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13 - The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe · Adventure Books Library

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Chapter twelve, The Carpenter's Whimsical Contrivance. The inhabitants came wandering down the shore
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to look at us, and seeing the ship lie down on one side in
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such a manner, and heeling in towards the shore, and not seeing our
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men who were at work on her bottom with stages and with their boats on
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the off side, they presently concluded that the ship was cast away and lay
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fast on the ground. On this supposition, they came about us in two
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or three hours time with ten or twelve large boats, having some of them
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eight some ten men in a boat, intending no doubt to have come on
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board and plundered the ship, and if they found us there, to have
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carried us away for slaves. When they came up to the ship and began
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to row round her, they discovered us all hard at work on the outside
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of the ship's bottom and side, washing and graving and stopping. As every
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seafaring man knows how, they stood for a while gazing at us, and
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we, who were a little surprised, could not imagine what their design was,
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But being willing to be sure, we took this opportunity to get some
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of us into the ship. And others to hand down arms and ammunition to
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those that were at work to defend themselves with if there should be occasion,
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and it was no more than need for. In less than a quarter of
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an hour's consultation, they agreed, it seems that the ship was really a
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wreck, and that we were all at work endeavoring to save her, or
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to save our lives by the help of our boats. And when we handed
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our arms into the boat, they concluded by that act that we were endeavoring
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to save some of our goods. Upon this they took it for granted we
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all belonged to them, and away they came directly upon our men, as
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if it had been in a line of battle. Our men, seeing so
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many of them, began to be frightened, for we lay but in an
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ill posture to fight, and cried out to us to know what they should
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do. I immediately called to the men that worked upon the stages to slip
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them down and get up the side into the ship, and bade those in
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the boat to row round and come on board. The few who were on
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board worked with all the strength and hands we had to bring the ship to
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rights. However, neither the men upon the stages, nor those in the
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boats could do as they were ordered before the coachin. Chinese were upon them,
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when two of their boats boarded our longboat and began to lay hold of
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the men as their prisoners. The first man they laid hold of was an
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English seaman, a stout, strong fellow, who, having a musket in
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his hand, never offered to fire it, but laid it down in the
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boat like a fool, as I thought. But he understood his business better
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than I could teach him, for he grappled the pagan and dragged him by
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main force out of their boat into ours, where, taking him by the
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ears, he beat his head so against the boat's gunnal that the fellow died
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in his hands. In the meantime, a Dutchman who stood next, took
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up the musket, and, with the butt end of it so laid about
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him that he knocked down fire of them who attempted to enter the boat.
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But this was doing little towards resisting thirty or forty men, who, fearless,
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because ignorant of their danger, began to throw themselves into the long boat,
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where we had but five men in all to defend it. But the
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following accident, which deserved our laughter, gave our men a complete victory.
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Our carpenter, being prepared to grave the outside of the ship, as well
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as to pay the seams where he had calked her to stop the leaks,
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had got two kettles just let down into the boat, one filled with boiling
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pitch and the other with rosin, tallow and oil and such stuff as the
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shipwrights used for that work. And the man that attended the carpenter had a
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great iron ladle in his hand, with which he supplied the men that were
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at work with the hot stuff. Two of the enemy's men entered the boat
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just where this fellow stood in the fore sheets. He immediately saluted them with
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a ladle full of the stuff boiling hot, which so burned and scalded them,
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being half naked, that they roared down like bulls, and enraged with
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the fire, leaped both into the sea. The carpenter saw it and cried
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out, well done, jack, give them some more of it, and,
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stepping forward himself, takes one of the mops, and dipping it in
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the pitch pot, he and his man threw it among them so plentifully that
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in short of all the men in the three boats, there was not one
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that escaped being scalded in a most frightful manner, and made such a howling
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and crying that I never heard a worse noise. I was never better pleased
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with a victory in my life, not only as it was a perfect surprise
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to me, and that our danger was imminent before, but as we got
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this victory without any bloodshed, except of that man the seaman killed with his
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naked hands, and which I was very much concerned at. Although it may
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be a just thing because necessary, for there is no necessary wickedness in nature,
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yet I thought it was a sad sort of life when we must be
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always obliged to be killing our fellow creatures to preserve ourselves. And indeed I
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think so still, and I would even now suffer a great deal rather than
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I would take away the life, even of the worst person injuring me.
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And I believe all considering people who know the value of life would be of
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my opinion if they entered seriously into the consideration of it. All the while
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this was doing, my partner and I, who managed the rest of the
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men on board, had with great dexterity brought the ship almost to rights,
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and having got the guns into their places again, the gunner called to me
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to bid our boat to get out of the way, for he would let
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fly among them. I called back again to him and bid him not offer
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to fire, for the carpenter would do the work without him, but bid
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him heat another pitch kettle, which our cook, who was on board,
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took care of. However, the enemy was so terrified with what they had
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met with in their first attack, that they would not come on again,
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and some of them who were farthest off, seeing the ship swim as it
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were upright, began as we supposed to see their mistake, and gave over
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the enterprise, finding it was not as they expected. Thus we got clear
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of this merry fight, and having got some rice and some roots and bread,
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with about sixteen hogs on board two days before, we resolved to stay
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here no longer, but go forward whatever came of it, For we made
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no doubt but we should be surrounded the next day with rogues enough, perhaps
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more than our pitch kettle would dispose of for us. We therefore got all
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our things on board the same evening, and the next morning were ready to
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sail. In the meantime, lying at anchor some distance from the shore,
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we were not so much concerned, being now in a fighting posture as well
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as in a sailing posture if any enemy had presented. The next day,
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having finished our work within board, and finding our ship was perfectly healed of
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all her leaks, we set sail. We should have gone into the Bay
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of Tonquin, for we wanted to inform ourselves of what was to be known
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concerning the Dutch ships that had been there. But we durst not stand in
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there, because we had seen several ships go in as we supposed but a
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little before. So we kept on northeast towards the island of Formosa, as
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much afraid of being seen by a Dutch or English merchant ship as a Dutch
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or English merchant ship in the Mediterranean is of an Algerine man of war.
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When we were thus got to sea, we kept on northeast as if we
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would go to the Manilas or the Philippine Islands. And this we did,
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that we might not fall into the way of any of the European ships.
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And then we steered north till we came to the latitude of twenty two degrees
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thirty seconds, by which means we made the island of Formosa directly where we
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came to an anchor in order to get water and fresh provisions, which the
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people there, who are very courteous in their manners, supplied us with willingly,
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and dealt very fairly and punctually with us in all their agreements and bargains.
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This is what we did not find among other people, and may be
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owing to the remains of Christianity, which was once planted here by a Dutch
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missionary of Protestants. And it is a testimony of what I have often observed,
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viz. That the Christian religion always civilizes the people and reforms their manners
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where it is received, whether it works saving effects upon them or no.
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From thence we sailed still north, keeping the coast of China at an equal
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distance, till we knew we were beyond all the ports of China where our
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European ships usually come, being resolved if possible not to fall into any of
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their hands, especially in this country, where as our circumstances were, we
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could not fail of being entirely ruined. Being now come to the latitude of
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thirty degrees, we resolved to put into the first trading port we should come
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at, and standing in for the shore, a boat came of two leagues
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to us, with an old Portuguese pilot on board, who, knowing us
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to be a European ship, came to our for his service, which indeed
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we were glad of, and took him on board, upon which, without
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asking us whither we would go, he dismissed the boat he came in and
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sent it back. I thought it was now so much in our choice to
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make the old man carry us whither we would that I began to talk to
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him about carrying us to the Gulf of Nankin, which is the most northern
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part of the coast of China. The old man said he knew the Gulf
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of Nankin very well, but smiling asked us what we would do there.
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I told him we would sell our cargo and purchase China wares, calicoes,
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raw silks, tea, wrought silks, et cetera, and so we would
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return by the same course we came. He told us our best port would
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have been to put in at Macau, where we could not have failed of
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a market for our opium. To our satisfaction, and might, for our
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money have purchased all sorts of China goods as cheap as we could. At
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Nankeen. Not being able to put the old man out of his talk,
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of which he was very opinionated, Orcans seated, I told him we were
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gentlemen as well as merchants, and that we had a mind to go and
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see the great city of Pequin and the famous court of the Monarch of China.
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Why, then, says the old man, you should go to Ningpo,
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where by the river which runs into the sea. There you may go
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up within five leagues of the great Canal. This canal is a navigable stream
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which goes through the heart of that vast empire of China, crosses all the
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rivers, passes some considerable hills by the help of sluices and gates, and
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goes up to the city of Pequin, being in length near two hundred and
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seventy leagues. Well, said I Signor Portuguese. But that is not our
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business now. The great question is if you can carry us up to the
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city of Nankin, from whence we can travel to Pequin afterwards. He said
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he could do so very well, and that there was a great Dutch ship
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gone up that way just before. This gave me a little shock, for
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a Dutch ship was now our terror, and we had much rather have met
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the devil, at least if he had not come into frightful a figure.
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And we depended upon it that a Dutch ship would be our destruction, for
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we were in no condition to fight them, all the ships they trade with
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into those parts, being of great burden and of much greater force than we
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were. The old man found me a little confused and under some concern when
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he named a Dutch ship and said to me, sir, you need be
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under no apprehensions of the Dutch. I suppose they are not now at war
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with your nation. No, said I, that's true, But I know
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not what Liberty's men may take when they are out of the reach of the
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laws of their own country. Why, says he, you are no pirates,
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What need you fear? They will not meddle with peaceable merchants. Sure
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these words put me into the greatest disorder and confusion imaginable, Nor was it
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possible for me to conceal it. So, but the old man easily perceived
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it. Sir, says he, I find you are in some disorder in
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your thoughts. At my talk, he pleased to go which way you think
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fit, and depend upon it. I'll do you all the service I can.
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Upon this we fell into further discourse, in which, to my alarm
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and amazement, he spoke of the villainous doings of a certain pirate ship that
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had long been the talk of mariners in those seas, no other, in
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a word, than the very ship he was now on board of, and
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which we had so unluckily purchased. I presently saw there was no help for
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it but to tell him the plain truth and explain all the danger and trouble
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we had suffered through this misadventure, and in particular our earnest wish to be
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speedily quit of the ship altogether, for which reason we had resolved to carry
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her up to Nankin. The old man was amazed at this relation, and
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told us we were in the right to go away to the North, and
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that if he might advise us, it should be to sell the ship in
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China, which we might well do, and buy or build another in the
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country, adding that I should meet with customers enough for the ship at Nana
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Keen. That a Chinese junk would serve me very well to go back again,
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and that he would procure me people both to buy one and sell the
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other. Well. But Signor said I, as you say they know the
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ship so well, I may, perhaps, if I follow your measures,
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be instrumental to bring some honest, innocent men into a terrible broil. For
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wherever they find the ship, they will prove the guilt upon the men by
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proving this was the ship. Why, says the old man, I'll find
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out a way to prevent that. For as I know all those commanders you
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speak of very well, and shall see them all as they pass by,
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I will be sure to set them to rights in the thing, and let
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them know that they had been so much in the wrong, that though the
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people who were on board at first might run away with the ship, yet
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it was not true that they had turned pirates, and that in particular,
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these were not the men that first went off with the ship, but innocently
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bought her for their trade. And I am persuaded they will so far believe
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me as at least to act more cautiously for them time to come. In
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about thirteen days Saale, we came to an anchor at the southwest point of
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the great Gulf of Nankin, where I learned by accident that two Dutch ships
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were gone the length before me, and that I should certainly fall into their
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hands. I consulted my partner again in this exigency, and he was as
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much at a loss as I was. I then asked the old pilot if
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there was no creek or harbor which I might put into and pursue my business
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with the Chinese privately and be in no danger of the enemy. He told
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me, if I would sail to the southward, about forty two leagues,
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there was a little port called quing Chang, where the fathers of the mission
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usually landed from Macau on their progress to teach the Christian religion to the Chinese,
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where no European ships ever put in. And if I thought to put
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in there, I might consider what further course to take. When I was
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on shore, he confessed. He said it was not a place for merchants,
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except that at some certain times they had a kind of fare there when
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the merchants from Japan came over thither to buy Chinese merchandises. The name of
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the port I may perhaps spell wrong, having lost this, together with the
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names of many other places, set down in a little pocket book, which
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was spoiled by the water by an accident. But this I remember that the
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Chinese merchants we corresponded with called it by a different name from that which our
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Portuguese pilot gave it, who pronounced it quin Chang. As we were unanimous
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in our resolution to go to this place, we weighed the next day,
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having only gone twice on shore, where we were to get fresh water.
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On both which occasions the people of the country were very civil and brought abundance
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of provisions to sell to us, but nothing without money. We did not
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come to the other port, the wind being contrary, for five days,
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but it was very much to our satisfaction, and I was thankful when I
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set my foot on shore, resolving, and my partner too, that if
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it was possible to dispose of ourselves and effect any other way, though not
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profitably, we should never more set foot on board that unhappy vessel. Indeed,
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I must acknowledge that of all the circumstances of life that ever I had
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any experience of, nothing makes mankind so completely miserable as that of being in
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constant fear. Well does the scripture say the fear of man brings us snare.
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It is a life of death, and the mind is so entirely oppressed
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by it that it is capable of no relief. Nor did it fail of
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its usual operations upon the fancy by heightening every danger, representing the English and
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Dutch captains to be men incapable of hearing reason, or of distinguishing between honest
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men or rogues, or between a story calculated for our own turn, made
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out of nothing on purpose to deceive, and a true genuine account of our
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whole voyage, progress and design. For we might many ways have convinced any
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reasonable creatures that we were not pirates. The goods we have on board,
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the course we steered, are frankly showing ourselves and entering into such and such
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ports, and even our very manner, the force we had, the number
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of men, the few arms, the little ammunition, short provisions, all
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these would have served to convince any men that we were no pirates. The
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opium and other goods we had on board would make it appear the ship had
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been at Bengal. The Dutchmen, who it was said, had the names
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of all the men that were in the ship might easily see that we were
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a mixture of English, Portuguese and Indians, and but two dutchmen on board.
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These and many other particular circumstances might have made it evident to the understanding
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of any commander whose hands we might fall into, that we were no pirates.
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But fear that blind, useless passion worked another way and threw us into
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the vapors. It bewildered our understandings and set the imagination at work to form
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a thousand terrible things that perhaps might never happen. We first supposed, as
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indeed everybody had related to us, that the seamen on board the English and
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Dutch ships, but especially the Dutch, were so enraged at the name of
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a pirate, and especially at our beating off their boats and escaping, that
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they would not give themselves leave to inquire whether we were pirates or no,
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but would execute us off hand, without giving us any room for a defense.
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We reflected that there really was so much apparent evidence before them that they
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would scarce inquire after any more, As first that the ship was certainly the
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same, and that some of the seamen among them knew her and had been
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on board her. And secondly that when we had intelligence of the River of
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Cambodia that they were coming down to examine us, we fought their boats and
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fled. Therefore we made no doubt but that they were as fully satisfied of
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our being pirates as we were satisfied of the contrary. And as I often
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said, I know not, but I should have been apt to have taken
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those circumstances for evidence if the table were turned and my case was theirs,
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and have made no scruple of cutting all the crew to pieces without believing or
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perhaps considering what they might have to offer in their defense. But let that
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be how it will. These were our apprehensions, And both my partner and
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I scarce slept a night without dreaming of halters and yard arms, of fighting
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and being taken, of killing and being killed. And one night I was
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in such a fury in my dream, fancying the Dutchmen had boarded us,
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and I was knocking one of their seamen down, that I struck my doubled
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fist against the side of the cabin. I lay in with such a force
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as wounded my hand, grievously broke my knuckles and cut and bruised the flesh
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so that it awaked me out of my sleep. Another apprehension I had was
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the cruel usage we might meet with from them if we fell into their hands.
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Then the story of Amboyna came into my head, and how the Dutch
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might perhaps torture us as they did our countrymen there, and make some of
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our men, by extra remity of torture, confessed to crimes they never were
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guilty of, or owned themselves, and all of us to be pirates,
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and so they would put us to death with a formal appearance of justice,
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And that they might be tempted to do this for the gain of our ship
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and cargo worth altogether four or five thousand pounds. We did not consider that
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the captains of ships have no authority to act thus, and if we had
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surrendered prisoners to them, they could not answer the destroying us or torturing us,
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but would be accountable for it when they came to their country. However,
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if they were to act thus with us, what advantage would it be
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to us that they should be called to an account for it? Or if
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we were first to be murdered, what satisfaction would it be to us to
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have them punished when they came home. I cannot refrain taking notice here what
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reflections I had now upon the vast variety of my particular circumstances. How hard
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I thought it that I, who had spent forty years in a life of
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continual difficulties, and was at last come, as it were, to the
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port or haven which all men drive at viz. To have rest and plenty,
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should be a volunteer in new sorrows by my own unhappy choice. And
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that I, who had escaped so many dangers in my youth, should now
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come to be hanged in my old age, and in so remote a place,
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for a crime which I was not in the least inclined to, much
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less guilty of. After these thoughts, something of religion would come in,
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and I would be considering that this seemed to me to be a disposition of
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immediate providence, and I ought to look upon it and submit to it as
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such. For although I was innocent as to men, I was far from
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being innocent as to my maker. And I ought to look in and examine
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what other crimes in my life were most obvious to me, and for which
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Providence might justly inflict this punishment as a retribution. And thus I ought to
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submit to this, just as I would to a shipwreck, if it had
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pleased God to have brought such a disaster upon me. In its turn,
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natural courage would sometimes take its place, and then I would be talking myself
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up to vigorous resolutions, that I would not be taken to be barbarously used
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by a parcel of merciless wretches in cold blood, That it were much better
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to have fallen into the hands of the savages, though I were sure they
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would feast upon me when they had taken me, than those who would perhaps
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glut their rage upon me by inhuman tortures and barbarities. That in the case
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of the savages, I always resolved to die fighting to the last gasp,
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and why should I not do so now? Whenever these thoughts prevailed, I
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was sure to put myself into a kind of fever. With the agitation of
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a supposed fight. My blood would boil and my eyes sparkle, as if
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I was engaged, and I always resolved to take no quarter at their hands.
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But even at last, if I could resist no longer, I would
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blow up the ship and all that was in her, and leave them but
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little booty to boast of. End of Chapter twelve,