422 ROBINSON CRUSOE.

when I saw him come my way, imagining that he would be
pursued by the whole body ; however, I kept my station, and
soon lost my apprehensions when I found but three followed
him, He greatly outran them, and was in a fair way of
escaping them all, when coming to a creek, he plunged into it,
landed, and ran on as swifily as before. Of the three that fol-
lowed, but two entered the water, the other returning back.
I hastily fetched my guns from the foot of the ladder ; and
having a short cut down the hill, I clapped myself in the way
between the pursuer and the pursued, hallooing aloud to him
that fled, and beckoning my hand for him to stop ; then rushing
at once upon the foremost, knocked him down with the stock
of my piece. The other stopped as if frightened, but when I
advanced towards him, I perceived that he was fitting his bow
to shoot me; upon which I shot him dead directly. The poor
savage who had fled was so terrified at the noise of my piece,
though he saw his enemy fallen, that
he stood stock still; but he seemed
rather inclined to fly than to come
towards me. However, when I gave
him signs of encouragement, he came
nearer, kneeling down every ten or
2 twelve steps; on his coming close again,

[= he laid his head upon the ground, and
=~ > placed my foot uponit. But there was
more work to do; the man I had knocked down came to him-
self, and my savage began to be afraid. I then presented the
piece to the man, when the poor fellow, whose life I had saved,
made a motion for my sword, which I gave him ; and he struck
off his enemy's head at one blow, and in a quarter of an hour
buried both the bodies in the sand. I then took him away to
a cave at the further part of the island. Here I gave him
bread and a bunch of raisins to eat, and a draught of water,