by Daniel Defoe
the skirts ofwhich came down to my hips, and the same on my legs, with no shoes, butflaps of the fur round my shins. I had a broad belt of the same roundmy waist, which drew on with two thongs; and from it, on my right side,hung a saw and an axe; and on my left side a pouch for the shot. Mybeard had not been cut since I came here. But no more need be said ofmy looks, for there were few to see me. A strange sight was now in storefor me, which was to change the whole course of my life in the isle.
One day at noon, while on a stroll down to a part of the shore that wasnew to me, what should I see on the sand but the print of a man's foot!I felt as if I was bound by a spell, and could not stir from, the spot.
Bye-and-bye, I stole a look round me, but no one was in sight, Whatcould this mean? I went three or four times to look at it. There itwas--the print of a man's foot; toes, heel, and all the parts of a foot.How could it have come there?
My head swam with fear; and as I left the spot, I made two or threesteps, and then took a look round me; then two steps more, and did thesame thing. I took fright at the stump of an old tree, and ran to myhouse, as if for my life. How could aught in the shape of a man come tothat shore, and I not know it? Where was the ship that brought him? Thena vague dread took hold of my mind, that some man, or set of men, hadfound me out; and it might be, that they meant to kill me, or rob me ofall I had.
How strange a thing is the life of man! One day we love that which thenext day we hate. One day we seek what the next day we shun. One daywe long for the thing which the next day we fear; and so we go on. Now,from the time that I was cast on this isle, my great source of griefwas that I should be thus cut off from the rest of my race. Why, then,should the thought that a man might be near give me all this pain? Nay,why should the mere sight of the print of a man's foot, make me quakewith fear? It seems most strange; yet not more strange than true.
Once it struck me that it might be the print of my own foot, when firstthe storm cast me on these shores. Could I have come this way from theboat? Should it in truth turn out to be the print of my own foot, Ishould be like a boy who tells of a ghost, and feels more fright at hisown tale, than those do whom he meant to scare.
Fear kept me in-doors for three days, till the want of food drove meout. At last I was so bold as to go down to the coast to look once moreat the print of the foot, to see if it was the same shape as my own. Ifound it was not so large by a great deal; so it was clear there weremen in the isle. Just at this time my good watch dog fell down dead atmy feet. He was old and worn out, and in him I lost my best guard andfriend.
One day as I went from the hill to the coast, a scene lay in front of mewhich made me sick at heart. The spot was spread with the bones of men.There was a round place dug in the earth, where a fire had been made,and here some men had come to feast. Now that I had seen this sight, Iknew not how to act; I kept close to my home, and would scarce stir fromit, save to milk my flock of goats.
To feel safe was now more to me than to be well fed; and I did not careto drive a nail, or chop a stick of wood, lest the sound of it should beheard, much less would I fire a gun. As to my bread and meat, I had tobake it at night when the smoke could not be seen. But I soon found theway to burn wood with turf at the top of it, which made it like chark,or dry coal; and this I could use by day, as it had no smoke.
I found in the wood where I went to get the sticks for my fire, a caveso large that I could stand in it; but I made more haste to get out,than in; for two large eyes, as bright as stars, shone out from it witha fierce glare. I took a torch, and went to see what they could be, andfound that there was no cause for fear; for the eyes were those of anold gray goat, which had gone there to die of old age. I gave him apush, to try to get him out of the cave, but he could not rise from theground where he lay; so I left him there to die, as I could not save hislife.
I found the width of the cave was twelve feet; but part of it, near theend, was so low that I had to creep on my hands and feet to go in. Whatthe length of it was I could not tell, for my light went out, and I hadto give up my search. The next day, I went to the cave with large lightsmade of goat's fat; and when I got to the end, I found that the roofrose to two score feet or more.
As my lights shone on the walls and roof of the cave, a sight burst onmy view, the charms of which no tongue could tell; for the walls shonelike stars. What was in the rock to cause this it was hard to say; theymight be gems, or bright stones, or gold. But let them be what they may,this cave was a mine of wealth to me; for at such time as I felt dullor sad, the bright scene would flash on my mind's eye, and fill it withjoy.
A score of years had gone by, with no new sight to rest my eyes on, tillthis scene burst on them. I felt as if I should like to spend the restof my life here; and at its close, lie down to die in this cave, likethe old goat.
As I went home I was struck by the sight of some smoke, which came froma fire no more than two miles off. From this time I lost all my peaceof mind. Day and night a dread would haunt me, that the men who had madethis fire would find me out. I went home and drew up my steps, but firstI made all things round me look wild and rude. To load my gun was thenext thing to do, and I thought it would be best to stay at home andhide.
But this was not to be borne long. I had no spy to send out and all Icould do was to get to the top of the hill, and keep a good look out. Atlast, through my glass, I could see a group of wild men join in a danceround their fire. As soon a they had left, I took two guns, and slung asword on my side; then with all speed, I set off to the top of the hill,once more to have a good view.
This time I made up my mind to go up to the men, but not with a view tokill them, for I felt that it would be wrong to do so. With such a loadof arms, it took me two hours to reach the spot where the fire was; andby the time I got there, the men had all gone; but I saw them in fourboats out at sea.
Down on the shore, there was a proof of what the work of these men hadbeen. The signs of their feast made me sick at heart, and I shut myeyes. I durst not fire my gun when I went out for food on that side theisle, lest there should be some of the men left, who might hear it,and so find me out. This state of things went on for a year and threemonths, and for all that time I saw no more men.
On the twelfth of May, a great storm of wind blew all day and night. Asit was dark, I sat in my house; and in the midst of the gale, I hearda gun fire! My guess was that it must have been from some ship cast onshore by the storm. So I set a light to some wood on top of the hill,that those in the ship, if ship it should be, might know that some onewas there to aid them. I then heard two more guns fire. When it waslight, I went to the South side of the isle, and there lay the wreck ofa ship, cast on the rocks in the night by the storm. She was too far offfor me to see if there were men on board.
Words could not tell how much I did long to bring but one of the ship'screw to the shore! So strong was my wish to save the life of those onboard, that I could have laid down my own life to do so. There are somesprings in the heart which, when hope stirs them, drive the soul on withsuch a force, that to lose all chance of the thing one hopes for, wouldseem to make one mad; and thus was it with me.
Now, I thought, was the time to use my boat; so I set to work at once tofit it out. I took on board some rum (of which I still had a good dealleft), some dry grapes, a bag of rice, some goat's milk, and cheese, andthen put out to sea. A dread came on me at the thought of the risk I hadrun on the same rocks; but my heart did not quite fail me, though Iknew that, as my boat was small, if a gale of wind should spring up, allwould be lost. Then I found that I must go back to the shore till thetide should turn, and the ebb come on.
I made up my mind to go out the next day with the high tide, so I sleptthat night in my boat. At dawn I set out to sea, and in less than twohours I came up to the wreck. What a scene was there! The ship hadstruck on two rocks. The stern was torn by the force of the waves, themasts were swept off, ropes and chains lay strewn on the deck, and allwas wrapt in gloom. As I came up to the wreck, a dog swam to me with
ayelp and a whine. I took him on board my boat, and when I gave him somebread he ate it like a wolf, and as to drink, he would have burst, if Ihad let him take his fill of it.
I went to the cook's room, where I found two men, but they were bothdead. The tongue was mute, the ear was deaf, the eye was shut, and thelip was stiff; still the sad tale was told, for each had his arm roundhis friend's neck, and so they must have sat to wait for death. What achange had come on the scene, once so wild with the lash of the wavesand the roar of the wind! All was calm now--death had done its work,and all had felt its stroke, save the dog, and he was the one thing thatstill had life.
I thought the ship must have come from Spain, and there was much goldon board. I took some of the chests and put them in my boat, but did notwait to see what they held, and with this spoil, and three casks of rum,I came back.
I found all things at home just as I had left them, my goats, my cats,and my bird. The scene in the cook's room was in my mind
