particularly eminent for the produce of a race of men who
were without principles of tenderness, or the common bow-
els of pity to the miserable, which is reckoned to be a mark
of generous temper in the mind.
These considerations really put me to a pause, and to a
kind of a full stop; and I began by little and little to be off
my design, and to conclude I had taken wrong measures
in my resolution to attack the savages; and that it was not
my business to meddle with them, unless they first attacked
me; and this it was my business, if possible, to prevent: but
that, if I were discovered and attacked by them, I knew my
duty. On the other hand, I argued with myself that this real-
ly was the way not to deliver myself, but entirely to ruin and
destroy myself; for unless I was sure to kill every one that
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not only should be on shore at that time, but that should
ever come on shore afterwards, if but one of them escaped
to tell their country-people what had happened, they would
come over again by thousands to revenge the death of their
fellows, and I should only bring upon myself a certain de-
struction, which, at present, I had no manner of occasion
for. Upon the whole, I concluded that I ought, neither in
principle nor in policy, one way or other, to concern myself
in this affair: that my business was, by all possible means
to conceal myself from them, and not to leave the least sign
for them to guess by that there were any living creatures
upon the island - I mean of human shape. Religion joined
in with this prudential resolution; and I was convinced now,
many ways, that I was perfectly out of my duty when I was
laying all my bloody schemes for the destruction of inno-
cent creatures - I mean innocent as to me. As to the crimes
they were guilty of towards one another, I had nothing to
do with them; they were national, and I ought to leave them
to the justice of God, who is the Governor of nations, and
knows how, by national punishments, to make a just retri-
bution for national offences, and to bring public judgments
upon those who offend in a public manner, by such ways
as best please Him. This appeared so clear to me now, that
nothing was a greater satisfaction to me than that I had not
been suffered to do a thing which I now saw so much rea-
son to believe would have been no less a sin than that of
wilful murder if I had committed it; and I gave most hum-
ble thanks on my knees to God, that He had thus delivered
me from blood-guiltiness; beseeching Him to grant me the
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protection of His providence, that I might not fall into the
hands of the barbarians, or that I might not lay my hands
upon them, unless I had a more clear call from Heaven to
do it, in defence of my own life.
In this disposition I continued for near a year after this;
and so far was I from desiring an occasion for falling upon
these wretches, that in all that time I never once went up
the hill to see whether there were any of them in sight, or
to know whether any of them had been on shore there or
not, that I might not be tempted to renew any of my con-
trivances against them, or be provoked by any advantage
that might present itself to fall upon them; only this I did: I
went and removed my boat, which I had on the other side of
the island, and carried it down to the east end of the whole
island, where I ran it into a little cove, which I found under
some high rocks, and where I knew, by reason of the cur-
rents, the savages durst not, at least would not, come with
their boats upon any account whatever. With my boat I car-
ried away everything that I had left there belonging to her,
though not necessary for the bare going thither - viz. a mast
and sail which I had made for her, and a thing like an an-
chor, but which, indeed, could not be called either anchor or
grapnel; however, it was the best I could make of its kind: all
these I removed, that there might not be the least shadow for
discovery, or appearance of any boat, or of any human habi-
tation upon the island. Besides this, I kept myself, as I said,
more retired than ever, and seldom went from my cell except
upon my constant employment, to milk my she-goats, and
manage my little flock in the wood, which, as it was quite on
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the other part of the island, was out of danger; for certain,
it is that these savage people, who sometimes haunted this
island, never came with any thoughts of finding anything
here, and consequently never wandered off from the coast,
and I doubt not but they might have been several times on
shore after my apprehensions of them had made me cau-
tious, as well as before. Indeed, I looked back with some
horror upon the thoughts of what my condition would have
been if I had chopped upon them and been discovered be-
fore that; when, naked and unarmed, except with one gun,
and that loaded often only with small shot, I walked every-
where, peeping and peering about the island, to see what I
could get; what a surprise should I have been in if, when I
discovered the print of a man’s foot, I had, instead of that,
seen fifteen or twenty savages, and found them pursuing
me, and by the swiftness of their running no possibility of
my escaping them! The thoughts of this sometimes sank my
very soul within me, and distressed my mind so much that I
could not soon recover it, to think what I should have done,
and how I should not only have been unable to resist them,
but even should not have had presence of mind enough to
do what I might have done; much less what now, after so
much consideration and preparation, I might be able to do.
Indeed, after serious thinking of these things, I would be
melancholy, and sometimes it would last a great while; but
I resolved it all at last into thankfulness to that Providence
which had delivered me from so many unseen dangers, and
had kept me from those mischiefs which I could have no
way been the agent in delivering myself from, because I
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had not the least notion of any such thing depending, or
the least supposition of its being possible. This renewed a
contemplation which often had come into my thoughts in
former times, when first I began to see the merciful disposi-
tions of Heaven, in the dangers we run through in this life;
how wonderfully we are delivered when we know nothing
of it; how, when we are in a quandary as we call it, a doubt or
hesitation whether to go this way or that way, a secret hint
shall direct us this way, when we intended to go that way:
nay, when sense, our own inclination, and perhaps business
has called us to go the other way, yet a strange impression
upon the mind, from we know not what springs, and by we
know not what power, shall overrule us to go this way; and
it shall afterwards appear that had we gone that way, which
we should have gone, and even to our imagination ought to
have gone, we should have been ruined and lost. Upon these
and many like reflections I afterwards made it a certain rule
with me, that whenever I found those secret hints or press-
ings of mind to doing or not doing anything that presented,
or going this way or that way, I never failed to obey the se-
cret dictate; though I knew no other reason for it than such
a pressure or such a hint hung upon my mind. I could give
many examples of the success of this conduct in the course
of my life, but more especially in the latter part of my inhab-
iting this unhappy island; besides many occasions which it
is very likely I might have taken notice of, if I had seen with
the same eyes then that I see with now. But it is never too
late to be wise; and I cannot but advise all considering men,
whose lives are attended with such extraordinary incidents
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as mine, or even though not so extraordinary, not to slight
such secret intimations of Providence, let them come from
what invisible intelligence they will. That I shall not discuss,
and perhaps cannot account for; but certainly they are a
proof of the converse of spirits, and a secret communication
between those embodied and those unembodied, and such
a proof as can never be withstood; of which I shall have oc-
casion to give some remarkable instances in the remainder
of my solitary residence in this dismal place.
I believe the reader of this will not think it strange if I
confess that these anxieties, these constant dangers I lived
in, and the concern that was now upon me, put an end to
all invention, and to all the contrivances that I had laid for
my future accommodations and conveniences. I had the
care of my safety more now upon my hands than that of my
food. I cared not to drive a nail, or chop a stick of wood now,
for fear the noise I might make should be heard: much less
would I fire a gun for the same reason: and above all I was
intolerably uneasy at making any fire, lest the smoke, which
is visible at a great distance in the day, should betray me.
For this reason, I removed that part of my business which
required fire, such as burning of pots and pipes, &c., into
my new apartment in the woods; where, after I had been
some time, I found, to my unspeakable consolation, a mere
natural cave in the earth, which went in a vast way, and
where, I daresay, no savage, had he been at the mouth of it,
would be so hardy as to venture in; nor, indeed, would any
man else, but one who, like me, wanted nothing so much as
a safe retreat.
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The mouth of this hollow was at the bottom of a great
rock, where, by mere accident (I would say, if I did not see
abundant reason to ascribe all such things now to Provi-
dence), I was cutting down some thick branches of trees to
make charcoal; and before I go on I must observe the reason
of my making this charcoal, which was this - I was afraid of
making a smoke about my habitation, as I said before; and
yet I could not live there without baking my bread, cook-
ing my meat, &c.; so I contrived to burn some wood here,
as I had seen done in England, under turf, till it became
chark or dry coal: and then putting the fire out, I preserved
the coal to carry home, and perform the other services for
which fire was wanting, without danger of smoke. But this
is by-the-bye. While I was cutting down some wood here, I
perceived that, behind a very thick branch of low brushwood
or underwood, there was a kind of hollow place: I was curi-
ous to look in it; and getting with difficulty into the mouth
of it, I found it was pretty large, that is to say, sufficient for
me to stand upright in it, and perhaps another with me: but
I must confess to you that I made more haste out than I did
in, when looking farther into the place, and which was per-
fectly dark, I saw two broad shining eyes of some creature,
whether devil or man I knew not, which twinkled like two
stars; the dim light from the cave’s mouth shining directly
in, and making the reflection. However, after some pause I
recovered myself, and began to call myself a thousand fools,
and to think that he that was afraid to see the devil was not
fit to live twenty years in an island all alone; and that I might
well think there was nothing in this cave that was more
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frightful than myself. Upon this, plucking up my courage,
I took up a firebrand, and in I rushed again, with the stick
flaming in my hand: I had not gone three steps in before I
was almost as frightened as before; for I heard a very loud
sigh, like that of a man in some pain, and it was followed by
a broken noise, as of words half expressed, and then a deep
sigh again. I stepped back, and was indeed struck with such
a surprise that it put me into a cold sweat, and if I had had a
hat on my head, I will not answer for it that my hair might
not have lifted it off. But still plucking up my spirits as well
as I could, and encouraging myself a little with considering
that the power and presence of God was everywhere, and
was able to protect me, I stepped forward again, and by the
light of the firebrand, holding it up a little over my head, I
saw lying on the ground a monstrous, frightful old he-goat,
just making his will, as we say, and gasping for life, and, dy-
ing, indeed, of mere old age. I stirred him a little to see if I
could get him out, and he essayed to get up, but was not able
to raise himself; and I thought with myself he might even
lie there - for if he had frightened me, so he would certainly
fright any of the savages, if any of them should be so hardy
as to come in there while he had any life in him.
I was now recovered from my surprise, and began to look
round me, when I found the cave was but very small - that is
to say, it might be about twelve feet over, but in no manner
of shape, neither round nor square, no hands having ever
been employed in making it but those of mere Nature. I ob-
served also that there was a place at the farther side of it that
went in further, but was so low that it required me to creep
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upon my hands and knees to go into it, and whither it went
I knew not; so, having no candle, I gave it over for that time,
but resolved to go again the next day provided with candles
and a tinder-box, which I had made of the lock of one of the
muskets, with some wildfire in the pan.
Accordingly, the next day I came provided with six large
candles of my own making (for I made very good candles
now of goat’s tallow, but was hard set for candle-wick, us-
ing sometimes rags or rope- yarn, and sometimes the dried
rind of a weed like nettles); and going into this low place I
was obliged to creep upon all-fours as I have said, almost
ten yards - which, by the way, I thought was a venture bold
enough, considering that I knew not how far it might go,
nor what was beyond it. When I had got through the strait, I
found the roof rose higher up, I believe near twenty feet; but
never was such a glorious sight seen in the island, I dare-
say, as it was to look round the sides and roof of this vault
or cave - the wall reflected a hundred thousand lights to
me from my two candles. What it was in the rock - wheth-
er diamonds or any other precious stones, or gold which I
rather supposed it to be - I knew not. The place I was in was
a most delightful cavity, or grotto, though perfectly dark;
the floor was dry and level, and had a sort of a small loose
gravel upon it, so that there was no nauseous or venomous
creature to be seen, neither was there any damp or wet on
the sides or roof. The only difficulty in it was the entrance
- which, however, as it was a place of security, and such a
retreat as I wanted; I thought was a convenience; so that I
was really rejoiced at the discovery, and resolved, without
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0
any delay, to bring some of those things which I was most
anxious about to this place: particularly, I resolved to bring
hither my magazine of powder, and all my spare arms - viz.
two fowling-pieces - for I had three in all - and three mus-
kets - for of them I had eight in all; so I kept in my castle
only five, which stood ready mounted like pieces of cannon
on my outmost fence, and were ready also to take out upon
any expedition. Upon this occasion of removing my ammu-
nition I happened to open the barrel of powder which I took
up out of the sea, and which had been wet, and I found that
the water had penetrated about three or four inches into
the powder on every side, which caking and growing hard,
had preserved the inside like a kernel in the shell, so that I
had near sixty pounds of very good powder in the centre of
the cask. This was a very agreeable discovery to me at that
time; so I carried all away thither, never keeping above two
or three pounds of powder with me in my castle, for fear of
a surprise of any kind; I also carried thither all the lead I
had left for bullets.
I fancied myself now like one of the ancient giants who
were said to live in caves and holes in the rocks, where none
could come at them; for I persuaded myself, while I was here,
that if five hundred savages were to hunt me, they could
never find me out - or if they did, they would not venture to
attack me here. The old goat whom I found expiring died in
the mouth of the cave the next day after I made this discov-
ery; and I found it much easier to dig a great hole there, and
throw him in and cover him with earth, than to drag him
out; so I interred him there, to prevent offence to my nose.
1
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CHAPTER XIII - WRECK
OF A SPANISH SHIP
I WAS now in the twenty-third year of my residence in this
island, and was so naturalised to the place and the manner
of living, that, could I but have enjoyed the certainty that no
savages would come to the place to disturb me, I could have
been content to have capitulated for spending the rest of my
time there, even to the last moment, till I had laid me down
and died, like the old goat in the cave. I had also arrived
to some little diversions and amusements, which made the
time pass a great deal more pleasantly with me than it did
before - first, I had taught my Poll, as I noted before, to
speak; and he did it so familiarly, and talked so articulately
and plain, that it was very pleasant to me; and he lived with
me no less than six-and-twenty years. How long he might
have lived afterwards I know not, though I know they have
a notion in the Brazils that they live a hundred years. My
dog was a pleasant and loving companion to me for no less
than sixteen years of my time, and then died of mere old
age. As for my cats, they multiplied, as I have observed, to
that degree that I was obliged to shoot several of them at
first, to keep them from devouring me and all I had; but at
length, when the two old ones I brought with me were gone,
and after some time continually driving them from me,
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and letting them have no provision with me, they all ran
wild into the woods, except two or three favourites, which
I kept tame, and whose young, when they had any, I always
drowned; and these were part of my family. Besides these I
always kept two or three household kids about me, whom I
taught to feed out of my hand; and I had two more parrots,
which talked pretty well, and would all call ‘Robin Crusoe,’
but none like my first; nor, indeed, did I take the pains with
any of them that I had done with him. I had also several
tame sea-fowls, whose name I knew not, that I caught upon
the shore, and cut their wings; and the little stakes which I
had planted before my castle-wall being now grown up to
a good thick grove, these fowls all lived among these low
trees, and bred there, which was very agreeable to me; so
that, as I said above, I began to he very well contented with
the life I led, if I could have been secured from the dread of
the savages. But it was otherwise directed; and it may not be
amiss for all people who shall meet with my story to make
this just observation from it: How frequently, in the course
of our lives, the evil which in itself we seek most to shun,
and which, when we are fallen into, is the most dreadful to
us, is oftentimes the very means or door of our deliverance,
by which alone we can be raised again from the affliction
we are fallen into. I could give many examples of this in
the course of my unaccountable life; but in nothing was it
more particularly remarkable than in the circumstances of
my last years of solitary residence in this island.
It was now the month of December, as I said above, in
my twenty- third year; and this, being the southern solstice
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(for winter I cannot call it), was the particular time of my
harvest, and required me to be pretty much abroad in the
fields, when, going out early in the morning, even before it
was thorough daylight, I was surprised with seeing a light
of some fire upon the shore, at a distance from me of about
two miles, toward that part of the island where I had ob-
served some savages had been, as before, and not on the
other side; but, to my great affliction, it was on my side of
the island.
I was indeed terribly surprised at the sight, and stopped
short within my grove, not daring to go out, lest I might be
surprised; and yet I had no more peace within, from the
apprehensions I had that if these savages, in rambling over
the island, should find my corn standing or cut, or any of
my works or improvements, they would immediately con-
clude that there were people in the place, and would then
never rest till they had found me out. In this extremity I
went back directly to my castle, pulled up the ladder after
me, and made all things without look as wild and natural
as I could.
Then I prepared myself within, putting myself in a pos-
ture of defence. I loaded all my cannon, as I called them
- that is to say, my muskets, which were mounted upon my
new fortification - and all my pistols, and resolved to defend
myself to the last gasp - not forgetting seriously to com-
mend myself to the Divine protection, and earnestly to pray
to God to deliver me out of the hands of the barbarians. I
continued in this posture about two hours, and began to be
impatient for intelligence abroad, for I had no spies to send
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out. After sitting a while longer, and musing what I should
do in this case, I was not able to bear sitting in ignorance
longer; so setting up my ladder to the side of the hill, where
there was a flat place, as I observed before, and then pulling
the ladder after me, I set it up again and mounted the top of
the hill, and pulling out my perspective glass, which I had
taken on purpose, I laid me down flat on my belly on the
ground, and began to look for the place. I presently found
there were no less than nine naked savages sitting round a
small fire they had made, not to warm them, for they had
no need of that, the weather being extremely hot, but, as I
supposed, to dress some of their barbarous diet of human
flesh which they had brought with them, whether alive or
dead I could not tell.
They had two canoes with them, which they had hauled
up upon the shore; and as it was then ebb of tide, they
seemed to me to wait for the return of the flood to go away
again. It is not easy to imagine what confusion this sight put
me into, especially seeing them come on my side of the is-
land, and so near to me; but when I considered their coming
must be always with the current of the ebb, I began after-
wards to be more sedate in my mind, being satisfied that I
might go abroad with safety all the time of the flood of tide,
if they were not on shore before; and having made this ob-
servation, I went abroad about my harvest work with the
more composure.
As I expected, so it proved; for as soon as the tide made
to the westward I saw them all take boat and row (or pad-
dle as we call it) away. I should have observed, that for an
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hour or more before they went off they were dancing, and I
could easily discern their postures and gestures by my glass.
I could not perceive, by my nicest observation, but that they
were stark naked, and had not the least covering upon them;
but whether they were men or women I could not distin-
guish.
As soon as I saw them shipped and gone, I took two guns
upon my shoulders, and two pistols in my girdle, and my
great sword by my side without a scabbard, and with all the
speed I was able to make went away to the hill where I had
discovered the first appearance of all; and as soon as I get
thither, which was not in less than two hours (for I could
not go quickly, being so loaded with arms as I was), I per-
ceived there had been three canoes more of the savages at
that place; and looking out farther, I saw they were all at
sea together, making over for the main. This was a dreadful
sight to me, especially as, going down to the shore, I could
see the marks of horror which the dismal work they had
been about had left behind it - viz. the blood, the bones, and
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