thing like an anchor, but which, indeed, could not be called either anchor or grapnel; however, it was the best
I could make of its kind: all these I removed, that there might not be the least shadow for discovery, or
appearance of any boat, or of any human habitation upon the island. Besides this, I kept myself, as I said,
more retired than ever, and seldom went from my cell except upon my constant employment, to milk my
she.goats, and manage my little flock in the wood, which, as it was quite on the other part of the island, was
out of danger; for certain, it is that these savage people, who sometimes haunted this island, never came with
any thoughts of finding anything here, and consequently never wandered off from the coast, and I doubt not
but they might have been several times on shore after my apprehensions of them had made me cautious, as
well as before. Indeed, I looked back with some horror upon the thoughts of what my condition would have
been if I had chopped upon them and been discovered before that; when, naked and unarmed, except with one
gun, and that loaded often only with small shot, I walked everywhere, peeping and peering about the island,
to see what I could get; what a surprise should I have been in if, when I discovered the print of a man's foot, I
had, instead of that, seen fifteen or twenty savages, and found them pursuing me, and by the swiftness of their
running no possibility of my escaping them! The thoughts of this sometimes sank my very soul within me,
and distressed my mind so much that I could not soon recover it, to think what I should have done, and how I
should not only have been unable to resist them, but even should not have had presence of mind enough to do
what I might have done; much less what now, after so much consideration and preparation, I might be able to
do. Indeed, after serious thinking of these things, I would be melancholy, and sometimes it would last a great
while; but I resolved it all at last into thankfulness to that Providence which had delivered me from so many
unseen dangers, and had kept me from those mischiefs which I could have no way been the agent in
delivering myself from, because I had not the least notion of any such thing depending, or the least
supposition of its being possible. This renewed a contemplation which often had come into my thoughts in
former times, when first I began to see the merciful dispositions of Heaven, in the dangers we run through in
CHAPTER XII . A CAVE RETREAT
Robinson Crusoe
this life; how wonderfully we are delivered when we know nothing of it; how, when we are in a quandary as
we call it, a doubt or hesitation whether to go this way or that way, a secret hint shall direct us this way, when
we intended to go that way: nay, when sense, our own inclination, and perhaps business has called us to go
the other way, yet a strange impression upon the mind, from we know not what springs, and by we know not
what power, shall overrule us to go this way; and it shall afterwards appear that had we gone that way, which
we should have gone, and even to our imagination ought to have gone, we should have been ruined and lost.
Upon these and many like reflections I afterwards made it a certain rule with me, that whenever I found those
secret hints or pressings of mind to doing or not doing anything that presented, or going this way or that way,
I never failed to obey the secret dictate; though I knew no other reason for it than such a pressure or such a
hint hung upon my mind. I could give many examples of the success of this conduct in the course of my life,
but more especially in the latter part of my inhabiting this unhappy island; besides many occasions which it is
very likely I might have taken notice of, if I had seen with the same eyes then that I see with now. But it is
never too late to be wise; and I cannot but advise all considering men, whose lives are attended with such
extraordinary incidents as mine, or even though not so extraordinary, not to slight such secret intimations of
Providence, let them come from what invisible intelligence they will. That I shall not discuss, and perhaps
cannot account for; but certainly they are a proof of the converse of spirits, and a secret communication
between those embodied and those unembodied, and such a proof as can never be withstood; of which I shall
have occasion to give some remarkable instances in the remainder of my solitary residence in this dismal
place.
I believe the reader of this will not think it strange if I confess that these anxieties, these constant dangers I
lived in, and the concern that was now upon me, put an end to all invention, and to all the contrivances that I
had laid for my future accommodations and conveniences. I had the care of my safety more now upon my
hands than that of my food. I cared not to drive a nail, or chop a stick of wood now, for fear the noise I might
make should be heard: much less would I fire a gun for the same reason: and above all I was intolerably
uneasy at making any fire, lest the smoke, which is visible at a great distance in the day, should betray me.
For this reason, I removed that part of my business which required fire, such as burning of pots and pipes,
into my new apartment in the woods; where, after I had been some time, I found, to my unspeakable
consolation, a mere natural cave in the earth, which went in a vast way, and where, I daresay, no savage, had
he been at the mouth of it, would be so hardy as to venture in; nor, indeed, would any man else, but one who,
like me, wanted nothing so much as a safe retreat.
The mouth of this hollow was at the bottom of a great rock, where, by mere accident (I would say, if I did not
see abundant reason to ascribe all such things now to Providence), I was cutting down some thick branches of
trees to make charcoal; and before I go on I must observe the reason of my making this charcoal, which was
this . I was afraid of making a smoke about my habitation, as I said before; and yet I could not live there
without baking my bread, cooking my meat, so I contrived to burn some wood here, as I had seen done in
England, under turf, till it became chark or dry coal: and then putting the fire out, I preserved the coal to carry
home, and perform the other services for which fire was wanting, without danger of smoke. But this is
by.the.bye. While I was cutting down some wood here, I perceived that, behind a very thick branch of low
brushwood or underwood, there was a kind of hollow place: I was curious to look in it; and getting with
difficulty into the mouth of it, I found it was pretty large, that is to say, sufficient for me to stand upright in it,
and perhaps another with me: but I must confess to you that I made more haste out than I did in, when
looking farther into the place, and which was perfectly dark, I saw two broad shining eyes of some creature,
whether devil or man I knew not, which twinkled like two stars; the dim light from the cave's mouth shining
directly in, and making the reflection. However, after some pause I recovered myself, and began to call
myself a thousand fools, and to think that he that was afraid to see the devil was not fit to live twenty years in
an island all alone; and that I might well think there was nothing in this cave that was more frightful than
myself. Upon this, plucking up my courage, I took up a firebrand, and in I rushed again, with the stick
flaming in my hand: I had not gone three steps in before I was almost as frightened as before; for I heard a
very loud sigh, like that of a man in some pain, and it was followed by a broken noise, as of words half
CHAPTER XII . A CAVE RETREAT
Robinson Crusoe
expressed, and then a deep sigh again. I stepped back, and was indeed struck with such a surprise that it put
me into a cold sweat, and if I had had a hat on my head, I will not answer for it that my hair might not have
lifted it off. But still plucking up my spirits as well as I could, and encouraging myself a little with
considering that the power and presence of God was everywhere, and was able to protect me, I stepped
forward again, and by the light of the firebrand, holding it up a little over my head, I saw lying on the ground
a monstrous, frightful old he.goat, just making his will, as we say, and gasping for life, and, dying, indeed, of
mere old age. I stirred him a little to see if I could get him out, and he essayed to get up, but was not able to
raise himself; and I thought with myself he might even lie there . for if he had frightened me, so he would
certainly fright any of the savages, if any of them should be so hardy as to come in there while he had any life
in him.
I was now recovered from my surprise, and began to look round me, when I found the cave was but very
small . that is to say, it might be about twelve feet over, but in no manner of shape, neither round nor square,
no hands having ever been employed in making it but those of mere Nature. I observed also that there was a
place at the farther side of it that went in further, but was so low that it required me to creep upon my hands
and knees to go into it, and whither it went I knew not; so, having no candle, I gave it over for that time, but
resolved to go again the next day provided with candles and a tinder.box, which I had made of the lock of
one of the muskets, with some wildfire in the pan.
Accordingly, the next day I came provided with six large candles of my own making (for I made very good
candles now of goat's tallow, but was hard set for candle.wick, using sometimes rags or rope. yarn, and
sometimes the dried rind of a weed like nettles); and going into this low place I was obliged to creep upon
all.fours as I have said, almost ten yards . which, by the way, I thought was a venture bold enough,
considering that I knew not how far it might go, nor what was beyond it. When I had got through the strait, I
found the roof rose higher up, I believe near twenty feet; but never was such a glorious sight seen in the
island, I daresay, as it was to look round the sides and roof of this vault or cave . the wall reflected a hundred
thousand lights to me from my two candles. What it was in the rock . whether diamonds or any other
precious stones, or gold which I rather supposed it to be . I knew not. The place I was in was a most
delightful cavity, or grotto, though perfectly dark; the floor was dry and level, and had a sort of a small loose
gravel upon it, so that there was no nauseous or venomous creature to be seen, neither was there any damp or
wet on the sides or roof. The only difficulty in it was the entrance . which, however, as it was a place of
security, and such a retreat as I wanted; I thought was a convenience; so that I was really rejoiced at the
discovery, and resolved, without any delay, to bring some of those things which I was most anxious about to
this place: particularly, I resolved to bring hither my magazine of powder, and all my spare arms . viz. two
fowling.pieces . for I had three in all . and three muskets . for of them I had eight in all; so I kept in my
castle only five, which stood ready mounted like pieces of cannon on my outmost fence, and were ready also
to take out upon any expedition. Upon this occasion of removing my ammunition I happened to open the
barrel of powder which I took up out of the sea, and which had been wet, and I found that the water had
penetrated about three or four inches into the powder on every side, which caking and growing hard, had
preserved the inside like a kernel in the shell, so that I had near sixty pounds of very good powder in the
centre of the cask. This was a very agreeable discovery to me at that time; so I carried all away thither, never
keeping above two or three pounds of powder with me in my castle, for fear of a surprise of any kind; I also
carried thither all the lead I had left for bullets.
I fancied myself now like one of the ancient giants who were said to live in caves and holes in the rocks,
where none could come at them; for I persuaded myself, while I was here, that if five hundred savages were
to hunt me, they could never find me out . or if they did, they would not venture to attack me here. The old
goat whom I found expiring died in the mouth of the cave the next day after I made this discovery; and I
found it much easier to dig a great hole there, and throw him in and cover him with earth, than to drag him
out; so I interred him there, to prevent offence to my nose.
CHAPTER XII . A CAVE RETREAT
Robinson Crusoe
CHAPTER XIII . WRECK OF A SPANISH SHIP
I WAS now in the twenty.third year of my residence in this island, and was so naturalised to the place and
the manner of living, that, could I but have enjoyed the certainty that no savages would come to the place to
disturb me, I could have been content to have capitulated for spending the rest of my time there, even to the
last moment, till I had laid me down and died, like the old goat in the cave. I had also arrived to some little
diversions and amusements, which made the time pass a great deal more pleasantly with me than it did before
. first, I had taught my Poll, as I noted before, to speak; and he did it so familiarly, and talked so articulately
and plain, that it was very pleasant to me; and he lived with me no less than six.and.twenty years. How long
he might have lived afterwards I know not, though I know they have a notion in the Brazils that they live a
hundred years. My dog was a pleasant and loving companion to me for no less than sixteen years of my time,
and then died of mere old age. As for my cats, they multiplied, as I have observed, to that degree that I was
obliged to shoot several of them at first, to keep them from devouring me and all I had; but at length, when
the two old ones I brought with me were gone, and after some time continually driving them from me, and
letting them have no provision with me, they all ran wild into the woods, except two or three favourites,
which I kept tame, and whose young, when they had any, I always drowned; and these were part of my
family. Besides these I always kept two or three household kids about me, whom I taught to feed out of my
hand; and I had two more parrots, which talked pretty well, and would all call "Robin Crusoe," but none like
