Plaque in Queen's Gardens, Hull, England - Showing Robinson Crusoe on His Island
Thus, what is one man's safety is another's ruin; for undoubtedly this ship had been driven on them in the night, the wind blowing strong at E.N.E. Had they perceived the island, as I now guessed they had not, certainly, instead of firing there guns for help, they would rather have ventured in their boat and saved themselves that way. I then thought, that perhaps they had done so, upon seeing my fire, and were cast away in the attempt: for I perceived no boat in the ship. But then I again imagined, that, perhaps, they had another vessel in company, which, upon signal, saved their lives, and took the boat up: or that the boat might be driven into the main ocean, where these poor creatures might be in the most miserable condition. But as all these conjectures were very uncertain, I could do no more than commiserate there distress, and thank God for delivering me, in particular, when so many perished in the raging ocean.
When I considered seriously every thing concerning this wreck, and could perceive no room to suppose any of them saved, I cannot explain, by any possible force of words, what longings my soul felt on this occasion, often breaking out in this manner: O that there had been but two or three, nay even one person saved, that we might have lived together, conversed with, and comforted one another! and so much were my desires moved, that when I repeated these words, Oh! that there had been but one! my hands would clench together, and my fingers press the palms of my hands to close, that, had any soft thing been [pg 068] between, it would have crushed it involuntarily, while my teeth would strike together, and set against each other so strong that it required some time for me to part them.
Till the last year of my being on this island, I never knew whether or not any had been saved out of this ship. I had the affliction, some time after, to see the corpse of a drowned boy come on shore, at the end of the island which was next the shipwreck; there was nothing on him but a seaman's waistcoat, a pair of opened kneed linen drawers, and a blue linen shirt, but no particular mark to guess what nation he was of. In his pocket were two pieces of eight, and a tobacco-pipe, the last of which I preferred much more than I did the first. And now the calmness of the sea tempted me to venture out in my boat to this wreck, not only to get something necessary out of the ship, but perhaps, some living creature might be on board, whose life I might preserve. This had such an influence upon my mind, that immediately I went home, and prepared every thing necessary for the voyage, carrying on board my boat provisions of all sorts, with a good quantity of rum, fresh water, and a compass: so putting off, I paddled the canoe along the shore, till I came at last to the north-east part of the island, from whence I was to launch into the ocean; but here the currents ran so violently, and appeared so terrible, that my heart began to fail me; foreseeing that if I was driven into any of these currents, I might be carried not only out of reach or sight of the island, but even inevitably lost in the boiling surges of the ocean.
So oppressed was I at these troubles, that I gave over my enterprize, sailing to a little creek on the shore, where stepping out, I set me down on a rising hill, very pensive and thoughtful. I then perceived that the tide was turned; and the flood came on, which made it impracticable for me to go out for so many hours. To be more certain how the sets of the tides or currents lay when the flood came in, I ascended a higher piece of ground, which overlooked the sea both ways; and here I found that as the current of the ebb set out close by the south point of the island, so the current of the flood set in close by the shore of the north side; and all that I had to do was to keep to the north of the island in my return.
That night I reposed myself in my canoe, covered with my watch coat, instead of a blanket, the heavens being my tester. I set out with the first of the tide full north, till I felt the benefit of the current, which carried me at a great rate eastward, yet not with such impetuosity as before, as to take from me all government of my canoe; so that in two hours time I came up to the wreck, which appeared to me a most melancholy sight. It seemed to be a Spanish vessel by its building, stuck fast between two rocks; her stern and quarter beaten to pieces by the sea; her mainmast and foremast were brought off by the board, that is broken off short. As I approached near, I perceived a dog on [pg 069] board, who seeing me coming, yelped and cried, and no sooner did I call him, but the poor creature jumped into the sea, out of which I took him up, almost famished with hunger and thirst; so that when I gave him a cake of bread, no ravenous wolf could devour it more greedily; and he drank to that degree of fresh water, that he would have burst himself, had I suffered him.
The first sight I met with in the ship, were two men drowned in the cook-room or forecastle, inclosed in one another's arms: hence I very probably supposed, that when the vessel struck in the storm, so high and incessantly did the waters break in and over her, that the men not being able to bear it, were strangled by the constant rushing in of the waves. There were several casks of liquor, whether wine of brandy, I could not be positive, which lay in the lower hold, as were plainly perceptible by the ebbing out of the water, yet were too large for me to pretend to meddle with; likewise I perceived several chests, which I supposed to belong to the seamen, two of which I got into my boat, without examining what was in them. Had the stern of the ship been fixed, and the forepart broken off, I should have made a very prosperous voyage; since by what I after found in these two chests, I could not otherwise conclude, but that the ship must have abundance of wealth on board; nay, if I must guess by the course she steered, she must have been bound from the Buenos Ayres, or the Rio de la Plata, in the southern parts of America, beyond the Brazils, to the Havannah, in the gulf of Mexico, and so perhaps to Spain. What became of the rest of the sailors, I could not certainly tell; and all her riches signified nothing at that time to any body.
Searching farther, I found a cask containing about twenty gallons, full of liquor, which, with some labour, I got into my boat; in her cabin were several muskets, which I let remain there; but took away with me a great powder horn, with about four pounds of powder in it. I took also a fire-shovel and tongs, two brass kettles, a copper pot to make chocolate, and a gridiron; all which were extremely necessary to me, especially the fire-shovel and tongs. And so with this cargo, accompanied with my dog, I came away, the tide serving for that purpose; and the same evening, about an hour within night, I attained the island, after the greatest toil and fatigue imaginable.
That night I reposed my wearied limbs in the boat, resolving the next morning to harbour what I had gotten in my new-found subterraneous grotto; & not to carry my cargo home to my ancient castle. Having refreshed myself, and got all my effects on shore I next proceeded to examine the particulars; and so tapping the cask, I found the liquor to be a kind of rum, but not like what we had at the Brazils, nor indeed near so good. At the opening [pg 070] of the chest, several things appeared very useful to me; for instance, I found in one a very fine case of bottles, containing the finest and best sorts of cordial waters; each bottle held about three pints, curiously tip with silver. I found also two pots full of the choicest sweetmeats, and two more which the water had utterly spoiled. There were likewise several good shirts exceedingly welcome to me, and about one dozen and a half white linen handkerchiefs and coloured neckcloths, the former of which was absolutely necessary for wiping my face in a hot day; and, in the till, I found three bags of pieces of eight, about eleven hundred in all, in one of which, decently wrapped up in a piece of paper, were six doubloons of gold, and some small bars and wedges of the same metal, which I believe might weigh near a pound. In the other chest, which I guessed to belong to the gunner's mate, by the mean circumstances which attended it, I found only some clothes of very little value, except about two pounds of fine glazed powder, in three flasks, kept, as I believe, for charging their fowling pieces on any occasion; so that, on the whole, I had no great advantage by this voyage. The money was indeed as mere dirt to me, useless and unprofitable, all which I would freely have parted with for two or three pair of English shoes and stockings; things that for many years I had not worn, except lately those which I had taken of the feet of those unfortunate men I found drowned in the wreck, yet not so good as English shoes either for ease or service. I also found in the seaman's chest about fifty pieces of eight in royals, but no gold; so concluded that what I took from the first belonged to an officer, the latter appearing to have a much inferior person for its owner. However, as despicable as the money seemed, I likewise lugged it to my cave, laying it up securely, as I did the rest of my cargo; and after I had done all this, I returned back to my boat, rowing and paddling her along till I came to my old harbour, where I carefully laid her up, and so made the best of my way to my castle. When I arrived there, every thing seemed safe and quiet: so that now my only business was to repose myself after my wonted manner, and take care of my domestic affairs. But though I might have lived very easy, as wanting nothing absolutely needful, yet still I was more vigilant than usual upon account of the savages, never going much abroad; or, if I did, it was to the east part of the island, where I was well assured that the savages never came, and where I might not be troubled to carry that heavy load of weapons for my defence, as I was obliged to do if I went the other way.
Two years did I live in this anxious condition, in all which time, contrary to my former resolutions, my head was filled with nothing but projects and designs, how I might escape from this island; and so much were my wandering thoughts bent upon a rambling disposition that had I had the same boat that I went [pg 071] from Sallee in, I should have ventured once more to the uncertainty of the raging ocean.
I cannot, however, but consider myself as one of the unhappy persons, who make themselves wretched by there dissatisfaction with the stations which God has placed them in; for, not to take a review of my primitive condition, and my father's excellent advice, the going contrary to which was, as I may say, my original sin, the following mistakes of the same nature certainly had been the means of my present unhappy station. What business had I to leave a settled fortune, and well stocked plantation, improving and increasing, where, by this time, I might have been worth a hundred thousand moidores, to turn supercargo to Guinea, to fetch Negroes, when time and patience would so much enlarge my stock at home, as to be able to employ those whose more immediate business it was to fetch them home even to my door?
But as this is commonly the fate of young heads, so a serious reflection upon the folly of it ordinarily attends the exercise of future years, when the dear bought experience of time teaches us repentance. Thus was it with me; but not withstanding the thoughts of my deliverance ran so strongly in my mind, that is seemed to check all the dictates of reason and philosophy. And now to usher in my kind reader with greater pleasure to the remaining part of my relation, I flatter myself it will not be taken amiss, to give him an account of my first conceptions of the manner of escaping, and upon what foundation I laid my foolish schemes.
Daniel Defoe (1719)
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