boat, I
did not much question to make her fit again to carry us to the Lee-
ward Islands, and call upon our friends, the Spaniards, in my way,
for I had them still in my thoughts.
While we were thus preparing our designs, and had first, by
main strength, heaved the boat upon the beach, so high that the tide
would not float her off at high water mark, and besides, had broke a
hole in her bottom too big to be quickly stopped, and were set down
musing what we should do, we heard the ship fire a gun, and make
a waft with her ensign as a signal for the boat to come on board:
but no boat stirred; and they fired several times, making other sig-
nals for the boat. At last, when all their signals and firing proved
fruitless, and they found the boat did not stir, we saw them, by the
help of my glasses, hoist another boat out, and row towards the
shore; and we found, as they approached, that there were no less
than ten men in her, and that they had fire arms with them.
As the ship lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had a full
view of them as they came, and a plain sight even of their faces;
because the tide having set them a little to the east of the other boat,
they rowed up under shore, to come to the same place where the
other had landed, and where the boat lay; by this means, I say, we
had a full view of them, and the captain knew the persons and cha-
racters of all the men in the boat, of whom, he said there were three
very honest fellows, who, he was sure, were led into this conspiracy
by the rest, being overpowered and frightened; but that as for the
284
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
boatswain, who it seems was the chief officer among them, and all
the rest, they were as outrageous as any of the ship's crew, and were
no doubt made desperate in their new enterprise; and terribly ap-
prehensive he was that they would be too powerful for us. I smiled
at him, and told him that men in our circumstances were past the
operation of fear; that seeing almost every condition that could be
was better than that which we were supposed to be in, we ought to
expect that the consequence, whether death or life, would be sure to
be a deliverance. I asked him what he thought of the circumstances
of my life, and whether a deliverance were not worth venturing for?
"And where, sir," said I, "is your belief of my being preserved here
on purpose to save your life, which elevated you a little while ago?
For my part," said I, "there seems to me but one thing amiss in all
the prospect of it." "What is that?" says he. Why," said I,
"it is, that as you say there are three or four honest fellows among
them, which should be spared, had they been all of the wicked part
of the crew, I should have thought God's providence had singled
them out to deliver them into your hands; for depend upon it, every
man that comes ashore is our own, and shall die or live as they
behave to us." As I spoke this with a raised voice and cheerful
countenance, I found it greatly encouraged him; so we set vigour-
ously to our business.
(6
We had, upon the first appearance of the boat's coming from the
ship, considered of separating our prisoners; and we had, indeed,
secured them effectually. Two of them, of whom the captain was
less assured than ordinary, I sent with Friday, and one of the three
delivered men, to my cave, where they were remote enough, and
out of danger of being heard or discovered, or of finding their way
out of the woods if they could have delivered themselves: here they
left them bound, but gave them provisions; and promised them, if
they continued there quietly, to give them their liberty in a day or
but that if they attempted their escape, they should be put to
death without mercy. They promised faithfully to bear their con-
finement with patience, and were very thankful that they had such
good usage as to have provisions and light left them; for Friday
two;
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
285

ނ.
gave them candles (such as we made ourselves) for their comfort;
and they did not know but that he stood sentinel over them at the
entrance.
The other prisoners had better usage; two of them were kept
pinioned, indeed, because the captain was not free to trust them;
but the other two were taken into my service, upon the captain's
recommendation, and upon their solemnly engaging to live and die
with us; so with them and the three honest men, we were seven
men, well armed; and I made no doubt we should be able to deal
well enough with the ten that were coming, considering that the
captain had said there were three or four honest men among them
also. As soon as they got to the place where their other boat lay,
they ran their boat into the beach, and came all on shore, hauling
A A
1
286
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
*
the boat up after them, which I was glad to see, for I was afraid
they would rather have left the boat at an anchor some distance from
the shore, with some hands in her to guard her, and so we should
not be able to seize the boat. Being on shore, the first thing they
did, they ran all to their other boat; and it was easy to see they
were under a great surprise to find her stripped, as above, of all that
was in her, and a great hole in her bottom. After they had mused
awhile upon this, they set up two or three great shouts, hallooing
with all their might, to try if they could make their companions
hear; but all was to no purpose: then they came all close in a ring,
and fired a volley of their small arms, which, indeed, we heard, and
the echoes made the woods ring; but it was all one; those in the
cave, we were sure, could not hear; and those in our keeping, though
they heard it well enough, yet durst give no answer to them. They
were so astonished at the surprise of this, that, as they told us after-
wards, they resolved to go all on board again to their ship, and let
them know that the men were all murdered, and the long-boat
staved; accordingly, they immediately launched their boat again,
and got all of them on board.
The captain was terribly amazed, and even confounded at this,
believing they would go on board the ship again, and set sail, giving
their comrades over for lost, and so he should still lose the ship,
which he was in hopes we should have recovered; but he was
quickly as much frightened the other way.
They had not been long put off with the boat, but we perceived
them all coming on shore again: but with this new measure in their
conduct, which it seems they consulted together upon, viz. to leave
three men in the boat, and the rest to go on shore, and go up into
the country to look for their fellows. This was a great disappoint-
ment to us, for now we were at a loss what to do, as our seizing
those seven men on shore would be no advantage to us if we let the
boat escape; because they would then row away to the ship, and
then the rest of them would be sure to weigh and set sail, and so
However, we had no remedy
our recovering the ship would be lost.
but to wait and see what the issue of things might present. The
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
287
seven men came on shore, and the three who remained in the boat
put her off to a good distance from the shore, and came to an anchor
to wait for them; so that it was impossible for us to come at them
in the boat. Those that came on shore kept close together, march-
ing towards the top of the little hill under which my habitation lay;
and we could see them plainly though they could not perceive us.
We could have been very glad they would have come nearer to us,
so that we might have fired at them, or that they would have gone
farther off, that we might come abroad. But when they were come
to the brow of the hill, where they could see a great way into the
valleys and woods, which lay towards the north-east part, and where
the island lay lowest, they shouted and hallooed till they were weary;
and not caring it seems to venture far from the shore, nor far from
one another, they sat down together under a tree to consider of it.
Had they thought fit to have gone to sleep there, as the other part
}

288
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of them had done, they had done the job for us; but they were too
full of apprehensions of danger to venture to go to sleep, though
they could not tell what the danger was they had to fear neither.
The captain made a very just proposal to me upon this consulta-
tion of theirs, viz. that perhaps they would all fire a volley again,
to endeavour to make their fellows hear, and that we should all sally
upon them, just at the juncture when their pieces were all dis-
charged, and 'they would certainly yield, and we should have them
without bloodshed. I liked this proposal, provided it was done
while we were near enough to come up to them before they could
load their pieces again. But this event did not happen; and we
lay still a long time, very irresolute what course to take. At length,
I told them there would be nothing done, in my opinion, till night;
and then if they did not return to the boat, perhaps we might find a
way to get between them and the shore, and so might use some
stratagem with them in the boat to get them on shore. We waited
a great while, though very impatient for their removing; and were
very uneasy, when, after long consultations, we saw them all start up,
and march down towards the sea: it seems they had such dreadful
apprehensions upon them of the danger of the place, that they re-
solved to go on board the ship again, give their companions over for
lost, and so go on with their intended voyage with the ship.
As soon as I perceived them to go towards the shore, I imagined
it to be as it really was, that they had given over their search, and
were for going back again; and the captain, as soon as I told him
my thoughts, was ready to sink at the apprehensions of it: but I
presently thought of a stratagem to fetch them back again, and
which answered my end to a tittle. I ordered Friday and the cap-
tain's mate to go over the little creek westward, towards the place
where the savages came on shore when Friday was rescued, and so
soon as they came to a little rising ground, at about half a mile dis-
tance, I bade them halloo out, as loud as they could, and wait till
they found the seamen heard them; that as soon as ever they heard
the seamen answer them, they should return it again; and then
keeping out of sight, take a round, always answering when the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
289
J
others hallooed to draw them as far into the island, and among the
woods, as possible, and then wheel about again to me by such ways
as I directed them.
They were just going into the boat when Friday and the mate
hallooed: and they presently heard them, and, answering, ran along
the shore westward, towards the voice they heard, when they were
presently stopped by the creek, where, the water being up, they
could not get over, and called for the boat to come up and set them
over; as, indeed, I expected. When they had set themselves over,
I observed that the boat being gone a good way into the creek, and,
as it were, in a harbour within the land, they took one of the three
men out of her, to go along with them, and left only two in the boat,
having fastened her to the stump of a little tree on the shore. This
was what I wished for; and immediately leaving Friday and the
captain's mate to their business, I took the rest with me, and cross-
ing the creek out of their sight, we surprised the two men before
they were aware; one of them lying on the shore, and the other
being in the boat. The fellow on shore was between sleeping and
waking, and going to start up; the captain, who was foremost, ran
in upon him, and knocked him down; and then called out to him in
the boat to yield, or he was a dead man. There needed very few
arguments to persuade a single man to yield, when he saw five men
upon him, and his comrade knocked down: besides, this was, it
seems, one of the three who were not so hearty in the mutiny as
the rest of the crew; and, therefore, was easily persuaded not only
to yield, but afterwards to join very sincerely with us.
In the mean
time, Friday and the captain's mate so well managed their business
with the rest, that they drew them, by hallooing and answering, from
one hill to another, and from one wood to another, till they not only
heartily tired them, but left them where they were very sure they
could not reach back to the boat before it was dark; and, indeed,
they were heartily tired themselves also, by the time they came back
to us.
We had nothing now to do but to watch for them in the dark;
and to fall upon them, so as to make sure work with them. It was
290
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
us.
several hours after Friday came back to me before they came back to
their boat; and we could hear the foremost of them, long before they
came quite up, calling to those behind to come along; and could
also hear them answer, and complain how lame and tired they were,
and not able to come any faster; which was very welcome news to
At length they came up to the boat: but it is impossible to
express their confusion when they found the boat fast aground in the
creek, the tide ebbed out, and their two men gone. We could hear
them call to one another in a most lamentable manner, telling one
another they were got into an enchanted island; that either there
were inhabitants in it, and they should all be murdered, or else there
were devils and spirits in it, and they should be all carried away and
devoured. They hallooed again, and called their two comrades by
their names a great many times, but no answer. After some time,
we could see them, by the little light there was, run about, wringing
their hands like men in despair, and that sometimes they would go
and sit down in the boat to rest themselves: then come ashore again,
and walk about again, and so the same thing over again. My men
would fain have had me give them leave to fall upon them at once in
the dark; but I was willing to take them at some advantage, so as
to spare them, and kill as few of them as I could; and especially I
was unwilling to hazard the killing any of our men, knowing the
others were very well armed. I resolved to wait, to see if they did
not separate; and therefore, to make sure of them, I drew my
ambuscade nearer, and ordered Friday and the captain to creep upon
their hands and feet, as close to the ground as they could, that they
might not be discovered, and get as near them as they could possibly,
before they offered to fire.
They had not been long in that posture, when the boatswain, who
was the principal ringleader of the mutiny, and had now shewn him-
self the most dejected and dispirited of all the rest, came walking
towards them, with two more of the crew: the captain was so eager
at having this principal rogue so much in his power, that he could
hardly have patience to let him come so near as to be sure of him,
for they only heard his tongue before: but when they came nearer,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
291

1/0
the captain and Friday, starting up on their feet, let fly at them.
The boatswain was killed upon the spot; the next man was shot into
the body, and fell just by him, though he did not die till an hour or
or two after; and the third ran for it. At the noise of the fire, I
immediately advanced with my whole army, which was now eight
men, viz. myself, generalissimo; Friday, my lieutenant-general; the
captain and his two men, and the three prisoners of war whom we
had trusted with arms. We came upon them, indeed, in the dark,
so that they could not see our number; and I made the man they
had left in the boat, who was now one of us, to call them by name,
to try if I could bring them to a parley, and so might perhaps reduce
them to terms; which fell out just as we desired: for indeed it was
easy to think, as their condition then was, they would be very willing
to capitulate. So he calls out as loud as he could, to one of them,
"Tom Smith! Tom Smith!" Tom Smith answered immediately,
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
"Is that Robinson?" for it seems he knew the voice. The other
"Who
"Here
answered, “Ay, ay; for God's sake, Tom Smith, throw down your
arms and yield, or you are all dead men this moment.'
must we yield to? Where are they?" says Smith again.
they are," says he; "here's our captain and fifty men with him,
have been hunting you these two hours: the boatswain is killed,
Will Fry is wounded, and I am a prisoner; and if you do not yield,
you are all lost."
"Will they give us quarter then?" says Tom
Smith, "and we will yield."—"I'll go and ask, if you promise to
yield," said Robinson: so he asked the captain; and the captain
himself then calls out. "You, Smith, you know my voice; if you
lay down your arms immediately, and submit, you shall have your
lives, all but Will Atkins."
Upon this, Will Atkins cried out, "For God's sake, captain, give
me quarter; what have I done? They have all been as bad as I:"
which, by the way, was not true neither; for, it seems, this Will
Atkins was the first man that laid hold of the captain, when they
first mutinied, and used him barbarously, in tying his hands, and
giving him injurious language. However, the captain told him he
must lay down his arms at discretion, and trust to the governor's
mercy: by which he meant me, for they all called me governor.
a word, they all laid down their arms, and begged their lives; and I
sent the man that had parleyed with them, and two more, who bound
them all; and then my great army of fifty men, which, particularly
with those three, were in all but eight, came up and seized upon
them, and upon their boat; only that I kept myself and one more
out of sight for reasons of state.
In
Our next work was to repair the boat, and think of seizing the
ship and as for the captain, now he had leisure to parley with them,
he expostulated with them upon the villany of their practices with
him, and at length upon the further wickedness of their design, and
how certainly it must bring them to misery and distress in the end,
and perhaps to the gallows. They all appeared very penitent, and
begged hard for their lives. As for that, he told them they were
none of his prisoners, but the commander's of the island; that they
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
293
thought they had set him on shore in a barren, uninhabited island;
but it had pleased God so to direct them, that it was inhabited, and
that the governor was an Englishman; that he might hang them all
there, if he pleased; but as he had given them all quarter, he sup-
posed he would send them to England, to be dealt with there as
justice required, except Atkins, whom he was commanded by the
governor to advise to prepare for death, for that he would be hanged
in the morning.
Though this was all but a fiction of his own, yet it had its desired
effect; Atkins fell upon his knees, to beg the captain to intercede
with the governor for his life: and all the rest begged of him, for
God's sake, that they might not be sent to England.
It now occurred to me, that the time of our deliverance was
come, and that it would be a most easy thing to bring these fellows
in to be hearty in getting possession of the ship; so I retired in the
dark from them, that they might not see what kind of a governor
they had, and called the captain to me; when I called, as at a good
distance, one of the men was ordered to speak again, and say to the
captain, "Captain, the commander calls for you;" and presently the
captain replied, “Tell his Excellency I am just a coming." This
more perfectly amused them, and they all believed that the com-
mander was just by, with his fifty men. Upon the captain coming
to me, I told him my project for seizing the ship, which he liked
wonderfully well, and resolved to put it in execution the next morn-
ing. But, in order to execute it with more art, and to be secure
of success, I told him we must divide the prisoners, and that he
should go and take Atkins, and two more of the worst of them, and
send them pinioned to the cave where the others lay. This was
committed to Friday and the two men who came on shore with the
captain. They conveyed them to the cave as to a prison and it
was, indeed, a dismal place, especially to men in their condition.
The others I ordered to `my bower, as I called it, of which I have
given a full description; and as it was fenced in, and they pinioned,
the place was secure enough, considering they were upon their be-
haviour.
:
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

CHERONER
Brin
To these in the morning I sent the captain, who was to enter
into a parley with them; in a word, to try them, and tell me whether
he thought they might be trusted or no to go on board and surprise
the ship. He talked to them of the injury done him, of the condition
they were brought to, and that though the governor had given them
quarter for their lives as to the present action, yet that if they were
sent to England, they would all be hanged in chains, to be sure; but
that if they would join in so just an attempt as to recover the ship, he
would have the governor's engagement for their pardon.
Any one may guess how readily such a proposal would be ac-
cepted by men in their condition; they fell down on their knees to
the captain, and promised, with the deepest imprecations, that they
would be faithful to him to the last drop, and that they should owe
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
295
their lives to him, and would go with him all over the world; that
they would own him as a father to them as long as they lived.
"Well," says the captain, "I must go and tell the governor what
you say, and see what I can do to bring him to consent to it." So
he brought me an account of the temper he found them in, and that
he verily believed they would be faithful. However, that we might
be very secure, I told him he should go back again and choose out
those five, and tell them, that they might see he did not want men,
that he would take out those five to be his assistants, and that the
governor would keep the other two, and the three that were sent
prisoners to the castle (my cave) as hostages for the fidelity of those
five; and that if they proved unfaithful in the execution, the five
hostages should be hanged in chains alive on the shore. This looked
severe, and convinced them that the governor was in earnest; how-
ever, they had no way left them but to accept it; and it was now
the business of the prisoners, as much as of the captain, to persuade
the other five to do their duty.
Our strength was now thus ordered for the expedition: first, The
captain, his mate, and passenger: second, Then the two prisoners of
the first gang, to whom, having their character from the captain, I
had given their liberty, and trusted them with arms: third, The
other two that I had kept till now in my bower pinioned, but, on
the captain's motion, had now released: fourth, These five released
at last; so that they were twelve in all, besides five we kept prisoners
in the cave for hostages.
I asked the captain if he was willing to venture with these hands
on board the ship; but as for me and my man Friday, I did not
think it was proper for us to stir, having seven men left behind; and
it was employment enough for us to keep them asunder, and supply
them with victuals. As to the five in the cave, I resolved to keep
them fast, but Friday went in twice a day to them, to supply them
with necessaries; and I made the other two carry provisions to a
certain distance, where Friday was to take it.
When I shewed myself to the two hostages, it was with the cap-
tain, who told them I was the person the governor had ordered to
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
look after them; and that it was the governor's pleasure they should
not stir anywhere but by my direction; that if they did, they would
be fetched into the castle, and be laid in irons: so that as we never
suffered them to see me as a governor, I now appeared as another
person, and spoke of the governor, the garrison, the castle, and the
like, upon all occasions.
The captain now had no difficulty before him, but to furnish his
two boats, stop the breach of one, and man them. He made his
passenger captain of one, with four of the men; and himself, his
mate, and five more, went in the other; and they contrived their
business very well, for they came up to the ship about midnight.
As soon as they came within call of the ship, he made Robinson hail
them, and tell them they had brought off the men and the boat, but
that it was a long time before they had found them, and the like;
holding them in a chat till they came to the ship's side; when the
captain and the mate entering first, with their arms, immediately
knocked down the second mate and carpenter with the butt-end of
their muskets, being very faithfully seconded by their men; they
secured all the rest that were upon the main and quarter-decks, and
began to fasten the hatches, to keep them down that were below;
when the other boat and their men, entering at the fore-chains,
secured the forecastle of the ship, and the scuttle which went down
into the cook-room, making three men they found there prisoners.
When this was done, and all safe upon deck, the captain ordered the
mate, with three men, to break into the round-house, where the new
rebel captain lay, who, having taken the alarm, had got up, and with
two men and a boy had got fire-arms in their hands; and when the
mate, with a crow, split open the door, the new captain and his men
fired boldly among them, and wounded the mate with a musket ball,
which broke his arm, and wounded two more of the men, but killed
nobody. The mate calling for help, rushed, however, into the round-
house, wounded as he was, and, with his pistol, shot the new captain
through the head, the bullet entering at his mouth, and came out
again behind one of his ears, so that he never spoke a word more :
297
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.

upon which the rest yielded, and the ship was taken effectually,
without any more lives lost.
As soon as the ship was thus secured, the captain ordered seven
guns to be fired, which was the signal agreed upon with me to give
me notice of his success, which, you may be sure, I was very glad to
hear, having sat watching upon the shore for it till near two o'clock
in the morning. Having thus heard the signal plainly, I laid me
down; and it having been a day of great fatigue to me, I slept very
sound, till I was something surprised with the noise of a gun;
and presently starting up, I heard a man call me by the name of
"Governor! Governor!" and presently I knew the captain's voice;
when climbing up to the top of the hill, there he stood, and, pointing
to the ship, he embraced me in his arms. My dear friend and
deliverer," says he, "there's your ship, for she is all yours, and so
are we, and all that belong to her." I cast my eyes to the ship,
BB
C
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
and there she rode, within little more than half a mile of the shore ;
for they had weighed her anchor as soon as they were masters of
her, and, the weather being fair, had brought her to an anchor just
against the mouth of the little creek; and, the tide being up, the
captain had brought the pinnace in near the place where I at first
landed my rafts, and so landed just at my door. I was, at first,
ready to sink down with the surprise; for I saw my deliverance,
indeed, visibly put into my hands, all things easy, and a large ship
just ready to carry me away whither I pleased to go. At first, for
some time, I was not able to answer him one word; but as he had
taken me in his arms, I held fast by him, or I should have fallen to
the ground. He perceived the surprise, and immediately pulls a
bottle out of his pocket, and gave me a dram of cordial, which he
had brought on purpose for me. After I had drank it, I sat down
upon the ground; and though it brought me to myself, yet it was
a good while before I could speak a word to him. All this time the
poor man was in as great an ecstasy as I, only not under any sur-

I'm.is
Aolae Laiske
299
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
prise, as I was; and he said a thousand kind and tender things to
me, to compose and bring me to myself: but such was the flood of
joy in my breast that it put all my spirits into confusion: at last it
broke out into tears; and, in a little while after, I recovered my
speech. I then took my turn, and embraced him as my deliverer,
and we rejoiced together. I told him I looked upon him as a man
sent from Heaven to deliver me, and that the whole transaction
seemed to be a chain of wonders; that such things as these were the
testimonies we had of a secret hand of Providence governing the
world, and an evidence that the eye of an infinite power could
search into the remotest corner of the world, and send help to the
miserable whenever He pleased. I forgot not to lift up my heart in
thankfulness to Heaven; and what heart could forbear to bless him,
who had not only in a miraculous manner provided for me in such
a wilderness, and in such a desolate condition, but from whom every
deliverance must always be acknowledged to proceed?
When we had talked a while, the captain told me he had brought
me some little refreshment, such as the ship afforded, and such as
the wretches that had been so long his masters had not plundered
him of. Upon this, he called aloud to the boat, and bade his men
bring the things ashore that were for the governor; and, indeed, it
was a present as if I had been one that was not to be carried away
with them, but as if I had been to dwell upon the island still. First,
he had brought me a case of bottles full of excellent cordial waters,
six large bottles of Madeira wine (the bottles held two quarts each),
two pounds of excellent good tobacco, twelve good pieces of the
ship's beef, and six pieces of pork, with a bag of peas, and about an
hundred weight of biscuit: he also brought me a box of sugar, a box
of flour, a bag full of lemons, and two bottles of lime-juice, and
abundance of other things. But besides these, and what was a
thousand times more useful to me, he brought me six new clean
shirts, six very good neckcloths, two pair of gloves, one pair of shoes,
a hat, and one pair of stockings, with a very good suit of clothes of
his own, which had been worn but very little; in a word, he clothed
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
in
C.
me from head to foot. It was a very kind and agreeable present,
as any one may imagine, to one in my circumstances; but never
was anything in the world of that kind so unpleasant, awkward, and
uneasy as it was to me to wear such clothes at first.
""
After these ceremonies were passed, and after all his good things
were brought into my little apartment, we began to consult what
was to be done with the prisoners we had; for it was worth con-
sidering whether we might venture to take them away with us or no,
especially two of them, whom he knew to be incorrigible and re-
fractory to the last degree; and the captain said he knew they were
such rogues that there was no obliging them, and if he did carry
them away, it must be in irons, as malefactors, to be delivered over
to justice at the first English colony he could come at; and I found
that the captain himself was very anxious about it. Upon this, I
told him that, if he desired it, I would undertake to bring the two
men he spoke of to make it their own request that he should leave
them upon the island. "I should be very glad of that," says the
captain, "with all my heart. "Well," says I, "I will send for
them up, and talk with them for you." So I caused Friday and the
two hostages, for they were now discharged, their comrades having
performed their promise; I say, I caused them to go to the cave,
and bring up the five men, pinioned as they were, to the bower, and
keep them there till I came. After some time, I came thither
dressed in my new habit; and now I was called governor again.
Being all met, and the captain with me, I caused the men to be
brought before me, and I told them I had got a full account of their
villanous behaviour to the captain, and how they had run away with
the ship, and were preparing to commit farther robberies, but that
Providence had ensnared them in their own ways, and that they
were fallen into the pit which they had dug for others. I let them
know that by my direction the ship had been seized; that she lay
now in the road; and they might see by and by, that their new cap-
tain had received the reward of his villany, and that they would see
him hanging at the yard-arm: that, as to them, I wanted to know
what they had to say why I should not execute them as pirates,

I caused the men to be brought before me.
1 Che
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
301
taken in the fact, as by my commission they could not doubt but I
had authority so to do.
One of them answered in the name of the rest, that they had
nothing to say but this, that when they were taken, the captain pro-
mised them their lives, and they humbly implored my mercy.
But
I told them I knew not what mercy to shew them; for as for myself,
I had resolved to quit the island with all my men, and had taken
passage with the captain to go for England; and as for the captain,
he could not carry them to England, other than as prisoners, in
irons, to be tried for mutiny, and running away with the ship; the
consequence of which, they must needs know, would be the gallows;
so that I could not tell what was best for them, unless they had a
mind to take their fate in the island; if they desired that, as I had
liberty to leave the island, I had some inclination to give them their
lives, if they thought they could shift on shore. They seemed very
thankful for it, and said they would much rather venture to stay
there than be carried to England to be hanged: so I left it on that
issue.
However, the captain seemed to make some difficulty of it, as if
he durst not leave them there. Upon this, I seemed a little angry
with the captain, and told him that they were my prisoners, not his ;
and that seeing I had offered them so much favour, I would be as
good as my word; and that if he did not think fit to consent to it, I
would set them at liberty as I found them; and if he did not like it,
he might take them again if he could catch them. Upon this, they
appeared very thankful, and I accordingly set them at liberty, and
bade them retire into the woods, to the place whence they came, and
I would leave them some fire-arms, some ammunition, and some
directions how they should live very well, if they thought fit. Upon
this, I prepared to go on board the ship; but told the captain I
would stay that night to prepare my things, and desired him to go
on board in the mean time, and keep all right in the ship, and send
the boat on shore next day for me; ordering him, at all events, to
cause the new captain, who was killed, to be hanged at the yard-arm,
that these men might see him.
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
•
When the captain was gone, I sent for the men up to me to my
apartment, and entered seriously into discourse with them on their
circumstances. I told them I thought they had made a right choice;
that if the captain had carried them away, they would certainly be
hanged. I shewed them the new captain hanging at the yard-arm
of the ship, and told them they had nothing less to expect.
When they had all declared their willingness to stay, I then told
them I would let them into the story of my living there, and put
them into the way of making it easy to them: accordingly, I gave
them the whole history of the place, and of my coming to it; shewed
them my fortifications, the way I made my bread, planted my corn,
cured my grapes; and, in a word, all that was necessary to make
them easy. I told them the story also of the seventeen Spaniards
that were to be expected, for whom I left a letter, and made them
promise to treat them in common with themselves. Here it may be
noted, that the captain had ink on board, who was greatly surprised
that I never hit upon a way of making ink of charcoal and water, or
of something else, as I had done things much more difficult.
I left them my fire-arms, viz. five muskets, three fowling-pieces,
and three swords. I had above a barrel and a half of powder left;
for after the first year or two I used but little, and wasted none. I
gave them a description of the way I managed the goats, and direc-
tions to milk and fatten them, and to make both butter and cheese:
in a word, I gave them every part of my own story; and told them
I should prevail with the captain to leave them two barrels of gun-
powder more, and some garden seeds, which I told them I would
have been very glad of: also, I gave them the bag of peas which the
captain had brought me to eat, and bade them be sure to sow and
increase them.
Having done all this, I left them the next day, and went on
board the ship. We prepared immediately to sail, but did not weigh
that night. The next morning early, two of the five men came
swimming to the ship's side, and, making the most lamentable com-
plaint of the other three, begged to be taken into the ship for God's
sake, for they should be murdered, and begged the captain to take
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
303
them on board, though he hanged them immediately. Upon this,
the captain pretended to have no power without me; but after some
difficulty, and after their solemn promises of amendment, they were
taken on board, and were, some time after, soundly whipped and
pickled; after which they proved very honest and quiet fellows.
Some time after this, the boat was ordered on shore, the tide
being up, with the things promised to the men; to which the cap-
tain, at my intercession, caused their chests and clothes to be added,
which they took, and were very thankful for. I also encouraged
them, by telling them, that if it lay in my power to send any vessel
to take them in, I would not forget them.
When I took leave of this island, I carried on board, for reliques,
the great goat-skin cap I had made, my umbrella, and one of my

LACOSTE ET FILS AIMĒ.
--
304
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
parrots; also I forgot not to take the money I formerly mentioned,
which had lain by me so long useless that it was grown rusty or tar-
nished, and could hardly pass for silver till it had been a little rubbed
and handled; as also the money I found in the wreck of the Spanish
ship. And thus I left the island, the 19th of December, as I found
by the ship's account, in the year 1686, after I had been upon it
eight and twenty years, two months, and nineteen days; being de-
livered from this second captivity the same day of the month that I
first made my escape in the long-boat, from among the Moors of
Sallee. In this vessel, after a long voyage, I arrived in England the
11th of June, in the year 1687, having been thirty-five years absent.
When I came to England, I was as perfect a stranger to all the
world as if I had never been known there. My benefactor and faith-
ful steward, whom I had left my money in trust with, was alive, but
had had great misfortunes in the world; was become a widow the
second time, and very low in the world. I made her very easy as to
what she owed me, assuring her I would give her no trouble; but,
on the contrary, in gratitude for her former care and faithfulness to
me, I relieved her as my little stock would afford; which at that
time would, indeed, allow me to do but little for her; but I assured
her I would never forget her former kindness to me; nor did I for-
get her when I had sufficient to help her, as shall be observed in
its proper place. I went down afterwards into Yorkshire; but my
father was dead, and my mother and all the family extinct, except
that I found two sisters, and two of the children of one of my bro-
thers; and as I had been long ago given over for dead, there had
been no provision made for me; so that, in a word, I found nothing
to relieve or assist me; and that the little money I had would not do
much for me as to settling in the world.
I met with one piece of gratitude, indeed, which I did not ex-
pect; and this was, that the master of the ship, whom I had so
happily delivered, and by the same means saved the ship and cargo,
having given a very handsome account to the owners of the manner
how I had saved the lives of the men, and the ship, they invited me
to meet them and some other merchants concerned, and all together
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
305
made me a very handsome compliment upon the subject, and a pre-
sent of almost £200 sterling.
But after making several reflections upon the circumstances of
my life, and how little way this would go towards settling me in the
world, I resolved to go to Lisbon, and see if I might not come by
some information of the state of my plantation in the Brazils, and of
what was become of my partner, who, I had reason to suppose, had
some years past given me over for dead. With this view, I took
shipping for Lisbon, where I arrived in April following; my man
Friday accompanying me very honestly in all these ramblings, and
proving a most faithful servant upon all occasions. When I came to
Lisbon, I found out, by enquiry, and to my particular satisfaction,
my old friend, the captain of the ship, who first took me up at sea off
the shore of Africa. He was now grown old, and had left off going
to sea, having put his son, who was far from a young man, into his
ship, and who still used the Brazil trade. The old man did not
know me; and, indeed, I hardly knew him: but I soon brought him
to my remembrance, and as soon brought myself to his remembrance,
when I told him who I was.
After some passionate expressions of the old acquaintance be-
tween us, I enquired, you may be sure, after my plantation and my
partner. The old man told me he had not been in the Brazils for
about nine years; but that he could assure me, that when he came
away my partner was living; but the trustees, whom I had joined
with him to take cognizance of my part, were both dead: that, how-
ever, he believed I would have a very good account of the improve-
ment of the plantation; for that, upon the general belief of my being
cast away and drowned, my trustees had given in the account of the
produce of my part of the plantation to the procurator-fiscal, who had
appropriated it, in case I never came to claim it, one-third to the
king, and two-thirds to the monastery of St. Augustine, to be ex-
pended for the benefit of the poor, and for the conversion of the
Indians to the Catholic faith; but that, if I appeared, or any one for
me, to claim the inheritance, it would be restored; only that the
improvement, or annual production, being distributed to charitable
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
uses, could not be restored: but he assured me that the steward of
the king's revenue from lands, and the provedore, or steward of the
monastery, had taken great care all along that the incumbent, that is
to say, my partner, gave every year a faithful account of the produce,
of which they had duly received my moiety. I asked him if he knew
to what height of improvement he had brought the plantation, and
whether he thought it might be worth looking after; or whether, on
my going thither, I should meet with any obstruction to my possessing
my just right in the moiety. He told me he could not tell exactly
to what degree the plantation was improved; but this he knew, that
my partner was grown exceeding rich upon the enjoying his part
of it; and that, to the best of his remembrance, he had heard that
the king's third of my part, which was, it seems, granted away to
some other monastery or religious house, amounted to above two
hundred moidores a year: that as to my being restored to a quiet
possession of it, there was no question to be made of that, my partner
being alive to witness my title, and my name being also enrolled in
the register of the country; also he told me that the survivors of my
two trustees were very fair, honest people, and very wealthy; and
he believed I would not only have their assistance for putting me in
possession, but would find a very considerable sum of money in their
hands for my account, being the produce of the farm while their
fathers held the trust, and before it was given up, as above; which,
as he remembered, was for about twelve years.
I shewed myself a little concerned and uneasy at this account,
and enquired of the old captain how it came to pass that the trustees
should thus dispose of my effects, when he knew that I had made
my will, and had made him, the Portuguese captain, my universal
heir, &c.
He told me that was true; but that as there was no proof of my
being dead, he could not act as executor, until some certain account
should come of my death; and, besides, he was not willing to inter-
meddle with a thing so remote: that it was true he had registered
my will, and put in his claim; and could he have given any account
of my being dead or alive, he would have acted by procuration, and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
307
taken possession of the ingeino (so they called the sugar-house), and
have given his son, who was now at the Brazils, orders to do it.
But," says the old man, "I have one piece of news to tell you,
which perhaps may not be so acceptable to you as the rest; and that
is, believing you were lost, and all the world believing so also, your

partner and trustees did offer to account with me, in your name, for
the first six or eight years' profits, which I received. There being
at that time great disbursements for increasing the works, building
an ingeino, and buying slaves, it did not amount to near so much as
afterwards it produced: however," says the old man, "I shall give
you a true account of what I have received in all, and how I have
disposed of it."
After a few days' farther conference with this ancient friend, he
brought me an account of the first six years' income of my plantation,
308
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
signed by my partner and the merchant-trustees, being always de-
livered in goods, viz. tobacco in roll, and sugar in chests, besides
rum, molasses, &c. which is the consequence of a sugar-work; and
I found by this account, that every year the income considerably
increased; but, as above, the disbursements being large, the sum at
first was small however, the old man let me see that he was debtor
to me four hundred and seventy moidores of gold, besides sixty
chests of sugar, and fifteen double rolls of tobacco, which were lost
in his ship; he having been shipwrecked coming home to Lisbon,
about eleven years after my leaving the place. The good man then
began to complain of his misfortunes, and how he had been obliged
to make use of my money to recover his losses, and buy him a share
in a new ship. "However, my old friend," says he, "you shall not
want a supply in your necessity; and as soon as my son returns, you
shall be fully satisfied." Upon this, he pulls out an old pouch, and
gives me one hundred and sixty Portugal moidores in gold; and
giving the writings of his title to the ship, which his son was gone
to the Brazils in, of which he was quarter-part owner, and his son
another, he puts them both into my hands for security of the rest.
I was too much moved with the honesty and kindness of the poor
man to be able to bear this; and remembering what he had done for
me, how he had taken me up at sea, and how generously he had used
me on all occasions, and particularly how sincere a friend he was now
to me, I could hardly refrain weeping at what he had said to me;
therefore I asked him if his circumstances admitted him to spare so
much money at that time, and if it would not straiten him? He
told me he could not say but it might straiten him a little; but,
however, it was my money, and I might want it more than he.
Everything the good man said was full of affection, and I could
hardly refrain from tears while he spoke; in short, I took one hun-
dred of the moidores, and called for a pen and ink to give him a
receipt for them: then I returned him the rest, and told him if ever
I had possession of the plantation, I would return the other to him
also (as, indeed, I afterwards did); and that as to the bill of sale of
his part in his son's ship, I would not take it by any means; but that
OF ROBINSON CRusoe.
309
if I wanted the money, I found he was honest enough to pay me;
and if I did not, but came to receive what he gave me reason to ex-
pect, I would never have a penny more from him.
When this was passed, the old man asked me if he should put me
into a method to make my claim to my plantation. I told him I
thought to go over to it myself. He said I might do so if I pleased;
but that, if I did not, there were ways enough to secure my right, and
immediately to appropriate the profits to my use: and as there were
ships in the river of Lisbon just ready to go away to Brazil, he made
me enter my name in a public register, with his affidavit, affirming,
upon oath, that I was alive, and that I was the same person who took
up the land for the planting the said plantation at first. This being
regularly attested by a notary, and a procuration affixed, he directed
me to send it, with a letter of his writing, to a merchant of his ac-
quaintance at the place; and then proposed my staying with him till
an account came of the return.
Never was anything more honourable than the proceedings upon
this procuration; for in less than seven months I received a large
packet from the survivors of my trustees, the merchants, for whose
account I went to sea, in which were the following particular letters
and papers enclosed.
First, there was the account-current of the produce of my farm
or plantation, from the year when their fathers had balanced with my
old Portugal captain, being for six years; the balance appeared to be
one thousand one hundred and seventy-four moidores in my favour.
Secondly, there was the account of four years more, while they
kept the effects in their hands, before the government claimed the
administration, as being the effects of a person not to be found,
which they called civil death; and the balance of this, the value
of the plantation increasing, amounted to nineteen thousand four
hundred and forty-six crusadoes, being about three thousand two
hundred and forty moidores.
Thirdly, there was the Prior of St. Augustine's account, who
had received the profits for above fourteen years; but not being to
account for what was disposed of by the hospital, very honestly de-
C C
310
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
clared he had eight hundred and seventy-two moidores not distri-
buted, which he acknowledged to my account: as to the king's part,
that refunded nothing.
There was a letter of my partner's, congratulating me very affec-
tionately upon my being alive, giving me an account how the estate
was improved, and what it produced a year; with a particular of the
number of squares or acres that it contained, how planted, how many
slaves there were upon it; and making two and twenty crosses for
blessings, told me had said so many Ave Marias to thank the blessed
Virgin that I was alive; inviting me very passionately to come over
and take possession of my own; and, in the mean time, to give him
orders to whom he should deliver my effects, if I did not come my-
self; concluding with a hearty tender of his friendship, and that of
his family; and sent me, as a present, seven fine leopards' skins,
which he had, it seems, received from Africa, by some other ship that
he had sent thither, and which, it seems, had made a better voyage
than I. He sent me also five chests of excellent sweetmeats, and a
hundred pieces of gold uncoined, not quite so large as moidores. By
the same fleet, my two merchant trustees shipped me one thousand
two hundred chests of sugar, eight hundred rolls of tobacco, and the
rest of the whole account in gold.
I might well say now, indeed, that the latter end of Job was
better than the beginning. It is impossible to express the flutterings
of my very heart when I found all my wealth about me; for as the
Brazil ships come all in fleets, the same ships which brought my
letters brought my goods: and the effects were safe in the river
before the letters came to my hand. In a word, I turned pale, and
grew sick; and, had not the old man run and fetched me a cordial, I
believe the sudden surprise of joy had overset nature, and I had died
upon the spot: nay, after that, I continued very ill, and was so some
hours, till a physician being sent for, and something of the real cause
of my illness being known, he ordered me to be let blood; after
which I had relief, and grew well: but I verily believe, if I had not
been eased by a vent given in that manner to the spirits, I should
have died.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
311

R
LA LITE
DIES AND
I was now master, all on a sudden, of above five thousand pounds
sterling in money, and had an estate, as I might well call it, in the
Brazils, of above a thousand pounds a year, as sure as an estate of
lands in England: and, in a word, I was in a condition which I
scarce knew how to understand, or how to compose myself for the
enjoyment of it. The first thing I did was to recompense my
original benefactor, my good old captain, who had been first cha-
ritable to me in my distress, kind to me in my beginning, and honest
to me at the end. I shewed him all that was sent to me; I told
him that, next to the providence of Heaven, which disposed all
things, it was owing to him; and that it now lay on me to reward
him, which I would do a hundred fold: so I first returned to him
the hundred moidores I had received of him; then I sent for a
notary, and caused him to draw up a general release or discharge
from the four hundred and seventy moidores, which he had acknow-
ledged he owed me, in the fullest and firmest manner possible.
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
312
After which, I caused a procuration to be drawn, empowering him
to be my receiver of the annual profits of my plantation; and appoint-
ing my partner to account with him, and make the returns, by the
usual fleets, to him in my name; and a clause in the end, being a
grant of one hundred moidores a-year to him during his life, out of
the effects, and fifty moidores a-year to his son after him, for his life:
and thus I requited my old man.
I was now to consider which way to steer my course next, and
what to do with the estate that Providence had thus put into my
hands; and, indeed, I had more care upon my head now than I had
in my silent state of life in the island, where I wanted nothing but
what I had, and had nothing but what I wanted; whereas I had
now a great charge upon me, and my business was how to secure it.
I had never a cave now to hide my money in, or a place where it
might lie without lock or key, till it grew mouldy and tarnished
before anybody would meddle with it; on the contrary, I knew not
where to put it, or whom to trust with it. My old patron, the cap-
tain, indeed, was honest, and that was the only refuge I had. In the
next place, my interest in the Brazils seemed to summon me thither;
but now I could not tell how to think of going thither till I had
settled my affairs, and left my effects in some safe hands behind me.
At first I thought of my old friend the widow, who I knew was
honest, and would be just to me; but then she was in years, and
but poor, and, for aught I knew, might be in debt; so that, in a
word, I had no way but to go back to England myself, and take my
effects with me.
It was some months, however, before I resolved upon this; and,
therefore, as I had rewarded the old captain fully, and to his satis-
faction, who had been my former benefactor, so I began to think of
my poor widow, whose husband had been my first benefactor, and
she, while it was in her power, my faithful steward and instructor.
So, the first thing I did, I got a merchant in Lisbon to write to his
correspondent in London, not only to pay a bill, but to go find her
out, and carry her, in money, a hundred pounds from me, and to talk
with her, and comfort her in her poverty, by telling her she should,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
313
if I lived, have a further supply: at the same time, I sent my two
sisters in the country a hundred pounds each, they being, though
not in want, yet not in very good circumstances; one having been
married and left a widow; and the other having a husband not so
kind to her as he should be. But, among all my relations or ac-
quaintances, I could not yet pitch upon one to whom I durst commit
the gross of my stock, that I might go away to the Brazils, and leave
things safe behind me; and this greatly perplexed me.
I had once a mind to have gone to the Brazils, and have settled
myself there, for I was, as it were, naturalised to the place; but I
had some little scruple in my mind about religion, which insensibly
drew me back. However, it was not religion that kept me from
going there for the present; and as I had made no scruple of being
openly of the religion of the country all the while I was among them,
so neither did I yet; only that, now and then, having of late thought
more of it than formerly, when I began to think of living and dying
among them, I began to regret my having professed myself a Papist,
and thought it might not be the best religion to die with.
But, as I have said, this was not the main thing that kept me
from going to the Brazils, but that really I did not know with whom
to leave my effects behind me; so I resolved at last to go to England
with it, where, if I arrived, I concluded I should make some ac-
quaintance, or find some relations, that would be faithful to me; and,
accordingly, I prepared to go to England with all my wealth.
•
In order to prepare things for my going home, I first (the Brazil
fleet being just going away) resolved to give answers suitable to the
just and faithful account of things I had from thence; and, first, to
the Prior of St. Augustine, I wrote a letter full of thanks for his
just dealings, and the offer of the eight hundred and seventy-two
moidores which were undisposed of, which I desired might be given,
five hundred to the monastery, and three hundred and seventy-two
to the poor, as the prior should direct; desiring the good padre's
prayers for me, and the like. I wrote next a letter of thanks to my
two trustees, with all the acknowledgment that so much justice and
honesty called for: as for sending them any present, they were far
314
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
above having any occasion for it. Lastly, I wrote to my partner,
acknowledging his industry in the improving the plantation, and his
integrity in increasing the stock of the works; giving him instruc-
tions for his future government of my part, according to the powers
I had left with my old patron, to whom I desired him to send what-
ever became due to me, till he should hear from me more particu-
larly; assuring him that it was my intention not only to come to him,
but to settle myself there for the remainder of my life. To this I
added a very handsome present of some Italian silks for his wife and
two daughters, for such the captain's son informed me he had; with
two pieces of fine English broad cloth, the best I could get in Lisbon,
five pieces of black baize, and some Flanders lace of a good value.
Having thus settled my affairs, sold my cargo, and turned all my
effects into good bills of exchange, my next difficulty was which way
to go to England: I had been accustomed enough to the sea, and yet
I had a strange aversion to go to England by sea at that time; and
though I could give no reason for it, yet the difficulty increased upon
me so much, that though I had once shipped my baggage in order to
go, yet I altered my mind, and that not once, but two or three times.
It is true, I had been very unfortunate by sea, and this might be
one of the reasons; but let no man slight the strong impulses of his
own thoughts in cases of such moment: two of the ships which I had
singled out to go in, I mean more particularly singled out than any
other, having put my things on board one of them, and in the other
to have agreed with the captain; I say, two of these ships miscarried,
viz. one was taken by the Algerines, and the other was cast away on
the Start, near Torbay, and all the people drowned, except three;
so that in either of those vessels I had been made miserable.
Having been thus harassed in my thoughts, my old pilot, to whom
I communicated everything, pressed me earnestly not to go by sea,
but either to go by land to the Groyne, and cross over the Bay of
Biscay to Rochelle, from whence it was but an easy and safe journey
by land to Paris, and so to Calais and Dover; or to go up to Madrid,
and so all the way by land through France. In a word, I was so
prepossessed against my going by sea at all, except from Calais to
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
315
Dover, that I resolved to travel all the way by land; which, as I was
not in haste, and did not value the charge, was by much the plea-
santer way and to make it more so, my old captain brought an
English gentleman, the son of a merchant in Lisbon, who was wil-
ling to travel with me; after which we picked up two more English
merchants also, and two young Portuguese gentlemen, the last going
to Paris only; so that, in all, there were six of us, and five servants;
the two merchants and the two Portuguese contenting themselves
with one servant between two, to save the charge; and as for me, I
got an English sailor to travel with me as a servant, besides my man
Friday, who was too much a stranger to be capable of supplying the
place of a servant on the road.
In this manner I set out from Lisbon; and, our company being
very well mounted and armed, we made a little troop, whereof they
did me the honour to call me captain, as well because I was the
oldest man, as because I had two servants, and, indeed, was the
original of the whole journey.
As I have troubled you with none of my sea journals, so I shall
trouble you now with none of my land journal; but some adven-

316
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
tures that happened to us in this tedious and difficult journey I
must not omit.
When we came to Madrid, we, being all of us strangers to Spain,
were willing to stay some time to see the court of Spain, and to see
what was worth observing; but, it being the latter part of the sum-
mer, we hastened away, and set out from Madrid about the middle
of October; but when we came to the edge of Navarre, we were
alarmed, at several towns on the way, with an account that so much
snow was fallen on the French side of the mountains, that several
travellers were obliged to come back to Pampeluna, after having
attempted, at an extreme hazard, to pass on.
When we came to Pampeluna itself, we found it so indeed; and
to me, that had been always used to a hot climate, and to countries
where I could scarce bear any clothes on, the cold was insufferable:
nor, indeed, was it more painful than surprising, to come but ten days
before out of Old Castile, where the weather was not only warm,
but very hot, and immediately to feel a wind from the Pyrenean
mountains so very keen, so severely cold, as to be intolerable, and
to endanger benumbing and perishing of our fingers and toes.
Poor Friday was really frightened when he saw the mountains
all covered with snow, and felt cold weather, which he had never
seen or felt before in his life. To mend the matter, when we came
to Pampeluna, it continued snowing with so much violence and so
long that the people said winter was come before its time; and the
roads, which were difficult before, were now quite impassable; for,
in a word, the snow lay in some places too thick for us to travel, and
being not hard frozen, as is the case in the northern countries, there
was no going without being in danger of being buried alive every
step. We stayed no less than twenty days at Pampeluna; when
(seeing the winter coming on, and no likelihood of its being better,
for it was the severest winter all over Europe that had been known
in the memory of man) I proposed that we should all go away to
Fontarabia, and there take shipping for Bourdeaux, which was a
little voyage. But, while I was considering this, there came in
four French gentlemen, who, having been stopped on the French
very
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
317
side of the passes, as we were on the Spanish, had found out a
guide, who, traversing the country near the head of Languedoc, had
brought them over the mountains by such ways that they were not
much incommoded with the snow; for where they met with snow
in any quantity, they said it was frozen hard enough to bear them
and their horses. We sent for this guide, who told us he would
undertake to carry us the same way, with no hazard from the snow,
provided we were armed sufficiently to protect ourselves from wild
beasts; for, he said, upon these great snows, it was frequent for some
wolves to shew themselves at the foot of the mountains, being made
ravenous for want of food, the ground being covered with snow.
We told him we were well enough prepared for such creatures as
they were, if he would ensure us from a kind of two-legged wolves,
which, we were told, we were in most danger from, especially on the
French side of the mountains. He satisfied us that there was no
danger of that kind in the way that we were to go; so we readily
agreed to follow him, as did also twelve other gentlemen, with their
servants, some French, some Spanish, who, as I said, had attempted
to go, and were obliged to come back again.
Accordingly, we set out from Pampeluna, with our guide, on the
15th of November; and, indeed, I was surprised, when, instead of
going forward, he came directly back with us on the same road that
we came from Madrid, about twenty miles; when, having passed two
rivers, and come into the plain country, we found ourselves in a warm
climate again, where the country was pleasant, and no snow to be
seen; but, on a sudden, turning to his left, he approached the moun-
tains another way; and though it is true the hills and precipices
looked dreadful, yet he made so many tours, such meanders, and led
us by such winding ways, that we insensibly passed the height of the
mountains without being much encumbered with the snow; and, all
on a sudden, he shewed us the pleasant and fruitful provinces of
Languedoc and Gascony, all green and flourishing, though, indeed,
at a great distance, and we had some rough way to pass still.
We were a little uneasy, however, when we found it snowed one
whole day and a night so fast that we could not travel; but he bid
.
318
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
IBREVAL
us be easy; we should soon be past it all: we found, indeed, that
we began to descend every day, and to come more north than before ;
and so, depending upon our guide, we went on.

It was about two hours before night, when, our guide being
something before us, and not just in sight, out rushed three mon-
strous wolves, and after them a bear, out of a hollow way adjoining
to a thick wood: two of the wolves made at the guide, and, had he
been far before us, he would have been devoured before we could
have helped him; one of them fastened upon his horse, and the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
319
other attacked the man with that violence, that he had not time or
presence of mind enough to draw his pistol, but hallooed and cried
out to us most lustily. My man Friday being next me, I bade him
ride up, and see what was the matter. As soon as Friday came in
sight of the man, he hallooed out as loud as the other, "O master!
O master!" but, like a bold fellow, rode directly up to the poor man,
and with his pistol shot the wolf that attacked him in the head.
It was happy for the poor man that it was my man Friday; for,
he having been used to such creatures in his country, he had no fear
upon him, but went close up to him and shot him, as above; whereas
any other of us would have fired at a farther distance, and have per-
haps either missed the wolf, or endangered shooting the man.
But it was enough to have terrified a bolder man than I; and,
indeed, it alarmed all our company, when, with the noise of Friday's
pistol, we heard on both sides the most dismal howling of wolves ;
and the noise, redoubled by the echo of the mountains, appeared to
us as if there had been a prodigious number of them; and perhaps
there was not such a few as that we had no cause of apprehensions :
however, as Friday had killed this wolf, the other that had fastened
upon the horse left him immediately, and fled, without doing him any
damage, having happily fastened upon his head, where the bosses of
the bridle had stuck in his teeth. But the man was most hurt; for
the raging creature had bit him twice, once in the arm, and the other
time a little above his knee; and though he had made some defence,
he was just as it were tumbling down by the disorder of his horse,
when Friday came up and shot the wolf.
It is easy to suppose that at the noise of Friday's pistol we all
mended our pace, and rode up as fast as the way, which was very
difficult, would give us leave, to see what was the matter.
As soon
as we came clear of the trees, which blinded us before, we saw clearly
what had been the case, and how Friday had disengaged the poor
guide, though we did not presently discern what kind of creature it
was he had killed.
But never was a fight managed so hardily, and in such a sur-
prising manner, as that which followed between Friday and the bear,
320
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
which gave us all, though at first we were surprised and afraid for
him, the greatest diversion imaginable. As the bear is a heavy clumsy
creature, and does not gallop as the wolf does, who is swift and light,
so he has two particular qualities, which generally are the rule of his
actions: first, as to men, who are not his proper prey (he does not
usually attempt them, except they first attack him, unless he be ex-
cessive hungry, which it is probable might now be the case, the
ground being covered with snow), if you do not meddle with him,
he will not meddle with you; but then you must take care to be
very civil to him, and give him the road, for he is a very nice gen-
tleman; he will not go a step out of his way for a prince; nay, if
you are really afraid, your best way is to look another way, and
keep going on; for some times if you stop, and stand still, and look
steadfastly at him, he takes it for an affront; but if you throw or
toss anything at him, and it hits him, though it were but a bit of
stick as big as your finger, he thinks himself abused, and sets all
other business aside to pursue his revenge, and will have satisfaction
in point of honour; this is his first quality: the next is, if he be
once affronted, he will never leave you, night or day, till he has his
revenge, but follows at a good round rate till he overtakes you.
My man Friday had delivered our guide, and when we came
up to him, he was helping him off from his horse, for the man was
both hurt and frightened, when on a sudden we espied the bear come
out of the wood, and a vast monstrous one it was, the biggest by far
that ever I saw. We were all a little surprised when we saw him ;
but when Friday saw him, it was easy to see joy and courage in the
fellow's countenance: “O, O, O!" says Friday, three times, pointing
to him; "O master! you give me te leave, me shakee te hand with
him; me makee you good laugh."
(C
"You fool,"
I was surprised to see the fellow so well pleased:
says I," he will eat you up.".
"_" Eatee me up! eatee me up!" says
Friday, twice over again; me eatee him up; me makee you good
laugh; you all stay here, me shew you good laugh." So down he
sits, and gets off his boots in a moment, and puts on a pair of pumps
(as we call the flat shoes they wear, and which he had in his pocket),
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
321
gives my other servant his horse, and with his gun away he flew,
swift like the wind.
66
me
The bear was walking softly on, and offered to meddle with
nobody, till Friday coming pretty near, calls to him, as if the bear
could understand him, "Hark ye, hark ye," says Friday,
speakee with you." We followed at a distance, for now being come
down on the Gascony side of the mountains, we were entered a vast
forest, where the country was plain and pretty open, though it had
many trees in it scattered here and there. Friday, who had, as we
say, the heels of the bear, came up with him quickly, and takes up a
great stone and throws it at him, and hit him just on the head, but
did him no more harm than if he had thrown it against a wall; but it
answered Friday's end, for the rogue was so void of fear that he did
it purely to make the bear follow him, and shew us some laugh, as he
called it. As soon as the bear felt the blow, and saw him, he turns
about, and comes after him, taking devilish long strides, and shuffling
on at a strange rate, so as would have put a horse to a middling
gallop: away runs Friday, and takes his course as if he ran towards
us for help; so we all resolved to fire at once upon the bear, and
deliver my man; though I was angry at him heartily for bringing
the bear back upon us, when he was going about his own business
another way and especially I was angry that he had turned the
bear upon us, and then run away; and I called out, "You dog, is
this your making us laugh? Come away, and take your horse, that
we may shoot the creature." He heard me, and cried out,
shoot, no shoot; stand still, and you get much laugh:" and as the
nimble creature ran two feet for the bear's one, he turned on a
sudden on one side of us, and seeing a great oak tree fit for his
purpose, he beckoned to us to follow; and doubling his pace, he
gets nimbly up the tree, laying his gun down upon the ground, at
about five or six yards from the bottom of the tree. The bear soon
came to the tree, and we followed at a distance: the first thing he
did, he stopped at the gun, smelled to it, but let it lie, and up he
scrambles into the tree, climbing like a cat, though so monstrous
heavy. I was amazed at the folly, as I thought it, of my man, and
D D
"No
322
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
could not for my life see anything to laugh at yet, till seeing the
bear get up the tree, we all rode near to him.
66
-
When we came to the tree, there was Friday got out to the small
end of a large branch, and the bear got about half way to him. As
soon as the bear got out to that part where the limb of the tree was
weaker," Ha!" says he to us, now you see me teachee the bear
dance" so he falls a jumping and shaking the bough, at which the
bear began to totter, but stood still, and began to look behind him,
to see how he should get back; then, indeed, we did laugh heartily.
But Friday had not done with him by a great deal; when seeing him
stand still, he calls out to him again, as if he had supposed the bear
could speak English, "What, you come no farther? pray you come
farther;" so he left jumping and shaking the tree; and the bear, just
as if he understood what he said, did come a little farther; then he
fell a jumping again, and the bear stopped again. We thought now
was a good time to knock him in the head, and called to Friday to
stand still, and we would shoot the bear: but he cried out earnestly,
pray! O pray! no shoot, me shoot by and then :" he would have
said by and by. However, to shorten the story, Friday danced so
much, and the bear stood so ticklish, that we had laughing enough,
but still could not imagine what the fellow would do: for first we
thought he depended upon shaking the bear off; and we found the
bear was too cunning for that too; for he would not go out far
enough to be thrown down, but clings fast with his great broad
claws and feet, so that we could not imagine what would be the end
of it, and what the jest would be at last. But Friday put us out of
doubt quickly for seeing the bear cling fast to the bough, and that
he would not be persuaded to come any farther, "Well, well, “says
Friday, "you no come farther, me go; you no come to me, me
come to you" and upon this he goes out to the smaller end of the
bough, where it would bend with his weight, and gently lets himself
down by it, sliding down the bough till he came near enough to jump
down on his feet, and away he runs to his gun, takes it up, and
stands still."Well," said I to him, "Friday, what will you do
now? Why don't you shoot him?”. "No shoot," says Friday,

CAISNE
Ст
CORD:
m
So he falls a-jumping and shaking the bough.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
323
66
no yet; me shoot now, me no kill; me stay, give you one more
laugh" and, indeed, so he did, as you will see presently; for when
the bear saw his enemy gone, he comes back from the bough where
he stood, but did it mighty cautiously, looking behind him every
step, and coming backward till he got into the body of the tree;
then, with the same hinder end foremost, he came down the tree,
grasping it with his claws, and moving one foot at a time, very
leisurely. At this juncture, and just before he could set his hind
foot on the ground, Friday stepped up close to them, clapped the
muzzle of his piece into his ear, and shot him dead. Then the
rogue turned about to see if we did not laugh; and when he saw
we were pleased, by our looks, he falls a laughing himself very loud.
"So we kill bear in my country," says Friday. "So you kill
them?" says I;
why, you have no guns."—" No," says he, no
gun, but shoot great much long arrow." This was a good diversion
to us; but we were still in a wild place, and our guide very much
hurt, and what to do we hardly knew: the howling of wolves ran
much in my head; and, indeed, except the noise I once heard on
the shore of Africa, of which I have said something already, I
never heard anything that filled me with so much horror.
(6
These things, and the approach of night, called us off, or else, as
Friday would have had us, we should certainly have taken the skin
of this monstrous creature off, which was worth saving; but we had
near three leagues to go, and our guide hastened us; so we left him,
and went forward on our journey.
The ground was still covered with snow, though not so deep and
dangerous as on the mountains; and the ravenous creatures, as we
heard afterwards, were come down into the forest and plain country,
pressed by hunger, to seek for food, and had done a great deal of
mischief in the villages, where they surprised the country people,
killed a great many of their sheep and horses, and some people too.
We had one dangerous place to pass, which, our guide told us, if
there were more wolves in the country we should find them there;
and this was a small plain, surrounded with woods on every side, and
a long narrow defile, or lane, which we were to pass to get through
the wood, and then we should come to the village where we were
324
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to lodge. It was within half an hour of sunset when we entered
the wood, and a little after sunset when we came into the plain :
we met with nothing in the first wood, except that in a little plain
within the wood, which was not above two furlongs over, we saw
five great wolves cross the road, full speed, one after another, as
if they had been in chase of some prey, and had it in view; they
took no notice of us, and were gone out of sight in a few moments.
Upon this, our guide, who by the way was but a faint-hearted fellow,
bid us keep in a ready posture, for he believed there were more
wolves a coming. We kept our arms ready, and our eyes about us;
but we saw no more wolves till we came through that wood, which
was near half a league, and entered the plain. As soon as we came
into the plain, we had occasion enough to look about us: the first
object we met with was a dead horse, that is to say, a poor horse
which the wolves had killed, and at least a dozen of them at work,
we could not say eating of him, but picking of his bones rather;
for they had eaten up all the flesh before. We did not think fit
to disturb them at their feast, neither did they take much notice
of us.
Friday would have let fly at them, but I would not suffer
him by any means; for I found we were like to have more business
upon our hands than we were aware of. We were not gone half
over the plain, when we began to hear the wolves howl in the wood
on our left in a frightful manner, and presently after we saw about a
hundred coming on directly towards us, all in a body, and most of
them in a line, as regularly as an army drawn up by experienced
officers. I scarce knew in what manner to receive them, but found
to draw ourselves in a close line was the only way; so we formed in
a moment: but that we might not have too much interval, I ordered
that only every other man should fire, and that the others, who had
not fired, should stand ready to give them a second volley imme-
diately, if they continued to advance upon us; and then that those
who had fired at first, should not pretend to load their fusees again,
but stand ready, every one with a pistol, for we were all armed with
a fusee and a pair of pistols each man; so we were, by this method,
able to fire six volleys, half of us at a time: however, at present we
had no necessity; for, upon firing the first volley, the enemy made
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
325
a full stop, being terrified as well with the noise as with the fire;
four of them, being shot in the head, dropped; several others were
I
wounded, and went bleeding off, as we could see by the snow.
found they stopped, but did not immediately retreat; whereupon,
remembernig that I had been told that the fiercest creatures were
terrified at the voice of a man, I caused all the company to halloo as
loud as we could; and I found the notion not altogether mistaken; for
upon our shout they began to retire, and turn about. I then ordered
a second volley to be fired in their rear, which put them to the gallop,
and away they went to the woods. This gave us leisure to charge
our pieces again; and that we might lose no time, we kept going:
but we had but little more than loaded our fusees, and put ourselves
in readiness, when we heard a terrible noise in the same wood on our
left, only that it was farther onward, the same way we were to go.
The night was coming on, and the light began to be dusky,
which made it worse on our side; but the noise increasing, we could
easily perceive that it was the howling and yelling of those hellish
creatures; and, on a sudden, we perceived two or three troops of
wolves, one on our left, one behind us, and one in our front, so that
we seemed to be surrounded with them however, as they did not
fall upon us, we kept our way forward, as fast as we could make our
horses go, which the way being very rough, was only a good hard
trot. In this manner, we came in view of the entrance of a wood,
through which we were to pass, at the farther side of the plain; but
we were greatly surprised, when coming nearer the lane or pass, we
saw a confused number of wolves standing just at the entrance.
On
a sudden, at another opening of the wood, we heard the noise of a
gun, and looking that way, out rushed a horse, with a saddle and a
bridle on him, flying like the wind, and sixteen or seventeen wolves
after him full speed: indeed the horse had the heels of them, but as
we supposed that he could not hold it at that rate, we doubted not
but they would get up with him at last; no question but they did.
But here we had a most horrible sight; for, riding up to the
entrance where the horse came out, we found the carcasses of another
horse and of two men, devoured by the ravenous creatures; and one
326
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

SGARS
of the men was no doubt the same whom we heard fire the gun, for
there lay a gun just by him fired off; but as to the man, his head
and the upper part of his body were eaten up. This filled us with
horror, and we knew not what course to take; but the creatures
resolved us soon, for they gathered about us presently, in hopes of
prey; and I verily believe there were three hundred of them. It
happened very much to our advantage, that at the entrance into the
wood, but a little way from it, there lay some large timber trees,
which had been cut down the summer before, and I suppose lay
there for carriage. I drew my little troop in among those trees, and
placing ourselves in a line behind one long tree, I advised them all
to alight, and keeping that tree before us for a breastwork, to stand
in a triangle, or three fronts, enclosing our horses in the centre.

I ordered our last pistols to be fired off in one volley.
།
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
327
We did so, and it was well we did; for never was a more furious
charge than the creatures made upon us in this place. They came
on with a growling kind of noise, and mounted the piece of timber,
which, as I said, was our breastwork, as if they were only rushing
upon their prey; and this fury of theirs, it seems, was principally
occasioned by their seeing our horses behind us. I ordered our men
to fire as before, every other man; and they took their aim so sure,
that they killed several of the wolves at the first volley; but there
was a necessity to keep a continual firing, for they came on like
devils, those behind pushing on those before.
-
When we had fired a second volley of our fusees, we thought
they stopped a little, and I hoped they would have gone off, but it
was but a moment, for others came forward again; so we fired two
volleys of our pistols; and I believe in these four firings we had
killed seventeen or eighteen of them, and lamed twice as many, yet
they came on again. I was loath to spend our shot too hastily; so
I called my servant, not my man Friday, for he was better employed,
for, with the greatest dexterity imaginable, he had charged my fusee
and his own while we were engaged; but, as I said, I called my
other man, and giving him a horn of powder, I bade him lay a train
all along the piece of timber, and let it be a large train.
He did so;
and had but just time to get away, when the wolves came up to it,
and some got upon it, when I, snapping an uncharged pistol close to
the powder, set it on fire: those that were upon the timber were
scorched with it, and six or seven of them fell, or rather jumped in
among us, with the force and fright of the fire; we despatched these
in an instant, and the rest were so frightened with the light, which
the night, for it was now very near dark, made more terrible, that
they drew back a little; upon which I ordered our last pistols to be
fired off in one volley, and after that we gave a shout: upon this, the
wolves turned tail, and we sallied immediately upon near twenty
lame ones, that we found struggling on the ground, and fell a cutting
them with our swords, which answered our expectation; for the cry-
ing and howling they made was better understood by their fellows;
so that they all fled and left us.
328
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
We had, first and last, killed about three-score of them; and had
it been daylight, we had killed many more. The field of battle being
thus cleared, we made forward again, for we had still near a league
to go.
We heard the ravenous creatures howl and yell in the woods
as we went, several times, and sometimes we fancied we saw some of
them, but the snow dazzling our eyes, we were not certain: in about
an hour more, we came to the town where we were to lodge, which
we found in a terrible fright, and all in arms; for, it seems, the
night before, the wolves and some bears had broke into the village,
and put them in such terror that they were obliged to keep guard
night and day, but especially in the night, to preserve their cattle,
and, indeed, their people.
}
The next morning our guide was so ill, and his limbs swelled so
much with the rankling of his two wounds, that he could go no
farther; so we were obliged to take a new guide here, and go to
Thoulouse, where we found a warm climate, a fruitful, pleasant
country, and no snow, no wolves, nor anything like them: but when
we told our story at Thoulouse, they told us it was nothing but what
was ordinary in the great forest at the foot of the mountains, espe-
cially when the snow lay on the ground; but they enquired much
what kind of a guide we had got, who would venture to bring us
that way in such a severe season; and told us it was surprising we
were not all devoured. When we told them how we placed our-
selves and the horses in the middle, they blamed us exceedingly,
and told us it was fifty to one but we had been all destroyed; for it
was the sight of the horses which made the wolves so furious, seeing
their prey; and that, at other times, they are really afraid of a gun ;
but being excessive hungry, and raging on that account, the eager-
ness to come at the horses had made them senseless of danger; and
that if we had not, by the continued fire, and, at last, by the strata-
gem of the train of powder, mastered them, it had been great odds
but that we had been torn to pieces: whereas, had we been content
to have sat still on horseback, and fired as horsemen, they would not
have taken the horses so much for their own, when men were on
their backs, as otherwise; and withal they told us, that, at last, if
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
329
we had stood all together, and left our horses, they would have been
so eager to have devoured them that we might have come off safe,
especially having our fire-arms in our hands, and being so many in
number. For my part, I was never so sensible of danger in my
life; for seeing above three hundred devils come roaring and open-
mouthed to devour us, and having nothing to shelter us or retreat
to, I gave myself over for lost; and, as it was, I believe I shall never
care to cross those mountains again; I think I would much rather
go a thousand leagues by sea, though I was sure to meet with a
storm once a week.
I have nothing uncommon to take notice of in my passage
through France; nothing but what other travellers have given an
account of, with much more advantage than I can. I travelled
from Thoulouse to Paris; and, without any considerable stay, came
to Calais, and landed safe at Dover, the 14th of January, after
having a severe cold season to travel in.
I was now come to the centre of my travels, and had, in a little
time, all my new discovered estate safe about me; the bills of ex-
change which I brought with me having been very currently paid.
My principal guide and privy counsellor was my good, ancient
widow, who, in gratitude for the money I had sent her, thought no
pains too much, nor care too great, to employ for me; and I trusted
her so entirely with everything, that I was perfectly easy as to the
security of my effects: and, indeed, I was very happy from the
beginning, and now to the end, in the unspotted integrity of this
good gentlewoman.
And now having resolved to dispose of my plantation in the
Brazils, I wrote to my old friend at Lisbon; who having offered
it to the two merchants, the survivors of my trustees, who lived in
the Brazils, they accepted the offer, and remitted thirty-three thou-
sand pieces-of-eight to a correspondent of theirs at Lisbon, to pay
for it.
In return, I signed the instrument of sale in the form which they
sent from Lisbon, and sent it to my old man, who sent me the bills
of exchange for thirty-two thousand eight hundred pieces-of-eight
330
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
for the estate; reserving the payment of one hundred moidores
a-year to him (the old man) during his life, and fifty moidores
afterwards to his son for his life, which I had promised them; and
which the plantation was to make good as a rent-charge. And thus
I have given the first part of a life of fortune and adventure; a life
of Providence's chequer-work, and of a variety which the world will
seldom be able to shew the like of: beginning foolishly, but closing
much more happily than any part of it ever gave me leave so much
as to hope for.
Any one would think, that in this state of complicated good
fortune, I was past running any more hazards, and so, indeed, I
had been, if other circumstances had concurred; but I was inured
to a wandering life, had no family, nor many relations; nor, how-
ever rich, had I contracted much acquaintance; and though I had
sold my estate in the Brazils, yet I could not keep that country out
of my head, and had a great mind to be upon the wing again;
especially I could not resist the strong inclination I had to see my
island, and to know if the poor Spaniards were in being there. My
true friend, the widow, earnestly dissuaded me from it, and so far
prevailed with me, that, for almost seven years, she prevented my
running abroad; during which time I took my two nephews, the
children of one of my brothers, into my care: the eldest, having
something of his own, I bred up as a gentleman, and gave him a
settlement of some addition to his estate, after my decease. The
other I put out to a captain of a ship: and after five years, finding
him a sensible, bold, enterprising young fellow, I put him into a
good ship, and sent him to sea and this young fellow afterwards
drew me in, as old as I was, to farther adventures myself.
!
:
In the mean time, I, in part, settled myself here; for, first of all,
I married, and that not either to my disadvantage or dissatisfaction,
and had three children, two sons and one daughter; but my wife
dying, and my nephew coming home with good success from a
voyage to Spain, my inclination to go abroad, and his importunity,
prevailed, and engaged me to go in his ship as a private trader to
the East Indies: this was in the year 1694.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
331
In this voyage, I visited my new colony in the island; saw my
successors, the Spaniards; had the whole story of their lives, and
of the villains I left there; how at first they insulted the poor
Spaniards, how they afterwards agreed, disagreed, united, separated,
and how at last the Spaniards were obliged to use violence with
them; how they were subjected to the Spaniards; how honestly
the Spaniards used them; a history, if it were entered into, as full
of variety and wonderful accidents as my own part: particularly
also as to their battles with the Caribbeans, who landed several
times upon the island, and as to the improvement they made upon
the island itself; and how five of them made an attempt upon the
main land, and brought away eleven men and five women prisoners;
by which, at my coming, I found about twenty young children on
the island.
Here I stayed about twenty days; left them supplies of all
necessary things, and particularly of arms, powder, shot, clothes,
tools, and two workmen, which I brought from England with me;
viz. a carpenter and a smith.
Besides this, I shared the lands into parts with them, reserved
to myself the property of the whole, but gave them such parts re-
spectively as they agreed on; and, having settled all things with
them, and engaged them not to leave the place, I left them there.
From thence I touched at the Brazils, from whence I sent a
bark, which I bought there, with more people, to the island; and
in it, besides other supplies, I sent seven women, being such as I
found proper for service, or for wives to such as would take them.
As to the Englishmen, I promised them to send them some women
from England, with a good cargo of necessaries, if they would apply
themselves to planting; which I afterwards could not perform. The
fellows proved very honest and diligent, after they were mastered,
and had their properties set apart for them. I sent them also,
from the Brazils, five cows, three of them being big with calf, some
sheep, and some hogs, which, when I came again, were considerably
increased.
332
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
But all these things, with an account how three hundred Carib-
bees came and invaded them, and ruined their plantations, and how
they fought with that whole number twice, and were at first defeated
and one of them killed; but at last a storm destroying their enemies'
canoes, they famished or destroyed almost all the rest, and renewed
and recovered the possession of their plantation, and still lived upon
the island.
All these things, with some very surprising incidents in some
new adventures of my own, for ten years more, I shall give a farther
account of in the second part of my history.

FOREVAL.
་ ་ཟི
MAYAK

اراة
BRO VIENE S.
THE
LIFE AND ADVENTURES
OF
ROBINSON CRUSOE.

SJE!
A min
Apt 49 How out
E E
HAT homely proverb, used
on so many occasions in
England, viz. "That what
is bred in the bone will
not go out of the flesh,"
was never more verified
than in the story of my
life. Any one would think
that after thirty-five years'
affliction, and a variety
of unhappy circumstances,
which few men, if any,
ever went through before,
334
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
and after near seven years of peace and enjoyment in the fulness
of all things, grown old, and when, if ever, it might be allowed me
to have had experience of every state of middle life, and to know
which was most adapted to make a man completely happy; I say,
after all this, any one would have thought that the native propensity
to rambling, which I gave an account of in my first setting out in the
world to have been so predominant in my thoughts, should be worn
out, the volatile part be fully evacuated, or at least condensed, and I
might, at sixty-one years of age, have been a little inclined to stay at
home, and have done venturing life and fortune any more.
Nay, farther, the common motive of foreign adventures was taken
away in me, for I had no fortune to make; I had nothing to seek:
if I had gained ten thousand pounds, I had been no richer; for I
had already sufficient for me, and for those I had to leave it to; and
that I had was visibly increasing; for, having no great family, I
could not spend the income of what I had, unless I would set up
for an expensive way of living, such as a great family, servants,
equipage, gaiety, and the like, which were things I had no notion
of, or inclination to; so that I had nothing, indeed, to do but to sit
still, and fully enjoy what I had got, and see it increase daily upon
my hands. Yet all these things had no effect upon me, or at least
not enough to resist the strong inclination I had to go abroad again,
which hung about me like a chronical distemper. In particular, the
desire of seeing my new plantation in the island, and the colony I
left there, ran in my head continually. I dreamed of it all night,
and my imagination ran upon it all day; it. was uppermost in all my
thoughts; and my fancy worked so steadily and strongly upon it,
that I talked of it in my sleep; in short, nothing could remove it
out of my mind: it even broke so violently into all my discourses
that it made my conversation tiresome, for I could talk of nothing
else; all my discourse ran into it, even to impertinence; and I saw
it in myself.
I have often heard persons of good judgment say, that all the
stir people make in the world about ghosts and apparitions is owing
to the strength of imagination, and the powerful operation of fancy
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
335
in their minds; that there is no such thing as a spirit appearing, or
a ghost walking, and the like; that people's poring affectionately
upon the past conversation of their deceased friends, so realises it to
them that they are capable of fancying, upon some extraordinary
circumstances, that they see them, talk to them, and are answered
by them, when, in truth, there is nothing but shadow and vapour in
the thing, and they really know nothing of the matter.
For my part, I know not to this hour whether there are any such
things as real apparitions, spectres, or walking of people after they
are dead; or whether there is anything in the stories they tell us of
that kind more than the product of vapours, sick minds, and wander-
ing fancies but this I know, that my imagination worked up to
such a height, and brought me into such excess of vapours, or what
else I may call it, that I actually supposed myself often upon the
spot, at my old castle, behind the trees; saw my old Spaniard,
Friday's father, and the reprobate sailors I left upon the island;
nay, I fancied I talked with them, and looked at them steadily,
though I was broad awake, as at persons just before me; and this
I did till I often frightened myself with the images my fancy re-
presented to me. One time, in my sleep, I had the villany of the
three pirate sailors so lively related to me by the first Spaniard and
Friday's father that it was surprising; they told me how they bar-
barously attempted to murder all the Spaniards, and that they set
fire to the provisions they had laid up, on purpose to distress and
starve them; things that I had never heard of, and that, indeed,
were never all of them true in fact; but it was so warm in my
imagination, and so realised to me, that, to the hour I saw them,
I could not be persuaded but that it was, or would be, true: also
how I resented it, when the Spaniard complained to me; and how
I brought them to justice, tried them before me, and ordered them
all three to be hanged. What there was really in this shall be seen
in its place for however I came to form such things in my dream,
and what secret converse of spirits injected it, yet there was, I say,
much of it true. I own that this dream had nothing in it literally
and specifically true; but the general part was so true,-the base,
336
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
villanous behaviour of these three hardened rogues was such, and
had been so much worse than all I can describe, that the dream had
too much similitude of the fact; and as I would afterwards have
punished them severely, so, if I had hanged them all, I had been
much in the right, and even should have been justified both by the
laws of God and man. But to return to my story: In this kind of
temper I lived some years; I had no enjoyment of my life, no plea-
sant hours, no agreeable diversion, but what had something or other
of this in it; so that my wife, who saw my mind wholly bent upon
it, told me very seriously one night, that she believed there was some
secret powerful impulse of Providence upon me, which had deter-
mined me to go thither again; and that she found nothing hindered
my going, but my being engaged to a wife and children.
me that it was true she could not think of parting with me: but as
she was assured that if she was dead it would be the first thing I
would do; so, as it seemed to her that the thing was determined
She told

OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
337
above, she would not be the only obstruction; for, if I thought fit,
and resolved to go- [Here she found me very intent upon her
words, and that I looked very earnestly at her, so that it a little
disordered her, and she stopped. I asked her why she did not go
on, and say out what she was going to say? But I perceived that
her heart was too full, and some tears stood in her eyes.] "Speak
out, my dear," said I; "are you willing I should go?"-"No,"
says she, very affectionately, "I am far from willing; but if you are
resolved to go," says she, "and rather than I would be the only
hinderance, I will go with you for though I think it a most pre-
posterous thing for one of your years, and in your condition, yet,
if it must be," said she, again weeping, "I would not leave you;
for, if it be of Heaven, you must do it; there is no resisting it:
and if Heaven make it your duty to go, He will also make it mine
to go with you, or otherwise dispose of me, that I may not
obstruct it."
This affectionate behaviour of my wife's brought me a little out
of the vapours, and I began to consider what I was doing; I cor-
rected my wandering fancy, and began to argue with myself sedately
what business I had after three-score years, and after such a life of
edious sufferings and disasters, and closed in so happy and easy
a manner; I say, what business had I to rush into new hazards,
and put myself upon adventures fit only for youth and poverty to
run into?
With those thoughts I considered my new engagement; that
I had a wife, one child born, and my wife then great with child of
another: that I had all the world could give me, and had no need to
seek hazard for gain; that I was declining in years, and ought to
think rather of leaving what I had gained than of seeking to increase
it; that as to what my wife had said of its being an impulse from
Heaven, and that it should be my duty to go, I had no notion of
that: so, after many of these cogitations, I struggled with the power
of my imagination, reasoned myself out of it, as I believe people may
always do in like cases if they will: and, in a word, I conquered it;
composed myself with such arguments as occurred to my thoughts,
:
338
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
and which my present condition furnished me plentifully with; and
particularly, as the most effectual method, I resolved to divert my-
self with other things, and to engage in some business that might
effectually tie me up from any more excursions of this kind; for
I found that thing return upon me chiefly when I was idle, and
had nothing to do, nor anything of moment immediately before
me. To this purpose, I bought a little farm in the county of
Bedford, and resolved to remove myself thither. I had a little
convenient house upon it; and the land about it, I found, was
capable of great improvement; and it was many ways suited to
my inclination, which delighted in cultivating, managing, planting,
and improving of land; and particularly, being an inland country,
I was removed from conversing among sailors, and things relating
to the remote parts of the world.
In a word, I went down to my farm, settled my family, bought
me ploughs, harrows, a cart, waggon, horses, cows, and sheep, and,
setting seriously to work, became, in one half year, a mere country
gentleman my thoughts were entirely taking up in managing my
servants, cultivating the ground, enclosing, planting, &c.; and I
lived, as I thought, the most agreeable life that nature was capable
of directing, or that a man always bred to misfortunes was capable of
retreating to.
I farmed upon my own land; I had no rent to pay, was limited
by no articles; I could pull up or cut down as I pleased: what I
planted was for myself, and what I improved was for my family;
and having thus left off the thoughts of wandering, I had not the
least discomfort in any part of life as to this world. Now I thought
indeed that I enjoyed the middle state of life which my father so
earnestly recommended to me, and lived a kind of heavenly life,
something like what is described by the poet, upon the subject of
a country life :-
"Free from vices, free from care,
Age has no pain, and youth no snare."
But, in the middle of all this felicity, one blow from unseen Pro-
vidence unhinged me at once; and not only made a breach upon me
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
339
inevitable and incurable, but drove me, by its consequences, into a
deep relapse of the wandering disposition, which, as I may say, being
born in my very blood, soon recovered its hold of me; and, like the
returns of a violent distemper, came on with an irresistible force
This blow was the loss of my wife.
upon me.
It is not my business
here to write an elegy upon my wife, give a character of her par-
ticular virtues, and make my court to the sex by the flattery of a
funeral sermon. She was, in a few words, the stay of all my affairs,
the centre of all my enterprises, the engine that, by her prudence,
reduced me to that happy compass I was in, from the most extrava-
gant and ruinous project that fluttered in my head, as above, and did
more to guide my rambling genius than a mother's tears, a father's
instructions, a friend's counsel, or all my own reasoning powers could
do. I was happy in listening to her tears, and in being moved by
her entreaties; and to the last degree desolate and dislocated in the
world by the loss of her.
When she was gone, the world looked awkwardly round me. I
was as much a stranger in it, in my thoughts, as I was in the Brazils,
when I first went on shore there; and as much alone, except as to
the assistance of servants, as I was in my island. I knew neither
what to think nor what to do. I saw the world busy around me; one
part labouring for bread, another part squandering in vile excesses
or empty pleasures, equally miserable, because the end they proposed
still fled from them; for the men of pleasure every day surfeited of
their vice, and heaped up work for sorrow and repentance; and the
men of labour spent their strength in daily struggling for bread to
maintain the vital strength they laboured with: so living in a daily
circulation of sorrow, living but to work, and working but to live, as
if daily bread were the only end of wearisome life, and a wearisome
life the only occasion of daily bread.
This put me in mind of the life I lived in my kingdom, the
island; where I suffered no more corn to grow, because I did not
want it and bred no more goats, because I had no more use for
them where the money lay in the drawer till it grew mouldy, and
had scarce the favour to be looked upon in twenty years.
:
340
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
All these things, had I improved them as I ought to have done,
and as reason and religion had dictated to me, would have taught me
to search farther than human enjoyments for a full felicity; and that
there was something which certainly was the reason and end of life,
superior to all these things, and which was either to be possessed, or
at least hoped for, on this side the grave.
But my sage counsellor was gone; I was like a ship without
a pilot, that could only run afore the wind: my thoughts ran all
away again into the old affair; my head was quite turned with
the whimseys of foreign adventures; and all the pleasant, innocent-
amusements of my farm, my garden, my cattle, and my family,
which before entirely possessed me, were nothing to me, had no
relish, and were like music to one that has no ear, or food to one
that has no taste: in a word, I resolved to leave off housekeeping,
let my farm, and return to London; and, in a few months after,
I did so.
When I came to London, I was still as uneasy as I was before ;
I had no relish for the place, no employment in it, nothing to do but
to saunter about like an idle person, of whom it may be said he is
perfectly useless in God's creation, and it is not one farthing's matter
to the rest of his kind whether he be dead or alive. This also was
the thing which, of all circumstances of life, was the most my aver-
sion, who had been all my days used to an active life; and I would
often say to myself, "A state of idleness is the very dregs of life :"
and, indeed, I thought I was much more suitably employed when I
was twenty-six days making me a deal board.
It was now the beginning of the year 1693, when my nephew,
whom, as I have observed before, I had brought up to the sea, and
had made him commander of a ship, was come home from a short
voyage to Bilboa, being the first he had made. He came to me, and
told me that some merchants of his acquaintance had been proposing
to him to go a voyage for them to the East Indies, and to China, as
private traders. "And now, uncle," says he, "if you will go to sea
with me, I will engage to land you upon your old habitation in the
island; for we are to touch at the Brazils."
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
341
Nothing can be a greater demonstration of a future state, and of
the existence of an invisible world, than the concurrence of second
causes with the ideas of things which we form in our minds, perfectly
reserved, and not communicated to any in the world.
My nephew knew nothing how far my distemper of wandering
was returned upon me, and I knew nothing of what he had in his
thought to say, when that very morning, before he came to me, I
had, in a great deal of confusion of thought, and revolving every
part of my circumstances in my mind, come to this resolution, viz.
that I would go to Lisbon, and consult with my old sea-captain; and
so, if it was rational and practicable, I would go and see the island
again, and see what was become of my people there. I had pleased
myself with the thoughts of peopling the place, and carrying inhabi-
tants from hence, getting a patent for the possession, and I knew not
what; when, in the middle of all this, in comes my nephew, as I
have said, with his project of carrying me thither in his way to the
East Indies.

ancup kaisnĖ
تربتات
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I paused awhile at his words, and looking steadily at him,
"What devil," said I, "sent you on this unlucky errand?" My
nephew stared as if he had been frightened, at first; but perceiving
that I was not much displeased with the proposal, he recovered
himself. "I hope it may not be an unlucky proposal, sir," says
he;
"I dare say you would be pleased to see your new colony
there, where you once reigned with more felicity than most of your
brother monarchs in the world."
In a word, the scheme hit so exactly with my temper, that is to
say, the prepossession I was under, and of which I have said so much,
that I told him, in a few words, if he agreed with the merchants, I
would go with him: but I told him I would not promise to go any
farther than my own island.
Why, sir," says he,
Why," said I,
"you don't want
to be left there again, I hope?"
me up again on your return?"
to do so; that the merchants would never allow him to come that
way with a laden ship of such value, it being a month's sail out of
his way, and might be three or four. "Besides, sir, if I should
miscarry," said he, "and not return at all, then you would be just
reduced to the condition you were in before."
can you not take
He told me it would not be possible
This was very rational; but we both found out a remedy for it;
which was, to carry a framed sloop on board the ship, which being
taken in pieces, and shipped on board the ship, might, by the help
of some carpenters, whom we agreed to carry with us, be set up
again in the island, and finished fit to go to sea in a few days.
I was not long resolving; for, indeed, the importunities of my
nephew joined so effectually with my inclination, that nothing could
oppose me; on the other hand, my wife being dead, I had nobody
concerned themselves so much for me as to persuade me to one way
or the other, except my ancient good friend the widow, who earnestly
struggled with me to consider my years, my easy circumstances, and
the needless hazards of a long voyage; and, above all, my young
children. But it was all to no purpose; I had an irresistible desire
to the voyage; and I told her I thought there was something so un-
common in the impressions I had upon my mind for the voyage, that
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
343
it would be a kind of resisting Providence if I should attempt to stay
at home after which she ceased her expostulations, and joined with
me, not only in making provision for my voyage, but also in settling
my family affairs for my absence, and providing for the education of
my children.
In order to do this, I made my will, and settled the estate I had
in such a manner for my children, and placed in such hands, that I
was perfectly easy and satisfied they would have justice done them,
whatever might befal me: and for their education, I left it wholly to
the widow, with a sufficient maintenance to herself for her care: all
which she richly deserved; for no mother could have taken more
care in their education, or understood it better: and as she lived till
I came home, I also lived to thank her for it.
My nephew was ready to sail about the beginning of January,
1694-5; and I, with my man Friday, went on board, in the Downs,
the 8th: having, besides that sloop which I mentioned above, a very
considerable cargo of all kinds of necessary things for my colony;
which, if I did not find in good condition, I resolved to leave so.
First, I carried with me some servants, whom I purposed to place
there as inhabitants, or at least to set on work there, upon my ac-
count, while I stayed, and either to leave them there or carry them
forward, as they would appear willing; particularly, I carried two
carpenters, a smith, and a very handy, ingenious fellow, who was a
cooper by trade, and was also a general mechanic; for he was dex-
terous at making wheels, and hand-mills to grind corn, was a good
turner, and a good pot-maker; he also made anything that was
proper to make of earth or of wood; in a word, we called him our
Jack-of-all-trades. With these I carried a tailor, who had offered
himself to go a passenger to the East Indies with my nephew, but
afterwards consented to stay on our new plantation; and proved a
most necessary, handy fellow, as could be desired, in many other
businesses besides that of his trade: for, as I observed formerly,
necessity arms us for all employments.
My cargo, as near as I can recollect, for I have not kept account
of the particulars, consisted of a sufficient quantity of linen, and
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
some English thin stuffs, for clothing the Spaniards that I expected.
to find there; and enough of them, as, by my calculation, might
comfortably supply them for seven years: if I remember right, the
materials I carried for clothing them, with gloves, hats, shoes, stock-
ings, and all such things as they could want for wearing, amounted
to above two hundred pounds, including some beds, bedding, and

DELHATTI
household stuff, particularly kitchen utensils, with pots, kettles,
pewter, brass, &c., and near a hundred pounds more in iron-work,
nails, tools of every kind, staples, hooks, hinges, and every necessary
thing I could think of.
I carried also a hundred spare arms, muskets and fusees; be-
sides some pistols, a considerable quantity of shot of all sizes, three
or four tons of lead, and two pieces of brass cannon; and, because
I knew not what time and what extremities I was providing for, I
carried a hundred barrels of powder, besides swords, cutlasses, and
the iron part of some pikes and halberts; so that, in short, we had
a large magazine of all sorts of stores: and I made my nephew
carry two small quarter-deck guns more than he wanted for his
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
345
ship, to leave behind if there was occasion; that, when we came
there, we might build a fort, and man it against all sorts of enemies :
and, indeed, I at first thought there would be need enough for all,
and much more, if we hoped to maintain our possession of the
island; as shall be seen in the course of that story.
I had not such bad luck in this voyage as I had been used to
meet with; and, therefore, shall have the less occasion to interrupt
the reader, who, perhaps, may be impatient to hear how matters
went with my colony: yet some odd accidents, cross winds, and
bad weather, happened on this first setting out, which made the
voyage longer than I expected it at first: and I, who had never
made but one voyage, viz. my first voyage to Guinea, in which I
might be said to come back again, as the voyage was at first de-
signed, began to think the same ill fate attended me; and that I
was born to be never contented with being on shore, and yet to be
always unfortunate at sea.
Contrary winds first put us to the northward, and we were
obliged to put in at Galway, in Ireland, where we lay wind-bound
two and twenty days; but we had this satisfaction with the disaster,
that provisions were here exceeding cheap, and in the utmost plenty;
so that while we lay here, we never touched the ship's stores, but
rather added to them. Here, also, I took in several live hogs,
and two cows, with their calves; which I resolved, if I had a good
passage, to put on shore in my island; but we found occasion to
dispose otherwise of them.
We set out on the 5th of February from Ireland, and had a very
fair gale of wind for some days. As I remember, it might be about
the 20th of February, in the evening late, when the mate, having
the watch, came into the round-house, and told us he saw a flash of
fire, and heard a gun fired; and while he was telling us of it, a boy
came in, and told us the boatswain heard another. This made us all
run out upon the quarter-deck, where, for a while, we heard no-
thing; but in a few minutes we saw a very great light, and found
that there was some very terrible fire at a distance: immediately we
had recourse to our reckonings, in which we all agreed, that there
F F
346
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Upon this, we
and as, by our
could be no land that way in which the fire shewed itself, no, not for
five hundred leagues, for it appeared at W.N.W.
concluded it must be some ship on fire at sea;
hearing the noise of guns just before, we concluded that it could not
be far off, we stood directly towards it, and were presently satisfied
we should discover it, because the farther we sailed, the greater
the light appeared; though, the weather being hazy, we could not
perceive anything but the light for a while. In about half an hour's
sailing, the wind being fair for us, though not much of it, and the
weather clearing up a little, we could plainly discern that it was a
great ship on fire, in the middle of the sea.
I was most sensibly touched with this disaster, though not at all
acquainted with the persons engaged in it: I presently recollected
my former circumstances, and in what condition I was in, when

Балий
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
347
taken up by the Portuguese captain; and how much more deplor-
able the circumstances of the poor creatures belonging to that ship
must be, if they had no other ship in company with them. Upon
this, I immediately ordered that five guns should be fired, one soon
after another; that, if possible, we might give notice to them that
there was help for them at hand, and that they might endeavour to
save themselves in their boat; for though we could see the flames of
the ship, yet they, it being night, could see nothing of us.
We lay by some time upon this, only driving as the burning ship
drove, waiting for daylight; when, on a sudden, to our great terror,
though we had reason to expect it, the ship blew up in the air; and
immediately, that is to say, in a few minutes, all the fire was out,
that is to say, the rest of the ship sunk. This was a terrible and,
indeed, an afflicting sight, for the sake of the poor men; who, I
concluded, must be either all destroyed in the ship, or be in the
utmost distress in their boat, in the middle of the ocean; which,
at present, by reason it was dark, I could not see. However, to
direct them as well as I could, I caused lights to be hung out in
all the parts of the ship where we could, and which we had lanthorns
for, and kept firing guns all the night long; letting them know, by
this, that there was a ship not far off.
About eight o'clock in the morning, we discovered the ship's
boats by the help of our perspective glasses; found there were two
of them; both thronged with people, and deep in the water.
We
perceived they rowed, the wind being against them; that they saw
our ship, and did their utmost to make us see them.
We immediately spread our ancient, to let them know we saw
them, and hung a waft out, as a signal for them to come on board;
and then made more sail, standing directly to them. In little more
than half an hour, we came up with them; and, in a word, took
them all in, being no less than sixty-four men, women, and children;
for there were a great many passengers.
Upon the whole, we found it was a French merchant ship of
three hundred tons, home-bound from Quebec, in the river of
Canada. The master gave us a long account of the distress of
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
his ship; how the fire began in the steerage, by the negligence of
the steersman; but, on his crying out for help, was, as everybody
thought, entirely put out; but they soon found that some sparks of
the first fire had gotten into some part of the ship so difficult to
come at that they could not effectually quench it; and afterwards
getting in between the timbers, and within the ceiling of the ship,
it proceeded into the hold, and mastered all the skill and all the
application they were able to exert.
They had no more to do then but to get into their boats, which,
to their great comfort, were pretty large; being their long-boat, and
a great shallop, besides a small skiff, which was of no great service to
them, other than to get some fresh water and provisions into her,
after they had secured their lives from the fire. They had, indeed,
small hope of their lives by getting into these boats, at that distance
from any land; only, as they said well, that they were escaped from
the fire, and a possibility that some ship might happen to be at sea,
and might take them in. They had sails, oars, and a compass; and
were preparing to make the best of their way back to Newfoundland,
the wind blowing pretty fair; for it blew an easy gale at S.E. by E.
They had as much provision and water, as, with sparing it so as to
be next door to starving, might support them about twelve days;
in which, if they had no bad weather and no contrary winds, the
captain said he hoped he might get to the Banks of Newfoundland,
and might perhaps take some fish, to sustain them till they might go
on shore. But there were so many chances against them in all these
cases, such as storms, to overset and founder them; rains and cold,
to benumb and perish their limbs; contrary winds, to keep them out
and starve them; that it must have been next to miraculous if they
had escaped.
In the midst of their consternation, every one being hopeless and
ready to despair, the captain, with tears in his eyes, told me they
were on a sudden surprised with the joy of hearing a gun fire, and
after that four more; these were the five guns which I caused to be
fired at first seeing the light. This revived their hearts, and gave
them the notice, which, as above, I desired it should, viz. that there
349
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
was a ship at hand for their help. It was upon the hearing of these
guns that they took down their masts and sails: the sound coming
from the windward, they resolved to lie by till morning. Some time
after this, hearing no more guns, they fired three muskets, one a
considerable while after another; but these, the wind being contrary,
we never heard.
Some time after that again, they were still more agreeably
surprised with seeing our lights, and hearing the guns which, as I
have said, I caused to be fired all the rest of the night: this set
them to work with their oars, to keep their boats ahead, at least,
that we might the sooner come up with them; and, at last, to their
inexpressible joy, they found we saw them.
It is impossible for me to express the several gestures, the
strange ecstasies, the variety of postures, which these poor de-
livered people ran into, to express the joy of their souls at so
unexpected a deliverance. Grief and fear are easily described;
sighs, tears, groans, and a very few motions of the head and hands,
make up the sum of its variety; but an excess of joy, a surprise
of joy, has a thousand extravagances in it: there were some in
tears; some raging and tearing themselves, as if they had been in
the greatest agonies of sorrow; some stark raving and downright
lunatic; some ran about the ship stamping with their feet, others
wringing their hands; some were dancing, some singing, some laugh-
ing, more crying; many quite dumb, not able to speak a word;
others sick and vomiting; several swooning and ready to faint; and
a few were crossing themselves, and giving God thanks.
I would not wrong them neither; there might be many that
were thankful afterwards; but the passion was too strong for them
at first, and they were not able to master it; they were thrown
into ecstasies and a kind of phrensy; and it was but a very few
that were composed and serious in their joy.
Perhaps, also, the case may have some addition to it from the
particular circumstance of that nation they belonged to; I mean
the French, whose temper is allowed to be more volatile, more
passionate, and more sprightly, and their spirits more fluid, than
350
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
こころ
​in other nations. I am not philosopher enough to determine the
cause; but nothing I had ever seen before came up to it. The
ecstacies poor Friday, my trusty savage, was in, when he found
his father in the boat, came the nearest to it; and the surprise
of the master and his two companions, whom I delivered from the
villains that set them on shore in the island, came a little way
towards it; but nothing was to compare to this, either that I saw
in Friday, or anywhere else in my life.
It is further observable, that these extravagances did not shew
themselves, in that different manner I have mentioned, in different
persons only; but all the variety would appear, in a short succession

MIGOSTE GO FILS AWE
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
351
of moments, in one and the same person. A man that we saw
this minute dumb, and, as it were, stupid and confounded, would
the next minute be dancing and hallooing like an antic; and the
next moment be tearing his hair, or pulling his clothes to pieces,
and stamping them under his feet, like a madman; in a few mo-
ments after that, we would have him all in tears, then sick,
swooning, and, had not immediate help been had, he would in a
few moments have been dead; and thus it was, not with one or
two, or ten or twenty, but with the greatest part of them: and, if
I remember right, our surgeon was obliged to let blood of about
thirty of them.
There were two priests among them: one, an old man; and
the other, a young man; and that which was strangest was, the
oldest man was the worst. As soon as he set his foot on board
our ship, and saw himself safe, he dropped down stone dead to all
appearance; not the least sign of life could be perceived in him :
our surgeon immediately applied proper remedies to recover him,
and was the only man in the ship that believed he was not dead.
At length, he opened a vein in his arm, having first chafed and
rubbed the part, so as to warm it as much as possible: upon this,
the blood, which only dropped at first, flowing freely, in three
minutes after the man opened his eyes; and a quarter of an hour
after that he spoke, grew better, and in a little time, quite well.
After the blood was stopped, he walked about; told us he was
perfectly well; took a dram of cordial which the surgeon gave
him, and was what we call come to himself. About a quarter of
an hour after this, they came running into the cabin to the surgeon,
who was bleeding a French woman that had fainted, and told him
the priest was gone stark mad. It seems he had begun to revolve
the change of his circumstances in his mind, and again this put
him into an ecstasy of joy; his spirits whirled about faster than
the vessels could convey them, the blood grew hot and feverish,
and the man was as fit for Bedlam as any creature that ever was
in it: the surgeon would not bleed him again in that condition,
but gave him something to doze and put him to sleep; which, after
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
some time, operated upon him, and he awoke next morning perfectly
composed and well.
The younger priest behaved with great command of his passions,
and was really an example of a serious, well governed mind: at his
first coming on board the ship, he threw himself flat on his face,

L
Ye
Gru
prostrating himself in thankfulness for his deliverance, in which I
unhappily and unseasonably disturbed him, really thinking he had
been in a swoon; but he spoke calmly, thanked me, told me he
was giving God thanks for his deliverance; begged me to leave
him a few moments, and that, next to his Maker, he would give me
thanks also.
I was heartily sorry that I disturbed him, and not only left him,
but kept others from interrupting him also. He continued in that
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
353
posture about three minutes, or little more, after I left him; then
came to me, as he had said he would, and, with a great deal of
seriousness and affection, but with tears in his eyes, thanked me,
that had, under God, given him and so many miserable creatures
their lives. I told him I had no room to move him to thank God
for it, rather than me, for I had seen that he had done that already;
but I added, that it was nothing but what reason and humanity
dictated to all men, and that we had as much reason as he to give
thanks to God, who had blessed us so far as to make us the instru-
ments of his mercy to so many of his creatures.
After this, the young priest applied himself to his country folks ;
laboured to compose them; persuaded, entreated, argued, reasoned
with them, and did his utmost to keep them within the exercise of
their reason; and with some he had success, though others were
for a time out of all government of themselves.
I cannot help committing this to writing, as, perhaps, it may
be useful to those into whose hands it may fall, for the guiding
themselves in all the extravagances of their passions; for if an
excess of joy can carry men out to such a length beyond the reach
of their reason, what will not the extravagances of anger, rage, and
a provoked mind, carry us to? And, indeed, here I saw reason for
keeping an exceeding watch over our passions of every kind, as
well those of joy and satisfaction, as those of sorrow and anger.
We were somewhat disordered by these extravagances among
our new guests, for the first day but when they had been retired,
lodgings provided for them as well as our ship would allow, and
they had slept heartily-as most of them did, being fatigued and
frightened-they were quite another sort of people the next day.
Nothing of good manners, or civil acknowledgments for the
kindness shewn them, was wanting; the French, it is known, are
naturally apt enough to exceed that way. The captain and one.
of the priests came to me the next day, and desired to speak with
me and my nephew: the commander began to consult with us what
should be done with them; and, first, they told us we had saved
their lives, so all they had was little enough for a return to us
354
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
for that kindness received. The captain said they had saved some
money and some things of value in their boats, catched hastily
out of the flames, and if we would accept it, they were ordered
to make an offer of it all to us; they only desired to be set on
shore somewhere in our way, where, if possible, they might get a
passage to France. My nephew was for accepting their money at
first word, and to consider what to do with them afterwards; but
I overruled him in that part, for I knew what it was to be set
on shore in a strange country: and if the Portuguese captain that
took me up at sea had served me so, and took all I had for my
deliverance, I must have starved, or have been as much a slave
at the Brazils as I had been at Barbary, the mere being sold to
a Mahometan excepted: and perhaps a Portuguese is not a much
better master than a Turk,-if not, in some cases, much worse.
I therefore told the French captain that we had taken them up
in their distress, it was true, but that it was our duty to do so, as we
were fellow-creatures; and we would desire to be so delivered, if we
were in the like, or any other extremity; that we had done nothing
for them but what we believed they would have done for us, if we
had been in their case, and they in ours; but that we took them up
to save them, not to plunder them; and it would be a most barba-
rous thing to take that little from them which they had saved out of
the fire, and then set them on shore and leave them; that this would
be first to save them from death, and then kill them ourselves; save
them from drowning, and abandon them to starving; and, therefore,
I would not let the least thing be taken from them. As to setting
them on shore, I told them, indeed, that was an exceeding difficulty
to us, for that the ship was bound to the East Indies; and though
we were driven out of our course to the westward a very great way,
and perhaps were directed by Heaven on purpose for their deliver-
ance, yet it was impossible for us wilfully to change our voyage on
their particular account; nor could my nephew, the captain, answer
it to the freighters, with whom he was under charter party to pursue
his voyage by the way of Brazil: and all I knew we could do for
them was to put ourselves in the way of meeting with other ships
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
355
homeward bound from the West Indies, and get them a passage, if
possible, to England or France.
The first part of the proposal was so generous and kind, they
could not but be very thankful for it; but they were in a very great
consternation, especially the passengers, at the notion of being carried
away to the East Indies; they then entreated me, that seeing I was
driven so far to the westward before I met with them, I would, at
least, keep on the same course to the Banks of Newfoundland, where
it was probable I might meet with some ship or sloop that they
might hire to carry them back to Canada, from whence they came.
I thought this was but a reasonable request on their part, and,
therefore, I inclined to agree to it; for, indeed, I considered that
to carry this whole company to the East Indies, would not only be
an intolerable severity upon the poor people, but would be ruining
our whole voyage, by devouring all our provisions; so I thought it
no breach of charter party, but what an unforeseen accident made
absolutely necessary to us, and in which no one could say we were
to blame; for the laws of God and nature would have forbid that we
should refuse to take up two boats full of people in such a distressed
condition; and the nature of the thing, as well respecting ourselves
as the poor people, obliged us to set them on shore somewhere or
other for their deliverance: so I consented that we would carry them
to Newfoundland, if wind and weather would permit; and if not,
that I would carry them to Martinico, in the West Indies.
The wind continued fresh easterly, but the weather pretty good;
and as the winds had continued in the points between N.E. and
S.E. a long time, we missed several opportunities of sending them
to France; for we met several ships bound to Europe, whereof two
were French, from St. Christopher's; but they had been so long
beating up against the wind that they durst take in no passengers,
for fear of wanting provisions for the voyage, as well for themselves
as for those they should take in; so we were obliged to go on. It
was about a week after this that we made the Banks of Newfound-
land; where, to shorten my story, we put all our French people on
board a bark, which they hired at sea there, to put them on shore,
356
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
and afterwards to carry them to France, if they could get provisions
to victual themselves with. When I say all the French went on
shore, I should remember, that the young priest I spoke of, hearing
we were bound to the East Indies, desired to go the voyage with
us, and to be set on shore on the coast of Coromandel; which I
readily agreed to, for I wonderfully liked the man, and had very
good reason, as will appear afterwards; also four of the seamen
entered themselves on our ship, and proved very useful fellows.
From hence we directed our course for the West Indies, steering
away S. and S. by E. for about twenty days together, sometimes
little or no wind at all; when we met with another subject for our
humanity to work upon, almost as deplorable as that before.
It was in the latitude of 27 degrees 5 minutes north, on the
19th day of March, 1694-5, when we spied a sail, our course S.E.
and by S.: we soon perceived it was a large vessel, and that she
bore up to us, but could not at first know what to make of her, till,
after coming a little nearer, we found she had lost her main-topmast,
foremast, and bowsprit; and presently she fired a gun, as a signal of
distress the weather was pretty good, wind at N.N.W. a fresh gale,
and we soon came to speak with her.
We found her a ship of Bristol, bound home from Barbadoes, but
had been blown out of the road at Barbadoes a few days before she
was ready to sail, by a terrible hurricane, while the captain and chief
mate were both gone on shore; so that, besides the terror of the
storm, they were in an indifferent case for good artists to bring the
ship home. They had been already nine weeks at sea, and had met
with another terrible storm, after the hurricane was over, which had
blown them quite out of their knowledge to the westward, and in
which they lost their masts, as above. They told us they expected
to have seen the Bahama Islands, but were then driven away again
to the south-east, by a strong gale of wind at N.N.W., the same that
blew now and having no sails to work the ship with but a main-
course, and a kind of square sail upon a jury foremast, which they
had set up, they could not lie near the wind, but were endeavouring
to stand away for the Canaries.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
357
But that which was worst of all was, that they were almost
starved for want of provisions, besides the fatigues they had under-
gone their bread and flesh were quite gone; they had not one
ounce left in the ship, and had none for eleven days. The only
relief they had was, their water was not all spent, and they had
about half a barrel of flour left; they had sugar enough; some
succades, or sweetmeats, they had at first, but they were all de-
voured; and they had seven casks of rum.
There were a youth, and his mother, and a maid-servant on
board, who were going passengers, and thinking the ship was ready
to sail, unhappily came on board the evening before the hurricane
began; and having no provisions of their own left, they were in a
more deplorable condition than the rest for the seamen, being
reduced to such an extreme necessity themselves, had no com-
passion, we may be sure, for the poor passengers; and they were,
indeed, in a condition that their misery is very hard to describe.
I had perhaps, not known this part, if my curiosity had not led
me (the weather being fair, and the wind abated) to go on board
the ship.
The second mate, who upon this occasion commanded
the ship, had been on board our ship, and he told me, indeed, they
had three passengers in the great cabin, that were in a deplorable
condition: "Nay," says he, "I believe they are dead, for I have
heard nothing of them for above two days; and I was afraid to
enquire after them," said he, "for I had nothing to relieve them
with."
·
We immediately applied ourselves to give them what relief we
could spare; and, indeed, I had so far overruled things with my
nephew, that I would have victualled them, though we had gone
away to Virginia, or any other part of the coast of America, to
have supplied ourselves; but there was no necessity for that.
But now they were in a new danger; for they were afraid of
eating too much, even of that little we gave them. The mate, or
commander, brought six men with him in his boat; but these poor
wretches looked like skeletons, and were so weak that they could
hardly sit to their oars. The mate himself was very ill, and half
G G
358
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
starved; for he declared he had reserved nothing from the men,
and went share and share alike with them in every bit they ate.
I cautioned him to eat sparingly, but set meat before him im-
mediately; and he had not eaten three mouthfuls before he began
to be sick, and out of order; so he stopped awhile, and our surgeon
mixed him up something with some broth, which he said would be
to him both food and physic; and after he had taken it he grew
better. In the mean time, I forgot not the men; I ordered victuals
to be given them; and the poor creatures rather devoured than ate
it: they were so exceeding hungry that they were in a kind raven-
ous, and had no command of themselves; and two of them ate with
so much greediness, that they were in danger of their lives the next
morning.
The sight of these people's distress was very moving to me, and
brought to mind what I had a terrible prospect of at my first coming
on shore in my island, where I had never the least mouthful of food,
or any prospect of procuring any; besides the hourly apprehensions.
I had of being made the food of other creatures. But all the while
the mate was thus relating to me the miserable condition of the
ship's company, I could not put out of my thought the story he had
told me of the three poor creatures in the great cabin, viz. the
mother, her son, and the maid-servant, whom he had heard nothing
of for two or three days, and whom, he seemed to confess, they had
wholly neglected, their own extremities being so great: by which I
understood, that they had really given them no food at all, and that
therefore they must be perished, and be all lying dead, perhaps, on
the floor or deck of the cabin.
As I therefore kept the mate, whom we then called captain, on
board with his men, to refresh them, so I also forgot not the starving
crew that were left on board; but ordered my own boat to go on
board the ship, and, with my mate and twelve men, to carry them a
Our surgeon
sack of bread, and four or five pieces of beef to boil.
charged the men to cause the meat to be boiled while they stayed,
and to keep guard in the cook-room, to prevent the men taking it to
eat raw, or taking it out of the pot before it was well boiled, and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
359
then to give every man but a very little at a time: and by this
caution he preserved the men, who would otherwise have killed
themselves with that very food that was given them on purpose to
save their lives.
At the same time, I ordered the mate to go into the great cabin,
and see what condition the poor passengers were in; and if they
were alive, to comfort them, and give them what refreshment was
proper: and the surgeon gave him a large pitcher, with some of the
prepared broth which he had given the mate that was on board, and
which he did not question would restore them gradually.
I was not satisfied with this; but, as I said above, having a great
mind to see the scene of misery which I knew the ship itself would
present me with, in a more lively manner than I could have it by
report, I took the captain of the ship, as we now called him, with
me, and went myself, a little after, in their boat.

LI STIPOLKOWII.
360
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I found the poor men on board almost in a tumult, to get the
victuals out of the boiler before it was ready; but my mate observed
his orders, and kept a good guard at the cook-room door; and the
man he placed there, after using all possible persuasion to have
patience, kept them off by force: however he caused some biscuit
cakes to be dipped in the pot, and softened with the liquor of the
meat, which they called brewis, and gave them every one some, to
stay their stomachs, and told them it was for their own safety that
he was obliged to give them but little at a time. But it was all in
vain; and had I not come on board, and their own commander and
officers with me, and with good words, and some threats also of
giving them no more, I believe they would have broken into the
cook-room by force, and torn the meat out of the furnace; for
words are indeed of very small force to a hungry belly: however,
we pacified them, and fed them gradually and cautiously for the
first, and the next time gave them more, and at last filled their
bellies, and the men did well enough.
But the misery of the poor passengers in the cabin was of
another nature, and far beyond the rest; for as, first, the ship's
company had so little for themselves, it was but too true that they
had at first kept them very low, and at last totally neglected them
so that for six or seven days it might be said they had really no
food at all, and for several days before very little. The poor mother,
who, as the men reported, was a woman of sense and good breeding,
had spared all she could so affectionately for her son that at last she
entirely sunk under it; and when the mate of our ship went in,
she sat upon the floor or deck, with her back up against the sides,
between two chairs, which were lashed fast, and her head sunk
between her shoulders, like a corpse, though not quite dead. My
mate said all he could to revive and encourage her, and with a
spoon put some broth into her mouth. She opened her lips, and
lifted up one hand, but could not speak: yet she understood what
he said, and made signs to him, intimating that it was too late for
her, but pointed to her child, as if she would have said they should
take care of him. However, the mate, who was exceedingly moved
1
:

She opened her lips, and lifted up one hand, but could not speak.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
361
with the sight, endeavoured to get some of the broth into her mouth,
and, as he said, got two or three spoonfuls down; though I question
whether he could be sure of it or not: but it was too late, and she
died the same night.
The youth, who was preserved at the price of his most affec-
tionate mother's life, was not so far gone; yet he lay in a cabin
bed, as one stretched out, with hardly any life left in him. He
had a piece of an old glove in his mouth, having eaten up the rest
of it however, being young, and having more strength than his
mother, the mate got something down his throat, and he began
sensibly to revive; though by giving him, some time after, but two
or three spoonfuls extraordinary, he was very sick, and brought it
up again.
But the next care was the poor maid: she lay all along upon the
deck, hard by her mistress, and just like one that had fallen down
with an apoplexy, and struggled for life. Her limbs were distorted;
one of her hands was clasped round the frame of a chair, and she
griped it so hard that we could not easily make her let it go: her
other arm lay over her head, and her feet lay both together, set fast
against the frame of the cabin table: in short, she lay just like one
in the agonies of death, and yet she was alive too.
The poor creature was not only starved with hunger, and terrified
with the thoughts of death, but, as the men told us afterwards, was
broken-hearted for her mistress, whom she saw dying for two or
three days before, and whom she loved most tenderly.
We knew not what to do with this poor girl: for when our
surgeon, who was a man of very great knowledge and experience,
had, with great application, recovered her as to life, he had her upon
his hands as to her senses; for she was little less than distracted for
a considerable time after, as shall appear presently.
Whoever shall read these memorandums must be desired to con-
sider, that visits at sea are not like a journey into the country, where
sometimes people stay a week or a fortnight at a place: our business
was to relieve this distressed ship's crew, but not lie by for them ;
and though they were willing to steer the same course with us for
362
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
4
some days, yet we could carry no sail, to keep pace with a ship that
had no masts: however, as their captain begged of us to help him to
set up a main-topmast, and a kind of a topmast to his jury-foremast,
we did, as it were, lie by him for three or four days; and then,
having given him five barrels of beef, a barrel of pork, two hogs-
heads of biscuit, and a proportion of peas, flour, and what other
things we could spare; and taking three casks of sugar, some rum,
and some pieces of eight from them for satisfaction, we left them ;
taking on board with us, at their own earnest request, the youth and
the maid, and all their goods.
The young lad was about seventeen years of age; a pretty, well-
bred, modest, and sensible youth, greatly dejected with the loss of
his mother, and, as it seems, had lost his father but a few months
before, at Barbadoes: he begged of the surgeon to speak to me to
take him out of the ship; for he said the cruel fellows had murdered
his mother and, indeed, so they had, that is to say, passively; for
they might have spared a small sustenance to the poor helpless
widow, that might have preserved her life, though it had been but
just enough to keep her alive: but hunger knows no friend, no
relation, no justice, no right; and, therefore, is remorseless and
capable of no compassion.
The surgeon told him how far we were going, and that it would
carry him away from all his friends, and put him, perhaps, in as
bad circumstances almost as those we found him in, that is to say,
starving in the world. He said it mattered not whither he went, if
he was but delivered from the terrible crew that he was among;
that the captain (by which he meant me, for he could know nothing
of my nephew) had saved his life, and he was sure would not hurt
him; and as for the maid, he was sure, if she came to herself, she
would be very thankful for it, let us carry them where we would.
The surgeon represented the case so affectionately to me that I
yielded, and we took them both on board, with all their goods,
except eleven hogsheads of sugar, which could not be removed or
come at; and as the youth had a bill of lading for them, I made
his commander sign a writing, obliging himself to go, as soon as he
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
363
came to Bristol, to one Mr. Rogers, a merchant there, to whom the
youth said he was related, and to deliver a letter which I wrote to
him, and all the goods he had belonging to the deceased widow;
which I suppose was not done, for I could never learn that the ship
came to Bristol, but was, as is most probable, lost at sea; being in
so disabled a condition, and so far from any land, that I am of
opinion the first storm she met with afterwards, she might founder
in the sea; for she was leaky, and had damage in her hold, when
we met with her.
I was now in the latitude of 19 degrees 32 minutes, and had
hitherto a tolerable voyage as to weather, though, at first, the winds
had been contrary. I shall trouble nobody with the little incidents
of wind, weather, currents, &c., on the rest of our voyage; but, to
shorten my story, for the sake of what is to follow, shall observe
that I came to my old habitation, the island, on the 10th of April,
1695. It was with no small difficulty that I found the place; for
as I came to it, and went from it, before, on the south and east side
of the island, as coming from the Brazils, so now, coming in between
the main and the island, and having no chart for the coast, nor any
landmark, I did not know it when I saw it, or know whether I saw
it or not.
We beat about a great while, and went on shore on several
islands in the mouth of the great river Oronooque, but none for my
purpose; only this I learned by my coasting the shore, that I was
under one great mistake before, viz. that the continent which I
thought I saw from the island I lived in, was really no continent,
but a long island, or rather a ridge of islands, reaching from one to
the other side of the extended mouth of that great river; and that
the savages who came to my island were not properly those which
we call Caribbees, but islanders, and other barbarians of the same
kind, who inhabited something nearer to our side than the rest.
In short, I visited several of these islands to no purpose; some
I found were inhabited, and some were not: on one of them I found
some Spaniards, and thought they had lived there; but, speaking
with them, found they had a sloop lay in a small creek hard by, and
364
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
came thither to make salt, and to catch some pearl muscles if they
could; but that they belonged to the Isle de Trinidad, which lay
farther north, in the latitude of 10 and 11 degrees.
Thus coasting from one island to another, sometimes with the
ship, sometimes with the Frenchmen's shallop, which we had found
a convenient boat, and therefore kept her with their very good will,
at length I came fair on the south side of my island, and presently
knew the very countenance of the place: so I brought the ship
safe to an anchor, broadside with the little creek where my old
habitation was.
As soon as I saw the place, I called for Friday, and asked him
if he knew where he was? He looked about a little, and presently
clapping his hands, cried, "O yes, O there, O yes, O there!" point-
ing to our old habitation, and fell dancing and capering like a mad
fellow; and I had much ado to keep him from jumping into the sea,
to swim ashore to the place.
"Well Friday," says I, "do you think we shall find anybody
here or no? and do you think we shall see your father?” The
fellow stood mute as a stock a good while, but when I named his

OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
365
66
father, the poor affectionate creature looked dejected, and I could see
the tears run down his face very plentifully. "What is the matter,
Friday?" says
says I;
are you troubled because you may see your
father?""No, no," says he, shaking his head, no see him more:
no, never more see him again." 'Why so," said I, "Friday? how
do you know that?"—"O no, O no,
"O no, O no,” says Friday; "he long ago
die, long ago; he much old man.” "Well, well," says I, "Friday,
you don't know; but shall we see any one else then?" The fellow,
it seems, had better eyes than I, and he points to the hill just above
my old house; and, though we lay half a league off, he cries out,
"We see, we see, yes, yes, we see much man there, and there, and
there." I looked, but I saw nobody, no, not with a perspective
glass, which was, I suppose, because I could not hit the place; for
the fellow was right, as I found upon enquiry the next day; and
there were five or six men all together, who stood to look at the
ship, not knowing what to think of us.
As soon as Friday told me he saw people, I caused the English
ancient to be spread, and fired three guns, to give them notice we
were friends; and in about half a quarter of an hour after, we per-
ceived a smoke arise from the side of the creek; so I immediately
ordered the boat out, taking Friday with me: and hanging out a
white flag, or a flag of truce, I went directly on shore, taking with
me the young friar I mentioned, to whom I had told the story of my
living there, and the manner of it, and every particular, both of
myself and those I left there; and who was, on that account, ex-
tremely desirous to go with me. We had, besides, about sixteen
men well armed, if we had found any new guests there which we
did not know of; but we had no need of weapons.
As we went on shore upon the tide of flood, near high water,
we rowed directly into the creek; and the first man I fixed my eye
upon was the Spaniard whose life I had saved, and whom I knew by
his face perfectly well: as to his habit, I shall describe it afterwards.
I ordered nobody to go on shore at first but myself; but there was
no keeping Friday in the boat, for the affectionate creature had spied
his father at a distance, a good way off the Spaniards, where, indeed,
366
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I saw nothing of him; and if they had not let him go ashore, he
would have jumped into the sea. He was no sooner on shore, but
he flew away to his father, like an arrow out of a bow. It would
have made any man shed tears, in spite of the firmest resolution, to
have seen the first transports of this poor fellow's joy when he came
to his father: how he embraced him, kissed him, stroked his face,

3
took him up in his arms, set him down upon a tree, and lay down
by him; then stood and looked at him, as any one would look at a
strange picture, for a quarter of an hour together; then lay down on
the ground, and stroked his legs, and kissed them, and then got up
again, and stared at him; one would have thought the fellow be-
witched. But it would have made a dog laugh the next day to see
how his passion ran out another way in the morning, he walked
along the shore, to and again, with his father, several hours, always
leading him by the hand, as if he had been a lady; and every now
and then he would come to the boat to fetch something or other for
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
367
him, either a lump of sugar, a dram, a biscuit cake, or something or
other that was good. In the afternoon, his frolics ran another way;
for then he would set the old man down upon the ground and dance
about him, and make a thousand antic postures and gestures; and all
the while he did this, he would be talking to him, and telling him
one story or other of his travels, and of what had happened to him
abroad, to divert him. In short, if the same filial affection was to
be found in Christians to their parents, in our part of the world, one
would be tempted to say, there would hardly have been any need of
the fifth commandment.
But this is a digression: I return to my landing. It would be
needless to take notice of all the ceremonies and civilities that the
Spaniards received me with. The first Spaniard, who, as I said, I
knew very well, was he whose life I had saved; he came towards the
boat, attended by one more, carrying a flag of truce also; and he
not only did not know me at first, but he had no thoughts, no notion
of its being me that was come, till I spoke to him, "Seignior," said
I, in Portuguese, "do you not know me?" At which he spoke not
a word, but giving his musket to the man that was with him, threw
his arms abroad, saying something in Spanish that I did not perfectly
hear, came forward and embraced me, telling me he was inexcusable
not to know that face again that he had once seen as if an angel
from Heaven, sent to save his life: he said abundance of very hand-
some things, as a well-bred Spaniard always knows how; and then
beckoning to the person that attended him, bade him go and call out
his comrades. He then asked me if I would walk to my old habita-
tion, where he would give me possession of my own house again,
and where I should see they had made but mean improvements: so
I walked along with him; but, alas! I could no more find the place
than if I had never been there; for they had planted so many trees,
and placed them in such a posture, so thick and close to one another,
and in ten years' time they were grown so big that, in short, the
place was inaccessible, except by such windings and blind ways as
they themselves only, who made them, could find.
368
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I asked them what put them upon all these fortifications: he
told me I would say there was need enough of it, when they had
given me an account how they had passed their time since their
arriving in the island, especially after they had the misfortune to find.
that I was gone. He told me he could not but have some satisfac-
tion in my good fortune, when he heard that I was gone in a good
ship, and to my satisfaction; and that he had oftentimes a strong
persuasion that, one time or other, he should see me again: but
nothing that ever befel him in his life, he said, was so surprising
and afflicting to him at first, as the disappointment he was under
when he came back to the island and found I was not there.
As to the three barbarians (so he called them) that were left
behind, and of whom, he said, he had a long story to tell me, the
Spaniards all thought themselves much better among the savages,
only that their number was so small: "and," says he,
"had they
been strong enough, we had been all long ago in purgatory;" and
with that he crossed himself on the breast. "But, sir," says he,
"I hope you will not be displeased when I shall tell you how,
forced by necessity, we were obliged, for our own preservation, to
disarm them, and make them our subjects, who would not be content
with being moderately our masters, but would be our murderers."
I answered, I was heartily afraid of it when I left them there, and
nothing troubled me at my parting from the island but that they
were not come back, that I might have put them in possession of
everything first, and left the others in a state of subjection, as they
deserved; but if they had reduced them to it, I was very glad, and
should be very far from finding any fault with it: for I knew they
were a parcel of refractory, ungoverned villains, and were fit for any
manner of mischief.
While I was thus saying this, the man came whom he had sent
back, and with him eleven more. In the dress they were in, it was
impossible to guess what nation they were of; but he made all clear,
both to them and to me. First he turned to me, and pointing to
them, said, These, sir, are some of the gentlemen who owe their
lives to you;" and then turning to them, and pointing to me, he let
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
369
them know who I was; upon which they all came up, one by one,
not as if they had been sailors, and ordinary fellows, and the like,
but really as if they had been ambassadors of noblemen, and I a
monarch or great conqueror: their behaviour was, to the last de-

ETFAS
gree, obliging and courteous, and yet mixed with a manly, majestic
gravity, which very well became them; and, in short, they had so
much more manners than I, that I scarce knew how to receive their
civilities, much less how to return them in kind.
The history of their coming to, and conduct in, the island, after
my going away, is so very remarkable, and has so many incidents,
which the former part of my relation will help to understand, and
which will, in most of the particulars, refer to the account I have
H H
370
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
1
already given, that I cannot but commit them, with great delight,
to the reading of those that come after me.
I shall no longer trouble the story with a relation in the first per-
son, which will put me to the expense of ten thousand "said I's,"
and "said he's," and "he told me's," and "I told him's," and the
like; but I shall collect the facts historically, as near as I can gather
them out of my memory, from what they related to me, and from
what I met with in my conversing with them, and with the place.
In order to do this succinctly, and as intelligibly as I can, I must
go back to the circumstances in which I left the island, and in which
the persons were of whom I am to speak. And first, it is necessary
to repeat that I had sent away Friday's father and the Spaniard (the
two whose lives I had rescued from the savages) in a large canoe,
to the main, as I then thought it, to fetch over the Spaniard's com-
panions that he left behind him, in order to save them from the like
calamity that he had been in, and in order to succour them for the
present and that, if possible, we might together find some way for
our deliverance afterwards.
When I sent them away, I had no visible appearance of, or the
least room to hope for, my own deliverance, any more than I had
twenty years before, much less had I any foreknowledge of what
afterwards happened, I mean, of an English ship coming on shore
there to fetch me off; and it could not but be a very great surprise
to them, when they came back, not only to find that I was gone, but
to find three strangers left on the spot, possessed of all that I had
left behind me, which would otherwise have been their own.
The first thing, however, which I enquired into, that I might
begin where I left off, was of their own part; and I desired he
would give me a particular account of his voyage back to his
countrymen with the boat, when I sent him to fetch them over.
He told me there was little variety in that part, for nothing re-
markable happened to them on the way, having had very calm
weather, and a smooth sea. As for his countrymen, it could not
be doubted, he said, but that they were overjoyed to see him (it
seems he was the principal man among them, the captain of the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
371
vessel they had been shipwrecked in, having been dead some time):
they were, he said, the more surprised to see him, because they knew
that he was fallen into the hands of the savages, who, they were
satisfied, would devour him, as they did all the rest of their pri-
soners; that when he told them the story of his deliverance, and
in what manner he was furnished for carrying them away, it was
like a dream to them, and their astonishment, he said, was somewhat
like that of Joseph's brethren, when he told them who he was, and
told them the story of his exaltation in Pharaoh's court; but when
he shewed them the arms, the powder, the ball, and provisions, that
he brought them for their journey or voyage, they were restored to
themselves, took a just share of the joy of their deliverance, and
immediately prepared to come away with him.
In
Their first business was to get canoes and in this they were
obliged not to stick so much upon the honest part of it, but to
trespass upon their friendly savages, and to borrow two large canoes,
or periaguas, on pretence of going out a fishing, or for pleasure.
these they came away the next morning. It seems they wanted no
time to get themselves ready; for they had no baggage, neither
clothes, nor provisions, nor anything in the world but what they
had on them, and a few roots to eat, of which they used to make
their bread.
They were in all three weeks absent; and in that time, unluckily
for them, I had the occasion offered for my escape, as I mentioned
in my other part, and to get off from the island, leaving three of the
most impudent, hardened, ungoverned, disagreeable villains behind
me, that any man could desire to meet with; to the poor Spaniards'
great grief and disappointment, you may be sure.
The only just thing the rogues did was, that when the Spaniards
came ashore, they gave my letter to them, and gave them provisions,
and other relief, as I had ordered them to do; also they gave them
the long paper of directions which I had left with them, containing
the particular methods which I took for managing every part of my
life there; the way how I baked my bread, bred up tame goats, and
planted my corn; how I cured my grapes, made my pots, and, in a
372
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
word, everything I did; all this being written down, they gave to
the Spaniards (two of them understood English well enough): nor
did they refuse to accommodate the Spaniards with anything else,
for they agreed very well for some time. They gave them an
equal admission into the house, or cave, and they began to live
very sociably; and the head Spaniard, who had seen pretty much
of my methods, and Friday's father together, managed all their
affairs but as for the Englishmen, they did nothing but ramble
about the island, shoot parrots, and catch tortoises; and when they
came home at night, the Spaniards provided their suppers for them.
:
The Spaniards would have been satisfied with this, had the
others but let them alone; which, however, they could not find in
their hearts to do long; but, like the dog in the manger, they
would not eat themselves, neither would they let the others eat.
The differences, nevertheless, were at first but trivial, and such as
are not worth relating, but at last it broke out into open war: and
it began with all the rudeness and insolence that can be imagined,
—without reason, without provocation, contrary to nature, and, in-
deed, to common sense and though, it is true, the first relation
of it came from the Spaniards themselves, whom I may call the
accusers, yet when I came to examine the fellows, they could not
deny a word of it.
But before I come to the particulars of this part, I must supply
a defect in my former relation; and this was, I forgot to set down,
among the rest, that just as we were weighing the anchor to set sail,
there happened a little quarrel on board of our ship, which I was
once afraid would have turned to a second mutiny; nor was it ap-
peased till the captain, rousing up his courage, and taking us all to
his assistance, parted them by force, and, making two of the most
refractory fellows prisoners, he laid them in irons and as they had
been active in the former disorders, and let fall some ugly, dangerous
words, the second time he threatened to carry them in irons to Eng-
land, and have them hanged there for mutiny, and running away
with the ship. This, it seems, though the captain did not intend to
do it, frightened some other men in the ship; and some of them had
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
373
put it into the heads of the rest, that the captain only gave them
good words for the present, till they should come to some English
port, and that then they should be all put into gaol, and tried for
their lives. The mate got intelligence of this, and acquainted us
with it; upon which it was desired that I, who still passed for a
great man among them, should go down with the mate, and satisfy
the men, and tell them that they might be assured, if they behaved
well the rest of the voyage, all they had done for the time past
should be pardoned. So I went, and after passing my honour's
word to them, they appeared easy, and the more so when I caused
the two men that were in irons to be released and forgiven.
But this mutiny had brought us to an anchor for that night;
the wind also falling calm next morning, we found that our two
men, who had been laid in irons, had stole each of them a musket,
and some other weapons (what powder or shot they had we knew
not), and had taken the ship's pinnace, which was not yet haled
up, and run away with her to their companions in roguery on
shore. As soon as we found this, I ordered the long-boat on
shore, with twelve men and the mate, and away they went to seek
the rogues; but they could neither find them or any of the rest,
for they all fled into the woods when they saw the boat coming on
shore. The mate was once resolved, in justice to their roguery,
to have destroyed their plantations, burned all their household stuff
and furniture, and left them to shift without it; but having no
orders, he let it all alone, left everything as he found it, and,
bringing the pinnace away, came on board without them. These
two men made their number five; but the other three villains
were so much more wicked than they, that after they had been
two or three days together, they turned the two new comers out
of doors to shift for themselves, and would have nothing to do
with them; nor could they, for a good while, be persuaded to
give them any food: as for the Spaniards, they were not yet come.
When the Spaniards came first on shore, the business began
to go forward: the Spaniards would have persuaded the three
English brutes to have taken in their countrymen again, that,
374
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
as they said, they might be all one family; but they would not
hear of it so the two poor fellows lived by themselves; and find-
ing nothing but industry and application would make them live
comfortably, they pitched their tents on the north shore of the
island, but a little more to the west, to be out of danger of the
savages, who always landed on the east parts of the island.
Here they built them two huts, one to lodge in, and the other
to lay up their magazines and stores in; and the Spaniards having
given them some corn for seed, and especially some of the peas
which I had left them, they dug, planted, and enclosed, after the
pattern I had set for them all, and began to live pretty well. Their
first crop of corn was on the ground; and though it was but a little
bit of land which they had dug up at first, having had but a little
time, yet it was enough to relieve them, and find them with bread
and other eatables; and one of the fellows being the cook's-mate
of the ship, was very ready at making soup, puddings, and such
other preparations as the rice, and the milk, and such little flesh
as they got, furnished him to do.
They were going on in this little thriving posture, when the
three unnatural rogues, their own countrymen too, in mere humour,
and to insult them, came and bullied them, and told them the island
was theirs; that the governor, meaning me, had given them the
possession of it, and nobody else had any right to it; and that they
should build no houses upon their ground, unless they would pay
rent for them.
The two men, thinking they were jesting at first, asked them to
come in and sit down, and see what fine houses they were that they
had built, and to tell them what rent they demanded; and one of
them merrily said, if they were the ground landlords, he hoped, if
they built tenements upon their land, and made improvements, they
would, according to the custom of landlords, grant a long lease: and
desired they would get a scrivener to draw the writings. One of the
three, cursing and raging, told them they should see they were not
in jest; and going to a little place at a distance, where the honest
men had made a fire to dress their victuals, he takes a firebrand, and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
375
claps it to the outside of their hut, and very fairly set it on fire; and
it would have been all burned down in a few minutes, if one of the
two had not run to the fellow, thrust him away, and trod the fire out
with his feet, and that not without some difficulty too.

CURRIER
The fellow was in such a rage at the honest man's thrusting
him away, that he returned upon him, with a pole he had in his
hand, and had not the man avoided the blow very nimbly, and
run into the hut, he had ended his days at once. His comrade,
seeing the danger they were both in, ran in after him, and imme-
diately they came both out with their muskets, and the man that
was first struck at with the pole, knocked the fellow down, that
begun the quarrel, with the stock of his musket, and that before
376
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the other two could come to help him; and then seeing the rest
come at them, they stood together, and presenting the other ends
of their pieces to them, bade them stand off.
The others had fire-arms with them too; but one of the two
honest men, bolder than his comrade, and made desperate by his
danger, told them, if they offered to move hand or foot they were
dead men, and boldly commanded them to lay down their arms.
They did not, indeed, lay down their arms, but seeing him so re-
solute, it brought them to a parley, and they consented to take their
wounded man with them and be gone: and, indeed, it seems the
fellow was wounded sufficiently with the blow. However, they were
much in the wrong, since they had the advantage, that they did not
disarm them effectually, as they might have done, and have gone
immediately to the Spaniards, and given them an account how the
rogues had treated them; for the three villains studied nothing but
revenge, and every day gave them some intimation that they did so.
But not to crowd this part with an account of the lesser part
of the rogueries, such as treading down their corn; shooting three
young kids and a she-goat, which the poor men had got to breed up
tame for their store; and, in a word, plaguing them night and day
in this manner; it forced the two men to such a desperation, that
they resolved to fight them all three, the first time they had a fair
opportunity. In order to this, they resolved to go to the castle, as
they called it (that was, my old dwelling), where the three rogues
and the Spaniards all lived together at that time, intending to have
a fair battle, and the Spaniards should stand by, to see fair play: so
they got up in the morning before day, and came to the place, and
called the Englishmen by their names, telling a Spaniard, that
answered, that they wanted to speak with them.
It happened that the day before, two of the Spaniards, having
been in the woods, had seen one of the two Englishmen, whom, for
distinction, I called the honest men, and he had made a sad com-
plaint to the Spaniards of the barbarous usage they had met with
from their three countrymen, and how they had ruined their planta-
tion, and destroyed their corn that they had laboured so hard to
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
377
bring forward, and killed the milch-goat and their three kids, which
was all they had provided for their sustenance; and that if he and
his friends, meaning the Spaniards, did not assist them again, they
should be starved. When the Spaniards came home at night, and
they were all at supper, one of them took the freedom to reprove the
three Englishmen, though in very gentle and mannerly terms, and
asked them how they could be so cruel, they being harmless, in-
offensive fellows: that they were putting themselves in a way to
subsist by their labour, and that it had cost them a great deal of
pains to bring things to such perfection as they were then in.
Another of the brutes
One of the Englishmen returned very briskly, "What had
they to do there? that they came on shore without leave; and
that they should not plant or build upon the island; it was none of
heir ground." 'Why," says the Spaniard, very calmly, "Seignior
Inglese, they must not starve." The Englishman replied, like a
rough-hewn tarpauling, "They might starve and be d―d; they
should not plant nor build in that place."
"But what must they
do then, seignior?" said the Spaniard.
returned, "Do? d-n them, they should be servants, and work
for them." "But how can you expect that of them?" says the
Spaniard; "they are not bought with your money: you have no
right to make them servants." The Englishman answered, "The
island was theirs; the governor had given it to them, and no man
had anything to do there but themselves;" and with that, swore by
his Maker that they would go and burn all their new huts; they
should build none upon their land. "Why, seignior," says the
Spaniard, "by the same rule, we must be your servants too."
"Ay," says the bold dog, "and so you shall too, before we have
done with you;" mixing two or three "G-d d—n me's” in the
proper intervals of his speech. The Spaniard only smiled at that,
and made him no answer. However, this little discourse had heated
them; and, starting up, one says to the other (I think it was he they
called Will Atkins), “Come, Jack, let's go, and have t'other brush
with 'em; we'll demolish their castle, I'll warrant you; they shall
plant no colony in our dominions."
i
378
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Upon this, they went all trooping away, with every man a gun,
a pistol, and a sword, and muttered some insolent things among
themselves, of what they would do to the Spaniards too, when
opportunity offered; but the Spaniards, it seems, did not so per-
fectly understand them as to know all the particulars, only that,
in general, they threatened them hard for taking the two English-
men's part.
Whither they went, or how they bestowed their time that
evening, the Spaniards said they did not know; but it seems they
wandered about the country part of the night, and then lying down
in the place which I used to call my bower, they were weary, and
overslept themselves. The case was this: they had resolved to
stay till midnight, and so to take the two poor men when they were
asleep, and, as they acknowledged afterwards, intended to set fire
to their huts while they were in them, and either burn them there,
or murder them as they came out. As malice seldom sleeps very
sound, it was very strange they should not have been kept awake.
However, as the two men had also a design upon them, as I have
said, though a much fairer one than that of burning and murdering,
it happened, and very luckily for them all, that they were up and
gone abroad before the bloody-minded rogues came to their huts.
When they came there, and found the men gone, Atkins, who,
it seems, was the forwardest man, called out to his comrade, “Ha,
Jack, here's the nest, but, d-n them, the birds are flown." They
mused awhile, to think what should be the occasion of their being
gone abroad so soon, and suggested presently that the Spaniards
had given them notice of it; and with that they shook hands, and
swore to one another that they would be revenged of the Spaniards.
As soon as they had made this bloody bargain, they fell to work with
the poor men's habitation; they did not set fire, indeed, to anything,
but they pulled down both their houses, and pulled them so limb
from limb that they left not the least stick standing, or scarce any
sign on the ground where they stood; they tore all their little col-
lected household stuff in pieces, and threw everything about in such
a manner, that the poor men afterwards found some of their things a
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
379

mile off their habitation. When they had done this, they pulled up
all the young trees which the poor men had planted; pulled up an
enclosure they had made to secure their cattle and their corn; and,
in a word, sacked and plundered everything as completely as a horde.
of Tartars would have done.
The two men were, at this juncture, gone to find them out, and
had resolved to fight them wherever they had been, though they
were but two to three; so that, had they met, there certainly would
380
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
have been bloodshed among them: for they were all very stout,
resolute fellows, to give them their due.
But Providence took more care to keep them asunder than they
themselves could do to meet; for, as if they had dogged one another,
when the three were gone thither, the two were here; and after-
wards, when the two went back to find them, the three were come
to the old habitation again: we shall see their different conduct pre-
sently. When the three came back like furious creatures, flushed
with the rage which the work they had been about had put them
into, they came up to the Spaniards, and told them what they had
done, by way of scoff and bravado; and one of them stepping up to
one of the Spaniards, as if they had been a couple of boys at play,
takes hold of his hat as it was upon his head, and giving it a twirl
about, fleering in his face, says to him, "And you, Seignior Jack
Spaniard, shall have the same sauce if you do not mend your man-
ners." The Spaniard, who, though a quiet, civil man, was as brave
a man as could be, and, withal, a strong, well-made man, looked
at him for a good while, and then, having no weapon in his hand,
stepped gravely up to him, and, with one blow of his fist, knocked
him down, as an ox is felled with a pole-axe; at which one of the
rogues, as insolent as the first, fired his pistol at the Spaniard im-
mediately: he missed his body, indeed, for the bullets went through
his hair, but one of them touched the tip of his ear, and he bled
pretty much. The blood made the Spaniard believe he was more
hurt than he really was, and that put him into some heat, for before
he acted all in a perfect calm; but now resolving to go through with
his work, he stooped, and took the fellow's musket whom he had
knocked down, and was just going to shoot the man who had fired
at him, when the rest of the Spaniards, being in the cave, came out,
and calling to them not to shoot, they stepped in, secured the other
two, and took their arms from them.
When they were thus disarmed, and found they had made all
the Spaniards their enemies, as well as their own countrymen, they
began to cool, and, giving the Spaniards better words, would have.
their arms again; but the Spaniards, considering the feud that was
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
381
between them and the other two Englishmen, and that it would be
the best method they could take to keep them from killing one
another, told them they would do them no harm, and if they would
live peaceably, they would be very willing to assist and associate
with them as they did before; but that they could not think of
giving them their arms again, while they appeared so resolved to
do mischief with them to their own countrymen, and had even
threatened them all to make them their servants.
The rogues were now no more capable to hear reason than to act
with reason; but being refused their arms, they went raving away,
and raging like madmen, threatening what they would do, though
they had no fire-arms. But the Spaniards, despising their threaten-
ing, told them they should take care how they offered any injury to
their plantation or cattle, for if they did, they would shoot them as
they would ravenous beasts, wherever they found them; and if they
fell into their hands alive, they should certainly be hanged. How-
ever, this was far from cooling them, but away they went, raging
and swearing like furies of hell. As soon as they were gone, the
two men came back, in passion and rage enough also, though of
another kind; for having been at their plantation, and finding it all
demolished and destroyed, as above, it will easily be supposed they
had provocation enough. They could scarce have room to tell their
tale, the Spaniards were so eager to tell them theirs; and it was
strange enough to find that three men should thus bully nineteen,
and receive no punishment at all.
The Spaniards, indeed, despised them, and especially, having
thus disarmed them, made light of their threatenings; but the two
Englishmen resolved to have their remedy against them, what pains
soever it cost to find them out. But the Spaniards interposed here
too, and told them, that as they had disarmed them, they could not
consent that they (the two) should pursue them with fire-arms, and
perhaps kill them. "But," said the grave Spaniard, who was their
governor, we will endeavour to make them do you justice, if you
will leave it to us: for there is no doubt but they will come to us
again, when their passion is over, being not able to subsist without
66
Ι Ι
382
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

CORBAY
our assistance: we promise you to make no peace with them, with-
out having a full satisfaction for you; and, upon this condition, we
hope you will promise to use no violence with them, other than
in your own defence.”
The two Englishmen yielded to this very
awkwardly, and with great reluctance; but the Spaniards protested
that they did it only to keep them from bloodshed, and to make all
"For," said they,
easy at last.
(6 we are not so many of us; here
is room enough for us all, and it is a great pity we should not be all
good friends." At length, they did consent, and waited for the issue
of the thing, living for some days with the Spaniards; for their own
habitation was destroyed.
In about five days' time, the three vagrants, tired with wandering,
and almost starved with hunger, having chiefly lived on turtle's eggs
all that while, came back to the grove; and finding my Spaniard,
who, as I have said, was the governor, and two more with him,
walking by the side of the creek, they came up in a very submis-
OF ROBINSON CRusoe.
383
sive, humble manner, and begged to be received again into the
family. The Spaniards used them civilly, but told them they had
acted so unnaturally by their countrymen, and so very grossly by
them (the Spaniards), that they could not come to any conclusion
without consulting the two Englishmen and the rest; but, however,
they would go to them and discourse about it, and they should know
in half an hour. It may be guessed that they were very hard put to
it; for, it seems, as they were to wait this half hour for an answer,
they begged they would send them out some bread in the mean time,
which they did; sending, at the same time, a large piece of goat's
flesh, and a boiled parrot, which they ate very heartily, for they were
hungry enough.
After half an hour's consultation, they were called in, and a long
debate ensued; their two countrymen charging them with the ruin
of all their labour, and a design to murder them; all which they
owned before, and therefore could not deny now. Upon the whole,
the Spaniards acted the moderators between them; and as they had
obliged the two Englishmen not to hurt the three while they were
naked and unarmed, so they now obliged the three to go and re-
build their fellows' two huts, one to be of the same, and the other
of larger dimensions than they were before; to fence their ground
again where they had pulled up their fences, plant trees in the room
of those pulled up, dig up the land again for planting corn, where
they had spoiled it, and, in a word, to restore everything in the same
state as they found it, as near as they could; for entirely it could
not be, the season for the corn, and the growth of the trees and
hedges, not being possible to be recovered.
Well, they submitted to all this; and as they had plenty of
provisions given them all the while, they grew very orderly, and
the whole society began to live pleasantly and agreeably together
again; only that these three fellows could never be persuaded to
work, I mean for themselves, except now and then a little, just as
they pleased: however, the Spaniards told them plainly, that if they
would but live sociably and friendly together, and study the good of
the whole plantation, they would be content to work for them, and let
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
them walk about and be as idle as they pleased: and thus, having
lived pretty well together for a month or two, the Spaniards gave
them arms again, and gave them liberty to go abroad with them as
before.
It was not above a week after they had these arms, and went
abroad, but the ungrateful creatures began to be as insolent and
troublesome as before: but, however, an accident happened pre-
sently upon this, which endangered the safety of them all; and
they were obliged to lay by all private resentments, and look to the
preservation of their lives.
It happened one night that the Spanish governor, as I call him,
that is to say, the Spaniard whose life I had saved, who was now the
captain, or leader, or governor of the rest, found himself very uneasy
in the night, and could by no means get any sleep: he was per-
fectly well in body, as he told me the story, only found his thoughts
tumultuous; his mind ran upon men fighting and killing of one an-
other, but he was broad awake, and could not by any means get any
sleep; in short, he lay a great while; but growing more and more
uneasy, he resolved to rise. As they lay, being so many of them,
upon goatskins laid thick upon such couches and pads as they made
for themselves, and not in hammocks and ship beds as I did, who
was but one, so they had little to do, when they were willing to rise,
but to get up upon their feet, and, perhaps, put on a coat, such as it
was, and their pumps, and they were ready for going any way that
their thoughts guided them. Being thus got up, he looked out;
but, being dark, he could see little or nothing; and, besides, the
trees which I had planted, as in my former account is described,
and which were now grown tall, intercepted his sight, so that he
could only look up, and see that it was a clear starlight night, and,
hearing no noise, he returned and laid him down again: but it was
all one; he could not sleep, nor could he compose himself to any-
thing like rest; but his thoughts were to the last degree uneasy, and
he knew not for what.
Having made some noise with rising and walking about, going
out and coming in, another of them waked, and, calling, asked who
385
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
it was that was up.
The governor told him how it had been with
him. Say you so?" says the other Spaniard; "such things are not
to be slighted, I assure you; there is certainly some mischief work-
ing near us :" and presently he asked him, "Where are the English-

men ?"
((
""
They are all in their huts," says he, "safe enough.' It
seems the Spaniards had kept possession of the main apartment, and
had made a place for the three Englishmen, who, since their last
mutiny, were always quartered by themselves, and could not come
at the rest. "Well," says the Spaniard, "there is something in it,
I am persuaded, from my own experience. I am satisfied our spirits
embodied have a converse with, and receive intelligence from, the
spirits unembodied, and inhabiting the invisible world; and this
friendly notice is given for our advantage, if we knew how to make
use of it.
Come," says he, "let us go and look abroad; and if
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
we find nothing at all in it to justify the trouble, I'll tell you a
story to the purpose, that shall convince you of the justice of my
proposing it."
In a word, they went out, to go up to the top of the hill, where
I used to go; but they being strong, and a good company, not
alone, as I was, used none of my cautions, to go up by the ladder,
and pulling it up after them, to go up a second stage to the top,
but were going round through the grove, unconcerned and unwary,
when they were surprised with seeing a light as of fire, a very little
way off from them, and hearing the voices of men, not of one or two,
but of a great number.
In all the discoveries I had made of the savages landing on the
island, it was my constant care to prevent them making the least
discovery of there being any inhabitant upon the place; and when
by any occasion they came to know it, they felt it so effectually that
they that got away were scarce able to give any account of it; for
we disappeared as soon as possible; nor did ever any that had seen
me escape to tell any one else, except it was the three savages in our
last encounter, who jumped into the boat; of whom, I mentioned,
I was afraid they should go home and bring more help. Whether
it was the consequence of the escape of those men that so great a
number came now together, or whether they came ignorantly, and
by accident, on their usual bloody errand, the Spaniards could not, it
seems, understand; but, whatever it was, it had been their business
either to have concealed themselves, or not to have seen them at all,
much less to have let the savages have seen that there were any in-
habitants in the place; or to have fallen upon them so effectually as
that not a man of them should have escaped, which could only have
been by getting in between them and their boats: but this presence
of mind was wanting to them, which was the ruin of their tranquillity
for a great while.
We need not doubt, but that the governor and the man with
him, surprised with this sight, ran back immediately and raised their
fellows, giving them an account of the imminent danger they were
all in, and they again as readily took the alarm; but it was im-

'.
They were in great perplexity also for fear of their flock of goats.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
387
possible to persuade them to stay close within where they were, but
they must all run out to see how things stood.
While it was dark, indeed, they were well enough, and they had
opportunity enough, for some hours, to view them by the light of
three fires they had made at a distance from one another; what they
were doing they knew not, and what to do themselves they knew
not. For, first, the enemy were too many; and, secondly, they did
not keep together, but were divided into several parties, and were on
shore in several places.
The Spaniards were in no small consternation at this sight; and,
as they found that the fellows ran straggling all over the shore, they
made no doubt but, first or last, some of them would chop in upon
their habitation, or upon some other place where they would see the
token of inhabitants; and they were in great perplexity also for fear
of their flock of goats, which would have been little less than starv-
ing them, if they should have been destroyed; so the first thing they
resolved upon was, to despatch three men away before it was light,
two Spaniards and one Englishman, to drive all the goats away to
the great valley where the cave was, and, if need were, to drive
them into the very cave itself. Could they have seen the savages
all together in one body, and at a distance from their canoes, they
resolved, if there had been a hundred of them, to have attacked
them; but that could not be obtained; for they were some of them
two miles off from the other; and, as it appeared afterwards, were of
two different nations.
After having mused a great while on the course they should take,
and beating their brains in considering their present circumstances,
they resolved, at last, while it was still dark, to send the old savage,
Friday's father, out as a spy, to learn, if possible, something concern-
ing them; as what they came for, what they intended to do, and the
like. The old man readily undertook it; and stripping himself quite
naked, as most of the savages were, away he went. After he had
been gone an hour or two, he brings word that he had been among
them undiscovered; that he found they were two parties, and of
two several nations, who had war with one another, and had a great
388
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
battle in their own country: and that both sides having had several
prisoners taken in the fight, they were, by mere chance, landed all on
the same island, for the devouring their prisoners and making merry,
but their coming so by chance to the same place had spoiled all their
mirth; that they were in a great rage at one another, and were so
near that he believed they would fight again as soon as daylight
began to appear: but he did not perceive that they had any notion
of anybody being on the island but themselves. He had hardly
made an end of telling his story, when they could perceive, by the
unusual noise they made, that the two little armies were engaged
in a bloody fight.
Friday's father used all the arguments he could to persuade our
people to lie close, and not be seen; he told them their safety con-
sisted in it, and that they had nothing to do but lie still, and the
savages would kill one another to their hands, and then the rest
would go away; and it was so to a tittle. But it was impossible
to prevail, especially upon the Englishmen: their curiosity was so
importunate upon their prudentials, that they must run out and see
the battle: however, they used some caution too, viz. they did not
go openly, just by their own dwelling, but went farther into the
woods, and placed themselves to advantage, where they might se-
curely see them manage the fight, and, as they thought, not be seen
by them; but it seems the savages did see them, as we shall find
hereafter.
The battle was very fierce; and, if I might believe the English-
men, one of them said he could perceive that some of them were
men of great bravery, of invincible spirits, and of great policy in
guiding the fight. The battle, they said, held two hours before they
could guess which party would be beaten; but then that party which
was nearest our people's habitation began to appear weakest, and,
after some time more, some of them began to fly; and this put our
men again into a great consternation, lest any one of those that
fled should run into the grove before their dwelling for shelter, and
thereby involuntarily discover the place; and that, by consequence,
the pursuers would do the like in search of them. Upon this, they
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
389
resolved that they would stand armed within the wall, and whoever
came into the grove, they resolved to sally out over the wall and kill
them so that, if possible, not one should return to give an account
of it: they ordered also that it should be done with their swords, or
by knocking them down with the stocks of their muskets, but not by
shooting them, for fear of raising an alarm by the noise.

As they expected, it fell out: three of the routed army fled for
life, and, crossing the creek, ran directly into the place, not in the
least knowing whither they went, but running as into a thick wood
for shelter. The scout they kept to look abroad gave notice of this
within, with this addition, to our men's great satisfaction, viz. that
the conquerors had not pursued them, or seen which way they were
gone; upon this, the Spaniard governor, a man of humanity, would
not suffer them to kill the three fugitives, but sending three men
390
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
out by the top of the hill, ordered them to go round, come in behind
them, and surprise and take them prisoners, which was done. The
residue of the conquered people fled to their canoes, and got off to
sea; the victors retired, made no pursuit, or very little, but drawing
themselves into a body together, gave two great screaming shouts,
which they supposed was by way of triumph, and so the fight ended :
and the same day, about three o'clock in the afternoon, they also
marched to their canoes. And thus the Spaniards had their island
again free to themselves, their fright was over, and they saw no
savages in several years after.
After they were all gone, the Spaniards came out of their den,
and viewing the field of battle, they found about two and thirty men
dead on the spot: some were killed with great long arrows, some of
which were found sticking in their bodies; but most of them were
killed with great wooden swords, sixteen or seventeen of which they
found in the field of battle, and as many bows, with a great many
arrows. These swords were strange, great, unwieldy things, and
they must be very strong men that used them: most of those men
that were killed with them had their heads mashed to pieces, as we
may say, or, as we call it in English, their brains knocked out, and
several their arms and legs broken; so that it is evident they fight
with inexpressible rage and fury. We found not one man that was
not stone dead, for either they stay by their enemy till they have
killed him, or they carry all the wounded men, that are not quite
dead, away with them.
This deliverance tamed our Englishmen for a great while: the
sight had filled them with horror, and the consequences appeared
terrible to the last degree, especially upon supposing that some
time or other they should fall into the hands of those creatures, who
would not only kill them as enemies, but kill them for food, as we
kill our cattle; and they professed to me, that the thoughts of being
eaten up like beef or mutton, though it was supposed it was not
to be till they were dead, had something in it so horrible that it
nauseated their very stomachs, made them sick when they thought
of it, and filled their minds with such unusual terror that they were
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
391
not themselves for some weeks after. This, as I said, tamed even
the three English brutes I have been speaking of; and for a great
while after, they were tractable, and went about the common busi-
ness of the whole society well enough; planted, sowed, reaped, and
began to be all naturalised to the country. But some time after
this, they fell into such simple measures again, as brought them
into a great deal of trouble.
They had taken three prisoners, as I observed: and these three
being lusty, stout young fellows, they made them servants, and
taught them to work for them; and, as slaves, they did well enough;
but they did not take their measures with them as I did by my man
Friday, viz. to begin with them upon the principle of having saved
their lives, and then instruct them in the rational principles of life ;
much less of religion, civilising, and reducing them by kind usage
and affectionate arguings; but as they gave them their food every
day, so they gave them their work too, and kept them fully em-
ployed in drudgery enough; but they failed in this by it, that they
never had them to assist them, and fight for them, as I had my man
Friday, who was as true to me as the very flesh upon my bones.
But to come to the family part. Being all now good friends, for
common danger, as I said above, had effectually reconciled them,
they began to consider their general circumstances; and the first
thing that came under their consideration was, whether, seeing the
savages particularly haunted that side of the island, and that there
were more remote and retired parts of it equally adapted to their
way of living, and manifestly to their advantage, they should not
rather move their habitation, and plant in some more proper place
for their safety, and especially for the security of their cattle and corn.
Upon this, after long debate, it was concluded that they would
not remove their habitation; because that, some time or other, they
thought they might hear from their governor again, meaning me;
and if I should send any one to seek them, I should be sure to direct
them to that side; where, if they should find the place demolished,
they would conclude the savages had killed us all, and we were gone,
and so our supply would go too. But as to their corn and cattle,
392
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
they agreed to remove them into the valley where my cave was,
where the land was as proper for both, and where, indeed, there
was land enough: however, upon second thoughts, they altered one
part of their resolution too, and resolved only to remove part of their
cattle thither, and plant part of their corn there; and so if one part
was destroyed, the other might be saved. And one part of pru-
dence they used, which it was very well they did, viz. that they
never trusted those three savages, which they had prisoners, with
knowing anything of the plantation they had made in that valley,
or of any cattle they had there, much less of the cave there, which
they kept, in case of necessity, as a safe retreat; and thither they
carried also the two barrels of powder which I had sent them at
my coming away. But, however, they resolved not to change their
habitation; yet they agreed, that as I had carefully covered it first
with a wall or fortification, and then with a grove of trees, so seeing
their safety consisted entirely in their being concealed, of which they
were now fully convinced, they set to work to cover and conceal
the place yet more effectually than before. For this purpose, as I
planted trees, or rather thrust in stakes, which in time all grew up
to be trees, for some good distance before the entrance into my
apartments, they went on in the same manner, and filled up the
rest of that whole space of ground, from the trees I had set, quite
down to the side of the creek, where, as I said, I landed my floats,
and even into the very ooze where the tide flowed, not so much as
leaving any place to land, or any sign that there had been any land-
ing thereabouts; these stakes also being of a wood very forward to
grow, as I have noted formerly, they took care to have them gene-
rally much larger and taller than those which I had planted; and
as they grew apace, so they planted them so very thick and close
together, that when they had been three or four years grown, there
was no piercing with the eye any considerable way into the planta-
tion: and as for that part which I had planted, the trees were grown
as thick as a man's thigh, and among them they placed so many
other short ones, and so thick, that, in a word, it stood like a pali-
sado a quarter of a mile thick, and it was next to impossible to pene-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
393
trate it, but with a little army to cut it all down; for a little dog
could hardly get between the trees, they stood so close.
But this was not all; for they did the same by all the ground to
the right hand and to the left, and round even to the side of the hill,
leaving no way, not so much as for themselves to come out, but by
the ladder placed up to the side of the hill, and then lifted up, and
placed again from the first stage up to the top; and when the ladder
was taken down, nothing but what had wings, or witchcraft to assist
it, could come at them. This was excellently well contrived: nor
was it less than what they afterwards found occasion for; which
served to convince me, that as human prudence has the authority
of Providence to justify it, so it has doubtless the direction of Pro-
vidence to set it to work; and if we listened carefully to the voice
of it, I am persuaded we might prevent many of the disasters which
our lives are now, by our own negligence, subjected to: but this
by the way.
I return to the story.-They lived two years after this in perfect
retirement, and had no more visits from the savages. They had,
indeed, an alarm given them one morning, which put them into
a great consternation; for some of the Spaniards being out early
one morning on the west side, or rather, end, of the island (which
was that end where I never went, for fear of being discovered),
they were surprised with seeing above twenty canoes of Indians
just coming on shore. They made the best of their way home, in
hurry enough; and, giving the alarm to their comrades, they kept
close all that day and the next, going out only at night to make
their observation: but they had the good luck to be mistaken;
for wherever the savages went, they did not land that time on
the island, but pursued some other design.
And now they had another broil with the three Englishmen ;
one of whom, a most turbulent fellow, being in a rage at one of
the three slaves, which I mentioned they had taken, because the
fellow had not done something right which he bid him do, and
seemed a little untractable in his shewing him, drew a hatchet out
of a frog-belt, in which he wore it by his side, and fell upon the
K K
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
394
poor savage, not to correct him, but to kill him. One of the Spa-
niards, who was by, seeing him give the fellow a barbarous cut
with the hatchet, which he aimed at his head, but struck into his
shoulder, so that he thought he had cut the poor creature's arm off,
ran to him, and entreating him not to murder the poor man, placed

WHITEHEAD.EY SHEERES:
ان کا سان
himself between him and the savage, to prevent the mischief. The
fellow being enraged the more at this, struck at the Spaniard with
his hatchet, and swore he would serve him as he intended to serve
the savage; which the Spaniard perceiving, avoided the blow, and
with a shovel which he had in his hand (for they were all working
in the field about their corn land), knocked the brute down. Ano-
ther of the Englishmen running at the same time to help his com-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
395
+
rade, knocked the Spaniard down; and then two Spaniards more
came in to help their man, and a third Englishman fell in upon
them. They had none of them any fire-arms or any other weapons
but hatchets and other tools, except this third Englishman; he
had one of my rusty cutlasses, with which he made at the two
last Spaniards, and wounded them both. This fray set the whole
family in an uproar, and more help coming in, they took the three
Englishmen prisoners. The next question was, what should be
done with them? They had been so often mutinous, and were so
very furious, so desperate, and so idle withal, they knew not what
course to take with them, for they were mischievous to the highest
degree, and valued not what hurt they did to any man; so that, in
short, it was not safe to live with them.
The Spaniard who was governor told them, in so many words,
that if they had been of his own country, he would have hanged
them ; for all laws and all governors were to preserve society,
and those who were dangerous to the society ought to be expelled
out of it but as they were Englishmen, and that it was to the
generous kindness of an Englishman that they all owed their pre-
servation and deliverance, he would use them with all possible
lenity, and would leave them to the judgment of the other two
Englishmen, who were their countrymen.
One of the two honest Englishmen stood up, and said they
desired it might not be left to them;
"I am
For," says he,
sure we ought to sentence them to the gallows :" and with that
he gives an account how Will Atkins, one of the three, had pro-
posed to have all the five Englishmen join together, and murder
all the Spaniards when they were in their sleep.
When the Spanish governor heard this, he calls to Will Atkins,
How, Seignior Atkins, would you murder us all? What have
you to say to that?" The hardened villain was so far from denying
it that he said it was true: and, “G—d d—n him, they would do
it still, before they had done with them." “Well, but Seignior
Atkins," says the Spaniard, "what have we done to you, that you
will kill us? And what would you get by killing us? And what
396
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
must we do to prevent your killing us? Must we kill you, or you
kill us? Why will you put us to the necessity of this, Seignior
Atkins?" says the Spaniard very calmly, and smiling. Seignior
Atkins was in such a rage at the Spaniard's making a jest of it,
that, had he not been held by three men, and withal had no weapon
near him, it was thought he would have attempted to have killed
the Spaniard in the middle of all the company. This hair-brain
carriage obliged them to consider seriously what was to be done :
the two Englishmen, and the Spaniard who saved the poor savage,
were of the opinion that they should hang one of the three, for an
example to the rest; and that particularly it should be he that
had twice attempted to commit murder with his hatchet; and,
indeed, there was some reason to believe he had done it, for the
poor savage was in such a miserable condition with the wound he
had received, that it was thought he could not live. But the
governor Spaniard still said no; it was an Englishman that had
saved all their lives, and he would never consent to put an Eng-
lishman to death, though he had murdered half of them; nay, he
said, if he had been killed himself by an Englishman, and had time
left to speak, it should be that they should pardon him.
This was so positively insisted on by the governor Spaniard,
that there was no gainsaying it; and as merciful counsels are most
apt to prevail, where they are so earnestly pressed, so they all came
into it; but then it was to be considered what should be done to
keep them from doing the mischief they designed; for all agreed,
governor and all, that means were to be used for preserving the
society from danger. After a long debate, it was agreed, first, that
they should be disarmed, and not permitted to have either gun,
powder, shot, sword, or any weapon; and should be turned out of
the society, and left to live where they would, and how they would,
by themselves; but that none of the rest, either Spaniards or Eng-
lish, should converse with them, speak with them, or have anything
to do with them: that they should be forbid to come within a
certain distance of the place where the rest dwelt; and if they
offered to commit any disorder, so as to spoil, burn, kill, or destroy
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
397
any of the corn, plantings, buildings, fences, or cattle belonging to
the society, they should die without mercy, and they would shoot
them wherever they could find them.
The governor, a man of great humanity, musing upon the sen-
tence, considered a little upon it; and turning to the two honest
Englishmen, said, Hold; you must reflect that it will be long
ere they can raise corn and cattle of their own, and they must not
starve; we must therefore allow them provisions." So he caused to
be added, that they should have a proportion of corn given them to
last them eight months, and for seed to sow, by which time they
might be supposed to raise some of their own; that they should have
six milch-goats, four he-goats, and six kids given them, as well for
present subsistence as for a store; and that they should have tools
given them for their work in the fields, such as six hatchets, an
adze, a saw, and the like; but they should have none of these
tools or provisions, unless they would swear solemnly that they
would not hurt or injure any of the Spaniards with them, or of
their fellow Englishmen.
Thus they dismissed them the society, and turned them out to
shift for themselves. They went away sullen and refractory, as
neither content to go away nor to stay; but, as there was no
remedy, they went, pretending to go and choose a place where
they would settle themselves; and some provisions were given
them, but no weapons.
About four or five days after, they came again for some victuals,
and gave the governor an account where they had pitched their
tents, and marked themselves out a habitation and plantation; and
it was a very convenient place, indeed, on the remotest part of the
island, N.E., much about the place where I providentially landed
in my first voyage, when I was driven out to sea, the Lord knows
whither, in my foolish attempt to sail round the island.
Here they built themselves two handsome huts, and contrived
them in a manner like my first habitation, being close under the
side of a hill, having some trees growing already on three sides of
it, so that by planting others, it would be very easily covered from
398
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the sight, unless narrowly searched for. They desired some dried
goat-skins, for beds and covering, which were given them; and
upon giving their words that they would not disturb the rest, or
injure any of their plantations, they gave them hatchets, and what
other tools they could spare; some peas, barley, and rice, for sowing;
and, in a word, anything they wanted, except arms and ammunition.
They lived in this separate condition about six months, and
had got in their first harvest, though the quantity was but small,
the parcel of land they had planted being but little; for, indeed,
having all their plantation to form, they had a great deal of work
upon their hands; and when they came to make boards and pots,
and such things, they were quite out of their element, and could
make nothing of it: and when the rainy season came on, for want
of a cave in the earth, they could not keep their grain dry, and
it was in great danger of spoiling; and this humbled them much :
so they came and begged the Spaniards to help them, which they
very readily did; and in four days worked a great hole in the side
of the hill for them, big enough to secure their corn and other
things from the rain; but it was a poor place, at best, compared
to mine, and especially as mine was then, for the Spaniards had
greatly enlarged it, and made several new apartments in it.
About three quarters of a year after this separation, a new frolic
took these rogues, which, together with the former villany they had
committed, brought mischief enough upon them, and had very near
been the ruin of the whole colony. The three new associates began,
it seems, to be weary of the laborious life they led, and that without
hope of bettering their circumstances; and a whim took them that
they would make a voyage to the continent, from whence the savages
came, and would try if they could seize upon some prisoners among
the natives there, and bring them home, so as to make them do
the laborious part of their work for them.
The project was not so preposterous, if they had gone no far-
ther but they did nothing, and proposed nothing, but had either
mischief in the design, or mischief in the event: and, if I may
give my opinion, they seemed to be under a blast from Heaven;
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
399
for if we will not allow a visible curse to pursue visible crimes,
how shall we reconcile the events of things with the divine justice?
It was certainly an apparent vengeance on their crime of mutiny
and piracy that brought them to the state they were in; and they
shewed not the least remorse for the crime, but added new vil-
lanies to it, such as the piece of monstrous cruelty of wounding a
poor slave because he did not, or perhaps could not, understand
to do what he directed, and to wound him in such a manner as
made him a cripple all his life, and in a place where no surgeon
or medicine could be had for his cure; and what was still worse,
the murderous intent, or, to do justice to the crime, the intentional
murder, for such to be sure it was, as was afterwards the formed
design they all laid, to murder the Spaniards in cold blood, and in
their sleep.
But I leave observing, and return to the story:-The three
fellows came down to the Spaniards one morning, and in very
humble terms desired to be admitted to speak with them: the
Spaniards very readily heard what they had to say, which was
this-That they were tired of living in the manner they did; and
that they were not handy enough to make the necessaries they
wanted, and that having no help, they found they should be starved;
but if the Spaniards would give them leave to take one of the canoes
which they came over in, and give them arms and ammunition
proportioned to their defence, they would go over to the main and
seek their fortunes, and so deliver them from the trouble of sup-
plying them with any other provisions.
The Spaniards were glad enough to get rid of them, but very
honestly represented to them the certain destruction they were run-
ning into; told them they had suffered such hardships upon that
very spot, that they could, without any spirit of prophecy, tell them
they would be starved or murdered; and bade them consider of it.
The men replied audaciously, they should be starved if they
stayed here, for they could not work, and would not work, and
they could but be starved abroad; and if they were murdered,
there was an end of them; they had no wives or children to cry
400
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
after them; and, in short, insisted importunately upon their demand;
declaring they would go, whether they gave them any arms or no.
The Spaniards told them, with great kindness, that if they were
resolved to go, they should not go like naked men, and be in no
condition to defend themselves; and that though they could ill spare
their fire-arms, having not enough for themselves, yet they would
let them have two muskets, a pistol, and a cutlass, and each man
a hatchet, which they thought was sufficient for them. In a word,
they accepted the offer: and having baked bread enough to serve
them a month, and given them as much goat's flesh as they could
eat while it was sweet, and a great basket of dried grapes, a pot
of fresh water, and a young kid alive, they boldly set out in the
canoe for a voyage over the sea, where it was at least forty miles
broad.


SEARS S:
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
401
The boat, indeed, was a large one, and would very well have
carried fifteen or twenty men, and therefore was rather too big for
them to manage; but as they had a fair breeze, and flood-tide
with them, they did well enough. They had made a mast of a
long pole, and a sail of four large goat-skins dried, which they
had sewed or laced together; and away they went merrily enough :
the Spaniards called after them, "Bon veyajo;" and no man ever
thought of seeing them any more.
The Spaniards were often saying to one another, and to the
two honest Englishmen who remained behind, how quietly and com-
fortably they lived, now these three turbulent fellows were gone
as for their coming again, that was the remotest thing from their
thoughts that could be imagined; when, behold, after two and
twenty days absence, one of the Englishmen, being abroad upon
his planting work, sees three strange men coming towards him at
a distance, with guns upon their shoulders.
:
Away runs the Englishman, as if he was bewitched, comes
frightened and amazed to the governor Spaniard, and tells him
they were all undone, for there were strangers upon the island,
but could not tell who. The Spaniard, pausing a while, says to
him, "How do you mean, you cannot tell who? They are the
savages to be sure.". No, no," says the Englishman; "they are
men in clothes, with arms." Nay, then," says the Spaniard,
If they are not savages, they must
be friends; for there is no Christian nation upon earth but will do
us good rather than harm."
("
why are you concerned?
((
While they were debating thus, came the three Englishmen,
and standing without the wood, which was new planted, hallooed
to them they presently knew their voices, and so all the wonder
of that kind ceased. But now the admiration was turned upon
another question, viz :-What could be the matter, and what made
them come back again?
It was not long before they brought the men in, and enquiring
where they had been, and what they had been doing, they gave
them a full account of their voyage in a few words, viz :-That they
402
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
reached the land in two days, or something less; but finding the
people alarmed at their coming, and preparing with bows and
arrows to fight them, they durst not go on shore, but sailed on
to the northward six or seven hours, till they came to a great
opening, by which they perceived that the land they saw from our
island was not the main, but an island; upon entering that opening
of the sea, they saw another island on the right hand, north, and
several more west; and being resolved to land somewhere, they
put over to one of the islands which lay west, and went boldly
on shore that they found the people very courteous and friendly
to them; and that they gave several roots and some dried fish, and
appeared very sociable; and the women, as well as the men, were
very forward to supply them with anything they could get for
them to eat, and brought it to them a great way upon their heads.
•
They continued here four days; and enquired, as well as they
could of them, by signs, what nations were this way, and that way;
and were told of several fierce and terrible people that lived almost
every way, who, as they made known by signs to them, used to
eat men; but as for themselves, they said, they never ate men or
women, except only such as they took in the wars; and then, they
owned, they made a great feast, and ate their prisoners.
The Englishmen enquired when they had had a feast of that
kind; and they told them about two moons ago, pointing to the
moon and to two fingers; and that their great king had two hun-
dred prisoners now, which he had taken in his war, and they were
feeding them to make them fat for the next feast. The Englishmen
seemed mighty desirous of seeing those prisoners; but the others
mistaking them, thought they were desirous to have some of them
to carry away for their own eating: so they beckoned to them,
pointing to the setting of the sun, and then to the rising; which
was to signify that the next morning at sunrising they would bring
some for them; and, accordingly, the next morning they brought
down five women and eleven men, and gave them to the English-
men, to carry with them on their voyage, just as we would bring
so many cows and oxen down to a sea-port town to victual a ship.
OF ROBINSON Crusoe.
403

GJAR!!
As brutish and barbarous as these fellows were at home, their
stomachs turned at this sight, and they did not know what to do.
To refuse the prisoners would have been the highest affront to the
savage gentry that could be offered them, and what to do with
them they knew not. However, after some debate, they resolved
to accept of them; and, in return, they gave the savages that
brought them one of their hatchets, an old key, a knife, and six or
seven of their bullets; which, though they did not understand
their use, they seemed particularly pleased with; and then tying
the poor creatures' hands behind them, they dragged the prisoners
into the boat for our men.
The Englishmen were obliged to come away as soon as they
had them, or else they that gave them this noble present would
certainly have expected that they should have gone to work with
them, have killed two or three of them the next morning, and
perhaps, have invited the donors to dinner. But having taken
their leave, with all the respect and thanks that could well pass
between people, where, on either side, they understood not one
word they could say, they put off with their boat, and came back
towards the first island; where, when they arrived, they set eight
404
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of their prisoners at liberty, there being too many of them for their
occasion.
In their voyage, they endeavoured to have some communica-
tion with their prisoners; but it was impossible to make them
understand anything: nothing they could say to them, or give
them, or do for them, but was looked upon as going to murder
them. They first of all unbound them; but the poor creatures
screamed at that, especially the women, as if they had just felt
the knife at their throats; for they immediately concluded they
were unbound on purpose to be killed. If they gave them any-
thing to eat, it was the same thing; they then concluded it was
for fear they should sink in flesh, and so not be fat enough to
kill. If they looked at one of them more particularly, the party
presently concluded, it was to see whether he or she was fattest,
and fittest to kill first; nay, after they had brought them quite
over, and began to use them kindly, and treat them well, still
they expected every day to make a dinner or supper for their new
masters.
When the three wanderers had given this unaccountable history
or journal of their voyage, the Spaniard asked them where their
new family was; and being told that they had brought them on
shore, and put them into one of their huts, and were come up to
beg some victuals for them, they (the Spaniards) and the other
two Englishmen, that is to say, the whole colony, resolved to go
all down to the place and see them; and did so, and Friday's
father with them.
When they came into the hut, there they sat, all bound; for
when they had brought them on shore, they bound their hands,
that they might not take the boat and make their escape; there,
I say, they sat, all of them stark naked. First, there were three
men, lusty, comely fellows, well shaped, straight and fair limbs,
about thirty to thirty-five years of age; and five women, whereof
two might be from thirty to forty; two more not above four or
five and twenty; and the fifth, a tall, comely maiden, about six-
teen or seventeen. The women were well favoured, agreeable
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
405

J
walit
persons, both in shape and features, only tawny; and two of them,
had they been perfect white, would have passed for very hand-
some women, even in London itself, having pleasant agreeable
countenances, and of a very modest behaviour: especially when
they came afterwards to be clothed and dressed, as they called it,
though that dress was very indifferent, it must be confessed; of
which hereafter.
The sight, you may be sure, was something uncouth to our
Spaniards, who were, to give them a just character, men of the
best behaviour, of the most calm, sedate tempers, and perfect good
humour, that ever I met with; and, in particular, of the most
modesty, as will presently appear: I say, the sight was very
L L
406
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
uncouth, to see three naked men and five naked women, all toge-
ther bound, and in the most miserable circumstances that human
nature, could be supposed to be, viz., to be expecting every mo-
ment to be dragged out, and have their brains knocked out, and
then to be eaten up like a calf that is killed for a dainty.
The first thing they did was to cause the old Indian, Friday's
father, to go in, and see, first, if he knew any of them, and then
if he understood any of their speech. As soon as the old man
came in, he looked seriously at them, but knew none of them;
neither could any of them understand a word he said, or a sign
he could make, except one of the women. However, this was
enough to answer the end, which was to satisfy them that the
men into whose hands they were fallen were Christians; that they
abhorred eating men or women; and that they might be sure
they would not be killed. As soon as they were assured of this,
they discovered such a joy, and by such awkward gestures, several
ways, as is hard to describe; for, it seems, they were of several
nations.
The woman who was their interpreter was bid, in the next
place, to ask them if they were willing to be servants, and to
work for the men who had brought them away, to save their lives;
at which they all fell a dancing; and presently one fell to taking
up this, and another that, anything that lay next, to carry on
their shoulders, to intimate they were willing to work.
The governor, who found that the having women among them
would presently be attended with some inconvenience, and might
occasion some strife, and perhaps blood, asked the three men what
they intended to do with these women, and how they intended
to use them, whether as servants or as women? One of the
Englishmen answered very boldly and readily, that they would
use them as both; to which the governor said, "I am not going
to restrain you from it; you are your own masters as to that;
but this I think is but just, for avoiding disorders and quarrels
among you, and I desire it of you for that reason only, viz:—
That you will all engage, that if any of you take any of these

He that chose first, took her that was reckoned the homeliest and oldest of the five.
ADOLPHE BEST.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
407
women, as a woman or wife, that he shall take but one; and
that having taken one, none else shall touch her; for though we
cannot marry any one of you, yet it is but reasonable that, while
you stay here, the woman any of you takes should be main-
tained by the man that takes her, and should be his wife; I
mean," says he, "while he continues here, and that none else
shall have anything to do with her." All this appeared so just
that every one agreed to it without any difficulty.
:
Then the Englishman asked the Spaniards if they designed to
"No:"
take any of them? But every one of them answered,
some of them said they had wives in Spain, and the others did
not like women that were not Christians and all together declared
that they would not touch one of them: which was an instance
of such virtue as I have not met with in all my travels. On
the other hand, to be short, the five Englishmen took them every
one a wife, that is to say, a temporary wife; and so they set up
a new form of living; for the Spaniards and Friday's father lived
in my old habitation, which they had enlarged exceedingly within.
The three servants which were taken in the last battle of the
savages lived with them: and these carried on the main part of
the colony, supplied all the rest with food, and assisted them in
anything as they could, or as they found necessity required.
But the wonder of this story was, how five such refractory,
ill-matched fellows, should agree about these women, and that two
of them should not pitch upon the same woman, especially seeing
two or three of them were, without comparison, more agreeable
than the others: but they took a good way enough to prevent
quarrelling among themselves; for they set the five women by them-
selves in one of their huts, and they went all into the other hut,
and drew lots among them who should choose first.
He that drew to choose first went away by himself to the hut
where the poor naked creatures were, and fetched out her he
chose; and it was worth observing, that he that chose first took
her that was reckoned the homeliest and oldest of the five, which
made mirth enough among the rest; and even the Spaniards
laughed at it but the fellow considered better than any of them,
408
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
that it was application and business they were to expect assistance
in, as much as in anything else; and she proved the best wife of
all the parcel.
When the poor women saw themselves set in a row thus, and
fetched out one by one, the terrors of their condition returned
upon them again, and they firmly believed they were now going
to be devoured. Accordingly, when the English sailor came in
and fetched out one of them, the rest set up a most lamentable
cry, and hung about her, and took their leave of her with such
agonies and affection as would have grieved the hardest heart in
the world; nor was it possible for the Englishmen to satisfy them
that they were not to be immediately murdered, till they fetched
the old man, Friday's father, who immediately let them know that
the five men, who were to fetch them out one by one, had chosen
them for their wives.
When they had done, and the fright the women were in was
a little over, the men went to work, and the Spaniards came and
helped them; and in a few hours they had built them every one
a new hut or tent for their lodging apart; for those they had
already were crowded with their tools, household stuff, and provi-
sions. The three wicked ones had pitched farthest off, and the two
honest ones nearer, but both on the north shore of the island, so
that they continued separated as before; and thus my island was
peopled in three places; and, as I might say, three towns were
begun to be built.
And here it is very well worth observing, that, as it often hap-
pens in the world (what the wise ends of God's providence are in
such a disposition of things, I cannot say), the two honest fellows
had the two worst wives; and the three reprobates, that were scarce
worth hanging, that were fit for nothing, and neither seemed born
to do themselves good nor any one else, had three clever, diligent,
careful, and ingenious wives; not that the first two were bad
wives, as to their temper or humour, for all the five were most
willing, quiet, passive, and subjected creatures, rather like slaves
than wives; but my meaning is, they were not alike capable, inge-
nious, or industrious, or alike cleanly and neat.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
409
Another observation I must make, to the honour of a diligent
application on one hand, and to the disgrace of a slothful, negli-
gent, idle temper, on the other, that when I came to the place,
and viewed the several improvements, plantings, and management
of the several little colonies, the two men had so far outgone the
three, that there was no comparison. They had, indeed, both of
them as much ground laid out for corn as they wanted, and the
reason was, because, according to my rule, nature dictated that
it was to no purpose to sow more corn than they wanted; but
the difference of the cultivation, of the planting, of the fences,
and, indeed, of everything else, was easy to be seen at first view.
The two men had innumerable young trees planted about their
huts, so that, when you came to the place, nothing was to be
seen but a wood: and though they had twice had their planta-
tion demolished, once by their own countrymen, and once by the
enemy, as shall be shewn in its place, yet they had restored all
again, and everything was thriving and flourishing about them:
they had grapes planted in order, and managed like a vineyard,
though they had themselves never seen anything of that kind;
and, by their good ordering their vines, their grapes were as good
again as any of the others. They had also found themselves out
a retreat in the thickest part of the woods: where, though there
was not a natural cave, as I had found, yet they made one with
incessant labour of their hands, and where, when the mischief
which followed happened, they secured their wives and children
so as they could never be found; they having, by sticking innu-
merable stakes and poles of the wood which, as I said, grew so
readily, made the grove unpassable, except in some places, where
they climbed up to get over the outside part, and then went on
by ways of their own leaving.
As to the three reprobates, as I justly call them, though they
were much civilised by their settlement compared to what they
were before, and were not so quarrelsome, having not the same
opportunity; yet one of the certain companions of a profligate
mind never left them, and that was their idleness.
It is true,
they planted corn, and made fences; but Solomon's words were
410
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
·
never better verified than in them, "I went by the vineyard of
the slothful, and it was all overgrown with thorns;" for when the
Spaniards came to view their crop, they could not see it in some
places for weeds, the hedge had several gaps in it, where the wild
goats had got in and eaten up the corn; perhaps here and there
a dead bush was crammed in, to stop them out for the present,
but it was only shutting the stable-door after the steed was stolen:
whereas, when they looked on the colony of the other two, there
was the very face of industry and success upon all they did;
there was not a weed to be seen in all their corn, or a gap in
any of their hedges; and they, on the other hand, verified Solo-
mon's words in another place, "that the diligent hand maketh
rich;" for everything grew and thrived, and they had plenty with-
in and without; they had more tame cattle than the others, more
utensils and necessaries within doors, and yet more pleasure and
diversion too.

OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
411
It is true, the wives of the three were very handy and cleanly
within doors; and having learned the English ways of dressing
and cooking from one of the other Englishmen, who, as I said,
was a cook's mate on board the ship, they dressed their husbands'
victuals very nicely and well; whereas the others could not be
brought to understand it; but then the husband, who, as I say,
had been cook's mate, did it himself. But as for the husbands
of the three wives, they loitered about, fetched turtles' eggs, and
caught fish and birds; in a word, anything but labour; and they
fared accordingly. The diligent lived well and comfortably; and
the slothful lived hard and beggarly: and so, I believe, generally
speaking, it is all over the world.
But I now come to a scene different from all that had hap-
pened before, either to them or to me; and the original of the
story was this:-Early one morning, there came on shore five or
six canoes of Indians or savages, call them which you please, and
there is no room to doubt they came upon the old errand of
feeding upon their slaves; but that part was now so familiar to
the Spaniards, and to our men too, that they did not concern
themselves about it, as I did: but having been made sensible, by
their experience, that their only business was to lie concealed, and
that if they were not seen by any of the savages, they would go
off again quietly, when their business was done, having, as yet,
not the least notion of there being any inhabitants in the island
I say, having been made sensible of this, they had nothing to do
but give notice to all the three plantations to keep within doors,
and not shew themselves, only placing a scout in a proper place,
to give notice when the boats went to sea again.
;
This was, without doubt, very right; but a disaster spoiled all
these measures, and made it known among the savages that there
were inhabitants there; which was, in the end, the desolation of
almost the whole colony. After the canoes with the savages were
gone off, the Spaniards peeped abroad again; and some of them
had the curiosity to go to the place where they had been, to see
what they had been doing. Here, to their great surprise, they
412
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
found three savages left behind, and lying fast asleep upon the
ground. It was supposed they had either been so gorged with
their inhuman feast that, like beasts, they were fallen asleep, and
would not stir when the others went, or they had wandered into
the woods, and did not come back in time to be taken in.
The Spaniards were greatly surprised at this sight, and per-
fectly at a loss what to do. The Spanish governor, as it hap-
pened, was with them, and his advice was asked, but he professed
he knew not what to do. As for slaves, they had enough already;
and as to killing them, there were none of them inclined to that:
the Spaniard governor told me, they could not think of shedding
innocent blood: for as to them, the poor creatures had done them
no wrong, invaded none of their property, and they thought they
had no just quarrel against them, to take away their lives. And
here I must, in justice to these Spaniards, observe, that let the
accounts of Spanish cruelty in Mexico and Peru be what they
will, I never met with seventeen men, of any nation whatsoever,
in any foreign country, who were so universally modest, tempe-
rate, virtuous, so very good-humoured, and so courteous, as these
Spaniards and as to cruelty, they had nothing of it in their very
nature: no inhumanity, no barbarity, no outrageous passions; and
yet all of them men of great courage and spirit.
Their temper
and calmness had appeared in their bearing the insufferable usage
of the three Englishmen; and their justice and humanity appeared
now in the case of the savages as above. After some consulta-
tion, they resolved upon this; that they would lie still a while
longer, till, if possible, these three men might be gone. But then
the governor Spaniard recollected that the three savages had no
boat; and if they were left to rove about the island, they would
certainly discover that there were inhabitants in it; and so they
should be undone that way. Upon this, they went back again,
and there lay the fellows fast asleep still, and so they resolved to
awaken them, and take them prisoners; and they did so. The
poor fellows were strangely frightened when they were seized
upon and bound; and afraid, like the women, that they should
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
413
be murdered and eaten for it seems, those people think all the
world does as they do, eating men's flesh; but they were soon
made easy as to that, and away they carried them.
It was very happy for them that they did carry them home
to their castle, I mean to my palace under the hill; but they
carried them first to the bower, where was the chief of their
country work, such as the keeping the goats, the planting the
corn, &c.; and afterward they carried them to the habitation of
the two Englishmen.
Here they were set to work, though it was not much they
had for them to do; and whether it was by negligence in guarding
them, or that they thought the fellows could not mend themselves,
I know not, but one of them ran away, and taking to the woods,
they could never hear of him any more.
They had good reason to believe he got home again soon after in
some other boats or canoes of savages who came on shore three or
four weeks afterwards; and who, carrying on their revels as usual,
went off in two days' time. This thought terrified them exceed-
ingly; for they concluded, and that not without good cause indeed,
that if this fellow came home safe among his comrades, he would
certainly give them an account that there were people in the island,
and also how few and weak they were; for this savage, as observed
before, had never been told, and it was very happy he had not,
how many there were, or where they lived; nor had he ever seen
or heard the fire of any of their guns, much less had they shewn
him any of their other retired places; such as the cave in the
valley, or the new retreat which the two Englishmen had made,
and the like.
The first testimony they had that this fellow had given intel-
ligence of them was, that about two months after this, six canoes
of savages, with about seven, eight, or ten men in a canoe, came
rowing along the north side of the island, where they never used
to come before, and landed, about an hour after sunrise, at a
convenient place, about a mile from the habitation of the two
Englishmen, where this escaped man had been kept. As the
414
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
:
Spaniard governor said, had they been all there, the damage
would not have been so much, for not a man of them would have
escaped but the case differed now very much, for two men to fifty
was too much odds. The two men had the happiness to discover
them about a league off, so that it was above an hour before
they landed; and as they landed a mile from their huts, it was
some time before they could come at them. Now, having great
reason to believe that they were betrayed, the first thing they did
was to bind the two slaves which were left, and cause two of the
three men whom they brought with the women (who, it seems,
proved very faithful to them), to lead them, with their two wives,
and whatever they could carry away with them, to their retired
places in the woods, which I have spoken of above, and there to
bind the two fellows hand and foot, till they heard farther.
In the next place, seeing the savages were all come on shore,
and that they had bent their course directly that way, they opened
the fences where the milch-goats were kept, and drove them all
all out; leaving their goats to straggle in the woods, whither they
pleased, that the savages might think they were all bred wild;
but the rogue who came with them was too cunning for that, and
gave them an account of it all, for they went directly to the place.
When the two poor frightened men had secured their wives
and goods, they sent the other slave they had of the three who
came with the women, and who was at their place by accident,
away to the Spaniards with all speed, to give them the alarm,
and desire speedy help, and, in the mean time, they took their
arms, and what ammunition they had, and retreated towards the
place in the wood where their wives were sent; keeping at a
distance, yet so that that they might see, if possible, which way
the savages took.
They had not gone far, but that from a rising ground they
could see the little army of their enemies come on directly to
their habitation, and, in a moment more, could see all their huts
and household stuff flaming up together, to their great grief and
mortification; for they had a very great loss, to them irretrievable,
415
SEAR
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.

at least for some time. They kept their station for a while, till
they found the savages, like wild beasts, spread themselves all
over the place, rummaging every way, and every place they could
think of, in search of prey; and in particular for the people, of
whom, now, it plainly appeared they had intelligence.
The two Englishmen seeing this, thinking themselves not secure
where they stood, because it was likely some of the wild people
might come that way, and they might come too many together,
thought it proper to make another retreat about half a mile far-
416
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
:
ther believing, as it afterwards happened, that the farther they
strolled, the fewer would be together.
Their next halt was at the entrance into a very thick-grown
part of the woods, and where an old trunk of a tree stood, which
was hollow and vastly large; and in this tree they both took
their standing, resolving to see there what might offer. They had
not stood there long before two of the savages appeared running
directly that way, as if they already had notice where they stood,
and were coming up to attack them; and a little way farther they
espied three more coming after them, and five more beyond them,
all coming the same way: besides which, they saw seven or eight
more at a distance, running another way; for, in a word, they
ran every way, like sportsmen beating for their game.
The poor men were now in great perplexity whether they
should stand and keep their posture, or fly; but, after a very
short debate with themselves, they considered, that if the savages.
ranged the country thus before help came, they might perhaps
find out their retreat in the woods, and then all would be lost;
so they resolved to stand them there; and if they were too many
to deal with, then they would get up to the top of the tree,
from whence they doubted not to defend themselves, fire excepted,
as long as their ammunition lasted, though all the savages that
were landed, which was near fifty, were to attack them.
Having resolved upon this, they next considered whether they
should fire at the first two, or wait for the three, and so take
the middle party, by which the two and the five that followed
would be separated; at length they resolved to let the first two
pass by, unless they should spy them in the tree, and come to
attack them. The first two savages confirmed them also in this
regulation, by turning a little from them towards another part of
the wood but the three, and the five after them, came forward
directly to the tree, as if they had known the Englishmen were
there. Seeing them come so straight towards them, they resolved
to take them in a line as they came; and as they resolved to
fire but one at a time, perhaps the first shot might hit them
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
417
all three for which purpose the man who was to fire put three
or four small bullets into his piece; and having a fair loop-hole,
as it were, from a broken hole in the tree, he took a sure aim,
without being seen, waiting till they were within about thirty
yards of the tree, so that he could not miss.
While they were thus waiting, and the savages came on, they
plainly saw that one of the three was the runaway savage that
had escaped from them; and they both knew him distinctly, and
resolved that, if possible, he should not escape, though they should
both fire: so the other stood ready with his piece, that if he did not
drop at the first shot, he should be sure to have a second. But
the first was too good a marksman to miss his aim; for as the
savages kept near one another, a little behind, in a line, he fired,
and hit two of them directly: the foremost was killed outright,

418
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
being shot in the head; the second, which was the runaway
Indian, was shot through the body, and fell, but was not quite
dead; and the third had a little scratch in the shoulder, per-
haps by the same ball that went through the body of the second;
and being dreadfully frightened, though not so much hurt, sat
down upon the ground, screaming and yelling in a hideous manner.
The five that were behind, more frightened with the noise
than sensible of the danger, stood still at first; for the woods
made the sound a thousand times bigger than it really was, the
echoes rattling from one side to another, and the fowls rising
from all parts, screaming, and every sort making a different noise,
according to their kind; just as it was when I fired the first gun
that perhaps was ever shot off in the island.
However, all being silent again, and they not knowing what
the matter was, came on unconcerned, till they came to the place
where their companions lay in a condition miserable enough; and
here the poor ignorant creatures, not sensible that they were
within reach of the same mischief, stood all of a huddle over the
wounded man, talking, and, as may be supposed, enquiring of
him how he came to be hurt; and who, it is very rational to
believe, told them, that a flash of fire first, and immediately after
that thunder from their gods, had killed those two and wounded
him; this, I say, is rational; for nothing is more certain than
that, as they saw no man near them, so they had never heard
a gun in all their lives, nor so much as heard of a gun; neither
knew they anything of killing and wounding at a distance with
fire and bullets: if they had, one might reasonably believe they
would not have stood so unconcerned in viewing the fate of their
fellows, without some apprehensions of their own.
Our two men, though, as they confessed to me, it grieved
them to be obliged to kill so many poor creatures, who, at the
same time, had no notion of their danger; yet, having them all
thus in their power, and the first having loaded his piece again,
resolved to let fly both together among them; and singling out,
by agreement, which to aim at, they shot together, and killed, or
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
419
very much wounded, four of them; the fifth, frightened even to
death, though not hurt, fell with the rest; so that our men,
seeing them all fall together, thought they had killed them all.
The belief that the savages were all killed, made our two men
come boldly out from the tree before they had charged their
guns, which was a wrong step; and they were under some sur-
prise when they came to the place, and found no less than four
of them alive, and of them, two very little hurt, and one not at
all: this obliged them to fall upon them with the stocks of their
muskets; and first they made sure of the runaway savage, that
had been the cause of all the mischief, and of another that was
hurt in the knee, and put them out of their pain: then the man
that was not hurt at all, came and kneeled down to them, with
his two hands held up, and made piteous moans to them, by
gestures and signs, for his life, but could not say one word to
them that they could understand. However, they made signs to
him to sit down at the foot of a tree hard by; and one of the
Englishmen, with a piece of rope twined, which he had by great
chance in his pocket, tied his two hands behind him, and there
they left him; and with what speed they could, made after the
other two, which were gone before, fearing they, or any more of
them, should find the way to their covered place in the woods,
where their wives, and the few goods they had left lay.
came once in sight of the two men, but it was at a great dis-
tance; however, they had the satisfaction to see them cross over
a valley towards the sea, quite the contrary way from that which
led to their retreat, which they were afraid of; and being satis-
fied with that, they went back to the tree where they left their
prisoner, who, as they supposed, was delivered by his comrades,
for he was gone, and the two pieces of rope-yarn, with which they
had bound him, lay just at the foot of the tree.
They
They were now in as great concern as before, not knowing
what course to take, or how near the enemy might be, or in what
numbers; so they resolved to go away to the place where their
wives were, to see if all was well there, and to make them easy,
420
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
who were in fright enough to be sure; for though the savages
were their own country-folk, yet they were most terribly afraid
of them, and perhaps the more for the knowledge they had of them.
When they came there, they found the savages had been in
the wood, and very near that place, but had not found it: for it
was indeed inaccessible, by the trees standing so thick, as before,
unless the persons seeking it had been directed by those that knew
it, which these did not; they found, therefore, everything very
safe, only the women in a terrible fright. While they were here,
they had the comfort to have seven of the Spaniards come to their
assistance; the other ten, with their servants, and old Friday (I
mean Friday's father), were gone in a body to defend their bower,
and the corn and cattle that was kept there, in case the savages
should have roved over to that side of the country; but they did
not spread so far. With the seven Spaniards came one of the
three savages, who, as I said, were their prisoners formerly; and
with them also came the savage whom the Englishmen had left
bound hand and foot at the tree; for it seems they came that
way, saw the slaughter of the seven men, and unbound the eighth,
and brought him along with them; where, however, they were
obliged to bind him again, as they had the two others who were
left when the third ran away.
The prisoners now began to be a burden to them; and they
were so afraid of their escaping, that they were once resolving to
kill them all, believing they were under an absolute necessity to
do so for their own preservation. However, the Spaniard governor
would not consent to it; but ordered, for the present, that they
should be sent out of the way, to my old cave in the valley, and
be kept there, with two Spaniards to guard them; and give them.
food for their subsistence, which was done; and they were bound
there hand and foot for that night.
When the Spaniards came, the two Englishmen were so en-
couraged that they could not satisfy themselves to stay any longer
there; but taking five of the Spaniards and themselves, with four
muskets and a pistol among them, and two stout quarter staves,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
421
away they went in quest of the savages.
And first they came to
the tree where the men lay that had been killed; but it was easy
to see that some more of the savages had been there, for they had
attempted to carry their dead men away, and had dragged two
of them a good way, but had given it over. From thence they
advanced to the first rising ground, where they had stood and
seen their camp destroyed, and where they had the mortification
still to see some of the smoke: but neither could they here see
any of the savages. They then resolved, though with all possible
caution, to go forward, towards their ruined plantation; but a
little before they came thither, coming in sight of the sea-shore,
they saw plainly the savages all embarked again in their canoes,
in order to be gone. They seemed sorry, at first, that there was
no way to come at them, to give them a parting blow; but, upon
the whole, they were very well satisfied to be rid of them.
The poor Englishmen being now twice ruined, and all their
improvements destroyed, the rest all agreed to come and help
them to rebuild, and to assist them with needful supplies. Their
three countrymen, who were not yet noted for having the least
inclination to do any good, yet as soon as they heard of it (for
they, living remote eastward, knew nothing of the matter till all
was over), came and offered their help and assistance, and did,
very friendly, work for several days, to restore their habitation,
and make necessaries for them. And thus, in a little time, they
were set upon their legs again.
About two days after this, they had the farther satisfaction of
seeing three of the savages' canoes come driving on shore, and,
at some distance from them, two drowned men: by which they
had reason to believe that they had met with a storm at sea,
which had overset some of them; for it had blown very hard the
night after they went off.
However, as some might miscarry, so, on the other hand,
enough of them escaped to inform the rest, as well of what they
had done as of what had happened to them, and to whet them on
to another enterprise of the same nature; which they, it seems,
422
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
resolved to attempt, with sufficient force to carry all before them :
for except what the first man had told them of inhabitants, they
could say little of it of their own knowledge, for they never saw
one man; and the fellow being killed that had affirmed it, they
had no other witness to confirm it to them.
It was five or six months after this before they heard any
more of the savages, in which time our men were in hopes they
had either forgot their former bad luck, or given over hopes of
better; when, on a sudden, they were invaded with a most for-
midable fleet of no less than eight and twenty canoes, full of
savages, armed with bows and arrows, great clubs, wooden swords,
and such like engines of war; and they brought such numbers
with them, that, in short, it put all our people into the utmost
consternation.
As they came on shore in the evening, and at the eastern-
most side of the island, our men had that night to consult and
consider what to do; and, in the first place, knowing that their
being entirely concealed was their only safety before, and would
be much more so now, while the number of their enemies was so
great, they therefore resolved, first of all, to take down the huts
which were built for the two Englishmen, and drive away their
goats to the old cave; because they supposed the savages would
go directly thither, as soon as it was day, to play the old game
over again, though they did not now land within two leagues of
it. In the next place, they drove away all the flocks of goats
they had at the old bower, as I called it, which belonged to the
Spaniards; and, in short, left as little appearance of inhabitants
anywhere as was possible: and the next morning early they posted
themselves, with all their force, at the plantation of the two men,
to wait for their coming. As they guessed, so it happened:
these new invaders, leaving their canoes at the east end of the
island, came ranging along the shore, directly towards the place,
to the number of two hundred and fifty, as near as our men
could judge.
Our army was but small, indeed; but that which
was worse, they had not arms for all their number neither.
The

کنند
SEARS, SO
They were invaded with a most formidable fleet of no less than eight-and-twenty canoes.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
423
whole account, it seems, stood thus: first, as to men, seventeen
Spaniards, five Englishmen, old Friday (or Friday's father), the
three slaves taken with the women, who proved very faithful, and
three other slaves, who lived with the Spaniards. To arm these,
they had eleven muskets, five pistols, three fowling-pieces, five
muskets, or fowling-pieces, which were taken by me from the
mutinous seamen whom I reduced, two swords, and three old
halberts.
To their slaves they did not give either musket or fusee, but
they had every one a halbert, or a long staff, like a quarter-staff,
with a great spike of iron fastened into each end of it, and by
his side a hatchet: also every one of our men had a hatchet.
Two of the women could not be prevailed upon but they would
come into the fight, and they had bows and arrows, which the
Spaniards had taken from the savages when the first action hap-
pened, which I have spoken of, where the Indians fought with
one another; and the women had hatchets too.
The Spaniard governor, whom I described so often, com-
manded the whole and Will Atkins, who, though a dreadful
fellow for wickedness, was a most daring, bold fellow, commanded
under him. The savages came forward like lions; and our men,
which was the worst of their fate, had no advantage in their situa-
tion; only that Will Atkins, who now proved a most useful fellow,
with six men, was planted just behind a small thicket of bushes, as
an advanced guard, with orders to let the first of them pass by, and
then fire into the middle of them, and as soon as he had fired, to
make his retreat as nimble as he could round a part of the wood,
and so come in behind the Spaniards, where they stood, having a
thicket of trees before them.
When the savages came on, they ran straggling about every
way in heaps, out of all manner of order, and Will Atkins let about
fifty of them pass by him; then seeing the rest come in a very
thick throng, he orders three of his men to fire, having loaded
their muskets with six or seven bullets a-piece, about as big as
large pistol-bullets. How many they killed or wounded they knew
424
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
not, but the consternation and surprise was inexpressible among
the savages; they were frightened to the last degree to hear such
a dreadful noise, and see their men killed, and others hurt, but
see nobody that did it; when, in the middle of their fright, Will
Atkins and his other three let fly again among the thickest of
them; and in less than a minute the first three being loaded
again, gave them a third volley.
Had Will Atkins and his men retired immediately, as soon as
they had fired, as they were ordered to do, or had the rest of the
body been at hand, to have poured in their shot continually, the
savages had been effectually routed; for the terror that was among
them came principally from this, viz. that they were killed by the
gods with thunder and lightning, and could see nobody that hurt
them; but Will Atkins, staying to load again, discovered the cheat:
some of the savages who were at a distance spying them, came upon
them behind; and though Atkins and his men fired at them also,
two or three times, and killed above twenty, retiring as fast as they
could, yet they wounded Atkins himself, and killed one of his fellow
Englishmen with their arrows, as they did afterwards one Spaniard,
and one of the Indian slaves who came with the women. This slave
was a most gallant fellow, and fought most desperately, killing five
of them with his own hand, having no weapon but one of the armed
staves and a hatchet.
Our men being thus hard laid at, Atkins wounded, and two
other men killed, retreated to a rising ground in the wood; and
the Spaniards, after firing three volleys upon them, retreated also;
for their number was so great, and they were so desperate, that
though above fifty of them were killed, and more than as many
wounded, yet they came on in the teeth of our men, fearless of
danger, and shot their arrows like a cloud; and it was observed
that their wounded men, who were not quite disabled, were made
outrageous by their wounds, and fought like madmen.
When our men retreated, they left the Spaniard and the Eng-
lishmen that were killed behind them; and the savages, when they
came up to them, killed them over again in a wretched manner,

They came on, fearless of danger, and shot their arrows, like a cloud.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
425
breaking their arms, legs, and heads, with their clubs and wooden
swords, like true savages; but finding our men were gone, they did
not seem to pursue them, but drew themselves up in a ring, which
is, it seems, their custom, and shouted twice, in token of their
victory; after which, they had the mortification to see several of
their wounded men fall, dying with the mere loss of blood.
The Spaniard governor having drawn his little body up together
upon a rising ground, Atkins, though he was wounded, would have
had them march and charge again all together at once: but the
Spaniard replied,-"Seignior Atkins, you see how their wounded
men fight; let them alone till morning; all the wounded men will
be stiff and sore with their wounds, and faint with the loss of blood ;
and so we shall have the fewer to engage." This advice was good ;
but Will Atkins replied merrily, "That is true, Seignior, and so
shall I too; and that is the reason I would go on while I am
warm."-"Well, Seignior Atkins," says the Spaniard, "you have
behaved gallantly, and done your part; we will fight for you, if
you cannot come on; but I think it best to stay till morning:" so
they waited.
But as it was a clear moonlight night, and they found the
savages in great disorder about their dead and wounded men, and
a great noise and hurry among them where they lay, they after-
wards resolved to fall upon them in the night; especially if they
could come to give them but one volley before they were dis-
covered, which they had a fair opportunity to do; for one of the
Englishmen, in whose quarter it was where the fight began, led
them round between the woods and the sea-side westward, and then
turning short south, they came so near where the thickest of them
lay, that, before they were seen or heard, eight of them fired in
among them, and did dreadful execution upon them; in half a
minute more, eight others fired after them, pouring in their small
shot in such a quantity, that abundance were killed and wounded;
and all this while they were not able to see who hurt them, or
which way to fly.
The Spaniards charged again with the utmost expedition, and
426
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
then divided themselves in three bodies, and resolved to fall in
among them all together. They had in each body eight per-
sons, that is to say, twenty-two men, and the two women, who,
by the way, fought desperately. They divided the fire-arms
equally in each party, and so the halberts and staves. They
would have had the women kept back, but they said they were
resolved to die with their husbands. Having thus formed their
little army, they marched out from among the trees, and came
up to the teeth of the enemy, shouting and hallooing as loud as
they could; the savages stood altogether, but were in the utmost
confusion, hearing the noise of our men shouting from three
quarters together they would have fought if they had seen us;
for as soon as we came near enough to be seen, some arrows
were shot, and poor old Friday was wounded, though not dan-
gerously; but our men gave them no time, but, running up to
them, fired among them three ways, and then fell in with the
butt ends of their muskets, their swords, armed staves, and
hatchets, and laid about them so well that, in a word, they set
up a dismal screaming and howling, flying to save their lives
which way soever they could.
Our men were tired with the execution, and killed or mor-
tally wounded in the two fights about one hundred and eighty of
them; the rest, being frightened out of their wits, scoured through
the woods and over the hills, with all the speed fear and nimble
feet could help them to; and as we did not trouble ourselves much
to pursue them, they got all together to the sea-side where they
landed, and where their canoes lay. But their disaster was not
at an end yet; for it blew a terrible storm of wind that evening
from the sea, so that it was impossible for them to go off; nay,
the storm continuing all night, when the tide came up, their
canoes were most of them driven by the surge of the sea so high
upon the shore that it required infinite toil to get them off; and
some of them were even dashed to pieces against the beach, or
against one another.
Our men, though glad of their victory, yet got little rest that
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
427
night; but having refreshed themselves as well as they could,
they resolved to march to that part of the island where the
savages were fled, and see what posture they were in.
This ne-
cessarily led them over the place where the fight had been, and
where they found several of the poor creatures not quite dead,
and yet past recovering life; a sight disagreeable enough to gene-
rous minds; for a truly great man, though obliged by the law
of battle to destroy his enemy, takes no delight in his misery.
However, there was no need to give any orders in this case; for
their own savages, who were their servants, despatched these poor
creatures with their hatchets.
At length, they came in view of the place where the more
miserable remains of the savages' army lay, where there appeared
about a hundred still their posture was generally sitting upon

PLAUD
428
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the ground, with their knees up towards their mouth, and the
head put between the two hands, leaning down upon the knees.
When our men came within two musket shots of them, the
Spaniard governor ordered two muskets to be fired, without ball,
to alarm them: this he did, that by their countenance he might
know what to expect, viz. whether they were still in heart to fight,
or were so heartily beaten as to be dispirited and discouraged, and
so he might manage accordingly. This stratagem took; for as
soon as the savages heard the first gun, and saw the flash of the
second, they started up upon their feet in the greatest consterna-
tion imaginable and as our men advanced swiftly towards them,
they all ran screaming and yelling away, with a kind of howling
noise, which our men did not understand, and had never heard
before; and thus they ran up the hills into the country.
:
At first our men had much rather the weather had been calm,
and they had all gone away to sea; but they did not then con-
sider that this might probably have been the occasion of their
coming again in such multitudes as not to be resisted, or, at
least, to come so many and so often, as would quite desolate the
island, and starve them. Will Atkins, therefore, who, notwith-
standing his wound, kept always with them, proved the best
counsellor in this case: his advice was, to take the advantage
that offered, and clap in between them and their boats, and so
deprive them of the capacity of ever returning any more to plague
the island.
They consulted long about this; and some were against it for
fear of making the wretches fly to the woods and live there des-
perate, and so they should have them to hunt like wild beasts,
be afraid to stir out about their business, and have their planta-
tions continually rifled, all their tame goats destroyed, and, in
short, be reduced to a life of continual distress.
Will Atkins told them they had better have to do with a
hundred men than with a hundred nations that as they must
destroy their boats, so they must destroy the men, or be all of
them destroyed themselves. In a word, he shewed them the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
429

necessity of it so plainly that they all came into it; so they went
to work immediately with the boats, and getting some dry wood
together from a dead tree, they tried to set some of them on
fire, but they were so wet that they would not burn; however,
the fire so burned the upper part, that it soon made them unfit
for swimming in the sea as boats. When the Indians saw what
they were about, some of them came running out of the woods,
and coming as near as they could to our men, kneeled down and
cried, "Oa, Oa, Waramokoa," and some other words of their lan-
guage, which none of the others understood anything of; but as
they made pitiful gestures and strange noises, it was easy to un-
derstand they begged to have their boats spared, and that they
N N
430
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
would be gone, and never come there again. But our men
were now satisfied that they had no way to preserve themselves,
or to save their colony, but effectually to prevent any of these
people from ever going home again: depending upon this, that if
even so much as one of them got back into their country to tell
the story, the colony was undone; so that, letting them know
that they should not have any mercy, they fell to work with their
canoes, and destroyed them every one that the storm had not de-
stroyed before; at the sight of which, the savages raised a hideous
cry in the woods, which our people heard plain enough, after
which they ran about the island like distracted men; so that, in
a word, our men did not really know what at first to do with
them. Nor did the Spaniards, with all their prudence, consider
that while they made those people thus desperate, they ought to
have kept a good guard at the same time upon their plantations ;
for though, it is true, they had driven away their cattle, and the
Indians did not find out their main retreat, I mean my old castle
at the hill, nor the cave in the valley, yet they found out my
plantation at the bower, and pulled it all to pieces, and all the
fences and planting about it; trod all the corn under foot, tore
up the vines and grapes, being just then almost ripe, and did our
men an inestimable damage, though to themselves not one far-
thing's worth of service.
Though our men were able to fight them upon all occasions,
yet they were in no condition to pursue them, or hunt them up
and down for as they were too nimble of foot for our men, when
they found them single, so our men durst not go abroad single,
for fear of being surrounded with their numbers.
The best was,
:
they had no weapons; for though they had bows, they had no
arrows left, nor any materials to make any; nor had they any edge-
tool or weapon among them.
The extremity and distress they were reduced to was great,
and indeed deplorable; but, at the same time, our men were also
brought to very bad circumstances by them; for, though their
retreats were preserved, yet their provision was destroyed, and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
431
their harvest spoiled; and what to do, or which way to turn
themselves, they knew not. The only refuge they had now
was the stock of cattle they had in the valley by the cave, and
some little corn which grew there, and the plantation of the
three Englishmen, Will Atkins and his comrades, who were now
reduced to two; one of them being killed by an arrow, which
struck him on the side of his head, just under the temples, so
that he never spoke more; and it was very remarkable that
this was the same barbarous fellow that cut the poor savage
slave with his hatchet, and who afterwards intended to have
murdered the Spaniards.
I looked upon their case to have been worse at this time
than mine was at any time, after I first discovered the grains
of barley and rice, and got into the manner of planting and
raising my corn, and my tame cattle; for now they had, as I
may say, a hundred wolves upon the island, which would devour
everything they could come at, yet could be hardly come at
themselves.
When they saw what their circumstances were, the first thing
they concluded was, that they would, if possible, drive them up
to the farther part of the island, south-west, that if any more
savages came on shore they might not find one another then
that they would daily hunt and harass them, and kill as many of
them as they could come at, till they had reduced their number;
and if they could at last tame them, and bring them to any-
thing, they would give them corn, and teach them how to plant,
and live upon their daily labour.
In order to this, they so followed them, and so terrified them
with their guns, that in a few days, if any of them fired a gun
at an Indian, if he did not hit him, yet he would fall down
for fear; and so dreadfully frightened they were that they kept
out of sight farther and farther; till, at last, our men follow-
ing them, and almost every day killing or wounding some of
them, they kept up in the woods or hollow places so much that
it reduced them to the utmost misery for want of food; and
432
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
many were afterwards found dead in the woods, without any
hurt, absolutely starved to death.
When our men found this, it made their hearts relent, and
pity moved them, especially the Spaniard governor, who was the
most gentleman-like, generous-minded man that I ever met with
in my life; and he proposed, if possible, to take one of them
alive, and bring him to understand what they meant, so far as
to be able to act as interpreter, and go among them, and see
if they might be brought to some conditions that might be de-
pended upon, to save their lives and do us no harm.
It was some while before any of them could be taken; but,
being weak and half-starved, one of them was at last surprised
and made a prisoner. He was sullen at first, and would nei-
ther eat nor drink; but finding himself kindly used, and victuals
given to him, and no violence offered him, he at last grew
tractable, and came to himself. They brought old Friday to
him, who talked often with him, and told him how kind the

QUARTLEY,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
433
others would be to them all; that they would not only save
their lives, but give them part of the island to live in, pro-
vided they would give satisfaction that they would keep in their
own bounds, and not come beyond it to injure or prejudice
others; and that they should have corn given them to plant and
make it grow for their bread, and some bread given them for
their present subsistence and old Friday bade the fellow go and
talk with the rest of his countrymen, and see what they said to
it; assuring them that, if they did not agree immediately, they
should be all destroyed.
The poor wretches, thoroughly humbled, and reduced in
number to about thirty-seven, closed with the proposal at the
first offer, and begged to have some food given them; upon
which, twelve Spaniards and two Englishmen, well armed, with
three Indian slaves and old Friday, marched to the place where
they were. The three Indian slaves carried them a large quan-
tity of bread, some rice boiled up to cakes and dried in the
sun, and three live goats; and they were ordered to go to the
side of a hill, where they sat down, ate their provisions very
thankfully, and were the most faithful fellows to their words that
could be thought of; for, except when they came to beg vic-
tuals and directions, they never came out of their bounds; and
there they lived when I came to the island, and I went to see
them.
•
They had taught them both to plant corn, make bread, breed
tame goats, and milk them: they wanted nothing but wives, and
they soon would have been a nation. They were confined to a
neck of land, surrounded with high rocks behind them, and
lying plain towards the sea before them, on the south-east corner
of the island. They had land enough, and it was very good
and fruitful; about a mile and a half broad, and three or four
miles in length.
Our men taught them to make wooden spades, such as I
made for myself, and gave among them twelve hatchets and three
or four knives; and there they lived, the most subjected, innocent
creatures that ever were heard of.
434
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
After this, the colony enjoyed a perfect tranquillity, with
respect to the savages, till I came to revisit them, which was
about two years after; not but that, now and then, some canoes
of savages came on shore for their triumphal, unnatural feasts;
but as they were of several nations, and perhaps had never heard
of those that came before, or the reason of it, they did not make
any search or enquiry after their countrymen; and if they had,
it would have been very hard to have found them out.
Thus, I think, I have given a full account of all that hap-
pened to them till my return, at least, that was worth notice.
The Indians or savages were wonderfully civilised by them, and
they frequently went among them; but forbid, on pain of death,
any one of the Indians coming to them, because they would not
have their settlement betrayed again. One thing was very re-
markable, viz. that they taught the savages to make wicker-work,
or baskets, but they soon outdid their masters; for they made
abundance of most ingenious things in wicker-work, particularly
of all sorts of baskets, sieves, bird-cages, cupboards, &c.; as also
chairs to sit on, stools, beds, couches, and abundance of other
things; being very ingenious at such work, when they were once
put in the way of it.
My coming was a particular relief to these people, because
we furnished them with knives, scissors, spades, shovels, pick-
axes, and all things of that kind which they could want. With
the help of those tools, they were so very handy that they came
at last to build up their huts, or houses, very handsomely, rad-
dling or working it up like basket-work all the way round; which
was a very extraordinary piece of ingenuity, and looked very
odd, but was an exceeding good fence as well against heat as
against all sorts of vermin; and our men were so taken with it,
that they got the wild savages to come and do the like for them;
so that when I came to see the two Englishmen's colonies, they
looked, at a distance, as if they all lived like bees in a hive.
As for Will Atkins, who was now become a very industrious,
useful, and sober fellow, he had made himself such a tent of
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
435
basket-work as, I believe, was never seen; it was one hundred
and twenty paces round on the outside, as I measured by my
steps; the walls were as close worked as a basket, in pannels
or squares of thirty-two in number, and very strong, standing
about seven feet high; in the middle was another not above
twenty-two paces round, but built stronger, being octagon in its
form, and in the eight corners stood eight very strong posts;
round the top of which he laid strong pieces, pinned together
with wooden pins, from which he raised a pyramid for a roof
of eight rafters, very handsome, I assure you, and joined toge-
ther very well, though he had no nails, and only a few iron
spikes, which he made himself too, out of the old iron that I
had left there; and, indeed, this fellow shewed abundance of
ingenuity in several things which he had no knowledge of he
made him a forge, with a pair of wooden bellows to blow the
fire; he made himself charcoal for his work; and he formed
out of the iron crows a middling good anvil to hammer upon:
in this manner he made many things, but especially hooks,
staples, and spikes, bolts, and hinges. But to return to the
house after he had pitched the roof of his innermost tent, he
worked it up between the rafters with basket-work, so firm, and
thatched that over again so ingeniously with rice-straw, and over
that a large leaf of a tree, which covered the top, that his house
was as dry as if it had been tiled or slated. Indeed, he owned
that the savages had made the basket-work for him. The outer
circuit was covered as a lean-to, all round this inner apartment,
and long rafters lay from the thirty-two angles to the top posts
of the inner house, being about twenty feet distant, so that there
was a space like a walk within the outer wicker-wall and with-
out the inner, near twenty feet wide.
The inner place he partitioned off with the same wicker-work,
but much fairer, and divided into six apartments, so that he had
six rooms on a floor, and out of every one of these there was
a door; first into the entry, or coming into the main tent, ano-
ther door into the main tent, and another door into the space
436
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
or walk that was round it; so that walk was also divided into
six equal parts, which served not only for a retreat, but to store
up any necessaries which the family had occasion for. These six
spaces not taking up the whole circumference, what other apart-
ments the outer circle had were thus ordered:-As soon as you
were in at the door of the outer circle, you had a short passage
straight before you to the door of the inner house: but on either
side was a wicker partition, and a door in it, by which you
went first into a large room, or storehouse, twenty feet wide
and about thirty feet long, and through that into another, not
quite so long; so that in the outer circle were ten handsome
rooms, six of which were only to be come at through the apart-
ments of the inner tent, and served as closets or retiring rooms
to the respective chambers of the inner circle; and four large
warehouses, or barns, or what you please to call them, which
went through one another, two on either hand of the passage,
that led through the outer door to the inner tent.
Such a piece of basket-work, I believe, was never seen in
the world, nor a house or tent so neatly contrived, much less
so built. In this great bee-hive lived the three families, that is
to say, Will Atkins and his companion; the third was killed,
but his wife remained, with three children, for she was, it seems,
big with child when he died: and the other two were not at all
backward to give the widow her full share of everything, I mean
as to their corn, milk, grapes, &c., and when they killed a kid,
or found a turtle on the shore; so that they all lived well
enough; though, it was true, they were not so industrious as
the other two, as has been observed already.
One thing, however, cannot be omitted, viz. that as for reli-
gion, I do not know that there was anything of that kind among
them they often, indeed, put one another in mind that there
was a God, by the very common method of seamen, viz. swearing
by his name: nor were their poor ignorant savage wives much
better for having been married to Christians, as we must call
them; for as they knew very little of God themselves, so they

SEAK
In this great bee-hive lived the three families.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
437
were utterly incapable of entering into any discourse with their
wives about a God, or to talk anything to them concerning religion.
The utmost of all the improvement which I can say the
wives had made from them was, that they had taught them to
speak English pretty well; and most of their children, which
were near twenty in all, were taught to speak English too, from
their first learning to speak, though they at first spoke it in a
very broken manner, like their mothers. There was none of
these children above six years old when I came thither, for it
was not much above seven years that they had fetched these
five savage ladies over; but they had all been pretty fruitful,
for they had all children, more or less; I think the cook's mate's
wife was big of her sixth child; and the mothers were all a
good sort of well-governed, quiet, laborious women, modest and
decent, helpful to one another, mighty observant and subject to
their masters (I cannot call them husbands), and wanted nothing
but to be well instructed in the Christian religion, and to be
legally married; both which were happily brought about after-
wards by my means, or, at least, in consequence of my coming
among them.
Having thus given an account of the colony in general, and
pretty much of my runagate English, I must say something of
the Spaniards, who were the main body of the family, and in
whose story there are some incidents also remarkable enough.
I had a great many discourses with them about their cir-
cumstances when they were among the savages. They told me
readily that they had no instances to give of their application
or ingenuity in that country; that they were a poor, miserable,
dejected handful of people; that if means had been put into
their hands, yet they had so abandoned themselves to despair,
and so sunk under the weight of their misfortune, that they
thought of nothing but starving. One of them, a grave and
sensible man, told me he was convinced they were in the wrong;
that it was not the part of wise men to give themselves up to
their misery, but always to take hold of the helps which reason
438
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
offered, as well for present support as for future deliverance: he
told me that grief was the most senseless, insignificant passion
in the world, for that it regarded only things past, which were
generally impossible to be recalled, or to be remedied, but had
no views of things to come, and had no share in anything that
looked like deliverance, but rather added to the affliction than
proposed a remedy; and upon this he repeated a Spanish pro-
verb, which, though I cannot repeat in just the same words that
he spoke it in, yet I remember I made it into an English pro-
verb of my own, thus:
In trouble to be troubled,
Is to have your trouble doubled.
He ran on then in remarks upon all the little improvements
I had made in my solitude; my unwearied application, as he
called it; and how I had made a condition, which in its cir-
cumstances was at first much worse than theirs, a thousand times
more happy than theirs was, even now when they were all toge-
ther. He told me it was remarkable that Englishmen had a
greater presence of mind, in their distress, than any people that
ever he met with; that their unhappy nation and the Portu-
guese were the worst men in the world to struggle with mis-
fortunes; for that their first step in dangers, after the common
efforts were over, was to despair, lie down under it, and die,
without rousing their thoughts up to proper remedies for escape.
I told him their case and mine differed exceedingly; that
they were cast upon the shore without necessaries, without supply
of food, or present sustenance till they could provide for it:
that, it was true, I had this disadvantage and discomfort, that
I was alone; but then the supplies I had providentially thrown
into my hands, by the unexpected driving of the ship on shore,
was such a help as would have encouraged any creature in the
world to have applied himself as I had done. "Seignior," says
the Spaniard," had we poor Spaniards been in your case, we
should never have got half those things out of the ship, as you
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
439
66
did: nay," says he, we should never have found means to
have got a raft to carry them, or to have got the raft on shore
without boat or sail; and how much less should we have done
if any of us had been alone ! "
Well, I desired him to abate
his compliment, and go on with the history of their coming on
shore, where they landed. He told me they unhappily landed
at a place where there were people without provisions; whereas,
had they had the common sense to have put off to sea again,
and gone to another island a little farther, they had found pro-
visions, though without people; there being an island that way,
as they had been told, where there were provisions, though no
people; that is to say, that the Spaniards of Trinidad had fre-
quently been there, and had filled the island with goats and hogs
at several times, where they had bred in such multitudes, and
where turtle and sea-fowls were in such plenty, that they could
have been in no want of flesh, though they had found no bread;
whereas here, they were only sustained with a few roots and herbs,
which they understood not, and which had no substance in them,
and which the inhabitants gave them sparingly enough; and who
could treat them no better, unless they would turn cannibals, and
eat men's flesh, which was the great dainty of their country.
They gave me an account how many ways they strove to
civilise the savages they were with, and to teach them ratio n
customs in the ordinary way of living, but in vain; and how
they retorted it upon them, as unjust, that they, who came there
for assistance and support, should attempt to set up for in-
structors of those that gave them food; intimating, it seems,
that none should set up for the instructors of others but those
who could live without them.
They gave me dismal accounts of the extremities they were
driven to; how sometimes they were many days without any
food at all, the island they were upon being inhabited by a sort
of savages that lived more indolent, and for that reason were
less supplied with the necessaries of life than they had reason
to believe others were in the same part of the world and yet
440
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
they found that these savages were less ravenous and voracious
than those who had better supplies of food.
Also they added,
they could not but see with what demonstrations of wisdom and
goodness the governing providence of God directs the events of
things in this world: which, they said, appeared in their cir-
cumstances; for if, pressed by the hardships they were under,
and the barrenness of the country where they were, they had
searched after a better to live in, they had then been out of
the way of the relief that happened to them by my means.
They then gave me an account how the savages whom they lived
among expected them to go out with them into their wars; and, it
was true, that as they had fire-arms with them, had they not had
the disaster to lose their ammunition, they should have been service-
able not only to their friends, but have made themselves terrible
both to friends and enemies; but being without powder and shot,

TILS MO
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
441
and yet in a condition that they could not in reason deny to go out
with their landlords to their wars; so when they came into the field
of battle, they were in a worse condition than the savages them-
selves, for they had neither bows nor arrows, nor could they use
those the savages gave them; so they could do nothing but stand
still, and be wounded with arrows, till they came up to the teeth of
their enemy; and then, indeed, the three halberds they had were of
use to them; and they would often drive a whole little army before
them with those halberds, and sharpened sticks put into the muzzles
of their muskets: but that, for all this, they were sometimes sur-
rounded with multitudes, and in great danger from their arrows,
till at last, they found the way to make themselves large targets
of wood, which they covered with skins of wild beasts, whose names
they knew not, and these covered them from the arrows of the
savages: that, notwithstanding these, they were sometimes in great
danger; and five of them were once knocked down together with
the clubs of the savages, which was the time when one of them was
taken prisoner, that is to say, the Spaniard whom I had relieved:
that at first they thought he had been killed; but when they after-
wards heard he was taken prisoner, they were under the greatest
grief imaginable, and would willingly have all ventured their lives.
to have rescued him.
They told me that when they were so knocked down, the rest of
their company rescued them, and stood over them fighting till they
were come to themselves, all but him who they thought had been.
dead; and then they made their way with their halberds and
pieces, standing close together in a line, through a body of above
a thousand savages, beating down all that came in their way, got
the victory over their enemies, but to their great sorrow, because
it was with the loss of their friend, whom the other party, find-
ing him alive, carried off, with some others, as I gave an account
before.
They described, most affectionately, how they were surprised
with joy at the return of their friend and companion in misery,
who, they thought had been devoured by wild beasts of the
O O
442
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
worst kind, viz. by wild men ; and yet, how more and more
they were surprised with the account he gave them of his errand;
and that there was a Christian in any place near,-much more
one that was able, and had humanity enough, to contribute to
their deliverance.
They described how they were astonished at the sight of the
relief I sent them, and at the appearance of loaves of bread,
things they had not seen since their coming to that miserable
place; how often they crossed and blessed it as bread sent from
Heaven; and what a reviving cordial it was to their spirits to
taste it, as also the other things I had sent for their supply:
and, after all, they would have told me something of the joy they
were in at the sight of a boat and pilots, to carry them away
to the person and place from whence all these new comforts came;
but it was impossible to express it by words, for their excessive
joy naturally driving them to unbecoming extravagances, they had
no way to describe them, but by telling me they bordered upon
lunacy, having no way to give vent to their passions suitable to
the sense that was upon them; that in some it worked one way,
and in some another; and that some of them, through a sur-
prise of joy, would burst into tears, others be stark mad, and
others immediately faint. This discourse extremely affected me,
and called to my mind Friday's ecstasy when he met his father,
and the poor people's ecstasy when I took them up at sea after
their ship was on fire; the joy of the mate of the ship when he
found himself delivered in the place where he expected to perish;
and my own joy, when, after twenty-eight years' captivity, I
found a good ship ready to carry me to my own country. All
these things made me more sensible of the relation of these poor
men, and more affected with it.
Having thus given a view of the state of things as I found
them, I must relate the heads of what I did for these people,
and the condition in which I left them. It was their opinion,
and mine too, that they would be troubled no more with the
savages, or, if they were, they would be able to cut them off,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
443
"
if they were twice as many as before; so they had no concern
about that. Then I entered into a serious discourse with the
Spaniard, whom I call governor, about their stay in the island;
for as I was not come to carry any of them off, so it would not
be just to carry off some and leave others, who, perhaps, would
be unwilling to stay if their strength was diminished. On the
other hand, I told them I came to establish them there, not to
remove them; and then I let them know that I had brought with
me relief of sundry kinds for them; that I had been at a great
charge to supply them with all things necessary, as well for their
convenience as their defence; and that I had such and such par-
ticular persons with me, as well to increase and recruit their
number, as by the particular necessary employments which they
were bred to, being artificers, to assist them in those things in
which at present they were in want.
They were all together when I talked thus to them; and be-
fore I delivered to them the stores I had brought, I asked them,
one by one, if they had entirely forgot and buried the first ani-
mosities that had been among them, and would shake hands with
one another, and engage in a strict friendship and union of in-
terest, that so there might be no more misunderstandings and
jealousies.
Will Atkins, with abundance of frankness and good humour,
said, they had met with affliction enough to make them all sober,
and enemies enough to make them all friends; that, for his part,
he would live and die with them; and was so far from designing
anything against the Spaniards, that he owned they had done
nothing to him but what his own mad humour made necessary,
and what he would have done, and perhaps worse, in their case;
and that he would ask them pardon, if I desired it, for the foolish
and brutish things he had done to them, and was very willing and
desirous of living in terms of entire friendship and union with
them, and would do anything that lay in his power to convince
them of it; and as for going to England, he cared not if he did
not go thither these twenty years.
444
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

HAMS.
The Spaniards said they had, indeed, at first disarmed and
excluded Will Atkins and his two countrymen for their ill con-
duct, as they had let me know, and they appealed to me for the
necessity they were under to do so; but that Will Atkins had be-
haved himself so bravely in the great fight they had with the
savages, and on several occasions since, and had shewed himself
so faithful to, and concerned for, the general interest of them all,
that they had forgotten all that was passed, and thought he merited
as much to be trusted with arms, and supplied with necessaries,
as any of them; and they had testified their satisfaction in him,

We appointed the next day to dine all together.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
445
by committing the command to him, next to the governor him-
self; and as they had entire confidence in him and all his coun-
trymen, so they acknowledged they had merited that confidence.
by all the methods that honest men could merit to be valued
and trusted; and they most heartily embraced the occasion of
giving me this assurance, that they would never have any interest
separate from one another.
Upon these frank and open declarations of friendship, we ap-
pointed the next day to dine all together; and, indeed, we made
a splendid feast. I caused the ship's cook and his mate to come
on shore and dress our dinner, and the old cook's mate we had
on shore assisted. We brought on shore six pieces of good beef,
and four pieces of pork, out of the ship's provisions, with our
punchbowl, and materials to fill it; and in particular, I gave
them ten bottles of French claret, and ten bottles of English
beer; things that neither the Spaniards nor the English had tasted
for many years, and which it may be supposed they were very
glad of.
The Spaniards added to our feasts five whole kids,
which the cooks roasted; and three of them were sent, covered
up close, on board the ship to the seamen, that they might feast
on fresh meat from on shore, as we did with their salt meat
from on board.
After this feast, at which we were very innocently merry, I
brought my cargo of goods; wherein, that there might be no
dispute about dividing, I shewed them that there was a sufficiency
for them all, desiring that they might all take an equal quan-
tity of the goods that were for wearing; that is to say, equal
when made up.
As, first I distributed linen sufficient to make
every one of them four shirts, and, at the Spaniard's request,
afterwards made them up six; these were exceeding comfortable
to them, having been what, as I may say, they had long since
forgot the use of, or what it was to wear them. I allotted the
thin English stuffs, which I mentioned before, to make every one
a light coat like a frock, which I judged fittest for the heat of
the season, cool and loose; and ordered that whenever they de-
446
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
cayed, they should make more, as they thought fit; the like for
pumps, shoes, stockings, hats, &c.
I cannot express what pleasure, what satisfaction, sat upon
the countenances of all these poor men, when they saw the care
I had taken of them, and how well I had furnished them. They
told me I was a father to them; and that having such a cor-
respondent as I was in so remote a part of the world, it would
make them forget that they were left in a desolate place; and
they all voluntarily engaged to me not to leave the place without
my consent.
Then I presented to them the people I had brought with me,
particularly the tailor, the smith, and the two carpenters, all of
them most necessary people; but, above all, my general artificer,
than whom they could not name anything that was more useful
to them and the tailor, to shew his concern for them, went to
work immediately, and, with my leave, made them every one a
shirt, the first thing he did; and, which was still more, he taught
the women not only how to sew and stitch, and use the needle,
but made them assist to make the shirts for their husbands, and
for all the rest.
As to the carpenters, I scarce need mention how useful they
were; for they took to pieces all my clumsy, unhandy things,
and made them clever, convenient tables, stools, bedsteads, cup-
boards, lockers, shelves, and everything they wanted of that kind.
But to let them see how nature made artificers at first, I car-
ried the carpenters to see Will Atkins' basket-house, as I called
it and they both owned they never saw an instance of such
natural ingenuity before, nor anything so regular and so handily
built, at least of its kind; and one of them, when he saw it,
after musing a good while, turning about to me, "I am sure,"
says he, "that man has no need of us; you need do nothing
but give him tools."
Then I brought them out all my store of tools, and gave
every man a digging spade, a shovel, and a rake, for we had no
harrows or ploughs; and to every separate place a pickaxe, a
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
447
crow, a broad axe, and a saw; always appointing, that as often
as any were broken or worn out, they should be supplied, without
grudging, out of the general stores that I left behind. Nails,
staples, hinges, hammers, chisels, knives, scissors, and all sorts of
iron-work, they had without tale, as they required; for no man
would take more than he wanted, and he must be a fool that
would waste or spoil them on any account whatever; and for
the use of the smith, I left two tons of unwrought iron for a
supply.
My magazine of powder and arms which I brought them was
such, even to profusion, that they could not but rejoice at them;
for now they could march, as I used to do, with a musket upon
each shoulder, if there was occasion; and were able to fight a
thousand savages, if they had but some little advantages of situa-
tion, which also they could not miss, if they had occasion.
I carried on shore with me the young man whose mother was
starved to death, and the maid also; she was a sober, well edu-
cated, religious young woman, and behaved so inoffensively, that
every one gave her a good word; she had, indeed, an unhappy
life with us, there being no woman in the ship but herself, but
she bore it with patience. After a while, seeing things so well
ordered, and in so fine a way of thriving upon my island, and
considering that they had neither business nor acquaintance in the
East Indies, or reason for taking so long a voyage; I say, con-
sidering all this, both of them came to me, and desired I would
give them leave to remain on the island, and be entered among
my family, as they called it. I agreed to this readily; and they
had a little plot of ground allotted to them, where they had three
tents or houses set up, surrounded with a basket-work, pallisadoed
like Atkins', adjoining to his plantation. Their tents were con-
trived so that they had each of them a room apart to lodge in,
and a middle tent, like a great storehouse, to lay their goods
in, and to eat and drink in. And now the other two Eng-
lishmen removed their habitation to the same place; and so the
island was divided into three colonies, and no more, viz. the
448
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Spaniards, with old Friday and the first servants, at my old
habitation under the hill, which was, in a word, the capital city,
and where they had so enlarged and extended their works, as
well under as on the outside of the hill, that they lived, though
perfectly concealed, yet full at large. Never was there such a
little city in a wood, and so hid, in any part of the world; for
I verily believe a thousand men might have ranged the island a
month, and, if they had not known there was such a thing, and
looked on purpose for it, they would not have found it; for the
trees stood so thick and so close, and grew so fast woven one
into another, that nothing but cutting them down first could dis-
cover the place, except the only two narrow entrances where they
went in and out could be found, which was not very easy; one
of them was close down at the water's edge, on the side of the
creek, and it was afterwards above two hundred yards to the
place; and the other was up a ladder at twice, as I have already
formerly described it; and they had also a large wood, thickly
planted, on the top of the hill, containing above an acre, which
grew apace, and concealed the place from all discovery there,
with only one narrow place between two trees, not easily to be
discovered, to enter on that side.
The only colony was that of Will Atkins, where there were
four families of Englishmen, I mean those I had left there, with
their wives and children; three savages that were slaves; the
widow and the children of the Englishman that was killed; the
young man and the maid; and, by the way, we made a wife
of her before we went away.
There was also the two carpenters
and the tailor, whom I brought with me for them; also the
smith, who was a very necessary man to them, especially as a
gunsmith, to take care of their arms; and my other man, whom
I called Jack-of-all-trades, who was in himself as good almost
as twenty men; for he was not only a very ingenious fellow, but
a very merry fellow; and before I went away we married him
to the honest maid that came with the youth in the ship I men-
tioned before.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
449

121
AGUAE LAISNE
It is true this
offence to some
And now I speak of marrying, it brings me naturally to say
something of the French ecclesiastic that I had brought with me
out of the ship's crew whom I took up at sea.
man was a Roman, and perhaps it may give
hereafter, if I leave anything extraordinary upon record of a man
whom, before I begin, I must (to set him out in just colours)
represent in terms very much to his disadvantage, in the account
of Protestants: as, first, that he was a Papist; secondly, a Popish
priest; and, thirdly, a French Popish priest. But justice de-
mands of me to give him a due character; and I must say, he
was a grave, sober, pious, and most religious person; exact in
his life, extensive in his charity, and exemplary in almost every-
450
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
thing he did.
What then can any one say against being very
sensible of the value of such a man, notwithstanding his profes-
sion? though it may be my opinion, perhaps, as well as the
opinion of others who shall read this, that he was mistaken.
("
The first hour that I began to converse with him after he
had agreed to go with me to the East Indies, I found reason
to delight exceedingly in his conversation; and he first began
with me about religion in the most obliging manner imaginable.
Sir," says he, you have not only under God (and at that he
crossed his breast) saved my life, but you have admitted me to
go this voyage in your ship, and by your obliging civility have
taken me into your family, giving me an opportunity of free con-
versation. Now, sir, you see by my habit what my profession
is, and I guess by your nation what yours is; I may think it
is my duty, and doubtless it is so, to use my utmost endeavours,
on all occasions, to bring all the souls I can to the knowledge
of the truth, and to embrace the Catholic doctrine; but as I am
here under your permission, and in your family, I am bound in
justice to your kindness, as well as in decency and good manners,
to be under your government; and therefore I shall not, without
your leave, enter into any debate on the points of religion in
which we may not agree, farther than you shall give me leave."
I told him his carriage was so modest that I could not but
acknowledge it; that it was true we were such people as they
called heretics, but that he was not the first Catholic I had con-
versed with, without falling into inconveniences, or carrying the
questions to any height in debate; that he should not find himself
the worse used for being of a different opinion from us; and if we
did not converse without any dislike on either side, it should be
his fault, not ours.
He replied, that he thought all our conversation might be
easily separated from disputes; that it was not his business to
cap principles with every man he conversed with; and that he
rather desired me to converse with him as a gentleman than as a
religionist; and that, if I would give him leave at any time to
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
451
discourse upon religious subjects, he would readily comply with it,
and that he did not doubt but I would allow him also to defend
his own opinions as well as he could; but that, without my leave,
he would not break in upon me with any such thing. He told me
farther, that he would not cease to do all that became him, in his
office as a priest, as well as a private Christian, to procure the
good of the ship, and the safety of all that was in her; and though,
perhaps, we would not join with him, and he could not pray with
us, he hoped he might pray for us, which he would do upon all
occasions. In this manner we conversed; and as he was of the
most obliging, gentlemanlike behaviour, so he was, if I may be
allowed to say so, a man of good sense, and, as I believe, of great
learning.
He gave me a most diverting account of his life, and of the
many extraordinary events of it; of many adventures which had
befallen him in the few years that he had been abroad in the world;
and particularly this was very remarkable, viz. that in the voyage
he was now engaged in, he had the misfortune to be five times
shipped and unshipped, and never to go to the place whither any
of the ships he was in were at first designed. That his first intent
was to have gone to Martinico, and that he went on board a ship
bound thither at St. Malo: but, being forced into Lisbon by bad
weather, the ship received some damage by running aground in the
mouth of the river Tagus, and was obliged to unload her cargo
there; but finding a Portuguese ship there bound to the Madeiras,
and ready to sail, and supposing he should easily meet with a
vessel there bound to Martinico, he went on board, in order to
sail to the Madeiras; but the master of the Portuguese ship, being
but an indifferent mariner, had been out of his reckoning, and they
drove to Fyal; where, however, he happened to find a very good
market for his cargo, which was corn, and therefore resolved not
to go to the Madeiras, but to load salt at the Isle of May, and to
go away to Newfoundland. He had no remedy in this exigence
but to go with the ship, and had a pretty good voyage as far as
the Banks (so they call the place where they catch the fish); where
452
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
meeting with a French ship bound from France to Quebec, in the
river of Canada, and from thence to Martinico, to carry provisions,
he thought he should have an opportunity to complete his first
design; but when he came to Quebec, the master of the ship died,
and the vessel proceeded no farther; so the next voyage, he shipped
himself for France, in the ship that was burned when we took them
up at sea; and then shipped with us for the East Indies, as I have
already said. Thus he had been disappointed in five voyages, all,
as I may call it, in one voyage, besides what I shall have occasion
to mention farther of the same person.
But I shall not make digression into other men's stories, which
have no relation to my own; I return to what concerns our affairs
in the island. He came to me one morning (for he lodged among
us all the while we were upon the island), and it happened to be
just when I was going to visit the Englishmen's colony, at the
farthest part of the island; I say, he came to me, and told me,
with a very grave countenance, that he had for two or three days
desired an opportunity of some discourse with me, which he hoped
would not be displeasing to me, because he thought it might in
some measure correspond with my general design, which was, the
prosperity of my new colony, and perhaps might put it, at least
more than he yet thought it was, in the way of God's blessing.
I looked a little surprised at the last part of his discourse, and
turning a little short, "How, sir," said I, "can it be said that
we are not in the way of God's blessing, after such visible assist-
ances and deliverances as we have seen here, and of which I have
given you a large account?"-"If you had pleased, sir," said he,
with a world of modesty, and yet great readiness, "to have heard
me, you would have found no room to have been displeased, much
less to think so hard of me, that I should suggest that you have
not had wonderful assistances and deliverances; and I hope, on
your behalf, that you are in the way of God's blessing, as your
design is exceeding good, and will prosper: but, sir, though it
were more so than is even possible to you, yet there may be some
among you that are not equally right in their actions: and you
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
453
know, that in the story of the children of Israel, one Achan in the
camp removed God's blessing from them, and turned his hand so
against them, that six-and-thirty of them, though not concerned in
the crime, were the objects of divine vengeance, and bore the weight
of that punishment."
I was sensibly touched with his discourse, and told him his
inference was so just, and the whole design seemed so sincere, and
was really so religious in its own nature, that I was very sorry I
had interrupted him, and begged him to go on: and, in the mean-
time, because it seemed that what we had both to say might take
up some time, I told him I was going to the Englishmen's planta-
tions, and asked him to go with me, and we might discourse of
it by the way. He told me he would the more willingly wait on
me thither, because there partly the thing was acted which he
desired to speak to me about; so we walked on, and I pressed
him to be free and plain with me in what he had to say.
"Why, then, sir," says he, "be pleased to give me leave to
lay down a few propositions, as the foundation of what I have to
say, that we may not differ in the general principles, though we
may be of some differing opinions in the practice of particulars.
First, sir, though we differ in some of the doctrinal articles of re-
ligion (and it is very unhappy it is so, especially in the case before
us, as I shall shew afterwards), yet there are some general principles
in which we both agree, viz. that there is a God; and that this
God having given us some stated general rules for our service and
obedience, we ought not willingly and knowingly to offend him,
either by neglecting to do what he has commanded, or by doing
what he has expressly forbidden: and let our different religions be
what they will, this general principle is readily owned by us all, thaț
the blessing of God does not ordinarily follow presumptuous sinning
against his command; and every good Christian will be affection-
ately concerned to prevent any that are under his care living in a
total neglect of God and his commands. It is not your men being
Protestants, whatever my opinion may be of such, that discharges
me from being concerned for their souls, and from endeavouring, if
PP
454
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
it lies before me, that they should live in as little distance from
enmity with their Maker as possible, especially if you give me leave
to meddle so far in your circuit."
I could not yet imagine what he aimed at, and told him I
granted all he had said, and thanked him that he would so far
concern himself for us; and begged he would explain the parti-
culars of what he had observed, that, like Joshua, to take his own
parable, I might put away the accursed thing from us.
66
Why, then, sir," says he, "I will take the liberty you give
me; and there are three things, which, if I am right, must stand
in the way of God's blessing upon your endeavours here, and which
I should rejoice, for your sake and their own, to see removed: and,
sir, I promise myself that you will fully agree with me in them all,
as soon as I name them; especially because I shall convince you

LISTYPULROWSKÏ.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
455
that every one of them may, with great ease, and very much to your
satisfaction, be remedied. First, sir," says he, "you have here four
Englishmen, who have fetched women from among the savages,
and have taken them as their wives, and have had many children
by them all, and yet are not married to them after any stated legal
manner, as the laws of God and man require; and therefore are
yet, in the sense of both, no less than fornicators, if not living in
adultery. To this, sir, I know you will object that there was no
clergyman or priest of any kind, or any profession, to perform the
ceremony; nor any pen and ink, or paper, to write down a contract
of marriage, and have it signed between them: and I know also, sir,
what the Spaniard governor has told you, I mean, of the agreement
that he obliged them to make when they took those women, viz.
that they should choose them out by consent, and keep separately
to them; which, by the way, is nothing of a marriage, no agree-
ment with the women, as wives, but only an agreement among
themselves, to keep them from quarrelling. But, sir, the essence
of the sacrament of matrimony (so he called it, being a Roman)
consists not only in the mutual consent of the parties to take one
another as man and wife, but in the formal and legal obligation that
there is in the contract, to compel the man and woman, at all times,
to own and acknowledge each other; obliging the man to abstain
from all other women, to engage in no other contract while these
subsist; and, on all occasions, as ability allows, to provide honestly
for them and their children; and to oblige the women to the same
or like conditions, mutatis mutandis, on their side. Now, sir," says
he, "these men may, when they please, or when occasion presents,
abandon these women, disown their children, leave them to perish,
and take other women, and marry them while these are living:
and here he added, with some warmth, "How, sir, is God honoured
in this unlawful liberty? and how shall a blessing succeed your
endeavours in this place, however good in themselves, and however
sincere in your design, 'while these men, who at present are your
subjects, under your absolute government and dominion, are allowed
by you to live in open adultery?"
456
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I confess I was struck with the thing itself, but much more
with the convincing arguments he supported it with; for it was
certainly true, that though they had no clergyman upon the spot,
yet a formal contract on both sides, made before witnesses, and
confirmed by any token which they had all agreed to be bound
by, though it had been but breaking a stick between them, en-
gaging the men to own these women for their wives upon all
occasions, and never to abandon them or their children, and the
women to the same with their husbands, had been an effectual
lawful marriage in the sight of God; and it was a great neglect
that it was not done. But I thought to have got off my young
priest by telling him that all that part was done when I was not
there; and they had lived so many years with them now, that
if it was adultery, it was past remedy; they could do nothing
in it now.
66
Sir," says he, " asking your pardon for such freedom, you
are right in this, that, it being done in your absence, you could
not be charged with that part of the crime; but, I beseech you,
flatter not yourself that you are not therefore under an obliga-
tion to do your utmost now to put an end to it.
How can
you think but that, let the time past lie on whom it will, all
the guilt, for the future, will lie entirely upon you? because it
is certainly in your power now to put an end to it, and in
nobody's power but yours."
I was
so dull still that I did not take him right; but I
imagined that, by putting an end to it, he meant that I should
part them, and not suffer them to live together any longer; and
I said to him I could not do that by any means, for that would
put the whole island into confusion. He seemed surprised that
I should so far mistake him. "No, sir," says he, "I do not
mean that you should now separate them, but legally and effec-
tually marry them now; and as, sir, my way of marrying them
may not be easy to reconcile them to, though it will be effec-
tual, even by your own laws, so your way may be as well before
God, and as valid among men; I mean, by a written contract
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
457
signed by both man and woman, and by all the witnesses pre-
sent, which all the laws of Europe would decree to be valid."
I was amazed to see so much true piety, and so much sin-
cerity of zeal, besides the unusual impartiality in his discourse
as to his own party or church, and such true warmth for pre-
serving the people that he had no knowledge of or relation to;
I say, for preserving them from transgressing the laws of God,
the like of which I had indeed not met with anywhere: but,
recollecting what he had said of marrying them by a written
contract, which I knew he would stand to, I returned it back
upon him, and told him, I granted all that he had said to be
just, and on his part very kind; that I would discourse with
the men upon the point now, when I came to them and I
knew no reason why they should scruple to let him marry them
all, which I knew well enough would be granted to be as au-
thentic and valid in England as if they were married by one of
our own clergymen. What was afterwards done in this matter,
I shall speak of by itself.
I then pressed him to tell me what was the second com-
plaint which he had to make, acknowledging that I was very
much his debtor for the first, and thanked him heartily for it.
He told me he would use the same freedom and plainness in the
second, and hoped I would take it as well; and this was, that
notwithstanding these English subjects of mine, as he called them,
had lived with these women for almost seven years, had taught
them to speak English, and even to read it, and that they were,
as he perceived, women of tolerable understanding, and capable of
instruction, yet they had not, to this hour, taught them anything
of the Christian religion, no, not so much as to know that there
was a God, or a worship, or in what manner God was to be
served; or that their own idolatry, and worshipping they knew
not whom, was false and absurd. This, he said, was an unac-
countable neglect, and what God would certainly call them to
account for, and perhaps, at last, take the work out of their
hands he spoke this very affectionately and warmly. "I am
458
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
persuaded," says he, "had those men lived in the savage country
whence their wives came, the savages would have taken more pains
to have brought them to be idolaters, and to worship the devil,
than any of these men, so far as I can see, have taken with
them to teach them the knowledge of the true God. Now, sir,"
said he, “though I do not acknowledge your religion, or you
mine, yet we would be glad to see the Devil's servants, and the
subjects of his kingdom, taught to know the general principles of
the Christian religion; that they might, at least, hear of God and
a Redeemer, and of the resurrection, and of a future state-things
which we all believe; they had, at least, been so much nearer
coming into the bosom of the true church than they are now, in
the public profession of idolatry and devil-worship."
I could hold no longer; I took him in my arms, and em-
braced him with an excess of passion. "How far," said I to
him, "have I been from understanding the most essential part
of a Christian; viz. to love the interest of the Christian church,
and the good of other men's souls: I scarce have known what
belongs to the being a Christian.”. "Oh, sir! do not say so,"
replied he; "this thing is not your fault."-" No," said I; but
why did I never lay it to heart as well as you? "It is not
too late yet," said he: "be not too forward to condemn your-
self." "But what can be done now?" said I? "
you see I am
going away.”—“Will you give me leave to talk with these poor
men about it?"—"Yes, with all my heart," said I;
" and will
oblige them to give heed to what you say too."-
"As to that,"
said he, 66
we must leave them to the mercy of Christ; but it
is your business to assist them, encourage them, and instruct
them; and if you give me leave, and God his blessing, I do not
doubt but the poor ignorant souls shall be brought home to the
great circle of Christianity, if not into the particular faith we all
embrace, and that even while you stay here." Upon this, I
said, "I shall not only give you leave, but give you a thousand
thanks for it." What followed on this account, I shall mention
also again in its place.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
459

SEARS.SI
((
I now pressed him for the third article in which we were
to blame. Why, really," says he, "it is of the same nature;
and I will proceed, asking your leave, with the same plainness
as before it is about your poor savages, who are, as I may
say, your conquered subjects. It is a maxim, sir, that is, or
ought to be, received among all Christians, of what church or
pretended church soever, viz:-The Christian knowledge ought to
be propagated by all possible means, and on all possible occa-
sions. It is on this principle that our church sends mission-
aries into Persia, India, and China; and that our clergy, even of
the superior sort, willingly engage in the most hazardous voyages,
and the most dangerous residence among murderers and barba-
rians, to teach them the knowledge of the true God, and to bring
460
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
them over to embrace the Christian faith. Now, sir, you have
such an opportunity here to have six or seven and thirty poor
savages brought over from a state of idolatry to the knowledge
of God, their Maker and Redeemer, that I wonder how you can
pass such an occasion of doing good, which is really worth the
expense of a man's whole life."
I was now struck dumb indeed, and had not one word to say.
I had here a spirit of true Christian zeal for God and religion before
me, let his particular principles be of what kind soever as for me,
I had not so much as entertained a thought of this in my heart
before, and I believe I should not have thought of it; for I looked
upon these savages as slaves, and people whom, had we had any
work for them to do, we would have used as such, or would have
been glad to have transported them to any other part of the world:
for our business was to get rid of them; and we would all have
been satisfied if they had been sent to any country, so they had
never seen their own. But to the case;—I say, I was confounded
at his discourse, and knew not what answer to make him.
He looked earnestly at me, seeing me in some disorder-" Sir,'
says he, “I shall be very sorry if what I have said gives you any
offence.”—“No, no," said I, "I am offended with nobody but my-
self; but I am perfectly confounded, not only to think that I should
never take any notice of this before, but with reflecting what notice
I am able to take of it now. You know, sir," said I, "what cir-
cumstances I am in ; I am bound to the East Indies in a ship
freighted by merchants, and to whom it would be an insufferable
piece of injustice to detain their ship here, the men lying all this
while at victuals and wages on the owners' account.
It is true, I
agreed to be allowed twelve days here, and if I stay more, I must
pay three pounds sterling per diem demurrage; nor can I stay upon
demurrage above eight days more, and I have been here thirteen
already; so that I am perfectly unable to engage in this work, un-
less I would suffer myself to be left behind here again; in which
case, if this single ship should miscarry in any part of her voyage,
I should be just in the same condition that I was left in here at
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
461
He
first, and from which I have been so wonderfully delivered."
owned the case was very hard upon me as to my voyage; but laid
it home upon my conscience, whether the blessing of saving thirty-
I
seven souls was not worth venturing all I had in the world for.
was not so sensible of that as he was. I returned upon him thus:
"Why, sir, it is a valuable thing, indeed, to be an instrument in
God's hand to convert thirty-seven heathens to the knowledge of
Christ; but as you are an ecclesiastic, and are given over to the
work, so that it seems so naturally to fall into the way of your pro-
fession, how is it, then, that you do not rather offer yourself to
undertake it than press me to do it?"
Upon this, he faced about just before me, as he walked along,
and putting me to a full stop, made me a very low bow. "I most
heartily thank God and you, sir," said he, "for giving me so evi-
dent a call to so blessed a work; and if you think yourself dis-
charged from it, and desire me to undertake it, I will most readily
do it, and think it a happy reward for all the hazards and difficulties
of such a broken, disappointed voyage as I have met with, that I
am dropped at last into so glorious a work.”
I discovered a kind of rapture in his face while he spoke this to
me; his eyes sparkled like fire, his face glowed, and his colour
came and went, as if he had been falling into fits; in a word, he
was fired with the joy of being embarked in such a work. I paused
a considerable while before I could tell what to say to him; for I
was really surprised to find a man of such sincerity and zeal, and
carried out in his zeal beyond the ordinary rate of men, not of his
profession only, but even of any profession whatsoever. But after I
had considered it awhile, I asked him seriously if he was in earnest,
and that he would venture, on the single consideration of an attempt
on those poor people, to be locked up in an unplanted island for
perhaps his life, and at last might not know whether he should be
able to do them good or not?
(6
He turned short upon me, and asked me what I called a ven-
ture? 'Pray, sir," said he, "what do you think I consented to go
in your ship to the East Indies for ?"-" Nay," said I, "that I know
462
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
not, unless it was to preach to the Indians."-"Doubtless it was,"
said he; "and do you think, if I can convert these thirty-seven men
to the faith of Jesus Christ, it is not worth my time, though I should
never be fetched off the island again?-nay, is it not infinitely of
more worth to save so many souls than my life is, or the life of
twenty more of the same profession? Yes, sir," says he, "I would
give Christ and the blessed Virgin thanks all my days, if I could
be made the least happy instrument of saving the souls of those poor
men, though I were never to set my foot off this island, or see my
native country any more. But since you will honour me with
putting me into this work, for which I will pray for you all the days
of my life, I have one humble petition to you besides.". "What is
that?" said I.-"Why," says he, "it is, that you will leave your
man Friday with me, to be my interpreter to them, and to assist
me; for without some help I cannot speak to them, or they to me."
I was sensibly touched at his requesting Friday, because I could
not think of parting with him, and that for many reasons: he had
been the companion of my travels; he was not only faithful to me,
but sincerely affectionate to the last degree; and I had resolved to
do something considerable for him if he outlived me, as it was pro-
bable he would. Then I knew that as I had bred Friday up to be
a Protestant, it would quite confound him to bring him to embrace
another profession; and he would never, while his eyes were open,
believe that his old master was a heretic, and would be damned;
and this might, in the end, ruin the poor fellow's principles, and so
turn him back again to his first idolatry. However, a sudden
thought relieved me in this strait, and it was this: I told him I
could not say that I was willing to part with Friday on any account
whatever, though a work that to him was of more value than his
life, ought to be to me of much more value than the keeping or
parting with a servant. But, on the other hand, I was persuaded
that Friday would by no means agree to part with me; and I could
not force him to it without his consent, without manifest injustice;
because I had promised I would never put him away, and he had
promised and engaged to me that he would never leave me, unless
I put him away.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
463
He seemed very much concerned at it, for he had no rational
access to these poor people, seeing he did not understand one word
of their language, nor they one of his. To remove this difficulty,
I told him Friday's father had learned Spanish, which I found he
also understood, and he should serve him as an interpreter. So he
was much better satisfied, and nothing could persuade him but he
would stay and endeavour to convert them; but Providence gave
another very happy turn to all this.
I come back now to the first part of his objections. When
we came to the Englishmen, I sent for them all together, and after
some account given them of what I had done for them, viz. what
necessary things I had provided for them, and how they were dis-
tributed, which they were very sensible of, and very thankful for,
I began to talk to them of the scandalous life they led, and gave
them a full account of the notice the clergyman had taken of it;
and arguing how unchristian and irreligious a life it was, I first
asked them if they were married men or bachelors? They soon
explained their conditions to me, and shewed that two of them were
widowers, and the other three were single men, or bachelors. I
asked them with what conscience they could take those women, and
lie with them as they had done, call them their wives, and have so
many children by them, and not be lawfully married to them?
They all gave me the answer I expected, viz. that there was
nobody to marry them; that they agreed before the governor to
keep them as their wives, and to maintain them and own them as
their wives; and they thought, as things stood with them, they
were as legally married as if they had been married by a parson,
and with all the formalities in the world.
I told them that no doubt they were married in the sight of
God, and were bound in conscience to keep them as their wives;
but that the laws of men being otherwise, they might desert the
poor women and children hereafter; and that their wives, being
poor desolate women, friendless and moneyless, would have no way
to help themselves: I therefore told them that, unless I was as-
sured of their honest intent, I could do nothing for them, but
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
would take care that what I did should be for the women and
children without them; and that, unless they would give me some
assurances that they would marry the women, I could not think
it was convenient they should continue together as man and wife;
for that it was both scandalous to men and offensive to God, who
they could not think would bless them if they went on thus.

CHERRIER
All this went on as I expected: and they told me, especially
Will Atkins, who now seemed to speak for the rest, that they
loved their wives as well as if they had been born in their own
native country, and would not leave them on any account what-
ever; and they did verily believe that their wives were as vir-
tuous and as modest, and did, to the utmost of their skill, as much
for them and for their children as any women could possibly do;
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
465
and they would not part with them on any account and Will
Atkins for his own particular, added, that if any man would take
him away, and offer to carry him home to England, and make
him captain of the best man-of-war in the navy, he would not go
with him, if he might not carry his wife and children with him;
and if there was a clergyman in the ship, he would be married
to her now with all his heart.
This was just as I would have it: the priest was not with
me at that moment, but was not far off: so, to try him farther,
I told him I had a clergyman with me, and, if he was sincere,
I would have him married next morning, and bade him consider
of it, and talk with the rest. He said, as for himself, he need
not consider of it at all, for he was very ready to do it, and was
glad I had a minister with me, and he believed they would be all
willing also. I then told him that my friend, the minister, was a
Frenchman, and could not speak English, but I would act the
clerk between them. He never so much as asked me whether
he was a Papist or Protestant, which was indeed what I was
afraid of; so we parted; I went back to my clergyman, and Will
Atkins went in to talk with his companions. I desired the French
gentleman not to say anything to them till the business was tho-
rough ripe; and I told him what answer the men had given me.
Before I went from their quarter, they all came to me, and
told me they had been considering what I had said; that they
were glad to hear I had a clergyman in my company, and they
were very willing to give me the satisfaction I desired, and to
be formally married as soon as I pleased; for they were far from
desiring to part with their wives, and that they meant nothing
but what was very honest when they chose them. So I appointed
them to meet me the next morning; and, in the mean time, they
should let their wives know the meaning of the marriage law;
and that it was not only to prevent any scandal, but also to oblige
them that they should not forsake them, whatever might happen.
The women were easily made sensible of the meaning of the
thing, and were very well satisfied with it, as indeed they had
Q Q
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
reason to be so they failed not to attend altogether at my apart-
ment next morning, where I brought out my clergyman: and
though he had not on a minister's gown, after the manner of
England, or the habit of a priest, after the manner of France,
yet having a black vest, something like a cassock, with a sash round
it, he did not look very unlike a minister; and as for his language,
I was his interpreter. But the seriousness of his behaviour to
them, and the scruples he made of marrying the women, because
they were not baptized and professed Christians, gave them an
exceeding reverence for his person; and there was no need, after
that, to enquire whether he was a clergyman or not. Indeed, I
was afraid his scruples would have been carried so far as that he
would not have married them at all: nay, notwithstanding all I
was able to say to him, he resisted me, though modestly, yet
very steadily; and at last refused absolutely to marry them, un-
less he had first talked with the men and the women too; and
though at first I was a little backward to it, yet at last I agreed
to it with a good will, perceiving the sincerity of his design.
When he came to them, he let them know that I had ac-
quainted him with their circumstances, and with the present design;
that he was very willing to perform that part of his function,
and marry them, as I had desired; but that before he could do
it, he must take the liberty to talk with them. He told them,
that in the sight of all indifferent men, and in the sense of the
laws of society, they had lived all this while in open fornication;
and that it was true, that nothing but the consenting to marry,
or effectually separating them from one another, could now put
an end to it; but there was a difficulty in it too, with respect
to the laws of Christian matrimony, which he was not fully satis-
fied about, viz. that of marrying one that is a professed Chris-
tian to a savage, an idolator, and a heathen,—one that is not bap-
tized; and yet that he did not see that there was time left to
endeavour to persuade the women to be baptized, or to profess
the name of Christ, whom they had, he doubted, heard nothing
of, and without which they could not be baptized. He told them
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
467
he doubted they were but indifferent Christians themselves; that
they had but little knowledge of God or of his ways, and there-
fore he could not expect that they had said much to their wives
on that head yet; but that unless they would promise him to
use their endeavours with their wives to persuade them to become
Christians, and would, as well as they could, instruct them in the
knowledge and belief of God that made them, and to worship Jesus
Christ that redeemed them, he could not marry them; for he
would have no hand in joining Christians with savages; nor was
it consistent with the principles of the Christian religion, and was,
indeed, expressly forbidden in God's law.
66
They heard all this very attentively, and I delivered it very
faithfully to them from his mouth, as near his own words as I
could; only sometimes adding something of my own, to convince
them how just it was, and how I was of his mind and I always
very faithfully distinguished between what I said from myself, and
what were the clergymen's words. They told me it was very
true what the gentleman said, that they were very indifferent
Christians themselves, and that they had never talked to their
wives about religion. Lord, sir," says Will Atkins, "how
should we teach them religion? why, we know nothing ourselves;
and besides, sir," said he, "should we talk to them of God and
Jesus Christ, and heaven and hell, it would make them laugh at
us, and ask us what we believe ourselves? And if we should tell
them that we believe all the things we speak of to them, such as
of good people going to heaven, and wicked people to the devil,
they would ask us where we intend to go ourselves, that be-
lieve all this, and are such wicked fellows as we indeed are?
Why, sir, 'tis enough to give them a surfeit of religion at first
hearing; folks must have some religion themselves before they
pretend to teach other people." "Will Atkins," said I to him,
though I am afraid that what you say has too much truth in
it, yet can you not tell your wife she is in the wrong; that there
is a God, and a religion better than her own: that her gods are
idols; that they can neither hear nor speak; that there is a great
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
Being that made all things, and that can destroy all that he has
made; that he rewards the good and punishes the bad; and that
we are to be judged by him at last for all we do here? You are
not so ignorant, but even nature itself will teach you that all
this is true; and I am satisfied you know it all to be true, and
believe it yourself." "That is true, sir," said Atkins;
" but
with what face can I say anything to my wife of all this, when
she will tell me immediately it cannot be true?" "Not true!"
said I: "what do you mean by that?" Why, sir," said he,
'she will tell me it cannot be true that this God I shall tell
her of can be just, or can punish or reward, since I am not
punished and sent to the devil, that have been such a wicked
creature as she knows I have been, even to her, and to every-
body else; and that I should be suffered to live, that have been
always acting so contrary to what I must tell her is good, and
to what I ought to have done.' "Why, truly, Atkins," said I,
"I am afraid thou speakest too much truth;" and with that I
informed the clergyman of what Atkins had said, for he was im-
patient to know. Oh," said the priest," tell him there is one
thing will make him the best minister in the world to his wife,
and that is, repentance; for none teach repentance like true peni-
tents. He wants nothing but to repent, and then he will be so
much the better qualified to instruct his wife he will then be
able to tell her that there is not only a God, and that he is the
just rewarder of good and evil, but that he is a merciful Being,
and with infinite goodness and long-suffering forbears to punish
those that offend; waiting to be gracious, and willing not the
death of a sinner, but rather that he should return and live :
that oftentimes he suffers wicked men to go a long time, and
even reserves damnation to the general day of retribution; that
it is a clear evidence of God and of a future state, that righteous
men receive not their reward, or wicked men their punishment,
till they come into another world; and this will lead him to teach
his wife the doctrine of the resurrection and of the last judgment.
Let him but repent for himself, he will be an excellent preacher
of repentance to his wife."
469
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
I repeated all this to Atkins, who looked very serious all the
while, and who, we could easily perceive, was more than ordi-
narily affected with it: when being eager, and hardly suffering
"and
me to make an end-" I know all this, master," says he,
a great deal more; but I have not the impudence to talk thus
to my wife, when God and my conscience know, and my wife
will be an undeniable evidence against me, that I have lived as if
I had never heard of a God or future state, or anything about
it; and to talk of my repenting, alas! (and with that he fetched
a deep sigh, and I could see that the tears stood in his eyes)
"what
'tis past all that with me."-" Past it, Atkins?" said I:
dost thou mean by that?" "I know well enough what I mean,"
says he;
"I mean 't is too late, and that is too true."
I told the clergyman, word for word, what he said: the poor
zealous priest-I must call him so, for, be is opinion what it
will, he had certainly a most singular affection for the good of
other men's souls, and it would be hard to think he had not the
like for his own-I say, this affectionate man could not refrain
"Ask him but
from tears; but, recovering himself, said to me,
one question: Is he easy that it is too late; or is he troubled,
and wishes it were not so?" I put the question fairly to Atkins;
and he answered, with a great deal of passion,
"How could any
man be easy in a condition that must certainly end in eternal
destruction? that he was far from being easy; but that, on the
contrary, he believed it would, one time or other, ruin him."
"What do you mean by that?" said I. "Why," he said, "he
believed he should one time or other cut his throat, to put an
end to the terror of it."
The clergyman shook his head, with great concern in his face,
when I told him all this; but turning quick to me upon it, says,
"If that be his case, we may assure him it is not too late;
Christ will give him repentance. But pray," says he, "explain
this to him; that as no man is saved but by Christ, and the
merit of his passion procuring divine mercy for him, how can it
be too late for any man to receive mercy ? Does he think he is
470
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

WIVET
מונווי
able to sin beyond the power or reach of divine mercy ? Pray
tell him, there may be a time when provoked mercy will no
longer strive, and when God may refuse to hear, but that it is
never too late for men to ask mercy; and we, that are Christ's
servants, are commanded to preach mercy at all times, in the
name of Jesus Christ, to all those that sincerely repent; so that
it is never too late to repent."
I told Atkins all this, and he heard me with great earnest-
ness; but it seemed as if he turned off the discourse to the rest,
for he said to me, he would go and have some talk with his wife ;
so he went out a while, and we talked to the rest. I perceived
they were all stupidly ignorant as to matters of religion, as much
as I was when I went rambling away from my father; and yet
there were none of them backward to hear what had been said
and all of them seriously promised that they would talk with their
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
471
wives about it, and do their endeavours to persuade them to turn
Christians.
66
The clergyman smiled upon me when I reported what answer
they gave, but said nothing a good while; but at last shaking his
head, "We that are Christ's servants," says he,
(C can go no farther
than to exhort and instruct: and when men comply, submit to the
reproof, and promise what we ask, 't is all we can do: we are bound
to accept their good words; but, believe me, sir,” said he, what-
ever you may have known of the life of that man you call Will
Atkins, I believe he is the only sincere convert among them: I
will not despair of the rest; but that man is apparently struck
with the sense of his past life, and I doubt not, when he comes to
talk of religion to his wife, he will talk himself effectually into it;
for attempting to teach others is sometimes the best way of teach-
ing ourselves. I know a man, who, having nothing but a summary
notion of religion himself, and being wicked and profligate to the
last degree in his life, made a thorough reformation in himself by
labouring to convert a Jew. If that poor Atkins begins but once
to talk seriously of Jesus Christ to his wife, my life for it he talks
himself into a thorough convert, makes himself a penitent, and who
knows what may follow?"
Upon this discourse, however, and their promising, as above,
to endeavour to persuade their wives to embrace Christianity, he
married the other two couple; but Will Atkins and his wife were
not yet come in. After this, my clergyman waiting awhile, was
curious to know where Atkins was gone; and turning to me, said,
"I entreat you, sir, let us walk out of your labyrinth here, and
look; I dare say we shall find this poor man somewhere or other
talking seriously to his wife, and teaching her already something
of religion." I began to be of the same mind; so we went out
together, and I carried him a way which none knew but myself,
and where the trees were so very thick that it was not easy to see
through the thicket of leaves, and far harder to see in than to see
out; when, coming to the edge of the wood, I saw Atkins and his
tawny wife sitting under the shade of a bush, very eager in dis-
472
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
66
course I stopped short till my clergyman came up to me, and then
having shewed him where they were, we stood and looked very
steadily at them a good while. We observed him very earnest with
her, pointing up to the sun, and to every quarter of the heavens,
and then down to the earth, then out to the sea, then to himself,
then to her, to the woods, to the trees. "Now," says the clergy-
man, 'you see my words are made good, the man preaches to
her; mark him now, he is telling her that our God has made
him and her, and the heavens, the earth, the sea, the woods, the
trees, &c.”—“I believe he is," said I. Immediately, we perceived
Will Atkins start upon his feet, fall down on his knees, and lift
up both his hands. We supposed he said something, but we could
not hear him; it was too far for that. He did not continue kneel-
ing half a minute, but comes and sits down again by his wife,
and talks to her again; we perceived then the woman very atten-
tive, but whether she said anything to him we could not tell.
While the poor fellow was upon his knees, I could see the tears
run plentifully down my clergyman's cheeks, and I could hardly
forbear myself; but it was a great affliction to us both that we
were not near enough to hear anything that passed between them.
Well, however, we could come no nearer for fear of disturbing.
them; so we resolved to see an end of this piece of still conver-
sation, and it spoke loud enough to us without the help of voice.
He sat down again, as I have said, close by her, and talked again
earnestly to her, and two or three times we could see him em-
brace her most passionately; another time we saw him take out
his handkerchief and wipe her eyes, and then kiss her again, with
a kind of transport very unusual; and after several of these things,
we saw him on a sudden jump up again, and lend her his hand
to help her up, when immediately leading her by the hand a
step or two, they both kneeled down together, and continued so
about two minutes.
"St.
My friend could bear it no longer, but cries out aloud,
Paul! St. Paul! behold he prayeth." I was afraid Atkins would
hear him, therefore I entreated him to withhold himself awhile,
1

My friend could bear it no longer, but cries out aloud, “St. Paul! St. Paul! behold he prayeth."
ADOLPITE BES
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
473
that we might see an end of the scene, which to me, I must con-
fess, was the most affecting that ever I saw in my life. Well,
he strove with himself for a while, but was in such raptures, to
think that the poor heathen woman was become a Christian, that
he was not able to contain himself; he wept several times, then
throwing up his hands and crossing his breast, said over several
things ejaculatory, and by way of giving God thanks for so mira-
culous a testimony of the success of our endeavours: some he
spoke softly, and I could not well hear others; some in Latin,
some in Freneh; then two or three times the tears would inter-
rupt him, that he could not speak at all; but I begged that he
would contain himself, and let us more narrowly and fully observe
what was before us, which he did for a time, the scene not being
near ended yet; for after the poor man and his wife were risen
again from their knees, we observed he stood talking still eagerly
to her, and we observed her motion, that she was greatly affected
with what he said, by her frequently lifting up her hands, laying
her hand to her breast, and such other postures as express the
greatest seriousness and attention: this continued about half a
quarter of an hour, and then they walked away; so we would
see no more of them in that situation. I took this interval to
talk with my clergyman; and first, I was glad to see the par-
ticulars we had both been witnesses to, that, though I was hard
enough of belief in such cases, yet that I began to think it was
all very sincere here, both in the man and his wife, however igno-
rant they might both be, and I hoped such a beginning would yet
have a more happy end: "And who knows," said I, "but these
two may in time, by instruction and example, work upon some
of the others?". "Some of them?" said he, turning quick upon
me:"ay, upon all of them: depend upon it, if those two savages,
for he has been but little better, as you relate it, should em-
brace Jesus Christ, they will never leave it till they work upon
all the rest; for true religion is naturally communicative, and he
that is once made a Christian will never leave a Pagan behind
him, if he can help it." I owned it was a most Christian prin-
474
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
<<
ciple to think so, and a testimony of true zeal, as well as a gene-
rous heart, in him. But, my friend," said I, "will you give
me leave to start one difficulty here? I cannot tell how to ob-
ject the least thing against that affectionate concern which you
shew for the turning of the poor people from their Paganism to
the Christian religion: but how does this comfort you, while
these people are, in your account, out of the pale of the Catholic
church, without which you believe there is no salvation? so that
you esteem these but heretics, for other reasons as effectually lost
as the Pagans themselves."
To this he answered, with abundance of candour, thus: “ Sir,
I am a Catholic of the Roman church, and a priest of the order
of St. Benedict, and I embrace all the principles of the Roman
faith; but yet, if you will believe me, and that I do not speak
in compliment to you, or in respect to my circumstances and
your civilities; I say, nevertheless, I do not look upon you, who
call yourselves reformed, without some charity: I dare not say,
(though I know it is our opinion in general) that you cannot
be saved I will by no means limit the mercy of Christ so far
as to think that he cannot receive you into the bosom of his
church, in a manner to us unperceivable; and I hope you have
the same charity for us: I pray daily for your being all restored
to Christ's church, by whatsoever method he, who is all-wise, is
pleased to direct. In the meantime, surely you will allow it con-
sists with me, as a Roman, to distinguish far between a Protestant
and a Pagan: between one that calls on Jesus Christ, though in
a way which I do not think is according to the true faith, and
a savage or a barbarian, that knows no God, no Christ, no Re-
deemer; and if you are not within the pale of the Catholic
church, we hope you are nearer being restored to it than those
that know nothing of God or of his church and I rejoice, there-
fore, when I see this poor man, who, you say, has been a pro-
fligate, and almost a murderer, kneel down and pray to Jesus
Christ, as we suppose he did, though not fully enlightened; be-
lieving that God, from whom every such work proceeds, will sen-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
475
sibly touch his heart, and bring him to the farther knowledge of
that truth in his own time: and if God shall influence this poor
man to convert and instruct the ignorant savage, his wife, I can
never believe that he shall be cast away himself. And have I
not reason, then, to rejoice, the nearer any are brought to the
knowledge of Christ, though they may not be brought quite home
into the bosom of the Catholic church just at the time when I
may desire it, leaving it to the goodness of Christ to perfect his
work in his own time, and in his own way? Certainly, I would
rejoice if all the savages in America were brought, like this poor
woman, to pray to God, though they were all to be Protestants
at first, rather than they should continue Pagans or Heathens;
firmly believing, that he that had bestowed the first light to them
would farther illuminate them with a beam of his heavenly grace,
and bring them into the pale of his church, when he should see
good."
I was astonished at the sincerity and temper of this pious
Papist, as much as I was oppressed by the power of his reason-
ing; and it presently occurred to my thoughts, that if such a
temper was universal, we might be all Catholic Christians, what-
ever church or particular profession we joined in; that a spirit of
charity would soon work us all up into right principles; and as
he thought that the like charity would make us all Catholics, so
I told him I believed, had all the members of his church the
like moderation, they would soon all be Protestants.-And there
we left that part; for we never disputed at all.
However, I talked to him another way, and taking him by
the hand, "My friend," says I, "I wish all the clergy of the
Romish church were blessed with such moderation, and had an
equal share of your charity. I am entirely of your opinion; but
I must tell you, that if you should preach such doctrine in Spain
or Italy, they would put you into the Inquisition.""It may
be so," said he; "I know not what they would do in Spain or
Italy; but I will not say they would be the better Christians
476
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

Rumbort
for that severity; for I am sure there is no heresy in abounding
with charity."
Well, as Will Atkins and his wife were gone, our business
there was over, so we went back our own way; and when we
came back, we found them waiting to be called in: observing
this, I asked my clergyman if we should discover to him that
we had seen him under the bush or not; and it was his opinion
we should not, but that we should talk to him first, and hear
what he would say to us; so we called him in alone, nobody
being in the place but ourselves, and I began with him thus:
OF ROBINSON CRusoe.
477
"Will Atkins," said I, "pr'y thee what education had you?
What was your father?
W. A. A better man than ever I shall be: sir, my father
was a clergyman.
R. C. What education did he give you?
W. A. He would have taught me well, sir: but I despised all
education, instruction, or correction, like a beast as I was.
R. C. It is true, Solomon says, "He that despises reproof is
brutish."
W. A. Ay, sir, I was brutish indeed, for I murdered my
father: for God's sake, sir, talk no more about that; sir, I mur-
dered my poor father.
Pr. Ha! a murderer!
Here the priest started (for I interpreted every word as he
spoke) and looked pale: it seems he believed that Will had really
killed his father.
R. C. No, no, sir, I do not understand him so: Will Atkins,
explain yourself; you did not kill your father, did you, with
your own hands?
W. A. No, sir, I did not cut his throat; but I cut the thread
of all his comforts, and shortened his days: I broke his heart
by the most ungrateful, unnatural return, for the most tender and
affectionate treatment that ever father gave, or child could receive.
R. C. Well, I did not ask you about your father to extort
this confession: I pray God give you repentance for it, and for-
give that and all your other sins; but I asked you because I see
that though you have not much learning, yet you are not so
ignorant as some are in things that are good; that you have
known more of religion, a great deal, than you have practised.
W. A. Though you, sir, did not extort the confession that I
make about my father, conscience does; and whenever we come
to look back upon our lives, the sins against our indulgent pa-
rents are certainly the first that touch us; the wounds they make
lie deepest, and the weight they leave will lie heaviest upon the
mind, of all the sins we can commit.
RR
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
R. C. You talk too feelingly and sensibly for me, Atkins; I
cannot bear it.
W. A. You bear it, master! I dare say you know nothing of it.
R. C. Yes, Atkins; every shore, every hill, nay, I may say
every tree in this island, is witness to the anguish of my soul
for my ingratitude and bad usage of a good tender father; a
father much like yours, by your description: and I murdered
my father as well as you, Will Atkins; but I think, for all that,
my repentance is short of yours too, by a great deal.
I would have said more, if I could have restrained my pas-
sions; but I thought this poor man's repentance was so much
sincerer than mine, that I was going to leave off the discourse and
retire; for I was surprised with what he had said, and thought
that instead of my going about to teach and instruct him, the
man was made a teacher and instructor to me in a most sur-
prising and unexpected manner.
I laid all this before the young clergyman, who was greatly.
affected with it, and said to me, "Did I not say, sir, that when
this man was converted he would preach to us all? I tell you,
sir, if this one man be made a true penitent, here will be no
need of me; he will make Christians of all in the island."-But
having a little composed myself, I renewed my discourse with
Will Atkins. "But, Will," said I, "how comes the sense of this
matter to touch you just now?"
W. A. Sir, you have set me about a work that has struck a
dart through my very soul; I have been talking about God and
religion to my wife, in order, as you directed me, to make a
Christian of her, and she has preached such a sermon to me as
I shall never forget while I live.
R. C. No, no, it is not your wife has preached to you; but
when you were moving religious arguments to her, conscience
has flung them back upon you.
W. A. Ay, sir, with such force as is not to be resisted.
R. C. Pray, Will, let us know what passed between you and
your wife; for I know something of it already.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
479
W. A. Sir, it is impossible to give you a full account of it;
I am too full to hold it, and yet have no tongue to express it;
but let her have said what she will, and though I cannot give
you an account of it, this I can tell you, that I have resolved
to amend and reform my life.
R. C. But tell us some of it: how did you begin, Will? For
this has been an extraordinary case, that is certain. She has
preached a sermon, indeed, if she has wrought this upon you.
W. A. Why, I first told her the nature of our laws about
marriage, and what the reasons were that men and women were
obliged to enter into such compacts, as it was neither in the
power of one nor other to break; that otherwise, order and justice
could not be maintained, and men would run from their wives,
and abandon their children, mix confusedly with one another, and
neither families be kept entire, nor inheritances be settled by legal
descent.
R. C. You talk like a civilian, Will. Could you make her
understand what you meant by inheritance and families? They
know no such things among the savages, but marry any how,
without regard to relation, consanguinity, or family; brother and
sister, nay, as I have been told, even the father and the daughter,
and the son and the mother.
W. A. I believe, sir, you are misinformed, and my wife as-
sures me of the contrary, and that they abhor it; perhaps, for
any farther relations, they may not be so exact as we are; but
she tells me they never touch one another in the near relation-
ship you speak of.
R. C. Well, what did she say to what you told her?
W. A. She said she liked it very well, and it was much better
than in her country.
R. C. But did you tell her what marriage was?
W. A. Ay, ay, there began our dialogue. I asked her if
she would be married to me our way. She asked me what way
that was.
I told her marriage was appointed by God; and here we
had a strange talk together, indeed, as ever man and wife had,
I believe.
480
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
N. B.-This dialogue between Will Atkins and his wife I took
down in writing, just after he had told it me, which was as follows:-
Wife. Appointed by your God! Why, have you a God in
your country?
W. A. Yes, my dear, God is in every country.

Rambert
Wife. No your God in my country; my country have the
great old Benamuckee God.
W. A. Child, I am very unfit to shew you who God is; God
is in heaven, and made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and
all that in them is.
Wife. No makee de earth; no you God makee all earth; no
makee my country.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
481
Will Atkins laughed a little at her expression of God not
making her country.
Wife. No laugh; why laugh me? This nothing to laugh.
He was justly reproved by his wife, for she was more serious
than he at first.
W. A. That's true, indeed; I will not laugh any more, my dear.
Wife. Why, you say you God makee all?
W. A. Yes, child, our God made the whole world, and you,
and me, and all things; for he is the only true God, and there
is no God but him; he lives for ever in heaven.
Wife. Why you no tell me long ago?
W. A. That's true, indeed; but I have been a wicked wretch,
and have not only forgotten to acquaint thee with anything be-
fore, but have lived without God in the world myself.
Wife. What, have you a great God in your country, you no
know him: No say O to him? No do good thing for him?
That no possible.
W. A. It is true; though, for all that, we live as if there
was no God in heaven, or that he had no power on earth.
Wife. But why God let you do so?
good live?
W. A. It is all our own fault.
Why he no makee you
Wife. But you say me he is great, much great, have much
great power, can makee kill when he will, why he no makee kill
when you no serve him? No say O to him, no be good mans.
W. A. That is true, he might strike me dead; and I ought
to expect it, for I have been a wicked wretch, that is true; but
God is merciful, and does not deal with us as we deserve.
Wife. But then you do not tell God thankee for that too?
W. A. No, indeed, I have not thanked God for his mercy,
any more than I have feared God for his power.
Wife. Then you God no God; me no think believe he be
such one, great much power strong no makee kill you, though
you make him much angry.
W. A. What, will my wicked life hinder you from believing
in God? What a dreadful creature am I! and what a sad truth
482
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
is it, that the horrid lives of Christians hinder the conversion of
heathens!
Wife. How me think you have great much God up there (she
points up to heaven), and yet no do well, no do good thing?
Can he tell? Sure he no tell what you do?
W. A. Yes, yes, he knows and sees all things; he hears us
speak, sees what we do, knows what we think, though we do not
speak.
Wife. What! he no hear you curse, swear, speak de great damn?
W. A. Yes, yes, he hears it all.
Wife. Where be then the much great power strong?
W. A. He is merciful, that is all we can say for it; and this
proves him to be the true God; he is God, and not man, and
therefore we are not consumed.
Here Will Atkins told us he was struck with horror, to think
how he could tell his wife so clearly that God sees, and hears,
and knows the secret thoughts of the heart, and all that we do,
and yet that he had dared to do all the vile things he had done.
Wife. Merciful! What you call that?
W. A. He is our father and maker, and he pities and spares us.
Wife. So then he never makee kill, never angry when you do
wicked; then he no good himself, or no great able.
W. A. Yes, yes, my dear, he is infinitely good and infinitely
great, and able to punish too; and sometimes, to shew his jus-
tice and vengeance, he lets fly his anger to destroy sinners and
make examples; many are cut off in their sins.
Wife. But no makee kill you yet; then he tell you, may be,
that he no makee you kill; so you makee de bargain with him,
you do bad thing, he no be angry at you when he be angry at
other mans.
W. A. No, indeed, my sins are all presumptions upon his good-
and he would be infinitely just if he destroyed me, as he
has done other men.
ness;
Wife. Well, and yet no kill, no makee you dead; what you
say to him for that? You no tell him thankee for all that too?
W. A. I am an unthankful, ungrateful dog, that is true.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
483
Wife. Why he no makee you much good better? you say he
makee you.
W. A. He made me, as he made all the world: it is I have
deformed myself and abused his goodness, and made myself an
abominable wretch.
Wife. I wish you makee God know me; I no makee him
angry, I no do bad wicked thing.
Here Will Atkins said his heart sunk within him, to hear a
poor untaught creature desire to be taught to know God, and he
such a wicked wretch that he could not say one word to her
about God, but what the reproach of his own carriage would
make most irrational to her to believe; nay, that already she had
told him that she could not believe in God, because he, that was
so wicked, was not destroyed.
W. A. My dear, you mean, you wish I could teach you to
know God, not God to know you; for he knows you already,
and every thought in your heart.
Wife. Why then he know what I say to you now; he know
me wish to know him; how shall me know who makee me?
W. A. Poor creature, he must teach thee, I cannot teach
thee; I will pray to him to teach thee to know him, and for-
give me, that am unworthy to teach thee.
The poor fellow was in such an agony at her desiring him to
make her know God and her wishing to know him, that he said
he fell down on his knees before her, and prayed to God to en-
lighten her mind with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and
to pardon his sins, and accept of his being the unworthy instru-
ment of instructing her in the principles of religion: after which
he sat down by her again, and their dialogue went on.-This was
the time when we saw him kneel down, and hold up his hands.
Wife. What you put down the knee for? What you hold
up the hand for? What you say? Who you speak to? What
is all that?
W. A. My dear, I bow my knees in token of my submis-
sion to him that made me; I said O to him, as you call it, and
484
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
as your old men do to their idol Benamuckee; that is, I prayed
to him.
Wife. What say you O to him for?
W. A. I prayed to him to open your eyes and your under-
standing, that you may know him, and be accepted by him.
Wife. Can he do that too?
W. A. Yes, he can; he can do all things.
Wife. But now he hear what you say?
W. A. Yes; he has bid us pray to him, and promised to
hear us.
Wife. Bid you pray? When he bid you? How he bid
you? What, you hear him speak?
W. A. No, we do not hear him speak; but he has revealed
himself many ways to us.
Here he was at a great loss to make her understand that
God has revealed himself to us by his word, and what his word
was; but at last he told it her thus :—
W. A. God has spoken to some good men in former days, even
from heaven, by plain words; and God has inspired good men by
his Spirit; and they have written all his laws down in a book.
Wife. Me no understand that; where is book ?
W. A. Alas! my poor creature, I have not this book; but I
hope I shall one time or other get it for you, and help you to
read it.
Here he embraced her with great affection, but with inex-
pressible grief that he had not a Bible.
Wife. But how you makee me know that God teachee them
to write that book?
W. A. By the same rule that we know him to be God.
Wife. What rule? What way you know him?
W. A. Because he teaches and commands nothing but what
is good, righteous, and holy, and tends to make us perfectly good,
as well as perfectly happy; and because he forbids, and com-
mands us to avoid, all that is wicked, that is evil in itself, or
evil in its consequence.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
485
Wife. That me would understand, that me fain see; if he
teachee all good thing, he makee all good thing, he give all
thing, he hear me when I say O to him, as you do just now;
he makee me good, if I wish to be good; he spare me, no
makee kill me, when I no be good: all this you say he do, yet
he be great God: me take, think, believe him to be great God;
me say O to him with you, my dear.
Here the poor man could forbear no longer, but raised her
up, made her kneel by him, and he prayed to God aloud to
instruct her in the knowledge of himself, by his Spirit; and that
by some good providence, if possible, she might some time or
other come to have a Bible, that she might read the word of
God, and be taught by it to know him.-This was the time
that we saw him lift her up by the hand, and saw him kneel
down by her, as above.
They had several other discourses, it seems, after this, too
long to be set down here; and particularly she made him pro-
mise that since he confessed his own life had been a wicked,
abominable course of provocations against God, that he would
reform it, and not make God angry any more; lest he should
make him dead, as she called it, and then she would be left
alone, and never be taught to know this God better; and lest
he should be miserable, as he had told her wicked men would
be, after death,
This was a strange account, and very affecting to us both, but
particularly to the young clergyman; he was indeed wonderfully
surprised with it, but under the greatest affliction imaginable that
he could not talk to her, that he could not speak English, to
make her understand him; and as she spoke but very broken
English, he could not understand her; however, he turned him-
self to me, and told me that he believed that there must be
more to do with this woman than to marry her. I did not un-
derstand him at first, but at length he explained himself, viz.
that she ought to be baptized. I agreed with him in that part
readily, and was for going about it presently. "No, no; hold,
486
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
sir," said he; "though I would have her be baptized by all
means, yet I must observe that Will Atkins, her husband, has
indeed brought her, in a wonderful manner, to be willing to
embrace a religious life, and has given her just ideas of the
being of a God; of his power, justice, and mercy: yet I desire
to know of him if he has said anything to her of Jesus Christ,
and of the salvation of sinners; of the nature of faith in him,
and redemption by him; of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection,
the last judgment, and a future state.
I called Will Atkins again, and asked him; but the poor
fellow fell immediately into tears, and told us he had said some-
thing to her of all those things, but that he was himself so
wicked a creature, and his own conscience so reproached him
with his horrid, ungodly life, that he trembled at the apprehen-
sions that her knowledge of him should lessen the attention she
should give to those things, and make her rather contemn re-
ligion than receive it; but he was assured, he said, that her
mind was
so disposed to receive due impressions of all those
things, and that if I would but discourse with her, she would
make it appear to my satisfaction that my labour would not be
lost upon her.
Accordingly, I called her in, and placing myself as inter-
preter between my religious priest and the woman, I entreated
him to begin with her; but sure such a sermon was never
preached by a Popish priest in these latter ages of the world;
and, as I told him, I thought he had all the zeal, all the know-
ledge, all the sincerity of a Christian, without the error of a
Roman Catholic; and that I took him to be such a clergyman
as the Roman bishops were, before the church of Rome assumed
spiritual sovereignty over the consciences of men. In a word,
he brought the poor woman to embrace the knowledge of Christ,
and of redemption by him, not with wonder and astonishment
only, as she did the first notions of a God, but with joy and
faith; with an affection, and a surprising degree of understand-
ing, scarce to be imagined, much less to be expressed; and, at
her own request, she was baptized.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
487
When he was preparing to baptize her, I entreated him that
he would perform that office with some caution, that the man
might not perceive he was of the Roman church, if possible,
because of other ill consequences which might attend a difference
among us in that very religion which we were instructing the
other in. He told me that as he had no consecrated chapel, nor
proper things for the office, I should see he would do it in a
manner that I should not know by it that he was a Roman Ca-
tholic myself, if I had not known it before; and so he did;
for saying only some words over to himself in Latin, which I
could not understand, he poured a whole dishful of water upon
the woman's head, pronouncing in French very loud, "Mary
(which was the name her husband desired me to give her, for

488
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I was her godfather), I baptize thee in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; so that none could
know anything by it what religion he was of. He gave the
benediction afterwards in Latin, but either Will Atkins did not
know but it was French, or else did not take notice of it at
that time.
As soon as this was over, we married them; and after the
marriage was over, he turned to Will Atkins, and in a very
affectionate manner exhorted him, not only to persevere in that
good disposition he was in, but to support the convictions that
were upon him by a resolution to reform his life; told him it
was in vain to say he repented if he did not forsake his crimes :
represented to him how God had honoured him with being the
instrument of bringing his wife to the knowledge of the Christian
religion, and that he should be careful he did not dishonour the
grace of God; and that if he did, he would see the heathen a
better Christian than himself; the savage converted, and the in-
strument cast away. He said a great many good things to them
both; and then recommending them to God's goodness, gave
them the benediction again, I repeating everything to them in
English; and thus ended the ceremony. I think it was the most
pleasant and agreeable day to me that ever I passed in my
whole life.
But my clergyman had not done yet; his thoughts hung
continually upon the conversion of the thirty-seven savages, and
fain he would have stayed upon the island to have undertaken
it; but I convinced him, first, that his undertaking was imprac-
ticable in itself; and, secondly, that perhaps I would put it into
a way of being done in his absence to his satisfaction; of which
by and by.
Having thus brought the affairs of the island to a narrow
compass, I was preparing to go on board the ship, when the
young man I had taken out of the famished ship's company came
to me, and told me he understood I had a clergyman with me,
and that I had caused the Englishmen to be married to the sa-
OF ROBINSON CRusoe.
189
vages; that he had a match too, which he desired might be finished
before I went, between two Christians, which he hoped would not
be disagreeable to me.
I knew this must be the young woman who was his mother's
servant, for there was no other Christian woman on the island:
so I began to persuade him not to do anything of that kind rashly,
or because he found himself in this solitary circumstance.
I re-
presented to him that he had some considerable substance in the
world, and good friends, as I understood by himself, and the maid
also; that the maid was not only poor, and a servant, but was
unequal to him, she being six or seven and twenty years old, and
he not above seventeen or eighteen; that he might very probably,
with my assistance, make a remove from this wilderness, and
come into his own country again; and that then it would be a
thousand to one but he would repent his choice, and the dislike
of that circumstance might be disadvantageous to both.
I was
going to say more, but he interrupted me, smiling, and told me,
with a great deal of modesty, that I mistook in my guesses,-that
he had nothing of that kind in his thoughts; and he was very
glad to hear that I had an intent of putting them in a way to
see their own country again; and nothing should have put him
upon staying there, but that the voyage I was going was so ex-
ceeding long and hazardous, and would carry him quite out of the
reach of all his friends; that he had nothing to desire of me, but
that I would settle him in some little property in the island where
he was, give him a servant or two, and some few necessaries, and
he would settle himself here like a planter, waiting the good time
when, if ever I returned to England, I would redeem them;
and hoped I would not be unmindful of him when I came to
England: that he would give me some letters to his friends in
London, to let them know how good I had been to him, and in
what part of the world, and what circumstances I had left him
in and he promised me that whenever I redeemed him, the
plantation, and all the improvements he had made upon it, let
the value be what it would, should be wholly mine.
S S
490
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
His discourse was very prettily delivered, considering his youth,
and was the more agreeable to me, because he told me positively
the match was not for himself. I gave him all possible assurances
that if I lived to come safe to England, I would deliver his letters,
and do his business effectually; and that he might depend I should
never forget the circumstances I had left him in; but still I was
impatient to know who was the person to be married; upon which
he told me it was my Jack-of-all-trades and his maid Susan. I
was most agreeably surprised when he named the match; for,
indeed, I thought it very suitable. The character of that man
I have given already; and as for the maid, she was a very honest,
modest, sober, and religious young woman; had a very good share
of sense, was agreeable enough in her person, spoke very hand-
somely and to the purpose, always with decency and good manners,
and neither too backward to speak when requisite, nor imperti-
nently forward when it was not her business; very handy and
housewifely, and an excellent manager; fit, indeed, to have been
governess to the whole island; and she knew very well how to
behave in every respect.
The match being proposed in this manner, we married them
the same day; and as I was father at the altar, as I may say,
and gave her away, so I gave her a portion; for I appointed
her and her husband a handsome large space of ground for their
plantation; and, indeed, this match, and the proposal the young
gentleman made to give him a small property in the island, put
me upon parcelling it out amongst them, that they might not
quarrel afterwards about their situation.
This sharing out the land to them I left to Will Atkins,
who was now grown a sober, grave, managing fellow, perfectly
reformed, exceedingly pious and religious; and, as far as I may
be allowed to speak positively in such a case, I verily believe
he was a true penitent. He divided things so justly, and so
much to every one's satisfaction, that they only desired one general
writing under my hand for the whole, which I caused to be drawn.
up, and signed and sealed to them, setting out the bounds and

The match being proposed in this manner, we married them the same day.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
491
situation of every man's plantation, and testifying that I gave
them thereby severally a right to the whole possession and inhe-
ritance of the respective plantations or farms, with their improve-
ments, to them and their heirs, reserving all the rest of the island
as my own property, and a certain rent for every particular planta-
tion after eleven years, if I, or any one from me, or in my
name, came to demand it, producing an attested copy of the same
writing.
As to the government and laws among them, I told them I
was not capable of giving them better rules than they were able
to give themselves; only I made them promise me to live in love
and good neighbourhood with one another; and so I prepared
to leave them.
One thing I must not omit, and that is, that being now set-
tled in a kind of commonwealth among themselves, and having
much business in hand, it was but odd to have seven and thirty
Indians live in a nook of the island, independent, and, indeed,
unemployed; for, excepting the providing themselves food, which
they had difficulty enough to do, sometimes they had no manner
of business or property to manage. I proposed, therefore, to the
governor Spaniard, that he should go to them, with Friday's father,
and propose to them to remove, and either plant for themselves,
or take them into their several families as servants, to be maintained
for their labour, but without being absolute slaves; for I would
not admit them to make them slaves by force, by any means;
because they had their liberty given them by capitulation, as it
were articles of surrender, which they ought not to break.
They most willingly embraced the proposal, and came all very
cheerful along with him so we allotted them land and planta-
tions, which three or four accepted of, but all the rest chose to
be employed as servants in the several families we had settled;
and thus my colony was in a manner settled as follows:-The
Spaniards possessed my original habitation, which was the capital
city, and extended their plantations all along the side of the brook,
which made the creek that I have so often described, as far as
492
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
my bower; and as they increased their culture, it went always
eastward. The English lived in the north-east part, where Will
Atkins and his comrades began, and came on southward and south-
west, towards the back part of the Spaniards; and every planta-
tion had a great addition of land to take in, if they found occasion,
so that they need not jostle one another for want of room. All
the east end of the island was left uninhabited, that if any of the
savages should come on shore there only for their usual customary
barbarities, they might come and go; if they disturbed nobody,
nobody would disturb them: and no doubt but they were often
ashore, and went away again; for I never heard that the planters
were ever attacked or disturbed any more.
It now came into my thoughts that I had hinted to my friend
the clergyman, that the work of converting the savages might
perhaps be set on foot in his absence to his satisfaction, and told
him that now I thought it was put in a fair way; for the savages
being thus divided among the Christians, if they would but every
one of them do their part with those which came under their
hands, I hoped it might have a very good effect.
"But
He agreed presently in that, if they did their part.
how," says he, "shall we obtain that of them?" I told him we
would call them all together, and leave it in charge with them,
or go to them, one by one, which he thought best: so we divided
it, he to speak to the Spaniards, who were all Papists, and I to
the English, who were all Protestants; and we recommended it
earnestly to them, and made them promise that they would never
make any distinction of Papist or Protestant in their exhorting
the savages to turn Christians, but teach them the general know-
ledge of the true God, and of their Saviour Jesus Christ; and
they likewise promised us that they would never have any differ-
ences or disputes one with another about religion.
When I came to Will Atkins' house (I may call it so, for
such a house, or such a piece of basket-work, I believe, was not
standing in the world again), there I found the young woman I have
mentioned above, and Will Atkins' wife, were become intimates; and
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
493
this prudent, religious young woman, had perfected the work Will
Atkins had begun; and though it was not above four days after
what I have related, yet the new-baptized savage woman was made
such a Christian as I have seldom heard of in all my observation
or conversation in the world.
It came next into my mind, in the morning before I went
to them, that amongst all the needful things I had to leave with
them, I had not left them a Bible, in which I shewed myself less
considering for them than my good friend the widow was for me,
when she sent me the cargo of a hundred pounds from Lisbon,
where she packed up three Bibles and a prayer-book. However,
the good woman's charity had a greater extent than ever she
imagined, for they were reserved for the comfort and instruction
of those that made much better use of them than I had done.
I took one of the Bibles in my pocket, and when I came to
Will Atkins' tent, or house, and found the young woman and
Atkins' baptized wife had been discoursing of religion together,
for Will Atkins told it me with a great deal of joy, I asked if
they were together now, and he said yes; so I went into the
house, and he with me, and we found them together, very earnest
in discourse. Oh, sir," says Will Atkins, "when God has
sinners to reconcile to himself, and aliens to bring home, he never
wants a messenger; my wife has got a new instructor; I knew I
was as unworthy as I was incapable of that work; that young
woman has been sent hither from heaven; she is enough to con-
vert a whole island of savages." The young woman blushed, and
rose up to go away, but I desired her to sit still; I told her
she had a good work upon her hands, and I hoped God would
bless her in it.
We talked a little, and I did not perceive they had any book
among them, though I did not ask; but I put my hand into
my pocket, and pulled out my Bible: "Here," says I to Atkins,
"I have brought you an assistant that perhaps you had not be-
fore." The man was so confounded that he was not able to
speak for some time; but, recovering himself, he takes it with
494
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

NUN
66
✔ COWLAND.
both his hands, and turning to his wife, Here," my dear,”
says he, "did not I tell you our God, though he lives above,
could hear what we have said? Here's the book I prayed for
when you and I kneeled down under the bush; now God has
heard us, and sent it." When he had said so, the man fell into
such transports of passionate joy, that between the joy of having
it, and giving God thanks for it, the tears ran down his face like
a child that was crying.
The woman was surprised, and was like to have run into a
mistake that none of us were aware of, for she firmly believed
God had sent the book upon her husband's petition. It is true
that providentially it was so, and might be taken so in a con-
sequent sense; but I believe it would have been no difficult matter,
at that time, to have persuaded the poor woman to have believed
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
495
that an express messenger came from Heaven on purpose to bring
that individual book; but it was too serious a matter to suffer
any delusion to take place; so I turned to the young woman.
and told her we did not desire to impose upon the new convert,
in her first and more ignorant understanding of things, and begged
her to explain to her that God may be very properly said to answer
our petitions, when, in the course of His providence, such things
are in a particular manner brought to pass as we petitioned for;
but we did not expect returns from Heaven in a miraculous and
particular manner, and it is our mercy that it is not so.
This the young woman did afterwards effectually, so that there
was, I assure you, no priestcraft used here; and I should have
thought it one of the most unjustifiable frauds in the world to
have had it so. But the surprise of joy upon Will Atkins is
really not to be expressed; and there, we may be sure, was no
delusion. Sure no man was ever more thankful in the world
for anything of its kind than he was for the Bible; nor, I be-
lieve, never any man was glad of a Bible from a better prin-
ciple; and though he had been a most profligate creature, head-
strong, furious, and desperately wicked, yet this man is a standing
rule to us all for the well instructing children, viz. that parents
should never give over to teach and instruct, nor ever despair of
the success of their endeavours, let the children be ever so re-
fractory, or, to appearance, insensible of instruction; for, if ever
God, in His providence, touches the conscience of such, the force
of their education returns upon them, and the early instruction
of parents is not lost, though it may have been many years laid
asleep, but, some time or other, they may find the benefit of it.
Thus it was with this poor man; however ignorant he was of reli-
gion, and Christian knowledge, he found he had some to do with
now more ignorant than himself; and that the least part of the
instruction of his good father that now came to his mind was of
use to him.
Among the rest, it occurred to him, he said, how his father
used to insist so much on the inexpressible value of the Bible,
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the privilege and blessing of it to nations, families, and persons ;
but he never entertained the least notion of the worth of it till
now, when being to talk to heathens, savages, and barbarians, he
wanted the help of the written oracle for his assistance.
The young woman was glad of it also for the present occa-
sion, though she had one, and so had the youth, on board our
ship, among their goods, which were not yet brought on shore.
And now having said so many things of this young woman, I
cannot omit telling one story more of her and myself, which has
something in it very informing and remarkable.
I have related to what extremity the poor young woman was
reduced; how her mistress was starved to death, and died on
board that unhappy ship we met at sea, and how the whole ship's
company was reduced to the last extremity. The gentlewoman
and her son, and this maid, were first hardly used, as to provi-
sions, and at last totally neglected and starved; that is to say,
brought to the last extremity of hunger.-One day, being dis-
coursing with her on the extremities they suffered, I asked her if
she could describe, by what she had felt, what it was to starve,
and how it appeared? She told me she believed she could, and
she told her tale very distinctly, thus:
"First, sir," said she, "we had for some days fared exceeding
hard, and suffered very great hunger: but at last we were wholly
without food of any kind, except sugar, and a little wine and
water. The first day, after I had received no food at all, I
found myself, towards evening, first empty and sick at the sto-
mach, and nearer night much inclined to yawning and sleep. I
laid down on the couch in the great cabin to sleep, and slept
about three hours, and awaked a little refreshed, having taken a
glass of wine when I lay down after being about three hours
awake, it being about five o'clock in the morning, I found myself
empty, and my stomach sickish, and lay down again, but could
not sleep at all, being very faint and ill; and thus I continued
all the second day, with a strange variety, first hungry, then sick
again, with retchings to vomit. The second night, being obliged
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
497
to go to bed again without any food, more than a draught of fresh
water, and being asleep, I dreamed I was at Barbadoes, and that
the market was mightily stocked with provisions; that I bought
some for my mistress, and went and dined very heartily. I thought
my stomach was as full after this as it would have been after a
good dinner; but when I awaked, I was exceedingly sunk in my
spirits to find myself in the extremity of famine. The last glass
of wine we had I drank, and put sugar in it, because of its
having some spirit to supply nourishment; but there being no
substance in the stomach for the digesting office to work upon,
I found the only effect of the wine was, to raise disagreeable
fumes from the stomach into the head; and I lay, as they told
me, stupid and senseless, as one drunk, for some time. The
third day, in the morning, after a night of strange, confused, and
inconsistent dreams, and rather dozing than sleeping, I awaked
ravenous and furious with hunger; and I question, had not my
understanding returned and conquered it, whether, if I had been
a mother, and had had a little child with me, its life would have
been safe or not. This lasted about three hours; during which
time I was twice raging mad as any creature in Bedlam, as my
young master told me, and as he can now inform you.
"In one of these fits of lunacy or distraction I fell down, and
struck my face against the corner of a pallet-bed, in which my
mistress lay, and, with the blow, the blood gushed out of my
nose; and the cabin-boy bringing me a little basin, I sat down
and bled into it a great deal; and as the blood came from me
I came to myself, and the violence of the flame or fever I was
in abated, and so did the ravenous part of the hunger. Then I
grew sick, and retched to vomit, but could not, for I had nothing
in my stomach to bring up. After I had bled some time, I
swooned, and they all believed I was dead; but I came to myself
soon after, and then had a most dreadful pain in my stomach,
not to be described, not like the colic, but a gnawing eager pain
for food; and towards the night it went off, with a kind of ear-
nest wishing or longing for food, something like, as I suppose,
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the longing of a woman with child. I took another draught of
water, with sugar in it; but my stomach loathed the sugar, and
brought it all up again; then I took a draught of water without
sugar, and that stayed with me; and I laid me down upon the
bed, praying most heartily that it would please God to take me
away; and composing my mind in hopes of it, I slumbered awhile,
and then waking, thought myself dying, being light with vapours
from an empty stomach; I recommended my soul then to God, and
earnestly wished that somebody would throw me into the sea.
"All this while my mistress lay by me, just, as I thought,
expiring, but bore it with much more patience than I; gave the
last bit of bread she had left to her child, my young master,
who would not have taken it, but she obliged him to eat it; and
I believe it saved his life.
"Towards the morning, I slept again; and when I awoke, I
fell into a violent passion of crying, and after that had a second
fit of violent hunger: I got up ravenous, and in a most dreadful
condition had my mistress been dead, as much as I loved her,
I am certain I should have eaten a piece of her flesh with as
much relish, and as unconcerned, as ever I did eat the flesh of

OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
499
any creature appointed for food; and once or twice I was going
to bite my own arm: at last I saw the basin in which was the
blood I had bled at my nose the day before; I ran to it, and
swallowed it with such haste, and such a greedy appetite, as if
I wondered nobody had taken it before, and afraid it should be
taken from me now. After it was down, though the thoughts of
it filled me with horror, yet it checked the fit of hunger, and I
took another draught of water, and was composed and refreshed
for some hours after. This was the fourth day; and thus I held
it till towards night: when, within the compass of three hours,
I had all the several circumstances over again, one after another,
viz. sick, sleepy, eagerly, hungry, pain in the stomach, then ra-
venous again; then sick, then lunatic, then crying, then ravenous
again, and so every quarter of an hour; and my strength wasted
exceedingly at night, I laid me down, having no comfort but in
the hope that I should die before morning.
"All this night I had no sleep; but the hunger was now turned
into a disease; and I had a terrible colic and griping, by wind,
instead of food, having found its way into the bowels; and in
this condition I lay till morning, when I was surprised by the
cries and lamentations of my young master, who called out to me
that his mother was dead; I lifted myself up a little, for I had
not strength to rise, but found she was not dead, though she was
able to give very little signs of life.
"I had then such convulsions in my stomach, for want of
some sustenance, that I cannot describe; with such frequent throes
and pangs of appetite, that nothing but the tortures of death can
imitate; and in this condition I was when I heard the seamen
above cry out, 'A sail! a sail!' and halloo and jump about as if
they were distracted.
"I was not able to get off from the bed, and my mistress
much less; and my young master was so sick that I thought he
had been expiring; so we could not open the cabin door, or get
any account what it was that occasioned such confusion; nor had
we any conversation with the ship's company for two days, they
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
having told us that they had not a mouthful of anything to eat
in the ship; and this they told us afterwards, they thought we
had been dead. It was this dreadful condition we were in when
you were sent to save our lives; and how you found us, sir, you
know as well as I, and better too."
This was her own relation, and is such a distinct account of
starving to death, as, I confess, I never met with, and was ex-
ceeding entertaining to me. I am the rather apt to believe it
to be a true account, because the youth gave me an account of
a good part of it; though I must own, not so distinct and so
feeling as the maid; and the rather, because it seems his mother
fed him at the price of her own life: but the poor maid, though
her constitution being stronger than that of her mistress, who was
in years, and a weakly woman too, she might struggle harder
with it; I say, the poor maid might be supposed to feel the ex-
tremity something sooner than her mistress, who might be allowed
to keep the last bit something longer than she parted with any
to relieve the maid. No question, as the case is here related,
if our ship, or some other, had not so providentially met them,
a few days more would have ended all their lives, unless they
had prevented it by eating one another; and that even, as their
case stood, would have served them but a little while, they being
five hundred leagues from any land, or any possibility of relief,
other than in the miraculous manner it happened: but this is
by the way; I return to my disposition of things among the
people.
And, first, it is to be observed here, that for many reasons I
did not think fit to let them know anything of the sloop I had
framed, and which I thought of setting up among them; for I
found, at least at my first coming, such seeds of division among
them, that I saw plainly, had I set up the sloop, and left it
among them, they would, upon every light disgust, have separated,
and gone away from one another; or perhaps have turned pirates,
and so made the island a den of thieves, instead of a plantation
of sober and religious people, as I intended it: nor did I leave
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
501
the two pieces of brass cannon that I had on board, or the two
quarter-deck guns that my nephew took extraordinary, for the
same reason: I thought it was enough to qualify them for a de-
fensive war against any that should invade them, but not to set
them up for an offensive war, or to go abroad to attack others;
which, in the end, would only bring ruin and destruction upon
them: I reserved the sloop, therefore, and the guns, for their
service another way, as I shall observe in its place.
Having now done with the island, I left them all in good
circumstances, and in a flourishing condition, and went on board
my ship again on the 6th of May, having been about twenty-five
days among them; and as they were all resolved to stay upon
the island till I came to remove them, I promised to send them
farther relief from the Brazils, if I could possibly find an oppor-
tunity and, particularly, I promised to send them some cattle,
such as sheep, hogs, and cows; as to the two cows and calves
which I brought from England, we had been obliged, by the
length of our voyage, to kill them at sea, for want of hay to
feed them.
The next day, giving them a salute of five guns at parting,
we set sail, and arrived at the bay of All Saints, in the Brazils,
in about twenty-two days, meeting nothing remarkable in our
passage but this: that about three days after we had sailed,
being becalmed, and the current setting strong to the E. N. E.,
running, as it were, into a bay, or gulf on the land side, we
were driven something out of our course, and once or twice our
men cried out, "Land to the eastward!" but whether it was the
continent or islands we could not tell by any means. But the
third day, towards evening, the sea smooth, and the weather calm,
we saw the sea, as it were, covered towards the land with some-
thing very black; not being able to discover what it was, till
after some time, our chief mate going up the main-shrouds a
little way, and looking at them with a perspective, cried out it
was an army. I could not imagine what he meant by an army,
and thwarted him a little hastily. 'Nay, sir," says he, "don't
T T
502
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
be angry, for 't is an army, and a fleet too; for I believe there
are a thousand canoes, and you may see them paddle along, for
they are coming towards us apace."
I was a little surprised then, indeed, and so was my nephew
the captain; for he had heard such terrible stories of them in
the island, and having never been in those seas before, that he
could not tell what to think of it, but said, two or three times,
we should all be devoured. I must confess, considering we were
becalmed, and the current set strong towards the shore, I liked
it the worse; however, I bade them not be afraid, but bring the
ship to an anchor as soon as we came so near as to know that
we must engage them.
The weather continued calm, and they came on apace towards
us; so I gave orders to come to an anchor, and furl all our sails:
as for the savages, I told them they had nothing to fear but
fire, and therefore they should get their boats out, and fasten
them, one close by the head, and the other by the stern, and
man them both well, and wait the issue in that posture: this I
did, that the men in the boats might be ready with sheets and
buckets to put out any fire these savages might endeavour to
fix to the outside of the ship.
In this posture we lay by for them, and in a little while
they came up with us; but never was such a horrid sight seen
by Christians: though my mate was much mistaken in his cal-
culation of their number, yet when they came up we reckoned
about a hundred and twenty-six; some of them had sixteen or
seventeen men in them, and some more, and the least six or
seven.
When they came nearer to us, they seemed to be struck
with wonder and astonishment, as at a sight which doubtless they
had never seen before; nor could they at first, as we afterwards
understood, know what to make of us; they came boldly up,
however, very near to us, and seemed to go about to row round
us; but we called to our men in the boats not to let them come
too near them. This very order brought us to an engagement
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I was
so enraged at the loss of my old trusty servant and
companion, that I immediately ordered five guns to be loaded.
with small shot, and four with great, and gave them such a broad-
side as they had never heard in their lives before, to be sure.
They were not above half a cable's length off when we fired;
and our gunners took their aim so well that three or four of
their canoes were overset, as we had reason to believe, by one
shot only.
The ill manners of turning up their bare backsides to us gave
us no great offence; neither did I know for certain whether that
which would pass for the greatest contempt among us might be
understood so by them or not; therefore, in return, I had only
resolved to have fired four or five guns at them with powder
only, which I knew would frighten them sufficiently; but when
they shot at us directly, with all the fury they were capable
of, and especially as they had killed my poor Friday, whom I
so entirely loved and valued, and who, indeed, so well deserved
it, I thought myself not only justifiable before God and man, but
would have been very glad if I could have overset every canoe
there, and drowned every one of them.
I can neither tell how many we killed nor how many we
wounded at this broadside, but sure such a fright and hurry never
were seen among such a multitude; there were thirteen or four-
teen of their canoes split and overset in all, and the men all set
a swimming the rest, frightened out of their wits, scoured away
as fast as they could, taking but little care to save those whose
boats were split or spoiled with our shot; so I suppose that many
of them were lost; and our men took up one poor fellow swim-
ming for his life, above an hour after they were all gone.
The small shot from our cannon must needs kill and wound
a great many; but, in short, we never knew anything how it
went with them, for they fled so fast that, in three hours, or
thereabouts, we could not
not see above three or four straggling
canoes, nor did we ever see the rest any more; for a breeze of
wind springing up the same evening, we weighed, and set sail
for the Brazils.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
505
We had a prisoner, indeed, but the creature was so sullen
that he would neither eat nor speak, and we all fancied he would
starve himself to death: but I took a way to cure him; for I
made them take him and turn him into the long-boat, and make
him believe they would toss him into the sea again, and so leave
him where they found him, if he would not speak: nor would
that do, but they really did throw him into the sea, and came
away from him; and then he followed them, for he swam like
a cork, and called to them in his tongue, though they knew not
one word of what he said; however, at last they took him in
again, and then he began to be more tractable; nor did I ever
design they should drown him.
We were now under sail again; but I was the most discon-
solate creature alive for want of my man Friday, and would have
been very glad to have gone back to the island, to have taken
one of the rest from thence for my occasion; but it could not
be: so we went on. We had one prisoner, as I have said, and
it was a long time before we could make him understand any-
thing: but, in time, our men taught him some English, and he
began to be a little tractable. Afterwards, we enquired what
country he came from, but could make nothing of what he said;
for his speech was so odd, all gutturals, and he spoke in the
throat in such a hollow, odd manner, that we could never form
a word after him; and we were all of opinion that they might
speak that language as well if they were gagged as otherwise;
nor could we perceive that they had any occasion either for teeth,
tongue, lips, or palate, but formed their words just as a hunting
horn forms a tune, with an open throat. He told us, however,
some time after, when we had taught him to speak a little Eng-
lish, that they were going with their kings to fight a great battle.
When he said kings, we asked him how many kings? He said
they were five nation (we could not make him understand the
plural s), and that they all joined to go against two nation. We
asked him what made them come up to us? He said, "To makee
te great wonder look." Here it is to be observed, that all those
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
natives, as also those of Africa, when they learn English, always
add two e's at the end of the words where we use one; and they
place the accent upon them, as makée, takée, and the like; nay,
I could hardly make Friday leave it off, though at last he did.
And now I name the poor fellow once more, I must take my
last leave of him. Poor honest Friday! We buried him with
all the decency and solemnity possible, by putting him into a
coffin, and throwing him into the sea; and I caused them to
fire eleven guns for him and so ended the life of the most
grateful, faithful, honest, and most affectionate servant that ever
man had.

SEARS.se.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
507
T
We went now away with a fair wind for Brazil; and in about
twelve days time we made land, in the latitude of five degrees
south of the line, being the north-easternmost land of all that
part of America. We kept on S. by E., in sight of the shore
four days, when we made Cape St. Augustine, and in three days
came to an anchor off the bay of All Saints, the old place of my
deliverance, from whence came both my good and evil fate.
Never ship came to this port that had less business than I
had, and yet it was with great difficulty that we were admitted
to hold the least correspondence on shore: not my partner, him-
self, who was alive, and made a great figure among them, not
my two merchant-trustees, not the fame of my wonderful pre-
servation in the island, could obtain me that favour; but my
partner, remembering that I had given five hundred moidores
to the Prior of the Monastery of the Augustines, and two hun-
dred and seventy-two to the poor, went to the monastery, and
obliged the prior that then was, to go to the governor, and get
leave for me personally, with the captain and one more, besides
eight seamen, to come on shore, and no more; and this upon
condition, absolutely capitulated for, that we should not offer to
land any goods out of the ship, or to carry any person away
without licence. They were so strict with us, as to landing any
goods, that it was with extreme difficulty that I got on shore
three bales of English goods, such as fine broadcloths, stuffs, and
some linen, which I had brought for a present to my partner.
He was a very generous, open-hearted man; though, like me,
he came from little at first; and though he knew not that I had
the least design of giving him anything, he sent me on board a
present of fresh provisions, wine, and sweetmeats, worth above
thirty moidores, including some tobacco, and three or four fine
medals of gold: but I was even with him in my present, which,
as I have said, consisted of fine broadcloth, English stuffs, lace,
and fine Hollands; also, I delivered him about the value of one
hundred pounds sterling, in the same goods, for other uses; and
I obliged him to set up the sloop, which I had brought with me
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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
from England, as I have said, for the use of my colony, in order
to send the refreshments I intended to my plantation.
Accordingly, he got hands, and finished the sloop in a very
few days, for she was already framed; and I gave the master of
her such instructions as that he could not miss the place; nor
did he miss them, as I had an account from my partner after-
wards. I got him soon loaded with the small cargo I sent them;
and one of our seamen, that had been on shore with me there,
offered to go with the sloop and settle there, upon my letter to
the governor Spaniard, to allot him a sufficient quantity of land
for a plantation, and giving him some clothes and tools for his
planting work, which he said he understood, having been an old
planter at Maryland, and a buccaneer into the bargain. I encou-
raged the fellow by granting all he desired; and, as an addition,
I gave him the savage whom we had taken prisoner of war, to be
his slave, and ordered the governor Spaniard to give him his
share of everything he wanted with the rest.
When we came to fit this man out, my old partner told me
there was a certain very honest fellow, a Brazil planter of his
acquaintance, who had fallen into the displeasure of the church.
"I know not what the matter is with him," says he, “but, on
my conscience, I think he is a heretic in his heart, and he has
been obliged to conceal himself for fear of the Inquisition;" that
he would be very glad of such an opportunity to make his escape,
with his wife and two daughters; and if I would let them go
to my island, and allot them a plantation, he would give them
a small stock to begin with; for the officers of the Inquisition
had seized all his effects and estate, and he had nothing left but
a little household stuff, and two slaves; "and,” adds he, though
I hate his principles, yet I would not have him fall into their
hands, for he will be assuredly burned alive if he does."
I granted this presently, and joined my Englishman with them;
and we concealed the man, and his wife and daughters, on board
our ship, till the sloop put out to go to sea; and then having
put all their goods on board some time before, we put them on
board the sloop after she was got out of the bay.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
509
Our seaman was mightily pleased with this new partner; and
their stocks, indeed, were much alike, rich in tools, in prepara-
tions, and a farm; but nothing to begin with, except as above:
however, they carried over with them, which was worth all the
rest, some materials for planting sugar-canes, with some plants
of canes, which he, I mean the Portugal man, understood very
well.
Among the rest of the supplies sent to my tenants in the
island, I sent them by the sloop three milch cows and five calves,
about twenty-two hogs among them, three sows big with pig,
two mares, and a stone-horse. For my Spaniards, according to
my promise, I engaged three Portugal women to go, and recom-
mended it to them to marry them, and use them kindly. I
could have procured more women, but I remembered that the
poor prosecuted man had two daughters, and that there were
but five of the Spaniards that wanted; the rest had wives of
their own, though in another country.

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All this cargo arrived safe, and, as you may easily suppose,
was very welcome to my old inhabitants, who were now, with
this addition, between sixty and seventy people, besides little chil-
dren, of which there were a great many. I found letters at
London from them all, by way of Lisbon, when I came back
to England, of which I shall also take some notice immediately.
I have now done with the island, and all manner of discourse
about it: and whoever reads the rest of my memorandums would
do well to turn his thoughts entirely from it, and expect to read
of the follies of an old man, not warned by his own harms, much
less by those of other men, to beware of the like; not cooled
by almost forty years' miseries and disappointments; not satisfied
with prosperity beyond expectation, nor made cautious by afflic-
tions and distress beyond imitation.
I had no more business to go to the East Indies than a man
at full liberty has to go to the turnkey at Newgate, and desire him
to lock him up among the prisoners there, and starve him. Had
I taken a small vessel from England, and gone directly to the
island; had I loaded her, as I did the other vessel, with all the
necessaries for the plantation, and for my people; taken a patent
from the government here to have secured my property, in sub-
jection only to that of England; had I carried over cannon and
ammunition, servants and people to plant, and taken possession
of the place, fortified and strengthened it in the name of Eng-
land, and increased it with people, as I might easily have done;
had I then settled myself there, and sent the ship back laden
with good rice, as I might also have done in six months time,
and ordered my friends to have fitted her out again for our supply;
had I done this, and stayed there myself, I had at least acted
like a man of common sense: but I was possessed with a wan-
dering spirit, and scorned all advantages: I pleased myself with
being the patron of the people I placed there, and doing for
them in a kind of haughty, majestic way, like an old patriarchal
monarch, providing for them as if I had been father of the whole
family, as well as of the plantation: but I never so much as
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
511
pretended to plant in the name of any government or nation, or
to acknowledge any prince, or to call my people subjects to any
one nation more than another: nay, I never so much as gave
the place a name, but left it as I found it, belonging to nobody,
and the people under no discipline or government but my own;
who, though I had influence over them as a father and bene-
factor, had no authority or power to act or command one way
or other, farther than voluntary consent moved them to comply:
yet even this, had I stayed there, would have done well enough;
but as I rambled from them, and came there no more, the last
letters I had from any of them were by my partner's means, who
afterwards sent another sloop to the place, and who sent me
word, though I had not the letter till I got to London, several
years after it was written, that they went on but poorly, were
malcontent with their long stay there: that Will Atkins was dead;
that five of the Spaniards were come away; and though they had
not been much molested by the savages, yet they had had some
skirmishes with them; and that they begged of him to write to
me to think of the promise I had made to fetch them away,
that they might see their country again before they died.
But I was gone a wild-goose chase, indeed! and they that
will have any more of me, must be content to follow me into
a new variety of follies, hardships, and wild adventures, wherein
the justice of Providence may be duly observed; and we may
see how easily Heaven can gorge us with our own desires, make
the strongest of our wishes be our affliction, and punish us most
severely with those very things which we think it would be our
utmost happiness to be allowed in. Whether I had business or
no business, away I went: it is no time now to enlarge upon
the reason or absurdity of my own conduct, but to come to the
history; I was embarked for the voyage, and the voyage I went.
I shall only add a word or two concerning my honest Popish
clergyman; for let their opinions of us, and all other heretics in
general, as they call us, be as uncharitable as it may, I verily
believe this man was very sincere, and wished the good of all
512
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
men: yet I believe he was upon the reserve in many of his
expressions, to prevent giving me offence; for I scarce heard him
once call on the Blessed Virgin, or mention St. Jago, or his
guardian angel, though so common with the rest of them: how-
ever, I say, I had not the least doubt of his sincerity and pious
intentions on his own part: and I am firmly of opinion, if the
rest of the Popish missionaries were like him, they would strive
to visit even the poor Tartars and Laplanders, where they have
nothing to give them, as well as covet to flock to India, Persia,
China, &c., the most wealthy of the heathen countries; for if
they expected to bring no gains to their church by it, it may
well be admired how they came to admit the Chinese Confucius
into the calendar of the Christian saints. But this by the by.
A ship being ready to sail for Lisbon, my pious priest asked
me leave to go thither; being still, as he observed, bound never
to finish any voyage he began. How happy had it been for me
if I had gone with him! But it was too late now all things
Heaven appoints for the best: had I gone with him, I had never
had so many things to be thankful for, and the reader had never
heard of the second part of the travels and adventures of Robinson
Crusoe; so I must here leave exclaiming at myself, and go on
with my voyage.
From the Brazils, we made directly over the
Atlantic Sea to the Cape of Good Hope, and had a tolerable good
voyage, our course generally south-east, now and then a storm,
and some contrary winds: but my disasters at sea were at an
end; my future rubs and cross events were to befal me on shore,
that it might appear the land was as well prepared to be our
scourge as the sea.
Our ship was on a trading voyage, and had a supercargo on
board, who was to direct all her motions after she arrived at
the Cape, only being limited to a certain number of days for
stay, by charter-party, at the several ports she was to go to.
This was none of my business, neither did I meddle with it; my
nephew, the captain, and the supercargo, adjusting all those things
between them as they thought fit.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
513
We stayed at the Cape no longer than was needful to take in
fresh water, but made the best of our way for the coast of Coro-
mandel. We were, indeed, informed that a French man of war,
of fifty guns, and two large merchant ships, were gone for the
Indies; and as I knew we were at war with France, I had some
apprehensions of them; but they went their own way, and we
heard no more of them.
I shall not pester the reader with a tedious description of
places, journals of our voyages, variations of the compass, lati-
tudes, trade-winds, &c.; it is enough to name the ports and
places which we touched at, and what occurred to us upon our
passage from one to another. We touched first at the Island of
Madagascar, where, though the people are fierce and treacherous,
and very well armed with lances and bows, which they use with
inconceivable dexterity, yet we fared very well with them a while;
they treated us very civilly; and, for some trifles which we gave
them, such as knives, scissors, &c., they brought us eleven good

HANS. SC
514
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
fat bullocks, of a middling size, which we took in, partly for fresh
provisions for our present spending, and the rest to salt for the
ship's use.
We were obliged to stay here some time after we had fur-
nished ourselves with provisions; and I, who was always too
curious to look into every nook of the world wherever I came,
was for going on shore as often as I could.
It was on the
east side of the island that we went on shore one evening: and
the people, who, by the way, are very numerous, came throng-
ing about us, and stood gazing at us at a distance: but as we
had traded freely with them, and had been kindly used, we thought
ourselves in no danger; but when we saw the people, we cut
three boughs out of a tree, and stuck them up at a distance from
us; which, it seems, is a mark in that country, not only of a
truce and friendship, but when it is accepted, the other side set
up three poles or boughs, which is a signal that they accept the
truce too; but then this tree is a known condition of the truce,
that you are not to pass beyond their three poles towards them,
nor they to come past your three poles, or boughs, towards you;
so that you are perfectly secure within the three poles, and all
the space between your poles and theirs is allowed like a market
for free converse, traffic, and commerce. When you go there,
you must not carry your weapons with you and if they come
into that space, they stick up their javelins and lances all at the
first poles, and come on unarmed; but if any violence is offered
them, and the truce thereby broken, away they run to the poles,
and lay hold of their weapons, and the truce is at an end.
It happened one evening, when we went on shore, that a
greater number of their people came down than usual, but all
very friendly and civil; and they brought several kinds of pro-
visions, for which we satisfied them with such toys as we had;
their women also brought us milk and roots, and several things
very acceptable to us, and all was quiet; and we made us a little
tent or hut of some boughs of trees, and lay on shore all night.
I know not what was the occasion, but I was not so well
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
515
satisfied to lie on shore as the rest; and the boat riding at an
anchor about a stone's cast from the land, with two men in her
to take care of her, I made one of them come on shore; and
getting some boughs of trees to cover us also in the boat, I
spread the sail on the bottom of the boat, and lay under the
cover of the branches of the trees all night in the boat.
About two o'clock in the morning, we heard one of our men
make a terrible noise on the shore, calling out, for God's sake
to bring the boat in, and come and help them, for they were
all like to be murdered; at the same time, I heard the fire of
five muskets, which was the number of guns they had, and that
three times over; for, it seems, the natives here were not so
easily frightened with guns as the savages were in America, where
I had to do with them. All this while I knew not what was
the matter, but rousing immediately from sleep with the noise,
I caused the boat to be thrust in, and resolved, with three fusees
we had on board, to land and assist our men.
We got the boat soon to the shore, but our men were in too
much haste; for being come to the shore, they plunged into the
water, to get to the boat with all the expedition they could,
being pursued by between three and four hundred men. Our
men were but nine in all, and only five of them had fusees
with them; the rest had pistols and swords, indeed, but they
were of small use to them.
We took up seven of our men, and with difficulty enough
too, three of them being very ill wounded; and that which was
still worse was, that while we stood in the boat to take our men
in, we were in as much danger as they were in on shore; for
they poured their arrows in upon us so thick that we were glad
to barricade the side of the boat up with the benches, and two
or three loose boards, which, to our great satisfaction, we had
by mere accident in the boat. And yet, had it been daylight,
they are, it seems, such exact marksmen, that if they could have
seen but the least part of any of us, they would have been sure
of us.
We had, by the light of the moon, a little sight of them,
516
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

as they stood pelting us from the shore with darts and arrows;
and having got ready our fire-arms, we gave them a volley, that
we could hear, by the cries of some of them, had wounded several;
however, they stood thus in battle array on the shore till break
of day, which we supposed was that they might see the better to
take their aim at us.
In this condition we lay, and could not tell how to weigh
our anchor or set up our sail, because we must needs stand up
in the boat, and they were as sure to hit us as we were to hit
a bird in a tree with small shot. We made signals of distress.
to the ship, which, though she rode a league off, yet my nephew
the captain, hearing our firing, and by glasses perceiving the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
517
posture we lay in, and that we fired towards the shore, pretty
well understood us; and weighing anchor with all speed, he
stood as near the shore as he durst with the ship, and then sent
another boat, with ten hands in her, to assist us; but we called
to them not to come too near, telling them what condition we
were in; however, they stood in near to us, and one of the
men taking the end of a tow-line in his hand, and keeping one
boat between him and the enemy, so that they could not perfectly
see him, swam on board us, and made fast the line to the boat;
upon which we slipped out a little cable, and, leaving our anchor
behind, they towed us out of reach of the arrows; we all the
while lying close behind the barricado we had made.
As soon as we were got from between the ship and the shore,
that we could lay her side to the shore, she ran along just by
them, and poured in a broadside among them, loaded with pieces
of iron and lead, small bullets, and such stuff, besides the great
shot, which made a terrible havoc among them.
When we were got on board, and out of danger, we had time
to examine into the occasion of this fray; and, indeed, our super-
cargo, who had been often in those parts, put me upon it; for
he said he was sure the inhabitants would not have touched us
after we had made a truce, if we had not done something to
provoke them to it. At length, it came out that an old woman,
who had come to sell us some milk, had brought it within our
poles, and a young woman with her, who also brought some
roots or herbs; and while the old woman (whether she was
mother to the young woman or no they could not tell) was
selling us the milk, one of our men offered some rudeness to the
wench that was with her, at which the old woman made a great
noise: however, the seaman would not quit his prize, but car-
ried her out of the old woman's sight among the trees, it being
almost dark the old woman went away without her, and, as we
may suppose, made an outcry among the people she came from;
who, upon notice, raised this great army upon us in three or four
hours; and it was great odds but we had all been destroyed.
518
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

CADET SUBP55.
One of our men was killed with a lance thrown at him just
at the beginning of the attack, as he sallied out of the tent they
had made the rest came off free, all but the fellow who was
the occasion of all the mischief, who paid dear enough for his
black mistress, for we could not hear what became of him for a
great while. We lay upon the shore two days after, though the
wind presented, and made signals for him, and made our boat
sail up shore and down shore several leagues, but in vain, so we
were obliged to give him over; and if he alone had suffered for
it, the loss had been less.
I could not satisfy myself, however, without venturing on
shore once more, to try if I could learn anything of him or
them it was the third night after the action that I had a great
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
519
mind to learn, if I could by any means, what mischief we had
done, and how the game stood on the Indians' side.
I was
careful to do it in the dark, lest we should be attacked again;
but I ought, indeed, to have been sure that the men I went
with had been under my command, before I engaged in a thing
so hazardous and mischievous as I was brought into by it, with-
out design.
We took twenty as stout fellows with us as any in the ship,
besides the supercargo and myself, and we landed two hours be-
fore midnight, at the same place where the Indians stood drawn
up in the evening before. I landed here because my design, as
I have said, was chiefly to see if they had quitted the field, and
if they had left any marks behind them of the mischief we had
done them; and I thought if we could surprise one or two of them,
perhaps we might get our man again, by way of exchange.
We landed without any noise, and divided our men into two
bodies, whereof the botswain commanded one, and I the other.
We neither saw nor heard anybody stir when we landed: and
we marched up, one body at a distance from the other, to the
place; but at first could see nothing, it being very dark; till
by and by our boatswain, who led the first party, stumbled and fell
over a dead body. This made them halt a while; for knowing
by the circumstances that they were at the place where the In-
dians had stood, they waited for my coming up there. We con-
cluded to halt till the moon began to rise, which we knew would
be in less than an hour, when we could easily discern the havoc
we had made among them. We told thirty-two bodies upon the
ground, whereof two were not quite dead; some had an arm,
and some a leg shot off, and one his head: those that were
wounded, we supposed, they had carried away.
When we had made, as I thought, a full discovery of all we
could come to the knowledge of, I was resolved for going on
board; but the boatswain and his party sent me word that they
were resolved to make a visit to the Indian town, where these
dogs, as they called them, dwelt, and asked me to go along with
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
520
them; and if they could find them, as they still fancied they should,
they did not doubt of getting a good booty; and it might be they
might find Tom Jeffry there: that was the man's name we had
lost.
Had they sent to ask my leave to go, I knew well enough
what answer to have given them; for I should have commanded
them instantly on board, knowing it was not a hazard fit for us
to run, who had a ship, and ship-loading in our charge, and a
voyage to make which depended very much upon the lives of
the men; but as they sent me word they were resolved to go,
and only asked me and my company to go along with them, I
positively refused it, and rose up, for I was sitting on the ground,
in order to go to the boat. One or two of the men began to
importune me to go; and when I refused, began to grumble,
and say they were not under my command, and they would go.
"Come Jack," says one of the men, "will you go with me?
I'll go for one.” Jack said he would, and then another,—
and, in a word, they all left me but one, whom I persuaded to
stay, and a boy left in the boat. So the supercargo and I, with
the third man, went back to the boat, where we told them we
would stay for them, and take care to take in as many of them
as should be left; for I told them it was a mad thing they were
going about, and supposed most of them would run the fate of
Tom Jeffry.
They told me, like seamen, they would warrant it they would
come off again, and they would take care, &c.; so away they
went. I entreated them to consider the ship and the voyage,
that their lives were not their own, and that they were intrusted
with the voyage, in some measure; that if they miscarried, the
ship might be lost for want of their help, and that they could
not answer for it to God or man. But I might as well have
talked to the mainmast of the ship; they were mad upon their
journey; only they gave me good words, and begged I would
not be angry; that they did not doubt but they would be back
again in about an hour at farthest; for the Indian town, they
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
521
said, was not above half a mile off, though they found it above
two miles before they got to it.
Well, they all went away, and though the attempt was des-
perate, and such as none but madmen would have gone about,
yet, to give them their due, they went about it as warily as
boldly they were gallantly armed, for they had every man a
fusee or musket, a bayonet, and a pistol; some of them had
broad cutlasses, some of them had hangers, and the boatswain and
two more had poleaxes; besides all which, they had among them
thirteen hand grenadoes: bolder fellows, and better provided,
never went about any wicked work in the world.
When they went out, their chief design was plunder, and
they were in mighty hopes of finding gold there; but a cir-
cumstance, which none of them were aware of, set them on fire
with revenge, and made devils of them all. When they came
to the few Indian houses which they thought had been the town,
which was not above half a mile off, they were under a great
disappointment, for there were not above twelve or thirteen
houses; and where the town was, or how big, they knew not.
They consulted, therefore, what to do, and were some time be-
fore they could resolve; for if they fell upon these, they must
cut all their throats, and it was ten to one but some of them
might escape, it being in the night, though the moon was up;
and if one escaped, he would run and raise all the town, so
they should have a whole army upon them: again, on the other
hand, if they went away and left those untouched, for the people
were all asleep, they could not tell which way to look for the
town: however, the last was the best advice, so they resolved
to leave them, and look for the town as well as they could. They
went on a little way, and found a cow tied to a tree; this, they
presently concluded, would be a good guide to them; for, they
said, the cow certainly belonged to the town before them, or
the town behind them; and if they untied her, they should see
which way she went; if she went back, they had nothing to
say to her; but if she went forward, they would follow her:
522
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
so they cut the cord, which was made of twisted flags, and the
cow went on before them, directly to the town; which, as they
reported, consisted of above two hundred houses or huts, and
in some of these they found several families living together.
Here they found all in silence," as profoundly secure as sleep
could make them and, first, they called another council, to
consider what they had to do; and, in a word, they resolved
to divide themselves into three bodies, and so set three houses
on fire in three parts of the town; and as the men came out,
to seize them and bind them (if any resisted, they need not be
asked what to do then), and so to search the rest of the houses
for plunder but they resolved to march silently first through
the town, and see what dimensions it was of, and if they might
venture upon it or no.
They did so, and desperately resolved that they would ven-
ture upon them but while they were animating one another to
the work, three of them, who were a little before the rest,
called out aloud to them, and told them, that they had found
Tom Jeffry they all ran up to the place, where they found the
poor fellow hanging up naked by one arm, and his throat cut.
There was an Indian house just by the tree, where they found
sixteen or seventeen of the principal Indians, who had been con-
cerned in the fray with us before, and two or three of them
wounded with our shot; and our men found they were awake,
and talking one to another in that house, but knew not their
number.
The sight of their poor mangled comrade so enraged them,
as before, that they swore to one another they would be re-
venged, and that not an Indian that came into their hands should
have any quarter; and to work they went immediately, and yet
not so madly as might be expected from the rage and fury they
were in.
Their first care was to get something that would soon
take fire, but, after a little search, they found that would be
to no purpose; for most of the houses were low, and thatched
with flags and rushes, of which the country is full; so they
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
523
presently made some wildfire, as we call it, by wetting a little
powder in the palm of their hands, and in a quarter of an hour
they set the town on fire in four or five places, and particularly
that house where the Indians were not gone to bed.
As soon as the fire began to blaze, the poor frightened crea-
tures began to rush out to save their lives, but met with their
fate in the attempt; and especially at the door, where they drove
them back, the boatswain himself killing one or two with his
poleaxe. The house being large, and many in it, he did not
care to go in, but called for a hand grenado, and threw it
among them, which at first frightened them, but, when it burst,
made such havoc among them that they cried out in a hideous
manner. In short, most of the Indians who were in the open
part of the house were killed or hurt with the grenado, except
two or three more who pressed to the door, which the boat-
swain and two more kept, with their bayonets on the muzzles
of their pieces, and despatched all that came in their way; but
there was another apartment in the house, where the prince or
king, or whatever he was, and several others, were; and these
were kept in till the house, which was by this time all in a
light flame, fell in upon them, and they were smothered to-
gether.
All this while they fired not a gun, because they would not
waken the people faster than they could master them; but the
fire began to waken them fast enough, and our fellows were glad
to keep a little together in bodies; for the fire grew so raging,
all the houses being made of light combustible stuff, that they
could hardly bear the street between them; and their business
was to follow the fire, for the surer execution as fast as the
fire either forced the people out of those houses which were
burning, or frightened them out of others, our people were ready
at their doors to knock them on the head, still calling and hal-
looing one to another to remember Tom Jeffry.
While this was doing, I must confess I was very uneasy,
and especially when I saw the flames of the town, which, it
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
524
1
being night, seemed to be just by me. My nephew, the captain,
who was roused by his men, seeing such a fire, was very un-
easy, not knowing what the matter was, or what danger I was
in, especially hearing the guns too, for by this time they began
to use their fire-arms; a thousand thoughts oppressed his mind
concerning me and the supercargo, what would become of us;
and, at last, though he could ill spare any more men, yet not
knowing what exigence we might be in, he takes another boat,
and with thirteen men and himself comes on shore to me.
He was surprised to see me and the supercargo in the boat
with no more than two men; and though he was glad that we
were well, yet he was in the same impatience with us to know
what was doing; for the noise continued, and the flame increased;
in short, it was next to an impossibility for any men in the world
to restrain their curiosity to know what had happened, or their
concern for the safety of the men: in a word, the captain told
me he would go and help his men, let what would come. I
argued with him, as I did before with the men, the safety of
the ship, the danger of the voyage, the interest of the owners
and merchants, &c., and told him I and the two men would go,
and only see if we could at a distance learn what was like to be
the event, and come back and tell him. It was all one to talk
to my nephew, as it was to talk to the rest before; he would
go, he said; and he only wished he had left but ten men in the
ship, for he could not think of having his men lost for want of
help; he had rather lose the ship, the voyage, and his life, and
all and away he went.
I was no more able to stay behind now, than I was to per-
suade them not to go; so, in short, the captain ordered two men
to row back the pinnace, and fetch twelve men more, leaving the
long-boat at an anchor; and that when they came back, six men
should keep the two boats, and six more come after us: so that
he left only sixteen men in the ship; for the whole ship's com-
pany consisted of sixty-five men, whereof two were lost in the
late quarrel which brought this mischief on.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
525
Being now on the march, you may be sure we felt little of
the ground we trod on; and being guided by the fire, we kept
no path, but went directly to the place of the flame. If the
noise of the guns was surprising to us before, the cries of the
poor people were now quite of another nature, and filled us with
horror. I must confess I was never at the sacking a city, or
at the taking a town by storm. I had heard of Oliver Crom-
well taking Drogheda, in Ireland, and killing man, woman, and
child; and I had read of Count Tilly sacking the city of Mag-
debourg, and cutting the throats of twenty-two thousand of all
sexes; but I never had an idea of the thing itself before, nor is
it possible to describe it, or the horror that was upon our minds
at hearing it. However, we went on, and at length came to
the town, though there was no entering the streets of it for the
fire. The first object we met with was the ruins of a hut or
house, or rather the ashes of it, for the house was consumed :
and just before it, plain now to be seen by the light of the fire,
lay four men and three women killed, and, as we thought, one
or two more lay in the heap among the fire; in short, there
were such instances of rage altogether barbarous, and of a fury
something beyond what was human, that we thought it impos-
sible our men could be guilty of it; or if they were the authors
of it, we thought they ought to be every one of them put to
the worst of deaths. But this was not all: we saw the fire
increased forward, and the cry went on just as the fire went on;
so that we were in the utmost confusion. We advanced a little
way farther; and behold, to our astonishment, three naked women,
and crying in a most dreadful manner, came flying as if they had
wings, and after them sixteen or seventeen men, natives, in the
same terror and consternation, with three of our English butchers
in the rear; who, when they could not overtake them, fired in
among them, and one that was killed by their shot fell down in
our sight. When the rest saw us, believing us to be their ene-
mies, and that we would murder them as well as those that pur-
sued them, they set up a most dreadful shriek, especially the
V V
526
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
women, and two of them fell down, as if already dead, with the
fright.
My very soul shrunk within me, and my blood ran chill in
my veins, when I saw this: and I believe, had the three English
sailors that pursued them come on, I had made our men kill them
all: however, we took some ways to let the poor flying creatures
know that we would not hurt them; and immediately they came
up to us, and kneeling down, with their hands lifted up, made
piteous lamentation to us to save them, which we let them know
we would; whereupon they crept altogether in a huddle close
behind us, as for protection. I left my men drawn up together,
and charging them to hurt nobody, but, if possible, to get at
some of our people, and see what devil it was possessed them,
and what they intended to do, and to command them off; assuring
them that if they stayed till daylight they would have a hundred
thousand men about their ears: I say, I left them, and went
among those flying people, taking only two of our men with me;
and there was indeed a piteous spectacle among them; some of
them had their feet terribly burned, with trampling and running
through the fire, others their hands burned; one of the women
had fallen down in the fire, and very was much burned before
she could get out again; and two or three of the men had cuts
in their backs and thighs, from our men pursuing; and another
was shot through the body, and died while I was there.
I would fain have learned what the occasion of all this was,
but I could not understand one word they said: though, by
signs, I perceived some of them knew not what was the occasion
themselves. I was so terrified in my thoughts at this outrageous
attempt, that I could not stay there, but went back to my own
men, and resolved to go into the middle of the town, through
the fire, or whatever might be in the way, and put an end to
it, cost what it would: accordingly, as I came back to my men,
I told them my resolution, and commanded them to follow me,
when, at the very moment, came four of our men, with the
boatswain at their head, roving over heaps of bodies they had

ATANS
We took some ways to let the poor flying creatures know that we would not hurt them.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
527
killed, all covered with blood and dust, as if they wanted more
people to massacre, when our men hallooed to them as loud as
they could halloo; and, with much ado, one of them made them
hear, so that they knew who we were, and came up to us.
66
As soon as the boatswain saw us, he set up a halloo like a
shout of triumph, for having, as he thought, more help come;
and without waiting to hear me, Captain," says he, "noble
captain! I am glad you are come; we have not half done yet:
villanous, hell-hound dogs! I'll kill as many of them as poor
Tom has hairs upon his head we have sworn to spare none of
them; we'll root out the very nation of them from the earth:
and thus he ran on, out of breath too with action, and would
not give us leave to speak a word.
At last, raising my voice, that I might silence him a little,
"Barbarous dog!" said I, "what are you doing? I won't have
one creature touched more, upon pain of death: I charge you,

HORIVAL.
528
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
upon your life, to stop your hands, and stand still here, or you
are a dead man this minute."-" Why, sir," says he,
" do you
know what you do, or what they have done? If you want a
reason for what we have done, come hither;" and with that he
shewed me the poor fellow hanging, with his throat cut.
I confess I was urged then myself, and at another time would
have been forward enough; but I thought they had carried their
rage too far, and remembered Jacob's words to his sons Simeon
and Levi-" Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their
wrath, for it was cruel." But I had now a new task upon my
hands; for when the men I carried with me saw the sight, as
I had done, I had as much to do to restrain them as I should
have had with the others; nay, my nephew himself fell in with
them, and told me, in their hearing, that he was only concerned
for fear of the men being overpowered; and as to the people, he
thought not one of them ought to live; for they had all glutted
themselves with the murder of the poor man, and that they ought
to be used like murderers. Upon these words, away ran eight
of my men, with the boatswain and his crew, to complete their
bloody work; and I, seeing it quite out of my power to restrain
them, came away pensive and sad; for I could not bear the
sight, much less the horrible noise and cries of the poor wretches
that fell into their hands.
I got nobody to come back with me but the supercargo and
two men, and with these walked back to the boat.
It was a
very great piece of folly in me, I confess, to venture back as
it were alone; for as it began now to be almost day, and the
alarm had run over the country, there stood about forty men
armed with lances and bows, at the little place where the twelve
or thirteen houses stood, mentioned before; but by accident I
missed the place, and came directly to the sea-side; and by the
time I got to the sea-side, it was broad day: immediately I took
the pinnace and went on board, and sent her back to assist the
men in what might happen.
I observed, about the time that I came to the boat-side, that
the fire was pretty well out, and the noise abated; but in about

CAISNE ►
He shewed me the poor fellow hanging, with his throat c
cut.
→
ཕ
**
}
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
529
half-an-hour after I got on board I heard a volley of our men's
fire-arms, and saw a great smoke: this, as I understood after-
wards, was our men falling upon the men who, as I said, stood at
the few houses on the way, of whom they killed sixteen or seven-
teen, and set all the houses on fire, but did not meddle with the
women or children.
By the time the men got to the shore again with the pinnace,
our men began to appear; they came drooping in, not in two
bodies as they went, but straggling here and there in such a
manner, that a small force of resolute men might have cut them
all off. But the dread of them was upon the whole country;
and the men were surprised, and so frightened, that I believe a
hundred of them would have fled at the sight of but five of our
men; nor in all this terrible action was there a man that made
any considerable defence; they were so surprised between the
terror of the fire and the sudden attack of our men in the dark,
that they knew not which way to turn themselves; for if they
fled one way they were met by one party, if back again, by ano-
ther; so that they were everywhere knocked down; nor did any
of our men receive the least hurt, except one that sprained his
foot, and another that had one of his hands burned.
I was very angry with my nephew, the captain, and, indeed,
with all the men, in my mind, but with him in particular, as
well for his acting so out of his duty, as commander of the ship,
and having the charge of the voyage upon him, as in his prompt-
ing, rather than cooling, the rage of his blind men, in so bloody
and cruel an enterprise. My nephew answered me very respect-
fully, but told me that when he saw the body of the poor seaman
whom they had murdered in so cruel and barbarous a manner, he
was not master of himself, neither could he govern his passion;
he owned he should not have done so as he was commander of
the ship; but as he was a man, and nature moved him, he could
not bear it. As for the rest of the men, they were not subject
to me at all, and they knew it well enough; so they took no
notice of my dislike.
530
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
The next day we set sail, so we never heard any more of
it. Our men differed in the account of the number they had
killed; but according to the best of their accounts, put all toge-
ther, they killed or destroyed about one hundred and fifty people,
men, women, and children, and left not a house standing in the
town. As for the poor fellow Tom Jeffry, as he was quite dead
(for his throat was so cut that his head was half off), it would
do him no service to bring him away; so they only took him down
from the tree where he was hanging by one hand.
However just our men thought this action, I was against them
in it, and I always, after that time, told them God would blast
the voyage; for I looked upon all the blood they shed that night
to be murder in them: for though it is true that they had killed
Tom Jeffry, yet Jeffry was the aggressor, had broken the truce,
and had violated or debauched a young woman of theirs, who
came down to them innocently, and on the faith of the public
capitulation.
The boatswain defended this quarrel when we were afterwards
on board.
He said it was true that we seemed to break the
truce, but really had not; and that the war was begun the night
before by the natives themselves, who had shot at us, and killed
one of our men without any just provocation; so that as we were
in a capacity to fight them now, we might also be in a capacity
to do ourselves justice upon them in an extraordinary manner;
that though the poor man had taken a little liberty with the
wench, he ought not to have been murdered, and that in such
a villanous manner; and that they did nothing but what was just,
and what the laws of God allowed to be done to murderers.
One would think this should have been enough to have warned
us against going on shore amongst heathens and barbarians: but
it is impossible to make mankind wise but at their own expense;
and their experience seems to be always of most use to them
when it is dearest bought.
We were now bound to the Gulf of Persia, and from thence
to the coast of Coromandel, only to touch at Surat: but the
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
531
chief of the
where, if he
up to China,
supercargo's design lay at the Bay of Bengal ;
missed his business outward-bound, he was to go
and return to the coast as he came home.
The first disaster that befel us was in the Gulf of Persia,
where five of our men, venturing on shore on the Arabian side
of the gulf, were surrounded by the Arabians, and either all
killed, or carried away into slavery; the rest of the boat's crew
were not able to rescue them, and had but just time to get off
their boat. I began to upbraid them with the just retribution
of heaven in this case; but the boatswain very warmly told me,
he thought I went farther in my censures than I could shew
any warrant for in Scripture; and referred to Luke xiii. 4.,
where our Saviour intimates that those men on whom the Tower
of Siloam fell were not sinners above all the Galileans; but that
which put me to silence in the case was, that not one of these
five men who were now lost were of those who went on shore
to the massacre of Madagascar, so I always called it, though
our men could not bear to hear the word massacre with any
patience.
But my frequent preaching to them on this subject had worse
consequences than I expected; and the boatswain, who had been
the head of the attempt, came up boldly to me one time, and
told me he found that I brought that affair continually upon
the stage; that I made unjust reflections upon it, and had used
the men very ill on that account, and himself in particular ;
that, as I was but a passenger, and had no command in the
ship, or concern in the voyage, they were not obliged to bear
it; that they did not know but I might have some ill design in
my head, and perhaps to call them to an account for it when
they came to England; and that, therefore, unless I would resolve.
to have done with it, and also not to concern myself any farther
with him, or any of his affairs, he would leave the ship; for he
did not think it was safe to sail with me among them.
I heard him patiently enough till he had done, and then
told him that I confessed I had all along opposed the massacre
532
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of Madagascar, and that I had, on all occasions, spoken my
mind freely about it, though not more upon him than any of
the rest; that as to having no command in the ship, that was
true; nor did I exercise any authority, only took the liberty
of speaking my mind in things which publicly concerned us all;
and what concern I had in the voyage was none of his business;
that I was a considerable owner in the ship; in that claim, I
conceived I had a right to speak even farther than I had done,
and would not be accountable to him or any one else; and began
to be a little warm with him. He made but little reply to me
at that time, and I thought the affair had been over.
We were
at this time in the road at Bengal; and being willing to see
the place, I went on shore with the supercargo, in the ship's
boat, to divert myself; and towards evening was preparing to
go on board, when one of the men came to me, and told me
he would not have me trouble myself to come down to the

།།
L.D. SC.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
533
boat, for they had orders not to carry me on board any more.
Any one may guess what a surprise I was in at so insolent a
message; and I asked the man who bade him deliver that mes-
sage to me?
I said no more to
He told me, the coxswain.
the fellow, but bade him let them know he had delivered his
message, and that I had given him no answer to it.
I immediately went and found out the supercargo, and told
him the story, adding, what I presently foresaw, that there
would be a mutiny in the ship; and entreated him to go imme-
diately on board the ship in an Indian boat, and acquaint the
captain of it. But I might have spared this intelligence, for
before I had spoken to him on shore, the matter was effected
on board. The boatswain, the gunner, the carpenter, and all
the inferior officers, as soon as I was gone off in the boat, came
up, and desired to speak with the captain; and there the boat-
swain, making a long harangue, and repeating all he had said to
me, told the captain, in a few words, that as I was now gone
peaceably on shore, they were loth to use any violence with
me, which, if I had not gone on shore, they would otherwise
have done, to oblige me to have gone; they therefore thought
fit to tell him, that as they shipped themselves to serve in the
ship under his command, they would perform it well and faith-
fully; but if I would not quit the ship, or the captain oblige
me to quit it, they would all leave the ship, and sail no farther
with him; and at that word all, he turned his face toward the
mainmast, which was, it seems, the signal agreed on between
them, at which, all the seamen, being got together there, cried
out, "One and all! one and all!"
My nephew, the captain, was a man of spirit, and of great
presence of mind; and though he was surprised, you may be
sure, at the thing, yet he told them calmly that he would con-
sider of the matter; but that he could do nothing in it till he
had spoken to me about it. He used some arguments with
them, to shew them the unreasonableness and injustice of the
thing; but it was all in vain; they swore, and shook hands.
534
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
round before his face, that they would all go on shore, unless he
would engage to them not to suffer me to come any more on
board the ship.
This was a hard article upon him, who knew his obligation
to me, and did not know how I might take it: so he began to
talk smartly to them; told them that I was a very considerable
owner of the ship, and that, in justice, he could not put me out
of my own house; that this was next door to serving me as the
famous pirate Kidd had done, who made a mutiny in the ship,
set the captain on shore on an uninhabited island, and ran away
with the ship; that let them go into what ship they would, if
ever they came to England again, it would cost them very dear;
that the ship was mine, and that he could not put me out of
it; and that he would rather lose the ship, and the voyage too,
than disoblige me so much; so they might do as they pleased:
however, he would go on shore and talk with me, and invited
the boatswain to go with him, and perhaps they might accom-
modate the matter with me. But they all rejected the proposal,
and said they would have nothing to do with me any more; and
if I came on board, they would all go on shore. Well," said
the captain, "if you are all of this mind, let me go on shore
and talk with him." So away he came to me with this ac-
count, a little after the message had been brought to me from
the coxswain.
I was very glad to see my nephew, I must confess; for I
was not without apprehensions that they would confine him by
violence, set sail, and run away with the ship; and then I had
been stripped naked in a remote country, having nothing to help
myself in short, I had been in a worse case than when I was
alone in the island. But they had not come to that length, it
seems, to my satisfaction; and when my nephew told me what
they had said to him, and how they had sworn and shook hands
that they would, one and all, leave the ship, if I was suffered to
come on board, I told him he should not be concerned at it
at all, for I would stay on shore: I only desired he would take
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
535
care and send me all my necessary things on shore, and leave
me a sufficient sum of money, and I would find my way to
England as well as I could.
This was
a heavy piece of news to my nephew, but there
was no way to help it but to comply; so, in short, he went on

DAMUNTAN
SEARS. SO
board the ship again, and satisfied the men that his uncle had
yielded to their importunity, and had sent for his goods from
on board the ship; so that the matter was over in a few hours,
the men returned to their duty, and I began to consider what
course I should steer.
I was now alone in the most remote part of the world, as I
think I may call it, for I was near three thousand leagues by
sea farther off from England, than I was at my island; only, it
536
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
1
is true, I might travel here by land over the Great Mogul's
country to Surat, might go from thence to Bassora by sea, up
the Gulf of Persia, and take the way of the caravans, over the
Desert of Arabia, to Aleppo and Scanderoon; from thence by
sea again to Italy, and so overland into France; and this put
together, might at least be a full diameter of the globe, or more.
I had another way before me, which was to wait for some
English ships, which were coming to Bengal from Achin, on the
Island of Sumatra, and get passage on board them for England.
But as I came hither without any concern with the English
East India Company, so it would be difficult to go from hence
without their licence, unless with great favour of the captains of
the ships, or the company's factors; and to both I was an utter
stranger.
me;
Here I had the mortification to see the ship set sail without
a treatment I think a man in my circumstances scarce ever
met with, except from pirates running away with a ship, and
setting those that would not agree with their villany on shore.
Indeed, this was next door to it, both ways; however, my
nephew left me two servants, or rather, one companion and one
servant; the first was clerk to the purser, whom he engaged to
go with me, and the other was his own servant.
I took me
also a good lodging in the house of an Englishwoman, where
several merchants lodged, some French, two Italians, or rather
Jews, and one Englishman; here I was handsomely enough en-
tertained and that I might not be said to run rashly upon
anything, I stayed here above nine months considering what
course to take, and how to manage myself. I had some English
goods with me of value, and a considerable sum of money; my
nephew furnishing me with a thousand pieces-of-eight, and a
letter of credit for more, if I had occasion, that I might not be
straitened, whatever might happen.
:
I quickly disposed of my goods to advantage; and, as I
originally intended, I bought here some very good diamonds,
which of all other things were the most proper for me in my
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
537
present circumstances, because I could always carry my whole
estate about me.
After a long stay here, and many proposals made for my
return to England, but none falling out to my mind, the Eng-
lish merchant who lodged with me, and whom I had contracted
an intimate acquaintance with, came to me one morning:
"Coun-
tryman," says he, "I have a project to communicate to you,
which, as it suits with my thoughts, may, for aught I know,
suit with yours also, when you shall have thoroughly considered
it. Here we are posted, you by accident, and I by my own
choice, in a part of the world very remote from our own country;
but it is in a country where, by us who understand trade and
business, a great deal of money is to be got. If you will put
one thousand pounds to my one thousand pounds, we will hire
a ship here, the first we can get to our minds; you shall be
captain, I'll be merchant, and we'll go a trading voyage to China;
for what should we stand still for? The whole world is in

538
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
motion, rolling round and round; all the creatures of God, hea-
venly bodies and earthly, are busy and diligent; why should we
be idle? There are no drones in the world but men: why
should we be of that number?"
I liked this proposal very well; and the more because it
seemed to be expressed with so much good will, and in so
friendly a manner. I will not say but that I might, by my
loose, unhinged circumstances, be the fitter to embrace a pro-
posal for trade, or indeed anything else; whereas, otherwise,
trade was none of my element. However, I might perhaps say
with some truth, that if trade was not my element, rambling
was; and no proposal for seeing any part of the world, which
I had never seen before, could possibly come amiss to me.
It was, however, some time before we could get a ship to
our minds, and when we had got a vessel, it was not easy to
get English sailors; that is to say, so many as were necessary
to govern the voyage and manage the sailors which we should
pick up there. After some time we got a mate, a boatswain,
and a gunner, English; a Dutch carpenter, and three foremast
With these we found we could do well enough, having
Indian seamen, such as they were, to make up.
men.
There are so many travellers who have wrote a history of
their voyages and travels this way, that it would be very little
diversion to anybody to give a long account of the places we
went to, and the people who inhabit there; these things I leave
to others, and refer the reader to those journals and travels of
Englishmen, of which many I find are published, and more
promised every day; it is enough for me to tell you that we
made this voyage to Achin, in the Island of Sumatra, and from
thence to Siam, where we exchanged some of our wares for
opium and some arrack; the first a commodity which bears a
great price among the Chinese, and which, at that time, was
much wanted there. In a word, we went up to Suskan, made
a very great voyage, were eight months out, and returned to
Bengal; and I was very well satisfied with my adventure. I
;
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
539
observe that our people in England often admire how officers,
which the Company send into India, and the merchants which
generally stay there, get such very great estates as they do,
and sometimes come home worth sixty or seventy thousand
pounds at a time; but it is no wonder, or at least we shall
see so much farther into it, when we consider the innumerable
ports and places where they have a free commerce, that it will
be none; and much less it will be so when we consider that
at those places and ports where the English ships come, there
is such great and constant demands for the growth of all other
countries, that there is a certain vent for the returns, as well as
a market abroad for the goods carried out.
In short, we made a very good voyage, and I got so much
money by my first adventure, and such an insight into the method
of getting more, that had I been twenty years younger, I should
have been tempted to have stayed here, and sought no farther
for making any fortune; but what was all this to a man upwards
of three-score, that was rich enough, and came abroad more in
obedience to a restless desire of seeing the world than a covetous
desire of gaining by it? And, indeed, I think it is with great
justice I now call it restless desire, for it was so.
When I was
at home, I was restless to go abroad; and when I was abroad,
I was restless to be at home. I say, what was this gain to
me?
I was rich enough already, nor had I any uneasy desires
about getting more money; and therefore the profit of the voyage
to me was of no great force for the prompting me forward to
farther undertakings; hence, I thought that by this voyage I had
made no progress at all, because I was come back, as I might
call it, to the place from whence I came, as to a home: whereas
my eye, like that which Solomon speaks of, was never satisfied
with seeing, was still more desirous of wandering and seeing. I
was come into a part of the world which I was never in before,
and that part, in particular, which I had heard much of, and
was resolved to see as much of it as I could: and then I thought
I might say I had seen all the world that was worth seeing.
540
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
But my fellow-traveller and I had different notions: I do not
name this to insist on my own, for I acknowledge his were the
most just, and the most suited to the end of a merchant's life;
who, when he is abroad upon adventures, it is his wisdom to
stick to that, as the best thing for him, which he is like to get
the most money by. My new friend kept himself to the nature
of the thing, and would have been content to have gone like a
carrier's horse, always to the same inn, backward and forward,
provided he could, as he called it, find his account in it. On
the other hand, mine was the notion of a mad, rambling boy,
that never cares to see a thing twice over. But this was not
all: I had a kind of impatience upon me to be nearer home, and
yet the most unsettled resolution imaginable which way to go.
In the interval of these consultations, my friend, who was always
upon the search for business, proposed another voyage to me among
the Spice Islands, and to bring home a loading of cloves from
the Manillas, or thereabouts; places, indeed, where the Dutch
trade, but islands belonging partly to the Spaniards; though we
went not so far, but to some other, where they have not the
whole power, as they have at Batavia, Ceylon, &c.
We were not long in preparing for this voyage; the chief
difficulty was in bringing me to come into it: however, at last,
nothing else offering, and finding that really stirring about and
trading, the profit being so great, and, as I may say, certain,
had more pleasure in it, and had more satisfaction to my mind,
than sitting still, which, to me especially, was the unhappiest part
of life, I resolved on this voyage too, which we made very suc-
cessfully, touching at Borneo, and several islands whose names
I do not remember, and came home in about five months. We
sold our spice, which was chiefly cloves and some nutmegs, to
the Persian merchants, who carried them away to the gulf; and
making near five of one, we really got a great deal of money.
My friend, when we made up this account, smiled at me :
Well, now," said he, with a sort of agreeable insult upon my
indolent temper, "is not this better than walking about here,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
541
like a man of nothing to do, and spending our time in staring
at the nonsense and ignorance of the Pagans ?
(6
Why, truly,"
says I,
my friend, I think it is, and I begin to be a convert
to the principles of merchandising; but I must tell you," said
I, "by the way, you do not know what I am doing; for if I
once conquer my backwardness, and embark heartily, as old as I
am, I shall harass you up and down the world till I tire you;
for I shall pursue it so eagerly, I shall never let you lie still."
But, to be short with my speculations, a little while after
this there came in a Dutch ship from Batavia; she was a coaster,
not an European trader, of about two hundred tons burden; the
men, as they pretended, having been so sickly that the captain
had not hands enough to go to sea with, he lay by at Bengal;
and having, it seems, got money enough, or being willing, for
other reasons, to go for Europe, he gave public notice he would
sell his ship. This came to my ears before my new partner heard
of it, and I had a great mind to buy it; so I went to him, and
told him of it. He considered awhile, for he was no rash man
neither; but musing some time he replied, "She is a little too
big; but, however, we will have her." Accordingly, we bought
the ship, and agreeing with the master, we paid for her, and took
possession. When we had done so, we resolved to entertain the
men, if we could, to join them with those we had, for the pur-
suing our business; but, on a sudden, they having received, not
their wages, but their share of the money, as we afterwards
learned, not one of them was to be found; we enquired much
about them, and at length were told that they were all gone
together by land to Agra, the great city of the Mogul's resi-
dence, and from thence to travel to Surat, and go by the sea
to the Gulf of Persia.
Nothing had so much troubled me a good while, as that I
should miss the opportunity of going with them; for such a ram-
ble, I thought, and in such company as would both have guarded
and diverted me, would have suited mightily with my great de-
sign; and I should have both seen the world and gone home-
542
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
ward too but I was much better satisfied a few days after,
when I came to know what sort of fellows they were; for, in
short, their history was, that this man they called captain was
the gunner only, not the commander; that they had been a
trading voyage, in which they had been attacked on shore by
some of the Malays, who had killed the captain and three of his
men; and that, after the captain was killed, these men, eleven
in number, had resolved to run away with the ship, which they
did, and brought her to Bengal, leaving the mate and five men
more on shore; of whom hereafter.
Well, let them get the ship how they would, we came ho-
nestly by her, as we thought, though we did not, I confess,
examine into things so exactly as we ought; for we never en-
quired anything of the seamen, who would certainly have faltered
in their account, contradicted one another, and perhaps contra-
dicted themselves; or one how or other we should have had
reason to have suspected them; but the man shewed us a bill
of sale for the ship, to one Emanuel Clostershoven, or some such
name, for I suppose it was all a forgery, and called himself by
that name, and we could not contradict him; and withal having
no suspicion of the thing, we went through with our bargain.
We picked up some more English sailors here after this, and
some Dutch; and now we resolved for a second voyage to the
south-east for cloves, &c., that is to say, among the Philippine
and Molucca Isles; and, in short, not to fill up this part of
my story with trifles, when what is to come is so remarkable, I
spent, from first to last, six years in this country, trading from
port to port, backward and forward, and with very good success,
and was now the last year with my new partner, going in the
ship above mentioned, on a voyage to China, but designing first
to Siam, to buy rice.
In this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to beat up
and down a great while in the Straits of Molacca, and among
the islands, we were no sooner got clear of those difficult seas
than we found our ship had sprung a leak, and we were not
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
543
able, by all our industry, to find out where it was. This forced
us to make some port, and my partner, who knew the country
better than I did, directed the captain to put into the river of
Cambodia; for I had made the English mate, one Mr. Thompson,
captain, not being willing to take the charge of the ship upon
myself. This river lies on the north side of the great bay or
gulf which goes up to Siam. While we were here, and going
often on shore for refreshment, there comes to me one day an
Englishman, and he was, it seems, a gunner's mate on board an
English East India ship which rode in the same river, at or near
the city of Cambodia; what brought him hither we knew not;
but he comes to me, and speaking English, "Sir," says he, "you
are a stranger to me, and I to you, but I have something to
tell you that very nearly concerns you."
I looked steadfastly at him a good while, and thought at first
I had known him, but I did not. "If it very nearly concerns
me," said I, "and not yourself, what moves you to tell it to
me?"
"I am moved," says he, "by the imminent danger you
are in, and, for aught I see, you have no knowledge of it." “I
know no danger I am in," says I, "but that my ship is leaky,
and I cannot find it out; but I intend to lay her aground to-
morrow, to see if I can find it." 'But, sir," says he, “leaky
or not leaky, find it or not find it, you will be wiser than to
lay your ship on shore to-morrow, when you hear what I have to
say to you. Do you know, sir," said he, "the town of Cam-
bodia lies about fifteen leagues up this river; and there are two
large English ships about five leagues on this side, and three
Dutch ?" Well," said I, "and what is that to me?" "Why,
sir," said he, "is it for a man that is upon such adventures as
you are, to come into a port; and not examine first what ships
there are there, and whether he is able to deal with them? I
suppose you do not think you are a match for them?" I was
amused very much at his discourse, but not amazed at it, for I
could not conceive what he meant; and I turned short upon him,
and said, "Sir, I wish you would explain yourself; I cannot
544
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
imagine what reason I have to be afraid of any of the Company's
ships, or Dutch ships: I am no interloper; what can they have
to say to me?" He looked like a man half angry and half
pleased, and pausing a while, but smiling, "Well, sir," says he,
"if you think yourself secure, you must take your chance; I am
sorry your fate should blind you against good advice; but assure
yourself, if you do not put to sea immediately, you will the
very next tide be attacked by five long-boats full of men, and
perhaps, if you are taken, you will be hanged for a pirate, and
the particulars be examined afterwards. I thought, sir," added
he, "I should have met with a better reception than this, for
doing you a piece of service of such importance." "I can never
be ungrateful," said I, "for any service, or to any man that
offers me any kindness; but it is past my comprehension what
they should have such a design upon me for however, since
you say there is no time to be lost, and that there is some vil-
lanous design on hand against me, I will go on board this minute,
and put to sea immediately, if my men can stop the leak, or
if we can swim without stopping it! but, sir," said I, shall
I go away ignorant of the cause of all this? Can you give me
no further light into it?" "I can tell you but part of the story,
sir," says he; "but I have a Dutch seaman here with me, and
I believe I could persuade him to tell you the rest; but there
is scarce time for it: but the short of the story is this, the first
part of which I suppose you know well enough, viz. that you
was with this ship at Sumatra; that there your captain was
murdered by the Malays, with three of his men; and that you,
or some of those that were on board with you, ran away with
the ship, and are since turned pirates. This is the sum of the
story, and you will all be seized as pirates, I can
assure you,
and executed with very little ceremony; for you know merchant
ships shew but little law to pirates, if they get them into their
power."
"Now you speak plain English," said I, "and I thank
you; and though I know nothing that we have done like what
you talk of, for I am sure we came honestly and fairly by the
((
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
515
and that you
ship: yet seeing such a work is doing, as you say,
seem to mean honestly, I will be upon my guard."
"Nay, sir,"
says he,
"do not talk of being upon your guard; the best de-
fence is, to be out of the danger; if you have any regard for your
life, and the lives of all your men, put to sea, without fail, at
high water, and as you have a whole tide before you, you will
be gone too far out before they can come down; for they will
come away at high water, and as they have twenty miles to
come, you will get near two hours of them by the difference of
the tide, not reckoning the length of the way; besides, as they
are only boats, and not ships, they will not venture to follow
you far out to sea, especially if it blows." "Well," said I, “you
have been very kind in this; what shall I do for you to make
you amends?”
Sir," says he, you may not be willing to
make me any amends, because you may not be convinced of the
truth of it: I will make an offer to you;
pay due to me on board the ship
England in; and the Dutchman that is with me has seven
months' pay due to him; if you will make good our pay to us,
we will go along with you; if you find nothing more in it, we
will desire no more; but if we do convince you that we have
saved your lives, and the ship, and the lives of all the men in
her, we will leave the rest to you."
66
I have nineteen months'
which I came out of
I consented to this readily, and went immediately on board,
and the two men with me. As soon as I came to the ship's
side, my partner, who was on board, came out on the quarter-
deck, and called to me with a great deal of joy,-" O ho! O ho!
we have stopped the leak; we have stopped the leak!"-" Say
you so?" said I, "thank God! but weigh anchor, then, imme-
diately."" Weigh!" says he; "what do you mean by that?
What is the matter?"-Ask no questions," said I; but all hands
to work, and weigh without losing a minute.'
He was sur-
prised; but, however, he called the captain, and he immediately
ordered the anchor to be got up; and though the tide was not
quite down, yet a little land-breeze blowing, we stood out to sea.
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546
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
men."
(6
Then I called him into the cabin, and told him the story; and
we called in the men, and they told us the rest of it; but as
it took up a great deal of time, before we had done, a seaman
comes to the cabin door, and called out to us that the captain
bade him tell us we were chased. "Chased!" says I; "by
what?". "By five sloops, or boats," says the fellow,
"full of
Very well," said I, "then it is apparent there is some-
thing in it." In the next place, I ordered all our men to be
called up, and told them there was a design to seize the ship,
and to take us for pirates, and asked them if they would stand
by us, and by one another; the men answered cheerfully, one
and all, that they would live and die with us. Then I asked
the captain what way he thought best for us to manage a fight
with them; for resist them I was resolved we would, and that to
the last drop. He said readily, that the way was to keep them
off with our great shot as long as we could, and then to fire at
them with our small arms, to keep them from boarding us; but
when neither of these would do any longer, we should retire to
our close quarters; perhaps they had not materials to break open
our bulk-heads, or get in upon us.
The gunner had, in the meantime, orders to bring two guns
to bear fore and aft, out of the steerage, to clear the deck, and
load them with musket bullets and small pieces of old iron, and
what came next to hand; and thus we made ready for fight: but
all this while we kept out to sea, with wind enough, and could
see the boats at a distance, being five large long-boats, follow-
ing us with all the sail they could make.
Two of those boats (which by our glasses we could see were
English) outsailed the rest, were near two leagues a-head of them,
and gained upon us considerably, so that we found they would
come up with us; upon which we fired a gun without ball, to
intimate that they should bring to: and we put out a flag of
truce, as a signal for parley: but they came crowding after us,
till they came within shot, when we took in our white flag, they
having made no answer to it, and hung out a red flag, and fired
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
547
on till
at them with a shot. Notwithstanding this, they came
they were near enough to call to them with a speaking trumpet
which we had on board; so we called to them, and bade them
keep off, at their peril.

LACOSTE ET FILS AINE
་་
It was all one; they crowded after us, and endeavoured to
come under our stern, so as to board us on our quarter; upon
which, seeing they were resolute for mischief, and depended upon
the strength that followed them, I ordered to bring the ship to,
so that they lay upon our broadside; when immediately we fired
five guns at them, one of which had been levelled so true as to
carry away the stern of the hindermost boat, and bring them to
548
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the necessity of taking down their sail, and running all to the
head of the boat, to keep her from sinking; so she lay by, and
had enough of it; but seeing the foremost boat crowd on after
us, we made ready to fire at her in particular. While this was
doing, one of the three boats that was behind, being forwarder
than the other two, made up to the boat which we had dis-
abled, to relieve her, and we could see her take out the men:
we called again to the foremost boat, and offered a truce, to
parley again, and to know what her business was with us;
but had no answer, only she crowded close under our stern.
Upon this, our gunner, who was a very dexterous fellow, ran
out his two chase guns, and fired again at her, but the shot
missing, the men in the boat shouted, waved their caps, and
came on; but the gunner, getting quickly ready again, fired
among them a second time, one shot of which, though it missed
the boat itself, yet fell in among the men, and we could easily
see had done a great deal of mischief among them; but we took
no notice of that, wore the ship again, and brought our quarter
to bear upon them, and firing three guns more, we found the
boat was almost split to pieces; in particular, her rudder and a
piece of her stern was shot quite away; so they handed her sail
immediately, and were in great disorder. But, to complete
their misfortune, our gunner let fly two guns at them again ;
where he hit them we could not tell, but we found the boat was
sinking, and some of the men already in the water: upon this, I
immediately manned out our pinnace, which we had kept close
by our side, with orders to pick up some of the men, if they
could, and save them from drowning, and immediately come on
board the ship with them, because we saw the rest of the boats
began to come up. Our men in the pinnace followed their
orders, and took up three men, one of whom was just drowning,
and it was a good while before we could recover him.
As soon
as they were on board, we crowded all the sail we could make,
and stood farther out to sea; and we found that when the other
three boats came up to the first, they gave over their chase.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
549
Being thus delivered from a danger, which, though I knew
not the reason of it, yet seemed to be much greater than I ap-
prehended, I resolved that we should change our course, and not
let any one know whither we were going: so we stood out to
sea eastward, quite out of the course of all European ships,
whether they were bound to China or anywhere else, within the
commerce of the European nations.
When we were at sea, we began to consult with the two sea-
men, and enquire what the meaning of all this should be; and
the Dutchman let us into the secret at once, telling us that the
fellow that sold us the ship, as we said, was no more than a thief,
that had run away with her. Then he told us how the captain,
whose name too he told us, though I do not remember it
now, was treacherously murdered by the natives on the coast
of Malacca, with three of his men; and that he, this Dutchman,
and four more, got into the woods, where they wandered about
a great while, till at length he, in particular, in a miraculous
manner, made his escape, and swam off to a Dutch ship, which,
sailing near the shore in its way from China, had sent their boat
on shore for fresh water; that he durst not come to that part
of the shore where the boat was, but made shift in the night to
take the water farther off, and swimming a great while, at last
the ship's boat took him up.
He then told us that he went to Batavia, where two of the
seamen belonging to the ship arrived, having deserted the rest
in their travels, and gave an account that the fellow who had run
away with the ship sold her at Bengal to a set of pirates, which
were gone a cruising in her; and that they had already taken an
English ship and two Dutch ships very richly laden.
4
This latter part we found to concern us directly, though we
knew it to be false: yet, as my partner said, very justly if we
had fallen into their hands, and they had had such a preposses-
sion against us beforehand, it had been in vain for us to have
defended ourselves, or to hope for any good quarter at their
hands; and especially, considering that our accusers had been our
550
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
judges, and that we could have expected nothing from them but
what rage would have dictated, and an ungoverned passion have
executed; and therefore it was his opinion we should go directly
back to Bengal, from whence we came, without putting in at
any port whatever; because there we could give a good account
of ourselves, could prove where we were when the ship put in,
of whom we bought her, and the like; and, which was more
than all the rest, if we were put upon the necessity of bringing
it before the proper judges, we should be sure to have some
justice, and not to be hanged first and judged afterwards.
I was some time of my partner's opinion, but after a little
more serious thinking, I told him I thought it was a very great
hazard for us to attempt returning to Bengal, for that we were
on the wrong side of the Straits of Malacca, and that if the
alarm was given, we should be sure to be waylaid on every side,
as well by the Dutch at Batavia as the English elsewhere; that
if we should be taken, as it were, running away, we should
even condemn ourselves, and there would want no more evidence
to destroy us. I also asked the English sailor's opinion, who
said he was of my mind, and that we should certainly be taken.
This danger a little startled my partner, and all the ship's com-
pany, and we immediately resolved to go away to the coast of
Tonquin, and so on to the coast of China; and, pursuing the
first design as to trade, find some way or other to dispose of
the ship, and come back in some of the vessels of the country,
such as we could get. This was approved of as the best method
for our security; and accordingly we steered away N. N. E.,
keeping above fifty leagues off from the usual course to the east-
ward. This, however, put us to some inconvenience; for, first,
the winds, when we came to that distance from the shore, seemed
to be more steadily against us, blowing almost trade, as we call
it, from the E. and E. N. E., so that we were a long while upon
our voyage, and we were but ill provided with victuals for so
long a run and, which was still worse, there was some danger
that those English and Dutch ships, whose boats pursued us,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
551
whereof some were bound that way, might be got in before us,
and if not, some other ship bound to China might have infor-
mation of us from them, and pursue us with the same vigour.
I must confess I was now very uneasy, and thought myself,
including the late escape from the long-boats, to have been in the
most dangerous condition that ever I was in through my past
life; for whatever ill circumstances I had been in, I was never
pursued for a thief before; nor had I ever done anything that
merited the name of dishonest or fraudulent, much less thievish;
I had chiefly been my own enemy, or, as I may rightly say, I
had been nobody's enemy but my own; but now I was embar-
rassed in the worst condition imaginable; for though I was per-
fectly innocent, I was in no condition to make that innocence
appear; and if I had been taken, it had been under a supposed
guilt of the worst kind. This made me very anxious to make
an escape, though which way to do it I knew not, or what port
or place we could go to. My partner seeing me thus dejected,
though he was the most concerned at first, began to encourage
me, and describing to me the several ports of that coast, told me
he would put in on the coast of Cochin China, or the Bay of
Tonquin, intending afterwards to go to Macao, a town once in
possession of the Portuguese, and where still a great many Euro-
pean families resided; and particularly the missionary priests
usually went thither in order to their going forward to China.
Hither then we resolved to go; and accordingly, though after
a tedious and irregular course, and very much straitened for
provisions, we came within sight of the coast very early in the
morning; and upon reflection on the past circumstances we
were in, and the danger if we had not escaped, we resolved to
put into a small river, which, however, had depth enough of
water for us, and to see if we could, either overland or by the
ship's pinnace, come to know what ships were in any port there-
abouts. This happy step was, indeed, our deliverance; for
though we did not immediately see any European ships in the
Bay of Tonquin, yet the next morning there came into the bay
552
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
two Dutch ships; and a third, without any colours spread out,
but which we believed to be a Dutchman, passed by at about
two leagues distance, steering for the coast of China; and in
the afternoon, went by two English ships steering the same
course; and thus we thought we saw ourselves beset with ene-
mies both one way and the other. The place we were in was
wild and barbarous; the people thieves, even by occupation or
profession; and though, it is true, we had not much to seek of
them, and, except getting a few provisions, cared not how little
we had to do with them, yet it was with much difficulty that
we kept ourselves from being insulted by them several ways.
We were in a small river of this country, within a few leagues
of its utmost limits northward; and by our boat we coasted
north-east, to the point of land which opens the great bay of
Tonquin; and it was in this beating up along the shore that we
discovered we were surrounded with enemies. The people we
were among were the most barbarous of all the inhabitants of
the coast, having no correspondence with any other nation, and
dealing only in fish and oil, and such gross commodities; and
it may be particularly seen that they are the most barbarous of
any of the inhabitants. Among other customs, they have this
one, viz. that if any vessel has the misfortune to be shipwrecked
upon their coast, they presently make the men all prisoners or
slaves; and it was not long before we found a piece of their
kindness this way, on the occasion following.
I have observed above, that our ship sprung a leak at sea,
and that we could not find it out; and it happened that, as I
have said, it was stopped unexpectedly, in the happy minute of
our being to be seized by the Dutch and English ships in the
Bay of Siam; yet as we did not find the ship so perfectly tight
and sound as we desired, we resolved, while we were at this
place, to lay her on shore, and take out what heavy things we
had on board, and clean her bottom; and, if possible, to find out
where the leaks were. Accordingly, having lightened the ship,
and brought all our guns and other moveables to one side, we
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
553
tried to bring her down, that we might come at her bottom; but,
on second thoughts, we did not care to lay her on dry ground,
neither could we find out a proper place for it.
The inhabitants, who had never been acquainted with such a
sight, came wondering down the shore to look at us; and seeing
the ship lie down on one side in such a manner, and heeling
in towards the shore, and not seeing our men, who were at
work on her bottom with stages, and with their boats on the
off side, they presently concluded that the ship was cast away,
and lay so fast on the ground. On this supposition, they all
came about us in two or three hours' time, with ten or twelve
large boats, having some of them eight, some ten men in a boat,
intending, no doubt, to have come on board and plundered the
ship; and if they had found us there, to have carried us away
for slaves to their king, or whatever they call him, for we knew
nothing of their governor.
When they came up to the ship, and began to row round
her, they discovered us all hard at work on the outside of the
ship's bottom and side, washing, and graving, and stopping, as
every seafaring man knows how. They stood for a while gazing
at us, and we, who were a little surprised, could not imagine
what their design was; but, being willing to be sure, we took
this opportunity to get some of us into the ship, and others to
hand down arms and ammunition to those that were at work to
defend themselves with, if there should be occasion: and it was
no more than need; for in less than a quarter of an hour's con-
sultation, they agreed, it seems, that the ship was really a wreck;
and that we were all at work endeavouring to save her, or to
save our lives by the help of our boats; and when we handed
our arms into the boat, they concluded, by that motion, that we
were endeavouring to save some of our goods; upon this, they
took it for granted we all belonged to them, and away they came
directly upon our men, as if it had been in a line of battle.
Our men, seeing so many of them, began to be frightened,
for we lay but in an ill posture to fight, and cried out to us
Y Y
554
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to know what they should do. I immediately called to the men
that worked upon the stages, to slip them down, and get up the
side into the ship; and bade those in the boat to row round,
and come on board; and those few who were on board worked
with all the strength and hands we had, to bring the ship to
rights; but, however, neither the men upon the stages nor those
in the boats could do as they were ordered, before the Cochin
Chinese were upon them; and two of their boats boarded our
long-boat, and began to lay hold of the men as their prisoners.
The first man they laid hold of was an English seaman, a
stout, strong fellow, who, having a musket in his hand, never
offered to fire it, but laid it down in the boat, like a fool, as
I thought; but he understood his business better than I could
teach him; for he grappled the Pagan, and dragged him by
main force out of their boat into ours, where, taking him by

LACOSTE ET FILS

He immediately saluted them with a ladle-full of the hot stuff.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
555
the ears, he beat his head so against the boat's gunnel, that
the fellow died in his hands; and, in the meantime, a Dutchman,
who stood next, took up the musket, and with the butt-end of
it so laid about him, that he knocked down five of them who
attempted to enter the boat. But this was doing little towards
resisting thirty or forty men, who fearless, because ignorant of
their danger, began to throw themselves into the long-boat, where
we had but five men in all to defend it: but the following ac-
cident, which deserved our laughter, gave our men a complete
victory.
Our carpenter being prepared to grave the outside of the
ship, as well as to pay the seams where he had calked her to
stop the leaks, had got two kettles just let down into the boat,
one filled with boiling pitch, and the other with rosin, tallow,
and oil, and such stuff as the shipwrights use for that work;
and the man that attended the carpenter had a great iron ladle
in his hand, with which he supplied the men that were at work
with the hot stuff. Two of the enemy's men entered the boat
just where this fellow stood, being in the fore-sheets; he imme-
diately saluted them with a ladle-full of the stuff, boiling hot,
which so burned and scalded them, being half naked, that they
roared out like bulls, and, enraged with the fire, leaped both into
the sea.
The carpenter saw it, and cried out, "Well done,
Jack! give them some more of it:" and stepping forward him-
self, takes one of the mops, and dipping it in the pitch-pot, he
and his man threw it among them so plentifully, that, in short,
of all the men in the three boats, there was not one that escaped
being scalded and burned with it, in a most frightful, pitiful
manner, and made such a howling and crying, that I never heard
a worse noise: for it is worth observing, that though pain na-
turally makes all people cry out, yet every nation has a parti-
cular way of exclamation, and makes noises as different from one
another as their speech. I cannot give the noise these creatures
made a better name than howling, nor a name more proper to
the tone of it; for I never heard anything more like the noise
556.
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of the wolves, which, as I have said, I heard howl in the forest
on the frontiers of Languedoc.
I was
never better pleased with a victory in my life; not
only as it was a perfect surprise to me, and that our danger was
imminent before, but as we got this victory without any blood-
shed, except of that man the fellow killed with his naked hands,
and which I was very much concerned at; for I was sick of
killing such poor savage wretches, even though it was in my
own defence; knowing they came on errands which they thought
just, and knew no better; and that though it may be a just
thing, because necessary (for there is no necessary wickedness
in nature), yet I thought it was a sad life, when we must be
always obliged to be killing our fellow creatures to preserve our-
selves; and, indeed, I think so still; and I would even now
suffer a great deal, rather than I would take away the life even
of the worst person injuring me; and I believe all considering
people, who know the value of life, would be of my opinion, if
they entered seriously into the consideration of it.
:
But to return to my story --All the while this was doing,
my partner and I, who managed the rest of the men on board,
had with great dexterity brought the ship almost to rights, and
having got the guns into their places again, the gunner called
to me to bid our boat get out of the way, for he would let
fly among them. I called back again to him, and bid him not
offer to fire, for the carpenter would do the work without him;
but bid him heat another pitch-kettle, which our cook, who was
on board, took care of: but the enemy was so terrified with
what they had met with in their first attack, that they would
not come on again; and some of them who were farthest off,
seeing the ship swim, as it were, upright, began, as we suppose,
to see their mistake, and give over the enterprise, finding it was
not as they expected. Thus we got clear of this merry fight;
and having got some rice, and some roots and bread, with about
sixteen hogs, on board, two days before, we resolved to stay
here no longer, but go forward, whatever came of it; for we
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
557
made no doubt but we should be surrounded the next day with
rogues enough, perhaps more than our pitch-kettle would dispose
of for us.
We therefore got all our things on board the same
evening, and the next morning were ready to sail: in the mean-
time, lying at anchor at some distance from the shore, we were
not so much concerned, being now in a fighting posture, as well
as in a sailing posture, if any enemy had presented. The next
day, having finished our work within board, and finding our ship
was perfectly healed of all her leaks, we set sail. We would
have gone into the Bay of Tonquin, for we wanted to inform
ourselves of what was to be known concerning the Dutch ships
that had been there; but we durst not stand in there, because
we had seen several ships go in, as we supposed, but a little
before; so we kept on N. E., towards the Island of Formosa, as
much afraid of being seen by a Dutch or English merchant ship,
as a Dutch or English merchant ship in the Mediterranean is of
an Algerine man of war.
When we were thus got to sea, we kept on N. E. as if we
would go to the Manillas or the Philippine Islands; and this we
did that we might not fall into the way of any of the European
ships; and then we steered north, till we came to the latitude of
22 degrees 30 minutes, by which means we made the Island For-
mosa directly, where we came to an anchor, in order to get water
and fresh provisions, which the people there, who are very courteous
and civil in their manners, supplied us with willingly, and dealt
very fairly and punctually with us in all their agreements and
bargains; which is what we did not find among other people,
and may be owing to the remains of Christianity which was once
planted here by a Dutch missionary of Protestants, and is a tes-
timony of what I have often observed, viz. that the Christian
religion always civilises the people and reforms their manners,
where it is received, whether it works saving effects upon them
or no.
From thence we sailed still north, keeping the coast of China
at an equal distance, till we knew we were beyond all the ports
558
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of China where our European ships usually come; being resolved
if possible, not to fall into any of their hands, especially in this
country; where, as our circumstances were, we could not fail of
being entirely ruined.
Being now come to the latitude of 30 degrees, we resolved to
put into the first trading port we should come at; and standing
in for the shore, a boat came off two leagues to us with an old
Portuguese pilot on board, who, knowing us to be an European
ship, came to offer his service, which, indeed, we were glad of,
and took him on board; upon which, without asking us whither
we would go, he dismissed the boat he came in, and sent it back.
I thought it was now so much in our choice to make the old
man carry us whither we would, that I began to talk to him
about carrying us to the Gulf of Nanquin, which is the most
northern part of the coast of China. The old man said he knew
the Gulf of Nanquin very well; but smiling, asked us what we
would do there? I told him we would sell our cargo and pur-
chase China wares, calicoes, raw silks, tea, wrought silks, &c.,
and so would return by the same course we came. He told us
our best port had been to put in at Macao, where we could not
have failed of a market for our opium to our satisfaction, and
might for our money have purchased all sorts of China goods as
cheap as we could at Nanquin.
""
66
Not being able to put the old man out of his talk, of which
he was very opinionated or conceited, I told him we were gen-
tlemen as well as merchants, and that we had a mind to go and
see the great city of Pekin, and the famous court of the monarch
of China. Why, then," says the old man, you should go
to Ningpo, where, by the river which runs into the sea there,
you may go up within five leagues of the great canal. This
canal is a navigable stream, which goes through the heart of that
vast empire of China, crosses all the rivers, passes some consi-
derable hills by the help of sluices and gates, and goes up to
the city of Pekin, being in length near two hundred and seventy
leagues."
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
559
(6
“Well,” said I, Seignior Portuguese, but that is not our
business now; the great question is, if you can carry us up to
the city of Nanquin, from whence we can travel to Pekin after-
wards?" He said he could do so very well, and that there
was a great Dutch ship gone up that way just before. This gave
me a little shock, for a Dutch ship was now our terror, and we
had much rather have met the devil, at least if he had not come
in too frightful a figure; and we depended upon it that a Dutch
ship would be our destruction, for we were in no condition to
fight them; all the ships they trade with into those parts being
of great burden, and of much greater force than we were.
66
The old man found me a little confused, and under some con-
cern, when he named a Dutch ship; and said to me,
Sir, you
need be under no apprehensions of the Dutch; I suppose they
are not now at war with your nation?" No," said I, "that's
true; but I know not what liberties men may take when they
are out of the reach of the laws of their own country."
says he, “you are no pirates; what need you fear?
not meddle with peaceable merchants, sure.'
"Why,"
They will
If I had any blood in my body that did not fly up into my
face at that word, it was hindered by some stop in the vessels
appointed by nature to circulate it, for it put me into the greatest
disorder and confusion imaginable: nor was it possible for me to
conceal it so, but the old man easily perceived it.
66
'Sir," says he, "I find you are in some disorder in your
thoughts at my talk; pray be pleased to go which way you think
fit, and depend upon it, I'll do you all the service I can."
Why, seignior," said I, "it is true, I am a little unsettled in
my resolution at this time, whither to go in particular; and I am
something more so for what you said about pirates. I hope there
are no pirates in these seas; we are but in an ill condition to
meet with them, for you see we have but a small force, and are
but very weakly manned." "Oh, sir," says he, "don't be con-
cerned ; I do not know that there have been any pirates in these
seas these fifteen years, except one, which was seen, as I hear,
560
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

in the Bay of Siam, about a month since; but you may be as-
sured she is gone to the southward; nor was she a ship of any
great force, or fit for the work: she was not built for a priva-
teer, but was run away with by a reprobate crew that was on
board, after the captain and some of his men had been murdered
by the Malayans, at or near the Island of Sumatra.” What,"
said I, seeming to know nothing of the matter, "did they murder
the captain?" No," said he, "I don't understand that they
murdered him; but as they afterwards ran away with the ship,
it is generally believed that they betrayed him into the hands of
the Malayans, who did murder him, and perhaps they procured
them to do it." "Why, then," said I, "they deserve death as
much as if they had done it themselves." "Nay," says the old
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
561
man, "they do deserve it; and they will certainly have it, if they
light upon any English or Dutch ship; for they have all agreed
together, that if they meet that rogue they'll give him no
quarter." 'But," said I to him, you say the pirate is gone
"Why,
66
((
out of these seas; how can they meet with him then?"
that's true," says he, "they do say so; but he was, as I tell
you, in the Bay of Siam, in the river Cambodia, and was dis-
covered there by some Dutchmen who belonged to the ship, and
who were left on shore when they ran away with her; and
some English and Dutch traders being in the river, they were
within a little of taking him: nay," said he, "if the foremost
boats had been well seconded by the rest, they had certainly
taken him; but he, finding only two boats within reach of him,
tacked about, and fired at those two, and disabled them before
the others came up, and then standing off to sea, the others were
not able to follow, and so he got away; but they have all so
exact a description of the ship, that they will be sure to know
her; and wherever they find her, they have vowed to give no
quarter either to the captain or seamen, but to hang them all up
at the yard-arm." "What!" said I, "will they execute them,
right or wrong; hang them first, and judge them afterwards ?"
"Oh, sir," says the old pilot, "there is no need to make a
formal business of it with such rogues as those; let them tie
them back to back, and set them a diving, 'tis no more than
they deserve.
I knew I had my old man fast on board, and that he could
do no harm, so that I turned short upon him:
"Well now,
seignior," said I, "this is the very reason why I would have you
carry us up to Nanquin, and not put back to Macao, or to any
other part of the country where the English or Dutch ships
come; for be it known to you, seignior, those captains of the
English and Dutch ships are a parcel of rash, proud, insolent
fellows, that neither know what belongs to justice, or how to
behave themselves as the laws of God and nature direct; but
being proud of their offices, and not understanding their power,
562
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
:
they would act the murderers to punish robbers; would take
upon them to insult men falsely accused, and determine them
guilty without due enquiry and perhaps I may live to bring
some of them to account for it, when they may be taught how
justice is to be executed; and that no man ought to be treated
as a criminal till some evidence may be had of the crime, and
that he is the man."
+
With this I told him that this was the very ship they attacked,
and gave him a full account of the skirmish we had with their
boats, and how foolishly and cowardly they behaved. I told him
all the story of our buying the ship, and how the Dutchman
served us.
I told him the reasons I had to believe the story
of killing the master by the Malayans was true, as also the run-
ning away with the ship; but it was all a fiction of their own
to suggest that the men had turned pirates, and they ought to

AOLAC
LAISPIL
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
563
have been sure it was so before they had ventured to attack us
by surprise, and oblige us to resist them; adding, that they would
have the blood of those men, whom we killed there in just de-
fence, to answer for.
The old man was amazed at this relation, and told us we
were very much in the right to go away to the north; and that
if he might advise us, it should be to sell the ship in China,
which we might very well do, and buy or build another in the
country; "and," said he, "though you will not get so good a
ship, yet you may get one able enough to carry you and all
your goods back again to Bengal or anywhere else." I told him
I would take his advice when I came to any port where I could
find a ship for my turn, or get any customer to buy this. He
replied, I should meet with customers enough for the ship at
Nanquin, and that a Chinese junk would serve me very well to
go back again; and that he would procure me people both to
buy one and sell the other. "Well, but, seignior," said I, "as
you say they know the ship so well, I may, perhaps, if I follow
your measures, be instrumental to bring some honest innocent
men into a terrible broil, and perhaps to be murdered in cold
blood; for wherever they find the ship, they will prove the guilt
upon the men, by proving this was the ship; and so innocent
men may probably be overpowered and murdered."-" Why,"
says the old man, "I'll find out a way to prevent that also; for
as I know all those commanders you speak of very well, and
shall see them all as they pass by, I will be sure to set them to
rights in the thing, and let them know that they had been so
much in the wrong; that though the people who were on board
at first might run away with the ship, yet it was not true that
they had turned pirates; and that, in particular, these were not
the men that first went off with the ship, but innocently bought
her for their trade; and I am persuaded they will so far believe
me, as at least to act more cautiously for the time to come."
While these things were passing between us, by way of dis-
course, we went forward directly for Nanquin, and in about thirteen
564
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I con-
days' sail, came to an anchor, at the south-west point of the
great Gulf of Nanquin; where, by the way, I came by accident
to understand that two Dutch ships were gone the length before
me, and that I should certainly fall into their hands.
sulted my partner again in this exigency, and he was as much at
a loss as I was, and would very gladly have been safe on shore
almost anywhere: however, I was not in such perplexity neither,
but I asked the old pilot if there was no creek or harbour which I
might put into and pursue my business with the Chinese privately,
and be in no danger of the enemy. He told me, if I would sail
to the southward about forty-two leagues, there was a little port
called Quinchang, where the fathers of the mission usually landed
from Macao, on their progress to teach the Christian religion to
the Chinese, and where no European ships ever put in; and if
I thought to put in there, I might consider what farther course
to take when I was on shore. He confessed, he said, it was not
a place for merchants, except that at some certain times they
had a kind of a fair there, when the merchants from Japan came
over thither to buy Chinese merchandises.
We all agreed to go back to this place; the name of the
port, as he called it, I may perhaps spell wrong, for I do not
particularly remember it, having lost this, together with the names
of many other places set down in a little pocket book, which
was spoiled by the water by an accident; but this I remember,
that the Chinese or Japanese merchants we corresponded with
called it by a different name from that which our Portuguese
pilot gave it, and pronounced it as above, Quinchang.
As we were unanimous in our resolution to go to this place,
we weighed the next day, having only gone twice on shore where
we were, to get fresh water; on both which occasions the people
of the country were very civil to us, and brought us abundance
of things to sell to us, I mean of provisions, plants, roots, tea,
rice, and some fowls; but nothing without money.
We came to the other port (the wind being contrary) not
till five days, but it was very much to our satisfaction; and I
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
565
was joyful, and I may say thankful, when I set my foot on
shore, resolving, and my partner too, that if it was possible to
dispose of ourselves and effects any other way, though not every
way to our satisfaction, we would never set one foot on board that
unhappy vessel more; and indeed, I must acknowledge, that of
all the circumstances of life that ever I had any experience of,
nothing makes mankind so completely miserable as that of being
in constant fear. Well does the Scripture say, "The fear of
man brings a snare; it is a life of death, and the mind is so
entirely oppressed by it, that it is capable of no relief.
""
Nor did it fail of its usual operations upon the fancy, by
heightening every danger; representing the English and Dutch
captains to be men incapable of hearing reason, or of distin-
guishing between honest men and rogues; or between a story
calculated for our own turn, made out of nothing, on purpose
to deceive, and a true genuine account of our whole voyage,
progress, and design; for we might many ways have convinced
any reasonable creatures that we were not pirates; the goods we
had on board, the course we steered, our frankly shewing our-
selves, and entering into such and such ports; and even Our
very manner, the force we had, the number of men, the few
arms, the little ammunition, short provisions; all these would
have served to convince any men that we were no pirates. The
opium and other goods we had on board would make it appear
the ship had been at Bengal. The Dutchmen, who, it was said,
had the names of all the men that were in the ship, might
easily see that we were a mixture of English, Portuguese, and
Indians, and but two Dutchmen on board. These, and many
other particular circumstances, might have made it evident to
the understanding of any commander, whose hands we might fall
into, that we were no pirates. But fear, that blind, useless
passion, worked another way, and threw us into the vapours ;
it bewildered our understandings, and set the imagination at
work to form a thousand terrible things that perhaps might never
happen. We first supposed, as indeed every body had related
Z z
566
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to us, that the seamen on board the English and Dutch ships,
but especially the Dutch, were so enraged at the name of a
pirate, and especially at our beating off their boats and escaping,
that they would not give themselves leave to enquire whether we
were pirates or no, but would execute us off hand, as we call it,
without giving us any room for a defence. We reflected that
there really was so much apparent evidence before them, that
they would scarce enquire after any more; as, first, that the
ship was certainly the same, and that some of the seamen among
them knew her, and had been on board her; and, secondly, that
when we had intelligence at the river of Cambodia that they
were coming down to examine us, we fought their boats and fled;
so that we made no doubt but they were as fully satisfied of
our being pirates, as we were satisfied of the contrary; and, as
I often said, I know not but I should have been apt to have taken
those circumstances for evidence, if the tables were turned, and
my case was theirs; and have made no scruple of cutting all
the crew to pieces, without believing, or perhaps considering
what they might have to offer in their defence.
But let that be how it will, these were our apprehensions;
and both my partner and I scarce slept a night without dreaming
of halters and yard-arms, that is to say, gibbets; of fighting, and
being taken; of killing, and being killed: and one night I was
in such a fury in my dream, fancying the Dutchmen had boarded
us, and I was knocking one of their seamen down, that I struck
my double fist against the side of the cabin I lay in with such a
force as wounded my hand grievously, broke my knuckles, and cut
and bruised the flesh, so that it awaked me out of my sleep.
Another apprehension I had was, the cruel usage we might
meet with from them if we fell into their hands: then the story
of Amboyna came into my head, and how the Dutch might
perhaps torture us, as they did our countrymen there, and make
some of our men, by extremity of torture, confess those crimes
they never were guilty of, or own themselves and all of us to be
pirates, and so they would put us to death with a formal ap-
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
567

BELMATTE
pearance of justice; and that they might be tempted to do this
for the gain of our ship and cargo, which was worth four or
five thousand pounds, put all together.
These things tormented me, and my partner too, night and
day; nor did we consider that the captains of ships have no
authority to act thus; and if we had surrendered prisoners to
them, they could not answer the destroying us, or torturing us,
but would be accountable for it when they came to their own
country; this, I say, gave me no satisfaction; for if they were
to act thus with us, what advantage would it be to us that they
should be called to an account for it?--or if we were first to be
murdered, what satisfaction would it be to us to have them
punished when they came home?
I cannot refrain taking notice here what reflections I now had
upon the vast variety of my particular circumstances; how hard
568
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I thought it was that I, who had spent forty years in a life of
continual difficulties, and was at last come, as it were, to the
port or haven which all men drive at, viz. to have rest and
plenty, should be a volunteer in new sorrows by my own un-
happy choice; and that I, who had escaped so many dangers in
my youth, should now come to be hanged in my old age, and
in so remote a place, for a crime which I was not in the least
inclined to, much less guilty of.
After these thoughts, something of religion would come in;
and I should be considering that this seemed to me to be a
disposition of immediate Providence, and I ought to look upon
it and submit to it as such; that although I was innocent as to
men, I was far from being innocent as to my Maker; and I
ought to look in and examine what other crimes in my life were
most obvious to me, and for which Providence might justly in-
flict this punishment as a retribution; and that I ought to submit
to this, just as I would to a shipwreck, if it had pleased God to
have brought such a disaster upon me.
In its turn, natural courage would sometimes take its place,
and then I would be talking myself up to vigorous resolutions;
that I would not be taken to be barbarously used by a parcel
of merciless wretches in cold blood; that it were much better to
have fallen into the hands of the savages, though I was sure they
would feast upon me when they had taken me, than those who
would perhaps glut their rage upon me by inhuman tortures and
barbarities; that in the case of the savages, I always resolved to
die fighting to the last gasp, and why should I not do so now,
seeing it was much more dreadful, to me at least, to think of
falling into these men's hands, than ever it was to think of being
eaten by men? for the savages, give them their due, would not
eat a man till he was killed and dead, but that these men had
many arts beyond the cruelty of death. Whenever these thoughts
prevailed, I was sure to put myself into a kind of fever with
the agitation of a supposed fight; my blood would boil, and my
eyes sparkle, as if I was engaged, and I always resolved to take
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
569
no quarter at their hands; but, even at last, if I could resist no
longer, I would blow up the ship and all that was in her, and
leave them but little booty to boast of.
The greater weight the anxieties and perplexities of these things
were to our thoughts while we were at sea, the greater was our
satisfaction when we saw ourselves on shore; and my partner told
me he dreamed that he had a very heavy load upon his back,
which he was to carry up a hill, and found that he was not able
to stand longer under it; but that the Portuguese pilot came and
took it off his back, and the hill disappeared, the ground before
him appearing all smooth and plain and truly it was so; they
were all like men who had a load taken off their backs. For
my part, I had a weight taken off from my heart that it was
not able any longer to bear; and, as I said above, we resolved
to go no more to sea in that ship. When we came on shore,
the old pilot, who was now our friend, got us a lodging and a
warehouse for our goods, which, by the way, was much the same:
it was a little house, or hut, with a larger house adjoining to it,
all built with canes, and palisadoed round with large canes, to
keep out pilfering thieves, of which, it seems, there were not a
few in that country: however, the magistrates allowed us a little
guard, and we had a soldier with a kind of halberd, or half-
pike, who stood sentinel at our door; to whom we allowed a
pint of rice, and a little piece of money, about the value of
three-pence per day, so that our goods were kept very safe.
The fair, or mart, usually kept in this place, had been over
some time: however, we found that there were three or four
junks in the river, and two Japanners, I mean ships from Japan,
with goods which they had bought in China, and were not gone
away, having some Japanese merchants on shore.
The first thing our old Portuguese pilot did for us was, to
get us acquainted with three missionary Romish priests who were
in the town, and who had been there some time converting the
people to Christianity; but we thought they made but poor work
of it, and made them but sorry Christians when they had done;
570
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
however, that was none of our business. One of these was a
Frenchman, whom they called Father Simon; another was a Por-
tuguese; and the third a Genoese; but Father Simon was cour-
teous, easy in his manner, and very agreeable company; the other
two were more reserved, seemed rigid and austere, and applied
seriously to the work they came about, viz. to talk with, and
insinuate themselves among the inhabitants, wherever they had
opportunity. We often ate and drank with those men; and
though, I must confess, the conversion, as they call it, of the
Chinese to Christianity, is so far from the true conversion re-
quired to bring heathen people to the faith of Christ, that it
seems to amount to little more than letting them know the name
of Christ, and say some prayers to the Virgin Mary and her Son,
in a tongue which they understand not, and to cross themselves
and the like; yet it must be confessed that the religionists, whom we
call missionaries, have a firm belief that these people will be saved,
and that they are the instruments of it; and on this account,
they undergo not only the fatigue of the voyage, and the hazards
of living in such places, but oftentimes death itself, and the most
violent tortures, for the sake of this work.
But to return to my story :-This French priest, Father Simon,
was appointed, it seems, by order of the chief of the mission, to
go up to Pekin, the royal seat of the Chinese emperor, and
waited only for another priest, who was ordered to come to him
from Macao, to go along with him; and we scarce ever met toge-
ther but he was inviting me to go that journey; telling me how
he would shew me all the glorious things of that mighty em-
pire, and, among the rest, the greatest city in the world; "a
city," said he, "that your London and our Paris put together
cannot be equal to." This was the city of Pekin, which, I
confess, is very great, and infinitely full of people; but as I
looked on those things with different eyes from other men, so I
shall give my opinion of them in a few words, when I come in
the course of my travels to speak more particularly of them.
But, first, I come to my friar or missionary. Dining with
him one day, and being very merry together, I shewed some
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
571
little inclination to go with him; and he pressed me and my
partner very hard, and with a great many persuasions, to con-
sent. Why, Father Simon," says my partner,
"should you
("
desire our company so much? you know we are heretics, and
you do not love us, nor cannot keep us company with any plea-

VERDEIL.Sc.
sure."
"Oh!" says he, "you may perhaps be good Catholics in
time ; my business here is to convert heathens, and who knows
but I may convert you too?"-Very well, Father," said I, SO
you will preach to us all the way?" I will not be trouble-
some to you," says he; our religion does not divest us of good
manners: besides, we are here like countrymen; and so we are,
compared to the place we are in; and if you are Huguenots, and
I a Catholic, we may all be Christians at last; at least, we are
572
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
•
all gentlemen, and we may converse so, without being uneasy
to one another." I liked this part of his discourse very well,
and it began to put me in mind of my priest that I had left
in the Brazils; but this Father Simon did not come up to his
character by a great deal; for though Father Simon had no ap-
pearance of a criminal levity in him neither, yet he had not
that fund of Christian zeal, strict piety, and sincere affection to
religion, that my other good ecclesiastic had.
But to leave him a little, though he never left us, nor solicit-
ing us to go with him; we had something else before us at first,
for we had all this while our ship and our merchandise to dispose
of, and we began to be very doubtful what we should do, for we
were now in a place of very little business; and once I was about
to venture to sail for the river of Kilam, and the city of Nanquin ;
but Providence seemed now more visibly, as I thought, than ever,
to concern itself in our affairs; and I was encouraged, from this
very time, to think I should, one way or other, get out of this
entangled circumstance, and be brought home to my own country
again, though I had not the least view of the manner. Provi-
dence, I say, began here to clear up our way a little; and the
first thing that offered was, that our old Portuguese pilot brought
a Japan merchant to us who enquired what goods we had; and,
in the first place, he bought all our opium, and gave us a very
good price for it, paying us in gold by weight, some in small
pieces of their own coin, and some in small wedges, of about
ten or twelve ounces each. While we were dealing with him
for our opium, it came into my head that he might perhaps deal
for the ship too, and I ordered the interpreter to propose it to
him he shrunk up his shoulders at it, when it was first pro-
posed to him; but in a few days after he came to me, with one
of the missionary priests for his interpreter, and told me he had
a proposal to make to me, which was this:-he had bought a
great quantity of goods of us, when he had no thoughts of pro-
posals made to him of buying the ship; and that, therefore, he
had not money enough to pay for the ship: but if I would let
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
573
+
the ship to go to Japan; and would send them from thence to
the Philippine Islands with another loading, which he would pay
the freight of before they went from Japan; and that at their
return he would buy the ship. I began to listen to his pro-
posal, and so eager did my head still run upon rambling, that I
could not but begin to entertain a notion of going myself with
him, and so to set sail from the Philippine Islands away to the

Over 4.29
South Seas; accordingly, I asked the Japanese merchant if he
would not hire us to the Philippine Islands, and discharge us
there. He said, no, he could not do that, for then he could
not have the return of his cargo; but he would discharge us in
Japan, at the ship's return. Well, still I was for taking him at
that proposal, and going myself; but my partner, wiser than
myself, persuaded me from it, representing the dangers, as well
of the seas as of the Japanese, who are a false, cruel, and
1
574
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
treacherous people; likewise those of the Spaniards at the Phi-
lippines, more false, cruel, and treacherous than they.
But to bring this long turn of our affairs to a conclusion ;
the first thing we had to do was, to consult with the captain
of the ship, and with his men, and know if they were willing
to go to Japan: and while I was doing this, the young man
whom my nephew had left with me as my companion for my
travels came to me, and told me that he thought that voyage
promised very fair, and that there was a great prospect of ad-
vantage, and he would be very glad if I undertook it; but that
if I would not, and would give him leave, he would go as a
merchant, or how I pleased to order him; that if ever he came
to England, and I was there and alive, he would render me a
faithful account of his success, which should be as much mine
as I pleased. I was really loath to part with him; but con-
sidering the prospect of advantage, which really was considerable,
and that he was a young fellow as likely to do well in it as any
I knew, I inclined to let him go; but I told him I would
consult my partner, and give him an answer the next day. My
partner and I discoursed about it, and my partner made a most
generous offer: "You know it has been an unlucky ship," said
he, "and we both resolve not to go to sea in it again: if your
steward (so he called my man) will venture the voyage, I will
leave my share of the vessel to him, and let him make the best
of it; and if we live to meet in England, and he meets with
success abroad, he shall account for one half of the profits of the
ship's freight to us; the other shall be his own."
If my partner, who was no way concerned with my young
man, made him such an offer, I could do no less than offer him
the same: and all the ship's company being willing to go with
him, we made over half the ship to him in property, and took
a writing from him, obliging him to account for the other; and
away he went to Japan. The Japan merchant proved a very
punctual, honest man to him; protected him at Japan, and got
him a license to come on shore, which the Europeans in general
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
575
have not lately obtained; paid him his freight very punctually;
sent him to the Philippines, loaded with Japan and China wares,
and a supercargo of their own, who, trafficking with the Spaniards,
brought back European goods again, and a great quantity of
cloves and other spices; and there he was not only paid his
freight very well, and at a very good price, but not being willing
to sell the ship then, the merchant furnished him goods on
his own account; and with some money, and some spices of his
own which he brought with him, he went back to the Manillas
to the Spaniards, where he sold his cargo very well. Here,
having got a good acquaintance at Manilla, he got his ship made
a free ship; and the governor of Manilla hired him to go to
Acapulco, in America, on the coast of Mexico, and gave him a
license to land there, and to travel to Mexico, and to pass in
any Spanish ship to Europe, with all his men. He made the
voyage to Acapulco very happily, and there he sold his ship; and
having there also obtained allowance to travel by land to Porto
Bello, he found means, somehow or other, to get to Jamaica, with
all his treasure; and, about eight years after, came to England
exceeding rich, of which I shall take notice in its place; in the
meantime, I return to our particular affairs.
Being now to part with the ship and ship's company, it came
before us, of course, to consider what recompense we should give
to the two men that gave us such timely notice of the design
against us in the river Cambodia. The truth was, they had
done us
a very considerable service, and deserved well at our
hands; though, by the way, they were a couple of rogues too;
for, as they believed the story of our being pirates, and that we
had really run away with the ship, they came down to us not
only to betray the design that was formed against us, but to go
to sea with us as pirates; and one of them confessed afterwards
that nothing else but the hopes of going a-roguing brought him
to do it: however, the service they did us was not the less;
and, therefore, as I had promised to be grateful to them, I first
ordered the money to be paid them which they said was due to
576
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
them on board their respective ships; over and above that, I
gave each of them a small sum of money in gold, which con-
tented them very well; then I made the Englishman gunner in
the ship, the gunner being now made second mate and purser;
the Dutchman I made boatswain; so they were both
so they were both very well
pleased, and proved very serviceable, being both able seamen,
and very stout fellows.
We were now on shore in China: if I thought myself banished
and remote from my own country at Bengal, where I had many
ways to get home for my money, what could I think of myself
now, when I was got about a thousand leagues farther off from
home, and perfectly destitute of all manner of prospect of return?
All we had for it was this, that in about four months time there
was to be another fair at the place where we were, and then
we might be able to purchase all sorts of the manufactures of
the country, and withal might possibly find some Chinese junks
or vessels from Tonquin, that would be to be sold, and would
carry us and our goods whither we pleased.
This I liked very
well, and resolved to wait; besides, as our particular persons
were not obnoxious, so if any English or Dutch ships came thither,
perhaps we might have an opportunity to load our goods, and
get passage to some other place in India nearer home. Upon
these hopes, we resolved to continue here: but, to divert our-
selves, we took two or three journeys into the country. First,
we went ten days journey, to the city of Nanquin, a city well
worth seeing, indeed; they say it has a million of people in it:
it is regularly built, the streets all exactly straight, and cross
one another in direct lines, which gives the figure of it great
advantage. But when I come to compare the miserable people
of these countries with ours, their fabrics, their manner of living,
their government, their religion, their wealth, and their glory, as
some call it, I must confess that I scarcely think it worth my
while to mention them here. It is very observable, that we
wonder at the grandeur, the riches, the pomp, the ceremonies,
the government, the manufactures, the commerce, and conduct
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
577
of these people; not that it is to be wondered at, or, indeed, in
the least to be regarded, but, because having a true notion of
the barbarity of those countries, the rudeness and the ignorance
that prevail there, we do not expect to find any such thing so
far off. Otherwise, what are their buildings to the palaces and
royal buildings of Europe? What their trade to the universal
commerce of England, Holland, France, and Spain?
What are
their cities to ours, for wealth, strength, gaiety of apparel, rich
furniture, and infinite variety? What are their ports, supplied
with a few junks and barks, to our navigation, our merchant
fleets, our large and powerful navies? Our city of London has
more trade than half their mighty empire: one English, Dutch,
or French man-of-war of eighty guns, would be able to fight
almost all the shipping belonging to China: but the greatness
of their wealth, their trade, the power of their government, and
the strength of their armies, may be a little surprising to us,
because, as I have said, considering them as a barbarous nation
of Pagans, little better than savages, we did not expect such
things among them: and this, indeed, is the advantage with which
all their greatness and power is represented to us; otherwise, it
is in itself nothing at all; for what I have said of their ships
may be said of their armies and troops; all the forces of their
empire, though they were to bring two millions of men into the
field together, would be able to do nothing but ruin the country,
and starve themselves, if they were to besiege a strong town in
Flanders, or to fight a disciplined army; one good line of Ger-
man curassiers, or of French cavalry, might withstand all the
horse of China; a million of their foot could not stand before
one embattled body of our infantry, posted so as not to be sur-
rounded, though they were not to be one to twenty in number;
nay, I do not boast if I say that thirty thousand German or
English foot, and ten thousand horse, well managed, could defeat
all the forces of China; and so of our fortified towns, and of the
art of our engineers in assaulting and defending towns; there is
not a fortified town in China could hold out one month against
578
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
the batteries and attacks of an European army: and, at the same
time, all the armies of China could never take such a town as
Dunkirk, provided it was not starved; no, not in a ten years'
siege. They have fire-arms, it is true, but they are awkward
and uncertain in their going off; and their powder has but little
strength. Their armies are badly disciplined, and want skill to
attack, or temper to retreat; and therefore, I must confess, it
seemed strange to me, when I came home, and heard our people
say such fine things of the power, glory, magnificence, and trade
of the Chinese; because, as far as I saw, they appeared to be a
contemptible herd or crowd of ignorant, sordid slaves, subjected
to a government qualified only to rule such a people; and were
not its distance inconceivably great from Muscovy, and the Mus-
covite empire in a manner as rude, impotent, and ill-governed
as they, the Czar of Muscovy might with ease drive them all
out of their country, and conquer them in one campaign; and
had the czar (who is now a growing prince) fallen this way,
instead of attacking the warlike Swedes, and equally improved
himself in the art of war, as they say he has done; and if
none of the powers of Europe had envied or interrupted him,
he might by this time have been Emperor of China, instead of
being beaten by the king of Sweden at Narva, when the latter
was not one to six in number. As their strength and their
grandeur, so their navigation, commerce, and husbandry, are very
imperfect, compared to the same things in Europe; also, in their
knowledge, their learning, and in their skill in the sciences, they
are either very awkward or defective, though they have globes or
spheres, and a smattering of the mathematics, and think they know
more than all the world besides; but they know little of the motions
of the heavenly bodies; and so grossly and absurdly ignorant are
their common people, that when the sun is eclipsed, they think
a great dragon has assaulted it, and is going to run away with
it; and they fall a clattering with all the drums and kettles in
the country, to fright the monster away, just as we do to hive
a swarm of bees.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE,
579

lllill
As this is the only excursion of the kind which I have made
in all the accounts I have given of my travels, so I shall make
no more such; it is none of my business, nor any part of my
design; but to give an account of my own adventures through
a life of inimitable wanderings, and a long variety of changes,
which, perhaps, few that come after me will have heard the like
of: I shall therefore say very little of all the mighty places,
desert countries, and numerous people I have yet to pass through,
more than relates to my own story, and which my concern among
them make necessary.
I was now, as near as I can compute, in the heart of China
about thirty degrees north of the line, for we were returned
580
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
from Nanquin: I had, indeed, a mind to see the city of Pekin,
which I had heard so much of, and Father Simon importuned
me daily to do it. At length his time of going away being set,
and the other missionary who was to go with him being arrived
from Macao, it was necessary that we should resolve either to
go or not; so I referred it wholly to my partner, and left it
wholly to his choice, who at length resolved it in the affirmative,
and we prepared for our journey. We set out with very good
advantage, as to finding the way; for we got leave to travel in
the retinue of one of their mandarins, a kind of viceroy or prin-
cipal magistrate in the province where they reside, and who
take great state upon them, travelling with great attendance, and
with great homage from the people, who are sometimes greatly
impoverished by them; being obliged to furnish provisions for
them and all their attendants in their journeys. That which I
particularly observed, as to our travelling with his baggage, was
this, that though we received sufficient provisions both for our-
selves and our horses from the country, as belonging to the
mandarin, yet we were obliged to pay for everything we had,
after the market price of the country, and the mandarin's steward
collected it duly from us; so that our travelling in the retinue
of the mandarin, though it was a very great kindness to us, was
not such a mighty favour in him, but was a great advantage to
him, considering there were above thirty other people travelled
in the same manner besides us, under the protection of his re-
tinue; for the country furnished all the provisions for nothing
to him, and yet he took our money for them.
We were twenty-five days travelling to Pekin, through a coun-
try infinitely populous, but I think badly cultivated; the hus-
bandry, the economy, and the way of living miserable, though
they boast so much of the industry of the people; I say miserable,
if compared with our own, but not so to these poor wretches,
who know no other. The pride of the people is infinitely great,
and exceeded by nothing but their poverty, in some parts, which
adds to that which I call their misery; and I must needs think
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
581
the naked savages of America live much more happy than the
poorer sort of these, because as they have nothing, so they desire
nothing; whereas these are proud and insolent, and in the main
are in many parts mere beggars and drudges; their ostentation
is inexpressible; and, if they can, they love to keep multitudes
of servants or slaves, which is to the last degree ridiculous, as well
as the contempt of all the world but themselves.
I must confess, I travelled more pleasantly afterwards in the
deserts and vast wildernesses of Grand Tartary than here, and
yet the roads here are well paved and well kept, and very con-
venient for travellers: but nothing was more awkward to me
than to see such a haughty, imperious, insolent people, in the
midst of the grossest simplicity and ignorance; and my friend
Father Simon and I used to be very merry upon these occasions,
to see the beggarly pride of these people: for example, coming
by the house of a country gentleman, as Father Simon called
him, about ten leagues off the city of Nanquin, we had first of
all the honour to ride with the master of the house about two
miles; the state he rode in was a perfect Don Quixoteism, being
a mixture of pomp and poverty. His habit was very proper
for a scaramouch, or merry-andrew, being a dirty calico, with
hanging sleeves, tassels, and cuts and slashes almost on every
side; it covered a taffety vest, as greasy as a butcher's, and
which testified that his honour must be a most exquisite sloven.
His horse was but a poor, starved, hobbling creature, and he had
two slaves followed him on foot to drive the poor creature along;
he had a whip in his hand, and he belaboured the beast as fast
about the head as his slaves did about the tail; and thus he
rode by us, with about ten or twelve servants, going from the
city to his country seat, about half a league before us. We tra-
velled on gently, but this figure of a gentleman rode away before
us; and as we stopped at a village about an hour to refresh us,
when we came by the country seat of this great man, we saw
him in a little place before his door, eating a repast. It was a
kind of a garden, but he was easy to be seen; and we were given
2
582
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

L' D Se
to understand that the more we looked at him the better he
would be pleased. He sat under a tree, something like the pal-
metto, which effectually shaded him over the head, and on the
south side; but under the tree was placed a large umbrella,
which made that part look well enough: he sat lolling back in
a great elbow-chair, being a heavy corpulent man, and had his
meat brought him by two women slaves; he had two more, one
of which fed the squire with a spoon, and the other held the
dish with one hand, and scraped off what he let fall upon his
worship's beard and taffety vest.
Thus leaving the poor wretch to please himself with our looking
at him, as if we admired his pomp, though we really pitied and

He sat lolling back in a great elbow-chair, and had his meat brought to him by two women slaves.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
583
contemned him, we pursued our journey; only Father Simon had
the curiosity to stay to inform himself what dainties the country
justice had to feed on in all his state, which he had the honour
to taste of, and which was, I think, a mess of boiled rice, with
a great piece of garlic in it, and a little bag filled with green
pepper, and another plant which they have there, something like
our ginger, but smelling like musk, and tasting like mustard; all
this was put together, and a small piece of lean mutton boiled
in it, and this was his worship's repast; four or five servants
more attended at a distance, who, we supposed, were to eat of
the same after their master.
As for our mandarin with whom we travelled, he was respected
as a king, surrounded always with his gentlemen, and attended
in all his appearances with such pomp, that I saw little of him
but at a distance; but this I observed, that there was not a
horse in his retinue but that our carriers' packhorses in England
seemed to me to look much better; though it was hard to judge
rightly, for they were so covered with equipage, mantles, trap-
pings, &c., that we could scarce see anything but their feet and
their heads as they went along.
f.
I was now light-hearted, and all my trouble and perplexity
that I have given an account of being over, I had no anxious
thoughts about me, which made this journey the pleasanter to
me; nor had I any ill accident attended me, only in passing or
fording a small river, my horse fell, and made me free of the
country as they call it, that is to say, threw me in; the place
was not deep, but it wetted me all over. I mention it because
it spoiled my pocket book, wherein I had set down the names
of several people and places which I had occasion to remember,
and which not taking due care of, the leaves rotted, and the
words were never after to be read, to my great loss as to the
names of some of the places I touched at in this journey.
At length we arrived at Pekin; I had nobody with me but
the youth whom my nephew the captain had given me to attend
me as a servant, and who proved very trusty and diligent; and
584
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
my partner had nobody with him but one servant, who was a
kinsman. As for the Portuguese pilot, he being desirous to see
the court, we bore his charges for his company, and to use him
as an interpreter, for he understood the language of the country,
and spoke good French and a little English; and, indeed, this
old man was a most useful implement to us everywhere; for we
had not been above a week at Pekin, when he came laughing,-
"Ah, Seignior Inglese," says he, "I have something to tell will
make your heart glad."-"My heart glad," says I; "what can
that be? I don't know anything in this country can either give
me joy or grief to any great degree."-"Yes, yes," said the
old man, in broken English, "make you glad, me sorry."
'Why," said I, "will it make you sorry?"-" Because," said
he, "you have brought me here twenty-five days' journey, and
will leave me to go back alone; and which way shall I get to my
port afterwards without a ship, without a horse, without pecune ?"
so he called money, being his broken Latin, of which he had
abundance to make us merry with. In short, he told us there
was a great caravan of Muscovite and Polish merchants in the
city, preparing to set out on their journey by land to Muscovy,
within four or five weeks, and he was sure we would take the
opportunity to go with them, and leave him behind, to go back
alone.
66
I confess I was greatly surprised with this good news, and
had scarce power to speak to him for some time; but at last I
turned to him, "How do you know this?" said I:
are you
sure it is true?"-"Yes," says he; "I met this morning in the
street an old acquaintance of mine, an Armenian, who is among
them; he came last from Astracan, and was designing to go to
Tonquin, where I formerly knew him, but has altered his mind,
and is now resolved to go with the caravan to Moscow, and so
down the river Wolga to Astracan."-" Well, seignior," says I,
"do not be uneasy about being left to go back alone; if this
be a method for my return to England, it shall be your fault if
you go back to Macao at all." We then went to consult together
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
585
$
what was to be done; and I asked my partner what he thought
of the pilot's news, and whether it would suit with his affairs?
He told me he would do just as I would; for he had settled all
his affairs so well at Bengal, and left his effects in such good
hands, that as we had made a good voyage here, if he could vest
it in China silks, wrought and raw, such as might be worth the
carriage, he would be content to go to England, and then make
his voyage back to Bengal by the Company's ships.
Having resolved upon this, we agreed that if our Portuguese
pilot would go with us, we would bear his charges to Moscow,
or to England, if he pleased; nor, indeed, were we to be es-
teemed over generous in that neither, if we had not rewarded
him farther, the service he had done us being really worth more
than that: for he had not only been a pilot to us at sea, but he
had been like a broker for us on shore; and his procuring for
us the Japan merchant was some hundreds of pounds in our
pockets. So we consulted together about it, and being willing
to gratify him, which was but doing him justice, and very willing
also to have him with us besides, for he was a most necessary
man on all occasions, we agreed to give him a quantity of coined
gold, which, as I compute it, came to about one hundred and
seventy-five pounds sterling, between us, and to bear all his
charges, both for himself and horse, except only a horse to carry
his goods. Having settled this between ourselves, we called him
to let him know what we had resolved. I told him he had com-
plained of our being willing to let him go back alone, and I was
now about to tell him we were resolved he should not go back
at all; that as we had resolved to go to Europe with the caravan,
we resolved also he should go with us; and that we called him
to know his mind. He shook his head, and said, it was a long
journey, and he had no pecune to carry him thither, or to subsist
himself when he came there. We told him we believed it was
so, and therefore we had resolved to do something for him that
should let him see how sensible we were of the service he had
done us, and also how agreeable he was to us; and then I told
586
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
him what we had resolved to give him here, which he might lay
out as we would do our own; and that as for his charges, if he
would go with us we would set him safe on shore (life and casu-
alties excepted), either in Muscovy or England, which he would,
at our own charge, except only the carriage of his goods. He
received the proposal like a man transported, and told us he
would go with us over the whole world; and so we all prepared
for our journey. However, as it was with us, so it was with the
other merchants; they had many things to do; and instead of
being ready in five weeks, it was four months and some days
before all things were got together.
It was the beginning of February, our style, when we set
out from Pekin. My partner and the old pilot had gone express
back to the port where we had first put in, to dispose of some
goods which we had left there; and I, with a Chinese merchant
whom I had some knowledge of at Nanquin, and who came to
Pekin on his own affairs, went to Nanquin, where I bought
ninety pieces of fine damasks, with about two hundred pieces of
other very fine silks of several sorts, some mixed with gold, and
had all these brought to Pekin against my partner's return; be-
sides this, we bought a very large quantity of raw silk, and some
other goods, our cargo amounting, in these goods only, to about
three thousand five hundred pounds sterling; which, together
with tea, and some fine calicoes, and three camels' loads of nut-
megs and cloves, loaded in all eighteen camels for our share,
besides those we rode upon; which, with two or three spare
horses, and two horses loaded with provisions, made us, in short,
twenty-six camels and horses in our retinue.
The company was very great, and, as near as I can remember,
made between three and four hundred horse, and upwards of one
hundred and twenty men, very well armed, and provided for all
events; for as the eastern caravans are subject to be attacked by
the Arabs, so are these by the Tartars; but they are not alto-
gether so dangerous as the Arabs, nor so barbarous when they
prevail.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
587
The company consisted of people of several nations; but there
were above sixty of them merchants or inhabitants of Moscow,
though of them some were Livonians
were Livonians; and to our particular
satisfaction, five of them were Scots, who appeared also to be
men of great experience in business, and of very good substance.
When we had travelled one day's journey, the guides, who were
five in number, called all the gentlemen and merchants,—that
is to say, all the passengers except the servants, to a great council,
as they called it. At this council, every one deposited a certain
quantity of money to a common stock, for the necessary expense
of buying forage on the way, where it was not otherwise to be
had, and for satisfying the guides, getting horses, and the like:
and here they constituted the journey, as they call it, viz. they
named captains and officers to draw us all up, and give the word
of command, in case of an attack, and give every one their turn
of command; nor was this forming us into order any more than
what we found needful on the way, as shall be observed.
The road all on this side of the country is very populous,
and is full of potters and earth-makers, that is to say, people
that temper the earth for the China ware; and as I was coming
along, our Portugal pilot, who had always something or other to
say to make us merry, came sneering to me, and told me he
would shew me the greatest rarity in all the country, and that
I should have this to say of China, after all the ill-humoured
things that I had said of it, that I had seen one thing which was
not to be seen in all the world beside. I was very importunate
to know what it was: at last he told me it was a gentleman's
house built with China ware. CC
Well,' says I, "are not the mate-
rials of their buildings the product of their own country, and so
it is all China ware, is it not?"-" No, no," says he, "I mean
it is a house all made of China ware, such as you call it in Eng-
land, or as it is called in our country, porcelain.
Well," says I,
"such a thing may be; how big is it? Can we carry it in a box
upon a camel? If we can, we will buy it.".
says the old pilot, holding up both his hands;
family of thirty people lives in it."
(C
(6
Upon a camel!
" why there is a
588
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
I was then curious, indeed, to see it; and when I came to
it, it was nothing but this: it was a timber house, or a house
built, as we call it in England, with lath and plaster; but all
this plastering was really China ware, that is to say, it was plas-

SEARY
tered with the earth that makes China ware. The outside, which
the sun shone hot upon, was glazed, and looked very well, per-
fectly white, and painted with blue figures, as the large China
ware in England is painted, and hard as if it had been burned.
As to the inside, all the walls, instead of wainscot, were lined
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
589
with hardened and painted tiles, like the little square tiles we
call galley-tiles in England, all made of the finest China, and
the figures exceeding fine indeed, with extraordinary variety of
colours, mixed with gold, many tiles making but one figure, but
joined so artificially, the mortar being made of the same earth,
that it was very hard to see where the tiles met. The floors
of the rooms were of the same composition, and as hard as the
earthen floors we have in use in several parts of England; as
hard as stone, and smooth, but not burned and painted, except
some smaller rooms, like closets, which were all, as it were, paved
with the same tile; the ceiling, and all the plastering work in
the whole house, were of the same earth; and, after all, the roof
was covered with tiles of the same, but of a deep shining black.
This was
a China warehouse indeed, truly and literally to be
called so, and had I not been upon the journey, I could have
stayed some days to see and examine the particulars of it. They
told me there were fountains and fish-ponds in the garden, all
paved on the bottom and sides with the same; and fine statues
set up in rows on the walks, entirely formed of the porcelain
earth, and burned whole.
As this is one of the singularities of China, so they may be
allowed to excel in it; but I am very sure they excel in their
accounts of it; for they told me such incredible things of their
performance in crockery-ware, for such it is, that I care not to
relate, as knowing it could not be true. They told me, in par-
ticular, of one workman that made a ship with all its tackle and
masts and sails in earthenware, big enough to carry fifty men.
If they had told me he launched it, and made a voyage to Japan
in it, I might have said something to it indeed; but as it was,
I knew the whole of the story, which was, in short, asking pardon
for the word, that the fellow lied; so I smiled, and said nothing
to it.
This odd sight kept me two hours behind the caravan, for which
the leader of it for the day fined me about the value of three
shillings; and told me if it had been three days' journey without
590
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
:
the wall, as it was three days within, he must have fined me
four times as much, and made me ask pardon the next council
day I promised to be more orderly; and, indeed, I found after-
wards the orders made for keeping all together were absolutely
necessary for our common safety.
In two days more, we passed the great China wall, made for
a fortification against the Tartars: and a very great work it is,
going over hills and mountains in a needless track, where the
rocks are impassable, and the precipices such as no enemy could
possibly enter, or indeed climb up, or where, if they did, no wall
could hinder them. They tell us its length is near a thousand
English miles, but that the country is five hundred in a straight
measured line, which the wall bounds, without measuring the
windings and turnings it takes; it is about four fathoms high,
and as many thick in some places.
(6
I stood still an hour or thereabouts without trespassing our
orders (for so long the caravan was in passing the gate), to look
at it on every side, near and far off, I mean that was within
my view and the guide of our caravan, who had been extolling
it for the wonder of the world, was mighty eager to hear my
opinion of it. I told him it was a most excellent thing to keep
out the Tartars; which he happened not to understand as I
meant it, and so took it for a compliment; but the old pilot
laughed: "Oh, Seignior Inglese," says he "you speak in colours."
"In colours!" said I, "what do you mean by that?" "Why,
you speak what looks white this way and black that way; gay
one way and dull another. You tell him it is a good wall to
keep out Tartars; you tell me by that it is good for nothing
but to keep out Tartars. I understand you, Seignior Inglese,
I understand you; but Seignior Chinese understood you his own
way." "Well," says I, Seignior, do you think it would stand
out an army of our country people, with a good train of artillery;
or our engineers, with two companies of miners? Would not
they batter it down in ten days, that an army might enter in
battalia; or blow it up in the air, foundation and all, that there
66
66

In two days more, we passed the great China wall.
מל
SELF..
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
591
(6
should be no sign of it left?" 'Ay, ay," says he, "I know
that." The Chinese wanted mightily to know what I said, and
I gave him leave to tell him a few days after, for we were then
almost out of their country, and he was to leave us in a little
time after this; but when he knew what I said, he was dumb
all the rest of the way, and we heard no more of his fine story
of the Chinese power and greatness while he stayed.
After we passed this mighty nothing, called a wall, something
like the Picts' wall, so famous in Northumberland, built by the
Romans, we began to find the country thinly inhabited, and the
people rather confined to live in fortified towns and cities, as
being subject to the inroads and depredations of the Tartars, who
rob in great armies, and therefore are not to be resisted by the
naked inhabitants of an open country. And here I began to
find the necessity of keeping together in a caravan as we tra-
velled, for we saw several troops of Tartars roving about; but
when I came to see them distinctly, I wondered more that the
Chinese empire could be conquered by such contemptible fellows;
for they are a mere horde of wild fellows, keeping no order,
and understanding no discipline or manner of fight. Their horses.
are poor lean creatures, taught nothing, and fit for nothing; and
this we found the first day we saw them, which was after we
entered the wilder part of the country. Our leader for the day
gave leave for about sixteen of us to go a-hunting, as they call
it, and what was this but hunting of sheep!-however, it may be
called hunting too, for the creatures are the wildest and swiftest
of foot that ever I saw of their kind; only they will not run a
great way, and you are sure of sport when you begin the chase,
for they appear generally thirty or forty in a flock, and, like true
sheep, always keep together when they fly,
In pursuit of this odd sort of game, it was our hap to meet
with about forty Tartars: whether they were hunting mutton as
we were, or whether they looked for another kind of prey, we
know not; but as soon as they saw us, one of them blew a kind
of horn very loud, but with a barbarous sound that I had never
592
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
heard before, and, by the way, never care to hear again; we all
supposed this was to call their friends about them, and so it
was; for, in less than ten minutes, a troop of forty or fifty
more appeared, at about a mile distance; but our work was
over first, as it happened.
One of the Scots merchants of Moscow happened to be amongst
us, and as soon as he heard the horn, he told us that we had no-
thing to do but to charge them immediately, without loss of time;
and drawing us up in a line, he asked if we were resolved.
We told him we were ready to follow him; so he rode directly
towards them. They stood gazing at us like a mere crowd,
drawn up in no order, nor shewing the face of any order at all;
but as soon as they saw us advance, they let fly their arrows,
which, however, missed us very happily: it seems they mistook
not their aim, but their distance; for their arrows all fell a little
short of us, but with so true an aim, that had we been about
twenty yards nearer, we must have had several men wounded, if
not killed.
As
Immediately we halted and though it was at a great dis-
tance, we fired, and sent them leaden bullets for wooden arrows,
following our shot full gallop, to fall in among them sword in
hand, for so our bold Scot that led us directed. He was, in-
deed, but a merchant, but he behaved with that vigour and
bravery on this occasion, and yet with such cool courage too,
that I never saw any man in action fitter for command.
soon as we came up to them, we fired our pistols in their faces,
and then drew; but they fled in the greatest confusion imaginable.
The only stand any of them made was on our right, where three
of them stood, and, by signs, called the rest to come back to
them, having a kind of scimitar in their hands, and their bows
hanging to their backs. Our brave commander, without asking
anybody to follow him, gallops up close to them, and with his
fusee knocks one of them off his horse, killed the second with
his pistol, and the third ran away; and thus ended our fight:
but we had this misfortune attending it, that all our mutton we

As soon as they saw us advance, they let fly their arrows.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
593
had in chase got away.
We had not a man killed or hurt; but
as for the Tartars, there were about five of them killed; how
many were wounded we knew not; but this we knew, that the
other party were so frightened with the noise of our guns, that
they made off, and never made any attempt upon us.
We were all this while in the Chinese dominions, and there-
fore the Tartars were not so bold as afterwards; but in about
five days we entered a vast, great, wild desert, which held us
three days' and nights' march; and we were obliged to carry our
water with us in great leathern bottles, and to encamp all night,
just as I have heard they do in the desert of Arabia.
I asked our guides whose dominion this was in; and they told
me this was a kind of border, that might be called no man's
land, being a part of Great Karakathy, or Grand Tartary; but,
however, it was all reckoned as belonging to China, but that
there was no care taken here to preserve it from the inroads of
thieves, and therefore it was reckoned the worst desert in the
whole march, though we were to go over some much larger.
In passing this wilderness, which was at first very frightful
to me, we saw, two or three times, little parties of the Tartars,
but they seemed to be upon their own affairs, and to have no
design upon us; and so, like the man who met the devil, if
they had nothing to say to us, we had nothing to say to them:
we let them go. Once, however, a party of them came so near
as to stand and gaze at us; whether it was to consider if they
should attack us or not we knew not; but when we were passed
at some distance by them, we made a rear-guard of forty men,
and stood ready for them, letting the caravan pass half a mile
or thereabouts before us: but after a while they marched off; only
we found they saluted us with five arrows at their parting, which
wounded a horse, so that it disabled him, and we left him the
next day, poor creature, in great need of a good farrier: they
might shoot more arrows which might fall short of us, but we
saw no more arrows or Tartars that time.
3
594
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
We travelled near a month after this, the ways not being so
good as at first, though still in the dominions of the Emperor of
China, but lay for the most part in the villages, some of which
were fortified, because of the incursions of the Tartars. When
we were come to one of these towns (it was about two days
and a half's journey before we were come to the city of Naum),
I wanted to buy a camel, of which there are plenty to be sold
all the way upon that road, and horses also, such as they are,
because so many caravans coming that way, they are often wanted.
The person that I spoke to to get me a camel, would have gone
and fetched one for me; but I, like a fool, must be officious,
and go myself along with him: the place was about two miles
out of the village, where it seems they kept the camels and
horses feeding, under a guard.
I walked it on foot, with my old pilot and a Chinese, being
very desirous of a little variety. When we came to the place,
it was a low, marshy ground, walled round with a stone wall,
piled up dry, without mortar or earth among it, like a park,
with a little guard of Chinese soldiers at the door. Having
bought a camel, and agreed for the price, I came away, and
the Chinese man that went with me led the camel, when on a
sudden came up five Tartars on horseback; two of them seized
the fellow and took the camel from him, while the other three
stepped up to me and my old pilot, seeing us, as it were, un-
armed, for I had no weapon about me but my sword, which
could but ill defend me against three horsemen. The first that
came up stopped short upon my drawing my sword, for they are
arrant cowards; but a second, coming upon my left, gave me a
blow on the head, which I never felt till afterwards, and won-
dered, when I came to myself, what was the matter, and where
I was, for he laid me flat on the ground; but my never-failing
old pilot, the Portuguese (so Providence, unlooked for, directs
deliverances from dangers which to us are unforeseen) had a
pistol in his pocket, which I knew nothing of, nor the Tartars
neither; if they had, I suppose they would not have attacked

The first that came up stopped short upon my drawing my sword.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
595
us; but cowards are always boldest when there is no danger.
The old man seeing me down, with a bold heart stepped up to
the fellow that had struck me, and laying hold of his arm with
one hand, and pulling him down by main force a little towards
him with the other, shot him in the head, and laid him dead
upon the spot. He then immediately stepped up to him who
had stopped us, as I said, and before he could come forward
again, made a blow at him with a scimitar, which he always
wore, but missing the man, cut his horse in the side of his head,
cut one of the ears off by the root, and a great slice down by
the side of his face. The poor beast, enraged with the wound,
was no more to be governed by his rider, though the fellow sat
well enough too, but away he flew, and carried him quite out
of the pilot's reach; and at some distance rising upon his hind
legs, threw down the Tartar, and fell upon him.
In this interval, the poor Chinese came in who had lost the
camel, but he had no weapon: however, seeing the Tartar down,
and his horse fallen upon him, away he runs to him, and seizing
upon an ugly ill favoured weapon he had by his side, something
like a poleaxe, but not a poleaxe neither, he wrenched it from
him, and made shift to knock his Tartarian brains out with it.
But, my old man had the third Tartar to deal with still; and
seeing he did not fly, as he expected, nor come on to fight him,
as he apprehended, but stood stock still, the old man stood still
too, and fell to work with his tackle to charge his pistol again;
but as soon as the Tartar saw the pistol, away he scoured, and
left my pilot, my champion I called him afterwards, a com-
plete victory.
By this time I was a little recovered; for I thought when I
first began to wake, that I had been in a sweet sleep; but, as I
said above, I wondered where I was, how I came upon the ground,
and what was the matter; but a few moments after, as sense re-
turned, I felt pain, though I did not know where; so I clapped
my hand to my head, and took it away bloody; then I felt my
head-ache; and then in a moment memory returned, and every-
596
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

I
numbers
thing was present to me again. I jumped upon my feet instantly,
and got hold of my sword, but no enemies in view: I found a
Tartar lie dead, and his horse standing very quietly by him;
and, looking farther, I saw my champion and deliverer, who
had been to see what the Chinese had done, coming back with
his hanger in his hand: the old man, seeing me on my feet, came
running to me, and embraced me with a great deal of joy, being
afraid before that I had been killed; and seeing me bloody, would
see how I was hurt; but it was not much, only what we call a
broken head; neither did I afterwards find any great inconve-
nience from the blow, for it was well again in two or three days.
We made no great gain, however, by this victory, for we lost
a camel and gained a horse; but that which was remarkable,
when we came back to the village, the man demanded to be paid
for the camel; I disputed it, and it was brought to a hearing
before the Chinese judge of the place. To give him his due, he
acted with a great deal of prudence and impartiality; and, having
heard both sides, he gravely asked the Chinese man that went
with me to buy the camel, whose servant he was? "I am no
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
597
servant," says he, "but went with the stranger."—"At whose
request?" says the justice. "At the stranger's request," says he.
"Why then," says the justice, "you were the stranger's servant
for the time; and the camel being delivered to his servant, it was
delivered to him, and he must pay for it."
I confess the thing was so clear, that I had not a word to
say; but, admiring to see such just reasoning upon the conse-
quence, and an accurate stating of the case, I paid willingly for
the camel, and sent for another; but, you may observe, I did not
go to fetch it myself any more, for I had had enough of that.
The city of Naum is a frontier of the Chinese empire; they
call it fortified, and so it is as fortifications go there; for this I
will venture to affirm, that all the Tartars in Karakathay, which,
I believe, are some millions, could not batter down the walls
with their bows and arrows; but to call it strong, if it were
attacked with cannon, would be to make those who understand it
laugh at you.
We wanted, as I have said, above two day's journey of this
city, when messengers were sent express to every part of the
road to tell all travellers and caravans to halt till they had a guard
sent for them; for that an unusual body of Tartars, making ten
thousand in all, had appeared in the way, about thirty miles
beyond the city.
This was very bad news to travellers; however, it was care-
fully done of the governor, and we were very glad to hear we
should have a guard. Accordingly, two days after, we had two
hundred soldiers sent us from a garrison of the Chinese, on our
left, and three hundred more from the city of Naum, and with
these we advanced boldly; the three hundred soldiers from Naum
marched in our front, the two hundred in our rear,
and our
men on each side of our camels, with our baggage, and the whole
caravan in the centre; in this order, and well prepared for battle,
we thought ourselves a match for the whole ten thousand Mogul
Tartars, if they had appeared; but the next day, when they did
appear, it was quite another thing.
598
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
It was early in the morning, when, marching from a well
situated little town, called Changu, we had a river to pass, which
we were obliged to ferry; and, had the Tartars had any intelli-
gence, then had been the time to have attacked us, when the
caravan being over, the rear guard was behind; but they did
not appear there. About three hours after, when we were en-
tered upon a desert of about fifteen or sixteen miles over, behold,
by a cloud of dust they raised, we saw an enemy was at hand:
and they were at hand indeed, for they came on upon the spur.
The Chinese, our guard in the front, who had talked so big
the day before, began to stagger; and the soldiers frequently
looked behind them, which is a certain sign in a soldier that he
is just ready to run away. My old pilot was of my mind; and
being near me, called out, "Seignior Inglese," says he, "those
fellows must be encouraged, or they will ruin us all; for if the
Tartars come on, they will never stand it.'
"I am of your
mind," said I; "but what must be done?"
"Done!" says
he, "let fifty of our men advance, and flank them on each wing,
and encourage them; and they will fight like brave fellows in
brave company; but without this, they will every man turn his
back." Immediately, I rode up to our leader, and told him, who
was exactly of our mind; and accordingly fifty of us marched
to the right wing, and fifty to the left, and the rest made a line
of rescue; and so we marched, leaving the last two hundred men
to make a body by themselves, and to guard the camels; only
that, if need were, they should send a hundred men to assist the
last fifty.
In a word, the Tartars came on, and an innumerable company
they were: how many we could not tell, but ten thousand, we
thought, was the least; a party of them came on first and
viewed our posture, traversing the ground in the front of our line:
and, as we found them within gunshot, our leader ordered the
two wings to advance swiftly, and give them a salvo on each
wing with their shot, which was done; but they went off, and
I suppose back, to give an account of the reception they were
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
599
like to meet with; and, indeed, that salute cloyed their stomachs,
for they immediately halted, stood awhile to consider of it, and
wheeling off to the left, they gave over their design, and said no
more to us for that time; which was very agreeable to our
circumstances, which were but very indifferent for a battle with
such a number.
Two days after, we came to the city of Naun, or Naum; we
thanked the governor for his care of us, and collected to the
value of a hundred crowns, or thereabouts, which we gave to
the soldiers sent to guard us; and here we rested one day.
This is a garrison indeed, and there were nine hundred soldiers
kept here; but the reason of it was, that formerly the Musco-
vite frontiers lay nearer to them than they now do, the Musco-
vites having abandoned that part of the country, which lies
from this city west for about two hundred miles, as desolate
and unfit for use; and more especially being so very remote,
and so difficult to send troops thither for its defence: for we
had yet above two thousand miles to Muscovy, properly so
called.
After this, we passed several great rivers, and two dreadful
deserts; one of which we were sixteen days passing over; and
which, as I said, was to be called no man's land; and, on the
13th of April, we came to the frontiers of the Muscovite do-
minions. I think the first town or fortress, whichever it may
be called, that belonged to the Czar of Muscovy, was called
Arguna, being on the west side of the river Arguna.
I could not but discover an infinite satisfaction that I was
so soon arrived in, as I called it, a Christian country, or, at
least, in a country governed by Christians; for though the Mus-
covites do, in my opinion, but just deserve the name of
Christians, yet such they pretend to be, and are very devout
in their way. It would certainly occur to any man who travels
the world as I have done, and who had any power of reflec-
tion, what a blessing it is to be brought into the world where
the name of God and a Redeemer is known, adored, and wor-
600
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
shipped; and not where the people, given up by Heaven to
strong delusions, worship the devil, and prostrate themselves to
stocks and stones; worship monsters, elements, horrid-shaped
animals, and statues or images of monsters. Not a town or
city we passed through but had their pagods, their idols, and
their temples, and ignorant people worshipping even the works
of their own hands. Now we came where, at least, a face of
the Christian worship appeared; where the knee was bowed to
Jesus; and whether ignorantly or not, yet the Christian religion
was owned, and the name of the true God was called upon and
adored, and it made my soul rejoice to see it. I saluted the
brave Scots merchant I mentioned above with my first acknow-
ledgment of this; and taking him by the hand, I said to him,
"Blessed be God, we are once again amongst Christians." He
smiled and answered, "Do not rejoice too soon, countryman ;
these Muscovites are but an odd sort of Christians; and but for
the name of it, you may see very little of the substance for
some months farther of our journey."-" Well," says I,
"but
still it is better than Paganism and worshipping of devils."-
"Why, I will tell you," says he, "except the Russian soldiers
in the garrisons, and a few of the inhabitants of the cities upon
the road, all the rest of this country, for above a thousand miles
farther, is inhabited by the worst and most ignorant of Pagans."
And so, indeed, we found it.
We were now launched into the greatest piece of solid earth,
if I understand anything of the surface of the globe, that is to
be found in any part of the world; we had, at least, twelve
thousand miles to the sea, eastward; two thousand to the bottom
of the Baltic sea, westward; and above three thousand, if we
left that sea, and went on west, to the British and French chan-
nels; we had full five thousand miles to the Indian or Persian
sea, south; and about eight hundred to the Frozen sea, north.
Nay, if some people may be believed, there might be no
north-east till we came round the pole, and consequently into
the north-west, and so had a continent of land into America,
sea
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
601
the Lord knows where; though I could give some reasons why
I believe that to be a mistake.
As we entered into the Muscovite dominions a good while
before we came to any considerable towns, we had nothing to
observe there but this; first, that all the rivers run to the east:
as I understood by the charts, which some in our caravan had
with them, it was plain all those rivers ran into the great river
Yamour, or Gamour; which river, by the natural course of it,
must run into the East sea, or Chinese Ocean. The story they
tell us, that the mouth of this river is choked up with bulrushes
of a monstrous growth, viz. three feet about, and twenty or
thirty feet high, I must be allowed to say, I believe nothing of
it; but, as its navigation is of no use, because there is no trade
that way, the Tartars, to whom it alone belongs, dealing in nothing
but cattle, so nobody that ever I heard of, has been curious enough
either to go down to the mouth of it in boats, or come up from
the mouth of it in ships, as far as I can find: but this is certain,
that this river running east, in the latitude of about 50 degrees,
carries a vast concourse of rivers along with it, and finds an ocean
to empty itself in that latitude; so we are sure of sea there.
Some leagues to the north of this river, there are several con-
siderable rivers, whose streams run as due north as the Yamour
runs east, and these are all found to join their waters with the
great river Tartarus, named so from the northernmost nations of
the Mogul Tartars; who, as the Chinese say, were the first
Tartars in the world; and who, as our geographers allege, are
the Gog and Magog mentioned in sacred story. These rivers
running all northward, as well as all the other rivers I am yet
to speak of, make it evident that the northern ocean bounds the
lands also on that side; so that it does not seem rational in the
least to think that the land can extend itself to join with Ame-
rica on that side, or that there is not a communication between
the northern and eastern ocean: but of this I shall say no more;
it was my observation at that time, and therefore I take notice
of it in this place.
4
602
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
We now advanced from the river Arguna by easy and mo-
derate journeys, and were very visibly obliged to the care the
Czar of Muscovy has taken to have cities and towns built in as
many places as it is possible to place them, where his soldiers
keep garrison, something like the stationary soldiers placed by
the Romans in the remotest countries of their empire; some of
which that I had read of were placed in Britain, for the security
of commerce, and for the lodging travellers and thus it was
here; for wherever we came, though at these towns and stations
the garrisons and governors were Russians and professed Chris-
tians, yet the inhabitants were mere pagans; sacrificing to idols,
and worshipping the sun, moon, and stars, or all the host of
heaven; and not only so, but were, of all the heathens and pagans
that ever I met with, the most barbarous, except only that they
did not eat men's flesh, as our savages of America did.
:
Some instances of this we met with in the country between
Arguna, where we enter the Muscovite dominions, and a city of
Tartars and Russians together, called Nortziousky, in which is a
continued desert or forest, which cost us twenty days to travel
over. In a village near the last of these places, I had the
curiosity to go and see their way of living, which is most brutish
and unsufferable: they had, I suppose, a great sacrifice that day;
for there stood out, upon an old stump of a tree, an idol made
of wood, frightful as the devil; at least, as anything we can
think of to represent the devil can be made it had a head not
so much as resembling any creature that the world ever saw;
ears as big as goats' horns, and as high; eyes as big as a crown-
piece; a nose like a crooked ram's horn, and a mouth extended
four-cornered, like that of a lion, with horrible teeth, hooked like
a parrot's under-bill; it was dressed up in the filthiest manner
that you could suppose: its upper garment was of sheep-skins,
with the wool outward; a great Tartar bonnet on the head,
with two horns growing through it; it was about eight feet
high, yet had no feet or legs, nor any other proportion of
parts.

LACOSTS > AL
There stood out, upon an old stump of a tree, an idol made of wood.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
603
'
This scarecrow was set up at the outer side of the village ;
and, when I came near to it, there were sixteen or seventeen
creatures, whether men or women I could not tell, for they made
no distinction by their habits, all laying flat upon the ground
round this formidable block of shapeless wood; I saw no motion
among them any more than if they had been all logs of wood,
like the idol, and at first I really thought they had been so;
but, when I came a little
a little nearer, they started up upon their
feet, and raised a howling cry as if it had been so many deep-
mouthed hounds, and walked away, as if they were displeased at
our disturbing them. A little way off from the idol, and at the
door of a tent or hut, made all of sheep skins and cow skins
dried, stood three butchers,-I thought they were such; when I
came nearer to them, I found they had long knives in their
hands; and in the middle of the tent appeared three sheep
killed, and one young bullock or steer. These, it seems, were
sacrifices to that senseless log of an idol; the three men were
priests belonging to it, and the seventeen prostrated wretches
were the people who brought the offering, and were making
their prayers to that stock.
I confess I was more moved at their stupidity and brutish
worship of a hobgoblin than ever I was at anything in my life;
to see God's most glorious and best creature, to whom He had
granted so many advantages, even by creation above the rest of
the works of His hands, vested with a reasonable soul, and that
soul adorned with faculties and capacities adapted both to honour
his Maker and be honoured by Him, sunk and degenerated to a
degree so very stupid as to prostrate itself to a frightful no-
thing, a mere imaginary object, dressed up by themselves, and
made terrible to themselves by their own contrivance, adorned
only with clouts and rags; and that this should be the effect
of mere ignorance, wrought up into hellish devotion by the devil
himself; who, envying to his Maker the homage and adoration
of His creatures, had deluded them into such sordid and brutish
things as one would think should shock nature itself!
604
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
But what signified all the astonishment and reflection of
thoughts? Thus it was, and I saw it before my eyes, and
there was no room to wonder at it, or think it impossible: all
my admiration turned to rage, and I rode up to the image or
monster, call it what you will, and with my sword made a
stroke at the bonnet that was on its head, and cut it in two;
and one of our men that was with me took hold of the sheep
skin that covered it, and pulled at it; when, behold, a most
hideous outcry and howling ran through the village, and two or
three hundred people came about my ears, so that I was glad
to scour for it, for we saw some had bows and arrows; but I
resolved from that moment to visit them again.
Our caravan rested three nights at the town, which was
about four miles off, in order to provide some horses which
they wanted, several of the horses having been lamed and jaded
with the badness of the way and long march over the last de-
sert:
so we had some leisure here to put my design in exe-
cution. I communicated my design to the Scots merchant of
Moscow, of whose courage I had sufficient testimony: I told
him what I had seen, and with what indignation I had since
thought that human nature could be so degenerate; I told him
if I could get but four or five men well armed to go with me,
I was resolved to go and destroy that vile, abominable idol,
and let them see that it had no power to help itself; and con-
sequently could not be an object of worship, or to be prayed
to, much less help them that offered sacrifices to it.
66
•
He laughed at me:-says he, "Your zeal may be good, but
what do you propose to yourself by it?"-"Propose!" said I
'to vindicate the honour of God, which is insulted by this
devil-worship."-"But how will it vindicate the honour of God,"
said he, "while the people will not be able to know what you
mean by it, unless you could speak to them, and tell them so?
and then they will fight you, and beat you too, I'll assure you;
for they are desperate fellows, and that especially in defence of
their idolatry."-" Can we not," said I, "do it in the night,
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
605
and then leave them the reasons and the causes in writing in
their own language?"-" Writing!" said he; "why, there is
not a man in five nations of them that knows anything of a
letter, or how to read a word any way."-"Wretched igno-
rance!" said I to him: "however, I have a great mind to do
it; perhaps nature may draw inferences from it to them, to let
them see how brutish they are to worship such horrid things."
"Look you, sir," said he, "if your zeal prompts you to it
so warmly, you must do it; but, in the next place, I would
have you consider, these wild nations of people are subjected by
force to the Czar of Muscovy's dominion, and if you do this, it
is ten to one but they will come by thousands to the governor
of Nertsinskay, and demand satisfaction; and if he cannot give
them satisfaction, it is ten to one but they revolt; and it will
occasion a new war with all the Tartars in the country."
(6
This, I confess, put new thoughts into my head for awhile;
but I harped upon the same string still; and all that day I was
uneasy to put my project in execution. Towards the evening,
the Scots merchant met me by accident in our walk about the
town, and desired to speak with me: "I believe," said he, "I
have put you off your good design; I have been a little con-
cerned about it since; for I abhor idolatry as much as you can
do."—" Truly," said I, you have put it off a little as to the
execution of it, but you have not put it out of my thoughts
and I believe I shall do it before I quit this place, though I
were to be delivered up to them for satisfaction.".
"No, no,"
said he, "God forbid they should deliver you up to such a crew
of monsters! they shall not do that neither; that would be mur-
dering you indeed.”- Why," said I," how would they use me?”
"Use you!" said he, "I'll tell you how they served a poor
Russian who affronted them in their worship just as you did, and
whom they took prisoner after they had lamed him with an ar-
row, that he could not run away; they took him and stripped
him stark naked, and set him upon the top of the idol-monster,
and stood all round him, and shot as many arrows into him as
606
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

Billuns
"the
So I
would stick over his whole body; and then they burned him and
all the arrows sticking in him, as a sacrifice to the idol."
"And was this the same idol?" said I. "Yes," said he,
very same.”—-” Well,” said I, "I will tell you a story."
related the story of our men at Madagascar, and how they burned
and sacked the village there, and killed man, woman, and child, for
and
their murdering one of our men, just as it is related before;
I added, that I thought we ought to do so to this village.
He listened very attentively to the story: but when I talked
of doing so to that village, said he, “You mistake very much; it
was not this village, it was almost a hundred miles from this place;
but it was the same idol, for they carry him about in procession
all over the country.". -"Well," said I, "then that idol ought to be
punished for it; and it shall," said I, "if I live this night out."
In a word, finding me resolute, he liked the design, and told
me I should not go alone, but he would go with me, but he
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
607
66
would go first and bring a stout fellow, one of his countrymen,
to go also with us;
"and one," said he, as famous for his
zeal as you can desire any one to be against such devilish things
as these." In a word, he brought me his comrade, a Scotsman,
whom he called Captain Richardson; and I gave him a full
account of what I had seen, and also what I intended; and he
told me readily, he would go with me if it cost him his life. So
we agreed to go, only we three.
my partner, but he declined it.
He said he was ready to assist
me to the utmost, and upon all occasions, for my defence; but
this was an adventure quite out of his way; so, I say, we re-
solved upon our work, only we three and my man-servant, and
to put it in execution that night about midnight, with all the
secrecy imaginable.
I had, indeed, proposed it to
However, upon second thoughts, we were willing to delay it
till the next night, because the caravan being to set forward in
the morning, we suppose the governor could not pretend to give
them any satisfaction upon us when we were out of his power.
The Scots merchant, as steady in his resolution for the enter-
prise as bold in executing, brought me a Tartar's robe or gown
of sheep-skins, and a bonnet, with a bow and arrows, and had
provided the same for himself and his countrymen, that the people,
if they saw us, should not determine who we were.
All the first night we spent in mixing up some combustible
matter with aqua vitæ, gunpowder, and such other materials as
we could get; and, having a good quantity of tar in a little pot,
about an hour after night we set out upon our expedition.
We came to the place about eleven o'clock at night, and found
that the people had not the least jealousy of danger attending
their idol. The night was cloudy; yet the moon gave us light
enough to see that the idol stood just in the same posture and
place that it did before. The people seemed to be all at their
rest; only, that in the great hut, or tent, as we called it, where
we saw the three priests whom we mistook for butchers, we saw
a light, and going up close to the door, we heard people talking
608
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
શ
as if there were five or six of them we concluded, therefore,
that if we set wildfire to the idol, these men would come out
immediately, and run up to the place to rescue it from the de-
struction that we intended for it; and what to do with them
we knew not. Once we thought of carrying it away, and setting
fire to it at a distance, but when we came to handle it, we found
it too bulky for our carriage; so we were at a loss again. The
second Scotsman was for setting fire to the tent or hut, and
knocking the creatures that were there on the head, when they
came out; but I could not join with that; I was against killing
them if it were possible to avoid it. "Well, then," said the
Scots merchant, "I will tell you what we will do: we will try
to make them prisoners, tie their hands, and make them stand and
see their idol destroyed."
As it happened, we had twine or packthread enough about us,
which we used to tie our firelocks together with; so we resolved
to attack these people first, and with as little noise as we could.
The first thing we did, we knocked at the door, when one of
the priests coming to it, we immediately seized upon him, stopped
his mouth, and tied his hands behind him, and led him to the
idol, where we gagged him that he might not make a noise, tied
his feet also together, and left him on the ground.
Two of us then waited at the door, expecting that another
would come out to see what the matter was; but we waited so
long till the third man came back to us; and then nobody coming
out, we knocked again gently, and immediately out came two
more, and we served them just in the same manner, but were
obliged to go all with them, and lay them down by the idol
some distance from one another; when, going back, we found
two more were come out to the door, and a third stood behind
them within the door. We seized the two, and immediately tied
them, when the third stepping back and crying out, my Scots
merchant went in after him, and taking out a composition we
had made that would only smoke and stink, he set fire to it, and
threw it in among them by that time, the other Scotsman and
:
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
609
my man, taking charge of the two men already bound, and tied
together also by the arm, led them away to the idol, and left
them there to see if their idol would relieve them, making haste
back to us.
When the furze we had thrown in had filled the hut with
so much smoke that they were almost suffocated, we then threw
in a small leather bag of another kind, which flamed like a candle,
and following it in, we found there were but four people, and,
as we supposed, had been about some of their diabolic sacrifices.
They, appeared, in short, frightened to death, at least so as to sit
trembling and stupid, and not able to speak neither for the smoke.
•
In a word, we took them, bound them as we had done the
other, and all without any noise. I should have said we brought
them out of the house or hut first; for indeed we were not able
to bear the smoke any more than they were. When we had
done this, we carried them altogether to the idol: when we came
there, we fell to work with him; and first we daubed him all
over, and his robes also, with tar, and such other stuff as we had,
which was tallow mixed with brimstone; then we stopped his
eyes, and ears, and mouth full of gunpowder; then we wrapped
up a great piece of wildfire in his bonnet; and then sticking all
the combustibles we had brought with us upon him, we looked
about to see if we could find anything else to help to burn him ;
when my Scotsman remembered that by the tent or hut, where
the men were, there lay a heap of dry forage, whether straw or
rushes I do not remember; away he and the other Scotsman ran
and fetched their arms full of that. When we had done this,
we took all our prisoners, and brought them, having untied their
feet and ungagged their mouths, and made them stand up, and
set them before their monstrous idol, and then set fire to the
whole.
We stayed by it a quarter of an hour, or thereabouts, till the
powder in the eyes, and mouth, and ears of the idol blew up,
and, as we could perceive, had split and deformed the shape of
it: and, in a word, till we saw it burned into a mere block or
5
610
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
log of wood; and setting dry forage to it, we found it would be
soon quite consumed; so we began to think of going away; but
the Scotsman said, "No, we must not go, for these poor de-

-
luded wretches will all throw themselves into the fire, and burn
themselves with the idol." So we resolved to stay till the forage
was burned down too, and then came away and left them.
After the feat was performed, we appeared in the morning
among our fellow travellers, exceedingly busy in getting ready
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
611
for our journey; nor could any man suggest that we had been
anywhere but in our beds, as travellers might be supposed to be,
to fit themselves for the fatigues of the day's journey.
But the affair did not end so; the next day came a great
number of the country people to the town gates, and in a most
outrageous manner demanded satisfaction of the Russian governor
for the insulting their priests, and burning their great Cham Chi-
Thaungu. The people of Nertsinskay were at first in a great
consternation, for they said the Tartars were already no less
than thirty thousand strong. The Russian governor sent out
messengers to appease them, and gave them all the good words
imaginable; assuring them that he knew nothing of it, and that
there had not a soul in his garrison been abroad, so that it could
not be from anybody there; but if they could let him know
who did it, they should be exemplarily punished. They returned
haughtily that all the country reverenced the great Cham Chi-
Thaungu, who dwelt in the sun, and no mortal would have dared
to offer violence to his image but some Christian miscreant; and
they therfore resolved to denounce war against him and all the
Russians, who, they said, were miscreants and Christians.
The governor, still patient, and unwilling to make a breach,
or to have any cause of war alleged to be given by him, the
Czar having strictly charged him to treat the conquered country
with gentleness and civility, gave them still all the good words
he could. At last, he told them there was a caravan gone towards
Russia that morning, and perhaps it was some of them who
had done them this injury; and that if they would be satisfied
with that, he would send after them to enquire into it. This
seemed to appease them a little; and accordingly the governor
sent after us, and gave us a particular account how the thing
was; intimating withal, that if any in our caravan had done it,
they should make their escape; but that whether we had done
it or no, we should make all the haste forward that was possible;
and that, in the mean time, he would keep them in play as long
as he could.
612
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
This was very friendly in the governor; however, when it
came to the caravan, there was nobody knew anything of the
matter; and as for us that were guilty, we were least of all
suspected. However, the captain of the caravan for the time,
took the hint that the governor gave us, and we travelled two
days and two nights, without any considerable stop, and then we
lay at a village called Plothus: nor did we make any long stop
here, but hastened on towards Jarawena, another of the Czar of
Muscovy's colonies, and where we expected we should be safe.
But upon the second day's march from Plothus, by the clouds
of dust behind us at a great distance, some of our people began
to be sensible we were pursued. We had entered a great desert,
and had passed by a great lake called Schaks Oser, when we
perceived a very great body of horse appear on the other side
of the lake, to the north, we travelling west. We observed
they went away west, as we did, but had supposed we would
have taken that side of the lake, whereas we very happily took
the south side; and in two days more they disappeared again :
for they, believing we were still before them, pushed on till they
came to the river Udda, a very great river when it passes farther
north, but when we came to it we found it narrow and fordable.
The third day they had either found their mistake, or had
intelligence of us, and came pouring in upon us towards the
dusk of the evening. We had, to our great satisfaction, just
pitched upon a place for our camp, which was very convenient
for the night; for as we were upon a desert, though but at the
beginning of it, that was above five hundred miles over, we had
no towns to lodge at, and, indeed, expected none but the city
Jarawena, which we had yet two days' march to; the desert,
however, had some few woods in it on this side, and little rivers,
which ran all into the great river Udda; it was in a narrow strait,
between little but very thick woods, that we pitched our little
camp for that night, expecting to be attacked before morning.
Nobody knew but ourselves what we were pursued for: but
as it was usual for the Mogul Tartars to go about in troops in

We took care also to make our front as strong as we could by placing our packs, with our camels and horses, all in a line.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
613
that desert, so the caravans always fortify themselves every night
against them, as against armies of robbers; and it was, therefore,
no new thing to be pursued.
But we had this night, of all the nights of our travels, a
most advantageous camp; for we lay between two woods, with
a little rivulet running just before our front, so that we could
not be surrounded, or attacked any way but in our front or rear.
We took care also to make our front as strong as we could, by
placing our packs, with our camels and horses, all in a line, on
the inside of the river, and felling some trees in our rear.
In this posture, we encamped for the night; but the enemy
was upon us before we had finished our situation.
They did
not come on us like thieves, as we expected, but sent three mes-
sengers to us, to demand the men to be delivered to them that
had abused their priests, and burned their god Cham Chi-Thaungu
with fire, that they might burn them with fire; and upon this,
they said, they would go away, and do us no further harm, other-
wise they would destroy us all. Our men looked very blank at
this message, and began to stare at one another to see who looked
with the most guilt in their faces; but nobody was the word,—
nobody did it. The leader of the caravan sent word he was well
assured that it was not done by any of our camp; that we were
peaceable merchants, travelling on our business; that we had done
no harm to them or to any one else; and that, therefore, they
must look farther for their enemies who had injured them, for
we were not the people; so desired them not to disturb us, for
if they did we should defend ourselves.
They were far from being satisfied with this for an answer;
and a great crowd of them came running down in the morning,
by break of day, to our camp; but seeing us in such an un-
accountable situation, they durst come no farther than the brook
in our front, where they stood, and shewed us such a number
that indeed terrified us very much; for those that spoke least of
them spoke of ten thousand. Here they stood and looked at
us awhile, and then setting up a great howl, they let fly a crowd
614
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
of arrows among us; but we were well enough fortified for that,
for we sheltered under our baggage, and I do not remember
that one of us was hurt.
Some time after this, we saw them move a little to our
right, and expected them on the rear; when a cunning fellow,
a Cossack of Jarawena, in the pay of the Muscovites, calling to
the leader of the caravan, said to him, "I'll go send all these
people away to Siheilka." This was a city four or five days' jour-
ney at least to the right, and rather behind us. So he takes his
bow and arrows, and getting on horseback, he rides away from
our rear directly, as it were back to Nertsinskay; after this, he
takes a great circuit about, and comes directly on the army of
the Tartars, as if he had been sent express to tell them a long
story that the people who had burned the Cham Chi-Thaungu
were gone to Siheilka, with a caravan of miscreants, as he called
them,—that is to say, Christians: and that they had resolved to
burn the god Schal-Isar, belonging to the Tongueses.
As this fellow was himself a mere Tartar, and perfectly spoke
their language, he counterfeited so well that they all took it from
him, and away they drove in a most violent hurry to Siheilka,
which, it seems, was five days' journey to the north; and in less
than three hours they were entirely out of our sight, and we
never heard any more of them, nor whether they went to Si-
heilka or no. So we passed away safely on to Jarawena, where
there was a garrison of Muscovites, and there we rested five days;
the caravan being exceedingly fatigued with the last day's hard
march, and with want of rest in the night.
From this city, we had a frightful desert, which held us
twenty-three days' march. We furnished ourselves with some
tents here, for the better accommodating ourselves in the might;
and the leader of the caravan procured sixteen carriages or
wagons of the country, for carrying our water or provisions; and
these carriages were our defence, every night, round our little
camp: so that had the Tartars appeared, unless they had been
very numerous indeed, they would not have been able to hurt us.
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
615
We may well be supposed to want rest again after this long
journey; for in this desert we neither saw house nor tree, and
scarce a bush; though we saw abundance of the sable hunters,
who are all Tartars of the Mogul Tartary, of which this country
is a part; and they frequently attack small caravans, but we
saw no numbers of them together.
After we had psssed this desert, we
desert, we came into a country
pretty well inhabited; that is to say, we found towns and
castles, settled by the Czar of Muscovy, with garrisons of sta-
tionary soldiers, to protect the caravans, and defend the country
against the Tartars, who would otherwise make it very dangerous
travelling; and his czarish majesty has given such strict orders
for the well guarding the caravans and merchants, that, if there
are any Tartars heard of in the country, detachments of the gar-
risons are always sent to see the travellers safe from station to
station. And thus the Governor of Adinskoy, whom I had an
opportunity to make a visit to, by means of the Scots merchant,
who was acquainted with him, offered us a guard of fifty men,
if we thought there was any danger, to the next station.
I thought long before this, that as we came nearer to Eu-
rope, we should find the country better inhabited, and the people
more civilised; but I found myself mistaken in both; for we
had yet the nation of the Tongueses to pass through, where we
saw the same tokens of paganism and barbarity as before; only,
as they were conquered by the Muscovites, they were not SO
dangerous but for rudeness of manners, and idolatry, no people
in the world ever went beyond them; they are clothed all in
skins of beasts, and their houses are built of the same; you
know not a man from a woman, neither by the ruggedness of
their countenances nor their clothes; and in the winter, when
the ground is covered with snow, they live under ground in
vaults, which have cavities going from one to another.
If the Tartars had their Cham Chi-Thaungu for a whole
village or country, these had idols in every hut and every cave:
besides, they worship the stars, the sun, the water, the snow,
and, in a word, everything they do not understand, and they
616
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
understand but very little; so that every element, every uncom-
mon thing sets them a sacrificing. I met with nothing peculiar
to myself in all this country, which I reckon was, from the desert
I spoke of last, at least four hundred miles, half of it being
another desert, which took us up twelve days' severe travelling,
without house or tree; and we were obliged again to carry our
own provisions, as well water as bread. After we were out of
this desert, and had travelled two days, we came to Janezay, a
Muscovite city or station on the great river Janezay, which, they
told us there, parted Europe from Asia.
Here I observed ignorance and paganism still prevailed, ex-
cept in the Muscovite garrisons; all the country between the
river Oby and the river Janezay is as entirely pagan, and the
people as barbarous, as the remotest of the Tartars; nay, as any
nation, for aught I know, in Asia or America. I also found,
which I observed to the Muscovite governors whom I had an
opportunity to converse with, that the poor pagans are not much
wiser, or nearer Christianity, for being under the Muscovite go-
vernment, which they acknowledged was true enough; but that,
as they said, was none of their business; that if the Czar ex-
pected to convert his Siberian, Tonguese, or Tartar subjects, it
should be done by sending clergymen among them, not soldiers ;
and, they added, with more sincerity than I expected, that they
found it was not so much the concern of their monarch to make
the people Christians as it was to make them subjects.
From this river to the great river Oby, we crossed a wild
uncultivated country, barren of people and good management,
otherwise it is in itself a most pleasant, fruitful, and agreeable
country. What inhabitants we found in it are all pagans, except
such as are sent among them from Russia: for this is the country,
I mean on both sides the river Oby, whither the Muscovite
criminals that are not put to death are banished, and from whence
it is next to impossible they should ever come away.
I have nothing material to say of my particular affairs till I
came to Tobolski, the capital city of Siberia, where I continued
some time on the following occasion.
•
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
617
We had now been almost seven months on our journey, and
winter began to come on apace; whereupon my partner and I
called a council about our particular affairs, in which we found
it proper, as we were bound for England, and not for Moscow,
to consider how to dispose of ourselves. They told us of sledges
and reindeer to carry us over the snow in the winter time; and,
indeed, they have such things that it would be incredible to re-

2000
7 FIS
late the particulars of, by which means the Russians travel more
in the winter than they can in summer, as in these sledges they
are able to run night and day; the snow, being frozen, is one
universal covering to nature, by which the hills, vales, rivers, and
lakes are all smooth and hard as a stone, and they run upon the
surface, without any regard to what is underneath.
But I had no occasion to push at a winter journey of this
kind; I was bound to England, not to Moscow, and my route
6
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
618
lay two ways; either I must go on as the caravan went, till I
came to Jaroslaw, and then go off west for Narva, and the Gulf
of Finland, and so to Dantzic, where I might possibly sell my
China cargo to good advantage; or I must leave the caravan
at a little town on the Dwina, from whence I had but six days
by water to Archangel, and from thence might be sure of ship-
ping either to England, Holland, or Hamburgh.
Now to go any of these journeys in the winter would have
been preposterous; for as to Dantzic, the Baltic would have been
frozen up, and I could not get passage; and to go by land in
those countries was far less safe than among the Mogul Tartars;
likewise, to go to Archangel in October, all the ships would be
gone from thence, and even the merchants who dwell there in
summer retire south to Moscow in the winter, when the ships
are gone; so that I could have nothing but extremity of cold to
encounter, with a scarcity of provisions, and must lie in an empty
town all the winter: so that, upon the whole, I thought it much
my better way to let the caravan go, and make provision to
winter where I was, at Tobolski, in Siberia, in the latitude of
abou 60 degrees, where I was sure of three things to wear out a
cold winter with, viz. plenty of provisions, such as the country
afforded, a warm house, with fuel enough, and excellent company.
I was now in a quite different climate from my beloved island,
where I never felt cold, except when I had my ague: on the
contrary, I had much to do to bear any clothes on my back,
and never made any fire but without doors, which was necessary
for dressing my food, &c. Now I made me three good vests,
with large robes or gowns over them, to hang down to the feet,
and button close to the wrists; and all these lined with furs, to
make them sufficiently warm.
As to a warm house, I must confess I greatly disliked our
way in England of making fires in every room in the house in
open chimneys, which, when the fire was out, always kept the
air in the room cold as the climate; but taking an apartment
in a good house in the town, I ordered a chimney to be built
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
619

Á LAISHE
like a furnace, in the centre of six several rooms, like a stove;
the funnel to carry the smoke went up one way, the door to
come at the fire went in another, and all the rooms were kept
equally warm, but no fire seen, just as they heat the bagnios in
England. By this means, we had always the same climate in all
the rooms, and an equal heat was preserved ; and how cold
soever it was without, it was always warm within; and yet we
saw no fire, nor were ever incommoded with smoke.
The most wonderful thing of all was, that it should be possible
to meet with good company here, in a country so barbarous as
620
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
that of the most northerly parts of Europe, near the frozen
ocean, within but a very few degrees of Nova Zembla. But this
being the country where the state criminals of Muscovy, as I
observed before, are all banished, this city was full of noblemen,
gentlemen, soldiers, and courtiers of Muscovy. Here was the
famous prince Galitzen, the old general Robostiski, and several
other persons of note, and some ladies. By means of my Scots
merchant, whom, nevertheless, I parted with here, I made an
acquaintance with several of these gentlemen; and from these,
in the long winter nights in which I stayed here, I received
several very agreeable visits.
It was talking one night with Prince
one of the
banished ministers of state belonging to the Czar of Muscovy,
that the discourse of my particular case began. He had been
telling me abundance of fine things of the greatness, the magni-
ficence, the dominions, and the absolute power of the Emperor
of the Russians: I interrupted him, and told him I was a greater
and more powerful prince than even the Czar of Muscovy was,
though my dominions were not so large, or my people so many.
The Russian grandee looked a little surprised, and, fixing his
eyes steadily upon me, began to wonder what I meant. I told
him his wonder would cease when I had explained myself. First,
I told him I had absolute disposal of the lives and fortunes of
all my subjects; that notwithstanding my absolute power, I had
not one person disaffected to my government, or to my person,
in all my dominions. He shook his head at that, and said,
there, indeed, I outdid the Czar of Muscovy. I told him that
all the lands in my kingdom were my own, and all my subjects
were not only my tenants, but tenants at will; that they would
all fight for me to the last drop; and that never tyrant, for
such I acknowledged myself to be, was ever so universally be-
loved, and yet so horribly feared by his subjects.
After amusing him with these riddles in government for
awhile, I opened the case, and told him the story at large of
my living in the island; and how I managed both myself and
OF ROBINSON CRusoe.
621
the people that were under me, just as I have since minuted
it down. They were exceedingly taken with the story, and
especially the prince, who told me, with a sigh, that the true
greatness of life was to be masters of ourselves; that he would
not have exchanged such a state of life as mine, to be Czar of
Muscovy; and that he found more felicity in the retirement he
seemed to be banished to there, than ever he found in the highest
authority he enjoyed in the court of his master the Czar; that
the height of human wisdom was to bring our tempers down to
our circumstances, and to make a calm within, under the weight
of the greatest storms without. When he came first hither, he
said he used to tear the hair from his head, and the clothes
from his back, as others had done before him; but a little time
and consideration had made him look into himself, as well as
round him, to things without: that he found the mind of man,
if it was but once brought to reflect upon the state of universal
life, and how little this world was concerned in its true felicity,
was perfectly capable of making a felicity for itself, fully satis-
fying to itself, and suitable to its own best ends and desires,
with but very little assistance from the world; the air to breathe
in, food to sustain life, clothes for warmth, and liberty for exer-
cise, in order to health, completed, in his opinion, all that the
world could do for us; and though the greatness, the authority,
the riches, and the pleasures which some enjoyed in the world,
had much in them that was agreeable to us, yet all those things
chiefly gratified the coarsest of our affections, such as our ambi-
tion, our particular pride, avarice, vanity, and sensuality; all
which, being the mere product of the worst part of man, were
in themselves crimes, and had in them the seeds of all man-
ner of crimes; but neither were related to, nor concerned with,
any of those virtues, that constituted us wise men, or of those
graces that distinguished us as Christians; that being now de-
prived of all the fancied felicity which he enjoyed in the full
exercise of all those vices, he said he was at leisure to look
upon the dark side of them, where he found all manner of de-
622
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
formity, and was now convinced that virtue only makes a man
truly wise, rich, and great, and preserves him in the way to a
superior happiness in a future state; and in this, he said, they
were more happy in their banishment than all their enemies
were, who had the full possession of all the wealth and power
they had left behind them. "Nor, sir," says he, "do I bring
my mind to this politically, by the necessity of my circumstances,
which some call miserable: but, if I know anything of myself,
I would not not now go back, though the Czar my master should
call me, and reinstate me in all my former grandeur: I say, I
would no more go back to it than I believe my soul, when it
shall be delivered from this prison of the body, and has had a
taste of the glorious state beyond life, would come back to the
gaol of flesh and blood it is now enclosed in, and leave Heaven,
to deal in the dirt and crime of human affairs.
He spoke this with so much warmth in his temper, so much
earnestness and motion of his spirits, that it was evident it was
the true sense of his soul; there was no room to doubt his sin-
cerity. I told him I once thought myself a kind of monarch in
my old station, of which I had given him an account: but that
I thought he was not only a monarch, but a great conqueror;
for he that has got a victory over his own exorbitant desires,
and the absolute dominion over himself, whose reason entirely
governs his will, is certainly greater than he that conquers a city.
66
But, my lord," said I," shall I take the liberty to ask you a
question?”- "With all my heart," says he. "If the door of
your liberty was opened," said I, "would you not take hold of
it to deliver you from this exile ?"-" Hold," said he; your
question is subtle, and requires some serious, just distinctions to
give it a sincere answer; and I will give it you from the bottom
of my heart.
Nothing that I know of in this world would move
me to deliver myself from this state of banishment, except these
two; first, the enjoyment of my relations; and, secondly, a little
warmer climate: but I protest to you, that to go back to the
pomp of the court, the glory, the power, the hurry of a minister
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
623
of state; the wealth, the gaiety, and the pleasures of a cour-
tier; if my master should send me word this moment that he
restores me to all he banished me from, I protest, if I know
myself at all, I would not leave this wilderness, these deserts,
and these frozen lakes, for the palace at Moscow."—" But, my

باشه
“
lord," said I, perhaps you not only are banished from the
pleasures of the court, and from the power, authority, and wealth
you enjoyed before, but you may be absent, too, from some of
the conveniences of life; your estate, perhaps, confiscated, and
your effects plundered; and the supplies left you here may not
be suitable to the ordinary demands of life."-" Ay," says he,
"that is as you suppose me to be a lord, or a prince, &c.;
so, indeed, I am; but you are now to consider me only as a
man, a human creature, not at all distinguished from another;
and so I can suffer no want, unless I should be visited with
sickness and distempers. However, to put the question out of
dispute, you see our manner; we are, in this place, five persons
of rank; we live perfectly retired, as suited to a state of banish-
ment; we have something rescued from the shipwreck of our
1
624
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
fortunes, which keeps us from the mere necessity of hunting for
food; but the poor soldiers, who are here without that help, live
in as much plenty as we, who go into the woods and catch sables
and foxes; the labour of a month will maintain them a year; and
as the way of living is not expensive, so it is not hard to get
sufficient to ourselves. So that objection is out of doors."
I have not room to give a full account of the most agreeable
conversation I had with this truly great man; in all which he
shewed that his mind was so inspired with a superior knowledge
of things, so supported by religion, as well as by a vast share of
wisdom, that his contempt of the world was really as much as
he had expressed, and that he was always the same to the last,
as will appear in the story I am going to tell.
I had been here eight months, and a dark, dreadful winter
I thought it; the cold so intense that I could not so much as
look abroad without being wrapped in furs, and a mask of fur
before my face, or rather a hood, with only a hole for breath, and
two for sight: the little daylight we had was, as we reckoned,
for three months, not above five hours a day, and six at most;
only that the snow lying on the ground continually, and the wea-
ther clear, it was never quite dark. Our horses were kept, or
rather starved under ground; and as for our servants, whom we
hired here to look after ourselves and horses, we had, every now
and then, their fingers and toes to thaw and take care of, lest
they should mortify and fall off.
It is true within doors we were warm, the houses being close,
the walls thick, the lights small, and the glass all double. Our
food was chiefly the flesh of deer, dried and cured in the sea-
son; bread good enough, but baked as biscuits; dried fish of
several sorts, and some flesh of mutton, and of the buffaloes,
which is pretty good meat. All the stores of provisions for the
winter are laid up in the summer, and well cured: our drink
was water, mixed with aqua-vitæ instead of brandy; and for a
treat, mead instead of wine, which, however, they have excellent
good. The hunters, who venture abroad all weathers, frequently
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
625
brought us in fine venison, and sometimes bears' flesh, but we
did not much care for the last. We had a good stock of tea,
with which we treated our friends, as above, and we lived very
cheerfully and well, all things considered.
It was now March, the days grown considerably longer, and
the weather at least tolerable; so the other travellers began to
prepare sledges to carry them over the snow, and to get things
ready to be going; but my measures being fixed, as I have said,
for Archangel, and not for Muscovy or the Baltic, I made no
motion; knowing very well that the ships from the south do not
set out for that part of the world till May or June, and that
if I was there by the beginning of August, it would be as soon
as any ships would be ready to go away; and therefore I made
no haste to be gone, as others did in a word, I saw a great
many people, nay, all the travellers, go away before me.
It
seems every year they go from thence to Muscovy for trade,
viz. to carry furs, and buy necessaries, which they bring back
with them to furnish their shops: also others went on the same
errand to Archangel; but then they all being to come back
again above eight hundred miles, went all out before me.
But my
In the month of May, I began to make all ready to pack
up; and, as I was doing this, it occurred to me that, seeing all
these people were banished by the Czar of Muscovy to Siberia,
and yet, when they came there, were left at liberty to go whither
they would, why they did not then go away to any part of the
world, wherever they thought fit; and I began to examine what
should hinder them from making such an attempt.
wonder was over when I entered upon that subject with the
person I have mentioned, who answered me thus: "Consider,
first, sir," said he, "the place where we are; and, secondly, the
condition we are in; especially the generality of the people who
are banished hither. We are surrounded with stronger things
than bars or bolts; on the north side, an unnavigable ccean,
where ship never sailed, and boat never swam; every other way,
we have above a thousand miles to pass through the Czar's own
626
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
dominions, and by ways utterly impassable, except by the roads
made by the government, and through the towns garrisoned by
his troops; so that we could neither pass undiscovered by the
road, nor subsist any other way; so that it is in vain to at-
tempt it."
I was silenced, indeed, at once, and found that they were in
a prison every jot as secure as if they had been locked up in
the castle at Moscow: however it came into my thoughts that
I might certainly be made an instrument to procure the escape
of this excellent person; and that, whatever hazard I ran, I
would certainly try if I could carry him off. Upon this, I took
an occasion, one evening, to tell him my thoughts. I repre-
sented to him that it was very easy for me to carry him away,
there being no guard over him in the country; and as I was
not going to Moscow, but to Archangel, and that I went in the
retinue of a caravan, by which I was not obliged to lie in the
stationary towns in the desert, but could encamp every night
where I would, we might easily pass uninterrupted to Archangel,
where I would immediately secure him on board an English ship,
and carry him safe along with me; and as to his subsistence
and other particulars, it should be my care till he could better
supply himself.
❤
He heard me very attentively, and looked earnestly on me
all the while I spoke; nay, I could see in his very face that
what I said put his spirits into an exceeding ferment; his colour
frequently changed, his eyes looked red, and his heart fluttered,
that it might be even perceived in his countenance; nor could
he immediately answer me when I had done, and as it were
hesitated what he would say to it: but after he had paused a
little, he embraced me, and said, "How unhappy are we, un-
guarded creatures as we are, that even our greatest acts of
friendship are made snares unto us, and we are made tempters
of one another? My dear friend," said he, your offer is so
sincere, has such kindness in it, is so disinterested in itself, and
is so calculated for my advantage, that I must have very little
66
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
627
knowledge of the world if I did not both wonder at it, and
acknowledge the obligation I have upon me to you for it. But
what I have often said to you
Did you believe I spoke my
really obtained that degree of
did you believe I was sincere in
of my contempt of the world?
very soul to you, and that I had
felicity here that had placed me above all that the world could
give me?
Did you believe I was sincere when I told you I
would not go back, if I was recalled even to be all that I once
was in the court, with the favour of the Czar my master? Did
you believe me, my friend, to be an honest man; or did you
believe me to be a boasting hypocrite?" Here he stopped, as
if he would hear what I would say; but, indeed, I soon after
perceived that he stopped because his spirits were in motion,
his great heart was full of struggles, and he could not go on.
I was, I confess, astonished at the thing as well as at the man,
and I used some arguments with him to urge him to set him-
self free; that he ought to look upon this as a door opened by
Heaven for his deliverance, and a summons by Providence, who
has the care and disposition of all events, to do himself good,
and to render himself useful in the world.
He had by this time recovered himself. "How do you know,
sir," says he warmly, "but that, instead of a summons from
Heaven, it may be a feint of another instrument; representing
in alluring colours to me the show of felicity as a deliverance,
which may in itself be my snare, and tend directly to my ruin?
Here I am free from the temptation of returning to my former
miserable greatness; there I am not sure but that all the seeds
of pride, ambition, avarice, and luxury, which I know remain
in nature, may revive, and take root, and, in a word, again
overwhelm me; and then the happy prisoner, whom you see
now master of his soul's liberty, shall be the miserable slave of
his own senses, in the full of all personal liberty. Dear sir,
let me remain in this blessed confinement, banished from the
crimes of life, rather than purchase a show of freedom at the
expense of the liberty of my reason, and at the future happiness
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
628
which I now have in my view, but shall then, I fear, quickly
lose sight of; for I am but flesh; a man, a mere man; have
passions and affections as likely to possess and overthrow me as
any man: O, be not my friend and tempter both together!"
If I was surprised before, I was quite dumb now, and stood
silent, looking at him, and, indeed, admiring what I saw. The
struggle in his soul was so great that, though the weather was
extremely cold, it put him into a most violent sweat, and I
found he wanted to give vent to his mind; so I said a word or
two, that I would leave him to consider of it, and wait on him
again, and then I withdrew to my own apartment.
About two hours after, I heard somebody at or near the door
of my room, and I was going to open the door, but he had opened
it and come in. "My dear friend," says he, "you had almost
overset me, but I am recovered. Do not take it ill that I do not
close with your offer; I assure you it is not for want of sense of
the kindness of it in you; and I came to make the most sincere
acknowledgment of it to you; but I hope I have got the victory
over myself.". "My lord," said I, I hope you are fully satisfied
that you do not resist the call of Heaven."- Sir," said he, "if
it had been from Heaven, the same power would have influenced
me to have accepted it: but I hope, and am fully satisfied, that
it is from Heaven that I decline it; and I have infinite satisfac-
tion in the parting, that you shall leave me an honest man still,
though not a free man."
I had nothing to do but to acquiesce, and make professions
to him of my having no end in it but a sincere desire to serve
him. He embraced me very passionately, and assured me he
was sensible of that, and should always acknowledge it; and
with that he offered me a very fine present of sables,-too much,
indeed, for me to accept from a man in his circumstances, and I
would have avoided them, but he would not be refused.
The next morning I sent my servant to his lordship with a
small present of tea, and two pieces of China damask, and four
little wedges of Japan gold, which did not all weigh above six
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
629
ounces or thereabouts, but were far short of the value of his
sables, which, when I came to England, I found worth near two
hundred pounds. He accepted the tea, and one piece of the
damask, and one of the pieces of gold, which had a fine stamp
upon it, of the Japan coinage, which I found he took for the
rarity of it, but would not take any more; and he sent word by
my servant that he desired to speak with me.
When I came to him, he told me I knew what had passed
between us, and hoped I would not move him any more in that
affair; but that, since I had made such a generous offer to him,
he asked me if I had kindness enough to offer the same to
another person that he would name to me, in whom he had a
great share of concern.
I told him that I could not say I in-
clined to do so much for any but himself, for whom I had a
particular value, and should have been glad to have been the
instrument of his deliverance; however, if he would please to
name the person to me, I would give him my answer. He told
me it was his only son; who, though I had not seen him, yet
he was in the same condition with himself, and above two hnn-
dred miles from him, on the other side the Oby; but that, if I
consented, he would send for him.
I made no hesitation, but told him I would do it. I made
some ceremony in letting him understand that it was wholly on
his account; and that, seeing I could not prevail on him, I
would shew my respect to him by my concern for his son; but
these things are too tedious to repeat here. He sent away the
next day for his son; and in about twenty days he came back
with the messenger, bringing six or seven horses loaded with
very rich furs, and which, in the whole, amounted to a very
great value. His servants brought the horses into the town, but
left the young lord at a distance till night, when he came in-
cognito into our apartment, and his father presented him to me;
and, in short, we concerted the manner of our travelling, and
everything proper for the journey.
7
630
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

w/1;
AIVE
I had bought a considerable quantity of sables, black fox-
skins, fine ermines, and such other furs as are very rich in that
city, in exchange for some of the goods I had brought from
China; in particular for the cloves and nutmegs, of which I sold
the greatest part here, and the rest afterwards at Archangel, for
a much better price than I could have got at London; and my
partner, who was sensible of the profit, and whose business, more
particularly than mine, was merchandise, was mightily pleased
with our stay, on account of the traffic we made here.
It was the begining of June when I left this remote place;
a city, I believe, little heard of in the world; and, indeed, it
is so far out of the road of commerce, that I know not how it
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
631
should be much talked of. We were now reduced to a very
small caravan, having only thirty-two horses and camels in all,
and all of them passed for mine, though my new guest was pro-
prietor of eleven of them; it was most natural also that I should
take more servants with me than I had before; and the young
lord passed for my steward; what great man I passed for my-
self, I know not, neither did it concern me to enquire. We
had here the worst and the largest desert to pass over that we
met with in our whole journey; I call it the worst, because
the way was very deep in some places, and very uneven in
others ; the best we had to say for it was, that we thought we
had no troops of Tartars or robbers to fear, and that they never
came on this side the river Oby, or at least but very seldom;
but we found it otherwise.
My young lord had a faithful Siberian servant, who was per-
fectly acquainted with the country, and led us by private roads,
so that we avoided coming into the principal towns and cities
upon the great road, such as Tumen, Soloy Kamskoi, and several
others; because the Muscovite garrisons which are kept there are
very curious and strict in their observation upon travellers, and
searching lest any of the banished persons of note should make
their escape that way into Muscovy; but, by this means, as we
were kept out of the cities, so our whole journey was a desert,
and we were obliged to encamp and lie in our tents, when we
might have had very good accommodation in the cities on the
way this the young lord was so sensible of, that he would not
allow us to lie abroad when we came to several cities on the
way, but lay abroad himself, with his servant, in the woods, and
met us always at the appointed places.
We were just entered Europe, having passed the river Kama,
which in these parts is the boundary between Europe and Asia,
and the first city on the European side was called Soloy Kamskoi,
which is as much as to say, the great city on the river Kama;
and here we thought to see some evident alteration in the people;
but we were mistaken; for as we had a vast desert to pass,
632
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
which is near seven hundred miles long in some places, but not
above two hundred miles over where we passed it, so till we
came past that horrible place, we found very little difference be-
tween that country and the Mogul Tartary: the people are
mostly pagans, and little better than the savages of America;
their houses and towns full of idols, and their way of living
wholly barbarous, except in the cities, as above, and the villages
near them, where they are Christians, as they call themselves,
of the Greek church; but have their religion mingled with so
many relics of superstition, that it is scarce to be known in
some places from mere sorcery and witchcraft.
In passing this forest, I thought, indeed, we must (after all
our dangers were, to our imagination, escaped as before) have
been plundered and robbed, and perhaps murdered, by a troop
of thieves; of what country they were, I am yet at a loss to
know, but they were all on horseback, carried bows and arrows,
and were at first about forty-five in number: they came so near
to us as to be within two musket-shots, and, asking no questions,
surrounded us with their horses, and looked very earnestly upon
us twice; at length, they placed themselves just in our way;
upon which we drew up in a little line, before our camels,
being not above sixteen men in all; and, being drawn up thus,
we halted, and sent out the Siberian servant, who attended his
lord, to see who they were: his master was the more willing to
let him go, because he was not a little apprehensive that they
were a Siberian troop sent out after him. The man came up
nearer them with a flag of truce,
a flag of truce, and called to them; but
though he spoke several of their languages, or dialects of lan-
guages rather, he could not understand a word they said; how-
ever, after some signs to him not to come near them at his
peril, the fellow came back no wiser than he went; only that
by their dress, he said, he believed them to be some Tartars of
Kalmuck, or of the Circassian hordes, and that there must be
more of them upon the great desert, though he never heard
that any of them were seen so far north before.
J
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
633

:
LACOSTE ET FILS
About an hour after, they again made a motion to attack
us, and rode round our little wood to see where they might
break in; but finding us always ready to face them, they went
off again and we resolved not to stir for that night.
:
This was small comfort to us; however, we had no remedy:
there was, on our left hand, at about a quarter of a mile dis-
tance, a little grove, and very near the road; I immediately
resolved we should advance to those trees, and fortify ourselves
as well as we could there; for, first, I considered that the trees
would in a great measure cover us from their arrows; and, in the
next place, they could not come to charge us in a body; it was,
indeed, my old Portuguese pilot who proposed it, and who had
this excellency attending him, that he was always readiest and
most apt to direct and encourage us in cases of the most danger.
We advanced immediately, with what speed we could, and gained
that little wood; the Tartars, or thieves, for we knew not what
634
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
to call them, keeping their stand, and not attempting to hinder
us. When we came thither, we found, to our great satisfaction,
that it was a swampy piece of ground, and on the one side a
very great spring of water, which, running out in a little brook,
was, a little farther, joined by another of the like size; and
was, in short, the source of a considerable river, called after-
wards the Wirtska; the trees which grew about this spring were
not above two hundred, but very large, and stood pretty thick,
so that as soon as we got in, we saw ourselves perfectly safe
from the enemy unless they attacked us on foot.
While we stayed here waiting the motion of the enemy some
hours, without perceiving they made any movement, our Portu-
guese, with some help, cut several arms of trees half off, and
laid them hanging across from one tree to another, and in a
manner fenced us in. About two hours before night, they came
down directly upon us; and, though we had not perceived it, we
found they had been joined by some more of the same, so that
they were near four-score horse; whereof, however, we fancied
some were women. They came on till they were within half-
shot of our little wood, when we fired one musket without ball,
and called to them in the Russian tongue to know what they
wanted, and bade them keep off; but they came on with a double
fury up to the wood side, not imagining we were so barricaded
that they could not easily break in. Our old pilot was our cap-
tain, as well as our engineer, and desired us not to fire upon
them till they came within pistol-shot, that we might be sure to
kill ; and that when we did fire we should be sure to take good
aim; we bade him give the word of command, which he delayed
so long, that they were some of them within two pikes' length
of us when we let fly. We aimed so true that we killed four-
teen of them, and wounded several others, as also several of
their horses; for we had all of us loaded our pieces with two
or three bullets at least.
They were terribly surprised with our fire, and retreated im-
mediately about one hundred rods from us; in which time, we

Our Portuguese, with some help, cut several arms of trees half off.
+3
ነ
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
635
loaded our pieces again, and, seeing them keep that distance, we
sallied out, and catched four or five of their horses, whose riders
we supposed were killed; and coming up to the dead, we judged
they were Tartars, but knew not how they came to make an
excursion such an unusual length.
We slept little, you may be sure, but spent the most part
of the night in strengthening our situation, and barricading the
entrances into the wood, and keeping a strict watch. We waited
for daylight, and when it came, it gave us a very unwelcome
discovery indeed; for the enemy, who we thought were discou-
raged with the reception they met with, were now greatly in-
creased, and had set up eleven or twelve huts or tents, as if
they were resolved to besiege us; and this little camp they had
pitched upon the open plain, about three-quarters of a mile from
us. We were, indeed, surprised at this discovery; and now, I
confess, I gave myself over for lost, and all that I had; the loss
of my effects did not lie so near me, though very considerable,
as the thoughts of falling into the hands of such barbarians, at the
latter end of my journey, after so many difficulties and hazards
as I had gone through, and even in sight of our port, where
we expected safety and deliverance. As to my partner, he was
raging, and declared that to lose his goods would be his ruin,
and that he would rather die than be starved, and he was for
fighting to the last drop.
The young lord, a gallant youth, was for fighting to the last
also; and my old pilot was of the opinion we were able to resist
them all in the situation we were then in; and thus we spent
the day in debates of what we should do: but towards evening
we found that the number of our enemies still increased, and we
did not know but by the morning they might still be a greater
number; so I began to enquire of those people we had brought
from Tobolski, if there were no private ways, by which we might
avoid them in the night, and perhaps retreat to some town, or
get help to guard us over the desert. The Siberian, who was
servant to the young lord, told us, if we designed to avoid them,
636
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES
and not fight, he would engage to carry us off in the night, to
a way that went north, towards the river Petrou, by which he
made no question but we might get away, and the Tartars never
the wiser but, he said, his lord had told him he would not
retreat, but would rather choose to fight. I told him he mistook
his lord; for that he was too wise a man to love fighting for
the sake of it; that I knew his lord was brave enough, by what
he had shewed already; but that his lord knew better than to
desire seventeen or eighteen men, to fight five hundred, unless an
unavoidable necessity forced them to it; and that, if he thought
it possible for us to escape in the night, we had nothing else
to do but to attempt it. He answered, if his lordship gave
him such orders, he would lose his life if he did not perform it:
we soon brought his lord to give that order, though privately,
and we immediately prepared for the putting it in practice.
And first, as soon as it began to be dark, we kindled a fire
in our little camp, which we kept burning, and prepared so as
to make it burn all night, that the Tartars might conclude we
were still there; but as soon as it was dark, and we could sce
the stars (for our guide would not stir before), having all our
horses and camels ready loaded, we followed our new guide, who
I soon found steered himself by the north star.
After we had travelled two hours very hard, it began to be
lighter still; not that it was dark all night, but the moon began
to rise, so that, in short, it was rather lighter than we wished
it to be; but by six o'clock the next morning, we were got
above thirty miles, having almost spoiled our horses.
Here we
found a Russian village, named Kermazinskoy, where we rested,
and heard nothing of the Kalmuck Tartars that day. About
two hours before night, we set out again, and travelled till eight
the next morning, though not quite so hard as before; and about
seven o'clock, we passed a little river, called Kirtza, and came
to a good large town inhabited by Russians, called Ozomoys;
there we heard that several troops of Kalmucks had been abroad
upon the desert, but that we were now completely out of danger
OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
637
Here we
were
of them, which was to our great satisfaction.
obliged to get some fresh horses, and having need enough of rest,
we stayed five days; and my partner and I agreed to give the
honest Siberian who brought us thither the value of ten pistoles.
In five days more, we came to Veuslima, upon the river
Wirtzogda, and running into the Dwina: we were there, very
happily, near the end of our travels by land, that river being
navigable, in seven days' passage, to Archangel. From hence,
we came to Lawrenskoy, the 3rd of July; and, providing our-
selves with two luggage boats, and a barge for our own con-
venience, we embarked the 7th, and arrived all safe at Archangel
the 18th; having been a year, five months, and three days on
the journey, including our stay of eight months at Tobolski. We
were obliged to stay at this place six weeks for the arrival of the
ships, and must have tarried longer, had not a Hamburgher
come in above a month sooner than any of the English ships;
when, after some consideration that the city of Hamburgh might
happen to be as good a market for our goods as London, we
all took freight with him; and, having put our goods on board,
it was most natural for me to put my steward on board to take
care of them; by which means, my young lord had a sufficient
opportunity to conceal himself, never coming on shore again all
the time we stayed there; and this he did that he might not be
seen in the city, where some of the Moscow merchants would
certainly have seen and discovered him.
We then set sail from Archangel the 20th of August, the
same year; and, after no extraordinary bad voyage, arrived safe
in the Elbe the 18th of September. Here my partner and I
found a very good sale for our goods, as well those of China,
as the sables, &c. of Siberia; and, dividing the produce, my share
amounted to £3,475 17s. 3d., including about six hundred pounds'
worth of diamonds, which I purchased at Bengal.
Here the young lord took his leave of us, and went up the
Elbe, in order to go to the court of Vienna, where he resolved to
seek protection, and could correspond with those of his father's
1
638
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
friends who were left alive. He did not part without testimonies
of gratitude for the service I had done him, and his sense of my
kindness to the prince his father.
To conclude, having stayed near four months in Hamburgh,
1 came from thence by land to the Hague, where I embarked
in the packet, and arrived in London the 10th of January, 1705,
having been absent from England ten years and nine months.
And here I resolved to prepare for a longer journey than all
these, having lived a life of infinite variety seventy-two years,
and learned sufficiently to know the value of retirement, and the
blessing of ending our days in peace.

بل
3781
Cambert
cle

A. Maurice
May '17