Latest / Classic Adventure Books - Daily / 10 - Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe

Transcript

10 - Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

0:00
Speaker 1: Chapter ten Thames Goats. I cannot say that after this
0:09
Speaker 1: for five years any extraordinary thing happened to me. But
0:13
Speaker 1: I lived on in the same course, in the same
0:17
Speaker 1: posture and place as before. The chief things I was
0:21
Speaker 1: employed in, besides my yearly labor of planting my barley
0:25
Speaker 1: and rice, and curing my raisins of both, which I
0:29
Speaker 1: always kept up just enough to have sufficient stock of
0:33
Speaker 1: one year's provisions beforehand, I say, besides this yearly labor
0:40
Speaker 1: and my daily pursuit of going out with my gun,
0:43
Speaker 1: I had one labor to make a canoe, which at
0:47
Speaker 1: last I finished, so that by digging a canal to
0:52
Speaker 1: it of six feet wide and four feet deep, I
0:55
Speaker 1: brought it into the creek almost half a mile as
0:59
Speaker 1: for the first, which was so vastly big, for I
1:03
Speaker 1: made it without considering beforehand, as I ought to have done,
1:06
Speaker 1: how I should be able to launch it. Never being
1:09
Speaker 1: able to bring it to the water or bring the
1:12
Speaker 1: water to it, I was obliged to let it lie
1:15
Speaker 1: where it was, as a memorandum to teach me to
1:19
Speaker 1: be wiser the next time. Indeed, the next time, though
1:24
Speaker 1: I could not get a proper tree for it, and
1:26
Speaker 1: was in a place where I could not get the
1:29
Speaker 1: water to it at any less distance than, as I
1:32
Speaker 1: have said, near half a mile. Yet as I saw
1:36
Speaker 1: it was practicable at last, I never gave it over,
1:40
Speaker 1: And though I was near two years about it, yet
1:43
Speaker 1: I never grudged my labor in hopes of having a
1:46
Speaker 1: boat to go off to sea at last. However, though
1:52
Speaker 1: my little periogua was finished, yet the size of it
1:55
Speaker 1: was not at all answerable to the design which I
1:58
Speaker 1: had in view when I made the first I mean
2:02
Speaker 1: of venturing over to the terra Firma, where it was
2:06
Speaker 1: above forty miles broad Accordingly, the smallest on my boat
2:11
Speaker 1: assisted to put an end to that design, and now
2:14
Speaker 1: I thought no more of it. As I had a boat.
2:18
Speaker 1: My next design was to make a cruise round the island,
2:22
Speaker 1: for as I had been on the other side in
2:24
Speaker 1: one place, crossing as I have already described it, over
2:29
Speaker 1: the land. So the discoveries I made in that little
2:33
Speaker 1: journey made me very eager to see other parts of
2:36
Speaker 1: the coast. And now I had a boat, I thought
2:42
Speaker 1: of nothing but sailing round the island for this purpose.
2:46
Speaker 1: That I might do everything with discretion and consideration, I
2:50
Speaker 1: fitted up a little mast in my boat, and made
2:53
Speaker 1: a sail too, out of some of the pieces of
2:56
Speaker 1: the ship's sails which lay in store, and of which
3:00
Speaker 1: I had a great stock. By me. Having fitted my
3:04
Speaker 1: mast and sail and tried the boat, I found she
3:07
Speaker 1: would sail very well. Then I made little lockers or
3:10
Speaker 1: boxes at each end of my boat to put provisions, necessaries, ammunition, etc. Into,
3:18
Speaker 1: to be kept dry, either from rain or the spray
3:22
Speaker 1: of the sea. And a little long hollow place I
3:25
Speaker 1: cut in the inside of the boat where I could
3:28
Speaker 1: lay my gun, making a flap to hang down over
3:31
Speaker 1: it to keep it dry. I fixed my umbrella, also
3:37
Speaker 1: in the step at the stern, like a mast, to
3:40
Speaker 1: stand over my head and keep the heat of the
3:43
Speaker 1: sun off me, like an awning. And thus I took
3:47
Speaker 1: every now and then a little voyage upon the sea,
3:50
Speaker 1: but never went out far, not far from the little creek.
3:55
Speaker 1: At last, being eager to view the circumference of my
3:58
Speaker 1: little kingdom, I resolved upon my crewise, and accordingly I
4:04
Speaker 1: victualled my ship for the voyage, putting in two dozen
4:08
Speaker 1: of loaves cakes I should call them of barley bread,
4:12
Speaker 1: an earthen pot full of parched rice food. I ate
4:16
Speaker 1: a good deal of a little bottle of rum, half
4:19
Speaker 1: a goat, and powder and shot for killing more, and
4:24
Speaker 1: two large watchcoats, of those which, as I mentioned before,
4:28
Speaker 1: I had saved out of the seamen's chests. These I
4:32
Speaker 1: took one to lie upon and the other to cover
4:35
Speaker 1: me in the night. It was the sixth of November,
4:40
Speaker 1: in the sixth year of my reign or my captivity,
4:44
Speaker 1: which you please that I set out on this voyage,
4:48
Speaker 1: and I found it much longer than I expected, For
4:52
Speaker 1: though the island itself was not very large, yet when
4:55
Speaker 1: I came to the east side of it, I found
4:57
Speaker 1: a great ledge of rocks lie out about two leagues
5:02
Speaker 1: into the sea, some above water, some under it, and
5:07
Speaker 1: beyond that a shoal of sand lying dry half a league.
5:11
Speaker 1: More so that I was obliged to go a great
5:14
Speaker 1: way out to sea to double the point when I
5:18
Speaker 1: first discovered them. I was going to give over my
5:22
Speaker 1: enterprise and come back again, not knowing how far it
5:24
Speaker 1: might oblige me to go out to see, and above
5:27
Speaker 1: all doubting how I should get back again. So I
5:31
Speaker 1: came to an anchor, for I had made a kind
5:33
Speaker 1: of an anchor with a piece of a broken grappling,
5:37
Speaker 1: which I got out of the ship. Having secured my boat,
5:43
Speaker 1: I took my gun and went on shore, climbing up
5:46
Speaker 1: a hill which seemed to overlook that point, where I
5:49
Speaker 1: saw the full extent of it, and resolved to venture
5:54
Speaker 1: in my viewing the sea from that hill where I stood,
5:58
Speaker 1: I perceived a strong and indeed a most furious current which
6:02
Speaker 1: ran to the east and even came close to the point.
6:06
Speaker 1: And I took the more notice of it, because I
6:08
Speaker 1: saw there might be some danger that when I came
6:12
Speaker 1: into it, I might be carried out to sea by
6:14
Speaker 1: the strength of it, and not able to make the
6:16
Speaker 1: island again. And indeed, had I not got first upon
6:21
Speaker 1: this hill, I believe it would have been so, for
6:25
Speaker 1: there was the same current on the other side of
6:27
Speaker 1: the island, only that it set off at a further distance.
6:32
Speaker 1: And I saw there was a strong eddy under the shore.
6:35
Speaker 1: So I had nothing to do but to get out
6:38
Speaker 1: of the first current, and I should presently be in
6:41
Speaker 1: an eddy. I lay there, however, two days, because the
6:46
Speaker 1: wind blowing pretty fresh at east southeast, and that being
6:51
Speaker 1: just contrary to the current, made a great breach of
6:54
Speaker 1: the sea upon the point, so that it was not
6:58
Speaker 1: safe for me to keep too close to the shore
7:00
Speaker 1: for the breach, nor to go too far off because
7:04
Speaker 1: of the stream. The third day, in the morning, the
7:08
Speaker 1: wind having abated overnight, the sea was calm, and I ventured.
7:14
Speaker 1: But I am a warning to all rash and ignorant pilots,
7:18
Speaker 1: for no sooner was I come to the point when
7:21
Speaker 1: I was not even my boat's linked from the shore.
7:24
Speaker 1: But I found myself in a great depth of water
7:28
Speaker 1: and a current like the sluice of a mill. It
7:33
Speaker 1: carried my boat along with it with such violence that
7:36
Speaker 1: all I could do could not keep her so much
7:40
Speaker 1: as on the edge of it. But I found it
7:43
Speaker 1: hurried me farther and farther out from the eddy, which
7:46
Speaker 1: was on my left hand. There was no wind stirring
7:50
Speaker 1: to help me, and all I could do with my
7:53
Speaker 1: paddles signified nothing. And now I began to give myself
7:57
Speaker 1: over for lost. For as the current was on both
8:01
Speaker 1: sides of the island, I knew in a few leagues
8:04
Speaker 1: distance they must join again. And then I was irrevocably gone.
8:12
Speaker 1: Nor did I see any possibility of avoiding it, so
8:15
Speaker 1: that I had no prospect before me, But of perishing,
8:19
Speaker 1: not by the sea, for that was common enough, but
8:23
Speaker 1: of starving from hunger. I had indeed found a tortoise
8:28
Speaker 1: on the shore, as big, almost as I could lift,
8:31
Speaker 1: and had tossed it into the boat. And I had
8:34
Speaker 1: a great jar of fresh water, that is to say,
8:36
Speaker 1: one of my earthen pots. But what was all this
8:42
Speaker 1: to being driven into the vast ocean, where, to be sure,
8:46
Speaker 1: there was no shore, no mainland or island, for a
8:50
Speaker 1: thousand leagues at least. And now I saw how easy
8:55
Speaker 1: it was for the providence of God to make even
8:58
Speaker 1: the most miserable condition of me, and kind worse. Now
9:03
Speaker 1: I looked back upon my desolate, solitary island as the
9:06
Speaker 1: most pleasant place in the world, and all the happiness
9:10
Speaker 1: of my heart could wish for was to be there.
9:14
Speaker 1: But once again I stretched out my hands to it
9:19
Speaker 1: with eager wishes, Oh happy desert, said I, I shall
9:23
Speaker 1: never see thee more, Oh miserable creature, Whither am I going?
9:29
Speaker 1: Then I reproached myself with my unthankful temper, and that
9:34
Speaker 1: I had repined at my solitary condition. And now what
9:39
Speaker 1: would I give to be on shore there again? Thus
9:44
Speaker 1: we shall never see the true state of our condition
9:47
Speaker 1: till it is illustrated to us by its contraries, nor
9:51
Speaker 1: know how to value what we enjoy, but by the
9:54
Speaker 1: want of it. It is scarcely possible to imagine the
9:58
Speaker 1: consternation I was now in being driven from my beloved island.
10:03
Speaker 1: For so it appeared to me now to be into
10:06
Speaker 1: the wide ocean almost two leagues, and in the utmost
10:11
Speaker 1: despair of ever recovering it again. However, I worked hard
10:17
Speaker 1: till indeed my strength was almost exhausted, and kept my
10:21
Speaker 1: boat as much as to the northward, that is, towards
10:25
Speaker 1: the side of the current which the eddy lay on,
10:27
Speaker 1: as possibly I could. When about noon, as the sun
10:33
Speaker 1: passed the meridian, I thought I felt a little breeze
10:37
Speaker 1: of wind in my face, springing up from the south southeast.
10:43
Speaker 1: This cheered my heart a little, and especially in about
10:46
Speaker 1: half an hour more it blew a pretty gentle gale.
10:50
Speaker 1: By this time I had got a frightful distance from
10:53
Speaker 1: the island, and had the least cloudy or hazy weather intervened,
10:58
Speaker 1: I had been undone another way, too, for I had
11:01
Speaker 1: no compass on board, and should never have known how
11:05
Speaker 1: to have steered towards the island, if I had but
11:08
Speaker 1: once lost sight of it. But the weather continuing clear,
11:15
Speaker 1: I applied myself to get up my mast again and
11:18
Speaker 1: spread my sail, standing away to the north as much
11:22
Speaker 1: as possible to get out of the current. Just as
11:27
Speaker 1: I had set my mast and sail, and the boat
11:29
Speaker 1: began to stretch away, I saw, even by the clearness
11:32
Speaker 1: of the water, some alteration of the current was near,
11:36
Speaker 1: for where the current was so strong the water was foul.
11:39
Speaker 1: But perceiving the water clear, I found the current abate,
11:44
Speaker 1: and presently I found to the east, at about half
11:47
Speaker 1: a mile a breach of the sea upon some rocks.
11:51
Speaker 1: These rocks I found, caused the current to part again,
11:56
Speaker 1: and as the main stress of it ran away more southerly,
11:59
Speaker 1: leaving the rocks to the northeast. So the other returned
12:02
Speaker 1: by the repulse of the rocks, and made a strong
12:06
Speaker 1: eddy which ran back again to the northwest with a
12:09
Speaker 1: very sharp stream. They who know what it is to
12:14
Speaker 1: have a reprieve brought to them upon the latter, or
12:17
Speaker 1: to be rescued from thieves just going to murder them,
12:21
Speaker 1: or who have been in such extremities, may guess what
12:25
Speaker 1: my present surprise of joy was, And how gladly I
12:29
Speaker 1: put my boat into the stream of this eddy, and
12:33
Speaker 1: the wind also freshening, how gladly I spread my sail
12:37
Speaker 1: to it, running cheerfully before the wind, and with a
12:40
Speaker 1: strong tide or eddy underfoot. This eddy carried me about
12:46
Speaker 1: a league on my way back, again directly towards the island,
12:50
Speaker 1: but about two leagues more to the northward than the
12:53
Speaker 1: current which carried me away at first, so that when
12:56
Speaker 1: I came near the island, I found myself open to
12:59
Speaker 1: the northern sh of it, that is to say, the
13:02
Speaker 1: other end of the island, opposite to that which I
13:05
Speaker 1: went out from. When I had made something more than
13:10
Speaker 1: a league of way by the help of this current
13:12
Speaker 1: or eddy, I found it was spent and served me
13:16
Speaker 1: no further. However, I found that being between two great currents,
13:22
Speaker 1: that is that on the south side, which had hurried
13:24
Speaker 1: me away, and that on the north, which lay about
13:27
Speaker 1: a league on the other side. I say, between these
13:32
Speaker 1: two in the wake of the island, I found the
13:34
Speaker 1: water at least still and running no way, and having
13:39
Speaker 1: still a breeze of wind fair for me, I kept
13:42
Speaker 1: on steering directly for the island, though not making such
13:46
Speaker 1: fresh way as I did before. About four o'clock in
13:51
Speaker 1: the evening, being then within a league of the island,
13:55
Speaker 1: I found the point of the rocks which occasioned this disaster,
13:59
Speaker 1: stretching out as is described before, to the southward, and
14:03
Speaker 1: casting off the current more southerly, had of course made
14:08
Speaker 1: another eddy to the north, and this I found very strong,
14:12
Speaker 1: but not directly setting the way my course lay, which
14:16
Speaker 1: was due west but almost full north. However, having a
14:21
Speaker 1: fresh gale, I stretched across this eddy, slanting north west,
14:27
Speaker 1: and in about an hour came within about a mile
14:31
Speaker 1: of the shore, where it, being smooth water, I soon
14:35
Speaker 1: got to land. When I was on shore, I fell
14:39
Speaker 1: on my knees and gave God thanks for my deliverance.
14:43
Speaker 1: Resolving to lay aside all thoughts of my deliverance by
14:47
Speaker 1: my boat, and refreshing myself with such things as I had,
14:52
Speaker 1: I brought my boat close to the shore in a
14:54
Speaker 1: little cove that I had spied under some trees, and
14:58
Speaker 1: laid me down to sleep. Been quite spent with the
15:01
Speaker 1: labor and fatigue of the voyage, I was now had
15:06
Speaker 1: a great loss which way to get home with my boat.
15:10
Speaker 1: I had run so much hazard, and knew too much
15:13
Speaker 1: of the case to think of attempting it. By the
15:15
Speaker 1: way I went out, And what might be at the
15:18
Speaker 1: other side, I mean the west side, I knew not,
15:22
Speaker 1: nor had I any mind to run any more ventures.
15:27
Speaker 1: So I resolved on the next morning to make my
15:30
Speaker 1: way westward along the shore, and to see if there
15:34
Speaker 1: was no creek where I might lay up my frigate
15:37
Speaker 1: in safety, so as to have her again if I
15:41
Speaker 1: wanted her. In About three miles or thereabouts coasting the shore,
15:47
Speaker 1: I came to a very good inlet or bay about
15:51
Speaker 1: a mile over, which narrowed till it came to a
15:56
Speaker 1: very little rivulet or brook, where I found a convenient
16:00
Speaker 1: harbor for my boat, and where she lay as if
16:04
Speaker 1: she had been in a little dock made on purpose
16:07
Speaker 1: for her. Here I put in, and, having stowed my
16:11
Speaker 1: boat very safe, I went on shore to look about
16:15
Speaker 1: me and see where I was. I soon found I
16:20
Speaker 1: had but a little passed by the place where I
16:22
Speaker 1: had been before when I traveled on foot to that shore. So,
16:27
Speaker 1: taking nothing out of my boat but my gun an umbrella,
16:30
Speaker 1: for it was exceedingly hot, I began my march the
16:35
Speaker 1: way was comfortable enough after such a voyage as I
16:38
Speaker 1: had been upon, and I reached my old bower in
16:41
Speaker 1: the evening, where I found everything standing as I left it,
16:45
Speaker 1: for I always kept it in good order, being as
16:49
Speaker 1: I said before my country house. I got over the
16:54
Speaker 1: fence and laid me down in the shade to rest
16:57
Speaker 1: my limbs. For I was very weary and fell sleep.
17:01
Speaker 1: But judge you if you can that read my story,
17:05
Speaker 1: what a surprise I must be in When I was
17:08
Speaker 1: awaked out of my sleep by a voice calling me
17:11
Speaker 1: by my name several times, Robin, Robin, Robin Grizzo, or
17:18
Speaker 1: Robin Crusoe. Where are you, Robin Grusoe? Where are you?
17:22
Speaker 1: Where have you been? I was so dead asleep at first,
17:27
Speaker 1: being fatigued with rowing or part of the day and
17:31
Speaker 1: with walking the latter part, that I did not wake thoroughly,
17:35
Speaker 1: but dozing thought I dreamed that somebody spoke to me.
17:39
Speaker 1: But as the voice continued to repeat, Robin Grisso, rob Grizzo,
17:46
Speaker 1: at last I began to wait more perfectly, and was
17:49
Speaker 1: at first dreadfully frightened and started up in the utmost consternation.
17:55
Speaker 1: But no sooner were my eyes open, But I saw
17:58
Speaker 1: my pal sitting on the top of the hedge, and
18:01
Speaker 1: immediately knew that it was he that spoke to me,
18:05
Speaker 1: For just in such bemoaning language I had used to
18:08
Speaker 1: talk to him and teach him, and he had learned
18:11
Speaker 1: it so perfectly that he could sit upon my finger
18:16
Speaker 1: and lay his bill close to my face, and cry,
18:19
Speaker 1: for Robin Crusoe, Where are you? Where have you been?
18:23
Speaker 1: How came you here? In such things as I had
18:27
Speaker 1: taught him. However, even though I knew it was the parrot,
18:32
Speaker 1: and that indeed it could be nobody else, it was
18:35
Speaker 1: a good while before I could compose myself. First I
18:39
Speaker 1: was amazed how the creature got thither, and then how
18:42
Speaker 1: he should just keep about the place and nowhere else.
18:46
Speaker 1: But as I was well satisfied it could be nobody
18:49
Speaker 1: but honest Paul, I got over it, and holding out
18:52
Speaker 1: my hand and calling him by his name, Paul, the
18:56
Speaker 1: sociable creature came to me and sat upon my thumb
19:00
Speaker 1: as he used to do, and continued talking to me,
19:03
Speaker 1: for Robin Crusoe, and how did I come here? And
19:07
Speaker 1: where had I been? Just as if he had been
19:11
Speaker 1: overjoyed to see me again. And so I carried him
19:15
Speaker 1: home along with me. I had now had enough of
19:20
Speaker 1: rambling to see for some time, and had enough to
19:23
Speaker 1: do for many days to sit still and reflect upon
19:25
Speaker 1: the danger I had been in. I would have been
19:28
Speaker 1: very glad to have had my boat again on my
19:30
Speaker 1: side of the island, but I knew not how it
19:33
Speaker 1: was practicable to get it about. As to the east
19:37
Speaker 1: side of the island, which I had gone round, I
19:40
Speaker 1: knew well enough there was no venturing that way. My
19:43
Speaker 1: very heart would shrink, in my very blood run chill,
19:47
Speaker 1: but to think of it. And as to the other
19:50
Speaker 1: side of the island, I did not know how it
19:52
Speaker 1: might be there. But supposing the current ran with the
19:55
Speaker 1: same force against the shore at the east as it
19:59
Speaker 1: passed by it on the the other, I might run
20:01
Speaker 1: the same risk of being driven down the stream and
20:04
Speaker 1: carried by the island as I had been before, of
20:08
Speaker 1: being carried away from it. So with these thoughts I
20:12
Speaker 1: contented myself to be without any boat, though I had
20:16
Speaker 1: been the product of so many months labor to make it,
20:19
Speaker 1: and of so many more to get it into the sea.
20:23
Speaker 1: In this government of my temper I remained near a year,
20:28
Speaker 1: and lived a very sedate retired life, as you may
20:32
Speaker 1: well suppose, and my thoughts being very much composed as
20:36
Speaker 1: to my condition, and fully comforted in resigning myself to
20:40
Speaker 1: the dispositions of providence, I thought I lived really very
20:45
Speaker 1: happily in all things except that of society. I improved
20:51
Speaker 1: myself in this time in all the mechanic exercises which
20:55
Speaker 1: my necessities put me upon applying myself to, and I
21:00
Speaker 1: believe I should, upon occasion have made a very good carpenter,
21:04
Speaker 1: especially considering how few tools I had. Besides this, I
21:10
Speaker 1: arrived at an unexpected perfection in my earthenware, and contrived
21:15
Speaker 1: well enough to make them with a wheel, which I
21:18
Speaker 1: found infinitely easier and better, because I made things round
21:22
Speaker 1: and shaped, which before were filthy things indeed to look on.
21:27
Speaker 1: But I think I was never more vain of my
21:30
Speaker 1: own performance or more joyful for anything I found out,
21:34
Speaker 1: than for my being able to make a tobacco pipe.
21:38
Speaker 1: And though it was a very ugly, clumsy thing when
21:42
Speaker 1: it was done, and only burned red like other earthenware,
21:47
Speaker 1: yet as it was hard and firm and would draw
21:50
Speaker 1: the smoke, I was exceedingly comforted with it, for I
21:55
Speaker 1: had been always used to smoke, and there were pipes
21:58
Speaker 1: in the ship, but I forget them at first, not
22:01
Speaker 1: thinking there was tobacco in the island. And afterwards, when
22:05
Speaker 1: I searched the ship again, I could not come at
22:08
Speaker 1: any pipes in my wicker. Where also I improved much
22:13
Speaker 1: and made abundance of necessary baskets as well as my
22:17
Speaker 1: invention showed me. Though not very handsome, yet they were
22:21
Speaker 1: such as were very handy and convenient for laying things
22:24
Speaker 1: up in or fetching things home. For example, if I
22:29
Speaker 1: killed a goat abroad, I could hang it up in
22:32
Speaker 1: a tree, flay it, dress it and cut it in pieces,
22:36
Speaker 1: and bring it home in a basket. And the like
22:39
Speaker 1: by a turtle, I could cut it up, take out
22:42
Speaker 1: the eggs and a piece or two of the flesh
22:44
Speaker 1: which was enough for me, and bring them home in
22:47
Speaker 1: a basket, and leave the rest behind me. Also, large
22:52
Speaker 1: deep baskets were the receivers of my corn, which I
22:55
Speaker 1: always rubbed out as soon as it was dry and cured,
22:59
Speaker 1: and kept it in great baskets. I began now to
23:04
Speaker 1: perceive my powder abated considerably. This was a want which
23:09
Speaker 1: it was impossible for me to supply, and I began
23:12
Speaker 1: seriously to consider what I must do when I should
23:16
Speaker 1: have no more powder, that is to say, how I
23:19
Speaker 1: should kill any goats I had. As is observed, in
23:23
Speaker 1: my third year of being here, kept a kid and
23:28
Speaker 1: bred her obtain, and I was in hopes of getting
23:31
Speaker 1: a he goat, But I could not, by any means
23:34
Speaker 1: bring it to pass till my kid grew an old goat,
23:38
Speaker 1: and as I could never find in my heart to
23:40
Speaker 1: kill her, she died at last of mere age. But
23:46
Speaker 1: being now in the eleventh year of my residence, and
23:50
Speaker 1: as I have said, my ammunition growing low, I set
23:53
Speaker 1: myself to study some art to trap and snare the goats,
23:57
Speaker 1: to see whether I could not catch some of them alive,
24:02
Speaker 1: and particularly I wanted a she goat, great with young.
24:08
Speaker 1: For this purpose, I made snares to hamper them, and
24:12
Speaker 1: I do believe they were more than once taken in them.
24:15
Speaker 1: But my tackle was not good, for I had no wire,
24:18
Speaker 1: and I always found them broken, and my bait devoured.
24:23
Speaker 1: At length, I resolved to try a pitfall. So I
24:27
Speaker 1: dug several large pits in the earth in places where
24:31
Speaker 1: I had observed the goats used to feed, and over
24:34
Speaker 1: these pits I placed hurdles of my own making, too,
24:38
Speaker 1: with a great weight upon them, and several times I
24:41
Speaker 1: put ears of barley and rice. Without setting the trap.
24:45
Speaker 1: I could easily perceive the goats had gone in and
24:48
Speaker 1: eaten up the corn, for I could see the marks
24:51
Speaker 1: of their feet at length. I set three traps in
24:55
Speaker 1: one night, and going the next morning, I found them
24:58
Speaker 1: all standing at the bait, eaten and gone. This was
25:03
Speaker 1: very discouraging. However, I altered my traps, and not to
25:08
Speaker 1: trouble you with particulars. Going one morning to see my traps,
25:12
Speaker 1: I found in one of them a large old he goat,
25:15
Speaker 1: and in one of the others three kids, a male
25:19
Speaker 1: and two females. As to the old one, I knew
25:23
Speaker 1: not what to do with him, he was so fierce.
25:26
Speaker 1: I durst not go into the pit to him, that
25:29
Speaker 1: is to say, to bring him away alive, which was
25:31
Speaker 1: what I wanted. I could have killed him, but that
25:35
Speaker 1: was not my business, nor would it answer my end.
25:39
Speaker 1: So I even let him out, and he ran away
25:42
Speaker 1: as if he had been frightened out of his wits.
25:45
Speaker 1: But I did not then know what I afterwards learned
25:49
Speaker 1: that hunger will tame a lion. If I had let
25:53
Speaker 1: him stay three or four days without food, and then
25:57
Speaker 1: have carried him some water to drink, and then little corn,
26:01
Speaker 1: he would have been as tame as one of the kids,
26:04
Speaker 1: for they are mighty, sagacious, tractable creatures where they are
26:09
Speaker 1: well used. However, for the present I let him go,
26:13
Speaker 1: knowing no better at that time. Then I went to
26:17
Speaker 1: the three kids, and taking them one by one, I
26:20
Speaker 1: tied them with strings together, and with some difficulty, brought
26:23
Speaker 1: them all home. It was a good while before they
26:27
Speaker 1: would feed, but throwing them some sweet corn, it tempted them,
26:31
Speaker 1: and they began to be came. And now I found
26:35
Speaker 1: that if I expected to supply myself with goat's flesh
26:38
Speaker 1: when I had no powder or shot left, breeding some
26:42
Speaker 1: up tame was my only way, when perhaps I might
26:46
Speaker 1: have them about my house like a flock of sheep.
26:50
Speaker 1: But then it occurred to me that I must keep
26:53
Speaker 1: the tame from the wild, or else they would always
26:57
Speaker 1: run wild when they grew up. And the only way
27:00
Speaker 1: for this was to have some enclosed piece of ground,
27:04
Speaker 1: well fenced, either with hedge or pail, to keep them
27:08
Speaker 1: in so effectually that those within might not break out,
27:13
Speaker 1: or those without break in This was a great undertaking
27:18
Speaker 1: for one pair of hands. Yet as I saw, there
27:21
Speaker 1: was an absolute necessity for doing it. My first work
27:25
Speaker 1: was to find out a proper piece of ground where
27:28
Speaker 1: there was likely to be herbage for them to eat,
27:31
Speaker 1: water for them to drink, and cover to keep them
27:35
Speaker 1: from the sun. Those who understand such enclosures will think
27:40
Speaker 1: I had very little contrivance when I pitched upon a
27:43
Speaker 1: place very proper, for all these being a plane open
27:48
Speaker 1: piece of meadowland or savannah as our people call it
27:51
Speaker 1: in the western colonies, which had two or three little
27:55
Speaker 1: drills of fresh water in it, and at one end
27:59
Speaker 1: was very well. I say they will smile at my
28:03
Speaker 1: forecast when I shall tell them that I began by
28:06
Speaker 1: enclosing this piece of ground in such a manner that
28:10
Speaker 1: my headge or pale must have been at least two
28:13
Speaker 1: miles about. Nor was the madness of it so great
28:18
Speaker 1: as to the compass, For if it was ten miles about,
28:23
Speaker 1: I was like to have time enough to do it in.
28:26
Speaker 1: But I did not consider that my goats would be
28:28
Speaker 1: as wild in so much compass as if they had
28:31
Speaker 1: had the whole island. And I should have so much
28:35
Speaker 1: room to chase them in that I should never catch them.
28:39
Speaker 1: My hedge was begun and carried on I believe about
28:43
Speaker 1: fifty yards when this thought occurred to me, so I
28:46
Speaker 1: presently stopped short, and for the beginning I resolved to
28:51
Speaker 1: enclose a piece of about one hundred and fifty yards
28:54
Speaker 1: in length and one hundred yards in breadth, which as
28:59
Speaker 1: it would maintain as many as I could have in
29:02
Speaker 1: any reasonable time, so as my stock increased, I could
29:06
Speaker 1: add more ground to my enclosure. This was acting with
29:11
Speaker 1: some prudence, and I went to work with courage. I
29:15
Speaker 1: was about three months hedging in the first piece, and
29:18
Speaker 1: till I had done, I tethered the three kids and
29:21
Speaker 1: the best part of it, and used them to feed
29:24
Speaker 1: as near me as possible to make them familiar, And
29:29
Speaker 1: very often I would go and carry them some ears
29:33
Speaker 1: of barley or a handful of rice, and feed them
29:35
Speaker 1: out of my hand, so that after my enclosure was
29:39
Speaker 1: finished and I let them loose, they would follow me
29:42
Speaker 1: up and down, bleeding after me for a handful of corn.
29:48
Speaker 1: This answered my end, and in about a year and
29:50
Speaker 1: a half I had a flock of about twelve goats,
29:53
Speaker 1: kids and all, and in two years more, I had
29:56
Speaker 1: three and forty besides several that I took and killed
30:00
Speaker 1: for my food. After that, I enclosed several pieces of
30:05
Speaker 1: ground to feed them in, with little pins to drive them,
30:10
Speaker 1: to take them as I wanted, and gates out of
30:13
Speaker 1: one piece of ground into another. But this was not all.
30:17
Speaker 1: For now I not only had goat's flesh to feed
30:21
Speaker 1: on when I pleased, but milk too, a thing which indeed,
30:25
Speaker 1: in the beginning I did not so much as think of,
30:29
Speaker 1: and which when it came into my thoughts, was really
30:32
Speaker 1: an agreeable surprise. For now I set up my dairy
30:37
Speaker 1: and had sometimes a gallon or two of milk in
30:40
Speaker 1: a day, And as nature, who gives supplies of food
30:45
Speaker 1: to every creature, dictates even naturally how to make use
30:49
Speaker 1: of it, so that I had never milked a cow,
30:52
Speaker 1: much less a goat, or seen butter or cheese made
30:55
Speaker 1: only when I was a boy. After a great many
30:59
Speaker 1: essays and miscarriages, made both butter and cheese. At last,
31:06
Speaker 1: also salt, though I found it partly made to my
31:10
Speaker 1: hand by the heat of the sun upon some of
31:12
Speaker 1: the rocks of the sea, and never wanted it afterwards.
31:18
Speaker 1: How mercifully can our creator treat his creatures even in
31:23
Speaker 1: those conditions in which they seemed to be overwhelmed in destruction.
31:29
Speaker 1: How can he sweeten the bitterest providences and give us
31:35
Speaker 1: cause to praise him for dungeons and prisons? What a
31:41
Speaker 1: table was here? Spread from me in the wilderness, where
31:45
Speaker 1: I saw nothing at first but to perish for hunger,
31:53
Speaker 1: And of Chapter ten,