238 CRUSOE’S ALARM REVIVES,

of the next that I saw there, let them be who or how many s0+
ever.

It seemed evident to me that the visits which they thus make to
this island are not very frequent; for it was above fifteen months
before any more of them came on shore there again ;—that is to
say, I neither saw them, nor any footsteps or signals of them, in
all that time; for as to the rainy seasons, then they are sure not
to come abroad, at least not so far. Yet all this while I lived un-
comfortably, by reason of the constant apprehensions I was in of
their coming upon me by surprise; from whence I observe that the
expectation of evil is more bitter than the suffering, especially if there
is no room to shake off that expectation or those apprehensions.

During all this time I was in the murdering humour, and took
up most of my hours, which should have been better employed;
in contriving how to circumvent and fall upon them the very next
time I should sce them, especially if they should be divided, as
they were the last time, into two parties. Nor did I consider at
all that if I killed one party—suppose ten or a dozen—I was still
the next day, or week, or month, to kill another, and so another,
even ad infinitum, till I should be at length no less a murderer
than they were in being man- antes and periaps much more so.

  

 

   

zy anxiety of nds Bepetine that I should one
day or other fall into the hands of these merci-
g. less creatures ; and if I did at any time venture
abroad, it was not without looking round me
with the greatest care and caution imaginable.
: And now I found to my great comfort how
oe: it was that I provided for a tame flock or herd of goats:
for I durst not upon any account fire my gun, especially near that
side of the island where they usually came, lest I should alarm the