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 UNtVERSITY OF 
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Robinson Crusoe 
 
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 •PULLING AS WKLI, AS WE COUI.D lOWARDS THE LAND 
 
The Life and Strancre 
 
 Surprising Adventures of 
 
 K^iinson Crusoe 
 
 of York 
 Mariner 
 
 as Related by 
 Himself 
 
 by 
 
 Daniel Defoe 
 
 JLLUSTTi^ArED 
 
 LONDON 
 
 ERNEST NISTER 
 
 KEW YORK 
 E. P. DUTTON AND CO. 
 
 fri&ted In Bavana. 
 
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 ^■^ /jr*\ 
 
 / 
 
.....lil. 
 
 
 l-IST-OT-tlL U STRATI oksi 
 
 "Pulling as well as We could towards the Land" 
 
 " It would have made a Stoic smile to have seen Me and 
 My Family sit down to Dinner" 
 
 "The Print of a Man's Naked Foot in the Shore" . 
 
 "We cut and hewed the Outside into the True Shape of 
 A Boat " 
 
 "A Fierce Engagement between the Spaniard and One of 
 the Savages" ... 
 
 "So He began Jumping and shaking the Bough, at which 
 the Bear began to totter" 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 facing 60 
 
 172 
 
 246 
 
 298 
 
 And upwards of Eighty Black-and-White Drawings 
 BY J. FINNEMORE, G. H. THOMPSON, and ARCHIBALD WEBB. 
 
 109 
 
Robinson Crusoe. 
 
 I WAS born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not 
 of that country, my father being a foreigner, of Bremen, who settled first at Hull: 
 
 he got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards 
 at York; from whence he had married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, 
 a very good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; 
 but, by the usual corruption of words in England, we are now called, — nay, we call 
 ourselves, and write our name, Crusoe; and so my companions always called me. 
 
 I had two elder brothers, one of whom was lieutenant-colonel to an English 
 regiment of foot in Flanders, formerly commanded by the famous Colonel Lockhart, 
 and was killed at the battle near Dunkirk against the Spaniards. What became 
 of my second brother I never knew, any more than my father or mother did know 
 what was become of me. 
 
 Being the third son of the family, and not bred to any trade, my head began 
 to be filled very early with rambling thoughts; my father, who was very ancient, 
 had given me a competent share of learning, as far as house-education and a country 
 free-school generally goes, and designed me for the law ; but I would be satisfied Avith 
 nothing but going to sea; and my incHnation 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 befall 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 
 
8 ROB IN soy CRUSOE. 
 
 my f ither's house and my native country, where I might be well introduced, and had 
 a prospect ot raising my fortune by application 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, 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 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 two extremes, between the mean and the great; that the wise man 
 gave his testimony to this, as the just standard ot true felicity, when he prayed to have 
 neither poverty nor riches. 
 
 He bade me observe it, and I should always find, that the calamities of life 
 were shared among the upper and lower part of mankind; but that the middle station 
 had the fewest disasters, and was not exposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher 
 or lower part of mankind; nay, they Avere 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 insuf- 
 ficient diet on the other hand, bring distempers upon themselves by the natural conse- 
 quences 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 hand- 
 maids of a middle fortune; that temperance, moderation, 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, nor harassed with per- 
 plexed circumstances, which rob tlie 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 just been recommending to me; 
 and that if 1 was not very easy and happy in the world, it must be niy mere fate 
 or fault that must hinder it; and that he should have nothing to answer for, having 
 thus discharged his duty in warning me against measures which he knew would be 
 to my hurt; in a word, that as he would do very kind things for me if I would stay 
 and settle at home as he directed, so he would not have so much hand in my mis- 
 fortunes, 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 per- 
 suasions to keep him from going into the Low Country wars, but could not prevail, 
 his young desires prompting him to run into the army, where he was killed; and 
 though he said he would not cease to pray for me, yet he would venture to say to 
 me, that if I did take this foolish step God would not bless me, and I should have 
 leisure hereafter to reflect upon having neglected his counsel, when there might be 
 none to assist in my recovery. 
 
/ LEA VE HOME. 9 
 
 I observed in this last part of his discourse, which was truly prophetic, though 
 I suppose my lather did not know it to be so himself; I say, I observed the tears 
 run down his face very plentifully, especially when he spoke of my brother who was 
 killed; and that when he spoke of my having leisure to repent, and none to assist 
 me, he was so moved that he broke ofT the discourse, and told me his heart was so 
 full he could say no more to me. 
 
 I was sincerely affected with this discourse, and, indeed, who could be other- 
 wise? 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 as the first 
 heat of my resolution prompted, but I took my mother at a time when I thought 
 her a little more pleasant than ordinary, and told her that my thoughts were so 
 entirely bent upon seeing the world, that I should never settle to anything 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. 
 
 This put my mother into a great passion ; she told me she knew it would be 
 to no purpose to speak to my father upon any such subject; that he knew too well 
 what was my interest to give his consent to anything so much for my hurt ; and that 
 she wondered how I could think of any such thing after the discourse I had had 
 with my father, and such kind and tender expressions as she knew my father had 
 used to me; and that, in short, if I would ruin myself, there was no help for me; 
 but I might depend I should never have their consent to it; that for her part, she 
 would not have so much hand in my 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 showing a great 
 concern at it, said to her, with a sigh: "That boy might be happy if he would stay 
 at home; but if he goes abroad, he will be the most miserable wretch that ever was 
 born: I can give no consent to it." 
 
 It was not till almost a year after this that I broke loose, though, in the mean 
 time, I continued obstinately deaf to all proposals of settling to business, and frequently 
 expostulated with my father and mother about their being so positively determined 
 against what they knew my inclinations prompted me to. But being one day at 
 Hull, whither I went casually, and without any purpose of making an elopement at 
 that time; but, I say, being there, and one of my companions being going by sea 
 to London in his father's ship, and prompting me to go with them with the common 
 allurement of a seafaring man, that it should cost me nothing for my passage, I con- 
 sulted neither father nor mother any more, nor so much as sent them word of it; 
 but leaving them to hear of it as they might, without asking God's blessing or my 
 father's, without any consideration of circumstances or consequences, and in an ill 
 hour God knows, on the ist 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, than the 
 wind began to blow and the sea to rise in a most frightful manner; and, as I had 
 never been at sea before, I was most inexpressibly sick in body, and terrified in mind. 
 I began now seriously to reflect upon what I had done, and how justly I was over- 
 taken 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 
 
,0 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 mv 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 come since, reproached 
 mc 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 hip;)!, 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 I resolved that I %vould, 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\ 
 
 I had slept well in the night, and was now no more sea-sick, but very cheerful, 
 looking with wonder upon the sea that was so rough and terrible the day before, 
 and could be so calm and so pleasant in so little a time after. And now, lest my 
 good resolutions should continue, my companion, who had enticed me away, comes 
 to me: "Well, Bob," says he, clapping me upon the shoulder, "how do you do after 
 it ? I warrant you were frighted, wer'n't you, last night, when it blew but a capful 
 of wind?" " A capful, 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 see what charming weather 'tis now?" To 
 make short this sad part of my story, we went the way of all sailors; the punch 
 was made, and I was made half-drunk with it; and in that one night's wickedness I 
 drowned all my repentance, all my reflections upon my past conduct, all my resolu- 
 tions 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 reflec- 
 tion; 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 a one as the worst and most 
 hardened wretch among us would confess both the danger and the mercy. 
 
 The sixth day of our being at sea we came into Yarmouth Roads; the wind 
 
A TERRIBLE STORM. 
 
 II 
 
 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 harbour 
 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 
 the manner of the sea; but the eighth day, in the morning, the wind increased, and 
 we had all hands at Avork to strike our top-masts, and make everything snug and 
 
 " MY FATHER GAVE ME 
 SERIOUS AND EXCELLENT COUNSFL" (/. 7). 
 
 close, that the sliij) might ride as easy as possible. By noon the sea went very high 
 indeed, and our ship rode forecastle in, shipped several seas, and we thought once 
 or twice our anchor had come home; upon which our master ordered out the sheet- 
 anchor, so that we rode with two anchors ahead, and the cables veered out to the 
 better end. 
 
 By this time it blew a terrible storm indeed; and now I began to see terror 
 and amazement in the faces even of the seamen themselves. The master, though 
 vigilant in the 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 
 
12 HOB INS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 trampled upon, and hardened myself against: I tliought tlic 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 siglit I never 
 saw: the sea ran mountains high, and broke upon us every three or four minutes: 
 when I could look about, I could see nothing but distress round us; two ships that 
 rode near us, we found, had cut their masts by the board, being deep laden ; and 
 our men cried out, that a ship which rode about a mile ahead of us was fountlered. 
 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 unwilling to do; but the boatswain 
 protesting to him, that if he did not, the ship would founder, he consented; and 
 when they had cut away the fore-mast, the main-mast stood so loose, and shook the 
 ship so much, they were obliged to cut that away also, and make a clear deck. 
 
 And one must judge what a condition I must be in at al' 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, than I was at 
 death itself; and these, added to the terror of the storm, put me into such a condition, 
 that 1 can by no words describe it. But the worst was not come yet; the storm 
 continued with such fury, that the seamen themselves acknowledged they had never 
 seen a worse. We had a good ship, but she was deep laden, and wallowed in the 
 sea, so that the seamen every now and then cried out she would founder. It was 
 mv advantage in one respect that I did not know what they meant by fouiidcy, till I 
 inquired. However, the storm was so violent, that I saw, what is not often seen, the 
 master, the boatswain, and some others more sensible than the rest, at their prayers, 
 and expecting every moment when the ship Avould go to the bottom. In the middle 
 of the night, and under all the rest of our distresses, one of the men that had been 
 tlown to see, cried out we had sprung a leak; another said, there was four feet water 
 in the hold. Then all hands were called to the pump. At that word, my heart, as 
 I thought, died within me : and I fell backwards upon the side of my bed where I 
 sat, into the cabin. However, the men roused me, and told me, that I, that was 
 able to do nothing before, was as well able to pump as another; at which I stirred 
 up, and went to the pump, and worked very heartily. While this v/as doing, the 
 master seeing some light colliers, who, not able to ride out the storm, were ol)liged 
 to slip, and run away to the sea, and would come near us, ordered to fire a gun as 
 a signal of distress. I, who knew nothing what they meant, thought the ship had 
 broken, or some dreadful thing happened. In a word, I was so surprised that I fell 
 ilown 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 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 ahead of us, ventured 
 a boat out to help us. It was with the utmost hazard the boat came near us; but 
 it was impossible for us to get on board, or for the boat to lie near the ship's side, 
 till at last the men rowing very heartily, and venturing their lives to save ours, our 
 men cast them a rope over the stern with a buoy to it, and then veered it out a 
 
ON DRY LAND AGATN. 13 
 
 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 ; 
 and our master promised them, that if tlie boat was staved upon shore, he wouhl 
 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 till we 
 saw her sink, and then I understood for the first time what was meant by a ship 
 foundering in the sea. I must acknowledge I had hardly eyes to look up when the 
 seamen told me she was sinking; for from the moment that they rather put me into 
 the boat, than that I might be said to go in, my heart was, as it were, dead within 
 me, partly with fright, partly with horror of mind, and the thoughts of what was yet 
 before me. 
 
 While we were in this condition — the men yet 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 lighthouse at Winterton, the shore 
 falls off to the westward towards Cromer, and so the land broke off a little the vio- 
 lence 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 fiull, 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 1 had several times loud calls from my reason, and my more composed 
 judgment, to go home, yet I had no power to do it. I know not what to call this, 
 nor will I urge that it is a secret overruling decree, that hurries us on to be the 
 instruments of our own destruction, even though it be before us, and that we rush 
 upon it with our eyes open. Certainly, nothing but some such decreed unavoidable 
 misery attending, 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 obstructions as I had met with in my first attempt. 
 
 My comrade, who had helped to harden me before, and who was the master's 
 son, was now less forward than I. The first time he spoke to me after we were at 
 Yarmouth, which was not till two or three days, for we were separated in the town 
 to several quarters; I say, the first time he saw me, it appeared his tone was altered; 
 and, looking very melanchol}-, and shaking his head, he asked me how I did, and 
 telling his father who I was, and how I had come this voyage only for a trial, in 
 order to go farther abroad : his father, turning to me with a very grave and concerned 
 tone, "Young man," says he, "you ought never to go to sea any more; you 
 ought to take this for a plain and visible token that you are not to be a seafaring 
 man." "Why, sir," said I, "will you go to sea no more?" "That is another case, " 
 said he; "it is my calling, and therefore my duty; but as you made this voyage for 
 a trial, you see what a taste Heaven has given you of what you are to expect if you 
 persist. Perhaps this has all befallen us on your account, like Jonah in the ship of 
 Tarshish. Pray," continues he, "what are you; and on what account did you go 
 
14 1^0 BINS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 to sea?" Upon tliat I told him some of my story; at the end of wliicli lie 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, telling 
 me I might see a visible hand of Heaven against me. "And, young man," said he, 
 "depend upon it, if you do not go back, wherever you go, you will meet with nothing 
 but disasters and disappointments, till your father's words are fulfilled upon you." 
 
 We parted soon after; for I made him little answer, and I saw him no more; 
 which way he went I 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 neigh- 
 bours, and should be ashamed to see, not my father and mother only, but even every- 
 body else; from whence I have often since observed, how incongruous and irrational 
 the common temper of mankind is, especially of youth, to that reason which ought 
 to guide them in such cases, viz., that they are not ashamed to sin, and yet are 
 ashamed to repent; not ashamed of the action for which they ought justly to be 
 esteemed fools, but are ashamed of the 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 awhile, 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 undigested 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 called it, a voyage to Guinea.''' 
 
 It was my great misfortune that in all these adventures I did not ship myself 
 as a sailor; when, though I might indeed have worked a little harder than ordinary, 
 yet at the same time I should have learnt the duty and office of a fore-mast 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 worst, so I did here; for having 
 money in my pocket and good clothes upon my back, I would always go on board 
 in the habit of a gentleman; and so I neither had any business in the ship, nor 
 learned to do any. 
 
 It was my lot first of all to fall into pretty good company in London, which 
 does not always happen to such loose and misguided young fellows as I then was; 
 the devil generally not omitting to lay some snare for them very early; but it was 
 not so with me. I first got acquainted with the master of a ship who had been on 
 the coast of Guinea; and who, having had very good success there, was resolved to 
 go again. This captain taking a fancy to my conversation, which was not at all 
 
 • Guinea A district of that part of the West Coast of Africa where the land runs nearly due east 
 and .vest. The six countries into which it is divided are known to sailors under the names of Sierra Leone, 
 Gi„in Coast, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, Slave Coast, and Benin. 
 
.^n' FlRS7^ TRADING VOYAGE. 
 
 IS 
 
 "WE WORKED on" (J>. 12). 
 
 disagreeable at that time, hearing me say I had a mind to see the world, told mc if 
 I would go the voyage with him I should be at no expense; I should be his mess- 
 mate and his companion; and if I could carry anything with me, I should have all 
 the advantage of it that the trade w^ould admit; and perhaps I might meet with 
 some encouragement. 
 
 I embraced the offer; and entering into a strict friendship with this captain, 
 who was an honest, plain-dealing man, I went the voyage with him, and carried a 
 small adventure with me, which, by the disinterested honesty of my friend the captain, 
 I increased very considerably; for I carried about £\o in such toys and trifles as the 
 captain directed me to buy. This £d^o 1 had mustered together by the assistance 
 of some of my relations whom I corresponded with; and who, I believe, got my 
 father, or at least my mother, to contribute so much as that to my first adventure. 
 
 This was the only voyage which I may say was successful in all my adven- 
 tures, 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 navi- 
 gation, learned how to keep an account of the ship's course, take an observation, and, 
 
i6 ROB/XSOK CRVSOE. 
 
 in short, to understand some tilings that were needful to be understood by a sailor; 
 for, as he took delight to instruct me, I took delight to learn; and, in a word, this 
 voyage 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 ^Tsoo; and this filled me with those aspiring thoughts which have since so 
 completed my ruin. 
 
 ^'et even in this voyage I had my misfortunes too; particularl}-, that I was 
 continually sick, being thrown into a violent calenture by the excessive heat of the 
 climate; our principal trading being upon the coast, from the latitude of fifteen 
 degrees north even to the line itself. 
 
 I was now set up for a Guinea trader; and my friend, to my great misfortune, 
 dying soon after his arrival, I resolved to go the same voyage again, and I embarked 
 in the same vessel with one who was his mate in the former voyage, and had now 
 got the command of the ship. This was the unhappiest voyage that ever man made; 
 for though I did not carry quite £ioo of my new-gained wealth, so that I had /^20o 
 left, which I had 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 Moorish rover of Sallee, who gave 
 chase to us with all the sail she could make. We crowded also as much canvas as our 
 yards would spread, or our masts carry, to 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 broadside upon him, which made him sheer off again, after returning our fire, 
 and pouring in also his small shot from near two hundred men which he had on 
 board. However, we had not a man touched, all our men keeping close. He 
 prepared to attack us again, and we to defend ourselves. But laying us on board 
 the next time upon our other quarter, he entered sixty men upon our decks, who 
 immediately fell to 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 melancholy part of our stor\', 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 circum- 
 stances, from a merchant to a miserable slave, I was perfectly overwhelmed; and 
 now I looked back upon my father's prophetic discourse to me, that I should be 
 miserable and have none to relieve me, which I thought was now so effectually 
 brought to pass, that I could not be worse; for now the hand of Heaven had over- 
 taken 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 some time or other be his fate to be taken by a Spanish or Portuguese man- 
 of-war; and that then I should be set at liberty. But this hope of mine was soon 
 taken away ; for when he went to sea, he left me on shore to look after his little 
 garden, and do the conunon 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 1 meditated nothing but my escape, and what method 1 might take to 
 effect it, but found no way that had the least probability in it; nothing presented 
 
/ ENTERTAIN IDEAS OF ESCAPE. 17 
 
 to make the supposition of it rational; for I had nobody to communicate it to that 
 would embark with me — no fellow-slave, no Englishman, Irishman, or Scotsman 
 there but myself; so that for two years, though I often jjleased myself with the 
 imagination, yet I never had the least encouraging prospect of putting it in practice. 
 
 After about two years an odd circumstance presented itself, which put the old 
 thought of making some attempt for my liberty again in my head. My patron lying 
 at home longer than usual without fitting out his ship, which, as 1 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 Moresco with him to roAv the boat, we made him 
 very merry, and I proved very dexterous in catching fish; insomuch that sometimes 
 he would send me with a Moor, one of his kinsmen, and the youth — the Moresco, 
 as the}^ called him — to catch a dish of fish for him. 
 
 It happened one time, that going a-fishing with him in a calm morning, a fog rose 
 so thick that, though we were not half a league from the shore, we lost sight of 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 tlie land. 
 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 him- 
 self for the future; and having lying by him the long-boat of our English ship whicli 
 he had taken, he resolved he would not go a-fishing any more without a compass 
 and some provision; so he ordered the carpenter of his ship, who also was an Eng- 
 lish 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 jibbed over the top of 
 the cabin, which lay very snug and low, and had in it room for him to lie, with a 
 slave or two, and a table to eat on, with some small lockers to put in some bottles 
 of such liquor as he thought fit to drink; and particularly his bread, rice, and coflfee. 
 
 We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing ; and as I was most dexterous 
 to catch fish for him, he never went without me. It happened that he had appointed 
 to go out in this boat, either for pleasure or for fish, with two or three Moors of 
 some distinction in that place, and for whom he had provided extraordinarily, and 
 had therefore sent on board the boat over-night a larger store of provisions than 
 usual; and had ordered me to get ready three fusils''' 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 accommo- 
 date his guests; when by-and-by my patron came on board alone, and told me his 
 guests had put off going, from some business that fell out, and ordered me, with the 
 man and boy, as usual, to go out with the boat and catch them some fish, for that 
 his friends were to sup at his house : he commanded me too that as soon as I had 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 likely to have a little ship at mj' command ; 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 any- 
 where to get out of that place was my desire. 
 
 * Fusil, a French word, meaning a light musket or firelock. 
 
 f Ancient, the old word, derived from the French ensigne, for a flag, or the man who carries it. 
 
i8 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 My first contrivance was to make a pretence to speak to this Moor, to get some- 
 thing for our subsistence on board; for 1 told him we must not presume to eat of 
 our patron's bread. He said that was true; so lie 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, which weighed about half an hundredweight, 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, which they call Muley, 
 or Moely; so I called to him: — "Moely," said I, "our patron's guns are on board 
 the boat; can you not get a little powder and shot? It may be we 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 about a pound and a half of powder, or rather more; 
 and another with shot, that had five or six pounds, with some bullets, and put all 
 into the boat. At the same time, I had found some powder of my master's in the 
 great cabin, with which I filled one of the large bottles in the case, which was 
 almost empty, pouring what was in it into another; and thus furnished with every- 
 thing 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 iish. The 
 wind blew from the N.N.E., which was contrary to my desire, for had it blown 
 southerly, I had been sure to have made the coast of Spain, and at least reached 
 to the bay of Cadiz; but my resolutions were, blow which way it would, I would be 
 gone from that horrid place where I was, and leave the rest to fate. 
 
 After we had fished some time and caught nothing, for when I had fish on my 
 hook, I would not pull them up, that he might not see them, I said to the Moor, 
 "This will not do; 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 ran the boat out near a league farther, and then brought her 
 to, as if I would fish; when, giving the boy the helm, I stepped forward to where 
 the Moor was, and making as if I stooped for something behind him, I took him by 
 surprise with my arm under his waist, and tossed him clear overboard into the sea. 
 He rose immediately, for he swam like a cork, and called to me, begged to be taken 
 in, telling 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 best of your way to shore, and I will do you no harm; but if 
 you come near the boat, I'll shoot you through tlie 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. 
 
 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 the 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 
 
T5;^^«: 
 
 •HE LAY STRUGGLING fOK LltE." 
 
 fSee p. aa.j 
 
20 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 saiHng on to the 
 southward, to the truly barbarian coast, where whole nations of negroes were sure 
 to surround us with their canoes, and destroy us ; where we could never once go on 
 shore but w^e should be devoured by savage beasts, or mere 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 1 first made the land, I could not be less than one hundred and fifty miles 
 south of Sallee: quite beyond the Emperor of Morocco's dominions, or indeed of any 
 other king thereabouts, for we saw no people. 
 
 Yet such was the fright I had taken at the Moors, and the dreadful apprehensions 
 I had of falling into their hands, that I would not stop, or go on shore, or come to 
 an anchor; the wind continuing fair till I had sailed in that manner five days; and 
 then the wind shifting to the southward, I concluded also that if any of our vessels 
 were in chase of me, they also would now give over: so I ventured to make to the 
 coast, and came to an anchor in the mouth of a little river, I knew not what, nor 
 where; neither what latitude, what country, Avhat nation, or what river. I neither 
 saw, nor desired to see, any people; the principal thing 1 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 w-as 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 (w^e knew not what to call them) of many sorts, come down 
 to the sea-shore, and run into the water, wallowing and washing themselves for the 
 pleasure of cooling themselves; and they made such hideous bowlings and yelHngs, 
 that I never indeed heard the like. 
 
 Xury was dreadfully frighted, and indeed so was I too; but we were both more 
 frighted when we heard one mighty creature 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 Hon, and it might be so for aught 1 
 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 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, w^hich something surprised nie; 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 bowlings, 
 that were raised, as well upon the edge of the shore as higJier 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 upon 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 
 
 • Straits, the Straits of Gibraltar. 
 
/ GO ON SHORE W/lir XURY. 
 
 "IT WAS A rORTUGUESE SHIP " (/. 25). 
 
 been as bad as to have fallen into the paws of the hons 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, it I would let him go on shore with one of the jars, he woukl 
 find if there was any water, and bring some to me. I asked him why he would go? 
 why I should not go, and he stay in the boat ? The boy answered with so much 
 affection, as made me love him ever after. Says he, "If wild mans come, they eat 
 me, you go wey." '""Well, Xury," said I, "we will both go, and if the wild mans 
 come, we will kill them — they shall eat neither of us." So I gave Xury a piece of 
 rusk bread to eat, and a dram out of our patron's case of bottles which I mentioned 
 before ; and we hauled the boat in as near the shore as we thought was proper, and 
 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 toward me. I thought he 
 was pursued by some savage, or frighted with some wild beast, and I ran forward 
 towards him to help him ; but when I came nearer to him, I saw something 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. 
 
 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 flows but a little way up; so we filled our jars, and feasted on the hare we 
 had killed, and prepared to go on our way, having seen no footsteps of any human 
 creature in that part of the country. 
 
 As I had been one voyage to this coast before, I knew very well that the islands 
 
22 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 of the Canaries, and the Cape dc 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 did not exactly know, or at least not remember, what latitude they were in, I 
 knew not where to look for them, or when to stand o(T 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 tlicir vessels upon their usual design of trade, that would relieve and take us in. 
 
 By the best of my calculation, that place where 1 now was must be that country 
 which, lying between the Emperor of Morocco's dominions and the negroes, lies 
 waste 'and uninhabited, except by wild beasts; the negroes having abandoned it, and 
 gone farther south, for fear of the Moors; and the Moors not thinking it worth 
 inhabiting, by reason of its barrenness; and indeed both forsaking it because of the 
 prodigious numbers of tigers, lions, leopards, and other furious creatures which 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 a hundred miles 
 together upon this coast, we saw nothing but a waste uninhabited country by day, and 
 heard nothing but bowlings and roarings of wild beasts by night. 
 
 Once or twice in the day-time, I thought I saw^ the Pico of Teneriffe, bcmg 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 failed twice, I was forced in again by 
 contrary winds, the sea also going too high for my little vessel; so I resolved to 
 pursue my first design, and keep along the shore. 
 
 Several times 1 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 tlic shade of a piece of 
 
 the hill that hung as it were a little over him. "Xury," says I, "you shall go on 
 
 shore and kill him." Xury looked frighted, and said, "Me kill! he eat me at one 
 
 mouth;" one mouthful he meant. However, I said no more to the boy, but bade him 
 
 be still, and 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 immediately, and 
 
 though he began to move off, fired again, and shot him in the head, and had the 
 
 pleasure to see him drop; and making but little noise, he lay struggling for life. Then 
 
 Xury took heart, and would have me let him go on shore. "Well, go," said I: so 
 
 the boy jumped into the water, and taking the 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; anil I was very sorry to lose 
 three charges of powder and shot upon a creature that was good for nothing to us. 
 However, Xury said he would have some of him; so he comes on board, and asked 
 me to give him the hatchet. "For what, Xury?" said I. "Me cut off his head," 
 said he. However, Xury could not cut off his head, but he cut off a foot, and 
 brought it with him, and it was a monstrous great one. 
 
WE ENCOUNTER NAKED SAVAGES. 
 
 2i 
 
 I bethought myself, however, that perhaps the skin of liim might, one way or 
 other, be of some vahie 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 up both the whole day, but at 
 last- we got off the hide of him, and spreading it on the top of our cabin, the sun 
 cffectuall}- 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 sparingly 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 Euro})ean ship; and if I did not, 
 I knew not what course 1 had to take, but to seek for the islands, or perish there 
 among the negroes. I knew that all the shii)s from Europe, which sailed either to 
 the coast of Guinea or to Brazil, or to the East Indies, made this cape, or those 
 
 
 "THEY CAME TO MAKE A SECRET PROPOSAL TO ME " (/>. 29). 
 
 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 could 
 throw them a great way with good aim; so I kept at a distance, but talked with 
 them by signs as well as I could; and particularly made signs for something to eat; 
 they beckoned to me to stop my boat, and they would fetch me some meat. Upon 
 this, I lowered the top of my sail, and lay by, and two of them ran up into the 
 
24 ROBIXSON- CRUSOE. 
 
 country, and in less than half an hour came back, and brought with them two pieces 
 of dried flesh and some corn, such as is the produce of their country; but we neither 
 knew what the one or the other was: however, we were willing to accept it, but how 
 to come at it was our next dispute, for I would not venture on shore to them, and 
 they were as much afraid of us: but they took a safe way for us all, for they brought 
 it to the shore and laid it down, and went and stood a great way off till we fetched 
 it on board, and then came close to us again. 
 
 We made signs of thanks to them, for we had nothing to make them amends; 
 but an opportunity offered that very instant to oblige them wonderfully: for while we 
 were lying on 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 
 women. The man that had the lance or dart did not fly from them, but the rest 
 did ; however, as the two creatures ran directly into the water, they did not offer to 
 fall upon any of the negroes, but plunged themselves into the sea, and swam about, 
 as if they had come for their diversion: at last one of them began to come nearer 
 our boat than at first I expected; but I lay ready for him, for I had loaded my gun 
 with all possible 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. 
 
 It is impossible to express the astonishment of these poor creatures at the noise 
 and fire of my gun; some of them were ready even to die for fear, and fell down as 
 dead with the very terror. But when they saw the creature dead, and sunk into 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 killed him with. 
 
 The other creature, frighted with the flash of fire and the noise of the gun, swam 
 to the shore, and ran up directly to the mountains from whence they came; nor could I, 
 at that distance, know what it was. 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; 
 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 would 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 
 provision, which, though I did not understand, yet I accepted. Then I made signs 
 to them for some water, and held out one of my jars to them, turning its bottom 
 upward, to show 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 for 
 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, antl water; and leaving 
 my friendly negroes, I made forward for about eleven days more, without offering to 
 
RESCUED BY A PORTUGUESE S///P. 25 
 
 p^o 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 ke])t 
 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 do; for if I should be taken with a fresh 
 gale of wind, I might neither reach one nor 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 immediately saw, not only 
 the ship, but that it was a Portuguese ship; and, as I thought, was bound to the coast 
 of Guinea, for negroes. But, when I observed the course she steered, I was soon con- 
 vinced they were bound some other way, and did not design to go any nearer 
 the shore: upon which I stretched out to the 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 perspective 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 of which 
 they saw; for they told me they saw the smoke, though they did not hear the gun. 
 Upon these signals they very kindly brought to, and lay by for me; and in about 
 three hours' time I came up with them. 
 
 They asked me what I was, in Portuguese, and in Spanish, and in French, but 
 I understood none of them; but, at last, a Scotch sailor, who was on board, called 
 to me: and I answered him, and told him I was an Englishman, that 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 off"ered all I had to the captain of the ship, as a return 
 for my deliverance; but he generously told me, he would take nothing from me, but 
 that all I had should be delivered safe to me, when I came to the Brazils. "For," 
 says he, "I have saved your life on no other terms than as I would be glad to be 
 saved myself; and it may, one time or other, be my lot to be taken up in the same 
 condition. Besides," said he, "when I carry you to the Brazils, so great a way from 
 your own countrj^, if I should take from you what you have, you will be starved 
 there, and then I only take away that life I have given. No, no," says he; "Seignor 
 Inglese" (Mr. Englishman), "I will carry you thither in charity, and these things 
 will help you to buy your subsistence there, and your passage home again." 
 
 As he was charitable in this proposal, so he was just in the performanae 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 to my three earthen jars. 
 
 As to my boat, it was a very good one; and that he saw, and told me he would 
 buy it of me for the ship's use; and asked me what I could have for it? I told him, 
 he had been so generous to me in everything, that I could not ofier 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 his hand to pay me eighty pieces of eight for it at Brazil; and when it 
 
26 J^OB/.VSOA^ CRUSOE. 
 
 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, wliich I was loth to take; not that 
 I was unwilling to let the captain have him, but I was very loth to sell the poor 
 boy's libertv, who had assisted me so faithfully in procuring my own. However, 
 when I let him know my reason, he owned it to be just, and offered me this medium, 
 that he would give the boy an obligation to set him free in ten years, if he turned 
 Christian: upon this, and Xury saying he was willing to go to him, 1 let the captain 
 have him. 
 
 We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and I arrived in the Bay de To Jos 
 los Santos, or All Saints' Bay, in about twenty-two days after. And now I was once 
 more delivered from the most miserable of all conditions of life; and what to do next 
 with myself I was to consider. 
 
 The generous treatment the captain gave me, I can never enough remember: he 
 would take nothing of me for my 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 the 
 lump of bees'-wax, for I had made candles of the rest: in a word, I made abo-.it two 
 hundred and twenty pieces of eight of all my cargo; and with this stock, I w^ent on 
 shore in the Brazils. 
 
 I had not been long here, but being recommended to the house of a good, 
 honest man, like himself, who had an iiigenio, as they call it (that is, a plantation 
 and a sugar-house), I lived with him some time, and acquainted myself, by that 
 means, with the manner of their planting and making of sugar; and seeing how well the 
 planters lived, and how the}^ got rich suddenl}^ 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 letter of naturalisation, I purchased as much land 
 that w^as uncured as my money would reach, and formed a plan for my plantation 
 and settlement; such a one as might be suitable to the stock which I proposed to 
 myself to receive from England. 
 
 I had a 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 neighbour, 
 because his plantation lay next to mine, and we wont on very sociably together. i\Iy 
 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 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 ujjper 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 stayed at home, and 
 never fatigued myself in the world, as I have done; and I used often to say to 
 myself, I could have done this as well in England, among my friends, as have gone 
 five thousand miles off to do it among strangers and savages, in a wilderness, and at 
 such a distance as never to hear from any part of the world that had the least know- 
 ledge 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 
 
MV LIFE IN THE BRAZILS. 27 
 
 upon some desolate island, that liad nobody there but himself. But how just has it 
 been — and how should all men reflect, that when they compare their present conditions 
 with others that are worse, Heaven may oblige them to make the exchange, and be 
 convinced of their former felicity by their experience— I say, how just has it been, 
 that the truly sohtary life I reflected on, in an island of mere desolation, should be 
 my lot, who had so often unjustly compared it with the life which I then led, in 
 which, had I continued, I had, in all probability, been exceedingly prosperous and rich. 
 I was, in some dcc^rce, settled in my measures for carrying on the plantation, 
 
 '^^'SA'y? 
 
 "I nF.SOLVED TO HOLD FAST LiV A PTECE OF THE KOCK " (/. 33). 
 
 before my kind friend, the captain of the ship that took me up at sea, went back — for 
 the ship remained there, in providing her lading, and preparing for her voyage, near 
 three m.onths; when, telling him what little stock I had left behind me in London, 
 he gave me this friendly and sincere advice: — "Seignor Inglese," says he (for so he 
 always called me), "if you will give me letters, and a procuration 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 
 
28 KOnrXSON CRrsOE. 
 
 but for one hundred pounds sterlin;^, 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 Portu- 
 guese captain, as he desired. 
 
 I wrote the English captain's widow a full account of all my adventures — mv 
 slavery, escape, and how I had met with the Portuguese 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 
 accoimt of my story to a merchant at London, who represented it effectually to her; 
 whereupon she not only delivered the money, but, out of her own pocket, sent the 
 Portugal captain a very handsome present for his humanity and charity to me. 
 
 The merchant in London vested this hundred pounds in English goods, such 
 as the captain had written for, sent them directl}^ to him at Lisbon, and he brought 
 them all safe to me to the Brazils; among which, without my direction (for I was too 
 young in my business to think of them), he had taken care to have all sorts of tools, 
 iron work, and utensils, necessary for my plantation, and which were of great use to me. 
 
 When this cargo arrived, I thought my fortune made, for I was surprised with 
 the joy of it; and my good steward, the captain, had laid out the five pounds, which 
 my friend had sent him for a present for himself, to purchase and bring me over a 
 servant, under bond for six years' service, and would not accept of any consideration, 
 except a little tobacco, which I would have him accept, being of m}' own produce. 
 
 Neither was this all; for my goods being all English manufacture, such as cloths, 
 stuffs, baize, and things particular!}^ valuable and desirable in the country, I found 
 means to sell them at a very great advantage ; so that 1 may say, I had more than 
 four times the value of my first cargo, and was now infinitely beyond my poor neigh- 
 bour — 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 necessaries among my neighbours; and these fifty rolls, being each of 
 above a hundred- weight, were well cured, and laid by against tho reti^rn of the fleet 
 from Lisbon: and now increasing in business and wealth, nn- head beg ui to be 
 full of projects and undertakings beyond my reach; such as are, indeed, often the 
 ruin of the best heads in business. Had I continued in the station I was no.v in, I 
 had room for all the happy things to have yet befallen me, for which my lather so 
 earnestly recommended a quiet, retired life, and which he had so sensibly described 
 the middle station of life to be full of; but other things attended me, and 1 was still 
 to be the wilful agent of all my own miseries; and ])articularly, to increase my fault, 
 and double the reflections upon myself, which in my future sorrows I should have 
 leisure to make, all these miscarriages were procured by my apparent obstinate 
 adhering to my foolish inclination of wandering abroad, and pursuing that inclination, 
 in contradiction to the clearest views of doing myself good in a fair and plain pursuit 
 of those prospects, and those measures of life, which nature and Providence concurred 
 to present me with, and to make my duty. 
 
 As I had once done thus in breaking away from my parents, so I could not 
 be content now, but 1 must go and leave the haj^py view I had of being a rich and 
 thriving man in my new plantation, only to pursue a rash and immoderate desire of 
 
THE SLAVE-DEALING SCTTEME. 2q 
 
 rising faster than the nature of the thing admitted; and thus I cast myself down again 
 into the deepest gulf of human misery that ever man fell into, or perhaps could be 
 consistent with life, and a state of health in the world. 
 
 To come, then, by just degrees, to the particulars of this part of my story: 
 — You may suppose, that having now lived almost four years in the Brazils, and 
 beginning to thrive and prosper very well upon my plantation, I had not only learned 
 the language, but had contracted acquaintance and friendship among my fellow-planters, 
 as well as among the merchants at St. Salvadore, which was our port; and that, in 
 my discourse 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 Brazils, in great numbers. 
 
 They listened always very attentively to my discourse on these heads, but 
 especially to that part which related to the buying negroes, which was a trade, at 
 that time, not only not far entered into, but, as far as it was, had been carried on 
 by the assiento, or permission, of the Kings of Spain and Portugal, and engrossed in the 
 public stock ; so that few negroes were brought, and those excessively dear. 
 
 It happened, being in company one day 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 
 of with them the last night, and they came to make a secret proposal to me; and, 
 after enjoining me secresy, they told me that they had a mind to fit out a ship to 
 go to Guinea; that they had all plantations as well as I, and were straitened for 
 nothing so much as servants; that as it was a trade that could not be carried on, 
 because they could not publicly sell the negroes when they came home, so they 
 desired to make but one voyage, to bring the negroes on shore privately, and divide 
 them among their own plantations; and, in a word, the question was, whether I would 
 go their supercargo in the ship, to manage the trading part upon the coast of Guinea; 
 and they offered me that I should have my equal share of the 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 a plantation of his own to look after, which was in a 
 fair way of coming to be very considerable, and with a good, stock upon it; but for 
 me, that was thus entered and established, and had nothing to do but go on as 
 I had begun, for three or four years more, and to have sent for the other hundred 
 pounds from England; and who in that time, and with that little addition, could 
 scarce have failed of being worth three or four thousand pounds sterling, and that 
 increasing too — for me to think of such a voyage was the most preposterous thing 
 that ever man in such circumstances could be guilty of. 
 
 But I, that was born to be my own destroyer, could no more resist the offer than 
 I could restrain my first rambling designs when my father's good counsel was lost 
 upon me. In a word, I told them I would go with all my heart, if they would under- 
 take to look after my plantation in my absence, and would dispose of it as 
 I should direct, if I miscarried. This they all engaged to do, and entered into 
 writings and covenants to do so. 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 
 hfe, as before, my universal heir, but obhging 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 to 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 unde; taking, leaving all the 
 
JO 
 
 ;? nnrxsox cr i 'soe. 
 
 probable views of a thriving circumstance, and gone upon a voyage to sea, attended 
 with all its common jiazards, to say nothing of the reasons I had to expect particulai 
 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 finished, and 
 all things done, as by agreement, by my partners in the voyage. I went on board in 
 an evil hour again, the ist of September, 1659, being the same day eight years that I 
 went from my father and mother at Hull, in order to act the rebel to their authority, 
 and the fool to my own interests. 
 
 Our ship was about one hundred and twenty tons burden, carried six guns, and 
 fourteen men, besides the master, his boy, and myself. W'e had on board no large 
 cargo of goods, except of such toys as were ht for our trade with the negroes, such 
 as beads, bits of glass, shells, and odd trifles, especially little looking-glasses, knives, 
 scissors, hatchets, and the like. 
 
 The same day I went on board we set sail, standing away to tlie northward upon 
 our own coasts, with design to stretch over for the African coast when they came into 
 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 excessively hot, all the way 
 upon our own coast, till we came to the height of Cape St. Augustino; from whence, 
 keeping farther ofli" 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 Ime in about twelve days' time, and 
 were, by our last observation, in seven degrees twenty-two 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 into the north-east; 
 from w^hence 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 wherever 
 fate and the fury of the winds directed; and, during these twelve days, I need not 
 say that I expected every dav to be swallowed up; nor 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 died of 
 the calenture, and a man and a boy washed overboard. About the twelfth day, 
 the weather abating a little, the master made an observation as well as he could, 
 and found that he was in about eleven degrees of north latitude, but that he was twenty- 
 two degrees of longitude difference Avest from Cape St. Augustino; so that he found 
 he was gotten upon the coast of Guiana, or the north part of Brazil, beyond the river 
 Amazons, towards that of the river Oroonoque, commonly called the Great River; 
 and now he began to consult with me what course he should take, for the ship was 
 leaky, and very much disabled, and he was for going directly back to the coast of Brazil. 
 I was positively against that ; and looking over the charts of the sea coast of 
 America with him, we concluded there was no inhabited country for us to have 
 recourse to, till we came within the circle of the Caribbee Islands, and therefore 
 resolved to stand away for Barbadoes; which, by keeping off at sea, to avoid the 
 indraft of the Bay or Gulf of Mexico, we might easily perform, as we hoped, in 
 about fifteen days' sail; whereas we could not possibly make our voyage to the coast 
 of Africa without some assistance both to our ship and to ourselves. 
 
 With this design we changed our course, and steered away N.W. b\' W., in 
 order to reach some of our English islands, where I hoped for relief. But our 
 voyage was otherwise determined; for, being in the latitude of twelve degrees eighteen 
 minutes, a second storm came upon us, which carried us away with the same impetuosity 
 westward, and drove us so out of the w^ay 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 one 
 
OUR VESSEL IS DRIVEN ON SHORE. 31 
 
 "THE SHIP WAS DRIVEN UP ALMOST AS FAR AS THE ROCK" (/. 34). 
 
 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, than the ship struck upon a 
 sand, and in a moment, her motion being so stopped, the sea broke over her in such 
 a manner, that we expected we should all have perished immediately, and we were even 
 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 circumstances. We knew nothing where 
 we were, or upon what land it was we were driven — whether an island or the main, 
 whether inhabited or not inhabited. As the rage of the wind was still great, thou^-h 
 rather less than at first, we could not so much as hope to have the ship hold manv 
 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 
 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 laid hold of the boat, and with the help 
 of the rest of the men, they got her flung over the ship's side ; and getting all into her, 
 let go, and committed ourselves, being eleven in number, to Gods mercy and the 
 
32 
 
 J^OB/NSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 wild sea; for though the storm was abated considerably, yet the sea ran dreadfully 
 liigli 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 escape, and that we should be inevitably drowned. 
 As to making sail, we had none, nor, if we had, could we have done anything with 
 it ; so we worked at the oar towards the land, though with heavy hearts, like men 
 going to execution; for we all knew that when the boat came near the shore, she 
 would be dashed in a thousand pieces by the breach of the sea. However, wc 
 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. 
 
 What the shore was, whether rock or sand, whether steep or shoal we knew not. 
 The only hope that could rationally give us the least shadow of expectation, was, if we 
 might happen into 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 notliing 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 w^ave, mountain-like, came rolling astern of us, and plainly bade us 
 expect the coup de grace. In a word, it took us with such a fury, that it overset the 
 boat at once ; and separating us, as well from the boat as from one another, gave us 
 not time hardly to say, "O God!" for we were all swallowed up in a moment. 
 
 Nothing can describe the confusion of thought which I felt, when I sank 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 mainland 
 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 wave, 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 1 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. 1 was covered again with water a good while, but not so 
 long but I held it out; and, finding the water had spent itself and began to return, 
 I struck forward against the return of the waves, and felt ground again with my feet. 
 I stood still a few moments to recover breath and till the waters went from me, and 
 then took to my heels and ran, with what strength I had, farther towards the shore. 
 But neither would this deliver me from the fury of the sea, which came pouring in 
 after me again; and twice more I was lifted up by the waves and carried forwards 
 as before, the shore being very flat. 
 
 The last time of these two had well-nigh been fatal to me, for the sea having 
 
MV ECSTASIES AT MY ESCAPE. 
 
 33 
 
 ' I GOT IT DOWN 
 TO MV KAFT" 
 
 (A 30). 
 
 hurried me along, as before, landed me, or rather dashed me, against a piece of a 
 rock, and that witli 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 mainland, where, to my great comfort, I 
 clambered up the cliffs of the shore, and sat me 
 down upon the grass, free from danger and quite 
 out of the reach of the water. 
 
 I was now landed, and safe on shore, and 
 began to look up and thank God that my life was 
 saved, in a case wherein there was, some minutes 
 before, scarce any room to hope. I believe it 
 is impossible to express, to the life, what 
 the ecstasies and transports of the soul are, 
 when it is so saved, as I may say, out of 
 the very grave, and 1 do not wonder now 
 at that custom, when a malefactor, who has 
 the halter about his neck, is tied up, and just going to 
 be turned off, and has a reprieve brought to him — 
 I say, I do not wonder that they bring a surgeon 
 with it, to let 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 jo\-s, like griefs, confound at first. 
 
 I walked about on the shore lifting up my hands, and my 
 whole being, as I may say, wrapt up in a contemplation of my 
 deliverance; making a thousand gestures and motions, which I 
 cannot describe; reflecting upon all my comrades that were 
 drowned, and that there should not be one soul saved but 
 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 comforts 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 
 
 ^sSV.V*~ 
 
34 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 Avord, I had nothing about me but a knife, a tobacco-pipe, 
 and a little tobacco in a box. This was all my provisions ; 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 an}'^ 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 resolveil 
 to sit all night, and consider the next day what death I should die, for as yet I 
 saw no prospect of life. I walked about a furlong from the shore, to see if I could 
 find any fresh water to drink, which I did, to my great joy; and having drunk, and 
 put a little tobacco in my mouth to prevent hunger, I went to the tree, and getting 
 up into it, endeavoured to place myself so that if I should sleep I might not fal'. 
 And having cut me a short stick, like a truncheon, for my defence, I took up my 
 lodging; and being excessively fatigued, I fell fast asleep, and slept as comfortably 
 as, I believe, few could have done in my condition, and found myself more refreshed 
 with it than, I think, I ever was on such an occasion. 
 
 When 1 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. 
 
 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 the sea hatl 
 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 to my eyes again; but as there was little relief in that, I resolved, 
 if possible, to get to the ship ; so I pulled off my clothes, for the weather was hot to 
 extremity, and took the water. But when I came to the ship, my difficulty was still 
 greater to know how to got 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 espied a small piece of rope, which I wondered I did not see 
 at first, hanging down by the fore-chains so low, that with great difficulty I got hold 
 of it, and by the help of that rope got up into the forecastle of the ship. 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 untouched by the water, 
 and being very well disposed to eat, I went to the bread-room, and filled my pockets 
 
7 AfAlCE A RAFT. 
 
 ?i^ 
 
 with biscuit, and ate it as I went about other things, for I had no time to lose. 
 I also found some rum in the great cabin, of which I took a large dram, and which 
 I had, indeed, need enough of to spirit me for what was before me. Now 1 wanted 
 nothing but a boat to furnish myself with manj- 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 a 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 necessaries, 
 encouraged me to go beyond what I should 
 have been able to have done upon another 
 occasion. 
 
 My raft was now strong enough to 
 bear an}- reasonable weight. My next care 
 was what to load it with, and how to pre- 
 serve what I laid upon it from the surf of 
 the sea : but I was not long considering 
 this. I first laid all the planks or boards 
 upon it that I could get, and 
 having considered well what I 
 most wanted, I first got three _ — 
 of the seamen's chests, which I 
 had broken open and emptied, ""' 
 and lowered them down upon 
 my raft; the first of these I 
 filled with provisions, viz. bread, 
 rice, three Dutch cheeses, five 
 pieces of dried goat's 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 arrack. These I stowed by themselves, there being no need to put 
 them into the chest, nor any room for them. WHiile I was doing this, I found the 
 tide began to flow, though very calm ; and I had the mortification to see my coat, 
 
 "THESE I SECURED FIRST" (/. 36). 
 
36 I^OB/NSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 theni 
 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, whole as it was, witliout losing 
 time to look into it, for I knew in general what it contained. 
 
 My next care was for some ammunition and arms. There were two very good 
 fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and two pistols. These I secured first, with 
 powder-horns, a small bag of shot, and two old rusty swords. 1 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 ni}' raft, with the arms. And now I thought myself 
 pretty well freighted, and began to think how I should get to shore with them, having 
 neither sail, oar, nor rudder; and the least cap-full of wind would have overset all 
 my navigation. 
 
 I had three encouragements: first, a smooth, calm sea; secondly, the tide rising, 
 and setting in to the shore; thirdly, 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: 
 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 indraught 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 broken my heart; for, knowing nothing of the coast, my raft ran 
 aground at one end of it upon a shoal, and not being aground at the other end, it 
 wanted but a little that all my cargo had slipped off towards the end that was afloat, 
 and so fallen into the water. I did my utmost, by setting my back against the 
 chests, to keep them in their places, but could not thrust off the raft with all my 
 strength; neither durst I stir from the posture I was in; but holding up the chests 
 with all my might, I stood in that manner near half an hour, in which time the 
 rising of the water brought me a little more upon a level; and, a little after, the 
 water still rising, my raft floated again, and I thrust her off with the oar I had into 
 the channel, and then driving up higher, I at length found myself in the mouth of 
 a little river, with land on both sides, and a strong current of 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, antl 
 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, 1 guided my raft, and at last got so near, that, reaching 
 ground with my oar, I could thrust her directly in. But here I had like to have 
 dipped all my cargo into the sea again ; for that shore lying pretty steep — that is to 
 say, sloping — there was no place to land, but where one end of my float, if it ran 
 on shore, would lie so high, and the other sink lower, as before, that it would 
 endanger my cargo again. All that I could do, was to wait till the tide was at the 
 highest, keeping the raft with my oar like an anchor, to hold the side of it fast to 
 the shore, near a flat piece of ground, which I expected the water would flow over; 
 
"WITH THIS CARGO I PUT TO SEA." 
 
 (See p. 36.) 
 
38 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 and so it did. As soon as I found water enough — for my raft drew about a foot of 
 water — I thrust lier 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 tlie other end; and tlius I lay till the water ebbed 
 awav, and left my raft and all my cargo safe on shore. 
 
 My next Avork was to view the country, and seek a proper place for my 
 habitation, and where to stow my goods to secure them from whatever might happen. 
 Where I was, I yet knew not ; whether on the continent or an island ; whether 
 inhabited or not inhabited; whether in danger of wild beasts or not. There was a 
 hill not above a mile from me, which rose up very steep and high, and which seemed 
 to overtop some other hills, which lay as in a ridge from it, northward. I took out 
 one of the fowling-pieces, and one of the pistols, and a horn of powder; and thus 
 armed, I travelled for discovery up to the top of that hill, where, after I had with 
 great 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 which, 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 creation of the world. I had no 
 sooner fired, but from all 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 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 the day. What to do with myself 
 at night I knew not, nor indeed where to rest, for I was afraid to lie down on the 
 ground, not knowing but some wild beast might devour me, though, as I afterwards 
 found, there was really no need for those fears. 
 
 However, as well as I could, I barricaded myself round with the chests and 
 boards that I had brought on shore, and made a kind of hut for that night's lodging. 
 As for food, I yet saw not which way to supply myself, except that I had seen two 
 or three creatures, like hares, run out of the Avood 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 possible. And as I knew that the first storm that blew must 
 necessarily break her all in pieces, I resolved to set all other things apart, till I 
 got everything out of the ship that I could get. Then I called a council — that is to 
 say, in my thoughts — whether I should take back the raft, but this appeared 
 impracticable: so I resolved to go as before, when the tide was down; and I did so, 
 only that I stripped before I went from my hut, having nothing on but a chequered 
 shirt, a pair of linen drawers, and a pair of pumps on my feet. 
 
 I got on board the ship as before, and prepared a second raft; and, having had 
 experience of the first, I neither made this so imwieldy, nor loaded it so hard, but 
 yet I brought away several things very useful to me; as, first, in the carpenter's 
 stores, I found two or three bags full of nails and spikes, a great screw-jack, a dozen 
 or two of hatchets, and, above all, that most useful thing called a grindstone. All 
 these I secured, together with several things belonging to the gunner, particularly 
 
MY MEETING WITH THE JVIID CAT. 
 
 39 
 
 A I.fTTLE PLAIN ON THE SIDE 
 
 OF A RISING hill" (/. 42). 
 
 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 visitor ; onl}^ 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, smelled at it, and ate it, and looked (as pleased) for more; but I thanked 
 her, and could spare no more: so she marched off. 
 
 Having got my second cargo on shore — though I was obliged to open the barrels 
 of powder, and bring them by parcels, for they were too heavy, being large casks — I 
 went to work to make me a little tent, wuth the sail, and some poles which I cut 
 for that purpose ; and into this tent I brought everything that I knew would spoil 
 
^o ROB/A'SON CRUSOE. 
 
 either with rain or sun; and I piled all the empty chests and casks up in a circle 
 round the tent, to fortify it from any sudden attempt, either from man or beast. 
 
 When I had done this, I blocked up the door of the tent with some boards 
 within, and an empty chest set up on end without; and spreading one of the beds 
 upon the ground, laying my two pistols just at my head, and my gun at length by 
 me, I went to bed for the first time, and slept very quietly all night. I was very 
 weary and heavy; for the night before I had slept httle, and had laboured very hard 
 all day, as well to fetch 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 still I was not satisfied, 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 parti- 
 cularly the third time I went, I brought away as much of the rigging as I coufd, as 
 also all the small ropes and rope-twine I could get, with a piece of spare canvas, 
 which was to mend the sails upon occasion, and the barrel of wet gunpowder. In 
 a word, I brought away all the sails first and last ; only that I was fain to cut them 
 in pieces, and bring as much at a time as I could, for they were no more useful to 
 me for sails, but as mere canvas only. 
 
 But that which comforted me more 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, three large runlets of rum, or spirits, a box of fini sugar, and a 
 barrel of fine flour: this was surprising to me, because I had giver, over expecting 
 any more provisions except what was spoiled by the water. 1 soon emptied the 
 hogshead of the bread, and wrapped it up, parcel by parcel, in pieces of the sails, 
 which I cut out; and, in a word, I got all this safe on shore also, though at several times. 
 
 The next day 1 made another voyage, and now, having plundered the ship of 
 what was portable and fit to hand out, I began with the cable; cutting the great 
 cable into pieces such as I could move, I got two cable 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 to leave me, for this 
 raft was so unwieldy, and so overladen, that after I 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 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 tor 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 now been 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 of bringing; though I verily believe, had the calm weather held, I 
 should have brought away the whole ship, piece by piece; but preparing the twelfth 
 time to go on board, I found the wind began to rise. However, at low water I went 
 on board, and though I thought I had rummaged the cabin so effectually, that nothing 
 more could be found, yet I discovered a locker with drawers in it, in one of which 
 I found two or three razors, and one pair of large scissors, with some ten or a dozen 
 of good knives and forks; in another I found about thirty-six pounds value in money 
 — some European coin, some Brazil, some pieces of eight, some gold, and some silver. 
 
 I smiled to myself at the sight of this money. "Oh, drug!" said I, aloud, "what 
 art thou good for? Thou art not worth to me — no, not the taking off the ground; 
 one ot those knives is worth all this heap; I have no manner of use for thee; e'en 
 
DISAPPEARAXCE OF Till-: Sff/P. 
 
 4' 
 
 remain where thou art, and go to the bottom, as a creature whose hfe is not wortli 
 saving." However, upon second thoughts, I took it away; and, wrapping all in 
 a piece of canvas, I began to think of making another raft; but while I was preparing 
 this, I found the sky overcast, and the wind began to rise, and in a quarter of an 
 hour it blew a fresh gale from the shore. It presently occurred to me that it was 
 in vain to pretend to make a raft with tlu; 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 Avhich 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 
 
 ^fi'iVtV 
 
 "INTO THIS FORTRESS 
 I CARRIED ALL MV RICHES " (/. 42). 
 
 from the roughness of the water; for tlie 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 lookcti 
 out, behold, no more ship was to be seen. I was a little surprised, but recovered 
 myself with this satisfactory reflection, that I had lost no time, nor abated an}- 
 diligence, to get ever5'thing 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 1 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. 
 
^3 ROnrNSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 mo a cave in the earth, or a tent upon the earth; and, in 
 short, I resolved upon both; the manner and description of which, it may not be 
 improper to give an account of. 
 
 I soon found the place I was in was not fit for my settlement, particularly 
 because it was upon a low, moorish ground near the sea, and 1 believed 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 be proper for 
 me: ist, health and freshwater, I just now mentioned; 2ndly, shelter from the heat 
 of the sun ; 3rdly, security from ravenous creatures, whether man or beast ; 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 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 below 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 t)y 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 the 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 
 above five feet and a half, and sharpened on the top. The two rows did not stand 
 above six inches from one another. 
 
 Then I took the pieces of cable which I had cut in the ship, and laid them in 
 rows, one upon another, within the circle, between these 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 labour, 
 (•specially to cut the piles in the woods, bring them to the place, and drive thciii 
 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, 1 lifted over after me; and so I 
 was completely fenced in and fortified, as I thought, from all the world, and conse- 
 quently slept secure in the night, which otherwise I could not have done; though, 
 us it appeared afterwards, there was no need of all this caution from tlic enemies 
 that I apprehended danger from. 
 
 Into this fence, or fortress, with infinite labour, 1 carried all my riches, all my 
 provisions, ammunition, and stores, of which you have the account above; and I 
 made me a large tent also, to preserve me from the rains, that in one part of the 
 year are very violent there. I made it double — viz., one smaller tent within, and one 
 larger tent above it; and covered the uppermost part of it 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. 
 
THE THUNDERSTORM. 
 
 43 
 
 Into this tent 1 brought all my provisions, and everything that would spoil l)y 
 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 re-passed, 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 x 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 
 
 rought to perfection; and therefore 
 
 I must go back to some other things 
 
 which took up some of my thoughts. 
 
 At the same time it occurred, after I 
 
 had laid my scheme for the setting up 
 
 the tent, and making the cave, that a 
 
 storm of rain falling from a thick, dark 
 
 cloud, a sudden flash of Hghtning 
 
 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 — Oh, \w\ 
 
 powder! My very heart 
 
 sank wnthin me when I 
 
 thought that, at one blast, all 
 
 my powder might be destroyed; 
 
 on which, not my defence onl}-, 
 
 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 hatl 
 
 never known who had hurt me. 
 
 Such impression did this 
 make upon me, that after the 
 storm was over, I laid aside all 
 my work, my building and forti- 
 fying, and applied myself to 
 make bags and boxes, to separate 
 my powder, and to keep it a 
 ittle and a little in a parcel, in 
 hopes that, whatever might come, 
 it might not all take fire at 
 once; and to keep it so apart, 
 that it should not be possible 
 •A GREAT (juANTiTY OF EARTH FELL Dov/N " {J. 51). to make onc part firc another. 
 
: , ROB/NSON CRUSOE. 
 
 I finished this work in about a fortnight ; and 1 think my powder, which in all 
 was about one hundred and forty pounds weight, was divided into no 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 
 ' ome to it, marking very carefully where 1 laid it. 
 
 In the interval of time while this was doing, 1 went out at least once 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 most difficult 
 thing in the world to come at them; but I was not discouraged at this, not doubting 
 but 1 might now and then shoot one, as it soon happened; for after I had founcl 
 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 terril)lc 
 fright ; but if tliey were feeding in the valleys, and I was upon the rocks, they took 
 no notice of me; from whence I concluded that by the position of their optics, their 
 sight was so directed downward that they did not readily see objects that were above 
 them; so afterwards I took this method — I always climbed the rocks first, to get 
 above them, and then had frequently a fair mark. 
 
 The first shot I made among these creatures, I killed a she-goat, which had a 
 little kid by her, which she gave suck to, which grieved me heartily; for, when the 
 old one fell, the kid stood stock-still by her, till I came and took her up; and not 
 only so, but when I carried the old one with me upon my shoulders, the kid followed 
 me quite to my enclosure; upon which, I laid down the dam, and took the kid in 
 my arms, and carried it over my pale, in hopes to have bred it up tame; but it would 
 not eat; so I v.as forced to kill it, and eat it myself. These two supplied me with 
 flesh a great while, for I ate sparingly, and saved my provisions, my bread especially, 
 IS much as I possibly could. 
 
 Having now fixed my habitation, I found it absolutely necessary to provide a 
 place to make a fire in, and fuel to burn; and what I did for that, as also how I 
 enlarged my cave, and what conveniences I made, I shall give a full account of in 
 its place; but I must now give some little account of myself, and of m\- 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 aw'ay 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 deter- 
 mination of Heaven that in this desolate place, and in this desolate manner, 1 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 rentier them so absolutely miserable, so 
 without help abandoned, and 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, put in expostulating 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 are you singled out? Is it better to be here or there?" And 
 then I pointed to the sea. All evils are to be considered with the good that is in 
 ihcm, and with what worse attended them. 
 
MV MANNER OF RECI-CONING TTME. 
 
 45 
 
 Then it occurred to me again, how well 
 I was furnislied 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 first she struck, and was driven so 
 near to the shore, that I had time to get all 
 tliese things out of her? what w^ould have 
 been my case, if I had been forced to have 
 lived in the condition in which I at first 
 came on shore, without necessaries of life, 
 or any means to supply and procure them ? 
 "Particularly," said 1 aloud (though to my- 
 self), "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 
 coverings?" 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 then 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 surprising to me, when it 
 lightened and thundered, as 1 observed just 
 now. 
 
 And now, being to enter into a melan- 
 choly 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 nine degrees twenty-two minutes north of the line. 
 
 After I had been there about ten or twelve days, it came into my thoughts that 
 I should lose my reckoning of time for want of books, and pen, and ink, and should 
 even forget the Sabbath day from the working days; but to prevent this, I cut it with 
 my knife upon a large post, in capital letters ; and making it into a great cross, I set 
 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 every first day of the month 
 as long again as that long one; and thus I kept my calendar, or weekl}^ monthly, 
 and yearly reckoning of time. 
 
 In the next place, we are to observe that among the many things which I brought 
 
 GRINDING MV TOOLS" (/). 57). 
 
46 HO BINS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 honi the ship, in the several voyages which, as above mentioned, I made to it, I 
 got several things of less value, but not at all less useful to me, which I omitted 
 setting down before; as, in particular, pens, ink, and paper; several parcels in the 
 captain's, mate's, gunner's, and carpenter's keeping; three or four compasses, some 
 mathematical 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 
 Fopish prayer-books, and several other books; all which 1 carefully secured. And I 
 nuist not forget that we had in the ship a dog and two cats, of whose eminent 
 historv I must have occasion to say something in its place, for I carried both the 
 (-;its with me; and as for the dog, he jumped out of the ship of himself, and swam 
 on shore to me the day after 1 went on shore v>ith my first cargo, and was a trusty 
 SL-rvant 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 he could 
 not do. As I observed before, I found pens, ink, and paper, and I husbanded them 
 lo the utmost; and I shall show that while my ink lasted I kept things very exact; 
 but after that was gone I could not, for I could not make any ink by any means 
 tliat I could devise. 
 
 And this put me in mind that I wanted many things, notwithstanding all that I 
 had amassed together; and of these, 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 difficult}-. 
 
 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 habitation. 
 The piles or stakes, which were as heavy as I could well lift, were a long time in 
 < utting 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 made driving those posts or piles very laborious and tedious work. 
 Hut 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 mv condition, and the circumstances I was 
 reduced to; and I drew up the state of my affairs in writing, not so much to leave 
 them to any that were to come after me, for I was like to have but few heirs, as to deliver 
 my thoughts from daily poring upon them, and afflicting my mind; and as my reason 
 licgan now to master my despondency, I began to comfort myself as well as I could, 
 and to set the good against the evil, that 1 might have something to distinguish my 
 case from worse, and 1 stated it very impartially, like debtor and creditor, the comfort 
 I enjoyed against the miseries 1 suffered, thus: — 
 
 EVIL. GOOD. 
 
 I am cast upon a horrible, desolate But I am alive; and not drowned, 
 
 island; void of all hojje of recovery. as all my ship's company was. 
 
 I am singled out and separated, as But I am singled out, too, from all 
 
 it were, from all the world, to be miserable. the ship's crew, to be spared from death; 
 
 and He that miraculously saved me from 
 death can deliver me from this condition. 
 
REFLECTIONS ON MY CONDITION. 47 
 
 EVIL. GOOD. 
 
 I am divided from mankind, a soli- But I am not starved, and perish- 
 
 tary; one banished from human society. ing on a barren place, affording no sus- 
 
 tenance. 
 
 I have no clothes to cover me. But I am in a hot climate, where 
 
 if I had clothes, I could hardly wear them. 
 
 I am without any defence, or means But I am cast on an island where 
 
 to resist any violence of man or beast. I see no wild beasts to hurt me, as I 
 
 saw on the coast of Africa; and what if 
 I had been shipwrecked there? 
 
 I have no soul to speak to or relieve But God wonderfully sent the shij) 
 
 me. in near enough to the shore, that I have 
 
 got out so many necessary 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 m}- mind a little to relish my condition, and given over looking 
 out to sea if I could spy a ship — I sa}^, giving over these things, I began to apply 
 myself to accommodate my way of living, and to make things as easy to me as I could. 
 
 I have already described my habitation, which was a tent under the side of a 
 rock, surrounded with a strong pale of posts and cables; but I might now rather call 
 it a wall, for I raised a kind of wall up against it of turfs, about two feet thick, on 
 the outside ; and after some time (I think it Vv^as 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 ray 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 worked 
 farther into the earth; for it was a loose, sandy rock, which yielded easily to 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. 
 
 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, 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; and here I must needs observe that as reason is the 
 substance and original of the mathematics, so by stating and squaring every- 
 thing 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 
 
48 ROBTKSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 niv life; and yet, in time, by labour, application, and contrivance, I found, at last, 
 that I wanted nothing but I could liave made it, especially if 1 liad had tools. 
 However, I made abundance of things, even without tools; and some with no more 
 tools than an adze and a hatchet, whicji, perhaps, were never made that way before, 
 ;i;id that with infinite labour. For example, if I wanted a board, 1 had no 
 other way but to cut down a tree, set it on an edge before me, and hew it flat on 
 cither side with my axe, till I had brought it to be as thin as a plank, and then dub 
 it smooth with my adze. It is true, by this method I could make but one board 
 out of a whole tree; but this I had no remedy for but patience, any more than I had 
 lor the prodigious deal of time and labour which it took me up to make a plank or 
 board: but my time or laboiir was little worth, and so it was as well employed one 
 way as another. 
 
 fiowever, I made me a table and a chair, as I observed above, in the first 
 }ilace ; and this I did out of the short pieces of boards that I brought on my raft 
 from the ship. But when I had wrought out some boards as above, I made large 
 shelves, of the breadth of a foot and an half, one over another, all along one side of 
 my cave, to lay all my tools, nails, and iron-work on ; and, in a word, to separate 
 everything at large into their places that I might come easily at them ; also I knocked 
 pieces into the wall of the rock to hang my guns and all things that would hangup: 
 so that had my cave been to be seen, it looked like a general magazine of all 
 necessar}' 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 an hurry as to labour, but in 
 too much discomposure of mind ; and my Journal would have been full of many dull 
 things: for example, I must have said thus: "Sept. the 2,0th. — After I had got to shore, 
 and had escaped drowning, instead of being thankful to God for my deliverance, 
 having first vomited, with the great quantity of salt water which 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 had got all 
 I could out of her, 3'et 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 
 1 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 ni}' folly. 
 
 But having gotten over these things in some measure, and having settled ni}' 
 household stuff and habitation, made me a table and a chair, and all as handsome 
 about me as I could, I began 1 say to keep my Journal : of which I shall here give 
 you the copy (thougli in it will be told all these particulars over again), as long as 
 it lasted; for at last, having no more ink, I was forced to leave it off. 
 
 TnK Journal. 
 
 Septemher 30, 1659. — I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being slii])\vrccke(K 
 during a dreadful storm, in the offmg, came on shore on this dismal, unfortunate 
 islanfi, which I called "The Island of Despair"; all the rest of the ship's company 
 being drowned, and myself almost dead. 
 
 All the rest of the day I spent in afflicting myself at the dismal circumstances 
 1 was brought to: viz., I had neither food, house, clothe:-;, weapon, nor place to fly 
 to; and, in despair of any relief, saw nothing but death before me: either that 1 
 
JlfV JOURNAL. 
 
 49 
 
 should be devoured by wild beasts, nuirdcrcd by savages, or starved to death for 
 want of food. At the approach of night I slept in a tree, for fear of wild creatures; 
 but slept soundly, though it rained all night. 
 
 October i. — In the morning I saw, to ni}' great surprise, tlie 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 set 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 stayed 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, w^e 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 dr}", I went upon the sand 
 as near as I could, and then swam on board. 
 This day also it continued raining, though 
 with no wand at all. 
 
 From the ist of October to the 2\th. — 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 these days, 
 though with some intervals 
 of fair weather; but it seems 
 this was the rainy season. 
 
 "I KILLED A SHL-GOAT AND WITH MUCH IHKFICULTV GOT IT HOME" (/. 59). 
 
 Oct. 24. — 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 recovered many of them when 
 the tide was out. 
 
 Oct. 25. — It rained all night and all day, with some gusts of wind ; during which 
 time the ship broke in pieces, the wind blowing a little harder than before, and was 
 no more to be seen, except the wreck of her, and that only at low water. I spent 
 this day in covering and securing the goods which I 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 semi-circle for my encampment, whi'~h I resolved to strengthen with a 
 
j-o ROBLVSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 i. — I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there for the fust night; 
 making it as large as I could, with stakes driven in to swing my hammock upon. 
 
 Nov. 2. — I set up all ni}' chests and boards and the pieces of timber which made 
 my rafts, and with them formed a fence round nie, a little within the place I had 
 marked out for my fortification. 
 
 Nov. 3. — I went out w-ith my gun, and killed two fowls like ducks, which were 
 very good food. In the afternoon went to work to make me a table. 
 
 Nov. 4. — This morning I began to order my times of work, of going out with 
 my gun, time of sleep, and time of diversion: viz., every morning I walked out with 
 my gun for two or three hours, if it did not rain; then employed myself to work till 
 about eleven o'clock ; then ate what I had to live on ; and from twelve 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 the next were wholly employed in making 
 this table, for I was yet but a very sorry workman, though time and necessity made me 
 a complete natural mechanic soon after, as I believe they would do any one else. 
 
 Nov. 5. — This day I 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 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 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, gth, loth, and 
 part of the 12th (for the nth was Sunday according to my reckoning), 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 to pieces several times. 
 
 Note. — I soon neglected keeping Sundays ; for, omitting my mark for them on my 
 post, I forgot which w'as which. 
 
 Nov. 13. — This day it rained, which refreshed me exceedingly, and cooled the 
 earth; but it was accompanied with terrible thunder and lightning, which frighted 
 me dreadfully for fear of my powder. As soon as it was over, I resolved to separate 
 my stock of powder into as many little parcels as possible, that it might not be 
 in danger. 
 
 Nov. 14, 15, 16. — These three days I spent in making little square chests, or 
 boxes, which might hold about a pound, or two pounds at most, of powder; and so, 
 putting the powder in, I stowed it in places as secure and remote from one another 
 as possible. On one of these three days I killed a large iiird that was good to eat, 
 but I knew not what to call it. 
 
 Nov. 17. — This day I began to dig behind my tent into the rock, to make room 
 for my further conveniency. 
 
 Note. — Three things I wanted exceedingly for this work: viz., a pick-axe, a shovel, 
 and a wheel -barrow, or basket ; so I desisted from my work, and began to consider 
 how to supj)ly that want, and make me some tools. As for the 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 1 knew nut. 
 
CONTINUA TTON OF MY JO URN A L. $\ 
 
 Nov, i8. — The next day, in searching the woods, I found a tree of tliat wood, 
 or like it, which in the Brazils 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, with difficulty enough, for it was exceeding heavy. The excessive 
 hardness of the wood, and 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 making. 
 
 I was still deficient, for I wanted a basket, or a wheel-barrow. A basket I could 
 not make by any means, having no such things as twigs that would bend to make 
 wicker-ware — at least, none 5^et found out ; and as to the 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 eartli 
 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's walk with my gun, which I seldom failed, and very seldom 
 failed also of bringing home something fit to eat. 
 
 Nov. 23. — My other work having stood still, because of m}' making these 
 tools, when they were finished I went on, and working every day, as my strength 
 and time allowed, 1 spent eighteen days entirely in widening and deepening my cave, 
 that it might hold my goods commodiously. 
 
 Note. — During all this time 1 worked to make this room, or cave, spacious 
 enough to accommodate me as a warehouse or magazine, a kitchen, a dining-room, 
 and a cellar. As for a 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. 
 
 Deceviher 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 had the ceiling to prop up, so that I 
 might be sure no more would come down. 
 
 Dec. II- — This day I went to work with it accordingly, and got two shores or 
 posts pitched upright to the top, with two pieces of board 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 ior 
 partitions 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. 
 
 Dec. 20. — Now I carried everything into the cave, and began to furnish my 
 house, and set up some pieces of board like a dresser, to order my victuals upon; 
 but board began to be very scarce with me : also I made me another table. 
 
 Dec. 24. — Much rain all night and all day: no stirring out. 
 
 Dec. 25. — Rain all day. 
 
 Dec. 26." — No rain, and the earth much cooler than before, and pleasanter. 
 
53 J^OB/KSON CRUSOE. 
 
 Dec. 27. — Killed a young goat, and lamed another so that I catched it and led it 
 home in a string; when 1 had it at home, I bound and splintered up its leg, which 
 was brc^ke. 
 
 N .B. — I took such care of it that it lived, and the leg grew well and as strong 
 as ever; but by 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, tor food; this time I spent in putting all my things 
 in order within doors, 
 
 January i. — Very hot still : but I went abroad early and late with ni}' 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 was plenty of goats, though 
 e.xceedingly 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 beinj^ 
 attacked by somebody, I resolved to make very thick and strong. 
 
 N.B. — This wall being described before, 1 purposely omit what was said in the 
 Journal ; it is sufficient to observe that I was no less 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 credible 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 double-fenced, with a turf wall 
 raised up close to it, I persuaded myself that if any people were to come on shore 
 there, they would not perceive anything 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 rounds in the woods for game every day, when the 
 rain permitted me, and made frequent discoveries in these walks of something or 
 other to my advantage; particularly I found a kind of wild pigeons, which build, not 
 as wood-pigeons in a tree, but rather as house-pigeons, in the holes of the rocks; 
 and taking some young ones, I endeavoured to breed them up tame, and did so; but 
 when they grew older they flew all away, which perhaps was at first for Avant 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 at the 
 capacity of making one by them, though I spent many weeks about it ; I could 
 neither put in the heads, nor join the staves so true to one another as to make them 
 hold water ; so I gave that also over. 
 
 In the next place, I was at a great loss for candles ; so that as soon as it was 
 dark, which was generally by seven o'clock, I was obliged to go to bed. I remembered 
 the lump of bces'-wax with which I made candles in my African adventure; but I 
 
"I GOT ME A PIECE OF GOATS FLESH. AND BROILED IT. ' 
 
 ( See p. 6 1. J 
 
54 ROnLVSON CRUSOE. 
 
 had none of that now; the only remedy I had was, that when I had killed a poat 
 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 whicli, 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 
 that had been in the bag was all devoured by the rats, and I saw nothing in the 
 bag but husks and dust ; and being willing to have the bag for some other use 
 (I think it was to put powder in, when 1 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 upon 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 perfectly 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 notions of religion in my head, nor had entertained any sense of anything 
 that had befallen me, otherwise than as chance, or, as we lightly say, Avhat 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 startled me strangely, and I began to suggest that God had mira- 
 culously caused this grain to grow without any help of seed sown, and that it was 
 so directed purely for my sustenance in that wild, miserable place. 
 
 This touched my heart a little, and brought tears out of my eyes, and I began 
 to bless myself that such a prodigy of Nature should happen upon my account ; and 
 this was the more strange to me because I saw near it still, all along by the side 
 of the rock, some other straggling stalks, which proved to be stalks of rice, and which 
 I knew, because I had seen it grow in Africa, when I was ashore there. 
 
 I not only thought these the pure productions of Pro\ idence for my support, but 
 not doubting that there was more in the place, I went all over that part of the island 
 where I had been before, peering in every corner and under every rock, to see for 
 more of it, but I could not find any. At last it occurred to my thoughts that I 
 had shaken the bag of chickens' meat out in that place ; and the wonder began to 
 cease ; and I must confess, my religious thankfulness to God's providence began to 
 abate too, upon the discovering that all this was nothing but what Avas 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 it had been dropped from heaven; 
 as also that I should throw it out in to that particular place, where, it being in the 
 shade of a high rock, it sprang up immediately ; whereas, if I hatl thrown it any- 
 where 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 tiU the fourth year that I would 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 
 
THE EARTHQUAKE. 
 
 55 
 
 sowed it just before tlie 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 
 a wall, by a ladder, that there might be no sign on the outside of my habitation. 
 
 April 16. — I finished the ladder; so I went up the ladder to tlie top, and then 
 pulled it up after me, and let it down on the inside : this was a complete enclosure 
 to me; for within I had room enough, and nothing could come at me from without, 
 unless it could first mount my wall. 
 
 The very next day after this wall was finished, I had almost had all my labour 
 overthrown at once, and myself killed. The case was thus: — As 1 was busy in the 
 
 "I DID, AFTER MUCH PAINSTAKING, CATCH A YOUNG TARROT" (/. 71). 
 
 mside of it, behind my tent, just in the entrance into my cave, I was terribly frightened 
 with a most dreadful surprising thing indeed: for, all on a sudden, I found the earth 
 came tumbhng 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 really was the cause, 
 only thinking that the top of my cave was falling in, as some of it had done before: 
 and for fear I should be buried in it, I ran forwards to my ladder, and not thinking 
 myself safe there neither, I got over my wall for fear of the pieces of the hill, Avhich 
 1 expected might roll down upon me. I was no sooner stepped down upon the firm 
 ground, than I plainly saw it was a terrible earthquake; for the ground I stood on 
 shook three times at about eight minutes' distance, with three such shocks as would 
 have overturned the strongest building that could be supposed to have stood upon the 
 earth ; and a great piece of the top of the rock which stood about half a mile from nie, 
 next the sea, fell down with such a terrible noise as I never heard in all my life. 
 I perceived also the very sea was put into a violent motion by it ; and I believe the 
 shocks were stronger under the water than on the island. 
 
 I was so amazed with the thing itself, having never felt the like, or discoursed 
 
36 ROBIXSOX CRrSOE. 
 
 with any one that had, that I was like one dead or stupefied; and the motion 
 of the earth made my stomach sick Hke one that was tossed at sea; but the noise 
 of the falHnjj of the rock awaked me as it were, and rousing me from the 
 stupefied condition I was in, filled me with horror, and I thought of nothing then 
 but the hill falling uj^on my tent and all my household goods, and burying all at 
 once ; and this sunk my very soul within me a second time. 
 
 After the third shock was over, and I felt no more for some time, I began to 
 take courage; and yet I had not heart enough to get over my wall again, for fear of 
 being buried alive, but still sat upon the ground, greatly cast down and diconsolate, 
 not knowing what to do. All this while, 1 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 it 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 of wind : the sea was, all on a sudden, covered 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 then in two hours more it was 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 w^ent 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 w^ork, viz., to cut a 
 hole through my new fortifications, like a sink, to let the water go out, which would 
 else have drowned my cave. After I had been in my cave some time, and found 
 still no more shocks of the earthquake follow, I began to be more composed. And 
 now to support my spirits, which indeed wanted it very much, I went to my little 
 store, and took a small sup of rum; which, however, 1 did then and always very 
 sparinglv, 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 1 had best to do; concluding 
 that if the island was subject to these earthquakes, there would be no living for mc 
 in a cave, but I must consider of buikling me some little hut in an open place which I 
 might surround with a wall, as I hatl done here, and so make myself secure irom 
 wild beasts or men ; for I concluded if I stayed where I was, 1 should certainly, one 
 time or other, be buried alive. 
 
 With these thoughts, I resolved to move my tent from the place where it now 
 stood, which was just under the hanging precipice of the hill ; and which, if it should 
 be shaken again, would certainly fall upon my tent : and I spent the two ne.xt 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 apprehensions of lying abroad without any fence were almost equal 
 to it ; but still, when I looked about, -and saw how everything was put in order, how 
 pleasantly concealed I was, and how safe from danger, it made me loth to remove. 
 In the meantime, 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 hatl secured it so as to remove to it. So with 
 this resolution I composed myself for a tune, 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 uj^ in it, when it was finished ; but that 1 would venture to stay 
 where 1 was till it was finished, and fit to remove to. This was the 21st. 
 
REAPPEARANCE OF THE WRECK. 57 
 
 April 11. — The next morning I began to consider of means to put this resolve 
 in execution; but I was at a great loss about my tools. I had three large axes, 
 and abundance ©f hatchets (for we carried the hatchets for traffic with the Indians); 
 but with much chopping and cutting knotty hard wood, they were all full of notches, 
 and dull; and though I had a grindstone, I could not turn it and grind my tools too. 
 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. 
 
 Note. — I had not seen any such things in England, or at least not to take 
 notice how it was done, though since I have observed it was 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, I now took 
 a survey of it, and reduced myself to one biscuit-cake a day, which made my heart 
 very heavy. 
 
 May I. — In the morning, looking towards 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 towa?ds 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 broken to pieces and parted from the rest by the force of the sea soon 
 after I had left rummaging of her, was tossed, as it were, up, and cast on one side; 
 and the sand was thrown so high on that side next her stern, that whereas there 
 was a great place of water before, so that I could not come within a quarter of a 
 mile of the wreck without swimming, I could now walk quite up to her when the 
 tide was out. I was surprised with this at first, but soon concluded it must be done 
 by the earthquake; and as by this violence the ship was more broken open than 
 formerly, so many things came daily on shore, which the sea had loosened, and which 
 the winds and water rolled by degrees to the land. 
 
 This wholly diverted my thoughts from the design of 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 that all 
 the inside of the ship was choked up with sand. However, as I had learned not to 
 despair of anything, I resolved to pull everything to pieces that I could of the ship, 
 concluding that everything I could get from her would be of some use or other to me. 
 
 May 3. — I began with my saw, and cut a piece of a beam through, which I thought 
 held some of the upper part or quarter-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 iwy sport; when, just going to leave off, I caught a young dolphin. I had 
 made me a long line of some rope-yarn, but I had no hooks; yet I frequently caught 
 fish enough, as much as I cared to eat; all which I dried in the sun, and ate them dry. 
 
 May 5. — Worked on the wreck; cut another beam asunder, and brought three 
 great fir planks off" from the decks, which I tied together, and made swim on shore 
 when the tide of flood came on. 
 
58 
 
 ROB/N'SOX CRUSOE. 
 
 ^lav 6. Worked on the wreck; got several iron bolts out of her, and other pieces 
 
 of iron-work; worked very hard, and came home very much tired, and had thouglits 
 of giving it over. 
 
 ][jay 7, — Went to the wreck again, with an intent not to work, but found the 
 weight of the wreck had broken 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 1 could 
 sec into it ; but it was almost full of water and sand. 
 
 ]^jay 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. 
 
 ]\jay g. — 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 Avas too heavy 
 to remove. 
 
 May 10, II, 12, 13, 14. — Went every day to the wreck; and got a great deal of 
 pieces of timber, and boards, or planks, and two or three hundredweight of iron. 
 
 May 15. — I carried two hatchets, to try if I could not cut a piece off the roll of 
 lead, by placing the edge of one hatchet, and driving it with the other; but as it lay 
 about a foot and a half in the water, I could not make any blow to drive the hatchet. 
 
 May 16. — It had blown hard in the night, and the wreck appeared more broken 
 by the force of the water; but I stayed so long in the woods, to get pigeons for food, 
 that the tide prevented me 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 oft" me, but resolved to see what they were, and found they were 
 pieces ®f the head, but too heavy fpr me to bring away. 
 
 May 2^. — Every day, to this day, I v.orked on the wreck; and with hard labour 
 I loosened some things so much with the crow, that the first flowing tide several 
 casks floated out, and two of the seamen's chests; but the wind blowing from the 
 shore, nothing came to land that day but pieces of timber, and a hogshead, which 
 had some Brazil pork in it; but the salt water and the sand had spoiled it. I con- 
 tinued 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 tido 
 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 hundredweight 
 of the sheet-lead. 
 
 jfuue 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 the 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 threescore 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 horrible place. 
 
 June 18. — Rained all the day, and I stayed within. I thought, at this time, the 
 rain felt cold, and I was something chilly, which I knew was not usual in that latitude. 
 
 jfinie 19. — Very ill, and shivering, as if the weather had been cold. 
 
 jfufie 20. — No rest all night; violent pains in my head, and feverish. 
 June 21. — Very ill; frighted almost to death with the apprehensions of my sad 
 condition — to be sick, and no help: prayed to God, for the first time since the storm 
 oft" 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. 
 yiiuf 23. — Very bad again; cold and shivering, and then a violent headache. 
 
A.V AFFRIGHTING PRFAM. 
 
 59 
 
 June 24. — Much better. 
 
 June 2^. — An ague, very violent: the fit licld me seven hours; cold fit, and hot 
 with faint sweats after it. 
 
 June 26. — Better; and having no victuals to eat, took my gun, but found myself 
 very weak; however, I killed a she-goat, and with much difficulty got it home, and 
 broiled some of it, and ate. I would fain have stewed it, and made some broth, but 
 had no pot. 
 
 June 27. — Tl'ie ague again so violent that I lay 
 a -bed all day and neither ate nor drank. I was ready 
 to perish for thirst; but so weak I had no strength 
 to stand up, or to get myself any water to drink. 
 Prayed to God again, but was light-headed ; and when 
 I was not, I was 
 so ignorant 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 
 
 "THERE ROSE UP A LITTLE CLOUD OF FOWLS" (/i. 76). 
 
 wearing off, I fell asleep, and did not awake till far in 
 the night. When I awoke, I found myself much re- 
 freshed, but weak, 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 inexpressibly 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 apprehension, as if it had been filled 
 with flashes of fire. He was no sooner landed upon the earth, but he moved for- 
 wards 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 
 
6o ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 mean, that even wliile it 
 was a dream, I even dreamed of those horrors. 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 conversation with none but such as were, like myself, 
 wicked and profane to the last degree. I do not remember that I had, in all that 
 time, one thought that so much as tended either to looking upwards towards God, 
 or inwards towards a reflection upon my own ways; but a certain stupidity of soul, 
 without desire of good, or conscience of evil, had entirely overwhelmed me; and I 
 was all that the most hardened, unthinking, wicked creature among our common 
 sailors can be supposed to be — not having the least sense, either of the fear of God 
 in dangers, or of thankfulness to God in deliverances. 
 
 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, 1 never had so much as one thought of its being the hand of God, 
 or that it was a just punishment for my sins — 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 desperate expedition on the 
 desert shores of Africa, I never had so much as one thought of what would become 
 of me, or one wish to God to direct me whither I should go, or to keep me from 
 the danger which apparently surrounded me, as well from voracious creatures as cruel 
 savages; but I was merely thoughtless of a God or a Providence — 1 acted hke 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 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 ecstasy, 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 ahve, without the least reflection upon the distinguishing goodness of the 
 Hand which had preserved me, and had singled me out to be preserved when all the 
 rest were destroyed, or an inquiry why Providence had been thus merciful to me. 
 Even just the same common sort of joy wliich seamen generally have, after they have 
 got safe ashore from a shipwreck, all which they drown 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 a probability 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 
 .into my head. 
 

 IT WOULD HAVK MAOK A STOIC SMILE TO HAVE SEE>: MR AND MV FAMU-V 
 SIT DOWN TO DINNER." 
 
PENITENT REFLECTIONS. 6i 
 
 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 impression which 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 ot my 
 circumstances being from His hand — than if I had been in the most prosperous 
 condition of life. But now when I began to be sick, and a leisurely view of the 
 miseries of death came to place itself before me; when my spirits began to sink under 
 the burden of a strong distemper, and nature was exhausted with the violence of the 
 fever, conscience, that had slept so long, began to awake, and I began to reproach myself 
 with my past life, in which I had so evidently, by uncommon 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 from the second or third day of my distemper; 
 and in the violence, as well of the fever as of the dreadful reproaches of my conscience, 
 extorted some words from me like praying to God, though I cannot say they were 
 either a prayer attended with desires or with hopes: it was rather the voice of mere 
 fright and distress. My thoughts were 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 apprehensions; 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 me in my recovery. "Now," said I aloud, "my dear father's words 
 are come to pass; God's justice has overtahen me, and I have none to help or hear 
 me. I rejected the voice of Providence, which had mercifully put me in a posture 
 or station of life wherein I might have been happy and easy; but I would neither 
 see it myself, nor learn to know the blessing of it from my parents, I left them to 
 mourn over my folly; and now I am left to mourn under the consequences of it. I 
 refused their help and assistance, who would have lifted me into the world, and would 
 have made everything easy to me; and now I have difficulties to struggle with too 
 great for even nature itself to support, and no assistance, no help, no comfort, no 
 advice." Then I cried out, "Lord, be my help, for I am in great distress." This 
 was the first prayer, if I might call it so, that I had made for man}- years. 
 
 But I return to my Journal: — 
 
 June 28. — Having been somewhat refreshed with the sleep I had had, and tlie 
 fit being entirely off, I got up; and though 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 in the sense of my miserable condition, dreadmg the return of my dis- 
 temper the next day. At night, I made my supper of three of the turtle's eggs, which 
 I roasted in the ashes, and ate, as we call it, in the shell, and this was the first bit of 
 pieat I had ever asked God's blessing to, even, as I could remember, in my whole life. 
 
62 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 After I had eaten, I tried to walk, but found myself so weak that I could hardly 
 carrv the gun, for I never went out without that; so I went out 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 thoughts such a^ these occurred 
 to lue: — What is the 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 it all. Well, but then," it came on strongly, "if God has made 
 all these things, He guides and governs them all, and all things that concern them ; 
 for the Being that could make all things must certainly have power to guide and 
 direct them. If so, nothing 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 befall me." Nothing occurred to my thoughts to contradict 
 any of these conclusions, and therefore it rested upon me with the greater force, that 
 it must needs be that God had appointed all this to befall me; that I was brought 
 to this miserable circumstance by His direction. He having the sole power, not of 
 me only, but of everything that happened in the world. Immediately it followed — 
 "Why has God done this to me? \\'hat have I done to be thus used?" M\- 
 conscience presently checked me in that inquiry, as if I had blasphemed, and methought 
 it spoke to me like a voice, "W^retch, dost thou ask what thou hast done? Look 
 back upon a dreadful misspent life, and ask thyself, what thou hast noi done? 
 Ask, why is it that thou wert not long ago destroyed? Why wert thou not drowned 
 in Yarmouth Roads? killed in the fight, when the ship was taken by the Sallee man- 
 of-war? devoured by the wild beasts off the coast of Africa? or drowned here, when 
 all the crew perished but thyself? Dost thou ask, 'W^hat 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 inchnation to sleep; so I sat down in my chair, and lighted 
 my lamp, for it began to be dark. Now, as the apprehension of the return of my 
 distemper terrified me very much, it occurred to my thought that the Brazilians take 
 no physic but their tobacco for almost all distempers, and I had a piece of a roll of 
 tobacco in one of the chests, which was quite cured, and some also that was green, 
 and not quite cured. 
 
 I went, directed by Heaven, no doubt; for in this chest I found a cure both for 
 soul and body. I opened the chest, and found what 1 looked for, viz., tlie tobacco; and 
 as the few books 1 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 inclination 
 to look into. I say I took it out, and brought both that and the tobacco with me to 
 the table. What use to make of the tobacco I knew not, as to my distemper, or 
 v,-hether it was good for it or no; but I tried several experiments with it, as if I 
 was resolved it should heal one way or other. I first took a piece of leaf, and chewed 
 it in my mouth, which indeed, at first, almost stupefied my brain, the tobacco being 
 green and strong, and that I had not been much used to it. 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 the virtue of 
 it, and I held it almost to suffocation. In the interval of this operation, I took up the 
 Bible, and began to read; but my head was too much disturbed with the tobacco to bear 
 reading, at least at that time; only having opened the book casually, the words first that 
 occurred to me were these, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, 
 
MY RKCOVKRY FROM SICKNESS. t\ 
 
 and thou shalt glorify Me." Tliese words were very apt to my case, and made some 
 iinpression upon my thoughts at the time of reading them, though not so much as they 
 did afterwards; for, as for being delivered, the word had no sound, as I may say, to me: 
 the thing was so remote, so impossible in my apprehension of things, that I began 
 to say, as the children of Israel did when they were promised flesh to eat, "Can God 
 spread a table in the wilderness?" so T began to say, "Can God Himself dehver me 
 from this place?" And as it was not for many years that any hopes appeared, this 
 prevailed very often upon my thoughts; but, however, the words made a great 
 impression upon me, and I mused upon them very often. It grew now late, and the 
 tobacco had, as I said, dozed my head so much that I inclined to sleep: so I left 
 my lamp burning in the cave, lest I should want anything in the night, and went to 
 bed. But before I lay down, I did what I never had done in all my life: I kneeled 
 down, and prayed to God to fulfil the promise to me, that if I called upon Him in 
 the day of trouble. He would deliver me. After my broken and imperfect prayer was 
 over, I drank the rum in which I had steeped the tobacco, which was so strong and 
 rank of the tobacco, that indeed I could scarcely get it down ; immediately upon this 1 
 went to bed; and 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 in my account it was lost, 
 and I never knew which way. Be that, however, one way or 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 ate 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 ist 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 dehver thee"; and the impossibility of my 
 deliverance lay much upon my mind, in bar of my ever expecting it; but as I was 
 discouraging myself with such thoughts, it occurred to my mind that I pored so much 
 upon my dehverance 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 
 distressed condition that could be, and that was so frightful to me ? and what notice 
 had I taken of it? Had I done my part? God had delivered me, but I had not 
 glorified Him; that is to say, I had not owned and been thankful for that as a 
 deliverance; and how could I expect greater deliverance?" This touched my heart 
 very much; and immediately I kneeled down, and gave God thanks aloud for my 
 recovery from my sickness. 
 
 Jxdy \. — In the morning, I took the Bible; and beginning at the New Testament, 
 
64 i^:oBi,ysox crusoe. 
 
 I began seriously to read it, and imposed upon myself to read awhile every morning 
 and every night; not tving myself to the number of chapters, but as long as my thoughts 
 should engage me. It was not long after I set seriously to this work, till I found 
 my heart more deeply and sincerely aflected with the wickedness 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 w'as 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, "Call on ]\Ie, and I will 
 deliver thee," in a different sense from what I had ever done before; for then I had 
 no notion of anything being called deliverance but my being delivered from the captivit\- 
 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 w^orst 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 of this. And I added this part here, to hint to 
 whoever shall read it, that whenever they come to a true sense of things, the}^ will 
 find deliverance from sin a much greater blessing than deliverance from affliction. 
 
 But, leaving this part, I return to my Journal: — 
 
 My condition began now to be, though not less miserable as to my way of living, 
 yet much easier to my mind : and my thoughts being directed, by a constant reading 
 the Scripture and praying to God, to things of a higher nature, I had a great deal 
 of comfort within, which, till now, I knew nothing of; also, m}' health and strength 
 returned, I bestirred myself to furnish myself with everything that I wanted, and 
 make my way of living as regular as I could. 
 
 From the 4th of July to the 14th, I was chiefly employed in walking about with 
 my gun in my hand, a little and a little at a time, as a man that was gathering up 
 liis 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 1 
 recommend it to anyone to practise, by this experiment; and though it did carry of! the 
 fit, yet it rather contributed to weaken me ; for I had frequent convulsions in mv 
 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 a dry season was always most accompanied with 
 such storms, so I found this rain was much more dangerous than the rain which fell 
 in September and October. 
 
 1 had now been in this unhappy island above ten months; all possibility of 
 deliverance from this condition seemed to be entirely taken from me ; and I firmly 
 believed that no human shape had ever set foot upon that place. Having now secured 
 my habitation, as 1 thought, fully to my mind, I had a great desire to make a more 
 perfect discovery of the island, and to see what other productions I might find, which 
 yet I knew nothing of. 
 
 It was the 15th of July that 1 began to take a more particular survey of the 
 
I MAk'E A SURVEY OF THE ISLAND. 
 
 65 
 
 island itself. I went up the creek first, where, as I hinted, I 
 brought my rafts onshore. I found, after I came about two 
 miles up, that the tide did not flow any liigher ; 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 understand- 
 ing 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 then 
 understand them. I saw 
 several sugar-canes, but 
 wild, and, for want of 
 cultivation, imperfect. I 
 contented myself with 
 these discoveries for this 
 time, and came back, mus- 
 ing with myself what 
 course I might take to 
 know the virtue and 
 goodness of any of the 
 fruits of plants 
 which I should 
 discover; but 
 could bring it to 
 no conclusion : 
 for, in short, I had 
 made so little obser- 
 vation while I was 
 in the Brazils, that 
 I knew little of the 
 
 plants of the field ; at least, very little that might serve me to any purpose now in my d 
 The next day, the i6th, I went up the same way again ; and after going 
 
 I^Sfc.^ 
 
 'THE FUtST THING I MADE WAS A GKEAT CAP " (/. 86). 
 
 istress. 
 some- 
 
66 ROB/XSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 tiling furtlier than I had gone the day before, I found the brook and savannahs cease, 
 and the country became more woody than before. In this part I found different 
 liuits, 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 and 
 as agreeable to eat when no grapes might be had. 
 
 1 spent all that evening there, and went not back to my habitation; which, by 
 the way, was the first night, as I might say, I had lain from home. In the night, 
 I took my first 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 1 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 fresli, so green, so flourishing, everything being in a constant 
 verdure, or flourish of spring, that it looked like a planted garden, I descended a 
 little on the side of that deUcious valley, surveying it with a secret kind of pleasure, 
 though mixed with 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 few bearing any fruit, at least not then. 
 However, the green limes that I gathered were not only pleasant to eat, but 
 very wholesome; and I mixed their juice afterwards with water, which made it very 
 wholesome, and very cool and refreshing. I found now I had business enough to 
 gather and carry home; and I resolved to lay up a store, as well of grapes as limes 
 and lemons, to furnish myself for the wet season, which I knew was approaching. 
 In order to do this, I gathered a great heap of grapes in one place, a lesser heap in 
 another place, and a great parcel of limes and lemons in another place ; and taking 
 a few of each with me, I travelled homeward, and resolved to come again, and bi-ing 
 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 igth, 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 abroad, 
 trodden to pieces, and dragged about, some here, some there, and abundance eaten and 
 ilevoured. 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 destroyed, and the other way they would be crushed with their own 
 weight, I took another course ; for I gathered a large quantity of the grapes, anil 
 himg 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 1 came home from this journey, 1 contemplated with yreat pleasure the 
 
THE ERECTION OF iMY COUNTRY HOUSE. 67 
 
 • 
 
 fruitfulness of that valley, and tlie pleasantness of the situation ; the security from 
 storm on that side of the water, and the wood ; and concluded that I had pitched upon 
 a place to fix my abode which was by far the worst part of the country. Upon 
 the whole, 1 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 Avas exceeding fond of it for some 
 time, the pleasantness of the place tempting me ; but Avhen 1 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 that 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 therefore 
 I ought not by any means to remove. However, I was so enamoured with 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, 5'et I 
 built me a little kind of a bower, and surrounded it at a distance with a strong 
 fence, being a double hedge, as high as I could reach, well staked, and filled 
 between with brushwood ; and here I lay very secure, sometimes two or three nights 
 together, always going over it with a ladder as before ; so that I fancied now I had my 
 countr}' 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, but the 
 rains came on, and made me stick close to my first habitation ; for though I had 
 made me a tent like the other, with a piece of a sail, and spread it very well, yet 
 I had not the shelter of a hill to keep me from storms, nor a cave behind me to 
 retreat into when the rains were extraordinary. 
 
 About the beginning of August, as I said, I had finished my bower, and began 
 to enjoy myself. The 3rd of August, I found the grapes I had hung up were perfectly 
 dried, and indeed were excellent good raisins of the sun ; so I began to take them 
 down from the trees, and it was very happy that I did 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 1 
 thought, had been dead, and I heard no more tidings of her till, to my astonishment, 
 she came home about the end of August, with three kittens. This was the more 
 strange to me because, though I had killed a wild cat, as I called it, with my gun, 
 yet I thought it was a quite different kind from our European cats; but the young 
 cats were the same kind of house-breed as the old one; and both my cats being 
 females, I thought it very strange. But from these three cats I afterwards came to 
 be so pestered with cats, that I was forced to kill them like vermin, or wild beasts, 
 and to drive them from my house as much as possible. 
 
 From the 14th of August to the 26th, incessant rain, so that I could not stir, 
 and was now very careful not to be much wet. In this confinement, I began to be 
 straitened for food : but venturing out twice, I one day killed a goat ; and the last 
 day, which was the 26th, found a very large tortoise, which was a treat to me, and 
 my food was regulated thus: — I ate a bunch of raisins for my breakfast; a piece of 
 the goat's flesh, or of the turtle, for my dinner, broiled (for, to my great misfortune, 
 
68 ROB /iV SON CRUSOE. 
 
 I had no vessel to boil or stew anything), and two or three of the turtle's eggs for 
 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 
 enclosure ; whereas now, I thought, I lay exposed, 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 foimd I had been on shore three hundred and sixty- 
 five days. I kept this day as a solemn fast, setting it apart for religious exercise, 
 prostrating myself on the ground with the most serious humiliation, confessing my 
 sins to God, acknowlerlging his righteous judgment upon me, and praying to him to 
 have mercy on me through Jesus Christ ; and having not tasted the least refreshment 
 for twelve hours, even till the going down of the sun, I then ate a biscuit-cake and 
 a bunch of grapes, and went to bed, finishing the day as I began it. I had all this 
 time observed no Sabbath-day, for as at first I had no sense of religion upon my 
 mind, I had, after some time, omitted to distinguish the weeks by making a longer 
 notch than ordinary for the Sabbath-day, and so did not really know what any of 
 the days were; but now, having cast up the days as above, I found I had been 
 there a year ; so I divided it into weeks, and set apart every seventh day for a 
 Sabbath ; though I found at the end of my account I had lost a day or two in my 
 reckoning. A little after this, my ink began to fail me, and so I contented myself 
 to use it more sparingly, and to write down only the most remarkable events of my 
 life, without continuing a daily memorandum of other things. 
 
 The rainy season and the dry season began to now appear regular to me, and I 
 learned to divide them so as to provide for them accordingly; but I bought all my 
 experience before I had it, and this I am going to relate was one of the most 
 discouraging experiments that I made at all. 
 
 I have mentioned that I had saved the few- ears of barley and rice which I had 
 so surprisingly found spring up, as I thought, of themselves; and I believe there 
 were about thirty stalks of rice, and about twenty of barley; and now I thought it 
 a proper time to sow it, after the rains, the sun being in its southern position, going 
 from me. Accordingly, I dug up a piece of ground as well as I could with my 
 wooden spade, and dividing it into two parts, I sowed my grain ; but as I was 
 sowing, it casually occurred to my thoughts that I would not sow it all at first, 
 because I did not know when was the proper time for it, so I sowed about two- 
 thirds of the seed, leaving about a handful of each. It Avas a great comfort to me 
 afterwards that I did so, for not one grain of that 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 newly sown. 
 Finding my» first seed did not grow, which I easily imagined was by the drought, 
 I sought for a moister piece of ground, to make another trial in, and I dug 
 up a piece of ground near my new bower, and sowed the rest of my seed 
 in February, a little before the vernal equinox ; and this, having the rainy months 
 of March and April to water it, sprang 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 got, I had but a small quantity at last, my wOiole 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. 
 
THE NATURAL ADORNMENT OF MY ABODES. 
 
 69 
 
 .^^SBiP^' 
 
 l^ 
 
 -"^ 
 
 "I APPLIED MYSELF TO GET UP MY MAST" (/. qo). 
 
 While this corn was growing, I made a Httle discovery, which was of use to me 
 afterwards. As soon as the rains were over, and the weather began to settle, which 
 was about the month of November, I made a visit up the country to my bower, 
 where, though I had not been some months, 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 off 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 scarcely credible how beautiful a figure they grew into, in three years ; so that 
 though the hedge made a circle of about twenty-five yards in diameter, yet the trees, 
 for such I might now call them, soon covered it, and it was a complete shade, 
 sufficient to lodge under all the dry season. This made me resolve to cut some more 
 stakes, and make me a hedge like this in a semi-circle round my 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. 
 
-o liOPrXSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 Avholc 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 consequence of being abroad in the rain, I took care to furnish myself with 
 provisions beforehand, that I might not be obliged to go out, and I sat within doors 
 as much as possible during the wet months. In this time I found much employment, 
 antl very suitable also to the time, for I found great occasion of many things which 
 I had no Avay 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 
 excellent 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 ofificious to help, and 
 a great observer of the manner how they worked those things, and sometimes 
 lent a hand, I had by this means so 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 a great plenty of them. These I set up to dry within my circle of hedges, 
 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 occasion ; and though 
 I did not finish them very handsomel}'^, yet I made them sufficient!}' 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, instead of sacks, when I should come to have any quantity of it. 
 
 Having mastered this difficulty, and employed a world of time about it, I bestirred 
 myself to see, if possible, how to supplv two wants. I had no vessel to hold an}'- 
 thing that was liquid, except two runlets, which were almost full of rum, and some 
 glass bottles — some of the common size, and others which were case-bottles, square, 
 for the holding of water, spirits, &c. I had not so much as a pot to boil anything in 
 except a great kettle, which I saved out of the ship, and which was too big for such uses 
 as I desired it for — 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 for me to 
 make one ; however, I found a contrivance for that, too, at last. I employed myself 
 in planting my second row of stakes or piles, and in this wicker-work, all the 
 summer or dry season, when another business took me up more time than it could 
 be imagined 1 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, 1 fairly descried land — whether an 
 
FURTHER DISCO}'ERTES IN MY ISLAND. 71 
 
 island or a continent I could not tell ; but it lay very high, extending from the W. 
 to the W.S.W., at a very great distance; by my guess, it could not be less than 
 fifteen or twenty leagues ofi. 
 
 1 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 1 should 
 have landed, I had been in a worse condition than I was now ; and therefore I acquiesced 
 in the dispositions of Providence, which I began now to own and to believe ordered 
 everything for the best; I say I quieted my mind with this, and left 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 was the savage coast between the Spanish 
 country and the Brazils, which were indeed the worst of savages; for they are cannibals, 
 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 would I have caught one, if possible, to have kept 
 it to be tame, and taught it to speak to me. I did, after some painstaking, catch a 
 young parrot, for I knocked it down with a stick, and having recovered it, I brought 
 it home; but it was some years before I could make him speak; however, at last, I 
 taught him to call me by my name very familiarly. But the 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 extremities for 
 food, but had rather plenty, even to dainties. 
 
 I never travelled in this journey above two miles outright in a day, or there- 
 abouts; 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, the shore was covered with 
 innumerable turtles, whereas on the other side I had found but three in a year and 
 a half. Here was also an infinite number of fowls of many kinds, some of 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 man}- 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 the other side 
 of 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 hills. 
 
 I confess this side of the country was much pleasanter than mine ; but yet I had 
 not the least inclination to remove, for as I was fixed in my habitation it became 
 natural to me, and I seemed all the while I was here to be as it were upon a journey, 
 and from home. However, I travelled along the shore of the sea towards the east, 
 
7a ROBINSON' CRUSOE. 
 
 I suppose about twelve miles, and then setting up a great pole upon the shore for a 
 mark, I concluded 1 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 
 bv 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 
 wav 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 this 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 w^ay I went : 
 and then, by easy journeys, I turned homeward, the weather being exceeding hot, 
 and my gun, ammunition, hatchet, and other things, very heavy. 
 
 In this journey m}^ 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 Avhether 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 spent. I made a collar to this little 
 creature, and with a string, w'hich I made of some I'ope-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 w^as very impatient to be at home, from 
 whence I had been absent above a month, 
 
 I cannot express what a satisfaction it was to me to come into my old hutch, 
 and lie down in my hammock-bed. This little wandering journey, without settled 
 place of abode, had been so unpleasant to me that my own house, as I called it to 
 myself, was a perfect settlement to me, compared to that ; and it rendered everything 
 about me so comfortable, that I resolved I would never go a great way from it again, 
 while it should be my lot to stay on the island. 
 
 I reposed myself here a week, to rest and regale myself after my long journey; 
 during which, most of the time was taken up in the weighty affair of making a cage 
 for my Poll, who began now to be a mere domestic, and to be mighty well acquainted 
 with me. Then I began to think of the poor kid which I had pent in within my little 
 circle, and resolved to go and fetch it home, or give it some food; accordingly 1 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 them 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 tisd 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 became from that lime 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 for 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 w-ith, and without which it might have been infinitely more 
 miserable. I gave humble and hearty thanks that God had been pleased to discover 
 to me that it was possible I might be more happy in this solitary condition than I 
 should have been in 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 communication of His grace to my soul; 
 
MV ANGUISH OF SOUL. 
 
 73 
 
 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 the life I now 
 led was, with all its miserable circumstances, than tlie wicked, cursed, abominable 
 life I led all the past part of my days; and now having 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 first coming, or, indeed, for the two 
 years past. 
 
 >^vv«: 
 
 " I FELL ON MY KNEES AND GAVE GOD THANKS " (/. 90). 
 
 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 
 
y^oB/.vsoy crusoe. 
 
 the ground for nn hour or two together; and tliis was still worse to me, for if I could 
 burst out into tears, or vent mj^self by words, it would go off, and the grief having 
 exhausted itself would abate. 
 
 But now I began to exercise myself with new thoughts. I daily read the Word 
 of God, and applied all the comforts of it to my present state. One morning, being 
 very sad, 1 opened the Bible upon these words, "I will 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 1 was mourning over 
 my condition, as one forsaken of God and man? "Well, then," said I, "if God does 
 not forsake me, of what ill consequence can it be, or what matters it, though the 
 world should all forsake me, seeing, on the other hand, if 1 had all the world, and 
 should lose the favour and blessing of God, there would be no comparison in the loss?" 
 
 From this moment I began to conclude in my mind that it was possible for me 
 to be more happy in this forsaken, solitary condition, than it was probable I should 
 ever have been in any other particular state in the world; and with this thought I 
 was going to give thanks to God for bringing me to this place. I know not what 
 it was, but something shocked m}' 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 mayest endeavour to be contented 
 with, thou wouldst rather pray heartily to be delivered from?" So I stopped there: 
 but though 1 could not say 1 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 sliip. 
 
 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 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, w^hich generally took up three hours in every morning, 
 when it did not rain; thirdly, the ordering, curing, preserving, and cooking what 1 
 iiad killed or caught for my supply: these took up great part of the day; also, it is 
 to be considered that in the middle of the day, when the sun was in the zenith, the 
 violence of the heat was too great to stir out; so that about four hours in the evening 
 was 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 wliich for want of tools, want of help, and 
 want of skill, everything I did took up out of my time: for example, I was full two- 
 and-forty days in making a board for a long shelf, which I wanted in my cave; 
 whereas, two sawyers, Avith 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 
 liegan to be light enough to move; then I turned it, and made one side of it smooth 
 and Hat 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 
 
THE rROTECTION OF MY CROPS. 
 
 75 
 
 " I TIED THEM WITH 
 
 STRINGS TOGETHER " (^p. 93) 
 
 patience carried me through that, and many other things; I only observe this in 
 particular, to show the reason why so much of my time went away with so little 
 work, viz., that what might be a little to be done with help and tools, was a vast 
 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 scarcely possible to keep from it; as, first, the goats, 
 and wild creatures which I called hares, which, tasting the sweetness of the blade, lay 
 in it night and day, as soon as it came up, and ate it so close that it could get no 
 time to shoot up into stalk. 
 
 This I saw no remedy for but by making an enclosure about it with a hedge; 
 which I did with a great deal of toil, and the more because it required a great 
 deal of speed; the creatures daily spoiling my corn. However, as my arable land 
 was but small, suited to my crop, I got it totally well fenced in about three weeks' 
 time; and shooting some of the creatures in the 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. 
 
 5* 
 
70 ROB/XSOiV CRUSOE. 
 
 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 ^omg along by the place 
 to see how it throve, I saw my little crop surrounded with fowls, of I know not how 
 many sorts, who stood, as it were, watching till I should he gone. I immediately let 
 flv among them, for I always had my gun with me. I had no sooner shot but there 
 rose up a little cloud of fowls, which I had not seen at all, from among the corn itself. 
 
 This touched me sensibly, for I foresaw that in a few days they would devour 
 all my hopes; that I should be starved, and never be able to raise a crop at all; and 
 what 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 the remainder was 
 likely to be a good crop, if it could be saved. 
 
 I stayed 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 but they dropped down one by one into the corn again. 
 I was so provoked that I could not have patience to stay till more came on, knowing 
 that every grain that they ate now was, as it might be said, a peck-load 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 had such an effect as it had, for the fowls would 
 not only not come at the corn, but, in short, they forsook all that part of the island, and 
 I could never see a bird near the place as long as my scarecrows hung there. This 
 I w^as 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 broadswords, or cutlasses, 
 which I saved among the arms out of the ship. However, as my first crop was but 
 small, I had no great difficulty to cut it down; in short, I reaped it in my way, for 
 I cut nothing off but the ears, and carried it away in a great basket which I had 
 made, and so rubbed it out with my hands; and at the end of all my harvesting, I 
 found that out of my half-peck of seed I had near two bushels of rice, and about 
 two bushels and a half of barley; that is to say, by my guess, for I had no measure 
 at that time. 
 
 However, this was a great encouragement to me, and 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. It is a little wonder- 
 ful, and what I believe few people have thought much upon, viz., the strange niultitudc 
 of little things necessary in the providing, producing, curing, dressmg, making, and 
 finishing this one article of bread. 
 
 I, that was reduced to a mere state of nature, found this to my daily discou- 
 ragement, and was made more and more sensible of it every hour, even after I had 
 got the first handful of seed-corn, which, as I have said, came up unexpectedly, 
 and indeed to a surprise. 
 
 First, 1 had no plough to turn up the earth; no spade or shovel to dig it. 
 
MV FARMING LABOURS. 
 
 n 
 
 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, h\X 
 made my work the harder, and made it be performed much 
 worse. However, this I bore with too, 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 ma)- 
 be called, rather than rake or harrow 
 it. When it was growing, or 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 in; 
 and all these things I did without, 
 as shall be observed; and yet the 
 corn was an inestimable comfort 
 and advantage to me too. But this, 
 as I said, made everything labo- 
 rious 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 operations necessary for making 
 the corn, when I had it, fit for my use. 
 
 But first I was to prepare more land, for I had now seed enough to sow above 
 an acre of ground. Before I did this, I had a week's work at least to make me a 
 spade, which, when it was done, was but a sorry one indeed, and very heavy, and 
 required double 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 
 of that wood which I had set before, which I knew would grow; so that, in one year's 
 time I knew I should have a quick or living hedge, that would want but little repair. 
 This work 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- 
 door — that is, when it rained and I could not go out — I found employment in the 
 following occupations, always observing, that all the while I was at work I diverted 
 myself with talking to my parrot, and teaching him to speak; and I quickly learnt 
 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, by 
 some means or other, to make myself some earthen vessels, which, indeed, I wanted 
 
 " MY COUNTRY SEAT " (/. 96). 
 
78 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 sorely, but knew not where to come at them. However, considering tlie heat of the 
 climate, I did not doubt but if I could find out any clay, I might botch up some such 
 pot as might, being dried by the sun, be liard 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 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, misshapen, ugly things I made; 
 how many of them fell in, and how many fell out — the clay not being stiff enough to 
 bear its own weight; how many cracked by tlie over-violent heat of the svm, being 
 set out too hastily ; and how many fell to pieces with only removing, as well before 
 as after they w^ere 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 (1 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 anything my hand turned to; and the heat of the sun baked them 
 strangely hard. 
 
 l:5ut 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, 1 found a broken piece of one of my earthenware vessels 
 in the fire, burnt as hard as a stone, and red as a tile. I was agreeably surprised 
 to see it, and said to myself, that certainly they might be made to burn whole, if 
 they would burn broken. 
 
 This set me to study how to order my fire, so as to make it br.rn me some pots. 
 I had no notion of a kiln, such as the potters burn in, or of glazing them with lead, 
 though I had some lead to do it with; but I placed three large pipkins, and two or 
 three pots, in a pile, one upon another, and placed my firewood 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 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 earthenware 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 
 
MTLLTNG AND BAKING OPERATTONS. 
 
 79 
 
 me some meat, which it did admirably well; and with a piece of a kid I made some 
 very good broth, though I wanted oatmeal and several other ingredients requisite to 
 make it as good as I would have had it. 
 
 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 perfectly 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 liad 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 would neither 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 ©utside with my axe and hatchet, 
 and then, with the help of fire and infinite labour, made a hollow place m it, as the 
 Indians in Brazil make their canoes. After this, I made a great heavy pestle, or 
 beater, of the wood called the iron-wood; and this I prepared and laid by against I 
 had my next crop of corn, which I proposed to myself to grind, or rather pound, my 
 corn or meal, to make bread. 
 
 My next difficulty was to make a sieve, or sierce, to dress my meal, and to part 
 it from the bran and 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 things to make it with — I mean fine thin canvas or stuff to 
 sierce 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 I how to weave 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, but proper enough for the work; and thus I made shift for some years. 
 How I did afterwards I shall show in its place. 
 
 The baking part was the next thing to be considered, and how I should make 
 bread when I came to have corn; for, first, I had no yeast. As to that part, as 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 in 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 the hearth, which I had paved with some square tiles, of my 
 own making and burning also. But I should not call them square. 
 
 When the firewood was burned pretty much into embers, or live coals, I drew 
 them forward upon this hearth, so as to cover it all over, and there I let them lie 
 till the hearth was very hot; then, sweeping away all the embers, I set down my 
 loaf or loaves, and whelming down the earthen pot upon them, drew the embers all 
 round the outside of the pot, to keep in and add to the heat; and thus, as well as 
 in the best oven in the w®rld, I baked my barley-loaves, and became, in little time, 
 a good pastrycook into the bargain; for I made myself several cakes and puddings 
 of the rice. Indeed, 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 liere; for, it is to be observed that, in the intervals of these things, 
 1 had my new harvest and husbandry to manage; for I reaped my corn in its season, 
 
8o ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 and carried it home as well as I could, and laid it up in the tar, in my large 
 baskets, till 1 had time to rub it out, for I had no floor to thrash it on, or instrument 
 to thrash it with. 
 
 And now, indeed, my stock of corn increasing, I really wanted to build my barns 
 bigger. I wanted a place to lay it up in, for the increase of the corn now yielded 
 me so much that I had of the barley about twenty bushels, and of the rice as much, 
 or more; insomuch that I now 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, 1 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 into 
 their power I should run a hazard of more than a thousand to one of being killed, 
 and perhaps of being eaten ; for I had heard that the people of the Caribbean coast 
 were cannibals, or men-eaters, and I knew by the latitude that I could not be far off 
 from that shore; that, suppose they were not cannibals, yet they might kill me, 
 as many Europeans who had fallen into their hands had been served, even when 
 they had been ten or twenty together — much more I, that was but one, and could 
 make little or no defence. All these things, I say, which I ought to have considered well 
 of, and I did cast up in my thoughts afterwards, yet took up none of my apprehensions 
 at first, and my head ran mightily upon the thought of getting over to that shore. 
 
 Now, I wished for my boy Xury, and the long-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 1 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 awaj'. She lay almost where she did at first, but not quite; and was turned, 
 by the force of the waves and the winds, almost bottom upward against a high ridge 
 of beachy, rough sand, but no water aboiit 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 Brazils with her easily enough; but I might 
 have easily 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 wood, and cut levers and 
 rollers, and brought them to the boat; resolved to try what I could do, suggesting 
 to myself that if I could but turn her down, I might easily repair the damage she 
 had received and she would be a very good boat, and I might go to sea in her 
 ver)' 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 
 dov/n, setting pieces of wood to thrust and guide it right in the fajl. 
 
 But when I had done this, 1 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 
 for 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 myselt 
 
/ COMMENCE TO MAKE A CANOE. 
 
 81 
 
 MV GOATS WANTED 
 
 TO BE MILKED 
 
 lOl). 
 
 a canoe, or periagua, such 
 as the natives of those cli- 
 mates make, even without 
 tools, or, as I might say, 
 without hands — viz., of the 
 trunk of a great tree. This 
 I not only thought possible, 
 but easy, and pleased my- 
 self extremely with my 
 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 inconveniences 
 which I lay under more than 
 the Indians did, viz., want 
 of hands to move it into the 
 water when it was made, 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 that 
 when I had chosen a vast 
 tree in the wood, I might 
 with great trouble cut it down, if 1 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 make 
 it hollow, so as to make a boat of it — if, after all this, I must leave it just there where 
 I found it, and 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 imme- 
 diately thought how I should get it into the sea ; but my thoughts were so intent upon 
 my voyage over the sea in it, that I never once considered how I should get it off 
 the land ; and it was really, in its own nature, more easy for me to guide it over 
 forty-five miles of sea, than about forty-five fathoms of land, where it lay, to set it 
 afloat in the water. 
 
 I went to work upon this boat the most like a fool that ever man did, who had 
 any of his senses awake. I pleased myself with the design, without determining 
 whether I was ever able to undertake it ; not but that the difficulty of launching my 
 boat came often into my head; but I put a stop to my inquiries into it, by this 
 foolish answer, which I gave myself: "Let me first make it; I warrant I shall 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, and felled a cedar-tree. I question much whether Solomon 
 ever had such a one for the building of the Temple at Jerusalem; it was five feet 
 ten inches diameter at the lower part next the stump, and four feet eleven inches 
 diameter at the end of twenty-two feet; after which it lessened for a while, and then 
 parted into branches. It was not without infinite labour that I felled this tree. 
 1 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 
 
82 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 tlirce months more to clear tlie 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, and big enough 
 to have carried six-and-twenty men, and consequently big cHough 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 — for there 
 remained nothing but to get it into the water; and had I gotten it into the water, 
 I make no question but I should have begun the maddest voyage, and the most 
 unlikely to be performed, that ever was undertaken. 
 
 But all my devices to get it into the water failed me ; though they cost 
 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 discouragement, I resolved to dig into the surface of the earth, and so 
 make a declivity. This I began, and it cost me a prodigious deal of pains (but who 
 grudge pains that have their deliverance in view?); but when this was worked through, 
 and this difficulty managed, it was still much at one, for I could no more stir 
 the canoe than I could the other boat. Then I measured the distance of ground, 
 and resolved to cut a dock or canal, to bring the water up to the canoe, seeing 1 
 could not bring the canoe down to the water. Well, I began this work; and when 
 I began to enter into 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 rcluctancy, 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 of the W'ord 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, nor the pride of life. I had 
 nothing to covet, for I had all I was now capable of enjoying; 1 was lord of the 
 whole manor; or, if I pleased, I might call myself king or emperor over the whole 
 country which I had possession of. There were no rivals; I had no competitor, 
 none to dispute sovereignty or command with me. I might have raised ship-loadings 
 of corn, but I had no use for it; so I let as little grow as I thought enough for my 
 occasion. I had tortoises or turtles enough, but now and then one was as much as I 
 could put to any use; I had timber enough to have built a fleet of ships; and I had 
 grapes enough to have made wine, or to have cured into raisins, to have loaded that 
 fleet when it had been built. 
 
 But all I could make use of was all that was valuable ; I had enough to eat and 
 supply my wants, and what was all the rest to me.? If I killed more flesh than I 
 could eat, the dog must cat it, or the vermin ; if I sowed more corn than I could eat. 
 
VARIOUS REFLECTIONS 83 
 
 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 reflec- 
 tion, that all the good things of this world are no further 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. 1 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 often thought with myself, that I would 
 have given a handful of it for a gross of tobacco-pipes; or for a hand-mill to grind 
 my corn ; nay, I would have given it all for a sixpenny-worth of turnip and carrot 
 seed out of England, or for a handful of peas and beans, and a bottle of ink. As 
 it was, I had not the least advantage by it or 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 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 discontents 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 anyone 
 that should fall into such distress as mine was; and this was, to compare my present 
 condition with what I expected it would 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, and gunpowder and shot 
 for getting my food. 
 
 I spent Avhole 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. 
 
 I had another reflection, which assisted me also to comfort my mind with hopes; 
 
84 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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, anil 
 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 converse with anything but what was like myself, or to hear anything 
 that was good or tended towards it. 
 
 So void was 1 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 Brazils ; my receiving the cargo from England, and the like — I never 
 once had the words, "Thank God!" so much as on my mind, or in my mouth; nor 
 in the greatest distress had I so much thoughts to pray to him, or so much as to 
 say, "Lord, have mercy upon me!" no, not to mention the name of God, unless it 
 was to swear by, and blaspheme it. 
 
 I had terrible reflections upon m}' mind for many months, as I have already 
 observed, on the 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 mercies 
 in store for me. 
 
 With these reflections, I worked my mind up, not only to a resignation to the 
 will of God in the present disposition of my circumstances, but even to a sincere 
 thankfulness for my condition; and that I, who was yet a living man, ought not to 
 complain, seeing I had not the due punislunent 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, wliich nothing but a crowd of wonders could have brought; that I ought 
 to consider I liad 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 uninhabited 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 notliing 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 made a just improve- 
 ment of these things, I went away, and was no more sad. I had now been here 
 so long, that many things which I brouglit on shore for my help were either 
 quite gone, or very much wasted and near spent. 
 
 My ink, as 1 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 con- 
 currence of days in the various providences which befell me, and which, if I had 
 
MV FATAL A NNI VERSA RIES. 
 
 85 
 
 .rf»*:-^"ijX!Js. .^^ 
 
 i&L 
 
 "I WAS PERFECTLY CONFOUNDED AND AMAZED" (/. IO4). 
 
 been superstitiously inclined to observe days as fatal or fortunate, I might have 
 had reason to have looked upon with a great deal of curiosity. 
 
 First, I had observed, that the same day that I broke away from my father and 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 of the 
 year afterwards I made my escape from Sallee in a boat ; the same day of the year I 
 was born on— viz., the 20th of September— the 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 solitary life began both on a day. 
 
 The next thing to my mk being wasted, was that of my bread — I mean the 
 biscuit which I brought out of the ship. This I had husbanded to the last degree, 
 allowing myself but one cake of bread a day for above a year; and yet I was quite 
 without bread for 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. 
 
86 A'OBIXSON' CRUSOE. 
 
 My clothes, too, bepfan to decay mip:htily ; 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 several thick 
 watch-coats of the seamen's which were left behind, 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 thouglits of it, though I was alone. One 
 reason why I could not go naked was, I could not bear the heat of the sun so well 
 when quite naked as with some clothes on ; nay, the very heat frequently blistered 
 my skin ; whereas, with a shirt on, the air itself made some motion, and, whistling 
 under the shirt, was twofold cooler than without it. No more could I ever bring 
 myself to go out in the heat of the sun without a cap or a hat ; the heat of the sun, 
 beating with such violence as it does in that place, would give me the headache 
 presently, by darting so directly on my head, without a hat or cap on, so that I 
 could not bear it ; whereas, if I put on my hat, it would presently go away. 
 
 Upon these views, I began to consider about putting the few rags I had, which 
 I called clothes, into some order. I had worn out all the waistcoats I had, and my 
 business was now to try if I could not make jackets out of the great watch-coats 
 which I had by me, and with such other materials as I had; so I set to work 
 tailoring, or rather, indeed, botching, for I made most piteous work of it. However, 
 I made shift to make two or three waistcoats, which I hoped would serve me 
 a great while ; as for breeches or drawers, I made but a very sorry shift indeed till 
 afterwards. 
 
 I have mentioned that I saved the skins of all the creatures that I killed — 
 I mean four-footed ones — and 1 had them hung up, stretched out with sticks, in the 
 sun, by which means some of them were so dry and hard that they were fit for 
 little; but others, 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, 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 the waistcoat and cap being outermost, I was kept 
 very dry. 
 
 After this, I spent a great deal of time and pains to make an umbrella. I was 
 indeed in great want of one, and had a great mind to make one. I had seen them 
 made in the Brazils, where they are very useful in the great heats which are there, 
 and 1 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 spread, but if it did not let down too, and draw in, it would not be 
 portable for me any way but just over my head, which would not do. However, at 
 last, as I said, I made one to answer. 1 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, I could close it, and 
 carry it under my arm. 
 
 Thus 1 lived mighty comfortably, my mind being entirely composed by resigning 
 
/ MAKE SOME VOYAGES TN MY BOAT. 87 
 
 to the will of God, and throwing myself wholly upon the disposal of His provi- 
 dence. This made my life better tlian 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 my Maker, by ejaculations 
 and petitions was not better than the utmost enjoyment of human society in the world? 
 
 I cannot say tliat, after this, for five years, any extraordinary thing happened 
 to me, but I lived on in the same course, in the same posture and place, just as before. 
 The chief thing 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 the year's provision beforehand — I say, besides this yearly 
 labour, and my daily labour 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 deep, I brought it into the creek, almost half a mile. As for 
 the first, which was so vastly big, as I niade it without considering beforehand, as 
 I ought to do, how I should be able to launch it, so, never being able to 
 bring it into the water, or bring the water to it, I was obliged to let it lie where it 
 was, as a memorandum to teach me to be wiser the next time. Indeed, the next time, 
 though I could not get a tree proper for it, and was in a place where I could not 
 get the water to it at any less distance than, as I have said, of 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 tour round the 
 island; for as I had been on the other side in one place, crossing, as I have already 
 described it, over the land, so the discoveries I made in that little journey made me 
 very eager to see other parts of the coast ; and now I had a boat, I thought of 
 nothing but sailing round the island. 
 
 For this purpose, and 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 store by me. 
 Having fitted my mast and sail, and tried the boat, I found she would sail very well ; 
 then I made little lockers, or boxes, at each end of my boat, to put provisions, 
 necessaries, ammunition, &c., into, to be kept dry, either from rain or the spray of 
 the sea; and a little, long, hollow place I cut in the inside of the boat, where I could 
 lay my gun, making a flap to hang down over it, to keep it dry. 
 
 I fixed my umbrella also in a step at the stern, like a mast, to stand over my 
 head, and keep the heat of the sun off of 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 tour ; 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 with shot for killing more, and two large watch-coats (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 *ea to double that point. 
 
88 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 When first I discovered them, I was going to give over my enterprise, and come 
 back again, not knowing how far it might oblige me to go out to sea, and, above 
 all, doubting how I should get back again, so I came to an anchor; for I had made 
 a kind of an anchor with a piece of a broken grappling which I got out of the ship. 
 
 Having secured my boat, I took my gun and went on shore, climbing up a hill, 
 which seemed to overlook that point where I saw the full extent of it, and resolved 
 to venture. 
 
 In my viewing the sea from that hill were I stood, I perceived a strong and, 
 indeed, a most furious current, which ran to the east, and even came close to the 
 point; and I took the more notice of it, because I saw there might be some danger, 
 that when I came into it, I might be carried out to sea by the strength of it, and 
 not be able to make the island again. And, indeed, had 1 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 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 overnight, the sea was 
 calm, and I ventured. But I am a warning-piece to all rash and ignorant pilots, for no 
 sooner was I come to the point, when I was not even my boat's length from the 
 shore, but I found myself in a great depth of water, and a current like the sluice of 
 a mill. It carried m}' 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 that I could do with my paddles signified nothing. And now I began 
 to give myself over for lost, for as the current was on both sides of the island, I 
 knew in a few leagues' distance they must join again, and then I was irrecoverably 
 gone; nor did I see any possibility of avoiding it; so that I had no prospect before 
 me but of perishing, not by the sea, for that was calm enough, but of starving from 
 hunger. I had, indeed, found a tortoise on the shore, as big almost as I could lift, 
 and had tossed it into the boat; and I had a great jar of fresh water — that is to say, 
 one of my earthen pots; but what was all this to being driven into the vast ocean, 
 where, to be sure, there was no shore, no main-land or island, for a thousand leagues 
 at least ? 
 
 And now I saw how easy it was for the providence of God to make the most 
 miserable condition that mankind could be in 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 there again. I stretched out my hands to it with 
 eager wishes. "O happy desert ! " said I, "I shall never see thee more. O miserable 
 creature! whither am I going?" Then I reproached myself with my imthankful 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 scarcely possible to imagine the consternation I was now in, being 
 driven from my beloved island (for so it appeared to me now to be) into the wide 
 ocean, almost two leagues, and in the utmost despair of ever recovering it again. 
 However, I worked hard till, indeed, my strength was almost exhausted, and kept my 
 boat as much to the northward — that is, towards the side of the current which the 
 eddy lay on — as possibly 1 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 
 
MV DAILY TOUR TO THE HILL TO LOOK OUT." 
 
 (See p. Joj., 
 
90 
 
 EOn/XSON' CRUSOE. 
 
 a pretty small, gentle gale. By this time, I had got at a frightful distance from the 
 island; and had the least cloudy or hazy weather intervened, 1 had been undone 
 another way, too; for I had no compass on board, and should never have known how 
 to have steered towards the island, if I had but once lost sight of it. But the weather 
 continuing clear, I applied myself to get up my mast again, and spread my sail, 
 standing away to the north as much as possible, to get out of the current. 
 
 Just as 1 had set up 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 Avhere 
 the current was so strong the water was foul; l)ut perceiving the water clear, I found 
 the current abate; and presently I found to the east, at about half a mile, a breach 
 of the sea upon some rocks. These rocks, I found, caused the current to part again, 
 and as the main stress of it ran away more southerly, leaving the rocks to the north- 
 east, so the other returned by the repulse of the rock, and made a strong eddy, 
 which ran back again to the north-west, with a very sharp stream. 
 
 They who know what it is to have a reprieve brought to them upon the ladder, 
 or to be rescued from thieves just going to murder them, or who have been in such 
 extremities, may guess what my present surprise of joy was, and how gladly I put 
 my boat into the stream of this eddy; and the wind also freshening, how gladly I 
 spread my sail to it, running cheerfully before the wind, and v/ith a strong tide or 
 eddy under foot. 
 
 This edd}' carried me about a league in my wa}' back again, directly towards 
 the island, but about two leagues more towards the northward than tlie current lay 
 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. 
 
 \\'hen I had made something more than a league of way by help of this 
 current or eddy, I found it was spent, and saved me no farther. However, I found 
 that being between two great currents — viz., that on the south side, Vv'hich had hurried 
 me away, and that on the north, which lay about two leagues 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 about 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. 
 
 When I was on shore, I fell on my knees, and gave God tlianks for my deliver- 
 ance, resolving to lay aside all thoughts of my deliverance by my boat; and refreshing 
 myself with such things as I had, I brought my boat close to the shore, in a little 
 cove that I had spied under some trees, and laid me down to sleep, being quite spent 
 with the 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 
 nuich 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 resolved on the next morning 
 to make my way westward along the shore, and to see if there was no creek where I 
 might lay up my frigate in safety, so as to have her again, if 1 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 
 
THE MYSTERIOUS VOICE. 
 
 91 
 
 I always 
 
 ^' 
 
 had been in a little dock made on purpose for her. Here I put in, and havinj^ stowed 
 my boat very safe, I went on shore to look about me, and see where I was. 
 
 I soon iound I had but little passed by the jilace where 1 liad been before, when 
 I had travelled on foot to that shore; so, taking nothing out of my boat but my 
 gun and umbrella, for it was exceedingly hot, 1 began my march. The way was com- 
 fortable enough after such a voyage as I had been upon, and I reached my old 
 bower in the evening, where I found everything standing as 1 left it; for 
 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 awakedout 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? Wliere have you been ? " 
 
 I was so dead asleep at first, 
 being fatigued with rowing, or pad- 
 dling, as it is called, the first part 
 of the day, and walking the latter 
 part, that I did not awake thoroughly; 
 and 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 awake more perfectly, and 
 was at first dreadfully frightened, 
 and started up in the utmost con-' 
 sternation. But no sooner were my 
 eyes open but I saw my Poll sitting 
 on the top of the hedge; and im- 
 mediately knew that it was he that 
 spoke to me; for just in such be- 
 moaning language I had used to talk 
 to him, and teach him; and he had 
 learned it so perfectly that he would sit 
 upon my finger, and lay his bill close 
 to my face, and cry, "Poor Robin 
 Crusoe! Where are you? Where 
 have you been? How came you here?" ' 
 and such things as 1 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, 1 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 
 spciable creature came to me, and sat upon my thumb, as he used to do, and con- 
 tinued 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. 
 
 6' 
 
 ■I TOOK A FIREBRANn, AND IN I RUSHED AGAIN" (^p. III). 
 
g, RO BINS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 I had now had enough of rambling to sea for some time, and had enough to do 
 for many days, to sit still and reflect upon the danger I had been in. I would have 
 been very glad to have had my boat again on my side of the island; but I knew 
 not how it was practicable to get it about. As to the east side of the island, which 
 1 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 Hved 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 dis- 
 positions of Providence, I thought I lived really very happily in all things, except 
 that of society. 
 
 I improved myself in this time in all the mechanic exercises which my necessities 
 put me upon applying myself to; and I believe I should, upon occasion, have made 
 a very good carpenter, especially considering how few tools I had. 
 
 Besides this, I arrived at an unexpected perfection in my earthenware, and 
 contrived well enough to make them with a wheel, which I found infinitely easier 
 and better, because I made things round and shaped, which before were filthy things 
 indeed to look on. But I think I was never more vain of my own performance, or 
 more joyful for anything I found out, than for my being able to make a tobacco-pipe; 
 and though it was a very ugly, clumsy ihing 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 exceedingly comforted with it, for I had been always used to smoke; and there 
 Were pipes in the ship, but I forgot them at first, not thinking that there was tobacco 
 in the island; and afterwards, when I searched the ship again, I could not come at 
 any pipes. 
 
 In my wickerware, also, I improved much, and made abundance of necessary 
 baskets, as well as my invention showed me; though not very handsome, yet they 
 were such as were very handy, and convenient for laying things up in, or fetching 
 things home. For example, if I killed a goat abroad, I could hang it up in a tree, 
 flay it, and 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 behinci me. 
 Also, large deep baskets were my receivers for my corn, which I always rubbed out 
 as soon as it was dry, and cured, and kept it in great baskets, instead of a granary. 
 
 I began now to perceive my powder abated considerably; and 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 I observed, in the third year of my being here, kept a young 
 kid, and bred her up tame; I was in hopes of getting a he-kid: but I could not by 
 any means bring it to pass, till my kid grew an old goat; and as I could never find 
 in my heart to kill her, she died at last of mere age. 
 
 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. To 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 
 1 had no wire, and always found them broken, and my bait devoured. At length, 
 I resolved to try a pitfall: so I dug several large pits in the earth, in places where 
 
ABOUT MY GOATS. 93 
 
 I had observed the goats used to feed, and over those pits I placed hurdles, of my 
 own making too, with a great weight upon thtiui; 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 frighted 
 out of his wits. But I had forgot then what I learned afterwards, 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, I tied them with strings togetlier, 
 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 goats' flesh, when I had no powder or shot left, breeding some 
 up tame was my only way; when, perhaps, I might have them about my house like 
 a flock of sheep. But, then, it occurred to me that I must keep the tame from the 
 wild, or else they would always run wild when they grew up; and the only way for 
 this was to have some enclosed piece of ground, well fenced either with hedge or 
 pale, to keep them up 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 piece of work was to find out a proper piece 
 of ground, viz., where there was likely to be herbage for them to eat, water for them 
 to drink, and cover to keep them from the sun. 
 
 Those who understand such enclosures will think I had very little contrivance, 
 when I pitched upon a place very proper for all these, being a plain open piece of 
 meadow land, or savanna (as our people call it in the western colonies), which had 
 two or three little drills of fresh water in it, and at one end was very woody ; I say, 
 they will smile at my forecast, when I shall tell them I began by enclosing of 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 flock 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 
 
94 
 
 Ji OB INS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 finished, and I let them loose, they would follow nie up and down, bleating after me 
 for a handful of corn. 
 
 This answered my end, and in about a year and a half I had a flock of about 
 twelve goats, kids and all; and in two years more I had three-and-forty, besides several 
 that I took and killed for my food; after that, I enclosed five several pieces of ground 
 to feed them in, with little pens to drive them into,, to take them as I wanted, and 
 gates out of one piece of ground into another. 
 
 But this was not all; for now I not only had goats' flesh to feed on when I 
 pleased, but milk too — a thing which, indeed, in my beginning, 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, dictates even 
 naturally how to make use of it, so I, that never milked a cow, much less a goat, 
 or saw butter or cheese made, very readily and handily, though after a great many 
 essays and miscarriages, made me both butter and cheese at last, 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 dungeons and 
 prisons! What a table Avas 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 absolute command; I could hang, draw, give life and 
 liberty, and take it away, and no rebels among all my subjects. Then, to see how 
 like a king I dined too, all alone, attended by my servants ! Poll, as if he had 
 been my favourite, was the only 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 the table, and one on 
 the other, expecting now and then a bit from my hand, as a mark of special favour. 
 
 But these were not the two cats which I had brought on shore at first, for they 
 were both of them dead, and had been interred near my habitation by my own hand ; 
 hut one of them having multiplied by I know not what kind of creature, these were two 
 which I had preserved tame ; whereas the rest ran wild in the woods, and became, 
 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, in some time after 
 this, 1 was likely to have too much. 
 
 I was something impatient, as I have observed, to have the use of my boat, 
 though very loth to run any more hazard; and, therefore, sometimes I sat contriving 
 ways to get her about the island, and at other times I sat myself down, contented 
 enough without her. But I had a strange uneasiness in my mind to go down to 
 the point of the island, where, as I have said, in my last ramble, I went up the hill 
 to see how the shore lay, and how the current set, that I might see what I had to 
 do. This inclination increased upon me every day, and at length I resolved to travel 
 thither by land; and following the edge of the shore, I did so; but had anyone in Eng- 
 land met such a man as I was, it must either have frighted them, or raised a great 
 deal of laughter: and as I frequently stood still to look at myself, 1 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 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 flcsli 
 under the clothes. 
 
A SKETCH OF MY APPKARAXCE. 
 
 95 
 
 I had a short jacket of goat's skin, the 
 skirts coming down to about tlie middle of the 
 tliighs, and a pair of open-kneed breeclies of 
 the same ; the breeches were made of the 
 skin of an old he-goat, whose hair hung down 
 such a length on either side, that, like 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 knew what 
 to call them — like buskins, to flap over my 
 legs and lace on either side like spatter- 
 dashes, but of a most barbarous shape, as, 
 indeed, were all the rest of my clothes. 
 
 I had on a broad belt of goat's skin 
 dried, which I drew together with two thongs 
 of the same, instead of buckles; and in a kind 
 of a frog on either side of this, instead of a 
 sword and dagger, hung a little saw and a 
 hatchet, one on one side, one on the other. 
 I had another belt not so broad, and fastened 
 in the same manner, which hung over my 
 
 shoulder, and at the end of it, under my left "he would sit upon my finger" (/, 91). 
 arm, hung two pouches, both made of goat's 
 
 skin too, in one of which hung my powder, in the other my shot. At my back I 
 carried my basket, 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 scissors and razors sufficient, I 
 had cut it pretty short, except what grew on my upper lip, which I had trimmed into 
 a large pair of Mahometan whiskers, such as I had seen worn by some Turks at 
 Sallee; for the Moors did not wear such, though the Turks did. Of these moustachios, 
 or whiskers, I will not say that they were long enough to hang my hat upon them, but 
 they were of a length and shape monstrous enough, and such as in England would 
 have passed for frightful. 
 
 But all this is by-the-bye; for, as to my figure, I had so few to observe me, 
 that it was of no manner of consequence, so I say no more to that part. In this kind 
 of dress I went my new journey, and was out five or six days. I travelled first along 
 the sea-shore, directly to the place where I first brought my boat to an anchor to get 
 up 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 rock 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 forcible from the west or from 
 the north, ihis current came near, or went farther from the shore; for, waiting 
 thereabouts till evening, I went up to the rock again, and then the tide of ebb being 
 made, I plainly saw the current again as before, only that it ran farther off, being 
 near half a league from the shore, whereas in my case it set close upon the shore, 
 
cj, IWB/XSON- CRUSOR. 
 
 and hurried me and my canoe along with it, which at another time it would not 
 liave done. 
 
 Tliis 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 about putting it in practice, I had such terror 
 upon my spirits at the remembrance of the danger I had been in, that I could not 
 think of it again with any patience ; but, on the contrary, I took up another resolution, 
 which was more safe, though more laborious — and this was, that I would build, or 
 rather make me another periagua, or canoe; and so have one for one side of the island, 
 and one for the other. 
 
 You are to understand, that now I had, as I may call it, two plantations in the 
 island; one my little fortification or tent, with the wall about it, under the rock, 
 with the cave 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 laige earthen pots, of which I have 
 given an account, and with fourteen or fifteen great baskets, w'hich would hold five or 
 six bushels each, where I laid up my stores or 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. 
 
 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 circled it in, constantly fitted up to its usual height, 
 the ladder standing always in the inside. I kept the trees, which at first were no 
 more than my stakes, but were now grown very firm and tall, always so cut that 
 they might spread and grow thick and wild, and make the more agreeable shade, 
 which they did effectually to my mind. In the middle of this I had my tent always 
 standing, being a piece of a sail spread over poles set up for that purpose, and 
 which never wanted any repair or renewing ; and under this I had made me a squab, 
 or couch, with the skins of the creatures I had killed, and with other soft things, 
 and a blanket laid on them, such as belonged to our sea-bedding, which I had saved; 
 and a great watch-coat to cover me ; and here, whenever I had occasion to be absent 
 from my chief seat, I took up my country habitation. 
 
 Adjoining to this I had my enclosures for my cattle — that is to say, my goats ; 
 and 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 comfortable support; for I considered 
 the keeping up a breed of tame creatures thus at my hand would be a living magazine 
 of flesh, milk, butter, and cheese for me as long as I lived in the place, if it were 
 to be forty years; and that 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 
 
/ DISCOVER A FOOTPRINT IN THE SAND. 
 
 97 
 
 
 "IT BLEW A VERY GREAT STORM OF WIND" (/. 1 1 5). 
 
 little stakes began to grow, I had planted them so very thick, I was forced to pull 
 some of them up again. 
 
 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 w^ere 
 not agreeable only, but physical, wholesome, nourishing, and refreshing to the last 
 degree. 
 
 As this was also about half-way between my other habitation and the place 
 where I had laid up my boat, I generally stayed and lay here in my way thither, 
 for I used frequently to visit my boat; and I kept all things about, or belonging to 
 her, in very good order. Sometimes I went out in her to divert myself, but no more 
 hazardous voyages would I go, scarcely ever above a stone's cast or two from the 
 shore, I was so apprehensive of being hurried out of my knowledge again by the 
 currents or winds, or any other accident. But now I came 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 n:ian's naked foot on the shore, which was very plain 
 to be seen on the sand. I stood like one thunderstruck, or as if I had seen an 
 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 impression 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 in 
 the least imagine. But after innumerable fluttering thoughts, like a man perfectly 
 confused and out of myself, I came home to my fortification, not feeling, as we say, 
 
g8 ROB/NSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 
 distance to be a man. Nor is it possible to describe how many various shapes my 
 aftVighted imagination represented things to me in ; how many wild ideas were formed 
 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 called a door, I cannot remember ; for never 
 frighted hare fled to cover, or fox to earth, with more terror of mind than I to this retreat. 
 
 I had no sleep 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. Sometimes 
 I fancied it must be the devil; and reason joined in with me upon tliis 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 footsteps? And 
 how was it possible a man should come there? But then to think that Satan should 
 take human shape upon him in such a place, where there could be no manner of 
 occasion for it, but to leave the print of his foot behind him, and that even for no 
 purpose too, for he could not be sure I should see it — this was an amazement the 
 other way. I considered that the devil might have found out abundance of other 
 ways to have terrified me than this of the single print of a foot ; that as I lived 
 quite on the other side of the island, he would never have been so simple as to leave 
 a mark in a place where it was ten thousand to one whether I should ever see it or 
 not, and in the sand too, which the first surge of the sea, upon a high wind, would 
 have defaced entirely. All this seemed inconsistent with the thing itself, and with all 
 the notions we usually entertain of the subtlety of the devil. 
 
 Abundance of such things as these assisted to argue me out of all apprehensions 
 of its being the devil ; and I presently concluded then that it must be some more 
 dangerous creature; viz., that it must be some of the savages of the mainland 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 loth, 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 
 thought that I was so happy as not to be thereabouts 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 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 experience as I had had of His goodness, 
 now vanished ; 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. 1 reproached 
 myself with my laziness, that would not sow any more corn for one year than would just 
 serve me till the next season, as if no accident could intervene to prevent my enjoying 
 the crop that was upon the ground; and this I thought so just a reproof, that I 
 resolved for the future to have two or three years' corn beforehand, so that, what- 
 ever might come, I might not perish for want of bread. 
 
'THEY WERE ALL DANCING ROUND THE FIRE. 
 
 • (See p. 124.) 
 
100 J^O/J/.VSO.V CRrsoE. 
 
 How strange a chequer-work of Providence is the Hfe of man! and by what 
 secret differing springs are the affections hurried about, as differing 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 appre- 
 hensions 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 man- 
 kind, and condemned to what I call silent life; that I was as one whom Heaven 
 thought not worthy to be numbered among the living, or to appear amongst 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 blessivig that Heaven itself, 
 next to tlie supreme blessing of salvation, could bestow ; I say, that I should now 
 tremble at the very apprehensions of seeing a man, and was ready to sink into 
 the ground at but the shadow or silent appearance of a man having set his foot on 
 the island. 
 
 Such is the uneven state of human life; and it afforded me a great many curious 
 speculations afterwards, when I had a little recovered my first surprise. I considered 
 that this was the station of life the infinitely wise and good providence of God had 
 determined for me ; that as I could not foresee what the end 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 who had offended Him, had likewise a 
 judicial right to condemn me to what punishment He thought fit ; and that it was 
 my part to submit to bear His indignation, because I had sinned against Him. 
 I then reflected that God, who was not only righteous, but omnipotent, as He 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 it, 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 thouglits 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: viz., one 
 morning early, lying in my bed, and filled with thoughts about my danger from the 
 appearance of savages, I found it discomposed me very much ; upon which those 
 words of the Scripture came into my thoughts: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble: 
 I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." Upon this, rising cheerfully out of 
 bed, my heart was not only comforted, but I was guided and encouraged to pray 
 earnestly to God for deliverance: when I had done praying, I took up my Bible, and 
 opening it to read, the first words that presented to me were, "Wait on the Lord: 
 be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thy heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." 
 It is impossible to express the comfort this gave me, and in return I thankfully laid 
 down the book, and was no more sad, at least, not 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 
 themselves frighted at them more than anybody else. 
 
 Now I began to take courage, and to peep abroad again, for I had not stirred 
 out of my pastle for three days and nights, so that I began to starve for provision ; 
 
FEAR AND CONFUSION OF MIND. loi 
 
 for I had little or nothing within doors but some barley-cakes and water. Then 1 
 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. 
 
 Heartening myself, therefore, with the belief that this was nothing but the print 
 of one of my own feet, and so 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 anyone have thought I was haunted with an evil conscience, or that I 
 had been lately most terribly frighted ; 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 it by my own, and see if there was any similitude 
 or fitness, that I might be assured it was my own foot. But when I came to the place 
 — first, it appeared evidently to me that when I laid up my boat, I could not 
 possibly be on shore anywhere thereabouts : secondly, when I came to measure the 
 mark with my own foot, I found my foot 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 I might be surprised before I was 
 aware ; and what course to take for my security I knew not. 
 
 Oh, 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, that the enemy might not find them, and then frequent the 
 island in prospect of the same or the like booty : then the simple thing of digging 
 up my two corn-fields that they might not 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 subjects 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 danger itself, when apparent to the eyes ; and we find the 
 burden of anxiety greater, by much, than the evil which we are anxious about : but, 
 which was worse than all this, I had not that relief in this trouble, from the resig- 
 nation I used to practise, that I hoped to have. I looked, I thought, like Saul, who 
 complained not only that the Philistines were upon iiim, but that God had forsaken 
 him ; for I did not now take due ways to compose ni}^ 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 cheerfulh' 
 supported under this new surprise, and perhaps carried through it with more 
 resolution. 
 
 This confusion of my thoughts kept me waking all night ; but in the morning I 
 fell asleep; and having by the amusement of m}^ mind been, as it were, tired, and 
 my spirits exhausted, I slept very soundly, and awaked much better composed than 
 I had ever been before. And now I began to think sedately; and, upon the utmost 
 debate with myself, I concluded that this island (which was so exceeding pleasant, 
 fruitful, and no farther from the mainland than as 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 
 
loa HOB/XSOy CRUSOE. 
 
 either with design, or perhaps never hut when they were driven by cross winds, mip;ht 
 come to this place; that I liad h\ed here fifteen years now, and had not met willi the 
 least shadow or fifjure of any people yet; and that, if at any time they should be 
 driven here, it was probable they went away ap^ain as soon as ever they could, seeinfj 
 they had never thought fit to fix here upon any occasion to this time; 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 tliey 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 l)ring a 
 door through again, which door, as I said, came out beyond where my fortification 
 joined to the rock. Upon maturely considering this, therefore, I resolved to draw me 
 a second fortification, in the same manner of a semicircle, at a distance from my wall, 
 just where 1 had planted a double row of trees about twelve years before, of which 
 I made mention: these trees having been planted so thick before, there wanted but 
 few^ piles to be driven between them, that they should be thicker and stronger, and 
 my wall would be soon finished. So that I had now a double wall; and my outer 
 wall was thickened with pieces of timber, old cables, and everything I could think of 
 to make it strong, having in it seven little holes, about as big as I might put my 
 arm out at. In the inside of this, I thickened my wall to about ten feet thick, 
 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 got seven on shore out of the ship; these, I say, I planted 
 like my cannon, and fitted them into frames, that held them like a carriage, that so 
 I could fire all the seven guns in two minutes' time. This wall I was many a weary 
 montli in finishing, and yet never thouglit myself safe till it was done. 
 
 When this was done, I stuck all the ground without my wall, for a great way 
 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 grown so monstrous thick and strong that it was 
 indeed perfectly impassable: and no man, of what kind soever, would ever imagine 
 that there was anything beyond it, much less a habitation. As for the way which I 
 proposed to myself to go in and out (for I left no avenue), it was by setting two 
 ladders, one to a part of the rock which was low, and then broke in, and left room 
 to place another ladder upon that; so when the two ladders were taken down, no man 
 living could come down to me without mischiefing himself; 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 preser- 
 vation; 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 present 
 supply to me upon every occasion, and began to be sufficient for me, without the 
 expense of powder and shot, but also abated the fatigue of my hunting after the 
 wild ones; and I was loth 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, 
 
A 2VETV PADDOCK FOR MY GOATS. 
 
 103 
 
 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 good 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: 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 surrovmded with woods, that it was almost an enclosure by Nature; at least, 
 it did not want 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, which 
 were not so wild now as at first they might 
 be supposed to be, were well enough secured 
 in it. So, without any further delay, I re- 
 moved ten 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, how- 
 ever, 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 had never seen any human 
 creature come near the island; 
 and I had now lived two years 
 under this uneasiness, which, 
 indeed, made my life much less 
 comfortable than it was before, 
 as may well be imagined by 
 any who know what it is to 
 
 ■ 5ET MV FOOT lU'CN 
 
 HIS HEAD " (/. 126) 
 
 
,04 ROBfNSnN' CRUSOE. 
 
 live in the constant snare of the fear of man. And tliis I must observe, \\\{\\ grief, 
 too, tliat 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 cannibals lay so upon my spirits, that I seldom found myself in a due 
 temper for application to my Maker; at least, not with the sedate calmness and 
 resignation of soul which I was wont to do: I rather prayed to God as under great 
 affliction and pressure of mind, surrounded with danger, and in expectation every 
 night of being murdered and devoured before morning; and I must testify, from my 
 experience, that a temper of peace, thankfulness, love, and afTection, 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 repentance on a sick-bed; for these dis- 
 composures 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 properly an act of the mind, not of the body. 
 
 ]3ut 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 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 tliis 
 shore, where, according to their dreadful customs, being all cannibals, they would kill 
 and eat them ; of which hereafter. 
 
 When I was come down the hill to the shore, as I said above, being the S.W. 
 point of the island, I was perfectly 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 inhuman feastings upon the bodies of their 
 fellow-creatures. 
 
 I was so astonished with the sight of these things, that I entertained no notions 
 of any danger to myself from it for a long while; all my apprehensions were buried 
 in the thoughts of such a pitch of inhuman, hellish brutality, and the horror of the 
 degeneracy of human nature, which, though I had heard of often, yet I never had so 
 near a view of before; in short, I turned away my face from the horrid spectacle; 
 my stomach grew sick, and I was just at the point of fainting, when Nature discharged 
 the disorder from my stomach; and having vomited with uncommon violence, I was 
 a little relieved, but could not bear to stay in the place a moment; so I got up the 
 hill again with all the speed I could, and walked on towards my own habitation. 
 
 When I came a little out of that part of the island, I stood still awhile, as 
 amazed, and then, recovering myself, I looked up with the utmost aflfcction of my 
 soul, and, with a flood of tears in my eyes, gave God thanks, that had cast my first 
 
A PERIOD OF SECLUSION. 
 
 >05 
 
 lot in a part of the world where I was distinc^uished from such dreadful creatures 
 as these; and that though I had esteemed my present condition very miserable, had 
 yet given me so many comforts in it that I had still more to give thanks for than 
 to complain of: and this, above all, that I had, even in this 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 1 had suffered, 
 or could suffer. 
 
 In this frame of thankfulness, 1 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 
 
 "I BFGAN TO INSTRUCT KIM " {h. 133). 
 
 their purpose. I knew I had been here now almost eighteen years, and never saw 
 the least footsteps of human creature there before; and I might be eighteen years 
 more as entirely concealed as I was now, if I did not discover m3'self 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 plantations, viz., my castle, my country seat (which I called 
 my bower), and my enclosure in the woods: nor did I look after this for any other 
 use than as an enclosure for my goats; for the aversion which Nature gave me to 
 these hellish wretches was such, that I was as fearful of seeing them as of seeing 
 
io6 ROBIXSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 the devil liiinsclf, nor did I so much as go to look after my boat in 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 those creatures at sea; in which case, if I had happened to have fallen 
 into their hands, I knew what would have been my lot. 
 
 Time, however, and the satisfaction I had that I was in no danger of being 
 discovered by these people, began to wear off my uneasiness about them ; and I 
 began to live just in the same composed manner as before, only with this difference, 
 that I used more caution, and kept my eyes more about me than I did before, lest 
 1 should happen to be seen by any of them ; and particularly I was more cautious 
 in firing my gun; lest any of them, being on the island, should happen to hear 
 it; and it was, therefore, a very good 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 3'ears 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 likewise furbished up 
 one of the great cutlasses that I had out of the ship, and made me a belt to put 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 description of m3-se]f, 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 show 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 com- 
 pare their condition with those that are worse, in order to be thankful, than be 
 always comparing them with those which are better, to assist their murmurings 
 and complainings. 
 
 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 ol 
 my invention for my own conveniences; and I had dropped a good design, which I 
 had once bent my thoughts upon, and that was to try if I could not make some of 
 my barley into malt, and then try to brew myself some beer. This was really a 
 whimsical thought, and I reproved myself often for the simplicity of it : for I presently 
 saw there would be the want of several things necessary to the making my beer, that 
 it would be impossible for me to supply; as, first, casks, to preserve it in, which was 
 a thing that, as I have observed already, I could never compass; no, though I spent 
 not 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 had not all these things intervened — I mean, the frights 
 ind terrors 1 was in about the savages — I had undertaken it, and perhaps brought it 
 to pass, too; for I seldom gave anything over Avithout accomplishing it, when I once 
 had it in my head enough 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 
 monsters 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 was abortive; nothing could 
 be possible to take cliect, unless 1 was to be there to do it myself: and what could 
 
^^ MY DESIGXS AGAINST THE CANNIBALS. 107 
 
 one man do among them, when perliaps tliere miglit be twenty or thirty of them 
 together with tlieir darts, or their bows and arrows, with which tliey could shoot as 
 true to a mark as I could with my gun? 
 
 Sometimes I thought of digging a hole under tlic place where they made their 
 fire, and putting in five or six pounds of gunpowder, which, when they kindled their 
 lire, 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 oft 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 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 frequently to the place itself, which was now grown 
 more familiar to me, but while my mind was thus filled with thoughts of revenge and 
 of 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 imagination put it 
 in practice, I continually made my tour every morning to the top of the hill, which 
 was from my castle, as I called it, about three miles, or more, to see if I could 
 observe any boats upon the sea, coming near the island, or standing over towards it; 
 but I began to tire of this hard duty, after I had for two or three months constantly 
 kept my watch, but came always back without any discovery; there having not, in 
 all that time, been the least appearance, not only on or near the shore, but on the 
 whole ocean, as far as my eyes or glass could reach every way. 
 
 As long as I kept my daily tour to the hill to look out, so long also I kept up 
 the vigour of my design, and my spirits seemed to be all the while in a suitable 
 frame for so outrageous an execution as the killing twenty or thirty naked savages, 
 for an offence which I had not at all entered into a discussion of in my thoughts, 
 any farther than my passions were at first fired by the horror I conceived at the 
 unnatural custom of the 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 per- 
 haps had been so for some ages, to act such horrid things, and receive such dreadful 
 
IO.S JWBLVSO.V CRUSOE. 
 
 rustoms, as nothing but nature, entirely abandoned by Heaven, and actuated by some 
 licllish degeneracy, could liave 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 1 was going to engage in ; 
 Avhat 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 ofiFcnders 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 liglit 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. Tliey think it no more a crime to kill 
 a captive taken in war, than we do to kill an ox ; or to eat human flesh, than we 
 do to eat mutton." 
 
 When I considered this a little, it followed necessarily that I was certainly in the 
 wrong 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 
 occasions, put whole troops of men to the sword, without giving quarter, though 
 they threw down their arms and submitted. In the next place, it occurred to me, 
 that albeit 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 necessar}'', for my immediate preservation, to fall upon them, 
 something might be said for it : but that 1 was yet out of their power, and they 
 really had no knowledge of me, and consequently no design upon me; and, therefore, 
 it could not be just for me to fall upon them. That this would justify the conduct 
 of the Spaniards in all their barbarities practised in America, where they d' stroyed 
 millions of these people ; who, however they were idolaters 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 detes- 
 tation 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, un- 
 justifiable either to God or man; and such as for which the very name of a Spaniard 
 is reckoned to be frightful and terrible to all people of humanity or of Christian com- 
 passion ; as if the kingdom of Sj)ain were particularly eminent for the product of a 
 race of men who were without principles of tenderness, or the common bowels of 
 j)ity to the miserable, which is reckoned to be a mark of a generous temper in 
 the mind. 
 
 These considerations really put me to a pause, and to a kind of a fiiU 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 Inisiness 
 to meddle with them, unless they first attacked me; and this it was my business, if 
 possible, to prevent: but that if I were discovered and attacked by them, then 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 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 
 
/ REPEN2' OF iMY nLOODTIfU^STINKSS. 
 
 109 
 
 'ift^; 
 
 "THE RUIXi GK OUK BOAT" 
 
 neither in principle nor in policy, one way or other, to concern myself in this affair; 
 that my business was, by all possible means, to conceal myself from them, and not 
 to leave the least sign for them to guess by that there were any living creatures upon 
 the island — I mean of human shape. Religion joined in with this prudential resolu- 
 tion ; 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 : these were national punishments, to make a just 
 retribution for national offences, and to bring public judgment upon those who offend 
 in a public manner, by such ways as best please God. This appeared so clear to me 
 now, that nothing was a greater satisfaction to me than that I had not been suffered 
 to do a thing which I now saw so much reason to believe would have been no less 
 a sin than that of wilful 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 barbarians, or that I might not lay my hands upon them, 
 unless I had a more clear call from Heaven to do it, in defence of my own life. 
 
 In this disposition I continued for near a year after this ; and so far was I from 
 desiring an occasion for» falling upon these wretches, that in all that time I never 
 once went up the hill to see whether there were any of them in sight, or to know 
 whether any of them had been on shore there or not, that I might not be tempted to 
 renew any of my contrivances against them, or be provoked by any advantage that 
 might present itself, to fall upon them ; only this I did : I went and removed my boat 
 which I had on the other side of the island, and carried it down to the east end of 
 the whole island, where I ran it into a little cove, which I found under some high 
 rocks, and where I knew, by reason of the currents, the savages durst not, at least 
 would not, come with their boats upon any account 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 for discovery, or any appearance of any boat, or of 
 
no ROBTNSON CRUSOE. 
 
 .inv habitation upon tlie island. Besides tliis, I kept myself, as I said, more retired 
 than ever, and seldom went from my cell, except upon my constant employment, viz., 
 to milk my she-goats, and manage my little flock in the wood, which, as it was quite 
 on the other p^'.rt of the island, was out of danger ; for certain it is that these savage 
 people who sometimes iiaunted this island, never came with any thoughts of finding 
 anything here, and consequently never wandered off from the coast, and I doubt not 
 but they might have been several times on shore after my apprehension 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 dropped 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 it, 
 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 sank my very 
 soul within me, and distressed my mind so nuich 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 1 
 might have done ; much less what now% after so much consideration and preparation, 
 I might be able to do. Indeed, after serious thinking of these things, I would be 
 very melancholy, and sometimes it would last a great while: but I resolved it all, at 
 last, into thankfulness to that Providence which had delivered me from so many un- 
 seen dangers, and had kept me from those mischiefs which I could have no way been 
 the agent in delivering mj'self 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 into my thoughts in former 
 times, when first I began to see the merciful dispositions of Heaven, in the dangers 
 we run through in this life ; how wonderfully 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 us to go the other way, yet a strange impression upon the mind, from we 
 know not what springs, and by we know not what power, shall overrule us to go this 
 way; and it shall afterwards appear that had we gone that way which we should have 
 gone, and even to our 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 whenever I found those secret hints or pressings of mind, to doing 
 or not doing anything that presented, or going this way or that way, I never failed 
 to ot)ey the secret dictate; though I knew no other reason for it than that such a 
 pressure, or such a hint, hung upon my mind. I could give many examples of the 
 success of this conduct in the course of my life, but more 'especially in the latter part 
 of my inhabiting this unhap])y 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 intelligence they will. That 1 shall not discuss, and 
 perhaps cannot account 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. 
 
 1 l)elieve the reader of this will not think it strange if I confess that these 
 anxieties, these constant dangers I lived in, and the concern that was now upon me, 
 
MV ADVENTURE IN THE CAVE. in 
 
 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 should make should be heard ; much less would I fire a gun 
 for the same reason : and, above all, I was intolerable 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 
 burning of pots and pipes, &c., into my new apartment in the woods; where, after I 
 had been some time, I found, to my unspeakable 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 reason 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 for 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, 1 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-bye. 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 diffi- 
 culty into the mouth of it, I found it was pretty large, that is to say, sufficient for 
 me to stand upright in it, and perhaps another with me ; but I must confess to you 
 that I made more haste out than I did in when, looking farther into the place, and 
 which was perfectly dark, I saw two broad shining eyes of some creature — whether 
 devil or man I knew not — which twinkled like two stars ; the dim light from the cave's 
 mouth shining directly in, and making the reflection. However, after some pause, 
 I recovered myself, and began to call myself a thousand fools, and to think that he 
 that was afraid to see the devil was not fit to live twenty years in an island all alone; 
 and that I might well think there was nothing in this cave that was more frightful 
 than myself. Upon this, plucking up my courage, I took up a firebrand, and in I 
 rushed again, with the stick flaming in my hand. I had not gone three steps in 
 before I was almost as much frightened as before ; for I heard a very loud sigh, like 
 that of a man in some pain, and it was followed by a broken noise, as of words half 
 expressed, and then a deep sigh again. I stepped back, and was indeed struck with 
 such a surprise that it put me into a cold sweat, and if I had had a hat on my head, 
 I will not answer for it that my hair might not have lifted it off. But still plucking 
 up my spirits as well sis I could, and encouraging myself a little with considering 
 that the power and presence of God was everywhere, and was able to protect me, 
 I stepped forward again, and by the light of the firebrand, holding it up a little over 
 my head, I saw h ing on the ground a monstrous, frightful old he-goat, just making 
 his will, as we say, and gasping for life, and dying, indeed, of mere old age. I stirred 
 him a little to see if I could get him out, and he essayed to get up, but was 
 not able to raise himself; and I thought with myself he might even lie there: for if 
 he had frightened me, so he would certainly fright any of the savages, if any one of 
 them should be so hardy as to come in there while he had any life in him. 
 
 I was now recovered frcm 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 farther, but was so low that it 
 
,„ ROB/NSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 wildfire 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 goat's 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 1 was obliged to creep upon all- 
 fours, as 1 have said, almost ten yards — which, by the way, I thought was adventure 
 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 reflected 
 a 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, 
 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 was a convenience — so that I was really rejoiced at the 
 discovery, and resolved, without any delay, to bring some of those things which I 
 was most anxious about to this piace; 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 defence, 
 and were read}' also to take out upon any expedition. Upon this occasion of 
 removing my ammunition, I happened to open the barrel of powder which I took up 
 out of the sea, and which had been wet, and I found that the water had penetrated 
 about three or four inches into the powder on every side, which, caking and growing 
 hard, had preserved the inside like a kernel in a shell, so that I had near sixty 
 pounds of very good powder in the centre of the cask ; and this was a very agreeable 
 discovery to me at that time ; so I carried all away thither, never keeping above 
 two or three pounds of powder 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 mjself now like one of the ancient giants who were said to live in 
 caves and holes in the rocks, where none could come at them ; for I persuaded 
 myself, while 1 was here, that if five hundred savages were to hunt me, they could 
 never find me out — or if they did, they would not venture to attack me here. The 
 old goat whom I found expiring died in the mouth of the cave the next day alter 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 residence in this island, and was so 
 naturalised to the place and the manner of living that, could I but have enjoyed the 
 certainty that no savages would come to the place to disturb me, 1 could have been 
 content to have capitulated for spending the rest of my time there, even to the last 
 moment, till 1 had laid me down and died, like the old goat in the cave. 1 had 
 also arrived to some little diversions and amusements, which made the time pass 
 more pleasantly with mc a great deal than it did before : first, I had taught my 
 Poll, as I noted before, to speak ; and he did it so familiarly, and talked so articu- 
 lately and plain, that it was very pleasant to me, and he lived with me no less than 
 six-and-twenty years. How long he might have lived afterwards I know not, though 
 1 know they have a notion in the Brazils that they live a hundred years. Perhaps 
 
MV DOMESTIC COMPANIONS. 
 
 "3 
 
 "AT THE SAME MOMENT 
 
 I FIRED also" (/. 143) 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 some of my Polls may be alive there still, calling alter poor Robinson Crusoe to this 
 day : I wish no Englishman the ill-luck to come there and hear them ; but if he did 
 he would certainly believe it was the devil. 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 old ones I brought with me were gone, and after 
 some time continually driving them from me, and letting them have no provision 
 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 alwa5^s drowned ; and these were 
 part of my family. Beside these I always kept two or three household kids about 
 me, whom I taught to feed out of my hand ; and I had two more parrots, which 
 talked pretty well, and would all call "Robin Crusoe," but none like my first; nor, 
 indeed, did I take the pains with any of them that I had done with him. I had 
 also several tame sea-fowls, whose name I knew not, that I caught upon the shore 
 and cut their wings ; and the little 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 Avas very agreeable to me ; so that, as I said above, I 
 liegan 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. 1 could give many examples of 
 this in the course of my unaccountable life, but in nothing was it more particularly 
 remarkable than in the circumstances of my last years of solitary residence in this island. 
 
114 ROBIA^SON CRUSOE, 
 
 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 me to be 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 distance from me of 
 about two miles towards the end of 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 witliiu 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 savages, in rambling over the 
 island, should find my corn standing or cut, or any of my works and improvements, 
 they would immediately conclude that there were people in the place, and would 
 then never rest till they had found me out. In this extremity I went back directly 
 to my castle, and pulled up the ladder after me, having 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 barbarians. And in 
 this posture I continued about two hours, and began to be impatient for intelligence 
 abroad, for I had no spies to send out. After sitting a while 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 to the top of the hill, and pulling out my perspective-glass, which I had 
 taken on purpose, I laid me down flat on my belly on the ground, and began to 
 look for the place. I presently found there were no less than nine naked savages 
 sitting round a small fire they had made, not to w'arm them, for they had no need 
 of that, the weather being extremely hot, but, as I supposed, to dress some of their 
 barbarous diet of human flesh which they had brought with them, whether alive or 
 dead I could not know. 
 
 They had two canoes with them, which they had hauled up on the shore; and 
 as it was then ebb of tide, they seemed to me to wait the return of the flood to go 
 away again. It is not easy to imagine what confusion this sight put me into, especially 
 seeing them come on my side of the island, and so near me, too ; but when I con- 
 sidered their coming must be always with the current of the ebb, I began after- 
 wards to be more sedate in my mind, being satisfied that I might go abroad with 
 safety all the time of the flood of tide, if they were not on shore before ; and 
 having made this observation, I went abroad about my harvest work with the more 
 composure. 
 
 As I expected, so it proved ; for, as soon as the tide made to the westward, 
 I saw them all take boat and row (or paddle, as we call it) away. 1 should have 
 observed, that for an hour or more before they went oif they were dancing and I 
 could easily discern their postures and gestures by my glass. I could not perceive, 
 by my nicest observation, but that they were stark naked, and had not the least 
 covering upon them ; but whether they were men or women, I could not distinguish. 
 
 As soon as I saw them shipped and gone, I took two guns upon my shoulders, 
 and two pistols in my girdle, and my great sword by my side, without a scabbard, 
 and with all the speed I was able to make went away to the hill where I had 
 discovered the first appearajice 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 savages at that place; and, 
 
SIGNALS I' ROM A SHIP IN DISTRESS. 115 
 
 looking out farther, I saw they were all at sea together, making over for the main. 
 This was a dreadful sight to me, especially when, 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 indig- 
 nation at the sight, that I now began to premeditate the destruction of the next that 
 I saw there, let them be whom or how many soever. It seemed evident to me that 
 the visits which they made thus to this island were not very frequent, for it was 
 above fifteen months before any more of them came on shore there again — that is 
 to say, I neither saw them nor any footsteps or signals of them in all that time ; 
 for as to the rainy seasons, then they are sure not to come abroad, at least not so 
 far : yet all this while I lived uncomfortably, by reason of the constant apprehensions 
 of their coming upon me by surprise — from whence I observe that the expectation 
 of evil is more bitter than the suffering, especially if there is no room to shake off 
 that expectation or those apprehensions. 
 
 During all this time I was in the murdering humour, and spent 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 creatures; and 
 if I did at any time venture abroad, it was not without looking around 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 these 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 hear 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 unquietly, dreamed always frightful dreams, and often started out 
 of my sleep in the night. In the day, great troubles overwhelmed my mind; and in 
 the night, I dreamed often of killing the savages, and of the reasons why I might 
 justify the doing of it. But to waive all this for a while. It was in the middle of 
 May, on the sixteenth day, I think, as well as my poor wooden calendar would 
 reckon, for I marked all upon 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 lightning and 
 thunder, and a very foul night it was alter 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, 1 was surprised with the noise of a gun, as I 
 thought, fired at sea. This was, to be sure, a surprise of a quite different nature 
 from any I had met with before ; for the notions this put into my thoughts were quite 
 of another kind. I started up in the greatest haste imaginable ; and, in a trice, 
 clapped my ladder to the middle place of the rock, and pulled it after me; and, 
 mounting it the second time, got to the top of the hill the very moment that a flash 
 of fire bade me listen for a second gun, which, accordingly, in about half a minute, 
 I heard; and by the sound, knew that it was from that part of the sea where I was 
 
ii6 /aOH^J^'SOuV CRUSOE. 
 
 driven out with 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 com- 
 pany, and fired these for signals of distress, and to obtain help. I had the presence 
 of mind, at that minute, to think that tliough 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 dr}', 
 and blazed freely; and though the wind blew very hard, 3'et it burned fairlj^ 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 some- 
 thing at a great distance at sea, full east of the island, whether a sail or a hull I 
 could not distinguish — no, not with my glass ; the distance was so great, and the 
 weather still something haz)' also — at least, it was so out at sea. 
 
 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 1 had formerly been carried away with the current ; 
 and getting up there, the weather by this time being perfectly clear, I could plainly 
 see, to my great sorrow, the wreck of a ship, cast away in the night upon those 
 concealed rocks which I found when I was out in my boat ; and which rocks, as they 
 checked the violence of the stream, and made a kind of counter-stream, or eddy, 
 were the occasion 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 whoU}' under water, had been driven upon them in the night, 
 the wind blowing hard at E. and 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" their 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 them- 
 selves into their boat, and endeavoured to make the shore ; but that the sea running 
 very high, they might have been cast away. Other times, I imagined that they 
 might have lost their boat before, as might be tlic case many ways ; as particularly 
 by the breaking of the sea upon their sliip, which many times obliged men to stave, 
 or take in pieces, their boat, and sometimes to throw it overboard with their own 
 hands. Other times, I imagined they had some other ship or ships in company, 
 who, upon the signals of distress they made, had taken them up, and carried them 
 off. Other times, I fancied they were all gone off to sea in their boat, and being 
 hurried away by the current that I had been formerly in, were carried out into the 
 great ocean, where there was nothing but misery and perishing; and that, perhaps, 
 they might by this time think of starving, and of being in a condition to eat one 
 another. 
 
 As all these were but conjectures at best, so, in the 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 upon 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 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 wisli or 
 
MY GRIEF AT THE LOSS OF THE CREW. 
 
 "7 
 
 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 signal, or apcarance of any such thing. I cannot explain, by 
 any possible energy of words, what a strange longing I felt in my soul upon this 
 sight, breaking out sometimes thus: — "Oh, that there had been but one or two, nay, 
 or but one soul, saved out of this ship, to have escaped to me, that I might but have 
 had one companion, one fellow creature, to have spoken to me and to have con- 
 versed wdth ! " 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 affec- 
 tions, 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 imagi- 
 nation, that motion 
 carries out the 
 soul, by its impe- 
 tuosity, to such vio- 
 lent, eager embra- 
 cings 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 
 thewords,"Oh,that 
 it had been but 
 one!" a thousand 
 times; and my de- 
 sires were so moved 
 by it, that when I 
 spoke the words my 
 hands would clench 
 together, and my 
 
 fingers would press the palms of my hands, so that if I had had any soft thing in 
 my hand, I would have crushed it involuntarily; and my 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 of them is, to describe the fact, which was even 
 surprising to me, when I found it, though I knew not from what it should proceed ; 
 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 
 
 LOOSING HIS 
 
 HANDS AND FEET, 
 I LIFTED HIM UP 
 
 (A 144)- 
 
,,8 ROB J XS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 have been to me. But it was not to be; either their fate, or mine, or both, for- 
 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 shipwreck. He had no clothes on but a seaman's Avaistcoat, 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 living creature on board, whose life I might not only save, but 
 might, bysaving 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 for 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 full of rice, the 
 umbrella to set up over my head for a shade, another large pot full 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 
 brought 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 con- 
 stantly on both sides of the island at a distance, and which were very terrible to mc, 
 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 sat 
 down upon a rising bit of ground, very pensive and anxious, between fear and desire, 
 about my voyage ; when, as I was musing, I could perceive that the tide was turned, 
 and the flood came on ; upon which, my going was impracticable for so many hours. 
 Upon this, presently it occurred to me that I should go up to the highest piece of 
 ground I could find, and observe, if I could, how the sets of the tide or currents 
 lay, when the flood came in, that I might judge whether, if I was driven one way 
 out, I might not expect to be driven another way home, with the same rapidity of 
 the currents. This thought was no sooner in my head than I cast my eye u})on 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 shoie of 
 the north side; and that I had nothing to do but to keep to the north of the island 
 in my return, and I should do well enough. 
 
 Encouraged with this observation, I resolved, the next morning, to set out witli 
 
A VISIl' 20 THK SPANISH WRECK. ng 
 
 the first of the tide; and reposing myself for tlie night in my canoe, under the great 
 watch-coat I mentioned, I launclied 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 fore- 
 castle, 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 bow- 
 sprit 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 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. Besides the dog, 
 there was nothing left in the ship that had life ; nor any goods, that I could see, 
 but what were spoiled by the water. There were some casks of liquor, whether wine 
 or brandy I knew not, which lay lower in the hold, and which, the water being 
 ebbed out, I could see ; but they were too big to meddle with. I saw several chests, 
 which I believe belonged to some of the seamen ; and I got two of them into the 
 boat, without examining what was in them. Had the stern of the ship been fixed, 
 and the fore-part broken off, I am persuaded I might have made a good voyage ; 
 for, by what I found in these two chests, I had room to suppose the ship had a 
 great deal of wealth on board ; and, if I may guess from the course she steered, she 
 must have been bound from Buenos Ayres, or the Rio de la Plata, in the south 
 part of America, beyond the Brazils, to the 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 ; but what became of the crew I then knew not. 
 
 I found, besides these chests, a little cask full of liquor, of about twenty gallons, 
 which I got into my boat with much difficulty. There were several muskets in the 
 cabin, and a great powder-horn, with about four pounds of powder in it. As for the 
 muskets, I had no occasion for them, so I left them, but took the powder-horn. 
 I took a fire-shovel and tongs, which I wanted extremely, as also two little brass 
 kettles, a copper pot to make chocolate, and a gridiron ; and with this cargo, and 
 the dog, I came away, the tide beginning to make home again ; and the same 
 evening, about an hour within night, I reached the island again, weary and fatigued 
 to the last degree. I reposed that night in the boat ; and in the morning I resolved 
 to 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 on shore, and began to examine the 
 particulars. The cask of liquor I found to be a kind of rum, but not such as we 
 had at the Brazils; and, in a word, not at all good; but when I came to open the 
 chests, I found several things of great use to me : for example, I found in one a fine 
 case of bottles, of an extraordinary kind, and filled with cordial waters, fine and very 
 good. The bottles held about three pints each, and were tipped with silver. I found 
 two pots of very good succades, or sweetmeats, so fastened also on the top that the 
 salt water had not hurt them; and two more of the same, which the water had 
 
I20 J^CB/jVSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 exceedingly refreshing to wipe my face in a hot day. 
 Besides this, when I came to the till in the chest, I found there three great bags of 
 pieces of eight, which held about eleven hundred pieces in all ; and in one of them, 
 wrapped up in 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 Jiave 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 foi 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 nien whom I saw in the wreck, and I found two pair more in one 
 of the chests, which were very welcome to me ; but they were not like our English 
 shoes, either for ease or service, being rather what we call pumps than shoes. 
 I found in this seaman's chest about fifty pieces of eight, in rials, but no gold : 
 I suppose this belonged to a poorer man than the other, which seemed to belong to 
 some officer. Well, however, I lugged this money home to my cave, and laid it up, 
 as I had done that before which I had brought from our own ship; but it was a 
 great pity, as I said, that the other part of this ship had not come to my share; 
 for I am satisfied I might have loaded my canoe several times over with money; 
 which, if I had ever escaped to England, would have lain here safe enough till 1 
 might have come again and fetched 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 every- 
 thing safe and quiet. I began now to repose myself, live after my old fashion, and 
 take care of my family affairs ; and for a while I lived easy enough, only that I was 
 more vigilant than I used to be, looked out oftener, and did not go abroad so much ; 
 and if, at any time, I did stir with any freedom, it was always to the east part of 
 the island, where I was pretty well satisfied the savages never came, and where I 
 could go without so many precautions, and such a load of arms and ammunition as 
 I always carried with me if I went the other way. I lived in this condition near 
 two years more ; but my unlucky head, that was always to let me know it was born 
 to make my body miserable, was all these two years filled with projects and designs, 
 how, if it were possible, I might get away from this island : for 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, 
 sometirnes another: and I believe verily, if I had had the boat that I went froin 
 Sallee in, I should have ventured to sea, bound anywhere, I knew not whither. 
 1 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 
 Brazils as a planter, blessed me with confined desires, and I could have been con- 
 tented to have gone on gradually, I might have been by this time, I mean in the 
 time of my being in this island, one of the most considerable planters in the Brazils: 
 nay, I am persuaded that by the improvements I had made in that little time I 
 
/oVi 
 
 e^tSTtK^i 
 
 IHK PRINT OF A MAN'S NAKED FOOT IN THK SH( 
 
FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON Jl/V CONDITION. 121 
 
 lived there, and the increase I should probably have made if 1 had remained, I mif,dit 
 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 super- 
 cargo to Guinea to fetch negroes, when patience and time would have so increased 
 our stock at home, that Ave 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 wortli saving at so great a hazard. 
 But as this is ordinarily the fate of young heads, so reflection upon the folly of it is 
 as commonly the exercise of more years, or of the dear-bought experience of time : 
 so it was with me now; and yet so deep had the mistake taken root in my temper, 
 that I could not satisfy myself in my station, but was continually poring upon the 
 means and 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 and needless to set down the innumerable crowd of thoughts 
 that whirled through that great thoroughfare of the brain — the memory — in this night's 
 time : I ran over the whole history of my life in miniature, or by abridgment, as 
 I may call it, to my coming to this island, and also of that part of my life since I 
 came to this island. In my reflections upon the state of my case since I came on 
 shore on this island, I was comparing the happy posture of my affairs in the first 
 years of my habitation here, with the life of anxiety, fear, and care, which I had 
 lived in ever since I had seen the print of a foot in the sand; not that I did not 
 believe the savages had frequented the island even all the while, and might have been 
 several hundreds of them at times on shore there ; but I had never known it, and 
 was 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 profit- 
 able reflections, and particularly this one: How infinitely good that Providence is, 
 which has provided, in its government of mankind, 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 
 ^lis 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 ver}' 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. 
 
T22 J^OB/XSO.Y CRUSOE. 
 
 When these thoughts weic over, my liead was for some time taken up in con- 
 sidering the nature of these wretched creatures, I mean the savages, and how it came 
 to pass in the world tliat the wise Governor of all things should give up any of His 
 creatures to such inhumanity, nay, to something so much below even brutality itself, 
 as to devour its own kind : but as this ended in some (at that time) fruitless 
 speculations, it occurred to me to inquire what part of the world these wretclies lived 
 in ? how far off the coast was from whence they came ? what they ventured over so 
 far from home for ? what kind of boats they had ? and why I might not order myself 
 and my business so that I might be as able to go over thither as they were to come 
 to me ? 
 
 I never so much as troubled myself to consider what I should do with myself 
 when I went thither ; what would become of me if I fell into the hands of these 
 savages; or how I should escape them if they attacked me; no, nor so much as how 
 it was possible for me to reach the coast, and not be attacked by some or other of 
 them, without any possibility of delivering myself: and if I sliould not fall into their 
 hands, what I should do for provision, or whither I should bend my course : none ot 
 these thoughts, I say, so much as came in my way ; but my mind was wholly bent 
 upon the notion of my passing over in my boat to the main-land. I looked upon my 
 present condition as the most miserable that could possibly be ; that I was not able 
 to throw m3'self 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 dis- 
 turbed mind, an impatient temper, made, as it were, desperate by the long continuance 
 of my troubles, and the disappointments I had met with in the wreck I had been 
 on board of, and where I had been so near the obtaining what I so earnestly longed 
 for, namely, somebod}- to speak to, and to learn some knowledge of the place where 
 I was, and of the probable means of my deliverance. I say 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 an3'thing but the project of a voyage to the 
 main, which came upon me with such force, and such an impetuosity of desire, that 
 it was not to be resisted. 
 
 When this had agitated my thoughts for two hours or more, with such violence 
 that it set my very blood into a ferment, and my pulse beat as if I had been in a 
 fever, merely with the extraordinary 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 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 ; then I thought, in my sleep, that he came running 
 into my little thick grove before my fortification, to hide himself; and that I, seeing 
 him alone, and not perceiving that the others sought him that way, showed myself 
 to him, and smiling upon him, encouraged him: that he kneeled down to me, seeming 
 to pray me to assist him ; upon which I showed him my ladder, made him go up it, 
 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 escape." I waked with this thought ; and was under such 
 
A VIS J J' J- RUM THE CANNIBALS. 
 
 12.1 
 
 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 
 good dejection of spirits. 
 
 Upon this, however, I made this conclusion : that my only way to go about an 
 attempt for an escape was, if possible, to get a savage into my possesion ; and, if 
 possible, it should be one of their prisoners, whom they had condemned to be eaten, 
 and should bring hither to kill. But these thoughts still were attended with this 
 difficulty, that it was impossible to effect this without attacking a whole caravan of 
 them, and killing them all; and this was not only a very desperate attempt, and might 
 miscarry, but, on the other hand, I had greatly scrupled the lawfulness of it to me ; 
 and my heart trembled at the thoughts of shedding so much blood, though it was for 
 my deliverance. I need not repeat the arguments which occurred to me against this, 
 they being the same mentioned before ; but though I had other reasons to offer now — 
 viz., that those men were enemies to my life, and would devour me if they could ; 
 that it was self-preservation, in the highest degree, to deliver .myself from this death 
 of a life, and was acting in my own 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 
 these savages into my hands, cost what it would. My next thing was to contrive 
 how to do it, and this indeed was very difficult to resolve on ; but as I could pitch 
 upon no probable means for it, so I resolved to put myself upon the watch, to see 
 them when they came on shore, and leave the rest to the event ; taking such measures 
 as the opportunity should present, let be 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 want of an occasion to put them 
 in execution), I was surprised one morning early by seeing no less than five canoes 
 all on shore together on my side the island, and the people who belonged to them all 
 landed and out cf 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 discom- 
 forted. However, I put myself into all the same postures for an attack that I had 
 formerly provided, and was just ready for action, if anything had presented. Having 
 waited a good while, listening to hear if they made any noise, at length, being 
 very impatient, I set my guns at the foot of my ladder, and clambered up to the 
 
X24 JiOBIXSO.y CRUSOE 
 
 top of tlie hill, by my two stages, as usual ; standing so, however, that my head did 
 not appear above the liill, so that they could not perceive me by any means. Here 
 I ol)served by the liclp of my perspective-glass, that they were no less than thirty 
 in number; that they had a lire 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 perspective, 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, that I must 
 acknowledge, when I perceived him run my way ; and especially when, as I thought, 
 I saw him pursued by the w-hole body ; and now I expected that part of my dream 
 was coming to pass, and that he would certainly take shelter in my grove : but I 
 could not depend, by any means, upon my dream, that the other savages would not 
 pursue him thither, and find him there. However, I kept my station, and my spirits 
 began to recover when I found that there was not above three men that followed 
 him ; and still more was I encouraged when I found that he outstripped them 
 exceedingly in running, and gained ground on them ; so that, if he could but hold 
 it for half an hour, I saw easily he would fairly get away from them all. 
 
 There was between them and my castle, the creek, which I mentioned often in 
 the first part of my story, where I landed my cargoes out of the ship ; and this I 
 saw plainly he must 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 with exceeding strength and swiftness. \\'hen the three persons came 
 to the creek, I found that two of them could swim, but the third could not, and 
 that, standing on the other side, he looked at the others, but went no farther, and 
 soon after went softly back again ; which, as it happened, was very well for him in 
 the end. I observed that the two who swam were yet more than twice as long swimming 
 over the creek than the fellow was that fled from them. It came very warmly upon 
 my thoughts, and indeed irresistibly, that now was the time to get me a servant, and 
 perhaps a companion or assistant; and that I was plainly called by Providence to 
 save this poor creature's life. I immediately ran down the ladder with all possible 
 expedition, fetched my two guns, for they were both at the foot of the ladder, as 
 3 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, clapped 
 .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 1 beckoned with my hand to him to come back ; and, in the mean time, I slowly 
 advanced towards the two that followed ; then rushing at once upon the foremost, 
 I knocked him down wdth the stock of my piece. I was loth to fire, because I would 
 not have the rest hear; though, at that distance, it would not have been easily heard, 
 and being out of sight of the smoke, too, they would not have known what to make 
 of it. Having knocked this fellow down, the other who pursued him stopped, as if 
 he had been frightened, and I advanced towards him; but as I came nearer, I per- 
 ceived presently he had a bow and arrow, and was fitting it to shoot at me; so I 
 was then obliged to shoot at him first, which I did, and killed him .a± Ihe £rst shot. 
 
••J SAT DOWN AND ATE MY OWN DINNER ALSO WITH THEM.' 
 
 fSee p. 146.J 
 
126 ROBINSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 The poor savage who fled, but had stopped, though he saw both his enemies fallen 
 and killed, as he thought, yet was so frightened with the fire and noise of my piece 
 that he stood stock-still, and neither came forward nor went backward, though he 
 seemed rather inclined still to fly than to come on. I hallooed again to him, and 
 made signs to come forward, which he easily understood, and came a little way ; then 
 stopped again, and then a little farther, and stopped again ; and I could then perceive 
 that he stood trembling, as if he had been taken prisoner, and had just been to be 
 killed, as his two enemies were. I beckoned to him again to come to me, and gave 
 him all the signs of encouragement that I could think of; and he came nearer and 
 nearer, kneeling down every ten or twelve steps, in token of acknowledgment for 
 saving his life. I smiled at him, and looked pleasantly, and beckoned to him to come 
 still nearer ; at length, he came close to me ; and then he kneeled down again, kissed 
 the ground, and laid his head upon the ground, and, taking me by the foot, set my 
 foot upon his head ; this, it seems, was in token of swearing to be my slave for ever. 
 1 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 liad knocked down 
 was not killed, but stunned with the blow, and began to come to himself: so I pointed 
 to him, and showed him the savage, that he was not dead ; upon this he spoke 
 some words to me, and though 1 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 reflec- 
 tions now ; the savage who was knocked down recovered himself so far as to sit up 
 on the ground, and 1 perceived that my savage began to be afraid ; but when 1 
 saw that, I presented my other piece at the man, as if I would shoot him ; upon 
 this my savage, for so I called 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 as cleverly, no executioner 
 in Germanv could have done it sooner or better ; which I thought very strange for 
 one who, I had reason to believe, never saw a sword in his life before, except their 
 own wooden swords : however, it seems, as I learned afterwards, they make their 
 wooden swords so sharp, so heavy, and the wood is so hard, that they will even cut 
 off heads with them, ay, and arms, and that at one blow too. When he had done 
 this, he comes laughing to me in sign of triumph, and brought me the sword again, 
 and with abundance of gestures which I did not 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 ; and I bade him go, as well as I could. 
 When he came to him, he stood like one amazed, looking at him, turning him first 
 on one side, then on the other ; looked at the wound the bullet had made, which it 
 seems was just in his breast, where it had made a hole, and no great quantity of 
 blood had followed ; but he had bled inwardly, for he was quite dead. He took up 
 his bow and arrows, and came back ; so I turned to go awa}', 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 liis hands, big enough to bury the first in, and then dragged him into it, and 
 covered him ; and did so by the other also ; I believe he had buried them both in a 
 quarter of an hour. Then calling him away, I carried him, not to my castle, but 
 quite away to my cave, on the farther part of the island; so I did not let my dream 
 come to pass in that part, that he came into my grove for shelter. Here I gave him 
 bread and a bunch of raisins to eat, and a draught of water, which I found he was 
 indeed in great distress for from his running; and having refreshed him, I made signs 
 for him to go and lie down to sleep, showing him a place where I had laid some 
 
MY MAN FRIDAY. 127 
 
 rice-straw, and a blanket upon it, which I used to sleep upon myself sometimes; so 
 the poor creature lay down, and went to sleep. 
 
 He was a comely, handsome fellow, perfectly well made, with straight, strong 
 limbs, not too large, tall and well shaped; and, as I reckon, about twenty-six years 
 of age. He had a very good countenance, not a fierce and surly aspect, but seemed 
 to have something very manly in his face ; and yet he had all the sweetness and 
 softness of a European in his 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 an ugly, yellow, nauseous tawny, as the 
 Brazilians and Virginians, and other' natives of America are, but of a bright kind 
 of a dun olive-colour, that had in it something very agreeable, though not very easy 
 to describe. His face was round and plump ; lais 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 dis- 
 position, making a great many antic gestures to show it. At last he lays his head 
 flat upon the ground, close to my foot, and sets my other foot upon his head, as he 
 had done before ; 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 tome; 
 and, first, I let him know liis 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 liim. I kept there with him all that night ; but, as 
 soon as it was day, I beckoned to him to come with me, and let him know I would 
 give him some clothes ; at which he seemed very glad, 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 showed me the marks that he had made to find them again, making signs 
 to me that we should dig them up again and eat them. At this I appeared very 
 angry, 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 submission. 1 then led him up to the top of the hill, to see if his enemies 
 were gone, and, pulling out my glass, I looked, and saw plainly the place where 
 they had been, but no appearance of them or their canoes ; so that it was plain 
 they were gone, and had left their two comrades behind them, without any search 
 after them. 
 
 But I was not content with this discovery ; but having now more courage, and 
 consequently more curiosity, I took my man Friday with me, giving him the sword 
 in his hand, with the bow and arrows at his back, which I found he could use very 
 dexterously, making him carry one gun for me, and I two for myself; and away we 
 marched to the place where these creatures had been — for I had a mind now to get 
 some fuller intelligence of them. When I came to the place, my very blood ran chill 
 in my veins, and my heart sank 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 the blood, and great 
 pieces of flesh left here and there, half eaten, mangled, and scorched ; and, in short, 
 
128 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 all the tokens of the triuinphant feast they had been making there, after a victory 
 over tlieir 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 tliree 
 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. 
 
 1 caused Friday to gather all the skulls, bones, flesh, and whatever remained, 
 and lay them together on 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 
 1 had, by some means, let him know that I would kill him if he offered it. 
 
 When he had done this, we came back to our castle, and there I fell to work 
 for my man Friday ; and, first of all, I gave him a pair of linen drawers, which I 
 had out of the poor gunner's chest I mentioned, which I found in the wreck, and 
 which, with a little alteration, fitted him very well ; and then I made him a jerkin 
 of goat's skin, as well as my skill would allow (for I w^as now grown a tolerably good 
 tailor) ; and I gave him a cap which I made of hare's skin, very convenient, and 
 fashionable enough ; and thus he was clothed, for the present, tolerably well, and was 
 mighty well pleased to see himself almost as well clothed as his master. It is true, 
 he went awkwardly in these clothes at first ; wearing the drawers was very awkward 
 to him, and the sleeves of the waistcoat galled his shoulders and the inside of his 
 arms — but a little easing them where he complained they hurt him, and using Inmself 
 to them, at length he took to them 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 mj'self, 1 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 doorcase, 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 ladtiers, too: 
 so that Friday could no way come at me in the inside of my innermost wall, without 
 making so much noise in getting over that it must needs awaken me ; for my first 
 wall had now a complete roof over it of long poles, covering all my tent, and leaning 
 up to the side of the hill ; which was again laid across with smaller sticks, instead 
 of laths, and then thatched over a great thickness with the rice-straw, which was 
 strong, like reeds ; and at the hole or place which was left to go in or out by the 
 ladder, I had placed a kind of trap-door, which, if it had been attempted on the out- 
 side, 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, perfectly obliged 
 and engaged ; his very affections were tied to me, like those of a child to a father ; 
 and I dare say he would 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 no precautions for my safety on his 
 account. 
 
 This frequently gave me occasion to observe, and that with wonder, that however 
 it had pleased God in His providence, and in the government of the works of His 
 hands, to take from so great a part of the world of His creatures the best uses to 
 
TRAINING MY NEW COMPANTON. i2q 
 
 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 arbi- 
 trary 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 Scripture says, was a law to themselves, and by such rules as their con- 
 sciences would acknowledge to be just, though the foundation was not discovered to us ; 
 and, secondly. That still, as we are all 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 constantly diligent, and so pleased when he could but understand me, or make me 
 understand him, that it was very pleasant to me to talk to him. And 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 while 
 I lived. 
 
 After 1 had been two or three days returned to my castle, I thought that, in order 
 to bring Friday off from his horrid way of feeding, and from the relish of a cannibal's 
 stomach, I ought to let him taste other flesh ; so I took him out with me one 
 morning to the woods. I went, indeed, intending to kill a kid out of my own flock, and 
 bring it home and dress it ; but as I was going, I saw a she-goat lying down in the 
 shade, and two young kids sitting by her. I catched hold of Friday: "Hold," said 
 I, " stand still"; and made signs to him not to stir; immediately I presented my piece, 
 shot, and killed one of the kids. The poor creature, who had, at a distance, indeed, 
 seen me kill the savage, his enemy, but did not know nor could 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 under- 
 stand ; but I could easily see the meaning was to pray me not to kill him. 
 
 I soon found a way to convince him that I would do him no harm ; and taking 
 him up by the hand, laughed at him, and pointing to the kid which I had killed, 
 beckoned to him to run and fetch it, which he did ; and while he was wondering, 
 and looking to see how the creature was killed, I loaded m)^ gun again. By-and-by 
 I saw a great fowl, like a hawk, sitting upon a tree within shot ; so, to let Friday 
 understand a little what I would do, I called him to me again, pointed at the fowl. 
 
A'O/J/.VSO.V C/:L'S0£. 
 
 which was indeed a parrot, 
 though I tliought 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, notwithstanding 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 won- 
 derful fund of death and destruction in that 
 thing, able to kill man, beast, bird, or any- 
 thing near or far off; and the astonishment 
 this created in him was such as could not 
 wear off for a long time ; and, I believe, if 
 I would have let him, he would have wor- 
 shipped me and my gun. As for the gim 
 itself, he would not so much as touch it for 
 several days after; but he would speak to 
 it and talk to it, as if it had answered him, 
 when he was by himself; which, as I after- 
 wards 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 stayed some time; for the parrot, not being quite dead, had fluttered 
 away a good distance from the place where she fell : however, he foimd 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 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 1 took 
 the skin off, and cut it out as well as I could ; and having a pot fit for that pur- 
 pose, I boiled or stewed some of the flesh, and made some very good broth. After 
 I had begun to eat some, I gave some to my man, who seemed very glad of it, and 
 liked it very well ; but that which was strangest to him was to see me eat salt with 
 it. He made a sign to me that the salt was not good to eat ; and, putting a little 
 into his own mouth, he seemed to nauseate it, and would spit and sputter at it, 
 washing his mouth with fresh water after it: on the other hand, I took some meat 
 into my mouth without salt ; and 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. 
 
 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 l)y lianging it before the 
 
 IT ATPEARED PLAINLV 
 
 TO BE AN ENGLISH SHIT 
 
 C/>. 150). 
 
A CONVERSATION WITH FRIDAY. 131 
 
 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 nmch ; 
 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 1 was very 
 glad to hear. 
 
 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 sensible 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 talk 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 
 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. 
 
 Mascer. — How beat ? If your nation beat them, how came you to be taken ? 
 
 Friday. — They more many than my nation, in the place where me was ; they take 
 one, two, three, and me: my nation overheat them in the yonder place, where me no 
 was ; here 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 me 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 ? 
 
1^? J?OB/.VSO.V CRUSOE. 
 
 Friday. — Yes, j'es, they come hitlier ; come other else place. 
 
 Master. — Have you been liere with them ? 
 
 Friday. — Yes, I been here (points to the NAY. side of the island, which, it seems, 
 was their side). 
 
 By this I understood that my man Friday liad formerly been amonj? the savages 
 wlio used to come on shore on the farther part of the island, on the said man- 
 eating occasions that he was now brought for: and, some time after, when I took 
 the courage to carry him to that side, being the same I formerly mentioned, he 
 presently knew the place, and told me he was there once, when they ate up twenty 
 men, two w^omen, and one child : he could not tell twenty in English, but he 
 numbered them, by laying so many stones in a row, and pointing to me to tell 
 them over. 
 
 I have told this passage because it introduces what follows ; that after this dis- 
 course I had with him, I asked him how far it was from our island to the shore, 
 and whether the canoes w^ere 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 afterwartls under- 
 stood it was occasioned by the great draft and rcfiux of the mighty river Oroonoko, 
 in the mouth of which river, as I thought afterwards, our island lay ; and that this 
 land which I perceived to the W. and N.\Y. was the great island Trinidad, on the 
 north point of the mouth of the river. I asked Friday a thousand questions about 
 the country, the inhabitants, the sea, the coast, and what nations w^ere near: he told 
 me all he knew, with the greatest openness imaginable. I asked him the names of 
 the several nations of his sort of people, but could get no other name than Caribs : 
 from whence I easily imderstood that these were the Caribbees, which our maps place 
 on the part of America which reaches from the mouth of the river Oroonoko to 
 Guiana, and onwards to St. Martha. He told me that up a great way beyond the 
 moon (that was, beyond the setting of the moon, which must be west from their 
 country) there dwelt white bearded men, like me, and pointed to my great whiskers, 
 which I mentioned before ; and that they had killed much mans — that was his word : 
 by all which I understood he meant the Spaniards, w-hose cruelties in America had 
 been spread over the whole country, and were remembered by all the nations, from 
 father to son. 
 
 I inquired if he could tell me how 1 might come from this island, and get among 
 those white men: he told me, "Yes, yes, I might go in two canoe." I could not 
 understand what he meant by "two canoe," till at last, with great difficulty, I found 
 he meant it must be in a large, great boat, as big as two canoes. Tins part of 
 Friday's discourse began to relish with me very well; and from this time I enter- 
 tained 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 
 to do it. 
 
 During the long time that Friday had now been with me, and that he began to 
 speak to me, and understand me, I was not wanting to lay a foundation of religious 
 knowledge in his mind ; particularly I asked him one time who made him. The 
 poor creature did not understand me at all, but thought I had asked him who was 
 his father: but I took it by another handle, and asked him who made the sea, the 
 groimd we walked on, and the hills and woods. He told me, " It was one Bena- 
 muckee, 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 said 'O!' to him." I asked him if the people who 
 die in his country went away anywhere. He said, "Yes; they all went to 
 
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION OF FRIDAY. 133 
 
 Benamuckee." Then I asked him whether tliose they ate up went thitlier too. 
 He said, "Yes." 
 
 From tliese things I began to instruct him in the knowledge of the true God : 
 I toki him that the great Maker of all things lived 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 grisat attention, and received with pleasure the notion 
 of Jesus Christ being sent to redeem us, and of the manner of making our 
 prayers to God, and His being able to hear us, even into heaven. He told me one 
 day, that if our God could hear us, up beyond the sun. He must needs be a greater 
 God than their Benamuckee, who lived but a little way off, and yet could not hear 
 till they went up to the great mountain 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 Oowo- 
 kakee ; that is, as I made him explain it to me, their religious, or clergy ; and that 
 they went to say ' O ! ' (so he called saying prayers) and then came back and told 
 them what Benamuckee said. By this I observed, that there is priestcraft even 
 among the most blinded, ignorant pagans in the world ; and the policy of making a 
 secret of religion, in order to preserve the veneration of the people to the clergy, is 
 not only to be found in the Roman, but perhaps among all religions in the world, 
 even among the most brutish and barbarous savages. 
 
 I endeavoured to clear up this fraud to my man Friday, and told him that the 
 pretence of their old men going up to the mountains 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 spoke with anyone 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 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 own 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 incli- 
 nation 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 consuming fire to the workers of 
 iniquity ; how, as He had made us all. He could destroy us and all the world in a 
 moment ; and he listened with great seriousness to me all the while. After this, I 
 had been telling him how the devil was God's enemy in the hearts of men, and used 
 all his malice and skill to defeat the good designs of Providence, and to ruin the 
 kingdom of Christ in the world, and the like. "Well," says Friday, "but you say 
 God is so strong, so great; is He not much strong, much might as the devil?" 
 "Yes, yes," says I, "Friday, God is stronger than the devil: God is above the 
 devil, and therefore we pray to God to tread him down under our feet, and to enable 
 us to resist his temptations and quench his fiery darts." "But," says he again, "if 
 God much strong, much might as the devil, why God no kill the devil, so make liim 
 no more do wicked ? " I was strangely surprised at this question ; and after all, 
 
,y^ A'OM/.ySOX CRUSOE. 
 
 though 1 was now an old man, yet I was but a young doctor, and ill qualified for 
 a casuist, or a solver of difliculties; and at first I could not tell what to say; so I 
 pretended not to hear him, and asked him what he said; but he Avas too earnest for 
 an answer to forget his question, so that he repeated it in the very same broken 
 words as above. Bv 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 he 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 own words, ''^Reserve at last!' me no under- 
 stand: but why not kill the devil now; not kill great ago?" "You may as well ask 
 me," says I, "why God does not kill you or me, when we do wicked things here 
 that offend Him: we are preserved to repent and be pardoned." He muses a while 
 on this: "Well, well," says he, mightily affectionately, "that well: so you, I, devil, 
 all wricked, all preserve, repent, God pardon all." Here I was run down 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 covenant, and of an 
 Intercessor at the footstool of God's throne; I say, nothing but a revelation from 
 heaven can form these in the soul ; and that, therefore, the gospel of our Lord and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ, I mean the Word of God, and the Spirit of God, promised for 
 the guide and sanctifier of His people, are the absolutely necessary instructors of the 
 souls of men in the saving knowledge of God, and the means of salvation. 
 
 I therefore diverted the present discourse between me and my man, rising up 
 hastily as upon some sudden occasion of going out; then sending him for something 
 a good way off, I seriousl}^ 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 W^ord of God, that his 
 conscience might be convinced, his eyes opened, and his soul saved. When he came 
 again to me, I entered into a long discourse with him upon the subject of the 
 redemption of man by the Saviour of the world, and of the doctrine of the gospel 
 preached from heaven— viz., of repentance towards God, and faith in our blessed Lord 
 Jesus. I then explained to him as well as I could why our blessed Redeemer* took 
 not on Him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham; and how, for that reason, 
 the fallen angels had no share in the redemption; that He came only to the lost 
 sheep of the house of Israel, and the like. 
 
 I had, God knows, more sincerity than knowledge in all the methods I took for 
 this poor creature's instruction, and must acknowledge, what I believe all that act 
 upon the same principle will find, that, in laying things open to him, I really informed 
 and instructed myself in many things that I either 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 
 inquiry 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 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 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 know, 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, to know 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 
 
A rERIOD OF rrArPfNESS. 
 
 135 
 
 so often thouglit tlie inosl dieadful of all afdictions that could possibly have 
 befallen me. 
 
 In this thankful frame I continued all the remainder of my time; and the con- 
 versation which employed the hours between Friday and me was such as made the 
 three years which we lived there together perfectly and completely happy, if any 
 such thing as complete happiness can be found in a sublunary state. This savage 
 was now a good Christian, a much better than I ; though I have reason to hope, 
 and bless God for it, that we were equally penitent, and comforted, restored penitents. 
 We had here the Word of God to read, and no farther off from His Spirit to instruct 
 than if we had been in England. I always applied myself, in reading the Scriptures, 
 to let him know, as w^ell as I could, the meaning of what I read ; and he again, by 
 his serious inquiries 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 and 
 inexpressible a blessing it is that the knowledge of 
 God, and of the doctrine of salvation by Christ 
 Jesus, is so plainly laid down in the Word of God, 
 so easy to be received and understood, that, as the 
 bare reading the Scripture made me capable of 
 understanding enough of my duty to carry me 
 directly on to the great work of sincere repentance 
 for my sins, and of laying hold of a Saviour for 
 life and salvation, to a stated reformation in prac- 
 tice, 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 the disputes, wrangling, strife, and con- 
 tention which have happened in the world about 
 religion, whether niceties in doctrines or schemes 
 of church government, they were all perfectly use- 
 less to us, and, for aught I can yet see, they have 
 been 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, leading 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, 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 fluently, though in broken 
 
 ^'MvriGUREiNDEED WAS VERY FIERCE- English, to me, I acquainted him with my own 
 
 story, or at least so much of it as related to my 
 (A 153). ^ ^ 
 
136 ROB INS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 coming into this place; how I h.ad Hvcd there, and liow long: I let him into the 
 mystery, for sucii it was to him, of gunpowder and bullet, and taught him how to 
 shoot. I gave him a knife, with which he was wonderfully delighted; and I made 
 him a belt, with a frog hanging 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 many occasions. 
 
 I described to him the countries 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 showed him, as near as I could, the place 
 where she lay : but she was all beaten in pieces long before, and quite gone. 
 I showed him the ruins of our boat, which we lost when we escaped, and which I 
 could not stir with my whole strength then, but was now fallen almost all to pieces. 
 Upon seeing this boat, Friday stood musing a great while, and said nothing. 
 I asked him what it was he studied upon. At last, says he, "Me see such boat like 
 come to place at my nation." I did not understand him a good while; but at last, 
 when I had examined further into it, I understood by him that a boat, such as that 
 had been, came on shore upon the country where he lived ; that is, as he explained 
 it, was driven thither by stress of weather. I presently imagined that some European 
 ship must have been cast away upon their coast, and the boat might get loose and 
 drive ashore; but was so dull that I never once thought of men making their escape 
 from a wreck thither, much less whence they might come : so I only inquired after 
 the description of the boat. 
 
 Friday described the boat to me well enough; but brought me better to 
 understand him when he added with some warmth, "We save the white mans from 
 drown." Then I presently asked if there were any white mans, as he called them, 
 in the 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 inquired of him more critically what had 
 become of them. He assured me they lived still there; that they had been there 
 about four years; that the savages left them alone, and gave them victuals to live. 
 I asked him how it came to pass that they did not kill them and eat them. He 
 said, "No, they make brother with them"; that is, as I understood him, a truce; 
 and then he added, "They no eat mans but when make the war-fight"; that is to 
 say, they never eat any men but such as come to fight with them, and are taken in battle. 
 
 It was after this some considerable time, that being upon the top of the hill, 
 at the east side of the island, from whence, as I have said, I had, in a clear day, 
 discovered the main or continent of America, Friday, the weather being very serene, 
 looks very earnestly towards the main-land, and in a kind of surprise, falls a-jumping 
 and dancing, and calls out to me, for I was at some distance from him. I asked 
 him what was the matter, "Oh, joy!" says he; "oh, glad! there see my country, 
 there my nation!" 1 observed an extraordinary sense of pleasure appeared in his 
 face, and his eyes sparkled, and his countenance discovered a strange eagerness, as 
 if he had a mind to be in his own country again. This observation of mine put a 
 great many thoughts into me, which made me, at first, not so easy about my new 
 man Friday as I was before ; and I made no doubt but that, if Friday could get 
 back to his own nation again, he would not only forget all his religion, but all his 
 obligation to me, and would be forward enough to give his countrymen an account 
 of me, and come back, perhaps, with a hundred or two of them, and make a feast 
 
RENEWED HOPES OF ESCAPE. 137 
 
 upon me, at which he inight be as merry as he used to be with those of his enemies, 
 when they were taken in war. But I wronged the poor, honest creature very much, 
 for which I was very sorry afterwards. However, as my jealousy increased, and 
 held me some weeks, I was a little more circumspect, and not so 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 consisted with the best principles both as a 
 religious Christian and as a grateful friend ; as appeared afterwards to my full satisfaction. 
 
 While my jealousy of him lasted, you may be sure I was every day pumping- 
 him, to see if he would discover any of the new thoughts which I suspected were 
 in him; but I found 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 
 3'ourself in your own country, your own nation?" "Yes," he said, "I be much O 
 glad to be at my own nation." "What would you do there?" said I: "would you 
 turn wild again, eat men's flesh again, and be a savage, as you were before ? " He 
 looked full of concern, and shaking his head, said, "No, no; Friday tell them to 
 live good; tell them to pray God; tell them to eat corn-bread, cattle-flesh, milk; no 
 eat man again." "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 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 
 them no eat you; me make them much love you." He meant, he would tell them 
 how I had killed his enemies, and saved his life, and so he would make them love 
 me. Then he told me, as well as he could, how kind they were to seventeen white 
 men, or bearded men, as he called them, who came on shore 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 or 
 Portuguese ; not doubting but, if I could, we might find some method to escape from 
 thence, being upon the continent, and a good company together, better than I could 
 from an island forty miles off the shore, alone, and without help. So, after some 
 days, I took Friday to work again, by way of discourse, and told him I wauld give 
 him a boat to go back to his own nation; and I, accordingly, 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 the water), I brought it out, showed 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 and fast 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 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 rotten. Friday told me that such a boat would do very well, and would carry 
 "much enough vittle, drink, bread" ; — that was his way of talking. 
 
 Upon the whole, I was by this time so fixed upon my design of going over with 
 him to the continent, that I told him we would go and make one as big as that, 
 and he should go home in it. He answered not one word, but looked very grave 
 and sad. I asked him what was the matter with him. He asked me again, "Why 
 
138 KOBIXSOX CJ^rSOE. 
 
 you angry mad with Friday ? — what me done? " I asked him what he meant. I tohl 
 him I was not angry with liim at all. "No angr}- ! " says he, repeating the words 
 several times; "why send Friday home away to mj- nation?" "Why," says I, 
 "Friday, did not you say you wished you were tiicre ? " "Yes, yes," says he, "wish 
 we both there ; no wish Friday there, no master there." In a word, he would not 
 think of going there without me. "I go there, Friday?" says I, "what shall I do 
 there?" He turned very quick upon me at this. "You do great deal much good," 
 says he; "you teach wild mans 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." " Y'es, yes," says he, "you teachee me 
 good, you teachee them good." "No, no, Friday," says I, "you shall go without 
 me ; leave me here to live by myself, as I did before." He looked confused again 
 at that word ; and running to one of the hatchets which he used to wear, he takes 
 it up hastily, and gives it to me. "What must I do with this?" says I to him. 
 "You take kill Friday," saj^s 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 reso- 
 lution in him, that I told him then, and often after, that I would never send him 
 away from me, if he was willing to stay with me. 
 
 Upon the whole, as I found by all his discourse a settled affection to me, and 
 that nothing could part him from me, so I found all the foundation of his desire to 
 go to his own country was laid in his ardent affection to the people, and his hopes 
 of my doing them good : a thing which, as I had no notion of myself, so I had not 
 the least thought, or intention, or desire of undertaking it. But still I found a strong 
 inclination to my attempting an escape, founded on the supposition gathered from 
 the former discourse, that there were seventeen bearded men there ; and therefore, 
 without any more delay, I went to work with Friday to find out a great tree proper 
 to fell, and make a large periagua, or canoe, to undertake the voyage. There were 
 trees enough in the island to have built a little fleet, not of periaguas or canoes, 
 but even of good large vessels ; but the main thing I looked at was, to get one so 
 near the water that we might launch it when it was made, to avoid the mistake I 
 conunitted at first. At last, Fridaj- 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 
 into a boat, but I showed him how rather to cut it with tools; which, after I had 
 showed him how to use, he did very handily; and in about a month's hard labour, 
 we finished it and made it very handsome ; especially when, with our axes, which I 
 showed him how to handle, we cut and hewed the outside into the true shape of a 
 boat. After this, however, it cost us near a fortnight's time to get her along, as it 
 were, inch by inch, upon great rollers, into the water ; but when she was in, she 
 would have carried twenty men with great ease. 
 
 When she was in the water, though she was so big, it amazed me to see with 
 what dexterity and how swift my man Friday could manage her, turn her, and paddle 
 her along. So I asked him if he would, and if we might venture over in her. " Yes," 
 he said; '{we venture over in her very well, thougli great blow wind." However, 
 I had a farther design that he knew notlung of, and that was to make 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 was 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, 
 
MV NEW BOAT. 
 
 139 
 
 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 1 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, tedious 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 man- 
 age, because it was such a 
 one as I used in the boat in 
 which I made my escape from 
 Barbary, as related in tha 
 first part of my story. 
 
 I was near two montlis 
 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. And though I was 
 but a bungling shipwright, yet as 
 I knew the usefulness, and even 
 the 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 the 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 jibbed, 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 the 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 captivity in this place ; 
 
 ■^v^-\'«^ 
 
 I WAS FULLY SATISFIEn 
 
 THEY WERE ENGLISHMEN" (/. Ijo). 
 
140 
 
 ROBnXSOiV CRUSOE. 
 
 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 my time. I kept the anniversary of my landing here with the same thankfulness 
 to God for His mercies as at first; and if I had such cause of acknowledgment at 
 first, I had much more so now, having such additional testimonies of the care of 
 Providence over me, and the great hopes I had of being efTectually and speedily 
 delivered ; for I had an invincible impression upon my thoughts that my deliverance 
 was at hand, and that I should not be another year in this place. However, I went 
 on with my husbandry; digging, planting, and fencing, as usual. I gathered and 
 cured my grapes, and did ever}' necessary thing as before. 
 
 The rainy season was in the meantime upon me, when I kept more within doors 
 than at other times. I 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 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 gone long 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! 
 
 master! O sorrow! O bad!" "What's the matter, Friday?" said I. "Oh! yonder, 
 there," says he; "one, two, three canoes; one, two, three!" By this way of speaking, 
 
 1 concluded there were six; but on inquiry I found there were but three. "Well, 
 Friday," says I, "do not be frightened." So I heartened him up as well as I could. 
 However, I saw the poor fellow was most terribly scared, for nothing ran in 
 his head but that they were come back to look for him, and would cut him 
 in pieces and eat him ; and the poor fellow trembled so that I scarcely knew 
 what to do with him. I comforted him as well as I could, and told him I was 
 in as much danger as he, and that they would eat me as well as him. "But," 
 said 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 hini 
 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 had drunk it, I made him take the 
 two fowling-pieces, which we always carried, and load 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 
 
ANOTHER VISIT FROM THE SAVAGES. 141 
 
 human bodies: a barbarous feast indeed, but nothing more than, as I had observed, 
 was usual with them. I observed also that they landed, not where they had done 
 when Friday made his escape, but nearer to my creek, Avhere the shore was low, 
 and where a thick wood came close almost down to the sea. This, with the abhor- 
 rence of the inhuman errand these wretches came about, filled me with such indig- 
 nation that I came down again to Friday, and told him I was resolved to go down 
 to them, and kill them all; and asked him if he would stand by me. He had now 
 got over his fright, and his spirits being a little raised with the dram I had given 
 him, he was very cheerful, and told me, as before, he would die when I bid die. 
 
 In this fit of fury I took first 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 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 
 meantime 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 
 might come within shot of them before I should be discovered, which I had seen by 
 my glass it was easy to do. 
 
 While I was making this march, my former thoughts 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 occasion, 
 much less what necessity, I was in to go and dip my hands in blood, to attack 
 people who had neither done nor intended me any wrong? — who, as to me, were 
 innocent, and whose barbarous customs were their own disaster, being in them a 
 token, indeed, of God's having left them, with the other nations of that part of the 
 world, to such stupidity, and to such inhuman courses, but did not call me to take 
 upon me to be a judge of their actions, much less an executioner of His justice — 
 that whenever He thought fit He would take the cause into His own hands, and by 
 national vengeance punish them for national crimes; but that, in the meantime, 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 that I might observe their barba- 
 rous feast, and that I would act then as God should direct ; and 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 showing 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 tire eating the flesh of one of their prisoners, and that 
 another lay bound upon the sand a little from them, whom he said they would kill 
 next; and this fired the very soul within me. He told me it was not one of their 
 nation, but one of the bearded men whom he had told me of, that came to their 
 country in the boat. I was filled with horror at the very naming of the white 
 bearded man ; and going to the tree, I saw plainly by my glass a white man, who 
 lay upon the beach of the sea with his hands and his feet tied with flags, or things 
 like rushes, and that he was a European, and had clothes on. 
 
 There was another tree, and a little thicket beyond it, about fifty yards nearer 
 
M» 
 
 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 to the place where I was, which, by going a little way about, I saw I might come 
 at undiscovered, and that then I should be within half a shot of them ; so I with- 
 held my passion, though I was indeed enraged to the highest degree ; and going back 
 about twenty paces, I got behind some bushes, which held all the way till I came 
 to the other tree, and then came to a little rising ground, which gave me a full view 
 of them at the distance of about eighty yards. 
 
 I had now not a moment to lose, for nineteen of the dreadful wretches sat on 
 the ground, all close huddled together, and had just sent the other two to butcher 
 the poor Christian, and bring him, perhaps limb by limb, to their fire, and they were 
 stooping down to untie the bands at his feet. I turned to Friday: "Now, Friday," 
 said I, "do as I bid thee." Friday said he would. "Then, Friday," said 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 do the like; then asking him if he was 
 ready, he said, "Yes." "Then fire at them," said I; and at the same moment I fired also. 
 
 Friday took his aim so much better than I, that on the side 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," said I, "in the name of God!" and with that I fired again 
 among the amazed wretches, and so . did Friday ; and as our pieces were now 
 loaded with what I call swan-shot, or small pistol-bullets, we found only two drop ; 
 but so many were wounded, that they ran about yelling and screaming like mad 
 creatures, all bloody, and most of them miserably wounded ; whereof three more 
 fell quickly after, though not quite dead. 
 
 " Now, Friday," said I, laying down the discharged pieces, and taking up the 
 musket that was yet loaded, "follow me," which he did with a great deal of courage ; 
 upon which I rushed out of the wood and showed myself, and Friday close at my 
 foot. As soon as I perceived they saw me, I shouted as loud as I could, and bade 
 Friday do so too, and running as fast as I could, which by the way was not very 
 fast, being loaded with arms as I was, I made directly towards the poor victim, who, 
 was, as I said, lying upon the beach or shore, between the place where they sat and 
 the sea. The two 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 nearer them, he shot at them; and I thought he 
 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 was. He answered, in Latin, 
 Christianus ; but was so weak and faint that he could scarce stand or speak. I took 
 my bottle out of my pocket, and gave it him, making signs that he should drink, 
 which he did ; and I gave him a piece of bread, which he ate. Then I asked him 
 what countryman he was, and he said Espagnole ; 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 made up, 
 
THE SPANIARD'S ENCOUNTER WITH THE SAVAGE. 
 
 143 
 
 " THE TEARS RAN DOWN HIS FACE 
 AND HE COULD NOT SPEAK 
 A WORD MORE " 
 
 (A 155). 
 
 "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 tlie arms which 
 lay there that had been discharged, which he did with great swiftness ; and then 
 giving him my musket, I sat down myself to load all the rest again, and bade them 
 come to me when they wanted. While I was loading these pieces, there happened 
 a fierce engagement between the Spaniard and one of the savages, who made at 
 him with one of 
 their great wooden 
 swords, the same 
 weapon that was to 
 have killed him be- 
 fore, if I had not 
 prevented it. The 
 Spaniard, who was 
 as bold and brave 
 as could be ima- 
 gined, though weak, 
 had fought this In- 
 dian a good while, 
 and had cut two 
 great wounds on 
 his head; but the 
 savage being a 
 stout, lusty fellow, 
 closing in with him, 
 had thrown him 
 down, being faint, 
 and was wringing 
 my sword out of 
 his hand ; when the 
 Spaniard, though 
 undermost, wisely 
 quitted the sword, 
 drew the pistol from 
 his girdle, shot the 
 savage through the 
 body, and killed 
 him upon the spot, 
 before I, who was 
 running to help 
 him, could come 
 near him. 
 
 Friday, being 
 now left to his 
 
 
,,^ I^OPrNSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 liberty, pursued the llying wretches, with no weapon in his hand but his hatchet ; and 
 with that he despatched those three who, as I said before, were wounded at first, and 
 fallen, and all tl>e 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 ofT 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 — twent5^-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 little life in him. 
 
 I immediately cut the twisted flags or rushes, which they had bound him with, 
 and would have helped him up ; but he could not stand or speak, but groaned most 
 piteously, 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 deliver- 
 ance ; 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 Fridaj' came to hear him speak, and look in his face, it would have moved 
 anyone 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 half an hour 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 bottje to rub them with, which did them a great deal of good. 
 
 This action put an end to our pursuit of the canoe with the other savages, who 
 were now gotten 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. 
 
FRIDAY AND HIS FATHER. 145 
 
 But to return to Friday : he was so busy about his father, that I could not find 
 in my lieart to take him off for some time ; but after I tliought he could leave him 
 a little I called him to me, and he came jumping and laughing, and pleased to the 
 highest extreme; then I asked him if he had given his father any bread. He shook 
 his head, and said, " None ; ugly dog eat all up self." I then gave him a cake of 
 bread, out of a little pouch I carried on purpose ; I also gave him a dram for him- 
 self ; but he would not taste it, but carried it to his father. I had in my pocket also 
 two or three bunches of raisins, so I gave him a handful of them for his father. He 
 had no sooner given his father these raisins, but I saw him come out of the boat, 
 and run away as if he had been bewitched, for he was the swiftest fellow on his feet 
 that ever I saw ; I say, he ran at such a rate that he was out of sight, as it were, 
 in an instant ; and though I called, and hallooed out, too, after him, it was all one — 
 away he went ; and in a quarter of an hour I saw him come back again, though not 
 so fast as he Avent ; 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. This 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 drunk, I called to him to know if there was any water left ; 
 he said, " Yes" ; and I bade him give 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 on 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 \vith rum, 
 as he had done his father's. 
 
 I observed the poor affectionate creature, every two minutes, or perhaps less, 
 all the w^hile he was here, turned 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, lie only found he laid himself down to ease his limbs, so Friday came back 
 to me presently ; and I then 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 dweUing, where 
 I would take care of him. But Friday, a lusty young fellow, took the Spaniard quite 
 up on 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 lifted him 
 quite in, and 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, runs 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"; 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. 
 
,46 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 To remedy this, I -went to work in my tliought, and calling to Friday to bid them 
 sit down on the bank while he came to me, I soon made a kind of handbarrow to 
 lay them on, and Friday and I carried them up both 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 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 remarkable, too, I had but three 
 subjects, and the}' were of three different religions : my man Friday was a Protestant, 
 his father was a Pagan and a cannibal, and the vSpaniard was a Papist. However, 
 I allowed liberty of conscience throughout my dominions — but this is by the way. 
 
 As soon as I had secured my two weak rescued prisoners, and given them shelter, 
 and a place to rest them upon, I began to think of making some provision for them; 
 and the first thing I did, 1 ordered Friday to take a yearling goat, betwixt a kid 
 and a goat, out of my particular flock, to be killed ; when I cut off the hinder quarter, 
 and chopping it into small pieces, I set Friday to work to boiling and stewing, and 
 made them a very good dish, I assure you, of flesh and broth, having put some 
 barley and rice also into the broth ; and as I cooked it without doors, for I made 
 no fire within my inner wall, so I carried it all into the new tent, and having set a 
 table there for them, I sat down, and ate my own dinner also with them, and, as 
 well as I could, cheered them and encouraged them. Friday was my interpreter, 
 especially to his father, and, indeed, to the Spaniard too; for the Spaniard spoke the 
 language 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 could not think of doing myself; nay, I could not bear 
 to see them, if I went that way; all which he punctually perfoimed, and defaced 
 the very appearance of the savages being there ; so that when I went again, I could 
 scarce know where it was, otherwise than by the corner of the wood pointing to the place. 
 
 I then began to enter into a little conversation with my two new subjects: and, 
 first, I set Friday to inquire of his father wliat 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 l)lew 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 do if 
 they came safe on shore, he said he knew not ; but it was his opinion that they were 
 so dreadfully frightened with the manner of their being attacked, the noise, and the 
 fire, that he believed they would tell the 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 
 
A SERIOUS DISCOURSE WTTH THE SPANIARD, 147 
 
 so, in their lanj^juage, 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, tlie 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, I and all my army : for, as we were now four of us, I would 
 have ventured upon a himdred of them, fairly in the open field, at any time. 
 
 In a little time, however, no more canoes appearing, the fear of their coming 
 wore off; and I began to take my former thoughts of a voyage to the main into con- 
 sideration ; being likewise assured, by Friday's father, that I might depend upon good 
 usage Irom 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 under- 
 stood 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 danger 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 no design of making any escape. He said they had many consultations about 
 it ; but 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 
 dealings by the obligations they had received, so much as they did by the advantages 
 they expected. I told him it would be very hard that I should be the instrument 
 of their deliverance, and that they should afterwards make me their prisoner in 
 New Spain, where an Englishman was certain to be made a sacrifice, what neccesity 
 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 barque large enough to carr}- 
 us all away, either to the Brazils southward, or to the islands or Spanish coast north- 
 ward ; 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 con- 
 dition 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 
 
148 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 would make conditions with them upon their solemn oath, that they should be 
 absolutely under my direction, as their commander and captain; and they should swear 
 upon the Holy Sacrament and Gospel to be true to me, and go to such Christian 
 country as I should agree to, and no other ; and to be directed wholly and absolutely 
 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 country- 
 men. He told me they were all of them very civil, honest men, and they were 
 under the greatest distress imaginable, having neither weapons nor clothes, nor any 
 food, but at the mercy and discretion of the savages ; out of all hopes of ever 
 returning to their own country ; and that he was sure, if I would undertake their 
 relief, they would live and die by me. 
 
 Upon these assurances, I resolved to venture to relieve them, if possible, and 
 to send the old savage and this Spaniard over to them to treat. But when 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, fourteen, 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 delivered, 
 otherwise than out of one difficulty into another. "You know,-" says he, "the children 
 of Israel, though they rejoiced at first for their being delivered out of Egypt, yet 
 rebelled even against God Himself, that delivered them, when they came to w^ant 
 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 ; indeed, we left ourselves barely sufficient for our own food for the six months that 
 we had to expect our crop; that is to say, reckoning from the time we set our seed aside 
 for sowing; for it is not to be supposed it is six months in the ground in that country. 
 
 Having now society enough, and our number being sufficient to put us out of 
 fear of the savages, if they had come, unless their number had been very great, we 
 went freely all over the island, whenever we foimd occasion ; and as we had our escape 
 or deliverance upon our thoughts, it was impossible, at least for me, to have the means 
 of it out of mine. For this purpose, I marked out several trees, which I thought 
 fit for our work, and I set Friday and his father to cut them down; and then I 
 caused the Spaniard, to whom I imparted my thoughts on that afi"air, to oversee and 
 direct their work. I showed them with what indefatigable pains I had hewed a large 
 tree into single planks, and I caused them to do the like, till they had made about 
 
DEPARTURE OF MY ENVOYS. 149 
 
 a dozen large planks ot good oak, near two feet broad, thirty-five feet long, and from two 
 inches to four inches thick : what prodigious labour it took up, anyone may imagine. 
 
 At the same time, I contrived to increase my little stock 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, formed a 
 great part of our food — very good living too, I assure you, for they are exceeding nourishing. 
 
 It was now harvest, and our crop in good order; it was not the most plentiful 
 increase I had seen in the island, but, however, it was enough to answer our end ; 
 for, from twenty-two bushels of barley, we brought in and thrashed out above two 
 hundred and twenty bushels ; and the like in proportion of the rice ; which was store 
 enough for our food to the next 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, 
 of America. When we had thus housed and secured our magazine of corn, we fell 
 to work to make more wicker-work, 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 expected, I gave the 
 Spaniard leave to go over the main, to see what he could do with those he had left 
 behind him there. I gave him a strict charge not to bring any man with him who 
 would not 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 
 b}^ 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 with their hands. How they were to have done this, when I 
 knew they had neither pen nor ink — that, indeed, was a question which we never 
 asked. Under these instructions, the Spaniard and the old savage, the father of 
 Friday, went away in one of the canoes which they might be said to have come in, 
 or rather were brought in, when they came as prisoners to be devoured by the savages. 
 I gave each of them a musket, with a fire-lock 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 occasion. 
 
 This was a cheerful work, being the first measures used by me, in view of my 
 deliverance, for now twenty-seven years and some days. I gave them provisions of 
 bread, and of dried grapes, sufficient for themselves for many days, and sufficient for 
 all the Spaniards for about eight days' time; and wishing them a good voyage, I 
 saw them go, agreeing with them about a signal they slaould 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 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!" 
 
150 
 
 ROB/.\''SO.y CRUSOE. 
 
 I jumped up, and, regardless of danger, I went out as soon as I could get my clothes 
 on, through ni}' little grove, which, by the way, was by tliis time grown to be a very 
 thick wood; I sav, 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 southernmost end of the island. Upon this I called 
 Friday in, and bade him lie close, for these were not the people w^e 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, liaving 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 plainer, without being 
 discovered. I had scarce set my foot upon the hill, when my eye plainly discovered 
 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. 
 
 1 cannot express the confusion I was in, though the joy of seeing a ship, and 
 one that I had reason to belic\e was manned by my own countrymen, and con- 
 sequently 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 w-ay to or from any 
 part of the world where the English had any traffic; and I knew there had 
 been no storms to drive them in there, in distress ; and that if they were really 
 English, it was most probable that they were here upon no good design; and that 
 I had better continue as I was than fall into the hands of thieves and murderers. 
 
 Let no man despise the secret hints and notices of danger which sometimes are 
 given him when he may think there is no possibility of its being real. That such 
 hints and notices are given us, I believe few that have made any observations of 
 things can deny; that they are certain discoveries of an invisible world, and a con- 
 verse 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 question), 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 inevitably, and in a far worse condition than before, as 
 you will see presently. I had not kept myself long in this posture till I saw the 
 boat draw near the shore, as if they looked for a creek to thrust in at, for the con- 
 venience of landing; however, as they did not come quite far enough, they did not 
 see the little inlet where I formerly landed my rafts, but ran their boat on shore 
 upon the beach, at about half a mile from me ; which was very happy for me ; for 
 otherwise they would have landed just at my door, as I may say, and would soon 
 have beaten me out of ni}' 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 Avere unarmed, and, as I thought, 
 bound; and when the first four or five of them were jumped on shore, they took those 
 three out of the boat, as prisoners : one of the three I could perceive using the most 
 passionate gestures of entreaty, affliction, and despair even to a kind of extravagance ; 
 the other two, I could perceive, lifted up their hand sometimes, and appeared con- 
 cerned, indeed, but not to such a degree as the first. 1 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 
 
SHOT THE NEW CAPTAIN THROUGH THE HEAD. ' 
 
 , ^ee p. 162 J 
 
153 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 as well as savage mans." "Why, Ffiday," says I, "do you think they are going to eat 
 them, then?" — "Yes," says Friday, "they will eat them." — "No, no," says I, "Friday, 
 I am afraid they will murder them, indeed; but you may be sure they will not eat them." 
 
 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 gone with him, or that I had any w^ay 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 observed 
 the outrageous usage of the three men by the insolent seamen, I observed the fellows 
 run scattering about the land, as if they wanted to see the country. I observed also 
 that the three other men had liberty to go 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 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 deliverance 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 
 while they rambled about to see what kind of a place they were in, they had care- 
 lessly stayed till the tide was spent, and the water was ebbed considerably aw^ay, 
 leaving their boat aground. They had left two men in the boat, who, as I found 
 afterwards, having drunk a little too much brandy, fell asleep ; however, one of them 
 waking a httle sooner than the other, and finding the boat too fast aground for him 
 to stir it, hallooed out for the rest, who Avere 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 one of them say aloud to another, calling them off from 
 the boat, "Why, let her alone, Jack, can't you? she'll float next tide"; by which I 
 was fully confirmed in the main inquiry of what countrymen they were. All this 
 while I kept myself 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 
 meantime, I fitted myself up for a battle, as before, though with more caution, 
 knowing that I had to do with another kind of enemy than 1 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 
 
/ APPEAR TO THE ENGLISH CAPTAIN. 153 
 
 figure, indeed, was very fierce ; I had my formidable goat-skin coat on, with the great cap 
 I have mentioned, a naked sword, 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, in short, they were 
 all gone straggling into the woods, and, as I thought, were all laid down to sleep. 
 The three poor distressed men, too anxious for their condition to get any sleep, had, 
 however, sat down under the shelter of a great tree, at about a quarter of a mile 
 from me, and, as I thought, out of sight of any of the rest. Upon this I resolved 
 to discover myself to them, and learn something of their _ condition; immediately I 
 marched as above, my man Friday at a good distance behind me, as formidable for 
 his arms as I, but not making quite so staring a spectre-like figure as I did. I came 
 as near them undiscovered as I could, and then, before any of them saw me, I called 
 aloud to them in Spanish, "What are ye, gentlemen?" Tney started up at the noise, 
 but were ten times more confounded when they saw me, and the uncouth figure that 
 I made. They made no answer at all, but I thought I perceived them just going 
 to fly from me, when I spoke to them in English: "Gentlemen," said I, "do not be 
 surprised at me: perhaps you may have a friend near, when you did not expect it." 
 "He must be sent directly from heaven, then," said one of them very gravely to me, 
 and pulling off his hat at the same time ; " for our condition is past the help of man." 
 "All help is from heaven, sir," said I: "but can you put a stranger in the way to 
 help you? for you seem to be in some great distress. I saw you when you landed; 
 and when you seemed to make application to the brutes that came with you, I saw 
 one of them fift up his sword to kill you." 
 
 The poor man, with tears running down his face, and trembling, looked like one 
 astonished, and 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 in; 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 amniu- 
 nition ; tell us freely, can we serve you ? What is your case ? " "Our case, sir," 
 said he, "is too long to tell you, while our murderers are so near us; but, in short, 
 sir, I was commander of that ship; my men have 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 pas- 
 senger — 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 prisoners ? " He told 
 me there were two desperate villains among them that it was scarce safe to show 
 any mercy to; but if they were secured, he believed all the rest would return to 
 their duty. I asked him which they were. He told me he could not at that distance 
 distinguish them, but he would obey my orders in anything I would direct. "Well," 
 says I, "let us retreat out of their view or hearing, lest they awake, and we will resolve 
 further." So they wilhngly went back with me, till the woods covered us from them. 
 
 "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," said I, "my conditions are but two: first,— that while you stay on 
 
,54 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 this island vnih 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 preju- 
 dice to me or mine upon this island, and in the meantime 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 assurance that the invention and faith of a man could devise 
 that he would comply with these most reasonable demands, and besides would owe 
 his life to me, and acknowledge it upon all occasions as long as he lived. "Well, 
 then," said I, "here are three muskets for you, with powder and ball; tell me next 
 what you think is proper to be done." He showed all the testunony of his gratitude 
 that he was able, but offered to be wholly guided by me. I told him I thought it 
 was hard venturing anything; but the best method I could think of was to fire on 
 them at once as they lay, and if any were not killed at the first volley, and offered 
 to submit, we might save them, and so put it wholly upon God's providence to 
 direct the shot. He said, very modestly, that he was loth to kill them, if he could 
 help it; but that those two were incorrigible villains, and had been the authors of 
 all the mutiny in the ship, and if they escaped, we should be undone still, for they 
 would go on board and bring the whole ship's company, and destroy us all. "Well, 
 then," says I, "necessity legitimates my advice, for it is the only way to save our 
 lives." However, seeing him still cautious of shedding blood, I told him they should 
 go themselves, and manage as they found 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 men who he had 
 said 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 them- 
 selves. 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 com- 
 rades with him, with each man a piece in his hand; the two men who were with him 
 going first made some noise, at which one of the seamen, who was awake, turned about, 
 and seeing them coming, cried out to the rest; but it was too late then, for the 
 moment he cried out they fired — I mean the two men, the captain wisely reserving 
 his own piece. They had so well aimed their shot at the men they knew, that one 
 of them was killed on the spot, and the other very much wounded ; but not being 
 dead, he started up on his feet, and called eagerly for help to the other; but the 
 captain, stepping to him, told him it was too late to cry for help, he should call 
 upon God to 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 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 assur- 
 ance 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 1 was not against, only I obliged him to keep them bound hand and 
 foot while they were upon 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 before was 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 inquire into one another's circum- 
 stances. I began first, and told him my whole history, which he heard with an 
 attention even to amazemeni: — aind oarticularly di the wonderful manner of my being 
 
PREPARING OUR PLANS. 155 
 
 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 tliere 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 apart- 
 ments, leading them in just where I came out, viz., at the top of the house, where 
 I refreshed him with such provision as I had, and showed them all the contrivances 
 I had made during my long, long inhabiting that place. 
 
 All I showed them, all I said to them, was perfectly amazing; but above all, 
 the captain admired my fortification, and how perfectly I had concealed my retreat 
 with a grove of trees, which, having been now planted near twenty years, and the 
 trees growing much faster than in England, was become a little wood, so thick that 
 it was impassable in any part of it but at that one side v;hcre I had reserved my 
 little winding passage into it. I told him this was my castle and my residence, but 
 that I had a seat in the country, as most princes have, whither I could retreat upon 
 occasion, and I would show him that too another time; but at present our business 
 was to consider how to recover the ship. He agreed with me as to that, but told 
 me he was perfectly at a loss what measures to take, for that there were still six- 
 and-twenty hands on board, who, having entered into a cursed conspiracy, by which 
 they had all forfeited their lives to the law, would be hardened in it now by despera- 
 tion, and would carry it on, knowing that if they were subdued they should 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 very 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 rational. Upon this, I told him the first thing we had to do was to stave the 
 boat, which lay upon the beach, so that they might not carry her off, and taking 
 everything out of her, leave her so far useless as not to be fit to swim. Accordingly 
 we went on board, took the arms which were left on board out of her, and what- 
 ever else we found there — which was a bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a few 
 biscuit-cakes, a horn of powder, and a great lump of sugar in a piece of canvas 
 (the sugar was five or six pounds) ; all which was very welcome to me, especially 
 the brandy and sugar, of which I had had none left for many years. 
 
 "When we had carried all these things on shore (the oars, mast, sail, and rudder 
 of the boat were carried away before), we knocked a great hole in her bottom, 
 that if they had come strong enough to master us, yet they could not carry off 
 the boat. Indeed, it was not much in my thoughts that we could be able to 
 recover the ship; but my view was, that if they went away without the boat, I 
 did not much question to make her again fit to carry us to the Leeward Islands, 
 and call upon our friends the Spaniards in my way, for 1 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 broken a hole in her bottom too big to be quickly 
 stopped, and were sat down musing what we should do, we heard the ship fire a gun, 
 and make a waft with her ensign as a signal for the boat to come on board : but no 
 boat stirred; and they fired several times, making other signals for the boat. At last, 
 when all their signals and firing proved fruitless, and they found the boat did not 
 stir, we saw them, by the help of my glasses, hoist another boat out, and row towards 
 
 10* 
 
156 
 
 J^OBIXSON CRTrsOE. 
 
 the shore; and we found, as they approached, that there were no less tlian ten men 
 in her, and that they liad 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 characters of all 
 the men in the boat, of whom, he said, there were three very honest fellows, who, 
 he was sure, were led into this conspiracy by the rest, being overpowered and fright- 
 ened ; but that as for the boatswain, who it seems was the chief officer among them, 
 and all the rest, they were as outrageous as any of the ship's crew, and were no 
 doubt made desperate in their new enterprise ; and terribly apprehensive he was that 
 they would be too 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 deliver- 
 ance were not worth venturing for. "And where, sir," said I, "is your belief of my 
 being preserved here on purpose to save your life, which elevated you a little while 
 ago? For my part," said I, "there seems to be but one thing amiss in all the 
 prospect of it." "What is that?" says he. "Why," said I, "it is, that as you say 
 there are three or four honest fellows among them, which should be spared, had they 
 been all of the wicked part of the crew, I should have thought God's providence 
 had singled them out to deliver them into your hands; for depend upon it, every 
 man that comes ashore is our own, and shall die or live as they behave to us." 
 As I spoke this with a raised voice and cheerful countenance, I found it greatly 
 encouraged him ; so we set vigorously to our business. 
 
 We had, upon the first appearance of the boats coming from the ship, considered 
 of separating our prisoners; and had, indeed, secured them effectually. Two of' 
 them, of whom the captain was less assured than ordinary, I sent with Friday and 
 one of the three delivered men to my cave, where they were remote enough, and out 
 of danger of being heard or discovered, or of finding their way out of the woods, 
 if they could have delivered themselves; here they left them bound, but gave them 
 provisions; and promised them, if they continued there quietly, to give them their 
 liberty in a day or two; but that if they attempted their escape, they should be 
 put to death without mercy. They promised faithfully to bear their confinement with 
 patience, and were very thankful that they had such good usage as to have provisions 
 and a light left them : for Friday 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 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 sliouts, hallooing with all their might, to try if they could 
 
WATCHING THE MUTINEERS. 157 
 
 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 afterwards, they resolved to go all on board again to their 
 ship, and let them know that the men were all murdered, and the long-boat staved ; 
 accordingly, they immediately launched their boat again, and got all of them on board. 
 
 The captain was terribly amazed, and even confounded, at this, believing they 
 would go on board the ship again, and set sail, giving their comrades over for lost, 
 and so he should still lose the ship, which he was in hopes we should have recovered ; 
 but he was quickly as much frightened the other way. 
 
 They had not been long put off with the boat, when we perceived them all 
 coming on shore again ; but with this new measure in their conduct, which it seems 
 they consulted 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 disappointment to us, for now we were at a loss what to do, as our seizing 
 those seven men on shore would be no advantage to us if we let the boat escape ; 
 because they would row away to the ship, and then the rest of them would be sure 
 to weigh and set sail, and so our recovering the ship would be lost. However, we 
 had no remedy but to wait and see what the issue of things might present. The 
 seven men came on shore, and the three who remained in the boat put her off to a 
 good distance from the shore, and came to an anchor to wait for them ; so that it 
 was impossible for us to come at them in the boat. Those that came on shore kept 
 close together, marching towards the top of the little hill under which my habitation 
 lay; and we could see them plainly, though they could not perceive us. We should 
 have been very glad if they would have come nearer to us, so that we might have 
 fired at them, or that they would have gone farther off, that we might come abroad. But 
 when they were come to the brow of the hill where they could see a great way into 
 the valleys and woods, which lay towards the north-east part, and where the island 
 lay lowest, they shouted and hallooed till they were weary: and not caring, it seems, 
 to venture far from the shore, nor far from one another, they sat down together, 
 under a tree, to consider of it. Had they thought fit to have gone to sleep there, 
 as the other party of them had done, they had done the job for us; but they were 
 too full of apprehensions of danger to venture to go to sleep, though they could not 
 tell what the danger was they had to fear. 
 
 The captain made a very just proposal to me upon this consultation 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 discharged, and they would certainly yield, and we should have them 
 without bloodshed. I liked this proposal, provided it was done while we were near 
 enough to come up to them before they could load their pieces again. But this event 
 did not happen; and we lay still a long time, very irresolute what course to take. 
 At length, I told them there would be nothing done, in my opinion, till night; and 
 then if they did not return to the boat, perhaps we might find a way to get 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 consultation, we saw them all start up, and 
 march down towards the sea ; it seems they had such dreadful apprehensions of the 
 danger of the place, that they resolved 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 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, wns ready to sink at the apprehensions 
 
158 
 
 ROBJNSOA^ CRUSOE. 
 
 of it: but I presently thought of a stratagem to fetch them back again, and which 
 answered my end to a tittle. I ordered P^'riday and the captain's mate to go over 
 the little creek westward, towards the place where the savages came on shore 
 when Friday was rescued, and so soon as they came to a little rising ground, at 
 about lialf a mile distance, I bade them halloo out, as loud as they could, and wait 
 till thev found the seamen heard them; that as soon as ever they heard the seamen 
 answer' them, they should return it again; and, then keepi.-g out of sight, take a 
 round, always answering when the others hallooed, to draw them as far into the 
 island, and among the woods, as possible, and then wheel about again to me by such 
 ways as I directed. 
 
 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 up 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 lea\ing Friday 
 and the captain's mate to their business, I took the rest with me, and crossing the 
 creek out of their sight, we surprised the two men before they were aware ; one of 
 them lying on 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. TJiere 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 meantime, 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 tliey could not reach back to the boat 
 before it was dark; and, indeed, they were heartily tired themselves also, by the time 
 they came back to us. 
 
 We had nothing now to do but to watch for them in the dark, and to fall upon 
 them, so as to make sure work with them. It was several hours after Friday came 
 back to me before they came back to their boat ; and we could hear the foremost of 
 them, long before they came quite up, calling to those behind to come along; and 
 could also hear them answer, and complain how lame and tired they were, and not 
 able to come any faster; which was very welcome news to us. At length they came 
 up to the boat ; but it is impossible to express their confusion when they found their 
 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, running about, 
 wringing their hands like men in despair, and sometimes they would go and sit down 
 in the boat to rest themselves: then come ashore again, and walk about again, and 
 so the same thing over again. My men would fain have had me give them leave 
 to fall upon them at once in the dark; but I was willing to take them at some 
 advantage, so to spare them, and kill as few of them as I could; and especially I 
 was unwilling to hazard the killing of any of our men, knowing the others were very 
 
THE RINGLEADER SHOT DEAD. 
 
 159 
 
 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 shown himself 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 the principal rogue so much in his power, 
 that he could hardly have patience to let him come so near as to be sure of him, 
 for they only heard his tongue before; but when they came nearer, the captain and 
 Friday, starting up on their feet, let fly at them. The boatswain was killed upon 
 
 "out rushed three monstrous wolves" (/. 172). 
 
 the spot: the next man was shot in the body, and fell just by him, though he did 
 not die till an hour or two after; and the third ran for it. At the noise of the fire, 
 I immediately advanced with my whole army, which was now eight men: viz., 
 myself, generalissimo; Friday, my lieutenant-general; the 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, and who was now one of us, call them by name, to 
 try if I could bring them to a parley, and so 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, 
 "Who's that? Robinson?" for it seems he knew the voice. The other answered. 
 
i6o R OB INS O A" CRUSOE. 
 
 "Ay, ay; for God's sake, Tom Smith, throw down your arms and yield, or 3'ou are 
 all dead men this moment." — "Who must we yield to? Where are they?" says 
 Smith again. "Here 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 Fryc 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 imme- 
 diately, 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 1 done ? They have been all as bad as I " : which, by the way, was not 
 true; for, it seems, this W^ill 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. In 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, with those three, were in all 
 but eight, came up and seized upon them, and upon their boat; only that I kept 
 myself and one more out of sight, for reasons of state. 
 
 Our next work was to repair the boat, and think of seizing the ship ; and as 
 for the captain, now he had leisure to parley with them, he expostulated with them 
 upon the villany of their practices with him, and upon the further wickedness of 
 their design, and how certainly it must bring them to misery and distress in the end, 
 and perhaps to the gallows. They all 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 thought they had set him on shore in a barren, 
 uninhabited island; but it had pleased God so to direct them, that it was inhabited, 
 and that the governor was an Englishman; that he might hang them all there, if 
 he pleased ; but as he had given them all quarter, he supposed he would send them 
 to England, to be dealt with there as justice required, except Atkins, whom he was 
 commanded by the governor to advise to prepare for death, for that he would be 
 hanged in the morning. 
 
 Though this was all a fiction of his own, }ct 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 posses- 
 sion 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 coming." This more perfectly amazed them, and they all 
 believed that the commander was just by, with his fifty men. Upon the captain 
 coming to me, I told him my project for seizing the ship, which he liked wonder- 
 fully well, and resolved to put it in execution next morning. But, in order to execute 
 it with more art, and to be secure of success, I told him we must divide the priso- 
 ners, 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 behaviour. 
 
NIGHT ATTACK ON THE VESSEL. i(3i 
 
 To these in the morning I sent the captain, who was to enter into a parley 
 with them; in a word, to try them, and tell me whether he thought they might be 
 trusted or not to go 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 be all hanged in chains; but that if they would 
 join in such an attempt as to recover the ship, he would have the governor's engage- 
 ment for their pardon. 
 
 Anyone may guess how readily such a proposal would be accepted by men in 
 their position ; 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 their lives to him, and would go with him all over the world; that 
 they would own him for 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 five 
 of them, and tell them that they might see that 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 ; however, they had no way 
 left them but to accept it ; and it was now the business of the prisoners, as much as 
 of the captain, to persuade the other five to do their duty. 
 
 Our strength was now thus ordered for the expedition : first, the captain, his 
 mate, and passenger; second, then the two prisoners of the first gang, to whom, 
 having their character from the captain, I had given their liberty and trusted them 
 with arms ; third, the other two whom I had kept till now in my bower pinioned, 
 but, upon 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; for as for me and my man Friday, I did not think it was proper for us to stir, 
 having seven men left behind ; and it was employment enough for us to keep them 
 asunder, and supply them with victuals. As to the five in the cave, I resolved to 
 keep them fast, but Friday went in twice a day to them, to supply them with 
 necessaries; and I made the other two carry provisions to a certain distance, where 
 Friday was to take it. 
 
 When I showed myself to the two hostages, it was with the captain, who told 
 them I was the person the governor had ordered to look after them; and that it was 
 the governor's pleasure that they should not stir anywhere but by my direction ; 
 that if they did, they would be fetched into the castle, and be laid in irons: so 
 that as we never suffered them to see me as governor, I now appeared as another person, 
 and spoke of the governor, the garrison, the castle, and the like, upon all occasions. 
 
 The captain now had no difficulty before him, but to furnish his two boats, stop 
 the breach of one, and man them. He made his passenger captain of one, with four 
 other men ; and himself, his mate, and five more, went in the other ; and they con- 
 trived 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 
 
i6a ROBTNSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 bo}' 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 boldl}* 
 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, coming out again 
 behind one of his ears, so that he never spoke a word more: upon which the rest 
 yielded, and the ship was taken effectually, without any more lives lost. 
 
 As soon as the ship was thus secured, the captain ordered seven guns to be fired, 
 which was the signal agreed upon with me to give me notice of his success, which, 
 you may be sure, I was very glad to hear, having sat watching upon the shore for 
 it till near two o'clock in the morning. Having thus heard the signal plainly, I laid 
 me down; and it having been a day of great fatigue to me, I slept very sound, till 
 I was something surprised with the noise of a gun ; and presently starting up, I heard 
 a man calling 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 j-ours, and so are we, and all that belongs 
 to her." I cast my eyes to the ship, and there she rode, within little more than half 
 a mile of the shore; for they had weighed her anchor as soon as they were masters 
 of her, and, the weather being fair, had brought her to an anchor just against the 
 mouth of the little creek; and, the tide being up, the captain had brought the pinnace 
 in near the place where I first landed my rafts, 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 read}^ to carry me 
 away whither I pleased to go. At first, for some time, I was not able to answer one 
 word; but as he had taken me in his arms, I held fast by him, or I should have 
 fallen to the ground. He perceived the surprise, and immediately pulled a bottle out 
 of his pocket, and gave me a dram of cordial, which he had brought on purpose for 
 me. After I had drunk it, I sat down upon the ground ; and though it brought me 
 to myself, yet it was a good while before I could speak a word to him. All this 
 while the poor man was in as great an ecstasy as I, only not under any surprise as 
 I was ; and he said a thousand kind and tender things to me, to compose and bring 
 me to myself: but such was the flood of joy in my breast, that it put all my spirits 
 into confusion: at last it broke into tears; and, m a little wiiile after, I recovered my 
 speech ; then I 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 one 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 
 refreshments, such as the ship afforded, and such as the wretches that had been so 
 long his masters had not plundered him of. Upon this, ne called aloud to the boat, 
 
JIIV JUDGMENT ON THE MUTINEERS. 163 
 
 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 along with 
 them, but as if I had been to dwell upon the island still, and they were to go 
 without me. 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 a hundred-weight of biscuit; he also brought 
 me a box of sugar, a box of flour, a bag full of lemons, and two bottles of lime- 
 juice, and abundance of other things. But besides these, and what was a thousand 
 times more useful, 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, and a very good 
 suit of clothes of his own, which had been worn but very little: in a word he clothed me 
 from head to foot. It was a very kind and agreeable present, as any one may imagine, 
 to one in my circumstances; but never was anything in the world of that kind so unplea- 
 sant, awkward, and uneasy as it was to me to wear such clothes at their first putting on. 
 
 After these ceremonies were past, 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 considering whether we might venture to take them away with 
 us or no, especially two of them, whom he knew to be incorrigible and refractory to 
 the last degree; and the captain said he knew they were such rogues that there was 
 no obliging them, and if he did carry them away, it must be in irons, as malefactors, 
 to be delivered over to justice at the first English colony he could come 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 further robberies, but that 
 Providence had ensnared them in their own ways, and that they were fallen into the 
 pit which they had dug for others. I let them know that by my direction the ship 
 had been seized ; that she lay now in the road ; and they might see by-and-by that 
 their new captain had received the reward of his villany, for that they might see him 
 hanging at the yard-arm; that, as to them, I wanted to know what they had to say 
 why I should not execute them as pirates, taken in the fact, as by my commission 
 they could not doubt but I had authority to do. 
 
 One of them answered in the name of the rest, that they had nothing to say but 
 this, that when they were taken, the captain promised them their lives, and they 
 humbly implored my mercy. But I told them I knew not what mercy to show them ; 
 for as for myself I had resolved to quit the island with all my men, and had taken 
 passage with the captain to go to 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 the best for them, unless they had 
 a mind to take their fate in the island. If they desired that, I did not care ; as 1 
 had liberty to leave it, 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. 
 
i6^ HOn/XSOiY CRUSOE. 
 
 However, the captain seemed to make some difficulty of it, as if he durst not leave 
 them there. Upon this I seemed a little anj^ry 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 nie; ordering him, in tlie 
 mean time, to cause the new captain, who was killed, to be hanged at the yard-arm, 
 that these men might see him. 
 
 \\'hen the captain was gone, I sent for the men up to me in my apartment and 
 entered seriously into discourse with them of their circumstances. I told them I thought 
 they had made a right choice ; but if the captain had carried them away, they would 
 certainly be hanged. I showed them the new captain hanging at the yard-arm of the 
 ship, and told them they had nothing less to expect. 
 
 When they had all declared their willingness to stay, 1 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; showed them my fortifications, the way I made my bread, planted my corn, 
 cured my grapes; and, in a word, all that was necessary to make them easy. I told 
 them the story also of the sixteen Spaniards, that were to be expected, for whom I 
 left a letter, and made them promise to treat them in common with themselves. 
 
 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 directions to milk and fatten them, and to make both butter 
 and cheese. In a word, I gave them every part of my story ; and told them I should 
 prevail with the captain to leave them two barrels of gunpowder more, and some 
 garden-seeds, which I told them I would have been very glad of. Also, I gave them 
 the bag of peas which the captain had brought me to eat, and bade them be sure to 
 sow and increase them. 
 
 Having done all this, I left 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 made the most 
 lamentable complaint of the other three, begged to be taken into the ship for God's 
 sake, for they should be murdered, and begged the captain to take them on board, 
 though he hanged them 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 whicli they proved very honest and quiet fellows. 
 
 Some time after this, I went with the boat on shore, the tide being up, with the 
 things promised to the men; to which the captain, at my intercession, caused their chests 
 and clothes to be added, which they took, and were very thankful for. I also 
 encouraged them, by telling them, that if it lay in my way 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 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 tarnished, and could hardly pass for silver till it had been a little 
 rubbed and handled, and also the money I found in the wreck of the Spanish ship. 
 
MY ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND. 165 
 
 And thus I left the island, the 19th of December, as I found by the ship's account, 
 in the 3'ear 1686, after I had been upon it cight-and-twenty years, two months, and 
 nineteen days ; being delivered from this second captivity the same day of the month 
 that I first made my escape in the Barco longo from among the Moors of Sallee. 
 In this vessel, after a long voyage, I arrived in England the nth of June, in the 
 year 1687, having been thirty-five years absent. 
 
 When I came to England, 1 was a perfect stranger to all the world, as if I had 
 never been known there. My benefactor and faithful 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 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 forget her when I had sufficient to help her, as shall be observed in its place. I went 
 down afterwards into Yorkshire ; but my father was dead, and my mother and all 
 th." family extinct, except that I found two sisters, and two of the children of 
 one of my brothers; and as I had been long ago given over for dead, there had 
 been no provision made for me ; so that in a word, I found nothing to relieve or assist 
 me; and that little money I had would not do much for me as to settling in the w^orld. 
 
 1 met with one piece of gratitude, indeed, which I did not expect; and this 
 was, that the master of the ship, whom I had so happily delivered, and by the 
 same means saved the ship and cargo, having given a very handsome account to 
 the 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 altogether made 
 me a very handsome compliment upon the subject, and a present of almost ;^200 sterling. 
 
 But after making several reflections upon the circumstances of my life, and how 
 little way this would go towards settling me in the world, I resolved to go to Lisbon, 
 and see if I might not come 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 now 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 inquiry, and to my particular satisfaction, my old 
 friend, the captain of the ship, who first took me up at sea off the shore of Africa. 
 He was now grown old, and had left the 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 myself to his 
 remembrance, when I told him who I was. 
 
 After some passionate expressions of the old acquaintance between us, I inquired, 
 you may be sure, after my plantation and my partner. The old man told me he had not 
 been in the Brazils for about nine years ; but that he could assure me, that when 
 he came away my partner was living ; but the trustees, whom I had joined with him 
 to take cognisance of my part, were both dead; that, however, he believed that I 
 would have a very good account of the improvement of the plantation ; for that, upon 
 the general belief of my being cast awa}' 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 twp- 
 thirds to the monastery of St. Augustine, to be expended for the benefit of the poor, 
 and for the conversion of the Indians to the Catholic faith; but that, if I appeared, 
 or any one for me, to claim the inheritance, it would be restored; only that the 
 improvement, or annual production, being distributed to charitable uses, could not 
 be restored; but he assured me that the steward of the king's revenue from lands, 
 and the providore, or steward of the monastery, had taken great care all along that 
 
i66 ROB INS Oy CRUSOE. 
 
 the incumbent, that is to say, my partner, gave every year a faithful account of the 
 produce, of wliich they had received duly 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 but one-half 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 father held the trust, and 
 before it was given up, as above; which, as he remembered, was for about twelve years. 
 
 I showed myself a little concerned and uneasy at this account, and inquired of 
 the old captain how it came to pass that the trustees should thus dispose of my 
 effects, when he knew that I had made my will, and had made him, the Portugnese 
 captain, my universal heir, &c. 
 
 He told me that was true ; but that as there was no proof of m}' being dead, 
 he could not act as executor, until some certain account should come of my death; 
 and that besides, he was not willing to intermeddle with a thing so remote; that it 
 was true he had registered my will, and put in his claim ; and could he have given 
 any account of my being dead or alive, he would have acted by procuration, and 
 taken possession of the higenio (so they call 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 ingenio, 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' further conference with this ancient friend, he brought me an 
 account of the first six years' income of my plantation, signed by my partner and 
 the merchant-trustees, being always delivered in goods, viz., tobacco in roll, and 
 sugar in chests, besides rum, molasses, &c., which is the consequence of a sugar- 
 work; and I found by this account that every year the income considerably increased; 
 but, as above, the 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 me 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 in 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 
 
THE ACCOUNTS FROM MY PLANTATION. 167 
 
 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, first, I asked him if his circumstances admitted him to 
 spare so much money at that time, and if it would not straiten him? He told me he 
 could not say but it might straiten him a little ; but, however, it was my money, and 
 I might want it more than he. 
 
 Everything the good man said was full of affection, and I could hardly refrain 
 from tears while he spoke; in short, I took one hundred of the moidores, and called 
 for a pen and ink to give him a receipt for them: then I returned him the rest, 
 and told him if ever I had possession of the plantation I would 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 if I wanted 
 the money, I found he was honest enough to pay me; and if I did not, but came to 
 receive what he gave me reason to expect, I would never have a penny more from him. 
 When this was past, the old man began to ask 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 acquaintance 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 inclosed. 
 
 First, there was the account-current of the produce of my farm or plantation, 
 from the year when their father 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 the Augustines' account, who had received the 
 profits for above fourteen years ; but not being able to account for what was disposed 
 of by the hospital, very honestly declared he had eight hundred and seventy-two 
 moidores not distribut'^d, which he acknowledged to my account : as to the king's 
 part, that refunded nothing. 
 
 There was also a letter of my partner's, congratulating me very affectionately upon 
 my being alive, giving me an account how the estate was improved, and what it 
 produced a year; with the particulars of the number of squares or acres that it contained, 
 how planted, how many slaves there were upon it: and making two-and-twenty crosses 
 for blessings, told me he had said so many Ave Marias to thank the Blessed Virgin that 
 I was alive; inviting me very passionately to come over and take possession of my 
 own; and, in the mean time, to give him orders to whom he should deliver my 
 effects, if I did not come myself; concluding with a hearty tender of his friendship, 
 and that of his family; and sent me, as a present, seven fine leopards' skins, \yhich 
 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 
 
1 68 J^On/XSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 of excellent sweetmeats, and a hundred pieces of gold uncoined, not quite so laige 
 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 looked 
 over these letters, and especially 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 effiects 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 physi- 
 cian being sent for, and something of the real cause of my illness being known, he ordered 
 me to let blood; after which I had relief, and grew well: but I verily believe, if I 
 had not been eased by the vent given in that manner to the spirits, I should have died. 
 
 I was now master, all on a sudden, of above fifty 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. The first thing I did Avas to recompense my original benefactor, 
 my good old captain, who had been first charitable to me in my distress, kind to 
 me in the beginning, and honest to me at the end. I showed him all that was sent 
 tome; I told him that, next to the providence of Heaven, which disposes all things, 
 it was owing to him; and that it now lay on me to reward him, which I would do 
 a hundred-fold; so I first returned to him the hundred moidores I had received of 
 him; then I sent for a notary, and caused him to draw up a general release or 
 discharge from the four hundred and seventy moidores, which he had acknowledged 
 he owed me, in the fullest and firmest manner possible. After which, I caused a 
 procuration to be drawn, empowering him to be the receiver of the annual profits of 
 my plantation; and appointing my partner to account him, and make the returns, 
 by the usual fleets, to him in my name; and by a clause in the end, made a grant 
 of one hundred moidores a year to him during his life, out of the efiects, and fifty 
 moidores a year to his son after him, for his life: and thus I requited my old man. 
 
 I had now to consider which way to steer my course next, and what to do with 
 the estate that Providence had thus put into my hands; and indeed, 1 had more care 
 upon my head now than I had in my silent state of life in the island, where I wanted 
 nothing but what I had, and had nothing but what I wanted; whereas I had now 
 a great charge upon me, and my business was how to secure it. I had not a cave 
 now to hide my money in, or a place where it might lie without lock or key, till it 
 grew mouldy and tarnished before anybody would meddle with it; on the contrary, 
 I knew not where to put it, or whom to trust with it. My old patron, the captain, 
 indeed, was honest, 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 satisfaction, 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, 
 
rilK DISPOSAL OF MY STOCK. 
 
 169 
 
 "OUT KUSIIEn 
 A HORSE, WITH A 
 
 Saddle and a nRioLE 
 
 "I ON HIM " (^ 175). 
 
 a hundred pounds from me, and to talk with her, and comfort her in her poverty, 
 by telling her she should, if I lived, have a further supply: at the same time, I sent 
 my two sisters in the country a hundred pounds each, they being, though not in want, 
 yet not in very good circumstances; one having been married and left a widow; and 
 the other having a husband not so kind to her as he should be. But, among all my 
 relations or acquaintances, I could not yet pitch upon one to whom I durst commit 
 the gross of my stock, that I might go away to the Brazils, and leave things safe 
 behind me; and this greatly perplexed me. 
 
 I had once a mind to have gone to the Brazils, and have settled myself there, 
 for I was, as it were, naturalised to the place; but I had some little scrunle in my 
 mind about religion, which insensibly drew me back, of which I shall s.\y more 
 presently. However, it was not religion that kept me from going there for the \ resent ; 
 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, 1 began to regret my having professed myself a Papist, and thot'^,d^t 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 them, where, if I arrived, I concluded I 
 should make some acquaintance, 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 himdred to 
 
i^o Kon/xsojv CA'rsof:. 
 
 the monastery, and three Imndred and seventy-two to the poor, as the prior should 
 ihrect; 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 
 lioncsfy called for; as for sending them any present, they were far above having any 
 occasion of it. Lasth', 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 instructions for his future government of my part, according to the powers 1 had 
 left with my old patron, to whom I desired him to send whatever became due to 
 me, till he should hear from me more particularly; assuring him that it was my 
 intention not only to come to him, but to settle myself there for the remainder of 
 my life. To this I added a very handsome present of some Italian silks for his wife 
 and two daughters, for such the captain's son informed me he had; with two pieces 
 of fine English 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 that 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 having agreed with the captain; I say two of these ships miscarried; 
 viz., one was taken by the Algerines, and the other was cast away on the Start, near 
 Torbay, and all the people drowned, except three; so that in either of those vessels 
 I had been made miserable, in which most, it was hard to say. 
 
 Having been thus harassed in my thoughts, my old pilot, to whom I communi- 
 cated 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 
 uji to Madrid, and so all the Avay by land through France. In a word, I was so 
 prepossessed against my going by sea at all, except from Calais to Dover, that I 
 resolved to travel all the way by land; which, as I was not in haste, and did not 
 value the charge, was by much the pleasanter way; and to make it more so, my old 
 captain brought an English gentleman, the son of a merchant in Lisbon, who was 
 willing to travel with me; after which we picked up two more English merchants 
 also, and two young Portuguese gentlemen, the last going to Paris only; so that in 
 all, there were six of us, and five servants; the two merchants and the two Portu- 
 guese 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 upon the road. 
 
 In this manner I set out from Lisbon; and our comixmy being very well mounted 
 and armed, we made a little troop, whereof they did mc the honour to call me captain, 
 as well because I was the oldest man, as because I had two servants, and, indeed, 
 was the origin of the whole journey. 
 
 As I have troubled you with none of my sea journals, so I shall trouble you now 
 with none of my land journals; but some adventures that happened to us in this 
 tedious and difficult journey I must not omit. 
 
 When we came to Madrid, we being all of us strangers to Spain, were willing 
 to stay some time to see the court of Spain, and what Avas worth observing; but, it 
 being the latter part of the summer we hastened away, and set out from Madrid 
 
TRA VELLfNG IN SPAIN. 171 
 
 about the middle of October; but when we came to the edge of Navarre, we were 
 alarmed, at several towns on tiie 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 it was 
 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 Avas 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, after 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; 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 many years) I proposed that 
 we should go away to Fontarabia, and there take shipping for Bordeaux, which was 
 a very little voyage. But, while I was considering this, there came in four French 
 gentlemen, who, having been stopped on the French side of the passes, as we were 
 on the Spanish, had found out a guide, who, traversing the country near the head of 
 Languedoc, had brought them over the mountains by such ways that they were not 
 much incommoded with the snow ; for where they met with snow in any quantity, 
 they said it was frozen hard enough to bear them and their horses. We sent for this 
 guide, who told us he would undertake to carry us the same way, with no hazard 
 from the snow, provided we were armed sufficiently to protect ourselves from wild 
 beasts; for, he said, in these great snows, it was frequent for some wolves to show 
 themselves at the foot of the mountains, being made ravenous for want of food, the 
 ground being covered with snow. We told him we were well enough prepared for 
 such creatures as they were, if he would insure us from a kind of two-legged wolves, 
 which, we are told, we were in most danger from, especially on the French side of 
 the mountains. He satisfied us that there was no 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 dgain, where the country was pleasant, and no snow to be seen; but, on a 
 sudden, turning to his left, he approached the mountains another way; and though it is 
 true the hills and precipices looked dreadful, yet he made so many tours, such meanders, 
 and led us by such winding ways, that we insensibly passed the height of the moun- 
 tains without being much encumbered with the snow; and all on a sudden, he showed us 
 the pleasant and fruitful provinces of Languedoc and Gascony, all green and flourishing, 
 though, indeed, they were 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 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. 
 
172 
 
 ROBfXSOX CRrSOE. 
 
 It was about two hours before night, when, our guide being something before us, 
 and not just in sight, out rushed tliree monstrous wolves, and after them a bear, from 
 a hollow way adjoining to a thick wood; two of the wolves flew upon the guide, and, 
 had he been far before us, he would liave been devoured before we could have helped 
 him; one of them fastened upon his horse, and the other attacked the man with such 
 violence that he had not time or presence of mind enough to draw his pistol, but 
 hallooed and cried out to us most lustily. My man Friday being next me, I bade 
 him ritle 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, "Oh, master! Oh, master!' but like a 
 bold' fellow, rode directly up to the 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, having been 
 used to such creatures in his country, he had no fear upon him, but went close up 
 to him and shot him ; whereas, any other of us would have iired at a farther distance, 
 and have perhaps 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, 
 that it was 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 apprehension; however, as 
 Friday had killed this wolf, the other that had fastened upon the horse left him 
 immediately, and fled, without doing him any damage, having happily fastened upon 
 his head, where the bosses of the bridle had stuck in his teeth. But the man was 
 most hurt; for the raging creature had bit him twice, once in the arm, and the other 
 time a little above his knee; 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 plainly what had been the case, and how Friday had disengaged 
 the poor guide, though we did not presently discern what kind of a creature it was 
 he had killed. 
 
 But never was a fight managed so hardily, and in such a surprising manner, as 
 that which followed between Friday and the bear, which gave us all, though at first 
 we were surprised and afraid for him, the greatest diversion imaginable. As the bear 
 is a heavy, clumsy creature, and does not gallop as the wolf does, which is swift and 
 light, so he has two particular qualities, which generally are the rule of his actions; 
 first, as to men, w^ho are not his proper prey (he does not usually attempt them, 
 except they first attack him, unless he be excessively hungry, which it is probable 
 might now be the case, the ground being covered with snow), if you do not meddle 
 with him, he will not meddle with you; but then you must take care to be very civil 
 to him, and give him the road, for he is a very nice gentleman; he will not go a 
 step out of his way for a prince; nay, if you are really afraid, your best way is to 
 look another way and keep going on; for sometimes if you stop, and stand still, and 
 look steadfastly at him, he takes it for an affront; but if you throw or toss anything 
 at him, and it hits him, though it were but a bit of stick as big as your finger, he 
 takes it for an affront, and sets all other business aside to pursue his revenge, and 
 will have satisfaction in point of honour — that is his first quality: the next is, that 
 if he be once affronted, he will never leave you, night or day, till he has had his 
 revenge, but follow at a good round rate till he overtakes you. 
 
 My man I'riday 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, and indeed 
 the last more than the first, 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 
 
•\VK cvv AND iik\m;i) thk orrsini into thk iRiti-; shapp: ok a boat. 
 
FRIDAY'S ADVENTURE WITH THE BEAR. 173 
 
 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: "Oh, oh, oh!" says Friday, three 
 times, pointing to him; "Oh, master! you give me te leave, me shakee te hand with 
 him; me makee you good laugh." 
 
 I was surprised to see the fellow so pleased: "You fool," said I, "he will eat yon 
 up." — " Eatee me up! eatee me up!" says Friday, twice over again; "me eatee him 
 up; me makee you good ta^^h; you all stay here, me show you good laugh." So down 
 he sits, and gets his boots off in a moment, and puts on a pair of pumps (as we call 
 the flat shoes they wear, and which he had in his pocket), gives my other servant 
 his horse, and with his gun away he flew, swift like the wind. 
 
 The bear was walking softly on, and offered to meddle with nobody, till P^rida}- 
 coming pretty near, calls to him, as if the bear could understand him, "Hark yc, 
 hark ye," says Friday, "me speakee with you." We followed at a distance, for now 
 being come down to the Gascony side of the mountains, we were entered a vast, great 
 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 took up a great stone, and threw it at him, and hit him 
 just on the head, but did him no more harm than if he had thrown it against a wall; 
 but it answered Friday's end, for the rogue was so void of fear that he did it purely 
 to make the bear follow him, and show us some laugh, as he called it. As soon as 
 the bear felt the stone, and saw him, he turns about, and comes after him, taking 
 very long strides, and shuffling on at a strange rate, so as would have put a horse 
 to a middling gallop; away runs Friday, and takes his course as if he ran towards 
 us for help; so we all resolved to fire at once upon the bear, and deliver my man; 
 though I was angry at him heartily for bringing the bear back upon us, when he 
 was going about his own business another way; and especially I was angry that he 
 had turned the bear upon us, and then run away; and I called out, "You dog!" said 
 I, "is this your making us laugh? Come away, and take your horse, that we may 
 shoot the creature." He heard me, and cried out, "No shoot, no shoot; stand still, 
 you get much laugh;" and as the nimble creature ran two feet for the beast's one, 
 he turned on a sudden on one side of us, and seeing a great oak-tree fit for his 
 purpose, he beckoned us to follow; and doubling his pace, he got 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 at 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 could noi for my life see anything to laugh at 
 yet, till seeing the bear get up the tree, we all rode near to him. 
 
 When Ave came to the tree, there was Friday got out to the small end of a 
 large limb of the tree, and the bear got about half way to him. As soon as the bear 
 got out to that part where the limb of the tree was weaker — "Ha!" says he to us, 
 "now you see me teachee the bear dance;" so he began jumping and shaking the 
 bough, at which the bear began to totter, but stood still, and began to look beliind 
 him, to see how he should get back; then, indeed, we did laugh heartily. But Friday 
 had not done with him by a great deal; when seeing him stand still, he called out 
 to him again, as if he had supposed the bear could speak English, "What, you no 
 come farther? pray you come farther;" so he left jumping and shaking the bough; 
 and the bear, just as if he had understood what he said, did come a little farther; 
 then he began jumping again, and the bear stopped again. We thought now was a 
 good time to knock him on the head, and called to Friday to stand still, and we 
 would shoot the bear; but he cried out earnestly, "Oh, pray! oh, 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 indeed, but still could not imagine what the fellow would do; for first we 
 
,;4 J^OBIXSOiY CRUSOE. 
 
 tliouglit lie depended upon shakins:,' tlie bear ofT; and we found the bear was too 
 cunning for that too; for he would not go out far enough to be thrown down, but 
 clung fast with his great broad claws and feet, so that we could not imagine wliat 
 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 went out to the 
 smaller end of the bough where it would bend with his weight, and gently let himself 
 down by it, sliding down the bough till he came near enough to jump down on his 
 feet, and away he ran to his gun, took it up, and stood still. "Well," said I to him, 
 "Friday, what will 5'ou do now? Wh}'^ don't you shoot him?" — "No shoot," says 
 Friday, "no3"et; me slioot 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 came back from the bough where he stood, but did it very cautiously, looking 
 behind him everv 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 feet upon the ground Friday stepped up close to him, 
 clapped the muzzle of his piece into his ear, and shot him dead as a stone. Then 
 the rogue turned about to see if we did not laugh; and wlien he saw we Avere pleased, 
 by our looks, he began to laugh very loud. "So we kill bear in m}'^ 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. 
 
 These things, and the approach of night, called us off, or else, as Friday would 
 have had us, we should certamly 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 journe}'. 
 
 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, 
 killing a great many of their sheep and horses, and some people too. We had one 
 dangerous place to pass, and our guide told us, if there were more wolves in the 
 country we should find them there; and this was a ^mall plain surrounded with woods 
 on every side, and a long narrow defile, or lane, which we were to pass to get through 
 the wood, and then we should come to the village where we were to lodge. It was 
 within half an hour of sunset when we entered the wood, and a little after sunset 
 when we came into the plain: we met with nothing in the first wood, except that in 
 a little plain within the wood which was not above two furlongs over, we saw fixe 
 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 him, but picking his bones rather; for they had eaten up all the flesli 
 before. We did not think fit to disturb them at their feast, neither did they take 
 
FIGirTIKG THE WOLVES. 175 
 
 much notice of 11s. Friday woukl have let fly at them, hut I would not suffer him 
 by any means; for I found we were like to have more business upon our hands than 
 we were aware of. We had not gone half over the plain, when we began to hear 
 the wolves howl in the wood on our left in a frightful manner, and presently after 
 we saw about a hundred coming on directly towards us, all in a body, and most of 
 them in a line, as regularly as an army draw^n 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 immediately, if they 
 continued to advance upon us; and then that those who had fired at first, should not 
 pretend to load their fusees again, but stand ready, every one with a pistol, for we 
 were all armed with a fusee and a pair of pistols each man ; so we were, by this 
 method, able to fire six volleys, half of us at a time: however, at present we had no 
 necessity; for upon firing the first volley, the enemy made a full stop, being terrified 
 as well with the noise as with the fire. Four of them being shot in the head, dropped; 
 several others were wounded, and went bleeding off, as we could see by the snow. 
 I found they stopped, but did not immediately retreat; whereupon, remembering 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 the 
 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 advantage of them; 
 but as we supposed that he could not hold it at that rate, we doubted not but they 
 would get up with him at last : and 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 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, inclosing our horses in the centre. We did so, 
 
1-6 /:OB/.VSO.V CRrSOE. 
 
 and it was well we did; for never was a more furious charge than tlie creatures 
 made upon us in this place. They came on us with a growling kind of a 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 tiieirs, it seems, was principally 
 occasioned by their seeing our horses behind us, which was the pre}' they aimed at. 
 I ordered our men to fire as before, every other man; and they took their aim so 
 sure that indeed 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 fusils, we thought they stopped a little, 
 and I hoped they would liave 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 loth to spend our last shot too hastil}'; so I called my 
 servant — not my man Friday, for he was better employed, for, with the greatest 
 dexterity imaginable, he had charged m}' 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 dispatched 
 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 to cutting them 
 with our swords, which answered our expectation, for the crying and howling they 
 made was better understood by their fellows; so that they all fled and left us. 
 
 We had, first and last, killed about three-score of them, and had it been daylight 
 we had killed many more. The field of battle being thus cleared, we made for- 
 ward 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. So 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, that 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 Toulouse, where we found a warm climate, a fruitful, 
 pleasant country, and no snow, no wolves, nor anything like them; but when we told 
 our story at Toulouse, they told us it was nothing but what was ordinary in the great 
 forest at the foot of the mountains, especially when the snow lay on the ground ; but 
 they inquired much what kind of a guide we had got, who would venture to bring 
 us that way in such a severe season, and told us it was surprising we were not all 
 devoured. When we told them how we placed ourselves and the horses in the middle, 
 they blamed us exceedingly, and told us it was fifty to one but we had been all 
 destroyed, for it was the sight of the horses which made the wolves so furious, seeing 
 their prey, and that at other times they are really afraid of a gun; but being exces- 
 sively hungry, and raging on that account, the eagerness to come at the horses had 
 made them senseless of danger; and that if we had not by the continued fire, and 
 at last by the stratagem of the train of powder, mastered them, it had been great 
 
SAFE ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND. 177 
 
 odds but that we had been torn to pieces; whereas, had we been content to hav( 
 sat still on horseback, and fired as horsemen, they would not have taken the horses 
 so much for their own, when men were on their backs, as otherwise; and, withal, 
 they told us that at last, if we had stood all together, and left our horses, they 
 would have been so eager to have devoured them, that we might have come off safe, 
 especially having our firearms 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 tliree hundred 
 devils come roaring and open-mouthed to devour us, and having notliing 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. 
 
 l^ 
 
 'ks'S^-^'^K^ 
 
 "THt OTHER I PLACED WITH 
 THE CAPTAIN OF A SHIP" {p. 178). 
 
 I have nothing uncommon to take notice of in my passage through France — 
 nothing but what other travellers have given an account of with much more advantage 
 than I can. I travelled from Toulouse to Paris, and without any 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 liad in a little time all my new 
 discovered estate safe about me, the bills of exchange wliich 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 w^s 
 
i;8 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 perfectly easy as to the security of my effects; and, indeed, I was, very happy from tlie 
 beginning, and now to the end, in tlie unspotted integrity of this good gentlewouKin. 
 
 And now, having resolved to dispose of my plantation in the Brazils, I wrote 
 to my old friend at Lisbon, who having offered it to the two merchants, the survivors 
 of my trustees, who lived in the Brazils, they accepted the offer, and remitted thirty- 
 three thousand pieces of eight to a correspondent of theirs at Lisbon to pay for it. 
 
 In return, I signed the instrument of sale in the form which they sent from 
 Lisbon, and sent it to my old man, who sent me the bills of exchange for thirty-two 
 thousand eight hundred pieces of eight for the estate, reserving the payment of one 
 hundred moidores a year to him (the old man) during his life, and fifty nioidores 
 afterwards to his son for his life, which I had promised them, and which the plan- 
 tation 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 show the like of — beginning foolishly, 
 but closing much more happily than any part of it ever gave me leave so much as 
 to hope for. 
 
 Any one would think that in this state of complicated good fortune I was past 
 running any more hazards; and so, indeed, I had been, if other circumstances had 
 concurred; but I was inured to a wandering life, had no family, nor many relations; 
 nor however rich, had I contracted much acquaintance; and tliough 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 slie 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 placed with 
 the captain of a ship; and after five years, finding him a sensible, bold, enterprising 
 young fellow, I put him into a good ship, and sent him to sea ; and this young fellow 
 afterwards drew me in, as old as I was, to 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. 
 
 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 mainland, 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 
 trom England with me — viz., a carpenter and a smith. 
 
 Besides this, I shared the lands into parts with them, reserved to myself the pro- 
 pert}^ of the whole, but gave them such parts respectively as they agreed on;- and having 
 settled all things with them, and engaged them not to leave the place, I left them there. 
 
Jlir VISIT TO MY COLONY. 179 
 
 From thence I touched at the Brazils, from wlience 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, 1 promised them to send them some 
 women from England, with a good cargo of necessaries, if they would apply them- 
 selves 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. 
 
 But all these things, with an account how three hundred Caribbees 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 further account of in the Second Part 
 of my history. 
 
PART II. 
 
 ^>"-<'<- — 
 
 THAT liomel}' proverb, used on so many occasions in England, viz., "That wliat 
 is bred in the bone will not go out of the flesh," was never more verified than 
 in the stor}- 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 
 nefore, and after near seven 5'ears 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 kno^\■ 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 a.xount 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 1 had no fortune to make: 1 had nothing to seek: if I had gained ten thousand 
 pounds, I had been no richer; for I had already sufficient for me, and for those I 
 had to leave it to; and what I had was visibly 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 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 in their minds; that there is no such thing as 
 a spirit appearing, or a ghost walking; 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 wliether there is 
 anything in the stories they tell us of that kind more than the product of vapours, 
 sick minds, and wandering fancies; but this 1 know, that my imagination worked up 
 
Jl/y DESfRE TO REVISIT MY ISLAND. i8i 
 
 to such a hcip^ht, 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 1 talked with them, and looked at them steadily, thoiif,di 
 I was broad awake, as at persons just before me; and this I did till I often fright- 
 ened myself with the images my fancy represented to me. One time, in my sleep, 
 I had the villany of the three pirate sailors so lively related to me by the first 
 Spaniard and Friday's father, that it was surprising; they told me how they barba- 
 rously attempted to murder all the Spaniards, and that they set fire to the provi- 
 sions they had laid up, on purpose to distress and starve them; things that I had 
 never heard of, and tliat, 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, 
 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, 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 1 had hanged them all, I had been much in the right, and even should have been 
 justified both by the laws of God and man. But to return to my story. In this 
 kind of temper, I lived some years; I had no enjoyment of my life, no pleasant 
 hours, no agreeable diversion, but what had something or other of this in it ; so that 
 my wife, who saw my mind wholly bent upon it, told me very seriously one night, 
 that she believed there was some secret, powerful impulse of Providence upon me, 
 which had determined me to go thither again ; and that she found nothing hindered 
 my going, but my being engaged to a wife and children. She told me that it was 
 true she could not think of parting with me: but as she was assured that if she was 
 dead it would be the first thing I would do; so, as it seemed to her that the thing 
 was determined above, she would not be the only obstruction; for, if I thought fit 
 
 and resolved to go [Here she found me very intent upon her words, and that I 
 
 looked very earnestly at her, so that it a little disordered her, and she stopped. 
 I asked her why she did not go on, and say out what she was going to say. But 
 I perceived that her heart was too full, and some tears stood in her eyes.] "Speak- 
 out, my dear," said I; "are you willing I should go?" "No," says she, very affec- 
 tionately, "I am far from willing; but if you are resolved to go," says she, "rather 
 than I would be the only hindrance, I will go with you; for though I think it a 
 most preposterous 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 
 jnust do it ; there is no r^isting 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 corrected my wandering fancy, and 
 began to argue with myself sedately what business I had, after threescore years, and 
 after such a life of tedious sufferings and disasters, and closed in so happy and easy 
 a manner — I say, what business had I to rush into new hazards, and put myself upon 
 adventures fit only for youth and poverty to run into ? 
 
 With 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, 
 
,82 ROBLVSO.V CRt'SOE. 
 
 and that it should be my duty to go, I had no notion of that; so, after many of 
 these cogitations, I struggled with tlic power of my imagination, reasoned myself out 
 of it; as I believe people may always do in like cases if they will; and, in a word, 
 I conquered it; composed myself with such arguments as occurred to my thoughts, 
 and which my present condition furnished me plentifully with; and particularly, as 
 the most efl'ectual method, I resolved to divert myself with other things, and to 
 engage in some business that might effectually tie me up from any more excursions 
 of this kind; for I found that thing return upon mc 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, 
 w^as capable of great improvement; and it was many ways suited to my inclination, 
 which delighted in cultivating, managing, planting, and improving of land; and par- 
 ticularly, being an inland county, I was removed from conversing among sailors, and 
 things relating to the remote parts of the world. 
 
 In a word, I went down to my farm, settled my family, bought ploughs, harrows, 
 a cart, wagon, horses, cows, and sheep, and, setting seriously to work, became in one 
 half-year a mere country gentleman; my thoughts were entirely taken up in managing 
 my servants, cultivating the ground, enclosing, planting, &c. ; and I lived, as I thought, 
 the most agreeable life that natuic 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 recom- 
 mended to me, and lived a kind of heavenly life, something like what is described 
 by the poet, upon the subject of a country life: — 
 
 " Free from vices, free from care, 
 Age has no pain, and youth no snare." 
 
 But in the middle of all this felicity, one blow from unseen Providence unhinged 
 me at once ; and not only made a breach upon me inevitable and incurable, but 
 drove me, by its consequences, into a deep relapse of the wandering disposition, 
 w'hich, 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 upon 
 me. This blow was the loss of my wife. It is not my business here to write an 
 elegy upon my wife, give a character of her particular virtues, and make my court 
 to the sex by the flattery of a funeral sermon. She was, in a few words, the stay 
 of all my affairs, the centre of all my enterprises, the engine that, by her prudence, 
 reduced me to that happy compass I was in, from the most extravagant and ruinous 
 project that filled my head; 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, 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 for the assistance of servants, as I was 
 in my island. I knew neither what to think nor what to do. I saw the world busy 
 around me; one part 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 
 
/ GO TO LONDON. 
 
 daily circulation of sorrow, livin.c: 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. 
 
 Tliis 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 tlie money lay in the drawer till it 
 grew mouldy, and had scarce the favour to be looked upon in twenty years. 
 
 All these things, had 1 improved 
 them as I ought to have done, and 
 as reason and religion had dictated 
 to me, would have taught me to 
 search larther than human enjoy- 
 ments 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 awa}^ 
 again into the old affair; my head 
 was quite turned with the whimsej's 
 of foreign adventures; and all the 
 pleasant, innocent amusements of ni}^ 
 farm, my garden, my cattle, and my 
 family, which before entirely pos- 
 sessed 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 em- 
 ployment in "it, nothing to do but 
 to saunter about like an idle per- 
 son, of whom it may be said he 
 is perfectly useless in God's creation, 
 and it is not one farthing's matter 
 to the rest of his kind whether he 
 be dead or alive. This also was 
 the thing which, of all circum- 
 stances of life, was the most my 
 
 aversion, who had been all my days used to an active life; and I would often say 
 to myself, "A state of idleness is the very dregs of life"; and, indeed, I thought 1 
 was much more suitably employed when I was twenty-six da3's making a deal board. 
 
 It was now the beginning of the year 1693, when my nephew, whom, as I have 
 observed before, I had brought up to the sea, and had made him commander of a 
 ship, was come home from a short voyage to Bilboa, being the first he had made. 
 He came to me, and told me that some merchants of his acquaintance had been 
 
 'THE SIHP BLEW UP " (/. Ii>6). 
 
1 84 non/Nso.v cr[\sop:. 
 
 proposing to him to go a voyage for them to the Hast 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." 
 
 N^othing 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 wandermg was returned 
 upon me, and I knew nothing of what he had in his thoughts 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, 
 that I would go to Lisbon, and consult with my old sea-captain; and if it was rational 
 and practicable, I would go and see the island again, and what was become of my 
 people there. I had pleased myself with the thoughts of peopling the place, and 
 carrying inhabitants from hence, getting a patent for the possession, and I know not 
 what; when, in the middle of all this, in comes my nephew, as I have said, with his 
 project of carrying me thither in his way to the East Indies. 
 
 I paused awhile at his words, and looking steadily at him, "What devil," said 
 I, "sent you on this unlucky errand?" My nephew stared as if he had been fright- 
 ened, 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 3'ou 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 pre- 
 possession I was under, and of which I have said so much, that I told him, in a few 
 words, if he agreed with the merchants, I would go with him; but I told him I would 
 not promise to go any farther than my own island. "Why, sir," says he, "you don't 
 want to be left there again, I hope?" "Why," said I, "can you not take me up 
 again on your return?" He told me it would not be possible to do so; that the 
 merchants would never allow him to come that way with a laden ship of such value, 
 it being a month's sail out of his way, and might be three or four. "Besides, sir, 
 if 1 should miscarry," said he, "and not return at all, then you would be just reduced 
 to the condition you were in before." 
 
 This was very rational; but we both found out a remedy for it; which was to 
 carry a framed sloop on board the ship, which being taken in pieces, and shipped 
 on board the ship, might, by 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 iny inclination, that nothing could oppose me. On the other hand, 
 my wife being dead, nobody concerned themselves so much for me as to persuade 
 me to one way or the other, except my ancient good friend the widow, who earnestly 
 struggled with me to consider my years, my easy circumstances, and the needless 
 hazards of a long voyage; and abo^^e all, my young children. But it was all to no 
 purpose; I had an irresistible desiie for the voyage; and I told her I thought there 
 was something so uncommon in the impressions I had upon my mind, that it would 
 be a kind of 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 satis- 
 fied they would have justice done them, whatever might befall me; and for their educa- 
 tion, 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. 
 
WjS embark for the brazils. 185 
 
 My nephew was ready to sail about tlie beginning of January, 1694-5; ^"cl I, 
 with my man Friday, went on board, in the Downs, on 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 account, while I stayed, and 
 either to leave them there or carry them forward, as they should appear wiUing; 
 particularly I carried two carpenters, a smith, and a very handy, ingenious fellow, 
 who was a cooper by trade, and was also a general mechanic; for he was dexterous 
 at making wheels, and hand-mills to grind corn, was a good turner, and a good pot- 
 maker ; he also made anything that was proper to make of earth or of wood; in a 
 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 who 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 par- 
 ticulars, consisted of a sufficient quantity of linen, and some English thin stuffs, for 
 clothing the Spaniards that I expected to find there; and enough of them as, by my 
 calculation, might comfortably supply them for seven years. If I remember right 
 the materials I carried for clothing them, with gloves, hats, shoes, stockings, and 
 all such things as they could want for wearing, amounted to above two hundred 
 pounds, including some beds, bedding, and household stuff, 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 ; besides 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 1 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 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 the 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 m}' 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, my 
 first voyage to Guinea, in which I might be said to come back again, as the voyage 
 was at first designed, began to think the same ill fate attended me ; and that I was 
 born to be never contented with being on shore, and yet to be always unfortunate at sea. 
 
 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 tlie 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 
 
,86 ROBJA^SON CRUSOE. 
 
 it, a boy came in, and told us the boatswain heard another. This made us all run 
 out upon tlie quarter-deck, where, for awhile, we heard nothing; but in a few minutes 
 we saw a very great light, and found that there was some very terrible fire at a 
 distance. Immediately we had recourse to our reckonings, in which we all agreed 
 that th.cre could be no land that way in which the fire showed itself, no, not for five 
 hundred leagues, for it appeared at W.N.W. Upon this, we concluded it must be 
 some ship on fire at sea; and as, by our hearing the noise of guns just before, we 
 concluded that it could not be far off, we stood directly towards it, and were presently 
 satisfied we should 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 
 what condition I was in when taken up by the Portuguese captain ; and how much 
 more deplorable the circumstances of the poor creatures belonging to that ship must 
 be, if they had no other ship in company with them. Upon this, I immediately 
 ordered that five guns should be fired, one soon after another, that, if possible, we 
 might give notice to them that there was help for them at hand, and that they might 
 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, wait- 
 ing 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 con- 
 cluded, 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, as it was dark, I could not 
 see. However, to direct them as well as I could, 1 caused lights to be hung out 
 in all parts of the ship where we could, and which we had lanterns 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, and found there were two of them, both thronged with 
 people, and deep in the water. We perceived they rowed, the wind being against 
 them; 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, stand- 
 ing directly to them. In little more than half an hour, we came up with them ; and, 
 in a word, took them all in, being no less than sixty-four men, women, and children; 
 for there were a great many passengers. 
 
 Upon inquiry, we found it was a French merchant ship of three hundred tons, 
 homeward-bound from Quebec, in the river of Canada. The master gave us a long 
 account of the distress of his ship ; how the fire began in the steerage, by the 
 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 
 got into some part of the ship so difficult to come at that they could not effectually 
 quench it ; and afterwards getting in between the timbers, and within the ceiling of 
 the ship, it proceeded into the hold, and mastered all the skill and all the apphcation 
 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 Avas 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. 
 
ECSTASIES OF THE RESCUED. i«7 
 
 indeed, small hope of their lives by getting into these boats, at that distance from 
 land ; only, as they said, that they thus escaped from the fire, and there was a 
 possibility that some ship might happen to be at sea, and might take them in. They 
 had sails, oars, and a compass ; and were preparing to make the best of their way 
 back to Newfoundland, the wind blowing pretty fair, for it blew an easy gale at 
 S.E. by E. They had as much provision and water as, with sparing it so as to be 
 next door to starving, might support them about twelve days, in which, if they had 
 no bad weather and no 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, that there was a ship 
 at hand for their help. It was upon the hearing of these guns that they took dowm 
 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 inex- 
 pressible joy, they found we saw them. 
 
 It is impossible for me to express the several gestures, the strange ecstasies, the 
 variety of postures which these poor delivered people ran into, to express the joy of 
 their souls at so unexpected a deliverance. Grief and fear are easily 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 
 wringmg their hands ; some were dancing, some singing, some laughing, more crying, 
 many quite dumb, not able to speak a word; others sick and vomiting; several 
 swooning and ready to faint ; and a few were crossing themselves and giving God thanks. 
 
 I would not wrong them either; there might be many that were thankful after- 
 wards; 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 frenz}^ and it was but a verv 
 few that were composed and serious in their joy. 
 
 Perhaps, also, the case may have some addition to it from the particular circum- 
 stance of the 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 of other nations. I am not philosopher enough to determine the cause; but 
 nothing I had ever seen before came up to it. The ecstasies poor Frida}', 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 show themselves in 
 that different manner I have mentioned, in different persons only; but all the variety 
 would appear, in a short succession of moments, in one and the same person. A 
 
 12* 
 
r98 KOn/XSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 man that we saw this minute dumb, and, as it were, stupid and confoimdcd, would 
 the next minute he dancing and liallooing like an antic; and the next moment be 
 tearing liis hair, or pulhng his clothes to pieces, and stamping them under his feet 
 like a madman; in a few moments after wc would have him all in tears, then sick, 
 swooning, and, had not immediate help been had, he would in a few minutes have 
 been dead; and thus it was not with one or two, or ten or twenty, but with the 
 greatest part of them; anil, if I remember right, our surgeon was obliged to let blood 
 of about thirty of them. 
 
 There were two priests among thcni; 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 had come 
 to himself. About a quarter of an hour after this, they came running into tlie cabin 
 to the surgeon, who was bleeding a French woman that had fainted, and told him 
 the priest was gone stark mad. It seems he had begun to revolve the change of his 
 circumstances in his mind, and again this put him into an ecstasy of joy. His spirits 
 whirled about faster than the vessels could convey them, the blood grew hot and 
 feverish; and the man was as fit for Bedlam as any creature that ever was in it. 
 The surgeon would not bleed him again in that condition, but gave him something 
 to doze and put him to sleep; which, after some time, operated upon him, and he 
 awoke next morning perfectly composed and well. 
 
 The younger priest behaved with great command of his passions, and was really 
 an example ot a serious, well-governed mind. At his first coming on board the ship, 
 he threw himself flat on his face, prostrating himself in thankfulness for his deliver- 
 ance, 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 
 tlianks for his deliverance, begged me to leave him a few moments, lind that, next 
 to his Maker, he would give me thanks also. 
 
 I was heartily sorry that I disturbed him, and not only left him, but Kept others 
 from interrupting him also. He continued in that posture about tluee minutes, or 
 little more, after I left him, then came to me, as he had said he would, and, with 
 a great deal of seriousness and affection, but with tears in his eyes, thanked me, that 
 had, under God, given him and so many miserable creatures their lives. I told him 
 I had no need to tell him to thank God for it, rather than me, for I had seen that 
 he had done that already; but I added that it was nothing but what reason and 
 humanity dictated to all men, and that we had as much reason as he to give thanks 
 to God, who had blessed us so far as to make us the instruments of His merc\- to 
 so many of His creatures. 
 
 After this the young priest applied himself to his countrymen; 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 guiding themselves in 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 i)rovoked mind, 
 carry us to? And, indeed, here I saw reason for keeping an exceeding watch over 
 
GRATITUDE OF THE EREXCIf. 
 
 "SHE HAD LOST HEK 
 
 MAIN-TOr.MAST, FOREMAST, 
 
 AND bowsprit" (/. loo). 
 
 our passions of every kind, as well those of joy and satisfaction, as those of sorrow 
 and anger. 
 
 We were somewhat disordered by these extravagances among our new guests, for 
 the first day; but after they had retired to lodgings provided for them as well as our 
 ship would allow, and they had slept heartily — as most of them did, being fatigued 
 and frightened — they were quite another sort of people the next da}'. 
 
 Nothing of good manners, or civil acknowledgments for the kindness shown them, 
 was wanting; the French, it is known, are naturally apt enough to exceed that wa}-. 
 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 for that kindness received. The captain said 
 they had saved some money and some things of value in their boats, caught hastily 
 out of the flames, and if we would accept it, they were ordered to make an offer of 
 it all to us; they only desired to be set on shore somewhere in our way, where, if 
 possible, they might get a passage to France. My nephew wished to accept their 
 money at first word, and to consider what to do with them afterwards; but I over- 
 ruled him in that part, for I knew what it was to be set on shore in a strange 
 country; and if the Portuguese captain that took me up at sea had served me so, 
 and taken all I had for my deliverance, I must have starved, or have been as much 
 a slave at the Brazils as I had been at Barbar}-, the mere being sold to a JNIahometan 
 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 iiave done for us, 
 if we had been in their case, and they in ours; but that we took them up to save 
 them, not to plunder them; and it would be a most barbarous thing to take that 
 little from them which they had saved out of the fire, and tl-.en set them on shore 
 
igo ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 and leave them ; tliat this would be fust 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, 1 
 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 deliverance, yet it was impossible for us wilfully to change our voyage on 
 their particular account; nor could my nephew, the captain, answer it to the freighters, 
 with whom he was under charter to pursue his voyage by way of Brazil; and 
 all I knew we could do for them was, to put ourselves in the way of meeting with 
 other ships homeward bound from the West Indies, and get them a passage, if 
 possible, to England or France. 
 
 The first part of the proposal was so generous and kind, they could not but be very 
 thankful for it; but they were in very great consternation, especially the passengers, at 
 the notion of being carried away to the East Indies; they then entreated me, that as I was 
 driven so far to the westward before I met with them, I would, at least, keep on tlie same 
 course to the Banks of Newfoundland, where it was probable 1 might meet with some 
 ship or sloop that they might hire to carry them back to Canada, from whence the\- came. 
 
 I thouglit 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 deliver- 
 ance. 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 INIartinico, 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 not take in passengers, for fear of wanting 
 provisions for the voyage, as well for themselves as for those they should take in; 
 so we were obliged to go on. It was about a week after this that we made the 
 Banks of Newfoundland; where, to shorten my story, we put all our French people 
 on board a barque, which they hired at sea there, to put them on shore, and after- 
 wards 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, fore- 
 mast, 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 Barbadocs, but had been 
 
ANOTHER SI/IP 7.V DISTRESS. 19, 
 
 blown out of the road at BarbaJoes a few days before slie 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 had lost their masts. They 
 told us they expected to have seen the Bahama Islands, but were then driven away 
 again to the south-east, by a strong gale of wind at N.N.W., the same that blew 
 now: and having no sails to work the ship with but a main course, and a kind of 
 square sail upon a jury- foremast, which they had set up, they could not lie near the 
 wind, but were endeavouring to stand away for the Canaries. 
 
 But that which was worst of all, was, that they were almost starved for want 
 of provisions, besides the fatigues they had undergone; their bread and flesh were 
 quite gone; they had not one ounce left in the ship, and had had none for eleven 
 days. The only relief they had was, their water was not all spent, and they had 
 about half a barrel of flour left; they had sugar enough; some succades, or sweet-meats, 
 they had at first, but they were all devoured; and they had seven casks of rum. 
 
 There was a youth, and his mother, and a maid-servant on board, who were 
 passengers, and thinking the ship was ready to sail, unhappily came on board the 
 evening before the 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 ex- 
 treme necessity themselves, had no compassion, we may be sure, for the poor passengers; 
 and the}' were, indeed, in such a condition that their miser}^ is very hard to describe. 
 
 I had perhaps not known this part, if my curiosity had not led me (the weather 
 being fair, and the wind abated) to go on board the ship. The second mate, who 
 upon this occasion commanded the ship, had been on board our ship, and he told 
 me they had three passengers in the great cabin, that were in a deplorable condition: 
 "Nay," says he, "I believe they are dead, for I have heard nothing of them for above 
 two days: and I was afraid to inquire 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- 
 starved; for he declared he had reserved nothing from the men, and went share and 
 share alike with them in every bit they ate. 
 
 I cautioned him to eat sparingly, but set meat before him immediately; and he 
 had not eaten three mouthfuls before he began to be sick and out of order; so he 
 stopped awhile, and our surgeon mixed him 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 meantime, I forgot not the men ; I ordered victuals to be given them, and 
 the poor creatures rather devoured than ate it : they were so exceedingly hungry that 
 they were in a manner ravenous, and had no command of themselves; and two of them 
 ate with so much greediness, that they were in danger of their lives the next morning. 
 
 The sight of these people's distress was very moving to me, and brought to mind 
 what I had a terrible prospect of at my first coming on shore in my island, where I 
 had never the least mouthful of food, or any prospect of procuring any; besides the 
 hourly apprehensions I had of being made the food of other creatures. But all the 
 while the mate was thus relating to me the miserable condition of the ship's company, 
 I could not put out of my thought the story lie had told me of the three poor creatures 
 
,q2 J^On/XSOA^ CRUSOE. 
 
 in the great cabin, viz., the motlier, her son, and the maid-servant, whom he had 
 licard nothing of for two or tliree 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 
 luen, to carr)' them a sack of bread, and four or five pieces of beef to boil. Our 
 surgeon charged the men to cause the meat to be boiled while they 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 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 lue with, in a more 
 lively manner than I could have it by report, I took the captain of the ship, as we 
 now called him, with me, and went myself, a little after, in their boat. 
 
 I found the poor men on board almost in a tumult, to get the victuals out of 
 the boiler before it was read}-; but the 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. 
 Hut 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 miser}' 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 sank 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 at 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 afiectionate mother's life, 
 
THE STARVED PASSENGERS. 193 
 
 was not so far ,c:one; 5'et 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 cxtraordinar}', 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 
 the chair and she gripped it so hard that we could not easily make her let it go; her 
 other arm lay over her head, and her feet lay both together, set fast against the 
 frame of the cabin table: in short, she lay just like one in the agonies of death, and 
 3'et 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 d3'ing for two or three days before, and whom slie loved 
 most tenderly. 
 
 We knew not what to do with this poor girl; for when our surgeon, who was 
 a man of very great knowledge and experience, had, with great application, recovered 
 her as to life, he had her upon his hands still; for she was little less than distracted 
 for a considerable time after. 
 
 Whoever shall read these memorandums must be desired to consider, that visits 
 at sea are not like a journey into the country, where sometimes people stay a week 
 or a fortnight at a place: our business was to relieve this distressed ship's crew, but 
 not lie by for them; and though they were willing to steer the same course with us 
 for some days, yet we could carry no sail, to keep pace with a ship that had no 
 masts: however, as their captain begged of us to help him to set up a main-topmast, 
 and a kind of topmast to his jury-foremast, we did, as it were, lie by him for three 
 or four days : and then, havmg given him five barrels of beef, a barrel of pork, two 
 hogsheads of biscuit, and a proportion of peas, flour, and what other things we could 
 spare; and taking three casks of sugar, some rum, and some pieces-of-eight from them 
 for satisfaction, we left them, taking on board with us, at their own earnest request, 
 the youth and the maid, and all their goods. 
 
 The young lad was about seventeen years of age; a pretty, well-bred, modest, 
 and sensible youth, greatly dejected with the loss of his mother, and, as it seems, 
 he had lost his father but a few months before, at Barbadoes: he begged of the 
 surgeon to speak to me to take him out of the ship; for he said the cruel fellows 
 had murdered his mother: and, indeed, so they had, that is to say, passively; for 
 they might have spared a small sustenance to the poor helpless widow, that might 
 have preserved her life, though it had been but just enough to keep her alive; but 
 hunger knows no friend, no relation, no justice, no right, and therefore is remorseless, 
 and capable of no 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 hogs- 
 heads of sugar, which could not be removed or come at ; and as the youth had a bill 
 of lading for them, I made his commander sign a writing, obliging himself to go as 
 soon as he came to Bristol, to one Mr. Rogers, a merchant there, to whom the youth 
 
,Q4 KOB/XSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 Avas 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 an}' land, that I am of opinion the 
 first storm she met with afterwards, she might founder in the sea, for she was leak}', 
 and had damage in her liold, 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 w^inds had been contrary. I shall trouble 
 nobody with the little incidents of wind, weather, currents, &c., on the rest of our 
 voyage; but, to shorten my story, shall observe that I came to my old habitation, the 
 island, on the loth 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 ot 
 the island, 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 1 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 Caribees, but islanders, and other barbarians of the 
 same kind, who inhabited nearer to our side than the rest. 
 
 In short, I visited several of these islands to no purpose; some I found were 
 inhabited, and some were not; on one of them I found some Spaniards, and thought 
 they had lived there; but, speaking with them, found they had a sloop lying in a 
 small creek hard by, and came thither to make salt, and to catch some pearl-mussels 
 if they could; but that they belonged to the Isle de Trinidad, which lay farther north, 
 in the latitude of 10 and 11 degrees. 
 
 Thus, coasting from one island to another, sometimes with the ship, sometimes 
 with the Frenchmen's shallop, which we had found a convenient boat, and therefore 
 kept her with their very good will, at length I came fair on the south side of my 
 island, and presently knew the very countenance of the place: so I brought the ship 
 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, "Oh, yes; 
 oh, there — oh, yes; oh, there!'' pointing to our old habitation, and fell dancing and 
 capering like a mad fellow; and I had much ado to keep him from jumping into the 
 sea, to swim ashore to the place. 
 
 "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 father, the poor affectionate creature looked dejected, 
 and I could see the tears run down his face very plentifully. "What is the matter, 
 Friday?" said 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?" "Oh, no, oh, 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, " Me see, me see, yes, yes, me 
 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 inquiry 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. 
 
X^'sve^ 
 
 "THREW HIS ARMS ABROAD, AND CAME FORWARD TO EMBRACE ME." 
 
 I See p. TQ'i.J 
 
196 KUJUASUA C/\c/SO£. 
 
 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 perceived a smoke arise from the side of the creek: 
 so I immediately ordered a 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, extremely desirous to go with me. We had, besides, about sixteen men well 
 armed, if we had found any new guests there which we did not know of; but we liad 
 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 
 1 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, 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 mao shed tears, in spite of the firmest resolution, to 
 have seen the first transports of this poor fellow's joy when he came to his father: 
 how he embraced him, kissed him. stroked his face, took him up in his arms, set 
 him down upon a tree, and lay down by him ; then stood and looked at him, as any 
 one would look at a strange picture, for a quarter of an hour 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 bewitched. But it would have 
 made a dog laugh the next day to see how his passion ran out another way : in the 
 morning, he walked along the shore, ard 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 him, either a lump of sugar, a dram, 
 a biscuit-cake, or something or other that was good. In the afternoon his frolics ran 
 another way ; for then he would set the old man down upon the ground, and dance 
 about him, and make a thousand antic postures and gestures; and all the while he did 
 this he would be talking to him, and telling him one story or another of his travels, and 
 of what 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 endless to take 
 notice of all the ceremonies and civilities that the Spaniards received me with. The 
 (irst Spaniard, whom, as I said, I knew very well, was he whose life I had saved. 
 lie 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 thouglits, 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, and 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 handsome 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 habi- 
 tation, where he would give me possession of my own house again, and where I should 
 sec they had made but mean improvements; so I walked along with him ; but, alas! 
 1 could no more find the place again than if I had never been there; for they had 
 planted so many trees, and placed them in such a position, so thick and close to one 
 another, and in ten years' time they were grown so big, that, in short, the place 
 
THE SPANIARD'S STORY. ig; 
 
 was inaccessible, except by such windings and blind ways as tlicy themselves only, 
 who made them, could find. 
 
 1 asked them what put them upon all these fortifications: he told nic 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 mis- 
 fortune to find that I was gone. He told me he could not but have some satisfaction 
 in my good fortune, when he heard that I was gone in a good ship, and to my satis- 
 faction; and that he had oftentimes a strong persuasion that one time or other he 
 should see me again; but nothing that ever befell him in his life, he said, was so 
 surprising and afflicting to him at first, as the disappointment he was under when lie 
 came back to the island and found I was not there. 
 
 As to the three barbarians (so he called them) that were left behind, and of 
 whom, he said, he had a long story to tell me, the Spaniards all thought themselves 
 much better among the savages, only that their number was so small: "and," says 
 he, "had they been strong enough, we had been all long ago in purgatory;" and 
 with that he crossed himself on the breast, "But, sir," says he, "I hope you will 
 not be displeased when I shall tell you how, forced by necessity, we were obliged, 
 for our own preservation, to disarm them, and make them our subjects, as they would 
 not be content with being moderately our masters, but would be our murderers." 
 I answered, I was afraid of it when I left them there, and nothing troubled me at 
 my parting from the island but that they were not come back, that I might have 
 put them in possession of everything first, and left the others in a state of subjection, 
 as they deserved ; but if they had reduced them to it, I was very glad, and should 
 be very far from finding any fault with it : for I knew they were a parcel of refrac- 
 tory, ungovernable villains, and were fit for any manner of mischief. 
 
 While I was 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 them 
 know who I was; upon which they all came up, one by one, not as if the}' had 
 been sailors, and ordinary fellows, and the like, but really as if they had been ambas- 
 sadors or noblemen, and I a monarch or great conqueror: their behaviour was, to the 
 last degree, obliging and courteous, and yet mixed with a manly, majestic gravity, which 
 very well became them; and, in short, they had so much more manners than I, that 
 I scarce knew how to receive their 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 already given, that I cannot but commit them, with great delight, 
 to the reading of those that come after me. 
 
 I shall no longer trouble the story with a relation in the first person, which will 
 put me to the expense often thousand "said I's," and "said he's," and "he told me's," 
 and "I told him's," and the like; but I shall collect the facts historically, as near 
 as I can gather them out of my memory, from what they related to me, and from 
 what I met with in my conversing with them, and with the place. 
 
 In order to do this succinctly, and as intelligibly as I can, I must go back to 
 the circumstances in which I left the island, and in which the persons were of whom 
 I am to speak. And first, it is necessary to repeat that I had sent away Friday's 
 father and the Spaniard (the two whose lives I had rescued from the savages) in a 
 large canoe to the main, as I then thought it, to fetch over the Spaniard's companions 
 that he left behind him, in order to save them from the like calamity that he had 
 been in, and in order to succour them for the present ; and that, if possible, we might 
 together find some way for our deliverance afterwards. 
 
,98 ROB INS ox CRUSOE. 
 
 When I sent them away, I had no visible appearance of, or the least room to 
 liope 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 be but a very great surprise 
 to them, when they came back, not only to find that I was gone, but to find three 
 strangers left on the spot, possessed of all that I had left behind me, which would 
 otherwise have been their own. 
 
 The first thing, however, which I inquired into, that I might begin where I left 
 ofT, was of their own part; and I desired the Spaniard would give me a particular 
 account of his voyage back to his countrymen with the boat, when I sent him to 
 fetch them over. He told me there was little variety in that part, for nothing 
 remarkable happened to them on the way, having had 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 vessel they had been shipwrecked in having been dead some time): 
 the}' were, he said, the more surprised to see him because they knew he was fallen 
 into the hands of the savages, who, they were satisfied, would devour him, as they 
 did all the rest of their prisoners ; that when he told them the story of his deliver- 
 ance, and in what manner he was furnished for carrying them away, it was like a 
 dream to them, and their astonishment, he said, was somewhat like that of Joseph's 
 brethren, when he told them who he was, and the story of his exaltation in Pharaoh's 
 court; but when be showed 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. 
 
 Their first business was to get canoes ; and in this they were obliged not to stick 
 so much upon the honesty of it, but to trespass upon their friendly savages, and to 
 borrow two large canoes, or periaguas, on pretence of going out a fishing, or for 
 pleasure. In these they came away the next morning. It seems they wanted no time 
 to get themselves ready; for they had no baggage, neither clothes, nor provisions, 
 nor anything in the world but what they had on them, and a few roots to eat, of 
 which they used to make their bread. 
 
 They were in all three weeks absent ; and in that time, unluckily for them, I had 
 the occasion offered for my escape, as I mentioned in the other part, and to get off 
 from the island, leaving three of the most impudent, hardened, ungovernable, dis- 
 agreeable 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 I baked my bread, bred up tame goats, and planted 
 my corn; how I cured my grapes, made my pots, and, in a word, everything I did; 
 all this being written down, they gave to the Spaniards (two of whom understood 
 English well enough) : nor did they refuse to accommodate the Spaniards with any- 
 thing 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 
 
MUTINY. 199 
 
 eat. The differences, nevertheless, were at first but trivial, and such as are not 
 worth relating, but at last it broke out into open war: and it began with all the 
 rudeness and insolence that can be imagined — without reason, without provocation, 
 contrary to nature, and, indeed, to common sense ; and though, it is true, the first 
 relation of it came from the Spaniards themselves, whom I may call the accusers, 
 yet when I came to examine the fellows, they could not deny a word of it. 
 
 But before I come to the particulars of this part, I must supply a defect in my 
 former relation; and this was, I forgot to set down, among the rest, that just as we 
 were weighing 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 appeased till the captain, rousing up his courage, and taking us all to his assist- 
 ance, 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 England, 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 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 stolen 
 each of them a musket, and some other weapons (what powder or shot they had we 
 knew not), and had taken the ship's pinnace, which was not yet hauled up, and run 
 away with her to their 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 nor any of the rest, for they 
 all fled into the woods when they saw the boat coming on shore. The mate was 
 once resolved, in justice to their roguery, to have destroyed their plantations, burned 
 all their household stuff and furniture, and left them to shift without it; but having 
 no orders, he let it all alone, left everything as he found it, and, bringing the pinnace 
 away, came on board without them. These two men made their number five; but 
 the other three villains were so much more wicked than they, that after they had 
 been two or three days together, they turned the two new-comers out of doors to shift 
 for themselves, and would have nothing to do with them ; nor could they, for a good 
 w^hile, be persuaded to give them any food: as for the Spaniards, they were not yet come. 
 
 When the Spaniards came first on shore, the business began to go forward: the 
 Spaniards would have persuaded the three English brutes to have taken in their 
 countrymen again, that, as they said, they might be all one family; but they would 
 not hear of it: so the two poor fellows lived by themselves: and finding nothing but 
 industry and application would make them live comfortably, they pitched their tents 
 on the north shore of the island, but a little more to the west, to be out of danger 
 of the savages, who always landed on the east parts of the island. 
 
 Here they built them two huts, one to lodge in, and the other to lay up their 
 magazines and stores in; and the Spaniards having given them some corn for seed, 
 and 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 
 
?oo ROB L\ SOX CRUSOE. 
 
 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 prepara- 
 tions 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 position 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 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. 
 
 The fellow was in such a rage at tlie 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 com- 
 rade, seeing the danger they were both in, ran in after him, and immediately they came 
 both out with their muskets, and the man that was first struck at with the pole knocked 
 the fellow down that began the quarrel, with the stock of his musket, and that before 
 the other two could come to help him ; and then, seeing the rest come at them, thev 
 stood together, and presenting the other ends of their pieces to them, bade them stand off. 
 
 The others had firearms with them too; but one of the two honest men, bolder 
 than his comrade, and made desperate by his danger, told them, if they offered to 
 move hand or foot, they were dead men, and boldly commanded them to lay down 
 their arms. They did not, indeed, lay down their arms, but seeing him so resolute, 
 it brought *them to a parley, and they consented to take their wounded man with them 
 and be gone; and, indeed, it seems the fellow was wounded sufficiently with the blow. 
 However, they were much in the wrong, since they had the advantage, that they did not 
 disarm them effectually, as they might have done, and have gone immediately to the Span- 
 iards,rand 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 their 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 
 do this, they resolved to go to the castle, as they called it (that was my old dwelling), 
 where the three rogues and the Spaniards all lived together at that time, intending 
 to have a fair battle, and the Si)aniards 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 befcjre, 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 complaint to the Spaniards of the barbarous usage they had 
 met with from their three countrymen, and how they had ruined their plantation, and 
 destroyed their corn that they had laboured so hard to bring forward, and killed the 
 
THE ENGLISHMEN AND THE SPANIARDS. 201 
 
 milch-goat and their three kids, which was all they had provided for their sustenance ; 
 and that if he and his friends, meaning the Spaniards, did not assist them again, 
 they should be starved. When the Spaniards came home at night, and they were 
 all at supper, one of them took the freedom to reprove the three Englishmen, though 
 in very gentle and mannerly terms, and asked them how they could be so cruel, they 
 being harmless, inoffensive fellows ; that they were putting themselves in a way 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. 
 
 One of the Englishmen returned very briskly, "What had they to do there? 
 that they came on shore without leave ; and that they should not plant or build upon 
 the island; it was none of their ground." "Why," says the Spaniard, very calmly, 
 
 "KNOCKED HIM DOWN" (/. 202). 
 
 "Seignior Inglese, they must not starve." The Englishman replied, like a rough- 
 hewn tarpauling, " They might starve ; they should not plant nor build in that place." 
 " But what must they do then, seignior ? " said the Spaniard. Another of the brutes 
 returned, "Do? they should be servants, and work for them." "But how can you 
 expect that of them?" says the Spaniard; "they are not bought with your money; 
 you have no right to make them servants." The Englishman answered, "The island 
 was theirs; the governor had given it to them, and no man had anything to do there 
 but themselves;" and with that, swore by his Maker that they would go and burn 
 all their new huts; they should build none upon their land. "Why, seignior," says 
 the Spaniard, "by the same rule, we must be your servants too." "Ay," says the 
 bold dog, "and so you shall, too, before we have done with you;" mixing two or 
 three oaths in the proper intervals of his speech. The Spaniard only smiled at that, 
 
202 iwnrxsn.v crl^soe. 
 
 and made him no answer. However, tliis little discourse had heated them ; and 
 starling up, one says to the other (I think it was he they called Will Atkins), " Come, 
 Jack, let's go, and have t'other brush with them; we"ll demolish their castle, I'll 
 warrant you ; they shall plant no colony in our dominions." 
 
 Upon this, they went all trooping away, Avith every man a gun, a pistol, and a 
 sword, and muttered some indolent things among themselves, of what they would do 
 to the Spaniards too, Avhen opportunity offered ; but the Spaniards, it seems, did not 
 so perfectly understand them as to know all the particulars, only that, in general, 
 they threatened them hard for taking the two Englishmen's part, 
 
 Whither the}' went, or how they bestowed tlicir 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 acknow- 
 ledged 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 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 the}' 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 collected household stuff in pieces, and threw 
 everything about in such a manner, that the poor men afterwards found some of their 
 things a mile off their habitation. When they had done this, they pulled up all the 
 young trees which the poor men had planted; pulled up an inclosure they had made 
 to secure their cattle and their corn; and, in a word, sacked and plundered everything 
 as completel)' 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 have been bloodshed among them, for they were 
 all very stout, resolute fellows, to give them their due. 
 
 But Providence took more care to keep them asunder than they themselves could 
 do to meet; for, as if they had dogged one another, when the three were gone thither, 
 the two were here; and afterwards, when the two went back to find them, the three 
 were come to the old habitation again : we shall see their different conduct presently. 
 When the three came back like furious creatures, flushed with the rage which the 
 work they had been about had put them into, they came up to the Spaniards, and 
 told them what they had done, by way of scoff and 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 manners." The Spaniard, who, though a quiet, civil man, was as 
 brave a man as could be, and, withal, a strong, well-made man, looked at him for a 
 good while, and then, having no weapon in his hand, stepped gravely up to him, 
 and, with one blow of his fist, knocked him down, as an ox is felled with a i)ole-axe; 
 
CONTINUED QUARRELS. 203 
 
 at which one of the rogues, as insolent as the first, fired his pistol at the Spaniard 
 immediately: he missed his body, indeed, for the bullets went through his hair, but 
 one of them touched the tip of his ear, and he bled pretty much. The blood made 
 the Spaniard believe he was more hurt than he really was, and that put him into some 
 heat, for before he acted all in a perfect calm; but now, resolving to go through with 
 his work, he stooped, and took the fellow's musket whom he had knocked down, and 
 was just going to shoot the man who had fired at him, when the rest of the Spaniards, 
 being in the cave, came out, and calling to him not to shoot, they stepped in, secured 
 the other two, and took their arms from them. 
 
 When they were thus disarmed, and found they had made all the Spaniards 
 their enemies, as well as their own countrymen, they began to cool, and, giving the 
 Spaniards better words, would have had their arms again; but the Spaniards^con- 
 sidering the feud that was between them and the other two Englishmen, and that it 
 would be the best method that 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, threat- 
 ening what they would do, though they had no fire-arms. But the Spaniards, despising 
 their threatening, told them they should take care how they offered any injury to 
 their plantation or cattle; for if they did, they 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. However, this was far from cooling them, but 
 away they went, raging and swearing like furies of hell. As soon as they were gone, 
 the two men 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 our assistance. 
 We promise you to make no peace with them without having a full satisfaction for 
 you; and, upon this condition, we hope you will promise to use no violence with 
 them, other than in your own defence." The two Englishmen yielded to this very 
 awkwardly, and with great reluctance; but the Spaniards protested that they did it 
 only to keep them from bloodshed, and to make them all easy at last. "For," said 
 they, "we are not so many of us; here is room enough for us all, and it is a great 
 pity that we should not be all good friends." At length they did 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 turtles' eggs all that while, came back 
 to the grove; and finding my Spaniard, who, as I have said, was the governor, 
 and two more with him, walking by the side of the creek, they came up in a very 
 
 13' 
 
204 ROPrySON CRUSOE. 
 
 submissive, humble manner, and begged to be received again into the family. The 
 Spaniards used them civilly, but told them they had acted so unnaturally to their 
 countrymen, and so very grossly to them (the Spaniards), that they could not come 
 to any conclusion without consulting the two Englishmen and the rest; but, however, 
 they would go to them and discourse about it, and they shotild 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 meantime, which they did, sending at the same time, a large piece of goat's 
 llesh, 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 rebuild their fellows' two huts, one to be 
 of the same and the other of larger dimensions than they were before; to fence their 
 ground again where they had pulled up their fences, plant trees in the room of those 
 pulled up, dig up the land again for planting corn where they had spoiled it, and, in 
 a word, to restore everything to the same state as they found it, as near as they 
 could; for entirely it could not be, the season for the corn, and the growth of the 
 trees and hedges, not being possible to be recovered. 
 
 Well, they submitted to all this; and as they had plenty of provisions given 
 them all the while, they grew very orderly, and the whole society began to live 
 pleasantly and agreeably 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 them walk about and be as idle as they 
 pleased ; and thus, having lived pretty well together for a month or two, the Spaniards 
 gave them arms again, and gave them liberty to go abroad with them as before. 
 
 It was not above a week after they had these arms, and went abroad, before 
 the ungrateful creatures began to be as insolent and troublesome as ever; but, 
 however, an accident happened presently upon this, which endangered the safety of 
 them all; and they were obliged to lay by all private 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 perfectly well in body, as he told me the story, only found his thoughts 
 tumultuous: his mind ran upon men fighting and killing one another; but he was 
 broad awake, and could not by any means get any sleep; in short he lay a great 
 while, but, growing more and more uneasy, he resolved to rise. As they lay, being 
 so many of them, on goat-skins laid thick upon such couches and pads as they made 
 for 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 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, inter- 
 cepted his sight, so that he could only look up, and see that it was a clear starlight 
 night, and, hearing no noise, he returned and laid him down again; but it was all 
 one: he could not sleep, nor could he compose himself to anything like rest; but his 
 thoughts were to the last degree uneasy, and he knew not for what. 
 
 Having made some noise with rising and walking about, going out and coming 
 
LANDING OF NUMEROUS SAVAGES. 205 
 
 in, another of them waked, and, calling, asked who il 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 working 
 near us;" and presently he asked him, "Where are the Englishmen?" "They are 
 all in their huts," says he, "safe enough." It seems the Spaniards had kept possession 
 of the main apartment, and had made a place for the three Englishmen, who, since 
 their last mutiny, were 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 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 tlie 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 
 inhabitants in the place ; or to have fallen upon them so effectually as that not a man 
 of them should have escaped, which could only have been by getting in between them 
 and their boats: but this presence of mind was wanting to them, which was the ruin 
 of their tranquillity for a great while. 
 
 We need not doubt but that the governor and the man with him, surprised with 
 this sight, ran back immediately and raised their fellows, giving them an account of 
 the imminent danger they were all in, and they again as readily took the alarm; but 
 it was impossible to persuade them to stay close within where they were, but they 
 must all run out to see how things stood. 
 
 While it was dark, indeed, they were well enough, and they had opportunity 
 enough, for some hours, to view them by the light of three fires they had made at a 
 distance from one another; what they were doing they knew not, and what to do them- 
 selves they knew not. For, first, the enemy were too many; and, secondly, they did not 
 keep together, but were divided into several parties, and were on shore in several places. 
 
 The Spaniards were in no small consternation at this sight; and, as they found 
 that the fellows ran straggling all over the shore, they made no doubt but, first or 
 last, some of them would chop in upon their habitation, or upon some other place 
 where they would see the token of inhabitants; and they were in great perplexity 
 also for fear of their flock of goats, which would have been little less than starving 
 them, if they should have been destroyed; so the first thing they resolved upon was 
 to dispatch 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 
 
2o6 ROBIA'^SO.V CRUSOE. 
 
 were, to drive them into tlie 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 others; and, as it appeared afterwards, 
 were of two different nations. 
 
 After having mused a great while fin 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 concerning them — as what they came for, what they intended to do, and the 
 like. The old man readily undertook it; and stripping himself quite naked, as most of 
 the savages were, away he went. After he had been gone an hour or two, he brings 
 word that he had been among them undiscovered ; that he found they were two parties, 
 and of two several nations, who had war with one another, and had had a great 
 battle in their own country; and that both sides having had several prisoners taken 
 in the hght, 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 consisted in it, and that they had 
 nothing to do but lie still, and the savages would kill one another to their hands, 
 and then the rest would go away; and it was so to a tittle. But it was impossible 
 to prevail, especially upon the Englishmen; their curiosity was so importunate upon 
 their prudentials, that they must run out and see the battle; however, they used some 
 caution, too; they did not go openly, just by their own dwelling, but went farther 
 into the woods, and placed themselves to advantage, where they might securely 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 Englishmen, one of them 
 said he could perceive that some of them were men of great bravery, of invincible 
 spirits, and of great policy in guiding the fight. The battle, they said, held two hours 
 before they could guess which party would be beaten; but then that party which was 
 nearest our people's habitation began to appear weakest, and after some time more, 
 some of them began to fly; and this put our men again into a great consternation, 
 lest any one of those that fled should run into the grove before their dwelling for 
 shelter, and thereby involuntarily discover the place; and that, by consequence, the 
 pursuers would do the like in search of them. Upon this, they resolved that the}' 
 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 di/ectly 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 Spanish governor, a man of humanity, would not suffer them to kill the three 
 fugitives, but sending three men out by the top of the hill, ordered them to go round, 
 come in behind them, and surprise and take them prisoners; which was done. The 
 
AFTER THE GREAT BATTLE. 
 
 207 
 
 residue of the conquered people fled to their canoes, and got off to sea ; the victors 
 retired, made no pursuit, or very httle, but drawing themselves into a body together, 
 gave two great screaming shouts, which they supposed was by way of triumph — and 
 so the fight ended: and the same day, about three o'clock in the afternoon, they also 
 marched to their canoes. And 
 thus the Spaniards had the island 
 again free to themselves, their 
 fright was over, and they saw no 
 savages for several years after. 
 
 After they were all gone, 
 the Spaniards came out of their 
 den, and viewing the field of 
 battle, they found about two- 
 and-thirty men dead on the spot; 
 some were killed with great long 
 arrows, some of which were 
 found sticking in their bodies; 
 but most of them were killed 
 with great wooden swords, six- 
 teen or seventeen of which they 
 found in the field ef 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 
 smashed 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 
 the.y 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 
 
 N^., 
 
 Aiil 
 
 '■^■^ 
 
 •THEY WERE 
 SUKPKISED 
 
 WITH SEEING 
 
 A LIGHT " (/. 205). 
 
jo8 HOn/XSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 eaten up like beef and mutton, thougii it was supposed it was not to be till they 
 were drati, had something in it so horrible that it nauseated their very stomachs, 
 made them sick when they thought of it, and filled their minds with such unusual 
 terror, that they were not 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 business 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 arguments; but as they 
 gave them their food every day, so they gave them their work too, and kept them 
 fully employed in drudgery enough ; but they failed in this by it, that they never had 
 them to assist them and fight for them as I had my man Friday, who was as true 
 to me as the very flesh upon my bones. 
 
 But to com.e 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 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, the}' 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 dsbate, it was concluded that they would not remo\'e their 
 habitation; because that, some time or other, they thought they might hear from their 
 governor again, meaning me; and if I should send anyone to seek them, I should be 
 sure to direct them to that side, where, if they should find the place demolished, they 
 would conclude the savages had killed us all, and we were gone, and so our supply 
 would go too. But as to their corn and cattle, they agreed to remove them into the 
 valley where my cave was, where the land was as proper for both, and where, indeed, 
 there was land enough; however, upon second thoughts, they altered one part of their 
 resolution too, and resolved only to remove part of their cattle thither, and plant part 
 of their corn there; and so if one part was destroyed, the other might be saved. And 
 one part of prudence they used, which it was very well they did, that they never 
 trusted those three savages, which they had taken prisoners, with knowing anything 
 of the plantation they had made in that valley, or of an)'^ cattle they had there, much 
 less of the cave there, which the}'' 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 l)een any landing thereabouts: these stakes also being of a wood very 
 forward to grow, as I have noted formerly, they took care to have them generally 
 much larger and taller than those which I had planted; and as they grew apace, so 
 
A GENERAL AFFRAY. 209 
 
 they planted them so very thick and close together, that when they had been three 
 or four years grown, there was no piercing with the eye any considerable way into 
 the plantation; and as lor that part which I had planted, the trees were grown as 
 thick as a man's thigh, and among them they placed so many other short ones, and 
 so thick, that, in a word, it stood like a palisado a quarter of a mile thick, and it 
 was next to impossible to penetrate it, but with a little army to cut it all down — for 
 a little dog could hardly get between the trees, they stood so close. 
 
 But this was not all; for they did the same by all the ground to the right hand 
 and to the left, and round even to the side of the hill, leaving no way, not so much 
 as for themselves, to come out but by the ladder placed up to the side of the hill, 
 and then lifted up, and placed again from the first stage up to the top; and when 
 the ladder was taken down, nothing but what had wings or witchcraft to assist it 
 could come at them. This was excellently well contrived; nor was it less than what 
 they afterwards found occasion for, which served to convince me, that as human 
 prudence has the authority of Providence to justify it, so it has doubtless the direction 
 of Providence to set it to work; and if we listened carefully to the voice of it, I am 
 persuaded we might prevent many of the disasters which our lives are now, by our 
 own negligence, subjected to. 
 
 I return to the story. They lived two years after this in perfect retirement, and 
 had no more visits from the savages. They had, indeed, an alarm given them one 
 morning, which put them into a great consternation; for, some of the Spaniards 
 being out early one morning on the west side, or rather end, of the island (which 
 was that end where I never went, for fear of being discovered), they were surprised 
 with seeing above twenty canoes of Indians just coming on shore. They made the 
 best of their way home in hurry enough; and, giving the alarm to their comrades, 
 they kept close all that day and the next, going out only at night to make their 
 observation; but they had the good luck to be mistaken, for wherever the 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, whom 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 showing him, drew a hatchet out of a 
 frog-belt, in which he wore it by his side, and fell upon the poor savage, not to 
 correct him, but to kill him. One of the Spaniards, who was by, seeing him give the 
 fellow a barbarous cut with the hatchet, which he aimed at his head, but struck into 
 his shoulder, so that he thought he had cut the poor creature's arm off, ran to him, 
 and entreating him not to murder the poor man, placed himself between him and the 
 savage, to prevent the mischief. The fellow, being enraged the more at this, struck 
 at the Spaniard with his hatchet, and swore he would serve him as he intended to 
 serve the savage ; which the Spaniard perceiving, avoided the blow, and with a shovel 
 which he had in his hand (for they were all working in the field about their corn 
 land) knocked the brute down. Another of the Englishmen, running at the same time 
 to help his comrade, knocked the Spaniard down; and then two Spaniards more 
 came in to help their man, and a third Englishman fell in upon them. They had 
 none of them any fire-arms or any other weapons but hatchets and other tools, except 
 this third 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 cared 
 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 
 
a TO ROBIA'SON' CRUSOE. 
 
 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 preservation and deliverance, he 
 would use them with all possible lenity, and would leave them to the judgment of the 
 other two Englishmen, who were their countrymen. 
 
 One of the two honest Englishmen stood up, and said they desired it might not 
 be left to them — "For," says he, "I am sure we ought to sentence them to the 
 gallows ; " and with that he gives an account how Will Atkins, one of the three, had 
 proposed 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 swore they would 
 do it still before they had done with them. " Well, but. Seignior Atkins," says the 
 Spaniard, "what have we done to you that you will kill us? And what would you 
 get by killing us? And what must we do to prevent your killing us? Must we kill 
 you, or you will 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 that he would have attempted 
 to kill the Spaniard in the middle of all the company. This hair-brain carriage 
 obliged them to consider seriously what was to be done; the two Englishmen, and 
 the Spaniard who saved the poor savage, were of the opinion that the}' 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 that 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 Englishman to death, 
 though he had murdered half of them ; nay, he said, if he had been killed himself by 
 an Englishman, and had time left to speak, it should be that they should pardon him. 
 
 This was so positively insisted on by the governor Spaniard, that there was no 
 gainsa)nng 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 per- 
 n.itted 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 could, by them- 
 selves ; but that none of the rest, either Spaniards or English, should converse with 
 them, speak with them, or have anything to do with them: that they should be 
 forbid to come within a certain distance of the place where the rest dwelt; and if they 
 ofTered to commit any disorder, so as to spoil, burn, kill, or destroy 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, nuising upon the sentence, considered 
 a little upon it; and turning to the two honest Englishmen, said, "Hold; you must 
 reflect that it will be long ere they can raise corn and cattle of their own, and they 
 must not starve; we must therefore allow them provisions." So he caused to be 
 added, that they should have a proportion of corn given them to last them eight 
 months, and for seed to sow, by which time they might be supposed to raise some 
 of their own ; that they should have six milch-goats, four he-goats, and six kids given 
 them, as well for present sul)sistence 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 
 
THE ENGLISHMEN'S NEW WHTM. 211 
 
 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 them- 
 selves. 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 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 tliem, big enough to secure 
 their corn and other things from the rain: but it was a poor place, at best, compared 
 to mine, and especiall}^ 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 the}' 
 could seize upon some prisoners among the natives there, and bring them home, so 
 as to make them do the laborious part of the work for them. 
 
 The project was not so preposterous,' if they had gone no farther. 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; for if we will not allow a visible curse to pursue visible crimes, how shall 
 we reconcile the events of things with the Divine justice? It was certainly an apparent 
 vengeance on their crime of mutiny and piracy that brought them to the state they 
 were in ; and they showed not the least remorse for the crime, but added new 
 villanies to it, such as the piece of monstrous cruelty of wounding a poor slave 
 because he did not, or perhaps could not, imderstand to do what he was directed, 
 and to wound him in such a manner as made him a cripple all his life, and in a place 
 where no surgeon or medicine could be had for his cure ; and, what was still worse, 
 the murderous intent, or, to do justice to the crime, the intentional murder, for such 
 
aia ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 to be sure it was, as was afterwards the iormed design they all laid, to murder the 
 Spaniards in cold blood, and in their sleep. 
 
 But 1 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 supplj'ing them with any other provisions. 
 
 The Spaniards were glad enough to get rid of them, but very honestly repre- 
 sented to them the certain destruction they were running into : told them they had 
 suffered such hardships upon that very spot, that they could, without any spirit of 
 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 ; 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 goats' flesh as they could eat while it was sweet, and a great basket of dried 
 grapes, a pot of fresh water, and a 3^oung kid alive, they boldly set out in the canoe 
 for a voyage over the sea, where it was at least forty miles broad. 
 
 The boat, indeed, was a large one, and would very well have carried fifteen or 
 twenty men, and therefore was rather too big for them to manage : but as they had 
 a fair breeze, and flood-tide with them, they did well enough. They had made 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 English- 
 men who remained behind, how quietly and comfortably they lived, now these three 
 turbulent fellows were gone. As for their coming again, that was the remotest thing 
 from their thoughts that could be imagined; when, behold, after two-and-twenty days' 
 absence, one of the Englishmen, being abroad upon his planting work, sees three strange 
 men coming towards him at a distance, with guns upon their shoulders. 
 
 Away runs the Englishman, as if he Avas bewitched, comes frightened and 
 amazed to the governor Spaniard, and tells him they were all undone, for there were 
 strangers upon the island, but could not tell who they were. The Spaniard, pausing 
 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, "why are you so concerned ? 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." 
 
 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 ceased. But now the admiration was turned upon 
 another question: — What could be the matter, and what made them come back again? 
 
 It was not long before they brought the men in, and inquiring where they had 
 been, and what they had been doing, they gave them a full account of their voyage 
 
THE VOYAGERS' STORY, 
 
 213 
 
 in a few words : — That they reached the land in two days, or something less ; but 
 finding the people alarmed at their coming, and prepared 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 Avell as the men, were very forward to 
 supply them with anything they could get for them to eat, and brought it to them 
 a great way upon their heads. 
 
 They continued here four days, and inquired, as well as they could of them, by 
 signs, what nations were this way and that way, and were told of several fierce and 
 terrible people that lived almost every way, who, as they made known by signs to 
 them, used to eat men: but as for themselves, they said, they never ate men or 
 women, except only such as they took in the wars; and then, they owned, they made 
 a great feast, and ate their prisoners. 
 
 The Englishmen inquired when they had had a feast of that kind ; and they told 
 
 "KNOCKED 
 
 THE BRUTE DOWN" 
 
 (A 209). 
 
 -ia^^^ 
 
2,^ HOn/XSON CRUSOE. 
 
 them about two rr.oons ago, pointing to the moon and to two fingers; and that their 
 great king had two hundred prisoners now, which he had taken in his war, and they 
 were feeding them to make them fat for the next feast. The Enghshmen 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 Englishmen, to carry away 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. 
 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 in^•itcd 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 oft" with their 
 boat, and came back towards the first island ; where, when they arrived, they set eight 
 of their prisoners at liberty, there being too many of them for their occasion. 
 
 In their voyage they endeavoured to have some communication 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 anything 
 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 par- 
 ticularly, 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 snnncr 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 ihem 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 sixteen or seventeen. The women were well-favoured, agreeable 
 persons, both in shape and features, only tawny; and two of them, had they been 
 perfectly white, would have passed for very handsome women, even in London itself, 
 having pleasant, agreeable countenances, and of a very modest behaviour ; especially 
 
THE ALLOTMENT OF WIVES. 215 
 
 when they came afterwards to be clothed and dressed, as they called it, though that 
 dress was very indifferent, it must be confessed. 
 
 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; I say, the sight was very uncouth, to see three naked men and five 
 naked women, all together bound, and in the most miserable circumstances that human 
 nature could be supposed to be, viz., to be expecting every moment to be 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 thern 
 if they were willing to be servants, and to work for the men who had brought them 
 away, to save their lives ; at which they all fell a dancing ; and presently one fell to 
 taking up this, and another that, anything that lay next, to carry on their shoulders, 
 to intimate they were willing to work. 
 
 The governor, who found that the having women among them would presently 
 be attended with some inconvenience, and might occasion some strife, and perhaps 
 blood, asked the three men what they intended to do with these women, and how 
 they intended to use them, whether as servants or as wives ? One of the English- 
 men 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 1 think is but just, for avoiding disorders and quarrels among 
 you, and I desire it of you for that reason only, viz.: — That you will all engage, that 
 if any of you take any of these women as a wife, that he shall take but one ; and 
 that, having taken one, none else shall touch her ; for though we cannot marry any 
 one of you, yet it is but reasonable that, while you stay here, the woman any of 
 you takes shall be maintained by the man that takes her, and should be his wife — I 
 mean," says he, " while he continues here, and that none else shall have anything to do 
 with her." All this appeared so just, that every one agreed to it without any difficulty. 
 
 Then the Englishmen asked the Spaniards if they designed to take any of them. 
 But every one of them answered "No." Some of them said they had wives in Spain, 
 and the others did not like women that were not Christians ; and all together 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, 01 as they found necessity required. 
 
 But the wonder of the story was, how five such refractory, ill-matched fellows 
 should agree about these women, and that two of them should not choose the same 
 woman, especially seeing two or three of them were, without comparison, more 
 agreeable than the others ; but they took a good way enough to prevent quarrelling 
 
216 JiOBIXSOy CRUSOE. 
 
 among themselves, for they set the five women by themselves in one of their huts, 
 and they went all into the other hut, and drew lots among them who should choose first. 
 
 He that drew to choose first went away by himself to the hut where the poor 
 naked creatures 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, 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 stuffs, and provisions. The 
 three wicked ones had pitched farthest off, and the two honest ones nearer, but both on 
 the north shore of the island, so that they continued separated as before: and thus my 
 island was peopled in three places, and, as I might say, three towns were begun to be built. 
 
 And here it is very well worth observing that, as it often happens in the world 
 (what the wise ends of God's providence are, in such a disposition of things, I cannot 
 say), the two honest fellows had the two worst wives; and the three reprobates, that were 
 scarce worth hanging, that were fit for nothing, and neither seemed born to do them- 
 selves 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, ingenious, or industrious, or 
 alike cleanly and neat. 
 
 Another observation I must make, to the honour of a diligent application on one 
 hand, and to the disgrace of a slothful, negligent, 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 plantation demolished, once by their own countrymen, and once by the 
 enemy, as shall be shown in its place, yet they had restored all again, and everything 
 was thriving and flourishing about them: they had grapes planted in order, and 
 managed, like a vineyard, though they had themselves never seen anything of that 
 kind; and, by their good ordering their vines, their grapes were as good again as any 
 of the others. They had also found themselves out a retreat in the thickest part of 
 the woods, where though there was not a natural cave, as I had found, yet they made 
 one with incessant 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: 
 
ANOTHER CANNIBAL FEAST. 217 
 
 they having, by sticking innumerable stakes and poles of wood which, as I said, grew 
 so readily, made the grove impassable, 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 never better verified than in them — "I 
 went by the vineyard of the slothful, and it was all overgrown with thorns;" for 
 when the Spaniards came to view their crop, they could not see it in some places for 
 weeds, the hedge had several gaps in it, where the wild goats had got in and eaten 
 up the corn ; perhaps here and there a dead bush was crammed in, to stop them out 
 for the present, but it was only shutting the stable door after the steed was stolen : 
 whereas, when they looked on the colony of the other two, there was the very face 
 of industry and success upon all they did; there was not a weed to be seen in all 
 their corn, or a gap in any of their hedges; and they, on the other hand, verified 
 Solomon's word.-^ in another place, that "the diligent hand maketh rich"; for every- 
 thing grew and thrived, and they had plenty within and without; they had more 
 tame cattle than the others, more utensils and necessaries within doors, and yet more 
 pleasure and diversion too. 
 
 It is true, the wives of the three were very handy and cleanly within doors; 
 and having learned the English ways of dressing and cooking from one of the other 
 Englishmen, who, as I said, was a cook's mate on board the ship, they dressed their 
 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 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 happened before, either 
 to them or to me; and the origin of the story was this: — Early one morning, there 
 came on shore five or six canoes of Indians or savages — call them which you please — 
 and there is no room to doubt they came upon the old errand of feeding upon their 
 slaves; but that part was now so familiar to the Spaniards, and to our men too, that 
 they did not concern themselves about it as I did: but having been made sensible, 
 by their experience, that their only business was to lie concealed, and that if they 
 were not seen by any of the savages they would go off again quietly, w^hen their busi- 
 ness 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 show themselves, 
 only placing a scout in a proper place, to give notice when the boats went to sea 
 again. This was, without doubt, very right; but a disaster spoiled all these measures, 
 and made it known among the savages that there were inhabitants there ; which was, 
 in the end, the 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 found three savages left behind, ai^ 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 when the others went, 
 or they had wandered into the woods, and did not come back in time to be taken in. 
 
 The Spaniards were greatly surprised at this sight, and perfectly at a loss what 
 to do. The Spanish governor, as it happened, was with them, and his advice was 
 asked, but he 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 do that; the 
 
2,8 ROn/A^SOX CRrSOE. 
 
 Spaniard povernor 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 thev 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, 
 temperate, 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 humanit}' appeared now in the 
 case of the savages, as above. After some consultation, they resolved upon this: that 
 they would lie still a while longer, till, if possible, these three men might be gone. 
 But then the governor Spaniard recollected that the three savages had no boat; and 
 if they were left to roam 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, 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 be murdered and eaten: for it seems, those people think all the world do 
 as they do, eating men's flesh; but they were soon made easy as to that, and away 
 they carried them. 
 
 It was very happy for them that they did not carry them home to their castle 
 — I mean, to my palace under the hill; but they carried them first to the bower, 
 where was the chief of their country work, such as keeping the goats, the planting 
 the corn, &c. ; and afterwards 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 exceedingly; for they concluded, and that not without good cause indeed, 
 that if this fellow came home safe among his comrades, he would certainly give them 
 an account that there were people in the island, and also how few and weak they 
 were; for this savage, as observed before, had never been 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 shown him any of their other 
 retired places; such as the cave in the valley, or the new retreat which the two 
 Englishmen had made, and the like. 
 
 The first testimony they had that this fellow had given intelligence 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 sun-rise, at a convenient place, 
 about a mile from the habitation of the two Englishmen, where this escaped man 
 liad been kept. As the Spaniard governor said, had they been all there, the damage 
 would not have been so much, for not a man of them would have escaped; but the 
 case 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 thfi three men whom they brought with the women (who, it seems, proved very 
 
THE SA VA GF.S' RA ID. 
 
 219 
 
 faithful to tliem) 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 further. 
 
 In the next place, seeing the savages were all come on shore, and that they had 
 bent their course directly that way, they opened the fences where the milch cows were 
 kept, and drove them all out; leaving their goats to straggle in the woods whither 
 they pleased, that the savages might think they were all bred wild; but the rogue 
 Avho 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 meantime, they took their arms, and what 
 ammunition they had, and retreated towards the place in the wood where their wives 
 
 were sent; keeping at a distance, yet so 
 that they might see, if possible, which way 
 i .^Six the savages took. 
 
 They had not gone far, but that from 
 
 '•AAVAY RUN'S THE ENGLISHMAN TO THE GOVERNOR" (^ 2/::). 
 
 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, 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 
 farther; believing, as it afterwards happened, that the farther they strolled, the fewer 
 would be together. 
 
 Their next halt was at the entrance into a very thick-grown part of the woods, 
 and where an old trunk of a tree stood, which was hollow and vastly large; and in 
 this tree they both took their standing, resolving to see there what might offer. They 
 
 14* 
 
2 20 J^OBTNSON' CRUSOE. 
 
 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 them- 
 selves, 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 resolution, by turning a little from them 
 towards another part of the wood; but the three, and the five after them, came 
 forward directly to the tree, as if they had known the Englishmen were there. Seeing 
 them come so straight towards them, they resolved to take them in a line as they 
 came; and as they resolved to fire but one at a time, perhaps the first shot might 
 hit them all three; for which purpose the man who was to fire put three or four small 
 bullets into his piece; and having a fair loophole, 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 beliind 
 in a line, he fired, and hit two of them directly: the foremost was killed outright, 
 being shot in the head; the second, which was the runaway Indian, was shot through 
 the body and fell, but was not quite dead; and the third had a little scratch in the 
 shoulder, perhaps by the same ball that went through the body of the second; and 
 being dreadfully frightened, though not so much hurt, sat down upon the ground, 
 screaming and yelling in a hideous manner. 
 
 The five that were behind, more frightened with the noise than sensible of the 
 danger, stood still at first; for the woods made the sound a thousand times bigger 
 than it really was. the echoes rattling from one side to another, and the fowls rising 
 from all parts, screaming, and every sort making a different noise, according to their 
 kind; just as it was when I fired the first gun that perhaps was ever shot off in the island. 
 
 However, all being silent again, and they not knowing what the matter was, came 
 on unconcerned, till they came to the place where tlieir 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 altogether over the wounded man, talking, 
 and, as may be supposed, inquiring of him how lie came to be hurt: and who, it is 
 very ratic:'.al 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 
 
THE PRISONERS. 221 
 
 they had, one might reasonably beheve they would not have stood so unconcerned to 
 view the fate of their fellows, without some apprehensions of their own. 
 
 Our two men, though, as they confessed to me, it grieved them to be obliged 
 to kill so many poor creatures, who, at the same time, had no notion of their danger; 
 ;yet, having them all thus in their power, and the first having to load his piece again, 
 resolved to let fly both together among them; and singling out, by agreement, which 
 to aim at, they shot together, and killed, or very much wounded, four of them; the 
 fifth, frightened even to death, though not hurt, fell with the rest; so that our men, 
 seeing them all fall together, thought they had killed them all. 
 
 The belief that the savages were all killed, made our two men come boldly out 
 from the tree before they had charged their guns, which was a wrong step; and they 
 were under some surprise when they came to the place, and found no less than four 
 of them alive, and of them two very little hurt, and one not at all: this obliged them 
 to fall upon them with the stocks of their muskets; and first they made sure of the 
 runaway 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 twine, 
 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 of them, should find their way to the covered 
 place in the woods, where their wives and the few goods they had left lay. They came 
 once in sight of the two men, but it was at a great distance; however, they had the 
 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 satisfied with 
 that, they went back to the tree where they left their prisoner, who, as they supposed, 
 was delivered by his comrades, for he was gone, and the two pieces of rope-yarn, with 
 which they had bound him, lay just at the foot of the tree. 
 
 They were now in as great concern as before, not knowing what course to take, 
 or how near the enemy might be, or in what number; so they resolved to go away 
 to the place where their wives were, to see if all was well there, and to make them 
 easy, who were in fright enough to be sure; for though the savages were their own 
 countrymen, yet they were most 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, from the trees 
 standing so thick, unless the persons seeking it had been directed by those that knew 
 it, which these were not ; they found, therefore, everything very safe, only the women 
 in a terrible fright. While they were here, they had the comfort to have seven of 
 'the Spaniards come to their assistance; the other ten, with their servants, and old 
 Friday (I mean Friday's father), were gone in a body to defend their bower, and the 
 corn and cattle that were kept there, in case the savages should have roved over to 
 that side of the country; but they did not spread so far. With the seven Spaniards 
 came one of the three savages, who, as I said, were their prisoners formerly; and 
 with them also came the savage whom the Englishman 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 done 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 
 
j:2 ROB/NSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 tliere, 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 encouraged, 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 yuarter- 
 staves, 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 embarking again 
 in their canoes, in order to be gone. They seemed sorry, at first, that there was no 
 way to come at them, to give them a parting blow; but, upon the whole, they were 
 very well satisfied to be rid of them. 
 
 The poor Englishmen being now twice ruined, and all their improvements 
 destroyed, the rest all agreed to come and help them to rebuild, and assist them with 
 needful supplies. Their three countrymen, w-ho 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 
 habitations, 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, 
 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 by a most formid- 
 able 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 easternmost side of the island, 
 our men had that night to consult and consider what to do; and in the first place, 
 knowing that their being entirely concealed was their only safety before, and would 
 be much more so now, while the number of their enemies would be so great, they 
 therefore resolved, first of all, to take down the huts which were built for the two 
 Englishmen, and drive away their goats to the old cave; because they supposed the 
 savages would go directly thither, as soon as it was day, to play the old game over 
 again, though they did not now land within two leagues of it. In the next place, 
 they drove away all the flocks of goats they had at the old bower, as I called it, 
 which belonged to the Spaniards; and, in short, left as little appearance of inhabitants 
 
/■'IKRCE FIGHTING. 223 
 
 an3'where as was possible; and the next morning early they posted themselves, with 
 all their force, at the plantation of the two men, to await for their coming. As they 
 guessed, so it happened: these new invaders, leaving their canoes at the east end of 
 the island, came ranging along the shore, directly towards the place, to the number 
 of two hundred and fifty, as near as our men could judge. Our army was but small, 
 indeed; but, that which was worse, they had not arms for all their number neither. 
 The whole account, it seems, stood thus: first, as to men, seventeen Spaniards, five 
 Englishmen, old Friday (or Friday's father), the three slaves taken with tlie 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 each a 
 halbert, or a long staff, like a quarter-staft', with a great spike of iron fastened into 
 each end of it, and by his side a hatchet; also every one of our men had a hatchet. 
 Two of the women could not be prevailed upon, but they would come into the fight, 
 and they had bows and arrows, which the Spaniards had taken from the savages 
 when the first action happened, which I have spoken of, where the Indians fought 
 with one another; and the women had hatchets too. 
 
 The Spaniard governor, whom I described so often, commanded 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 situation ; 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 nimbly as he could round a part of the wood, and so come in behind 
 the Spaniards, where they stood, having a thicket of trees before them. 
 
 When the savages came on, they ran straggling about every way in heaps, out of 
 all manner of order, and Will Atkins let about fifty of them pass by him; then seeing 
 the rest come in a very thick throng, he orders three of his men to fire, having loaded 
 their muskets with six or seven bullets apiece, about as big as large pistol bullets. 
 How many they killed or wounded they knew not, but the consternation and surprise 
 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, 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 
 
224 POniXSON CRUSOE. 
 
 thev 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 Englishman that were killed 
 behind them; and the savages, when they came up to them, killed them over again 
 in a wretched manner, breaking their arms, legs, and heads, with their clubs and 
 wooden swords, like true savages; but finding our men were gone, they did not seem 
 to pursue them, but drew themselves up in a ring, which is, it seems, their custom, 
 and shouted twice, in token of their victory; after which, they had the mortification 
 to see several of their wounded men fall, dying with the mere loss of blood. 
 
 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 altogether 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 dis- 
 order about their dead and wounded men, and a great noise and hurry among them 
 where ttiey lay, they afterwards resolved to fall upon them in the night ; especially if 
 they could come to give them but one volley before they were discovered, which they 
 had a fair opportunity to do: for one of the Englishmen in whose quarter it was 
 where the fight began, led them round between the woods and the seaside westward, 
 and then turning short south, they came so near where the thickest of them lay, that, 
 before they were seen or heard, eight of them fired in upon them, and did dreadful 
 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 then divided them- 
 selves into three bodies, and resolved to fall in among them altogether. They had in 
 each body eight persons, that is to say, twentj'^-two men, and the two women, who, 
 by the way, fought desperately. They divided the fire-arms equally in each party, 
 as well as the 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 all together, 
 but were in the utmost confusion, hearing the noise of our men shouting from three 
 quarters together: they would have fought if they had seen us; for as soon as we 
 came near enough to be seen, some arrows were shot, and poor old Friday was 
 wounded, though not dangerously; but our men gave them no time, but, running up 
 to them, fired among them three ways, and then fell in with the butt-ends of their 
 muskets, their swords, armed staves, and hatchets, and laid about them so well, that, 
 in a word, they set up a dismal screaming and howling, flying to save their lives 
 which way soever they could. 
 
 Our men were tired with the execution, and killed or mortally 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 ofif; nay, the 
 
VICTORY OF THE COLONISTS. 
 
 225 
 
 THE POOR 
 
 fellows were 
 
 frightened" (/. 218). 
 
 _,- «;3£4>a1. 
 
 storm continuing all night, when 
 the tide came up, their canoes 
 were most of them driven by 
 the surge of the sea so high 
 upon the shore that it required 
 infinite toil to get them off; and 
 some of them were even dashed 
 to pieces against the beach, or 
 against one another. 
 
 Our men, though glad of 
 their victory, yet got little rest 
 that night; but having refreshed 
 themselves as well as they could, 
 they resolved to march 
 to that part of the 
 island where the sav- 
 ages were fled, and see 
 what posture they were 
 in. This necessarily 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 re- 
 covering life; a sight 
 disagreeable enough to 
 generous minds, for a 
 truly great man, though 
 obliged by the law 
 of battle to destroy 
 his enemy, takes no 
 delight in his misery. 
 However, there was 
 no need to give any 
 orders in this case; 
 for their own savages, 
 who were their ser- 
 
 vants, 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 the ground, with their knees up towards their mouth, and the 
 head put between the two hands, leaning down upon the knees. 
 
 When our men came within two musket-shots of them, the Spaniard governor 
 ordered two muskets to be fired, without ball, to alarm them; this he did, that by 
 their countenance he might know what to expect, whether they were still in heart 
 to fight, or were so heartily beaten as to be dispirited and 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 consternation 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 
 
2:6 /^0/?/.VSO.Y CRUSOE. 
 
 gone away to sea; but they did not then consider that this mi^ht \ lobably have 
 been the occasion of their coming again in sucli 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, notwithstanding his wound, kept always with 
 them, proved the best counsellor in this case; his advice was, to take the advantage 
 that offered, and step in between them and their boats, and so deprive them of the 
 capacity of ever returning any more to plague the island. 
 
 Tiiey consulted long about this; and some were against it for fear of making the 
 wretches fly to the woods and live there desperate, and so they should have them to 
 hunt like wild beasts, be afraid to stir out about their business, and have their 
 plantations continually rifled, all their tame goats destroyed, and, in short, be reduced 
 to a life of continual distress. 
 
 Will Atkins told them they had better have to do with a hundred men than with 
 a hundred nations; that as they must destroy their boats, so they must destroy the 
 men, or be all of them destroyed themselves. In a word, he showed the necessity of 
 it so plainly that they all came into it; so they went to work immediately with the 
 boats, and getting some dry wood together from a dead tree, they tried to set some 
 of them on fire, but they were so wet that they would not burn ; 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 language, which none 
 of the others understood anything of; but as they made pitiful gestures and strange 
 noises, it was easy to understand they begged to have their boats spared, and that 
 they would be gone, and never come there again. But our men were now satisfied 
 that they had no way to preserve themselves, or to save their colony, but 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 every one that the storm had not 
 destroyed before; at the sight of which the savages raised a hideous cry in the woods, 
 which our people heard plain enough, after which they ran about the island like 
 distracted men, so that, in a word, our men did not really know' what at first to do 
 with them. Nor did the 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 farthing's worth of service. 
 
 Though our men were able to fight them upon all occasions, yet tl.ey 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 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 
 
FEEDTXG AXn TEACIflXC; TTIK SAVACF.S. 227 
 
 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 anything, they would give them corn, and teach them how to 
 plant, and live upon their daily labour. 
 
 In order to do this, they so followed them, and so terrified them with their guns, 
 that in a few days, if any of them fired a gun at an Indian, if he did not hit him, 
 yet he would fall down for fear; and so dreadfully frightened they were that they 
 kept out of sight farther and farther; till, at last, our men following them, and almost 
 every day killing or wounding some of them, they kept up in the woods or hollow 
 places so much that it reduced them to the utmost misery for want of food ; and many 
 were afterwards found dead in the woods, without any hurt, absolutely starved to death. 
 
 When our men found this it made their hearts relent, and pity moved them, 
 especially the Spaniard governor, who was the most gentleman-like, generous-minded 
 man that I ever met with in my life; and he proposed, if possible, to take one of 
 them alive, and bring him to understand what they meant, so far as to be able to 
 act as interpreter, and go among them and see if they might be brought to some 
 conditions that might be depended upon, to save their lives and do us no harm. 
 
 It was some while before any of them could be taken; but being weak and half- 
 starved, one of them was at last surprised and made a prisoner. He was sullen at 
 first, and would neither eat nor drink; but finding himself kindly used, and victuals 
 given to him, and no violence oftered him, he at last grew tractable, and came to 
 himself. They brought old Friday to him, who talked often with him, and told him 
 how kind the others would be to them all ; that they would not only save their lives, 
 but give them part of the island to live in, provided they would give satisfaction that 
 they would keep in their own bounds, and not come beyond it to injure or prejudice 
 others; and that they should have corn given them to plant and make it grow for 
 their bread, and some bread given them for their present subsistence: and old Friday 
 bade the fellow go and talk with the rest of his countrymen, and see what they said 
 to it; assuring them that, if they did not agree immediately, they should be all destroyed. 
 
 The poor wretches, thoroughly humbled, and reduced in number to about thirty- 
 seven, closed with the proposal at the first offer, and begged to have some food given 
 them; upon which, twelve Spaniards and two Englishmen, well armed, with three 
 Indian slaves and old Friday, marched to the place where they were. The three 
 Indian slaves carried them a large quantity of bread, some rice boiled up to cakes 
 and dried in the sun, and three live goats ; and they were ordered to go to the side 
 of a hill, where they sat down, ate their provisions very thankfully, and were the 
 most faithful fellows to their words that could be thought of; for, except when they 
 came to beg victuals and directions, they never came out of their bounds; and there 
 they lived when I came to the island, and I went to see them. 
 
 They had taught them both to plant corn, make bread, breed tame goats, and 
 milk them : they wanted nothing but wives, and they soon would have been a nation. 
 They were confined to a neck of land, surrounded with high rocks behind them, and 
 
22R FOBTNSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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. 
 
 After this, the colony enjoyed a perfect tranquillity, with respect to the savages, 
 till I came to revisit them, which was about two years after; not but that, now and 
 then, some canoes of savages came on shore for their triumphal, unnatural feasts; but 
 as they were of several nations, and perhaps had never heard of those that came 
 before, or the reason of it, they did not make any search or inquiry after their country- 
 men ; 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 happened to them till my 
 return, at least, that was worth notice. The Indians or savages were wonderfully civi- 
 lised by them, and they frequently went among them ; but forbid, on pain of death, any 
 of the Indians coming to them, because they would not have their settlement betrayed 
 again. One thing was very remarkable, viz., that they taught the savages to make 
 wicker-work, or baskets : but they soon outdid their masters ; for they made abundance 
 of most ingenious things in wicker-work, particularly of all sorts of baskets, sieves, bird- 
 cages, cupboards, c&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, pickaxes, 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, raddling or working it 
 up like basket-work all the way round ; which was a very extraordinary piece of 
 ingenuity, and looked very odd, but was an exceeding good fence, as well against heat 
 as against all sorts of vermin; and our men were so taken with it, that they got the 
 wild savages to come and do the like for them; so that when I came to see the two 
 Englishmen's colonies, they looked, at a distance, as if they all lived like bees in a 
 hive. As for Will Atkins, who was now become a very industrious, useful, and sober 
 fellow, he had made himself such a tent of basket-work as, I believe, was never seen ; 
 it was one hundred and twenty paces round on the outside, as I measured it by my 
 steps; the walls were as close worked as a basket, in panels or squares of thirty-two 
 in number, and very strong, standing about seven feet high; in the middle was 
 another not above twenty-two paces round, but built stronger, being octagon in its 
 form, and in the eight corners stood eight very strong posts; round the top of which 
 he laid strong pieces, pinned together with wooden pins, from which he raised a 
 pyramid for a roof of eight rafters, very handsome, I assure you, and joined together 
 very well, though he had no nails, and only a few iron spikes, which he made him- 
 self too, out of the old iron that I had left there ; and, indeed, this fellow showed 
 abundance of ingenuity in several things which he had no knowledge of: he made him 
 a forge, with a pair of wooden bellows to blow the fire ; he made himself charcoal 
 for his work ; and he formed out of the iron crows a middling good anvil to hammer 
 upon : in this manner he made many things, but especially hooks, staples, 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 without the inner, near twenty feet wide. 
 
THE ENGLISHMEN'S FAMILIES. 22^ 
 
 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 ot 
 every one of these there was a door ; first into the entry, or coming into the main 
 tent, another door into the main tent, and another door into the space or walk that 
 was round it ; so that walk was also divided into six equal parts, which served 
 not only for a retreat, but to store up any necessaries which the family had 
 occasion for. These six spaces not taking up the whole circumference, what other 
 apartments the outer circle had were thus ordered: As soon as you were in at the 
 door of the outer circle, you had a short passage straight before you to the door of 
 the inner house; but on either side was a wicker partition, and a door in it, by which 
 you went first into a large room, or storehouse, twenty feet 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 apartments 
 of the inner tent, and served as closets or retiring-rooms to the respective chambers 
 of the inner circle ; and four large warehouses, or barns, or what you please to call 
 them, which went through one another, two on either hand of the passage, that led 
 through the outer door to the inner tent. 
 
 Such a piece of basket-work, I believe, was never seen in the world, nor a house 
 or tent so neatly contrived, much less so built. In this great bee-hive lived the three 
 families, that is to say. Will Atkins and his companion; the third was killed, but his 
 wife remained, with three children, for she was, it seems, big with child when he 
 died: and the other two were not at all backward to give the widow her full share 
 of everything, I mean as to their corn, milk, grapes, &c., and when they killed a 
 kid, or found a turtle on the shore; so that they all lived well enough; though, it was 
 true, they were not so industrious as the other two, as has been observed already. 
 
 One thing, however, cannot be omitted, viz., that as for religion, I do not know 
 that there was anything of that kind among them ; they often, indeed, put one another 
 in mind that there was a God, by the very common method of seamen, swearing by 
 His name : nor were their poor ignorant savage wives much better for having been 
 married to Christians, as we must call them; for as they knew very little of God 
 themselves, so they were utterly incapable of entering into any discourse with their 
 wives about a God, or to talk anything to them concerning religion. 
 
 The utmost of all the improvement which I can say the wives had made from 
 them was, that they had taught them to speak English pretty well ; and most of their 
 children, who were near twenty in all, were taught to speak English too, from their 
 first learning to speak, though they at first spoke it in a very broken manner, like 
 their mothers. There was none of these children above six years old when I came 
 thither, for it was not much above seven years since they had fetched these five 
 savage ladies over; but they had all been pretty fruitful, for they had all children, 
 more or less: I think the cook's mate's wife was big of her sixth child; and the 
 mothers were all a good sort of well-governed, quiet, laborious women, modest and 
 decent, helpful to one another, mighty observant and subject to their masters (I cannot 
 call them husbands), and wanted nothing but to be well instructed in the Christian 
 religion, and to be legally married; both which were happily brought about afterwards 
 by my means, or at least in consequence of my coming among them. 
 
 Having thus given an account of the colony in general, and pretty much of my 
 runagate English, I must say something of the Spaniards, who were the 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 circumstances 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, they had 
 yet so abandoned themselves to despair, and so sunk under the weight of their mis- 
 fortune, that they thought of nothing but starving. One of them, a grave and sensible 
 
2,0 l!07i/XSO.V CRirsOK. 
 
 man, told me he was convinced they were in the wrong; that it was not tlie part of 
 wise men to give themselves up to their misery, but always to take hold of the helps 
 which reason offered, as well for present support as for future deliverance: he told 
 me that grief was the most senseless, insignificant passion in the world, for that it 
 regarded only things past, which were generally impossible to be recalled or to be 
 remedied, but had no views of things to come, and had no share in anything that 
 looked like deliverance, but rather added to the affliction than proposed a remedy ; 
 and upon this he repeated a Spanish proverb, which, though I cannot repeat in 
 just the same words that he spoke it in, yet I remember 1 made it into an English 
 proverb of my own, thus: — 
 
 "In trouble lo be troubled, 
 Is to have your trouble doubled." 
 
 He ran on then in remarks upon all the little improvemor.ts I had made in my 
 solitude ; my unwearied application, as he called it ; and how I had made a condition, 
 which in its circumstances was at first much worse than theirs, a thousand times 
 more happy than theirs was, even now when they were all together. He told me it 
 was remarkable that Englishmen had a greater presence of mind in their distress than 
 any people that ever he met with; that their unhapj:)y nation and the Portuguese 
 were the worst men in the world to struggle with misfortunes; for that their first 
 step in dangers, after tlie 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 diff'ered exceedingly; that tliey were cast upon 
 the shore without necessaries, without supply of food, or present sustenance till tliey 
 could provide for it: that, it was true, I had this disadvantage and discomfort, that 
 I was alone; but then thii supply I had providentially thrown into my hands, by the 
 unexpected driving of the ship on shore, was such a help as would have encouraged 
 any creature in the world to have applied himself as I had done. "Seignior," says 
 the Spaniard, " had we poor Spaniards been in your case, we should never have got 
 half those things out of the ship, as you did: nay," says he, "we should never have 
 found means to have got 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 compliments, and go on Avith the history 
 of their coming on shore, where they landed. He told me they unhappily landed at a 
 place where there were people without provisions; whereas, had they had the common 
 sense to put off to sea again, and gone to another island a little farther, they had 
 found provisions, though 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 frequently been there, and had filled the island with goats 
 and hogs at several times, where they had bred in such multitudes, and where turtle and 
 sea fowls were in such plenty, that they could have been in no want of flesh, though 
 they had found no bread ; whereas, here they were only sustained with a few roots 
 and herbs, which they understood not, and which had no substance in them, and 
 which the inhabitants gave them sparingly enough ; and they could treat them no 
 better, unless they would turn cannibals, and eat men's flesh, which was the great 
 dainty of their country. 
 
 They gave me an accoimt how many ways they strove to civilise the savages 
 they were with, and to teach them rational customs in the ordinary way of living, 
 but in vain; and how they retorted it upon them, as unjust, that they, who came 
 there for assistance and sui)port, should attempt to set up for instructors 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 some- 
 times they were many days without any food at all, the island they were upon being 
 
"ALL THFIR HUTS AND HOUSKHOLD STUFF FLAMIXG UP TOGETHER.' 
 
 I See p. 2ig.) 
 
232 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 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 \\\Q.y 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 govern- 
 ing providence of God directs the events of things in this world: which, they said, 
 appeared in their circumstances; for if, pressed by the hardships they were under and 
 the barrenness of the country where they were, they had searched after a better to live 
 in, they had then been out of the way of the relief that happened to them by my means. 
 
 The}' then gave me an account how the savages whom they lived among expected 
 them to go out with them into their wars ; and, it was true, that as they had fire- 
 arms with them, had they not had the disaster to lose their ammunition, they could 
 have been seviceable not only to friends, but have made themselves terrible both to 
 friends and enemies; but being without powder and shot, and yet in a condition that 
 they could not in reason deny to go out with their landlords to their wars ; so when 
 they came into the field of battle, they were in a worse condition than the savages 
 themselves, for they had neither bows nor arrows, nor could they use those the savages 
 gave them ; so they could do nothing but stand still and be wounded with arrows, 
 till they came up to the teeth of their enemy ; and then, indeed, the three halberts 
 they had were of use to them ; and they would often drive a whole little army before 
 them with those halberts, and sharpened sticks put into the muzzles of their muskets: 
 but that, for all this, they were sometimes surrounded with multitudes, and in great 
 danger from their arrows, till at last they found the way to make themselves large 
 targets of wood, which they covered with .skins of wild beasts, whose names they 
 knew not, and these covered them from the arrows of the savages : that, notwith- 
 standing these, they were sometimes in great danger; and five of them were once 
 knocked down together with the clubs of the savages, which was the time when one 
 of them was taken prisoner, that is to say, the Spaniard whom I relieved : that at 
 first they thought he had been killed; but when they afterwards heard he was taken 
 prisoner, they were under the greatest grief imaginable, and would willingly have all 
 ventured their lives to have rescued him. 
 
 They told me that when they were so knocked down, the rest of their company 
 rescued them, and stood over them fighting till they were come to themselves, all 
 but him who they thought had been dead; and then they made their way with their 
 halberts and pieces, standing close together in a line, through a body of above a 
 thousand savages, beating down all that came in their way, got the victory over their 
 enemies, but to their great sorrow, because it was with the loss of their friend, whom 
 the other party, finding alive, carried off, with some others, as I gave an account before. 
 
 They described, most affectionately, how they were surprised with joy at the 
 return of their friend and companion in misery, who they thought had been devoured 
 by wild beasts of the worst kind — wild men ; and yet, how more and more they 
 were surprised with the account he gave them of his errand, and that there was a 
 Christian in any place near, much more one that was able, and had humanity enough, 
 to contribute to their deliverance. 
 
 They described how they were astonished at the sight of the relief I sent them, 
 and at the appearance of loaves of bread — things they had not seen since their coming 
 to that miserable place ; how often they crossed it and blessed it as bread sent from 
 Heaven ; and what a reviving cordial it was to their spirits to taste it, as also the 
 other things I had sent for their supply ; and, after all, they would have told me 
 something of the joy they were in at the sight of a boat and pilots, to carry them 
 away to the person and place from whence all these new 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 
 
GENERAL AMITY. 2^1 
 
 sense that Avas upon them; that in some it worked one way, and in some another; 
 and that some of them, throu<(h a surprise of joy, would burst into tears, others be 
 stark mad, and others immediately faint. This discourse extremely affected me, and 
 called to my mind Friday's ecstasy when he met his father, and the poor people's 
 ecstasy when I took them up at sea after their ship was on fire ; the joy of the mate 
 of the ship when he found himself delivered in the place where he expected to perish ; 
 and my own joy, when, after twenty-eight years' captivity, I found a good ship ready 
 to carry me to my own country. All these things made me more sensible of the 
 relation of these poor men, and more affected with it. 
 
 Having thus given a view of the state of things as I found them, I must relate 
 the heads of what I did for these people, and the condition in which I left them. 
 It was their opinion, and mine too, that they would be troubled no more with the 
 savages, or if they were, they would be able to cut them off", if they were twice as 
 many as before ; so they had no concern about that. Then I entered into a serious 
 discourse with the Spaniard, whom I call governor, about their stay in the island ; 
 for as I was not come to carry any of them off, so it would not be just to carry off 
 some and "leave others, who, perhaps, would be unwilling to stay if their strength 
 was diminished. On the other hand, I 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 kind for them; that I had been at a great charge to supply them with all 
 things necessar}', as well for their convenience as their defence ; and that I had such 
 and such particular 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 before I delivered to 
 them the stores I had brought, I asked them, one by one, if they had entirely forgot 
 and buried their first animosities that had been among them, and would shake hands 
 with one another, and engage in a strict friendship and union of interest, that so there 
 might be no more misunderstandings and jealousies. 
 
 Will Atkins, wdth 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. 
 
 The Spaniards said the}^ had, indeed, at first disarmed and excluded Will Atkins 
 and his two countrymen for their ill conduct, as they had let me know, and tliey 
 appealed to me for the necessity they wei'e under to do so; but that Will Atkins had 
 behaved himself so bravely in the great fight they had with the savages, and on 
 several occasions since, and had showed himself so faithful to, and concerned for, the 
 general interest of them all, that they had forgotten all that was passed, and 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 by committing the command to 
 him next to the governor himself; and as the}^ had entire confidence in him and all 
 his countrymen, so they acknowledged they had merited that confidence by all the 
 methods that honest men could merit to be valued and trusted ; and they most heartily 
 embraced the occasion of giving me this assurance, that they would never have 
 any interest separate from one another. 
 
 Upon these frank and open declarations of friendship, we appointed the next day 
 to dine all together; and, indeed, Ave made a splendid feast. I caused the ship's 
 
234 /^OB/XSn.V CRC'SOE. 
 
 cook and liis mate to come on shore and dress our dinner, and the old cook'i mate 
 we liad on shore assisted. We brought on shore six pieces of good beef and four 
 pieces of pork, out of the ship's provisions, with our punch-bowl, and materials to fill 
 it ; and, in particular, I gave them ten bottles of French claret, and ten bottles of 
 English beer ; things that neither the Spaniards nor the English had tasted for many 
 years, and which it may be supposed they were very glad of. The Spaniards added 
 to our feast five whole kids, Avhich 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, 1 showed them 
 that there was a sufficiency for them all, desiring that they might all take an equal 
 quantity of the goods that were for wearing; that is to sa}-, equal when made up. As, 
 first, I distributed linen sufficient to make every one of them four shirts, and, at the 
 Spaniard's request, afterwards made them up six ; these were exceeding comfortable 
 to them, having been what they had long since 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 decayed, they should make more, as 
 they thought fit; the like for pumps, shoes, stockings, hats, &c. 
 
 I cannot express what pleasure, Avhat satisfaction, sat upon the countenances of 
 all these poor men, when they saw the care I had taken of them, and how well I had 
 furnished them. They told me I was a father to them; and that having such a 
 correspondent as I was in so remote a part of the world, it would make them forget 
 that they were left in a desolate place ; and they all voluntarily engaged to me not 
 to leave the place without my consent. 
 
 Then I presented to them the people I had brought with me, particularly the 
 tailor, the smith, and the two carpenters, all of them most necessary people ; but, 
 above all, my general artificer, than whom they could not name anything that was 
 more useful to them ; and the tailor, to show his concern for them, went to Avork 
 immediately, and, with my leave, made them every one a shirt, the first thing he 
 did ; and, what was still more, he taught the women not only how to sew and 
 stitch, and use the needle, but made them assist to make the shirts for their 
 husbands, and for all the rest. 
 
 As to the carpenters, I scarce need mention how useful they were ; for they took 
 to pieces all my clumsy, unhandy things, and made clever convenient tables, stools, 
 bedsteads, cupboards, lockers, shelves, and everything they wanted of that kind. But 
 to let them see how Nature made artificers at first, I carried the carpenters to see 
 Will Atkins' basket-house, as I called it ; and they both owned they never saw an 
 instance of such natural ingenuity before, nor anything so regular and so handily built, 
 at least of its kind; and one of them, when he saw it, after nuising a good while, 
 turning about to me, "I am sure," says he, "that man has no need of us : )'OU need 
 do nothing but give him tools." 
 
 Then I brought them out all my store of tools, and gave every man a digging- 
 spade, a shovel, and a rake, for we had no harrows or plough ; and to every separate 
 place a pickaxe, a crow, a broad axe, and a saw; always appointing, that as often 
 as any were broken or worn out, they should be supplied, Avithout grudging, out of 
 the general stores that 1 left behind. Nails, staples, hinges, hanuners, chisels, knives, 
 scissors, and all sorts of iron-work, they had without reserve, as the}' 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 
 
THE THREE COLO XI ES. 235 
 
 used to do, with a musket upon each shoulder, if there was occasion ; and were able 
 to light a thousand savages, if they had but some httle advantages of situation, 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-educated, religious young woman, and 
 behaved so inoffensively that every one gave her a good word ; she had, indeed, an 
 unhappy life with us, there being no women 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 acquain- 
 tance in the East Indies, or reason for taking so long a voyage, both of them came 
 to me, and desired I would give them leave to remain on the island, and be entered 
 among my family, as they called it. I agreed to this readily; and they had a little 
 plot of ground allotted to them, where they had three tents or houses set up, 
 surrounded with a basket-work, palisadoed like Atkins', adjoining to his plantation. 
 Their tents were contrived 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 tw^o Englishmen removed their habitation to the same place ; and 
 so the island w^as divided into three colonies, and no more — viz., the Spaniards, with 
 old Friday and the first servants, at my old habitation under the hill, which was, in 
 a word, the capital city, and where they had so enlarged and extended their works, 
 as well under as on the outside of the hill, that they lived, though perfectly con- 
 cealed, yet full at large. Never was there such a little city in a wood, and so hid, 
 in any part of the world; for I verily believe that a thousand men might have ranged 
 the island for a month, and, if they had not known there was such a thing, and 
 looked on purpose for it, they would not have found it ; for the trees stood so thick 
 and so close, and grew so fast, woven one into another, that nothing but cutting them 
 down first could discover the place, except the only two narrow entrances where they 
 went in and out could be found, which was not very easy ; one of them was close 
 down at the water's edge, on the side of the creek, and it was afterwards above 
 two hundred yards to the place : and the other was up a ladder at twice, as I have 
 already described it; and they had also a large wood, thickly planted, on the top of 
 the hill, containing above an acre, which grew apace, and concealed the place from 
 all discovery there, with only one narrow place between two trees, not easily to be 
 discovered, to enter on that side. 
 
 The other colony was that of Will Atkins, where there were four families of 
 Englishmen, I mean those I had left there, wath 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 were also the two carpenters and the tailor, whom I brought with me 
 for them : also the smith, who was a very necessary man to them, especially as a 
 gunsmith, to take care of their arms ; and my other man, whom I called Jack-of- 
 all-trades, who was in himself as good almost as twenty men ; for he was not only a 
 very ingenious fellow, but a very merry fellow, and before I wxnt away we married 
 him to the honest maid that came with the youth in the ship I mentioned before. 
 
 And now I speak of marrying, it brings me naturally to say something of the 
 French ecclesiastic that I had brought with me out of the ship's crew whom I took 
 up at sea. It is true this man was a Roman, and perhaps it may give offence to 
 some hereafter if I leave anything extraordinary upon record of a man whom, before 
 I begin, I must (to set him out in just 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 demands of me to 
 give him a due character : and I must say, he was a grave, sober, pious, and most 
 religious person ; exact in his life, extensive in his charity, and exemplary in almost 
 everything he did. What, then, can any one say against being very sensible of the 
 
236 
 
 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 value of such a man, notwithstanding his profession ? though it may be my opinion, 
 perhaps, as well as the opinion of others who shall read this, that he was 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 obhging 
 civility, have taken me into your family, giving me an opportunity of free conversation. 
 Now, sir, you see by my habit what my profession is, and I guess by your nation 
 what yours is ; I may think it is my duty, and doubtless it is so, to use my utmost 
 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, Avithout 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 conversed with, without falling into inconveniences, or carrying the 
 questions to any height in debate ; that he should not find himself the worse used for 
 being of a different opinion from us, and if we did not converse without any dislike 
 on either side, it should be his fault, not ours. 
 
 He replied that he thought all our conversation might be easily separated from 
 disputes ; that it was not his business to cap principles with every man he conversed 
 with ; and that he rather desired me to converse with him as a gentleman than as a 
 religionist ; and that, if I would give him leave at any time to discourse upon religious 
 subjects, he would readily comply with it, and that he did not doubt but I would 
 allow him also to defend his own opinions as well as he could ; but that, without rv\y 
 leave, he would not break in upon me wdth 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 it was very remarkable, that in the voyage 
 he was now engaged in, he had the misfortune to be five times shipped and unshipped, 
 and never to go to the place whither any of the ships he was in at first designed. 
 That his first intent was to have gone to Martinico, and that he w^ent 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 Fayal ; where, however, he happened to find a very 
 good market for his cargo, which was corn, and therefore resolved not to go to the 
 Madeiras, but to load salt at the Isle of May, and to go away to Newfoundland. 
 He had no remedy in this exigence but to go with the ship, and had a pretty good 
 voyage as far as the Banks (so they call the place where they catch the fish), where, 
 meeting with a French ship bound from France to Quebec, in the river of Canada, 
 
MY CONVERSATION WITH THE PRIEST. 
 
 ^:^7 
 
 and from thence to Martinico, to carry provisions, lie thought we 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 he took them up at 
 sea, and then shipped with us for the East Indies, as I have already said. Thus 
 he had been disappointed in five voyages, all, as I may call it, in one voyage, besides 
 what I shall have occasion to mention farther of him. 
 
 But I shall not make digression into other men's stories, w^hich 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 sa}', he came to nie, and told me, with a very grave coun- 
 tenance, 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 assistances and deliverances as we have seen here, and of 
 which I have given you a large account ? " 
 "If you had pleased, sir," said he, with 
 a world of modesty, and yet great readiness, 
 "to have heard me, you would have found 
 no room to have been displeased, much 
 less to think so hard of me, that I should 
 suggest that you have not had wonderful 
 assistances and deliverances; and I hope, 
 on your behalf, that you are in the 
 way of God's blessing, and 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 
 
 .-6 
 
 SV 
 
 'OBLIGED TO FALL I i uN TiiEM WITH 
 
 THE STOCKS OF THEIR MUSKETS " (/. 2:j). 
 
23S KOBJXSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 among you that are not equally right in their actions: and you know, that in the story 
 of the children of Israel, one Achan in the camp removed God's blessing from them, 
 and turned His hand so against them, that six-and-thirty of them, though not 
 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 
 meantime, 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 plantations, and asked him to go with 
 me, and we might discourse of it by the way. He told me he would the more 
 willingly wait on me thither, because there partly the thing was acted which lie 
 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," sa}s 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 difler 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 religion 
 (and it is very unhappy it is so, especially in the case before us, as I shall show 
 afterwards), yet there are some general principles in which we both agree — that there 
 is a God; and that this God having given us some stated general rules for our service 
 and obedience, we ought not willingly and knowingly to offend Him, either by neglect- 
 ing to do what He has commanded, or by doing Avhat He has expressly forbidden. 
 And let our different religions be what they will, this general principle is readily 
 owned by us all, that the blessing of God does not ordinarily follow presumptuous 
 sinning against His command; and every good Christian will be affectionately con- 
 cerned to prevent any that are under his care living in a total neglect of God and 
 His commands. It is not your men being Protestants, whatever my opinion maj'^ be 
 of such, that discharges me from being concerned for their souls, and from endeavouring, 
 if 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 imagme what he ^imed 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 particulars of what he had observed, that like Joshua, to take his 
 own parable, I might put away the accursed thing from us. 
 
 "Why, then, sir," says he, "I will take the liberty you give me; and there are 
 three things, which, if I am right, must stand in the way of God's blessing upon your 
 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, 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 agreement with the women 
 as wives, but only an agreement among themselves to keep them from quarrelling. 
 But, sir, the essence of the sacrament of matrimony" (so he called it, being a Koman) 
 
TlfE PRIESrS DISCOtJRSi^. 23g 
 
 "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, wlien 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 how- 
 ever 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?" 
 
 I confess I was struck with the thing itself, but much more with the convincing 
 arguments he supported it with ; for it was certainly true that, though they had no 
 clergyman upon the spot, yet a formal contract on both sides, made before witnesses, 
 and confirmed by any token which they had all agreed to be bound by, though it 
 had been but breaking a stick between them, engaging the men to own these women 
 for their wives upon all occasions, and never to abandon them or their children, and 
 the women to the same with their husbands, had been an effectual lawful marriage 
 in the sight of God; and it was a great neglect that it was not done. But I thought 
 to have got off my young priest by telling him that all that part was done when I 
 was not there; and that they had lived so many years with them now, that if it was 
 adultery, it was past remedy; nothing could be done in it now. 
 
 "Sir," says he, "asking your pardon for such freedom, you are right in this, that, 
 it being done in your absence, you could not be charged with that part of the crime ; 
 but, I beseech you, flatter not yourself that you are not, therefore, under an obligation 
 to do your utmost now to put an end to it. How can you think but that, let the time 
 past lie on whom it will, all the guilt for the future will lie entirely upon you? because 
 it is certainly in your power now to put an end to it, and in nobody's power but yours." 
 
 I was so dull still that I did not understand him right; but I imagined that by 
 putting an end to it, he meant that I should part them, and not suffer them to live 
 together any longer; and I said to him I could not do that by any means, for that 
 would put the whole island into confusion. He seemed surprised that I should so far 
 mistake him. "No, sir," says he, "I do not mean that you should now separate them, 
 but legally and effectually marry them ; and as, sir, my way of marrying them may 
 not be easy to reconcile them to, though it will be effectual, even by your own laws, 
 so your way may be as well before God, and as valid among men. I mean by a 
 written contract, signed by both man and woman, and by all the witnesses present, 
 which all the laws of Europe Avould decree to be valid." 
 
 I was amazed to see so much true piety, and so much sincerity of zeal, besides 
 the unusual impartiality in his discourse, as to his own party or church, and such 
 true warmth for preserving 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 authentic and valid in England as if 
 they were married by one of our own clergymen. What was afterwards done in this 
 matter, I shall speak of by itself. 
 
 I then pressed him to tell me what was the second complaint which he had to 
 make, acknowledging that I was very much his debtor for the first, and thanked him 
 
i40 
 
 ROB/XSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 lieartily for it. lie told me lie 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 almost 
 seven years, had taught them to speak English and even to read it, and that they 
 were, as lie 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 w-as to be served, or that their own idolatry, and worshipping they knew not 
 whom, was false and absurd. This, he said, was an unaccountable 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 afiectionately and warmly. "I am persuaded," 
 says he, "had those men lived in the savage country whence their wives came, the 
 savages would have taken more pains to have brought them to be idolators, and to 
 worsliip 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; that they 
 might, at least, be so much nearer coming into the bosom of the true church than 
 the}- are now, in the pul)lic profession of idolatry and devil-worship." 
 
 I could hold no longer: I took him in my arms, and embraced 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 yourself." "But what can 
 be done now?" said I; "you see I am going away." "Will you give me leave to 
 talk with these poor men about it?" "Yes, with all my heart," said I; "and will 
 oblige them to give heed to what you sa)' too." "As to that," said he, "we must 
 leave them to the mercy of Christ; but it is your business to assist them, encourage 
 them, and instruct them; and if you give me leave, and God His blessing, I do not 
 doubt but the poor ignorant souls shall be brought home to the great circle of 
 Christianity, if not into the particular faith we all embrace, and that even while you 
 stay here." Upon this, I said, "I shall not only give you leave, but give you a 
 thousand thanks for it." What followed I shall mention in its place. 
 
 I now pressed him for the third article in which we were to blame. " Wli}', 
 really," says he, "it is of the same nature. And I will proceed, asking your leave, 
 with the same plainness as before. It is about your poor savages, who are, as I may 
 say, your conquered subjects. It is a maxim, sir, that is, or ought to be, received 
 among all Christians, of what church or pretended church soever, that the Christian 
 knowledge ought to be propagated by all possible means, and on all possible occasions. 
 It is on this principle that our Church sends missionaries into Persia, India, and 
 China; and that our clergy, even of the superior sort, willingly engage in the most 
 hazardous voyages, and the most dangerous residence among murderers and barbarians, 
 to teach them the knowledge of the true God, and to bring them over to embrace 
 the Christian faith. Now, sir, you have such an opportunity here to have six or 
 seven and thirty poor savages brought over from a state of idolatry to the knowledge 
 of God, their Maker and Redeemer, that I wonder how you can pass such an occasion 
 of doing good which is really worth the expense of a man's whole life." 
 
 I was now struck dumb indeed, and had not one word to say. I had here the 
 spirit of true Christian zeal for God and 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 
 
OUR FURTHER CONVERSE. 241 
 
 this in ni}' heart before, and I beheve I should not have thought of it; for I looked 
 upon these savages as slaves, and people whom, had we not 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 the)' had been sent to any country, so they had never seen 
 their own. I was confounded at his discourse, and knew not what answer to make him. 
 
 He looked earnestly at me, seeing me in some disorder — "Sir," says he, "I shall 
 be very sorry if what I have said gives you any offence." "No, no," said I, "I am 
 offended with nobody but myself; but I am perfectly confounded, not only to think 
 that I should never take any notice of this before, but with reflecting what notice I 
 am able to take of it now. You know, sir," said I, "what circumstances I am in; 
 I am bound to the East Indies in a ship freighted by merchants, and to whom it 
 would be an insufferable piece of injustice to detain their ship here, the men lying 
 all this while at victuals and wages on the owners' account. It is true, I agreed to 
 be allowed twelve days here, and if I stay more, I must pay three pounds sterling 
 per diem demurrage; nor can I stay upon demurrage above eight days more, and I 
 have been here thirteen already; so that I am perfectly unable to engage in this work, 
 unless I would sufifer myself to be left behind here again ; in which case, if this single 
 ship should miscarry in any part of her voyage, I should be just in the same condition 
 that I was left in here at first, and from which I have been so wonderfully delivered." 
 He owned the case was very hard upon me as to my voj^age ; but laid it home upon 
 my conscience, whether the blessing of saving thirty-seven souls was not worth 
 venturing all I had in the world for. I was not so sensible of that as he was. I 
 replied to 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 it seems so naturally to 
 fall into the way of your profession ; how is it, then, that you do not rather offer 
 yourself to undertake it than press me to do it?" 
 
 Upon this he faced about just before me, as he walked along, and putting me 
 to a full stop, made me a very low bow. "I most heartily thank God and you, sir," 
 said he, "for giving me so evident a call to so blessed a w^ork; and if you think your- 
 self discharged 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, disap- 
 pointed 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 w^ord, he was fired wdth the joy of being embarked in such a 
 work. I paused a considerable while before I coidd 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 
 to convert those poor people, to be locked up in an unplanted island for, perhaps, 
 his life, and at last might not know Avhether he should be able to do them good or not. 
 
 He turned short upon me, and asked me what I called a venture. "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 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 
 happy instrument of saving the souls of those poor men, though I were never to get 
 my foot off this island, or see my native country any more. But since you will 
 
242 J?OB/A'SO.Y CRUSOE. 
 
 honour me with putting me into this work, for wliicli 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 
 probable 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 religion; and he would 
 never, while his eyes were open, believe that his old master was a heretic, and would 
 be damned ; and this might in the end ruin the poor fellow's principles, and so turn 
 him back 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 send him away, and he had 
 promised and engaged to me that he would never leave me, unless I sent him away. 
 
 He seemed very much concerned at it, for he had no rational access to these 
 poor people, seeing he did not understand one word of their language, nor they one 
 of his. To remove this difficulty, I told him Friday's father had learned Spanish, 
 which I found he 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 distributed, which they were very sensible of, and very thankful for, I 
 began to talk to them of the scandalous life they led, and gave them a full account 
 of the notice the clergj'man had taken of it ; and arguing how unchristian and irreligious 
 a life it was, I first asked them if they were married men or bachelors. They soon 
 explained their condition to me, and showed that two of them were widowers, and 
 the other three were single men, or bachelors. I asked them with what conscience 
 they could take these women, and call them their wives, and have so many children 
 by them, and not be lawfully married to them. 
 
 They all gave me the answer I expected, viz., that there was nobody to marry 
 them; that they agreed before the 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 tlie laws of men being 
 otherwise, they might desert the poor women and children hereafter; and that their 
 wives, being poor desolate women, friendless and moneyless, would have no way to 
 help themselves. I therefore told them that, unless I was assured of their honest 
 intent, I could do nothing for them, but would take care that what I did should be 
 for the women and children without them; and that, unless they would give me some 
 assurances that they would marry the women, I could not think it was convenient 
 they should contmue 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. 
 
 All this went on as I expected; and they told me, especially \\'ill Atkins, who 
 
THE EXGLISIIMEN AXD THEIR IVIVES. 
 
 243 
 
 now seemed to speak for the rest, that they loved their wives as well as if they had 
 been born in tlieir own native country, and would not leave them on any account 
 whatever; and they did verily believe that their wives were as virtuous 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; 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 be- 
 tween 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 thoroughly ripe; and 1 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 
 
 IN THIS GKEAT 
 BEE-HIVE LIVED 
 
 THE THREE FAMILIES 
 
 (A 229). 
 
244 R0B7XS0A- CRUSOE. 
 
 was not only to prevent any scandal, but also to oblige them that they should not 
 forsake them, whatever might happen. 
 
 The women were easily made sensible of the meaning of the thing, and were 
 very well satisfied with it, as, indeed, they had reason to be: so they failed not to 
 attend altogether at my apartment 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 liis interpreter. But the seriousness of his behaviour to them, 
 and the scruples he made of marrying the women, because they were not baptised 
 and professed Christians gave them an exceeding reverence for his person; and there 
 was no need, after that, to inquire 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, 
 imless 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 acquainted him with their 
 circumstances, and with the present design ; that he was very willing to perform that 
 part of his function, and marry them, as I had desired; but that before he could do 
 it he must take the liberty to talk with them. He told them that in the sight of all 
 indifferent men, and in the sense of the laws of society, they had lived all this while 
 in open 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 difiiculty in it too, with respect to the laws of Christian matrimony, which he 
 was not fully satisfied about, that of marrying one that is a professed Christian to a 
 savage, an idolater, and a heathen — one that is not baptised; and yet that he did 
 not see that there was time left to endeavour to persuade the women to be baptised, 
 or to profess the name of Christ, whom they had, he doubted, heard nothing of, and 
 without which they could not be baptised. He told them he doubted they were but 
 indifferent Christians themselves; tliat they had but little knowledge of God or of His 
 ways, and therefore he could not expect that they had said much to their wives on 
 that head yet; but that unless they would proniise 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. 
 
 They heard all this very attentively, and I delivered it very faithfully to them 
 from his mouth, as near his own words as I could, only sometimes adding something 
 of my own, to convince them how just it was, and that I was of his mind; and 1 
 always very faithfully distinguished between what I said from myself, and what were 
 the clergyman's words. They told me it was very true what the gentleman said, that 
 they were very 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 believe all this, and are such wicked fellows as we indeed are. Why, sir, 'tis 
 enough to give them a surfeit of religion at first hearing; folks must have some religion 
 themselves before they pretend to teach other people." "Will Atkins," said I to him, 
 
OUR TALK WITH WILL ATKINS. 245 
 
 "though I am afraid that what you say has too much truth in it, yet can you not 
 tell your wife she is in the wrong; that there is a God, and a religion better than 
 her own; that her gods are idols; that they can neither hear nor speak; that there 
 is a great Being that made all things, and that can destroy all that He has made; 
 that He rewards the good and punishes the bad; and that we are to be judged by 
 Him at last for all Ave 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 everybody else; and 
 that I should be suffered to live, that have been always acting so contrary to what 
 I must tell her is good, and to what I ought to have done." "Why, truly, Atkins," 
 said I, "I am afraid thou speakest too much truth," and with that I informed the 
 clergyman of what Atkins had said, for he was impatient to know. "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 penitents. 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 
 himself, he will be an excellent preacher of repentance to his wife." 
 
 I repeated all this to Atkins, who looked very serious all the while, and who, we 
 could easily perceive, was more than ordinarily affected with it; when being eager, 
 and hardly suffering me to make an end — "I know all this, master," says he, "and 
 a great deal more; but I have not the impudence to talk thus to my wife, when God 
 and my conscience know, and my wife will be an undeniable evidence against me, 
 that I have lived as if I had never heard of a God or future state, or 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) "'tis past all that with me." "Past it, 
 Atkins?" said I: "what dost thou mean by that?" "I know well enough what I 
 mean," says he; "I mean 'tis too late, and that is too true." 
 
 I told the clergyman, word for word, what he said : the poor, zealous priest — - 
 I must call him so, for, be his opinion what it will, he had certainly a most singular 
 affection for the good of other men's souls, and it would be hard to think he had not 
 the like for his own — I say, this affectionate man could not refrain from tears ; but, 
 recovering himself, said to me, " Ask him but one question. Is he easy that it is too 
 late ; or is he troubled, and wishes it were not so ? " I put the question fairly to 
 Atkins; and he answered, with a great deal of passion, "How could any man be 
 easy in a condition that must certainly end in eternal destruction ? that he was far 
 from being easy ; but that, on the contrary, he believed it would one time or other 
 ruin him." "What do you mean by that?" said I. "Why," he said, "he believed 
 he should one time or other cut his throat, to put an end to the terror of it." 
 
 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, 
 
2^6 ROB INS ox CRUSOE. 
 
 "explain this to liim; that as no man is saved hut by Christ, and the merit of His 
 passion procuring Divine mercy for him, liow can it be too late for any man to 
 receive mercy? Does he think he is able to sin beyond the power or reach of Divine 
 mercy ? Pray tell him there may be a time when provoked mercy will no longer 
 strive, and when God may refuse to hear, but that it is never too late for men to 
 ask mercy ; and we, that arc 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 mc with great earnestness ; but it seemed as 
 if he turned off the discourse to the rest, for he said to me, he would go and have 
 some talk with his wife; so he went out awhile, and we talked to the rest. I per- 
 ceived 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 back- 
 ward to hear what had been said : and all of them seriously promised that they would 
 talk with their wives about it, and do their endeavours to persuade them to turn Christians. 
 
 The clergyman smiled upon me when I reported what answer they gave, but said 
 nothing a good while; but at last, shaking his head, " We that are Christ's servants," 
 says he, " can go no farther than to exhort and instruct ; and wdien men comply, 
 submit to the reproof, and promise what we ask, 'tis all we can do ; w^e are bound 
 to accept their good words: but believe me, sir," said he, "whatever you may have 
 known of the life of that man you call Will Atkins, I believe he is the only sincere 
 convert among them: I wall 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 w^ay of teaching ourselves. I know a man who, having nothing 
 but a summary notion of religion himself, and being wicked and profligate to the last 
 degree in his life, made a thorough reformation in himself by 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 w^aiting 
 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 daresay 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 Avhere the 
 trees were so very thick that it w^as 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- 
 course ; I stopped short till my clergyman came up to me, and then, having shown 
 him where they were, we stood and looked very steadily at them a good while. We 
 observed him very earnest with her, pointing up to the sun, and to every quarter of 
 the heavens, and then down to the earth, then out to the sea, then to himself, then 
 to her, to the woods, to the trees. "Now," says the clergyman, "you see my words 
 are made good, the man preaches to her ; mark him now, he is telling her that our 
 God has made him and her, and the heavens, the earth, the sea, the woods, the 
 trees, &c." "I believe he is," said I. Immediately, Ave perceived \\\\\ 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. lie did not 
 continue kneeling half a minute, but comes and sits down again by his wife, and talks 
 to her again ; we perceived then the woman very attentive, but whether she said 
 anything to him we could not tell. \\'hile the poor fellow was upon his knees I could 
 
-r^ 
 
 A KIF.RCK F.N(i.\(iKMF,Nr MKTVVF.EN THE SPANIARD AND ONK OK THE SAVAGES. 
 
THE EErENTANCE OF ATKTNS. 247 
 
 see the tears run plentifully down my clergyman's cheeks, and I could hardly forbear 
 myself: but it was a great affliction to us jjoth that we were not near enough to hear 
 anything that passed between them. Well, however, we could come no nearer for fear 
 of disturbing them ; so we resolved to see an end of this piece of still conversation, 
 and it spoke loud enough to us without the help of voice. He sat down again, as I 
 have said, close by her, and talked again earnestly to her, and two or three times 
 we could see him embrace her most passionately ; another time we saw him take out 
 his handkerchief and wipe her eyes, and then kiss her again with a kind of transport 
 very unusual; and after several of these things, we saw him on a sudden jump up 
 again, and lend her his hand to help her up, when immediately leading her by the hand 
 a step or two, they both kneeled down together, and continued so about two minutes. 
 
 My friend could bear it no longer, but cries out aloud, "St. Paul! St. Paul! 
 behold, he prayeth ! " I was afraid Atkins would hear him, therefore I entreated him 
 to withhold himself awhile, that we might see an end to the scene, which to me, 
 I must confess, was the most affecting that I ever saw in my life. Well, he strove 
 with himself for awhile, 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 the way of giving God thanks for so miraculous a testi- 
 mony of the success of our endeavours ; some he spoke softly, and I could not well 
 hear others; some in Latin, some in French; then two or three times the tears would 
 interrupt him, that he could not speak at all ; but I begged that he would contain 
 himself, and let us more narrowly and fully observe what was before us, which he 
 did for a time, the scene not being near ended yet ; for after the poor man and his 
 wife were risen again from their knees, we observed he stood talking still eagerly to 
 her, and we observed by 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 could see no more of them in 
 that situation. 1 took this interval to say to the clergyman, first, that I was glad 
 to see the particulars we had both been witness to; that, though I was hard enough 
 of belief in such cases, yet that I began to think that it was all very sincere here, 
 both in the man and his wife, however ignorant they might both be, and I hoped 
 such a beginning would yet have a more happy end: "And who knows," said I, 
 " but these two may in time, by instruction and example, work upon some of the 
 others?" "Some of them?" said he, turning quick upon me ; "ay, upon all of them ; 
 depend upon it, if those two savages — for he has been but little better as you relate 
 it — should embrace Jesus Christ, they will never leave 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 principle to think so, and a testimony of true zeal, as well as a 
 generous heart in him. " But, my friend," said I, " will you give me leave to start 
 one difficulty here ? I cannot tell how to object the least thing against that affec- 
 tionate concern which you show for the turning of the poor people from their paganism 
 to the Christian religion; but how does this comfort you, while these people are, in 
 your account, out of the pale of the Catholic Church, wathout which you believe there 
 is no salvation ? so that you esteem these but heretics, as effectually lost as the 
 pagans themselves." 
 
 To this he answered with abundance of candour, thus: "Sir, I am a Catlioiic 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 
 
2^8 ISOBLVSO.V CRUSOE. 
 
 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 unper 
 ceivable; and 1 hope you have the same charity for us: I pray daily for your being all 
 restored to Christ's Church, by wlmtsoever method He, who is all-wise, is pleased to 
 direct. In the meantime, surely you will allow it consists 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 Redeemer; and if you are 
 not within the pale of the Catholic Church, we hope you are nearer being restored 
 to it than those who know nothing of God or of His Church : and I rejoice, there- 
 fore, when I see this poor man, who, you say, has been a profligate, and almost a 
 murderer, kneel down and pray to Jesus Christ, as we suppose he did, though not 
 fully enlightened ; believing that God, from whom every such work proceeds, will 
 sensibly touch his heart, and bring him to the 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 CathoHc 
 Church just at the time when I may desire it, leaving it to the goodness of Christto 
 perfect His work in His own time, and in His owai 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 on 
 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 reasoning ; and it presently occurred to my thoughts, 
 that if such a temper was universal, we might be all Catholic Christians, whatever 
 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 
 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 oyer, so we 
 went back our own way; and when we came back, we found them waiting to be 
 called in : observing this, I asked my clergyman if we should discover to him that we 
 had seen him under the bush or not; and it was his opinion we should not, but 
 that we should talk to him first, and hear what he would say to us; so we called him 
 in alone, nobody being in the place but ourselves, and I began with him thus : — 
 
 "Will Atkins," said I, " prythee what education had you? What was your father?" 
 
 W. A. — A better man than ever I shall be; sir, my father was a clergyman. 
 
 R. C. — What education did he give you? 
 
 W. A. — He would have taught me well, sir, but I despised all education, 
 instruction, or correction, like a beast as I was. 
 
 R. C. — It is true, Solomon says, "He that despises reproof is brutish,' 
 
 W. A. — Ay, sir, I was brutish indeed, for I murdered my father : for God's sake, 
 sir, talk no more about that ; sir, I murdered my poor father. 
 
A TKINS SPjEA A'S OF HIS FA THFR. 
 
 2.19 
 
 MIGHTY OnSERVANT AND 
 SUIJJECT TO TIIEIK MA'-TriJS' 
 (/, 2 2'j). 
 
 R. C. — Ha ! a murderer ! 
 
 Here the priest started (for I 
 interpreted every word he spoke) 
 and looked pale: it seems he believed 
 that Will had really killed his father. 
 
 R. C. — No, no, sir; I do not understand him so: Will Atkins, explain yourself; 
 you did not kill your father, did you, with your own hands? 
 
 W. A. — No, sir, I did not cut his throat; but I cut the thread of all his comforts, 
 and shortened his days; I broke his heart by the most ungrateful, unnatural return for 
 the most tender and affectionate treatment that ever father gave, or child could receive. 
 
 R. C. — Well, I did not ask you about your father to extort this confession: I pray 
 God give you repentance for it, and forgive that and all your other sin5 : 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. 
 
 VV. A. — Though you, sir, do not extort the confession that I make about my 
 father, conscience does; and whenever we come to look back upon our lives, the sins 
 against our indulgent parents are certainly the first to touch us ; the wounds they 
 make lie deepest, and the weight they leave will lie heaviest upon the mind, of all 
 the sins we can commit. 
 
 R. C. — You talk too feelingly and sensibly for me, Atkins ; I cannot bear it. 
 
 W. A. — You bear it, master! I dare say 3'ou know nothing of -it. 
 
 R. C. — Yes, Atkins ; every shore, every hill, nay, I may say every tree in this 
 island, is witness to the anguish of my soul for my ingratitude to, and bad usage of, 
 a good, tender father ; a father much like yours, by your description ; and I murdered 
 my father as well as you, Will Atkins ; but I think, for all that, my repentance is 
 short of yours too, by a great deal. 
 
 I would have said more, if I could have restrained my passions; 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 
 
 i6 
 
250 ROBIXSO.Y CRUSOE. 
 
 that instead of my {?oinf? about to teach and instruct him, the man was made a 
 teacher and instructor to me in a most surprising; and unexpected manner. 
 
 I laid all this before the younj; clergyman, who was greatly aflcctcd with it, and 
 said to me, " Did 1 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. " I^>ut 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. 
 
 11'. A. — Ay, sir, with such force as is not to be resisted. 
 
 R. C.^Pray, \Vill, let us know what passed between you and your wife; for I 
 know something of it already. 
 
 IV. A. — Sir, it is impossible to give you a full account of it; I am too full to 
 hold it, and yet have no tongue to express it: but let her have said what she will, 
 though I cannot give you an account of it, this I can tell you, that I have resolved 
 to amend and reform my life. 
 
 R. C. — But tell us some of it; how did you begin, W^ill ? 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 b}' legal descent. 
 
 /;". C — You talk like a civilian. Will. Could you make her imderstand what you 
 meant by inheritance and families? They know no such tilings among the savages, 
 but marry anyhow, without regard to relation, consanguinity, or family; brotlier 
 and sister, nay, as I have been told, even the father and the daughter, and the son 
 and the mother. 
 
 \V. A. — I believe, sir, }'ou arc misinformed, and my wife assures me of the con- 
 trary, and that they abhor it ; perhaps, for any farther relations, they may not be so 
 exact as we are ; but she tells me never in the near relationship you speak of. 
 
 R. C. — Well, what did she say to what you told her ? 
 
 W. A. — She said she liked it very well, as it was mvich better than in her country. 
 
 R. C. — But did you tell her what marriage was ? 
 
 W. A.—hy, ay, there began all our dialogue. I asked her if she would be 
 married to me our way. She asked me what way that was. I told her marriage 
 was appointed by God; and here we had a strange talk together, indeed, as ever man 
 and wife had, I believe. 
 
 N.B. — This dialogue between W^ill 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 I Why, have you a God in your country? 
 
 \V. A. — Yes, my dear, God is in every countrj'. 
 
 Wife. — No your God in my country ; my country have the great old Bena- 
 muckee God. 
 
 W. A. — Child, I am very unfit to show you who God is; God is in lieaven, and 
 made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is. 
 
 Wife. — No makee dc earth; no you God makee de earth ; no makee my country. 
 
ATATXS AXD JUS WIFE. 251 
 
 Will Atkins lauf^jlied a little at her expression of God not mal<in,£j her country. 
 
 Wife. — No laugli ; why latip^h nie? 'J'liis 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 mc, 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 before, but have lived without God in 
 the world myself. 
 
 Wife. — \\'hat, have you a great God in your country, you no know Him ? No 
 say Oh ! to Him ? No do good thing for Him? That no possible. 
 
 W. A. — It is true, though, for all that; we live as if there was no God in heaven, 
 or that He had no power on earth. 
 
 Wife. — But why God let you do so ? Why He no makee you good live ? 
 
 W. A. — It is all our own fault. 
 
 Wife. — But you say me He is great, much great, have much great power, can 
 makee kill when He will, why He no makee kill when you no serve Him ? no say 
 Oh ! 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 3/ou 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 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 I He no hear you curse, swear, ^peak 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 infinitel}^ great, and able to 
 punish too ; and sometimes, to show His justice and vengeance. He lets fl}' 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, maybe, 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. 
 
 16* 
 
,5, J^OB/XSOy CRUSOE. 
 
 W. A. — No, indeed, my sins are all presumptions upon His goodness; and He 
 ^vould be infinitely just if He destroyed me, as He has done other men. 
 
 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 ? 
 
 \V. A. — I am an unthankful, ungrateful dog, that is true. 
 
 Wife. — Why He no makee you much good better? you say He makee you. 
 
 W. A. — He made me as He made all the world; it is I have 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 tatight 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. 
 
 IV. 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 forgive me, that am unworthy to teach thee. 
 
 The poor fellow was in such an agony at her desiring him to make her know 
 God, and her wishing to know Him, that he said he fell down on his knees before 
 her, and prayed to God to enlighten her mind with the saving knowledge of Jesus 
 Christ, and to pardon his sins, and accept of his being the unworthy instrument of 
 instructing her in the principles of religion : after which he sat down by her again, 
 and their dialogue went on. This w^as 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 ? WHiat is all that ? 
 
 W. A. — My dear, I bow my knees in token of my submission to Him that made 
 me. I said Oh ! to Him, as you call it, and as your old men do to their idol Bena- 
 muckee; that is, I prayed to Him. 
 
 Wife. — What say you Oh! to Him for? 
 
 W. A. — I prayed to Him to open your eyes and your understanding, that you 
 may know Him, and be accepted by Him. 
 
 Wife.— C2in 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 Him- 
 self to us by His Word, and what His W^ord 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 inexpressible grief that he 
 )iAd not a Bible, 
 
CONVERSION 253 
 
 Wife. — But how you makee me know that God teachee them to write that book? 
 
 \V . A. — By the same rule that we know Him to be God. 
 
 Wife. — What rule? What way you know Ilim? 
 
 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 commands us to avoid, all that is wicked, that is evil in itself, or 
 evil in its consequence. 
 
 Wife. — That me would understand, that me fain see; if He teachee all good 
 thing. He makee all good thing, He give all thing, He hear me when I say Oh! 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 Oh! 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 promise 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 himself to me, and told me that he believed 
 that there must be more to do with this woman than to marry her. I did not under- 
 stand him at first; but at length he explained himself, viz., that she ought to be 
 baptised. I agreed with him in that part readily, and wished it to be done presently. 
 "No, no; hold, sir," said he: "though I would have her be baptised, by all means, 
 for I must observe that Will Atkins, her husband, has indeed brought her, in a 
 wonderful manner, to be willing to embrace a religious life, and has given her just 
 ideas of the being of a God, of His power, justice, and mercy; yet I desire to know 
 of him if he has said anything to her of Jesus Christ, and of the salvation of sinners; 
 of the nature of faith in Him, and redemption by Him; of the Holy Spirit, the resur- 
 rection, the last judgment, and the future state." 
 
 I called Will Atkins again, and asked him; but the poor fellow fell immediately 
 into tears, and told us he had said something to her of all those things, but that he 
 was himself so wicked a creature, and his own conscience so reproached him with 
 his horrid, ungodly life, that he trembled at the apprehensions that her knowledge of 
 him should lessen the attention she should give to those things, and make her rather 
 contemn religion than receive it; but he was assured, he said, that her mind was 
 so disposed to receive due impressions of all those things, and that if I would but 
 discourse with her, she would make it appear to my satisfaction that my labour 
 would not be lost upon her. 
 
 Accordingly, I called her in, and placing myself as interpreter 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 knowledge, all the sincerity of a 
 Christian, without the error of a Roman Catholic; and that I took him to be such a 
 
254 J^On/XSON' CRUSOE. 
 
 clergyman as the Roman bishops were before the church of Rome assumed spiritual 
 sovereignt}' 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 faitii; with 
 an affection, and a surprising degree of understanding, scarce to be imagined, much 
 less to be expressed; and, at her own request, she was baptised. 
 
 When he was preparing to baptise 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 
 tliat 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 
 Catholic myself, if I had not known it before; and so he did; for saying only some 
 words over to himself in Latin, which I could not understand, he poured a whole 
 dishful of water upon the woman's head, pronouncing in French, very loud, "Mary" 
 (which was the name her husband desired me to give her, for I was her godfather), 
 "I baptise 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 W'ill 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 should not dishonour the grace of God, antl 
 that if he did, he would see the heathen a better Christian than himself; the savage 
 converted, and the instrument cast away. He said a great many good things to them 
 both; and then, recommending them to God's goodness, gave them the benediction 
 again, I repeating 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 tlioughts 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. 
 
 Having thus brought the affairs of the island to a narrow compass, I was pre- 
 paring 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 savages; that he had a 
 match too, which he desired might be finished before I went, between two Christians, 
 which he hoped would not be disagreeable to me. 
 
 I knew this must be the young woman who was his mother's servant, for there 
 was no other Christian woman on the island: so I began to persuade him not to do 
 anything of that kind rashly, or because he found himself in this solitary circumstance. 
 I represented to him that he had some considerable substance in the world, and good 
 friends, as I understood by himself, and the maid also; that the maid was not only 
 poor, and a servant, but was unequal to him, she being six or seven and twenty 
 years old, and lie 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 
 
THE YOUNG MAN'S DISCOURSE. 
 
 255 
 
 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 made him think of staying there, but 
 that the voyage I was going was so exceeding long and hazardous, and would carry 
 him quite out of the reach of all his friends; that he had nothing to desire of me, but 
 that I would settle him in some little property in the island where he was, give him 
 a servant or two, and some few necessaries, and he would live here like a planter, 
 waiting the good time when, if ever I returned to England, I would redeem him; and 
 
 "we made a splendid feast" (/. 233). 
 
 hoped I would not be unmindful of him wlien 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. 
 
 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 
 
256 
 
 R OB IKS O A' CRUSOE. 
 
 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 lionest, modest, sober, and religious young woman; had a very good share of 
 sense, was agreeable enough in her person, spoke very handsomely and to the 
 purpose, always with decency and good manners, and was neither too backward to 
 speak when requisite, nor impertinently forward when it was not her business; very 
 handy and housewifely, and an excellent manager; fit, indeed, to have been gover- 
 ness to the whole island; and she knew very well how to behave in every respect. 
 
 The match being proposed in this manner, we married them the same day; and 
 as I was father at the altar, and gave her away, so I gave her a portion; for I 
 appointed her and her husband a handsome large space of ground for their plantation; 
 and, indeed, this match, and the proposal the young gentleman made to give him a 
 small property in the island, put me upon parcelling it out amongst them, that they 
 might not quarrel afterwards about their situation. 
 
 This sharing out the land to them I left to Will Atkins, who was now grown a 
 sober, grave, managing fellow, perfectly reformed, exceedingly pious and religious; and, 
 as far as I may be allowed to speak positively in such a case, I verily believe he 
 was a true penitent. 
 
 He divided things so justly, and so much to every one's satisfaction, that they 
 only desired one general writing under my hand for the whole, which I caused 
 to be drawn up and signed and sealed, setting out the bounds and situation of every 
 man's plantation, and testifying that I gave them thereby severally a right to the 
 whole possession and inheritance of the respective plantations or farms, with their 
 improvements, to them and their heirs, reserving all the rest of the island as my 
 own property, and a certain rent for every particular plantation after eleven years, 
 if I, or any one from yie, 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 settled in a kind of 
 commonwealth among themselves, and having much business in hand, it was odd to 
 have seven-and-thirty Indians live in a nook of the island independent, and, indeed, 
 unemployed; for, excepting the providing themselves wdth food, which they had 
 difficulty enough to do sometimes, they had no manner of business or property to 
 manage. 
 
 1 proposed, therefore, to the governor Spaniard, that he should go to them 
 with Friday's father, and propose to them to remove, and either plant for themselves, 
 or be taken into their several families as servants, to be maintained for their labour, 
 but without being absolute slaves; for I would not permit them to make them slaves 
 by force, by any means; because they had their liberty given them by capitulation, 
 as it were articles of surrender, which tbey ought not to break. 
 
 They most willingly embraced the proposal, and came all very cheerfully along 
 with him: so we allotted them land and plantations, which three or four accepted of, 
 but all the rest chose to be employed as servants in the several families we had 
 settled; and thus my colony was in a manner settled as 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 liave so often described, as far as my bower; and as they increased 
 their culture, it went always eastward. 
 
Jl/r BIBLES, 257 
 
 The English Uved in the north-east part, where Will Atkins and his com- 
 rades began, and came on southward and south-west, towards the back part of the 
 Spaniards; and every plantation had a great addition of land to take in, if they 
 found occasion, so that they need not jostle one another for want of room. All the 
 east end of the island was left uninhabited, that if any of the savages should come 
 on shore there only for their usual customary barbarities, they might come and go; 
 if they disturbed nobody, nobody would disturb them ; and no doubt but they were 
 often ashore, and went away again, for 1 never heard that the planters were ever 
 attacked or disturbed any more. 
 
 It now came into my thoughts that I had hinted to my friend the clergyman that 
 the work of converting the savages might perhaps be set on foot in his absence to 
 his satisfaction, and I told him that now I thought that it was put in a fair way; 
 for the savages, being thus divided among the Christians, if they would but every one 
 of them do their part with those which came under their hands, I hoped it might 
 have a very good eftect. 
 
 He agreed presently in that, if they did their part. "But how," says he, "shall 
 we obtain that of them ? " 
 
 1 told him we would call them all together, and leave it in charge with them, 
 or go to them, one by one, which he thought best; so we divided it, — he to speak 
 to the Spaniards, who were all Papists, and I to speak to the English, who were all 
 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 knowledge of the true 
 God, and of their Saviour Jesus Christ; and they likewise promised us that they 
 would never have any differences or disputes one with another about religion. 
 
 When I came to Will Atkins's house (I may call it so, for such 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's wife were become 
 intimates; and this prudent, religious young woman had perfected the work Will 
 Atkins had begun; and though it was not above four days after what I have related, 
 yet the new-baptised savage woman was made such a Christian as I have seldom heard 
 of in all my observation or conversation in the world. 
 
 It came next into my mind in the morning before I went to them, that amongst 
 all the needful things I had to leave with them, I had not left them a Bible, in which 
 I showed myself less considering for them than my good friend the widow was for 
 me when she sent me the cargo of a hundred pounds from Lisbon, where she packed 
 up three Bibles and a prayer-book. 
 
 However, the good woman's charity had a greater extent than ever she imagined, 
 for they were reserved for the comfort and instruction of those that made much better 
 use of them than I had done. 
 
 1 took one of the Bibles in my pocket, and when I came to Will Atkins's tent, 
 or house, and found the young woman and Atkins's baptised 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 unworthy, as I was incapable of that work; that young 
 woman has been sent hither from heaven ; she is enough to convert a whole island 
 of savages." The j^oung woman blushed, and rose up to go away, but I desired 
 her to sit still; I told her she had a good work upon her hands, and I hoped God 
 would bless her in it. 
 
 We talked a little, and I did not perceive that they had any book among them, 
 though I did not ask; but I put my hand into my pocket, and pulled out my Bible. 
 
258 
 
 R OBIXSOX CR L 'SOE. 
 
 "Here," said I to Atkins, "I have brought you an assistant tliat perhaps you hat? 
 not before." 
 
 The man was so confounded, that he was not able to speak for some timej 
 but recovering himself, he takes it with both his hands, and turning to his wife, 
 "Here, my dear," says he, "did I not tell 3'ou 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 difticult matter at that time to 
 have persuaded the poor woman to have believed that an express messenger came 
 from Heaven on purpose to bring that individual book; but it was too serious a matter 
 to suffer any tlelusion 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 understand- 
 ing 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 parti- 
 cular manner brought to pass as we petitioned for: but we did not expect returns from 
 Heaven in a miraculous and particular manner, and it is a mercy that it is not so. 
 
 This the young woman did afterwards effectually, so that there was, I assure 
 you, no priestcraft used here; and I should have thought it one of the most unjustifi- 
 able frauds in the world to have had it so. 
 
 But the surprise of joy upon Will Atkins is really not to be expressed; and 
 there we may be sure was no delusion. Sure no man was ever more thankful in 
 the world for anything of its kind than he was for the Bible; nor, I believe, never 
 any man was glad of a Bible from a better principle; and though he had been a most 
 profligate creature, headstrong, furious, and desperately wicked, yet this man is a 
 standing rule to us all for the w^ell 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 refractory, or, to appearance, insensible to 
 instruction; lor, 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 religion 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, and the privilege and blessing of it to nations, 
 families, and persons; but he never entertained the least notion of the worth of it till 
 now, when being to talk to heathens, savages, and barbarians, he wanted the help of 
 the written oracle for his assistance. 
 
 The young woman was glad of it also for the present occasion, 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 instructive 
 and remarkable. 
 
 I have related to what extremity the poor young woman was reduced,— how her 
 
THE STORY OF STARVATION. 259 
 
 mistress was starved to death, and died on board that unhappy ship we met at sea, 
 and how the ship's company were reduced to the last extremity. 
 
 The gentlewoman, and her son, and this maid, were first hardly used as to 
 provisions, and at last totally neglected and starved — that is to say, brought to the 
 last extremity of hunger. 
 
 One day, being discoursing with her on the extremities they 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 stomach, and nearer night much inclined to yawning and 
 sleep, I lay down on the couch in the great cabin to sleep, and slept about three 
 hours, and awaked a little refreshed, having taken a glass of wine when I lay 
 down; after being about three hours awake, it being about five o'clock in the morning, 
 I found myself empty, and my stomach sickish, and lay down again, but could not 
 sleep at all, being very faint and ill; and thus I continued all the second day with 
 a strange variety — first hungry, then sick again, with retchings to vomit. 
 
 "The second night, being obliged to go to bed again without any food, more than 
 a draught of fresh water, and being asleep, I dreamed I was at Barbadoes, and that 
 the market was mightily stocked with provisions, — that I bought some for my 
 mistress, and went and dined very heartily. I thought my stomach was as full after 
 this as it would have been after a good dinner; but when I awaked, I was exceedingly 
 sunk in my spirits, to find myself in the extremity of famine. 
 
 "The last glass of wine we had I drank, and put sugar in it, because of its 
 having some spirit to supply nourishment, but there being no substance in the 
 stomach for the digesting office to work upon, I found the only effect of the wine 
 was to raise disagreeable fumes from the stomach into the head ; and I lay, as the}' 
 told me, stupid and senseless, as one drunk, for some time. 
 
 "The third day, in the morning, after a night of strange, confused, and inconsis- 
 tent 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 those fits of lunacy or distraction I fell down and struck my face 
 against the corner of a pallet-bed, in which my mistress lay, and with the blow the 
 blood gushed out of my nose; and the cabin-boy bringing me a little basin, I sat 
 down and bled into it a great deal; and as the blood came from me, I came to myself, 
 and the violence of the flame or fever I was in abated, and so did the ravenous part 
 of the hunger. 
 
 "Then I grew sick, and retched to vomit, but could not, for I had 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 
 night it went off with a kind of earnest wishing or longing for food, something like, 
 as I suppose, the longing of a woman with child. I took another draught of water 
 with sugar in it; but my stomach loathed the sugar, and brought it all up again; tlien 
 I took a draught of water without sugar, and that stayed with me; and I laid me 
 
20o J^OB/jVSO.V CRUSOE. 
 
 down upon the bed, praying most heartily that it would please God to take me away; 
 and composing my mind in hopes of it 1 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 ^vould 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, 
 1 am certain I should have eaten a piece of her flesh with as much relish and as 
 unconcerned as ever I did eat the flesh of any creature appointed for food; and once 
 or twice I was going to bite my own arm. At last I saw- the basin in which was the 
 blood I had bled at my nose the day before: I ran to it, and swallowed it with such 
 haste, and such a greedy appetite, as if I wondered that 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 w^as the fourth 
 day; and thus I kept up 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 ravenous again, then sick, then lunatic, then 
 crying, then ravenous again, and so every quarter of an hour, and my strength w'asted 
 exceedingly; at night I lay me down, having no comfort but in the hope that I should 
 die before morning. 
 
 "All this night I had no sleep; but the hunger was now turned into a disease; 
 and I had a terrible colic and griping, by w^ind, instead of food, having found its way 
 into the bowels; and in this condition I lay till morning, when I w^as 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, as 
 I cannot* describe; with such frequent throes and pangs of appetite, as nothing but 
 the tortures of death can imitate; and in this condition I was when I heard the seamen 
 above cry out, 'A sail! a sail!' and halloo and jump about as if they were distracted. 
 
 "I was not able to get off from the bed, and my mistress much less; and my 
 young master was so sick that I thought he had been expiring; so we could not open 
 the cabin door, or get any account what it was that occasioned such confusion; nor 
 had we had any conversation with the ship's company for two days, they having told 
 •IS that the}' had not a mouthful of anything to eat in the ship; and this they told 
 us aftei wards, — they thought w^e 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 exceedingly entertaining to me. I am the 
 rather apt to believe it to be a true account, because the youth gave me an account 
 of a good part of it; though I must own, not so distinct and so feeling as the maid; 
 and the rather, because it seems his mother fed him at the price of her own life: but 
 the poor maid, though her constitution being stronger than that of her mistress, who 
 was in years, and a weakly woman too, she might struggle harder with it; I say, the 
 poor maid might be supposed to feel the extremity something sooner than her mistress, 
 who might be allowed to keep the last bit something longer than she parted witli 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 
 
FAREWELL TO MY ISLAND. 
 
 261 
 
 "he came to me, 
 with a very grave 
 countenance" 
 (A 237). 
 
 their lives, unless they had prevented it by eating one another; and that even, as 
 their case stood, v^^ould 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 plainl}^, 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 the two pieces of brass 
 cannon that 1 had on board, or the two quarter-deck guns that my nephew took extra- 
 ordinary, for the same reason : I thought it was enough to qualify them for a defensive 
 war against any that should invade them, but not to set them up for an offensive 
 war, or to go abroad to 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 Ma}^ 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 opportunity; 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, 
 
262 Konrxso.v crusoe. 
 
 into a ba}', or Rulf on the land side, wc 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 
 evcninpf, the sea smooth, and the weather calm, we saw the sea, as it were, covered 
 towards the land with something very black ; not being able to discover what it was, 
 till after some time, our chief mate, going up the main-shrouds a little way, and looking 
 at them with a perspective, cried out it was an army. I could not imagine what he 
 meant by an army, and thwarted him a little hastily. "Nay, sir," says he, "don't 
 be angry, for 'tis an army, and a fleet too; for I believe there arc 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 
 liad 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 calculation 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 astonish- 
 ment, as at a sight which doubtless they had never seen before; nor could they at 
 first, as wc 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 with them, without our designing it; for five or six of the large 
 canoes came so near our long-boat, that our men beckoned with their hands to keep 
 them back, which they understood very well, and went back; but at their retreat 
 about fifty arrows came on board us from those boats, and one of our men in the 
 long-boat was very much wounded. However, I called to them not to fire by any 
 means; but we handed down some deal boards into the boat, and the carpenter 
 presently set up a kind of fence, like waste boards, to cover them from the arrows 
 of the savages, if they should shoot again. 
 
 About half an hour afterwards they all came up in a body astern of us, and so 
 near that we could easily discern what they were, though we could not tell their design; 
 and I easily found they were some of my old friends, the same sort of savages that 
 I had been used to engage with; and in a short time more they rowed a little farther 
 out to sea, till they came directly broadside with us, and then rowed down straight 
 upon us, till they came so near that thc)' could hear us speak; upon this I ordered 
 all my men to keep close, lest they should shoot any more arrows, and made all our 
 guns ready; but being so near as to be within hearing, I made Friday go out upon 
 the deck, and call out alourl to them in his language, to know what they meant; 
 which accordingly he did. Whether they understood him or not, that I knew not; 
 but as soon as he had called to them, six of them, who were in the foremost or 
 nighest boat to us, turned their canoes from us, and stooping down, showed us their 
 
DEATH OF FRTDAY. 263 
 
 naked backs; wliethcr this was a defiance or cliallenge we know not, or whether it 
 was done in mere contempt, or as a signal to the rest: but immediately Friday cried 
 out they were going to shoot, and, unhappily for him, poor fellow, they let fly about 
 three hundred of their arrows, and, to my inexpressible grief, killed poor Fridaj^ no 
 other man being in their sight. The poor fellow was shot with no less than three 
 arrows, and about three more fell very near him; such unlucky marksmen they were! 
 
 I was so enraged at the loss of my old trusty servant and companion, that I 
 immediately ordered five guns to be loaded with small shot, and four with great, and 
 gave them such a broadside as they had never heard in their lives before, to be sure. 
 They were not above half a cable's length off when we fired; and our gunners took 
 their aim so well, that three or four of their canoes were overset, as we had reason 
 to believe, by one shot only. 
 
 The ill manners of turning up their bare backs to us gave us no great offence; 
 nt'ither 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 thouglit 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 broad- 
 side, but sure such a fright and hurry never were seen among such a multitude; there 
 were thirteen or fourteen of their canoes split and overset in all, and the men all set 
 a-swimming: the rest, frightened out of their wits, scoured away as fast as they could, 
 taking but little care to save those whose boats were split or spoiled with our shot; 
 so I suppose that many of them were lost; and our men took up one poor fellow 
 swimming for his life, above an hour after they were all gone. 
 
 The small shot from our cannon must needs kill and wound a great many ; but, 
 in short, we never knew how it went with them, for they fled so fast that, in three 
 hours or thereabouts, we could not see above three or four straggling canoes, nor 
 did we ever see the rest any more ; for a breeze of wind springing up the same 
 evening, we weighed, and set sail for the Brazils. 
 
 We had a prisoner, indeed, but the creature was so sullen that lie would neither 
 eat or 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 tong^je, 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 disconsolate creature alive 
 for want of my man Friday, and would have been very glad to have gone back to 
 the island, to have taken one of the rest from thence for my occasion, but it could 
 not be: so we went on. We had one prisoner, as I have said, and it was a long 
 time before we could make him understand anything ; but, in time, our men taught 
 him some English, and he began to be a little tractable. Afterwards, we inquired 
 what country he came from, but could make nothing of what he said ; for his speech 
 was so odd, all gutturals, and he spoke in the throat in such a hollow, odtl 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 
 
264 FOniNSON CRUSOE. 
 
 however, some time after, when we had taup;ht him to speak a little Enp: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 natives, as also those of Africa, when 
 they learn English, always add two t's at the end of the words where we use one ; 
 and they place the accent upon them, as makv^, tak^f, 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! W^e buried him with all the decency and solemnity possible, 
 by putting him into a coffin, and throwing him into the sea; and I caused them to 
 fire eleven guns for him ; and so ended the life of the most grateful, faithful, honest, 
 and most affectionate servant that ever man had. 
 
 We went now away with a fair wind for Brazil ; and in about twelve days' time 
 we made land, in the latitude of five degrees south of the line, being the north- 
 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 himself, who was alive, and made a great figure among them ; not 
 my two merchant-trustees; not the fame of my wonderful preservation in the island, 
 could obtain me that favour; but my partner, remembering that I had given five 
 hundred moidores to the Prior of the Monastery of the Augustines and two hundred 
 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 began with 
 little at first; and though he knew not that I had the least design of giving him 
 anything, he sent me on board a present of fresh provisions, wine, and sweet-meats, 
 worth above thirty moidores, including some tobacco, and three or four fine medals tf 
 gold : but I was even with him in my present, which, as I have said, consisted of 
 fine broadcloth, English stuffs, lace, and fine Hollands ; also, I delivered him about the 
 value of one hundred pounds sterling, in the same goods, for other uses ; and I obliged 
 him to set up the sloop, which I had brought with me from England, as I have said, 
 for the use of my colony, in order to send the refreshments I intended to my plantation. 
 
 Accordingly, he got hands, and finished the sloop in a very few days, for she 
 was already framed; and I gave the master of her such instructions that he could 
 not miss the place; nor did he, as I had an account from my partner afterwards. 
 I got him soon loaded with the small cargo I sent them ; and one of our seamen, 
 that had been on shore with me there, offered to go with the sloop and settle there, 
 upon my letter to the governor Spaniard, to allot him a sufficient quantity of land for 
 a plantation, and giving him some clothes and tools for his planting work, which he 
 said he understood, having been an old planter at Marylantl, and a buccaneer into 
 the bargain. I encouraged the fellow by granting all he desired; and, as an addition, 
 I gave him the savage whom 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. 
 
THE LAST OF MY ISLAND. 265 
 
 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. 
 
 Our seaman was mightily pleased with this new partner ; and their stocks, indeed, 
 were much alike, rich in tools, in preparations, and a farm — but nothing to begin 
 with, except as above : however, they carried over with them what was worth all the 
 rest, some materials for planting sugar-canes, with some plants of canes, which he — 
 I mean the Portugal man — 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 recommended it to them 
 to marry them and use them kindly. I could have procured more women, but I 
 remembered that the poor persecuted man had two daughters, and that there were 
 but five of the Spaniards that wanted — the rest had wives of their own, though in 
 another country. 
 
 All this cargo arrived safe, and, as you may easily suppose, was very welcome 
 to my old inhabitants, who were now, with this addition, between sixty and seventy 
 people, besides little children, of which there were a great many. I found letters at 
 London from them all, by way of Lisbon, when I came back to England, of which 
 I shall also take some notice immediately. 
 
 I have now done with the island, and all manner of discourse about it : and 
 whoever reads the rest of my memorandums would do well to turn his thoughts 
 entirely from it, and expect to read of the follies of an old man, not warned by his 
 own harms, much less by those of other men, to beware: not cooled by almost forty 
 years' miseries and disappointments ; not satisfied with prosperity beyond expectation, 
 nor made cautious by afflictions and distress beyond imitation. 
 
 I had no more business to go to the East Indies than a man at full liberty has 
 to go to the turnkey at Newgate and desire him to lock him up among the prisoners 
 there, and starve him. Had I taken a small vessel from England, and gone directly 
 to the island ; had I loaded her, as I did the other vessel, with all the necessaries 
 for the plantation, and for my people ; taken a patent from the Government here to 
 have secured my property in subjection only to that of England ; had I carried over 
 cannon and ammunition, servants and people to plant, and taken possession of the 
 place, fortified and strengthened it in the name of England, and increased it with people, 
 as I might easily have done; had I then settled myself there, and sent the ship back 
 laden with good rice, as I might also have done in six months' time, and ordered 
 my friends to have fitted her out again for our supply, — had I done this, and stayed 
 there myself, I had at least acted like a man of common sense : but I was possessed 
 of a wandering spirit, and scorned all advantages: I pleased myself with being the 
 patron of the people I placed there, and doing for them in a kind of haughty, majestic 
 way, like an old patriarchal monarch, providing for them as if I had been father of 
 
 17 
 
266 FOB INS ON- CRUSOE. 
 
 the whole family, as well as of the plantation : but I never so much as pretended to 
 plant in the name of any government or nation, or to acknowledge any prince, or to 
 call my people subjects to any one nation more than another : nay, I never so much 
 as gave the place a name, but left it as I found it, belonging to nobody, and the 
 people under no discipline or government but my own ; who, though I had influence 
 over them as a father and benefactor, had no authority or power to act or command 
 one wa}' 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 discontent 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 wildgoose 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 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 ; 
 however, I say, I had not the least doubt of his sincerity and pious intentions; and 
 I am firmly of opinion, if the rest of the Popish missionaries were like him, they 
 would strive to visit even the poor Tartars and Laplanders, where they have nothing 
 to give them, as well as covet to flock to India, Persia, China, &c,, the most wealthy 
 of the heathen countries; for if they 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. 
 
 A ship being ready to sail for Lisbon, my pious priest asked me leave to go 
 thither; being still, as he observed, bound never to finish any voyage he began. How 
 happy it had been for me if I had gone with him! But it was too late now: all 
 things Heaven appoints for the best; had I gone with him, I had never had so many 
 things to be thankful for, and the reader had never heard of the second part of the 
 travels and adventures of 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 tolerably good voyage, our course 
 generally south-east, now and then a storm, and some contrary winds: but my disasters 
 at sea were at an end, — my future rubs and cross events were to befall me on shore, 
 that it might appear the land was as well prepared to be our scourge as the sea. 
 
 Our shi}) 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 luy business, neither did I meddle with it ; my nephew, the captain, 
 and the supercargo, adjusting all those things between them as they thought fit. 
 
IN MADAGASCAR. 267 
 
 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 Coromandel. 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 lieard no more of them. 
 
 I shall not pester the reader with a tedious description of places, journals of our 
 voyages, variations of the compass, latitudes, trade-winds, &c.: it is enougli 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 
 awhile ; they treated us very civilly ; and for some trifles which Ave gave them, such 
 as knives, scissors, &c., they brought us eleven good fat bullocks of a middling size, 
 which we took in, partly for fresh provisions for our present spending, and the rest 
 to salt for the ship's use. 
 
 We were obliged to stay here some time after we had furnished ourselves with 
 provisions; and I, who was always too curious to look into every nook of the world 
 wherever I came, went on shore as often as I could. It was on the east side of the 
 island that we went on shore one evening ; and the people, who, by the way, are 
 very numerous, came thronging about us, and stood gazing at us at a distance ; 
 but as we had traded freely with them, and had been kindly used, we thought 
 ourselves in no danger. When we saw the people, we cut three boughs out of a 
 tree, and stuck them up at a distance from us; which, it seems, is a mark in that 
 country, not only of a truce and friendship, but when it is accepted, the other side 
 set up three poles or boughs, which is a signal that they accept the truce, too; 
 but then this is a known condition of the truce, that you are not to pass beyond 
 their three poles towards them nor they to come past your three poles, or boughs, 
 towards you; so that you are perfectly secure within the three poles, and all the space 
 between your poles and theirs is allowed like a market for free converse, traffic, and 
 commerce. When you go there you must not carry your weapons with you: and if 
 they come into that space, they stick up their javelins and lances all at the first 
 poles, and come on unarmed; but if any violence is ofifered them, and the truce 
 thereby broken, away they run to the poles, and lay hold of their weapons, and tlie 
 truce is at an end. 
 
 It happened one evening, when we went on shore, that a greater number of 
 
 "he fell down on 
 
 HIS knees" (/. 246). 
 
268 KOB/XSON CRUSOE. 
 
 their people came down than usual, but all very friendly and civil ; and they brought 
 several kinds of provisions, for which we satisfied them with such toys as we had ; 
 the 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 or trees, 
 and lay on shore all night. 
 
 I know not what was the occasion, but I was not so well satisfied to lie on shore 
 as the rest; and the boat riding at anchor at about a stone's cast from the land, 
 vith 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 live 
 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. AH 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 or 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 
 daj'light, they are, it seems, such exact marksmen, that if they could have seen but 
 the least part of any of us, they would have been sure of us. We had, by the light 
 of the moon, a little sight of them, as they stood pelting us from the shore with darts 
 and arrows; and having got ready our fire-arms, we gave them a volley, that we could 
 hear, by the cries of some of them, had wounded 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, and, though she rode a league off, yet my nephew, the captain, hearing 
 our firing, and by glasses perceiving the 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 tlie 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. 
 
OUR EXPEDITION OX SHORE. 269 
 
 When we were got on board, and out of danger, we had time to examine into 
 the occasion of this fray; and, indeed, our supercargo, who had been often in those 
 parts, put me upon it; for he said he was sure the inhabitants would not have touched 
 us after we had 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 carried her out of 
 the old woman's sight among the trees, it being almost dark; the old woman went 
 away without her, and, as we may suppose, made an outcry among the people she 
 came from; who, upon notice, raised this great army upon us in three or four hours, 
 and it was great odds but we had all been destroyed. 
 
 One of our men was killed with a lance thrown at him just at the beginning of 
 the attack, as he sallied out of the tent they 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 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, without design. 
 
 We took twenty as stout fellows with us as any in the ship, besides the super- 
 cargo and myself, and we landed two hours before midnight, at the same place where 
 the Indians stood drawn up on 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 
 boatswain commanded one, and I the other. We neither saw nor heard anybody 
 stir when we landed; and we marched up, one body at a distance from the other, 
 to the place; but at first could see nothing, it being very dark; till by-and-by our 
 boatswain, who led the first party, stumbled and fell over a dead body. This made 
 them halt awhile ; for knowing by the circumstances that they were at the place 
 where the Indians had stood, they waited for my coming up there. We concluded 
 to halt till the moon began to rise, which we knew would be in less than an hour, 
 when we could easily discern the havoc we had made among them. We told thirty- 
 two bodies upon the ground, whereof two were not quite dead ; some had an arm 
 and some a leg shot off, and one his head; those that were wounded, we supposed, 
 they had carried away. 
 
 When we had made, as I thought, a full discovery of all we could come to the 
 knowledge of, I resolved on 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 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. 
 
270 ROB jy SON- CRUSOE. 
 
 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 in as many of them as should be left ; for I told 
 them it was a mad thing they were going about, and supposed most of them would 
 have the fate of Tom JefTry. 
 
 They told me, like seamen, they would warrant it they would come off again, 
 and they w'ould 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 
 entrusted with the voyage, in some measure; that if they miscarried, the sliip might 
 be lost for want of their help, and that they could not answer for it to God or man. 
 But 1 might as well have talked to the mainmast of the ship; they were mad upon 
 their journey; only they gave me good words, and begged I would not be angry; 
 that they did not doubt but they would be back again in about an hour at farthest ; 
 for the Indian town, they said, was not above half a mile off, though they found it 
 above two miles before they got to it. 
 
 Well, they all went away, and though the attempt was desperate, and such as 
 none but madmen would have gone about, j'et, 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 circumstance 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 w^ere under a great disappointment, 
 for there were not above twelve or thirteen houses; and where the town was, or how 
 big, they knew not. They consulted, therefore, what to do, and were some time 
 before they could resolve; for if they fell upon these, they must cut all their throats; 
 and it was ten to one but some of them might escape, it being in the night, though 
 the moon was up; and if one escaped, he would run and raise all the town, so they 
 should have a whole army upon them : again, on the other hand, if they went away 
 and left those untouched, for the people were all asleep, they could not tell which 
 way to look for the town: however, the last was the best advice, so they resolved to 
 leave them and look for the town as well as they could. They went on a little way, 
 and found a cow tied to a tree ; this, they presently concluded, would be a good 
 guide to them ; for, they said, the cow 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: 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. 
 
MASSACRE OF THE NATIVES. 271 
 
 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 venture 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 had found the poor fellow hanging up 
 naked by one arm, and his throat cut. There was an Indian house just by the 
 tree, where they found sixteen or seventeen of the principal Indians, who had been 
 concerned in the fray with us before, and two or three of them wounded with our 
 shot ; and our men found they were awake, and talking one to another in that house, 
 but knew not their number. 
 
 The sight of their poor mangled comrade so enraged them, as before, that they 
 swore to one another they would be revenged, 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 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 par- 
 ticularly that house where the Indians were not gone to bed. 
 
 As soon as the fire began to blaze, the poor frightened creatures began to rush 
 out to save their lives, but met with their fate in the attempt : and especially at the 
 door, where they drove them back, the boatswain himself killing one or two with his 
 poleaxe. The house being large, and many in it, he did not care to go in, but callefl 
 for a hand grenado, and threw it among them, which at first frightened them, but, 
 when it burst, made such havoc among them that they cried out in a hideous manner. 
 In short, most of the Indians who were in the open part of the house were killed or 
 hurt with the grenado, except two or three more who pressed to the door, which the 
 boatswain and two more kept, with their bayonets on the muzzles of their pieces, 
 and dispatched all that came in their way ; but there was another apartment in the 
 house, where the prince or king, or whatever he was, and several others, were ; and 
 these were kept in till the house, which was by this time all in a light flame, fell in 
 upon them, and they were smothered together. 
 
 All this while they fired not a gun, because they would not waken the people 
 faster than they could master them; but the fire began to waken them fast enough, 
 and our fellows were glad to keep a little together in bodies; for the fire grew so 
 raging, all the houses being made of light combustible stuff, that they could hardly 
 bear the street between them ; and their business was to follow the fire, for the 
 surer execution. As fast as the fire either forced the people out of those houses 
 which were burning, or frightened them out of others, our people were ready at their 
 doors to knock them on the head, still calling and hallooing one to another to 
 remember Tom Jeffry. 
 
 While this was doing, I must confess I was very uneasy, and especially when I 
 saw the flames of the town, which, it being night, seemed to be just by me. My 
 nephew, the captain, who was roused by his men, seeing such a fire, was very uneasy, 
 not knowing what the matter was, or what danger I was in, 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, 
 
272 ROBTNSOA^ CRUSOk. 
 
 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 ashore to me. 
 
 He was surprised to see me and the supercargo in the boat with no more than 
 two men ; and though he was glad that we were well, yet he was in the same impatience 
 with us to know what was doing; for the noise continued, and the flame 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 1 and 
 the two men Avould go, and only see if we could at a distance learn what was likely 
 to be the event, and come back and tell him. It was in vain to talk to my nephew, 
 as it was to talk to the rest before; he would go, he said; and he only wished he 
 had left but ten men in the ship, for he could not think of having his men lost for 
 want of help ; he had rather lose the ship, the voyage, and his life, and all ; and 
 away he went. 
 
 I was no more able to stay behind now than I was to persuade 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 company consisted of sixty-five men, 
 whereof two were lost in the late quarrel which brought this mischief on. 
 
 Being now on the march, you may be sure we felt little of the ground we trod 
 on; and being guided b}' 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 taking a town by storm. I had heard 
 of Oliver Cromwell taking Drogheda, in Ireland, and killing man, woman, and child ; 
 and I had read of Count Tilly sacking the city of Magdebourg, and cutting the throats 
 of twenty-two thousand, of all sexes; but I never had an idea of the thing itself 
 before, nor is it possible to describe it, or the horror that was upon our minds at 
 hearing it. However, we went on, and at length came to the town, though there 
 was no entering the streets of it for the fire. The first object we met Avith was the 
 ruins of a hut or house, or rather the ashes of it, for the house was consumed; and 
 just before it, plainly now to be seen by the light of the fire, lay four men and three 
 women killed, and, as we thought, one or two more lay in the heap among the fire ; 
 in short, there were such instances of rage, altogether barbarous, and of a fury 
 something beyond what w'as human, that we thouglit it impossible 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 the most dreadful manner, came flying as if they had 
 wings, and after them sixteen or seventeen men, natives, in the same terror and 
 consternation, with three of our English butchers in the rear, who, when they could 
 not overtake them, fired in among them, and one that was killed by their shot fell 
 down in our sight. When the rest saw us, believing us to be their enemies, and 
 that we would murder them as well as those that pursued them, they set up a most 
 dreadful shriek, especially the women; and two of them fell down, as if already 
 dead, with the fright. 
 
 My very soul shrunk within me, and my blood ran chill in my veins, when I saw 
 this; and I believe, had the three English sailors that pursued them come on, I had 
 made our men kill them all ; however, we took some means to let the poor flying 
 creatures know that we would not hurt them; and iiniuediatcly they came up to us, 
 
TERROR 01^ THE NATIVES. 
 
 2-3 
 
 "GAVE THE LAST BIT OF BREAD 
 HE HAD LEFT, TO HER CHILD" (/. 25o"). 
 
 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 together in a 
 huddle close behind us, as for protection. I left my men drawn up together, and, 
 charging them to hurt nobody, but, if possible, to get at some of our people, and see 
 what devil it was possessed them, and what they intended to do, and to command 
 them off; assuring them that if they 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 was very much burned before she could get out again ; and two 
 or three of the men had cuts in their backs and thighs, from our men pursuing; 
 and another was sliot 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 theniselves. 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 vvhat it would ; accordingly, as I came back 
 to my men, I told them my resolution, and commanded them to follow me, when, 
 at the very moment, came four of our men, with the boatswain at their head, roving 
 over heaps of bodies they had killed, all covered with blood and dust, as if they 
 wanted more people to massacre, when our men hallooed to them as loud as they 
 
,,^ JiODIXSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 2/4 
 
 coukl halloo ; and with much ado one of tliem made tliem hear, so that they knew 
 who we were', and came up to us. , „ ,., i . r.- i 
 
 As soon as the boatswam saw us, he set up a halloo like a shout ot 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.' Vil'lanous, hell-hound dogs! I'll kill as many of them as poor Tom has 
 hairs upon his head : \ve 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 litle, "Barbarous dog! 
 said I "what are you doing? I won't have one creature touched more, upon pain of 
 death: I charge you, upon your life, to stop your hands, and stand still here, or you 
 are a dead man this minute." "Why, sir," says he, "do you know what you do, or 
 what they have done? If you want a reason for what we have done, come hither." 
 And with that he showed me the poor fellow hanging, with his throat cut. 
 
 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 l' 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 tliat 
 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. 
 f 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 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 
 afterwards, 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 seventeen, and set all the houses on fire, 
 but did not meddle with the women or children. 
 
 By the time the men got to shore again with the pinnace, our men began to 
 appear; they came dropping in, not in two bodies as they went, but straggling here 
 and there in such a manner, that a small force of resolute men miglit 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 hve of our men; nor in all this terrible action was there a man that 
 made any considerable defence; they were so surprised between the terror of the fire 
 and the sudden attack of our men in the dark, that they knew not which way to turn 
 themselves; for if they fled one way, they were met by one party; if back again, by 
 another: so that they were everywhere knocked down; nor did any of our men 
 receive the least hurt, except one that sprained his foot, and another that had one of his 
 hands burned. 
 
IN THE GULF OF PERSIA. 275 
 
 I was very angry with my nephew, the captain, and indeed with all the men, 
 in my mind, but with liim 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 
 prompting, rather than cooling, the rage of his blind men, in so bloody and cruel an 
 enterprise. My nephew answered me very respectfully, but told me that when he saw 
 the body of the poor seaman whom they had murdered in so cruel and barbarous a 
 manner, he was not master of himself, neither could he govern his passion: he owned 
 he should not have done so, as he was commander of the ship; but as he was a man, 
 and nature moved him, he could not bear it. As for the rest of the men, they were not 
 subject to me at all, and they knew it well enough; so they took no notice of my dislike. 
 
 The next ddiy we set sail, so we never heard any more of it. Our men differed 
 in the account of the number they had killed; but according to the best of their 
 accounts, put all together, they killed or destroyed about one hundred and fifty people — 
 men, women, and children, and left not a house standing in the town. As for the 
 poor fellow Tom Jeffry, as he was quite dead (for his throat was so cut that his head 
 was half off), it would do him no service to bring him away; so they only took him 
 down from the tree where he was hanging by one hand. 
 
 However just our men thought this action, I was against them in it, and I always 
 after that time told them God would blast the voyage; for I looked upon all the blood 
 they shed that night to be murder in them. For though it is true that they had 
 killed Tom Jeffr}^ yet Jeffry was the aggressor, had broken tlie truce, and had violated 
 a young woman of theirs, who came down to them innocently, and on the faith of 
 the public capitulation. 
 
 The boatswain defended this quarrel when we were 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 chief of the supercargo's design lay at 
 the Bay of Bengal ; where, if he missed his business outward-bound, he was to go up 
 to China, and return to the coast as he came home. 
 
 The first disaster that befell us was in the Gulf of Persia, where five of our men, 
 venturing on shore on the Arabian side of the gulf, were surrounded by the Arabians, 
 and either all killed or carried away into slavery; the rest of the boat's crew were 
 not able to rescue them, and had but just time to get off their boat. I began to 
 upbraid them with the just retribution of Heaven in this case; but the boatswain very 
 warmly told me, he thought I went farther in my censures than I could show any 
 warrant for in Scripture; and referred to Luke xiii. 4, where our Saviour intimates 
 that those men on whom the Tower of Siloani 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 
 
i;6 J^ OB INS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 boldly to me one time, and told me he found that I brought tliat 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 tlie 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 safe to sail with me among them. 
 
 1 heard him patiently enough till he had done, and then told him tiiat I confessed 
 I had all along opposed the massacre of Madagascar, and that I had, on all occasions, 
 spoken my mind freely about it, thcugh not more upon him than any of the rest ; 
 that as to having no command in the ship, that was true; nor did 1 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 1 was 
 a considerable owner in the ship. In that claim, I conceived I had a riglit 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 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 message to me. He told me the coxswain. I said no 
 more to 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 immediately 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 boatswain, 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 faithfully; 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 towards the 
 mainmast, which was, it seems, the signal agreed on between them, at wliich, the 
 seamen, being got together there, cried out, ^'■One and all! One and all T' 
 
 My nephew, tlie 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 consider of the matter; but that he could do nothing in it till he had spoken 
 to me about it. He used some arguments with them, to show them the unreason- 
 ableness and injustice of the thing; but it was all in vain; they swore, and shook 
 hands round before his face, that they would all go on shore, unless he would engage 
 to them not to suffer me to come any more on board the ship. 
 
 This was a hard article upon him, who knew his obligation to me, and did not 
 know how I might take it; so he began to talk smartly to them; told them that I 
 was a very considerable owner of the ship, and that, in justice, he could not put me 
 out of my own house; that this was next door to serving me as the famous pirate 
 
THE CREW COMBINE AGAINST ME. 277 
 
 Kidd had done, wlio 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 boat- 
 swain to go with him, and perhaps they might accommodate the matter with me. 
 But they all rejected the proposal, and said they would have nothing to do with me 
 any more; and if I came on board, they would all go ashore. "Well," said the 
 captain, "if you are all of this mind, let me go on shore and talk with him." So 
 away he came to me with this account, a little after the message had been brought 
 to me from the coxswain. 
 
 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 1 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 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 board the ship again, and satisfied the men 
 that his uncle had yielded to their importunity, and had sent for his goods from on 
 board the ship; so that the matter was over in a few hours, the men returned to their 
 duty, and I began to consider what course I should steer. 
 
 I was now alone in the most remote part of the world, as I think I may call it, 
 for I was near three thousand leagues by sea farther off from England than I was at 
 my island; only, it is true, I might travel here by land over the Great Mogul's country 
 to Surat, might go from thence to Bassora by sea, up the Gulf of Persia, and take 
 the way of the caravans, over the desert of Arabia, to Aleppo and Scanderoon: from 
 thence by sea again to Italy, and so overland into France; and this put together, 
 might at least be a full diameter of the globe or more. 
 
 I had another way before me, which was to wait for some English ships, which 
 were coming to Bengal from Achin, on the Island of Sumatra, and get passage on 
 board them for England. But as I came hither without any concern with the 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. 
 
 Here I had the mortification to see the ship set sail without me; a treatment I 
 think a man in my circumstances scarcely ever met with, except from pirates running 
 away with a ship, and setting those that would not agree with their villany on shore. 
 Indeed, this was 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 English woman, where several merchants lodged, some 
 French, two Italians, or rather Jews, and one Englishman. Here I was handsomely 
 enough entertained; and that I might not be said to run rashly upon anything, I 
 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. 
 
278 ROBJNSOy CRUSOE. 
 
 I quickly disposed of my goods to advantage; and, as I originally intended, I 
 bought liere some very good diamonds, wliich, of all other things, were the most proper for 
 n>e in my present circumstances, because I could always carry my Avhole estate about me. 
 
 After a long stay liere, and many proposals made for my return to England, but 
 none falling out to my mintl, the English merchant who lodged with me, and whom 
 I had contracted an intimate acquaintance with, came to me one morning: "Country- 
 man," 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 motion, rolling round and round; all the creatures of God, heavenly bodies and 
 earthly, are busy and diligent; why should we be idle? There are no drones in the 
 world but men: why should we be of that number?" 
 
 I liked this proposal very well; and the more so because it seemed to be expressed 
 with so much good will, and in so friendly a manner. I will not say but that I might, 
 by my loose, unhinged circumstances, be the fitter to embrace a proposal for trade, 
 or, indeed, anything else; otherwise, trade was none of my element. However, I 
 might perhaps say with some truth, that if trade was not my element, rambling was; 
 and no 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 wlien 
 we had got a vessel, it was not easy to get English sailors; that is to say, so many 
 as were necessary to govern the voyage and manage the sailors which we should pick 
 up there. After some time we got a mate, a boatswain, and a gunner, English; a 
 Dutch carpenter, and three foremast men. With these we found we could do well 
 enough, having Indian seamen, such as they were, to make up. 
 
 There are so many travellers who have written a history of their voyages and 
 travels this way, that it would be very little diversion to anybody to give a long 
 account of the places we went to, and the people who inhabit there; these things I 
 leave to others, and refer the reader to those journals and travels of Englishmen, of 
 which many I find are published, and more promised everyday; it is enough for me 
 to tell you that we made this voyage to Achin, in the island of Sumatra, and from 
 thence to Siam, where we exchanged some of our wares for opium and some arrack; 
 the first a commodity which bears a great price among the Chinese, and which, at 
 that time, was much wanted there. In a word, we went up to Suskan, made a very 
 great voyage, were eight months out, and returned to Bengal; and I was very well 
 satisfied with my adventure. I observe that our people in England often admire how 
 officers, which the Company send into India, and the merchants which generally stay 
 there, get such very great estates as they do, and sometimes come home worth sixty 
 or seventy thousand pounds at a time; but it is no wonder, or at least we shall see 
 so much farther into it, when we consider the innumerable ports and places where 
 they have a free commerce, that it will be none; and much less it will be so when 
 we consider that at tliose 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 ^Ya§ rich enough, and cauae abroad more \r\ Qbgdignce \g a restj^^g desire 
 
ANOTHER TRADING VOYAGE. 
 
 279 
 
 of seeinjr 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 sav 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 crreat force for the prompting me forward to farther undertakings: hence, 1 
 tliou-ht that by this voyage I had made no progress at all, because I was come back, 
 -IS 1 mi-ht call it, to the place from whence I came, as to a home: whereas, my eye, 
 like thc^t which Solomon speaks of, was never satisfied with seeing. I was come into 
 a Dart 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 
 thoucrht I might say I had seen all the world that was worth seeing. ,.,••, 
 
 But my fellow-traveller and I had different notions: I do not name this to insist 
 on my own, for I acknowledge his were the 
 most just, and the more suited to the end of 
 a merchant's life: who, when_ he is abroad 
 upon adventures, is wise to stick to that, as 
 the best thing for him, which he is likely to 
 
 "gave them a 
 broadside" (/. 263). 
 
 -•*4K 
 
 '•'^•--.■vnr^v' 
 
 get the most money by. My new friend kept himself to the nature of the thing, and 
 would have been content to have gone like a carrier's horse, always to the same 
 inn, backward and forward, provided he could, as he called it, find his account in 
 it. On the other hand, mine was the motion of a mad, rambling boy, that never 
 cares to see a thing twice over. But this was not all: I had a kind of impatience 
 upon me to be nearer home, and yet the most unsettled resolution imaginable which 
 way to go. In the interval of these consultations, my friend, who was always 
 upon the search for business, proposed another voyage to me among the Spice 
 Islands, and to bring home a loading of cloves from the Manillas, or thereabouts; 
 places, indeed, where the Dutch trade, but islands belonging partly to the Spaniards; 
 though we went not so far, but to some other, where they have not the whole power, 
 as they have at Batavia, 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 sa}^ 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 successfully, 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 nutmegs, to the Persian merchants, who carried them away 
 tp the gulf; and making near five of one, we really got a great deal of money, 
 
28o I^OBIXSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 My friend, ■vvlicn we made up tliis account, smiled at me: "Well, now," said he, 
 with a sort of agreeable insult upon my indolent temper, "is not this better than 
 walking about here, like a man with nothing to do, and spending our time in staring 
 at the nonsense and ignorance of the pagans?" "Why, truly," says I, "my friend, 
 1 think it is, and I begin to be a convert to the principles of merchandising; but I 
 must tell }0u," 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 
 jiartner heard of it, and I had a great mind to buy it; so I went to him and I 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." Accor- 
 dingly, we bought the ship, and agreeing with the master, we paid for her, and took 
 possession. When we had done so, we resolved to engage the men, if we could, to 
 join with those we had, for the pursuing our business; but, on a sudden, they having 
 received not their wages, but their share of the money, as we afterwards learned, not 
 one of them was to be found; we inquired much about them, and at length were told 
 that they were all gone together by land to Agra, the great city of the Mogul's 
 residence, and from thence to travel to Surat, and go by the sea, to the Gulf of Persia. 
 
 Nothing had so much troubled me a good while, as that I should miss the 
 opportunity of going with them ; for such a ramble I thought, and in such company 
 as would both have guarded and diverted me, would have suited mightily with my 
 great design; and I should have both seen the world, and gone homeward too: but 
 1 was much better satisfied a few days after, when I came to know w^iat 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. 
 
 Well, let them get the ship how they would, we came honestly by her, as we 
 thought, though we did not, I confess, examine into things so exactly as we ought ; 
 for we never inquired anything of the seamen, who would certainly have faltered in their 
 account, contradicted one another, and perhaps contradicted themselves; somehow or 
 other we should have had reason to have suspected them ; but the man showed us a 
 bill of sale for the ship, to one Emanuel Clostershoven, or some such name, for 1 
 suppose it was all a forgery, and called himself by that name, and we could not 
 contradict him; and withal, having no suspicion of the thing, we went through with 
 our bargain. 
 
 We picked up some more English sailors here after this, and some Dutch; and 
 now we resolved on a second voyage to the south-east for cloves, &'c.; that is to say, 
 among the 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 go to Siam, to buy rice. 
 
 In this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to beat up and down a great 
 while in the Straits of Malacca, and among the islands, we were no sooner got clear 
 
THE ENGLTSTHfAN'S WARNING. 281 
 
 of those difliciilt seas, than wo. found our sliip liad sprung a leak, and we were ncjt 
 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. Tliompson, 
 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 English- 
 man, and he was, it seems, a gunner's mate on board an English East India ship, 
 which rode in the s'ame 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 thouglit 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 inmiinent danger you 
 are in, and, for aught I see, you have no knowledge of it." "I know no danger I 
 am in," says I, "but that my ship is leaky, and I cannot find it out; but I intend 
 to lay her aground to-morrow, to see if I can find it." "But, sir," says he, "leaky 
 or not leaky, find it or not find it, you will be wiser than to lay your ship on shore 
 to-morrow when you hear what I have to say to you. Do you know, sir," said he, 
 "the town of Cambodia lies about fifteen leagues up this river; and there are two 
 large English ships about five leagues on this side, and three Dutch?" "Well," said 
 I, "and what is that to me?" "Why, sir," said he, "is it for a man that is upon 
 such adventures as you are to come into a port, and not examine first what ships 
 there are there, and whether he is able to deal with them ? I suppose you do not 
 think you are a match for them?" I was amused very much at his discourse, but 
 not amazed at it, for I could not conceive what he meant; and I turned short upon 
 him and said: "Sir, I wish you would explain yourself ; I cannot imagine what reason 
 I have to be afraid of any of the Company's ships, or Dutch ships. 1 am no inter- 
 loper. What can they have to say to me?" He looked like a man half angry and 
 half pleased, and pausing awhile, 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 villanous design on hand 
 against me, I will go on board this minute, and put to sea immediately, if my men 
 can stop the leak, or if we can swim without stopping it; but, sir," said I, "shall I 
 go away ignorant of the cause of all 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, though 
 there is scarce time for it. The short of the story is this — the first part of which I 
 suppose you know well enough — that you were with this ship at Sumatra ; that there your 
 captain was murdered by the Malays, with three of his men; and that you, or some 
 of those that were on board with you, ran away with the ship, and are since turned 
 pirates. This is the sum of the story, and you will all be seized as pirates, I can 
 assure you, and executed with very little ceremony; for you know merchant ships 
 show but little law to pirates, if they get them into their power." "Now you speak 
 plain English," said I, "and I thank you; and though I know nothing that we have 
 done like what you talk of, for I am sure we came honestly and fairly by the ship, 
 
 18 
 
28a Fon/xsoy crusoe. 
 
 yet seeinp such a work is doing, as you saj', and that you seem to mean honestly, 
 I will be upon my guard." "Nay, sir," says he, "do not talk of being upon your 
 guard; the best defence is, to be out of the danger. If you have any regard for your 
 life, and the lives of all your men, put to sea witliout 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 difTerence of the tide, not reckoning the 
 length of the way; besides, as they are only boats, and not ships, they will not venture 
 to follow you far out to sea, especially if it blows." "Well," said I, "you have been 
 very kind in this: what shall I do for you to make you amends?" "Sir," says he, 
 "you may not be willing to make me any amends, because you may not be convinced 
 of the truth of it. I will make an offer to you: I have nineteen months' pay due to 
 
 me on board the ship , which I came out of England in; and the Dutchman that 
 
 is with me has seven months' pay due to him. If you will make good our pay to 
 us, we will go along with you; if you find 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." 
 
 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, "Oh, ho! Oh, 
 ho! we have stopped the leak — we have stopped the leak!" "Say you so?" said I; 
 "thank God! but weigh anchor, then, immediately." "Weigh!" says he; "what do 
 you mean by that? What is the matter?" "Ask no questions," said I; "but all 
 hands to work, and weigh without losing a minute." He was surprised; but, however, 
 he called the captain, and he immediately ordered the anchor to be got up; and though 
 the tide was not quite down, yet a little land-breeze blowing, we stood out to sea. 
 Then I called him into the cabin, and told him the story; and we called in the men, 
 and they told us the rest of it; but as it took up a great deal of time, before we had 
 done, a seaman comes to the cabin door, and called out to us that the captain bade 
 him tell us we were chased. "Chased!" says I; "by what?" "B}' five sloops, or 
 boats," says the fellow, "full of men." "Very well," said I, "then it is apparent 
 there is something in it." In the next place, I ordered all our men to be called up, 
 and told them that there was a design to seize the ship, and to take us for pirates, 
 and asked them if they would stand by us, and by one another; the men answered 
 cheerfully, one and all, that they would live and die with us. Then I asked the 
 captain what way he thought best for us to manage a fight with them ; for resist them 
 I was resolved we would, and that to the last drop. He said readily, that the way 
 was to keep them off with our great shot as long as we could, and then to fire at 
 them with our small arms to keep them from boarding us: but when neither of these 
 would do any longer, we would retire to our close quarters: perhaps they had not 
 materials to break open our 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, following us with all the sail they 
 could make. 
 
 Two of these boats (which by our glasses we could see were English) had out- 
 sailed the rest, were near two leagues ahead of them, and gained upon us considerably, 
 so that we found they would come up with us; upon which we fired a gun without 
 ball, to intimate that they should bring to : and we put out a flag of truce, as a signal 
 for parley; but they came crowding after us, till they came within shot, when we 
 took in our white flag, they having made no answer to it, and hung out a red flag, 
 and fired at them with a shot. Notwithstanding this, they came on till they were 
 
TttEY LET FLY THEIR AJIROWS. AND KILLF.D PCOR FRIDAY." 
 
 (.See p. 262.1 
 
284 j^onrxsoN crusoe. 
 
 near enough to call to them with a speaking-trumpet which wc had on board ; so 
 we called to them, and bade them keep off at their peril. 
 
 It was all one; they crowded after us, and endeavoured to come under our stern 
 so as to board us on our quarter; upon Avhich, seeing they were resolute for mischief 
 and depended upon the strength that followed them, I ordered to bring the ship to, 
 so that they la}' 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 tJfie hindermost 
 boat, and bring them to 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 disabled, to relieve 
 lier, 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: 
 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 were shot quite away ; so they hauled 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 wc 
 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 to come on board ship with them, because we saw the rest of the boats 
 began to come up. Our men in the pinnace followed their orders, and took up three 
 men, one of whom was just drowning, and it was a good Avhile 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 two they gave over their chase. 
 
 Being thus delivered from a danger which, though I knew not the reason of it, 
 yet seemed to be much greater than I apprehended, I resolved that we should change 
 our course, and not let anyone 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 seamen, and inquire what 
 the meaning of all this should be; and the Dutchman let us into the secret at once, 
 telling us that the fellow that sold us the ship, as we said, was no more than a thief 
 that had run away with her. Then he told us that the captain, whose name too 
 he mentioned, 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 sliip's boat took him up. 
 
 He then told us that he went to Batavia, where two of the seamen belonging to 
 the ship had 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 
 
IN SERIOUS DANGER. 2^5 
 
 pirates, who were gone a-cruisinj^ in her, and that they had already taken an Enghsh 
 ship and two Dutch ships very richly laden. 
 
 This latter part we found to concern us directly, though we knew it to be false; 
 yet, as my partner said, very justly, if we had fallen into their hands, and they had 
 had such a prepossession 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 judj^es, and that we could have expected 
 nothing from them but what rage would have dictated, and an ungoverned passion 
 have executed ; and therefore it was his opinion we should go directly back to Bengal, 
 from whence we came, without putting in at any port whatever; because there we 
 could give a good account of ourselves, could prove where we were when the ship 
 put in, of whom we bought her, and the like; and, what was more than all the rest, 
 if we were put upon the necessity of bringing it before the proper judpjes, we should 
 be sure to have some justice, and not 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 w^as 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 company, 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 eastward. This, however, put us to 
 some inconvenience; for, first, the winds, when we came that distance from the shore, 
 seemed to be more steadily against us, blowing almost trade, as we call it from the 
 E. and E.N.E., so that we were a long while upon our voyage, and we were but ill 
 provided with victuals for so long a run; and, what was still worse, there was some 
 danger that those English and Dutch ships, whose boats pursued us, whereof some 
 were bound that way, might have got in before us, and if not, some other ship bound 
 to China might have information 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 all 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 
 embarrassed in the worst condition imaginable; for though I was perfectly innocent, 
 I was in no condition to make that innocence appear ; and if I had been 
 taken, it had been under a supposed guilt of the worst kind — at least, a crime 
 esteemed so among the people I had to do with. This made me very anxious to 
 make an escape, though which way to do it I knew not, or what port or place we 
 should 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, 
 nnd where still a great many European families resided, and particularly the missionary 
 priests usually went thither in order to their going forward to Cliina. 
 
 Hither, then, we resolved to go; and accordingl}', though after a tedious and 
 irregular course, and very much straitened for pro\isions we came within siglit of 
 
iS6 J^OB/XSO.V CRUSOE. 
 
 the coast very early in the morning ; and npon reflection on the past circumstanced 
 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 
 thereabouts. 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 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 
 enemies both one way and the other. The place we were in was wild and barbarous 
 — the people thieves, even by occupation or profession; and though, it is true, we 
 had not much to seek of them, and, except getting a few provisions, cared not how 
 little we had to do with them, yet it was with much difficulty that we kept ourselves 
 from being insulted by them several ways. We were in a small river of this country, 
 within a few leagues of its utmost limits northward ; and by our boat we coasted 
 north-east, to the point of land which opens the great Bay of Tonquin ; and it was 
 in this beating up along 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 deaHng 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 — 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 near 
 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, if possible, to find 
 out where the leaks were. Accordingly, having lightened the ship, and brought all 
 our guns and other movables to one side, we tried to bring her down, that we might 
 come at her bottom : but, on second thoughts, we did not care to lay her on dry 
 ground, neither could we find out a proper place for it. 
 
 The inhabitants, who had never been acquainted with such a sight, came 
 wondering down the shore to look at us; and seeing the ship lie down on one side 
 in such a manner, and heeling in towards the shore, and not seeing our men, who 
 were at work on her bottom with stages, and with their boats on the off-side, they 
 presently concluded that the ship was cast away, and lay fast on the ground. On 
 this supposition, they all came about us in two or three hours' time, with ten or 
 twelve large boats, having some of them eight, some ten men in a boat, intending, 
 no doubt, to have come on board and plundered the ship, and if they found us there, 
 to have carried us away for slaves to their king, or whatever they call him, for we 
 knew nothing of their governor. 
 
 When they came up to the ship, and began to row round her, they discovered 
 us all hard at work on the outside of the ship's bottom and side, washing, and graving, 
 and stopping, as every seafaring man knows how. They stood for a while gazing at 
 us, and we, who were a little surprised, could not imagine what their design was; 
 but being willing to be sure, we took this opportunity to get some of us into the 
 ship, and others to hand down arms and ammunition to those that were at work, to 
 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 consultation, they agreed, it seems, that the 
 ship was really a wreck, and that we were all at work endeavouring to save her, or 
 
REPULSING THE COCHIN-CHINESE. 287 
 
 to save our lives by the help of our boats ; and when we handed our arms into the 
 boat, they concluded, by that motion, tliat 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 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 the few who were on board worked with all the strength and hands we had to 
 bring the ship to rights ; but, however, neither the men upon the stages nor those 
 in the boats could do as they were ordered before the Cochin-Chinese were upon 
 them; and two of their boats boarded our long-boat, and began to lay hold of 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 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 ; however, the following accident, 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 caulked her to stop the leaks, had got two kettles just let 
 down into the boat, one filled with boiling pitch, and the other with resin, 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 foresheets; he immediately 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 himself, 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 naturally makes all people cry out, yet every nation has a particular 
 way of exclamation and make a noise as different one from another as their speech. 
 I cannot give the noise these creatures made a better name than howling, nor a 
 name more proper to the tone of it ; for I never heard anything more like the noise of the 
 wolves which, as I have said, I heard howl in the forest on the frontiers of Languedoc. 
 
 I was never better pleased with a victory in my life ; not only as it was a perfect 
 surprise to me, and that our danger was imminent before, but as we got this victory 
 without any bloodshed, 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 w^e must be always obliged to be killing our fellow-creatures to 
 preserve ourselves ; and, indeed, I think so still ; and I would even now suffer a great 
 
2^8 ]i OB INS ON CRUSOE. 
 
 (leal, rather than I would take away the life even of the worst pefson 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. The enemy was so terrified with what they had met with in their 
 first attack, that they would not come on again; and some of them who were farthest 
 off, seeing the ship swim, as it were, upright, began, as we suppose, to see their 
 mistake, and gave over the enterprise, finding it was not as they expected. Thus 
 we got clear of this merry fight; and having got some rice, and some roots and bread, 
 with about sixteen hogs, on board, two days before, we resolved to stay here no 
 longer, but go forward, whatever came of it; for we made no doubt but we should 
 be surrounded the next day with rogues enough, perhaps more than our pitch-kettic 
 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 meantime, lying at anchor at some 
 distance from tlie 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 
 liad 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 20 minutes, by which means we made the island of Formosa 
 directly, where ve 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 testimony 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 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 a 
 European ship, came to offer his service, which, indeed, we were glad of, and took 
 him on board; upon which, without asking 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 
 
O UR FOR TUG UESE PIT. O T. 
 
 289 
 
 "they plunged into 
 
 THE water" (/. 2 58). 
 
 there. I told him we would sell our cargo and purchase China wares, calicoes, raw 
 silks, tea, wrought silks, &;.; and so would return by the same course we came. He 
 told us our best port would have been to put in at Macao, where we could not have 
 failed of a market for our opium to our satisfaction, and might for our money have 
 purchased all sorts of China goods as cheap as we could at Nanquin. 
 
 Not being able to put the old man out of his talk, of which he was very 
 opinionated or conceited, I told him we were gentlemen as well as merchants, and that 
 we had a mind to go and see the great city of Pekin, and the famous court of the 
 monarch of China. "Why, then," says the old man, "you should go to Ningpo, 
 where, by the river which runs into the sea there, you may go within five leagues 
 of the great canal. This canal is a navigable stream, which goes through the heart 
 of that vast empire of China, crosses all the rivers, passes some considerable hills by 
 the help of sluices and gates, and goes up to the city of Pekin, being in length near 
 two hundred and seventy leagues." 
 
 "Well," said I, " Seignior Portuguese, but that is not our business now; the great 
 question is, if you can carry us up to the city of Nanquin, from whence we can travel 
 to Pekin afterwards?" 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 Dutcli 
 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. 
 
 The old man found me a little confused, and under some concern when he named 
 
2Q0 ROBIXSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 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 Hbcrties men may take when they are out of the 
 reach of the laws of their own country." "Why," says he, "you are no pirates; 
 what need you fear ? They will not meddle with peaceable merchants, sure." 
 
 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. 
 
 "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 concerned; I do 
 not know that there have been any pirates in these seas these fifteen years, except 
 one, which was seen, as I hear, in the Bay of Siam, about a month since; but you 
 may be assured she 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 privateer, 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 they murdered him ; but, as they afterwards ran away 
 with the ship, it is generally believed that they betrayed him into the hands of the 
 Malayans, who did murder him, and perhaps they procured them to do it." " Why, 
 then," said I, "they deserve death as much as if they had done it themselves." 
 "Nay," says the old man, "they do deserve it; and they will certainly have it, if 
 they light upon any English or Dutch ship; for they have all agreed together, that 
 if they meet that rogue, they'll give him no quarter." "But," said I to him, "you 
 say the pirate is gone out of these seas; how can they meet with him, then?" " Wliy, 
 that's true," says he, "they do say so; but he was, as I tell 3'ou, in the Bay of 
 Siam, in the river Cambodia, and was discovered there by some Dutchmen who 
 belonged to the ship, and who were left on shore when they ran away with her ; and 
 some English and Dutch traders being in the river, they were within a little of taking 
 him; nay," said he, "if the foremost boats had been well seconded by the rest, they 
 had certainly taken him; but he, finding only two boats within reach of him, tacked 
 about, and fired at those two, and disabled them before the others came up, and then 
 standing off to sea, the others were not able to follow, and so he got away; but they 
 have all so exact a description of the ship, that they will be sure to know her ; and 
 wherever they find her, they have vowed to give no quarter either to the captain or 
 seamen, but to hang them all up at the yardarm." "What!" said I, "will they 
 execute them, right or wrong? hang them first, and judge them afterwards?" "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 rightly 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 ISIanquin, and not put back to Macao, or to 
 any other part of the country where the English or Dutch ships come; for be it 
 known to you, seignior, those captains of the English and Dutch ships are a parcel 
 of rash, proud, insolent fellows, that neither know what belongs to justice, nor how 
 to behave themselves as the laws of God and nature direct; but being proud of 
 their offices, and not understanding their power, they would act the murderers to 
 
THE GULF OF NANQ^UIN. 291 
 
 punish robbers; avouM take upon them to insult men falsely accused, and determine 
 them guilty without due inquiry; and perhaps I may live to bring some of them to 
 account for it, when they may be taught how justice is to be executed, and that no 
 man ought to be treated as a criminal till some evidence may be had of the crime, 
 and that he is the man." 
 
 With this I told him that this was the very ship they 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 Dutchmen 
 served us. I told him the reasons I had to believe the story of killing the master 
 by the Malayans was true, as also the running away with the ship; but it was all a 
 fiction of their own to suggest that the men had turned pirates, and they ought to 
 have been sure it was so before they ventured to attack us by surprise, and oblige 
 us to resist them; adding that they would have the blood of those men whom we 
 killed there in just defence to answer for. 
 
 The old man was amazed at this relation, and told us we were very much in the 
 right to go away to the north : and that, if he might advise us, it should be to sell 
 the ship in China, which we might very well 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 discourse, we went forward 
 directly for Nanquin, and in about thirteen 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 1 should 
 certainly fall into their hands. I consulted my partner again in this exigency and he 
 was as much at a loss as I was, and would very gladly have been safe on shore 
 almost anywhere ; however, I was not in such perplexity neither, but I asked the 
 old pilot if there was no creek or 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 cauT^ over thither to buy Chinese merchandises. 
 
 We all agreed to go back to this place; the name of the port, as he called it, 
 jI may perhaps spell wrong, for I do not particularly remember it, having lost this, 
 
293 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 together with the names of many other places set down in a little pocket-book, which 
 was spoiled by the water by an accident, which I shall relate in its order ; but this 
 I remember, that the Chinese or Japanese merchants we corresponded with called 
 it by a diflerent 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 abundance 
 of things to sell to us; I mean of provisions, plants, roots, tea, rice, and some fowls ; 
 but nothing without money. 
 
 We did not come to the other port (the wind being contrary) for five days; but 
 it was very much to our satisfaction; and I was joyful, and I may say thankful, 
 when I set my foot on shore, resolving, and my partner too, that if it was possibles 
 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 bringeth a snare:" 
 it is a life of death, and the mind is so entirely oppressed by it, that it is capable 
 of no relief, and all the vigour of Nature which usually supports men under other 
 afflictions, and is present with them in the greatest exigencies, fails them here. 
 
 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 distinguishing 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 creature that we were not pirates; the goods we had on 
 board, the course we steered, our frankly showing ourselves, and entering into sucli 
 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 everybody had related to us, that the seamen on board the 
 English and Dutch ships, but especially the Dutch, were so enraged at the name of 
 a pirate, and especially at our beating off their boats and escaping, that they would 
 not give tliemselves leave to inquire whether we were pirates or no, but would execute 
 us off-hand, without giving us any room for a defence. We reflected that there 
 really was so much apparent evidence before them, that they would scarce inquire 
 after any more; as, first, that the ship was certainly the same, and that some of the 
 seamen among them knew her, and had been on board her; and, secondly, that when 
 we had intelligence at the river of Cambodia that they were coming down to examine 
 us, we fought their boats and fled ; so that we made no doubt but they were as fully 
 satisfied of our being pirates as we were satisfied of the 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. 
 
ANXIETIES AND rERPLEXITIES. 293 
 
 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 yardarms, 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 appearance 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 altogether. 
 
 These things tormented me, and my partner too, night and day; nor did we 
 consider that the captains of ships had 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 country; this, I say, 
 gave me no satisfaction ; for if they were to act thus with us, what advantage would it be 
 to us that they should be called to an account for it? or if we were first to be murdered, 
 what satisfaction would it be to us to have them punished when they came home ? 
 
 I cannot refrain taking notice here what reflections I now had upon the vast 
 variety of my particular circumstances; how hard I thought it was that I, who had 
 spent forty years in a life of continual difficulties, and was at last come, as it were, to 
 the port or haven which all men drive at, viz., to have rest and plenty, should be a 
 volunteer in new sorrows by my own unhappy choice; and that I, who had escaped 
 so many dangers in my youth, should now come to be hanged in my old age, and in so 
 remote a place, for a crime which I was not in the least inclined to, much less guilty of. 
 
 After these thoughts, something of religion would come in ; and I would be 
 considering that this seemed to me to be a disposition of immediate Providence, 
 and I ought to look upon it and submit to it as such; that although I was innocent 
 as to men, I was far from being innocent as to my Maker; and I ought to look in 
 and examine what other crimes in my life were most obvious to me, and for which 
 Providence might justly inflict this punishment as a retribution; and that I ought to 
 submit to this just as I would to a shipwreck, if it had pleased God to have brought 
 such a disaster upon me. 
 
 In its turn, natural courage would sometimes take its place, and then I would 
 be talking myself up to vigorous resolutions; that I would not be taken to be barba- 
 rously 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 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 
 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 
 
294 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
 
 his back, which he was to carry up a hill, and found that he was not able to stand 
 longer under it; but tliat 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; thev were all like men who had a load taken of! their backs. For my part, 
 I had a weight taken oil my heart that it was not able any longer to bear; and, as 
 I said above, we resolved to go no more to sea in that ship. When we came on 
 shore, the old pilot, who was now our friend, got us a lodging and a warehouse for 
 our goods, which, by the way, was much the same; it was a little house, or hut, with 
 a larger house adjoining to it, all built with canes, and palisadoed round with large 
 canes, to keep out pilfering thieves, of which, it seems, there were not a few in that 
 country: however, the magistrates allowed us a little guard, and we had a soldier with 
 a kind of halberd, or half-pike, who stood sentinel at our door; to whom we allowed 
 a pint of rice, and a little piece of money, about the value of threepence, per day, 
 so that our goods were kept ver}'^ safe. 
 
 The fair, or mart, usually kept at this place, had been over some time: however, 
 we found that there were three or four junks in the river, and two Japanners, I mean 
 ships from 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: however, that 
 was none of our business. One of these was a Frenchman, whom they called Father 
 Simon; another was a Portuguese; and the third a Genoese; Father Simon was 
 courteous, easy in his manner, and very agreeable company; the other two were more 
 reserved, scemei rigid and austere, and applied seriously to the work they came about, 
 viz., to talk with and insinuate themselves among the inhabitants, whenever 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 required 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 together but he 
 was inviting me to go that journey; telling me how he would show me all the glorious 
 things of that mighty empire, and, among the rest, the greatest city in the world; "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 those of other men, so I shall 
 give my opinion of them in a few words, when I come in the course of my travels 
 to speak more particularly of them. 
 
 But first, I come to my friar or missionary. Dining with him one day, and being 
 very merry together, I showed some little inclination to go with him ; and he pressed 
 me and my partner very hard, and with a great many persuasions, to consent. "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 
 pleasure." "Oh," says he, "you may perhaps be good Catholics in time; my business 
 
THE JAPAN MERCHANT. 
 
 295 
 
 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 troul)le- 
 sonie to you," says he; "our religion does not divest us of good manners; besides, we 
 are here like countrymen ; and so we are compared to the place we are in ; and if you 
 are Huguenots and I a Catholic, we may all be Christians at last; at least we are all 
 gentlemen and we may converse so, without being uneasy to one another." I liked 
 this part of his discourse very well, and it began to put me in mind of my priest that 
 I had left in the Brazils; but this Father Simon did not come up to his character by 
 a great deal; for though Father Simon had no appearance of a criminal levity in him, 
 yet he had not that fund of Christian zeal, strict piety, and sincere affection to religion, 
 that my other good ecclesiastic had. 
 
 But to leave him a little, although he never left us, nor soliciting us to go with 
 him; we had something else before us at first, for we had all this while our ship and 
 our merchandise to dispose of, and we began to be very doubtful what we should do, 
 for we were now in a place of very little business; and once I was about to venture 
 to sail for the river of Kilam, and the city of Nanquin; but Providence seemed now 
 more visibly, as I thought, than ever, to concern itself in our affairs; and I was 
 encouraged, from this very time, to think I should, one way or other, get out of this 
 entangled circumstance, and be brought home to my own country again, though I had 
 not the least view of the manner. Providence, I say, began here to clear up our way 
 a little; and the first thing that offered was, our old Portuguese pilot brought a Japan 
 merchant to us, who inquired what goods we had; and, in the first place, he bought 
 all our opium, and gave us a very good price for it, paying us in gold by weight, 
 some small pieces of their own coin, and some in small wedges, of about ten or twelve 
 ounces each. While we were dealing with him for our opium, it came into my head 
 that he might perhaps deal for the ship, too, and I ordered the interpreter to propose 
 it to him ; he shrunk up his shoulders at it, when it was first proposed to him ; but 
 in a few days after he came to me, with one of the missionary priests for his inter- 
 preter, and told me he had a proposal to make to me, which was this: he had bought 
 a great quantity of goods of us, when he had no thoughts of proposals made to him 
 
 "TOLD us 
 
 WE WEKE CHASED BV 
 
 FIVE sloops" (/. 282) 
 
296 KOB/NSOX CRrSOE. 
 
 of buying the ship; and tliat, tliercfore, lie had not money to paj^ for the ship; but 
 if 1 would let the same men who were in the ship navigate her, he would hire the 
 ship to go to Japan; and would send them from thence to the Philippine Islands with 
 another loading, which he would pay the freight of before they went from Japan ; and 
 that at their return he would buy the ship. I began to listen to this proposal, and 
 so eager did my head still run upon rambling, that I could not but begin to entertain 
 a notion of going myself with him, and so to set sail from the Philippine Islands away 
 to the South Seas; accordingly, I asked the Japanese merchant if he would not hire 
 us to the Philippine Islands and discharge us there. He said no, he could not do 
 that, for then he could not have the return of his cargo; but he would discharge us 
 in Japan, at the ship's return. Well, still I was for taking him at that proposal, and 
 going myself; but my partner, wiser than myself, persuaded me from it, representing 
 the dangers as well of the seas as of the Japanese, who are a false, cruel, and 
 treacherous people; likewise those of the Spaniards at the Philippines, more false, 
 cruel, and treacherous than they. 
 
 But to bring this long turn of our affairs to a conclusion : the first thing we had 
 to do was, to consult with the captain of the ship, and with his men, and know if 
 they were willing to go to 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 advantage, and he would be very glad if I undertook it; but that if I would not, 
 and would give him leave, he would go as a merchant, or as I pleased to order him; 
 that if ever he came to England, and I w^as 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 loth to part with him; but considering the prospect of advantage, which really 
 was considerable, and that he was a young fellow as likely to do well in it as any I 
 knew, I inclined to let him go; but I told him I would consult my partner, and give 
 him an answer the next day. My partner and I discoursed about it, and my partner 
 made a most generous offer: "You know it has been an unlucky ship," said he, "and 
 we both resolved 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 Avilling 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 licence to come on shore, which the Europeans in general 
 have not lately obtained; paid him his freight very punctually; sent him to the 
 Philippines, loaded with Japan and China wares, and a supercargo of their own, who, 
 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 licence to land here, 
 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, some- 
 how or other, to get to Jamaica with all his treasure; and, about eight years after 
 
A 'jocRy/Ci' TO naxquin: 
 
 297 
 
 came to Enj;Iand, exceeding rich; of which 1 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 there- 
 fore, as I had promised to be grateful to them, I first ordered the money to be paid 
 them which they said was due to them on board their respective ships; over and 
 above that, I gave each of them a small sum of money in gold, w^hich contented them 
 very well; then I made the Englishman gunner in the ship, the gunner being now 
 made second mate and purser; the Dutchman I made boatswain; so they w^ere 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 ofT 
 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 manu- 
 factures 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 
 ourselves, we took two or three journeys into the country. First, we went ten days' 
 journey to the city of Nanquin, a city well worth seeing, 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 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 P'rench 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 
 
 19 
 
298 
 
 ROB/XSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 nothing at all; for what I have said of their ships may be said of their armies and 
 troops; all the forces of their empire, though they were to bring two millions of men 
 into the field together, would be able to do nothing but ruin the country, and starve 
 themselves, if they were to besiege a strong town in Flanders, or to fight a disciplined 
 army; one good line of German cuirassiers, or of French cavalry, might withstand all 
 the horse of China; a million of their foot would not stand before one embattled body 
 of our infantry, posted so as not to be surrounded, though they were not to be one 
 to twenty in number; nay, I do not boast if I say that thirty thousand German or 
 l-'nglish 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 the batteries and attacks of a European army; and, at the same time, all 
 the armies of China could never take such a town as Dunkirk, provided it was not 
 starved: no, not in ten years' siege. They had fire-arms, it is true, but they are 
 awkward and imcertain 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, 1 must confess, it seemed strange to me, when I came home, and heard 
 our people say such fine things of the power, glory, magnificence, and trade of the 
 Chinese; because, as far as I saw, they appeared to be a contemptible herd or crowd 
 of ignorant, sordid slaves, subjected to a government qualified only to rule such a 
 people; and were not its distance inconceivably great from Muscovy, and the Muscovite 
 empire in a manner as rude, impotent, and ill governed as they, the Czar of IMuscovy 
 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. 
 
 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 stor)', 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 to 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 missionar)' who 
 was to go with him being arrived from Macao, it was necessary that we should resolve 
 either to go, or not; so I referred it wholly to my partner, and left it wholly to his 
 choice, who at length resolved it in the affirmative, and we prepared for our journey. 
 We set out with very good advantage, as to finding the way; for we got leave to travel 
 in the retinue of one of their mandarins, a kind of viceroy or principal magistrate in the 
 province where they reside and who take great state upon them, travelling with great 
 
■so UK bk(;an .it'MPiXf; and shakinc; thk boimih. at which thk rkar 
 
 MKdAN TO TOT'l'KK. 
 
A NATn^E DIGNITARY. 2r,() 
 
 attendance, and great homage from the i)eople, who are sometimes greatly impoverished 
 by them, being obhged to furnish provisions for them and all their attendants in their 
 journeys. That which I particularly observed in our travelling with his baggage was 
 this, that though we received sufficient provisions both for ourselves 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 mandarins 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, imder the pi'otection of his retinue; 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 country infinitely 
 populous, but I think badly cultivated; the husbandry, the economy, and the way of 
 living miserable, though they boast so much of the industry of the people; I say 
 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 the native 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 convenient 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 Quixotism, 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 travelled on gently, but this figure of a gentleman rode away before us; and as 
 we stopped at a village about an hour to refresh us, when we came by the country 
 seat of this great man, we saw him in a little place before his door, eating a repast. 
 It was a kind of garden, but he was easy to be seen; and we were given to under- 
 stand that the more we looked at him the better he would be pleased. He sat under 
 a tree, something like the palmetto, which effectually shaded him over 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 whom fed the squire with a spoon, and the other held the dish with one 
 hand, and scraped off what he let fall upon his worship's beard and taffety vest. 
 
 Thus leaving the poor wretch to please himself with our looking at him, as if 
 we admired his pomp, though we really pitied and contemned him, we pursued our 
 journey; only Father Simon had the curiosity to stay to inform himself what dainties 
 
 19* 
 
-oo JiOBINSO.V CRUSOE. 
 
 the country justice had to feed on in all his state, which he liad the honour to taste 
 of, and wliich was, I think, a mess of boiled rice, with a f,'reat 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, trappings, &c., that we could scarce see anything but 
 their feet and their heads as they went along. 
 
 I was now light-hearted, and all my trouble and perplexity tliat I have given 
 an account of being over, I had no anxious thoughts about me, which made this 
 journey the pleasanter to me; nor had I any ill accident attended me, only in passing 
 or fording a small river, my horse fell, and made me free of the country, as they call 
 it — that is to say, threw me in. The place was not deep, but it wetted me all over. 
 I mention it because it spoiled my pocket-book, wherein I had set down the names 
 of several people and places which I had occasion to remember, and which not taking 
 due care of, the leaves rotted, and the words were never after to be read, to my great 
 loss, as to the names of some of the places I touched at in this journey. 
 
 At length we arrived at Pekin. I had nobody with me but the youth whom my 
 nephew the captain had given me to attend me as a servant, and who proved very 
 trusty and diligent; and my partner had nobody with him but one servant, who was 
 a kinsman. As for the Portuguese pilot, he being desirous to see the court, we bore 
 his charges for his company, and to use him as an interpreter, for he understood the 
 language of the country, and spoke good French and a little English; and mdeed 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," says the old man in broken EngHsh, "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 pecuiie?" — so he called money, being his broken Latin, of which he had 
 abundance to make us merry with. In short, he told us that 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. 
 
 I confess I Avas 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, Avho 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 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 at Bengal, and left his effects in such good 
 
JVE REM'ARD OUR PORTUGUESE PILOT. 
 
 301 
 
 "HE SALUTED THEM WITH 
 
 A LADLE-FULL OF THE STUFF, 
 
 BOILING hot" (/. 287). 
 
 hands, that as we had made a good voyage here, if h.c could invest it in China silks, 
 wrought and raw, such as might be worth the carriage, he would be content to go 
 to England, and then make his voyage back to Bengal by the Company's ships. 
 
 Having resolved upon this, we agreed that if our Portuguese pilot would go with 
 us, we would bear his charges to Moscow, or to England, if he pleased ; nor, indeed, 
 were we to be esteemed over generous in that either, if we had not rewarded him farther, 
 the service he had done us being realty 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 quantit}^ of coined 
 gold, which, as I compute it, came to about one hundred and seventy-five pounds 
 sterling, between us, and to bear all his charges, both for himself and horse, except 
 only a horse to carry his goods. Having settled this between ourselves, we called 
 him to let him know what we had resolved. I told him he had complained of our 
 being willing to let him go back alone, and I was now about to tell him we were 
 resolved he should not go back at all ; that as we had resolved to go to Europe with 
 the caravan, we resolved also he should go wath us ; and that we called him to know 
 his mind. He shook his head and said it was a long journey, and that he had no 
 pecune to carry him thither, or to subsist himself when he came there. We told him 
 we believed it was so, and therefore we had resolved to do something for him that 
 should let him see how sensible we were of the service he had done us, and also 
 how agreeable he was to us ; and then I told him what w-e 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 casualties excepted) 
 either in Muscovy or England, which he would, at our own charge, except only the 
 
3oa i:ODIXSOX CRUSOi:. 
 
 carriage of his gocds. 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 ; besides this, we bought 
 a very large quantity of raw silk, and some other goods, our cargo amounting, in 
 these goods only, to about three thousand five hundred pounds sterling; which, 
 together with tea and some fine calicoes, and three camels' loads of nutmegs and 
 cloves, loaded in all eighteen camels for our share, besides those we rode upon; 
 which, with two or three spare horses, and two horses loaded with provisions, made 
 us, in short, twenty-six horses and camels in our retinue. 
 
 The company was very great, and, as far as I can remember, made between 
 three and four liundred horse, and upwards of one hundred and twenty men, very 
 well armed, and provided for all events; for as the Eastern caravans are subject- to 
 be attacked by the Arabs, so are these by the Tartars; but they are not altogether 
 so dangerous as the Arabs, nor so barbarous when they prevail. 
 
 The company consisted of people of several nations ; but there were about sixty 
 of them merchants or inhabitants of Moscow, though of them some were Livonians ; 
 and to our particular satisfaction, five of them were Scots, who appeared also to be 
 men of great experience in business, and of very good substance. 
 
 When we had travelled one day's journey, the guides, who were five in number, 
 called all the gentlemen and merchants — that is to say, all the passengers except the 
 servants — 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 oificers 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 show 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. 
 "\Vell," says I, "are not the materials of their buildings the product of their own 
 country? and so it is all China ware, is it not?" "No, no," says he, "I mean it 
 is a house all made of China ware, such as you call it in England, or as it is called 
 in our country, porcelain." "Well," says I, "such a thing maybe. How big is it? 
 Can we carry it in a box upon a camel ? If we can, we will buy it." " Upon a 
 camel!" says the old pilot, holding up both his hands; "why, there is a family of 
 thirty people lives in it." 
 
 I was then curious, indeed, to see it ; but 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 
 
HIE GREAT IV ALL OF CLLTNA. 303 
 
 plaster; but all this plastering was really China ware — that is to say, it was plastered 
 with the earth that makes China ware. The outside, which the sun shone hot upon, 
 was glazed, and looked very well, perfectly white, and painted with blue figures, as 
 the large China ware in England is painted, and hard as if it had been burned. As 
 to the inside, all the walls, instead of wainscot, were lined with hardened and painted 
 tiles, like the little square tiles we call galley-tiles in England, all made of the finest 
 China, and the figures exceedingly 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 tlie earthern 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 particular, 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 w'hich the leader of 
 it for the day fined me about the value of three shillings, and told me if it had been 
 three days' journey without the wall, as it was three days within, he must have fined 
 me four times as much, and made me ask pardon the next council day. I promised 
 to be more orderly ; and, indeed, I found afterwards the orders made for keeping all 
 together were absolutely necessary for our common safety. 
 
 In two days more we passed the great China wall, made for a fortification against 
 the Tartars; and a very great work it is, going over hills and mountains in a 
 needless track, where the rocks are impassable, and the precipices such as no enemy 
 could possibly enter, or indeed climb up, or where, if they did, no wall could hinder 
 them. They tell us its length is near a thousand English miles, but that the 
 country is five hundred in 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. 
 
 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 otf, 
 I mean what 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 
 
304 JiOniXSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 understood you liis own way." "Well," says I, "seignior, do you think it would 
 stand out an army of our country people, with a good train of artillery? or our 
 engineers, with two companies of miners ? Would not they batter it down in ten 
 days, that an army might enter in battalia? or blow it up in the air, foundation and 
 all, that there should be no sign of it left?" "Ay, ay," says he, "I know that." 
 The Chinese wanted mightily to know what I said, and I gave him leave to tell him 
 a few days after, for we were then almost out of their country, and he was to leave 
 us a little time after this; but when he knew what I said, he was dumb all the rest 
 of the way, and we heard no more of his fine story of the Chinese power and 
 greatness while he 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 or cities, as 
 being subject to the inroads and depredations of the Tartars, who rob in great 
 armies, and therefore are not to be resisted by the naked inhabitants of an open 
 country. And here I began to find the necessity of keeping together in a caravan 
 as we travelled, for we saw several troops of Tartars roving about; but when I came 
 to see them distinctly, I wondered more that the Chinese Empire could be conquered 
 by such contemptible fellows ; for they are a mere horde of wild fellows, keeping no 
 order, and understanding no discipline or manner of fight. Their horses are poor 
 lean creatures, taught 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 gaiue, it was our hap to meet with about forty 
 Tartars ; whether they were h'unting mutton, as we were, or whether they looked 
 for another kind of prey, we knew not; but as soon as they saw us, one of them blew 
 a kind of horn very loud, but with a barbarous sound that I had never heard before, 
 and, by the way, never care to hear again. We all supposed this was to call their 
 friends about them, and so it w^as ; 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, lie told us that we had nothing to do but to charge them 
 immediately, without loss of time ; and drawing us up in a line, he asked if we were 
 resolved. We told him we were ready to follow him; so he rode directly towards 
 them. They stood gazing at us like a mere crowd, drawn up in no order, nor 
 showing the face of any order at all ; but as soon as they saw us advance, they let 
 fly their arrows, which, however, missed us, very happily : it seems they mistook not 
 their aim, but their distance ; for their arrows all fell a little short of us, but with 
 so true an aim, that had wc been about twenty yards nearer, we must have had 
 several men wounded, if not killed. 
 
 Immediately we halted, and though it was at a great distance, we fired, and sent 
 them leaden bullets for wooden arrows, following our shot full-gallop, to fall in among 
 them sword in hand— for so our bold Scot that led us directed. He was, indeed, but 
 a merchant, but he behaved with such vigour and bravery on this occasion, and yet 
 with such cool courage too, that I never saw any man in action fitter for command. 
 As soon as we came up to them, we fired our pistols in their faces, and then drew; 
 but they fled in the greatest confusion imaginable. The only stand any of them 
 made was on our right, where three of them stood, and, by signs, called the rest to 
 come back to them, having a kind of scimitar in their hands, and their bows hanging 
 
ATTACKED BY TARTARS. 305 
 
 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 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 attem.pt upon us. 
 
 We were all this while in the Chinese dominions, and therefore the Tartars were 
 not so bold as afterwards ; but in about five days we entered a vast, great, wild 
 desert, which held us three days and nights' march ; and we were obliged to carry 
 our water with us, in great leathern bottles, and to encamp all night, just as I have 
 heard they do in the desert of Arabia. 
 
 I asked our guides whose dominion this was in, and they told me this was a 
 kind of border, that might be called no man's land, being a part of Great Karakathay, 
 or Grand Tartary; that, however, it was all reckoned as belonging to China, but 
 that there was no care taken here to preserve it from the inroads of thieves, and 
 therefore it was reckoned the worst desert in the whole march, though we were to 
 go over some much larger. 
 
 In passing this wilderness, which was at first very frightful to me, we saw, two 
 or three times, little parties of the Tartars, but they seemed to be upon their own 
 affairs, and to have no design upon us; and so, like the man who met the devil, if 
 they had nothing to say to us, we had nothing to say to them : we let them go. 
 Once, however, a party of them came so near as to stand and gaze at us : whether 
 it was to consider if they should attack us or not, we knew not; but when we had 
 passed at some distance by them, we 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, 
 Avhich might fall short of us ; but we saw no more arrows or Tartars that time. 
 
 We travelled near a month after this, the ways not being so good as at first, 
 though still in the dominions of the Emperor 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 came to the city of Naum), I Avanted 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, imder a guard. 
 
 I walked it on foot, with my old pilot and a Chinese, being very desirous of a 
 little variety. WHien we came to the place, it was a low marshy ground, walled 
 round with a stone wall, piled up dry, without mortar or earth among it, like a park, 
 with a little guard of Chinese soldiers at the door. Having bought a camel, and 
 agreed for the price, I came away, and the Chinese man that went with me led 
 the camel, when on a sudden came up five Tartars on horseback. Two of them 
 seized the fellow and took the camel from him, while the other three stepped up to 
 me and my old pilot, seeing us, as it were, unarmed, for I had no weapon about me 
 but my sword, which could but ill defend me against three horsemen. The first that 
 came up stopped short upon my drawing my sword, for they are arrant cowards ; but 
 a second, coming upon my left, gave me a blow on the head, which I never felt till 
 afterwards, and wondered, when I came to mvself, what was the matter, and where 
 
3o6 I^OBIXSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 I was, for he laid me flat on the fjroiind ; but my never-failing; old pilot, the Portuguese 
 (so Providence, unlooked for, directs deliverances from dangers which to us are 
 unforeseen), had a pistol in his pocket, which I knew nothing of, nor the Tartars 
 either; if they had, I suppose they would not have attacked us; but cowards are 
 always boldest when there is no danger. The old man seeing me down, with a bold 
 heart stepped up to the fellow that had struck me, and laying hold of his arm with 
 one hand, and pulling him down by main force a little towards him, with the other 
 shot him in the head, and laid him dead upon the spot. He then immediately stepped 
 up to him who had stopped us, as I said, and before he could come forward again, 
 made a blow at him with a scimitar, which he always wore, but missing the man, 
 struck his horse in the side of his head, cut one of the ears off by the root, and a 
 great slice down by the side of his face. The poor beast, enraged with the wound, 
 was no more to be governed 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, tlirew 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 poleaxc neither, he wrcnclied 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 complete victory. 
 
 By this time I was a little recovered ; for I thought, when I first began to wake, 
 that I had been in a sweet sleep ; but, as I said above, I wondered where I was, 
 how I came upon the ground, and what was the matter; but a few moments after, 
 as sense returned, 1 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 aclie; and then in a 
 moment memory returned, and everything was present to me again. I jumped upon 
 my feet instantly, and got hold of my sword, but no enemies were in view ; I found 
 a Tartar lying dead, and his horse standing very quietly b}' 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 
 inconvenience 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 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 consequence, 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 
 
AXOTHER TARTAR HORDE. 
 
 307 
 
 in Karakathay, which, I beHeve, 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 days' journey of this city, when messengers 
 were sent express to every part of the road to tell all travellers and caravans to halt 
 till they had a guard sent for them; for that an unusual body of Tartars, making ten 
 thousand in all, had appeared in the way, about thirty miles beyond the city. 
 
 This was very bad news to travellers; however, it was carefully 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 
 
 "I TURNED SHORT UPON HIM" (/. 2go). 
 
 ourselves a match for the whole ten thousand Mogul Tartars, if they had appeared; 
 but the next day, when the}^ did appear, it was quits another thing. 
 
 It was early in the morning, when marching from a well-situated little town, 
 called Changu, we had a river to pass, which we were obliged to ferry; and, had tlie 
 Tartars had any intelligence, then had been the time to have attacked us, when the 
 caravan being over, the rear-guard was behind; but they did not appear there. About 
 three hours after, when we were entered upon a desert of about fifteen or sixteen 
 miles over, 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. ^ly old pilot was of my mind: and 
 being near me, called out: "Seignior Inglese," says he, " those fellows must be encou- 
 raged, or they will ruin us all; for if the Tartars come on, they will never stand it." 
 "I am of your mind," says I; "but w^hat must be done?" "Done!" sa)^s he, "let 
 
3o8 
 
 KOBIiVSON CRUSOE. 
 
 fifty of our men advance, and flank them on each wing, and encourage them, and 
 they will fight Hke brave fellows in brave company; but without this tliey will every 
 man turn his l»ack." 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; and 
 they went off, I suppose back, to give an account of the reception they were like to 
 meet with ; and, indeed, that salute cloyed their stomachs, for they immediately lialted, 
 stood awhile to consider 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, orNaum: 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 Muscovite frontiers lay nearer to them than they do now, 
 the Muscovites 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 
 were yet above two thousand miles from Muscovy, properly so called. 
 
 After this, we passed several great rivers, and two dreadful deserts; one of which 
 we were sixteen days passing over, and which, as I said, was to be called no man's 
 land; and, on the 13th of April, we came to the frontiers of the Muscovite dominions. 
 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 Muscovites 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 
 reflection, what a blessing it is to be brought into the world where the name of God 
 and a Redeemer is known, adored, and worshipped; 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 througli but had their pagodas, their 
 idols, and their temples, and ignorant people worshi})ping even the works of their own 
 hands. Now we came where, at least, a face of the Christian w^orship 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 acknowledgment of this; and taking him by the hand, I said to 
 him, "Blessed be God, we are once again among 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 garrison, and a few of the inhabitants of the cities upon the road, all 
 
WE ENTER MUSCOVr. 309 
 
 the rest of this country, for above a thousand miles farther, is inhaliitcd 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; 
 Ave 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 channels: we had full five thousand 
 miles to the Indian or Persian Sea, south; and about eight himdred to the Frozen 
 Sea, north. Nay, if some people may be believed, there might be no sea north-east 
 till we came round the Pole, and consequently into the north-west, and so had a 
 continent of land into America, the Lord knows where; though I could give some 
 reasons why I believe that to be a mistake. 
 
 As we entered into the Muscovite dominions a good while before we came to any 
 considerable towns, we had nothing to observe there but this: first, that all the rivers 
 run to the east ; as I vmderstood by the charts, which some in our caravan had with 
 them, it was plain all those rivers ran into the great river Yamour, or Gamour; which 
 river, by the natural course of it, must run into the East Sea, or Chinese Ocean. 
 The story they tell us, that the mouth of this river is choked up with bulrushes of 
 a monstrous growth — viz., three feet about, and twenty or thirty feet high — I must 
 be allowed to say, I believe nothing of it; but, as its navigation is of no use, because 
 there is no trade that way, the Tartars, to whom it alone belongs, dealing in nothing 
 but cattle, so nobody that ever I heard of has been curious enough either to go down 
 to the mouth of it in boats, or come up from the mouth of it in ships, as far as I 
 can find; but this is certain, that this river running east, in the latitude of about 
 50 degrees, carries a vast concourse of rivers along with it, and finds an ocean to 
 empty itself in that latitude; so we are sure of sea there. 
 
 Some leagues to the north of this river, there are several considerable rivers, 
 whose streams run as due north as the 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 
 history. These rivers running all northward, as well as all the other rivers I am yet 
 to speak of, make it evident that the Northern Ocean bounds the lands also on that 
 side; so that it does not seem rational in the least to think that the land can extend 
 itself to join wdth America 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 obser- 
 vation at that time, and therefore I take notice of it in this place. 
 
 We now advanced from the river Arguna by easy and moderate journeys, and 
 were very visibly obliged to the care the Czar of Muscovy has taken to have cities 
 and towns built in as many places as it is possible to place them, where his soldiers 
 keep garrison, something like the stationary soldiers placed by the Romans in the 
 remotest countries of their empire; some of which I had read of were placed in Britain, 
 for the security of commerce, and for the lodging of travellers : and thus it was here ; 
 for wherever we came, though at these towns and stations the garrisons and governors 
 were Russians and professed Christians, yet the inhabitants were mere pagans; sacri- 
 ficing 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 
 Nortziou::ky, 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 insufferable. They had, I suppose, 
 
3'0 
 
 J^n;:/yKn^- CRUSOE. 
 
 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 tliink of to represent 
 the devil can be made; it had a head not resembling any creature that the world 
 ever saw; cars 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. 
 
 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 lying f^at upon the ground 
 round this formidable block of shapeless wood; I saw no motion among tliem, any 
 juore than if they had been all logs of wood, like the idol, and at first I really thought 
 they had been so; but when I came a little nearer, they started up upon their feet, 
 and raised a howling cry, as if 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, for 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 ofTering, and were 
 making their prayers to that stock. 
 
 I confess I was more moved at their stupidit}' 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 to be honoured by 
 Him, sunk and degenerated to a degree so very stupid as to prostrate itself to a 
 frightful nothing, a mere imaginary object dressed up by themselves and made terrible to 
 themselves by their own 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 his Maker the homage and adoration of His creatures, had deluded 
 them into such sordid and brutish things as one would think would shock Nature itself! 
 
 But what signified all the astonishment and reflection of thoughts? And thus it 
 was, and I saw it before my eyes, and there was no room to wonder at it, or think 
 it impossible; all my admiration turned to rage, and I rode up to the image or 
 monster — call it what you will — and Avith 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 some 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 desert; 
 so we had some leisure here to put my design in execution. I communicated it to 
 the Scots merchant of Moscow, of wiiose courage I had sufficient testimony; I told 
 him what 1 had seen, and with what indignation I had since thought that human 
 nature could be so degenerate; I told him if I could get but four or five men well 
 armed to go with me, I was resolved to go and destroy that vile, abominable idol, 
 and let them see that it had no power to help itself, and consequently could not be 
 an object of worship, or to be prayed to, much less help them that offered sacrifices to it. 
 
DE VIL - WORSHIP. 3 1 1 
 
 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 assure you; for they are desperate fellows, and that especially in defence of 
 their idolatry." "Can we not," said I, "do it in the night, and then leave them the 
 reasons and the causes in writing in their own language?" "Writing!" said he; 
 "why, there is not a man in five nations of them that knows anything of a letter, 
 or how to read a word any way." "Wretched ignorance!" said I to him; "however, 
 I have a great mind to do it; perhaps nature may draw inferences from it to them, 
 to let them see how brutish they are to worship such horrid things." "Look you, 
 sir," said he; "if your zeal prompts you to 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 Nertzinskay 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." 
 
 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 into execution. 
 Towards the evening, the Scots merchant met me by accident in our walk about the 
 town, and desired to speak with me. "I beheve," said he, "I have put you off your 
 good design. I have been a little concerned about it since, for I abhor idolatry as 
 much as you can do." "Truly," said I, "you have put off a little the execution of 
 it; but you have not put it out of my thoughts, and I believe I shall do it before I 
 quit this place, though I were to be 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 either; that would be murdering you, indeed." "Why," said 
 I, "how would they use me?" "Use you!" said he; "I'll tell you how they served 
 a poor Russian who affronted them in their worship just as you did, and whom they 
 took prisoner, after they had lamed him with an arrow that he could not run away. 
 They took him and stripped him stark naked, and set him upon the top of the idol- 
 monster, and stood all round him, and shot as many arrows into him as would stick 
 over his whole body; and then they burned him, and all the arrows sticking in him, 
 as a sacrifice to the idol." "And was this the same idol?" said I. "Yes," said he, 
 "the very same." "Well," said I, "I will tell you a story." So I related the story 
 of our men at Madagascar, and how they burned and sacked the village there, and 
 killed man, woman, and child, for their murdering one of our men, just as it is related 
 before; and I added that I thought we ought to do so to this village. 
 
 He listened very attentively to the story; but when I talked of doing so to that 
 village, said he, "You mistake very much; it was not this \illage — it was almost a 
 hundred miles from this place; but it was the same idol, for they carry him about m 
 procession all over the country." "Well," said I, "then that idol ought to be punished 
 for it; and it shall," said I, "if I live this night out." 
 
 In a word, finding me resolute, he liked the design, and told me I should not go 
 alone, but he would go with me, but he would go first and bring a stout fellow, one 
 of his countrymen, to go also with us; "and one," said he, "as famous for his zeal 
 as you can desire any one to be against such devilish things as these." In a word, 
 he brought me his comrade, a Scotsman, whom he called Captain Richardson ; and I 
 gave him a full account of what I had seen, and also what I 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. I had, indeed, proposed it to my partner, but he dechned it. He said he 
 was ready to assist me to the utmost, and upon all occasions, for my defence; but 
 this was an adventure quite out of his way; so I say, we resolved upon our work, 
 
3J2 J^07UXS0.V CATSO/i. 
 
 only we three and my man-servant, and to put it in execution that night about mid- 
 night, with all the secrecy imaginable. 
 
 However, upon second thoughts, we were willing to delay it till the next night, 
 because the caravan being to set forward in the morning, we supposed tb.e governor 
 could not pretend to give them any satisfaction upon us when we were out of his 
 power. The Scots merchant, as steady in his resolution for the enterprise as bold in 
 executing, brought me a Tartar's robe or gown of sheep-skins, and a bonnet, with a 
 bow and arrows, and had provided the same for himself and his countryman, that the 
 people, if they saw us, should not determine who we were. 
 
 All the first night we spent in mixing up some combustible matter, with aqua 
 vita?, 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 enougli 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 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 destruction that we intended for it; and what we intended 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," says the Scots merchant, "•! 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 pack-thread 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 them, 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 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 diabolical sacrifices. They 
 appeared, in short, frightened to death, at least so as to sit trembling and stupid, 
 and not able to speak either for the smoke. 
 
'KNOCKS ONE OF THEM OFF HIS HORSE." 
 
314 KOBIXr,OX CRUSOE 
 
 In a word, \ve took them, bound them as we had done the others, and all without 
 anv noise. I should have said we brought them out of the house or hut first; for 
 indeed we were not able to bear the smoke any more than they were. When we 
 had done this, we carried them all together to the idol; when we came there, we fell 
 to work with him ; and first wc 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 us 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 
 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 deluded wretches will all throw themselves into the fire, and burn them- 
 selves with the idol." So we resolved to stay till the forage was burned down too, 
 and then came away and left them. 
 
 After the feat was performed, we appeared in the morning among our fellow- 
 travellers, exceedingly busy in getting ready for our journey; nor could any man 
 suggest that we had been anywhere but in our beds, as travellers might be supposed 
 to be, to fit themselves for the fatigues of the day's journey. 
 
 But the affair did not end so; the next day came a great number of the country 
 people to the town gates, and in a most outrageous manner demanded satisfaction of 
 the Russian governor for the insulting their priests, and burning their great Cham 
 Chi-Thaungu. The people of Nertzinskay 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 possible; assuring them that he knew nothing of it, and that there had not a 
 soul in his garrison been abroad, so that it could not be from anybody there; but if 
 they could let him know who did it, they should be exemplarily punished. They 
 returned haughtily, that all the country reverenced the great Cham Chi-Thaungu, 
 who dwelt in the sun, and no mortal would have dared to offer violence to his image 
 but some Christian miscreant ; and they therefore resolved to denounce war against 
 him and all the Russians, who, they said, were 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 inquire 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 
 meantime, he would keep them in play as long as he could. 
 
 This was very friendly in the governor; however, when it came to the caravan, 
 there was nobody knew anything of the matter ; and as for us that were guilty, we 
 were least of all suspected. However, the captain of the caravan for the time, took 
 
PURSUED BY THE IDOLATERS. 
 
 .315 
 
 "THE PEOPLE OF Tllli: COUNTr.Y p7'' 
 
 WERE VERY CIVIL TO US " (/. 292). 
 
 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, how- 
 ever, 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 that desert, so the caravans always fortify 
 themselves every night against them, as against armies of robbers ; and it was, there- 
 fore, 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. They did not come on us like thieves, as we expected, but sent 
 three messengers to us, to demand the men to be delivered to them that had abused 
 
^,6 J^OB/JVSOjV CRUSOE. 
 
 their priests, and burned their god Cham Chi-Thaiingu with fire, that tliey miglit burn 
 them with iire; and upon this, they said, they would go away, and do us no furtlier 
 harm; otherwise they would destroy us all. Our men looked very blank at this message, 
 and be"-an to stare at one another to see who looked with the most guilt in their 
 faces; but nobody was the word — nobody did it. The leader of the caravan sent 
 word' he was well assured that it was not done by any of our camp ; that we were 
 peaceful merchants, travelling on our business; that we had done no harm to them 
 or to any one else ; and that, therefore, they must look farther for their enemies who 
 had injured them, for we were not the people; so he desired them not to disturb us, 
 for if they did we should defend ourselves. 
 
 They were far from being satisfied wath 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 imaccountable situation, they durst come no farther than the brook in 
 our front, where they stood, and showed us such a number that indeed terrified us 
 very much; for those that spoke least of them spoke of ten thousand. Here they 
 stood and looked at us awhile, and then setting up a great howl, they let fly a crowd 
 of arrows among us; but we were well enough fortified for that, for w^e 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 INIus- 
 covites, calling to the leader of the caravan, said to him, "I'll go send all these people 
 away to Sibcilka." This was a city four or five days' journey at least to the right, 
 and rather behind us. So he takes his bow and arrows, and getting on horseback, 
 he rides away from our rear directly, as it were back to Nertzinskay; 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 Sibeilka, 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 believed him, and away they drove in a most 
 violent hurry to Sibeilka, 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 Sibeilka 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 wc had a frightful desert, which held us twenty-three days' march. 
 We furnished ourselves with some tents here, for the better accommodating ourselves 
 in the night; and the leader of the caravan procured sixteen carriages or wagons of 
 the country, for carrying our water or provisions ; and these carriages were our defence 
 every night round our little camp: so that had the Tartars appeared, unless they had 
 been very numerous indeed, they would not have been able to hurt us. 
 
 We may well be supposed to have wanted rest again after this long journey; for 
 in this desert we neither saw house nor tree, and scarce a bush; though we saw 
 abundance of the sable hunters, who are all Tartars of the Mogul Tartary, of which 
 this country is a part; and they frequently attack small caravans, but we saw no 
 numbers of them together. 
 
 After we had passed this desert, we came into a country pretty well inhabited; 
 that is to say, we found towns and castles, settled by the Czar of Muscovy, with 
 garrisons of stationary soldiers, to protect the caravans and defend the country against 
 the Tartars, who would otherwise make it very dangerous travelling; and his Czarish 
 majesty had given such strict orders for the well guarding the caravans and merchants, 
 that, if there are any Tartars heard of in tlie country, detachments of the garrison 
 
IN SIBERIA. 317 
 
 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 Europe 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 underground in vaults, which Kive 
 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 under- 
 stand but very little; so that every element, every uncommon thing, sets them sacri- 
 ficing. I met with nothing peculiar myself in all this country, which I reckon was, 
 from the desert I spoke of last, at least four hundred miles, half of it being 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, except in the Muscovite 
 garrisons. All the country between the river Oby and the river Janezay is as entirely 
 pagan, and the people as barbarous, as the remotest of the Tartars; nay, as any nation, 
 for aught I know, in Asia or America. I also found, which I observed to the Muscovite 
 governors whom I had an opportunity to converse with, that the poor pagans are 
 not much wiser, or nearer Christianity, for being under the Muscovite government, 
 which they acknowledged was true enough ; but that, as they said, was none of their 
 business; that if the Czar expected to convert his Siberian, Tonguese, or 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 countr}-, 
 barren of people and good management; otherwise it is in itself a most pleasant, 
 fruitful, and agreeable countr3^ 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 get away, 
 
 I have nothing material to say of my particular affairs till I came to Tobolsk!, 
 the capital city of Siberia, where I continued some time on the following account. 
 
 We had now been almost seven months on our journey, and winter began to 
 come on apace; whereupon my partner and I called a council about our particular 
 affairs, in which we found it proper, as we were bound for England, and not for 
 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 relate the particulars of, by which means the Russians 
 travel more in winter than they can in summer, as in these sledges they are able to 
 run night and day; the snow, being frozen, is one universal covering to Nature, by 
 which the hills, vales, rivers, and lakes are all smooth and hard as a stone, and they 
 run upon the surface, without any regard to what is underneath. 
 
3i8 ROBIXSO.V CRUSOE. 
 
 But I had no occasion to urge a winter journey of this kind : I was bound to 
 England, not to Moscow, and my route lay two ways : either 1 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 on to Dantzic, where I might possibly sell my China cargo to 
 good advantage; or I must leave the caravan at a little town on the Dwina, from 
 whence I had but six dajs l)y water to Archangel, and from thence might be sure 
 of shipping 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 about sixty degrees, where I was sure of three things to wear out a cold wipttr 
 with — viz., plenty of provisions, such as the country afforded, a warm house, with 
 fuel enough, and excellent company. 
 
 I was now in quite a different climate from my beloved island, where I never 
 felt cold, except when I had my ague: on the contrary, I had much to do to bear 
 any clothes on my back, and never made any fire but without doors, which was 
 necessary for dressing my food, &c. Now I had three good vests, with large robes 
 or gowns over them, to hang down to the feet, and button close to the wrists; and 
 all these lined with furs, to make them sufficiently warm. 
 
 As to a warm house, I must confess I greatly disliked our way in England of 
 making fires in every room in the house in open chimneys, which, when the fire was 
 out, always kept the air in the room cold as the climate ; but taking an apartment 
 in a good house in the town, I ordered a chimney to be built like a furnace, in the 
 centre of six several rooms, like a stove; the funnel to carry the smoke went up one 
 way, the door to come at the fire went in another, and all the rooms were kept 
 equally warm, but no fire 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 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 coimtry 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 Galitzin, 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 magnificence, 
 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 
 
rilE RUSSIAN PRINCE. 
 
 319 
 
 of all my subjects: that notwilhstandinj,^ my absolute power, I had not one person 
 disaffected to my government, or to my person, in all my dominions. He shook his 
 head at that, and said, there, indeed, I outdid the Czar of Muscovy. I told him that 
 all the lands in my kingdom were my own, and all my subjects were not only my 
 tenants, but tenants at will; that they would all fight for me to the last drop; and 
 that never tyrant, for such I acknowledged myself to be, was ever so universally 
 beloved, and yet so horribly feared, by his subjects. 
 
 After amusing him with these riddles in government for a while, I opened the 
 case, and told him the story at large of my living in the island ; and how I managed 
 both myself and the people that were under me, just as I have since minuted it down. 
 They were exceedingly taken with the story, and especially the prince, who told me, 
 with a sigh, that the true greatness of life was to be masters of ourselves ; that \\v. 
 would not have exchanged such a state of life as mine to be Czar of Muscovy p 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 satisfying to itself, and suitable to its own best 
 ends and desires, with but very little assistance from the world. The air to breathe 
 in, food to sustain life, clothes for warmth, and liberty for exercise, 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 
 
 I ■ 
 
 "to consult with the captain 
 
 of the ship and his men " (/. 296). 
 
120 
 
 JiOBIXSOX CRUSOE. 
 
 coarsest of our afTections, such as our ambition, our particular pride, avarice, vanity, 
 and sensuality ; all which, being the mere product of the worst part of man, were in 
 themselves crimes, and had in them the seeds of all manner of crimes ; but neither 
 were related to, nor concerned with, any of those virtues that -constituted us wise 
 men, nor of those graces that distinguished us as Christians : that being now deprived 
 of all the fancied felicity which he enjoyed in the full exercise of all those vices, he 
 said he was at leisure to look upon the dark side of them, where he found all manner 
 of deformity; and was now convinced that virtue only makes a man truly wise, rich, 
 and great, and preserves him in the way to a superior happiness in a future state : 
 and in this, he said, they were more happy in their banishment than all their enemies 
 were, who had the full possession of all the wealth and power they had left behind 
 them. "Nor, sir," says he, "do I bring my mind to this politically, from the necessity 
 of my circumstances, which some call miserable; but, if I know anything of myself, 
 I would not now go back, though the Czar my master should call me, and reinstate 
 me in all my former grandeur ; I say, I would no more go back to it than I believe 
 my soul, when it shall be 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 trail in the dirt and crime of human aflairs." 
 
 He spoke this with so much warmth in his temper, so much earnestness and 
 motion of his spirits, that it was evident it was the true sense of his soul ; there was 
 no room to doubt his sincerity. I told him I once thought myself a kind of monarch 
 in my old station, of which 1 had given him an account; but that I thought he was 
 not only a monarch, but a great conqueror; for he that had got a victory over his 
 own exorbitant desires, and the absolute dominion over himself, he whose reason 
 entirely governs his will, is certainly greater than he that conquers a city. "But, 
 my lord," said I, "shall I take the liberty to ask you a question?" "With all my 
 heart," says he. "If the door of your liberty was opened," said I, "would you not 
 take hold of it, to deliver yourself from this exile ? " "Hold," said he; "your question 
 is subtle and requires some serious, just distinctions to give it a sincere answer; and 
 1 will give it you from the bottom of my heart. Nothing that I know of in the 
 world would move me to deliver myself from this state of banishment, except these 
 two: first, the enjoyment of my relations; and, secondly, a little warmer climate; but 
 1 protest to you, that to go back to the pomp of the court, the glory, the power, 
 the hurry of a minister of state ; the w^ealth, the gaiety, and the pleasures of a 
 courtier; if my master should send me word this moment that he restores me to all 
 he banished me from, I protest, if I know myself at all, I would not leave this 
 wilderness, these deserts, and these frozen lakes, for the palace at Moscow." "But, 
 my lord," said I, "perhaps you not only are banished from the pleasures of the court, 
 and from the power, 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, 1 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 way of life: we are, in this place, five 
 persons of rank; we live perfectly retired, as suited to a state of banishment; we 
 have something rescued from the shipwreck of our fortunes, which keeps us from the 
 mere necessity of hunting for our food ; but the poor soldiers, who are here without 
 that help, live in as much plenty as we, who go in 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 for ourselves. So that objection is 
 out of doors." 
 
 I have not room to give a full account of the most agreeable conversation I had 
 
WINTER IN SIBERIA. 321 
 
 with this truly p^reat man ; in all which he showed that his mind was so inspired 
 with a superior knowledge of things, so supported by religion, as well as by a vast 
 share of wisdom, that his contempt of the world was really as much as he had 
 expressed, and that he was always the same to the last, as will appear in the story 
 I am going to tell. 
 
 I had been here eight months, and a dark, dreadful winter I thought it ; the 
 cold so intense that I could not so much as look abroad without being wrapped in 
 furs, and a mask of fur before my face, or rather a hood, with only a hole for breath, 
 and" two for sight: the little da3dight 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 weather being clear, it was never quite dark. Our horses were 
 kept, or rather starved, underground; and as for our servants, whom we hired here 
 to look after ourselves and horses, we had, every now and then, their fingers and 
 toes to thaw and take care of, lest they should mortify, and fall off. 
 
 It is true, within doors we were warm, the houses being close, the walls thick, 
 the lights small, and the glass all double. Our food was chiefly the flesh of deer, 
 dried and cured in the season ; bread good enough, but baked as biscuits ; dried 
 fish of several sorts, and some flesh of mutton and of buffaloes, which is pretty good 
 meat. All the stores of provisions for the winter are laid up in the summer, and 
 well cured: our drink was water, mixed with aqua-vitae instead of brandy; and for 
 a treat, mead instead of wine, which, however, they have very good. The hunters, 
 who venture abroad all weathers, frequently brought us in fine venison, and some- 
 times bear's flesh, but we did nojt much care for the last. We had a good stock 
 of tea, with which we treated our friends, and we lived very cheerfully and well, all 
 things considered. 
 
 It was now March, the days grown considerably longer, and the weather at least 
 tolerable; so the other travellers began to prepare sledges to carry them over the 
 snow, and to get things ready to be going; but my measures being fixed, as I have 
 said, for Archangel, and not for Muscovy or the Baltic, I made no motion ; knowing 
 very well that the ships from the south do not set out for that part of the world till 
 May or June; and that if I was there by the beginning of August, it would be as 
 soon as any ships would be ready to go away; and therefore I made no haste to be 
 gone, as others did: in a word, I saw a great many people, nay, all the travellers, 
 go away before me. It seems every year they go from thence to Muscovy for trade, 
 to carry furs, and buy necessaries, which they bring back with them to furnish their 
 shops; also others went on the same errand to Archangel; but then they all being 
 to come back again above eight hundred miles, went out before me. 
 
 In the month of May I began to make all ready to pack up; and, as I was doing 
 this, it occurred to me that, seeing all these people were banished by the Czar of 
 Muscovy to Siberia, and yet, when they came there, were left at liberty to go whither 
 they would, why they did not then go away to any part of the world, wherever they 
 thought fit: and I began to examine what should hinder them from making such an 
 attempt. But my wonder was over when I entered upon that subject with the person 
 I have mentioned, who answered me thus: "Consider, first, sir," said he, "the place 
 where we are; and, secondly, the condition we are in; especially the generality of the 
 people who are banished hither. We are surrounded with stronger things than bars 
 or bolts; on the north side, an unnavigable ocean, where ship never sailed, and boat 
 never swam ; every other way we have above a thousand miles to pass through the 
 Czar's own dominions, and by ways utterly impassable, except by the roads made by 
 the Government and through the towns garrisoned by his troops; so that we could 
 neither pass undiscovered by the road, nor subsist any other way; so that it is in 
 vain to attempt 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 
 
322 ROBTNSOX CRl'SOE. 
 
 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 
 1 could carry him ofl". Upon this, I took an occasion, one evening, to tell him my 
 tlioughts. 1 represented to him that it was very easy for me to carry him away, 
 there being no guard over liim 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 town in the desert, but could encamp every night 
 where I would, we might easily pass uninterrupted to Archangel, where 1 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. 
 
 \\c heard me very attentively, and looked earnestly on me all the while I spoke : 
 nay, 1 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, 
 till it might be even perceived in his countenance; nor could he immediately answer me 
 when I had done, and, as it were, hesitated Avhat he would say to it: but, after he 
 had paused a little, he embraced me and said, " How unhappy are we, unguarded 
 creatures as we are, that even our greatest acts of friendship are made snares 
 unto us, and we are made tempters of one another! My dear friend," said he, "your 
 offer is so sincere, has such kindness in it, is so disinterested in itself, and is so 
 calculated for my advantage, that I must have very little knowledge of the world if 
 I did not both wonder at it, and acknowledge the obligation I have upon me to you 
 for it. But did you believe I was sincere in what I have often said to you of my 
 contempt of the world? Did you believe I spoke 'my very soul to you, and that I 
 had really obtained that degree of felicity here that had placed me above all that 
 the world could give me? Did you believe I was sincere when I told you I would 
 not go back, if I was 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 himself 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 enjoyment of all personal liberty. 
 Dear sir, let me remain in this blessed confinement, banished frcjin the crimes of life, 
 rather than purchase a show of freedom at the expense of the liberty of my reason, 
 and at the future happiness which I now have in my view, but shall then, I fear, 
 quickly lose sight of; for I am but flesh ; a man, a mere man : have passions and 
 affections as likely to possess and overthrow me as any man. Oh, be not my friend 
 and tempter both together ! " 
 
 If 1 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, 
 
AA^ INTERCHANGE OE PRESENIS. 
 
 J23 
 
 "THE POWDER IN THE EVES, 
 
 MOUTH, AND EAKS OF 
 
 THE IDOL BLEW UP" (^p. 314). 
 
 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 tlie 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 dechne it, and I 
 have infinite satisfaction in the parting, that you shall leave me an honest man still, 
 though not a free man." 
 
 I had nothing to do but to acquiesce, and make professions to him of my having 
 no end in it but a sincere desire to serve him. He embraced me very passionately, 
 and assured me he was sensible of that, and should always acknowledge it; and 
 with that he offered me a very fine present of sables, — 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 t\yo pieces of China damask, and four little wedges of Japan gold, which did not 
 all w^eigh above six ounces or thereabouts, but were far short of the value of his 
 sables, which, when I came to England, I found worth near two hundred pounds. 
 He accepted the tea, and one piece of the damask, and one of the pieces of gold, 
 whicli had a fine stamp upon it, of the Japan coinage, which I found he took for the 
 
32| JiOn/XSON CRCSOE. 
 
 rarity of it, but ^vould not take any more: and he sent word by my servant that he 
 dssircd 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 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 inclined 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 tome, 
 I would give him my answer. 
 
 He told me it was his only son ; who, though I had not seen him, yet was in 
 the same condition with himself, and above two hundred miles from him on tiie other 
 side of the Oby ; but that if I consented, he would send for him. 
 
 I made no hesitation, but told him I would do it. I made some ceremony in 
 letting him understand that it was wholly on his account; and that, seeing I could 
 not prevail on him, I would show my respect to him by my concern for his son ; but 
 these things are too tedious to repeat here. 
 
 He sent the next day for his son ; and in about twenty days he came back with 
 the messenger, bringing six or seven horses, loaded with very rich furs, which, in the 
 whole, amounted to a very great value. 
 
 His servants brought the horses into the town, but left the young lord at a 
 distance till night, when he came incognito into our apartment, and his father 
 presented him to me; and, in short, we concerted the manner of our travelling, and 
 ■ everything proper for the journey. 
 
 I had bought a considerable quantity of sables, black fox skins, fine ermines, and 
 such other furs as are very rich in that city, in exchange for some of the goods I had 
 brought from China ; in particular, for the cloves and nutmegs, of which I sold the 
 greatest part here, and the rest afterwards at 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 beginning of June when I left this remote place; a city, I believe, 
 little heard of in the w'orld ; and, indeed, it is so far out of the road of commerce, 
 that I know not how it should be much talked of. 
 
 We were now reduced to a very small caravan, having only thirty-two horses 
 and camels in all, and all of them passed for mine, though my new guest was 
 proprietor of eleven of them ; it was most natural, also, that I should take more 
 servants with me than I had before ; and the young lord passed for my steward ; 
 what great man I passed for myself, I know not, neither did it concern me to 
 inquire. 
 
 We had here the worst and the largest desert to pass over that we met with 
 in our whole journey; I call it the worst because the way was very deep in some 
 places, and very uneven in others; the best we had to say for it was, that w^e 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 very seldom ; but we found it otherwise. 
 
 My young lord had a faithful Siberian servant, who was perfectly 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 accommo- 
 dation in the cities on the way ; this the young lord was so sensible of that he would. 
 
A ANOTHER ATTACK. 325 
 
 not allow lis to He abroad when we came to several cities on the way, but lay abroad 
 himself, with his servant, in the woods, and met us always at the appointed places. 
 
 We had just entered Europe, having passed the river Kama, which in these parts 
 is the boundary between Europe and Asia, and the first city on the European side 
 was called Soloy 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, which is near seven hundred 
 m.iles 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 between 
 that country and the Mogul Tartary; the people are mostly pagans, and little better 
 than the savages of America ; their houses and towns full of idols, and their way of 
 living wholly barbarous, except in the cities, and the villages near them, where they 
 are Christians, as they call themselves, of the Greek Church, but have their religion 
 mingled with so man}^ relics of superstition that it is scarce to be known in some 
 places from mere sorcery and witchcraft. 
 
 In passing this forest, I thought, indeed, we must (after all our dangers were, to 
 our imagination, escaped) have been plundered and robbed, and perhaps murdered, 
 by a troop of thieves; of what country they were, I am yet at a loss to know; but 
 they were all on horseback, carried bows and arrows, and were at first about forty- 
 five in number; they came so near to us as to be within two musket-shots, and, 
 asking no questions, surrounded us with their horses, and looked 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, and called to them; but though he 
 spoke several of their languages, or dialects of languages rather, he could not under- 
 stand a word they said ; however, after some signs to him not to come near them at 
 his peril, the fellow came back no wiser than he went; only that by their dress, he 
 said, he believed them to be some Tartars of Kalmuck, or of the Circassian hordes, 
 and that there must be more of them upon the great desert, though he never heard 
 that any of them were seen so far north before. 
 
 About an hour after, they again made a motion to attack us, and rode round our 
 little wood to see where they might break in; but finding us always ready to face 
 them, they went off again; and we resolved not to stir for that night. 
 
 This was small comfort to us; however, we had no remedy; there was, on our 
 left hand, at about a quarter of a mile distance, a little grove, and very near the 
 road; I immediately resolved we should advance to those trees, and fortify ourselves 
 as well as we could there; for, first, I considered that the trees would in a great 
 measure cover us from their arrows; and, in the next place, they could not come to 
 charge us in a body; it was, indeed, my old Portuguese pilot who proposed it, and 
 who had this excellency attending him, that he was always readiest and most apt to 
 direct and encourage us in cases of the most danger. 
 
 We advanced immediately, with what speed we could, and gained that little 
 wood; the Tartars, or thieves, for we knew not what to call them, keeping their 
 stand, and not 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 afterwards the Wirtska; the trees which grew about this spring were 
 not above two hundred, but very large, and stood pretty thick, so that as soon 
 as we got in, we saw ourselves perfectly safe from the enemy unless they attacked 
 us on foot. 
 
3^6 KOB/XSON CRUSOE. 
 
 While we stayed here waitinj^ the motion of the enemy some hours, without 
 perceiving tliat they made any movement, our Portuguese, with some help, cut several 
 arms of trees half off, and laid them hanging across from one tree to another, and 
 in a manner fenced us in. About two hours before night, they came down directly 
 upon us; and though we had not perceived it, we found they had been joined by 
 some more, so that they were near fourscore horse; whereof, however, we fancied 
 some were women. 
 
 They came on till they Avere within half-shot of our little wood, when we fired 
 one musket without ball, and called to them in the Russian tongue, to know what 
 they wanted, and bade them keep off; but they came on with a double fury up to 
 the wood side, not imagining we were so barricaded that they could not easily 
 break in. 
 
 Our old pilot was our captain, as well as our engineer, and desired us not to 
 fire upon them till they came within pistol shot, that we might be sure to kill, 
 and that when we did fire we should be sure to take good aim; we bade him give 
 the word of command, which he delayed so long, that they were some of them within 
 two pikes' length of us when we let fly. 
 
 We aimed so true that we killed fourteen of them, and wounded several others, 
 as also several of their horses; for we had all of us loaded our pieces with two or 
 three bullets at least. 
 
 They were terribly surprised with our fire, and retreated immediately about one 
 hundred rods from us; in which time we loaded our pieces again, and seeing them 
 keep that distance, we sallied out, and caught four or five of their horses, whose 
 riders we supposed were killed; and coming up to the dead we judged they were 
 Tartars, but knew not how they came to make an excursion such an unusual length. 
 
 We slept little, you may be sure, but spent the most part of the night in strength- 
 ening 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 Avere discouraged with the reception 
 they met with, were now greatly increased, and had set up eleven or twelve huts or 
 tents, as if they were resolved to besiege us; and this little camp they had pitched 
 upon the open plain, about three-quarters of a mile from iis. 
 
 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 He 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 deliver- 
 ance. As to my partner, he was raging, and declared that to lose his goods would 
 be his ruin, and that he Avould rather die than be starved, and he was for fighting 
 to the last drop. 
 
 The young lord, a gallant youth, was for fighting to the last also; and my old 
 pilot was of opinion that we were able to resist them all in the situation we were 
 then in; and thus we spent the day in debates of what A\e should do; but towards 
 the evening we found that the number of our enemies still increased, and we did not 
 know but by the morning thev might still be a greater number; so I began to inquire 
 of those people wo had brought from Tobolski, if there were no private ways by 
 which we might avoid them in the night, and perhaps retreat to some town, or get 
 help to guard us over the desert. 
 
 The Siberian who was servant to the young lord told us, if we designed to 
 avoid them, and not fight, he would engage to carry us off in the night, to a way 
 that went north, towards the river Petrou, by which he made no question but we 
 might get away, and the Tartars never discover it; but he said his lord had told 
 him he would not retreat, but would rather choose to fight. 
 
TRAVELLING TOWARDS HOME. ^i-j 
 
 I told him he mistook his lord; for that he was too wise a man to love fighting 
 for the sake of it; that 1 knew his lord was brave enough, by what he had showed 
 already; but that his lord knew better than to desire seventeen or eighteen men to 
 light five hundred, unless an unavoidable necessity forced them to do 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 putting it in practice. 
 
 And first, as soon as it began to be dark, we kindled a fire in our little camp, 
 which we kept burning, and prepared so as to make it burn all night, that the 
 Tartars might conclude we were still there; but as soon as it was dark, and we 
 could see the stars (for our guide would not stir before), having all our horses and 
 camels ready loaded, we followed our new guide, who I soon found steered himself 
 by the north star. 
 
 After we had travelled two hours very hard, it began to be lighter still; not that 
 it was dark all night, but the moon began to rise, so that, in short, it was rather 
 lighter than we wished it to be; but by six o'clock the next morning, we had got 
 above thirty miles, having almost spoiled our hcrses. Here we found a Russian village, 
 named Kermazinskoy, where we rested, and heard nothing of the Kalmuck Tartars 
 that day. 
 
 About two hours before niglit 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 them, which was 
 to our great satisfaction. 
 
 Here we were 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 
 mto 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 convenience, we embarked 
 the 7th, and arrived all safe at Archangel the i8th; 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 lonjrer had not an 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 i8th 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 
 
.328 
 
 RO/UWSON CRCSO/C. 
 
 to the court of Vienna, where lie resolved to seek protection, and could correspond 
 with those of his father's friends who were left alive. He did not part without 
 testimonies of gratitude for the service I had done him, and for my kindness to the 
 prince, his father. 
 
 To conclude: having stayed near four months in Hamburgh, I came from thence 
 by land to the Hague, where I embarked in the packet, and arrived in Londt n 
 the loth 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 sufificiently to know the 
 value of retirement, and the blessing of ending our days in peace. 
 
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