234 TWENTY-THREE YEARS OF SOLITUDE,

ina shell. So that I had near sixty pounds of very good powder
in the centre of the cask, and this was an 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. T also carried thither all the lead I had
left, for bullets.

T fancied myself now like one of the ancient giants, which 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, if five hun-
dred 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, which I found expiring, died in the mouth of the
cave the next day after I made this discovery; 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.

T was now in my twenty-third year of residence in this island,
and was so naturalized to the place and to the manner of living,
that could I have but 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 T 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 more pleasantly with me
a great deal than it did before. As first, I had taught my Poll,
as I noted before, to speak ; and he did it so familiarly, and talked
so articnlately 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 live afterwards IT know not; though I know they have a
notion in the Brazils that they live a hundred years. Perhaps
poor Poll may be alive there still, calling after poor Robin
Crusoe to this day. I wish no Englishman the ill-luck to come
there and hear him; but if he did, he would certainly believe it
was the devil. My dog was avery 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,