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14 - Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe · Adventure Books Collection

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Chapter fourteen, A dream realized. Having brought all my things on shore and
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secured them, I went back to my boat and rowed or paddled her along
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the shore to her old harbor, where I laid her up and made the
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best of my way to my old habitation, where I found everything safe and
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quiet. I began now to repose myself, live after my old fashion,
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and take care of my family affairs. And for a while I lived easy
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enough, only that I was more vigilant than I used to be, looked
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out oftener, and did not go abroad so much. And if at any
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time I did stir with any freedom, it was always to the east part
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of the island, where I was pretty well satisfied the savages never came,
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and where I could go without so many precautions and such a load of arms
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and ammunition as I always carried with me if I went the other way.
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I lived in this condition near two years more. But my unlucky head,
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that was always to let me know it was born to make my body miserable,
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was all these two years filled with projects and designs. How if it
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were possible, I might get away from this island. For sometimes I was
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for making another voyage to the wreck, though my reason told me there was
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nothing left there worth the hazard of my voyage, sometimes for a ramble one
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way, sometimes another. And I believe verily if I had had the boat
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that I went from Celia, I should have ventured to see bound anywhere I
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knew, not whither I have been in all my circumstances. A memento to
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those who are touched with the general plague of mankind, whence for aught I
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know one half of their misri's flow. I mean that of not being satisfied
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with the station wherein God and Nature hath placed them. For not to look
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back upon my primitive condition and the excellent advice of my father, the opposition
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to which was, as I may call it, my original sin. My
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subsequent mistakes of the same kind had been the means of my coming into this
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miserable condition. For had that providence, which so happily seated me at the
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Brazils as a planter, blessed me with confined desires, and I could have
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been contented to have gone on gradually, I might have been by this time,
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I mean, in the time of my being in this island, one
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of the most considerable planters in the Brazils. Nay, I am persuaded that
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by the improvements I had made in that little time I lived there, and
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the increase I should probably have made if I had remained, I might have
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been worth a one hundred thousand moidores. And what business had I to leave
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a settled fortune, a well stocked plantation, improving and increasing, to turn
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supercargo to Guinea to fetch negroes, when patience and time would have so increased
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our stock at home that we could have bought them at our own door,
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from those whose business it was to fetch them. And though it had cost
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us something more, yet the difference of that price was by no means worth
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saving that so great a hazard. But as this is usually the fate of
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young heads, so reflection upon the folly of it is as commonly the exercise
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of more years, or of the dear bought experience of time. So it
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was with me now, And yet so deep had the mistake taken root in
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my temper, that I could not satisfy myself in my station, but was
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continually pouring upon the means and possibility of my escape from this place, and
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that I may with greater pleasure to the reader bring on the remaining part of
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my story. It may not be improper to give him some account of my
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first conceptions on the subject of this foolish scheme of my escape, and how
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and upon what foundation I acted. I am now to be supposed retired into
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my castle after my late voyage to the wreck. My frigate laid up and
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secured under water as usual, and my condition restored to what it was before.
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I had more wealth, indeed than I had before, but was not
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at all the richer, for I had no more use for it than the
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Indians of Peru had before the Spaniards came there. It was one of the
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nights in the rainy season in March, the four and twentieth year of my
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first setting foot in this island of solitude. I was lying in my bed
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or hammock, awake, very well in health, had no pain, no
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distemper, no uneasiness of body, nor any uneasiness of mind more than ordinary,
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but could by no means close my eyes, that is, so as
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to sleep, no not a wink all night long. Otherwise than as follows,
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it is impossible to set down the innumerable crowd of thoughts that whirled through
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through that great thoroughfare of the brain the memory. In this night's time,
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I ran over the whole history of my life in miniature, or by abridgment,
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as I may call it, to my coming to this island, and
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also of that part of my life since I came to this island. In
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my reflections upon the state of my case since I came on shore on this
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island, I was comparing the happy posture of my affairs in the first years
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of my habitation here with the life of anxiety, fear, and care,
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which I had lived in ever since I had seen the print of a foot
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in the sand. Not that I did not believe the savages had frequented the
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island even all the while, and might have been several hundreds of them at
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times on shore there, but I had never known it and was incapable of
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any apprehensions about it. My satisfaction perfect, though my danger was the same,
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and I was as happy in not knowing my danger as if I had
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never really been exposed to it. This furnished my thoughts with many very profitable
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reflections, and particularly this one. How infinitely good that providence is which has
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provided in its government of mankind such narrow bounds to his sight and knowledge of
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things. And though he walks in the midst of so many thousand dangers,
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the sight of which, if discovered to him, would distract his mind and
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sink his spirits, he has kept serene and calm by having the events of
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things hid from his eyes, and knowing nothing of the dangers which surround him.
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After these thoughts had for some time entertained me, I came to reflect
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seriously upon the real danger I had been in for so many years in this
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very island, and how I had walked about in the greatest security and with
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all possible tranquility, even when perhaps nothing but the brow of a hill,
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a great tree, or the casual approach of night had been between me and
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the worst kind of destruction, that is, that of falling into the hands
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of cannibals and savages, who would have seized on me with the same view
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as I would on a goat or turtle, and have thought of it no
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more a crime to kill and devour me than I did of a pigeon or
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a curlew. I would unjustly slander myself if I should say I was not
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sincerely thankful to my great preserver, to whose singular protection I acknowledged with great
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humanity all these unknown deliverances were due, and without which I must inevitably have
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fallen into their merciless hands. When these thoughts were over, my head was
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for some time taken up to considering the nature of these wretched creatures, I
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mean, the savages, and how it came to pass in the world that
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the wise governor of all things should give up any of his creatures to such
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inhumanity, nay, to something so much more below even brutality itself, as
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to devour its own kind. But as this ended in some at that time
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fruitless speculations, it occurred to me to inquire what part of the world these
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wretches lived in, how far off the coast was from, whence they came,
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what they ventured over so far from home, for what kind of boats
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they had? And why I might not order myself and my business so that
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I might be able to go over thither as they were come to me.
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I never so much as troubled myself to consider what I should do with myself
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when I went thither. What would become of me if I fell into the
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hands of those savages, or how I should escape them if they attacked me.
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No, nor so much as how it was possible for me to reach
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the coast and not to be attacked by some or other of them, without
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any possibility of delivering myself. And if I should not fall into their hands,
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what I should do for provision, or whither I should bend my course.
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None of these thoughts I say so much as came in my way.
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But my mind was wholly bent upon the notion of my passing over in my
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boat to the mainland. I looked upon my present condition as the most miserable
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that could possibly be. That I was not able to throw myself into anything
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but death that could be called worse. And if I reached the shore of
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the main I might perhaps meet with relief, or I might coast along as
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I did on the African shore till I came to some inhabited country, and
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where I might find some relief. And after all, perhaps I might fall
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in with some Christian ship that might take me in. And if the worst
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came to the worst, I could but die, which would put an end
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to all these miseries at once. Pray. Note all this was the fruit
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of a disturbed mind and impatient temper, made desperate as it were, by
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the long continuance of my troubles and the disappointments I had met in the wreck
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I had been on board of, and where I had been so near obtaining
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what I so earnestly longed for somebody to speak to and to learn some knowledge
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from them of the place where I was, and of the probable means of
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my deliverance. I was agitated wholly by these thoughts. All my calm of
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mind, in my resignation to providence and waiting, the issue of the dispositions
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of heaven seemed to be suspended, and I had, as it were,
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no power to turn my thoughts to anything but to the project of a voyage
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to the main, which came upon me with such force and such an impetuosity
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of desire, that it was not to be resisted. When this had agitated
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my thoughts for two hours or more, with such violence that it set my
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very blood into a ferment, and my pulse beat as if I had been
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in a fever, merely with the extraordinary fervor of my mind about it nature,
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as if I had been fatigued and exhausted with the very thoughts of it
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threw me into a sound sleep. One would have thought I should have dreamed
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of it, but I did not, nor of anything relating to it.
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But I dreamed that I was going out in the morning as usual from my
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castle. I saw upon the shore two canoes and eleven savages coming to land,
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and that they brought with them another savage, whom they were going to
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kill in order to eat him. When on a sudden the savage that they
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were going to kill jumped away and ran for his life. And I thought
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in my sleep that he came running into my little thick grove before my fortification
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to hide himself, and that I, seeing him alone, and not perceiving
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that the others sought him that way, showed myself to him, and,
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smiling upon him, encouraged him. That he kneeled down to me, seeming
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to pray me to assist him, upon which I showed him my ladder,
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made him go up, and carried him into my cave, and he became
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my servant. And that as soon as I had got this man, I
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said to myself, now I may certainly venture to the mainland, for this
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fellow will serve me as a pilot, and will tell me what to do,
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and whither to go for provisions, and whither not to go for fear
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of being devoured, what places to venture to, and what to shun.
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I waked with this thought, and was under such inexpressible impressions of joy at
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the prospect of my escape and my dream, that the disappointments which I felt
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upon coming to myself and finding that it was no more than a dream,
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were equally extravagant the other way, and threw me into a very great dejection
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of spirits. Upon this, however, I made this conclusion that my only
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way to go about to attempt an escape was to endeavor to get a savage
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into my possession, and if possible, it should be one of their prisoners,
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whom they had condemned to be eaten, and should bring hither to kill.
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But these thoughts still were attended with this difficulty, that it was impossible
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to effect this without attacking a whole caravan of them and killing them all.
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And this was not only a very desperate attempt, and might miscarry. But
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on the other hand, I had greatly scrupled the lawfulness of it to myself
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and my heart trembled at the thoughts of shedding so much blood, though it
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was for my deliverance. I need not repeat the arguments which occurred to me
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against this, they being the same mentioned before. But though I had other
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reasons to offer now, that is that those men were enemies to my life
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and would devour me if they could, that it was self preservation in the
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highest degree to deliver myself from this death of a life, and was acting
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in my own defense as much as if they were actually assaulting me, and
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the like. I say, though these things argued for it, yet the
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thoughts of shedding human blood for my deliverance were very terrible to me, and
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such as I could by no means reconcile myself too for a great while.
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However, at last, after many secret disputes with myself, and after great
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perplexities about it, for all these arguments one way and another struggled in my
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head a long time, the eager, prevailing desire of deliverance at length mastered
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all the rest, and I resolved, if possible to get one of these
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savages into my hands cost what it would. My next thing was to contrive
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how to do it, and this indeed was very difficult to resolve on.
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But as I could pitch upon no probable means for it, so I resolved
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to put myself upon the watch to see them when they came on shore,
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and leave the rest to the event, taking such measures as the opportunity should
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present. Let what would be with these resolutions in my thoughts. I set
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myself upon the scout as often as possible, and indeed so often that I
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was heartily tired of it. For it was above a year and a half
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that I waited, and for a great part of that time went out to
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the west end and to the southwest corner of the island almost every day to
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look for canoes. But none appeared. This was very discouraging and began to
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trouble me much, though I cannot say that it did in this case,
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as it had done some time before, where off the edge of my desire
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to the thing. But the longer it seemed to be delayed, the more
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eager I was for it. In a word, I was not at first
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so careful to shun the sight of these savages and avoid being seen by them,
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as I was now eager to be upon them. Besides, I fancied
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myself able to manage one, nay two, or three savages if I had
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them, so as to make them entirely slaves to me, to do whatever
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I should direct them, and to prevent their being able at any time to
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do me any hurt. It was a great while that I pleased myself with
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this affair, but nothing still presented itself. All my fancies and schemes came
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to nothing, for no savages came near me for quite a while. After
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a year and a half later, I entertained these notions, and by long
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musings had, as it were, resolved them into nothing. For want of
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an occasion to put them into execution. I was surprised one morning by seeing
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no less than five canoes all on shore together on my side of the island,
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and the people who belonged to them all landed and out of my sight.
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The number of them broke all my measures. For seeing so many,
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and knowing that they always came four or six or sometimes more in a boat,
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I could not tell what to think of it, or how to take
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my measures to attack twenty or thirty men single handed. So lay still in
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my castle, perplexed and discomforted, however, I put myself into the same
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position for an attack that I had formerly provided, and was just ready for
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action if anything had presented. Having waited a good while listening to here,
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if they made any noise at length, being very impatient, I set my
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guns at the foot of my ladder and clambered up to the top of the
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hill by my two stages as usual, standing so however, that my head
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did not appear above the hill, so that they could not perceive me by
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any means. Here I observed, by the help of my prospective glass,
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that they were no less than thirty in number, that they had a fire
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kindled, and that they had meat dressed. How they cooked it, I
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knew not nor what it was, But they were all dancing in I know
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not how many barbarous gestures and figures their own way round the fire. While
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I was thus looking on them, I perceived by my perspective two miserable wretches
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dragged from the boats, where it seens they were laid by, and were
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now brought out for the slaughter. I perceived one of them immediately fall being
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knocked down, I suppose with a club or wooden sword, for that was
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their way and two or three others were at work immediately cutting him open for
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their cookery, while the other victim was left standing by himself that they should
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be ready for him. In that very moment, this poor wretch, seeing
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himself a little at liberty and unbound nature, inspired him with hopes of life,
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and he started away from them and ran with incredible swiftness along the sands
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directly towards me, I mean towards that part of the coast where my habitation
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was. I was dreadfully frightened, I must acknowledge when I perceived him run
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my way, and especially when, as I thought, I saw him pursued
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by the whole body. Now, I expected that part of my dream was
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coming to pass, and that he would certainly take shelter in my grove.
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But I could not depend, by any means upon my dream that the other
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savages would not pursue him thither and find him there. However, I kept
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my station, and my spirits began to recover when I found that there was
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not above three men that followed him, and still more, I was encouraged
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when I found out that he outstripped them exceedingly in running and gaining ground on
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them, so that if he could but hold out for half an hour,
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I saw easily he would fairly get away from them. All there was between
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them and my castle the creek which I mentioned often in the first part of
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my story, where I landed my cargoes out of the ship, and this
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I saw plainly he must necessarily swim over, or the poor wretch would be
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taken there. But when the savage escaping came thither, he made nothing of
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it, though the tide was then up, but plunging in, swam through
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in about thirty strokes or thereabouts, landed and ran with exceeding swiftness and strength.
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When the three persons came to the creek, I found that two of
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them could swim, but the third could not, and that standing on the
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other side, he looked at the others, but went no farther, and
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soon after went softly back again, which, as it happened, was very
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well for him. In the end I observed that the two who swam were
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yet more than twice as strong swimming over the creek as the fellow was that
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fled from them. It came very warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed irresistibly
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that now was the time to get me a servant and perhaps a companion or
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assistant, and that I was plainly called by providence to save this poor creature's
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life. I immediately ran down the ladders with all possible expedition, fetched my
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two guns, for they were both at the foot of the ladders, as
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I observed before, and getting up again with the same haste to the top
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of the hill, I crossed towards the sea, and, having a very
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short cut and all downhill, placed myself in the way between the pursuers and
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the pursued, hallowing aloud to him that fled, who, looking back,
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was at first perhaps as much frightened at me as at them. But I
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beckoned with my hand for him to come back, and in the meantime I
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slowly advanced towards the two that followed, then, rushing at once upon the
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foremost, I knocked him down with the stock of my piece. I was
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loathed to fire, because I would not have the rest here, though at
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that distance it would not have been easily heard, and being out of sight
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of the smoke, too, they would not have known what to make of
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it. Having knocked this fellow down, the other who pursued him stopped as
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if he had been frightened, and I advanced towards him. But as I
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came nearer, ARE perceived presently he had a bow and arrow and was fitting
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it to shoot at me. So I was then obliged to shoot at him
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first, which I did, and killed him at the first shot. The
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poor savage, who fled but had stopped though he saw both his enemies fallen
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and killed as he thought, yet was so frightened with the fire and noise
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of my piece that he stood stock still, and neither came forward nor went
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backward, though he seemed rather inclined still to fly than to come on.
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I halloed him again and made signs to come forward, which he easily understood,
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and came a little way, then stopped again, and then a little
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farther, and stopped again. And I could then perceive that he stood trembling,
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as if he had been taken prisoner and had just been to be killed,
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as his two enemies were. I reckoned to him again to come to
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me, and gave him all the signs of encouragement that I could think of,
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and he came nearer and nearer, kneeling down every ten or twelve steps
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in token of acknowledgment for saving his life. I smiled at him and looked
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pleasantly, and beckoned to him to come still nearer. At length he came
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close to me, and then he kneeled down again, kissed the ground,
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and laid his head upon the ground, and, taking me by the foot,
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set my foot upon his head. This, it seems, was in
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token of swearing to be my slave forever. I took him up and made
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much of him, and encouraged him all I could. But there was no
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more work to do yet, for I perceived the savage whom I had knocked
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down was not killed, but stunned with the blow, and began to come
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to himself. So I pointed to him and showed him, the savage that
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he was not dead. Upon this he spoke some words to me, and
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though I could not understand them, yet, I thought they were pleasant to
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hear, for they were the first sound of a man's voice that I had
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heard my own accepted for above twenty five years. But there was no time
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for such reflections. Now. The savage who was knocked down recovered himself so
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far as to sit up upon the ground, and I perceived that the savage
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began to be afraid. But when I saw that, I presented my other
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piece at the man, as if I would shoot him. Upon this,
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my savage, for so I call him, now made a motion to me
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to lend him my sword, which hung naked in a belt by my side,
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which I did. He no sooner had it, But he runs to
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his enemy and at one blow cut off his head so cleverly. No executioner
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in Germany could have done it sooner or better, which I thought very strange,
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for one who I had reason to believe never saw a sword in his
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life before, except their own wooden swords. However, it seems as if
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I learned afterwards, they made their wooden swords so sharp, so heavy,
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and the wood is so hard that they will even cut off heads with them,
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eye and arms, And that at one blow too. When he had
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done this, he comes laughing to me and sign of triumph, and brought
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me the sword again, and with abundance of gestures which I did not understand,
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laid it down with the head of the savage that he had killed just
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before me. But that which astonished him most was to know how I killed
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the other Indians so far off, so pointing to him, he made signs
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to me to let him go to him, and I bade him go as
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well as I could. When he came to him, he stood like one
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amazed, looking at him, turning him first on one side, then on
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the other, looked at the wound the bullet had made, which it seems
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was just in his breast where it had made a hole, and no great
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quantity of blood had followed, but he had bled inwardly, for he was
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quite dead. He took up his bow and arrows and came back. So
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I turned to go away and beckoned him to follow me, making signs to
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him that more might come after them. Upon this, he made signs to
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me that he should bury them with sand, that they might not be seen
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by the rest if they followed, And so I made signs to him to
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do so. He fell to work, and in an instant he had scraped
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a hole in the sand with his hands big enough to bury the first in,
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and then dragged him into it and covered him, and did so by
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the other also. I believe he had buried them both in a quarter of
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an hour. Then, calling away, I carried him not to my castle,
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but quite away to my cave on the farther part of the island,
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so I did not let my dream come to pass in that part that he
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came to my grove for shelter. Here I gave him bread and a bunch
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of raisins to eat, and a draft of water, which I found he
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was indeed in great distress, for from his running, And having refreshed him,
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I made signs for him to go and lie down to sleep, showing
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him a place where I had laid some rice straw and a blanket upon it,
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which I used to sleep upon myself sometimes. So the poor creature laid
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down and went to sleep. He was a comely, handsome fellow, perfectly
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well made, with straight, long limbs, not too large, tall and
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well shaped, and as I reckon, about twenty six years of age,
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he had a very good countenance, not a fierce and surly aspect, but
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seemed to have something very manly in his face. And yet he had all
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the sweetness and softness of a European in his countenance, too, especially when
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he smiled. His hair was long and black, not curled like wool,
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his forehead very high and large, and a great vivacity and sparkling sharpness in
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his eyes. The color of his skin was not quite black, but very
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tawny, and yet not an ugly yellow, nauseous tawny, as the Brazilians
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and Virginians and other natives of America are, but of a bright kind of
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a dun olive color that had in it something very agreeable, though not very
32:22
easy to describe. His face was round and plump, his nose small,
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not flat like the Negroes, a very good mouth, thin lips, and
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fine teeth, well set, and as white as ivory. After he had
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slumbered rather than slept, about half an hour, he awoke again and came
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out of the cave to me, for I had been milking my goats,
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which I had in the enclosure just by. When he espied me. He
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came running to me, laying himself down again upon the ground, with all
32:59
the signs of a humble, thankful disposition, making a great many antique gestures
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to show it. At last he lay his head flat upon the ground close
33:09
to my foot, and sets my other foot upon his head, as he
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had done before. And after this made all the signs to me of subjection,
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servitude, and submission imaginable to let me know how he would serve me
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so long as he lived. I understood him in many things, and let
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him know I was very well pleased with him. In a little time,
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I began to speak to him and teach him to speak to me. And
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first I let him know his name should be Friday, which was the day
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I saved his life. I called him so for the memory of the time.
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I likewise taught him to say master, and then let him know that
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was to be my name. I likewise taught him to say yes and no,
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and to know the meaning of them. I gave him some milk in
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an earthen pot and let him see me drink it before him, and sought
34:07
my bread in it. Gave him a cake of bread to do the like,
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which he quickly complied with and made signs that it was very good for
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him. I kept there with him all that night, but as soon as
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it was day, I beckoned to him to come with me and let him
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know I would give him some clothes, at which he seemed very glad,
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for he was stark naked. As he went by the place where he had
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buried the two men, he pointed exactly to the place and showed me the
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marks that he had made to find them again, making signs to me that
34:43
we should dig them up and eat them. At this I appeared very angry,
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expressed my abhorrence of it, made as if I would vomit at the
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thoughts of it, and beckoned him with my hands to come away, which
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he did immediately with great submission. I then led him up to the top
35:01
of the hill to see if his enemies were gone, and pulling out my
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glass, I looked and saw plainly the place where they had been, but
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no appearance of them or their canoes, so that it was plain they were
35:15
gone, and had left their two comrades behind them, without any search after
35:21
them. But I was not content with this discovery. But having now more
35:28
courage and consequently more curiosity, I took my man Friday with me, giving
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him the sword in his hand, with the bow and arrows at his back,
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which I found he could use very dexterously, making him carry one gun
35:43
for me and I two for myself, and away we marched to the place
35:47
where these creatures had been, for I had a mind now to get some
35:52
further intelligence of them. When I came to the place, my very blood
35:58
ran chill in my veins, and my heart sunk within me at the horror
36:05
of the spectacle. Indeed, it was a dreadful sight. At least it
36:08
was so to me, though Friday made nothing of it. The place was
36:13
covered with human bones, the ground dyed with their blood, in great pieces
36:19
of flesh left there and here half eaten, mangled, and scorched, in
36:24
short, all the tokens of the triumphant feast they had been making there after
36:31
a victory over their enemies. I saw three skulls, five hands, and
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the bones of three or four legs and feet, and abundance of other parts
36:43
of bodies. And Friday, by his signs, made me understand that they
36:47
had brought over four prisoners to feast upon, that three of them were eaten
36:52
up, and that he pointing to himself, was the fourth. That there
36:58
had been a great bat between them and their next king, of whose subjects
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it seems he had been one, And that they had taken a great number
37:07
of prisoners, all which were carried to several places by those who had taken
37:13
them in the fight, in order to feast upon them, as was done
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here by these wretches, upon those they brought hither. I caused Friday to
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gather all the skulls, bones, flesh, and whatever remained, and lay
37:29
them together in a heap, and make a great fire upon it, and
37:32
burn them all to ashes. I found Friday had still a hankering stomach after
37:38
some of the flesh, and was still a cannibal in his nature. But
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I showed so much abhorrence at the very thoughts of it, and at the
37:45
least appearance of it, that he durst not discover it, for I had,
37:51
by some means let him know that I would kill him if he offered
37:54
it. When he had done this, came back to our castle, and
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there I fell to work for my man Friday. And first I gave him
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a pair of linen trousers which I had out of the poor gunner's chest I
38:12
mentioned, which I found in the wreck, in which with a little alteration,
38:15
fitted him very well. And then I made him a jerkin of goat's
38:20
skin, as well as my skill would allow, for I was now grown
38:24
a tolerably good tailor. And I gave him a cap, which I made
38:29
of hair skin, very convenient and fashionable enough, and thus he was clothed
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for the present tolerably well, and was mighty well pleased to see himself clothed,
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almost as well as his master. It is true he went awkwardly in
38:46
these clothes at first. Wearing the drawers was very awkward to him, and
38:52
the sleeves of the westcot galled his shoulders and the inside of his arms,
38:58
but little easing them where he had complained they hurt, and using himself to
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them, he took to them at length very well. The next day,
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after I came home to my hutch with him, I began to consider where
39:15
I should lodge him, and that I might do well for him and yet
39:19
be perfectly easy myself. I made a little tent for him in the vacant
39:23
place between my two fortifications, in the inside of the last and in the
39:30
outside of the first. As there was a door or entrance there into my
39:35
cave, I made a formal framed doorcase and a door to it of boards,
39:39
and set it up in the passage, a little within the entrance,
39:45
and causing the door to open up in the inside. I barred it up
39:49
in the night, taking in my ladders too, so that Friday could no
39:52
way come at me In the inside of my innermost wall without making so much
39:58
noise and getting over that it must needs awaken me. For my first wall
40:02
had now a complete roof over it of long poles, covering all my tent,
40:07
and leaning up to the side of the hill, which was again laid
40:12
across with smaller sticks instead of laths, and being thatched over a great thickness
40:19
with the rice straw, which was strong like reeds. And at the whole
40:23
or place which was left to go in or out by the latter, I
40:28
had placed a kind of trap door, which if it had been attempted on
40:31
the outside, would not have opened at all, but would have fallen down
40:37
and made a great noise. As to weapons, I took them all into
40:40
my side every night, but I needed none of all this precaution, For
40:46
never man had a more faithful, loving, sincere servant than Friday was to
40:52
me, without passions, sullenness, or designs, perfectly obliged and engaged.
40:59
His very affections were tied to me like those of a child to a father,
41:05
And I dare say he would have sacrificed his life to save mine upon
41:09
any occasion whatsoever. That many testimonies he gave of this put it out of
41:15
doubt, and soon convinced me that I needed use no precautions for my safety.
41:21
On his account. This frequently gave me occasion to observe, and that
41:28
with wonder, that, however, it had pleased God, in his providence
41:32
and in the government of the works of his hands, to take from so
41:36
great a part of the world of his creatures the best uses to which their
41:40
faculties and the powers of their souls are adapted. Yet that He has bestowed
41:45
upon them the same powers, the same reason, the same affections, the
41:51
same sentiments of kindness and obligation, the same passions and resentments of wrongs,
41:58
the same sense of gratitude, sincerity, fidelity, and all the capacities of
42:04
doing good and receiving good that He has given to us, And that when
42:10
He pleases to offer them occasions of exerting these, they are as ready,
42:15
nay more ready, to apply them to the right uses for which they were
42:21
bestowed, than we are. This made me very melancholy sometimes in reflecting as
42:29
to the several occasions presented, How mean a use we make of all these,
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even though we have those powers enlightened by the great lamp of instruction,
42:40
the spirit of God, and by the knowledge of His word, added to
42:45
our understanding. And why it has pleased God to hide the like saving knowledge
42:52
from so many millions of souls, who, if I might judge, by
42:57
this poor savage, would make a much better use of it than we did.
43:02
From Hence, I sometimes was led too far to invade the sovereignty of
43:07
Providence, and as it were, harragn the justice of so arbitrary a disposition
43:15
of things that should hide that sight from some and reveal it to others,
43:21
and yet expect a light duty from both. But I shut it up and
43:27
checked my thoughts with this conclusion. First that we did not know by what
43:31
light and law these should be condemned, but that as God was necessarily and
43:37
by the nature of his being infinitely holy and just, so it could not
43:44
be. But if these creatures were all sentenced to absence from himself, it
43:49
was on account of sending against that light, which, as the scripture says,
43:54
was a law to themselves, and by such rules as their consciences acknowledged
44:00
to be just, though the foundation was not discovered to us. And secondly,
44:06
that still, as we are all the clay in the hand of the
44:09
Potter, no vessel could say to him, why hast thou formed me?
44:15
Thus? But to return to my new companion. I was greatly delighted with
44:23
him, and made it my business to teach him everything that was proper,
44:28
to make him useful, handy, and helpful, but especially to make him
44:35
speak and understand me when I spoke. And he was the aptest scholar that
44:42
ever was, and particularly was so merry, so constantly diligent, and so
44:49
pleased when he could but understand me or make me understand him, that it
44:54
was very pleasant for me to talk to him. Now, my life began
44:59
to so easy that I began to say to myself that could I but have
45:05
been safe from more savages? I cared not if I was never to remove
45:10
from the place where I lived. End of Chapter fourteen.