The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe (25 page)

His caution was so seasonable, and his advice so good, I could not but be very well pleased with his proposal, as well as I was satisfied with his fidelity. So we fell to digging all four of us, as well as the wooden tools we were furnished with permitted. In about a month's time we had got as much land cured and trimmed up as we sowed two and twenty bushels of barley on and sixteen jars of rice. In short, all the seed we had to spare. Nor, indeed, did we leave ourselves barley sufficient for our own food for the six months we had to expect our crop.

It is worth mentioning that for these months the moon still rose and I still let the beast run free on those three nights it shone full in the sky. On the first night, which was a good week before Olegario had ask'd me to delay our voyage, the Spaniard was much concern’d that I was to wander into the woods for the night. He, too, had heard the same stories of this island as Friday had once told me, and could not picture an older gentlemen, as I now was, going unarmed into the woods where savage creatures hunted. Indeed, he asked such things several times as to how I had survived so long in such an awful place. It pleas'd me when Friday told him the same almost true story that I had once told to my man, that I was, in a word, the master of the beast, and went to set it free for the few nights necessary to keep it docile. Walla-kay, when ask'd, confirmed this as well, and said in his sage way that he believed the beast would never harm me. Thus did we three keep my nature as a secret from Olegario, altho' I believe in the end he did suspect the truth.

Having now number being sufficient to put us out of fear of the savages, we went all over the island, whenever we found occasion. Altho' none of us would go to the south west corner, where the dark church still stood, except for Walla-kay, who still kept his faith in his god and would sometimes go there to pray, and would berate my man Friday, his son, for not joining him. This did cause a rift tween them, tho' not, I believed, one of great consequence. I confess this faith did make me suspicious and Walla-kay never did earn my trust as well as had Friday.

As we had our escape, or deliverance, upon our thoughts, it was impossible to have the means of it out of mine. For this purpose I mark'd out several trees which I thought fit for our work, and I set Friday and his father to cutting them down, tho' I may note I did not choose any tree which had been mark'd by the savages at one time, even if those marks had been removed. Then I caused the Spaniard, to whom I imparted my thoughts on that affair, to oversee and direct their work. I showed them with what pains I had hewed a large tree into single planks, and I caused them to do the like, till they had made about a dozen large planks of good oak, near two feet broad, thirty-five feet long, and from two inches to four inches thick. What prodigious labour it took up any one may imagine.

At the same time, I contrived to increase my little flock of tame goats as much as I could. For this purpose, I made Friday and Olegario go out one day, and myself with Friday the next day (for we took our turns), and by this means we got about twenty young kids to breed up with the rest. Whenever we shot the dam, we saved the kids and added them to our flock. But, above all, the season for curing the grapes coming on, I caused such a prodigious quantity to be hung up in the sun I believe we could have fill’d sixty or eighty barrels. These, with our bread, was a great part of our food and was very good living too, I assure you, for it is exceeding nourishing.

It was now harvest, and our crop in good order. It was not the most plentiful increase I had seen in the island, but it was enough to answer our end. From twenty-two bushels of barley we brought in and thresh'd out above two hundred and twenty bushels, and the like in proportion of the rice.

When we had thus housed and secured our magazine of corn, we fell to work to make more wicker-ware in which we kept it. Olegario was very handy and dexterous at this part, and often blamed me that I did not make some things for defence of this kind of work. Indeed, in the final weeks of our harvest he had grown very sullen and angry, and did not sleep well.

Walla-kay advised me in private that in the same way the beast shared its nature with me, so did this island share its nature with those upon it, which is why he at first could not believe I had lived here my many years. He and his son, Friday, were protected as children of the sea, and I had the protection of the beast, but our Spanish friend had none to guard him from the island.

Now having a full supply of food for all the guests I expected, I gave Olegario leave to go over to the main to see what he could do with those he had left behind them there, and to free him from the nature of the island. I gave him a strict charge not to bring any man with him who would not first swear, in the presence of himself and the old savage, that he would no way injure, fight with, or attack the person he should find in the island, and this should be put in writing, and sign’d with their hands. Under these instructions, Olegario and Walla-Kay went away in the boat my man Friday and I had spent so many weeks making. I gave each of them a musket with a firelock on it and about eight charges of powder and ball, charging them to be very good husbands of both and not to use either of them but upon urgent occasions.

I gave them provisions sufficient for themselves for many days, and sufficient for all the Spaniards for about eight days' time. Wishing them a good voyage, I saw them go. They went away with a fair gale on the day the moon was at full, by my account in the month of October, but as for an exact reckoning of days, after I had once lost it I could never recover it again.

The day Olegario and Walla-Kay left was the second full moon of October, a rare enough thing to be worth noting, and the beast did seem pleas'd to have the new arrivals gone, for it had ne'er warmed to Friday's father as it had to my man himself. On reflection, I took this to be because Walla-Kay did not renounce his religion to the thing they call'd Kathooloo, and in this, the beast and I were in agreement.

It was no less than eight days all together I had waited for them when again a strange and unforeseen accident intervened, of which the like has not perhaps been heard of in history. I was fast asleep in my hutch one morning, when my man Friday came running in to me, and called aloud, "Master, master, they are come, they are come!"

I jumped up and I went out as soon as I could get my cloathes on. I was surprised when, turning my eyes to the sea, I saw a boat at about a league and a half distance, standing in for the shore, with a shoulder of mutton sail and the wind blowing pretty fair to bring them in. I observ’d they did not come from that side which the shore lay on, but from the southernmost end of the island. I called Friday and bade him lie close, for these were not the people we looked for, and we might not know yet whether they were friends or enemies. I went in to fetch my perspective-glass to see what I could make of them. I climbed up to the top of the hill, to take my view the plainer without being discovered. I had scarce set my foot upon the hill when my eye plainly discover’d a ship lying at an anchor, about two leagues and a half distance from me but not above a league and a half from the shore. By my observation, it appear'd to be an English ship, and the boat appear'd to be an English long-boat.

I cannot express the confusion I was in. The joy of seeing a ship, and one I had reason to believe was manned by my own countrymen, was such as I cannot describe. Yet I had some secret doubts hung about me, I cannot tell from whence they came, bidding me keep upon my guard. In the first place, it occur’d to me to consider what business an English ship could have in that part of the world, since it was not the way to or from any part of the world where the English had any traffic. I knew there had been no storms to drive them in there. If they were English, it was most probable they were here upon no good design. I had better continue as I was than fall into the hands of pirates and murderers.

I had not kept myself long in this posture but I saw the boat draw near the shore, as if they looked for a creek to thrust in at for the convenience of landing. However, as they did not come quite far enough, they did not see the little inlet where Friday and I docked our vessels, but run their boat on shore upon the beach, at about a mile from me, which was very happy for me. Otherwise they would have landed just at my door, and would soon have beaten me out of my castle and perhaps have plundered me of all I had.

When they were on shore, I was satisfy’d they were Englishmen, at least most of them. There were in all eleven men, where of three of them I found were unarmed and bound. When the first four or five of them were jumped on shore, they took those three out of the boat as prisoners. One of the three I could perceive using the most passionate gestures of entreaty, affliction, and despair, even to a kind of extravagance. The other two, I could perceive, lifted up their hands sometimes, and appeared concerned, indeed, but not to such a degree as the first.

I was confounded at the sight, and knew not what the meaning of it should be. Friday called out to me, "O master! you see English mans eat prisoner as well as savage mans."

"Why, Friday," said I, "do you think they are going to eat them then?"

"Yes," said Friday. "They will eat them."

"No, no," said I. "Friday, I am afraid they will murder them, indeed, but you may be sure they will not eat them."

All this while I had no thought of what the matter was, but stood expecting every moment when the three prisoners should be killed. Once I saw one of the villains lift up his arm with a great cutlass to strike one of the poor men. I expect'd to see him fall every moment. I wished now I had any way to have come undiscovered within shot of them, that I might have rescued the three men, for I saw no fire-arms they had among them. After I had observ’d the outrageous usage of the three men by the insolent seamen, I observ’d the fellows run scattering about the island as if they wanted to see the country. I observ’d the three other men had liberty to go also where they pleased, but they sat down all three upon the ground, very pensive, and looked like men in despair. This put me in mind of the first time when I came on shore and began to look about me. How I gave myself over for lost, how wildly I looked round me, what dreadful apprehensions I had.

It was just at the top of high water when these people came on shore. While they rambled about to see what kind of a place they were in, they had carelessly staid till the tyde was spent and the water was ebb'd away, leaving their boat aground. They had left two men in the boat, who, having drank a little too much brandy, fell asleep. However, one of them waking a little sooner than the other, and finding the boat too fast aground for him to stir it, hallooed out for the rest. They all soon came to the boat, but it was past all their strength to launch her, the boat being very heavy, and the shore on that side being a soft oozy sand, almost like a quicksand. In this condition, like true seamen, who are perhaps the least of all mankind given to forethought, they gave it over, and away they strolled about the country again. I heard one of them say aloud to another, calling them off from the boat, "Why, let her alone, Jack, can't you? She'll float next tyde."

All this while I kept myself very close, not once daring to stir out of my castle any farther than to my place of observation near the top of the hill. Very glad I was to think how well it was fortify'd. I knew it was no less than ten hours before the boat could float again, and by that time it would be dark and I might be at more liberty to see their motions and to hear their discourse, if they had any. In the mean time, I fitted myself up for a battle as before, tho’ with more caution, knowing I had to do with another kind of enemy than I had at first. I ordered Friday also to load himself with arms. My figure, indeed, was very fierce. I had my formidable goat-skin coat on, with the great cap I have mention'd, a naked sword by my side, two pistols in my belt, and a gun upon each shoulder.

It was my design, as I said above, not to have made any attempt till it was dark. But about two o'clock, being the heat of the day, I found they were all gone straggling into the woods, and, as I thought, laid down to sleep. The three poor distress'd men, too anxious for their condition to get any sleep, however, sat down under the shelter of a great tree at about a half of a mile from me, and, as I thought, out of sight of any of the rest. Upon this I resolv’d to discover myself to them and learn something of their condition. I marched in the figure as above, my man Friday at a good distance behind me, as formidable for his arms as I, but making quite more an apprehending figure as I did with his gray skin and sharp teeth.

I came as near them undiscovered as I could, and then, before any of them saw me, I let out a sharp howl in the nature of the beast. They started up at the noise, but were ten times more confounded when they saw me and the uncouth figure I made. They made no answer at all, but I thought I perceived them just going to fly from me, when I spoke to them in English.

"Gentlemen," said I, "do not be surprised at me. Perhaps you may have a friend near when you did not expect it."

"He must be sent directly from Heaven then," said one of them very gravely to me, and pulling off his hat at the same time, "for our condition is past the help of man."

"All help is from Heaven, sir," said I. "But can you put a stranger in the way how to help you? You seem to be in some great distress. I saw you when you landed, and when you seemed to make application to the brutes that came with you, I saw one of them lift up his sword to kill you."

The poor man, with tears running down his face, and trembling, looking like one astonished, returned, "Am I talking to God or man? Is it a real man or an angel?"

"Be in no fear about that, Sir," said I. "If God had sent an angel to relieve you, he would have come better cloathed and armed. Pray lay aside your fears. I am an Englishman and disposed to assist you. You see I have one servant only. We have arms and ammunition. Tell us freely, can we serve you? What is your case?"