The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe (19 page)

After this, I went on board. The first sight I met with was two men drown’d in the cook-room, or forecastle of the ship. I concluded when the ship struck the men were not able to bear it and were strangled with the constant rushing in of the water as much as if they had been under water. Besides the dog there was nothing left in the ship that had life, nor any goods I could see but what were spoiled by the water. There were some casks of liquor, whether wine or brandy I knew not, which lay lower in the hold and which I could see, but they were too big to meddle with. I saw several chests which I believed belonged to some of the seamen and I got two of them onto the raft without examining what was in them. I saw at this point the dog had fled from me, as most animals tended to do, and was swimming for the island with its head pok'd above the waves. I do not know if it made the shore, and one way or another I never laid eyes on it again.

Had the stern of the ship been fixed, and the fore-part broken off, I am persuaded I might have made a good voyage. By what I found in these two chests, I had room to suppose the ship had a great deal of wealth on board, but of no use, at that time, to any body.

I found besides these chests a little cask full of liquor, which I got into my raft with much difficulty. There were several muskets in the cabin, and a great powder-horn, with about four pounds of powder in it. I took a fire shovel and tongs, which I wanted extremely. Also two little brass kettles, a copper pot to make chocolate, and a gridiron. With this cargo I came away, the tyde beginning to make home again. The same evening, about an hour within night, I reached the island again, weary and fatigued to the last degree.

I reposed that night on the raft. In the morning I resolv’d to harbour what I had got in my new cave and not carry it home to my castle. After refreshing myself, I got all my cargo on shore, and began to examine the particulars. The cask of liquor I found to be a kind of rum, but not such as we had at the Brasils and not at all good. When I came to open the chests, I found several things of great use to me. I found in one a fine case of bottles fill’d with cordial waters, fine and very good. I found two pots of very good succades, or sweetmeats, so fastened on the top the salt water had not hurt them. I found some very good shirts, which were very welcome to me, and about a dozen and a half of white linen handkerchiefs and coloured neckcloths. When I came to the till in the chest, I found there three great bags of pieces-of-eight, which held about eleven hundred pieces in all. In one of them, wrapped up in a paper, six doubloons of gold, and some small bars or wedges of gold. I suppose they might all weigh near a pound.

In the other chest were some cloathes, but of little value. By the circumstances, it must have belonged to the gunner's mate, tho’ there was no powder in it, except two pounds of fine glazed powder in three small flasks. Upon the whole, I got very little by this voyage that was of any use to me. As to the money, I had no manner of occasion for it. It was to me as the dirt under my feet. I would have given it all for three or four pair of English shoes and stockings. I had indeed got two pair of shoes now, which I took off the feet of the two drowned men, and I found two pair more in one of the chests, which were very welcome to me. But they were not like our English shoes, either for ease or service, being rather what we call pumps than shoes. I found in this seaman's chest about fifty pieces-of-eight in rials, but no gold. I suppose this belonged to a poorer man than the other, which seemed to belong to some officer.

However, I lugged this money home to my cave, and laid it up, as I had done that before which I brought from our own ship. It was a great pity, as I said, the other part of this ship had not come to my share. I am satisfied I might have loaded my raft several times over with money, and thought if I ever return to England it might lie here safe enough till I may come again and fetch it.

Having now brought all my things on shore and secured them, I went back to my raft and rowed or paddled her along the shore to her old harbour, where I laid her up and made the best of my way to my old habitation, where I found every thing safe and quiet. I began now to repose myself, live after my old fashion, and take care of my affairs. If at any time I did stir with any freedom, it was always to the east part of the island where I was pretty well satisfied the savages never came, and where I could go without so many precautions and such a load of arms and ammunition as I always carried with me if I went the other way. I had more wealth, indeed, than I had before, but was not at all the richer. I had no more use for it than the Indians of Peru had before the Spaniards came there.

I lived in this condition near two years more. Sometimes I was for making another voyage to the wreck, tho’ my reason told me there was nothing left there worth the hazard of my voyage.

It was one of the nights in the rainy season in March, I was lying in the mate's hammock, awake. Very well in health, had no pain, no uneasiness of body, nor any uneasiness of mind, more than ordinary, but could by no means close my eyes. No, not a wink all night long, otherwise than as follows.

It is impossible to set down the innumerable crowd of thoughts that whirled through that great thoroughfare of the brain in this night's time. In my reflections, I was comparing the happy posture of my affairs in the first years of my habitation here on this land, compared to the life of anxiety, fear, and care, which I had liv'd ever since I had seen the print of a foot in the sand and further found the dark church that had been profesy'd by my parrot, Poll. I did believe the savages had frequented the island even all the while, and might have been several hundreds of them at times on shore. But I had never known it, and was incapable of any apprehensions about it. My satisfaction was perfect, tho’ my danger was the same.

After these thoughts had for some time entertain’d me, I came to reflect upon the real danger I had been in for so many years in this very island and how I had walked about in the greatest security and with all possible tranquility, even when perhaps nothing but the brow of a hill, a great tree, or the casual approach of night, had been between me and the worst kind of destruction.

When these thoughts were over, my head was for some time taken up in considering the nature of these twist'd creatures, I mean the cannibals. How had it come to pass in the world that the wise Governor of all things should give up any of his creatures to such inhumanity? As this ended in some fruitless speculations, it occurred to me to inquire what part of the world these wretches lived in? How far off the coast was from whence they came? What they ventured over so far from home for? Had they come all this way to build their dark church, or had they discover'd it here in waiting for them? What kind of boats had the savages? By what means did they travel the high seas? And why might I not order myself and my business so that I might be as able to go over thither as they were to come to me?

This was key in my thoughts. I did reflect that this island, which I would often think of as mine alone, was perhaps never a safe place. I was neither alone here nor safe, and most evidence would say at the least my life and immortal soul may be at great risk. Indeed, upon further reflection, it seem'd the beast had oft times tried to warn me of the wrongness here, as a loyal dog does warn its master from danger.

As such, there was little doubt what my course must be now. The time of penance had come to an end. The beast and I must, at first chance, escape this accursed island.

When this had agitated my thoughts for two hours or more, and my pulse beat as if I had been in a fever meerly with the extraordinary fervour of my mind about it, nature threw me into a sound sleep. One would have thought I should have dream'd of it, but I did not, nor of any thing relating to it.

No, I dreamed as I was going out in the morning, as usual, from my castle I saw upon the shore two canoes and eleven savages coming to land. In my vision they were the same creatures I had seen through my perspective-glass, with glossy gray skin most unlike the flesh of Negroes, yet also had they wide eyes that recall'd to me the eyes of the lowest of creatures, viz. frogs and fish.

They brought with them another savage, whom they were going to kill in order to eat him. The savage they were going to kill jumped away and ran for his life. I thought, in my sleep, he came running into my little thick grove before my fortification to hide himself. I, seeing him alone and not perceiving the others sought him that way, showed myself to him, and smiling upon him, encouraged him. He kneeled down to me, seeming to pray me to assist him. Upon which I showed him my ladder and carried him into my cave and he became my servant. As soon as I had got this man, I said to myself, "Now I may venture to the main land. This fellow will serve me as a pilot, and will tell me what to do, and whither to go for provisions, and whither not to go for fear of being devoured."

I waked with this thought, and was under such inexpressible impressions of joy at the prospect of my escape in my dream that the disappointments which I felt upon coming to myself, and finding it was no more than a dream, were equally extravagant the other way and threw me into a very great dejection of spirits.

Upon this, however, I made this conclusion. My only way to go about an escape was to get a savage into my possession. If possible, it should be one of their prisoners whom they had condemned to be eaten and should bring hither to kill.

But these thoughts still were attended with this difficulty. It was impossible to effect this without attacking a whole caravan of them and killing them all. This was not only a very desperate attempt, and might miscarry, but I had scrupled the lawfulness of it to myself. My heart trembled at the thoughts of shedding so much blood, tho’ it was for my deliverance from this island. I need not repeat the arguments which occurred to me against this, they being the same mentioned before. I had other reasons to offer now, viz. that those men were enemies to my life and would devour me if they could. It was self-preservation, in the highest degree, to deliver myself from this death of a life, and I was acting in my own defence as much as if they were assaulting me. These things argued for it, yet the thoughts of shedding human blood for my deliverance were very terrible to me, and such as I could by no means reconcile myself to for a great while.

However, at last, after many secret disputes with myself, and after great perplexities about it (for all these arguments, one way and another, struggled in my head a long time), the eager prevailing desire of escape at length mastered all the rest. I resolv’d, if possible, to get one of those savages into my hands, cost what it would. My next thing was to contrive how to do it, and this indeed was very difficult to resolve on. As I could pitch upon no probable means for it, so I resolv’d to put myself upon the watch, to see them when they came on shore, and leave the rest to the event, taking such measures as the opportunity should present.

With these resolutions in my thoughts, I set myself upon the scout as often as possible, and indeed so often I was heartily tired of it. It was above a year and a half I waited. For great part of that time I went out to the west end, and to the awful church of the south-west corner of the island, almost every day to look for canoes, but none appeared. This was very discouraging and began to trouble me much. Tho’ I cannot say that it did in this case (as it had done some time before) wear off the edge of my desire to the thing. The longer it seemed to be delayed, the more eager I was for it. In a word, I was not at first so careful to shun the sight of these savages and avoid being seen by them as I was now eager to be upon them.

About a year and a half after I entertained these notions, as I have said, I was surprised one morning with seeing no less than five canoes all on shore together on my side of the island, and the people who belonged to them all landed and out of my sight. The number of them broke all my measures. Seeing so many, and knowing they always came four or six or sometimes more in a boat, I could not tell what to think of it, or how to take my measures to attack twenty or thirty men single-handed. However, I put myself into all the same postures for an attack that I had formerly provided and was just ready for action if any thing had presented. Having waited a good while, listening to hear if they made any noise, at length, being very impatient, I set my guns at the foot of my ladder, and clambered up to the top of the hill.

Here I observ’d, by the help of my perspective-glass, which was this time by selection the better of the two I had, they were no less than thirty in number. They had a fire kindled and they had meat dressed. How they had cooked it I knew not, or what it was. They were all dancing and writhing in their own way, round the fire, bellowing and braying words that were but sounds to distant me, but awful none the less for it. Their naked skin, I could see, was slick and grey, like that of an eel, and with their hunch'd backs and wide eyes they made for a most monstrous crowd of figures. Also I observ'd, as their hands would be thrown up, that each man and woman among them had very long fingers, enough so that it could be observ'd thru the glass. In a like manner were their feet long and broad, as each would kick up their legs in the wild dancing. I bethought myself that there was little doubt such a foot had left the long-ago print which had shap'd my life on the island since and up till this moment.

It did also occur to me that the full moon had been only one night earlier, and had the savages arriv'd the day before a most unpleasant surprise would have met them upon the shore. Even now, I could sense the beast's great dislike of these beings, and had little doubt it would have hunt'd many of them for the meer pleasure of the kill.

While I was thus looking on them, I perceived, by my perspective, two miserable wretches dragged from the boats, where, it seemed they were laid by, and were now brought out for the slaughter. I observ'd one of them fall, being knocked down, I suppose, with a club or wooden sword, for that was their way, and two or three others were at work, cutting him open for their cookery, while the other victim was left standing by himself till they should be ready for him. In that very moment, this poor wretch, seeing himself a little at liberty and unbound, started away from them and ran with incredible swiftness along the sands towards me. I mean, towards that part of the coast where my habitation was.