ordered him to go and bury the dead bodies of the savages, which lay open to the sun, and would presently be
offensive. I also ordered him to bury the horrid remains of their barbarous feast, which I could not think of
doing myself; nay, I could not bear to see them if I went that way; all which he punctually performed, and
effaced the very appearance of the savages being there; so that when I went again, I could scarce know where
it was, otherwise than by the corner of the wood pointing to the place.
I then began to enter into a little conversation with my two new subjects; and, first, I set Friday to inquire of
his father what he thought of the escape of the savages in that canoe, and whether we might expect a return of
them, with a power too great for us to resist. His first opinion was, that the savages in the boat never could
live out the storm which blew that night they went off, but must of necessity be drowned, or driven south to
those other shores, where they were as sure to be devoured as they were to be drowned if they were cast
away; but, as to what they would do if they came safe on shore, he said he knew not; but it was his opinion
that they were so dreadfully frightened with the manner of their being attacked, the noise, and the fire, that he
believed they would tell the people they were all killed by thunder and lightning, not by the hand of man; and
that the two which appeared . viz. Friday and I . were two heavenly spirits, or furies, come down to destroy
them, and not men with weapons. This, he said, he knew; because he heard them all cry out so, in their
language, one to another; for it was impossible for them to conceive that a man could dart fire, and speak
thunder, and kill at a distance, without lifting up the hand, as was done now: and this old savage was in the
right; for, as I understood since, by other hands, the savages never attempted to go over to the island
afterwards, they were so terrified with the accounts given by those four men (for it seems they did escape the
sea), that they believed whoever went to that enchanted island would be destroyed with fire from the gods.
This, however, I knew not; and therefore was under continual apprehensions for a good while, and kept
CHAPTER XVI . RESCUE OF PRISONERS FROM CANNIBALS
Robinson Crusoe
always upon my guard, with all my army: for, as there were now four of us, I would have ventured upon a
hundred of them, fairly in the open field, at any time.
CHAPTER XVII . VISIT OF MUTINEERS
IN a little time, however, no more canoes appearing, the fear of their coming wore off; and I began to take
my former thoughts of a voyage to the main into consideration; being likewise assured by Friday's father that
I might depend upon good usage from their nation, on his account, if I would go. But my thoughts were a
little suspended when I had a serious discourse with the Spaniard, and when I understood that there were
sixteen more of his countrymen and Portuguese, who having been cast away and made their escape to that
side, lived there at peace, indeed, with the savages, but were very sore put to it for necessaries, and, indeed,
for life. I asked him all the particulars of their voyage, and found they were a Spanish ship, bound from the
Rio de la Plata to the Havanna, being directed to leave their loading there, which was chiefly hides and silver,
and to bring back what European goods they could meet with there; that they had five Portuguese seamen on
board, whom they took out of another wreck; that five of their own men were drowned when first the ship
was lost, and that these escaped through infinite dangers and hazards, and arrived, almost starved, on the
cannibal coast, where they expected to have been devoured every moment. He told me they had some arms
with them, but they were perfectly useless, for that they had neither powder nor ball, the washing of the sea
having spoiled all their powder but a little, which they used at their first landing to provide themselves with
some food.
I asked him what he thought would become of them there, and if they had formed any design of making their
escape. He said they had many consultations about it; but that having neither vessel nor tools to build one,
nor provisions of any kind, their councils always ended in tears and despair. I asked him how he thought they
would receive a proposal from me, which might tend towards an escape; and whether, if they were all here, it
might not be done. I told him with freedom, I feared mostly their treachery and ill. usage of me, if I put my
life in their hands; for that gratitude was no inherent virtue in the nature of man, nor did men always square
their dealings by the obligations they had received so much as they did by the advantages they expected. I
told him it would be very hard that I should be made the instrument of their deliverance, and that they should
afterwards make me their prisoner in New Spain, where an Englishman was certain to be made a sacrifice,
what necessity or what accident soever brought him thither; and that I had rather be delivered up to the
savages, and be devoured alive, than fall into the merciless claws of the priests, and be carried into the
Inquisition. I added that, otherwise, I was persuaded, if they were all here, we might, with so many hands,
build a barque large enough to carry us all away, either to the Brazils southward, or to the islands or Spanish
coast northward; but that if, in requital, they should, when I had put weapons into their hands, carry me by
force among their own people, I might be ill.used for my kindness to them, and make my case worse than it
was before.
He answered, with a great deal of candour and ingenuousness, that their condition was so miserable, and that
they were so sensible of it, that he believed they would abhor the thought of using any man unkindly that
should contribute to their deliverance; and that, if I pleased, he would go to them with the old man, and
discourse with them about it, and return again and bring me their answer; that he would make conditions with
them upon their solemn oath, that they should be absolutely under my direction as their commander and
captain; and they should swear upon the holy sacraments and gospel to be true to me, and go to such
Christian country as I should agree to, and no other; and to be directed wholly and absolutely by my orders
till they were landed safely in such country as I intended, and that he would bring a contract from them, under
their hands, for that purpose. Then he told me he would first swear to me himself that he would never stir
from me as long as he lived till I gave him orders; and that he would take my side to the last drop of his
blood, if there should happen the least breach of faith among his countrymen. He told me they were all of
them very civil, honest men, and they were under the greatest distress imaginable, having neither weapons
CHAPTER XVII . VISIT OF MUTINEERS
Robinson Crusoe
nor clothes, nor any food, but at the mercy and discretion of the savages; out of all hopes of ever returning to
their own country; and that he was sure, if I would undertake their relief, they would live and die by me.
Upon these assurances, I resolved to venture to relieve them, if possible, and to send the old savage and this
Spaniard over to them to treat. But when we had got all things in readiness to go, the Spaniard himself started
an objection, which had so much prudence in it on one hand, and so much sincerity on the other hand, that I
could not but be very well satisfied in it; and, by his advice, put off the deliverance of his comrades for at
least half a year. The case was thus: he had been with us now about a month, during which time I had let him
see in what manner I had provided, with the assistance of Providence, for my support; and he saw evidently
what stock of corn and rice I had laid up; which, though it was more than sufficient for myself, yet it was not
sufficient, without good husbandry, for my family, now it was increased to four; but much less would it be
sufficient if his countrymen, who were, as he said, sixteen, still alive, should come over; and least of all
would it be sufficient to victual our vessel, if we should build one, for a voyage to any of the Christian
colonies of America; so he told me he thought it would be more advisable to let him and the other two dig
and cultivate some more land, as much as I could spare seed to sow, and that we should wait another harvest,
that we might have a supply of corn for his countrymen, when they should come; for want might be a
temptation to them to disagree, or not to think themselves delivered, otherwise than out of one difficulty into
another. "You know," says he, "the children of Israel, though they rejoiced at first for their being delivered
out of Egypt, yet rebelled even against God Himself, that delivered them, when they came to want bread in
the wilderness."
His caution was so seasonable, and his advice so good, that I could not but be very well pleased with his
proposal, as well as I was satisfied with his fidelity; so we fell to digging, all four of us, as well as the
wooden tools we were furnished with permitted; and in about a month's time, by the end of which it was
seed.time, we had got as much land cured and trimmed up as we sowed two.and. twenty bushels of barley
on, and sixteen jars of rice, which was, in short, all the seed we had to spare: indeed, we left ourselves barely
sufficient, for our own food for the six months that we had to expect our crop; that is to say reckoning from
the time we set our seed aside for sowing; for it is not to be supposed it is six months in the ground in that
country.
Having now society enough, and our numbers being sufficient to put us out of fear of the savages, if they had
come, unless their number had been very great, we went freely all over the island, whenever we found
occasion; and as we had our escape or deliverance upon our thoughts, it was impossible, at least for me, to
have the means of it out of mine. For this purpose I marked out several trees, which I thought fit for our work,
and I set Friday and his father to cut them down; and then I caused the Spaniard, to whom I imparted my
thoughts on that affair, to oversee and direct their work. I showed them with what indefatigable pains I had
hewed a large tree into single planks, and I caused them to do the like, till they made about a dozen large
planks, of good oak, near two feet broad, thirty.five feet long, and from two inches to four inches thick: what
prodigious labour it took up any one may imagine.
At the same time I contrived to increase my little flock of tame goats as much as I could; and for this purpose
I made Friday and the Spaniard go out one day, and myself with Friday the next day (for we took our turns),
and by this means we got about twenty young kids to breed up with the rest; for whenever we shot the dam,
we saved the kids, and added them to our flock. But above all, the season for curing the grapes coming on, I
caused such a prodigious quantity to be hung up in the sun, that, I believe, had we been at Alicant, where the
raisins of the sun are cured, we could have filled sixty or eighty barrels; and these, with our bread, formed a
great part of our food . very good living too, I assure you, for they are exceedingly nourishing.
It was now harvest, and our crop in good order: it was not the most plentiful increase I had seen in the island,
but, however, it was enough to answer our end; for from twenty.two bushels of barley we brought in and
thrashed out above two hundred and twenty bushels; and the like in proportion of the rice; which was store
CHAPTER XVII . VISIT OF MUTINEERS
Robinson Crusoe
enough for our food to the next harvest, though all the sixteen Spaniards had been on shore with me; or, if we
had been ready for a voyage, it would very plentifully have victualled our ship to have carried us to any part
of the world; that is to say, any part of America. When we had thus housed and secured our magazine of corn,
we fell to work to make more wicker.ware, viz. great baskets, in which we kept it; and the Spaniard was very
handy and dexterous at this part, and often blamed me that I did not make some things for defence of this
kind of work; but I saw no need of it.
And now, having a full supply of food for all the guests I expected, I gave the Spaniard leave to go over to the
main, to see what he could do with those he had left behind him there. I gave him a strict charge not to bring
any man who would not first swear in the presence of himself and the old savage that he would in no way
injure, fight with, or attack the person he should find in the island, who was so kind as to send for them in
order to their deliverance; but that they would stand by him and defend him against all such attempts, and
wherever they went would be entirely under and subjected to his command; and that this should be put in
writing, and signed in their hands. How they were to have done this, when I knew they had neither pen nor
ink, was a question which we never asked. Under these instructions, the Spaniard and the old savage, the
father of Friday, went away in one of the canoes which they might be said to have come in, or rather were
brought in, when they came as prisoners to be devoured by the savages. I gave each of them a musket, with a
firelock on it, and about eight charges of powder and ball, charging them to be very good husbands of both,
and not to use either of them but upon urgent occasions.
This was a cheerful work, being the first measures used by me in view of my deliverance for now
twenty.seven years and some days. I gave them provisions of bread and of dried grapes, sufficient for
themselves for many days, and sufficient for all the Spaniards . for about eight days' time; and wishing them
a good voyage, I saw them go, agreeing with them about a signal they should hang out at their return, by
which I should know them again when they came back, at a distance, before they came on shore. They went
away with a fair gale on the day that the moon was at full, by my account in the month of October; but as for
an exact reckoning of days, after I had once lost it I could never recover it again; nor had I kept even the
