Part 4 (2/2)

CHAPTER X

- TAMES GOATS

I CANNOT say that after this, for five years, any extraordinary thing happened to me, but I lived on in the same course, in the sas I was eh to have sufficient stock of one year's provisions beforehand; I say, besides this yearly labour, and un, I had one labour, toa canal to it of six feet wide and four feet deep, I brought it into the creek, al, for I ht to have done, how I should be able to launch it, so, never being able to bring it into the water, or bring the water to it, I was obliged to let it lie where it was as a memorandum to teach h I could not get a tree proper for it, and was in a place where I could not get the water to it at any less distance than, as I have said, near half a ave it over; and though I was near two years about it, yet I never grudged o off to sea at last

However, though ua was finished, yet the size of it was not at all answerable to the design which I had in viehen Iover to the TERRA FIRMA, where it was above forty ly, the sn, and now I thought no n was to make a cruise round the island; for as I had been on the other side in one place, crossing, as I have already described it, over the land, so the discoveries I er to see other parts of the coast; and now I had a boat, I thought of nothing but sailing round the island

For this purpose, that Iwith discretion and consideration, I fitted up a little mast in my boat, and made a sail too out of some of the pieces of the shi+p's sails which lay in store, and of which I had a great stock byfitted my mast and sail, and tried the boat, I found she would sail very well; then I made little lockers or boxes at each end of my boat, to put provisions, necessaries, ammunition, &c, into, to be kept dry, either fro, hollow place I cut in the inside of the boat, where I could laydown over it to keep it dry

I fixed my umbrella also in the step at the stern, like a mast, to stand over ; and thus I every now and then took a little voyage upon the sea, but never went far out, nor far froer to view the circudoly I victualledin two dozen of loaves (cakes I should call them) of barley-bread, an earthen pot full of parched rice (a food I ate a good deal of), a little bottle of ru e watch-coats, of those which, as I mentioned before, I had saved out of the seamen's chests; these I took, one to lie upon, and the other to cover ht

It was the 6th of Noven - or e, and I found it h the island itself was not very large, yet when I cae of rocks lie out about two leagues into the sea, some above water, so dry half a league reat way out to sea to double the point

When I first discovered theain, not knowing how far ithow I should get back again: so I came to an anchor; for I hadwhich I got out of the shi+p

Having securedup a hill, which seemed to overlook that point where I saw the full extent of it, and resolved to venture

Inthe sea fro, and indeed a most furious current, which ran to the east, and even came close to the point; and I took the er that when I cath of it, and not be able to ot first upon this hill, I believe it would have been so; for there was the same current on the other side the island, only that it set off at a further distance, and I saw there was a strong eddy under the shore; so I had nothing to do but to get out of the first current, and I should presently be in an eddy

I lay here, however, two days, because the wind blowing pretty fresh at ESE, and that being just contrary to the current, reat breach of the sea upon the point: so that it was not safe for o too far off, because of the strea abated overnight, the sea was calnorant pilots; for no sooner was I coth froreat depth of water, and a current like the sluice of awith it with such violence that all I could do could not keep her so e of it; but I found it hurried me farther and farther out from the eddy, which was onto help : and now I began to give myself over for lost; for as the current was on both sides of the island, I knew in a few leagues distance they one; nor did I see any possibility of avoiding it; so that I had no prospect before , not by the sea, for that was caler I had, indeed, found a tortoise on the shore, as big almost as I could lift, and had tossed it into the boat; and I had a great jar of fresh water, that is to say, one ofdriven into the vast ocean, where, to be sure, there was no shore, no ues at least?

And now I sa easy it was for the providence of God to make even the most miserable condition of mankind worse Now I looked back upon my desolate, solitary island as the most pleasant place in the world and all the happiness ain I stretched out er wishes - ”O happy desert!” said I, ”I shall never see thee ?” Then I reproached myself with my unthankful temper, and that I had repined at ive to be on shore there again! Thus, we never see the true state of our condition till it is illustrated to us by its contraries, nor kno to value e enjoy, but by the want of it It is scarcely possible to i driven from my beloved island (for so it appeared to ues, and in the utain However, I worked hard till, indeed, th was almost exhausted, and kept my boat as much to the northward, that is, towards the side of the current which the eddy lay on, as possibly I could; when about noon, as the sun passed the ht I felt a little breeze of wind inup from SSE This cheered my heart a little, and especially when, in about half- an-hour ot at a frightful distance from the island, and had the least cloudy or hazy weather intervened, I had been undone another way, too; for I had no compass on board, and should never have kno to have steered towards the island, if I had but once lost sight of it; but the weather continuing clear, I appliedaway to the north as et out of the current

Just as I had set an to stretch away, I saw even by the clearness of the water some alteration of the current was near; for where the current was so strong the water was foul; but perceiving the water clear, I found the current abate; and presently I found to the east, at about half a mile, a breach of the sea upon soain, and as thethe rocks to the north-east, so the other returned by the repulse of the rocks, and ain to the north-west, with a very sharp streaht to the to uess what ladly I put my boat into the strealadly I spreadcheerfully before the wind, and with a strong tide or eddy underfoot

This eddy carried ain, directly towards the island, but about two leagues more to the northward than the current which carried me away at first; so that when I came near the island, I found myself open to the northern shore of it, that is to say, the other end of the island, opposite to that which I went out froue of way by the help of this current or eddy, I found it was spent, and served reat currents - viz that on the south side, which had hurried ue on the other side; I say, between these two, in the wake of the island, I found the water at least still, and running no way; and having still a breeze of wind fair for h notsuch fresh way as I did before

About four o'clock in the evening, being then within a league of the island, I found the point of the rocks which occasioned this disaster stretching out, as is described before, to the southward, and casting off the current more southerly, had, of course, , but not directly setting the way my course lay, which was due west, but alale, I stretched across this eddy, slanting north-west; and in about an hour ca sot to land

When I was on shore, God I fell onto lay aside all thoughts ofht my boat close to the shore, in a little cove that I had spied under so quite spent with the labour and fatigue of the voyage

I was now at a great loss which way to get home with my boat! I had run so much hazard, and knew tooit by the way I went out; and what ht be at the other side (I mean the west side) I knew not, nor had I any mind to run anytothe shore, and to see if there was no creek where I ain if I wanted her In about threethe shore, I caood inlet or bay, about a mile over, which narrowed till it came to a very little rivulet or brook, where I found a very convenient harbour for my boat, and where she lay as if she had been in a little dockstowed my boat very safe, I went on shore to look about me, and see where I was

I soon found I had but a little passed by the place where I had been before, when I travelled on foot to that shore; so taking nothing out of ly hot, I began e as I had been upon, and I reachedas I left it; for I always kept it in good order, being, as I said before, ot over the fence, and laid me down in the shade to rest e you, if you can, that read my story, what a surprise I must be in when I aked out ofme by my name several times, ”Robin, Robin, Robin Crusoe: poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you, Robin Crusoe? Where are you? Where have you been?”

I was so dead asleep at first, being fatigued with rowing, or part of the day, and alking the latter part, that I did not wake thoroughly; but dozing thought I dreamed that somebody spoke to me; but as the voice continued to repeat, ”Robin Crusoe, Robin Crusoe,” at last I began to wake htened, and started up in the utmost consternation; but no sooner were e; and immediately knew that it was he that spoke to e I had used to talk to him and teach him; and he had learned it so perfectly that he would sit upon er, and lay his bill close to my face and cry, ”Poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you? Where have you been? How caht hih I kneas the parrot, and that indeed it could be nobody else, it was a good while before I could coot thither; and then, how he should just keep about the place, and nowhere else; but as I ell satisfied it could be nobody but honest Poll, I got over it; and holding outhim by his name, ”Poll,” the sociable creature came to me, and sat uponto me, ”Poor Robin Crusoe! and how did I come here? and where had I been?” just as if he had been overjoyed to seewithto sea for soh to do for er I had been in I would have been very glad to have had ain on my side of the island; but I knew not hoas practicable to get it about As to the east side of the island, which I had gone round, I kneell enough there was no venturing that way; my very heart would shrink, and my very blood run chill, but to think of it; and as to the other side of the island, I did not kno itthe current ran with the saainst the shore at the east as it passed by it on the other, Idriven down the strea carried away frohts, I contented h it had been the product of so et it into the sea

In this government of my temper I remained near a year; and lived a very sedate, retired life, as youvery ning ht I lived really very happily in all things except that of society

I improved myself in this time in all themyself to; and I believe I should, upon occasion, haveho tools I had

Besides this, I arrived at an unexpected perfection in h to make them with a wheel, which I found infinitely easier and better; because I s indeed to look on But I think I was neverI found out, than for h it was a very ugly, clu when it was done, and only burned red, like other earthenware, yet as it was hard and firly comforted with it, for I had been always used to sot the there was tobacco in the island; and afterwards, when I searched the shi+p again, I could not come at any pipes

In my wicker-ware also I improved much, and made abundance of necessary baskets, as well as h not very handsome, yet they were such as were very handy and convenient for laying things up in, or fetching things ho it up in a tree, flay it, dress it, and cut it in pieces, and bring it home in a basket; and the like by a turtle; I could cut it up, take out the eggs and a piece or two of the flesh, which was enough forthee deep baskets were the receivers of my corn, which I always rubbed out as soon as it was dry and cured, and kept it in great baskets

I began now to perceive my powder abated considerably; this was a hich it was ian seriously to consider what I must do when I should have no oats I had, as is observed in the third year ofkid, and bred her up taoat; but I could not by any oat; and as I could never find in e

But being now in the eleventh year oflow, I set oats, to see whether I could not catch soreat with young For this purpose I made snares to hamper them; and I do believe they were ood, for I had no wire, and I always found theth I resolved to try a pitfall; so I dug several large pits in the earth, in places where I had observed the goats used to feed, and over those pits I placed hurdles of ht upon them; and several ti the trap; and I could easily perceive that the goats had gone in and eaten up the corn, for I could see the ht, and going the next , and yet the bait eaten and gone; this was very discouraging However, I alteredone e old he-goat; and in one of the others three kids, a male and two females

As to the old one, I knew not what to do with hio into the pit to hi him away alive, which hat I wanted I could have killed him, but that was not my business, nor would it answer my end; so I even let hihtened out of his wits But I did not then knohat I afterwards learned, that hunger will tame a lion If I had let him stay three or four days without food, and then have carried him some water to drink and then a little corn, he would have been as taacious, tractable creatures, where they are well used

However, for the present I let hi no better at that ti theether, and with soood while before they would feed; but throwing thean to be taoats' flesh, when I had no powder or shot left, breeding soht have them about my house like a flock of sheep But then it occurred to me that I must keep the tame frorew up; and the only way for this was to have soe or pale, to keep theht not break out, or those without break in

This was a great undertaking for one pair of hands yet, as I saw there was an absolute necessity for doing it, round, where there was likely to be herbage for them to eat, water for them to drink, and cover to keep them from the sun

Those who understand such enclosures will think I had very little contrivance when I pitched upon a place very proper for all these (being a plain, open piece of meadow land, or savannah, as our people call it in the western colonies), which had two or three little drills of fresh water in it, and at one end was very woody - I say, they will san by enclosing this piece of ground in such a e or pale must have been at least two reat as to the compass, for if it was ten h to do it in; but I did not consider that oats would be as wild in so much compass as if they had had the whole island, and I should have so much room to chase theun and carried on, I believe, about fifty yards when this thought occurred to , I resolved to enclose a piece of about one hundred and fifty yards in length, and one hundred yards in breadth, which, as it would maintain as many as I should have in any reasonable tiround towith soe I was about threein the first piece; and, till I had done it, I tethered the three kids in the best part of it, and used them to feed as near me as possible, to o and carry them some ears of barley, or a handful of rice, and feed them out of my hand; so that after my enclosure was finished and I let the after me for a handful of corn

This answered my end, and in about a year and a half I had a flock of about twelve goats, kids and all; and in two years more I had three-and-forty, besides several that I took and killed for round to feed them in, with little pens to drive theround into another

But this was not all; for now I not only had goat's flesh to feed on when I pleased, but , I did not so hts, was really an agreeable surprise, for now I set up allon or two of ives supplies of food to every creature, dictates even naturally how to make use of it, so I, that had never oat, or seen butter or cheese reat es, h I found it partly made to my hand by the heat of the sun upon some of the rocks of the sea), and never wanted it afterwards How mercifully can our Creator treat His creatures, even in those conditions in which they seemed to be overwhelmed in destruction! How can He sweeten the bitterest providences, and give us cause to praise Hieons and prisons! What a table was here spread forat first but to perish for hunger!

CHAPTER XI

- FINDS PRINT OF MAN'S FOOT ON THE SAND

IT would have made a Stoic smile to have seen me and my little family sit down to dinner There was my majesty the prince and lord of the whole island; I had the lives of all ive liberty, and take it away, and no rebels a I dined, too, all alone, attended by my servants! Poll, as if he had been my favourite, was the only person perrown old and crazy, and had found no species to ht hand; and two cats, one on one side of the table and one on the other, expecting now and then a bit from my hand, as a mark of especial favour

But these were not the two cats which I brought on shore at first, for they were both of them dead, and had been interred nearmultiplied by I know not what kind of creature, these were thich I had preserved tame; whereas the rest ran wild in the woods, and became indeed troublesome to me at last, for they would often coed to shoot theth they left me With this attendance and in this plentifulbut society; and of that, some time after this, I was likely to have tooimpatient, as I have observed, to have the use of h very loath to run anyways to get her about the island, and at other tih without her But I had a strange uneasiness in o down to the point of the island where, as I have said in my last ramble, I went up the hill to see how the shore lay, and how the current set, that I ht see what I had to do: this inclination increased upon th I resolved to travel thither by land, following the edge of the shore I did so; but had any one in England htened hihter; and as I frequently stood still to look atthrough Yorkshi+re with such an equipage, and in such a dress Be pleased to take a sketch of h shapeless cap,down behind, as well to keep the sun fro intoso hurtful in these climates as the rain upon the flesh under the clothes