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

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Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen. The ship recovered while we were thus preparing
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Speaker 1: our designs, and had first by main strength, heaved the
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Speaker 1: boat upon the beach so high that the tide would
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Speaker 1: not float her off at high water mark, and besides
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Speaker 1: had broke a hole in her bottom too big to
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Speaker 1: be quickly stopped, and were set down musing what we
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Speaker 1: should do. We heard the ship fire a gun and
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Speaker 1: make a waft with her ensign as a signal for
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Speaker 1: the boat to come on board, but no boat stirred,
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Speaker 1: and they fired several times, making other signals for the boat.
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Speaker 1: At last, when all their signals and firing proved fruitless
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Speaker 1: and they found the boat did not stir, we saw them,
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Speaker 1: by the help of my glasses, hoist another boat out
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Speaker 1: and rowed towards the shore, and we found as they
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Speaker 1: approached that there were no less than ten men in her,
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Speaker 1: and that they had firearms with them. As the ship
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Speaker 1: lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had a
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Speaker 1: full view of them as they came, and a plain
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Speaker 1: sight even of their faces, because the tide, having set
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Speaker 1: them a little to the east of the other boat,
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Speaker 1: they rowed up under shore to come to the same
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Speaker 1: place where the other had landed, and where the boat lay.
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Speaker 1: By this means, I say, we had a full view
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Speaker 1: of them, and the captain knew the persons and characters
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Speaker 1: of all the men in the boat, of whom he
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Speaker 1: said there were three very honest fellows, who he was
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Speaker 1: sure were led into this conspiracy by the rest being
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Speaker 1: overpowered and frightened. But that as for the boatswain, who
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Speaker 1: it seems was chief officer among them, and all their
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Speaker 1: they were as outrageous as any of the ship's crew,
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Speaker 1: and were no doubt made desperate in their new enterprise,
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Speaker 1: and terribly apprehensive he was that they would be too
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Speaker 1: powerful for us. I smiled at him and told him
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Speaker 1: that men in our circumstances were past the operation of fear, that,
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Speaker 1: seeing almost every condition that could be was better than
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Speaker 1: that which we were supposed to be in, we ought
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Speaker 1: to expect that the consequence, whether death or life, would
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Speaker 1: be sure to be a deliverance. I asked him what
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Speaker 1: he thought of the circumstances of my life, and whether
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Speaker 1: a deliverance was not worth venturing for. And where sir said,
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Speaker 1: I is your belief of my being preserved here on
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Speaker 1: purpose to save your life, which elevated you a little
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Speaker 1: while ago, for my part, said I, there seems to
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Speaker 1: be but one thing amiss in all the prospect of it.
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Speaker 1: What is that? Says he? Why? Said I? It is that,
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Speaker 1: as you say, there are three or four honest fellows
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Speaker 1: among them which should be spared. Had they been all
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Speaker 1: of the wicked part of the crew, I should have
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Speaker 1: thought God's providence had singled them out to deliver them
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Speaker 1: into your hands. For depend upon it. Every man that
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Speaker 1: comes ashore is our own, and shall die or live
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Speaker 1: as they behave to us. As I spoke this with
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Speaker 1: a raised voice and cheerful countenence, I found it greatly
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Speaker 1: encouraged him. So we vigorously set to our business. We had,
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Speaker 1: upon the first appearance of the boats coming from the ship,
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Speaker 1: considered of separating our prisoners, and we had indeed secured
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Speaker 1: them effectually, two of them, of whom the captain was
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Speaker 1: less assured than ordinary. I sent with Friday and one
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Speaker 1: of the three delivered men to my cave, where they
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Speaker 1: were remote enough and out of danger of being heard
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Speaker 1: or discovered, or of finding their way out of the woods.
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Speaker 1: If they could have delivered themselves here. They left them bound,
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Speaker 1: but gave them provisions and promised them, if they continued
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Speaker 1: there quietly, to give them their liberty in a day
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Speaker 1: or two, but that if they attempted their escape, they
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Speaker 1: should be put to death without mercy. They promised faithfully
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Speaker 1: to bear their confinement with patience, and were very grateful
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Speaker 1: that they had such good usage as to have provisions
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Speaker 1: and light left them for Friday, gave them candles such
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Speaker 1: as we made ourselves for their comfort, and they did
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Speaker 1: not know but that he stood sentinel over them at
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Speaker 1: the entrance. The other prisoners had better usage. Two of
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Speaker 1: them were kept pinioned, indeed, because the captain was not
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Speaker 1: able to trust them. But the other two were taken
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Speaker 1: into my service upon the captain's recommendation, and upon their
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Speaker 1: solemnly engaging to live and die with us. So with
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Speaker 1: them and the three honest men, we were seven men
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Speaker 1: well armed, and I made no doubt we should be
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Speaker 1: able to deal well enough with the ten that were coming,
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Speaker 1: considering that the captain had said there were three or
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Speaker 1: four honest men among them. Also, as soon as they
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Speaker 1: got to the place where their other boat lay, they
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Speaker 1: ran their boat into the beach and came all on shore,
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Speaker 1: hauling the boat up after them, which I was glad
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Speaker 1: to see, for I was afraid they would rather have
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Speaker 1: left the boat at an anchor some distance from the shore,
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Speaker 1: with some hands in her to guard her, so we
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Speaker 1: should not be able to seize the boat. Being on shore.
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Speaker 1: The first thing they did they ran all to their
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Speaker 1: other boat, and it was easy to see they were
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Speaker 1: under a great surprise to find her stripped as above
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Speaker 1: of all that was in her, and a great hole
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Speaker 1: in her bottom. After they had mused a while upon this,
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Speaker 1: they set up two or three great shouts, helloing with
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Speaker 1: all their might to try if they could make their
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Speaker 1: companions here, but all was to no purpose. Then they
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Speaker 1: came all close in a ring and fired a volley
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Speaker 1: of their arms, which indeed we heard, and the echoes
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Speaker 1: made the woods ring, But it was all one. Those
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Speaker 1: in the cave we were sure could not hear, and
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Speaker 1: those in our keeping, though they heard it well enough,
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Speaker 1: yet Durst give no answer to them. They were so
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Speaker 1: astonished at the surprise of this, that, as they told
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Speaker 1: us afterwards, they resolved to go all on board again
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Speaker 1: to their ship and let them know that the men
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Speaker 1: were all murdered, and the longboat staved Accordingly, They immediately
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Speaker 1: launched their boat again and got all of them on board.
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Speaker 1: The captain was terribly amazed and even confounded at this,
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Speaker 1: believing they would go on board the ship again and
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Speaker 1: set sail, giving their comrades over for lost, and so
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Speaker 1: he should still lose the ship, which he was in
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Speaker 1: high hopes he should have recovered. But he was quickly
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Speaker 1: as much frightened the other way. They had not been
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Speaker 1: long put off with the boat when we perceived them
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Speaker 1: all coming on shore again, but with this new measure
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Speaker 1: in their conduct, which it seems they consulted together upon,
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Speaker 1: that is, to leave three men in the boat, and
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Speaker 1: the rest go on shore and go up into the
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Speaker 1: country to look for their fellows. This was a great
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Speaker 1: disappointment for us, for now we were at a loss
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Speaker 1: what to do, as our seizing those seven men on
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Speaker 1: shore would be no advantage to us if we let
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Speaker 1: the boat escape, because they would row away to the ship,
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Speaker 1: and then the rest of them would be sure to
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Speaker 1: weigh and set sail, and so our recovering the ship
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Speaker 1: would be lost. However, we had no remedy but to
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Speaker 1: wait and see what the issue of things might present.
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Speaker 1: The seven men came on shore, and the three who
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Speaker 1: remained in the boat, put her off to a good
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Speaker 1: distance from the shore, and came to an anchor to
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Speaker 1: wait for them, so that it was impossible for us
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Speaker 1: to come at them in the boat. Those that came
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Speaker 1: on shore kept close together, marching towards the top of
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Speaker 1: the little hill upon which my habitation lay, and we
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Speaker 1: could see them plainly, though they could not perceive us.
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Speaker 1: We should have been very glad if they would have
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Speaker 1: come nearer to us, so that we might have fired
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Speaker 1: at them, or that they would have gone farther off
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Speaker 1: that we might come abroad. But when they were come
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Speaker 1: to the brow of the hill, where they could see
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Speaker 1: a great way into the valleys and woods which lay
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Speaker 1: towards the northeast part, and where the island lay lowest,
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Speaker 1: they shouted and halloed till they were weary and not caring,
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Speaker 1: it seems, to venture far from the shore, nor far
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Speaker 1: from one another. They sat down together under a tree
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Speaker 1: to consider it, had they thought fit to go to
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Speaker 1: sleep there, as the other part of them had done.
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Speaker 1: They had done the job for us, But they were
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Speaker 1: too full of apprehensions of danger to venture to go
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Speaker 1: to sleep, even though they could not tell what the
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Speaker 1: danger was they had to fear. The captain made a
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Speaker 1: very just proposal to me upon this consultation of theirs,
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Speaker 1: that is, that perhaps they would all fire a volley
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Speaker 1: again to endeavor to make their fellows here, and that
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Speaker 1: we should all sally upon them just at the juncture
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Speaker 1: when their pieces were all discharged, and they would certainly yield,
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Speaker 1: and we should have them without bloodshed. I liked this proposal,
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Speaker 1: provided it was done while we were near enough to
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Speaker 1: come up to them before they could load their pieces again.
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Speaker 1: But this event did not happen, and we lay still
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Speaker 1: a long time, very irresolute what course to take. At length,
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Speaker 1: I told them there would be nothing done, in my opinion,
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Speaker 1: till night, and then if they did not return to
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Speaker 1: the boat, perhaps we might find a way to get
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Speaker 1: between them and the shore, and so might use some
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Speaker 1: stratagem with them in the boat to get them on shore.
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Speaker 1: We waited a great while, though very impatient, for their removing,
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Speaker 1: and were very uneasy when, after long consultation, we saw
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Speaker 1: them all start up and march down towards the sea.
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Speaker 1: It seems they had such dreadful apprehensions of the danger
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Speaker 1: of the place that they resolved to go on board
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Speaker 1: the ship again, give their companions over for lost, and
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Speaker 1: so go on with their intended voyage with the ship.
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Speaker 1: As soon as I perceived them go towards the shore,
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Speaker 1: I imagined it to be as it really was, that
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Speaker 1: they had given over their search and were going back again.
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Speaker 1: And the captain, as soon as I told him my thoughts,
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Speaker 1: was ready to sink at the apprehensions of it. But
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Speaker 1: I presently thought of a stratagem to fetch them back again,
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Speaker 1: and which answered my end to a tittle. I ordered
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Speaker 1: Friday and the captain's mate to go over the little
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Speaker 1: creek westward towards the place where the savages came on
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Speaker 1: shore when Friday was rescued, And so soon as they
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Speaker 1: came to a little rising round at about half a
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Speaker 1: mile distant, I bid them hello out as loud as
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Speaker 1: they could, and wait till they had found the seamen
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Speaker 1: heard them that as soon as ever they heard the
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Speaker 1: seamen answer them, they should return it again, and then,
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Speaker 1: keeping out of sight, take around, always answering when the
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Speaker 1: others helloaed, to draw them as far into the island
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Speaker 1: and among the woods as possible, and then wheel about
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Speaker 1: again to me. By such ways as I directed them.
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Speaker 1: They were just going into the boat when Friday and
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Speaker 1: the mate helloed, and they presently heard them, and, answering,
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Speaker 1: ran along the shore westward towards the voice they heard.
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Speaker 1: When they were stopped by the creek, where the water
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Speaker 1: being up, they could not get over, and called for
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Speaker 1: the boat to come up and set them over, as
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Speaker 1: indeed I expected. When they had set themselves over, I
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Speaker 1: observed that the boat being gone a good way into
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Speaker 1: the creek, and as it were in a harbor within
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Speaker 1: the land, they took one of the three men out
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Speaker 1: of her to go along with them, and left only
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Speaker 1: two in the boat, having fastened her to the stump
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Speaker 1: of a little tree on the shore. This was what
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Speaker 1: I wished for, and immediately leaving Friday and the captain's
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Speaker 1: make to their business, I took the rest with me, and,
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Speaker 1: crossing the creek out of their sight, we surprised the
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Speaker 1: two men before they were aware, one of them lying
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Speaker 1: on the shore and the other being in the boat.
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Speaker 1: The fellow on shore was between sleeping and waking and
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Speaker 1: going to guard up the captain, who was foremost, ran
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Speaker 1: in upon him and knocked him down, and then called
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Speaker 1: out to him in the boat to yield or he
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Speaker 1: was a dead man. They needed very few arguments to
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Speaker 1: persuade a single man to yield when he saw five
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Speaker 1: men upon him and his comrade knocked down. Besides, this was,
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Speaker 1: it seems, one of the three who were not so
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Speaker 1: hearty in the mutiny as the rest, and therefore was
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Speaker 1: easily persuaded not only to yield, but afterwards to join
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Speaker 1: very sincerely with us. In the meantime, Friday and the
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Speaker 1: captain's mate so well managed their business with the rest
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Speaker 1: that they drew with them by halloing and answering from
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Speaker 1: one hill to another, and from one wood to another,
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Speaker 1: till they not only heartily tired them, but left them
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Speaker 1: where they were very sure they would not reach back
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Speaker 1: to the boat before it was dark, And indeed they
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Speaker 1: were heartily tired themselves also by the time they came
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Speaker 1: back to us. We had nothing now to do but
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Speaker 1: to watch for them in the dark and to fall
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Speaker 1: upon them so as to make sure work with them.
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Speaker 1: It was several hours after Friday came back to me
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Speaker 1: before they came back to their boat, and we could
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Speaker 1: hear the foremost of them long before they came quite up,
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Speaker 1: calling to those behind to come along, and could also
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Speaker 1: hear them answer and complain how lame and tired they were,
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Speaker 1: and not able to come any faster, which was very
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Speaker 1: welcome news to us. At length they came up to
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Speaker 1: the boat, but it is impossible to express their confusion.
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Speaker 1: When they found the boat fast aground in the creek,
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Speaker 1: the tide ebbed out, and their two men gone. We
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Speaker 1: could hear them call one to another in a most
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Speaker 1: lamentable manner, telling one another they were got into an
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Speaker 1: enchanted island, that either there were inhabitants in it, and
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Speaker 1: they should all be murdered, or else there were devils
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Speaker 1: and spirits in it, and they should all be carried
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Speaker 1: away and devoured. They helloed again, and called their two
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Speaker 1: comrades by their names a great many times, but no answer.
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Speaker 1: After some time we could see them by the little light.
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Speaker 1: There was run about, wringing their hands like men in despair.
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Speaker 1: And sometimes they would go and sit down in the
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Speaker 1: boat to rest themselves, then come ashore again and walk
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Speaker 1: about again, and so the same thing over again. My
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Speaker 1: men would fain have had me give them leave to
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Speaker 1: fall upon them at once in the dark, but I
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Speaker 1: was willing to take them at some advantage so as
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Speaker 1: to spare them and kill as few of them as
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Speaker 1: I could, And especially I was unwilling to hazard the
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Speaker 1: killing of any of our men. Knowing the others were
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Speaker 1: very well armed, I resolved to wait to see if
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Speaker 1: they did not separate, and therefore to make sure of them.
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Speaker 1: I drew my ambuscade nearer and ordered Friday and the
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Speaker 1: captain to creep upon their hands and feet as close
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Speaker 1: to the ground as they could that they might not
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Speaker 1: be discovered, and get as near them as they could
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Speaker 1: possibly before they offered to fire. They had not been
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Speaker 1: long in that posture when the boatswain, who was the
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Speaker 1: principal ringleader of the mutiny and had now shown himself
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Speaker 1: the most dejected and dispirited of all the rest, came
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Speaker 1: walking towards them with two more of the crew. The
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Speaker 1: captain was so eager as having this principal rogue so
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Speaker 1: much in his power, that he could hardly have patience
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Speaker 1: to let him come so near as to be sure
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Speaker 1: of him, for they only heard his tongue before. But
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Speaker 1: when they came nearer, the Captain and Friday, starting up
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Speaker 1: on their feet, let fly at them. The boasam was
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Speaker 1: killed upon the spot. The next man was shot in
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Speaker 1: the body and fell just by him, though he did
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Speaker 1: not die till an hour or two after, and the
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Speaker 1: third ran for it. At the noise of the fire.
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Speaker 1: I immediately advanced with my whole army, which was now
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Speaker 1: eight men, that is myself, General Lissimo Friday, my lieutenant general,
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Speaker 1: the captain and his two men, and the three prisoners
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Speaker 1: of war whom we had trusted with arms. We came
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Speaker 1: upon them, indeed in the dark, so that they could
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Speaker 1: not see our number, and I made the man they
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Speaker 1: had left in the boat, who was now one of us,
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Speaker 1: to call them by name, to try if I could
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Speaker 1: bring them to a parley, and so perhaps might reduce
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Speaker 1: them to terms which fell out just as we desired.
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Speaker 1: For indeed, it was easy to think, as their condition
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Speaker 1: then was, they would be very willing to capitulate. So
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Speaker 1: he calls out as loud as he could to one
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Speaker 1: of them, Tom Smith. Tom Smith. Tom Smith answered immediately,
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Speaker 1: is that Robinson? For it seems he knew the voice.
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Speaker 1: The other answered aye. Aye. For God's sake, Tom Smith,
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Speaker 1: throw down your arms and yield, or you are all
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Speaker 1: dead men this moment. Who must we yield? To where
19:48
Speaker 1: are they, says Smith? Again, here they are, says he.
19:52
Speaker 1: Here's our captain and fifty men with him have been
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Speaker 1: hunting you these two hours. The boatsuns killed, Will Fry
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Speaker 1: is wounded, and I am a prisoner. And if you
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Speaker 1: do not yield, you are all lost. Will they give
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Speaker 1: us quarter, then, says Tom Smith, and we will yield.
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Speaker 1: I'll go and ask if you promise to yield, said Robinson.
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Speaker 1: So he asked the captain, and the captain himself then
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Speaker 1: calls out, you Smith, you know my voice. If you
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Speaker 1: lay down your arms immediately and submit, you shall have
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Speaker 1: your lives all but Will Atkins. Upon this, Will Atkins
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Speaker 1: cried out, for God's sake, Captain, give me quarter. What
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Speaker 1: have I done? They have all been as bad as I, which,
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Speaker 1: by the way, was not true, For it seems this
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Speaker 1: Will Atkins was the first man that laid hold of
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Speaker 1: the captain when they first mutinied, and used him barbarously
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Speaker 1: in tying his hands and giving him injurious language. However,
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Speaker 1: the captain told him he must lay down his arms
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Speaker 1: at discretion and trust to the governor's mercy, by which
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Speaker 1: he meant me, for they all called me governor in
21:15
Speaker 1: a word, they all laid down their arms and begged
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Speaker 1: their lives. And I sent the man that had parleyed
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Speaker 1: with them, and two more, who bound them all. And
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Speaker 1: then my great army of fifty men, which with those
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Speaker 1: three were in all but eight, came up and seized
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Speaker 1: upon them and upon their boat. Only that I kept
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Speaker 1: myself and one more out of sight for reasons of state.
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Speaker 1: Our next work was to repair the boat and think
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Speaker 1: of seizing the ship. And as for the captain, now
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Speaker 1: he had leisure to parley with them, he expostulated with
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Speaker 1: them upon the villainy of their practices with him, and
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Speaker 1: upon the further wickedness of their design, and how certainly
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Speaker 1: it must bring them to misery and distress in the end,
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Speaker 1: and perhaps to the gallows. They all appeared very penitent
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Speaker 1: and begged hard for their lives. As for that, he
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Speaker 1: told them they were not his prisoners, but the commanders
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Speaker 1: of the island. That they thought they had set him
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Speaker 1: on shore in a baron uninhabited island, but it had
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Speaker 1: pleased God so to direct them that it was inhabited,
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Speaker 1: and that the governor was an Englishman, and that he
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Speaker 1: might hang them all there if he pleased but as
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Speaker 1: he had given them all quarter, he supposed he would
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Speaker 1: send them to England to be dealt with there as
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Speaker 1: justice required, except Atkins, whom he was commanded by the
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Speaker 1: governor to advise to prepare for death, for that he
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Speaker 1: would be hanged in the morning. Though this was all
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Speaker 1: but a fiction of his own, yet it had its
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Speaker 1: desired effect. Atkins fell upon his knees to beg the
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Speaker 1: captain to intercede with the governor for his life, and
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Speaker 1: all the rest begged of him for God's sake, that
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Speaker 1: they might not be sent to England. It now occurred
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Speaker 1: to me that the time of our deliverance was come,
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Speaker 1: and that it would be a most easy thing to
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Speaker 1: bring these fellows in to be hearty and getting possession
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Speaker 1: of the ship. So I retired in the dark from them,
23:31
Speaker 1: that they might not see what kind of governor they had,
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Speaker 1: and called the captain to me. When I called at
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Speaker 1: a good distance, one of the men was ordered to
23:43
Speaker 1: speak again and say to the captain, the commander calls
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Speaker 1: for you, And presently the captain replied, tell his excellency,
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Speaker 1: I am just coming. This more perfectly amazed them, and
23:58
Speaker 1: they all believed that the command was just by with
24:01
Speaker 1: his fifty men. Upon the captain coming to me, I
24:06
Speaker 1: told him my project for seizing the ship, which he
24:09
Speaker 1: liked wonderfully well, and resolved to put it in execution
24:13
Speaker 1: the next morning. But in order to execute it with
24:17
Speaker 1: more art and to be secure of success, I told
24:21
Speaker 1: him we must divide the prisoners, and that he should
24:25
Speaker 1: go and take Atkins and two more of the worst
24:28
Speaker 1: of them, and send them pinioned to the cave where
24:32
Speaker 1: the others lay. This was committed to Friday and the
24:36
Speaker 1: two men who came on shore with the captain. They
24:40
Speaker 1: conveyed them to the cave as to a prison, and
24:44
Speaker 1: it was indeed a dismal place, especially to men in
24:49
Speaker 1: their condition. The others I ordered to my bower, as
24:53
Speaker 1: I called it, of which I have given a full description,
24:56
Speaker 1: And as it was fenced in and they pinioned, the
25:00
Speaker 1: place was secure enough. Considering they were upon their behavior
25:06
Speaker 1: to these in the morning, I sent the captain, who
25:09
Speaker 1: was to enter into a parley with them, in a word,
25:12
Speaker 1: to try them and tell me whether he thought they
25:15
Speaker 1: might be trusted or not, to go on board and
25:18
Speaker 1: surprise the ship. He talked to them of the injury
25:22
Speaker 1: done him, of the condition they were brought to, and
25:25
Speaker 1: that though the governor had given them quarter for their
25:28
Speaker 1: lives as to the present action, yet that if they
25:32
Speaker 1: were sent to England they would all be hanged in chains,
25:37
Speaker 1: but that if they would join in so just an
25:41
Speaker 1: attempt as to recover this ship, we would have the
25:45
Speaker 1: Governor's engagement for their pardon. Anyone may guess how readily
25:51
Speaker 1: such proposal would be accepted by men in their condition.
25:55
Speaker 1: They fell down on their knees to the captain and promised,
26:00
Speaker 1: with the deepest imprecations that they would be faithful to
26:04
Speaker 1: him to the last drop, and that they should owe
26:07
Speaker 1: their lives to him, and would go with him all
26:10
Speaker 1: over the world. That they would own him as a
26:13
Speaker 1: father to them as long as they lived. Well, says
26:18
Speaker 1: the captain, I must go and tell the governor what
26:21
Speaker 1: you say, and see what I can do to bring
26:24
Speaker 1: him to consent to it. So he brought me an
26:27
Speaker 1: account of the temper he found them in, and that
26:30
Speaker 1: he verily believed they would be faithful. However, that we
26:35
Speaker 1: might be very secure. I told him he should go
26:39
Speaker 1: back and choose out those five and tell them that
26:44
Speaker 1: they might see. He did not want men that he
26:48
Speaker 1: would take out those five to be his assistants, and
26:52
Speaker 1: that the governor would keep the other two and the
26:56
Speaker 1: three that were sent prisoners to my castle, that is,
26:59
Speaker 1: my cave as hostages for the fidelity of those five,
27:05
Speaker 1: and that if they proved unfaithful in the execution, the
27:10
Speaker 1: five hostages should be hanged in chains alive on the shore.
27:17
Speaker 1: This looked severe and convinced them that the governor was
27:21
Speaker 1: in earnest. However, they had no way left but to
27:26
Speaker 1: accept it, and it was now the business of the prisoners,
27:32
Speaker 1: as much as of the captain, to persuade the other
27:36
Speaker 1: five to do their duty. Our strength was now thus
27:41
Speaker 1: ordered for the expedition. First the Captain, his mate and passenger.
27:47
Speaker 1: Second the two prisoners of the first gang, to whom,
27:50
Speaker 1: having their character from the Captain, I had given their
27:54
Speaker 1: liberty and trusted them with arms. Third, the other two
27:59
Speaker 1: that I had kept till now in my bower, pinioned,
28:03
Speaker 1: but on the Captain's motion, had now released. Fourth, these
28:08
Speaker 1: five released at last, so that there were twelve in
28:12
Speaker 1: all besides five we kept prisoners in the cave for hostages.
28:19
Speaker 1: I asked the captain if he was willing to venture
28:21
Speaker 1: with these hands on board the ship. But as for
28:25
Speaker 1: me and my man Friday, I did not think it
28:27
Speaker 1: was proper for us to stir, having seven men left behind,
28:32
Speaker 1: and it was employment enough for us to keep them
28:34
Speaker 1: asunder and supply them with victuals. As to the five
28:39
Speaker 1: in the cave, I resolved to keep them fast, but
28:43
Speaker 1: Friday went in twice a day to them to supply
28:46
Speaker 1: them with necessaries, and I made the other two carry
28:50
Speaker 1: provisions to a certain distance where Friday was to take them.
28:56
Speaker 1: When I showed myself to the two hostages, it was
28:59
Speaker 1: with the captain who told them I was the person
29:02
Speaker 1: the governor had ordered to look after them, and that
29:05
Speaker 1: it was the Governor's pleasure they should not stir anywhere,
29:09
Speaker 1: but by my direction that if they did, they would
29:13
Speaker 1: be fetched into the castle and be laid in irons.
29:18
Speaker 1: So that as we never suffered them to see me
29:21
Speaker 1: as governor, I now appeared as another person, and spoke
29:25
Speaker 1: of the Governor, the garrison, the castle, and the like
29:30
Speaker 1: upon all occasions. The captain now had no difficulty before
29:35
Speaker 1: him but to furnish his two boats, stopped the breach
29:38
Speaker 1: of one and manned them. He made his passenger captain
29:44
Speaker 1: of one with four of the men, and himself his
29:49
Speaker 1: mate and five more went in the other. And they
29:53
Speaker 1: contrived their business very well, for they came up to
29:57
Speaker 1: the ship about midnight. As soon as they came within
30:03
Speaker 1: call of the ship, he made Robinson hail them and
30:08
Speaker 1: tell them that they had brought off the men in
30:12
Speaker 1: the boat, but that it was a long time before
30:15
Speaker 1: they had found them in the like, holding them in
30:18
Speaker 1: a chat till they came to the ship's side, when
30:24
Speaker 1: the captain and the mate, entering first with their arms,
30:27
Speaker 1: immediately knocked down the second mate and the carpenter with
30:31
Speaker 1: the butt end of their muskets. Being very faithfully seconded
30:36
Speaker 1: by their men, they secured all the rest that were
30:40
Speaker 1: upon the main and quarter decks, and began to fasten
30:44
Speaker 1: the hatches to keep them down that were below, when
30:48
Speaker 1: the other boat and their men, entering at the fore chains,
30:52
Speaker 1: secured the forecastle of the ship and the scuttle, which
30:56
Speaker 1: went down into the cook room, making three men they
31:00
Speaker 1: found there prisoners. When this was done and all safe
31:05
Speaker 1: upon deck, the captain ordered the mate with three men
31:09
Speaker 1: to break into the round house where the new rebel
31:13
Speaker 1: captain lay, who, having taken the alarm had got up,
31:18
Speaker 1: and with two men and a boy, had got firearms
31:21
Speaker 1: in their hands, and when the mate with the crow
31:24
Speaker 1: split open the door, the new captain and his men
31:27
Speaker 1: fired boldly among them and wounded the mate with a
31:31
Speaker 1: musket ball, which broke his arm, and wounded two more
31:34
Speaker 1: of the men, but killed nobody. The mate, calling for help, rushed, however,
31:41
Speaker 1: into the round house, wounded as he was, and with
31:45
Speaker 1: his pistol, shot the new captain through the head, the
31:48
Speaker 1: bullet entering at his mouth and came out again behind
31:52
Speaker 1: one of his ears, so that he never spoke a
31:55
Speaker 1: word more, upon which the rest yielded, and the ship
32:01
Speaker 1: was taken effectually without any more lives lost. As soon
32:07
Speaker 1: as the ship was thus secured, the captain ordered seven
32:11
Speaker 1: guns to be fired, which was the signal agreed upon
32:15
Speaker 1: with me to give me notice of his success, which
32:18
Speaker 1: you may be sure I was very glad to hear,
32:21
Speaker 1: having sat watching upon the shore for it till near
32:25
Speaker 1: two o'clock in the morning. Having thus heard the signal,
32:29
Speaker 1: plainly I laid me down, and it, having been a
32:34
Speaker 1: day of great fatigue to me, I slept very sound
32:41
Speaker 1: till I was surprised with the noise of a gun,
32:43
Speaker 1: and presently starting up, I heard a man call me
32:47
Speaker 1: by the name of Governor, Governor, and presently I knew
32:52
Speaker 1: the captain's voice. When climbing up to the top of
32:56
Speaker 1: the hill, there he stood, and pointing to the ship,
33:00
Speaker 1: he embraced me in his arms. My dear friend and deliverer,
33:07
Speaker 1: says he, there's your ship, for she is all yours,
33:14
Speaker 1: and so are we, and all that belonged to her.
33:20
Speaker 1: I cast my eyes to the ship, and there she
33:23
Speaker 1: rode within little more than half a mile of the shore.
33:29
Speaker 1: For they had weighed her anchor as soon as they
33:31
Speaker 1: were masters of her, and the weather being fair, had
33:36
Speaker 1: brought her to an anchor just against the mouth of
33:39
Speaker 1: the little creek, and the tide being up, the captain
33:43
Speaker 1: had brought the pinnace in near the place where I
33:47
Speaker 1: had first landed my rafts, and so landed just at
33:51
Speaker 1: my door. I was at first ready to sink down
33:56
Speaker 1: with surprise, for I saw my deliverance, indeed visibly put
34:03
Speaker 1: into my hands, all things easy, and a large ship
34:09
Speaker 1: just ready to carry me away, whither I pleased to go.
34:15
Speaker 1: At first, for some time I was not able to
34:19
Speaker 1: answer him one word, But as he had taken me
34:22
Speaker 1: in his arms. I held fast by him, or I
34:26
Speaker 1: should have fallen to the ground. He perceived the surprise
34:31
Speaker 1: and immediately pulled out a bottle from his pocket and
34:34
Speaker 1: gave me a dram of cordial which he had brought
34:37
Speaker 1: on purpose for me. After I had drunk it, I
34:42
Speaker 1: sat down upon the ground, and though it brought me
34:46
Speaker 1: to myself, yet it was a good while before I
34:50
Speaker 1: could speak a word to him. All this time the
34:54
Speaker 1: poor man was in as great an ecstasy as as I,
35:00
Speaker 1: only not under any surprise as I was. And he
35:05
Speaker 1: said a thousand kind and tender things to me, to
35:09
Speaker 1: compose and bring me to myself. But such was the
35:15
Speaker 1: flood of joy in my breast that it put all
35:19
Speaker 1: my spirits into confusion. At last it broke out into tears,
35:26
Speaker 1: and in a little while after I recovered my speech,
35:32
Speaker 1: I then took my turn and embraced him as my deliverer,
35:40
Speaker 1: and we rejoiced together. I told him I looked upon
35:45
Speaker 1: him as a man sent by Heaven to deliver me,
35:49
Speaker 1: and that the whole transaction seemed to be a chain
35:54
Speaker 1: of wonders. That such things as these were the testimony
36:00
Speaker 1: we had of a secret hand of Providence governing the world,
36:05
Speaker 1: and an evidence that the eye of an infinite power
36:10
Speaker 1: could search into the remotest corner of the world and
36:14
Speaker 1: send help to the miserable whenever he pleased. I forgot
36:21
Speaker 1: not to lift up my heart in thankfulness to Heaven.
36:26
Speaker 1: And what heart could forbear to bless him who had
36:30
Speaker 1: not only in a miraculous manner, provided for me in
36:33
Speaker 1: such a wilderness and in such a desolate condition, but
36:39
Speaker 1: from whom every deliverance must always be acknowledged to proceed.
36:47
Speaker 1: When we had talked awhile, the captain told me he
36:51
Speaker 1: had brought me some little refreshment, such as the ship afforded,
36:56
Speaker 1: and such as the wretches that had been so long
36:59
Speaker 1: his master had not plundered him of. Upon this he
37:04
Speaker 1: called aloud to the boat, and bade his men bring
37:08
Speaker 1: the things ashore that were for the governor. And indeed
37:12
Speaker 1: it was a present, as if I had been one
37:16
Speaker 1: that was not to be carried away with them, but
37:19
Speaker 1: as if I had been to dwell upon the island. Still.
37:24
Speaker 1: First he had brought me a case of bottles full
37:28
Speaker 1: of excellent cordial waters, six large bottles of Madeira wine.
37:33
Speaker 1: The bottles held two quarts each, two pounds of excellent
37:38
Speaker 1: good tobacco, twelve good pieces of the ship's beef, and
37:44
Speaker 1: six pieces of pork, with a bag of peas and
37:47
Speaker 1: about a hundredweight of biscuit. He also brought me a
37:53
Speaker 1: box of sugar, a box of flour, a bag full
37:59
Speaker 1: of lemon, and two bottles of lime juice, and abundance
38:04
Speaker 1: of other things. But besides these, and what was a
38:10
Speaker 1: thousand times more useful to me, he brought me six
38:16
Speaker 1: new clean shirts, six very good neckcloths, two pair of gloves,
38:25
Speaker 1: one pair of shoes, a hat, and one pair of stockings,
38:30
Speaker 1: with a very good suit of clothes of his own,
38:35
Speaker 1: which had been worn but very little. In a word,
38:39
Speaker 1: he clothed me from head to foot. It was a
38:44
Speaker 1: very kind and agreeable present, as anyone may imagine to
38:50
Speaker 1: one in my circumstances. But never was anything in the
38:56
Speaker 1: world of that kind so unpleasant, awkward, and uneasy as
39:02
Speaker 1: it was to me to wear such clothes. At first,
39:08
Speaker 1: after these ceremonies were passed, and after all his good
39:12
Speaker 1: things were brought into my little department, we began to
39:16
Speaker 1: consult what was to be done with the prisoners. We had,
39:20
Speaker 1: for it was worth considering whether we might venture to
39:25
Speaker 1: take them with us or no, especially two of them
39:29
Speaker 1: whom he knew to be incorrigible and refractory to the
39:33
Speaker 1: last degree. And the Captain said he knew they were
39:38
Speaker 1: such rogues, that there was no obliging them, and if
39:41
Speaker 1: he did carry them away, it must be in irons
39:45
Speaker 1: as malefactors, to be delivered over to justice at the
39:50
Speaker 1: first English colony he could come to. And I found
39:54
Speaker 1: that the captain himself was very anxious about it. Upon
39:59
Speaker 1: this I told him that if he desired it, I
40:03
Speaker 1: would undertake to bring the two men he spoke of,
40:06
Speaker 1: to make it their own request that he should leave
40:09
Speaker 1: them upon the island. I should be very glad of that,
40:14
Speaker 1: said the captain, with all my heart. Well, says I,
40:19
Speaker 1: I will send for them and talk with them for you.
40:23
Speaker 1: So I caused Friday and the two hostages, for they
40:27
Speaker 1: were now discharged their comrades, having performed their promise, I say,
40:33
Speaker 1: I caused them to go to the cave and bring
40:36
Speaker 1: up the five men pinioned as they were, to the bower,
40:40
Speaker 1: and keep them there till I came. After some time
40:45
Speaker 1: I came thither dressed in my new habit, and now
40:49
Speaker 1: I was called governor again. Being all met and the
40:54
Speaker 1: captain with me, I caused the men to be brought
40:57
Speaker 1: before me, and I told them I had got a
41:01
Speaker 1: full account of their villainous behavior to the captain, and
41:06
Speaker 1: how they had run away with the ship and were
41:08
Speaker 1: preparing to commit further robberies, but that providence had ensnared
41:14
Speaker 1: them in their own ways, and that they were fallen
41:18
Speaker 1: into the pit which they had dug for others. I
41:22
Speaker 1: let them know that by my direction, the ship had
41:26
Speaker 1: been seized, that she lay now in the road, and
41:32
Speaker 1: they might see by and by that their new captain
41:35
Speaker 1: had received the reward of his villainy, and that they
41:40
Speaker 1: would see him hanging at the yard arm that as
41:45
Speaker 1: to them, I wanted to know what they had to say,
41:48
Speaker 1: why I should not execute them as pirates taken by
41:52
Speaker 1: the fact as by my commission they could not doubt,
41:56
Speaker 1: but I had authority so to do. One of them answered,
42:02
Speaker 1: in the name of the rest, that they had nothing
42:04
Speaker 1: to say but this, that when they were taken, the
42:07
Speaker 1: captain promised them their lives, and they humbly implored my mercy.
42:13
Speaker 1: But I told them I knew not what mercy to
42:17
Speaker 1: show them, for as for myself, I had resolved to
42:21
Speaker 1: quit the island with all my men, and had taken
42:24
Speaker 1: passage with the captain to go to England. And as
42:28
Speaker 1: for the captain, he could not carry them to England
42:32
Speaker 1: other than as prisoners in irons to be tried for
42:36
Speaker 1: mutiny and running away with the ship, the consequence of
42:41
Speaker 1: which they must needs know would be the gallows. So
42:46
Speaker 1: that I could not tell them what was best for them,
42:50
Speaker 1: unless they had a mind to take their fate in
42:53
Speaker 1: the island if they desired that. As I had liberty
42:58
Speaker 1: to leave the island, I had some inclination to give
43:02
Speaker 1: them their lives if they thought they could shift on shore.
43:08
Speaker 1: They seemed very thankful for it, and said they would
43:11
Speaker 1: much rather venture to stay there than be carried to
43:15
Speaker 1: England to be hanged. So I left it on that issue. However,
43:23
Speaker 1: the captain seemed to make some difficulty of it, as
43:29
Speaker 1: if he durst not leave them there. Upon this I
43:34
Speaker 1: seemed a little angry with the captain, and told him
43:38
Speaker 1: that they were my prisoners, not his, and that, saying
43:43
Speaker 1: I had offered them so much favor, I would be
43:45
Speaker 1: as good as my word, and that if he did
43:48
Speaker 1: not think fit to consent to it, I would set
43:52
Speaker 1: them at liberty as I found them, and if he
43:55
Speaker 1: did not like it, he might take them again if
43:57
Speaker 1: he could catch them. Upon this they appeared very thankful,
44:03
Speaker 1: and I accordingly set them at liberty and bade them
44:07
Speaker 1: retire into the woods to the place whence they came,
44:12
Speaker 1: and I would lead them some firearms, some ammunition, and
44:16
Speaker 1: some directions how they should live very well if they
44:19
Speaker 1: thought fit. Upon this, I prepared to go on board
44:23
Speaker 1: the ship, but told the captain I would stay that
44:27
Speaker 1: night to prepare my things, and desired him to go
44:30
Speaker 1: on board in the meantime and keep all right in
44:35
Speaker 1: the ship, and send the boat on shore next day
44:38
Speaker 1: for me, ordering him, at all events to cause the
44:42
Speaker 1: new captain who was killed, to be hanged at the
44:46
Speaker 1: yard arm that these men might see him. When the
44:50
Speaker 1: captain was gone, I sent for the men up to
44:53
Speaker 1: me to my apartment, and entered seriously into discourse with
44:58
Speaker 1: them on their circumstances. I told them I thought that
45:01
Speaker 1: they had made a right choice, that if the captain
45:04
Speaker 1: had carried them away, they would certainly be hanged. I
45:08
Speaker 1: showed them the new captain hanging at the yard arm
45:12
Speaker 1: of the ship, and told them they had nothing less
45:16
Speaker 1: to expect. When they had all declared their willingness to stay,
45:21
Speaker 1: I told them I would let them into the story
45:24
Speaker 1: of my living there and put them into the way
45:26
Speaker 1: of making it easy to them. Accordingly, I gave them
45:31
Speaker 1: the whole history of the place and of my coming
45:34
Speaker 1: to it, showed them my fortifications, the way I made
45:38
Speaker 1: my bread, planted my corn, cured my grapes, and in
45:44
Speaker 1: a word, all that was necessary to make them easy.
45:48
Speaker 1: I told them the story of the seventeen Spaniards that
45:52
Speaker 1: were to be expected, for whom I had left a letter,
45:56
Speaker 1: and made them promise to treat them in common with themselves.
46:01
Speaker 1: Here it may be noted that the captain, who had
46:03
Speaker 1: ink on board, was greatly surprised that I never hit
46:07
Speaker 1: upon a way of making ink of charcoal and water,
46:13
Speaker 1: or of something else, as I had done things much
46:17
Speaker 1: more difficult. I left them my firearms, that is, five muskets,
46:23
Speaker 1: three falling pieces, and three swords. I had above a
46:27
Speaker 1: barrel and a half a powder left for after the
46:30
Speaker 1: first year or two, I used but little and wasted none.
46:36
Speaker 1: I gave them a description of the way I managed
46:39
Speaker 1: the goats, and directions to milk and to fatten them,
46:44
Speaker 1: and to make both butter and cheese. In a word,
46:49
Speaker 1: I gave them every part of my own story, and
46:54
Speaker 1: told them I should prevail with the captain, to leave
46:57
Speaker 1: them two barrels of gunpowder more and some garden seeds,
47:02
Speaker 1: which I told them I would have been very glad of. Also,
47:08
Speaker 1: I gave them the bag of peas which the captain
47:11
Speaker 1: had brought me to eat, and bade them to be
47:15
Speaker 1: sure to sow and increase them. End of Chapter eighteen.