by Daniel Defoe
their safety, and especially for the security of their cattle and
corn.
Upon this, after long debate, it was concluded that they would not
remove their habitation; because that, some time or other, they
thought they might hear from their governor again, meaning me; and
if I should send any one to seek them, I should be sure to direct
them to that side, where, if they should find the place demolished,
they would conclude the savages had killed us all, and we were
gone, and so our supply would go too. But as to their corn and
cattle, they agreed to remove them into the valley where my cave
was, where the land was as proper for both, and where indeed there
was land enough. However, upon second thoughts they altered one
part of their resolution too, and resolved only to remove part of
their cattle thither, and part of their corn there; so that if one
part was destroyed the other might be saved. And one part of
prudence they luckily used: they never trusted those three savages
which they had taken prisoners with knowing anything of the
plantation they had made in that valley, or of any cattle they had
there, much less of the cave at that place, which they kept, in
case of necessity, as a safe retreat; and thither they carried also
the two barrels of powder which I had sent them at my coming away.
They resolved, however, not to change their habitation; yet, as I
had carefully covered it first with a wall or fortification, and
then with a grove of trees, and as they were now fully convinced
their safety consisted entirely in their being concealed, they set
to work to cover and conceal the place yet more effectually than
before. For this purpose, as I planted trees, or rather thrust in
stakes, which in time all grew up to be trees, for some good
distance before the entrance into my apartments, they went on in
the same manner, and filled up the rest of that whole space of
ground from the trees I had set quite down to the side of the
creek, where I landed my floats, and even into the very ooze where
the tide flowed, not so much as leaving any place to land, or any
sign that there had been any landing thereabouts: these stakes
also being of a wood very forward to grow, they took care to have
them generally much larger and taller than those which I had
planted. As they grew apace, they planted them so very thick and
close together, that when they had been three or four years grown
there was no piercing with the eye any considerable way into the
plantation. As for that part which I had planted, the trees were
grown as thick as a man's thigh, and among them they had placed so
many other short ones, and so thick, that it stood like a palisado
a quarter of a mile thick, and it was next to impossible to
penetrate it, for a little dog could hardly get between the trees,
they stood so close.
But this was not all; for they did the same by all the ground to
the right hand and to the left, and round even to the side of the
hill, leaving no way, not so much as for themselves, to come out
but by the ladder placed up to the side of the hill, and then
lifted up, and placed again from the first stage up to the top: so
that when the ladder was taken down, nothing but what had wings or
witchcraft to assist it could come at them. This was excellently
well contrived: nor was it less than what they afterwards found
occasion for, which served to convince me, that as human prudence
has the authority of Providence to justify it, so it has doubtless
the direction of Providence to set it to work; and if we listened
carefully to the voice of it, I am persuaded we might prevent many
of the disasters which our lives are now, by our own negligence,
subjected to.
They lived two years after this in perfect retirement, and had no
more visits from the savages. They had, indeed, an alarm given
them one morning, which put them into a great consternation; for
some of the Spaniards being out early one morning on the west side
or end of the island (which was that end where I never went, for
fear of being discovered), they were surprised with seeing about
twenty canoes of Indians just coming on shore. They made the best
of their way home in hurry enough; and giving the alarm to their
comrades, they kept close all that day and the next, going out only
at night to make their observation: but they had the good luck to
be undiscovered, for wherever the savages went, they did not land
that time on the island, but pursued some other design.
CHAPTER IV--RENEWED INVASION OF SAVAGES
And now they had another broil with the three Englishmen; one of
whom, a most turbulent fellow, being in a rage at one of the three
captive slaves, because the fellow had not done something right
which he bade him do, and seemed a little untractable in his
showing him, drew a hatchet out of a frog-belt which he wore by his
side, and fell upon the poor savage, not to correct him, but to
kill him. One of the Spaniards who was by, seeing him give the
fellow a barbarous cut with the hatchet, which he aimed at his
head, but stuck into his shoulder, so that he thought he had cut
the poor creature's arm off, ran to him, and entreating him not to
murder the poor man, placed himself between him and the savage, to
prevent the mischief. The fellow, being enraged the more at this,
struck at the Spaniard with his hatchet, and swore he would serve
him as he intended to serve the savage; which the Spaniard
perceiving, avoided the blow, and with a shovel, which he had in
his hand (for they were all working in the field about their corn
land), knocked the brute down. Another of the Englishmen, running
up at the same time to help his comrade, knocked the Spaniard down;
and then two Spaniards more came in to help their man, and a third
Englishman fell in upon them. They had none of them any firearms
or any other weapons but hatchets and other tools, except this
third Englishman; he had one of my rusty cutlasses, with which he
made at the two last Spaniards, and wounded them both. This fray
set the whole family in an uproar, and more help coming in they
took the three Englishmen prisoners. The next question was, what
should be done with them? They had been so often mutinous, and
were so very furious, so desperate, and so idle withal, they knew
not what course to take with them, for they were mischievous to the
highest degree, and cared not what hurt they did to any man; so
that, in short, it was not safe to live with them.
The Spaniard who was governor told them, in so many words, that if
they had been of his own country he would have hanged them; for all
laws and all governors were to preserve society, and those who were
dangerous to the society ought to be expelled out of it; but as
they were Englishmen, and that it was to the generous kindness of
an Englishman that they all owed their preservation and
deliverance, he would use them with all possible lenity, and would
leave t
hem to the judgment of the other two Englishmen, who were
their countrymen. One of the two honest Englishmen stood up, and
said they desired it might not be left to them. "For," says he, "I
am sure we ought to sentence them to the gallows;" and with that he
gives an account how Will Atkins, one of the three, had proposed to
have all the five Englishmen join together and murder all the
Spaniards when they were in their sleep.
When the Spanish governor heard this, he calls to Will Atkins,
"How, Seignior Atkins, would you murder us all? What have you to
say to that?" The hardened villain was so far from denying it,
that he said it was true, and swore they would do it still before
they had done with them. "Well, but Seignior Atkins," says the
Spaniard, "what have we done to you that you will kill us? What
would you get by killing us? And what must we do to prevent you
killing us? Must we kill you, or you kill us? Why will you put us
to the necessity of this, Seignior Atkins?" says the Spaniard very
calmly, and smiling. Seignior Atkins was in such a rage at the
Spaniard's making a jest of it, that, had he not been held by three
men, and withal had no weapon near him, it was thought he would
have attempted to kill the Spaniard in the middle of all the
company. This hare-brained carriage obliged them to consider
seriously what was to be done. The two Englishmen and the Spaniard
who saved the poor savage were of the opinion that they should hang
one of the three for an example to the rest, and that particularly
it should be he that had twice attempted to commit murder with his
hatchet; indeed, there was some reason to believe he had done it,
for the poor savage was in such a miserable condition with the
wound he had received that it was thought he could not live. But
the governor Spaniard still said No; it was an Englishman that had
saved all their lives, and he would never consent to put an
Englishman to death, though he had murdered half of them; nay, he
said if he had been killed himself by an Englishman, and had time
left to speak, it should be that they should pardon him.
This was so positively insisted on by the governor Spaniard, that
there was no gainsaying it; and as merciful counsels are most apt
to prevail where they are so earnestly pressed, so they all came
into it. But then it was to be considered what should be done to
keep them from doing the mischief they designed; for all agreed,
governor and all, that means were to be used for preserving the
society from danger. After a long debate, it was agreed that they
should be disarmed, and not permitted to have either gun, powder,
shot, sword, or any weapon; that they should be turned out of the
society, and left to live where they would and how they would, by
themselves; but that none of the rest, either Spaniards or English,
should hold any kind of converse with them, or have anything to do
with them; that they should be forbid to come within a certain
distance of the place where the rest dwelt; and if they offered to
commit any disorder, so as to spoil, burn, kill, or destroy any of
the corn, plantings, buildings, fences, or cattle belonging to the
society, they should die without mercy, and they would shoot them
wherever they could find them.
The humane governor, musing upon the sentence, considered a little
upon it; and turning to the two honest Englishmen, said, "Hold; you
must reflect that it will be long ere they can raise corn and
cattle of their own, and they must not starve; we must therefore
allow them provisions." So he caused to be added, that they should
have a proportion of corn given them to last them eight months, and
for seed to sow, by which time they might be supposed to raise some
of their own; that they should have six milch-goats, four he-goats,
and six kids given them, as well for present subsistence as for a
store; and that they should have tools given them for their work in
the fields, but they should have none of these tools or provisions
unless they would swear solemnly that they would not hurt or injure
any of the Spaniards with them, or of their fellow-Englishmen.
Thus they dismissed them the society, and turned them out to shift
for themselves. They went away sullen and refractory, as neither
content to go away nor to stay: but, as there was no remedy, they
went, pretending to go and choose a place where they would settle
themselves; and some provisions were given them, but no weapons.
About four or five days after, they came again for some victuals,
and gave the governor an account where they had pitched their
tents, and marked themselves out a habitation and plantation; and
it was a very convenient place indeed, on the remotest part of the
island, NE., much about the place where I providentially landed in
my first voyage, when I was driven out to sea in my foolish attempt
to sail round the island.
Here they built themselves two handsome huts, and contrived them in
a manner like my first habitation, being close under the side of a
hill, having some trees already growing on three sides of it, so
that by planting others it would be very easily covered from the
sight, unless narrowly searched for. They desired some dried goat-
skins for beds and covering, which were given them; and upon giving
their words that they would not disturb the rest, or injure any of
their plantations, they gave them hatchets, and what other tools
they could spare; some peas, barley, and rice, for sowing; and, in
a word, anything they wanted, except arms and ammunition.
They lived in this separate condition about six months, and had got
in their first harvest, though the quantity was but small, the
parcel of land they had planted being but little. Indeed, having
all their plantation to form, they had a great deal of work upon
their hands; and when they came to make boards and pots, and such
things, they were quite out of their element, and could make
nothing of it; therefore when the rainy season came on, for want of
a cave in the earth, they could not keep their grain dry, and it
was in great danger of spoiling. This humbled them much: so they
came and begged the Spaniards to help them, which they very readily
did; and in four days worked a great hole in the side of the hill
for them, big enough to secure their corn and other things from the
rain: but it was a poor place at best compared to mine, and
especially as mine was then, for the Spaniards had greatly enlarged
it, and made several new apartments in it.
About three quarters of a year after this separation, a new frolic
took these rogues, which, together with the former villainy they
had committed, brought mischief enough upon them, and had very near
been the ruin of the whole colony. The three new associates began,
it seems, to be weary of the laborious life they led, and that
without hope of bettering their circumstances: and a whim took
them that they would make a voyage to the continent, from wh
ence
the savages came, and would try if they could seize upon some
prisoners among the natives there, and bring them home, so as to
make them do the laborious part of the work for them.
The project was not so preposterous, if they had gone no further.
But they did nothing, and proposed nothing, but had either mischief
in the design, or mischief in the event. And if I may give my
opinion, they seemed to be under a blast from Heaven: for if we
will not allow a visible curse to pursue visible crimes, how shall
we reconcile the events of things with the divine justice? It was
certainly an apparent vengeance on their crime of mutiny and piracy
that brought them to the state they were in; and they showed not
the least remorse for the crime, but added new villanies to it,
such as the piece of monstrous cruelty of wounding a poor slave
because he did not, or perhaps could not, understand to do what he
was directed, and to wound him in such a manner as made him a
cripple all his life, and in a place where no surgeon or medicine
could be had for his cure; and, what was still worse, the
intentional murder, for such to be sure it was, as was afterwards
the formed design they all laid to murder the Spaniards in cold
blood, and in their sleep.
The three fellows came down to the Spaniards one morning, and in
very humble terms desired to be admitted to speak with them. The
Spaniards very readily heard what they had to say, which was this:
that they were tired of living in the manner they did, and that
they were not handy enough to make the necessaries they wanted, and
that having no help, they found they should be starved; but if the
Spaniards would give them leave to take one of the canoes which
they came over in, and give them arms and ammunition proportioned
to their defence, they would go over to the main, and seek their
fortunes, and so deliver them from the trouble of supplying them
with any other provisions.
The Spaniards were glad enough to get rid of them, but very
honestly represented to them the certain destruction they were
running into; told them they had suffered such hardships upon that
very spot, that they could, without any spirit of prophecy, tell
them they would be starved or murdered, and bade them consider of
it. The men replied audaciously, they should be starved if they
stayed here, for they could not work, and would not work, and they
could but be starved abroad; and if they were murdered, there was
an end of them; they had no wives or children to cry after them;
and, in short, insisted importunately upon their demand, declaring
they would go, whether they gave them any arms or not.
The Spaniards told them, with great kindness, that if they were
resolved to go they should not go like naked men, and be in no
condition to defend themselves; and that though they could ill
spare firearms, not having enough for themselves, yet they would
let them have two muskets, a pistol, and a cutlass, and each man a
hatchet, which they thought was sufficient for them. In a word,
they accepted the offer; and having baked bread enough to serve
them a month given them, and as much goats' flesh as they could eat
while it was sweet, with a great basket of dried grapes, a pot of
fresh water, and a young kid alive, they boldly set out in the
canoe for a voyage over the sea, where it was at least forty miles
broad. The boat, indeed, was a large one, and would very well have
carried fifteen or twenty men, and therefore was rather too big for
them to manage; but as they had a fair breeze and flood-tide with
them, they did well enough. They had made a mast of a long pole,
and a sail of four large goat-skins dried, which they had sewed or
laced together; and away they went merrily together. The Spaniards
called after them "Bon voyajo;" and no man ever thought of seeing
them any more.
The Spaniards were often saying to one another, and to the two
honest Englishmen who remained behind, how quietly and comfortably
