Robinson Crusoe PDF

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Bsau ' iir l i t i l l Ml 111 nr m \n li t m ji ; t it w ii i »i jim m :n Him jiLamLai-iiiLgniarg ROBINSON CRUSOE u«tt»i>wi*ii»it»i;i««»*«i«i'«ii«r»'.iiii#>«ti«tt«u»M»i)»ii»U»i»»»»»«M»i*»'«»«*«n»4t»n DANIEL DEFOE THE WASHINGTON SQUARE CLASSICS I < w vm 1W »w mi l nrrtvf nm m lui i n p^.-ivia- nHHHH 3H°3 -^ URIS LIBRARY  Cornell University Library PR 3403.A1 1920 Robinson Crusoe / mil 3 1924 011 498 676 DATE DUE.:» says Friday, "they will eat them." "No, no," says I, "Friday; I am afraid they will murder them, in- deed; but you may be sure they will not eat them." 334 ROBINSON CRUSOE All this wMle I had no thought of what the matter really was, but stood trembling with the horror of the sight, expecting every moment when the three prison- ers should be killed ; saw one of the villains nay, once I lift up his arm with a great cutlass, as the seamen call it, or sword, to strike one of the poor men; and I expected to see him fall every moment; at which all the blood in my body seemed to run chill in my veins, I wished heartily now for my Spaniard, and the sav- age that was gone with him, or that I had any way to have come undiscovered within shot of them, that I might have secured the three men, for I saw no fire- arms they had among them but it fell out to my mind ; another way. After I had observed the outrageous usage of the three men by the insolent seamen, I ob- served the fellows run scattering about the land, as if they wanted to see the country. I observed also that the three other men had liberty to go where they pleased but they sat down all three upon the ground, ; very pensive, and looked like men in despair. This put me in mind of the first time when I came on shore, and began to look about me; how I gave myself over for lost how wildly I looked round me what dreadful ; ; apprehensions I had and how I lodged in the tree all ; night, for fear of being devoured by wild beasts. As I knew nothing that night of the supply I was to re- ceive by the providential driving of the ship nearer the land by the storms and tide, by which I have since been so long nourished and supported; so these three poor desolate men knew nothing how certain of de- liverance and supply they were, how near it was to them, and how effectually and really they were in a 335 ROBINSON CRUSOE condition of safety, at the same time they thought themselves lost, and their case desperate. So little do we see before us in the world, and so much reason have we to depend cheerfully upon the great Maker of the world, that he does not leave his creatures so ab- solutely destitute, but that, in the worst circumstances, they have always something to be thankful for, and sometimes are nearer their deliverance than they im- agine; nay, are even brought to their deliverance by the means by which they seem to be brought to their destruction. 336  CHAPTER XV just at the top of high water when these peo- ITplewascame on shore; and while they rambled about to see what kind of a place they were in, they had care- lessly stayed till the tide was spent, and the water was ebbed considerably away, leaving their boat aground. They had left two men in the boat who, as I found afterwards, having drunk a little too much brandy, fell asleep however, one of them waking a little sooner ; than the other, and finding the boat too fast aground for him to stir it, hallooed out for the rest, who were straggling about; upon which they all soon came to the boat; but it was past all their strength to launch her, the boat being very heavy, and the shore on that side being a soft oozy sand, almost like a quicksand. In this condition, like true seamen, who are, perhaps, the least of mankind given to forethought, they all gave it over, and away they strolled about the coun- try again; and I heard one of them say aloud to an- other, calling them off from the boat, "Why, let her alone, Jack, can't you? she'll float next tide"; by which I was fully confirmed in the main inquiry of what countrymen they were. All this while I kept my- self close, not once daring to stir out of my castle, any farther than to my place of observation, near the top of the hill and very glad I was to think how well ; it was fortified. I knew it was no less than ten hours before the boat could float again, and by that time it 337 ROBINSON CRUSOE would be dark, and I miglit be at more liberty to see their motions, and to bear their discourse, if they had any. In the meantime, I fitted myself up for a battle, as before, though with more caution, knowing I had to do with another kind of enemy than I had at first. I ordered Friday, also, whom I had made an excellent marksman with his gun, to load himself with arms. I took myself two fowling-pieces, and I gave him three muskets. My figure, indeed, was very fierce; I had my formidable goatskin coat on, with the great cap I have mentioned, a naked sword, two pistols in my belt, and a gun upon each shoulder. It was my design, as I said above, not to have made any attempt till it was dark; but about two o'clock, being the heat of the day, I found, in short, they were all gone straggling into the woods, and, as I thought, were all laid down to sleep. The three poor distressed men, too anxious for their condition to get any sleep, had, however, sat down under the shelter of a great tree, at about a quarter of a mile from me, and, as I thought, out of sight of any of the rest. Upon this I resolved to discover myself to them, and learn some- thing of their condition; immediately I marched as above, my man Friday at a good distance behind me, as formidable for his arms as I, but not making quite so staring a specter-like figure as I did, I came as near them undiscovered as I could, and then, before any of them saw me, I called aloud to them in Spanish, "What are ye, gentlemen?" They started up at the noise, but were ten times more confounded when they saw me, and the uncouth figure that I made. They 338 ROBINSON CRUSOE made no answer at all, but I thought I perceived them just going to fly from me, when I spoke to them in English: "Gentlemen," said I, "do not be surprised at meperhaps you may have a friend near, when you : did not expect it." "He must be sent directly from heaven, then," said one of them very gravely to me, and pulling off his hat at the same time; "for our con- dition is past the help of man." "All help is from heaven, sir," said I: "but can you put a stranger in the way to help you? for you seem to be in some great distress. I saw you when you landed; and when you seemed to make application to the brutes that came with you, I saw one of them lift up his sword to kill you." The poor man, with tears running down his face, and trembling like one greatly astonished, returned, "Am I taydng to God, or man? Is it a real man, or an angel?" "Be in no fear about that, sir," said I; "if God had sent an angel to relieve you, he would have come better clothed, and armed after another manner than you see me in; pray lay aside your fears; I am a man, an Englishman, and disposed to assist you; you see I have one servant only; we have arms and ammunition; tell us freely, can we serve you? What is your case?" "Our ease, sir," said he, "is too long to tell you, while our murderers are so near us but, in ; short, sir, Iwas commander of that ship; my men have mutinied against me; they have been hardly prevailed on not to murder me, and, at last, have set me on shore in this desolate place, with these two men — with me one my mate, the other a passenger, where we 339  — ROBINSON CRUSOE expected to perish, believing the place to be uninhabited, and know not yet what to think of it." "Where are these brutes, your enemies?" said I; "do you know where they are gone?" "There they lie, sir," said he, pointing to a thicket of trees; "my heart trembles for fear they have seen us, and heard you speak; if they have, they will certainly murder us all." "Have they any firearms?" said I. He answered, "They had only two pieces, one of which they left in the boat." "Well, then," said I, "leave the rest to me I see they are all asleep ; it is an easy thing to kill ; them all; but shall we rather take them prisoners?" He told me there were two desperate villains among them that it was scarce safe to show any mercy to but; if they were secured, he believed all the rest would re- turn to their duty. I asked him which they were. He told me he could not at that distance distinguish them, but he would obey my orders in anything I would di- rect. "Well," says I, "let us retreat out of their view of hearing, lest they awake, and we will resolve further." So they willingly went back with me, till the woods covered us from them. "Look you, sir," said I; "if I venture upon your deliverance, are you willing to make two conditions with me?" He anticipated my proposals by telling me that both he and the ship, if recovered, should be wholly directed and commanded by me in everything; and if the ship was not recovered, he would live and die with me in what part of the world soever I would send him; and the two other men said the same. "Well," said I, "my conditions are but two; first, that while you stay on this island with me, you will 340  ; ROBINSON CRUSOE not pretend to any authority here; and if I put arms in your hands, you will, upon all occasions, give them up to me, and do no prejudice to me or mine upon this island, and in the meantime be governed by my orders — secondly, ^that if the ship is or may be recovered, you will carry me and my man to England passage free." He gave me all the assurance that the invention and faith of a man could devise that he would comply with these most reasonable demands, and besides would owe his life to me, and acknowledge it upon all occasions as long as he lived. "Well, then," said I, "here are three muskets for you, with powder and ball; tell me next what you thiak is proper to be done." He showed all the testimony of his gratitude that he was able, but offered to be wholly guided by me. I told him I thought it was hard venturing any- thing; but the best method I could think of was to fire on them at once as they lay, and if any were not killed at the first volley, and offered to submit, we might save them, and so put it wholly upon Grod's providence to direct the shot. He said, very modestly, that he was loath to kill them, if he could help it; but that those two were incorrigible villains, and had been the authors of all the mutiny in the ship, and if they escaped, we should be undone still, for they would go on board and bring the whole ship's company, and de- stroy us aU. "Well, then," says I, "necessity legiti- mates my advice, for it is the only way to save our lives." However, seeing him still cautious of shed- ding blood, I told him they should go themselves, and manage as they found convenient. 341  I ROBINSON CRUSOE In the middle of this discourse we heard some of them awake, and soon after we saw two of them on their feet. I asked him if either of them were the men who he had said were the heads of the mutiny? He said, "No." "Well, then," said I, "you may let them escape and Providence seems to have awakened them ; on purpose to save themselves. Now," says I, "if the rest escape you, it is your fault." Animated with this, he took the musket I had given him in his hand, and a pistol in his helt, and his two comrades with him, with each man a piece in his hand; the two men who were with him, going first, made some noise, at which one of the seamen, who was awake, turned about, and seeing them coming, cried out to the rest; but it was too late then, for the moment he cried out they fired — mean the two men, the captain wisely reserving his own piece. They had so well aimed their shot at the men they knew, that one of them was killed on the spot, and the other very much wounded but not being dead, he ; started up on his feet, and called eagerly for help to the other; but the captain, stepping to him, told him it was too late to cry for help, he should call upon God to forgive his villainy, and with that word knocked him down with the stock of his musket, so that he never spoke more: there were three more in the company, and one of them was slightly wounded. By this time I was come ; and when they saw their danger, and that it was in vain to resist, they begged for mercy. The cap- tain told them he would spare their lives if they would give him an assurance of their abhorrence of the treach- ery they had been guilty of, and would swear to be faithful to him in recovering the ship, and afterwards 342 ROBINSON CRUSOE in carrying her back to Jamaica, from whence they came. They gave him all the protestations of their siQcerity that could be desired and he was willing to ; believe them, and spare their lives, which I was not against, only I obliged him to keep them bound hand and foot while they were upon the island. While this was doing, I sent Friday with the cap- tain's mate to the boat, with orders to secure her, and bring away the oars and sails, which they did and by ; and by three straggling men, that were (happily for them) separated from the rest, came back upon hearing the guns fired and seeing the captain, who before was ; their prisoner, now their conqueror, they submitted to be bound also and so our victory was complete. ; It now remained that the captain and I should inquire into one another's circumstances. I began first, and told him my whole history, which he heard with an — attention even to amazement and particularly at the wonderful manner of my being furnished with provi- sions and ammunition; and, indeed, as my story is a whole collection of wonders, it affected him deeply. But when he reflected from thence upon himself, and how I seemed to have been preserved there on purpose to save his life, the tears ran down his face, and he could not speak a word more. After this communica- tion was at an end, I carried him and his two men into my apartments, leading them in just where I came out, viz., at the top of the house, where I refreshed him with such provision as I had, and showed them all the con- trivances I had made during my long, long inhabiting that place. All I showed them, all I said to them, was perfectly 343 ROBINSON CRUSOE amazing; above all, the captain admired my fortifica- tion, and how perfectly I had concealed my retreat with a grove of trees, which, having been now planted near twenty years, and the trees growing much faster than in England, was become a little wood, so thick that it was impassable in any part of it but at that one side where I had reserved my little winding passage into it. I told him this was my castle and my residence, but that I had a seat in the country, as most princes have, whither I could retreat upon occasion, and I would show him that, too, another time but at present ; our business was to consider how to recover the ship. He agreed with me as to that, but told me he was perfectly at a loss what measures to take, for that there were still six-and-twenty hands on board, who, having entered in a cursed conspiracy, by which they all for- feited their lives to the law, would be hardened in it now by desperation, and would carry it on, knowing that if they were subdued they should be brought to the gallows as soon as they came to England, or to any of the English colonies, and that, therefore, there would be no attacking them with so small a number as we were. I mused for some time upon what he had said, and found it was a very rational conclusion, and that there- fore something was to be resolved on very speedily, as well to draw the men on board into some snare for their surprise, as to prevent their landing upon us, and destroying us. Upon this, it presently occurred to me that in a little while the ship's crew, wondering what was become of their comrades and of the boat, would certainly come on shore in their other boat to look for 344 ROBINSON CRUSOE them, and that then, perhaps, they might come armed, and be too strong for ns this he allowed to be rational. : Upon this, I told him the first thing we had to do was to stave the boat, which lay upon the beach, so that they might not carry her off, and taking everything Gilt of her, leave her so far useless as not to be fit to swim. Accordingly we went on board; took the arms which were left on board out of her, and — whatever else we found there ^which was a bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a few biscuit-cakes, a horn of powder, and a great lump of sugar in a piece of canvas (the sugar was five or six pounds) all which ; was very welcome to me, especially the brandy and sugar, of which I had had none left for many years. When we had carried all these things on shore (the oars, mast, sail, and rudder of the boat were carried away before), we knocked a great hole in her bottom, that if they had come strong enough to master us, yet they could not carry off the boat. Indeed, it was not much in my thoughts that we could be able to recover the ship; but my view was, that if they went away without the boat, I did not much question to make her again fit to carry us to the Leeward Islands, and call upon our friends the Spaniards in my way, for I had them still in my thoughts. While we were thus preparing our designs, and had first, by main strength, heaved the boat upon the beach, so high that the tide would not float her off at high- water mark, and besides had broken a hole in her bot- tom too big to be quickly stopped, and were sat down musing what we should do, we heard the ship fire a gun, and make a waft with her ensign as a signal for 345  ; ROBINSON CRUSOE the boat to come on board: but no boat stirred; and they fired several times, making other signals for the boat. At last, when all their signals and firing proved fruitless, and they found the boat did not stir, we saw them, by the help of my glasses, hoist another boat out, and row towards the shore and we found, as they ; approached, that there were no less than ten men in her, and that they had firearms with them. As the ship lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had a full view of them as they came, and a plain sight even of their faces; because the tide having set them a little to the east of the other boat, they rowed up under shore, to come to the same place where the other had landed, and where the boat lay; by this means, I say, we had a full view of them, and the cap- tain knew the persons and characters of all the men in the boat, of whom, he said, there were three very honest fellows, who, he was sure, were led into this conspiracy by the rest, being overpowered and fright- ened but that as for the boatswain, who it seems was ; the chief officer among them, and all the rest, they were as outrageous as any of the ship's crew, and were no doubt made desperate in their new enterprise and terribly apprehensive was he that they would be too powerful for us. I smiled at him, and told him that men in our circumstances were past the operation of fear; that seeing almost every condition that could be was better than that which we were supposed to be in, we ought to expect that the consequence, whether death or life, would be sure to be a deliverance. I asked him what he thought of the circumstances of my life, and whether a deliverance were not worth venturing 346  ;; ROBINSON CRUSOE for. "And where, sir," said I, "is your belief of my being preserved here on purpose to save your life, which elevated you a little while ago? For my part," said I, "there seems to be but one thing amiss in all the prospect of it." "What is that?" says he. ' ' ' " Why, ' said I, it is, that as you say there are three or four honest fellows among them, which should be spared, had they been all of the wicked part of the crew, I should have thought God's providence had singled them out to deliver them into your hands for depend ; upon it, every man that comes ashore is our own, and shall die or live as they behave to us. " As I spoke this with a raised voice and cheerful countenance, I found it greatly encouraged him; so we set vigorously to our business. We had, upon the first appearance of the boat coming from the ship, considered of separating our prisoners and had, indeed, secured them effectually. Two of them, of whom the captain was less assured than ordi- nary, I sent with Friday and one of the three delivered men to my cave, where they were remote enough and out of danger of being heard or discovered, or of find- ing their way out of the woods, if they could have de- livered themselves here they left them bound, but gave ; them provisions and promised them, if they continued ; there quietly, to give them their liberty in a day or two but that if they attempted their escape, they should be put to death without mercy. They promised faith- fully to bear their confinement with patience, and were very thankful that they had such good usage as to have provisions and a light left them for Friday gave : them candles (such as we made ourselves) for their 347  ; ROBINSON CRUSOE comfort and they did not know but that ; lie stood senti- nel over them at the entrance. The other prisoners had better usage; two of them were kept pinioned, indeed, because the captain was not free to trust them; but the other two were taken into my service, upon the captain's recommendation, and upon their solemnly engaging to live and die with us; so with them and the three honest men we were seven men, well armed and I made no doubt we should ; be able to deal well enough with the ten that were coming, considering that the captain had said there were three or four honest men among them also. As soon as they got to the place where their other boat lay, they ran their boat into the beach and came all on shore, hauling the boat up after them, which I was glad to see, for I was afraid they would rather have left the boat at anchor some distance from the shore, with some hands in her, to guard her, and so we should not be able to seize the boat. Being on shore, the first thing they did, they ran all to their other boat; and it was easy to see they were under a great surprise to find her stripped, as above, of all that was in her, and a great hole in her bottom. After they had mused awhile upon this, they set up two or three great shouts, hallooing with all their might, to try if they could make their companions hear; but all was to no purpose: then they came all close in a ring, and fired a volley of their small-arms, which, indeed, we heard, and the echoes made the woods ring but it was all one ; those in the cave, we were sure, could not hear; and those in our keeping, though they heard it well enough, yet durst give no answer to them. They were so aston- 348 ROBINSON CRUSOE ished at the surprise of this, that, as they told us after- wards, they resolved to go all on board again to their ship, and let them know that the men were all murdered, and the long boat staved accordingly, they immediately ; launched their boat again, and got all of them on board. The captain was terribly amazed, and even con- founded, at this, believing they would go on board the ship again, and set sail, giving their comrades over for lost, and so he should still lose the ship, which he was in hopes we should have recovered; but he was quickly as much frightened the other way. They had not been long put off with the boat, when we perceived them all coming on shore again but with; this new measure in their conduct, which it seems they consulted together upon, viz., to leave three men in the boat, and the rest to go on shore, and go up into the country to look for their fellows. This was a great disappointment to us, for now we were at a loss what to do, as our seizing those seven men on shore would be no advantage to us if we let the boat escape ; because they would row away to the ship, and then the rest of them would be sure to weigh and set sail, and so our recovering the ship would be lost. However, we had no remedy but to wait and see what the issue of things might present. The seven men came on shore, and the three who remained in the boat put her off to a good distance from the shore, and came to an anchor to wait for them; so that it was impossible for us to come at them in the boat. Those that came on shore kept close together, marching towards the top of the 349 ROBINS ON CRUSOE under which my habitation lay; and we could little hill see themplainly, though they could not perceive us. We should have been very glad if they would have come nearer to us, so that we might have fired at them, or that they would have gone farther off, that we might come abroad. But when they were come to the brow of the hill where they could see a great way into the valleys and woods, which lay towards the northeast part, and where the island lay the lowest, they shouted and hallooed till they were weary: and not caring, it seems, to venture far from the shore, nor far from one another, they sat down together, under a tree, to consider of it. Had they thought fit to have gone to sleep there as the other party of them had done, they had done the job for us but they were too full of ap- ; prehensions of danger to venture to go to sleep, though they could not tell what the danger was they had to fear. The captain made a very just proposal to me upon this consultation of theirs, viz., that perhaps they would a volley again, to endeavor to make their all fire fellows hear, and that we should all saUy upon them just at the jimcture when their pieces were all dis- charged, and they would certainly yield, and we should have them without bloodshed. I liked this proposal, provided it was done while we were near enough to come up to them before they could load their pieces again. But this event did not happen; and we lay still a long time, very irresolute what course to take. At length, I told them there would be nothing done, in my opinion, till night; and then if they did not re- turn to the boat, perhaps we might find a way to get 350 ROBINSON CRUSOE between them and the shore, and so might use some stratagem with them in the boat to get them on shore. "We waited a great while, though very impatient for their removing; and were very uneasy, when, after long consultation, we saw them all start up, and march down towards the sea it seems they had such dreadful : apprehensions of the danger of the place, that they resolved to go on board the ship again, give their com- panions over for lost, and so go on with their intended voyage with the ship. As soon as I perceived them go towards the shore, I imagined it to be as it really was, that they had given over their search, and were for going back again and ; the captain, as soon as I told him my thoughts, was ready to sink at the apprehensions of it but I presently : thought of a stratagem to fetch them back again, which answered my end to a tittle. I ordered Friday and the captain's mate to go over the little creek westward, towards the place where the savages came on shore when Friday was rescued, and so soon as they came to a little rising ground, at about half a mile distance, I bade them halloo out, as loud as they could, and wait till they found the seamen heard them; that as soon as ever they heard the seamen answer them, they should return it again; and then keeping out of sight, take a round, always answering when the others hallooed, to draw them as far into the island, and among the woods, as possible, and then wheel about again to me by such ways as I directed. They were just going into the boat when Friday and the mate hallooed and they presently heard them, and, ; answering, ran along the shore westward, towards the 351 ROBINSON CRUSOE voice they heard, when they were presently stopped by the creek, where, the water being up, they could not get over, and called for the boat to come np and set them over; as, indeed, I expected. "When they had set themselves over, I observed that the boat being gone up a good way into the creek, and, as it were, in a harbor within the land, they took one of the three men ont of her, to go along with them, and left only two in the boat, having fastened her to the stump of a little tree on the shore. This was what I wished for and immediately leaving Friday and the ; captain's mate to their business, I took the rest with me, and crossing the creek out of their sight, we sur- prised the two men before they were aware; one of them lying on the shore, and the other being in the boat. The fellow on shore was between sleeping and waking, and going to start up; the captain, who was foremost, ran in upon him, and knocked him down; and then called out to him in the boat to yield, or he was a dead man. There needed very few arguments to persuade a single man to yield, when he saw five men upon him, and his comrade knocked down besides, : this was, it seems, one of the three who were not so hearty in the mutiny as the rest of the crew ; and, there- fore, was easily persuaded not only to yield, but after- wards to join very sincerely with us. In the meantime, Friday and the captain's mate so well managed their business with the rest, that they drew them, by hal- looing and answering, from one hill to another, and from one wood to another, till they not only heartily tired them, but left them where they could not reach back to the boat before it was dark and indeed, they ; 352 ROBINSON CRUSOE were heartily tired themselves also, by the time they came back to us. We had nothing now to do but to watch for them in the dark, and to fall upon them, so as to make sure work with them. It was several hours after Friday came back to me before they came back to their boat; and we covTd hear the foremost of them, long before they came quite up, calling to those behind to come along; and could also hear them answer, and complain how lame and tired they were, and not able to come any faster: which was very welcome news to us. At length they came up to the boat but it is impossible to express : their confusion when they found the boat fast aground in the creek, the tide ebbed out, and their two men gone. We could hear them call to one another in a most lamentable manner, telling one another they were got into an enchanted island; that either there were inhabitants in it, and they should all be murdered, or else there were devils and spirits in it, and they should be all carried away and devoured. They hallooed again, and called their two comrades by their names a great many times but no answer. After some time, ; we could see them, by the little light there was, run about, wringing their hands like men in despair, and sometimes they would go and sit down in the boat to rest themselves: then come ashore again, and walk about again, and so the same thing over again. My men would fain have had me give them leave to fall upon them at once in the dark; but I was willing to take them at some advantage, so as to spare them, and kill as few of them as I could; and especially I was imwilling to hazard the killing any of our men, knowing 353 ROBINSON CRUSOE the others were very well armed, I resolved to wait, to see if they did not separate and therefore, to make ; sure of them, I drew my ambuscade nearer, and or- dered Friday and the captain to creep upon their hands and feet, as close to the ground as they could, that they might not be discovered, and get as near them as they could possibly, before they offered to fire. They had not been long in that posture, when the boatswain, who was the principal ringleader of the mutiny, and had now shown himself the most dejected, and dispirited of all the rest, came walking towards them, with two more of the crew; the captain was so eager at having the principal rogue so much in his power, that he could hardly have patience to let him come so near as to be sure of him, for they only heard his tongue before; but when they came nearer, the captain and Friday, starting up on their feet, let fly at them. The boatswain was killed upon the spot the: next man was shot in the body, and feU just by him, though he did not die till an hour or two after; and the third ran for it. At the noise of the fire, I imme- diately advanced with my whole army, which was now eight men ; viz., myself, generalissimo Friday, my lieu- ; tenant-general the captain and his two men, and the ; three prisoners of war, whom we had trusted with arms. We came upon them, indeed, in the dark, so that they could not see our number; and I made the man they had left in the boat, who was now one of us, call them by name, to try if I could bring them to a parley, and so perhaps reduce them to terms; which fell out just as we had desired; for, indeed, it was easy to think, as their condition then was, they would be very willing 354 ROBINSON CRUSOE to capitulate. So he calls out as lend as he could to one of them, Tom Smith Tom Smith ' * Tom Smith ! ! ' ' answered immediately, Who 's that ? Eohinson ! " for ' ' it seems he knew the voice. The other answered, "Ay, ay; for God's sake, Tom Smith, throw down your arms and yield, or you are all dead men this moment." "Who must we yield to? Where are ihey?" says Smith again. "Here they are," says he; "here's our captain and fifty men with him, have been hunting you these two hours; the boatswain is killed, WUl Frye is wounded, and I am a prisoner and if you do not yield, ; you are all lost." "WiU they give us quarter then?" says Tom Smith, "and we will yield." "I'U go and ask, if you promise to yield," said Eohinson, so he asked the captain; and the captain himself then calls out, "You, Smith, you know my voice; if you lay down your arms immediately, and submit, you shaU have your lives, all but WUl Atkins." Upon this WiU Atkins cried out, "For God's sake, captain, give me quarter; what have I done? They have been aU as bad as I:" which, by the way, was not true; for, it seems, this WUl Atkins was the first man when they first that laid hold of the captain, mutinied, and used him barbarously, in tying his hands, and giving him injurious language. However, the captain told him he must lay down his arms at dis.- cretion, and trust to the governor's mercy: by which he meant me, for they all caUed me governor. In a word, they aU laid down their arms, and begged their lives and I sent the man that had parleyed with them, ; and two more, who bound them all and then my great ; army of fifty men, which with those three, were in all 355  ; ROBINSON CRUSOE but eight, came up and seized upon them, and upon their boat ; only that I kept myself and one more out of sight, for reasons of state. Our next work was to repair the boat and think of seizing the ship; and as for the captain, now he had leisure to parley with them, he expostulated with them upon the villainy of their practices with him, and upon the further wickedness of their design, and how cer- tainly must bring them to misery and distress in it the end, and perhaps to the gallows. They all ap- peared very penitent, and begged hard for their lives. As for that, he told them they were none of his pris- oners, but the commander's of the island; that they thought they had set him on shore in a barren, unin- habited island but it had pleased God so to direct them, ; that it was inhabited, and that the governor was an Englishman that he might hang them all there, if he ; pleased but as he had given them all quarter, he sup- ; posed he would send them to England, to be dealt with there as justice required, except Atkins, whom he was commanded by the governor to advise to prepare for death, that he would be hanged in the morning. Though this was all a fiction of his own, yet it had its desired effect; Atkins fell upon his knees, to beg the captain to intercede with the governor for his life and all the rest begged of him, for God's sake, that they might not be sent to England. It now occurred to me that the time of our deliver- ance was come, and that it would be a most easy thing to bring these fellows in to be hearty in getting pos- session of the ship so I retired in the dark from them, ; that they might not see what Mnd of a governor they 356 ROBINSON CRUSOE had, and called the captain to me ; when I called, as at a good distance, one of the men was ordered to speak again, and say to the captain, Captain, the commander ' ' calls for you" and presently the captain replied, ; Tell ' ' his Excellency, I am just coming." This more per- fectly amazed them, and they all believed that the com- mander was just by, with his fifty men. Upon the captain coming to me I told him my project for seizing the ship, which he liked wonderfully well, and resolved to put it in execution next morning. But, in order to execute it with more art, and to be secure of success, I told him we must divide the prisoners, and that he should go and take Atkins, and two more of the worst of them, and send them pinioned to the cave where the others lay. This was committed to Friday and the two men who came on shore with the captain. They con- veyed them to the cave as to a prison and it was, in- : deed, a dismal place, especially to men in their condi- tion. The others I ordered to my bower, as I called it, of which I have given a full description: and as it was fenced in, and they pinioned, the place was secure enough, considering they were upon their behavior. To these in the morning I sent the captain, who was to enter into a parley with them; in a word, to try them, and tell me whether he thought they might be trusted or not to go on board and surprise the ship. He talked to them of the injury done him, of the condition they were brought to, and that though the governor had given them quarter for their lives as to the present action, yet that if they were sent to England they would be all hanged in chains; but that if they would join 357  ; ROBINSON CRUSOE in such, an attempt as to recover the ship, he wonld have the governor's engagement for their pardon. Any one may guess how readily such a proposal would be accepted by men in their condition they fell ; down on their knees to the captain, and promised, with the deepest imprecations, that they would be faithful to him to the last drop, and that they should owe their lives to him, and would go with him all over the world that they would own him for a father to them as long as they lived. "Well," says the captain, "I must go and tell the governor what you say, and see what I can do to bring him to consent to it." So he brought me an account of the temper he found them in, and that he verily believed they would be faithful. However, that we might be very secure, I told him he should go back again and choose out five of them, and tell them that they might see that he did not want men, that he would take out those five to be his assistants, and that the governor would keep the other two and the three that were sent prisoners to the castle (my cave), as hostages for the fidelity of those five and that if they ; proved unfaithful in the execution, the five hostages should be hanged in chains alive on the shore. This looked severe, and convinced them that the governor was in earnest; however, they had no way left them but to accept it; and it was now the business of the prisoners, as much as of the captain, to persuade the other five to do their duty. Our strength was now thus ordered for the expedi- tion : first, the captain, his mate, and passenger second, ; then the two prisoners of the first gang, to whom, having their character from the captain, I had given 358  ; ROBINSON CRUSOE their liberty, and trusted them with arms; third, the other two whom I had kept till now in my bower pin- ioned, but, upon the captain's motion, had now released fourth, these five released at last; so that they were twelve in all, besides five we kept prisoners in the cave for hostages. I asked the captain if he was willing to venture with these hands on board the ship for as for me and my ; man Friday, I did not think it was proper for us to stir, having seven men left behind and it was employ- ; ment enough for us to keep them asunder, and supply them with victuals. As to the five in the cave, I re- solved to keep them fast, but Friday went in twice a day to them, to supply them with necessaries; and I made the other two carry provisions to a certain dis- tance, where Friday was to take it. When I showed myself to the two hostages, it was with the captain, who told them I was the person the governor had ordered to look after them; and that it was the governor's pleasure they should not stir any- where but by my direction that if they did, they would ; be fetched into the castle, and be laid in irons so that : as we never suffered them to see me as governor, I now appeared as another person, and spoke of the governor, the garrison, the castle, and the like, upon all occasions. The captain now had no difficulty before him, but to furnish his two boats, stop the breach of one, and man them. He made his passenger captain of one, with four other men ; and himself, his mate, and five more, went in the other; and they contrived their business very well, for they came up to the ship about midnight. 359 ROBINSON CRUSOE As soon as they came within call of the ship, he made Eobinson hail them, and tell them they had brought off the men and the boat, but that it was a long time before they had found them, and the like holding them in a ; chat they came to the ship's side; when the captain till and the mate entering first with their arms, imme- diately knocked down the second mate and carpenter with the butt-end of their muskets, being very faith- fully seconded by their men they secured all the rest ; that were upon the main and quarter decks, and began to fasten the hatches, to keep them down that were below; when the other boat and their men, entering at the forechains, secured the forecastle of the ship, and the scuttle which went down into the cook-room, making three men they found there prisoners. When this was done, and all safe upon deck, the captain ordered the mate, with three men, to break into the round-house, where the new rebel captain lay, who, having taken the alarm, had got up and with two men and a boy had got firearms in their hands ; and the mate, with a crow, split open the door the new captain and his men fired boldly ; among them, and wounded the mate with a musket- ball, which broke his arm, and wounded two more of the men, but killed nobody. The mate, calling for help, rushed, however, into the round-house, wounded as he was, and with his pistol shot the new captain through the head, the bullet entering at his mouth, coming out again behind one of his ears, so that he never spoke a word more upon which the rest yielded, and the ship : was taken effectually, without any more lives lost. As soon as the ship was thus secured, the captain ordered seven guns to be fired, which was the signal 360  ; ROBINS ON CRUSOE agreed upon with me to give me notice of his success, which, you may be sure, I was very glad to hear, having sat watching upon the shore for it till near two o'clock in the morning. Having thus heard the signal plainly, I laid me down and it having been a day of great fa- ; tigue to me, I slept very sound, till I was something surprised with the noise of a gun and presently start- ; ing up, I heard a man calling me by the name of "Gov- ernor! Governor!" and presently I knew the captain's voice; when climbing to the top of the hill, there he stood, and, pointing to the ship, he embraced me in his arms. "My dear friend and deliverer," says he, "there's your ship; for she is all yours, and so are we, and all that belongs to her." I cast my eyes to the ship, and there she rode, within little more than half a mile of the shore; for they had weighed her anchor as soon as they were masters of her, and, the weather being fair, had brought her to an anchor just against the mouth of the little creek and, the tide being ; up, the captain had brought the pinnace in near the place where I first landed my rafts, so landed just at my door. I was at first ready to sink down with surprise for I saw my deliverance, indeed, visibly put into my hands, all things easy, and a large ship just ready to carry me away whither I pleased to go. At first, for some time, I was not able to answer one word but as ; he had taken me in his arms, I held fast by him, or I should have fallen to the ground. He perceived the surprise, and immediately pulled a bottle out of his pocket, and gave me a dram of cordial, which he had brought on purpose for me. After I had drunk it, I sat down upon the ground and though it brought me ; 361 ROBINSON CRUSOE to myself, yet it was a good while before I could speak a word to him. All this while the poor man was in as great an ecstasy as I, only not under any surprise as I was and he said a thousand kind and tender things ; to me, to compose and bring me to myself; but such was the flood of joy in my breast that it put all my spirits into confusion at last it broke into tears and, : ; in a little while after, I recovered my speech; then I took my turn, and embraced him as my deliverer, and we rejoiced together. I told him I looked upon him as a man sent from heaven to deliver me, and that the whole transaction seemed to be a chain of wonders that such things as ; these were the testimonies we had of a secret hand of Providence governing the world, and an evidence that the eye of an Infinite Power could search into the re- motest corner of the world, and send help to the mis- erable whenever he pleased. I forgot not to lift up my heart in thankfulness to Heaven; and what heart could forbear to bless him, who had not only in a mirac- ulous manner provided for one in such a wilderness, and in such a desolate condition, but from whom every deliverance must always be acknowledged to pro- ceed? When we had talked a whUe, the captain told me he had brought me some little refreshments, such as the ship afforded, and such as the wretches that had been so long his masters had not plundered him of. Upon this, he called aloud to the boat, and bade his men bring the things ashore that were for the gov- ernor; and, indeed, it was a present as if I had been one that was not to be carried away along with them, 362  : ROBINSON CRUSOE but as if I had been to dwell upon the island still, and they were to go without me. First, he had brought me a case of bottles full of excellent cordial waters, six large bottles of Madeira wine (the bottles held two quarts each), two pounds of excellent good tobacco, twelve good pieces of the ship's beef, and six pieces of pork, with a bag of peas, and about a hundred- weight of biscuit; he also brought me a box of sugar, a box of flour, a bag full of lemons, and two bottles of lime-juice, and abundance of other things. But be- sides these, and what was a thousand times more use- ful, he brought me six new clean shirts, six very good neckcloths, two pair of gloves, one pair of shoes, a hat, and one pair of stockings, and a very good suit of clothes of his own, which had been worn but very little : in a word, he clothed me from head to foot. It was a very kind and agreeable present, as any one may imagine, to one in my circumstances; but never was anything in the world of that kind so unpleasant, awkward, and uneasy as it was to me to wear such clothes at their first putting on. After these ceremonies were past, and after all his good things were brought into my little apartment, we began to consult what was to be done with the prisoners we had; for it was worth considering whether we might venture to take them away with us or no, especially two of them, whom he knew to be incorrigible and refractory to the last degree and the ; captain said he knew they were such rogues that there was no obliging them, and if he did carry them away, it must be in irons, as, malefactors, to be delivered over to justice at the first English colony he could come at 363 ROBINSON CRUSOE and I found that the captain himself was very anxious about it. Upon this, I told him that, if he desired it, I would undertake to bring the two men he spoke of to make it their own request that he should leave them upon the island. "I should be very glad of that," says the captain, "with all my heart." "Well," says I, "I will send for them up, and talk with them for you." So I caused Friday and the two hostages, for they were now discharged, their comrades having per- formed their promise; I say, I caused them to go to the cave, and bring up the five men, pinioned as they were, to the bower, and keep them there till I came. After some time I came thither dressed in my new habit; and now I was called governor again. Being all met, and the captain with me, I caused the men to be brought before me, and I told them I had got a full account of their villainous behavior to the captain, and how they had run away with the ship, and were pre- paring to commit further robberies, but that Provi- dence had ensnared them in their own ways, and that they were fallen into the pit which they had dug for others. I let them know that by my direction the ship had been seized; that she lay now in the road; and they might see by and by that their new captain had received the reward of his villainy, for that they might see him hanging at the yard-arm; that, as to them, I wanted to know what they had to say why I should not execute them as pirates, taken in the fact, as by my commission they could not doubt but I had authority to do. One of them answered in the name of the rest, that they had nothing to say but this, that when they were 364 ROBINSON CRUSOE taken the captain promised them their lives, and they humbly implored my mercy. But I told them I knew not what mercy to show them; for as for myself I had resolved to quit the island with all my men, and had taken passage with the captain to go to England and ; as for the captain, he could not carry them to England other than as prisoners in irons, to be tried for mutiny, and running away with the ship; the consequence of which, they must needs know, would be the gallows so ; that I could not tell what was the best for them, unless they had a mind to take their fate in the island. If they desired that, I did not care; as I had liberty to leave it, I had some inclination to give them their lives, if they thought they could shift on shore. They seemed very thankful for it, and said they would much rather venture to stay there than be carried to Eng- land to be hanged. So I left it on that issue. However, the captain seemed to make some difficulty of it, as if he durst not leave them there. Upon this I seemed a little angry with the captain, and told him that they were my prisoners, not his and, that seeing ; I had offered them so much favor, I would be as good as my word and that if he did not think fit to consent ; to it, I would set them at liberty, as I found them and ; if he did not like it, he might take them again if he could catch them. Upon this they appeared very thankful, and I accordingly set them at liberty, and bade them retire into the woods, to the place whence they came and I would leave them some firearms, some ammunition, and some directions how they should live very well, if they thought fit. Upon this I prepared to go on board the ship but told the captain I would stay ; 365 ROBINSON CRUSOE that night to prepare my things, and desired him to go on board in the meantime, and keep all right in the ship, and send the boat on shore next day for me; ordering him, in the meantime, to cause the new cap- tain, who was killed, to be hanged at the yard-arm, that these men might see him. When the captain was gone, I sent for the men up to me in my apartment, and entered seriously into dis- course with them of their circumstances. I told them I thought they had made a right choice; but if the captain had carried them away, they would certainly be hanged. I showed them the new captain hanging at the yard-arm of the ship, and told them they had nothing less to expect. When they had all declared their willingness to stay, I told them I would let them into the story of my living there, and put them into the way of making it easy to them. Accordingly, I gave them the whole history of the place, and of my coming to it showed them my ; fortifications, the way I made my bread, planted my corn, cured my grapes, and, in a word, all that was necessary to make them easy. I told them the story also of the sixteen Spaniards, that were to be expected, for whom I left a letter, and made them promise to treat them in common with themselves. I left them my firearms, viz., five muskets, three fowling-pieces, and three swords. I had above a bar- rel and a half of powder left; for after the first year or two I used but little, and wasted none. I gave them a description of the way I managed the goats, and di- rections to milk and fatten them, and to make both butter and cheese. In a word, I gave them every part 366  ROBINSON CRUSOE of my story, and told them I should prevail with the captain to leave them two barrels of gunpowder more, and some garden-seeds, which I told them I would have been very glad of. Also, I gave them the bag of peas which the captain had brought me to eat, and bade them be sure to sow and increase them. Having done all this, I left the next day, and went on board the ship. We prepared immediately to sail, but did not weigh that night. The next morning early, two of the five men came swimming to the ship's side, and made the most lamentable complaint of the other three, begged to be taken into the ship for God's sake, for they should be murdered, and begged the captaili to take them on board, though he hanged them immediately. Upon this, the captain pretended to have no power without me but after some difficulty, ; and after their solemn promises of amendment, they were taken on board, and were, some time after, soundly whipped and pickled; after which they proved very honest and quiet fellows. Some time after this, I went with the boat on shore, the tide being up, with the things promised to the men; to which the captain, at my intercession, caused their chests and clothes to be added, which they took, and were very thankful for. I also encouraged them, by telling them that if it lay in my way to send any vessel to take them in I would not forget them. When I took leave of this island, I carried on board, for relics, the great goatskin cap I had made, my um- brella,and one of my parrots also I forgot not to take ; the moneyI formerly mentioned, which had lain by me so long useless that it was grown rusty or tarnished, 367 ROBINSON CRUSOE and could hardly pass for silver till it had been a little rubbed and handled, and also the money I found in the wreck of the Spanish ship. And thus I left the island, the 19th of December, as I found by the ship's account, in the year 1686, after I had been upon it eight-and-twenty years, two months, and nineteen days; being delivered from this second captivity the same day of the month that I first made my escape in the longboat from among the Moors of Sallee. In this vessel, after a long voyage, I arrived in England the 11th of June, in the year 1687, having been thirty- five years absent. 368  CHAPTER XVI WHEN I came to England, I was a perfect stranger to all the world, as if I had never been known there. My benefactor and faithful steward, whom I had left my money in trust with, was alive, but had had great misfortunes in the world; was become a widow the second time, and very low in the world. I made her easy as to what she owed me, assuring her I would give her no trouble; but, on the contrary, in gratitude for her former care and faithfulness to me, I relieved her as my little stock would afford; which at that time would, indeed, allow me to do but little for her but I assured her I would never forget her former : kindness to me nor did I forget her when I had suf- ; ficient to help her, as shall be observed in its place. I went down afterwards into Yorkshire but my father ; was dead, and my mother and all the family extinct, except that I found two sisters and two of the children of one of my brothers; and as I had been long ago given over for dead, there had been no provision made for me so that, in a word, I found nothing to relieve ; or assist me; and that little money I had would not do much for me as to settling in the world. I met with one piece of gratitude, indeed, which I did not expect; and this was, that the master of the ship, whom I had so happily delivered, and by the same means saved the ship and cargo, having given a very handsome account to the owners of the manner 369 ROBINSON CRUSOE how I had saved the lives of the men and the ship, they invited me to meet them and some other merchants concerned, and altogether made me a very handsome compliment upon the subject, and a present of almost £200 sterling. But after making several reflections upon the cir- cumstances of my life, and how little way this would go towards settling me in the world, I resolved to go to Lisbon, and see if I might not come by some informa- tion of the state of my plantation in the Brazils, and of what was become of my partner, who, I had reason to suppose, had some years now given me over for dead. With this view I took shipping for Lisbon, where I arrived in April following; my man Friday accom- panying me very honestly in all these ramblings, and proving a most faithful servant upon all occasions. When I came to Lisbon, I found out, by inquiry, and to my particular satisfaction, my old friend, the captain of the ship who first took me up at sea off the shore of Africa. He was now grown old, and had left the sea, having put his son, who was far from a young man, into his ship, and who still used the Brazil trade. The old man did not know me; and indeed, I hardly knew him. But I soon brought myself to his remem- brance, when I told him who I was. After some passionate expressions of the old ac- quaintance between us I inquired, you may be sure, after my plantation and my partner. The old man told me he had not been in the Brazils for about nine years but that he could assure me, that when he came ; away my partner was living; but the trustees, whom 370 ROBINSON CRUSOE I had joined with him to take cognizance of my part, were both dead; that, however, he believed that I would have a very good account of the improvement of the plantation; for that, upon the general belief of my being cast away and drowned, my trustees had given in the account of the produce of my part of the plantation to the procurator-fiscal, who had appro- priated it, in case I never came to claim it, one-third to the king, two-thirds to the monastery of St. Au- gustine, to be expended for the benefit of the poor and for the conversion of the Indians to the Catholic faith; but that if I appeared, or any one for me, to claim the inheritance, it would be restored; only that the improvement, or annual production, being dis- tributed to charitable uses, could not be restored; but he assured me that the steward of the king's revenue from lands, and the providore, or steward of the mon- astery, had taken great care all along that the incum- bent, that is to say, my partner, gave every year a faithful account, of the produce, of which they had re- ceived duly my I asked him if he knew to moiety. what height of improvement he had brought the plan- tation, and whether he thought it might be worth look- ing after; or whether, on my going thither, I should meet with any obstruction to my possessing my just right in the moiety. He told me he could not tell exactly to what degree the plantation was improved; but this he knew, that my partner was grown exceed- ing rich upon the enjoying but one half of it and that, ; to the best of his remembrance, he had heard that the king's third of my part, which was, it seems, granted 371 ROBINSON CRUSOE away to some other monastery or religious house, amounted to above two hundred moidores a year: that as to my being restored to a quiet possession of it, there was no question be made of that, my partner to being alive to witness my title, and my name being also enrolled in the register of the country, also he told me that the survivors of my two trustees were very fair, honest people, and very wealthy; and he believed I would not only have their assistance for put- ting me in possession, but would find a very consider- able sum of money in their hands for my account, being the produce of the farm while their fathers held the trust, and before it was given up, as above which, ; as he remembered, was for about twelve years. I showed myself a little concerned and uneasy at this account and inquired of the old captain how it came to pass that the trustees should thus dispose of my effects, when he knew that I had made my will, and made him, the Portuguese captain, my universal heir, etc. He told me that was true but that as there was no ; proof of my being dead, he could not act as executor, until some certain account should come of my death; and that besides, he was not willing to intermeddle with a thing so remote that it was true he had regis- ; tered my will, and put in his claim and could he have ; given any account of my being dead or alive, he would have acted by procuration, and taken possession of the ingenio (so they call the sugar-house), and have given his son, who was now at the Brazils, orders to do it. "But," says the old man, "I have one piece of news to tell you, which perhaps may not be so acceptable to 372 ROBINSON CRUSOE you as tlie rest; and that is, believing yon were lost, and all the world believing so also, your partner and trustees did offer to account with me, in your name, for the first sixor eight years' profits, which I re- ceived. There being at that time great disbursements for increasing the works, building an ingenio, and buy- ing slaves, it did not amount to near so much as after- wards it produced: however," says the old man, "I shall give you a true account of what I have received in all, and how I have disposed of it." After a few days' further conference with this an- cient friend, he brought me an account of the first six years' income of my plantation, signed by my partner and the merchant-trustees, being always delivered in goods, viz., tobacco in roll, and sugar in chests, besides rum, molasses, etc., which are the consequence of a sugar-works and I found by this account, that every ; year the income considerably increased; but, as above, the disbursements being large, the sum at first was small; however, the old man let me he was see that debtor to me four hundred and seventy moidores of gold, besides sixty chests of sugar, and fifteen double rolls of tobacco, which were lost in his ship he having ; been shipwrecked coming home to Lisbon, about eleven years after my leaving the place. The good man then began to complain of his misfortunes, and how he had been obliged to make use of my money to recover his losses, and buy him a share in a new ship. "However, my old friend," says he, "you shall not want a supply in your necessity, and as soon as my son returns you shall be fully satisfied." Upon this he pulls out an old pouch, and gives me one hundred and sixty Portugal 373  ; ROBINSON CRUSOE moidores in gold; and giving me tlie writings of his title to the ship, which his son was gone to the Brazils in, of which he was quarter-part owner, and his son an- other, he puts them both in my hands for security of the rest. I was too much moved with the honesty and kind- ness of the poor man to be able to bear this and re- ; membering what he had done for me, how he had taken me up at sea, and how generously he had used me on all occasions, and particularly how sincere a friend he was now to me, I could hardly refrain weeping at what he had said to me therefore, first, I asked him if ; his circumstances admitted him to spare so much money at that time, and if it would not straiten him? He told me he could not say but it might straiten him a little; but, however, it was my money, and I might want it more than he. Everything the good man said was fuU of affec- tion, and I could hardly refrain from tears while he spoke: in short, I took one hundred of the moidores, and called for a pen and ink to give him a receipt for them; then I returned him the rest, and told him if ever I had possession of the plantation I would return the other to him also (as, indeed, I afterwards did) and that as to the bill of sale of his part in his son's ship, I would not take it by any means but that if I ; wanted the money, I found he was honest enough to pay me and if I did not, but came to receive what he ; gave me reason to expect, I would never have a penny more from him. iWhen this was past, the old man began to ask me 374 ROBINSON CRUSOE if he should put me into a method to make claim to my plantation. I told him I thought to go over to it myself. He said I might do so if I pleased; but that, if I did not, there were ways enough to secure my right, and immediately to appropriate the profits to my use: and as there were ships in the river of' Lis- bon just ready to go away to Brazil, he made me enter my name in a public register, with his affidavit, affirm- ing, upon oath, that I was alive, and that I was the same person who took up the land for the planting the said plantation at This being regularly attested first. by a notary, and a procuration affixed, he directed me to send it, with a letter of his writing, to a merchant of his acquaintance at the place; and then proposed my staying with him till an account came of the return. Never was anything more honorable than the pro- ceedings upon this procuration; for in less than seven months I received a large packet from the survivors of my trustees, the merchants, for whose account I went which were the following particular to sea, in lettersand papers inclosed. First, there was the account-current of the produce of my farm or plantation, from the year when their fathers had balanced with my old Portugal captain, being for six years; the balance appeared to be one thousand one hundred and seventy-four moidores in my favor. Secondly, there was the account of four years more while they kept the effects in their hands, before the government claimed the administration, as being the effects of a person not to be found, which they called 375 ROBINSON CRUSOE civil death; and the balance of this, the value of the plantation increasing, amounted to nineteen thousand four hundred and forty-six crusadoes, being about three thousand two hundred and forty moidores. Thirdly, there was the Prior of the Augustines* ac- count, who had received the profits for above fourteen years ; but not being to account for what was disposed had eight of by the hospital, very honestly declared he hundred and seventy-two moidores not distributed, which he acknowledged to my account; as to the king's part, that refunded nothing. There was also a letter from my partner congratu- lating me very affectionately upon my being alive, giving me an account how the estate was improved, and what it produced a year; with the particulars of the number of squares or acres it contained, how planted, how many slaves there were upon it: and making two-and-twenty crosses for blessings, told me he had said so many Ave Marias to thank the Blessed Virgin that I was alive inviting me very passionately ; to come over and take possession of my own; and, in the meantime, to give him orders to whom he should deliver my effects, if I did not come myself; concluding with a hearty tender of his friendship, and that of his family; and sent me, as a present, seven fine leopards' skins, which he had, it seems, received from Africa, by some other ship that he had sent thither, and which, it seems, had made a better voyage than I. He sent me also five chests of excellent sweetmeats, and a hun- dred pieces of gold uncoined, not quite so large as moidores. By the same fleet, my two merchant-trus- tees shipped me one thousand two hundred chests of 376 ROBINSON CRUSOE sugar, eight hundred rolls of tobacco, and the rest of the whole account in gold. I might well say now, indeed, that the latter end of Job was better than the beginning. It is impossible to express the flutterings of my very heart when I looked over these letters, and especially when I found all my me for, as the Brazil ships come wealth about ; all in fleets, same ships which brought my letters the brought my goods: and the effects were safe in the river before the letters came to my hand. In a word I turned pale, and grew sick; and had not the old man run and fetched me a cordial, I believe the sudden surprise of joy had overset nature, and I had died upon the spot nay, after that, I continued very Ul, and was : so some hours, till a physician being sent for, and something of the real cause of my illness being known, he ordered me to let blood; after which I had relief, and grew well but I verily believe, if I had not been : eased by the vent given in that manner to the spirits, I should have died. I was now master, all on a sudden, of above fifty thousand pounds sterling in money, and had an es- tate, as I might weU call it, in the Brazils, of above a thousand pounds a year, as sure as an estate of lands in England; and, in a word, I was in a condition, which I scarce knew how to understand, or how to compose myself for the enjoyment of. The first thing I did was to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain, who had been first charitable to me in my distress, kind to me in the beginning, and honest to me at the end. I showed him all that was sent me ; I told him that, next to the providence of Heaven, 377 ROBINSON CRUSOE which disposes of all things, it was owing to him; /and that it now lay on me to reward him, which I would do a hundred-fold; so I first returned to him the hun- dred moidores I had received of him, then I sent for a notary and caused him to draw up a general release or discharge from the four hundred and seventy moi- dores, which he had acknowledged he owed me, in full- est and firmest manner possible. After which, I caused a procuration to be drawn, empowering him to be the receiver of the annual profits of my plantation; and appointing my partner to account him, and make the returns, by the usual fleets, to him in my name; and by a clause in the end, made a grant of one hundred moidores a year to him during his life, out of the ef- fects, and fifty moidores a year to his son after him, for his life and thus I requited my old man, : I had now to consider which way to steer my course next, and what to do with the estate that Providence had thus put into my hands; and indeed, I had more care upon my head now than I had in my silent state of life in the island, where I wanted nothing but what I had, and had nothing but what I wanted; whereas, I had now a great charge upon me, and my business was how to secure it. I had not a cave now to hide my money in, or a place where it might lie without lock or key, till it grew moldy and tarnished before any- body would meddle with it on the contrary, I knew not ; where to put it. My old patron, the captain, indeed, was honest, and that was the only refuge I had. In the next place, my interest in the Brazils seemed to summon me thither; but now I could not tell how to think of going thither till I had settled my affairs, and 378 ROBINSON CRUSOE left my some safe hands behind me. At effects in first I thought of my old friend the widow, who I knew was honest, and would be just to me but then she was in ; years, and but poor, and, for aught I knew, might be in debt so that, in a word, I had no way but to go back ; to England myself, and take my effects with me. It was some months, however, before I resolved up- on this and therefore, as I had rewarded the old cap- ; tain fully, and to his satisfaction, who had been my former benefactor, so I began to think of my poor widow, whose husband had been my first benefactor, and she, while it was in her power, my faithful stew- ard and instructor. So, the first thing I did, I got a merchant in Lisbon to write to his correspondent in London not only to pay a bill, but to go find her out, and carry her in money a hundred pounds from me, and to talk with her, and comfort her in her poverty, by telling her she should, if I lived, have a further supply at the same time, I sent my two sisters in the : country a hundred pounds each, they being, though not in want, yet not in very good circumstances; one having been married and left a widow; and the other having a husband not so kind to her as he should be. But, among all my relations or acquaintances, I could not yet pitch upon one to whom I durst commit the gross of my stock, that I might go away to the Brazils, and leave things safe behind me; and this greatly perplexed me. I had once a mind to have gone to the Brazils, and have settled myself there, for I was, as it were, natural- ized to the place but I had some little scruple in my ; mind about religion, which insensibly drew me back, 379 ROBINSON CRUSOE of wMch I shall say more presently. However, it was not religion that kept me from going there for the present; and as I had made no scruple of being openly of the religion of the country all the while I was among them, so neither did I yet; only that, now and then, having of late thought more of it than formerly, when I began to think of living and dying among them, I began to regret my having professed myself a Papist, and thought it might not be the best religion to die with. But, as I have said, this was not the main thing that kept me from going to the Brazils, but that really I did not know with whom to leave my effects behind me; so I resolved at last to go to England with them, where, if I arrived, I concluded I should make some acquaintance, or find some relations, that would be faithful to me; and, accordingly, I prepared to go to England with all my wealth. In order to prepare things for my going home, I now (the Brazil fleet being just going away) resolved to give answers suitable to the just and faithful ac- count of things I had from thence; and, first, to the Prior of St. Augustine, I wrote a letter full of thanks for his just dealings, and the offer of the eight hun- dred and seventy-two moidores which were undisposed of, which I desired might be given, five hundred to the monastery, and three hundred and seven-two to the poor, as the prior should direct; desiring the good padre's prayers for me, and the like. I wrote next a letter of thanks to my two trustees, with all the ac- knowledgment that so much justice and honesty called for: as for sending them any present, they were far 380  ; ROBINSON CRUSOE above having any occasion of it. Lastly, I wrote to my partner, acknowledging his industry in the improv- ing the plantation, and his integrity in increasing the stock of works; giving him instructions for his fu- ture government of my part, according to the powers I had left with my old patron, to whom I desired him to send whatever became due to me, till he should hear from me more particularly; assuring him that it was my intention not only to come to him, but to set- tle myself there for the remainder of my life. To this I added a very handsome present of some Italian silks for his wife and two daughters, for such the cap- tain's son informed me he had: with two pieces of fine English broadcloth, the best I could get in Lisbon, five pieces of black baize, and some Flanders lace of a good value. Having thus settled my affairs, sold my cargo, and turned all my effects into good bills of exchange, my next difficulty was which way to go to England. I had been accustomed enough to the sea, and yet I had a strange aversion to go to England by sea at that time and though I could give no reason for it, yet the dif- ficulty increased upon me so much, that though I had once shipped my baggage in order to go, yet I altered my mind, and that not once, but two or three times. It is true I had been very unfortunate by sea, and that might be one of the reasons but let no man slight ; the strong impulses of his own thoughts in cases of such moment; two of the ships which I had singled out to — go in ^I mean, more particularly singled out than — any other ^having put my things on board one of them, and in the other having agreed with the captain, 381 ROBINSON CRUSOE I say two of these ships miscarried; viz., one was taken by the Algerines, and the other was cast away on the start, near Torbay, and all the people drowned, except three; so that in either of those vessels I had been made miserable, in which most, it was hard to say. Having been thus harassed in my thoughts, my old pilot, towhom I communicated everything, pressed me earnestly not to go by sea, but either to go by land to the Groyne, and cross over the Bay of Biscay to Eo- chelle, from whence it was but an easy and safe journey by land to Paris, and so to Calais and Dover or to go ; up to Madrid, and so all the way by land through France. In a word, I was so prepossessed against my going by sea at all, except from Calais to Dover, that I resolved to travel all the way by land; which, as I was not in haste, and did not value the charge, was by much the pleasanter way and to make it more so, : my old captain brought an English gentleman, the son of a merchant in Lisbon, who was willing to travel with me after which we picked up two more English ; merchants also, and two young Portuguese gentlemen, the last going to Paris only; so that in all there were six of us, and five servants the two merchants and the ; two Portuguese contenting themselves with one serv- ant between two, to save the charge; and as for me, I got an English sailor to travel with me as a servant, besides my man Friday, who was too much a stranger to be capable of supplying the place of a servant upon the road. In this manner I set out from Lisbon and our com- ; pany being very well mounted and armed, we made a 382. ROBINSON CRUSOE little troop, whereof they did me the honor to call me captain, as well because I was the oldest man, as be- cause I had two servants, and, indeed, was the origin of the whole journey. As I have troubled you with none of my sea jour^ v