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.: C ure wM what 10load It wtth, nd how t prsre what I kd laid upon It fLNom the aurof IGHe AL-PaNe EY2 ubomas dlston anb ions, LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK. 8FI--~ THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES ROBINSON ORUSOE. WRITTEN BY HIMBXLI. 1 O m I n ..1n I lr, T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOBTEB ROW DIMBUm ; AZ nW TO03. MDxOOOL. ADVENTURES or ROBINSON CRUSOE. CHAPTER I. 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. lie 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 lieu- tenant-colonel to an English regiment of foot in Flan- ders, formerly commanded by the famous Colonel Lockhart, and was killed at the battle near Dunkirk against the Spaniards. What became of my second TBR1 8 ADVENTURES OF brother, I never knew, any more than my father and mother did know what was become of me. Being the third son of the family, and not bred to any trade, my head began to be filled very early with rambling thoughts. My father, who was very ancient, had given me a competent share of learning, as far as house education and a country free-school generally go, and designed me for the law; but I would be satisfied with nothing but going to sea; and my inclination to this led me strongly against the will, nay, the commands of my father, and against all the entreaties and persuasions of my mother and other friends. 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 his house, and my native country, where I might be well introduced, and had a prospect of raising my fortune, by application and industry, with a life of ease and pleasure. He told me it was for men of desperate fortunes, on one hand, or of aspir- ing, superior fortunes on the other, who went abroad upon adventures, to rise by enterprise, and make them- selves 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 mildle state, or what might be called the upper sta- ROBINSON CUBOE. 9 tion of low life, which he had found, by long experi- ence, was the best state in the world, the most suited to human happiness; not exposed to the miseries and hardships, the labour and suferings, 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 one thing-namely, that this was the state of life which all other people envied; that kings have frequently lamented the miserable con- sequences 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 of true felicity, when he prayed to have "neither poverty nor riches." He bid me observe it, and I should always find that the calamities of life were shared among the upper and lower parts of mankind; but that the middle station had the fewest disasters, and was not exposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher or lower part of mankind: nay, they were not subjected to so many distempers and uneasinesses, either of body or mind, as those were, who, by vicious living, luxury, and extravagances on one band, or by hard labour, want of necessaries, and mean and insufficient diet on the other hand, bring distempers upon'them- selves by the natural consequence of their way of living; that the middle station of life was calculated for all kinds of virtues, and all kinds of enjoyments" 10 ADVENTURES OF that peace and plenty were the handmaids of a middle fortune; that temperance, moderation, quiet- ness, 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 com- fortably out of it, not embarrassed with the labours of the hands, or of the head, not sold to the life of slavery for daily bread, nor harassed with perplexing circumstances, which rob the soul of peace, and the body of rest; not enraged with the passion of envy, nor 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, not to precipitate myself into miseries, which nature, and the station of life I was born in, seemed to have provided against; that I was under no necessity of seeking my bread; that he would do well for me, and endeavour to enter me fairly into the station of life which he had been just recommending to me; and that, if I was not very easy and happy in the world, it must be my mere fault that must hinder it; and that he should have nothing to answer for, hav- ing thus discharged his duty in warning me against measures which he knew would be to my hurt. In ROBINSON CRUSOE. 11 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 misfor- tunes 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 ear- nest persuasions to keep him from going into the Low Country wars, but could not prevail, his young desires prompting him to run into the army, where he was killed; and though, he said, he would not cease to pray for me, yet he would venture to say to me, that, if I did take this foolish step, God would not bless me; and I would have leisure hereafter to reflect upon having neglected his counsel, when there might be none to assist in my recovery. I observed, in this last part of his discourse, which was truly prophetic, though, I suppose, my father did not know it to be so himself; I say, I observed the tears run down his face very plentifully, especi- ally when he spoke of my brother who was killed; and that, when he spoke of my having leisure to re- pent, and none to assist me, he was so moved, that he broke off the discourse, and told me his heart was so full he could say no more to me. I was sincerely affected with this discourse; as, indeed, who could be otherwise? and I resolved not to think of going abroad any more, but to settle at home, according to my father's desire. But, alas I a few days wore it all off: and, in short, to prevent any of my father's further importunities, in a few 12 ADVENTUREs OF weeks after I resolved to run quite away from him. However, I did not act so hastily neither, as my first heat of resolution prompted; but I took my mother, at a time when I thought her a little plea- santer than ordinary, and told her 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, and 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 make but one voyage abroad, if I came home again, and did not like it, I would go no more; and I would pro- mise, by a double diligence, to recover the time I had lost. This made my mother very angry: she told me she knew it would be to no purpose to speak to my father upon any such a subject; that he knew too well what was my interest to give his consent to anything so much for my hurt; and that she won- dered how I could think of any such thing, after such a discourse as I had had from 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, ROBINSON CRUSOE. 16 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, as I have heard afterwards, 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 meantime, I continued obsti- nately deaf to all proposals of settling to business, and frequently expostulating with my father and mother about their being so positively determined against what they knew my inclinations prompted me to. But, being one day at Hull, where I went casually, and without any purpose of making an elopement at that time, and one of my companies then going to London by sea in his father's ship, and prompting me to go with them by the common allurement of seafaring men,snamely, that it should cost me nothing for my passage," I consulted neither father nor mother any more, nor so much as sent them word of it; but left them to hear of it as they might, without asking God's blessing, or my father's, without any consideration of circumstances or conse- quences, and in an ill hour, God knows. ADVENTURES OF CHAPTER II. ON the 1st of September 1651, I went on board a ship bound for London. Never any young adven- turer's misfortunes, I believe, began earlier, or con- tinued longer than mine. The ship had no sooner got out of the Humber, than the wind began to blow, and the waves to rise, in a most frightful manner; and as I had never been at sea before, I was most inexpressibly sick in body and terrified in mind: I began now seriously to reflect upon what I had done, and how justly I was overtaken by the judgment of Heaven, for wickedly leaving my father's house, and abandoning my duty. All the good counsel of my parents, my father's tears, and my mother's entreaties, came now fresh into my mind; and my conscience, which was not yet come to the pitch of hardiness to which it has been since, reproached me with the contempt of advice, and the breach of my duty to God and my father. All this while the storm increased, and the sea, which I had never been upon before, went very high, though nothing like what I have seen many times since; no, nor what I saw a few days after; but such as 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, in the trough, or hollow of the sea, we ROBINSON CRUSOE. should never rise more; and in this agony of mind I made many vows and resolutions, that, if it would please God to spare my life this voyage, if ever I got my foot once on dry land, 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. These thoughts continued during the storm, and indeed some time after; but the next day, as the wind was abated, and the sea calmer, I began to be a little inured to it. However, I was very grave that day, being also a little sea-sick still: but to- wards 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 I ever saw. I had slept well in the night, and was now no more sea-sick, but very cheerful, looking with won- der upon the sea that was so rough and terrible the day before, and could be so calm and pleasant in a little time after. And now, lest my good resolutions should con- tinue, my companion, who had indeed enticed me away, came to me and said, Well, Bob," clapping me on the shoulder, "how do you do after it? I warrant you were frightened, wa'n't you, last night, when it blew out a capful of wind?" A capful do you call it?" said I, 'twas a terrible storm." A 16 ADVENTURES OF storm, you fool 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: you are 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 too many sailors; the punch was made, and I was made drunk with it; and in that one night's wickedness I drowned all my repentance, all my reflections upon my past conduct, and all my resolutions for the future. I found afterwards, indeed, some intervals of reflection; and 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 drink and company, soon mastered the returns of those fits- for so I called them; and I had in five or six days got as complete a victory over 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, re- solved to leave me entirely without excuse; for, if I would not take this for a deliverance, the next was to be such an one, as the worst and most hardened wretch among us would confess both the danger and the mercy of. The sixth day of our being at sea, we came into Yarmouth roads; tha wind having ROBINSON CRUSOE. 17 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, namely, 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, and should have tided up the river, but that the wind blew too fresh; and after we had lain four or five days, blew very hard. However, the roads being reckoned as good as a harbour, the anchorage good, and our ground-tackle very strong, our men were unconcerned, and not in the least ap- prehensive of danger, but spent the time in rest and mirth, after the manner of the sea. But the eighth day, in the morning, the wind increased, and we had all hands at work to strike our topmasts, and make everything snug and close, that the ship might ride as easy as possible. By noon the sea went very high indeed, and our ship rode forecastle in, shipped several seas, and we thought once or twice our anchor had come home; upon which our master ordered out the sheet-anchor; so that we rode with two anchors a-head, and the cables veered out to the better end. By this time it blew a terrible storm indeed; and now I began to see terror and amazement in the faces even of the seamen themselves. The master was vigilant in the business of preserving the ship; but as he went in and out of his cabin by me, I could B 16 ADVENTURES oF hear him softly say to himself several times, Lord, be merciful to us! we shall be all lost; we shall be all undone!" and the like. During these first hur- ries I was stupid, lying still in my cabin, which was in the steerage, and cannot describe my temper. I could ill re-assume the first penitence, which I had so apparently trampled upon, and hardened myself against; I thought that the bitterness of death had been past, and that this would be nothing too, like the first; but when the master himself came by me, as I said just now, and said we should be all lost, I was dreadfully frightened. I got up out of my cabin, and looked out; but such a dismal sight I never saw: the sea went mountains high, and broke upon us every three or four minutes. When I could look about, I could see nothing but distress around us; two ships that rid near us, we find had cut their masts by the board, being deeply laden; and our men cried out that a ship, which rid about a mile a-head of us, was foundered. Two more ships, being driven from their anchors, cere rim out of the roads to sea, at all adventures, and that with not a mast standing. Toward evening, the mate and boatswain begged the master of our ship to let them cut away the fore- mast, which he was very loth to do; but the boat- swain protesting to him that, if he did not, the ship would founder, he consented; and when they had cut away the foremast, the nmainmast stood so close, and shook the ship so much, that they were obliged to cut it away also, and make a clear deck. RODINSON CRUSOE. 19 Any one may judge what a condition I must be in at all this, who was but a young sailor, and who had been in such a fright before at but a little. But if I can express, at this distance, the thoughts I had about me at that time, I was in ten-fold more horror of mind upon account of my former convictions, and the having returned from them to the resolutions I had wickedly taken at first, than I was at death itself; and these, added to the terror of the storm, put me into such a condition, that I can by no words describe it. But the worst was not come yet; the stonn continued with such fury, that the seamen themselves acknowledged that they had never known a worse. We had a good ship, but she was deep laden, and so wallowed in the sea, that the seamen every now and then cried out she would founder. It was my advantage, in one respect, that I did not know what they meant by founder," till I 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 the ship would go to the bottom. In the middle of the night and under all the rest of our distresses, one of the men, that had been down on purpose to see, cried out, "we had sprung a leak;" another said, "there was four feet water in the hold." Then all hands were called to the pump. At that very word, my heart, as I thought died within me; and I fell backwards upon the side of my bed, where I sat in the cabin. How- 0U ADVENTURES OF ever, the men roused me, and told me, that I," who 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. We worked on; but the water increasing in the hold, it was apparent that the ship would founder; and, though the storm began to abate a little, yet, as it was not possible she could swim till we might run into a port, so the master fired several guns for help; and a light ship, who had rid it out just a-head of us, ventured a boat out to help us. It was with the utmost hazard the boat came near us, but it was im- possible for us to get on board, or for the boat to lie near the ship's side; till, at last, the men rowing very heartily, and venturing their lives to save ours, our men cast them a rope over the stern with a buoy to it, and then veered it out a great length, which they, after great 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 their own ship; so all agreed to let her drive, and only pull her in towards shore as much as we could; and our master promised them, that if the boat was staved upon the shore, he would make it good to their master; so, partly rowing, and partly driving, our boat went away to the northward, slop- ing towards the shore almost as far as Winterton- Ness. We were not much more than a quarter of an hour ROBINSON CRUSOE. 21 out of our ship when 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 that moment, they rather put me into the boat, than that I might be said to go in. My heart was, as it were, dead within me, partly with fright, partly with horror of mind, and the thoughts of what was yet before me. While we were in this condition, the men yet labouring at the oar to bring the boat near the shore, we could see (when, our boat mounting the waves, we were able to see the shore) a great many people run- ning along the strand to assist us when we should come near; but we made slow way towards the shore, nor were we able to reach it, till, being past the light- house at Winterton, the shore falls off to the west- ward towards Cromer, and so the land broke off a little the violence of the wind. Here we got in, and, though notwithout much difficulty, got all safe onshore, 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 the particular merchants and owners of ships; and had money given us sufficient to carry us either to London, or back to Hull, as we thought fit. Had I now had the sense to have gone back to Hull, and have gone home, I had been happy; and my father, an emblem of our blessed Saviour's parable, 22 ADVENTURES OF had even killed the fatted calf for me; for, hearing the ship I went in was cast away in Yarmouth Roads, it was a great while before he had any assurance that I was not drowned. But my wayward disposition pushed me on with an obstinacy that nothing could resist; and, though I had several times loud calls from my reason, and my more composed judgment, to go home, yet I rushed on with my eyes open. My comrade, who had helped to harden me before, and who was the master's son, was now less forward than I; the first time he spoke to me after we were at Yarmouth, which was not till two or three days, for we were separated in the town to several quarters; I say, the first time he saw me, it appeared his tone was altered, and, looking very melancholy, and shak- ing his head, asked me how I did; telling his father who I was, and how I had come this voyage only for a trial, in order to go further abroad. His father, turning to me, with a 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 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 23 are you, and on what account did you go to sea?" Upon that I told him some of my story, at the end of which he burst out with a strange kind of passion. " What had I done," said 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 thou- sand pounds." This indeed was, as I said, an excur- sion of his spirits, which were yet agitated by the sense of his loss, and was further than he could have authority to go. However, he afterwards talked very gravely to me, exhorted me to go hack to my father, and not tempt Providence to my ruin; told me I might see a visible hand of Heaven against me; and, young man," said he, "depend upon it, if you do not go back, wherever you go you will meet with nothing but dis- asters and disappointments, till your father's words are fulfilled upon you." We parted soon after, for I made him little answer, and I saw him no more; which way he went I know not; as for me, having some money in my pocket, I travelled to London by land, and there, as well as on the road, had many struggles with myself what course of life I should take, and whether I should go home, or go to sea. As to going home, shame opposed the best motions that offered to my thoughts; and it immediately occurred to me how I should be laughed at among the neighbours, and should be ashamed to see, not my father and mother only, but even every- body else. From whence I have often since observed, how incongruous and irrational the common temper 24 ADVENTURES OF of mankind is, especially of youth, to that reason which ought to guide them in such cases, namely, 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. CHAPTER III. [N this state of life, however, I remained some time, uncertain what measures to take, and what course of life to lead, till at last I quite laid aside the thoughts of going home, and looked out fur a voyage. That evil influence which carried me first away from my father's house, presented the most unfortunate of all enterprises to my view, and I went on board a vessel bound to the coast of Africa, or, as our sailors vulgarly call it, a voyage to Guinea. It was my great misfortune that, in all these ad- ventures, I did not ship myself as a sailor; but, as I always chose for the worse, so I did here, for having money in my pocket, and good clothes upon my back, I would always go on board in the habit of a gentle- man; 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 omit- ROBINSON CRUSOE. 25 ing to lay some snare for them very early. But it was not so with me; I first fell acquainted with the master of a ship who had been on the coast of Guinea, and who, having had very good success there, was resolved to go again. He, taking a fancy to my con- versation, which was not at all disagreeable at that time, and hearing me say "I had a mind to see the world," told me, that 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 any- thing with me I should have all the advantage of it that the trade would admit, and perhaps I might meet with some encouragement. I embraced the offer, and entering into a strict friendship with this captain, who was an honest and plain-dealing man, I went the voy- age with him, and carried a small adventure with me, which, by the disinterested honesty of my friend the captain, I increased very considerably, for I carried about 40 in such toys and trifles as the captain di- rected me to buy. This 40 I had mustered together by the assistance of some of my relations, whom I corresponded with, and who, I believe, got my father, or at least my mother, to contribute so much as that to my first adventure. This was the only voyage which I may say was successful in all my adventures, and which I owe to the integrity and honesty of my friend the captain, under whom, also, I got a com- petent knowledge of the mathematics and the rules of navigation, learned how to keep an account of the ship's course, take an observation, and, in short, to 26 ADVENTURES OF understand some things that were needful to be un- derstood by a sailor; for, as he took delight to instruct me, I took delight to learn, and, in a word, this voy- age made me both a sailor and a merchant, for I brought home 5 lb. 9 oz. of gold dust for my adven- ture, which yielded me in London at my return almost 300; and this filled me with those aspiring thoughts which have since so completed my ruin. 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 com- mand of the ship. This was the unhappiest voyage that ever man made, for though I did not carry quite 100 of my new-gained wealth, so that I had 200 left, and which I lodged with my friend's widow, lwho was very just to me, yet I fll into terrible misfortunes in this voyage; and the first was this, namely, our ship, imaling her course towards the Canary Islands, or rather between those islands and the African shore, was surprised, in the gray of the morning, by a Turk- ish rover of Sallee, who gave chase to us with all the sail she could make. We crowded also as much can- vass as our yards would spread, or our masts carry, to get 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 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 27 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 shear off again, after returning our fire, and pouring in also his small shot from nearly 200 men which he had on board. However, we had not a man touched, all our men keeping close. He pre- pared 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 story, our ship being disabled, and three of our men killed and eight wounded, we were obliged to yield, and 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 carriedup 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. But, alas I 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 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 Span- 28 ADVENTURES OF ish 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 com- mon drudgery of the slaves about his house; and when he came home again from his cruise, he ordered me to lie in the cabin to look after the ship. Here I meditated nothing but my escape, and what method I might take to effect it, but found no way that had the least probability in it. After about two years an odd circumstance pre- sented itself which put the old thought of making some attempt for my liberty again in my head. My patron lying at home longer than usual without fitting out his ship, which, as I heard, was for want of money, he used constantly, once or twice a week, sometimes oftener, if the weather was fair, to take the ship's pinnace, and go out into the road a fishing; and as he always took me and a young Moresco with him to row the boat, we made him very merry, and I proved very dexterous in catching fish, inso- much that he would sometimes send me with a Moor, one of his kinsmen, and the youth, the Moresco, as they called him, to catch a dish of fish for him. It happened one time, that going a-fishing in a stark 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 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 29 pulled off to sea, instead of pulling in for the shore, and that we were at least two leagues from the shore; however, we got well in again, though with a great deal of labour. But our patron, warned by this disaster, resolved to take more care of himself for the future; and, hav- ing lying by him the long-boat of our English ship he had taken, he resolved he would not go a-fishing any more without a compass and some provision; so he ordered the carpenter of the ship, who was an English slave, to build a little state-room, or cabin, in the middle of the long-boat, like that of a barge, with a place to stand behind it, to steer and haul home the main-sheet, and with 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 gibb'd 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 coffee. We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing, and as I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me. It happened that he had appointed to go out in this boat, either for pleasure or for fish, with two or three Moors of some distinction in that place, and for whom he had provided extra- ordinarily, and had therefore sent on board the boat, overnight a larger store of provision than ordinary, 80 ADVENTURES OP and had ordered me to get ready three fusees, with powder and shot, which were on board his ship, for that they designed some sport of fowling, as well as fishing. I got all things ready, as he directed, and waited the next morning with the boat washed clean, her ensign and pendants out, and everything to accom- modate his guests, when, by-and-by, my patron came on board alone, and told me his guests had put off going, upon some business that fell out, and ordered me, with the man and boy, as usual, to go out with the boat and catch them some fish, for that his friends were to sup at his house; and commanded, that as soon as I 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 like to have a little ship at my command; and, my master being gone, I prepared to furnish myself, not for a fishing business, but for a voyage: though I knew not, neither did I so much as consider, whither I should steer; for anywhere, to get out of that place, was my way. My first contrivance was to make a pretence to speak to this Moor to get something for our subsist- ence on board; for I told him we must not presume to eat of our patron's bread: he said that was true; so he brought a large basket of rusk or biscuit, of their kind, and three jars with fresh water, into the boat. I knew where my patron's case of bottles ROBINSON CRUBOE. 31 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 above half a hundred weight, with a parcel of twine or thread, a hatchet, a saw, and a hammer, all which were of great use to us afterwards, especially the wax to make candles. Another trick I tried upon him, which he innocently came into also: his name was Ismael, whom they call Muley, or Moley: so I called to him, "Moley," said I, "our patron's guns are on board the boat, can you get a little powder and shot? it may be we may kill some alcamies (fowls like our curlews) for ourselves, for I know he keeps the gun- ner'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 pow- der, 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 found some powder of my master's in the great cabin, with which I filled one of the large bottles in the case, which was almost empty, pouring what was in it into another; and thus furnished with everything needful, we sailed out of the port to fish. The castle, which is at the entrance of the port, knew who we were, and took no notice of us; and we were not above a mile out of the port, before we hauled in our sail, and set us down to fih. The wind blew from N.N.E., which was contrary to 32 ADVENTURES OF my desire; for, had it blown southerly, I had been sure to have made the coast of Spain, and at last reached to the bay of Cadiz: but my resolutions were, blow which way it would, I would be gone from the horrid place where I was. After we had fished some time, and watched no- thing; 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, think- ing no harm, agreed; and being at the head of the boat, set the sails; and, as I had the helm, I run the boat near a league further, and then brought-to as if I would fish. Then, giving the boy the helm, I stepped forward to where the Moor was, and 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 calling to me, begged to be taken in, and told me he would go all the world over 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 fowl- ing-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 will shoot you through the head; for I am resolved to have my ROBINSON CRUBOE. 33 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. CHAPTER IV. I could have taken this Moor with me, and have drowned the boy; but there was no venturing to trust him, and humanity forbade the other. When he was gone, I turned to the boy, whom they called Xury, and said to him, "Xury, if you will be faith- ful to me, I will make you a great man: but if .you will not stroke your face to be true to me (that is, swear by Mahomet and his father's beard), I must throw you into the sea too." The boy smiled in my face and spoke so innocently that I could not mistrust him; and swore to be faithful to me and go all over the world with me. While I was in view of the Moor that was swim- ming, I stood out directly to sea with the boat rather stretching to windward, that they might think me gone towards the Strait's mouth (as, indeed, any one that had been in their wits must have been supposed to do); for who would have supposed we were sailing 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 we should be devoured 5'J 31 ADVENTURES OF by savage beasts, or more merciless savages of human kind? But as soon as it grew dusk in the evening, I changed my course, and steered directly south and by east, bending my course a little toward the east, that I might keep in with the shore; and having a fair fresh gale of wind and a smooth quiet sea, I made such sail, that I believe by the next day at three o'clock in the afternoon, when I made the land, I could not be less than 150 niles south of Sallee, quite beyond the lEmperor of Morocco's dominions, or indeed of any other king thereabout; for we saw no people. Yet such was the fright I had taken at the Moors, and the dreadful pprehensions I lad of falling into their hands, that I would not stop or go on shore, or come to anchor, the wind continuing fair, till I had sailed in that manner five days; and then the wind shifting to the southward, I concluded also that if any of our vessels were in chase of me, they also would now give over: so I ventured to make to the coast, and came to an anchor in the mouth of a little river; I knew not what nor where, neither what latitude, what country, what nation, nor what river. I neither saw nor desired to see any people; the principal thing I wanted was fresh water. We came into this creek in the evening, resolving to swim on shore as soon as it was dark, and discover the coun- try; but as soon as it was quite dark, we heard such dreadful noises of the barking, roaring, and howling of wild creatures, of we knew not hat kinds, that ROBINSON CRUSOE. fl 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 will not; but it may be we may see men by day who will be as bad to us as those lions." " Then we may give them the shoot-gun," says Xury laughing; make them run away." Such English Xury spoke by conversing among us slaves. How- ever, 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 creatures (we knew not what to call them), of many sorts, come down to the sea-shore, and run into the water, wal- owing and washing themselves, for the purpose of cooling themselves; and they made such hideous howl- ings and yelling, that I never indeed heard the like. Xury was dreadfully frightened, and, indeed, so was I too; but we were both more frightened when we heard one of these mighty creatures swimming towards our boat; we could not see him, but we might hear him, by his blowing, to be a monstrous, huge, and furious beast. Xury said it was a lion, and it might be so, for aught I know; but poor Xury cried to me to weigh the anchor, and row away. " No," says I, Xury; we can slip our cable with the buoy to it, and go off to sea: they cannot follow us far." I had no sooner said so, but I perceived the creature (whatever it was) within two oars' 86 ADVENTURES OF length, which something surprised me: however, I immediately stept to the cabin door, and, taking up my gun, fired at him; upon which lie turned round and swam to the shore again. In the morning Xury said, if I would let him go on shore with one of the jars, he would find if there was any water, and bring some to me. I asked hin why he would go; why I should not go, and he stay in the boat? The boy answered with so much affee- tion, that he made me love him ever after. Says he, " If wild mans come, they eat me, you go away." "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 in the boat as near the shore as we thought was proper, and so waded to shore, carrying nothing but our arms, and two jars for water. I did not care to go out of sight of the boat, fear- ing the coming of canoes with savages down the river; but the boy, seeing a low place, about a mile up the country, rambled to it; and, by-and-by, I saw him come running towards me. I thought he was pursued by some savage, or frightened by some wild beast, and I therefore ran forward to help him; but when I came nearer to him, I saw something hang- ing over his shoulders, which was a creature that he had shot, like a hare, but different in colour, and longer leg,; however, wee were very glad of it, and ROBINSON CBUSOE. 37 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. So we filled our jars, and having a fire, feasted on the hare we had killed; and prepared to go on our way, having seen no foot- steps of any human creature in that part of the country. As I had been one voyage to this coast before, I knew very well that the islands of the Canaries, and the Cape de Verd islands also, lay not far from the coast. But, as I had no instruments to take an observation, to find what latitude we were in; and did net exactly know, or at least remember, what latitude they were in, I knew not where to look for them, or when to stand off to sea towards them, other- wise I might now have easily found some of these islands. But my hope was, that if I stood along this coast till I came to the part where the English traded, I should find some of their vessels upon their usual design of trade, that would relieve and take us in. By the best of my calculation, the place where I now was must be that country, which, lying between the Emperor of Morocco's dominions and the Negroes, lies wasted and uninhabited, except by wild beasts. Once or twice in the day-time, I thought I saw the Pike of Teneriffe, being the top of the mountain Teneriffe, in the Canaries, and had a great mind to venture out, in hopes of reaching thither; but, having tried twice, I was forced in again by contrary winds, the sea also going too high for my little vessel: so I 38 ADVENTURES OF resolved to pursue my first design, and keep along the shore. Several times I was obliged to land for fresh water, after we had left this place; and once, in par- ticular, 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 further 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 a shade of a piece of the hill, that hung, as it were, over him. Xury," says I, you shall go on shore and kill him." Xury looked frightened 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 I took our biggest gun, which was almost musquet 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 a 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 -14 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 39 again, and then got up upon three legs, and gave the most hideous roar that ever I heard. I was a little surprised that I had not hit him on the head; however, I took up the second piece immediately, and though he began to move off, fired again, and shot him in the head, and had the pleasure to see him drop, and make but little noise, but lie strug- gling for life. Then Xury took heart, and would have me let him go on shore. Well, go," said I; so the hoy jumped into the water, and taking a little gun in one hand, swam to shore with the other hand, and coming close to the creature, put the muzzle of the piece to his ear and shot him in the head again, which despatched him quite. This was game, indeed, to us, but it was no food; and I was very sorry to lose three charges of powder and shot upon a creature that was good for nothing to us. However, Xury said he would have some of him; so he comes on board, and asked me to give him the hatchet. For what, Xury?" said I. "Me cut off his head," said he. However, Xury could not cut off his head; but he cut off a foot, and brought it with him, and it was a monstrous great one. I bethought myself, however, that perhaps the skin of him might, one way or other, be of some value to us; and I resolved to take off his skin, if I could. So Xury and I went to work with him; but Xury was much the better workman at it, for I knew very ill how to do it. Indeed, it took us both up the whole day; but at last we got off the hide of him, and 40 ADVENTURES OF spreading it on the top of our cabin, the sun effectu- ally dried it in two days' time, and it afterwards served me to lie upon. After this stop, we made on to the southward con- tinually, 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 European ship; and if I did not, I knew not what course I had to take, but to seek for the islands, or perish among the negroes. When I 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." How- ever, I hauled in nearer the shore, that I might talk to them; and I found they run along the shore by me a good way. I observed they had no weapons in their hands, except one, who had a long, slender stick, which Xury said was a lance, and that they would throw them a great way with good aim; so I kept at a distance, but talked to them by signs as well as I could, and particularly made signs for some- thing to eat. They beckoned tome to stop my boat, ROBINSON CRUSOE. 41 and they would fetch me some meat: upon this, I lowered the top of my sail, and lay by, and two cf them run up into-the country; and, in less than half an hour, came back, and brought with them two pieces of dry flesh and some corn, such as is the pro- duce 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 dis- pute, for I was not for venturing on shore to them, and they were as much afraid of us; but they took a safe way for us all, for they brought it to the shore, and laid it down, and went and stood a great way off till we fetched it on board, and then came close to us again. We made signs of thanks to them, for we had noth- ing to make them amends: but an opportunity offered that very instant to oblige them wonderfully; for, while we were lying by the shore, came two mighty creatures, one pursuing the other (as we took it) with great fury from the mountains towards the sea; the people were terribly frightened, 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 seem to offer to fall upon any of the negroes, but plunged them- selves 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 42 ADVENTURES OF others. As soon as he came fairly within my reach, I fired and shot him directly in the head; immedi- ately he sunk down into the water, but rose instantly and plunged up and down struggling for life, he im- mediately made to the shore, but died just when he reached it. The other creature, frightened with the flash of fire and the noise of the gun, swam on shore and ran up directly to the mountains. I found quickly the negroes were for eating the flesh of the creature I had killed, 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 could have done with a knife. They offered me some of the flesh, which I declined, making as if I would give it them, but made signs for the skin which they gave me very freely, and brought me a great deal more of their provisions, which, though I did not understand, yet I accepted. I then made signs to them for some water, and held out one of my jars to them, turning it bottom upward to show that it was empty, and that I 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 suppose, in the sun; this they set down for me as before, and I sent Xury on shore with my jars, and filled them all BOBINSON CRUSOE. 43 three. The women were as stark naked as the men. I was now furnished with roots and corn, such as it was, and water; and leaving my friendly negroes, I made forward for about eleven days more without offering to go near the shore, till I saw the land run out a great length into the sea, at about the distance of four or five leagues before me; and the sea being very calm, I kept a large offing to make this point. At length doubling the point, at about two leagues from the land, I saw plainly land on the other side to seaward; then I concluded, as it was most certain indeed, that this was the Cape de Verd, and those the islands, called from thence Cape de Verd Islands. However, they were at a great distance, and I could not well tell what I had best to do; for if I should be taken with a gale of wind, I might neither reach one nor the 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 sailI" and the foolish boy was frightened 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 what she was, namely, that it was a Portuguese ship, and, as I thought, was bound to the coast of Guinea for negroes. But when I ob- served the course she steered, I was soon convinced FF~T~P 44 ADVENTURES OF they were bound some other way, and did not design to come any nearer to the shore; upon which I stretched out to sea as much as I could, resolving to speak with them if possible. With all the sail I could make, I found I should not be able to come in their way, but that they would be gone by before I could make any signal to them; but after I had crowded to the utmost and began to despair, they, it seems, saw me by the help of their 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 ensign on board, I made a waft of it to them for a signal of distress, and fired a gun, both which they saw; for they told me they saw the smoke, though they did not hear the gun. Upon these signals, they very kindly brought to and lay by for me; and in about three hours' time I came up with them. They asked me what I was, in Portuguese, and in Spanish, and in French, but I understood none of them; but, at last, a Scotch sailor who was on board called to me, and I answered him, and told him I was an Englishman; that I had made my escape out of slavery from the Moors at Sallee. They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in and all my goods. It was an inexpressible joy to me, which any one will believe, that I was thus delivered, as I esteemed ROBINSON CRUSOE. 45 it, from such a miserable and almost hopeless con- dition as I was in; and I immediately offered all I had to the captain of the ship as a return for my de- liverance; but he generously told me he would take nothing from me, but that all I had should be delivered safe to me when I came to the Brazils. For," says he, I have saved your life on no other terms than I would be glad to be saved myself; and it may, one time or other, be my lot to be taken up in the same condition. No, no, Seignior Inglese" (Mr. English- man), says he, I will carry you to the Brazils in charity, and these things will help to buy your sub- sistence there and your passage home again." As he was charitable in this proposal, so he was just in the performance to a tittle; for lie ordered the seamen that none should offer to touch anything I had; then he took everything into his own possession, and gave me back an exact inventory of them that I might have them, even so much as my three earthen jars. As to my boat, it was a very good one; and that he saw, and told me he would buy it of me for the ship's use, and asked me what I would have for it? I told him he had been so generous to me in every- hing, that I could not offer to make any price of the bat, but left it entirely to him; upon which he told me he would give me a note of hand to pay me eighty pieces of eight for it at Brazil; arid when it came there, if any one offered to give more he would make it up. IIe offered me also sixty pieces of eight more 46 ADVENTURES OF for my boy Xury which I was loth to take; not that I was not willing to let the captain have him, but I was very loth to sell the poor boy's liberty who had assisted me so faithfully in procuring my own. How- ever, when I let him know my reason, he owned it to be just, and offered me this medium, that he would give the boy an obligation to set him free in ten years if he turned Christian; upon this, and Xury saying he was willing to go to him, I let the captain have him. We had a very good passage to the Brazils, and arrived in the Bay de Todos los Santos, or All Saints' Bay, in about twenty-two days after. 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 ofbees'-wax, for I had made candles of the rest; in a word, I made about two hundred and twenty pieces of eight of all my cargo; and with this stock I went on shore in the Brazils. ROBINSON CRUSOE. CHAPTER V. I HAD not long been here, before I was recommended to the house of a good honest man, like himself, who had an ingenio, as they call it (that is, a plantation and a sugar house). I lived with him some time, and acquainted myself by that means, with the man- ner of planting and making of sugar; and seeing how well the planters lived, and how they got rich suddenly, I resolved, if I could get a license to settle there, I would turn planter among them; endeavour- ing in the meantime 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 naturaliza- tion, I purchased as much land that was uncured as my money would reach, and formed a plan for my plantation and settlement; such a one as might be suitable to the stock which I proposed to myself to receive from England. I had a neighbour, a Portuguese of Lisbon, but born of English parents, whose name was Wells, and in much such circumstances as I was. I call him my neighbour, because his plantation lay next to mine, and we went on very sociably together. My stock was but low, as well as his; and we rather planted for food than anything else, for about two years. However, we began to increase, and our land began to come into order; so that the third year we planted some tobacco, and made each of us a large 48 ADVENTURES OF piece of ground ready for planting canes in the year to come; but we both wanted help, and now I found, more than before, I had done wrong in parting with my boy Xury. But, alas! for me to do wrong, that never did right, was no great wonder. I had no remedy but to go on; I had got into an employment quite remote to my genius, and directly contrary to the life I de- lighted in, and for which I forsook my father's house, and broke through all his good advice. I began to look upon my condition with the ut- most regret. I had nobody to converse with but, now and then, this neighbour; no work to be done, but by the labour of my hands; and I used to say, I lived just like a man cast away upon some desolate island, that had nobody there but himself. I was, in some degree, settled in my measures for carrying on the plantation, before my kind friend, the captain of the ship that took me up at sea, went back; for the ship remained there, in providing his lading, and preparing for his voyage, near three months; when telling him what little stock I had left behind me in London, he gave me this friendly and sincere advice:-" Seignior Inglese," says he (for so he always called me), "if you will give me let- ters, 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 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 49 willing, at my return; but, since human affairs are all subject to changes and disasters, I would have you give orders for but one hundred pounds sterling, which you say is half your stock, and let the hazard be run for the first; so that, if it come safe, you may order the rest the same way; and if it miscarry, you may have the other half to have recourse to for your supply." This was so wholesome advice, and looked so friendly, that I could not but be convinced it was the best course I could take. I wrote the English captain's widow a full account of all my adventures; my slavery, escape, and how I had met with the Portuguese captain at sea, the humanity of his behaviour, and what condition I was now in, with all other necessary directions for my supply; and when this honest captain came to Lis- bon, he found means, by some of the English mer- chants there, to send over, not the order only, but a full account of my story, to a merchant at London, who represented it effectually to her; whereupon she not only delivered the money, but, out of her own pocket, sent the Portuguese captain a very handsome present for his humanity and charity to me. The merchant in London, vesting this hundred pounds in English goods, such as the captain had wrote for, sent them directly to him at Lisbon, and he brought them all safe to me at the Brazils; among which, without my direction (for I was too young in my business to think of them), he had taken care to aU ADVENTURES OF have all sorts of tools, iron-work, and utensils neces- sary for my plantation, and which were of great use to me. When this cargo arrived, I thought my 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 as a present for him- self, to purchase and bring me over a servant, under bond for six years' service, and would not accept of any consideration, except a little tobacco, which I would have him accept, being of my own produce. Neither was this all; but my goods, being all English manufactures, such as cloths, stuffs, baize, and things particularly valuable and desirable in the country, I found means to sell them to a very great advantage; so that I might say I had more than four times the value of my first cargo, and was now infinitely beyond my poor neighbour, I mean in the advancement of my plantation; for the first thing I did, I bought me a negro slave, and an European servant also; I mean another besides that which the captain brought me from Lisbon. But, as abused prosperity is oftentimes made the very means of our greatest adversity, so was it with me. I went on the next year with great success in my plantation; I raised fifty great rolls of tobacco on my own ground, more than I had disposed of for necessaries among my neighbours; and these fifty rolls, being each of above 100 lb., were well cured, and laid by against the return of the fleet from Lis- ROBINSON CRUSOE. 51 bon; and, now increasing in business and in wealth, my head began to be full of projects and undertakings beyond my reach; such as are, indeed, often the ruin of the best heads in business. You may suppose, that, having now lived almost four years in Brazils, and beginning to thrive and prosper very well upon my plantation, I had not only learned the language, but had contracted an acquaintance and friendship among my fellow-planters, as well as among the merchants at St. Salvador, which was our port; and that, in my discourses among them, I had frequently given them an account of my two voyages to the coast of Guinea, the manner of trading with the negroes there, and how easy it was to purchase on 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 dis- courses on these heads, but especially to that part which related to the buying negroes; which was a trade at that time, not only not far entered into, but, as far as it was, had been carried on by the Assientos, or permission of the Kings of Spain and Portugal, and engrossed from the public; so that few negroes were bought, and those excessively dear. It happened, being in company with some mer- chants and planters of my acquaintance, and talking of those things very earnestly, three of them came 52 ADVENTURES OF to me the next morning, and told me they had been musing very much upon what I had discoursed with them of the last night, and they came to make a secret proposal to me; and after enjoining me to secrecy, they told me that they had a mind to fit out a ship to go to Guinea; that they had all planta- tions as well as I, and were straightened 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 an equal share of the negroes, without providing any part of the stock. I, that was always my own destroyer, would no more resist the offer, than I would restrain my first rambling designs, when my father's good counsel was lost upon me. In a word, I told them I would go with all my heart, if they would undertake to look after my plantation in my absence, and would dispose of it to such as I should direct, if I miscarried. This they all engaged to do, and entered into writ- ings, or covenants, to do so; and I made a formal will, disposing of my plantation and effects, in case of my death; making the captain of the ship that had saved my life as before, my universal heir; but ROBINSON CRUSOE. 53 obliging him to dispose of my effects as I had directed in my will; one half of the produce being to himself and the other to be shipped to England. I was hurried on, and obeyed blindly the dictates of my fancy, rather than my reason; arid, accord- ingly, the ship being fitted out, and the cargo fur- nished, and all things done as by agreement by my partners in the voyage, I went on board, in an evil hour again, the first 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 interest. CHAPTER VL THE same day I went on board, we set sail; standing away to the northward upon our own coast, with de- sign to stretch over for the African coast. When they came about ten or twelve degrees of northern latitude, which, it seems, was the manner of their course in those days, we had very good weather, only excessively hot, all the way upon our own coast, till we came to the height of Cape St. Augustino; from whence, keeping farther off at sea, we lost sight of land, and steered as if we were bound for the isle Fernando de Noronha, holding our course N.E. by N., and leaving those isles on the east In this course we passed the Line in about twelve days' 54 ADVENTURES OF time, and were, by our last observation, in 7 degrees 22 minutes northern latitude, when a violent tornado, or hurricane, took us quite out of our knowledge. It began from the south-east, came about to the north- west, and then settled in the north-east; from whence it blew in such a terrible manner, that, for twelve days together, we could do nothing but drive, and scudding away before it, let it carry us whither the fury of the winds directed; and, during these twelve days, I need not say that I expected every day to be swallowed up; nor, indeed, did any in the ship ex- pect to save their lives. In this distress we had, besides the terror of the storm, one of our men died of the calenture, and one man and a boy washed overboard I About the twelfth day, the weather abating a little, the master made an observation, as well as he could, and found that he was in about 11 degrees north latitude, but that he was 22 degrees of longitude difference west from Cape St. Augustino; so that he found that he was got upon the coast of Guiana, or the north part of Brazil, beyond the River Amazons, toward that of the River Oroonoque, commonly called the Great liver; and began to consult with me what course he should take, for the ship was leaky and very much disabled, and he was going directly back to the coast of Brazil. I was positively against that; and, looking over the charts of the sea-coast of America with him, we concluded there was no inhabited country for us to ROBINSON CRUSOE. 05 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 to sea, to avoid the in-draft of the bay or Gulf of Mexico, we might easily perform, as we hoped, in about fifteen days' sail; whereas we could not possibly make our voyage to the coast of Africa without some assistance, both to our ship and ourselves. With this design we changed our course, and steered away N.W. by W., in order to reach some of our English islands, where I hoped for relief; but our voyage was otherwise determined; for, being in the latitude of 12 degrees 18 minutes, a second storm came upon us, which carried us away with the same impetuosity westward, and drove us out of the very way of all human commerce. In this distress, the wind still blowing very hard, one of our men, early in the morning, cried out land! and we had no sooner run out of the cabin to look out, in hopes of seeing whereabouts in the world we were, but the ship struck upon a sand, and, in a moment, her motion being so stopped, the sea broke over her in such a manner that we expected we should all have perished immediately. 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 dasifing against the ship's rudder, and, in the next place, she broke away, and either sunk or was driven off to sea; so 56 ADVENTURES OF 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 de- bate, 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 her go. We committed our souls to God in the most earnest manner; and the wind driv- ing us toward the shore, we hastened our destruction with our own hands, pulling, as well as we could, to- wards land. After we had rowed, or rather driven, about a league and a half, as we reckoned it, a raging wave, mountain like, came rolling astern of us, and plainly bade us expect the coup de grace. In a word, it took us with such a fury that it overset the boat at once; and separating us, as well from the boat as from one another, gave us not time hardly to say, 0 God!" for we were all swallowed up in a moment. Nothing can describe the confusion of thought which I felt when I sunk into the water; for though I swam very well, yet I could not deliver myself from the waves so as to draw my 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. ROBINSON CRUSOE. 57 Another wave that came upon me buried me at once twenty or thirty feet deep in its own body, and I could feel myself carried, with a mighty force and swiftness, towards the shore a very great way; but I held my breath, and assisted myself to swim still forward with all my might I was ready to burst with holding my breath, when, as I felt myself rising up, so, to my immediate relief I found my head and hands shoot out above the surface of the water; and, though it was not two seconds of time that I could keep myself so, yet it relieved me greatly, gave me breath, and new courage. I was covered again with water a good while, but not so long but I held it out; and finding the water had spent itsel, 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 water 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. At last, to my great comfort, I got to the mainland, and 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 58 ADVENTURES OF any room to hope. I believe it is impossible to ex- press, to the life, what the ecstacies and transports of the soul are when it is so saved, as I may say, out of the grave. I walked about on the shore, lifting up my hands, and my whole being, as I may say, wrapt up in the contemplation of my deliverance; making a thousand gestures and motions which I cannot describe; reflect- ing 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 beach and froth of the sea being so big, I could hardly see it, it lay so far off-and considered, 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 a 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 afflicting to me was, that I had no weapon, either to hunt or kill any crea- ture for my sustenance, or to defend myself against any other creature that might desire to kill me for ROBINSON CRUSOE. 59 theirs. In a word, I had nothing about me but a knife, a tobacco-pipe, and a little tobacco in a box. This was all my provision; and this threw me into such terrible agonies of mind, that for a while I ran about like a madman. Night coming upon me, I began with a heavy heart to consider what would be my lot, if there were any ravenous beasts in that country, seeing at night they always come abroad for their prey. All the remedy that offered to my thoughts at that time, was to get up in a thick bushy tree, like a fir, but thorny-which grew near me, and where I resolved to sit all night-and consider the next day what death I should die, for as yet I saw no pro- spect of life. I walked about a furlong from the shore, to see if I could find any fresh water to drink, which I did, to my great joy; and having drank, and put a little tobacco in my mouth to prevent hunger, I went to the tree, and getting up into it, endeavoured to place myself so, as that, if I should sleep, I might not fall; and having cut me a short stick, like a truncheon, for my defence, I took up my lodging; and having been excessively fatigued, I full asleep, and slept as comfortably as, I believe, few could have done in my condition; and felt myself the most refreshed with it that I think I ever was on such an occasion. ADVENTURES OF CHAPTER VII. WHEN I waked, it was broad day, the weather clear, and the storm abated, so that the sea did not rage and swell as before; but that which surprised me most was, that the ship was lifted off in the night from the sand where she lay, by the swelling of the tide, and was driven up among the rocks about a mile from the shore where I was, and as she seemed 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 had tossed her up upon the land, about two miles on my right hand. I walked as far as I could upon the shore to have got to her, but found a neck or inlet of water between me and the boat, which was about half a mile broad; so I came back for the present, being more intent upon getting at the ship, where I hoped to find something for my present subsistence. A little after noon I found the sea very calm, and the tide ebbed so far out, that I could come within a quarter of a mile of the ship. I resolved if possible to get to it, so I pulled of my clothes, for the weather was hot to extremity, and took the water: but when I came to the ship, my difficulty was still greater to know how to get on board; for as she lay aground, and high out of the water, there was nothing within ROBINSON CRUSOE. 61 my reach to lay hold of. I swam round her twice, and the second time I spied a small piece of a rope, which I wondered I did not see at first, hang down by the fore-chains, so low as that with great difficulty I got hold of it, and by the help of that rope got 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, aud all that was in that part was dry; for you may be sure my first work was to search, and to see what was spoiled, and what was free: and, first, I found that all the ship's provisions were dry and untouched by the water; and, being very well disposed to eat, I went to the bread-room, and filled my pockets with 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 eabin, of which I took a large dram, and which I had indeed need enough of, to spirit me for what was before me. Now I wanted nothing hut a boat, to furnish myself with many things which I foresaw would be very necessary to me. It was in vain to sit still, and wish for what was not to be had, and this extremity roused my applica- tion; we had several spare yards, and two or three large spars of wood, and a spare topmast or two in the ship; I resolved to fall to work with these, and flung as many overboard as I could manage for their 62 ADVENTURES OF 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 fast 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 crossways, I found I could walk upon it very well, but that it was not able to bear any great weight, the pieces being too light: so I went to work, and with the carpenter's saw I cut a spare topmast 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 any rea- sonable weight. My next care was what to load it with, and how to preserve what I laid upon it from the surf of the sea; but I was not long considering this. I first laid all the planks or boards upon it that I could get, and, having considered well what I most wanted, I got three of the seamen's chests, which I had broken open and emptied, and lowered them down upon my raft; these I filled with provi- sions, namely, bread, rice, three Dutch cheeses, five pieces of dried goats' flesh (which we lived much upon), and a little remainder of European corn, which had been laid by for some fowls which we had brought to sea with us; but the fowls were killed. There had been some barley and wheat together, but, 3to my great disappointment, I found afterwards that ROBINSON CRUBOE. 63 the rats had eaten or spoiled it all. As for liquors, I found several cases of bottles belonging to our skipper, in which were some cordial waters; and, in all, about five or six gallons of rack. These I stowed by themselves, there being no need to put them into the chests, nor any room for them. While I was doing this, I found the tide began to flow, though very calm; and I had the mortification to see my coat, shirt, and waistcoat, which I had left on shore upon the sand, swim away; as for my breeches, which were only linen, and open-kneed, I swam on board in them and my stockings. However, this put me upon rummaging for clothes, of which I found enough, but took no more than 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 the carpenter's chest, which was indeed a very useful prize to me, and much more valuable than a ship-lading of gold would have been at that time. I got it down to my raft, even whole as it was, without losing time to look into it, for I knew in general what it contained. My next care was for some ammunition and arms. There were two very good fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and two pistols; these I secured first, with some powder-horns and a small bag of shot, and two old rusty swords. I knew there were three barrels of powder in the ship, but knew not where our gunner had stowed them; but, with much search, I found them; two of them dry and good, the third had taken 0- ADVENTURES OF water. Those two I got to my raft, with the arms. And now I thought myself pretty well freighted, and began to think how I should get to shore with them, having neither sail, oar, nor rudder; and the least capful of wind would have overset all my navigation. I had three encouragements: 1st, A smooth, calm sea; 2dly, The tide rising, and setting in to the shore; 3dly, What little wind there was, blew me towards the land. And thus, having found two or three broken oars belonging to the boat, and, besides the tools which were in the chest, I found two saws, an axe, and a hammer; and, with this cargo, I put to sea. For a mile or thereabouts my raft went very well, only that I found it drive a little distance from the place where I had landed before; by which I perceived that there was some in-draft 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 get into the middle of the stream, and at length found myself in the mouth of a little river, with land on both sides, and a strong current, or tide, running up. I looked on both sides for a proper place to get to shore, for I was not will- ing to be driven too high up the river; hoping, in time, to see some ship at sea, and therefore resolved to place myself as near the coast as I could. ROBINSON CRUSOE. 65 At length I spied a little cove, on the right shore of the creek, to which, with great pain and difficulty, I guided my raft, and at last got my raft and all my cargo safe on shore. My next work was to view the country, and seek a proper place for my habitation, and where to stow my goods, to secure them from whatever might happen. Where I was, I yet knew not; whether on the continent, or on 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 over-top 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 up to the top, I saw my lot, to my great affliction, namely, that I was in an island, en- vironed every way with the sea, no land to be seen except some rocks, which lay a great way off and two small islands, less than this, which lay about three leagues to the west. I found, also, that the island I was in was barren, and, as I saw good reason to believe, uninhabited, except by wild beasts, of whom, however, I saw none; yet I saw abundance of fowls, but knew not their kinds; neither, when I killed them, could I tell what was fit for food, and what not. Contented with this discovery, I came back to my 66 ADVENTURES OF raft, and fell to work to bring my cargo on shore, which took me up the rest of that day: what to do with myself at night I knew not, nor indeed where to rest: for I was afraid to lie down on the ground, not knowing but some wild beasts might devour me; though, as I afterwards found, there was really no need for those fears. However, as well as I could, I barricaded myself round with the chests and boards that I had brought on shore, and made a kind of hut for that night's lodging. As for food, I yet saw not which way to supply myself, except that I had seen two or three creatures like hares run out of the wood. 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 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 67 second raft; and, having had experience of the first, I neither made this so unwieldy, nor loaded it so hard, but yet I brought away several things very useful to me: as, first, in the carpenter's stores, I found two or three bags full of nails and spikes, a great screw-jack, a dozen or two of hatchets; and, above all, that most useful thing called a grindstone. All these I secured, together with several things belonging to the gunner; particularly, two or three iron crows, and two barrels of musket-bullets, seven muskets, and another fowling-piece, with some small quantity of powder more; a large bag full of small shot, and a great roll of sheet-lead; but this last was so heavy, I could not hoist it up to get it over the ship's side. Besides these things, I took all the men's clothes that I could find, and a spare fore top-sail, a ham- mock, and some bedding; and with this I loaded my second raft, and brought them all safe on shore, to my great comfort. Having got my second cargo on shore-though I was fain to open the barrels of powder, and bring them by parcels, for they were too heavy, being large casks-I went to workto make me a little tent, with the sail, and some poles which I cut for that purpose; and into this tent I brought everything that I knew would spoil either with rain or sun; and I piled all the empty chests and casks up in a circle round the tent, to fortify it from any sudden attempt either from man or beast. 64 ADVENTURES OF 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, for I was very weary and heavy; for the night before I had slept little, and had laboured very hard all day, as well to fetch all those things from the ship, as to get them on shore. After I had made five or six such voyages to the ship, and thought I had nothing more to expect that was worth my meddling with; I say, after all this, I found a great hogshead of bread, and three large runlets of rum or spirits, and a box of sugar, and a barrel of fine flour; this was surprising to me, be- cause I had given over expecting any more provi- sions, except what was spoiled by the water. I soon emptied the hogshead of that bread, and wrapped it up, parcel by parcel, in pieces of the sails, which I cut out; and, in a word, I got all this safe on shore also. The next day I made another voyage; and now, having plundered the ship of what was portable and fit to hand out, I began with the cables, and cutting the great cable into pieces, such as I could move, I got two cables and a hawser on shore, with all the iron-work I could get; and, having cut down the spritsail-yard, and the mizen-yard, and everything I could to make a large raft, I loaded it with all ROBINSON CRUSOE. 69 those heavy goods, and came away; but this raft was so unwieldy, and so overladen, that, after I was en- tered 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 the greater part of it lost, especially the iron, which I expected would have been of great use to me. However, when the tide was out, I got most of the pieces of cable ashore, and some of the iron, though with infinite labour; for I was fain to dip for it into the water, a work which fatigued me very much. After this I went every day on board, and brought away what I could get CHAPTER VIII. I HAD been now thirteen days on shore, and had been eleven times on board the ship; in which time I had brought away all that one pair of hands could well be supposed capable to bring; though, I believe verily, had the calm weather held, I should have brought away the whole ship, piece by piece; but preparing the twelfth time to go on board, I found the wind began to rise. However, at low water I went on board; and though I thought I had rum- maged the cabin so effectually as that nothing more 70 ADVENTURES OF 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. "0 drug!" said I aloud, "what art thou good for? Thou art not worth to me, no, not the taking off the ground; one of those knives is worth all this heap. I have no manner of use for thee; e'en remain where thou art, and go to the bottom, as a creature whose life is not worth saving." However, upon second thoughts, I took it away, and wrapping all this in a piece of can- vass, 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 pre- sently occurred to me, that it was in vain to pretend to make a raft with the wind off shore; and that it was my business to be gone before the tide of flood began, or otherwise I might not be able to reach the shore at all. Accordingly, I let myself down into the water, and swam across the channel which lay between the ship and the sands, and even that with difficulty enough, partly with the weight of the things I had about me, and partly the roughness of the water; for the wind rose very hastily, and before it was quite high water it blew a storm. ROBNSON CRUSOE. 71 But I was got home to my little tent, where I lay, with all my wealth about me, very secure. It blew very hard all that night, and in the morning, when I looked out, behold, no more ship was to be seen! I was a little surprised, but recovered myself with this satisfactory reflection, namely, that I had lost no time, nor abated no diligence, to get everything out of her that could be useful to me, and that, indeed, there was little left in her that I was able to bring away, if I had had more time. My thoughts were now wholly employed about securing myself against either savages, if any should appear, or wild beasts, if any were in the island; and I had many thoughts of the method how to do this, and what kind of dwelling to make, whether I should make me a cave in the earth, or a tent upon the earth; and in short, I resolved upon both: the man- ner and description of which it may not be improper to give an account of. I soon found the place I was in was not for my settlement, particularly because it was upon a low, moorish ground near the sea, and I believed it would not be wholesome, and more particularly, because there was no fresh water near it; so I resolved to find a more healthy and more convenient spot of ground. I consulted several things in my situation which I found wouldbe proper for me--lst, Health and fresh water, I just now mentioned; 2dly, Shelter from the heat of the sun; 3dly, Security from ravenous crea- 72 ADVENTURES OF tures, whether men or beasts; 4thly, A view to the sea, that, if God sent any ship in sight, I might not lose any advantage for my deliverance, of which I was not willing to banish all my expectation yet. In search for a proper place for this, I found a little plain on the side of a rising hill, on which was a rock 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 this rock there was a hollow place, worn a little way in, like the entrance or door of a cave; but there was not really any cave or way into the rock at all. On the flat of the green, just before this hollow place, I resolved to pitch my tent. This plain was not above a hundred yards broad, and about twice as long, and lay like a green before my door; and, at the end of it, descended irregularly every way down into the low ground by the sea-side. It was on the N.N.W. side of the hill; so that it was sheltered from the heat every day, till it came to a W. and by S. sun, or thereabouts, which in those countries is near the setting. Before I set up my tent, I drew a half-circle be- fore the hollow place, which took in about ten yards in its semi-diameter from the rock, and twenty yards in its diameter from its beginning and ending. In this half-circle I pitched two rows of strong stakes, driving them into the ground till they stood very firm like piles, the biggest end being out of the ground about five feet and a half, and sharpened on ROBINSON CRUSOE. 73 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 above another, within the circle between these two rows of stakes, up to the top, placing other stakes in the inside lean- ing 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, espe- cially to cut the piles in the woods, bring them to the place, and drive them into the earth. The entrance into this place I made to be, not by a door, but by a short ladder to get over the top: which ladder, when I was in, I lifted over after me; and so I was completely fenced in and fortified, as I thought, from all the world, and consequently slept secure in the night, which otherwise I could not have done; though, as it appeared afterwards, there was no need of all this caution from the enemies that I apprehended danger from. Into this fence or fortress, with infinite labour, I carried all my riches, all my provisions, ammunition, and stores, of which you have the account above; and I made me a large tent, which, to preserve me from the rains, that in one part of the year are vey violent there, I made double, namely, one smaller tent within, and one larger tent above it, and covered the upper- most with a large tarpaulin, which I had saved among the sails. 74 ADVENTURES OF And now I lay no more for a while in the bed which I had brought on shore, but in a hammock, which was indeed a very good one, and belonged to the mate of the ship. Into this tent I brought all my provisions, and everything that would spoil by the wet; and having thus enclosed all my goods, I made up the entrance, which, till now, I had left open, and so passed and repassed, as I said, by a short ladder. When I had done this, I began to work my way into the rock, and bringing all the earth and stones that I dug down out through my tent, Ilaid themup within my fence in the nature of a terrace, so that it raised the ground within about a foot and a hal4 and thus I made me a cave, just behind my tent, which served me like a cellar to my house. It cost me much labour, and many days, before all these things were brought to perfection; and therefore I must go back to some other things which took up some of my thoughts. At the same time it happened, after I had laid my schemes for the setting up my tent, and making the cave, that a storm of rain falling from a thick, dark cloud, a sudden flash of lightning hap- pened, and after that a great clap of thunder, as is naturally the effect of it. I was not so much sur- prised with the lightning as I was with the thought which darted into my mind as swift as the lightning itself, "0, my powder" My very heart sunk within me, when I thought that, at one blast, all my powder might be destroyed, on which not my defence only, ROBINrON CRUSOE. 7- hut the providing me food, as I thought, entirely de- pended. I was nothing near so anxious about my own danger, though, had the powder took fire, I had never known who had hurt me. Such impression did this make upon me, that, after the storm was over, I laid aside all my works, my building and fortifying, and applied myself to make bags and boxes to separate the powder, and to keep it a little and a little in a parcel, in hope that what- ever might come, it might not all take fire at once; and to keep it so apart that it should not be possible to make one part fire another. I finished this work in about a fortnight; and I think my powder, which in all was about 240 lb. weight, was divided in not less than a hundred parcels. As to the barrel that had been wet, I did not apprehend any danger from that; so I placed it in my new cave, which, in my fancy, I called my kitchen, and the rest I hid up and down in holes among the rocks, so that no wet might come to it, marking very carefully where I laid it. In the interval of time while this was doing, I went out 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 upon the island, which was a great satisfaction to me; but then it was attended with this misfortune to me, namely, that they were so shy, so subtle, and so swift of foot, that it was the most difficult thing in the world to 76 ADVENTURES OF come at them; but I was not discouraged at this, not doubting but I might now and then shoot one, as it soon happened; for after I had found their haunts a little, I laid wait in this manner for them: I observed, if they saw me in the valleys, though they were upon the rocks, they would run away, as if in a terrible fright; but if they were feeding in the valleys and I was upon the rocks, they took no notice of me; from whence I concluded that by the position of their optics, their sight was so directed downward that they did not readily see objects that were above them; so, afterwards, I took this method-I always climbed the rocks first, to get above them, and then had fre- quently a fair mark. The first shot I made among these creatures, I killed a she-goat, which had little kid by her, which she gave suck to, which grieved Sieo heartily; but 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 it bred up tame; but it would not eat so I was forced to kill it and eat it myself. These two supplied me with flesh a great while, for I ate sparingly, and preserved my provisions (my bread especially) as much as possibly I could. Having now fixed my habitation, I found it abso- lutely necessary to provide a place to make a fire in, ;md fuel to burn; and what I did for that, as also how ROBINSON CRUSOE. 77 I enlarged my cave, and what conveniences I made, I shall give a full account of it in its proper place; but I must first give some little account of myself and of my thoughts about living, which, it may be well supposed, were not a few. I had a dismal prospect of my condition; for, as I was not east away upon that island without being driven, as is said, by a violent storm, quite out of the course of our intended voyage, and a great way, namely, some hundreds of leagues, out of the ordinary course of the trade of mankind, I had great reason to consider it as a determination of Heaven, that in this desolate place, and in this desolate manner, I should end my life The tears would run plentifully down my face when I made these reflections; and some- times I would expostulate with myself why Provi- dence should thus completely ruin its creatures, and render them so absolutely miserable; so abandoned without help, 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 parti- cularly, 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, ex- postulated 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 they not saved, and you lost? Why were 4T ADVENTURES OF you singled out? Is it better to be here or there?" And then I pointed to the sea. All evils are to be considered with the good that is in them, and with what worse attends them. CHAPTER IX. AND now, being to enter into a melancholy relation of a scene of silent life, such, perhaps, as was never heard of in the world before, I shall take it from its beginning, and continue it in its order. It was, by my account, the 30th of September, when, in the manner as above said, I first set footupon this horrible island; when the sun, being to us in its autumnal equinox, was almostjust over my head; for I reckoned myself, by observation, to be in the latitude of 9 de- grees 22 minutes north of the Line. After I had been there about ten or twelve days, it came into my thoughts that I should lose my reckon- ing of time for want of books, and pen and ink, and should even forget the Sabbath-days from the work- ing-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, namely, 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 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 79 rest, and every first day of the month as long again as that long one; and thus I kept my calendar, or weekly, monthly, and yearly reckoning of time. But it happened that, among the many things which I brought out of the ship, in the several voyages which, as above mentioned, I made to it, I got several things of less value, but not at all less useful to me, which I found some time after, in rummaging the chests; as, in particular, pens, ink, and paper; several parcels in the captain's, mate's, gunner's, and car- penter's keeping; three or four compasses, some ma- thematical instruments, dials, perspectives, charts, and books of navigation; all which I huddled together, whether I might want them or no: also, I found three very good Bibles, which came to me in my cargo from England, and which I had packed up among my things; some Portuguese books also, and among them two or three Popish prayer-books, and several other books, all which I carefully secured. And I must not forget that we had in the ship a dog, and two cats, of whose eminent history I may have occasion to say something in its place: for I carried both the cats with me; and as for the dog, he jumped out of the ship himself and swam on shore to me, the day after I went on shore with my first cargo, and was a trusty servant to me for many years; I wanted nothing that he could fetch me, nor any company that he could make up to me; I only wanted to have him talk to me, but that would not do. As I observed before, I found pens, ink, and paper, and I husbanded them to 80 ADVENTURES OF 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 that I could devise. And this put me in mind that I wanted many things, notwithstanding all that I had amassed together; and of these, this of ink was one; as also a spade, pick- axe, and shovel, to dig or remove the earth; needles, pins, and thread: as for linen, I soon learned to want that without much difficulty. This want of tools made every work I did go on heavily; and it was near a whole year before I had entirely finished my little pale, or surrounded habita- tion. The piles, or stakes, which were as heavy as I could well lift, were a long time in cutting and pre- paring in the woods, and more, by far, in bringing home; so that I spent sometimes two days in cutting and bringing home one of those posts, and a third day in driving it into the ground: for which purpose I got a heavy piece of wood at first, but at last bethought myself of one of the iron crows; which, however, though I found it, yet it made driving these posts, or piles, very laborious and tedious work. I now began to consider seriously my condition, and the circumstances I was reduced to; and I drew up the state of my affairs in writing, not so much to leave them to any that were to come after me (for I was like to have but few heirs), as to deliver my thoughts from daily poring upon them, and afflicting my mind: and, as my reason began now to master ROmNsBON cBUOE. 81 my despondency, I began to comfort myself as well as I could, and to set the good against the evil, that I might have something to distinguish my case from worse; and I stated it very impartially, like debtor and creditor, the comforts I enjoyed against the miseries I suffered, thus:- EvI. Goon. I am eastupon horrible, But I am alive and not desolate island, void of all drowned, as all my ship's hope of recovery. company were. I am singled out and sepa- But I am singled out, too, rated, as it were, from all the from all the ship's crew, to world to be miserable, be spared from death; and He that providentially saved me from death, can deliver me from this condition. I am divided from man- But I am not starved, and kind, solitaire: one banish- perishing in a barren place, ed from human society. affording no sustenance. I have no clothes to cover But I am in a hot climate, me. where, if I had clothes, I could hardly wear them. I am without any defence, But I am cast on an land, or means to resist any vio- where I see no wild beasts lence of man or beast, to hurt me, as I saw on the coast of Africa, and what if I had been shipwrecked there F 82 ADVENTURES OF I have no soul to speak to, But God wonderfully sent or relieve me. the ship in near enough to the shore, that I have got out somanynecessary things as will either supply my wants, or enable me to sup- ply myself, even as long as 1 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 some- thing positive, to be thankful for in it; and let this stand as a direction, from the experience of the most miserable of all conditions in this world, that we may always find in it something to comfort ourselves from, and to set, in the description of good and evil, on the credit side of the account. Having now brought my mind a little to relish my condition, and giving over looking out to sea, to see if I could spy a ship; I say, giving over these things, I began to apply myself to accommodate my way of living, and to make things as easy to me as I could. I have already described my habitation, which was a tent under the side of a rock, surrounded with a strong pale of posts and cables; but I might now rather call it a wall, for I raised a kind of wall against it of turfs, about two feet thick on the outside; and, after some time (I think it was a year and a half), I raised rafters from it, leaning to the rock, and thatched or covered it with boughs of trees, and such things as ROBINON CRUSOE. 83 I could get, to keep out the rain; which I found, at some time of the year, very violent. I have already observed how I brought all my goods into this pale, and into the cave which I had made behind me. But I must observe, too, that at first this was a confused heap of goods, which, as they lay in no order, so they took up all my place; I had no room to turn myself; so I set myself to enlarge my cave, antwork farther into the earth, for it was a loose, sandy rock, which yielded easily to the labour I bestowed on it; and when I found I was pretty safe as to the 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 forti- fication. This gave me not only egress and regress, as it were, 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, particu- larly 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 stat- ing and squaring everything by reason, and by mak- ing the most rational judgment of things, every man may be, in time, master of every mechanic art. I 84 ADVENTURES OF had never handled a tool in my life; and yet, in time, by labour, application, and contrivance, I found at last that I wanted nothing but I could have made, especially if I had had tools. However, I made abundance of things even without tools, and some with no more tools than an adze and a hatchet, which, perhaps, were never made that way before, and that with infinite labour. For example, if I wanted a board, I had no other way butto cut down a tree, set it on an edge before me, and hew it flat on either side with my axe, till I had brought it to be 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 for the prodigious deal of time and labour which it took me to make up a plank or board; but my time or labour was little worth, and so it was as well em- ployed one way as another. However, I made me a table and a chair, as I ob- served above, in the first place; and this I did out of the short pieces of boards that I brought on my raft from the ship. But, when I wrought out some boards, as above, I made large shelves, of the breadth of a foot and a half one over another, all along one side of my cave, to lay all my tools, nails, and iron work on; and, in a word, to separate everything at large in their places, that I might easily come at them. I knocked pieces into the wall of the rock, to hang my guns, and all things that would hang up, so that, had BOBM30 CRUI BOE. my cave been seen, it looked like a general magazine of all necessary things; and I hd everything so ready at my hand, that it was a great pleasure to me to see all my goods in such order, and especially to find my stock of all necessaries so great. And now it was that I began to keep a journal of every day's employment, of which I shall here give you the copy (though in it will be told all those par- ticulars over again) as long as it lasted; for, having no more ink, I was forced to leave it of 81 THE JOURNAL. September 30, 1659. I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being shipwrecked, during a dreadful storm, in the offing, came on shore on this dismal unfort- nate island, which I called the IsLAwD or D Iam; all the rest of the ship's company being drowned, and myself almost dead. All the rest of that day I spent in afflicting myself at the dismal circumstances I was brought to, namely, I had neither food, house, clothe, weapon, nor place tofly to; and, in despair of any relief w nothing but death before me; thatI should either be devoured by wild beasts, murdered by savage, or starved to death for want of food. At the approach of night, I slept in a tree, for fear of wild creatures, but lept soundly, though it rained all night. A ?! --~--rr*rrrm*--rrr~r~-~ __ I 86 ADVENTURES OP October 1. In the morning, I saw, to my great surprise, the ship had floated with the high tide, and was driven on shore again much nearer the island; which, as it was some comfort on one hand (for seeing her sit upright and not broken in 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, we might, perhaps, have built us a boat out of the ruins of the ship, to have carried us to some other part of the world. I spent great part of this day in perplexing myself on these things; but at length, seeing the ship almost dry, I went upon the sand as near as I could, and then swam on board. This day, also, it continued raining, though with no wind at all. From the 1st of October till the 24th. All these days entirely spent in making several voyages to get all I could out of the ship, which I brought on shore, every time of flood, upon rafts. Much rain also on these days, though with some intervals of fair weather; but it seems this was the rainy season. Oct. 20. I overset my raft and all the goods I had got upon it, but being in shoal water, and the things being chiefly heavy, I recovered many of them when the tide was out. ROBINSON CRUSOE. 87 Oct. 25. It rained all night and all day, with some gusts of wind, during which time the ship broke in pieces (the wind blowing a little harder than before), and was no more to be seen except the wreck of her, and that only at low water. I spent this day in covering and securing the goods which I had saved, that the rain might not spoil them. Oct. 26. 1 walked about the shore almost all day to find out a place to fix my habitation; greatly con- cerned to secure myself from any attack in the night, either from wild beasts or men. Towards night I fixed upon a proper place under a rock, and marked out a semicircle for my encampment, which I resolved to strengthen with a work wall or fortification, made of double piles, lined within with cables and without with turf. 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 exceedingly hard. The 31st, in the morning, I went out into the island with my gun to seek for some food, and dis- cover the country, when I killed a she-goat, and her kid followed me home, which I afterwards killed also because it would not feed. November 1. I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there for the first night, making it as large as I could with stakes driven in to swing my hammock upon. Nov. 2. I set upall my chests and boards, and the pieces of timber which made my rafts, and with them 88 ADVENTURES OF formed a fence round me, a little within the place I had marked out for my fortification. Nov. 3. I went out with my gun and killed two fowls like ducks, which were very good food. In the afternoon I 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: namely, 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 was wholly employed in making my table, for I was yet but a very sorry workman; though time and ne- cessity made me a complete natural mechanic soon after, as I believe they would any one else. Nov. 5. This day went abroad with my gun and dog, and killed a wild-cat; her skin pretty soft, but her flesh good for nothing; of every creature that I killed, I took off the skins and preserved them. Coming back by the sea-shore, I saw many sorts of sea-fowl which I did not understand; but was sur- prised and almost frightened with two or three seals, which, while I was gazing at them (not well know- ing 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 ROBINSON CRUSOE. 89 7 my liking; nor was it long before I learned to mend it. Nov. 7. Now it began to be settled fair weather. The 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and part of the 12th (for the 11th was Sunday, according to my reckoning), I took wholly up to make me a chair, and, with mueh ado, brought it to a tolerable shape, but never to please me; and even in the making, I pulled it in pieces several times. Note. I soon neglected my keeping Sundays; for, omitting my mark for them on my post, I forgot which was which. Nov. 13. This day it rained, which refreshed me exceedingly and cooled the earth, but it was accom- panied with terrible thunder and lightning, which frightened 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 mak- ing 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 as remote from one another as possible. On one of these three days, I killed a large bird that was good to eat, but I knew not what to call it. Nov. 17. This day I began to dig behind my tent into the rock, to make room for my farther conveni- ence. Note. Three things I wanted exceedingly for this 90 ADVENTURES OF work, namely, a pick-axe, a shovel, and a wheel- barrow or basket; so I desisted from my work, and began to consider how to supply these wants, and make me some tools. As for a pick-axe, I made use of the iron crows, which were proper enough, though heavy; but the next thing was a shovel or spade: this was so absolutely necessary, that indeed I could do nothing effectually without it; but what kind of one to make I knew not Nov. 18. The next day, in searching the woods, I found a tree of that wood, or like it, which, in the Brazils, they call the Iron tree, from its exceeding hardness; of this, with great labour and almost spoil- ing my axe, I cut a piece, and brought it home too, with difficulty enough, for it was exceeding heavy The excessive hardness of the wood, and my having no other way, made me a long while upon this machine; for I worked it effectually by little and little into the form of a shovel or spade, the handle exactly shaped like ours in England, only that the broad part, having no iron shod upon it at bottom, it would not last me so long; however, it served well enough for the uses which I had occasion to put it to; but never was a shovel, I believe, made after that fashion, or so long a-making. I was still deficient, for I wanted a basket or a wheelbarrow. A basket I could not make by any means, having no such things as twigs that would bend to make wicker-ware; at least none yet found out, and as to the wheelbarrow, I fancied I could ROBINSON CRUSOE. 91 make all but the wheel, but that I had no notion oZ neither did I know how to go about it; besides, I had no possible way to make iron gudgeons, for the spindle or axis of the wheel to run in; so I gave it over; and for carrying away the earth which I dug out of the cave, I made me a thing like a hod which the labourers carry the mortar in for the bricklayers. This was not so difficult to me as the making the shovel; and yet this and the shovel, and the attempt which I made in vain to make a wheelbarrow, took me up no less than four days; I mean always ex- cepting my morning walk with my gun, which I sel- dom omitted, and very seldom failed also bringing home something fit to eat. Nov. 23. My other work having now stood still, because of my making these tools, when they were finished I went on, and working every day as my strength and time allowed, I spent eighteen days en- tirely in widening and deepening my cave, that it might hold my goods commodiously. Note. During all this time I worked to make this room or cave spacious enough to accommodate me as a warehouse, or magazine, a kitchen, a dining-room, and a cellar. As for 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 flag and large leaves of trees like a thatch. VY ADVENTURES OF December 10. I began now to think my cave or vault finished; when on a sudden (it seems I had made it too large) a great quantity of earth fell down from the top and one side; so much that, in short, it frightened me, and not without reason too, for if I had been under it I should never have 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. 11. This day I went to work with it accord- ingly, 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 for partitions to part of 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. I carried everything into the cave, and began to furnish my house, and set up some pieces of boards like a dresser, to order my victuals upon; but boards began to be very scarce with me; also I made me another table. Dec. 24. Much rain all night and all day; no stir- ring out. Dec. 25. Rain all day. ROBMISON CBUSOE. 93 Dec. 26. No rain, and the earth much cooler than before, and pleasanter. Dec. 27. Killed a young goat, and lamed another, so that I catehed it and led it home in a string; when I had it home I bound and splintered up its leg, which was broke. N.B. I took such care of it that it lived, and the leg grew well and as strong as ever; but by nursing it so long it grew tame, and fed upon the little green at my door, and would not go away. This was the first time that I entertained a thought of breeding up some tame creatures, that I might have food when my powder and shot was all spent. Dec. 28, 29, 30, 31. Great heats and no breeze, so that there was no stirring abroad, except in the evening, for food; this time I spent in putting all my things in order within doors. January 1. Very hot still; but I went abroad early and late with my gun, and lay still in the middle of the day. This evening, going farther into the valleys which lay towards the centre of the island, I found there was plenty of goats, though exceeding shy and hard to come at; however, I resolved to try if I could not bring my dog to hunt them down. Accordingly, the next day I went out with my dog, and set him upon the goats, but I was mis- taken, 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 94 ADVENTURES OF still jealous of my being attacked by somebody, I re- solved to make very thick and strong. N.B. This wall being described before, I purposely omit what was said in the Journal; it is sufficient to observe, that I was no less time than from the 3d of January to the 14th of April, working, finishing, and perfecting this wall, though it was no more than about 25 yards in length, being a half-circle, from one place in the rock to another place, about twelve yards from it, the door of the cave being in the centre, behind it. CHAPTER X. ALL this time I worked very hard, the rains hinder- ing 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, espe- cially 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 per- suaded 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. And now, in the managing my houehold affairs, I ROEBsoN CRUSOE. 95 found myself wanting in many things, which I thought at first it was impossible for me to make, as, indeed, as to some of them, it was; for instance, I could never make a cask to be hooped. I had a small runlet or two, as I observed before, but I could never arrive to the capacity of making one by them, though I spent many weeks about it; I could neither put in the heads, 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 candle, so that as soon as it was dark, which was generally by seven o'clock, I was obliged to go to bed. I re- membered the lump of bees'-wax with which I made candles in my African adventure, but I had none of that now; the only remedy I had was, that when I had killed a goat I saved the tallow, and with a little dish made of clay, which I baked in the sun, to which I added a wick of some oakum, I made me a lamp; and this gave me light, though not a clear steady light, like a candle. In the middle of all my labours, it happened that in rummaging my things I found a little bag, which, as I hinted before, had been filled with corn for feeding of poultry; not for this voyage, but before, as I suppose, when the ship came from Lisbon. What little remainder of coin had been in the bag was all devoured by the rats, and I saw no- thing in the bag but husks and dust; and being will- ing to have the bag for some other use (I think it was to put powder in, when I divided it for fear of the lightning, or some such use), I shook the husks 96 ADVENTURES OF of corn out of it, on one side of my fortification, under the rock. It was a little before the great rain, just now men- tioned, 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 I saw some few stalks of something green shoot- ing out of the ground, which I fancied might be some plant I had not seen; but I was surprised and per- fectly astonished, when, after a little longer time, I saw about ten or twelve ears come out, which were perfect green barley, of the same kind as our Euro- pean, 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; in- deed, I had very few notions of religion in my head, nor had entertained any sense of anything that had befallen me otherwise than as a chance, or, as we lightly say, what pleases God; without so much as inquiring into the end of Providence in these things, or his order in governing events in the world. But after I saw barley grow there, in a climate which I knew was not proper for corn, and especially as I knew not how it came there, it startled me strangely; and I began to suggest that God had miraculously caused this grain to grow without any help of seed sown, and that it was so directed purely for my sus- tenance on that wild miserable place. This touched my heart a little, and brought tears ROBINSON CRUSOE. 97 out of my eyes, and I began to bless myself that such a prodigy of nature should happen upon my account; and this was the more strange to me, because I saw near it still, all along by the side of the rock, some other straggling stalks, which proved to be stalks of rice, and which I knew, because I had seen it grow in Africa, when I was ashore there. I not only thought these the pure productions of Providence for my support, but, not doubting that there was more in the place, I went over all that part Sof the island where I had been before, searching in every corner, and under every rock, for more of it; but I could not find any. At last it occurred to my thoughts that I had shook out a bag of chickens' meat in that place, and then the wonder began to cease; and I must confess my religious thankfulness to God's providence began to abate too, upon the dis- covering that all this was nothing but what was com- mon, though I ought to have been as thankful for so strange and unforeseen a providence as if it had been miraculous; for it was really the work of Providence 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 dropt from heaven; as also that I should throw it out in that particular place, where, it being in the shade of a high rock, it sprang up immediately; whereas, if I had thrown it anywhere else at that time, it would have been burnt up and destroyed. I carefully saved the ears of this corn, jou may be 98 ADVENTURES OF sure, in their season, which was about the end of June, and, laying up every corn, I resolved to sow them all again; hoping, in time, to have some quantity sufficient to supply me with bread. But it was not till the fourth year that I could allow myself the least grain of this corn to eat, and even then but sparingly, as I shall show afterwards in its order, for I lost all that I sowed the first season, by not observing the proper time; as I sowed just before the dry season, so that it never came up at all, at least not as it would have done; of which in its place. Besides this barley, there were, as above, twenty or thirty stalks of rice, which I preserved with the same care, and whose use was of the same kind, or to the same purpose, namely, 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 excessively hard these three or four months, to get my wall done, and the 14th of April I closed it up, contriving to get into it, not by a door, but over the wall by a ladder, that there might be no sign on the outside of my habitation. April 10. I finished the ladder; so I went up witl the ladder to the top, and then pulled it after me, and let it down in the inside; this was a complete enclo- sure 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 thii wall iwas finished, I ROBINSON CRUSOE. 99 had almost all my labour overthrown at once, and myself killed, by a fearful earthquake, accompanied by a dreadful hurricane, which lasted for about three hours. A violent rain then followed, and continued all that night, and great part of the next day, so that I could not stir abroad; but my mind being more composed, I began to think of what I had best do, concluding, that if the island were subject to these earthquakes, there would be no living for me in a cave; but I must consider of building me some little hut in an open place, which I might surround with a wall, as I had done here, and so make myself secure from wild beasts or men, for if I stayed where I was, I should certainly one time or other be buried alive. With these thoughts, I resolved to remove my tent from the place where it now stood, being just under the hanging precipice of the hill, and which, if it should be shaken again, would certainly fall upon my tent. I spent the two next days, being the 19th and 20th of April, in contriving where and how to re- move my habitation. The fear of being swallowed alive affected me so, that I never slept in quiet, and yet the apprehension of lying abroad without any fence, was almost equal to it; but still when I looked about and saw how everything was put in order, how pleasantly I was concealed, and how safe from danger, it made me very loath 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 con- tented to run the risk where I was, till T had frm 100 ADVENTURES OF a convenient camp and had secured it so as to re- move to it. With this conclusion I composed myself for a time, and resolved that I would go to work with all speed to build me a wall with piles, and cables, &c., in a circle as before, and set up my tent in it when it was finished, but that I would venture to stay where I was till it was ready and fit to re- move to. This was the 21st. April 22. The next morning I began to consider of means to put this measure into execution, but I was at a great loss about the tools. I had three large axes and abundance of hatchets (for we carried the hatchets for traffic with the Indians), but with much chopping and cutting knotty hard wood, they were all full of notches and dull; and though I had a grindstone, I could not turn it and grind my tools too. This cost me as much thought as a statesman would have bestowed upon a grand point of politics, or judge upon the life and death ofa 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 never seen any such thing in England, or, at least, not to take notice how it was done, though since I have observed it is very common there, be- sides that my grindstone was very large and heavy. This machine cost me a fall 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 grind- stone performing very well. ROBNSON CRUSOE. 101 April 30. Having perceived that my bread had been low a great while, I now took a survey of it, and reduced myself to one biseuit-cake a day, which made my heart very heavy. May 1. 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 1 found a small barrel and two or three pieces of wreck of the ship, which were driven on shore by the late hurricane; and looking towards the wreck itself, I thought it seemed to lie higher out of the water than it used to do. I examined the barrel that 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; how- ever, I rolled it farther on the shore for the present, and went on upon the sands as near as I could to the wreck of the ship to look for more. When I came down to the ship I found it strangely removed. The forecastle, which lay before buried in sand, was heaved up at least six feet, and the stern (which was broke to pieces, and parted from the rest by the force of the sea, soon after I had left rummag- ing 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 I could now walk quite up to her when the tide was out; whereas there was a great piece of water before, so that I could not come within a quarter of a mile of the wreck without swimming. I was surprised with this at first, but soon concluded |