The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801). Defoe Daniel
their sail to let me come up. Encouraged at this, I set up my patron's ancient, and fired a gun, both as signals of distress; upon which they very kindly lay to, so that in three hours time I came up with them. They spoke to me in Portuguese, Spanish, and French, but neither of these did I understand; till at length a Scots sailor called, and then I told him I was an Englishman, who had escaped from the Moors at Sallee: upon which they took me kindly on board, with all my effects.
Surely none can express the inconceivable joy I felt at this happy deliverance! who from being a late miserable and forlorn creature was not only relieved, but in favour with the master of the ship, to whom, in return for my deliverance, I offered all I had. "God forbid," said he, "that I should take any thing from you. Every thing shall be delivered to you when you come to Brazil. If I have saved your life it is no more than I should expect to receive myself from any other, when in the same circumstances I should happen to meet the like deliverance. And should I take from you what you have, and leave you at Brazil, why, this would be only taking away a life I had given. My charity teaches me better. Those effects you have will support you there, and provide you a passage home again." And, indeed, he acted with the strictest justice in what he did, taking my things into his possession, and giving me an exact inventory, even to my earthen jars. He bought my boat of me for the ship's use, giving me a note of eighty pieces of eight, payable at Brazil; and if any body offered more, he would make it up. He also gave me 60 pieces for my boy Xury. It way with great reluctance I was prevailed upon to sell the child's liberty, who had served me so faithfully; but the boy was willing himself; and it was agreed, that after ten years he should be made free, upon his renouncing Mahometanism, and embracing Christianity.
Having a pleasant voyage to the Brazils, we arrived in the Bay de Todos los Santos, or All Saints Bay, in twenty-two days after. And here I cannot forget the generous treatment of the captain. He would take nothing for my passage, gave me twenty ducats for the leopard's skin, and thirty for the lion's. Every thing he caused to be delivered, and what I would sell he bought. In short I made about 220 pieces of my cargo; and with this stock I entered once more, as I may say into the scene of life.
Being recommended to an honest planter, I lived with him till such time as I was informed of the manner of their planting and making sugar; and seeing how well they lived, and how suddenly they grew rich, I was filled with a desire to settle among them, and resolved to get my money remitted to me, and to purchase a plantation.
To be brief, I bought a settlement next door to an honest and kind neighbour, born at Lisbon, of English parents, whose plantation joining to mine, we improved it very amicably together. Both our stocks were low, and for two years we planted only for food: but the third year we planted some tobacco, and each of us dressed a large piece of ground the ensuing year for planting canes. But now I found how much I wanted assistance, and repented the loss of my dear boy Xury.
Having none to assist me, my father's words came into my mind; and I used to ask myself, if what I sought was only a middle station of life, why could it not as well be obtained in England as here? When I pondered on this with regret, the thoughts of my late deliverance forsook me. I had none to converse with but my neighbour; no work to be done but by my own hands; it often made me say, my condition was like to that of a man cast upon a desolate island. So unhappy are we in our reflections, so forgetful of what good things we receive ourselves, and so unthankful for our deliverance from these calamities that others endure.
I, was in some measure settled, before the captain who took me up departed from the Brazils. One day I went to him, and told him what stock I had in London, desiring his assistance in getting it remitted; to which the good gentleman readily consented, but would only have me send for half my money, lest it should miscarry; which, if it did, I might still have the remainder to support me: and so taking letters of procuration of me, bid me trouble myself no farther about it.
And indeed wonderful was his kindness towards me; for he not only procured the money I had drawn for upon my captain's widow, but sent me over a servant with a cargo proportionable to my condition. He also sent me over tools of all sorts, iron-work, and utensils necessary for my plantation, which proved to be of the greatest use to me in my business.
Wealth now accumulating on me, and uncommon success crowning my prosperous labours, I might have rested happy in that middle state of life my father had so often recommended, yet nothing would content me, such was my evil genius, but I must leave this happy station, for a foolish ambition in rising; and thus, once more, I cast myself into the greatest gulph of misery that ever poor creature fell into. Having lived four years in Brazil, I had net only learned the language, but contracted acquaintance with the most eminent planters, and even the merchants of St. Salvadore; to whom, once, by way of discourse, having given account of my two voyages to the coast of Guinea and the manner of trading there for mere trifles, by which we furnish our plantations with Negroes, they gave such attention to what I said, that three of them came one morning to me, and told me they had a secret proposal to make. After enjoining me to secrecy (it being an infringement on the powers of the Kings of Portugal and Spain) they told me they had a mind to fit out a ship to go to Guinea, in order to stock the plantation with Negroes, which as they could not be publicly sold, they would divide among them: and if I would go their supercargo in the ship, to manage the trading part, I should have ah equal share of the Negroes, without providing any stock. The thing indeed was fair enough, had I been in another condition. But I, born to be my own destroyer, could not resist the proposal, but accepted the offer upon condition of their looking after my plantation. So making a formal will, I bequeathed my effects to my good friend the captain, as my universal heir; but obliged him to dispose of my effects as directed, one half of the produce to himself, and the other to be shipped to England.
The ship being fitted out, and all things ready, we set sail the first of September, 1659, being the same day eight-years I left my father and, mother in Yorkshire. We sailed northward upon the coast, in order to gain Africa, till we made Cape Augustine; from whence going farther into the ocean, out of sight of land, we steered as though we were bound for the isle Fernand de Norenba, leaving the islands on the east; and then it was that we met with a terrible tempest, which continued for twelve days successively, so that the wind carried us wheresoever they pleased. In this perplexity one of our men died, and one man and a boy were washed overboard. When the weather cleared up a little, we found ourselves eleven degrees north latitude, upon the coast of Guinea. Upon this the captain gave reasons for returning; which I opposed, counselling him to stand away for Barbadoes, which as I supposed, might be attained in fifteen days. So altering our course, we sailed north-west and by west, in order to reach the Leeward Islands; but a second storm succeeding, drove us to the westward; so that we were justly afraid of falling into the hands of cruel savages, or the paws of devouring beasts of prey.
In this great distress, one of our men, early in the morning cried out, Land, land! which he had no sooner cried out, but our ship struck upon a sand bank, and in a moment the sea broke over her in such a manner that we expected we should all have perished immediately. We knew nothing where we were, or upon what land we were driven; whether an island or the main, inhabited or not inhabited; and we could not so much as hope that the ship would hold out many minutes, without breaking in pieces, except the wind by a miracle should turn about immediately. While we stood looking at one another, expecting death every moment, the mate lay a hold of the boat, and with the help of the rest got her flung over the ship's side, and getting all into her, being eleven of us, committed ourselves to God's mercy and the wild sea. And now we saw that this last effort would not be a sufficient protection from death; so high did the sea rise, that it was impossible the boat should live. As to making sail, we had none; neither if we had, could we make use of any. So that when we had rowed, or rather were driven about a league and a half, a raging wave, like a lofty mountain, came rolling astern of us, and took us with such fury, that at once it overset the boat. Thus being swallowed up in a moment, we had hardly time to call upon the tremendous name of God; much less to implore, in dying ejaculations, his infinite mercy to receive our departing souls.
Men are generally counted insensible, when struggling in the pangs of death; but while I was overwhelmed with water, I had the most dreadful apprehensions imaginable. For the joys of heaven and the torments of hell, seemed to present themselves before me in these dying agonies, and even small space of time, as it were, between life and death. I was going I thought I knew not whither,