The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

by Daniel Defoe

these parts is the boundary between Europe and Asia, and the first

  city on the European side was called Soloy Kamaskoy, that is, the

  great city on the river Kama. And here we thought to see some

  evident alteration in the people; but we were mistaken, for as we

  had a vast desert to pass, which is near seven hundred miles long

  in some places, but not above two hundred miles over where we

  passed it, so, till we came past that horrible place, we found very

  little difference between that country and Mogul Tartary. The

  people are mostly pagans; their houses and towns full of idols; and

  their way of living wholly barbarous, except in the cities and

  villages near them, where they are Christians, as they call

  themselves, of the Greek Church: but have their religion mingled

  with so many relics of superstition, that it is scarce to be known

  in some places from mere sorcery and witchcraft.

  In passing this forest (after all our dangers were, to our

  imagination, escaped), I thought, indeed, we must have been

  plundered and robbed, and perhaps murdered, by a troop of thieves:

  of what country they were I am yet at a loss to know; but they were

  all on horseback, carried bows and arrows, and were at first about

  forty-five in number. They came so near to us as to be within two

  musket-shot, and, asking no questions, surrounded us with their

  horses, and looked very earnestly upon us twice; at length, they

  placed themselves just in our way; upon which we drew up in a

  little line, before our camels, being not above sixteen men in all.

  Thus drawn up, we halted, and sent out the Siberian servant, who

  attended his lord, to see who they were; his master was the more

  willing to let him go, because he was not a little apprehensive

  that they were a Siberian troop sent out after him. The man came

  up near them with a flag of truce, and called to them; but though

  he spoke several of their languages, or dialects of languages

  rather, he could not understand a word they said; however, after

  some signs to him not to come near them at his peril, the fellow

  came back no wiser than he went; only that by their dress, he said,

  he believed them to be some Tartars of Kalmuck, or of the

  Circassian hordes, and that there must be more of them upon the

  great desert, though he never heard that any of them were seen so

  far north before.

  This was small comfort to us; however, we had no remedy: there was

  on our left hand, at about a quarter of a mile distance, a little

  grove, and very near the road. I immediately resolved we should

  advance to those trees, and fortify ourselves as well as we could

  there; for, first, I considered that the trees would in a great

  measure cover us from their arrows; and, in the next place, they

  could not come to charge us in a body: it was, indeed, my old

  Portuguese pilot who proposed it, and who had this excellency

  attending him, that he was always readiest and most apt to direct

  and encourage us in cases of the most danger. We advanced

  immediately, with what speed we could, and gained that little wood;

  the Tartars, or thieves, for we knew not what to call them, keeping

  their stand, and not attempting to hinder us. When we came

  thither, we found, to our great satisfaction, that it was a swampy

  piece of ground, and on the one side a very great spring of water,

  which, running out in a little brook, was a little farther joined

  by another of the like size; and was, in short, the source of a

  considerable river, called afterwards the Wirtska; the trees which

  grew about this spring were not above two hundred, but very large,

  and stood pretty thick, so that as soon as we got in, we saw

  ourselves perfectly safe from the enemy unless they attacked us on

  foot.

  While we stayed here waiting the motion of the enemy some hours,

  without perceiving that they made any movement, our Portuguese,

  with some help, cut several arms of trees half off, and laid them

  hanging across from one tree to another, and in a manner fenced us

  in. About two hours before night they came down directly upon us;

  and though we had not perceived it, we found they had been joined

  by some more, so that they were near fourscore horse; whereof,

  however, we fancied some were women. They came on till they were

  within half-shot of our little wood, when we fired one musket

  without ball, and called to them in the Russian tongue to know what

  they wanted, and bade them keep off; but they came on with a double

  fury up to the wood-side, not imagining we were so barricaded that

  they could not easily break in. Our old pilot was our captain as

  well as our engineer, and desired us not to fire upon them till

  they came within pistol-shot, that we might be sure to kill, and

  that when we did fire we should be sure to take good aim; we bade

  him give the word of command, which he delayed so long that they

  were some of them within two pikes' length of us when we let fly.

  We aimed so true that we killed fourteen of them, and wounded

  several others, as also several of their horses; for we had all of

  us loaded our pieces with two or three bullets apiece at least.

  They were terribly surprised with our fire, and retreated

  immediately about one hundred rods from us; in which time we loaded

  our pieces again, and seeing them keep that distance, we sallied

  out, and caught four or five of their horses, whose riders we

  supposed were killed; and coming up to the dead, we judged they

  were Tartars, but knew not how they came to make an excursion such

  an unusual length.

  About an hour after they again made a motion to attack us, and rode

  round our little wood to see where they might break in; but finding

  us always ready to face them, they went off again; and we resolved

  not to stir for that night.

  We slept little, but spent the most part of the night in

  strengthening our situation, and barricading the entrances into the

  wood, and keeping a strict watch. We waited for daylight, and when

  it came, it gave us a very unwelcome discovery indeed; for the

  enemy, who we thought were discouraged with the reception they met

  with, were now greatly increased, and had set up eleven or twelve

  huts or tents, as if they were resolved to besiege us; and this

  little camp they had pitched upon the open plain, about three-

  quarters of a mile from us. I confess I now gave myself over for

  lost, and all that I had; the loss of my effects did not lie so

  near me, though very considerable, as the thoughts of falling into

  the hands of such barbarians at the latter end of my journey, after

  so many difficulties and hazards as I had gone through, and even in

  sight of our port, where we expected safety and deliverance. As to

  my partner, he was raging, and declared that to lose his goods

  would be his ruin, and that he would rather die than be starved,

  and he was for fighting to the last drop.

  The young lord, a most gallant youth, was for fighting to the last

  also; and my old pilot was of opinion that we were able to res
ist

  them all in the situation we were then in. Thus we spent the day

  in debates of what we should do; but towards evening we found that

  the number of our enemies still increased, and we did not know but

  by the morning they might still be a greater number: so I began to

  inquire of those people we had brought from Tobolski if there were

  no private ways by which we might avoid them in the night, and

  perhaps retreat to some town, or get help to guard us over the

  desert. The young lord's Siberian servant told us, if we designed

  to avoid them, and not fight, he would engage to carry us off in

  the night, to a way that went north, towards the river Petruz, by

  which he made no question but we might get away, and the Tartars

  never discover it; but, he said, his lord had told him he would not

  retreat, but would rather choose to fight. I told him he mistook

  his lord: for that he was too wise a man to love fighting for the

  sake of it; that I knew he was brave enough by what he had showed

  already; but that he knew better than to desire seventeen or

  eighteen men to fight five hundred, unless an unavoidable necessity

  forced them to it; and that if he thought it possible for us to

  escape in the night, we had nothing else to do but to attempt it.

  He answered, if his lordship gave him such orders, he would lose

  his life if he did not perform it; we soon brought his lord to give

  that order, though privately, and we immediately prepared for

  putting it in practice.

  And first, as soon as it began to be dark, we kindled a fire in our

  little camp, which we kept burning, and prepared so as to make it

  burn all night, that the Tartars might conclude we were still

  there; but as soon as it was dark, and we could see the stars (for

  our guide would not stir before), having all our horses and camels

  ready loaded, we followed our new guide, who I soon found steered

  himself by the north star, the country being level for a long way.

  After we had travelled two hours very hard, it began to be lighter

  still; not that it was dark all night, but the moon began to rise,

  so that, in short, it was rather lighter than we wished it to be;

  but by six o'clock the next morning we had got above thirty miles,

  having almost spoiled our horses. Here we found a Russian village,

  named Kermazinskoy, where we rested, and heard nothing of the

  Kalmuck Tartars that day. About two hours before night we set out

  again, and travelled till eight the next morning, though not quite

  so hard as before; and about seven o'clock we passed a little

  river, called Kirtza, and came to a good large town inhabited by

  Russians, called Ozomys; there we heard that several troops of

  Kalmucks had been abroad upon the desert, but that we were now

  completely out of danger of them, which was to our great

  satisfaction. Here we were obliged to get some fresh horses, and

  having need enough of rest, we stayed five days; and my partner and

  I agreed to give the honest Siberian who conducted us thither the

  value of ten pistoles.

  In five days more we came to Veussima, upon the river Witzogda, and

  running into the Dwina: we were there, very happily, near the end

  of our travels by land, that river being navigable, in seven days'

  passage, to Archangel. From hence we came to Lawremskoy, the 3rd

  of July; and providing ourselves with two luggage boats, and a

  barge for our own convenience, we embarked the 7th, and arrived all

  safe at Archangel the 18th; having been a year, five months, and

  three days on the journey, including our stay of about eight months

  at Tobolski.

  We were obliged to stay at this place six weeks for the arrival of

  the ships, and must have tarried longer, had not a Hamburgher come

  in above a month sooner than any of the English ships; when, after

  some consideration that the city of Hamburgh might happen to be as

  good a market for our goods as London, we all took freight with

  him; and, having put our goods on board, it was most natural for me

  to put my steward on board to take care of them; by which means my

  young lord had a sufficient opportunity to conceal himself, never

  coming on shore again all the time we stayed there; and this he did

  that he might not be seen in the city, where some of the Moscow

  merchants would certainly have seen and discovered him.

  We then set sail from Archangel the 20th of August, the same year;

  and, after no extraordinary bad voyage, arrived safe in the Elbe

  the 18th of September. Here my partner and I found a very good

  sale for our goods, as well those of China as the sables, &c., of

  Siberia: and, dividing the produce, my share amounted to 3475

  pounds, 17s 3d., including about six hundred pounds' worth of

  diamonds, which I purchased at Bengal.

  Here the young lord took his leave of us, and went up the Elbe, in

  order to go to the court of Vienna, where he resolved to seek

  protection and could correspond with those of his father's friends

  who were left alive. He did not part without testimonials of

  gratitude for the service I had done him, and for my kindness to

  the prince, his father.

  To conclude: having stayed near four months in Hamburgh, I came

  from thence by land to the Hague, where I embarked in the packet,

  and arrived in London the 10th of January 1705, having been absent

  from England ten years and nine months. And here, resolving to

  harass myself no more, I am preparing for a longer journey than all

  these, having lived seventy-two years a life of infinite variety,

  and learned sufficiently to know the value of retirement, and the

  blessing of ending our days in peace.