Robinson Crusoe in Words of One Syllable (Version 2) — 02 - Section 2

The roar and cries set up by beasts and birds at the noise of my gun would seem to show that we had made a bad choice of a place to land on; but be that as it would, to shore we had to go to find some fresh spring, so that we might fill our casks.

Xury said if I would let him go with one of the jars, he would find out if the springs were fit to drink; and, if they were sweet, he would bring the jar back full.

"Why should you go?"

said I; "Why should not I go, and you stay in the boat?"

At this Xury said, "if wild mans come they eat me, you go way."

I could not but love the lad for this kind speech.

"Well," said I, "we will both go, and if the wild men come we must kill them, they shall not eat you or me."

I gave Xury some rum from the Turk's case to cheer him up, and we went on shore.

The boy went off with his gun, full a mile from the spot where we stood, and came back with a hare that he had shot, which we were glad to cook and eat; but the good news which he brought was that he had found a spring, and had seen no wild men.

I made a guess that the Cape de Verd Isles were not far off, for I saw the top of the Great Peak, which I knew was near them.

My one hope was that if I kept near the coast, I should find some ship that would take us on board; and then, and not till then, should I feel a free man.

In a word, I put the whole of my fate on this chance, that I must meet with some ship, or die.

On the coast we saw some men who stood to look at us.

They were black, and wore no clothes.

I would have gone on shore to them, but Xury--who knew best--said, "Not you go!

Not you go!"

So I brought the boat as near the land as I could, that I might talk to them, and they kept up with me a long way.

I saw that one of them had a lance in his hand.

I made signs that they should bring me some food, and they on their part made signs for me to stop my boat.

So I let down the top of my sail, and lay by, while two of them ran off; and in less than half an hour they came back with some dry meat and a sort of corn which is grown in this part of the world.

This we should have been glad to get, but knew not how to do so; for we durst not go on shore to them, nor did they dare to come to us.

At last they took a safe way for us all, for they brought the food to the shore, where they set it, down, and then went a long way off while we took it in.

We made signs to show our thanks, for we had not a thing that we could spare to give them.

But as good luck would have it, we were at hand to take a great prize for them; for two wild beasts, of the same kind as the first I spoke of, came in, full chase from the hills down to the sea.

They swam as if they had come for sport.

The men flew from them in fear, all but the one who held the lance.

One of these beasts came near our boat; so I lay in wait for him with my gun; and as soon as the brute was in range, I shot him through the head.

Twice he sank down in the sea, and twice he came up; and then just swam to the land, where he fell down dead.

The men were in as much fear at the sound of my gun, as they had been at the sight of the beasts.

But when I made signs for them to come to the shore, they took heart, and came.

They at once made for their prize; and by the help of a rope, which they slung round him, they brought him safe on the beach.

We now left our wild men, and went on and on, for twelve days more.

The land in front of us ran out four or five miles, like a bill; and we had to keep some way from the coast, to make this point, so that we lost sight of the shore.

I gave the helm to Xury and sat down to think what would be my best course to take: when all at once I heard the lad cry out "A ship with a sail!

A ship with a sail!"

He did not show much joy at the sight, for he thought that this ship had been sent out to take him back: but I knew well, from the look of her, that she was not one of the Turk's. I made all the sail I could to come in the ship's way, and told Xury to fire a gun, in the hope that if those on deck could not hear the sound, they might see the smoke.

This they did see, and then let down their sails so that we might come up to them, and in three hours time we were at the ship's side.

The men spoke to us in French, but I could not make out what they meant.

At last a Scot on board said in my own tongue, "Who are you?

Whence do you come?"

I told him in a few words how I had got free from the Moors.

Then the man who had charge of the ship bade me come on board, and took me in with Xury and all my goods.

I told him that he might take all I had, but he said "You shall have your goods back when we come to land, for I have but done for you what you would have done for me, had I been in the same plight."

He gave me a good round sum for my boat, and said that I should have the same sum for Xury, if I would part with him.

But I told him that as it was by the boy's help that I had got free, I was loath to sell him.

He said it was just and right in me to feel thus, but at the same time, if I could make up my mind to part with him, he should be set free in two years' time.

So, as the poor slave had a wish to go with him, I did not say "no." I got to All Saints' Bay in three weeks, and was now a free man.

I had made a good sum by all my store, and with this I went on land.

But I did not at all know what to do next.

At length I met with a man whose case was much the same as my own, and we both took some land to farm.

My stock, like his, was low, but we made our farms serve to keep us in food, though not more than that.

We both stood in need of help, and I saw now that I had done wrong to part with my boy.

I did not at all like this kind of life.

What!

thought I, have I come all this way to do that which I could have done as well at home with my friends round me!

And to add to my grief, the kind friend, who had brought me here in his ship, now meant to leave these shores.

On my first start to sea when a boy, I had put a small sum in the hands of an aunt, and this my friend said I should do well to spend on my farm.

So when he got home he sent some of it in cash, and laid out the rest in cloth, stuffs, baize, and such like goods.

My aunt had put a few pounds in my friend's hands as a gift to him, to show her thanks for all that he had done for me, and with this sum he was so kind as to buy me a slave.

In the mean time I had bought a slave, so now I had two, and all went on well for the next year.

But soon my plans grew too large for my means.

One day some men came to ask me to take charge of a slave ship to be sent out by them.

They said they would give me a share in the slaves, and pay the cost of the stock.

This would have been a good thing for me if I had not had farms and land; but it was wild and rash to think of it now, for I had made a large sum, and ought to have gone on in the same way for three or four years more.

Well, I told these men that I would go with all my heart, if they would look to my farm in the mean time, which they said they would do.

So I made my will, and went on board this ship on the same day on which, eight years since, I had left Hull.

She had six guns, twelve men, and a boy.

We took with us saws, chains, toys, beads, bits of glass, and such like ware, to suit the taste of those with whom we had to trade.

We were not more than twelve days from the Line, when a high wind took us off we knew not where.

All at once there was a cry of "Land!"

and the ship struck on a bank of sand, in which she sank so deep that we could not get her off.

At last we found that we must make up our minds to leave her, and get to shore as well as we could.

There had been a boat at her stern, but we found it had been torn off by the force of the waves.

One small boat was still left on the ship's side, so we got in it.

There we were all of us on the wild sea.

The heart of each now grew faint, our cheeks were pale, and our eyes were dim, for there was but one hope, and that was to find some bay, and so get in the lee of the land.

We now gave up our whole souls to God.

The sea grew more and more rough, and its white foam would curl and boil.

At last the waves, in their wild sport, burst on the boat's side, and we were all thrown out.

I could swim well, but the force of the waves made me lose my breath too much to do so.

At length one large wave took me to the shore, and left me high and dry, though half dead with fear.

I got on my feet and made the best of my way for the land; but just then the curve of a huge wave rose up as high as a hill, and this I had no strength to keep from, so it took me back to the sea.

I did my best to float on the top, and held my breath to do so.

The next wave was quite as high, and shut me up in its bulk.

I held my hands down tight to my side, and then my head shot out at the top of the waves.

This gave me heart and breath too, and soon my feet felt the ground.

I stood quite still for a short time, to let the sea run back from me, and then I set off with all my might to the shore, but yet the waves caught me, and twice more did they take me back, and twice more land me on the shore.

I thought the last wave would have been the death of me, for it drove me on a piece of rock, and with such force, as to leave me in a kind of swoon, which, thank God, did not last long.

At length, to my great joy, I got up to the cliffs close to the shore, where I found some grass, out of the reach of the sea.

There, I sat down, safe on land at last.

I could but cry out in the words of the Psalm, "They that go down to the sea in ships, these men see the works of the Lord in the deep.

For at His word the storms rise, the winds blow, and lift up the waves; then do they mount to the sky, and from thence go down to the deep.

My soul faints, I reel to and fro, and am at my wit's end: then the Lord brings me out of all my fears."

I felt so wrapt in joy, that all I could do was to walk up and down the coast, now lift up my hands, now fold them on my breast, and thank God for all that He had done for me, when the rest of the men were lost.

All lost but I, and I was safe!

I now cast my eyes round me, to find out what kind of a place it was that I had been thus thrown in, like a bird in a storm.

Then all the glee I felt at first left me; for I was wet and cold, and had no dry clothes to put on, no food to eat and not a friend to help me.