Many years ago, there lived in England a boy whose name was Robinson
Crusoe.
Though he had never been near the sea, Crusoe's dearest wish was to
become a sailor and go on a ship to foreign lands.
This grieved his mother very much, and she begged the boy to remain at
home. His father also warned him of danger, saying, "If you go abroad,
you will be most miserable. I cannot give my consent."
It happened that Crusoe visited Hull, a large town by the sea, to say
good-by to a companion who was about to sail for London. He could not
resist the chance of going on a voyage, and without even sending a
message to his father and mother, he went aboard the ship and sailed
away.
Robinson Crusoe met with many strange adventures at sea. On his first
voyage, the ship was wrecked in a fearful storm, and the crew was saved
by sailors from another ship.
Next, Crusoe went on a voyage to Africa. On the way there the ship was
captured by pirates. The captain of the pirates made a slave of the boy.
The man took Crusoe to his home and made him dig in the garden and work
in the house.
One day Crusoe hid some food in a small boat and managed to escape, with
a boy. They sailed for many long days and nights, keeping close to
shore. They did not dare to land, because of the lions and other wild
animals.
After a time they saw a Portuguese vessel. The captain allowed them to
go aboard. This ship was bound for South America. They finally landed in
Brazil.
Robinson Crusoe lived on a plantation in Brazil for several years. He
raised sugar and tobacco. For a time he was happy and made money.
But Robinson Crusoe was never contented anywhere for very long. When a
merchant asked him to go on another voyage to the coast of Africa, he
consented, and he had soon started on this new venture.
At first the weather was very hot. Then one day, without warning, a
hurricane burst upon them. The wind raged for twelve days, and the ship
was nearly torn to pieces. No one expected to escape.
After a time the wind abated somewhat. The captain ordered the course of
the ship changed, but soon another storm followed, even worse than the
first.
Early one morning, while the wind was still roaring and the ship was
rolling from side to side, a sailor who was peering through the fog
suddenly cried out, "Land! Land!"
At the same moment, the vessel struck on a sand bar, with a grating
sound. The waves dashed over the deck of the ship.
With great difficulty, the boats were lowered at the side of the ship.
All the sailors climbed into the boats, for they knew not at what moment
the ship would break to pieces.
The men rowed bravely toward the shore, but suddenly a mountain-like
wave rolled over them and upset the boats.
Crusoe was a very fine swimmer, but no one could swim in such a sea. It
was only good fortune and his alertness that landed him safely ashore.
Wave after wave washed him further and further upon the beach. At last a
wave left him beside a rock, to which he clung until the water flowed
back to the sea. Then he jumped up and ran for his life.
Robinson Crusoe was the only person from the ship who was not drowned.
He was thankful indeed for his escape.
After resting for a time, Crusoe looked about him. He was wet, cold, and
hungry. It was growing very dark, and he was afraid of wild animals.
He found his knife still in his pocket, so he cut a stick with which to
protect himself. Then he climbed into a tree and hid among the branches.
He was soon sound asleep.
When Crusoe awoke in the morning, the storm was over, and the sea was
calm. He found that the ship had been driven by the waves much nearer to
the shore. By noon the water was low. The tide had ebbed so far out that
he could walk almost to the ship.
He swam for a short distance. When lie reached the vessel, he could find
no way to climb up, but at last he discovered a rope hanging over the
side. By the help of the rope, he managed to pull himself to the deck.
Everything in the stern of the ship was safe and dry, and the food was
not spoiled. Crusoe filled his pockets with biscuits and ate them as he
went about his work. He had no time to spare.
Crusoe needed a boat, to carry to the shore many necessary things.
"It is of no use to wish for a boat," he thought, "I must set to work to
make one."
First he took some spars of wood and a topmast or two, that were on the
deck, and threw them overboard, tying each with a rope so that it would
not drift away.
Then he climbed down the side of the ship, and fastened the spars
together to make a raft. It was a long time before he was able to make
the raft strong enough to hold the things that he wished to take ashore.
Crusoe loaded the raft with three seamen's chests. He had filled these
chests with bread, rice, cheese, dried goat's flesh, and other articles
of food. He also took all the clothing he could find.
Then Crusoe dragged a carpenter's tool chest to the side of the ship. He
placed this on the raft. Nothing on the ship was of more use to him than
the tools in this chest.
He secured guns, pistols, and shot, also two barrels of dry gunpowder.
The trouble now was to land his cargo safely.
Crusoe had only a broken oar, but he rigged up a sail, and the tide
helped him. At last he reached the mouth of a little river. The strong
tide carried him to land.
He was able to push the raft into a little bay. When the tide flowed
out, the raft was left high and dry on the sand, and everything was
taken safely ashore.
Then Crusoe thought he would look about the country. He climbed to the
top of a high hill. He found that he was on an island, and that there
was no sign of people, and nothing living in sight excepting great
flocks of birds.
Day after day, Crusoe returned to the ship. He built more rafts and
brought from the vessel everything that he considered useful.
He made a tent of sails to protect the things that could be spoiled by
the sun or rain.
After several weeks, the weather changed, and a high wind began to blow.
One morning, when Crusoe awoke, he found that the ship had broken to
pieces and was no longer to be seen. However, he had saved from the
wreck everything that he needed.
Then Robinson Crusoe decided to find a better place for his tent. There
was a little plain on the bide of a hill. At the further end was a rock
with a hollow place like the entrance to a cave; but there was really
not any cave or way into the rock at all. Here he placed his tent.
In a half circle, in front of the tent, Crusoe drove two rows of strong
stakes sharpened at the top, about six inches apart. He laid pieces of
rope between the stakes. The fence was about five arid a half feet high
and so strong that no one could enter.
There was no door, so Crusoe climbed in and out by means of a ladder
which he always drew up after him.
Before closing up the end of the fence, Crusoe carried within all the
articles that he had saved from the wreck. He rigged a double tent
inside the fence, to protect all from the sun and rain.
When this was finished, Crusoe began to dig out the rock. It was not
very hard, and soon, behind his tent, he had a cave in which he placed
his powder, in small parcels.
Robinson Crusoe was very comfortable. He had saved from the wreck two
cats and a dog. He had ink, pens, and paper, so that he could write down
all that happened.
"But what shall I do when the ink is gone?" thought Crusoe. "I must find
some way of keeping track of the time."
He set up a wooden cross, upon which he cut with a knife the date of his
landing. Each day he cut another notch in the wood.
Every seventh notch was twice as long as those for the days between, and
the notch for every first day of the month was twice as long again. Thus
Crusoe kept a calendar, or weekly, monthly, and yearly reckoning of
time.
By and by, he found that there were many goats on the island, and many
pigeons which he could obtain for food.
After a time, Crusoe decided that his cave was too small.
As he was sure that there were no wild beasts on the island, he began to
make his cave larger, and he finally built a tunnel through the rock
outside his fence.
Then he began to hang his belongings upon the sides of the cave, and to
arrange them in order. He even built shelves on the walls, and made a
door for the entrance. He also made a table and some chairs.
During all this time, Robinson Crusoe climbed the hill daily.
He looked over the lonely waters hoping--always hoping--to see the sail
of a ship. At last he gave up all hope of ever leaving the island.
Several years passed by. The clothing that Crusoe had saved from the
ship was worn out. He made himself clothes from the skins of the goats
on the island. He made also an umbrella of goat skins, to shield him
from the hot rays of the sun.
Though the food which he had taken from the ship had long since been
eaten, he raised plenty of barley from seed which he had found in a
little bag on the ship. The goats and pigeons on the island supplied him
with meat.
He had become very tired of never hearing a voice. There were many green
parrots among the trees and he decided to catch one and teach it to
talk. He found it difficult to obtain one, but finally he did catch a
young parrot.
At first he could not teach it to say a word, but at last when he came
back to his tent from a day on the island, the parrot called, "Robin,
Robin Crusoe! Poor Robin Crusoe, where have you been?"
One morning, as Crusoe started for his canoe, a strange thing happened.
He was walking along, and what do you suppose he saw? The print of a
man's foot in the sand! The sight made him cold all over. He looked
around.
He listened, but there was not a sound, yet there in the sand was the
print of a man's foot--the toes, the heel, and the sole.
He did not go to the boat. Instead he hastened back to his cave. He was
so frightened that it was some time before he ventured out again.
About a year after this, Crusoe was surprised one morning to see a
bonfire on the shore. He looked through his spyglass and saw a company
of savages who had landed in canoes and had built a fire.
They had two prisoners whom they were about to kill. One of them saw a
chance to escape, and he made a sudden dash for his life, running with
great speed straight toward Robinson Crusoe.
Crusoe rescued this man. The man was very grateful.
Crusoe made him understand, after a time, that his name was to be
Friday. It was on Friday that the man had been saved.