Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe

Robinson family. – His escape from his parents' house

From early childhood I loved the sea more than anything in the world. I envied every sailor who set off on a long voyage. For hours at a time I stood on the seashore and without taking my eyes off the ships passing by.

My parents didn't like it very much. My father, an old, sick man, wanted me to become an important official, serve in the royal court and receive a large salary. But I dreamed of sea voyages. It seemed to me the greatest happiness to wander the seas and oceans.

My father guessed what was on my mind. One day he called me over and said angrily:

– I know: you want to run away from your home. This is crazy. You must stay. If you stay, I will be a good father to you, but woe to you if you run away! “Here his voice trembled, and he added quietly:

- Think about your sick mother... She won’t be able to bear being separated from you.

Tears sparkled in his eyes. He loved me and wanted the best for me.

I felt sorry for the old man, I firmly decided to stay in my parents’ house and not think about sea voyages anymore. But alas! – several days passed, and nothing remained of my good intentions. I was again drawn to the sea shores. I began to dream of masts, waves, sails, seagulls, unknown countries, lights of lighthouses.

Two or three weeks after my conversation with my father, I finally decided to run away. Choosing a time when my mother was cheerful and calm, I approached her and respectfully said:

“I’m already eighteen years old, and these years are too late to study judging. Even if I entered the service somewhere, I would still run away to distant countries after a few years. I so want to see foreign lands, to visit both Africa and Asia! Even if I get attached to something, I still don’t have the patience to see it through to the end. I ask you, persuade my father to let me go to sea at least for a short time, for a test; If I don’t like the life of a sailor, I will return home and never go anywhere else. Let my father let me go voluntarily, otherwise I will be forced to leave home without his permission.

My mother got very angry with me and said:

“I’m surprised how you can think about sea voyages after your conversation with your father!” After all, your father demanded that you forget about foreign lands once and for all. And he understands better than you what business you should do. Of course, if you want to destroy yourself, leave even this minute, but you can be sure that your father and I will never give consent to your journey. And in vain you hoped that I would help you. No, I won't say a word to my father about your meaningless dreams. I don’t want that later, when life at sea brings you to poverty and suffering, you could reproach your mother for indulging you.

Then, many years later, I found out that my mother nevertheless conveyed to my father our entire conversation, from word to word. The father was saddened and said to her with a sigh:

– I don’t understand what he wants? In his homeland, he could easily achieve success and happiness. We are not rich people, but we have some means. He can live with us without needing anything. If he goes on a journey, he will experience great hardships and regret that he did not listen to his father. No, I can't let him go to sea. Far from his homeland, he will be lonely, and if trouble happens to him, he will not have a friend who could console him. And then he will repent of his recklessness, but it will be too late!

And yet, after a few months, I fled from my home. It happened like this. One day I went to the city of Gull for several days. There I met a friend who was about to go to London on his father's ship. He began to persuade me to go with him, tempting me with the fact that travel on the ship would be free.

And so, without asking either father or mother, at an unkind hour! - On September 1, 1651, in the nineteenth year of my life, I boarded a ship bound for London.

It was a bad act: I shamelessly abandoned my elderly parents, neglected their advice and violated my filial duty. And I very soon had to repent of what I had done.

First adventures at sea

No sooner had our ship left the mouth of the Humber than a cold wind blew from the north. The sky was covered with clouds. A strong rocking motion began.

I had never been to sea before, and I felt bad. My head began to spin, my legs began to tremble, I felt nauseous, and I almost fell. Every time a big wave hit the ship, it seemed to me that we would drown right away. Every time a ship fell from a high crest of a wave, I was sure that it would never rise again.

A thousand times I swore that if I remained alive, if my foot set foot on solid ground again, I would immediately return home to my father and never in my entire life would set foot on the deck of a ship again.

These prudent thoughts lasted only as long as the storm raged.

But the wind died down, the excitement subsided, and I felt much better. Little by little I began to get used to the sea. True, I had not yet completely recovered from seasickness, but by the end of the day the weather had cleared up, the wind had completely died down, and a delightful evening had arrived.

I slept soundly all night. The next day the sky was just as clear. The calm sea with complete calm, all illuminated by the sun, presented such a beautiful picture as I had never seen before. There was no trace left of my seasickness. I immediately calmed down and felt happy. With surprise, I looked around the sea, which just yesterday seemed violent, cruel and menacing, but today it was so meek and gentle.

Then, as if on purpose, my friend, who tempted me to go with him, comes up to me, pats me on the shoulder and says:

- Well, how are you feeling, Bob? I bet you were scared. Admit it: you were very scared yesterday when the breeze blew?

- Is there a breeze? Nice breeze! It was a mad squall. I could not even imagine such a terrible storm!

- Storms? Oh, you fool! Do you think this is a storm? Well, you’re still new to the sea: no wonder you’re scared... Let’s go, let’s order some punch, drink a glass and forget about the storm. Look how clear the day is! Wonderful weather, isn't it? To shorten this sad part of my story, I will only say that things went as usual with sailors: I got drunk and drowned in wine all my promises and oaths, all my laudable thoughts about immediately returning home. As soon as the calm came and I stopped being afraid that the waves would swallow me, I immediately forgot all my good intentions.

On the sixth day we saw the town of Yarmouth in the distance. The wind was headwind after the storm, so we moved forward very slowly. At Yarmouth we had to drop anchor. We stood waiting for a fair wind for seven or eight days.

During this time, many ships from Newcastle came here. We, however, would not have stood that long and would have entered the river with the tide, but the wind became fresher, and after five days it blew with all its might. Since the anchors and anchor ropes on our ship were strong, our sailors did not show the slightest alarm. They were confident that the ship was completely safe, and, according to the custom of sailors, they devoted all their free time to fun activities and amusements.

However, on the ninth day in the morning the wind became even fresher, and soon a terrible storm broke out. Even the experienced sailors were greatly frightened. Several times I heard our captain, passing me in and out of the cabin, muttering in a low voice: “We are lost! We're lost! End!"

Still, he did not lose his head, vigilantly observed the work of the sailors and took all measures to save his ship.

Until now I had not felt fear: I was sure that this storm would pass just as safely as the first. But when the captain himself announced that the end had come for all of us, I was terribly scared and ran out of the cabin onto the deck. Never in my life have I seen such a terrible sight. Huge waves moved across the sea like high mountains, and every three or four minutes such a mountain would fall on us.

At first I was numb with fear and could not look around. When at last I dared to look back, I realized what a disaster had broken out over us. On two heavily laden ships that were anchored nearby, the sailors chopped down the masts so that the ships would be at least a little relieved of their weight.

Two more ships lost their anchors and the storm carried them out to sea. What was waiting for them there? All their masts were knocked down by the hurricane.

Small ships held up better, but some of them also had to suffer: two or three boats carried past our sides straight into the open sea.

In the evening, the navigator and boatswain came to the captain and told him that to save the ship it was necessary to cut down the foremast.

– You can’t hesitate for a minute! - they said. - Give the order and we will cut it down.

“Let’s wait a little longer,” the captain objected. “Maybe the storm will subside.”

He really didn’t want to cut the mast, but the boatswain began to argue that if the mast was left, the ship would sink - and the captain reluctantly agreed.

And when the foremast was cut down, the mainmast began to sway and rock the ship so much that it had to be cut down too.

Night fell, and suddenly one of the sailors, going down into the hold, shouted that the ship had sprung a leak. Another sailor was sent into the hold, and he reported that the water had already risen four feet.

Then the captain commanded:

- Pump out the water! All to the pumps!

When I heard this command, my heart sank in horror: it seemed to me that I was dying, my legs gave way, and I fell backwards on the bed. But the sailors pushed me aside and demanded that I not shirk my work.

- You've been idle enough, it's time to work hard! - they said.

There was nothing to do, I went to the pump and began to diligently pump out water.

At this time, small cargo ships, which could not resist the wind, raised anchors and went out to the open sea.

Seeing them, our captain ordered the cannon to be fired to let them know that we were in mortal danger. Hearing a cannon salvo and not understanding what was happening, I imagined that our ship had crashed. I became so scared that I fainted and fell. But at that time everyone was concerned about saving their own lives, and they did not pay attention to me. Nobody was interested in finding out what happened to me. One of the sailors took my place at the pump, pushing me aside with his foot. Everyone was sure that I was already dead. I lay there like that for a very long time. When I woke up, I got back to work. We worked tirelessly, but the water in the hold rose higher and higher.

It was obvious that the ship was going to sink. True, the storm was beginning to subside a little, but there was not the slightest possibility for us to stay on the water until we entered the harbor. Therefore, the captain did not stop firing his cannons, hoping that someone would save us from death.

Finally, the small ship closest to us risked lowering a boat to give us help. The boat could have capsized every minute, but it still approached us. Alas, we could not get into it, since there was no way to moor to our ship, although people rowed with all their might, risking their lives to save ours. We threw them a rope. They were unable to catch him for a long time, as the storm carried him to the side. But, fortunately, one of the daredevils contrived and, after many unsuccessful attempts, grabbed the rope by the very end. Then we pulled the boat under our stern and every single one of us went down into it. We wanted to get to their ship, but we could not resist the waves, and the waves carried us to the shore. It turned out that this was the only direction one could row. Less than a quarter of an hour had passed before our ship began to sink into the water. The waves that tossed our boat were so high that because of them we could not see the shore. Only in the briefest moment, when our boat was thrown onto the crest of a wave, could we see that a large crowd had gathered on the shore: people were running back and forth, preparing to give us help when we came closer. But we moved towards the shore very slowly. Only in the evening did we manage to get to land, and even then with the greatest difficulties.

We had to walk to Yarmouth. A warm welcome awaited us there: the inhabitants of the city, who already knew about our misfortune, gave us good housing, treated us to an excellent dinner and provided us with money so that we could get wherever we wanted - to London or to Hull.

Not far from Hull was York, where my parents lived, and, of course, I should have returned to them. They would forgive me for my unauthorized escape, and we would all be so happy!

But the crazy dream of sea adventures did not leave me even now. Although the sober voice of reason told me that new dangers and troubles awaited me at sea, I again began to think about how I could get on a ship and travel around the seas and oceans of the whole world.

My friend (the same one whose father owned the lost ship) was now gloomy and sad. The disaster that happened depressed him. He introduced me to his father, who also did not stop grieving about the sunken ship. Having learned from my son about my passion for sea travel, the old man looked at me sternly and said:

“Young man, you should never go to sea again.” I heard that you are cowardly, spoiled and lose heart at the slightest danger. Such people are not fit to be sailors. Return home quickly and reconcile with your family. You have experienced firsthand how dangerous it is to travel by sea.

I felt that he was right and could not object. But still I did not return home, because I was ashamed to appear in front of my loved ones. It seemed to me that all our neighbors would mock me; I was sure that my failures would make me the laughing stock of all my friends and acquaintances. Subsequently, I often noticed that people, especially in their youth, consider shameful not those unscrupulous acts for which we call them fools, but those good and noble deeds that they commit in moments of repentance, although only for these deeds can they be called reasonable . That was how I was at that time. The memories of the misfortunes I experienced during the shipwreck gradually faded, and after living in Yarmouth for two or three weeks, I went not to Hull, but to London.

Robinson is captured. – Escape

My great misfortune was that during all my adventures I did not join the ship as a sailor. True, I would have to work more than I am used to, but in the end I would learn seamanship and could eventually become a navigator, and perhaps even a captain. But at that time I was so unreasonable that of all the paths I always chose the worst. Since at that time I had smart clothes and had money in my pocket, I always came to the ship as an idle loafer: I did nothing there and learned nothing.

Young tomboys and slackers usually fall into bad company and in a very short time they completely lose their way. The same fate awaited me, but, fortunately, upon my arrival in London I managed to meet a respectable elderly captain who took a great part in me. Not long before, he sailed on his ship to the shores of Africa, to Guinea. This trip gave him considerable profit, and now he was going to go to the same region again.

He liked me because at that time I was a good conversationalist. He often spent his free time with me and, having learned that I wanted to see overseas countries, he invited me to set sail on his ship.

“It won’t cost you anything,” he said, “I won’t take money from you for travel or food.” You will be my guest on the ship. If you take some things with you and manage to sell them very profitably in Guinea, you will receive the entire profit. Try your luck - maybe you will get lucky.

Since this captain enjoyed general confidence, I willingly accepted his invitation.

Going to Guinea, I took with me some goods: I bought forty pounds sterling of various trinkets and glass items that were well sold among the savages.

I obtained these forty pounds with the assistance of close relatives with whom I was in correspondence: I told them that I was going to engage in trade, and they persuaded my mother, and perhaps my father, to help me with at least a small amount in my first enterprise.

This trip to Africa was, one might say, my only successful trip. Of course, I owed my success entirely to the captain’s selflessness and kindness.

During the journey, he studied mathematics with me and taught me shipbuilding. He enjoyed sharing his experiences with me, and I enjoyed listening to him and learning from him.

The voyage made me both a sailor and a merchant: I exchanged five pounds and nine ounces of gold dust for my trinkets, for which I received a fair sum on my return to London.

But, unfortunately for me, my friend the captain died soon after returning to England, and I had to make a second journey on my own, without friendly advice and help.

I sailed from England on the same ship. It was the most miserable journey that man has ever undertaken.

One day at dawn, when we were walking between the Canary Islands and Africa after a long voyage, we were attacked by pirates - sea robbers. These were Turks from Saleh. They noticed us from a distance and set off after us with full sail.

At first we hoped that we would be able to escape from them by flight, and we also raised all sails. But it soon became clear that in five or six hours they would certainly catch up with us. We realized that we needed to prepare for battle. We had twelve guns, and the enemy had eighteen.

About three o'clock in the afternoon the robber ship caught up with us, but the pirates made a big mistake: instead of approaching us from the stern, they approached us from the port side, where we had eight cannons. Taking advantage of their mistake, we aimed all these guns at them and fired a salvo.

There were at least two hundred Turks, so they responded to our fire not only with cannons, but also with a weapons salvo of two hundred guns.

Fortunately, no one was hit, everyone remained safe and sound. After this fight, the pirate ship retreated half a mile and began to prepare for a new attack. We, for our part, prepared for a new defense.

This time the enemies approached us from the other side and boarded us, that is, they hooked onto our side with hooks; about sixty people rushed onto the deck and first of all rushed to cut the masts and tackle.

We met them with rifle fire and cleared the deck of them twice, but were still forced to surrender, since our ship was no longer suitable for further voyage. Three of our men were killed and eight were wounded. We were taken as prisoners to the seaport of Saleh, which belonged to the Moors.

The other Englishmen were sent into the interior of the country, to the court of the cruel Sultan, but the captain of the robber ship kept me with him and made him his slave, because I was young and agile.

I cried bitterly: I remembered my father’s prediction that sooner or later trouble would happen to me and no one would come to my aid. I thought that it was me who had suffered such a misfortune. Alas, I had no idea that even worse troubles lay ahead.

Since my new master, the captain of the robber ship, left me with him, I hoped that when he again went to rob sea ships, he would take me with him. I was firmly convinced that in the end he would be captured by some Spanish or Portuguese warship and then my freedom would be returned to me.

But I soon realized that these hopes were in vain, because the first time my master went to sea, he left me at home to do the menial work that slaves usually do.

From that day on, I only thought about escape. But it was impossible to escape: I was alone and powerless. There was not a single Englishman among the prisoners whom I could trust. I languished in captivity for two years, without the slightest hope of escape. But in the third year I still managed to escape. It happened like this. My master constantly, once or twice a week, took a ship's boat and went out to the seashore to fish. On each such trip, he took me and one boy with him, whose name was Xuri. We rowed diligently and entertained our master as best we could. And since I, in addition, turned out to be a good fisherman, he sometimes sent both of us - me and this Xuri - for fish under the supervision of an old Moor, his distant relative.

One day my master invited two very important Moors to ride with him on his sailboat. For this trip, he prepared large supplies of food, which he sent to his boat in the evening. The boat was spacious. The owner, two years ago, ordered his ship's carpenter to build a small cabin in it, and in the cabin - a pantry for provisions. I put all my supplies in this pantry.

“Maybe the guests will want to hunt,” the owner told me. - Take three guns from the ship and take them to the boat.

I did everything I was ordered: I washed the deck, raised the flag on the mast, and the next morning I sat in the boat, waiting for guests. Suddenly the owner came alone and said that his guests would not go today, as they were delayed by business. Then he ordered the three of us - me, the boy Xuri and the Moor - to go in our boat to the seashore for fish.

“My friends will come to dinner with me,” he said, “so as soon as you catch enough fish, bring it here.”

It was then that the old dream of freedom awakened in me again. Now I had a ship, and as soon as the owner left, I began to prepare - not for fishing, but for a long voyage. True, I did not know where I would direct my path, but every road is good - as long as it means escaping from captivity.

“We should grab some food for ourselves,” I said to the Moor. “We can’t eat the food that the owner has prepared for the guests without asking.”

The old man agreed with me and soon brought a large basket of breadcrumbs and three jugs of fresh water.

I knew where the owner had a box of wine, and while the Moor went for provisions, I transported all the bottles to the boat and put them in the pantry, as if they had been previously stored for the owner.

In addition, I brought a huge piece of wax (weighing fifty pounds) and grabbed a skein of yarn, an ax, a saw and a hammer. All this was very useful to us later, especially the wax from which we made candles.

I came up with another trick, and again I managed to deceive the simple-minded Moor. His name was Ishmael, so everyone called him Moli. So I told him:

- Pray, there are the owner’s hunting rifles on the ship. It would be nice to get some gunpowder and a few charges - maybe we will be lucky enough to shoot some waders for dinner. The owner keeps gunpowder and shot on the ship, I know.

“Okay,” he said, “I’ll bring it.”

And he brought a large leather bag with gunpowder - weighing a pound and a half, and perhaps more, and another, with shot - five or six pounds. He also took the bullets. All this was stored in the boat. In addition, in the master's cabin there was some more gunpowder, which I poured into a large bottle, after first pouring out the remaining wine from it.

Having thus stocked up with everything necessary for a long voyage, we left the harbor as if going fishing. I put my rods in the water, but didn't catch anything (I purposely didn't pull my rods out when the fish was hooked).

“We won’t catch anything here!” - I said to the Moor. “The owner will not praise us if we return to him empty-handed.” We need to move further out to sea. Perhaps the fish will bite better away from the shore.

Not suspecting deception, the old Moor agreed with me and, since he was standing on the bow, raised the sail.

I was sitting at the helm, at the stern, and when the ship moved three miles out into the open sea, I began to drift - as if to start fishing again. Then, handing the steering wheel to the boy, I stepped onto the bow, approached the Moor from behind, suddenly lifted him and threw him into the sea. He immediately surfaced, because he was floating like a cork, and began shouting to me to take him into the boat, promising that he would go with me to the ends of the world. He swam so fast behind the ship that he would have caught up with me very soon (the wind was weak and the boat was barely moving). Seeing that the Moor would soon overtake us, I ran to the cabin, took one of the hunting rifles there, took aim at the Moor and said:

“I don’t wish you harm, but leave me alone now and come home quickly!” You are a good swimmer, the sea is calm, you can easily swim to the shore. Turn back and I won't touch you. But if you don’t leave the boat, I’ll shoot you in the head, because I’m determined to win my freedom.

He turned towards the shore and, I am sure, swam to it without difficulty.

Of course, I could take this Moor with me, but the old man could not be relied upon.

When the Moor fell behind the boat, I turned to the boy and said:

- Xuri, if you are faithful to me, I will do you a lot of good. Swear that you will never cheat on me, otherwise I will throw you into the sea too. The boy smiled, looking me straight in the eyes, and swore that he would be faithful to me until the grave and would go with me wherever I wanted. He spoke so sincerely that I could not help but believe him.

Until the Moor approached the shore, I headed for the open sea, tacking against the wind, so that everyone would think that we were going to Gibraltar.

But as soon as it began to get dark, I began to steer south, keeping slightly to the east, because I did not want to move away from the coast. A very fresh wind was blowing, but the sea was flat and calm, and therefore we were moving at a good pace.

When the next day, at three o'clock, land appeared ahead for the first time, we found ourselves already one and a half hundred miles south of Saleh, far beyond the boundaries of the possessions of the Moroccan Sultan, and indeed of any other African king. The shore we were approaching was completely deserted. But in captivity I gained such fear and was so afraid of being captured by the Moors again that, taking advantage of the favorable wind that drove my boat to the south, for five days I sailed forward and forward, without anchoring or going ashore.

Five days later the wind changed: it blew from the south, and since I was no longer afraid of pursuit, I decided to approach the shore and dropped anchor at the mouth of a small river. I can’t say what kind of river this is, where it flows and what kind of people live on its banks. Its banks were deserted, and this made me very happy, since I had no desire to see people. The only thing I needed was fresh water.

We entered the mouth in the evening and decided, when it got dark, to swim to land and examine all the surroundings. But as soon as it got dark, we heard terrible sounds from the shore: the shore was swarming with animals that howled, growled, roared and barked so furiously that poor Xuri almost died of fear and began to beg me not to go ashore until the morning.

“Okay, Xuri,” I told him, “let’s wait!” But perhaps in daylight we will see people from whom we will suffer, perhaps, even worse than from the fierce tigers and lions.

“And we’ll shoot these people with a gun,” he said with a laugh, “and they’ll run away!”

I was pleased that the boy was behaving well. So that he would not be discouraged in the future, I gave him a sip of wine.

I followed his advice, and we stayed at anchor all night, without leaving the boat and keeping our guns ready. We didn't have to sleep a wink until the morning.

Two or three hours after we dropped anchor, we heard the terrible roar of some huge animals of a very strange breed (we ourselves didn’t know what). The animals approached the shore, entered the river, began to splash and wallow in it, obviously wanting to freshen up, and at the same time they squealed, roared and howled; I had never heard such disgusting sounds before.

Xuri trembled with fear; To tell the truth, I was scared too.

But we were both even more frightened when we heard that one of the monsters was swimming towards our ship. We couldn’t see it, but we only heard it puffing and snorting, and we guessed from these sounds alone that the monster was huge and ferocious.

“It must be a lion,” Xuri said. - Let's raise the anchor and get out of here!

“No, Xuri,” I objected, “we have no need to weigh anchor.” We’ll just let the rope go longer and move further out into the sea - the animals won’t chase us.

But as soon as I uttered these words, I saw an unknown beast at a distance of two oars from our ship. I was a little confused, but I immediately took a gun from the cabin and fired. The animal turned back and swam to the shore.

It is impossible to describe what a furious roar arose on the shore when my shot rang out: the animals here must have never heard this sound before. Here I was finally convinced that it was impossible to go ashore at night. But whether it would be possible to risk landing during the day—we didn’t know that either. Becoming a victim of some savage is no better than falling into the claws of a lion or tiger.

But we had to go ashore at all costs here or elsewhere, since we did not have a drop of water left. We have been thirsty for a long time. Finally the long-awaited morning arrived. Xuri said that if I let him go, he would wade to the shore and try to get fresh water. And when I asked him why he should go and not me, he answered:

“If a wild man comes, he will eat me, and you will remain alive.”

This answer expressed such love for me that I was deeply moved.

“That’s it, Xuri,” I said, “we’ll both go.” And if a wild man comes, we will shoot him, and he will not eat you or me.

I gave the boy some crackers and a sip of wine; then we pulled ourselves closer to the ground and, jumping into the water, waded towards the shore, taking with us nothing but guns and two empty water jugs.

I did not want to move away from the shore so as not to lose sight of our ship.

I was afraid that savages might come down the river to us in their pirogues. But Ksuri, noticing a hollow a mile from the shore, rushed there with the jug.

Suddenly I see him running back. “Were the savages chasing him? – I thought in fear. “Was he afraid of some predatory animal?”

I rushed to his rescue and, running closer, I saw that something large was hanging behind his back. It turned out that he had killed some kind of animal, like our hare, only its fur was a different color and its legs were longer. We were both glad of this game, but I was even more delighted when Xury told me that he had found a lot of good fresh water in the hollow.

Having filled the jugs, we had a sumptuous breakfast of the killed animal and set off on our further journey. So we did not find any traces of humans in this area.

After we left the mouth of the river, several times during our further voyage I had to moor to the shore for fresh water.

One early morning we dropped anchor off some high cape. The tide has already begun. Suddenly Xuri, whose eyes were apparently sharper than mine, whispered:

I looked in the direction where Xuri was pointing, and I really saw a terrible beast. It was a huge lion. He lay under the ledge of the mountain.

“Listen, Xuri,” I said, “go to the shore and kill this lion.” The boy was scared.

- I should kill him! - he exclaimed. - But the lion will swallow me like a fly!

I asked him not to move and, without saying another word to him, I brought all our guns (there were three of them) from the cabin. I loaded one, the largest and most cumbersome, with two pieces of lead, having first poured a good charge of gunpowder into the barrel; he rolled two large bullets into another, and five smaller bullets into the third.

Taking the first gun and taking careful aim, I shot at the beast. I aimed at his head, but he lay in such a position (covering his head with his paw at eye level) that the charge hit his paw and crushed the bone. Lez growled and jumped up, but, feeling pain, he fell, then got up on three legs and hobbled away from the shore, emitting such a desperate roar that I had never heard before.

I was a little embarrassed that I missed his head; however, without hesitating for a minute, he took the second gun and shot after the beast. This time my charge hit the target. The lion fell, making barely audible hoarse sounds.

When Xuri saw the wounded animal, all his fears disappeared, and he began to ask me to let him go ashore.

- Okay, go! - I said.

The boy jumped into the water and swam to the shore, working with one hand, because he had a gun in the other. Coming close to the fallen animal, he put the muzzle of a gun to its ear and killed it outright.

It was, of course, pleasant to shoot a lion while hunting, but its meat was not suitable for food, and I was very sorry that we spent three charges on such worthless game. However, Xuri said that he would try to profit from something from the killed lion, and when we returned to the boat, he asked me for an ax.

- For what? – I asked.

“Cut off his head,” he answered.

However, he could not cut off the head, he did not have enough strength: he only cut off a paw, which he brought to our boat. The paw was of unusual size.

Then it occurred to me that the skin of this lion might perhaps be useful to us, and I decided to try to skin him. We went ashore again, but I didn't know how to take on this job. Xuri turned out to be more dexterous than me.

We worked all day. The skin was removed only in the evening. We stretched it out on the roof of our small cabin. Two days later it completely dried out in the sun and then served as my bed.

Having set sail from this shore, we sailed straight south and did not change our direction for ten or twelve days in a row.

Our provisions were running out, so we tried to use our supplies as economically as possible. We only went ashore for fresh water.

I wanted to get to the mouth of the river Gambia or Senegal, that is, to those places adjacent to the Cape Verde, since I hoped to meet some European ship here. I knew that if I did not meet a ship in these places, I would either have to set off on the open sea in search of islands, or die among the blacks - I had no other choice.

I also knew that all the ships that sail from Europe, wherever they go - to the shores of Guinea, to Brazil or to the East Indies - pass by Cape Verde, and therefore it seemed to me that all my happiness depended only on whether I will meet any European ship at Cape Verde.

“If I don’t meet you,” I told myself, “I face certain death.”

Meeting with the savages

Another ten days passed. We continued to move steadily south. At first the coast was deserted; then in two or three places we saw naked black people standing on the shore and looking at us.

I somehow decided to go ashore and talk with them, but Xuri, my wise adviser, said:

- Do not go! Do not go! No need!

And yet, I began to stay closer to the shore so that I could start a conversation with these people. The savages obviously understood what I wanted and ran after us along the shore for a long time.

I noticed that they were unarmed, only one of them had a long thin stick in his hand. Xuri told me that it was a spear and that the savages throw their spears very far and with amazing accuracy. So I kept some distance from them and spoke to them by signs, trying to make them understand that we were hungry and needed food. They understood and began, in turn, to make signs for me to stop my boat, since they intended to bring us food.

I lowered the sail and the boat stopped. Two savages ran somewhere and half an hour later they brought two large pieces of dried meat and two bags of grain of some kind of cereal growing in those places. We did not know what kind of meat or grain it was, but we expressed our full readiness to accept both.

But how to receive the offered gift? We could not go ashore: we were afraid of the savages, and they were afraid of us. And so, in order for both sides to feel safe, the savages piled all the provisions on the shore and moved away. Only after we transported her to the boat did they return to their original place.

The kindness of the savages touched us, we thanked them with signs, since we could not offer them any gifts in return.

However, at that very moment we had a wonderful opportunity to do them a great service.

Before we had time to set sail from the shore, we suddenly saw two strong and terrible animals running out from behind the mountains. They rushed as fast as they could straight to the sea. It seemed to us that one of them was chasing the other. The people on the shore, especially the women, were terribly frightened. A commotion began, many screamed and cried. Only the savage who had the spear remained in place, all the others began to run in all directions. But the animals rushed straight to the sea and did not touch any of the blacks. It was only then that I saw how huge they were. They ran into the water and began diving and swimming, so that one might perhaps think that they had come here solely for sea swimming.

Suddenly one of them swam quite close to our boat. I did not expect this, but nevertheless I was not taken by surprise: having quickly loaded the gun, I prepared to meet the enemy. As soon as he approached us within a rifle shot, I pulled the trigger and shot him in the head. At the same moment, he plunged into the water, then emerged and swam back to the shore, then disappearing into the water, then reappearing on the surface. He struggled with death, choking and bleeding. Before reaching the shore, he died and sank.

No words can convey how stunned the savages were when they heard the roar and saw the fire of my shot: others almost died from her fear and fell to the ground as if dead.

But, seeing that the animal was killed and that I was making signs for them to come closer to the shore, they became bolder and crowded near the water itself: apparently, they really wanted to find the killed animal under the water. In the place where he drowned, the water was stained with blood, and therefore I easily found him. Having hooked it with a rope, I threw its end to the savages and they pulled the dead animal to the shore. It was a large leopard with an unusually beautiful spotted skin. The savages, standing over him, raised their hands up in amazement and joy; they could not understand what I used to kill him.

Another animal, frightened by my shot, swam to the shore and rushed back to the mountains.

I noticed that the savages really wanted to eat the meat of a killed leopard, and it occurred to me that it would be good if they received it from me as a gift.

I showed them with signs that they could take the beast for themselves.

They thanked me warmly and immediately got to work. They did not have knives, but, using a sharp sliver of wood, they removed the skin from the dead animal as quickly and deftly as we could not have removed it with a knife.

They offered me meat, but I refused, making a sign that I was giving it to them. I asked them for the skin, which they gave me very willingly. In addition, they brought me a new supply of provisions, and I gladly accepted their gift. Then I asked them for water: I took one of our jugs and turned it upside down to show that it was empty and that I asked for it to be filled. Then they shouted something. A little later, two women appeared and brought a large vessel made of baked clay (savages must bake clay in the sun). The women placed this vessel on the shore, and they themselves left, as before. I sent Xuri ashore with all three jugs, and he filled them to the top.

Having thus received water, meat and grains, I parted with the friendly savages and for eleven days continued my journey in the same direction, without turning towards the shore.

Every night during the calm, we made a fire and lit a homemade candle in the lantern, hoping that some ship would notice our tiny flame, but not a single ship met us along the way.

Finally, about fifteen miles in front of me, I saw a strip of land protruding far into the sea. The weather was calm, and I turned into the open sea to go around this spit. At that moment, when we caught up with its tip, I clearly saw another land about six miles from the coast on the ocean side and concluded quite correctly that the narrow spit was Cape Verde, and that land that loomed in the distance was one of the Cape Verde islands . But the islands were very far away, and I did not dare to go to them.

Suddenly I heard a boy scream:

- Master! Mister! Ship and sail!

The naive Xuri was so frightened that he almost lost his mind: he imagined that it was one of his master’s ships, sent in pursuit of us. But I knew how far we had gone from the Moors, and I was sure that they were no longer afraid of us.

I jumped out of the cabin and immediately saw the ship. I even managed to see that the ship was Portuguese. “He must be heading for the coast of Guinea,” I thought. But, having looked more closely, I was convinced that the ship was going in a different direction and had no intention of turning towards the shore. Then I raised all the sails and rushed into the open sea, deciding at all costs to enter into negotiations with the ship.

It soon became clear to me that, even going at full speed, I would not have time to get close enough for the ship to distinguish my signals. But just at that moment, when I was beginning to despair, we were seen from the deck - probably through a spyglass. As I learned later, the ship decided that it was a boat from some sunken European ship. The ship drifted to give me the opportunity to get closer, and I moored to it about three hours later.

They asked me who I was, first in Portuguese, then in Spanish, then in French, but I did not know any of these languages.

Finally one sailor, a Scot, spoke to me in English, and I told him that I was an Englishman who had escaped from captivity. Then my companion and I were very kindly invited onto the ship. Soon we found ourselves on deck with our boat.

It is impossible to express in words the delight I felt when I felt free. I was saved both from slavery and from the death that threatened me! My happiness was limitless. To celebrate, I offered all the property that was with me to my savior, the captain, as a reward for my deliverance. But the captain refused.

“I won’t take anything from you,” he said. – All your belongings will be returned to you intact as soon as we arrive in Brazil. I saved your life because I am well aware that I myself could have found myself in the same trouble. And how happy I would be then if you provided me with the same help! Don't forget also that we are going to Brazil, and Brazil is far from England, and there you can starve without these things. I didn’t save you just to destroy you later! No, no, sir, I will take you to Brazil for free, and the things will give you the opportunity to provide yourself with food and pay for travel to your homeland.

Robinson settles in Brazil. - He goes to sea again. - His ship is wrecked

The captain was magnanimous and generous not only in words, but also in deeds. He faithfully fulfilled all his promises. He ordered that none of the sailors should dare touch my property, then he made a detailed list of all the things belonging to me, ordered them to be put together with his things, and handed the list to me so that upon arrival in Brazil I could receive everything in full.

He wanted to buy my boat. The boat was really good. The captain said he would buy it for his ship and asked how much I wanted for it.

“You,” I answered, “have done me so much good that I in no way consider myself entitled to set a price for the boat.” I will take as much as you give.

Then he said that he would give me a written undertaking to pay eighty ducats for my boat immediately upon arrival in Brazil, but if there was another buyer for me there who would offer me more, the captain would pay me the same amount.

Our move to Brazil was completed quite safely. On the way, we helped the sailors, and they became friends with us. After a twenty-two day voyage we entered the Bay of All Saints. Then I finally felt that my troubles were behind me, that I was already a free man, and not a slave, and that my life was beginning all over again.

I will never forget how generously the captain of the Portuguese ship treated me.

He didn't charge me a penny for the fare; he returned all my belongings to me completely intact, up to three clay jugs; he gave me forty gold pieces for a lion skin and twenty for a leopard skin and generally bought everything that I had in excess and that it was convenient for me to sell, including a box of wines, two guns and the remaining wax (part of which we used for candles). In a word, when I sold him most of my property and landed on the shores of Brazil, I had two hundred and twenty gold pieces in my pocket.

I did not want to part with my companion Xuri: he was such a faithful and reliable comrade, he helped me gain freedom. But he had nothing to do with me; besides, I was not sure that I would be able to feed him. Therefore, I was very happy when the captain told me that he liked this boy, that he would willingly take him on board his ship and make him a sailor.

Soon after arriving in Brazil, my friend the captain took me into the house of one of his acquaintances. He was the owner of a sugar cane plantation and a sugar factory. I lived with him for quite a long time and thanks to this I was able to study sugar production.

Seeing how well the local planters were living and how quickly they were getting rich, I decided to settle in Brazil and also start producing sugar. With all my cash, I rented a plot of land and began to draw up plans for my future plantation and estate.

I had a neighbor on the plantation who came here from Lisbon. His name was Wells. He was originally English, but had long since become a Portuguese citizen. He and I soon got along and were on the most friendly terms. For the first two years, we both could barely survive on our crops. But as the land was developed, we became richer.

Having lived in Brazil for four years and gradually expanding my business, it goes without saying that I not only learned Spanish, but also got to know all my neighbors, as well as merchants from San Salvador, the nearest seaside city to us. Many of them became my friends. We often met, and, of course, I often told them about my two trips to the Guinea coast, about how trade was conducted with the blacks there and how easy it was there for some trinkets - for beads, knives, scissors, axes or mirrors - purchase gold dust and ivory.

They always listened to me with great interest and discussed for a long time what I told them.

One day three of them came to me and, having made me promise that our entire conversation would remain secret, they said:

– You say that where you were, you could easily get whole piles of gold dust and other valuables. We want to equip a ship to Guinea for gold. Are you willing to go to Guinea? You will not have to invest a penny in this enterprise: we will give you everything you need for the exchange. For your work you will receive your share of the profit, the same as each of us.

I should have refused and stayed for a long time in fertile Brazil, but, I repeat, I have always been the author of my own misfortunes. I was eager to experience new sea adventures, and my head was spinning with joy.

In my youth, I was unable to overcome my love of travel and did not listen to my father’s good advice. So now I could not resist the tempting offer of my Brazilian friends.

I answered them that I would willingly go to Guinea, with the condition, however, that during my journey they would look after my possessions and dispose of them according to my instructions in case I did not return.

They solemnly promised to fulfill my wishes and sealed our agreement with a written commitment. I, for my part, made a will in case of death: I bequeathed all my movable and immovable property to the Portuguese captain, who saved my life. But at the same time, I made a reservation that he would send part of the capital to England to my elderly parents.

The ship was equipped, and my companions, according to the agreement, loaded it with goods.

And here it is again - at an unkind hour! – On September 1, 1659, I stepped onto the deck of a ship. This was the same day on which eight years ago I ran away from my father’s house and so madly ruined my youth.

On the twelfth day of our voyage we crossed the equator and were in seven degrees twenty-two minutes north latitude, when we were suddenly struck by a furious squall. It came from the southeast, then began to blow in the opposite direction, and finally blew from the northeast - it blew continuously with such terrifying force that for twelve days we had to surrender to the power of the hurricane and swim wherever the waves drove us. Needless to say, all these twelve days I was expecting death every minute, and none of us thought that we would survive.

One early morning (the wind was still blowing with the same force) one of the sailors shouted:

But before we had time to run out of the cabins to find out which shores our unfortunate ship was rushing past, we felt that it had run aground. At that same moment, from the sudden stop, our entire deck was washed over by such a violent and powerful wave that we were forced to immediately hide in the cabins.

The ship was sunk so deep in the sand that there was no point in even thinking about pulling it off the sand. There was only one thing left for us to do: take care of saving our own lives. We had two boats. One hung behind the stern; During a storm it was broken and carried out to sea. There was another one left, but no one knew whether it would be possible to launch it. Meanwhile, there was no time to think: the ship could split in two any minute.

The captain's assistant rushed to the boat and, with the help of the sailors, threw it over the side. All of us, eleven people, entered the boat and surrendered to the will of the raging waves, since, although the storm had already subsided, still huge waves were running onto the shore and the sea could rightly be called mad.

Our situation became even more terrible: we saw clearly that the boat was about to be overwhelmed and that it was impossible for us to escape. We did not have a sail, and even if we had, it would have been completely useless to us. We rowed towards the shore with despair in our hearts, like people being led to execution. We all understood that as soon as the boat came closer to the ground, the surf would immediately smash it to pieces. Driven by the wind, we leaned on the oars, bringing our own death closer.

We carried us like this for about four miles, and suddenly an angry wave, high as a mountain, ran from the stern onto our boat. This was the final, fatal blow. The boat capsized. At that very moment we found ourselves under water. The storm scattered us in different directions in one second.

It is impossible to describe the confusion of feelings and thoughts that I experienced when the wave covered me. I am a very good swimmer, but I did not have the strength to immediately emerge from this abyss to catch my breath, and I almost suffocated. The wave picked me up, dragged me towards the ground, broke and washed away, leaving me half dead, as I had swallowed water. I took a breath and came to my senses a little. Seeing that the land was so close (much closer than I expected), I jumped to my feet and headed towards the shore with extreme haste. I hoped to reach it before another wave came and caught me, but I soon realized that I could not escape it: the sea was coming at me like a big mountain; it was overtaking me like a fierce enemy with which it was impossible to fight. I did not resist the waves that carried me to the shore; but as soon as they left the land and went back, I floundered and fought in every possible way so that they would not take me back to the sea.

The next wave was huge: at least twenty or thirty feet high. She buried me deep beneath her. Then I was picked up and rushed to the ground with extraordinary speed. For a long time I swam with the flow, helping it with all my might, and almost suffocated in the water, when I suddenly felt that I was being carried somewhere upward. Soon, to my greatest happiness, my hands and head were above the surface of the water, and although after two seconds another wave hit me, this brief respite still gave me strength and vigor.

A new wave again covered me completely, but this time I did not stay under water for so long. When the wave broke and subsided, I did not succumb to its pressure, but swam to the shore and soon again felt that the earth was under my feet.

I stood there for two or three seconds, took a deep breath, and with the last of my strength I ran to the shore.

But even now I did not escape from the angry sea: it again set off after me. Two more times the waves overtook me and carried me to the shore, which in this place was very sloping.

The last wave threw me against the rock with such force that I lost consciousness.

For some time I was completely helpless, and if at that moment the sea had managed to fly at me again, I would certainly have drowned in the water. Fortunately, my consciousness returned in time. Seeing that the wave was about to cover me again, I firmly grabbed onto the ledge of the cliff and, holding my breath, tried to wait until it subsided.

Here, closer to land, the waves were not so huge. When the water subsided, I ran forward again and found myself so close to the shore that the next wave, although it washed me all over, could no longer carry me out to sea.

I ran a few more steps and felt with joy that I was standing on solid ground. I began to climb the coastal rocks and, having reached a high hillock, fell onto the grass. Here I was safe: the water could not reach me.

I think there are no words that could describe the joyful feelings of a person who has risen, so to speak, from the grave! I began to run and jump, I waved my arms, I even sang and danced. My whole being, so to speak, was consumed by thoughts of my happy salvation.

But then I suddenly thought about my drowned comrades. I felt sorry for them, because during the voyage I had become attached to many of them. I remembered their faces and names. Alas, I never saw any of them again; no traces remained of them, except for three hats that belonged to them, one cap and two unpaired shoes, thrown onto land by the sea.

Looking to where our ship stood, I could barely see it behind the ridge of high waves - it was so far away! And I said to myself: “What happiness, great happiness, that I reached this distant shore in such a storm!” Having expressed in these words my ardent joy at being freed from mortal danger, I remembered that the land can be as terrible as the sea, that I do not know where I ended up, and that I need to carefully examine the unfamiliar terrain in a very short time.

As soon as I thought about this, my enthusiasm immediately cooled down: I realized that although I had saved my life, I had not been saved from misfortune, hardship and horror. All my clothes were soaked through, and I had nothing to change into. I had neither food nor fresh water to refresh my strength. What future awaited me? Either I will die of hunger, or I will be torn to pieces by fierce beasts. And, what’s saddest of all, I couldn’t hunt game, I couldn’t defend myself from animals, since I didn’t have any weapons with me. In general, I had nothing on me except a knife and a tin of tobacco.

This drove me into such despair that I began to run back and forth along the shore like crazy.

Night was approaching, and I sadly asked myself: “What awaits me if there are wild animals in this area? After all, they always go hunting at night.”

Nearby stood a wide, branchy tree. I decided to climb it and sit among its branches until the morning. I couldn’t think of anything else to save myself from the animals. “And when the morning comes,” I said to myself, “I will have time to think about what kind of death I am destined to die, because it is impossible to live in these deserted places.”

I was thirsty. I went to see if there was any fresh water nearby, and, moving a quarter of a mile from the shore, to my great joy, I found a stream.

Having drunk and put tobacco in my mouth to stifle my hunger, I returned to the tree, climbed onto it and settled in its branches so as not to fall in my sleep. Then he cut off a short branch and, having made himself a club in case of an enemy attack, sat down comfortably and fell soundly asleep from terrible fatigue.

I slept sweetly, as not many people would have slept on such an uncomfortable bed, and it’s unlikely that anyone after such an overnight stay would wake up so fresh and invigorated.

Robinson on a desert island. – He gets things from the ship and builds himself a home

I woke up late. The weather was clear, the wind had died down, and the sea had stopped raging.

I looked at the ship we had abandoned and was surprised to see that it was no longer in its original place. Now he was washed closer to the shore. He found himself not far from the very rock that the wave almost smashed me against. The tide must have lifted him during the night, dislodged him and brought him here. Now he stood no more than a mile from where I spent the night. The waves obviously did not break it: it floated almost straight on the water.

I immediately decided to get onto the ship to stock up on provisions and various other things.

Having descended from the tree, I looked around again. The first thing I saw was our boat, lying on the right hand, on the shore, two miles away - where the hurricane had thrown it. I was about to go in that direction, but it turned out that you couldn’t go there the straight way: a bay, half a mile wide, cut deep into the shore and blocked the way. I turned back because it was much more important for me to get to the ship: I hoped to find food there.

In the afternoon the waves subsided completely, and the tide was so strong that I walked a quarter of a mile to the ship on a dry bottom.

Here again my heart ached: it became clear to me that we would all now be alive if we had not been frightened by the storm and had not abandoned our ship. It was only necessary to wait for the storm to pass, and we would safely reach the shore, and now I would not be forced to live in poverty in this deserted desert.

At the thought of my loneliness, I began to cry, but, remembering that tears never stop misfortunes, I decided to continue on my way and get to the broken ship at any cost. Having undressed, I entered the water and swam.

But the most difficult thing was yet to come: I could not board the ship. He stood in a shallow place, so that he almost entirely protruded from the water, and there was nothing to grab onto. I swam around it for a long time and suddenly noticed a ship’s rope (I’m surprised it didn’t immediately catch my eye!). The rope hung from the hatch, and its end was so high above the water that I managed to catch it with the greatest difficulty. I climbed the rope to the cockpit. The underwater part of the ship was breached and the hold was filled with water. The ship stood on a hard sandbank, its stern rose strongly, and its bow almost touched the water. Thus, water did not get into the stern, and none of the things that were there got wet. I hurried there, because first of all I wanted to find out which things had spoiled and which had survived. It turned out that the entire supply of ship provisions remained completely dry. And since I was tormented by hunger, the first thing I did was go to the pantry, pick up some crackers and, continuing to inspect the ship, I ate as I went, so as not to waste time. In the wardroom I found a bottle of rum and took a few good sips from it, as I really needed reinforcement for the upcoming work.

First of all, I needed a boat to transport the things I might need ashore. But there was nowhere to get a boat, and it was useless to wish for the impossible. It was necessary to come up with something else. The ship had spare masts, topmasts and yards. I decided to build a raft from this material and eagerly set to work. The cockpit is a room for sailors at the bow of the ship.

Having selected several lighter logs, I threw them overboard, having previously tied each log with a rope so that they would not be carried away. Then I descended from the ship, pulled four logs towards me, tied them tightly at both ends, fastening them on top with two or three planks laid crosswise, and I got something like a raft.

This raft carried me perfectly, but for a large load it was too light and small.

I had to climb onto the ship again. There I found our ship's carpenter's saw and sawed the spare mast into three logs, which I attached to the raft. The raft became wider and much more stable. This work cost me enormous effort, but the desire to stock up on everything necessary for life supported me, and I did what under ordinary circumstances I would not have had the strength to do.

Now my raft was wide and strong, it could withstand a significant load.

What should we load this raft with and what should we do to prevent it from being washed away by the tide? There was no time to think for a long time; we had to hurry.

First of all, I laid on the raft all the boards that were found on the ship; then he took three chests that belonged to our sailors, broke the locks and threw out all the contents. Then I selected the things that I might need most and filled all three chests with them. In one chest I put food supplies: rice, crackers, three circles of Dutch cheese, five large pieces of dried goat meat, which served as our main meat food on the ship, and the remains of barley, which we brought from Europe for the chickens on the ship; We ate the chickens a long time ago, but there was some grain left. This barley was mixed with wheat; it would have been very useful to me, but, unfortunately, as it turned out later, it was badly damaged by rats. In addition, I found several cases of wine and up to six gallons of rice brandy that belonged to our captain.

I also placed these boxes on the raft, next to the chests.

Meanwhile, while I was busy loading, the tide began to rise, and I was saddened to see that my caftan, shirt and camisole, which I had left on the shore, were carried out to sea.

Now all I have left are stockings and pants (linen, short to the knees), which I did not take off when I swam to the ship. This made me think about stocking up on clothes as well as food. There were a sufficient number of jackets and trousers on the ship, but I took only one pair for now, because I was much more tempted by many other things, and above all work tools.

After a long search, I found our carpenter's box, and it was a truly precious find for me, which I would not have traded at that time for a whole ship full of gold. I put this box on the raft without even looking into it, since I knew very well what tools were in it.

Now all I had to do was stock up on weapons and ammunition. In the cabin I found two good hunting rifles and two pistols, which I laid on the raft along with a powder flask, a bag of shot and two old, rusty swords. I knew that we had three kegs of gunpowder on the ship, but I did not know where they were stored. However, after a thorough search, all three barrels were found. One turned out to be wet, and two were dry, and I dragged them onto the raft along with guns and swords. Now my raft was sufficiently loaded, and I had to hit the road. Getting to the shore on a raft without a sail, without a rudder is not an easy task: the weakest headwind was enough for my entire structure to capsize.

Luckily the sea was calm. The tide was coming in, which was supposed to drive me towards the shore. In addition, a slight breeze arose, also favorable. Therefore, taking with me the broken oars from the ship's boat, I hurried on the way back. Soon I managed to spot a small bay, to which I directed my raft. With great difficulty I navigated it across the current and finally entered this bay, resting my oar on the bottom, since it was shallow here; As soon as the tide began to ebb, my raft with all its cargo ended up on a dry shore.

Now I had to examine the surrounding area and choose a convenient place to live - one where I could put all my property without fear that it would perish. I still didn’t know where I ended up: on the mainland or on the island. Do people live here? Are there any predatory animals here? Half a mile away, or a little further, there was a hill, steep and high. I decided to climb it to look around. Taking a gun, a pistol and a powder flask, I went on reconnaissance.

It was difficult to climb to the top of the hill. When I finally climbed up, I saw what a bitter fate had befallen me: I was on an island! The sea spread out all around on all sides, behind which there was no land visible anywhere, except for several reefs sticking out in the distance and two islands that lay about nine miles to the west. These islands were small, much smaller than mine.

I made another discovery: the vegetation on the island was wild, not a single piece of cultivated land was visible anywhere! This means that there really were no people here!

There also seemed to be no predatory animals here, at least I didn’t notice any. But there were a lot of birds, all of some species unknown to me, so that later, when I happened to shoot a bird, I could never determine by its appearance whether its meat was suitable for food or not. Descending from the hill, I shot one bird, a very large one: it was sitting on a tree at the edge of the forest.

I think this was the first shot heard in these wild places. Before I had time to shoot, a cloud of birds soared over the forest. Each screamed in its own way, but none of these screams sounded like the screams of birds I knew.

The bird I killed resembled our European hawk both in the color of its feathers and the shape of its beak. Only her claws were much shorter. Its meat tasted like carrion, and I could not eat it.

These were the discoveries I made on the first day. Then I returned to the raft and began dragging things ashore. This took me the rest of the day.

By evening I again began to think about how and where I should settle down for the night.

I was afraid to lie straight on the ground: what if I was in danger of being attacked by some predatory animal? Therefore, having chosen a convenient place to spend the night on the shore, I blocked it off on all sides with chests and boxes, and inside this fence I built something like a hut from boards.

I was also worried about how I would get food for myself when my supplies ran out: except for birds and two animals, like our hare, that jumped out of the forest at the sound of my shot, I didn’t see any living creatures here.

However, at the moment I was much more interested in something else. I didn’t take everything that could be taken from the ship; There were many things left there that could be useful to me, and above all sails and ropes. Therefore, I decided, if nothing would stop me, to visit the ship again. I was sure that at the first storm it would be smashed to pieces. It was necessary to put aside all other matters and hastily start unloading the ship. I can’t calm down until I take all my things ashore, down to the last nail. Having come to this decision, I began to think whether I should go on a raft or swim, like the first time. I decided that it would be more convenient to go swimming. Only this time I undressed in the hut, remaining in only the bottom plaid shirt, linen pants and leather shoes on my bare feet. Just like the first time, I climbed onto the ship by rope, then put together a new raft and transported many useful things on it. Firstly, I grabbed everything that was found in our carpenter’s closet, namely: two or three bags of nails (large and small), a screwdriver, two dozen axes, and most importantly, such a useful thing as a sharpener.

Then I grabbed several things that I found from our gunner: three iron scraps, two barrels of gun bullets and some gunpowder. Then I found a whole heap of all kinds of clothes on the ship and also grabbed a spare sail, a hammock, several mattresses and pillows. I put all this on the raft and, to my great pleasure, delivered it to the shore intact. Going to the ship, I was afraid that in my absence some predators would attack the provisions. Fortunately, this did not happen.

Only some animal came running from the forest and sat down on one of my chests. Seeing me, he ran a little to the side, but immediately stopped, stood on his hind legs and with imperturbable calm, without any fear, looked into my eyes, as if he wanted to get to know me.

The animal was beautiful, like a wild cat. I aimed my gun at him, but he, unaware of the danger that threatened him, did not even move. Then I threw him a piece of cracker, although it was unreasonable on my part, since I didn’t have enough crackers and I should have saved them. Still, I liked the animal so much that I gave him this piece of cracker. He ran up, sniffed the cracker, ate it and licked it with great pleasure. It was clear that he was waiting for the continuation. But I didn't give him anything else. He sat for a while and left.

After that I began to build myself a tent. I made it from a sail and poles that I cut in the forest. I moved everything that could be damaged by the sun and rain into the tent, and piled empty boxes and chests around it, in case of a sudden attack by people or wild animals.

I blocked the entrance to the tent from the outside with a large chest, placing it sideways, and blocked it from the inside with boards. Then I spread out the bed on the ground, placed two pistols at the head of the bed, a gun next to the bed, and lay down.

This was the first night I spent in bed after the shipwreck. I slept soundly until the morning, since the previous night I slept very little, and worked all day without rest: first I loaded things from the ship onto the raft, and then transported them to the shore.

No one, I think, had such a huge warehouse of things as I now had. But everything seemed not enough to me. The ship was intact, and as long as it didn’t drift away, as long as there was at least one thing left on it that I could use, I considered it necessary to take everything that was possible from there to the shore. Therefore, every day I went there at low tide and brought with me more and more new things.

My third trip was especially successful. I dismantled all the gear and took all the ropes with me. This time I brought a large piece of spare canvas, which we used for repairing sails, and a keg of wet gunpowder, which I had left on the ship. In the end I got all the sails ashore; I just had to cut them into pieces and transport them piece by piece. However, I did not regret it: I did not need the sails for navigation, and all their value to me lay in the canvas from which they were made.

Now absolutely everything that one person could lift was taken from the ship. All that was left were the bulky things, which I set to work on on the next flight. I started with the ropes. I cut each rope into pieces of such a size that it would not be too difficult for me to handle them, and I transported three ropes in pieces. In addition, I took from the ship all the iron parts that I could tear off with an ax. Then, having cut off all the remaining yards, I built a larger raft out of them, loaded all these weights onto it and set off on the return journey.

But this time my luck betrayed me: my raft was so heavily loaded that it was very difficult for me to control it.

When, having entered the bay, I approached the shore where the rest of my property was stored, the raft capsized and I fell into the water with all my cargo. I couldn’t drown, since it happened not far from the shore, but almost all of my cargo ended up under water; Most importantly, the iron that I valued so much sank.

True, when the tide began to ebb, I pulled almost all the pieces of rope and several pieces of iron ashore, but I had to dive for each piece, and this tired me very much.

My trips to the ship continued day after day, and each time I brought something new.

I have already lived on the island for thirteen days and during this time I have been on the ship eleven times, dragging ashore absolutely everything that a pair of human hands can lift. I have no doubt that if the calm weather had lasted longer, I would have transported the entire ship piece by piece.

While making preparations for the twelfth flight, I noticed that the wind was rising. Nevertheless, after waiting for the tide to go out, I went to the ship. During my previous visits, I searched our cabin so thoroughly that it seemed to me as if it was impossible to find anything there. But suddenly a small cabinet with two drawers caught my eye: in one I found three razors, scissors and about a dozen good forks and knives; in another box there was money, partly European, partly Brazilian silver and gold coins, totaling thirty-six pounds sterling.

I grinned at the sight of this money.

“You worthless trash,” I said, “what do I need you for now?” I would willingly give a whole bunch of gold for any of these penny knives. I have nowhere to put you. So go to the bottom of the sea. If you were lying on the floor, really, it wouldn’t be worth the effort to bend over to lift you up.

But, after thinking a little, I still wrapped the money in a piece of canvas and took it with me.

The sea raged all night, and when I looked out of my tent in the morning, not a trace remained of the ship. Now I could fully deal with the question that had been troubling me since the first day: what should I do so that neither predatory animals nor wild people would attack me? What kind of housing should I arrange? Dig a cave or pitch a tent?

In the end I decided to do both.

By this time it became clear to me that the place I had chosen on the shore was not suitable for building a dwelling: it was a swampy, low-lying place, close to the sea. Living in such places is very harmful. In addition, there was no fresh water nearby. I decided to find another piece of land more suitable for habitation. I needed my home to be protected from the heat of the sun and from predators; so that it stands in a place where there is no dampness; so that there is fresh water nearby. In addition, I definitely wanted the sea to be visible from my house.

End of free trial.

Daniel Defoe
Life, extraordinary and amazing adventures
ROBINSON CRUSOE,
a sailor from York, who lived twenty-eight years all alone on a desert island, off the coast of America, near the mouth of the great Orinoco river, where he was thrown by a shipwreck, during which the whole crew of the ship, except himself, perished, with an account of his unexpected liberation by pirates. Written by himself

Preface

If there is a story of private adventures that deserves to become public knowledge and be warmly received everywhere upon its publication, then, as the publisher believes, this is the story.

The wonderful adventures of her hero surpass - the publisher is sure of this - all that have ever been described and have come down to us; it is difficult to imagine that the life of one person can accommodate such a variety of events.

The story is told simply, seriously, with a religious understanding of what is happening, which smart people can always use, namely, to explain, using the example of the plot, the wisdom and goodness of Providence, manifested in a variety of circumstances of human life.

The publisher is convinced that this narrative is only a strict statement of facts, there is not a shadow of fiction in it. Moreover, he must say (for there are different opinions about such things) that further improvements, whether for the amusement or instruction of the readers, would only spoil the story.

So, no longer seeking the attention of the world, the publisher publishes this story as it is, believing that he is thereby providing a great service to readers.

* * *

I was born in 1632 in the city of York into a respectable family, although not of native origin: my father came from Bremen and first settled in Hull. Having made a good fortune through trade, he left his business and moved to York. Here he married my mother, who belonged to an old family with the surname Robinson. They gave me the name Robinson, but the British, in their custom of distorting foreign words, changed my father’s surname Kreutzner into Crusoe. Over time, we ourselves began to call ourselves and sign ourselves Crusoe; That's what my friends always called me too.

I had two older brothers. One served in Flanders, in an English infantry regiment, the same one that was once commanded by the famous Colonel Lockhart; his brother rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was killed in the battle with the Spaniards near Dunkirk. I don’t know what happened to my second brother, just as my father and mother didn’t know what happened to me.

Since I was the third son in the family, they were not going to let me work in the trade department, and from a young age my head was filled with all sorts of nonsense. My father, being already at an advanced age, made sure that I received a completely tolerable education to the extent that home education and a free city school could provide it. He intended me to become a lawyer, but I dreamed of sea voyages and did not want to hear about anything else. This passion of mine for the sea turned out to be so strong that I went against the will of my father, - moreover, against his prohibitions - and neglected the persuasion and entreaties of my mother and friends; there seemed to be something fatal in this natural attraction that pushed me towards the misadventures that befell me.

My father, a sedate and intelligent man, guessing about my intentions, warned me seriously and thoroughly. Bedridden by gout, he called me into his room one morning and began to exhort me with fervor. What other reasons, he asked, besides a tendency to wander, could I have for leaving my father’s house and my native country, where I can increase my income through diligence and labor and live in contentment and pleasure? Those who leave their homeland in pursuit of adventure, he said, are either those who have nothing to lose, or ambitious people who want to achieve even more; some embark on enterprises that go beyond the framework of everyday life for the sake of profit, others for the sake of fame; but such goals are either inaccessible or unworthy for me; my destiny is the middle, that is, what can be called the highest level of modest existence, and it, as he was convinced from many years of experience, is better than anything else in the world and is most suitable for happiness, for a person is not oppressed by need and deprivation, hard work and the sufferings that befall the lower classes are not disturbed by the luxury, ambition, arrogance and envy of the upper classes. How pleasant such a life is, he said, can be judged at least by the fact that everyone else envy it: after all, kings often complain about the bitter fate of people born for great deeds, and lament that fate has not placed them between two extremes - insignificance and greatness, and even the sage, who prayed to heaven not to send him either poverty or wealth, thereby testified that the golden mean is an example of true happiness.

One has only to observe, my father assured me, and I will understand that all the hardships of life are distributed between the higher and lower classes and that people of moderate income, who are not subject to as many vicissitudes of fate as the higher and lower circles of human society, endure them least often; even from illnesses, physical and mental, they are protected more than those whose illnesses are caused either by vices, luxury and all kinds of excesses, or by exhausting labor, poverty, meager and bad food, and all their ailments are nothing more than natural consequences lifestyle. The middle position in society is most conducive to the flourishing of all virtues and all the joys of life: peace and contentment are its servants; moderation, temperance, health, peace of mind, sociability, all kinds of pleasant entertainment, all kinds of pleasures are his blessed companions. A person of average income goes through his life’s path quietly and serenely, without burdening himself with either physical or mental backbreaking labor, without selling himself into slavery for a piece of bread, without tormented by the search for a way out of complicated situations that deprive the body of sleep and the soul of peace, without suffering from envy, without secretly burning with the fire of ambition. He glides freely and easily through life, rationally tasting the sweets of life that do not leave a bitter aftertaste, feeling that he is happy, and every day comprehending this more clearly and deeply.

Then my father persistently and extremely affectionately began to beg me not to be childish, not to rush headlong into disasters, from which nature itself and the conditions of life, it seemed, should protect me. After all, I am not forced to work for a piece of bread, but he will make every effort to lead me onto the path that he advises me to take; if I turn out to be a failure or unhappy, then I will have to blame only bad fate or my own mistakes, since he warned me against a step that would bring me nothing but harm, and, having thus fulfilled his duty, relinquishes all responsibility. responsibility; in a word, if I stay at home and arrange my life according to his instructions, he will be a caring father to me, but in no case will he contribute to my death by encouraging me to leave. In conclusion, he cited the example of my older brother, whom he also persistently convinced not to take part in the Dutch war, but all persuasion was in vain: youthful dreams forced my brother to flee into the army, and he died. And although, my father concluded, he will never stop praying for me, he undertakes to assert that if I do not give up my crazy intentions, I will not have God’s blessing. The time will come when I will regret that I neglected his advice, but then, perhaps, there will be no one to come to my rescue.

I saw how at the end of this speech (it was truly prophetic, although I think my father himself did not suspect it) copious tears streamed down the old man’s face, especially when he spoke about my murdered brother; and when the priest said that the time for repentance would come, but there would be no one to help me, his voice trembled with excitement, and he whispered that his heart was breaking and he could not utter a word anymore.

I was sincerely moved by this speech (and who wouldn’t be touched by it?) and firmly decided not to think any more about leaving for foreign lands, but to stay in my homeland, as my father wished. But alas! A few days later, not a trace remained of my determination: in short, a few weeks after my conversation with my father, in order to avoid further fatherly admonitions, I decided to flee home secretly. I restrained the ardor of my impatience and acted slowly: choosing a time when my mother, as it seemed to me, was in a better mood than usual, I took her to a corner and confessed that all my thoughts were subordinated to the desire to see distant lands, and that even if I get busy with something, I still won’t have the patience to complete it, and that it would be better for my father to let me go voluntarily, otherwise I will be forced to do without his permission. I’m already eighteen years old, I said, and at these years it’s too late to learn a craft, and even if I became a scribe to a solicitor, I know in advance that I would run away from my patron before completing my studies and go to sea. But if my mother had persuaded my father to let me go on a sea voyage at least once; if life at sea is not to my liking, I will return home and never leave again; and I can give my word that with redoubled diligence I will make up for lost time.

My words greatly agitated my mother. She said that it was useless to talk to my father about this, because he understood too well what my benefit was and would never give consent to anything that would harm me. She is simply amazed that I can still think about such things after my conversation with my father, who convinced me so gently and with such kindness. Of course, if I firmly decided to destroy myself, nothing can be done about it, but I can be sure that neither she nor my father will ever agree to my idea; she herself does not in the least want to contribute to my death, and I will never have the right to say that my mother indulged me, while my father was against it.

Subsequently, I learned that although my mother refused to intercede with my father on my behalf, she nevertheless conveyed to him our conversation word for word. Very concerned about this turn of events, the father told her with a sigh: “The boy could live happily by remaining in his homeland, but if he goes to foreign lands, he will become the most pitiful, most unfortunate creature in the world. No, I cannot agree to this."

Almost a year passed before I managed to break free. During this time, I stubbornly remained deaf to all proposals to engage in business and often argued with my father and mother, who resolutely opposed what I was so strongly attracted to. Once, when I was in Hull, where I ended up by chance, without any thought of escape, one of my friends, who was going to London on his father’s ship, began to persuade me to go with him, tempting me, as is usual with sailors, by the fact that I it won't cost anything to travel. And so, without asking either the father or the mother, without notifying them with a word and leaving them to find out about it as they have to, without asking for either parental or God’s blessing, without taking into account either the circumstances or the consequences, in an unkind way - he sees God! - o'clock, September 1, 1651, I boarded a ship bound for London. It must be assumed that never have the misfortunes and misfortunes of young adventurers begun so early and lasted so long as mine. No sooner had our ship left the mouth of the Humber than the wind blew, raising huge, terrible waves. Until then I had never been at sea and I cannot describe how bad it was for my poor body and how my soul shuddered with fear. And only then did I seriously think about what I had done, and about the justice of the heavenly punishment that befell me for so unscrupulously leaving my father’s house and violating my filial duty. All the good advice of my parents, my father’s tears and my mother’s pleas were resurrected in my memory, and my conscience, which at that time had not yet had time to become completely hardened, tormented me for neglecting my parents’ admonitions and for violating my duties to God and my father.

Meanwhile, the wind grew stronger, and a storm broke out at sea, which, however, could not be compared with those that I saw many times later, or even with the one that I had to see a few days later. But this was enough to stun me, a beginner who knew nothing about maritime affairs. When a new wave rolled in, I expected it to swallow us up, and every time the ship fell down, as it seemed to me, into the abyss or abyss of the sea, I was sure that it would no longer rise to the surface. And in this mental anguish, I repeatedly decided and made vows to myself that if the Lord would please to save my life this time, if my foot would set foot on solid ground again, I would immediately return home to my father and, as long as I was alive, I would not sit on ship that I will follow my father's advice and never again expose myself to such danger. Now I understood the full justice of my father’s reasoning regarding the golden mean; It became clear to me how peacefully and pleasantly he lived his entire life, never exposing himself to storms at sea or adversity on land - in a word, I, like the once prodigal son, decided to return to my parental home with repentance.

These sober and prudent thoughts did not leave me while the storm lasted, and even for some time after it; but the next morning the wind began to subside, the excitement subsided, and I began to gradually get used to the sea. Be that as it may, I was very serious all that day (especially since I had not yet fully recovered from seasickness); but before sunset the sky cleared, the wind stopped, and a quiet, charming evening arrived; the sun set without clouds and rose just as clear the next day, and the expanse of the sea with complete or almost complete calm, all bathed in its radiance, presented a delightful picture that I had never seen before.

That night I slept well, there was no trace of my seasickness left, I was cheerful and cheerful and admired the sea, which only yesterday had raged and rumbled so much and in such a short time could calm down and present such an attractive sight. And then, as if to change my prudent decision, a friend who had enticed me to go with him came up to me and, tapping me on the shoulder, said: “Well, Bob, how are you feeling after yesterday? I bet you were scared - admit it, you were scared yesterday when the breeze blew?” - “Breeze? Nice breeze! I could never imagine such a terrible storm!” - “Storms! Oh, you weirdo! So, do you think it's a storm? What you! This is sheer nonsense! Give us a good ship and more space, and we won’t even notice such a squall. Well, you're still a very inexperienced sailor, Bob. Let's go make some punch and forget about it. Look what a wonderful day it is today!” To shorten this sad part of my story, I’ll say what happened next, as it should be with sailors: they made punch, I got pretty drunk and drowned in the revelry of that night all my repentance, all my thoughts about my past behavior and all my good decisions about the future. In a word, as soon as silence reigned on the sea, as soon as my excited feelings subsided along with the storm and the fear of drowning in the depths of the sea passed, my thoughts turned back to their previous direction, and all the oaths, all the promises that I made to myself in the hours of suffering were forgotten. True, sometimes enlightenment came over me, sound thoughts still tried, so to speak, to return to me, but I drove them away, fought with them, as if with attacks of illness, and with the help of drunkenness and cheerful company I soon triumphed over these attacks, as I called them: in just five or six days I won as complete a victory over my conscience as a young man who decided not to pay attention to it could wish for himself. However, another test awaited me: as always in such cases, Providence wished to take away my last justification before myself; in fact, if this time I did not want to understand that I was completely indebted to him, then the next test was of such a kind that even the last, most inveterate scoundrel from our crew could not help but admit that the danger was truly great and We were saved only by a miracle.

On the sixth day after going to sea we arrived at the Yarmouth roadstead. The wind after the storm was unfavorable and weak all the time, so after the storm we could barely move. Here we were forced to drop anchor and stood in a southwest, that is, opposite, wind for seven or eight days. During this time a considerable number of ships from Newcastle came to the roadstead, for the Yarmouth roadstead usually serves as a stopping place for ships that wait here for a fair wind to enter the river.

However, we would not have stood for long and would have entered the river with the tide if the wind had not been so fresh, and after five days it had not become even stronger. However, Yarmouth Roadstead is considered as good an anchorage as the harbor, and our anchors and anchor ropes were reliable; therefore, our people were not at all worried and did not even think about danger - according to the custom of sailors, they divided their leisure time between rest and entertainment. But on the eighth day, in the morning, the wind intensified, and all the sailors had to whistle up, remove the topmasts and tightly fasten everything that was needed so that the ship could safely stay in the roadstead. By noon, great excitement began at sea, the ship began to rock violently; he scooped up the side several times, and once or twice it seemed to us that we had been torn from our anchor. Then the captain ordered to give a spare anchor. Thus, we stayed on two anchors against the wind, pulling the ropes to the end.

Meanwhile, a severe storm broke out. Confusion and fear were now even on the faces of the sailors. Several times I heard the captain himself, passing me from his cabin, muttering in a low voice: “Lord, have mercy on us, otherwise we are lost, we are all finished,” - which did not prevent him, however, from vigilantly observing the work to save the ship . At first I looked at all this turmoil in stupor, lying motionless in my cabin next to the helm, and I don’t even know exactly what I felt. It was difficult for me to return to my former repentant mood after I myself had despised it and hardened my soul; It seemed to me that mortal horror had passed once and for all and that this storm would pass without a trace, like the first. But, I repeat, when the captain himself, passing by, mentioned the death that threatened us, I was incredibly scared. I ran out of the cabin onto the deck; Never in my life have I seen such an ominous picture: the sea rose up like mountains as high as a mountain, and such a mountain overturned on us every three or four minutes. When, having gathered my courage, I looked around, I saw grave disasters. On two heavily laden ships anchored not far from us, all the masts had been cut off. One of our sailors shouted that the ship, standing half a mile ahead of us, had sunk. Two more ships were torn from their anchors and carried out to the open sea to the mercy of fate, for neither one nor the other had a single mast left. Small vessels held up better than others - it was easier for them to maneuver; but two or three of them were also carried out to sea, and they rushed side by side past us, having removed all the sails except one stern jib.

At the end of the day, the navigator and boatswain began to beg the captain to allow them to cut down the foremast. The captain resisted for a long time, but the boatswain began to prove that if the foremast was left, the ship would certainly sink, and he agreed, and when the foremast was demolished, the mainmast began to stagger so much and rock the ship so much that it was necessary to demolish both it and thus clearing the deck.

Defoe Daniel

Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe

CHAPTER FIRST

Robinson family. - His escape from his parents' house

From early childhood I loved the sea more than anything in the world. I envied every sailor who set off on a long voyage. For hours at a time I stood on the seashore and without taking my eyes off the ships passing by.

My parents didn't like it very much. My father, an old, sick man, wanted me to become an important official, serve in the royal court and receive a large salary. But I dreamed of sea voyages. It seemed to me the greatest happiness to wander the seas and oceans.

My father guessed what was on my mind. One day he called me over and said angrily:

I know: you want to run away from your home. This is crazy. You must stay. If you stay, I will be a good father to you, but woe to you if you run away! “Here his voice trembled, and he quietly added: “Think about your sick mother... She cannot bear to be separated from you.”

Tears sparkled in his eyes. He loved me and wanted the best for me.

I felt sorry for the old man, I firmly decided to stay in my parents’ house and not think about sea voyages anymore. But alas! - Several days passed, and nothing remained of my good intentions. I was again drawn to the sea shores. I began to dream of masts, waves, sails, seagulls, unknown countries, lights of lighthouses.

Two or three weeks after my conversation with my father, I finally decided to run away. Choosing a time when my mother was cheerful and calm, I approached her and respectfully said:

I am already eighteen years old, and these years are too late to study judgeship. Even if I had entered the service somewhere, I would still have fled to distant countries after a few years. I so want to see foreign lands, to visit both Africa and Asia! Even if I get attached to something, I still don’t have the patience to see it through to the end. I ask you, persuade my father to let me go to sea at least for a short time, for a test; If I don’t like the life of a sailor, I will return home and never go anywhere else. Let my father let me go voluntarily, otherwise I will be forced to leave home without his permission.

My mother got very angry with me and said:

I’m surprised how you can think about sea voyages after your conversation with your father! After all, your father demanded that you forget about foreign lands once and for all. And he understands better than you what business you should do. Of course, if you want to destroy yourself, leave even this minute, but you can be sure that your father and I will never give consent to your journey. And in vain you hoped that I would help you. No, I won't say a word to my father about your meaningless dreams. I don’t want that later, when life at sea brings you to poverty and suffering, you could reproach your mother for indulging you.

Then, many years later, I learned that my mother nevertheless conveyed to my father our entire conversation, from word to word. The father was saddened and said to her with a sigh:

I don’t understand what he needs? In his homeland, he could easily achieve success and happiness. We are not rich people, but we have some means. He can live with us without needing anything. If he goes on a journey, he will experience great hardships and regret that he did not listen to his father. No, I can't let him go to sea. Far from his homeland, he will be lonely, and if trouble happens to him, he will not have a friend who could console him. And then he will repent of his recklessness, but it will be too late!

And yet, after a few months, I ran away from my home. It happened like this. One day I went to the city of Gull for several days. There I met a friend who was about to go to London on his father's ship. He began to persuade me to go with him, tempting me with the fact that travel on the ship would be free.

And so, without asking either father or mother, at an unkind hour! - On September 1, 1651, at the age of nineteen, I boarded a ship bound for London.

It was a bad act: I shamelessly abandoned my elderly parents, neglected their advice and violated my filial duty. And I very soon had to repent of what I had done.

CHAPTER TWO

First adventures at sea

No sooner had our ship left the mouth of the Humber than a cold wind blew from the north. The sky was covered with clouds. A strong rocking motion began.

I had never been to sea before, and I felt bad. My head began to spin, my legs began to tremble, I felt nauseous, and I almost fell. Every time a big wave hit the ship, it seemed to me that we would drown right away. Every time a ship fell from a high crest of a wave, I was sure that it would never rise again.

A thousand times I swore that if I remained alive, if my foot set foot on solid ground again, I would immediately return home to my father and never in my entire life would set foot on the deck of a ship again.

These prudent thoughts lasted only as long as the storm raged.

But the wind died down, the excitement subsided, and I felt much better. Little by little I began to get used to the sea. True, I was not yet completely free of seasickness, but by the end of the day the weather had cleared up, the wind had completely died down, and a delightful evening had arrived.

I slept soundly all night. The next day the sky was just as clear. The calm sea with complete calm, all illuminated by the sun, presented such a beautiful picture as I had never seen before. There was no trace left of my seasickness. I immediately calmed down and felt happy. With surprise, I looked around the sea, which just yesterday seemed violent, cruel and menacing, but today it was so meek and gentle.

Then, as if on purpose, my friend, who tempted me to go with him, comes up to me, pats me on the shoulder and says:

Well, how are you feeling, Bob? I bet you were scared. Admit it: you were very scared yesterday when the breeze blew?

Breeze? Nice breeze! It was a mad squall. I could not even imagine such a terrible storm!

Storms? Oh, you fool! Do you think this is a storm? Well, you’re still new to the sea: no wonder you’re scared... Let’s go, let’s order some punch, drink a glass and forget about the storm. Look how clear the day is! Wonderful weather, isn't it? To shorten this sad part of my story, I will only say that things went as usual with sailors: I got drunk and drowned in wine all my promises and oaths, all my laudable thoughts about immediately returning home. As soon as the calm came and I stopped being afraid that the waves would swallow me, I immediately forgot all my good intentions.

On the sixth day we saw the town of Yarmouth in the distance. The wind was headwind after the storm, so we moved forward very slowly. At Yarmouth we had to drop anchor. We stood waiting for a fair wind for seven or eight days.

Robinson family. - His escape from his parents' house

From early childhood I loved the sea more than anything in the world. I envied every sailor who set off on a long voyage. For hours at a time I stood on the seashore and without taking my eyes off the ships passing by.

My parents didn't like it very much. My father, an old, sick man, wanted me to become an important official, serve in the royal court and receive a large salary. But I dreamed of sea voyages. It seemed to me the greatest happiness to wander the seas and oceans.

My father guessed what was on my mind. One day he called me over and said angrily:

I know: you want to run away from your home. This is crazy. You must stay. If you stay, I will be a good father to you, but woe to you if you run away! - Here his voice trembled, and he quietly added:

Think about your sick mother... She cannot bear to be separated from you.

Tears sparkled in his eyes. He loved me and wanted the best for me.

I felt sorry for the old man, I firmly decided to stay in my parents’ house and not think about sea voyages anymore. But alas! - Several days passed, and nothing remained of my good intentions. I was again drawn to the sea shores. I began to dream of masts, waves, sails, seagulls, unknown countries, lights of lighthouses.

Two or three weeks after my conversation with my father, I finally decided to run away. Choosing a time when my mother was cheerful and calm, I approached her and respectfully said:

I am already eighteen years old, and these years are too late to study judgeship. Even if I entered the service somewhere, I would still run away to distant countries after a few years. I so want to see foreign lands, to visit both Africa and Asia! Even if I get attached to something, I still don’t have the patience to see it through to the end. I ask you, persuade my father to let me go to sea at least for a short time, for a test; If I don’t like the life of a sailor, I will return home and never go anywhere else. Let my father let me go voluntarily, otherwise I will be forced to leave home without his permission.

My mother got very angry with me and said:

I’m surprised how you can think about sea voyages after your conversation with your father! After all, your father demanded that you forget about foreign lands once and for all. And he understands better than you what business you should do. Of course, if you want to destroy yourself, leave even this minute, but you can be sure that your father and I will never give consent to your journey. And in vain you hoped that I would help you. No, I won't say a word to my father about your meaningless dreams. I don’t want that later, when life at sea brings you to poverty and suffering, you could reproach your mother for indulging you.

Then, many years later, I found out that my mother nevertheless conveyed to my father our entire conversation, from word to word. The father was saddened and said to her with a sigh:

I don’t understand what he needs? In his homeland, he could easily achieve success and happiness. We are not rich people, but we have some means. He can live with us without needing anything. If he goes on a journey, he will experience great hardships and regret that he did not listen to his father. No, I can't let him go to sea. Far from his homeland, he will be lonely, and if trouble happens to him, he will not have a friend who could console him. And then he will repent of his recklessness, but it will be too late!

And yet, after a few months, I fled from my home. It happened like this. One day I went to the city of Gull for several days. There I met a friend who was about to go to London on his father's ship. He began to persuade me to go with him, tempting me with the fact that travel on the ship would be free.

And so, without asking either father or mother, at an unkind hour! - On September 1, 1651, at the age of nineteen, I boarded a ship bound for London.

It was a bad act: I shamelessly abandoned my elderly parents, neglected their advice and violated my filial duty. And I very soon had to repent of what I had done.

Chapter 2

First adventures at sea

No sooner had our ship left the mouth of the Humber than a cold wind blew from the north. The sky was covered with clouds. A strong rocking motion began.

I had never been to sea before, and I felt bad. My head began to spin, my legs began to tremble, I felt nauseous, and I almost fell. Every time a big wave hit the ship, it seemed to me that we would drown right away. Every time a ship fell from a high crest of a wave, I was sure that it would never rise again.

A thousand times I swore that if I remained alive, if my foot set foot on solid ground again, I would immediately return home to my father and never in my entire life would set foot on the deck of a ship again.

These prudent thoughts lasted only as long as the storm raged.

But the wind died down, the excitement subsided, and I felt much better. Little by little I began to get used to the sea. True, I had not yet completely recovered from seasickness, but by the end of the day the weather had cleared up, the wind had completely died down, and a delightful evening had arrived.

I slept soundly all night. The next day the sky was just as clear. The calm sea with complete calm, all illuminated by the sun, presented such a beautiful picture as I had never seen before. There was no trace left of my seasickness. I immediately calmed down and felt happy. With surprise, I looked around the sea, which just yesterday seemed violent, cruel and menacing, but today it was so meek and gentle.

Robinson Crusoe

My father was from Bremen. Having made a good fortune through trade, he moved to England, where he married my mother, who came from the venerable Robinson family. I was born in 1632 in the city of York; I was given the name Robinson, and my father’s surname was Kreutzner, but, following the British custom of simplifying foreign sounds, they changed it into Crusoe. I already had sisters and two older brothers, whose fate was sad, although our home was considered one of the most prosperous. The elder brother rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the English infantry regiment and was killed near Dunkirchen in a battle against the Spaniards. What happened to the other one, I know little - I remember only his vague image, which flashed and disappeared in my childhood.

I was a late child of my kind parents, and my aging father tried to give me the education that could be acquired by being brought up at home or attending a common school. Dejected by the choice of military profession of his eldest son and the restless character of his middle one, he really wanted me to become a lawyer, but I liked nothing except sea travel. Too early I began to dream of distant travels, and this passion, despite the requests of my mother to come to my senses and contrary to the wishes of my father, only intensified with age. I had no idea then where it would lead me.

My father, a sensible and prudent man, in the hope of influencing my choice, one morning invited me to his room and unexpectedly spoke warmly to me. What reason, other than the destructive tendency to travel, forces me to leave my homeland and my father’s house?

“Only adventurers, people seeking easy money,” he continued, “people who are not capable of daily work, or ambitious people embark on adventures and seek dubious fame.” Recklessness does not decorate a person; it is contrary to the norm. The experience of my life has shown that the best position in the world is connected with the well-being of a person. Diseases, physical and mental torment occur less often in it, it is devoid of luxury and vices; tranquility and modest prosperity are faithful companions of a happy middle...

I listened to him silently.

“Finally stop being childish,” said the father. - Settle down. You don’t need a piece of bread, you are surrounded by attention and love, we all wish you only the best. However, if you still do it your own way and are not happy, blame yourself, your mistakes - that’s my warning. If you still decide to stay with us and listen to my advice, I am ready to do a lot for you. After all, my heart always hurts at the thought of your death, in which I do not intend to take part...

I felt sincerely sorry for my father; I was ready to give up my dream and stay in my parents' house, but soon the good intentions evaporated like dew in the sun, and a few weeks later I decided to sneak away!

But doubts did not leave me, and one day, noticing that my mother was in a good mood, I, alone with her, whispered:

“Mother, the desire to wander is so strong in me that I cannot concentrate on anything else. It would be much better for my father if he agreed with my plans and agreed to their implementation. He would not put me in the position of an ungrateful son. I am eighteen years old and it’s too late to become an apprentice to a merchant or a clerk to a lawyer; I am sure that even if I do this, I will certainly break the condition, leave the owner and board the first ship I come across. If you want to put in a good word for me with my father so that he himself will let me go on a long journey, then I will soon return home and will not move again. I promise to earn your forgiveness with double diligence for all the lost time.

The mother looked confused and worried.

“This is completely impossible,” she exclaimed, “your father will never meet you halfway!” Don't ask, I won't talk to him for anything. And not only because you are stubborn even after your conversation, but also because I completely agree with his view of your life. I don’t support you and I don’t want it to be said about me that I blessed a disastrous enterprise that my husband doesn’t like.

Later I found out that she told my father everything verbatim.

“Our son,” he sighed sadly in response, “could have been happy by staying with us.” If a guy goes to scour the world, he will not only lose the warmth of his native nest, but in addition he will acquire a bunch of troubles and troubles. I will never come to terms with this!

And yet I did not lose hope and constantly refused offers to do something more substantial than fruitless fantasies. I tried to prove to my parents the impossibility of any changes in myself. But another year passed before I managed to escape from home...

One day an old friend of mine, who was sailing to London from Hull on his father’s ship, persuaded me to go with him. I was seduced by the common bait of all sailors: he offered to take me to the capital for free. I immediately agreed and, without asking my parents’ permission, without notifying them even by a hint, on September 1, 1651, I boarded my first ship in my life. Now it seems to me that it was a bad act: like a tramp, I abandoned my elderly father and kind mother and violated my filial duty. And very soon I had to bitterly repent of this!

As soon as the ship entered the open sea, a hurricane wind rose and strong rolling began. This stunned such a novice in maritime affairs as I was then - my head was spinning, the deck was disappearing from under my feet, and nausea was rising in my throat. It seemed to me that we were about to drown. I almost lost consciousness and became so dispirited that I was ready to admit that I had been struck by heavenly punishment. As the rough seas intensified, a panicked decision matured in me: as soon as I set foot on solid ground, I would immediately return to my parents’ house and never board a ship again.