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Today we'll be continuing the Life and.

Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

Chapter Three.

Wrecked on a desert island.

After this stop, we made onto the southward continually for ten or twelve days living very sparingly on our provisions, which began to abate very much and going no oftener to the shore than we were obliged to for fresh water.

My design in this was to make the river Gambia or Senegal, that is to say, anywhere about the Cape de Verde, where I was in hopes to meet with some European ship.

And if I did not, I knew not what course I had to take, but to seek for the islands, or perish there among the Negroes.

I knew that all the ships from Europe which sailed either to the coast of guinea or to Brazil or to the East Indies made this cape or those islands.

And in a word, I put the whole of my fortune upon this single point.

Either that I must meet with some ship or must perish.

When I had pursued this resolution about ten days longer, as I've said, I began to see that the land was inhabited.

And in two or three places, as we sailed by, we saw people stand upon the shore to look at us.

We could also perceive they were quite black and naked.

I was once inclined to have gone on shore to them.

But Zuri was my better counselor and said to me, no go, no go.

However, I hauled in near the shore that I might talk to them and I found they ran along the shore by me a good way.

I observed they had no weapons in their hand except one who had a long, slender stick which Zuri said was a lance and that they could throw them a great way with good aim.

So I kept at a distance but talked with them by signs as well as I could and particularly made signs for something to eat.

They beckoned to me to stop my boat and they would fetch me some meat.

Upon this I lowered the top of my sail and lay by and two of them ran up into the country and in less than half an hour came back and brought with them two pieces of dried flesh and some corn such as is the produce of their country.

But we neither knew what the one or the other was but we were willing to accept it.

But how to come at it was our next dispute for I would not venture on shore to them and they were as much afraid of us.

But they took a safe way for us all for they brought it to the shore and laid it down and went and stood a great way off till we fetched it on board and then came close to us again.

We made signs of thanks to them for we had nothing to make them amends but an opportunity offered that very instant to oblige them wonderfully.

For while we were lying by the shore came two mighty creatures one pursuing the other as we took it with great fury from the mountains towards the sea.

Whether it was the male pursuing the female or whether they were in sport or in rage, we could not tell any more than we could tell whether it was usual or strange.

But I believed it was the latter because in the first place, those ravenous creatures seldom appear but in the night.

And in the second place, we found the people terribly frightened, especially the women.

The man that had the lancer dart did not fly from them but the rest did.

However, as the two creatures ran directly into the water they did not offer to fall upon any of the negroes but plunge themselves into the sea and swim about as if they had come for their diversion.

At last one of them began to come nearer our boat.

Then at first I expected, but I lay ready for him for I had loaded my gun with all possible expedition and bade Zuri load both the others.

As soon as he came fairly within my reach I fired and shot him directly in the head.

Immediately he sank down into the water but rose instantly and plunged up and down as if he were struggling for life.

And so indeed he was.

He immediately made to the shore.

But between the wound, which was his mortal hurt, and the strangling of the water, he died just before he reached the shore.

It is impossible to express the astonishment of these poor creatures at the noise and fire of my gun.

Some of them were even ready to die for fear, and fell down his dead with the very terror.

But when they saw the creature dead and sunk in the water, and that I made signs to them to come to the shore, they took heart, and came and began to search for the creature.

I found him by his blood staining the water and by the help of a rope which I slung round him, and gave the Negroes to haul.

They dragged him on shore, and found that it was the most curious leopard spotted and fined to an admirable degree.

And the negroes held up their hands with admiration to think what it was I had killed him with.

The other creature, frightened with the flash of fire and the noise of the gun, swam on shore and ran up directly to the mountains from whence they came.

Nor could I, at that distance know what it was I found.

Quickly the Negroes wished to eat the flesh of this creature, so I was willing to have them take it as a favor from me, which, when I made signs to them that they may take him, they were very thankful for.

Immediately they fell to work with him, and though they had no knife yet with a sharpened piece of wood, they took off his skin as readily and much more readily than we could have done with a knife.

They offered me some of the flesh, which I declined, pointing out that I would give it to them, but made signs for the skin, which they gave me very freely, and brought me a great deal more of their provisions, which, though I did not understand yet I accepted.

I then made signs to them for some water, and held out one of my jars to them, turning it bottom upward to show that it was empty and that I wanted to have it filled.

They called immediately to some of their friends, and there came two women, and brought a great vessel, made of earth and burnt, as I supposed, in the sun.

This they set down to me as before, and I sent Zuri on shore with my jars and filled them all three.

The women were as naked as the men.

I was now furnished with roots and corn, such as it was, and water.

And leaving my friendly Negroes, I made forward for about eleven days more, without offering to go near the shore, till I saw the land run out of great length into the sea, at about the distance of four or five leagues before me.

And the sea being very calm, I kept a large offing to make this point at length, doubling the point at about two leagues from the land, I saw plainly land on the other side to seaward.

Then I concluded, as it was most certain indeed, that this was the Cape diverte and those the islands called from thence.

Cape Diverta Islands.

However, they were at a great distance, and I could not well tell what I had best to do, for if I should be taken with a fresh of wind, I might neither reach one or other in this dilemma.

As I was very pensive, I stepped into the cabin and sat down zuri having the helm, when on a sudden the boy cried out, Master, master.

A ship with a sail.

And the foolish boy was frightened out of his wits, thinking it must needs be some of his master ships sent to pursue us.

But I knew we were far enough out of their reach.

I jumped out of the cabin and immediately saw not only the ship, but that it was a Portuguese ship and, as I thought, was bound to the coast of guinea for Negroes.

But when I observed the course she steered, I was soon convinced they were bound some other way and did not design to come any nearer to the shore upon which I stretched out to sea as much as I could, resolving to speak with them if possible.

With all the sail I could make, I found I should not be able to come in their way, but that they would be gone by before I could make any signal to them.

But after I'd crowded to the utmost and began to despair, they, it seems, saw by the help of their glasses that it was some European boat which they supposed must belong to some ship that was lost.

So they shortened sail to let me come up.

I was encouraged with this, and as I had my patrons ancient on board, I made a waft of it to them for a signal of distress and fired a gun both which they saw, for they told me they saw the smoke, though they did not hear the gun.

Upon these signals they very kindly brought two and lay by for me.

And in about 3 hours time I came up with them.

They asked me what I was in Portuguese and in Spanish and in French, but I understood none of them.

But at last a Scotch sailor who was on board called to me, and I answered him and told him I was an Englishman, that I had made my escape out of slavery from the Moors at Salee.

Then they bade me come on board and very kindly took me in and all my goods.

It was an inexpressible joy to me, which anyone will believe that I was thus delivered as I esteemed it, from such a miserable and almost hopeless condition as I was in.

And I immediately offered all that I had to the captain of the ship as a return for my deliverance.

But he generously told me he would take nothing from me but that all I had should be delivered safe to me when I came to the Brazils.

For, says he, I've saved your life on no other terms than I would be glad to be saved myself and it may 1 time or other be my lot to be taken up in the same condition.

Besides, said he, when I carry you to the Brazils so great away from your own country if I should take from you what you have, you'll be starved there and then I only take away that life I've given.

No, no, says he, senor English, mr.

Englishman, I will carry you thither in charity and those things will help to buy your subsistence there and your passage home again.

As he was charitable in this proposal, so he was just in the performance to a tittle for he ordered the seamen that none should touch anything that I had.

Then he took everything into his own possession and gave me back an exact inventory of them that I might have them even to my three earthen jars.

As to my boat, it was a very good one and that he saw and told me he would buy it of me for his ship's use and asked me what I would have for it.

I told him he had been so generous to me and everything that I could not offer to make any price of the boat but left it entirely to him.

Upon which he told me he would give me a note of hand to pay me 80 pieces of eight for it at Brazil.

And when it came there, if anyone offered to give more, he would make it up.

He offered me also 60 pieces of eight for my boy Zuri, which I was loath to take.

Not that I was unwilling to let the captain have him but I was very loath to sell the poor boy's liberty who had assisted me so faithfully in procuring my own.

However, when I let him know my reason, he owned it to be just and offered me this medium that he would give the boy an obligation to set him free in ten years if he turned Christian upon this.

And Zuri saying he was willing to go to him I let the captain have him.

We had a very good voyage to the Brazils and I arrived in the Bay de Todos los Santos or All Saints Bay, in about 22 days after.

And now I was once more delivered from the most miserable of all conditions of life and what to do next with myself.

I was to consider the generous treatment the captain gave me.

I can never enough remember.

He would take nothing of me for my passage gave me 20 ducats for the leopard skin and 40 for the lion's skin which I had in my boat and caused everything I had in the ship to be punctually delivered to me.

And what I was willing to sell, he bought of me such as the case of bottles two of my guns and a piece of the lump of beeswax for I had made candles of the rest.

In a word, I made about 220 pieces of eight in all my cargo.

And with this stock I went on shore in the Brazils.

I had not been long here before I was recommended to the house of a good, honest man like himself who had an ingenio, as they called it that is, a plantation and a sugar house.

I lived with him some time and acquainted myself by that means with the manner of planting and making of sugar and seeing how all the planters lived and how they got rich.

Suddenly I resolved if I could get a license to settle there I would turn planter among them resolving in the meantime to find out some way to get my money which I had left in London.

Remitted to me to this purpose.

Getting a kind of letter of naturalization I purchased as much land that was uncured as my money would reach and formed a plan for my plantation and settlement such a one as might be suitable to the stock which I proposed to myself to receive from England.

I had a neighbor, the Portuguese of Lisbon but born of English parents, whose name was Wells and in much such circumstances as I was.

I call him my neighbor because his plantation lay next to mine and we went on very sociably together.

My stock was but low as well as his and we rather planted for food than anything else.

For about two years, however, we began to increase and our land began to come into order so that the third year we planted some tobacco and made each of us a large piece of ground ready for planting canes in the year to come.

But we both wanted help and now I found more than before I had done wrong in parting with my boy Zuri.

But, alas, for me to do wrong that never did right was no great wonder.

I had no remedy but to go on.

I had got into an employment quite remote to my genius and directly contrary to the life I delighted in and for which I forsook my father's house and broke through all his good advice.

Nay, I was coming into the very middle station or upper degree of low life which my father advised me to before and which, if I resolved to go on with I might as well have stayed at home and never fatigued myself in the world as I had done.

And I used often to say to myself I could have done this as well in England among my friends as I've gone 5000 miles off to do it among strangers and savages in a wilderness and at such a distance as never to hear from any part of the world that had the least knowledge of me.

In this manner I used to look upon my condition with the utmost regret.

I had nobody to converse with, but now and then this neighbor no work to be done but by the labor of my hands.

And I used to say I lived just like a man cast away upon some desolate island that had nobody there but himself.

But how just has it been.

And how should all men reflect that when they compare their present conditions with others that are worse, heaven may oblige them to make the exchange and be convinced of their former felicity by their experience?

I say, how just has it been that the truly solitary life I reflected on in an island of mere desolation should be my lot, who had so often unjustly compared it with the life which I then led?

In which had I continued?

I had, in all probability been exceeding prosperous and rich.

I was in some degree settled in my measures for carrying on the plantation before my kind friend, the captain of the ship that took me up at sea went back for the ship, remained there, and providing his lading and preparing for his voyage nearly three months.

When, telling him what little stock I had left behind me in London, he gave me this friendly and sincere advice.

Senoring Less, says he, for so he always called me, if you will give me letters.

And a procuration informed me with orders to the person who has your money in London to send your effects to Lisbon.

To such persons as I shall direct and in such goods as are proper for this country, I will bring you the produce of them, God willing, at my return.

But since human affairs are all subject to changes and disasters, I would have you give orders but for 100 pounds sterling, which you say is half your stock.

And let the hazard be run for the first, so that if it may come safe, you may order the rest the same way, and if it miscarry, you may have the other half to have recourse to for your supply.

This was so wholesome advice and looked so friendly that I could not but be convinced it was the best course I could take.

So I accordingly prepared letters to the gentlewoman with whom I had left my money an approcation to the Portuguese captain.

As he desired, I wrote the English captain's widow a full account of all my adventures, my slavery, escape, and how I met with the Portuguese captain at sea the humanity of his behavior and what condition I was now in with all other necessary directions for my supply.

And when this honest captain came to Lisbon, he found means by some of the English merchants there to send over not the order only, but a full account of my story to a merchant in London who represented it effectually to her.

Whereupon she not only delivered the money, but out of her own pocket sent the Portugal captain a very handsome present for his humanity and charity to me.

The merchant in London vesting this hundred pounds in English goods, such as the captain had written for, sent them directly to him at Lisbon, and he brought them all safe to me to the Brazils, among which without my direction, for I was too young in my business to think of them.

He had taken care to have all sorts of tools, ironwork and utensils necessary for my plantation, which were of great use to me.

When this cargo arrived, I thought my fortune made, for I was surprised with the joy of it and my stood steward.

The captain had laid out the five pounds which my friend had sent him for a present for himself to purchase and bring me over a servant under bond for six years service, and would not accept of any consideration except a little tobacco, which I would have him accept being of my own produce.

Neither was this all for my goods.

Being all English manufacturers, such as cloths, stuffs, baths, and things particularly valuable and desirable in the country, I found means to sell them to a very great advantage.

So that I might say I had more than four times the value of my first cargo and was now infinitely beyond my poor neighbor.

I mean, in the advancement of my plantation.

For the first thing I did, I bought me a negro slave and a European servant also I mean another, besides that which the captain brought me from Lisbon.

But as abused prosperity is oftentimes made the very means of our greatest adversity, so it was with me.

I went on the next year with great success in my plantation.

I raised 50 great rolls of tobacco on my own ground, more than I had disposed of for necessaries among my neighbors.

And these 50 rolls, being each above a hundred weight, were well cured and laid by against the return of the fleet from Lisbon, and now increasing in business and wealth, my head began to be full of projects and undertakings beyond my reach, such as are indeed often the ruin of the best heads in business.

Had I continued in the station I was now in, I had room for all the happy things to have yet befallen me, for which my father so earnestly recommended a quiet retired life, and of which he had so sensibly described the middle station of life to be full of.

But other things attended me, and I was still to be the willful agent of all my own miseries, and particularly to increase my fault and double the reflections upon myself which in my future sorrows I should have leisure to make.

All these miscarriages were procured by my apparent obstinate adhering to my foolish inclination of wandering abroad and pursuing that inclination in contradiction to the clearest views of doing myself good in a fair and plain pursuit of those prospects and those measures of life which nature and providence concurred to present me with and to make my duty as I had once done.

Thus in my breaking away from my parents.

So I could not be content now.

But I must go and leave the happy view I had of being a rich and thriving man in my new plantation, only to pursue a rash and immoderate desire of rising faster than the nature of the thing admitted.

And thus I cast myself down again into the deepest gulf of human misery than ever man fell into, or perhaps could be consistent with life in a state of health in the world to come.

Then by the just degrees to the particulars of this part of my story, you may suppose that having now lived almost four years in the Brazils and beginning to thrive and prosper very well upon my plantation, I had not only learned the language, but had contracted acquaintance and friendship among my fellow planters as well as among the merchants at St.

Salvador, which was our port.

And that in my discourses among them, I had frequently given them an account of my two voyages to the coast of guinea, the manner of trading with the negroes there, and how easy it was to purchase upon the coast for trifles such as beads, toys, knives, scissors, hatchets, bits of glass and the like.

Not only gold dust, guinea grains, elephants teeth, but Negroes for the service of the Brazils in great numbers.

They listened always very attentively to my discourses on these heads but especially to that part which related to the buying of negroes which was a trade at that time not only far entered into but as far as it was had been carried on by osientos or permission of the kings of Spain and Portugal and engrossed in the public stock so that few Negroes were bought.

And these excessively dear it happened.

Being in company with some merchants and planters of my acquaintance and talking of those things very earnestly three of them came to me next morning and told me they had been musing very much upon what I had discoursed with them of the last night.

And they came to make a secret proposal to me.

And after enjoining me to secrecy, they told me that they had a mind to fit out a ship to go to guinea, that they had all plantations as well as I, and were straightened for nothing so much as servants.

That as it was a trade that could not be carried on because they could not publicly sell the negroes when they came home, so they desired to make but one voyage to bring the Negroes onshore privately and divide them among their own plantations.

And in a word, the question was whether I would goad their supercargo in the ship to manage the trading part upon the coast of guinea.

And they offered me that I should have my equal share of the negroes without providing any part of the stock.

This was a fair proposal, it must be confessed, had it been made to anyone that had not had a settlement and a plantation of his own to look after which was in a fair way of coming to be very considerable, and with a good stock upon it.

But for me that was thus entered and established and had nothing to do but to go on as I'd begun for three or four years more and to have sent for the other hundred pounds from England and who.

In that time and with that little addition could scarce have failed of being worth three or 4000 pounds sterling.

And that increasing too.

For me to think of such a voyage was the most preposterous thing that ever man in such circumstances could be guilty of.

But I, that was born to be my own destroyer, could no more resist the offer than I could restrain my first rambling designs when my father's good counsel was lost upon me.

In a word, I told them I would go with all my heart if they would undertake to look after my plantation in my absence and would dispose of it to such as I should direct.

If I miscarried this, they all engaged to do, and entered into writings or covenants to do so.

And I made a formal will disposing of my plantation and effects in case of my death, making the captain of the ship that had saved my life as before my universal heir, but obliging him to dispose of my effects as I had directed in my will.

One half of the produce being to himself and the other to be shipped to England.

In short, I took all possible caution to preserve my effects and to keep up my plantation.

Had I used half as much prudence to have looked into my own interest and have made a judgment of what I ought to have done and not to have done.

I had certainly never gone away from so preposterous an undertaking, leaving all the probable views of a thriving circumstance, and gone upon a voyage to see attended with all its common hazards, to say nothing of the reasons I had to expect particular misfortunes to myself.

But I was hurried on and obeyed blindly the dictates of my fancy rather than my reason.

And accordingly, the ship being fitted out and the cargo furnished, and all things done, is by agreement by my partners in the voyage.

I went on board in an evil hour, the first September, 1659 being the same day, eight years that I went from my father and mother at whole in order to act the rebel to their authority and the fool to my own interests.

Our ship was.

About 120 tons burden carried six guns and 14 men.

Besides the Master, his boy and myself we had on board no large cargo of goods except of such toys as were fit for our trade with the Negroes such as beads, mitts of glass shells and other trifles especially little looking glasses, knives, scissors, hatchets.

And like the same day I went on board, we set sail standing away to the northward upon our own coast with design to stretch over for the African coast when we came about ten or twelve degrees of northern latitude which it seems was the manner.

Of course, in those days we had very good weather.

Only excessively hot all the way upon our own coast till we came to the height of Cape St.

Augustino from whence, keeping further off at sea, we lost sight.

Of land and steered as if we were bound for the Isle Fernando de Nora, holding our course northeast by north and leaving those isles on the east.

In this course we passed the line in about twelve days time and were by our last observation in seven degrees 22 minutes northern latitude when a violent tornado or hurricane took us quite out of our knowledge.

It began from the southeast, came about to the northwest, and then settled in the northeast from whence it blew in such a terrible manner that for twelve days together we could do nothing but drive and scutting away before it let it carry us wither fate in the fury of the winds directed.

And during these twelve days I need not say that I expected every day to be swallowed up nor indeed did any in the ship expect to save their lives in this distress.

We had, besides the terror of the storm one of our men die of the calendar and one man and the boy washed overboard.

About the 12th day the weather abating a little.

The master made an observation as well as he could and found that he was in about eleven degrees north latitude but that he was 22 degrees of longitude difference west from Cape St.

Augustino.

So that he found he was upon the coast of guinea or the north part of Brazil beyond the River Amazon toward that of the river orinoco commonly called the Great River and began to consult with me what course he should take, for the ship was leaky and very much disabled and he was going directly back to the coast of Brazil.

I was positively against that and looking over the charts of the sea coast of America with him, we concluded there was no inhabited country for us to have recourse to till we came within the circle of the Caribbean.

Islands and therefore resolved to stay away from Barbados, which, by keeping off its sea to avoid the indraft of the bay or Gulf of Mexico, we might easily perform as we hoped, in about 15 days sail.

Whereas we could not possibly make our voyage to the coast of Africa without some assistance both to our ship and to ourselves.

With this design we changed our course and steered away northwest by west, in order to reach some of our English islands, where I hoped for relief.

But our voyage was otherwise determined, for being in the latitude of twelve degrees 18 minutes, a second storm came upon us, which carried us away with the same impetuosity westward, and drove us so out of the way of all human commerce that had our lives been saved.

As to the sea, we were rather in danger of being devoured by savages than ever returning to our own country in this distress.

The wind still blowing very hard, one of our men, early in the morning, cried out, Land.

And we had no sooner run out of the cabin to look out in hopes of seeing whereabouts in the world we were than the ship struck upon sand.

And in a moment, her motion being so stopped, the sea broke over her in such a manner that we expected we should all have perished immediately.

And we were immediately driven into our close quarters to shelter us from the very foam and spray of the sea.

It is not easy for anyone who has not been in the light condition to describe or conceive the consternation of men in such circumstances.

We knew nothing where we were or upon what land it was we were driven, whether an island or the main, whether inhabited or not inhabited.

As the rage of the wind was still great, though rather less than at first, we could not so much as hope to have the ship hold many minutes without breaking into pieces, unless the winds by a kind of miracle should turn immediately about.

In a word, we sat looking upon one another, and expecting death every moment and every man accordingly, preparing for another world.

For there was little or nothing more for us to do in this, that which was our present comfort.

And all the comfort we had was that, contrary to our expectation, the ship did not break yet and that the master said the wind began to abate.

Now, though we thought that the wind did a little abate though the ship having thus struck upon the sand and sticking too fast for us to expect her getting off.

We were in a dreadful condition indeed, and had nothing to do but to think of saving our lives as well as we could.

We had a boat at our stern just before the storm but she was first staved by, dashing against the ship's rudder, and in the next place she broke away, and neither sunk or was driven off to sea, so there was no hope from her.

We had another boat on board, but how to get her off into the sea was a doubtful thing.

However, there was no time to debate, for we fancied that the ship would break in pieces every minute and some told us she was actually broken already.

In this distress, the maid of our vessel laid hold of the boat and with the help of the rest of the men got her slung over the ship's side, and getting all into her, let go and committed ourselves, being eleven in number, to God's mercy, in the wild sea.

For though the storm was abated considerably, yet the sea ran dreadfully high upon the shore, and might be well called dinwild z, as the Dutch call the sea in a storm.

And now our case was very dismal indeed for we all saw plainly that the sea went so high that the boat could not live, and that we should be inevitably drowned.

As to making sail, we had none nor if we had, could we have done anything with it.

So we worked at the ore towards the land, though with heavy hearts, like men going to execution for we all knew that when the boat came near the shore she would be dashed in a thousand pieces by the breach of the sea.

However we committed our souls to God in the most earnest manner, and the wind driving us towards the shore, we hastened our destruction with our own hands, pulling as well as we could towards land.

What the shore was, whether rock or sand, whether steep or shoal, we knew not.

The only hope that could rationally give us the least shadow of expectation was if we might find some bay or gulf, or the mouth of some river, where, by great chance we might have run our boat in, or got under the lee of the land, and perhaps made smooth water.

But there was nothing like this appeared but as we made nearer and nearer the shore the land looked more frightful than the sea.

After we had rode, or rather driven about a league and a half, as we reckoned it, a raging wave, mountain like came rolling astern of us and plainly bade us expect the coup de gras it took us with.

Such a fury that it overset the boat at once.

And separating us as well from the boat as from one another gave us no time to say, oh, God, for we were all swallowed up in a moment.

Nothing can describe the confusion of thought which I felt when I sank into the water.

For though I swim very well, yet I could not deliver myself from the waves so as to draw breath till that wave, having driven me, or rather carried me a vast way on towards the shore and having spent itself, went back and left me upon the land almost dry but half dead with the water I took in.

I had so much presence of mind, as well as breath left, that, seeing myself nearer the mainland than I expected, I got upon my feet and endeavored to make on towards the land as fast as I could before another wave should return and take me up again.

But I soon found it was impossible to avoid it for I saw the sea come after me as high as a great hill and as furious as an enemy which I had no means or strength to contend with.

My business was to hold my breath and raise myself upon the water if I could and so by swimming to preserve my breathing and pilot myself towards the shore if possible.

My greatest concern now being that the sea, as it would carry me a great way towards the shore when it came on might not carry me back again with it.

When it gave back towards the sea.

The wave that came upon me again buried me at once 20 or 30ft deep in its own body and I could feel myself carried with a mighty force and swiftness towards the shore very great way.

But I held my breath and assisted myself to swim still forward with all my might.

I was ready to burst with holding my breath when, as I felt myself rising up, so to my immediate relief, I found my head and hands shoot out above the surface of the water.

And though it was not 2 seconds of time that I could keep myself so, yet it relieved me greatly and gave me breath and new courage.

I was covered again with water a good while, but not so long that I held it out and finding the water had spent itself and began to return, I struck forward against the return of the waves and felt ground again with my feet.

I stood still a few moments to recover breath until the waters went from me and then took to my heels and ran with what strength I had further towards the shore.

But neither would this deliver me from the fury of the sea which came pouring in after me.

Again and twice more I was lifted up by the waves and carried forward as before the shore being very flat.

The last time of these two had well nigh been fatal to me for the sea, having hurried me along as before, landed me, or rather dashed me against a piece of rock and that with such force that it left me senseless and indeed helpless as to my own deliverance.

For the blow taking my side and breast beat the breath, as it were, quite out of my body and had it returned again immediately, I must have been strangled in the water.

But I recovered a little before the return of the waves and seeing I should be covered again with the water, I resolved to hold fast by a piece of the rock as to hold my breath, if possible, till the wave went back.

Now, as the waves were not so high as at first being nearer land, I held my hold till the wave abated and then fetched another run which brought me so near the shore that the next wave, though it went over me, yet did not so swallow me up as to carry me away.

And the next run I took, I got to the mainland, where, to my great comfort, I clamored up the cliffs of the shore and sat me down upon the grass, free from danger and quite out of reach of the water.

I was now landed and safe on shore, and began to look up and thank God that my life was saved in a case wherein there was some minutes before scarce any room to hope.

I believe it is impossible to express to the life what the ecstasies and transports of the soul are, when it is so saved, as I may say, out of the very grave.

And I do not wonder now at the custom when a melefactor who has the halter about his neck is tied up and just going to be turned off and has a reprieve brought to him.

I say, I do not wonder that they bring a surgeon with it to let him blood that very moment they tell him of it that the surprise may not drive the animal spirits from the heart and overwhelm him for sudden joys like griefs.

Confounded.

First I walked about on the shore, lifting up my hands and my whole being, as I may say, wrapped up in a contemplation of my deliverance, making a thousand gestures and motions which I cannot describe, reflecting upon all my comrades that were drowned, and that there should not be one soul saved but myself.

For, as for them, I never saw them afterwards or any sign of them except three of their hats, one cap and two shoes that were not fellows.

I cast my eye to the stranded vessel when the breach and froth of the sea being so big I could hardly see it, it lay so far of, and considered lord, how was it possible I could get on shore after I had solaced my mind with the comfortable part of my condition?

I began to look round me to see what kind of place I was in and what was next to be done, and soon found my comforts abate, and that, in a word, I had a dreadful deliverance, for I was wet, had no clothes to shift me, nor anything either to eat or drink to comfort me.

Neither did I see any prospect before me but that of perishing with hunger or being devoured by wild beasts.

And that which was particularly afflicting to me was that I had no weapon either to hunt and kill any creature for my sustenance, or to defend myself against any other creature that might desire to kill me for theirs.

In a word, I had nothing about me but a knife, a tobacco pipe, and a little tobacco in a box.

This was all my provisions, and this threw me into such terrible agonies of mind that for a while I ran about like a madman, night coming upon me.

I began with a heavy heart to consider what would be my lot if there were any ravenous beasts in that country.

As at night, they always come abroad for their prey.

All the remedy that offered to my thoughts at that time was to get up into a thick bushy tree like a FIR but thorny, which grew near me, and where I resolved to sit all night and consider the next day what death I should die for.

As yet, I saw no prospect of life.

I walked about a furlong from the shore to see if I could find any fresh water to drink, which I did to my great joy.

And having drank and put a little tobacco into my mouth to prevent hunger, I went to the tree, and getting up into it, endeavored to place myself so that if I should sleep, I might not fall.

And having cut me a short stick like a truncheon for my defense, I took up my lodging, and having been excessively fatigued, I fell fast asleep and slept as comfortably as I believe few could have done in my condition, and found myself more refreshed with it than I think I ever was on such an occasion.

Thank you for joining Bite at a.

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Bite of one of your favorite classics.

Again, my name is Brie Carlyle and I hope you come back tomorrow for the next bite of the life and.

Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.

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