Copyrighted 1895 MS LouGHLIN Bros. NEW YORK. OBINSON CRUSOE wasthe youngest son of his parents. His father wasa man of some wealth, able to give his son a good home, and to send him to school. It was his wish that his son should become a lawyer, but the boy’s head began very early to be filled with thoughts of travel, and nothing would satisfy him but to go to sea, His father gave him wise and earnest counsel against it, and fora time his advice prevailed; but in : the end the boy’s desire to roam led him to set his father’s wishes at naught. One day, being at Hull, a seaport town of England, he met a school- fellow who was about to sail in his father’s ship, and was urged by him to go with him. In an evil hour he yielded, and without asking God’s blessing or his father’s, he went on board. One day, when they had been out about two weeks, a great storm came up, and the ship struck a rock near a strange coast. The crew launched a boat, and sought to escape in it, but the waves soon overturned it, and all were separated in the sea. Robinson Crusoe was carried by a wave toward the shore, and at length thrown upon the land senseless. When he recovered he began to look about to see if any of his comrades had escaped, but he could see no sign of any of them. Night coming on, he climbed into a thick, bushy tree to sleep, not knowing but that there might be ravenous beasts there. When he awoke next morning, the sea was calm, and he could see the ship about a mile from the shore ; and when the tide ebbed he swam out to her. He found that all the pro- visions were dry, and being very hunery, filled his pockets with biscuit, anl ate as he went about other things ; for he saw that he must lose no time in vetting ashore all that he could from the ship. First, he threw overboard several] spare yards and spars. Then he went down the ship’s side and tied them together, and laying a few The Baldwin Library short pieces of plank upon them, he had a raft strong enough to bear a moderate weight. Next he lowered upon it three seamen’s chests, and filled them with provisions. After a long search he found the carpenter's chest, which was a great prize to him. He lowered it upon the raft, and then secured a supply of guns and gunpowder. With this cargo he > started for the shore, and succeeded in landing it safe. His next work was to view the country, and seek a proper place to stow his goods. He knew not yet where he was, whether on a continent or an island. Sceing a hill not over a mile away, very steep and high, he climbed to the top of it, and discovered that he was on an island, barren, and probably uninhabited, except by wild animals. | When Robinson Crusoe realized the lonely, desperate situation that he was in, his heart sank, and he almost wished that he had perished with the others. Butsoon perceiving the ingratitude of this state of mind, he fell upon his knees to thank God for saving his life,—his alone among so many,—and a feeling of confidence arose in his breast that He would still protect him in the midst of the perils by which he was surrounded. ( ‘ ne At icp © 4 Ai “dl tl = fi JAG id ce Zk >. Every~day for twelve days, he madé-a trip to the vessel, bring- ing ashore. all that he thought svould: be:useful to him. The night of the twelfthday there was.a violent wind, and when he awoke in the morning the ship’was nowhere to be seen. He then gave his thoughts to providing himself with a safe dwell- ing-place. Although he had hardly ever handled tools before in his life, his needs now forced him to find out their use. He set himself at work to build a hut, or cabin, out of the timbers he had saved from the wreck. It was a task that took a long time, but at last, by effort and contrivance, it was finished, and he had a fairly comfortable house, which he called his castle. After it was completed, heapplied himself to making other things that would add to his comfort. First, he made a chair and a table, with an immense amount of labor, for each board that he used had to be formed from the trunk of a tree, being hewed flat on two sides until it wasthin enough. To provide himself with SAILING AROUND THE ISLAND. clothes, he saved the skins of all the creatures he shot, and dried them, and made garments for himself out of them. In addition, at the cost of a great deal of time and trouble, he made, also of skins, an umbrella, which he needed greatly to keep off both sun and rain. He had found upon the ship two cats anda dog. The cats he THE FOOT-PRINTS IN THE SAND. carried ashore on the raft, while the dog swam ashore himself, and was a trusty servant to Robinson Crusoe for many years, Beside the company of these pets, he had that of a parrot which he caught and taught to speak, and its chatter served to while away many hours that would otherwise have been dreary. He went out every day with his gun to hunt for food. He found that there were goats running wild on the island, and he often succeeded in shooting some of them. But he saw that his powder and shot would, in time, all be gone, and that to have a steady supply of goat's flesh, he must breed them in flocks. So he set a trap to take some alive, and caught sev. eral. He enclosed a piece of ground for them to run in; and in time had a large flock which furnished him with all the meat he needed. For a long time he brooded over the idea of making a canoe out of the trunk of a tree, and at last he succeeded in shaping with his axe a rough vessel in which he sailed around the island. Years and years of this lonely life passed away. Although Crusoe had, to some extent, become contented with his solitary lot yet at times a terrible sense of loneliness and desolation would ro to the top of a hill C oS come over him. Many times would. he where he could look ‘out to sea in hopes of catching sight of. a ship. Sometimes he would fancy that, at a vast distance, he ~ spied a sail. He would please himself with hope of it, but after looking at ; it steadily, till he was al most blind, would lose it quite. ‘Then | | in an agony of misery \ and despair he would sit down and weep and sob like a child. | But one day he saw a sight which, while it gave him cause for alarm, served to turn his thoughts in a new channel. It was the print of a naked foot upon the sand near the shore. It filled him with a new fear, for *it showed that the island must sometimes be visited by savages. One morning, going out quite early, he could see the light of a fire about two miles away. He stole up under the cover of trees and bushes until he was near enough to observe what was going on. He saw that five canoes were drawn up on the shore, while a swarm of naked savages were dancing about a fire. Presently they dragged two poor wretches from the boats. One of them was knocked down at once, and several of the savages set to work to ‘ a f Ne /, 7 g XY” : i yy WV =a. cut him up. They were evidently cannibals, that is, people who eat men, and were going to hold one of their horrible feasts upon their captives. The other captive was left standing for a moment, and seeing a chance to escape, started to run. Robinson Crusoe was greatly alarmed when he saw that the runaway was coming directly toward himself, but when he saw that only two pursued, and that the runaway gained upon them, he made up his mind to help him. When they were near enough, Robinson Crusoe stepped in between the runaway and his pursuers, and advancing on the foremost of the latter, knocked him down with the stock of his gun. The other raised his bow and was going to shoot, when Robinson Crusoe fired at him and killed him. Then he made signs to the runaway to come to him, and the poor creature did so in fear and trembling, kneeling at Crusoe’s feet as a sign that he was his slave. Crusoe took him home to his castle and gave him something to eat. Robinson Crusoe had now a companion, and in a short time he began to teach him to speak Englisn. First he let him know that his name was to be Friday, for that was the day on which his life had been saved. Then he taught him everything that he thought would make him useful, handy, and helpful. He clothed him in a suit made of goatskins, and the poor fellow seem- ed to be greatly pleased to be dressed like his master. One day Robinson Crusoe took him with him when he went hunting, and was much amused at the way his gun mystified him. He first shot a bird. Friday didn’t see it fall, and was greatly frightened by the noise of the gun, but when Robinson Crusoe pointed to the bird, and made signs for him to pick it up, he was filled with wonder and amazement. It wasa long time before he could understand the nature of fire-arms, or overcome his fear of the gun, which he seemed to think was endowed with life, and CRUSOE WATCHING THE SAVAGES, which he used to address very beseechingly in his own language, begging it not to kill him. After he had learned enough English to be able to talk freely, he told Robinson Crusoe of a party of shipwrecked Spanish sailors, who had been cast ashore on the mainland, and had been be- friended by the savages of his tribe. A great desire to see them GRATITUDE OF THE RESCUED CAPTIVE. seized Crusoe ; and he set about making, with Friday's assistance, a boat large enough to carry both over. 3ut one morning, before they had got on very far with the task, Friday came running ina state of great fright, to tell that three canoes, full of savages, had landed on the island. Robinson Crusoe armed himself with a sword and a hatchet, and taking all the guns ——S — = ——s Ts SSN ZIRE EN = SS > S they could carry, he and Friday went to a thicket of trees which stood near where the savages were. From there they could see them sitting about fires they had made, eating the flesh of one victim, while another captive, a white man, lay bound near by. Perceiving that there was no time to loseif they would save the captive, Robinson Crusoe took one gun and Friday another, and both fired into the crowd together. They killed and wounded several, and the rest were thrown into the wildest confusion. They continued firing until they had emptied their guns. Then they rushed forward, and, Friday using the hatchet and Crusoe the sword, they killed all the remaining savages, except four who suc- ceeded in reaching their canoes. Bidding Friday‘release the white captive, Crusoe ran to another of the canoes, intending to pursue the savages to sea, but in the canoe he was surprised to. find a poor creature bound handand foot. He cut him free, and helped him to rise, for he could hardly stand. Friday coming up, Crusoe bid him speak to the man, and tell him he was saved. When Friday heard the man answer, he first looked at him with astonishment, then embraced and kissed him, and laughed, jumped about, and sung, like one that was mad. When he came a little to himself he told Crusoe that the captive was his father. The two rescued men were then taken to the castle ; and Crusoe learned from the white man that he was one of the Spaniards of whom Friday had told him. It was proposed that he should return to the mainland with Friday’s father in the new boat, as soon as it was completed, and bring the rest of his countrymen to Crusoe’s island to live. This was agreed to, and all set to work to finish the boat. Finally everything was ready and they set sail. One morning, a short time after, Friday brought word to Crusoe that a ship was in sight. This was news so welcome to Crusoe that he went nearly wild with joy, but presently the prudent thought occurred to him that it might be well not to let those aboard see him, until he could learn something about their business there. So he watched in concealment, and in a short time saw a boat leave the ship and make for the shore. Eleven men landed, and Crusoe saw that while most of them dispersed about the island, three kept by themselves and ap- peared to be much dejected. When the others were out of hearing, Crusoe approached these three and began to question them, and found that they were English, that one was the captain of the ship, and that the others were the mate and a passenger, that there had been a mutiny on board, and that the men, as a favor, instead of killing them, were going to leave them on the island. Crusoe offered to aid them to recover the ship, and going back to the castle, brought guns and gave them to them. Then they waited for the men who were scattered about the island to return, and when they came, shot two, who, the captain said, were leaders in the mischief, and the others, taken by surprise, cried out for pardon. This the cap- tain granted on condition that they would return to their duty, and swear to assist him in recovering the ship, to which they all agreed, many of them gladly, for they had been forced into the mutiny by some of the bolder and more vicious spirits among them. The task of taking the ship was postponed until midnight, when most of those aboard would be asleep. Those on watch, when they saw the boat approach, supposed it was merely the sailors who had gone ashore returning after disposing of the prisoners, and they were heldin chat until the party got aboard, when they were im- mediately-knocked down and © : secured. Then all the hat- ches were fastened, so that those below decks were made prisoners. When this was done, the captain ordered the mate with three men to break into the round-house, where the rebel captain lay. He _ having taken the alarm, had got up, and with two others had seized fire-arms, with which, when the mate split open the door, they fired amengst the attackers, wounding the mate, but killing nobody. The mate calling for help, lq. i / / So FRIDAY BRINGS ALARMING NEWS. rushed into the round-house, wounded as he was, and with his pistol shot the new captain through the head, so that he never spoke more. Upon that the rest yielded, and the ship was effectually taken, without the loss of any more lives. Then the captain went back to the island, and told Robinson Crusoe that the ship and all that he had was at his service, in re- FRIDAY FINDS HIS FATHER. turn for what he had done for him. Crusoe told him that he asked nothing more than that he should carry Friday and himself to Eng- land, and this the captain gladly agreed to do. He provided Cru- soe with clothing from his own wardrobe, and Crusoe took aboard with him, in addition to some gold that he had saved from the wreck. only his goatskin coat and cap and his umbrella, which he wished to keep for relics. Everything else on the island he left for the Spaniards when they should return from the mainland, and he wrote out for their benefit a full ac- count of his way of living, and all his plans and contrivances. He also induced the captain to leave a supply of tools that he knew would be useful to them, and an assortment of seeds of various kinds. Then they set sail, and Robinson. Crusoe left the island, twenty-eight years, two months and nineteen days after he had landed upon it. Three days after setting sail, as they passed near the coast of an island, they saw close to.-the shore a great fleet of canoes, full of savages armed with bows and arrows. They were going through strange evolutions, and Friday said that they were probably setting out to make war on some other tribe. When they caught sight of the ship, and saw that those on board were watching them, they