Robinson Crusoe — in Words of One Syllable

by Daniel Defoe

day I said to my slave, "Do you know who made you?"

  But he could not tell at all what these words meant. So I said, "Do youknow who made the sea, the ground we tread on, the hills, and woods?" Hesaid it was Beek, whose home was a great way off, and that he was so oldthat the sea and the land were not so old as he.

  "If this old man has made all things, why do not all things bow down tohim?"

  My slave gave a grave look, and said, "All things say 'O' to him."

  "Where do the men in your land go when they die?"

  "All go to Beek."

  I then held my hand up to the sky to point to it, and said, "God dwellsthere. He made the world, and all things in it. The moon and the starsare the work of his hand. God sends the wind and the rain on the earth,and the streams that flow: He hides the face of the sky with clouds,makes the grass to grow for the beasts of the field, and herbs for theuse of man. God's love knows no end. When we pray, He draws near to usand hears us."

  It was a real joy to my poor slave to hear me talk of these things. Hesat still for a long time, then gave a sigh, and told me that he wouldsay "O" to Beek no more, for he was but a short way off, and yet couldnot hear, till men went up the hill to speak to him.

  "Did you go up the hill to speak to him?" said I.

  "No, Okes go up to Beek, not young mans."

  "What do Okes say to him?"

  "They say 'O.'"

  Now that I brought my man Friday to know that Beek was not the true God,such was the sense he had of my worth, that I had fears lest I shouldstand in the place of Beek. I did my best to call forth his faith inChrist, and make it strong and clear, till at last--thanks be to theLord--I brought him to the love of Him, with the whole grasp of hissoul.

  To please my poor slave, I gave him a sketch of my whole life; I toldhim where I was born, and where I spent my days when a child. He wasglad to hear tales of the land of my birth, and of the trade which wekeep up, in ships, with all parts of the known world. I gave him a knifeand a belt, which made him dance with joy.

  One day as we stood on the top of the hill at the east side of the isle,I saw him fix his eyes on the main land, and stand for a long time to,gaze at it; then jump and sing, and call out to me.

  "What do you see?" said I.

  "Oh joy!" said he, with a fierce glee in his eyes, "Oh glad! There seemy land!"

  Why did he strain his eyes to stare at this land, as if he had a wishto be there? It put fears in my mind which made me feel far, less atmy ease with him. Thought I, if he should go back to his home, he willthink no more of what I have taught him, and done for him. He will besure to tell the rest of his tribe all my ways, and come back with, itmay be, scores of them, and kill me, and then dance round me, as theydid round the men, the last time they came on my isle.

  But these were all false fears, though they found a place in my mind along while; and I was not so kind to him now as I had been. From thistime I made it a rule, day by day, to find out if there were grounds formy fears or not. I said, "Do you not wish to be once more in your ownland?"

  "Yes! I be much O glad to be at my own land."

  "What would you do there? Would you turn wild, and be as you were?"

  "No, no, I would tell them to be good, tell them eat bread, corn, milk,no eat man more!"

  "Why, they would kill you!"

  "No, no, they no kill; they love learn."

  He then told me that some white men, who had come on their shores in aboat, had taught them a great deal.

  "Then will you go back to your land with me?"

  He said he could not swim so far, so I told him he should help me tobuild a boat to go in. Then he said, "If you go, I go."

  "I go? why they would eat me!"

  "No, me make them much love you."

  Then he told me as well as he could, how kind they had been to somewhite men. I brought out the large boat to hear what he thought of it,but he said it was too small. We then went to look at the old ship'sboat, which, as it had been in the sun for years, was not at all in asound state. The poor man made sure that it would do. But how were we toknow this? I told him we should build a boat as large as that, and thathe should go home in it. He spoke not a word, but was grave and sad.

  "What ails you?" said I.

  "Why, you grieve mad with your man?"

  "What do you mean? I am not cross with you."

  "No cross? no cross with me? Why send your man home to his own land,then?"

  "Did you not tell me you would like to go back?"

  "Yes, yes, we both there; no wish self there, if you not there!"

  "And what should I do there?"

  "You do great deal much good! you teach wild men be good men; you tellthem know God, pray God, and lead new life."

  We soon set to work to make a boat that would take us both. The firstthing was to look out for some large trees that grew near the shore, sothat we could launch our boat when it was made. My slave's plan was toburn the wood to make it the right shape; but as mine was to hew it,I set him to work with my tools; and in two months' time we had made agood strong boat; but it took a long while to get her down to the shore.

  Friday had the whole charge of her; and, large as she was, he made hermove with ease, and said, "he thought she go there well, though greatblow wind!" He did not know that I meant to make a mast and sail. I cutdown a young fir tree for the mast, and then I set to work at the sail.It made me laugh to see my man stand and stare, when he came to watch mesail the boat. But he soon gave a jump, a laugh, and a clap of the handswhen he saw the sail jibe and fall, first on this side, then on that.

  The next thing to do was to stow our boat up in the creek, where we duga small dock; and when the tide was low, we made a dam, to keep out thesea. The time of year had now come for us to set sail, so we got out allour stores, to put them in the boat.

  One day I sent Friday to the shore, to get a sort of herb that grewthere. I soon heard him cry out to me, "O grief! O bad! O bad! O outthere boats, one, two, three!" "Keep a stout heart," said I, to cheerhim. The poor man shook with fear; for he thought that the men whobrought him here, had now come back to kill him.

  "Can you fight?" said I.

  "Me shoot; but me saw three boats; one, two, three!"

  "Have no fear; those that we do not kill, will be sure to take fright atthe sound of our guns. Now will you stand by me, and do just as you arebid?"

  "Me die when you bid die."

  I gave him a good draught of rum; and when he had drunk this, he took upan axe and two guns, each of which had a charge of swan shot. I took twoguns as well, and put large shot in them, and then hung my great swordby my side. From the top of the bill, I saw with the help of my glass,that the boats had each brought eight men, and one slave. They had comeon shore near the creek, where a grove of young trees grew close down tothe sea.

  They had with them three slaves, bound hand and foot, and you who readthis, may guess what they were brought here for. I felt that I must tryand save them from so hard a fate, and that to do this, I should haveto put some of their foes to death. So we set forth on our way. I gaveFriday strict charge to keep close to me, and not to fire till I toldhim to do so.

  We went full a mile out of our way, that we might get round to the woodto bide there. But we had not gone far, when my old qualms came backto me, and I thought, "Is it for me to dip my hands in man's blood? Whyshould I kill those who have done me no harm, and mean not to hurt me?Nay, who do not so much as know that they are in the wrong, when theyhold these feasts. Are not their ways a sign that God has left them(with the rest of their tribe) to their own dull hearts? God did notcall me to be a judge for Him. He who said, 'Thou shalt not kill,' saidit for me, as well as the rest of the world."

  A throng of thoughts like these would rush on my mind, as if to warn meto pause, till I felt sure that there was more to call me to the workthan I then knew of. I took my stand in the wood, to watch the men attheir feast, and then crept on, with Friday close at my heels. Thus wewent till we came to
the skirts of the wood. Then I said to. Friday, "Goup to the top of that tree, and bring me word if you can see the men."

  He went, and quick as thought, came back to say that they were all roundthe fire, and that the man who was bound on the sand would be the nextthey would kill. But when he told me that it was a white man, one of myown race, I felt the blood boil in my veins. Two of the gang had gone toloose the white man from his bonds; so now was the time to fire.

  At the sound of our guns, we saw all the men jump up from the groundwhere they sat. It must have been the first gun the I had heard in theirlives. They knew not which way to look. I now threw down my piece, andtook up a small gun; Friday did the same; and I gave him the word tofire! The men ran right and left, with