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19 - Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe · Adventure Books Library

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Chapter nineteen return to England. Having done all this, I left them the
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next day and went on board the ship. We prepared immediately to sail,
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but did not weigh that night. The next morning, early two of the
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five men came swimming to the ship's side, and, making the most lamentable
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complaint of the other three, begged to be taken into the ship for God's
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sake, for they should be murdered, and begged the captain to take them
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on board, though he hanged them immediately. Upon this, the captain pretended
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to have no power without me. But after some difficulty, and after their
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solemn promises of amendment, they were taken on board, and some time after
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soundly whipped and pickled, after which they proved very honest and quiet fellows.
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Sometime after this, the boat was ordered on shore, the tide being up,
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and with the things promised to the men, to which the captain,
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at my intercession, caused their chests and clothes to be added, which they
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took and were very thankful for. I also encouraged them by telling them that
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if it lay in my power to send any vessel to take them in,
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I would not forget them. When I took leave of this island. I
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carried on board for relics the great goat skin cap I had made my umbrella,
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and one of my parrots. Also, I forgot not to take them
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money I formerly mentioned, which had lain by me so long useless that it
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was grown rusty or tarnished, and could hardly pass for silver till it had
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been a little rubbed and handled, as also the money I found in the
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wreck of the Spanish ship. And thus I left the island the nineteenth of
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December, as I found by the ship's account in the year of sixteen eighty
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six, after I had been upon it eight and twenty years, two months
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and nineteen days, being delivered from this second captivity the same day of the
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month that I first made my escape in the longboat from among the moors of
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Silly. In this vessel, after a long voyage, I arrived in England
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the eleventh of June in the year sixteen eighty seven, having been thirty five
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years absent. When I came to England, I was as perfect a stranger
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to all the world as if I had never been known. There. My
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benefactor and faithful Stewart, whom I had left my money in trust with was
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alive, but had had great misfortunes in the world. Was become a widow
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the second time, and very low in the world. I made her very
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easy as to what she owed me, assuring her I would give her no
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trouble. But on the contrary, ingratitude for her former care and faithfulness to
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me, I relieved her as my little stock would afford, which at that
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time would indeed allow me to do but little for her. But I assured
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her I would never forget her former kindness to me, nor did I forget
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her when I had sufficient to help her, as Shelby observed, in its
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proper place. I went down afterwards into Yorkshire, but my father was dead
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and my mother and all the family extinct, except that I found two sisters
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and two of the children of one of my brothers. And as I had
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long been given over for dead, there had been no provision made for me,
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so that in a word, I found nothing to relieve or assist me,
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and that the little money I had would not do much for me as
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to settling in the world. I met with one piece of gratitude, indeed,
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which I did not expect, and this was that the Master of the
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ship whom I had so happily delivered and by the same means saved the ship
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and cargo. Having given a very handsome account to the owners of the manner
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how I had saved the lives of the men and the ship, they invited
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me to meet them and some other merchants concerned, and altogether made me a
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very handsome compliment upon the subject, and a present of almost two hundred pounds
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sterling. But after making several reflections upon the circumstances of my life and how
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little way this would go towards settling me in the world, I resolved to
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go to Lisbon and see if I might not come at some information of the
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state of my plantation in the Brazils, and of what was become of my
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partner, who I had reason to suppose had some years passed given me over
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for dead. With this view, I took shipping for Lisbon, where I
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arrived in April, following my man Friday, accompanying me very honestly in all
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these ramblings and proving a most faithful servant upon all occasions. When I came
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to Lisbon, I found out by inquiry and to my particular satisfaction. My
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old friend, the captain of the ship who first took me up at sea
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off the shore of Africa. He was now grown old and had left off
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going to sea, having put his son, who was far from a young
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man, into his ship, and who still used the Brazil trade. The
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old man did not know me, and indeed I hardly knew him, but
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I soon brought him to my remembrance, and as soon brought myself to his
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remembrance. When I told him who I was. After some passionate expression of
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the old acquaintance between us, I inquired, you may be sure after my
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plantation and my partner. The old man told me he had not been in
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the Brazils for about nine years, but that he could assure me that when
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he came away, my partner was living, but the trustees whom I had
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joined with him to take cognizance of my part were both dead. That,
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however, he believed I would have a very good account of the improvement of
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the plantation, for that upon the general belief of being my castaway and drowned,
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my trustees had given the account of the produce of my part of the
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plantation to the procurator fiscal who had appropriated it in case I never came to
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claim it, one third to the King and two thirds to the Monastery of
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Saint Augustine, to be expended for the benefit of the and for the conversion
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of the Indians to the Catholic faith, But that if I appeared or anyone
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for me to claim the inheritance, it would be restored. Only that the
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improvement or annual production being distributed to charitable uses could not be restored. But
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he assured me that the steward of the king's revenue from lands and the providore
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or steward of the monastery had taken great care all along, that the incumbent,
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that is to say, my partner, gave every year a faithful account
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of the produce of which they had duly received. My moiety, I asked
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them if he knew to what height of improvement he had brought to plantation,
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and whether he thought it might be worth looking after, or whether on my
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going thither I should meet with any obstruction to my possession my just right in
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the moiity. He told me he could not tell exactly to what degree the
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plantation was improved, but this he knew that my partner was grown exceedingly rich
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upon the enjoying his part of it, and that, to the best of
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his remembrance, he had heard that the king's third of my part, which
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was it seems granted a way to some other monastery or religious house, amounted
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to above two hundred moidores a year. That as to my being restored to
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a quiet possession of it, there was no question to be made of that,
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my partner being alive to witness my title, and my name being also
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enrolled in the registry of the country. Also, he told me that the
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survivors of my two trustees were very fair, honest people, and very wealthy,
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and he believed I would not only have their assistance for putting me in
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possession, but would find a very considerable sum of money in their hands,
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for my account being the produce of the farm while their fathers held the trust
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and before it was given up as above, which as he remembered, was
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for about twelve years. I showed myself a little concerned and uneasy at this
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account, and inquired of the old captain how it came to pass that the
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trustees should thus dispose of my effects. When he knew that I had made
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my will and had made him the Portuguese Captain, my universal heir, et
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cetera. He told me that was true, but that as there was no
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proof of my being dead, he could not act as executor until some certain
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account should come of my death. And besides he was not willing to intermeddle
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with the thing so remote that it was true. He had registered my will
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and put in his claim, and could he have given any account of my
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being dead or alive, he would have acted by procuration and taken possession of
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the Inhenno, so they called the sugar House, and have given his son,
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who was now at the Brazil's orders, to do it. But says
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the old man, I have one piece of news to tell you, which
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perhaps may not be so acceptable to you as the rest, and that is
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believing you were lost in all the world. Believing so also, your partner
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and trustees did offer to account with me in your name for the first six
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or eight years of profits which I received, being at that time great disbursements
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for increasing the works, building an Inheno, and buying slaves, it did
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not amount to near so much as afterwards it produced. However, says the
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old man, I shall give you a true account of what I have received
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in all and how I have disposed of it. After a few further days
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conference with this ancient friend, he brought me an account of the first six
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years income of my plantation, signed by my partner and the merchant trustees,
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being always delivered in goods, that is, tobacco and roll and sugar and
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chests besides rum, molasses, et cetera, which is the consequence of sugar
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work. And I found by this account that every year the income considerably increased,
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but as above the disbursements being large, the sum at first was small.
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However, the old man let me see that he was a debtor to
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me four hundred and seventy moidores of gold, besides sixty chests of sugar and
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fifteen double rolls of tobacco, which were lost in his ship, he having
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been shipwrecked coming home to Lisbon about eleven years after my having the place.
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The good man then began to complain of his misfortunes and how he had been
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obliged to make use of my money to cover his losses and buy him a
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share in a new ship. However, my old friend says he you shall
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not want a supply in your necessity, and as soon as my son returns,
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you shall be fully satisfied. Upon this, he pulls out an old
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pouch and gives me one hundred and sixty Portugal moidores in gold, and giving
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the ridings of his title to the ship which his son was gone to,
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the Brazil's Inn of which he was quarter part owner, and his son another.
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He puts them both into my hands for security of the rest. I
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was too much moved with the honesty and kindness of the poor man to be
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able to bear this, And remembering what he had done for me, how
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he had taken me up at sea, and how generously he had used me
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on all occasions, and particularly how sincere a friend he was now to me,
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I could hardly refrain from weeping at what he had said to me.
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Therefore, I asked him if his circumstances admitted him to spare so much money
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at that time, and if it would not straighten him. He told me
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he could not say, but it might straighten him a little. But however,
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it was my money, and I might want it more than he.
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Everything the good man said was full of affection, and I could hardly refrain
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from tears while he spoke. In short, I took one hundred of the
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mordores and called for a pen and ink to give him a receipt for them.
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Then I returned him the rest, and told him, if ever I
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had possession of the plantation, I would return the other to him as well,
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as indeed I afterwards did, and that as to the bill of sale
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of his part and his sonship, I would not take it by any means,
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but that if I wanted the money, I found he was honest enough
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to pay me. And if I did not, but came to receive what
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he gave me reason to expect I would never have a penny more from him.
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When this was past, the old man asked me if he should put
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me into a method to make a claim to my plantation. I told him
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I thought to go over to it myself. He said I might do so
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if I pleased, but that if I did not, there were ways enough
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to secure my right and immediately to appropriate the profits to my use. And
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as there were ships in the river of Lisbon just ready to go away to
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Brazil, he made me enter my name in a public register with his affidavit
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affirming upon oath that I was alive and that I was the same person who
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took up the land for the planting the said plantation at first, this being
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regularly attested by a notary and a procuration of fixed He directed me to send
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it with a letter of his writing to a merchant of his acquaintance at the
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place, and then proposed my staying with him till an account came of the
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return. Never was anything more honorable than the proceedings upon this procaration, For
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in less than seven months I received a large packet from the survivors of my
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trustees, the merchants for whose account I went to see, in which were
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the following particular papers and letters enclosed. First there was the account current of
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the produce of my farm or plantation from the year when their fathers had balanced,
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with my old Portugal captain being six years, the balance appeared to be
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one thousand, one hundred and seventy four moidores in my favor. There was
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the account of four years more while they kept the effects in their hands,
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before the government claimed the administration as being the effects of a person not to
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be found, which they called civil death, and the balance of this,
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the value of the plantation increasing amounted to nineteen thousand, four hundred and forty
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six krusadoutsch, being about three thousand, two hundred and forty moidores. Thirdly,
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there was the prior of Saint Augustine's account, who had received the profits
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for above fourteen years, but not being able to account for what was disposed
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of by the hospital, very honestly declared he had eight hundred and seventy two
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moidores not distributed, which he acknowledged to my account. As to the King's
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Park, they refunded nothing. There was a letter of my partners congratulating me
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very affectionately upon my being alive, giving me an account how the estate was
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improved and what it produced a year, with the particulars of the number of
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squares or acres that it contained, how planted, how many slaves there were
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upon it, and making two and twenty crosses for blessings, told me that
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he had said so many ave marias to thank the blessed Virgin that I was
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alive, inviting me very passionately to come over and take possession of my own
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and in the meantime to give him orders to whom he should deliver my effects
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if I did not come myself concluding with a hearty tender of his friendship and
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that of his family, and sent me as a present seven fine leopard skins,
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which he had, it seems, received from Africa by some other ship
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that he had sent thither, and which it seems had made a better voyage
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than I. He sent me also five chests of excellent sweetmeats, and a
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hundred pieces of gold uncoined, not quite so large as moidores. By the
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same fleet. My two merchant trustees shipped me one thousand, two hundred chests
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of sugar, eight hundred rolls of tobacco, and the rest of the whole
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count in gold. I might well say now, and indeed, that the
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latter end of job was better than the beginning. It is impossible to impress
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the flutterings of my heart when I found all my wealth about me. For
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as the brazil ships come all in fleets, the same ships which brought my
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letters brought my goods, and the effects were safe in the river before the
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letters came to my hand. In a word, I turned pale and grew
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sick, and had not the old man run and fetched me a cordial I
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believe the sudden surprise of joy had overset nature, and I had died upon
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the spot. Nay after that, I continued very ill, and was so
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for some hours till a physician being sent for, and something of the real
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cause of my illness being known. He ordered me to be let blood,
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after which I had relief and grew well. But I verily believe if I
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had not been let and eased by event given in that manner to this,
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I should have died. I was now master, all of a sudden of
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about five thousand pounds sterling in money, and had an estate, as I
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might well call it, in the Brazils above a thousand pounds a year,
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as sure as an a state of lands in England. And in a word,
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I was in a condition which I scarce knew how to understand or how
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to compose myself for the enjoyment of it. The first thing I did was
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to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain, who had been first
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charitable to me in my distress, kind to me in my beginning, and
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honest to me at the end. I showed him all that was sent to
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me. I told him that next to the providence of heaven, which disposed
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all things, it was owing to him, and that it now lay on
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me to reward him, which I would do one hundredfold. So I first
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returned to him the hundred moidores I had received of him. Then I sent
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for a notary and caused him to draw up a general release or discharge from
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the four hundred and seventy moidores which he had acknowledged. He owed me in
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the fullest and firmest manner possible, after which I caused a procuration to be
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drawn, empowering him to be the receiver of the annual profits of my plantation,
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and appointing my partner to account with him and make the returns by the
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usual fleets to him in my name, and by a clause in the end
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made a grant of one hundred moidores a year to him during his life out
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of the effects, and fifty more doughties a year to his son after him
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for his life. And thus I requited my old man. I had now
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to consider which way to steer my course next, and what to do with
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the estate that Providence had thus put into my hands. And indeed I had
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more care upon my head now than I had in my state of life in
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the Island, where I wanted nothing but what I had, and had nothing
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but what I wanted. Whereas I had now a great charge upon me,
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and my business was how to secure it. I had not a cave now
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to hide my money in, or a place where it might lie without locker
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key, till it grew moldy and tarnished before anybody would meddle with it.
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On the contrary, I knew not where to put it or whom to trust
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it with. My old patron, the Captain, indeed was honest, and
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that was the only refuge I had. In the next place, my interest
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in the Brazil seemed to summon me thither, But now I could not tell
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how to think of going thither till I had settled my affairs and left my
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effects in some safe hands behind me. At first I thought of my old
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friend, the widow, who I knew was honest and would be just to
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me. But then she was in years and but poor and for aught I
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knew might be in debt, so that in a word, I had no
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way but to go back to England myself and take my effects with me.
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It was some months, however, before I resolved upon this. And therefore,
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as I had rewarded the old captain fully and to his satisfaction, who
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had been my former benefactor, so I began to think of the poor widow
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whose husband had been my first benefactor, and she, while it was in
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her power, my faithful steward and instructor. So the first thing I did
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I got a merchant in Lisbon to write to his correspondent in London, not
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only to pay a bill, but to go find her out and carry her
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in money one hundred pounds from me, and to talk with her and comfort
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her in her poverty by telling her she should, if I lived, have
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a further supply. At the same time, I sent my two sisters in
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the country one hundred pounds each, they, being though not in want,
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yet not in very good circumstances, one having been married and left a widow,
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and the other having a husban, been not so kind to her as
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he should be. But among all my relations or acquaintances, I could not
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yet pitch upon one to whom I durst commit the gross of my stock,
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that I might go away to the Brazils and leave things safe behind me,
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and this greatly perplexed me. I had once a mind to have gone to
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the Brazils and have settled myself there, for I was, as it were,
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naturalized to the place. But I had some little scruple in my mind
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about religion, which insensibly drew me back. However, it was not religion
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that kept me from going there for the present, and as I had made
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no scruple of being openly of the religion of the country all the while I
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was among them, so neither did I yet, only that now, and
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then, having a thought more of it than formerly, when I began to
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think of living and dying among them, I began to regret having professed myself
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a papist, and thought it might not be the best religion to die with.
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But as I have said, this was not the main thing that kept
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me from going to the Brazils, but that I really did not know with
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whom to leave my effects behind me. So I resolved at last to go
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to England, where if I arrived, I concluded that I should make some
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acquaintance or find some relations that would be faithful to me. And accordingly I
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prepared to go to England with all my wealth in order to prepare things for
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my going home. I first the Brazil fleet, being just gone away,
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resolved to give answers suitable to the just and faithful account of things I had
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from thence. And first to the Prior of Saint Augustine, I wrote a
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letter full of thanks for his just dealings and the offer of the eight hundred
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and seventy two moidores, which were undisposed, of which I desired might be
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given five hundred to the monastery in three hundred and seventy two to the poor,
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as the Prior should direct. Desiring the good padres prayers for me and
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the like, I wrote next a letter of thanks to my two trustees,
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with all the acknowledgment that so much justice and honesty called for. As for
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sending them any present, they were far above having any occasion of it.
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Lastly, I wrote to my partner, acknowledging his industry in the improving the
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plantation and his integrity in increasing the stock of the works, giving him instructions
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for his future government of my part according to the powers I had left with
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my old patron, to whom I desired him to send whatever became due to
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me till he should hear from me, more, particularly assuring him that it
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was my intention not only to come to him, but to settle myself there
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for the remainder of my life. To this I added a very handsome present
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of some Italian silks for his wife and two daughters. For such the captain's
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son informed me he had with two pieces of fine English broadcloth, the best
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I could find in Lisbon, five pieces of black baize, and some Flanders
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lace of a good value. Having thus settled my affairs, sold my cargo,
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and turned all my effects into good bills of exchange, my next difficulty
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was which way to go to England. I had been accustomed enough to the
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sea, and yet I had a strange aversion to go to England by the
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sea at that time, and yet I could not give reason for it.
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Still the difficulty increased upon me so much that though I had once shipped my
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baggage in order to go, yet I altered my mind, and that not
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once, but two or three times. It is true I had been very
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unfortunate by sea, and this might be one of the reasons. But let
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no man slight the strong impulses of his own thoughts in cases of such moment,
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two of the ships which I had singled out to go in I mean
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more particularly singled out than any other, having put my things on board one
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of them, and in the other having agreed with the captain. I say
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two of these ships miscarried. One was taken by the Algerines, and the
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other was lost on the start near Torbay, and all the people drowned except
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three, so that in either of those vessels I had been made miserable.
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Having thus been harassed in my thoughts, my old pilot, to whom I
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communicated everything, pressed me earnestly not to go by sea, but either to
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go by land to the Groyne and crossover by the Bay of Biscay to Rochelle,
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from whence it was but an easy and safe journey by land to Paris,
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and so to Calais and Dover, or to go up to Madrid and
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so all the way by land through France. In a word, I was
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so prepossessed against my going by sea at all, except from Calais to Dover,
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that I resolved to travel all the way by land, which, as
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I was not in haste and did not value the charge, was by much
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the pleasanter way, and to make it more so, my old captain brought
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an English gentleman, the son of a merchant and Lisbon, who was willing
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to travel with me, after which we picked up two more English merchants also,
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and two young Portuguese gentlemen, the last going to Paris, only,
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so that in all there were six of us and five servants, the two
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merchants and the two Portuguese, contenting themselves with one servant between two. To
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save the charge, and as for me, I got an English sailor to
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travel with me as a servant, besides my man Friday, who was too
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much a stranger to be capable of supplying the place of a servant on the
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road. In this manner I set out from Lisbon, and our company,
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being very well mounted and armed, we made a little troop, whereof they
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did me the honor to call me captain as well because I was the oldest
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man, as because I had two servants, and indeed was the origin of
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the whole journey. As I have troubled you with none of my sea journals,
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so I shall trouble you now with none of my land journals. But
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some adventures that happened to us in this tedious and difficult journey, I must
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not omit. When we came to Madrid, we being all of us strangers
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to Spain, were willing to stay some time to see the Court of Spain
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and what was worth observing. But it being the latter part of the summer,
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we hastened away and set out from Madrid about the middle of October.
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But when we came to the edge of Navarre, we were alarmed at several
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towns on the way, with an account that so much snow was falling on
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the French side of the mountains that several travelers were obliged to come back to
35:36
Pompiluna after having attempted, at an extreme hazard to pass on. When we
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came to Pompiluna itself we found it so indeed, and to me that had
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been always used to a hot climate and to countries where I could scarce bear
35:57
any clothes on, the cold was insufferable. Nor indeed was it more painful
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than surprising to come but ten days before out of Old Castile, where the
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weather was not only warm but very hot, and immediately to feel a wind
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from the Perrhinian mountains, so very keen, so severely cold, as to
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be intolerable and to endanger benumbing and perishing of our fingers and toes. Poor
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Friday was really frightened when he saw the mountains all covered with snow and felt
36:37
cold weather which he had never seen or felt before in his life. To
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mend the manner, when we came to Pampeluna, it continued snowing with so
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much violence and so long that the people said winter was come before its time,
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and the roads which were difficult before were now quite impassable. For in
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a word, the snow lay in some places too thick for us to travel,
37:08
and being not hard frozen, as is the case in the northern countries,
37:14
there was no going without being in danger of being buried alive every step.
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We stayed no less than twenty days at Pampeluna. When seeing the weather
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coming on and no likelihood of its being better, for it was the severest
37:32
winter all over Europe that had been known in the memory of Man, I
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proposed that we should go away to font A Rabiem and there take shipping for
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Bordeaux, which was a very little voyage. But while I was considering this,
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there came in four French gentlemen who having been stopped on the French side
37:57
of the passes as we were on the span, had found out a guide
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who, traversing the country near the head of LANDUK, had brought them over
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the mountains by such ways that they were not much incommoded by the snow.
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For where they met with snow in inequantity, they said, it was frozen
38:19
hard enough to bear them and their horses. We sent for this guide,
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who told us he would undertake to carry us the same way with no hazard
38:30
from the snow, provided we were armed sufficiently to protect ourselves from wild beasts.
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For he said, in these great snows it was frequent for some wolves
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to show themselves at the foot of mountains, being made ravenous for want of
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food, the ground being covered with snow. We told him we were well
38:52
enough prepared for such creatures as they were. If he would insure us from
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a kind of two legged wolves, which we were told we were in most
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danger from, especially on the French side of the mountains, he satisfied us
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that there was no danger of that kind in the way that we were to
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go, So we readily agreed to follow him, as did also twelve other
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gentlemen with their servants, some French, some Spanish, who, as I
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said, had attempted to go and were obliged to come back again. Accordingly,
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we set out from Pampeluna with our guide on the fifteenth of November,
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and indeed I was surprised when, instead of going forward, we came directly
39:38
back, with us on the same road that we came from Madrid, about
39:44
twenty miles. When having passed two rivers and come into the plain country,
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we found ourselves in a warm climate again, where the country was pleasant and
39:55
no snow to be seen. But on a sudden, turning to his left,
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he approached the mountains another way. And though it is true the hills
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and precipices looked dreadful, yet he made so many tours, such meanders,
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and led us by such winding ways, that we insensibly passed the height of
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the mountains without being much encumbered with the snow, and all on a sudden
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he showed us the pleasant and fruitful provinces of Langdoc and Gascony, all green
40:34
and flourishing. Though at a great distance and we had some rough way to
40:38
pass, still we were a little uneasy. However, when we found it
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snowed one whole day and a night so fast that we could not travel,
40:51
but he bid us be easy, we should soon be past at all.
40:57
We found indeed that we began to descend every day, and to come more
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north than before, And so, depending upon our guide, we went on.
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It was about two hours before night when our guide, being something before
41:13
us and not just in sight, out rushed three monstrous wolves, and after
41:20
them a bear, from a hollow way adjoining to a great wood. Two
41:25
of the wolves made at the guide, and had he been far before us,
41:30
he would have been devoured before we could have helped him. One of
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them fastened upon his horse, and the other attacked the man with such violence
41:38
that he had not time or presence of mind enough to draw his pistol,
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but helloed and cried out to us most lustily. My man Friday, being
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next to me, I bade him ride up and see what was the matter.
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As soon as Friday came in sight of the man, he helloed out
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as loud as the other, Oh master, Oh Master, But like a
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bold fellow, rode directly up to the poor man, and with his pistol
42:08
shot the wolf in the head that attacked him. It was happy for the
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poor man that it was my man Friday, for having been used to such
42:20
creatures in his country, he had no fear upon him, but went close
42:24
up to him and shot him, whereas any other of us would have fired
42:30
at a farther distance, and have perhaps either missed the wolf or endangered shooting
42:36
the man. But it was enough to have terrified a bolder man than I,
42:43
and indeed it alarmed all our company, when, with the noise of
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Friday's pistol we heard on both sides the most dismal howling of wolves, and
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the noise, redoubled by the echo of the mountains, appeared to us as
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if there had been a prodigious number of them, And perhaps there was not
43:07
such a few, as that we had no cause of apprehension. However,
43:13
as Friday had killed this wolf, the other that had fastened upon the horse
43:17
left him immediately and fled without doing him any damage, having happily fastened upon
43:24
his head, where the bosses of the bridle had stuck in his teeth.
43:30
But the man was most hurt, for the raging creature had bit him twice,
43:37
once in the arm and the other time a little above his knee,
43:42
and though he had made some defense, he was just tumbling down by the
43:46
disorder of his horse when Friday came up and shot the wolf. It is
43:52
easy to suppose that at the noise of Friday's pistol we all mended our pace
43:59
and rode up as fast as the way, which was very difficult, would
44:04
give us leave to see what was the matter. As soon as we came
44:09
clear of the trees which blinded us before, we saw clearly what was the
44:15
case and how Friday had disengaged the poor guide, though we did not presently
44:22
discern what kind of creature it was he had killed. End of Chapter nineteen