40 ROBINSON CRUSOE.

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 one hundred pounds sterling,
which, you say, is half your stock, and let the hazard be run for
the first ; so that, if it 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 gentle-
woman with whom I had left my money, and a procuration 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 had 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 at London, who represented it eftect-
ually to her; whereupon she not only delivered the money, but,
out of her own pocket, sent the Portugal captain a very hand-
some 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, iron work, and utensils, neces-
sary for my plantation, and which were of great use to me.

When this cargo arrived, I thought my fortunes made, for
I was surprised with the joy of it; and my good 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 manu-
facture, such as cloths, stuffs, baize, 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 advance-
ment of my plantation ; for the first thing I did, I bought me