TreasureIsland 09/13/06 9:25 PM Page 1

Treasure Island Treasure ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON The world’s all-time Island ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON favorite pirate story

“Seven hundred thousand pounds in gold! Their very souls were bound up in that fortune . . .” Jim and his friends have the treasure map but they’re badly outnumbered. Do they have a chance against the bloodthirsty mutineers? Long John Silver says he’s on Jim’s side. But the one-legged old pirate is clever and wily—and Jim’s very life is at stake!

Saddleback E-Book The End of Billy Bones • 1 Treasure Island ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

ADAPTED BY Janice Greene

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The Call of the Wild A Christmas Carol Frankenstein The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Red Badge of Courage The Scarlet Letter A Tale of Two Cities Treasure Island

Development and Production: Laurel Associates, Inc. Cover and Interior Art: Black Eagle Productions

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Copyright © 1999 by Saddleback Educational Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 1-56254-281-8

Printed in the United States of America 09 08 07 06 05 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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CONTENTS

1 The End of Billy Bones ...... 5 2 Flint’s Treasure Map...... 12 3 Long John Silver ...... 19 4 On Treasure Island ...... 27 5 Defending the Stockade...... 35 6 Clashing Cutlasses ...... 42 7 Jim on His Own ...... 50 8 Pieces of Eight!...... 57 9 The Treasure Hunt...... 64

10 Ben Gunn’s Secret ...... 73

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The End of 1 Billy Bones

Squire Trelawney and some of the other gentlemen have asked me to write down the story of Treasure Island. I, Jim Hawkins, gave them my promise to do so. So I will tell you everything that happened—from beginning to end. I will leave out nothing except the location of the island—for there is still treasure there. I go back in time to the 1700’s. This is when my father still ran the Admiral Benbow Inn. And this is the same year the old sailor came into the inn, carrying a battered old sea chest. He was a tall, rough-looking man, brown as a nut. His hands were scarred. Across one cheek was a jagged old scar from the slash of a sword. “Do many people come this way?” he asked.

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My father said, “No, very few.” That was true. We lived on a lonely stretch of the English coast. Few travelers came our way. One day, the old seaman took me aside. He promised to pay me a silver coin every month if I would keep an eye out for “a man with one leg.” I was to tell him at once if I saw such a man. People were afraid of the old seaman, whom my family now called Captain. At night, he would drink far more rum than his head could carry. Then he would sing wicked songs that made the house shake. His bloodthirsty stories frightened everyone. My father said the Captain was ruining business at the inn. And in one way, he did ruin us. Month after month he stayed—without paying my father a penny. I am sure the trouble and worry over this man caused the sickness that befell my poor father. In the days that followed, we paid little notice to the Captain. My father was getting worse, and my mother and I were busy with the inn.

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One cold morning when the Captain was away, a stranger came to the inn. He was a pale man, with two fingers missing on his left hand. He wore a cutlass. He said he was looking for a man with a scar on his cheek. I told him the Captain had gone out walking, but would return soon. An hour or so later, he walked in the door. The stranger said, “Bill.” The Captain turned. He had the look of a man who sees a ghost. He cried out, “Black Dog!” Black Dog said, “Yes, it’s Black Dog— come to see his old shipmate, Billy Bones. We’ll sit down now, if you please, and talk square.” Black Dog sent me to fetch some rum. Then he told me to leave the room. Their voices grew louder and louder. Then all of a sudden an explosion of swearing erupted. I heard a chair and table tumble over. Then a clash of steel and a cry of pain. The next instant, Black Dog came running out, with the Captain right behind him. Blood was

6 The End of Billy Bones • 1 running from his shoulder. Just at the door of the inn, the Captain made a great swing with his cutlass. Such a blow might have split Black Dog to his chin! Instead, the cutlass hit the wooden sign that said “Admiral Benbow” and cut a notch in it. The Captain reeled and leaned against the wall unsteadily. I cried, “Are you hurt?” “Rum!” he cried. “Bring me rum, Jim!” When I returned with the rum, the Captain was lying on the floor. His breath was loud and hard. His eyes were shut and his face was a horrible color. My mother and I did not know what to do. Luckily, Dr. Livesey came by to visit my father just then. We were glad to see him. Dr. Livesey turned up Bill’s sleeve. We saw that one of his tattoos read “Billy Bones.” So that was his name! Dr. Livesey cut open a vein. He bled Billy Bones a long time before the man opened his eyes. “Where’s Black Dog?” he asked. Dr. Livesey said, “There is no Black Dog

7 TREASURE ISLAND here—except what you have on your own back. You’ve been drinking so much rum you’ve had a stroke, just as I warned you. If you keep on drinking, you’ll have another, and that will be the end of you.” Later, I took some medicines to Bones, who was lying in bed. “Did that doctor say how long I was to lie here?” he asked. “A week at least,” I answered. Bones said, “Thunder! I can’t do that. They’ll have the Black Spot on me by then. It’s my sea chest they’re after. If they come, you get on a horse and go—go to that doctor. Tell him to get all hands—magistrates and such. They can round up Captain Flint’s old crew—all that’s left of ’em. I was old Flint’s first mate. I’m the only one who knows where the map is. Flint gave it to me at Savannah, when he lay a-dying.” Then Bones fell into a heavy sleep. I should have told the doctor what he said— all about his sea chest, and the crew from Captain Flint’s ship who might come after it. But my poor father died quite suddenly

8 The End of Billy Bones • 1 that evening. I had little time to think about Billy Bones. Though he seemed to grow weaker, he helped himself to rum from the bar. We did not dare try to stop him. The day after the funeral, I was standing at the door of the inn. I was full of sad thoughts about my father. Then I noticed a blind man coming up the road. He tapped a stick in front of his feet. His back was hunched and he wore a huge, ragged cloak. He stopped in front of the inn and said softly, “Will any kind friend tell this poor blind man where he is?” I said, “Yes, sir. You are at the Admiral Benbow Inn.” “Will you give me your hand, my kind young friend, and lead me in?” he asked. But when I held out my hand, he grabbed it in a grip as strong as a vise! I tried to pull away from him. Suddenly his voice turned cruel and cold. He said, “Take me to Billy Bones. Now, boy—or I’ll break your arm!” I took him into Bones’s room. Billy took one look at the blind man. The rum seemed

9 TREASURE ISLAND to go out of him in an instant. He tried to get up, but he could not. The blind man said, “Now, Billy Bones— stay where you are. Hold out your left hand.” Then he turned to me. He said, “Boy, take his left hand by the wrist. Bring it near to my right.” I obeyed him. Then I saw the blind man put something in the Captain’s hand. The blind man said, “Now, that’s done.” Then suddenly he let go of me and hurried out of the inn without any help. I could hear his stick tap-tap-tapping into the distance. Billy looked at his hand. He cried, “Ten o’clock! I have just six hours.” He sprang to his feet. Then he put his hand to his throat, made a strange sound, and fell with a crash to the floor. I ran to him and called to my mother. But there was no need to hurry. Billy was dead. I had never liked the man, although I had begun to pity him. But when I saw he was dead, I burst out in a flood of tears. It was the second death I had known. The sadness of the first still filled my heart.

10 Flint’s Treasure Map • 2

Flint’s 2 Treasure Map

Flint’s men would be back in six hours! My mother and I were in a dangerous spot. We ran to the village for help. But no one in the village would help us. The name of Captain Flint meant nothing to me, but it filled the townspeople with fear. My mother was determined to go back to the inn. She needed the money Billy Bones owed her. She said to all of the villagers, “Jim and I will go back alone. Small thanks to you—you chicken-hearted men! We’ll have that sea chest open if we die for it.” Even then no man would go with us. All they would do was give me a loaded pistol. They also sent one man to ride for help. Back at the inn, my mother whispered, “Draw down the blinds, Jim. Flint’s men

11 TREASURE ISLAND might come and watch from outside.” I bent over Billy Bones’s body. On the floor close to his hand there was a round bit of paper. On one side was written, “You have until ten tonight.” The other side was black. It was the Black Spot! We found a key on a string around the Captain’s neck. In a twinkling, my mother opened the chest. Inside was a suit of good clothes, never worn. There were also some sticks of tobacco, two fine pistols, a piece of silver, an old Spanish watch, and five or six curious shells. Beneath those things we found an old cloak, a bundle that looked like papers tied up in oilskin, and a small canvas bag. The bag gave a jingle of gold. My mother said, “I’ll show these scoundrels I’m an honest woman. Give me the bag, Jim. I’ll take what Billy Bones owed me, and not a penny more.” Counting out the money was a difficult business, for the coins were from many countries. When we were about half finished, I heard a sound that brought my

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heart into my mouth. It was the tap-tap- tapping of the blind man’s stick! After that, we heard a low whistle from off on the hill. I said, “Mother, take all the money and let’s be going!” My mother said, “I’ll take just what I’ve counted out.” “Then I’ll take this to make it up,” I said, snatching the oilskin bundle. We then started to run toward the village. Behind us, we could hear thundering footsteps. Suddenly my mother cried, “My

13 TREASURE ISLAND dear, take the money and run on. I fear I am going to faint.” Luckily, we were only a short way from the inn, near a little bridge. I led her under the arch where we both hid. Seven or eight men came running up to the inn. I heard the voice of the blind man crying out, “Get inside! In, in, in!” The men rushed inside. Then one of them called out, “Bones is dead!” The blind man swore. “Search him! Get into his sea chest!” A few minutes later one of the men called out to the blind man, “Pew, they’ve been here before us! They’ve gone through the chest! Only the money’s left!” Pew roared, “It’s that boy! I wish I had put his eyes out! Scatter, men—we must find him immediately!” The men ran through the inn, throwing furniture over and kicking in the doors with their heavy boots. Then came a whistle. One of the men said, “There’s the signal again. We’ve got to go, mates!” Pew cried, “Never mind that, you fools! You’ll have your hands on thousands if you

14 Flint’s Treasure Map • 2 can find it! Oh, shiver my soul, if only I had eyes!” He began to swing his stick at the men, right and left. He hit more than one of them. They swore and tried to grab the stick from Pew’s hands. Then from the top of the hill came the sound of galloping horses. The men ran away in every direction. Pew was left alone. In a frenzy he went tapping up and down the road calling, “Mates! You wouldn’t leave old Pew! Not old Pew!” Just then the horses swept down the hill toward the inn. Pew ran straight for the ditch and fell in. He was on his feet in a second. Then he made another dash—right into a huge, galloping horse! The rider could not stop in time. Down went Pew with a cry that rang into the night. He fell on his face and moved no more. The riders were revenue officers. They went back to the inn with my mother and me. The place was in a state of ruin. One officer asked me, “Do you know what they were after?” I said, “I think I have the thing in my

15 TREASURE ISLAND pocket. I thought perhaps, Dr. Livesey—” The officer said, “Perfectly right. Dr. Livesey is a gentleman and a magistrate. I’ll make my report out to him and I’ll take you along, Jim Hawkins.” We found Dr. Livesey at the Hall, where Squire Trelawney lived. Squire Trelawney was a tall, broad man, with a face made rough and red by his long travels. His eyebrows were thick and black, and he had a quick, high temper. I told Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey what had happened. When the name of Captain Flint was mentioned, Squire Trelawney became very excited. He said, “Why, old Captain Flint was the most bloodthirsty buccaneer who ever lived! The Spanish were so afraid of Flint I was sometimes proud he was an Englishman! If I had a clue where his treasure was, I’d search for a year to find it.” After giving me a hearty supper of pigeon pie, Dr. Livesey carefully opened the oilskin packet. Inside was the map of an island, showing latitude and longitude. There was

16 Flint’s Treasure Map • 2 a hill named “Spyglass” and a cross. Beneath the cross was written treasure. The squire said, “Treasure, Livesey! Tomorrow I will leave for Bristol. In three weeks—no, two weeks—no—in ten days— we’ll have the best crew in England! Young Jim Hawkins here will be cabin boy. You, Livesey, are ship’s doctor. I am admiral. We’ll take my servants: Redruth, Joyce, and Hunter. With luck we’ll have good winds and a quick journey. I trust we’ll have no trouble in finding the spot. Then we’ll have money to eat! Money enough to roll in!” Dr. Livesey said, “All right, Trelawney, I’ll go with you—and so will Jim Hawkins. There’s only one man I’m afraid of.” Squire Trelawney said, “Who?” “You—for you cannot hold your tongue,” Dr. Livesey said. “We are not the only men who know of this paper. The men who attacked the inn tonight are not far off.” Squire Trelawney said, “Livesey, you are always right. I’ll be as silent as the grave.”

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Long John 3 Silver

Several weeks later, Squire Trelawney wrote a letter from Bristol. He had bought a fine ship named Hispaniola. At first the squire had trouble finding a crew. But a stroke of luck had brought him an old, one- legged sailor named Long John Silver. The squire hired him to be the ship’s cook. Long John Silver said he knew many sailors, so he helped Squire Trelawney find the rest of the crew. Squire Trelawney had paid to repair the broken furniture at the inn. He had even added some new furniture, and a beautiful armchair for my mother. The squire also found a boy to help her while I was away. I spent one last night at the inn before I took the coach for Bristol with Squire Trelawney’s servant, Redruth.

18 Long John Silver • 3

In Bristol, Squire Trelawney sent me to take a note to Long John Silver. I went to a tavern called “Spyglass.” As I stood at the door of the tavern, I saw the man I knew must be Long John Silver. His left leg was cut off close to the hip. Under his left shoulder he carried a crutch. He hopped about on it as easily as a bird. The man was very tall and strong, with a face as big as a ham. His face was plain and pale, but intelligent and friendly looking. When I had first heard about Long John Silver, I was afraid he might be the one- legged man Billy Bones had been waiting for. But one look at him told me I must be wrong. This clean and smiling man was nothing like Billy Bones, or Black Dog, or Pew—or any of the others. I called to him, “Mr. Silver, sir?” Long John Silver took the note. He said. “Ah, you are our new cabin boy! I am pleased to see you.” He shook my hand. Just then one of the men in the tavern got up suddenly and rushed for the door. I cried, “Oh, stop him! It’s Black Dog!”

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Long John Silver cried, “I don’t care who he is. He hasn’t paid. Stop him!” The man who was closest to the door ran after Black Dog, but came back alone. Seeing Black Dog in Long John Silver’s tavern had made me suspicious. But Long John Silver insisted he had never seen the man before. I didn’t see that Long John Silver was too deep and too clever for me. Later that day, Squire Trelawney took me on board the Hispaniola. It was there that I first met Captain Smollett. He was a serious, sharp-eyed man. He seemed angry with everything on the ship. When we were in the cabin with Dr. Livesey, Captain Smollett came in and shut the door behind him. Frowning, Smollett looked the squire in the eye. He said, “I better speak plain, sir. I don’t like your plans, and I don’t like the men on this ship.” Dr. Livesey said, “What? Why don’t you like the plans?” Captain Smollett said, “I don’t like treasure voyages. And I especially don’t like them when they’re secret—and everyone

20 Long John Silver • 3 knows the secret. There’s been too much blabbing.” Squire Trelawney looked annoyed. “I never told that to a soul!” he cried. Smollett went on. “The crew knows it. They know where the island is. They also know you have a map that shows where the treasure is buried.” “Now tell us why you don’t like the crew,” Dr. Livesey said. Captain Smollett said, “I don’t, sir— though there’s nothing I can prove against them. But I will tell you what I want—I want the guns and gunpowder kept safe under this cabin. And no more loose talk.” Dr. Livesey said, “In other words, Captain, you fear a mutiny.” Unhappily, Squire Trelawney said, “I will do as you ask, Captain Smollett. But I must say I think the worse of you.” “As you please, sir,” said Smollett. “You’ll find that I do my duty.” And he went out of the cabin. Dr. Livesey said, “I think you have hired two honest men for this crew—Captain

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Smollett and Long John Silver.” Squire Trelawney said, “Well, Long John Silver is honest.” Dr. Livesey said, “We shall see.” All that night we were busy loading the boat. I was tired as a dog before morning came, but I was much too excited to sleep. Finally, all the supplies were loaded onto the Hispaniola. Long John Silver led the crew in song: “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest— Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” Then at last the anchor was brought up and the sails began to puff out in the wind. Finally—the Hispaniola was on her way to Treasure Island! I am not going to tell much about the trip itself. It was mostly pleasant. All the crew liked and respected Long John Silver. To me, he was always kind. I liked to visit him in the galley. He kept it as clean as a new pin. The dishes were hung up, shined and bright. In the corner of the galley, his parrot would call out from his cage, “Pieces of

22 Long John Silver • 3 eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!” Squire Trelawney and Captain Smollett had little to say to each other. But the squire was very generous with the crew. If he heard it was a man’s birthday, he would put out a large barrel of apples. One night when my work was over, I came to get an apple before going to bed. I climbed into the barrel, for there were only a few left at the bottom. For a moment I sat there in the dark, while the ship rocked me. I was about to fall asleep when I heard Long John Silver’s voice. As soon as he started to speak, I began to tremble. It was clear that the lives of every honest man on the ship depended on me! Long John Silver said, “Flint was the captain, and I was one of his crew. That’s when I lost my leg, and old Pew lost his eyes. There was plenty of money I got for that trip. But after this trip, I’ll be set up as a real gentleman. What do you say, mate? Are you with me?” One man shouted, “I’m with you!” Then another man spoke up. “What I

23 TREASURE ISLAND want to know is—just how long must we wait around? I’ve had almost enough of Captain Smollett, I tell you.” Long John Silver said, “You’ll wait until I give the word! Captain Smollett’s a first- rate seaman. And Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey have the map of the island. I mean to have them help us find the treasure. Then we’ll strike!” One man cried out, “You’re a clever one, Long John Silver!” With an evil grin, Long John Silver said, “There’s only one man I claim. I claim Squire Trelawney. I swear I’ll wring his head off his body with these hands!” Just then a sort of brightness fell upon me in the barrel. Looking up, I saw the moon had risen. Almost at the same time, the look- out shouted, “Land ho!” There was a great rush of feet across the deck. I made sure no one was watching before I climbed out of the barrel. Very early the next morning, I asked Dr. Livesey if I could see him and Squire Trelawney and Captain Smollett alone.

24 Long John Silver • 3

When we were gathered in the cabin, I told them what I had heard. Captain Smollett said, “We have some time before us—at least until this treasure is found. Now, which men can we count on? Squire Trelawney, can we count on your servants to be on our side?” “Yes,” Squire Trelawney said. Captain Smollett said, “That makes three. Counting the four of us, that makes seven. The others—we don’t know.” Dr. Livesey said, “Jim can help us. The men are not shy around him. He might overhear more of their plans.” Squire Trelawney said, “Jim Hawkins, I’m putting my faith in you.” I began to feel pretty desperate. We could make all the plans we liked—but there were only seven of us, and 19 of them!

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On Treasure 4 Island

By morning we were close to Treasure Island. The wind had almost stopped, and the still air was very hot. The crew sweated and swore at their work. As we came close to shore there was a strange smell in the air. I thought it seemed like wet leaves and rotting tree trunks. Dr. Livesey sniffed the air as if he were tasting a bad egg. He said, “I don’t know about treasure, but I’ll bet my wig there’s fever on this island!” The tempers of the crew got worse. They answered every order with a black look. The threat of mutiny hung over us like a thundercloud. Only Long John Silver was in good spirits. If he was given an order, he would call out, “aye, aye, sir!” in a cheerful voice, hopping off on his crutch in an

26 On Treasure Island • 4 instant. It seemed he was trying to hide the dark mood of the rest of the crew. We had a quick meeting in the cabin. Captain Smollett said, “If I give another order we’ll have mutiny on our hands. There’s only one man we can count on.” “Who is that?” asked the squire. Captain Smollett said, “Long John Silver. He doesn’t want a mutiny now. Let’s give the crew a free afternoon on the island. I promise that Silver will bring them back on board as mild as lambs.” And so it was decided. The four of us took loaded pistols. Squire Trelawney’s servants, Hunter, Joyce, and Redruth, were given pistols, too. Captain Smollett then told the crew they could have a free afternoon on the island. They gave a roaring cheer that set a cloud of birds flying around the ship. The crew began loading themselves into boats. Suddenly I had a wild idea that later helped to save our lives. I decided to go onto the island myself! I slipped over the side and hid in the front of the nearest boat.

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When we were close to the trees on shore, I caught a branch and swung myself out of the boat. I ran into the trees. Behind me, I heard Long John Silver call, “Jim! Jim!” But I ran on and on, until I could run no longer. All at once there was movement in front of me. A duck flew up with a quack, then another and another. Soon clouds of birds were screaming and circling in the air. I heard voices. One of them was that of Long John Silver! At first I hid under a fallen oak tree. But I knew I must get close to Silver if I wanted to hear. If I had been such a fool as to come onto the island, the least I could do was to listen to the crew’s plans. I crawled closer. Long John Silver was talking to one of the crew. He said, “I’m warning you, Tom—because I want to save your neck. If you’re not with us, you’re against us!” In a shaking voice, Tom said, “I won’t get mixed up in this, Long John Silver! I won’t turn against my duty. I’d rather lose my hand!”

28 On Treasure Island • 4

Suddenly, far away from us, there came a great cry of anger. Then, one long, horrid scream rang out. Tom leaped at the sound. Long John Silver didn’t bat an eye. Like a snake about to spring, he watched Tom. Tom cried, “What was that?” Long John Silver’s eyes shone like crumbs of glittering glass. He said, “That? Oh, I think that must have been Alan.” Tom said, “Alan! Then rest his soul for a true seaman. And as for you, Long John

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Silver—you’re a mate of mine no longer. You’ve killed Alan, have you? Then kill me too, if you can.” With that, Tom bravely turned his back on Long John Silver and walked away. Crying out, Long John Silver grabbed onto a tree branch. Then he whipped his crutch from under his arm and sent it flying through the air. It hit poor Tom in the back. The man gasped and fell. In an instant, Long John Silver was on him. He stabbed him twice with his knife. For a few moments, the world whirled before my eyes. When my senses cleared, I saw Tom lying dead on the ground. Long John Silver was cleaning his knife in the grass. Everything else was exactly the same—as if nothing had happend. The sun was still shining. I could hardly believe that murder had actually been done! Long John Silver took out a whistle and blew it several times. I crawled to an open space. Then I began to run and run. It was all over for me, I thought. Either the crew would find me and kill me, or I would starve.

30 On Treasure Island • 4

I ran on until I was at the foot of a little hill. Here I saw something dark and shaggy leaping from behind the trunk of a tree! I turned and ran, but, moving very quickly, it cut me off. Seeing that the thing was a man, I was very frightened. Then I remembered I had a pistol. I walked closer and saw he was a white man, like myself. His skin was burnt dark by the sun. His clothes were rags, held together with buttons and bits of stick. I asked, “Who are you?” “I’m poor Ben Gunn, I am,” he croaked. “I haven’t spoken to a soul for three years. I was marooned, mate! I’ve lived on goats and berries and oysters. Now you—what do you call yourself?” “Jim,” I answered. Ben Gunn said, “Jim! Ah, Jim, you’ll bless your stars, you will. For you were the first that found me! I’m rich! Rich!” I thought the poor fellow must have gone crazy from being alone so long. Then Ben Gunn asked, “Now, Jim, you tell me true—is that Captain Flint’s ship?” I said, “It’s not Flint’s ship. Flint is dead.

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But some of Flint’s men are on board. Worse luck for the rest of us.” Ben Gunn gasped. “Not Long John Silver! If you were sent by Long John Silver, I’m as good as dead.” I began to think Ben Gunn might help us. I told him the whole story of our trip, and all about the trouble we were in. Ben Gunn said, “You put your trust in me. I were in Flint’s ship. Billy Bones were there and so were Long John Silver. We waited with the ship, the Walrus, while Flint went off to bury the treasure. He had six men with him—six strong seamen. When he came back, all six were killed. How he done it, we never knew. We asked him where the treasure was hid. But all he said was, ‘You can stay if you like. This ship’s going after more treasure!’” Ben Gunn went on. “Well, three years ago, I was on another ship. When we spotted the island I said, ‘Here’s Flint’s treasure, boys. Let’s land and find it.’ Twelve days we looked for it. And every day the men had a worse word for me. Then one fine

32 On Treasure Island • 4 morning, they all went aboard.‘Here’s a shovel, a pick, and a rifle,’ they said. ‘You can stay here on Treasure Island and find Flint’s money for yourself.’” Then Ben Gunn winked and gave me a pinch. He said, “Now this Squire Trelawney. If a man was to help him out, would the squire be a generous man?” I said that indeed Squire Trelawney was a most generous man. Ben Gunn said, “And would this Squire Trelawney let the man who helped him sail home on the Hispaniola?” I said, “Why, Squire Trelawney is a gentleman. And besides, if we got rid of the others, we would need your help getting the Hispaniola back home.” Ben Gunn said, “Well, Jim, there’s a boat I made with my own two hands. I keep her under that white rock over there.” Just then the loud boom of a cannon thundered in the distance. I cried, “The fight is on! Follow me!”

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Defending the 5 Stockade

On the Hispaniola, Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney, and Captain Smollett made plans. Most of the mutineers had left for the island. Only six men were still on board. At first Dr. Livesey and the others thought they might attack those men and then sail away. But there was not a breath of wind. Then the squire’s servant, Hunter, gave the news that I had gone onto the island. Knowing what a dangerous mood the mutineers were in, they feared for my life. Dr. Livesey decided to take Hunter and row over to Treasure Island. He had seen a stockade on Billy Bones’s map of the island. He wanted to see what sort of a place it was. They discovered the stockade was on a hill, and well built. Inside stood a strong house made of logs. Best of all, there was a

34 Defending the Stockade • 5 spring of clean, clear water there. This made the stockade a better place to fight the mutineers than on the ship. There was no more water on board the Hispaniola. Dr. Livesey and Hunter went back to the ship. The doctor told the others about the stockade. He gave Redruth three loaded muskets to guard the cabin. Then they loaded the little boat with gunpowder, muskets, bags of biscuits, small barrels of pork, and Dr. Livesey’s medicine chest. Before leaving, Captain Smollett called to the six men on the Hispaniola. He said, “We have our pistols ready. If any one of you makes a signal to the men on the island, that man’s dead.” They rowed back to Treasure Island and carried the food and weapons into the log house. Joyce, with half a dozen muskets, was left behind to stand guard. Then they rowed back to the Hispaniola for another load. They quickly loaded the boat with more food. Then Captain Smollett called out to one of the six men on board. “Hear me, Abraham Gray! I am leaving this ship. I

35 TREASURE ISLAND know you are a good man at heart. I have my watch in my hand. I give you 30 seconds to join me.” There was silence. Then came the sound of a sudden scuffle and out burst Abraham Gray with a knife cut on the side of his cheek! He ran to his captain like a dog to the whistle. Abraham Gray said, “I’m with you, sir.” In a moment the small boat was rowing toward Treasure Island. Suddenly Captain Smollett cried out, “The cannon!” They looked back toward the Hispaniola. As they watched in horror, they saw the five men left on board getting the cannon ready to fire. One of the men, Israel Hands, was lifting a cannonball. Gray said, “Israel was the gunner on Flint’s ship.” “Who’s the best shot here?” Smollett asked. Dr. Livesey said, “Trelawney, by far.” Squire Trelawney was as cool as steel. He got his gun ready.

36 Defending the Stockade • 5

Captain Smollett said, “Now, easy with that gun, sir, or you’ll swamp the boat.” Squire Trelawney aimed his musket at Israel Hands and fired. But just as he fired, Israel bent down. The musket ball whistled over him, and another man fell to the deck. The mutineers on shore heard the shot. They ran out of the trees toward their boats. Dr. Livesey cried out, “They’re coming for us!” “They’ll have a hard time catching us,” Smollett said. “It’s not them I fear—it’s the cannon. My lady’s maid couldn’t miss this boat!” The little boat was now close to shore. But the tide was carrying it away from the mutineers on the island. The greatest danger was indeed the cannon. Squire Trelawney aimed his gun once more. But just then the Hispaniola’s cannon fired. Captain Smollett and Redruth leaned backward. A wall of water washed over the boat, but the cannon shot seemed to go over the men’s heads. The boat gently sank in shallow water.

37 TREASURE ISLAND

No one was hurt, but the food and most of the guns were lost. Dr. Livesey and the others waded to shore with all due speed. Through the trees, they could hear the voices of the mutineers. The men hurried as fast as they could toward the stockade. With every step, the shouts of the mutineers seemed closer. The squire’s gun had been lost when the boat sank, so Captain Smollett gave him his own gun. Dr. Livesey gave his cutlass to Gray, who spit on his hand, grabbed the cutlass and made it sing through the air. It did the other men’s hearts good to see him so ready to fight his former mates. Just then, the mutineers burst out of the trees. When Squire Trelawney fired, one of the mutineers fell to the ground, dead. The rest turned and ran off. Just then, a pistol cracked in the bushes. Poor Redruth stumbled and fell. Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney fired back, but there was nothing to shoot at. All was suddenly quiet. It seemed the mutineers had disappeared.

38 Defending the Stockade • 5

Dr. Livesey looked at Redruth. It was clear he had not long to live. The men carried him through the gates of the stockade and into the log house. Squire Trelawney dropped down on his knees beside Redruth. Crying like a child, he kissed his servant’s hand. Redruth asked, “Am I going, doctor?” Dr. Livesey said, “Yes, my good man, you’re going home.” One of the men read a prayer. A little while later, Redruth passed away. While on the Hispaniola, Captain Smollett had tucked several things in his chest and pockets—a British flag, a rope, a Bible, and some tobacco. He and Hunter flew the flag from a tall tree. Captain Smollett said, “It’s a pity we lost that second load. We still have plenty of gunpowder and shot. But there’s only food enough for 10 days.” Then suddenly, with a roar and a whistle, a cannonball screamed over the roof of the log house. The little building shook. Captain Smollett said, “Oh, ho! Blaze

39 TREASURE ISLAND away, then! You have little enough powder already, my boys!” “Captain, the log house is invisible from the ship,” said the squire. “It must be the flag they’re aiming at. Would it be wiser to take it down?” Captain Smollett said, “Take down the British flag? No, sir—not I.” As soon as he said it, the rest of the men agreed with him. All through the evening the cannon thundered away. But ball after ball flew short, or harmlessly kicked up the sand inside the stockade. Later that evening, a noise was heard outside the log house. Standing guard outside the door, Hunter said, “Listen! Someone is calling to us.” A small voice cried, “Doctor! Squire Trelawney! It’s me—Jim Hawkins!”

40 Clashing Cutlasses • 6

Clashing 6 Cutlasses

Dr. Livesey and the others welcomed me warmly. I told them of my adventures and my meeting with Ben Gunn. Before nightfall, we buried poor Redruth. Then we made our plans. We had very little food. Our best hope was to kill off the mutineers. From 19 men, they were already down to just 15, and two of those had been wounded. And we had two other things on our side—fever and rum. The mutineers had broken into the rum on the Hispaniola. We could hear them roaring and singing late into the night. As for fever, Dr. Livesey bet his wig that, without medicine, half of them would be on their backs in a week. I was dreadful tired that night, and slept like a dead man. The next morning, I was

41 TREASURE ISLAND wakened by a bustle and the sound of voices. I heard someone say, “Look, a flag of truce! It’s Long John Silver himself!” Captain Smollett ordered, “Stay indoors, men. I’ll bet ten to one this is a trick.” Then the captain called out to Long John Silver: “What’s the meaning of your flag of truce?” Long John Silver cried out, “It’s Captain Silver, sir—come to make a deal with you.” “I don’t know any Captain Silver. Who might he be?” Smollett answered. Long John Silver said, “That’s me, sir! These poor men have chosen me captain— since you deserted, sir.” “I don’t have the least desire to talk to you,” Smollett said. “If you wish to talk to me, come here. But if you pull any tricks, the Lord help you.” Long John Silver said in a cheerful voice, “The word of a gentleman is good enough for me, Captain Smollett.” Long John Silver threw his crutch over the stockade fence. Then, with great energy and skill, he pulled himself up and over the

42 Clashing Cutlasses • 6 fence and sat down in the sand. “So here you are,” Captain Smollett said. “If you have anything to say, say it quickly.” “Well now, look here,” said Silver. “That was a pretty good trick of yours last night. One of you was right busy with the hand spike. Maybe it shook up the men a little. Maybe I was shook myself. Maybe that’s why I’m here to offer you a deal.” Captain Smollett was cool as could be. He said, “Well?” Silver’s words were a riddle to Captain Smollett. But you would never have guessed it from his tone. As for me, I had a feeling Ben Gunn had paid the mutineers a visit last night. So now we had only 14 enemies to deal with! Long John Silver said, “Well, here it is— you give us the map to the treasure, and we’ll divide it with you, man for man. Then we’ll offer you a choice. You can come back on the Hispaniola with us, and I’ll put you safe on shore somewhere. Or maybe that ain’t your fancy. After all, some of my men are rough, and have old scores to settle. So

43 TREASURE ISLAND if you want, you can stay here. I give my word to speak to the first ship I see, and send ’em here to pick you up.” Captain Smollett knocked out the ashes from his pipe. He said, “Is that all, Silver? Now you’ll hear me. If you and your men will come up one by one, unarmed, I’ll put each of you in chains. Then I’ll take you home to a fair trial in England. If you won’t, I’ll see all of you in Davey Jones’s locker. Now be off, and double quick.” Long John Silver cried, “You’ll at least give me a hand up!” Captain Smollett said, “Not I.” Long John Silver crawled along the sand, swearing. When he reached the log house, he got hold of it and pulled himself up on his crutch. Then he spat into our spring! “There!” he cried. “That’s what I think of ye! Before the hour is up, you’ll not be laughing. Them that die will be the lucky ones!” With a last awful curse, off he went. We got our weapons ready. The sun climbed over the trees. Soon the sand seemed to be baking. We stood waiting in a

44 Clashing Cutlasses • 6 fever of heat and worry. An hour passed. Suddenly Joyce whipped up his musket and fired. In answer, the mutineers fired shots from every direction. Several bullets hit the log house, but not one entered. Then, with a loud scream, a band of mutineers ran straight for the stockade. A rifle ball sang through the doorway and blew the doctor’s musket to bits. Like monkeys, the mutineers swarmed over the fence. Squire Trelawney and Abraham Gray fired again and again. Three mutineers fell. The four that were left ran straight for us. One of the mutineers, Job Anderson, roared, “At ’em, mates!” Another mutineer grabbed Hunter’s musket from his hands and hit him in the head with all his might. Poor Hunter fell to the floor like a bag of potatoes. The log house was full of smoke from our gunfire. There was a lot of yelling and confusion, and bangs and flashes from pistol shots, which rang in my ears. Captain Smollett cried, “Out, lads! Fight

45 TREASURE ISLAND

’em in the open! Cutlasses!” I snatched a cutlass from the pile. Someone else snatched another just then and gave me a cut across the knuckles, which I hardly felt. I dashed out the door and saw Dr. Livesey chasing a mutineer down the hill. With a great slash, he sent the man sprawling on his back. Captain Smollett cried, “Get around the house, lads!” I followed his order. Next moment I was face to face with Job Anderson. Bellowing

46 Clashing Cutlasses • 6 like a bull, he raised his cutlass. It flashed in the sunlight. I leaped to one side and saw Abraham Gray coming up behind me. He cut down Job Anderson before the man could raise his cutlass again. Dr. Livesey cried, “Get into the log house, lads! Fire from the house!” But no one listened to him. For suddenly, the mutineers were climbing over the fence and running away. Dr. Livesey, Abraham Gray, and I then ran back to the log house. We saw the price we had paid for victory. Hunter lay without moving. Joyce had taken a shot to the head—he was gone. In the middle of the room, Squire Trelawney was holding the captain. One man was as pale as the other. Captain Smollett said, “Have they run?” “All that could,” said Dr. Livesey. “But there’s five of them will never run again.” “Five!” Smollett said weakly. “That’s better. So now we’re four to nine. That’s better odds than we had at the start.” We did what we could for Hunter. But he never came to again. As for Captain

47 TREASURE ISLAND

Smollett, one of Job Anderson’s bullets had broken his shoulderblade and touched the lung. The second bullet had torn some muscles in his calf. He was sure to recover, but for some weeks he would not be able to walk or move his arm. My own cut across the knuckles was a flea bite. Dr. Livesey patched it with plaster and pulled my ears in the bargain. After dinner, Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey sat talking. Then Dr. Livesey took up his hat and pistols. Putting the map in his pocket, he set off into the woods. I had a feeling he must be going off to find Ben Gunn. As soon as he left, an idea came to me. When no one was watching, I filled my pockets with biscuits and took pistols, powder, and bullets. My plan was to find Ben Gunn’s boat. I was sure the men would not let me go alone, so I decided to slip out when no one was watching. I knew this was wrong. With me gone, there would be one less to guard the log house. But I was only a boy at the time, and I had made up my mind.

48 Jim on His Own • 7

Jim on 7 His Own

I found Ben Gunn’s boat near the white rock he had spoken of. Hidden deep in the bushes, it was a rough-looking thing, made of raw wood and covered with goat skin. It was very small, even for me, but light and easy to carry. Now that I had found the boat, I had another idea. This was to slip out at night and cut the Hispaniola loose from her anchor. If she drifted up to the island, the mutineers, after the fierce fight this morning, might take off to sea. I wanted to stop them if I could. As night came on, fog clouded the sky. I could see but two points of light. One was the fire of the mutineers, who were camped in the swampy area of the island. Another was a dim light in the cabin of the Hispaniola.

49 TREASURE ISLAND

I waded out and set Ben’s boat in the direction of our ship. She was a safe little craft, but difficult to manage. She turned in every direction except the one I wanted. Luckily, the tide was in my favor. I soon reached the Hispaniola, and began to cut the rope that held her anchor. Above me I could hear the angry voices of two mutineers. One voice I knew—it belonged to Israel Hands. I had cut the rope almost through. Then curiosity got the better of me. I climbed up the side of the ship to the cabin window. Beneath the smoky lamp, I saw the furious faces of Israel Hands and another mutineer. The men were locked in a deadly struggle. Each man had a hand on the other’s throat. I dropped back down to my little boat and cut the rope to the Hispaniola’s anchor. At once the night wind began taking the Hispaniola toward Treasure Island. The wind and current took my little boat, too— and I could do nothing to stop her. I was afraid I might drift into some dangerous breakers.

50 Jim on His Own • 7

I lay down in the bottom of the little boat and prayed. I must have stayed there for hours, expecting death with each new wave that sprayed over me. Finally, I grew so tired that I fell asleep. I dreamed of home and the old Admiral Benbow Inn. It was broad day when I awoke. I found myself tossing at the south end of Treasure Island. The waves were great, smooth swells. My little boat skimmed over them as lightly as a bird. I paddled carefully, mostly letting the boat have its way. Little by little, I drew closer to shore. I longed to be on land again, for I was tortured by thirst. Then the current swept me past a point of land and I saw the Hispaniola. She was less than a half-mile away! Coming closer, I saw her sails going back and forth, shivering in the wind. It was plain that no one was steering her! I wondered where the mutineers were. Either they were dead drunk, or they had deserted her. I thought that if I could get on board, I might return her to Captain Smollett. I came as close to the Hispaniola as I

51 TREASURE ISLAND could. Then I sprang to my feet and leaped, swamping my little boat underwater. As I grabbed onto the ship I heard a dull thump. I knew that the Hispaniola had put an end to old Ben’s boat. Now I was left on the great ship with no retreat. The two men were on deck, sure enough. One man was dead on his back. His teeth showed through his open lips. The other man was Israel Hands. He gave out a low moan, which went right to my heart. But when I remembered the talk I had heard from the apple barrel, all pity left me. I leaned close to Israel Hands. All he could say was, “Brandy.” I went downstairs to the cabin. The floor was thick with mud. Empty bottles clinked with the rolling of the ship. I found a bottle with some brandy left in it. For myself I got some biscuits, a great handful of raisins, and a small piece of cheese. Then I had a good, deep drink of water. I gave Israel Hands the brandy. “I’ve come on board to take charge of this ship, Mr. Hands,” I told him. “You’ll look to me

52 Jim on His Own • 7 as your captain until further notice.” He gave me a sour look, but said nothing. I went on, “By-the-by, Mr. Hands, this flag won’t do. Better to have no flag than this.” With that, I pulled down the Jolly Roger and chucked it overboard. Israel Hands watched me closely and slyly. “Now, Captain Hawkins,” he said, “you’ll be wanting to get on shore. You ain’t the man to sail this ship, I guess. If you gives me food and drink, and tie up my wound, I’ll tell you how to sail her.” We struck our bargain on the spot. I used my mother’s silk handkerchief to tie up the man’s stab wound. Then, in three minutes, I had the Hispaniola sailing easily before the wind along the coast of Treasure Island. After our next meal, Israel Hands said, “Get me a bottle of wine, Jim. This brandy’s too strong for my head.” I did not believe Israel Hands wanted brandy instead of wine. He wanted me to leave the deck—that much was plain. I went down below as noisily as I could. Then I slipped out of my shoes and sneaked

53 TREASURE ISLAND back to watch him. On his hands and knees, he crawled across the deck. Then he reached into a coil of rope and pulled out a long knife. He tucked it into his jacket. This was all I needed to know. Israel Hands could move about—and he was armed! Yet I could trust him on one point. We needed each other to get the boat on shore. I brought him back some wine. Taking a long drink, he said, “The tide’s good by now. Just take my orders, Captain Hawkins, and we’ll sail in and be done with it.” We sailed the Hispaniola into a narrow inlet. I had easily learned how to handle the tiller—Israel Hands was an excellent teacher. But as we came near to the beach, his directions were many and fast. I forgot to keep a close watch on him. Just as I was waiting to feel the ship touch the sand, something made me turn my head. There was Israel Hands, coming at me with the knife in his hand! Before he could reach me, I leaped sideways, letting go of the tiller. It struck him across the chest. I jumped out of the way, drew my pistol,

54 Jim on His Own • 7 and fired. But nothing happened! The pistol was soaked with seawater! I climbed up the mast as fast as I could. There I lost no time in getting my pistol ready with dry powder. Israel Hands began to see the dice rolling against him. He put the knife between his teeth and started to slowly climb up the mast. But by then I was ready. I pointed the pistol at his face. “One more step, Mr. Hands, and I’ll blow your brains out!” I cried. Suddenly, something shot toward me like an arrow. I felt a sharp pang, and there I was—pinned by the shoulder to the mast! Then both my pistols went off and fell from my hands! But they did not fall alone. With a choked cry, Israel Hands let go of the sail and plunged headfirst into the water.

55 TREASURE ISLAND

Pieces 8 of Eight!

Israel Hands lay on the sand in the clear, green water. The sight of him made me feel sick, faint, and terrified. I had a horror of falling into the water beside him! Holding tight to the mast, I shut my eyes until my mind became clear again, and my racing heart grew quiet. I found that the knife held me by a near pinch of skin. It came out easily. The wound pained me a great deal, and bled freely. But it was neither deep nor dangerous. The sun was near to setting. I cut down the sails so the Hispaniola would not drift. Then I set off for the stockade. In spite of the pain, I wanted nothing more than to boast of what I had done. As I came near the stockade I was surprised to see the light of a large bonfire.

56 Pieces of Eight! • 8

Captain Smollett had always been careful of firewood. As I drew closer, I heard the sound of snoring. No one was keeping watch! I blamed myself for leaving with so few men to stand guard. By this time I had reached the door of the log house. Walking in, I looked forward to seeing their faces when they found me there in the morning. All of a sudden, a familiar shrill voice rang out. “Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!” It was Silver’s parrot! I turned to run, but fell into two strong arms that held me tight. Long John Silver cried out, “Bring a torch, Dick!” The torch was brought. Looking around, my heart filled with black despair. The mutineers had the house and food! I could only guess that my friends were dead. Long John Silver sat down and began to fill his pipe. “So, here’s Jim Hawkins who’s dropped in,” he said. “Since you’re here, I’ll give you a piece of my mind. I’ve always liked you, Jim. You’re a lad of spirit.

57 TREASURE ISLAND

I always wanted you to join up with me, and now you’ll have to. Your friends have gone against you.” So far so good. I only believed about half of what Long John Silver said. But at least my friends were still alive. “If I’m to join with you,” I said, “I have a right to know what’s what, and where my friends are.” “All right,” he said. “Dr. Livesey came yesterday with a flag of truce and a bargain. So we bargained, and here we are—house,

58 Pieces of Eight! • 8 brandy, firewood, and food. As for them, I don’t know where they went.” I said, “I’m not such a fool. There’s a thing or two I must tell you. Here you are, in a bad way—ship lost, treasure lost, men lost. If you want to know who did it, it was I! I was in the apple barrel the night we sighted land. I heard every word you said. As for the Hispaniola, it was I who cut her free from her anchor. I killed the men you left on board, and I brought her where you’ll never see her again. I’ve had the top of this business from the first. I no more fear you than I fear a fly! Kill me, if you please, or spare me. But if you spare me, I’ll save you from the gallows. When you fellows are in court for piracy, I’ll save you all I can. It’s for you to choose.” Tom Morgan sprang up and thrust his knife at me. “Then here goes!” he said. Long John Silver cried out angrily, “Avast there, Tom Morgan! Did you think you was captain here?” Another man said, “Tom’s right.” The men murmured among themselves.

59 TREASURE ISLAND

“Did any of you gentlemen want to have it out with me?” asked Silver. “Well, I’m ready. Take a cutlass, him that dares. And I’ll see the color of his insides!” Not a man answered. The men stepped back and whispered to each other. Then one stepped forward. He was a sick-looking fellow, with yellow eyes. He said, “Asking your pardon, sir. I claim my right to step outside for a council.” One by one, the men disappeared out the door. Long John Silver and I were left alone. “Jim Hawkins,” he whispered, “they could throw me over. Then they’ll torture and kill you. I’m your last card, Jim, and you’re mine! I’ll save your life if I can. And you can keep Long John Silver from hanging. “There’s trouble coming, for sure,” he went on. “Now tell me something, Jim. Why did Dr. Livesey give me the treasure map?” My face showed such surprise that he asked no more questions. “Ah, well, he did,” Silver continued. “Dr. Livesey must have had his reasons for giving it to me—bad or good.”

60 Pieces of Eight! • 8

The mutineers soon came back inside. One of them handed a small piece of paper to Long John Silver. Long John Silver looked at the paper and said, “The Black Spot! I thought so. Why, you’ve gone and cut this paper out of a Bible. What fool has cut a Bible?” One of the mutineers said, “It was Dick.” Long John Silver said, “Dick, was it? Well, Dick can start saying his prayers.” But then George Merry, the man with the yellow eyes, said, “Belay that talk, Long John Silver! You don’t fool this crew no more. You’ve made a hash of the cruise. You let the enemy out of this here trap for nothing. And then, how about this boy?” “I made a hash of this cruise, did I?” Long John Silver said quietly. “You know my plan. If you’d have listened to me, we’d be on the Hispaniola this very night—and the treasure in her hold, by thunder! But who crossed me? Why, it was you fools! As for the boy, isn’t he a hostage? Why, he might be our last chance! “And you ask about the bargain I made

61 TREASURE ISLAND with the enemy? First of all, I bargained for the doctor. What about you, George Merry? You with eyes the color of lemon peel from the fever? Is it worth nothing to have a real college doctor come to see you every morning? And look here—here’s something else I bargained for—and won!” At that, he threw down the treasure map. The mutineers leaped on it like cats on a mouse. They quickly passed it from hand to hand. Laughing like children, the men shouted and swore in delight. One of the mutineers said, “Yes, that’s Captain Flint’s writing, for sure.” “So it is,” said Silver. “Well, how say you, men? Now you can choose who you please for captain.” The mutineers cried, “Long John Silver for captain! Long John Silver forever!”

62 The Treasure Hunt • 9

The Treasure 9 Hunt

That was the end of the night’s business. Soon after, we lay down to sleep. It was a long time before I could close an eye. I wondered what would become of me. I also thought about Long John Silver, and the remarkable game he was playing. On the one hand, he was keeping all the mutineers together. On the other hand, he was trying to save his own life. The next morning we were awakened by a call. “Ahoy! Here’s the doctor!” And it was. I was glad he was here. But I felt ashamed to look him in the face. Dr. Livesey checked on his patients. One mutineer had a wound from a fight. Others, like George Merry, needed medicine for malaria. At last Dr. Livesey said, “Now I should like to have a talk with Jim Hawkins.”

63 TREASURE ISLAND

“No!” George Merry thundered. Long John Silver roared, “Silence!” Then he turned to me and said, “I’ll have Dr. Livesey step just outside the stockade. You, Jim, can talk to him through the fence. Will you give me your word of honor that you’ll not run off?” I promised. The mutineers were angry. They accused Long John Silver of trying to make a separate peace with the enemy, while doing nothing for them. And, of course, this was exactly what he was doing. I could not imagine how Silver could keep his men from rising up against him. But he was twice the man they were, and he had gotten the treasure map for them. Dr. Livesey walked outside the stockade fence. Long John Silver took me to him. “Jim Hawkins here will tell you how I saved his life,” he said. “Maybe you’ll remember that, doctor.” Then he left us alone. Dr. Livesey turned to me. He said sadly, “Well, Jim, you didn’t dare run off when Captain Smollett was well. But when he

64 The Treasure Hunt • 9 couldn’t stop you, you left. It was downright cowardly, Jim!” Beginning to cry, I said, “Doctor, you might spare me, for my life hangs by a thread. But if they torture me—” Looking pained, Dr. Livesey interrupted. He said, “Jim, I can’t have this! Jump over, and we’ll run for it.” I said, “No sir, you know right well you wouldn’t run away yourself! But listen, Doctor, first I must tell you where the ship is. She lies in the North Inlet.” Dr. Livesey cried, “The ship?” I told Dr. Livesey of my adventures. He listened in silence. “There is a kind of fate in this,” he said at last. “Every step, it’s you that saves our lives. For one thing, you found Ben Gunn. That was the best thing you ever did.” Then Dr. Livesey turned to Long John Silver, who was standing not far away. He said quietly, “Long John Silver, I’ll give you some advice. Don’t be in any great hurry to find the treasure. Keep the boy close to you, and when you need help, call. And I’ll tell

65 TREASURE ISLAND you something more. If we both get out of this trap alive, I’ll do my best to save you.” Long John Silver’s face shone. He said, “You couldn’t say more, sir. Not if you was my mother.” Dr. Livesey shook hands with me through the fence. Then he nodded to Long John Silver and set off quickly into the woods. When Long John Silver and I were alone, he turned to me. He said, “Jim, if I saved your life, you saved mine—and I’ll not forget it. I seen the doctor waving you to run for it. And I seen you saying no, as plain as if I’d heard it. And now, Jim, we’re to go treasure hunting. We’ll save our necks in spite of fate and fortune.” But when we joined the mutineers for breakfast, Long John Silver said to them, “We’ll take our hostage here, Jim Hawkins, on our treasure hunt. He might be handy in case of accidents—until we get the treasure and we’re back on the ship. Then we’ll give Jim Hawkins his share, to be sure, for all his kindness.” The men were in good humor now, but I

66 The Treasure Hunt • 9 felt downcast. If Long John Silver stayed loyal to the mutineers, money and freedom might be his. If he chose to be loyal to Dr. Livesey and the others, the best he could hope for was a bare escape from hanging. Soon after breakfast we set off with the treasure map. The men were armed to the teeth. Some carried picks and shovels, too. I had a rope tied around my waist. Long John Silver held the end of the rope in one hand, or between his powerful teeth. The treasure map was marked with an “X,” but it was hard to recognize the place exactly. On the map, the closest thing to the “X” was a tall tree. It lay on a plateau between Spyglass Hill and Mizzenmast Hill. The exact spot could only be found by reading the compass. We rowed the mutineers’ two boats to a distant beach. Then we began to climb up the tall plateau between Spyglass and Mizzenmast Hill. Long John Silver and I lagged behind the rest. Strong as he was, he often needed my help with his one leg and his crutch.

67 TREASURE ISLAND

We had almost reached the top when one man gave a fearful cry. “He can’t have found the treasure,” said Silver, “for that’s at the top.” When we reached the spot, we saw it—it was a human skeleton, with just a few shreds of clothing on it. George Merry said, “He was a seaman. At least, this is good sea cloth.” “Why are his bones lying like that?” Long John Silver said. “It ain’t natural.” Indeed, the skeleton lay with its hands raised over its head, like a diver’s. “I’ve got an idea in my old brain,” Long John Silver said. “Let’s look at this here compass.” It was just as Silver suspected. The skeleton pointed straight toward the “X” on the treasure map. Long John Silver laughed. “I thought so. This is one of Flint’s jokes, make no mistake. He killed them six men, and this one he hauled here and laid down in line by compass.” One of the men looked around nervously. “If ever a spirit walked, it would be Flint’s.

68 The Treasure Hunt • 9

That old Captain Flint died bad, he did.” Long John Silver said, “Come, come! Stow this talk. Flint’s dead, and he don’t walk. At least, he won’t walk by day. Let’s go ahead for the treasure.” We walked on. The mutineers’ voices got lower and lower. Then all of a sudden, out of the trees in front of us, a thin, high voice began to sing: “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest — Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” The men’s faces went white. George Merry cried, “It’s Flint!” The song stopped as suddenly as it began. Long John Silver said, “This won’t do, men. It’s someone having a joke. That voice is flesh and blood.” But his lips were white. The same voice then broke out again from the trees. It called, “Bring the rum, Darby McGraw! Bring the rum!” One of the men cried out, “Why, those was Flint’s last words!” “That fixes it!” another man said. “Let’s get out of here!”

69 TREASURE ISLAND

Yet another man took out his Bible and started praying. But Long John Silver could not be stopped. “Shipmates,” he said, “I’m here to get that treasure—and I’ll not be beat by man nor devil! I was never afraid of Captain Flint in his life, and, by thunder, I’m not afraid to face him dead!” “Belay there, Long John Silver,” George Merry said. “Don’t you cross a spirit.” “Spirit?” said Long John Silver. “Well, maybe. But there’s one thing not clear to me. I heard an echo. Now, what’s a spirit doing with an echo?” The men were greatly relieved. George Merry said, “Well, that’s so. You’ve a head on your shoulders, Long John Silver, and no mistake. And come to think of it, that was a bit like Flint’s voice, but it was more like somebody’s else’s. It was like—” Long John Silver cried, “Ben Gunn!” Tom Morgan said, “Aye, Ben Gunn!” “Why, nobody minds Ben Gunn,” George Merry cried. “Dead or alive!” The color returned to the men’s faces. They took up their tools and went on.

70 The Treasure Hunt • 9

We could see the tall tree rising in the distance. Now that their fear was past, the men’s thoughts turned to the treasure that lay somewhere beneath that tree—seven hundred thousand pounds in gold! The mutineers’ eyes burned in their heads. Their very souls were bound up in that fortune. A whole lifetime of spending and pleasure lay ahead for each of them. Long John Silver hurried forward. He plucked furiously at the rope that held me to him. From time to time he gave me a deadly look. I feared that with the treasure so near, his promise and Dr. Livesey’s warning were things of the past. The mutineers broke into a run. Then suddenly, we saw them all stop. A low cry arose. Long John Silver rushed ahead. Then we too came to a stop. Before us lay a great, empty pit. The treasure had been found and stolen. The seven hundred thousand pounds was gone!

71 TREASURE ISLAND

Ben Gunn’s 10 Secret

Long John Silver passed me a double- barreled pistol. He whispered, “Jim, stand by for trouble.” Now he was quite friendly to me. I could not help whispering back, “So, Silver, you’ve changed sides again?” There was no time for him to answer. With curses and cries the men leaped into the pit. Tom Morgan found a single piece of gold. He held it up in scorn. George Merry screamed at Long John Silver, “So this is your seven hundred thousand pounds, is it?” In a fury the men scrambled out of the pit. The five of them stood on one side of the pit while Long John Silver and I were on the other. George Merry said, “There’s only two of

72 Ben Gunn’s Secret • 10

them. One’s an old cripple and the other’s a cub that I mean to have the heart of!” As he raised his knife, crack! crack! crack!—three musket shots flashed out of the bushes. George Merry tumbled headfirst into the pit. Another man fell dead on his side. The other three turned and ran. Dr. Livesey, Abraham Gray, and Ben Gunn ran up, their muskets smoking. Seeing the mutineers run toward Mizzenmast Hill, we set off toward the mutineers’ boats on the beach. As we walked, Dr. Livesey told

73 TREASURE ISLAND

Long John Silver and me about all that had happened while I was held captive. On the morning the mutineers had attacked the stockade, Dr. Livesey had gone to see Ben Gunn. He learned Ben’s secret: Long ago, Ben Gunn had dug up the treasure and hauled it, little by little, to his cave. Then Dr. Livesey made his bargain with the mutineers. In exchange for the map, which was now useless, the mutineers let them leave the stockade without firing on them. This way, Dr. Livesey and the others could get away from the swampy area, where they risked catching the fever. And they could also keep a guard on the money. The doctor knew I would be in danger when the treasure was found missing. So he, Abraham Gray, and Ben Gunn started out for the tall tree to intercept the mutineers. But Dr. Livesey was afraid we might reach the tall tree before he did. So he sent Ben Gunn, the fastest runner, to do his best alone. And Ben Gunn did a very good job indeed. By playing on the men’s superstitions, he frightened them and slowed their journey.

74 Ben Gunn’s Secret • 10

By this time we had reached the mutineers’ boats. We broke up one boat with an axe. Then we got on board the other and rowed quickly to the North Inlet. The Hispaniola was there, drifting about just inside the inlet. Either the last tide or a strong wind had set her floating free. We sailed the little boat around to Rum Cove, the nearest point to Ben Gunn’s cave. Squire Trelawney met us near the beach. To me he was kind, but when Long John Silver greeted him, his face turned red. “Long John Silver,” said the squire, “you’re a villain and an impostor. I am told I must not prosecute you. Well, then, I will not. But the dead men, sir, hang around your neck like stones.” Long John Silver said, “Thank you kindly, sir.” Squire Trelawney said, “Don’t you dare thank me! Stand back!” We all went into the cave. It was a large, roomy place, with a floor of sand. Captain Smollett lay resting before a big fire. At the back of the cave, I saw great heaps of coins

75 TREASURE ISLAND and bars of gold—Flint’s treasure! It had cost the lives of 17 brave men from the Hispaniola. Perhaps no man alive could tell how many lives had been lost in collecting that money. Who knew how many good ships had been made to sink, or how many brave men made to walk the plank? Who knew what shame and lies and cruelty had been caused by this treasure? The next morning we fell to work, bringing the treasure to the Hispaniola. With one man standing guard, the three mutineers who were left did not bother us. Abraham Gray and Ben Gunn came and went with the boat. The rest of us piled treasure on the beach for them to row to the Hispaniola. It was slow work. The men would tie two gold bars to a piece of rope, and pull it from the cave to the beach. I was kept busy in the cave, packing the coins into bread bags. Day after day this work went on. We saw nothing of the last three mutineers until we were finished. We had decided to leave them on the island. We left them powder and

76 Ben Gunn’s Secret • 10 bullets for hunting, tools, a few medicines, some rope, clothes, and tobacco. Then one fine morning, we finally left Treasure Island. As we began to sail past the southern point, we saw the mutineers on the beach. They called out to us to have mercy, and not leave them to die in such a place. It went to our hearts to leave them that way— but we could not risk another mutiny. And to take them home to the hangman’s noose would have been a cruel sort of kindness. When it was clear that we would not stop for them, one of the mutineers let out an angry cry. He whipped his musket to his shoulder and sent a shot whistling over Long John Silver’s head. We were short of men, so we set sail for the nearest port in Spanish America. There we dropped anchor in a beautiful gulf. As soon as we stepped off the Hispaniola, we were surrounded with smiling faces of people selling fruits and vegetables. It was a charming contrast to our dark and bloody stay on Treasure Island. That night we visited with the captain of

77 TREASURE ISLAND an English man-of-war. When we returned to the Hispaniola, we learned that Long John Silver was gone. He had slipped away with one of the sacks of gold. I think we were all glad to be rid of him so easily. Well, to make a long story short, once we got a few new hands on board, we made a good trip home. Only five of the men who set out on the Hispaniola returned with her. All of us had a large share of the treasure. Each man used it wisely or foolishly, according to his nature. Captain Smollett is now retired from the sea. Abraham Gray not only saved his money, but is part owner of a fine ship. As for Ben Gunn, he spent or lost his money in 19 days. He was given a lodge to keep, where he still lives. Of Long John Silver we have heard no more. But still in my worst dreams I hear the booming of the waves around Treasure Island, or the sharp voice of Long John Silver’s parrot crying, “Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!”

78 TreasureIsland 09/13/06 9:25 PM Page 1

Treasure Island Treasure ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON The world’s all-time Island ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON favorite pirate story

“Seven hundred thousand pounds in gold! Their very souls were bound up in that fortune . . .” Jim and his friends have the treasure map but they’re badly outnumbered. Do they have a chance against the bloodthirsty mutineers? Long John Silver says he’s on Jim’s side. But the one-legged old pirate is clever and wily—and Jim’s very life is at stake!

Saddleback E-Book ROBINSON ROBINSON CRUSOE DANIEL DEFOE CRUSOE

Alone on a remote island, the world’s DANIEL DEFOE most famous castaway uses courage and imagination to create a new life

“There in the sand was a footprint—a man’s footprint! Could it be that savages had found my island?” Shipwrecked! A young Englishman finds himself stranded on a small island in the middle of nowhere. For 24 years he survives—and even thrives—with only his own thoughts for company. How will his life change now that his island has a vis-

Saddleback E-Book ROBINSON CRUSOE

DANIEL DEFOE

ADAPTED BY Stephen Feinstein The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dracula Great Expectations Jane Eyre Moby Dick Robinson Crusoe The Time Machine

Development and Production: Laurel Associates, Inc. Cover and Interior Art: Black Eagle Productions

Three Watson Irvine, CA 92618-2767 E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.sdlback.com

Copyright © 1999 by Saddleback Educational Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 1-56254-272-9

Printed in the United States of America 05 04 03 02 01 00 M 99 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS

1 The Call of the Sea...... 5 2 Shipwrecked ...... 12 3 Settling In ...... 20 4 Alone on an Island ...... 27 5 Happy Days ...... 35 6 The Canoe ...... 43 7 Cannibals...... 51 8 Friday ...... 59 9 The Mutiny ...... 66 10 Back to England ...... 74 ROBINSON CRUSOE

The Call 1 of the Sea

I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York in northern England. My father was a wealthy merchant from Germany who had moved to England. His name was Kreutznaer. But because this name was too difficult to say in English, he changed it to Crusoe. After settling in York, he married my mother, the daughter of a very good family. When I was born, I was named Robinson, my mother’s family name. I had two older brothers and two sisters. One brother was an officer in the British Army. He was killed in a battle near Dunkirk in England’s war against the Spanish. I never knew my other brother. Nobody in the family seemed to know what had become of him. My father had always wanted me to

4 The Call of the Sea • 1 become a lawyer. So he sent me to the finest schools. But I had my own ideas about how I wanted to live my life. Ever since I was a young boy, I had been drawn to the sea. I used to enjoy sitting at the edge of the dock. There I would watch the tall sailing ships set out to sea. I would always wish that I could be going with them. I’d imagine that I was standing on board, waving to the people on the dock. One day, when I was 18 years old, I dared to tell my parents about my longing for a life at sea. My father was very upset to hear this surprising news. “You would be making a big mistake,” he said. He had a sad look in his eyes. “Think about all that you would be giving up. Here you can have whatever your heart desires. You don’t even have to work, if you would rather not. You have a family that loves you and a nice place to live. Who will look out for you at sea? You will be lonely so far from home. And life at sea is hard and dangerous. Think about what I am

5 ROBINSON CRUSOE saying, son. Life at sea is not for you!” I listened politely to my father’s words. Then I said to him, “Perhaps you are right, Father. I will try not to think any more about the sea.” But I knew that going to sea was what my heart still desired most of all. About a year later, I was visiting Hull. Since this city was a major seaport, I went down to the docks. As I walked along the waterfront, I ran into an old friend of mine. He told me he was sailing that day on his father’s ship to London. “Why don’t you come with me?” asked my friend. “Do come! It will be great fun.” My heart beat faster at his words. Here was my chance to go to sea. I could think of nothing else. In an instant I decided to go with my friend. As we climbed aboard the ship, my heart was filled with a wild joy. It was the first of September, 1651. I was on board a ship bound for London. Now I felt that my life was truly beginning. Since this was my first time at sea, I had no idea of what to expect. Otherwise I might have

6 The Call of the Sea • 1 begun to worry that the sky was growing black and the wind was kicking up. No sooner did the ship sail out of the harbor and into the open sea than the wind began to howl. I stood on the deck as the sea began to rise. At first I enjoyed watching the waves and feeling the cold salty spray on my face. Soon, though, I began to feel sick because of the ship’s rocking motion. As the ship tossed wildly about, I felt afraid for the first time. Maybe my father was right. I should have stayed at home. The storm lasted for two days. I was seasick the whole time. But on the third day out, I walked up on deck. The sun shone in a clear blue sky. The sea was calm, its waves dancing in the sunlight. This was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen! Once again I heard the sea calling me. A few days later the winds began to blow again. Soon another storm was upon us, worse than the last one. This time even the other sailors looked afraid. Huge waves washed over us. Then the mast snapped and

7 ROBINSON CRUSOE

crashed to the deck. Soon the hull sprang several leaks and water came in faster than we could dump it out! The ship was clearly in danger of sinking. The captain ordered all hands on deck. He fired a gun in the air to get the attention of another ship sailing close by. The sailors from the other ship helped get us off our ship and onto theirs. And not a moment too soon! Within 15 minutes our ship had sunk— without a trace of it remaining!

8 The Call of the Sea • 1

We were taken ashore at Yarmouth. Kind people in the town gave us places to spend the night. They also gave us enough money to travel on to London or back to Hull. The next day, while walking in town, I ran into my friend and his father, the captain. “Young man,” said the captain, “my son has told me all about you. Is it true that you sailed with us against your father’s wishes?” I said yes, and then explained that this was to have been only the first leg of the voyages I planned. The captain grew angry. “Let this be a warning to you! Now you know what horrors can happen at sea! Maybe you brought us bad luck, and that’s why I lost my ship. Now, young man, don’t be a fool! Go back to your father! Listen to his wise advice. You were not meant to be a sailor. Do not go to sea again, or you will meet with nothing but disaster!” In truth, I was torn about which way to go. I knew the wise thing would have been to return home. That would have kept me

9 ROBINSON CRUSOE safe and made my parents happy. As it was, a good bit of time had gone by until my poor, worried father learned that I had not gone down with the ship. But something kept me from going home. What I still wanted, most of all, was to go to sea—to see the world and to seek my fortune. Since I had some money in my pocket—and being young and foolish—I decided to travel on to London.

10 Shipwrecked • 2

2 Shipwrecked

When I arrived in London, I had second thoughts about what I was doing. A voice inside me was telling me to go back home. But I also kept hearing the sea calling to me. And there was something else: I was afraid that if I returned home, my family and the neighbors would laugh at me. Just thinking about them made me feel ashamed. By chance, I met the captain of a trading ship that was going to Guinea, on the west coast of Africa. We soon became friends, and he invited me to sail with him to Africa. On his advice, I borrowed some money, about 40 pounds, from my relatives. I then bought various goods to trade in Africa. On the voyage to Guinea, I learned everything I needed to know about sailing a

11 ROBINSON CRUSOE ship. The helpful captain also taught me how to be a merchant. Before returning to England, I had turned my 40 pounds into 300 pounds! I was very happy, and could hardly wait till my next adventure. Sadly, shortly after our return to England, my friend the captain died. I decided to sail again to Guinea. This time the ship was under the command of the man who had been the captain’s mate. Had I known how this voyage would turn out, I never would have left my homeland. One gray morning, our ship was sailing south, midway between the Canary Islands and the coast of Africa. Suddenly we noticed another ship heading in our direction. As it got closer, the captain shouted, “Pirates!” We tried to outrun the pirates, but their ship steadily gained on us. We knew they would be upon us in a few hours, so we prepared to fight. Our ship had 12 guns, but the pirates had 18. About 3:00 in the afternoon they caught up with us. A fierce battle followed. Our ship was destroyed and

12 Shipwrecked • 2 some of our men were killed. The rest of the crew were taken prisoner by the pirates, whom we discovered to be Moors. The pirates took us to a place called Sallee, a port on the northern coast of Africa. The pirate captain took me home with him. Because I was young and strong, he had decided to keep me as his slave! At first, I was somewhat glad about this. I hoped that my master would take me out to sea with him. If I was lucky, his ship would be captured by an English or Spanish warship. Then I would be set free. But sadly, this was not to be. Whenever my master went to sea, he left me on shore to do housework and look after his little garden. Then, when he returned home, I had to go onto the ship and clean it up. Whenever I remembered my father’s words, I was filled with regret. All I ever thought about was a plan of escape. But escape was not possible. My master’s men kept constant watch over me. Two years later, I was still a prisoner.

13 ROBINSON CRUSOE

Over time, my master had begun to trust me. Every so often he would send me out in the harbor on a small boat to catch fish for his dinner. One of the Moors had always come with me. One day, however, my master asked for fish. Because none of the Moors were around, he allowed me to go fishing by myself. I could hardly believe my good luck! I rowed the little boat out into the harbor. There was no wind at all that day. A thick fog hung over the water’s surface. After rowing a half mile, I could no longer see the shore. Since there wasn’t a breeze, the boat’s small sail was useless. So I just kept rowing until I was far beyond the harbor and heading out to sea. That night the wind picked up. For two days I sailed along the African coast. Finally, a passing ship spotted me and picked me up. The captain of the ship was from Portugal. He told me that his ship was on its way to Brazil. I was so happy to be rescued that I told

14 Shipwrecked • 2 the captain he could keep the little sailboat. He refused to accept any payment for saving me. “I have saved your life,” he said, “as I would have expected you to save mine.” When we arrived in Brazil, the kind captain gave me some money for the little boat. Then he introduced me to some friends of his who owned sugar plantations. I decided to buy some property. The planters helped me get started farming the land. Several years later, I was the owner of a fine sugar plantation. But I really did not enjoy farming. Often I would find myself daydreaming about the sea. My planter friends could see that I was becoming unhappy and restless. Then one day, they said they had an interesting idea that might appeal to me. Over the years I had spoken to them about my trading adventures in Guinea. Now they had decided to send a ship to Africa in order to do some trading. They believed this would make them very rich men. And they were hoping that I might be willing to sail the ship for them.

15 ROBINSON CRUSOE

This was music to my ears! I got excited about the idea of going to sea again. My friends also said that they would pay for the whole trip. It wouldn’t cost me a penny. Of course, I had little experience. I had not the faintest clue about what this trip would end up costing me. So, I gladly accepted their offer. On September 1, 1659—exactly eight years after I had first set foot on my friend’s ship in Hull—I set sail for Africa. For the first 12 days at sea, although the weather was quite hot, I was in heaven! I had forgotten the wonderful smell of salt air, and how beautiful the sea can be. I loved listening to the wind in the rigging, and the cries of the seagulls. I didn’t even get seasick from the constant rising and falling motion of the ship. Then my luck ran out! On the 12th day, we were caught in a terrible storm. In the darkness, I could see waves towering around the ship like mountains. For the next 12 days the storm raged. Indeed, the storm was so

16 Shipwrecked • 2 violent it must have been a hurricane. We were blown off course so far that we had no idea of where we were! Then, one morning, a sailor cried out, “Land!” The storm was still raging. We were afraid our ship would be smashed to pieces on the rocks near the shore. So I ordered the whole crew into the longboat. Terrified, we rowed toward shore like men going to their deaths. Then a huge wave washed over us. The boat flipped over, and we were tossed into the churning waters. In a moment, every man of us was swallowed up! What happened next is still not very clear in my memory. Yet somehow I was able to keep myself from drowning. I was a good swimmer, but I was caught deep in the body of a wave. In fact I was ready to burst from holding my breath. I could feel myself being carried toward the shore by a mighty force. Then my hands and head shot above the surface of the water, and I gasped for air. Next I felt the ground under my feet, and I tried to run out of the

17 ROBINSON CRUSOE water. But another wave knocked me off my feet. I would have been dragged back out to sea if I hadn’t held fast to a big rock. Before the next wave could catch me, I managed to crawl out of the water and onto the sandy beach. For a few minutes I lay there, choking and gasping. Then I saw that water from the breaking waves was rushing toward me across the wet sand. So I got up and limped across the narrow beach. I climbed a little cliff and fell down upon the grass. There I was free from danger, quite out of the water’s reach. With a heart full of gratitude, I looked up and thanked God for saving my life.

18 Settling In • 3

3 Settling In

After I had rested a while, I walked about on the beach. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to still be alive. Although I was soaking wet, I did not feel the cold because the air was so warm. The wind was still blowing, however, and the rain was falling in sheets. Hoping to find the other sailors, I searched up and down the beach. But I could find no sign of them or the longboat. Could it be that I was the only one still alive? Then I came across something that made my heart sink. There, at the edge of the water, were three sailor’s hats and two shoes. This was all that remained of my crew! Soon after this sad discovery, I learned something that made me feel even worse.

19 ROBINSON CRUSOE

The storm had let up by now. The strong winds had died down, and the heavy rain had turned to sprinkles. I was now able to see a long way out over the ocean. There, far out beyond the rocks, was our ship! It was still afloat, still in one piece. Had we only stayed on board, all of us would still be alive! I sat down on the beach, deep in thought. What was done was done. Nothing could bring back those men. Now I had to face the fact that I was alone. I had no idea where I was. Most likely I was on an island, but I did not know which one. Perhaps there were other people living here. If they were friendly, they might be willing to help me. If they were not friendly—well, I might be in real trouble. It could also be that I was the only living person on this dot of land. The longer I thought about it, the more frightened I felt. After all, how was I going to live? I had nothing to eat or drink. So how was I going to keep from starving or dying of thirst? I had no weapon, not even a knife.

20 Settling In • 3

So I couldn’t hunt animals, if there were any around. And if there were wild beasts on the island, they could easily attack me and kill me. I began to panic. For a while, I jumped up and ran about like a madman. When I calmed down, it was getting dark. Where should I spend the night? I asked myself. Where would I be safe? I knew it was the habit of wild beasts to hunt at night. I turned away from the beach and climbed back up the cliff. Near me was a thick, bushy tree somewhat like a fir, but thorny. I decided to spend the night in the treetop. At least wild beasts would not be able to get to me there. But first, I went looking for fresh water to drink. I was very thirsty. To my great joy, I found a spring. Then, having drunk the water, I climbed the tree. I placed myself carefully among the branches. Now I was too tired to think any longer. As yet I could see no way that I could go on living here. “Tomorrow I’ll choose which

21 ROBINSON CRUSOE way I am going to die,” I said to myself. Then I fell fast asleep. When I awoke the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. It was a beautiful day. As I gazed out at the sea, I saw that the ship had drifted to within a mile of the shore. Even at this distance, I could see that the ship had been damaged beyond repair. Then I thought about all of the supplies that were stowed on board. “Maybe I can save some of those things,” I said to myself. The sea was calm and the tide was low. It was an easy swim out to the ship. At first, I didn’t know how I could climb aboard, so I swam around to the other side of the ship. There I saw a rope hanging down from the deck, and I climbed up. By some kind of miracle, the part of the ship where the food was stored had kept dry. As soon as I found the bread, I ate half a loaf. There was also some rice, three Dutch cheeses, and five pieces of dried goat meat. Then I looked for the kinds of things that would be most useful on shore. I found the

22 Settling In • 3 carpenter’s chest—a most useful prize— which was full of tools I would need on shore. I also found some guns, gunpowder, powder horns, a small bag of shot, and two rusty old swords. I gathered these things together with my supply of food. Now I had to figure out a way to carry these supplies ashore. If I could build a raft, that would solve the problem. I looked around the ship. All I needed was some wood. Gazing up at the masts, an idea suddenly came to me. Since this ship was never going to sail anywhere again, it did not need its masts. There was a saw in the carpenter’s chest. I quickly went to work. After sawing up the masts, I tied them together with rope. In less than two hours, I had my raft! I lowered the raft over the side of the ship and loaded my supplies. Then I climbed down onto it. Fortunately, the tide was just coming in. It soon carried the raft back toward shore. I rowed the raft into a narrow inlet. Then I unloaded the goods on a stretch

23 ROBINSON CRUSOE of dry, sandy beach along the shore. I looked for a place to build a camp of sorts. I wanted my place to be safe from attack—from wild animals or from people. I found my spot partway up a hill that was just beyond the inlet. Right behind my spot was a very large rock. From this rise of the hill, I could keep watch for any ships at sea. During the next two weeks I made ten more trips to the ship. Each time I rowed the raft out to the ship during low tide. I brought back sails, nails, barrels of flour, a box of sugar, corn, ropes, chains, some books, and such clothes as I would need. I also brought back a dog and two cats. I even brought back some money I had found in the ship’s safe. At first, the idea of keeping the money made me laugh. Just then, money seemed to me the most useless thing in the world—like a creature not worth rescuing. But I kept it anyway. Up on my hill, I used the sails and some boards I had saved from the ship to build a tent. Little by little, I carried all of my things

24 Settling In • 3 up the hill and stored them in my tent. It was good that I had gotten all of the supplies off the ship when I did. Soon the pleasant weather changed. The wind began blowing. I knew that before long another storm would be raging. I was right. The next day I watched sadly as the ship was torn apart and the pieces swept out to sea.

25 ROBINSON CRUSOE

Alone on 4 an Island

When the storm was over, I stepped outside of my tent. Once again, the weather was fine. There was not even a single cloud in the blue sky. I climbed all the way to the top of my hill and looked in every direction. Now I knew for sure that I was on an island. I could see some rocks and two smaller islands to the west. But in every other direction was nothing but the sea. And I could see no signs of other people on the island. There were no houses, roads, or even trails. So I now knew that I was all alone. Whether I lived or died would be completely up to me. I would soon find out if I was clever enough to survive by myself. When I got back to my camp, I picked up one of the guns and went looking for game.

26 Alone on an Island • 4

As I came to the edge of a wooded area, I saw a large bird sitting on a tree. I aimed my gun and fired. There was a sudden explosion of wild screeches as a great many different kinds of birds flew up out of the trees. None of the birds looked familiar to me, but the one I had aimed at fell to the ground. Now I saw that it looked like some type of hawk. Unfortunately, its flesh was not fit to eat. Later I walked into the woods, hoping to find food that would be more suitable, perhaps some sort of fowl. Before long, I found the type of bird I was looking for. I shot two fowls that were something like ducks. I brought them back to my camp, and found them very good to eat. Protecting myself from dangerous beasts or men was one of my main concerns. I decided to set up my camp quickly so that I would be as safe as possible. As much as I could, I wanted to turn my camp into a fortress. After giving it some thought, I came up with a plan.

27 ROBINSON CRUSOE

There was a wide crack in the rock wall behind my tent. I thought that I might be able to dig into the crack and create a storage space. By removing a good deal of earth and rocks from the crack, I made myself a cave. This turned out to be a safe, dry place to keep my things. In fact it served as my cellar. It also was a good place to build a fire during rainy weather. The other part of my plan was to build a wooden fence. I began by drawing a half circle around my camp. In this half circle I placed two rows of strong stakes. I drove them into the ground until they stood very firm. The stakes were sharpened on the top, and about five and a half feet tall. I carefully placed the two long rows of stakes about six inches apart. It took me a long time, almost a year, to complete the fence. Cutting the stakes in the woods, bringing them to my camp, and driving them into the ground was hard work. The complete process took three days for each stake. I did not build a door in the fence

28 Alone on an Island • 4 as an entrance to my fortress. Instead, I used a short ladder to go over the top. Once inside, I lifted the ladder over the fence after me. Inside, I felt completely safe. Each day, if it wasn’t raining, I would spend a few hours exploring the island. I always took my gun along, hoping to find something to shoot for food. And I always took my dog with me. Often I would find and shoot the ducklike birds. One day I came across some wild goats. They ran away from me before I could get close enough to shoot one. In the following days, I kept a careful watch for them. But they were very quick and shy. Whenever I came across them, they would run away in a terrible fright. Finally, one day, I managed to shoot one. I was happy to have fresh meat. I was always thinking about ways to make my life better. Early on I had set up a hammock. This was much more comfortable than sleeping on the hard ground. During the following weeks and months, I set about making various things I needed.

29 ROBINSON CRUSOE

One day, for example, I decided I needed a table. In the past, I had never learned to use tools to build things. Nobody had ever taught me how to make a table. So I had to figure out how to do it myself. After I had a table, I made some chairs. These were more difficult. My first few tries ended in failure, but I kept working at it. Finally I had chairs that I could use. Then I built shelves upon which to store my supplies. Next I made some wooden baskets so that I could hang up my food to keep it away from the dog and cats. I learned that with enough time to think and plan carefully, I could make whatever I needed. After my first few days on the island, I became afraid that I would soon lose my reckoning of time. How could I separate the Sabbath days from the working days? How would I know how many weeks, months— or years—had passed? Except for changes in the weather, each day was more or less the same for me. So I came up with a plan. I set up a large wooden post. I cut a notch in

30 Alone on an Island • 4

it with my knife for each day, starting with September 30, 1659. That was the day I first came ashore. I made a longer cut for every Sunday. This is how I kept my calendar. Some days my lonely island life made my heart sore, and I would feel sorry for myself. Except for the dog and the cats, I had no company. I wished that I could teach them to talk. Often I did speak to them, and they sometimes seemed to understand me. But of course, there was never an answering word.

31 ROBINSON CRUSOE

What manner of life had I been reduced to? Beyond my lonely fears, what was the true state of my affairs? I needed to make an accurate account of my situation. I decided to weigh the comforts I enjoyed against the miseries I suffered. In order to help sort out my thoughts, I decided to write everything down. First I listed the things about my life that were bad. Then I tried to balance out these items with things that were good. Bad: I’m stuck on a horrible, lonely island, with no hope of ever being rescued. Good: But I’m alive, and not drowned, as were all the others on the ship. Bad: I’ve been singled out and separated from the rest of the world to be unhappy. Good: But I’ve been singled out, too, from all the ship’s crew to be spared from death. He that saved me from death can save me from this condition. Bad: I don’t have another person to speak to. Good: God sent the ship near enough to

32 Alone on an Island • 4 shore that I could get all the things I need to live on this island as long as I must. Now I was able to consider the whole of my condition. As I studied my list, I made a wonderful discovery: There is something positive that we may be thankful for in any unhappy situation. So the days and weeks passed. The months passed. My life pretty much followed the same pattern from one day to the next. During the rainy weather I spent less time outdoors. During fair weather I spent more time exploring the island.

33 ROBINSON CRUSOE

5 Happy Days

During my first summer on the island, I became ill with a fever. For many days I lay in my hammock, too weak to get up. First I would feel like I was burning up. This lasted for hours on end. Then I would shake with chills. Then I would feel hot again. For days I felt too sick to eat or drink. I became afraid that I would never get well. As I lay sick in my hammock, I began to feel very sorry for myself. I remembered my father’s words: “You will be lonely so far from home.” And now here I was, sick and alone, with nobody at all to take care of me. These sad thoughts brought tears to my eyes. But then I began to think deeply about the meaning of life. The big questions about life and death ran through my mind.

34 Happy Days • 5

“What am I, and all the other creatures?” I wondered. “What is this earth and sea, of which I have seen so much? Who made the world?” I had to remind myself that it was a miracle that I was still alive. After all, I alone had survived the shipwreck. I began to pray for the first time in my life. Soon I was able to stop feeling sorry for myself. Instead, I felt sorry for the sadness I had caused my father and my mother. When the fever passed, my strength slowly returned. Before long, I was up and about. I was now feeling much better, and I was thankful for my good health. Soon, I began to explore the island again. Every day I went out walking with my gun and dog. I began looking at things in a new way. The island now seemed to be a place of great beauty! I looked up at the trees swaying in the sea breeze. I breathed deeply of the salt air, and I listened to the sound of the surf. Why did a person have to live in a place such as England to be happy? I now thought that

35 ROBINSON CRUSOE

I could be perfectly happy on my island. Then I made another discovery that filled me with joy. On one of my walks, I came upon a valley I had never seen before. Growing here in the sun were bunches of ripe, purple grapes ready to be picked. I also found juicy melons and trees bearing oranges, lemons, and limes. Then I came to a clearing in the woods. A sudden idea flashed in my mind. This spot would be a good place to live, at least part of the time. I decided that someday I would build a second home, a “country home,” right in this clearing. But now I went back to pick the grapes I had found. Near my tent I hung the grapes up on the branches of a tree. There they would dry into raisins in the hot sun. During the next few weeks, I set up a tent on the spot I had chosen for my country house. This would be a good place for a farm, I thought. Then I built a fence around the place. In a few days I harvested more than 200 bunches of raisins from the grapes

36 Happy Days • 5

I had put out in the sun. I took them back to my fortress and stored them in my cave. The timing was perfect! No sooner had I finished storing the raisins than it began to rain. The rain continued for several days. I didn’t mind, however. Knowing that I would have raisins to eat for the rest of the year made me very happy. One day, I was looking through the things in my cave. By now, the cave had become more than just a storage space or cellar. It had become another part of my living space—my kitchen and dining room. As I looked around, I found a little bag from the ship. I took it outside and studied it closely. It had once held grain but was now almost empty. Rats on the ship must have eaten the grain. Now I thought I could use the bag to hold my gunpowder. So I shook what was left of the grain out of the bag. A few seeds fell to the ground. About a month later, I had a pleasant surprise. I found barley and rice growing where the seeds had dropped. The young

37 ROBINSON CRUSOE

plants were beautiful. I harvested the grain when it was ripe and then planted the seeds again. I planned to continue doing so until I had enough grain to make bread. In my cave I also found a bag of corn that had been partly eaten by rats on the ship. I threw the corn away. Later, I was very happy to see corn growing on that spot. On September 30, I had been on the island for one year. I decided to make this a special day, a day of fasting and prayer.

38 Happy Days • 5

I knew that I was lucky, and I truly felt glad to be alive. By now I was quite pleased with my life on the island. So I gave humble thanks to God for taking such good care of me! During my first year on the island, there had been two dry seasons and two rainy seasons. I figured that if this was the usual weather pattern, I should be able to get two harvests a year. If I planted barley, rice, and corn in February, the spring rains in March and April would water them. Later in the year, I could plant again during the second dry season. Then the second rainy season would provide water. I ended up with more barley, rice, and corn than I needed. So I stored most of my harvest in baskets inside the cave. During the rainy weather, I made more baskets for storage. I also set about making pots and jars. I did this by shaping earth into pots and putting them out in the sun to dry. As they dried, however, they cracked and broke. But I kept trying, and in two months I had a few strange looking earthen jars.

39 ROBINSON CRUSOE

It was then I noticed a broken piece of a jar in the fire. It had turned hard as stone. Of course! Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner! Now I took all of my earthen pots and put them over the fire. There they sat on the hot coals, heating up all night long. By morning, I had five good cooking pots. At about this time, I ate the last of my bread from the ship. I thought about how to bake bread. I ground up some of my barley and rice into flour. I mixed the flour with water, seasonings, and fat from the game I had shot. Then I formed loaves. Now I needed an oven. I placed a slab of stone near the fire and laid my loaves on it. I covered the slab with a large earthen pot turned upside down. Then I raked live coals from the fire over the pot. In a while I brushed away the coals and removed the pot. I was delighted with the results—barley bread and rice cakes as good as any ever baked in the finest ovens of the world! When the weather was good, I still explored other parts of the island. One day

40 Happy Days • 5

I found turtles on the far side of the island. I collected a bunch of turtle eggs from the beach. Then, on the way home, my dog caught a young wild goat. I quickly stopped the dog from killing the goat, and brought the little animal home with me. Someday, I hoped to raise a herd of tame goats. On another trip across the island, I caught a parrot. I brought the bird home with me and built a cage. Then I began teaching it to talk. Even though it was a wild creature, the parrot seemed happy to be with me. The first thing he said was “Poll.” I thought he was telling me his name. So from then on I called him Poll. I was very happy to hear a voice other than my own. My second year on the island was coming to an end. I thought that my life in this faraway place had made me a better and happier man. On September 30, I fasted and gave a special prayer of thanks to God for protecting me.

41 ROBINSON CRUSOE

6 The Canoe

During the next few years, life on the island was very peaceful. With each harvest I had more and more grain. I hunted nearly every day, and there was always plenty of fresh fruit. I no longer had any worries about not having enough to eat. I built my “country house” in the valley I had discovered. I always made sure to spend part of each year there. When my clothes finally began to wear out, I taught myself to make new ones. I used the dried skins of the animals I had killed for meat. By trial and error I made a hat, coat, and pants. I also made an umbrella to protect myself from the rain and the sun. One day I climbed a tall hill on the other side of the island. The day was so clear that

42 The Canoe • 6

I caught sight of land—way off in the distance! It was so far away that I could not tell whether it was another island or the coast of South America. I had once read that the people who lived near that coast were savages. Now I said to myself, “Thank God that I was shipwrecked on this island instead of over there!” But the sight of another body of land made me think again about how alone I was on my island. I was no longer unhappy to be living on the island. But deep inside, I found that I still wished for escape. I decided to build a canoe, one that was large enough to make an ocean voyage. I chose a large tree in the woods. Then I went to work with my axe. The trunk was so thick that it took me 20 days to cut the tree down. Then I worked for about a month carving the tree into the shape of a canoe. It took me another three months just to hollow out the inside. Finally I had a canoe—a huge canoe— the biggest such vessel I had ever seen!

43 ROBINSON CRUSOE

Surely this boat would be sturdy enough to cross the sea. Many a weary stroke it had cost, you may be sure. But who grudges pains when deliverance is in view? Then all of a sudden, I saw that there was a big problem with the canoe. I had made a bad mistake. My canoe was sitting at the edge of the woods, not on the shore. It was so heavy that I couldn’t move it an inch. How was I going to get it down to the ocean? Now I had to admit to myself that this canoe was not going anywhere! I had been very foolish. Next time I would have to plan better. The next year, I decided to try again. I built a canoe out of a smaller tree trunk. Then I dug a narrow canal from the woods to the shore. This work took me about two years. Finally, on November 6, during my sixth year on the island, I was ready to sail. I loaded the canoe with supplies—barley, bread, rice, meat, fruit, and gunpowder. With a great deal of effort, I was able to push the small craft into the canal. Then I climbed in and floated the canoe out to the sea.

44 The Canoe • 6

I had already built a mast and a sail for my canoe, and now I set up my umbrella at the back. I sat under its shade and looked out at the sea. It felt good to be on a boat again. My plan was to sail around the island. I wanted to try out the canoe on a short trip before setting out on an ocean voyage. It was a fine day, and the sea seemed to be calm. But a strong current was pulling me out toward the open sea. Suddenly, I saw that I was in danger! The current was carrying the canoe toward some rocks that stuck up out of the water. I was afraid it would crash against the rocks! I grabbed the sides of the canoe and held my breath. But at the last minute, the current swept the canoe safely around the rocks and carried me farther out to sea. I thought to myself, “Why did I want to leave my beautiful island? I was happy there. I should have stayed where I was.” As my little canoe bounced around on the waves, I looked back at my island. It was now far off in the distance, becoming so

45 ROBINSON CRUSOE small I could hardly see it. I looked around me at the wide open sea. A huge wave splashed over the side of the canoe, dousing me from head to toe! Suddenly an ocean voyage in the little canoe didn’t seem like such a good idea. In fact, I didn’t even want to sail all the way around the island. What I really wanted was to return, safe and sound, to my fortress on the island. Then a gentle wind began to blow. It seemed that luck was with me that day. I jumped up and set the sail. As the wind caught the sail, it pushed the canoe back toward the island. But as I got closer, the wind suddenly died down. Then another current caught the canoe and carried it around to the other side of the island. Finally I was able to guide my canoe into the mouth of a little stream. At last I could leap into the water and push the canoe onto the shore. I dropped down on the sand and thanked God that I was safe! I quickly found a good hiding place for the canoe under some bushes. It came to me

46 The Canoe • 6 that I probably would never use the canoe again. I gave up all thoughts of escape from the island. But my canoe would be safe in its hiding place in case I ever changed my mind. Carrying my umbrella over my head, I walked across the island toward my fortress. I was feeling very tired. When I reached my home, I went inside to rest. Drained of all energy, I fell asleep right away. A voice woke me from a dream. It was saying, “Robin, Robinson Crusoe! Where have you been? Poor Robin!” I knew that voice—it sounded like my own voice! I looked up. It was Poll, my parrot! Poll sounded sad. He must have missed me. I was happy for this welcome, and indeed I felt very content to be back. I was through with sea voyages. During the next few years I was happy again on my island. I finally decided it was time to raise a herd of goats, so I built a trap. In a few days I caught several wild goats, both large older ones and little young ones. I let the older goats go, and tied the little

47 ROBINSON CRUSOE

ones inside a pen. I had built the pen—a simple fence around an open field—near my country home. There was fresh water and grass for grazing inside the pen. The little goats lived happily there and grew up to be tame. In three years, I had my own dairy— more than 40 goats in five different pastures. From my herd of goats I got plenty of milk to make cheese and butter. By now I had been on the island for 15 years. I felt that I was a very lucky man.

48 The Canoe • 6

Whenever I stayed at my fortress, I served dinner each night at the table in the cave. There was always plenty of good food to eat. And for company, I still had my dog, two cats, and Poll. Then one day I was walking along the shore on the far side of the island. As usual, I was carrying my gun. Then something on the ground caught my eye. I bent down for a closer look, and an icy chill suddenly went down my spine. There in the sand was a footprint—a man’s footprint!

49 ROBINSON CRUSOE

7 Cannibals

I bent down to examine the footprint. Perhaps I was mistaken. Surely it could not really be a human footprint! But, no, this was a clear print of a foot. There were toes, a heel, and every part of a human foot. I looked all around to see if there were anymore prints, but I could find none. How this one footprint got here, I could not in the least imagine. It was clear that whoever made the footprint had not worn shoes. Perhaps it had been made by a savage! Now it came to me that I could be in great danger! I held myself perfectly still. I was almost afraid to breathe. Perhaps the savage was watching me from the woods above the shore. I was afraid to turn around. I listened

50 Cannibals • 7 carefully for sounds of another person. But all I could hear was the sound of the waves breaking on the shore. My heart was beating fast, and I was still too afraid to move. It seemed as if I sat there for an hour, but I’m sure it was only a few minutes. Finally, I stood up and began running down the beach. My feet flew. I dashed through the woods and over the hills to my own side of the island. For all I knew, the savage could be following me. Every few steps I looked behind me. A few times I thought I saw someone, but it was always just a bush or a tree. I was gasping for breath. But I kept running until I was safe inside my fortress. That night I could not sleep at all. For the next few days I didn’t dare leave my fortress. I got very little sleep, because I could not stop worrying. I had lived on the island for more than 15 years. In all that time, I had seen no signs of another human being. So I knew that savages did not live anywhere on my island. But now, perhaps

51 ROBINSON CRUSOE they had found out that I lived here. They might have found something that belonged to me. Or, even worse, they might have seen me! The footprint had put a sudden end to all the peace and happiness I had found on the island. Now I couldn’t stop thinking that the savages might be coming to kill me! I no longer felt safe, even inside my fortress. Fear is a terrible thing. When terror takes over your mind, it’s hard to think straight. After five days had passed, I forced myself to leave my fortress. I went back to the other side of the island to have another look at the footprint. “What if the strange footprint was my own?” I wondered. Maybe there was really nothing—or no one—for me to fear. When I found the footprint again, I studied it carefully. Then I placed my own foot next to it. They did not match. The footprint was clearly bigger than my own foot. Also, I could not remember ever having walked barefoot on this beach. I returned to my fortress. “There must be something I can do to make this place safer,”

52 Cannibals • 7

I said to myself. After thinking long and hard, I came up with a plan. I would build a second fence or wall outside my first fence. It took me many months to build the second wall. I used slices of tree branches, old cables, and anything else I could think of to make the wall thick. Then I cut tiny openings in the wall, and I positioned a gun inside each. Placed this way in the wall, the guns were like cannons. Finally, when the wall was completed, I began to relax and feel a little safer. Along the ground in front of the wall I planted a row of trees. In a few years, I was sure, my fortress would be well hidden behind a grove of thick greenery. During the next three years, I left my fortress only to take care of my goats and my country house. I hardly ever went anywhere else on the island. In truth, I could never forget the day I had discovered the strange footprint. I wondered if the savages had come back to visit my island since that time. So one day I walked back to the sandy

53 ROBINSON CRUSOE shore on the other side of the island. What I found on the beach made my skin crawl. I came across the remains of a fire in a pit in the sand. Scattered all around the fire pit were bones—human bones! I looked in horror at several skulls, ribs, arm bones, and leg bones. It didn’t take long to figure out what had happened here. There had been a feast. The savages who were taking part in the feast had to be cannibals—eaters of human flesh! This thought made me sick to my stomach. On the way back to my fortress, I thought about different ways that I could get rid of the cannibals. It seemed that they only visited the other side of the island, so I was probably safe on my own side. Perhaps I could watch for their return from a hiding place in the woods. Then, when they came ashore, I could kill them with my guns. I found a good hiding place in the woods above the shore on the other side of the island. Nobody could see me there, and I had a clear view of the beach. For more than

54 Cannibals • 7 two months, I spent most of my days there. All I could think was that savages such as these must certainly be evil. They didn’t deserve to live. But in time, another thought came to me. Wasn’t it possible that, according to their own beliefs, there was nothing wrong with eating human flesh? After all, Englishmen saw nothing wrong with eating beef, or pork, or lamb. I decided that I no longer had any right to kill the cannibals. But I would still watch for them and for any sign that they were preparing another feast. Perhaps I could save someone from becoming a meal for them. So for several more months, I spent a lot of time in my hiding place, keeping watch for visiting cannibals. But the cannibals didn’t return. Finally I began to worry less and less about them. And when I stopped watching for them, my life returned to normal. One day, after I had been on the island for 22 years, the fear returned. I woke up very early that morning, before the sun was

55 ROBINSON CRUSOE up. I was walking up the hill behind my fortress when something odd caught my eye. I thought I saw a flicker of light on the beach far up the coast. How strange! Whatever could it be? I ran down to my cave and got my telescope. Then I climbed up to the top of the hill to get a better view. When I looked through my telescope, I could see that the flicker of light was a fire on the beach. People were dancing around the fire. “Oh, merciful God!” I thought. “It’s the cannibals—and this time they’re on my side of the island!” They were only about two miles away. As I watched, the tide came in. Then the savages stopped dancing and rowed off in their boats. I went inside my cave, grabbed my gun, and quickly ran down to the beach. As I walked along the shore toward the fire, the sun came up. By the time I got there, the fire was out. But what I saw around the fire pit filled me with horror. Once again, I saw the signs of a cannibal feast—human bones. Once again, I felt sure that my life was in

56 Cannibals • 7 terrible danger. I had a dreadful feeling that someday I would come face to face with the cannibals. It was just a matter of time.

57 ROBINSON CRUSOE

8 Friday

One night I slept restlessly. In a strange dream, I saw the cannibals rowing back to my island. By this time I had been on the island for 24 years. During the past two years I had not seen any sign of cannibals— or any other visitors. But since I had a dream about them, they must have still been in the back of my mind. In my fretful dream, the cannibals began to prepare a feast. They held a prisoner, and were getting ready to kill and then eat the poor man. But for a few minutes they did not pay attention to their prisoner. Suddenly, the man sprang to his feet and ran away. Making his escape from the cannibals, he kept on running until he got to my fortress. I gave him a warm greeting, and took him in.

58 Friday • 8

I was very happy to have company. After all, I had not spoken to another human being in 24 years! Then I woke up. “Oh, no! It was only a dream,” I said sadly. The joy that I had felt was gone in an instant. Then I knew that I would never again be truly happy until I had another person for company. Another year went by with no sign of the cannibals. Then, one day in 1684, I was looking out to sea through my telescope. To my great surprise, five canoes were heading toward the shore on my side of the island. It was the cannibals! They came ashore about two miles away from me. It was the same place where they had made the fire on their last visit. As I watched them, I counted close to 30 men. They were dragging two prisoners with them. Suddenly they knocked one of their prisoners down with a club. They continued to beat the man while he was down. Finally they stopped. The man wasn’t moving— perhaps he was dead. While the cannibals were busy with this prisoner, the other one

59 ROBINSON CRUSOE broke away. He ran along the beach in the direction of my fortress. Then the cannibals saw that he was trying to escape. Two of them chased after him. Suddenly I remembered my dream about the cannibals. It seemed that it was coming true! I grabbed a gun and took off running toward the prisoner. I knew I had to do whatever I could to save the man. When I got close to him, two of the cannibals had almost caught up with him. I pointed my gun and fired. One cannibal went down. Then I fired again and got the other one. Meanwhile, the prisoner looked at me with eyes full of fear. The sound of my gunfire had scared him. He looked as if he was about to take off running again. But somehow, with hand signals, I was able to make him understand that I meant him no harm. When I smiled at him, he spoke in a language I had never heard before. Although I did not understand one word, it was wonderful to hear a human voice. It was the sweetest sound I had heard in 25 years!

60 Friday • 8

The man came up to me, knelt down, and kissed the ground. Then he laid his head upon the ground. Taking hold of my foot, he set my foot upon his head. I believe that this was his way of thanking me for saving his life. Next he quickly dug a hole in the sand and buried the two dead cannibals. I saw that he was an intelligent man, although he looked like a savage. Now the other cannibals would not find them if they should come after us. I began speaking to the man I had saved. I wanted to begin teaching him English right away. I felt that my prayer had finally been answered. At last I would have someone to speak to. I decided to call the man Friday because that was the day I saved his life. I pointed to him and said, “Friday, Fri-day!” He seemed to catch on right away. Soon he pointed to himself and repeated after me, “Fri-day!” Then I pointed to myself and taught him to say “Master.” I brought Friday back to my fortress. To

61 ROBINSON CRUSOE show him welcome, I gave him milk in an earthen pot and some bread. I let him see me drink it and dip my bread in it. I said “Friday, eat!” He ate the food, carefully copying what I did. He looked around with interest at all of my things. I soon came to understand that he wanted to serve me because I had saved his life. He wanted to help me in any way he could. I was glad that the rest of the cannibals had not been able to find us. Later that afternoon, Friday and I climbed the hill behind the fortress. Through my telescope, as the tide came in, I saw the cannibals leave the island in their canoes. Although I was very happy to have Friday stay at my place, I was not used to sharing anything with another person. Friday seemed very happy to be there. But how did I know if I could trust him? After all, the man was a total stranger. That night I set up a bed for Friday between my two fences. I slept in my cave, and I barred the door. But I found that I didn’t need to be so

62 Friday • 8 careful. I soon learned that I could trust Friday with my life. The next day, I gave my new companion a pair of pants to wear. I then made other items of clothing for him from animal skins. In the days ahead, I taught Friday how to make bread. I showed him how to grind the rice and barley into flour and how to bake it. He seemed eager to please me, and he learned quickly. Then I showed him how to plant corn, and how to pick grapes and dry them into raisins. I even showed him how to take care of the goats. With each passing day, Friday’s English improved. Soon we were able to talk about a great many things. One day, Friday told me that he had been to my island before. He showed me the place where he and his people had landed. It was on the other side of the island, where I had found the footprint! He said that they had eaten prisoners taken in war. So Friday was a cannibal, too! I had been afraid of this, but I had hoped

63 ROBINSON CRUSOE and prayed that it wasn’t true. Now I made Friday promise me that he would never again eat human flesh. As long as I knew him, this was a promise that he kept. For the next three years, Friday and I lived alone on the island. The cannibals did not return, and we were very happy.

64 The Mutiny • 9

9 The Mutiny

One morning I was fast asleep when Friday came running into my room. “Master, Master, they are come, they are come!” he said. He was pointing out to the sea. I jumped out of bed, got dressed, and grabbed my telescope. With Friday close behind me, I ran to the top of the hill behind the fortress. Sure enough, I could see the sails of a ship not far from shore. It looked like an English vessel! Peering through the telescope, I also saw a longboat heading toward the beach. The sight of the ship and the longboat filled my heart with joy. I could hardly believe my own eyes! Men from my own country would soon set foot on my island! But as I watched them, the feeling of joy

65 ROBINSON CRUSOE faded. Something didn’t seem quite right. I asked myself what an English ship was doing in this part of the world. For 28 years I had not seen another English ship. Perhaps these men were up to no good. I decided it wouldn’t be safe to run down and greet them right away. I did not want to fall into the hands of pirates or killers. When the longboat reached the shore, its passengers stepped onto the beach. I counted ten men. Two of them carried guns and several carried swords. It looked to me as if three of the men were being taken ashore as prisoners. Their hands were tied. One of the prisoners seemed to be asking or begging for something. A sailor raised a sword as if to strike the man. I had no idea what was going on. Friday called out to me in English as best he could, “O Master! You see English mans eat prisoner as well as savage mans.” “Friday,” I said, “do you think they are going to eat them? No, no! I am afraid they will kill those men. But you may be sure

66 The Mutiny • 9 that Englishmen will not eat anyone!” The sailors left their prisoners alone and walked off toward the woods. The three prisoners sat down on the beach, although they could have walked away, too. But it looked as if they didn’t know what to do. “Friday,” I said, “we must find out who those men are and what is going on. It looks like they could use our help.” We went back to the fortress and got our guns and knives. Then we went down to the beach and walked up to the prisoners. When they saw us, they looked as if they wanted to run away. We must have been a strange sight, indeed. “Gentlemen,” I said. “Do not be afraid of me. You may have a friend on this lonely island you did not expect!” “You must have been sent from heaven, sir!” cried one of the men. “Are you a real man, or an angel?” “All our help is from heaven,” I said. “But I am a man—an Englishman. I am willing to help you. My servant and I have guns. So how can we help you? What is your story?”

67 ROBINSON CRUSOE

“Our story is too long to tell, while those killers are so near,” said the man. “In short, I was captain of that ship. My men had mutinied against me. They wanted to kill me, but I was able to talk them out of it. At last they set me ashore on this island, with these two men. One is my mate, the other a passenger. They expect us to die here!” I told the captain that I would be glad to help him get back his ship. But in return I asked him to promise that he would take

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Friday and me back to England. “You have my word,” said the captain. For the first time there was a faint look of hope shining in his eyes. “Once the ship is mine again, you shall indeed sail with us to England. And I will let the whole world know that I owe you my life!” I gave guns to the captain and his men. They went off looking for the sailors. When they caught up with them, there was a brief battle. The captain killed two of the sailors, and the other five were taken prisoner. Friday and the captain’s men then locked the prisoners in our goat pen. I invited the captain to dine with me in the fortress. I told him about my many years of living on the island. He was amazed by my story. I think he found it hard to believe. But when he saw all the things I had built— the fortress, the cave, the walls and fences— he knew I was telling the truth. Late in the day, another longboat came ashore with 10 more sailors from the ship. The sailors spread out searching for their

69 ROBINSON CRUSOE missing mates. After dark, they returned to the longboat a few at a time. We were ready for them. The captain killed their leader, and we tied up the others. The captain told the men that sailors who mutiny at sea are hanged for their crime. Many of the sailors said they had been forced by others to act against the captain. They begged to be given a chance to help the captain get his ship back. Later that night the captain took the two longboats and some men. I wished him good luck. Somehow I was quite sure that he’d be able to take back his ship. I slept soundly that night. The next morning I was awakened by joyful shouts. “The ship is yours! The ship is yours!” It was the captain. He was smiling as he came up to my fortress. “My friend,” he said, clasping my hand, “the ship is all yours, and so are we.” The captain gave me a suit of his clothes. “Try this on,” he said. I hadn’t worn clothes such as these in more than 20 years. It felt very strange. By now I was used to clothes

70 The Mutiny • 9 made from animal skins. “Think about what things you want to bring with you on the ship,” the captain said. Before we could sail, we had to decide what to do with the five prisoners in the goat pen. The captain said that these men were dangerous. He could not trust them. He did not want them on his ship, even in chains. I told the captain we could leave the men on the island. I could show them what they would need to know in order to survive. We walked to the goat pen to talk to the prisoners. They looked worried when they saw us. Maybe they thought we planned to kill them. “We are giving you a choice,” I said. “If you sail back to England with us, you will hang for your crime. If you stay here on the island, you will have to work hard. But you can live a good life here.” The men chose to remain on the island. They knew they were lucky to be given such a choice. I gave them my fortress and my country home. I showed them how to grow grain, bake bread, plant corn, harvest

71 ROBINSON CRUSOE grapes, and raise goats for milk and cheese. Then I gathered the few things I wanted to bring with me on the ship. I took my umbrella, my goatskin cap, and Poll, my parrot. I also remembered to take the money I had saved from the shipwreck so many years ago. At last, Friday and I went aboard the ship. It was December 19, 1686. After 28 years, 2 months, and 19 days, I was finally leaving the island.

72 Back to England • 10

Back to 10 England

After a long sea voyage, Friday and I arrived in England on June 11, 1687. We went first to the city of York, where I learned that my mother and father had died. I found my two sisters, who were very happy to see me. Both were poor and lived out in the country. It made me sad to see that life had not been kinder to them. One of my sisters was a widow. The other had a husband who did not treat her very well. I also learned that the two sons of the brother I never knew were living in York. I felt like a total stranger in England. It was as if I had never been known there. I didn’t quite know what to do with my life. The little money that I had would not last very long. I began to wonder what had

73 ROBINSON CRUSOE become of my sugar plantation in Brazil. To find out, I would have to travel to Lisbon in Portugal. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to make the trip. While I was trying to figure out what to do, I met with a fine piece of gratitude which I didn’t expect. The captain whose life I had saved from the mutineers sent for me. He invited me to meet the owners of his ship. To thank me for saving their vessel, they gave me 200 pounds as my reward. This was more than enough money to pay for the trip to Lisbon! I soon booked passage on a ship bound for Lisbon. There, with any luck, I could get news of my plantation. Friday came with me. As on all occasions, he proved to be a wonderful traveling companion. In Lisbon I found my old friend, the sea captain who had saved me when I escaped from North Africa. He had good news for me. The man in Brazil who had managed my plantation all these years had done a good job. I was now a wealthy man!

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I was ready to return to England. But because I had been so unfortunate at sea, I decided to travel over land. I couldn’t rid myself of a strange feeling that we might get caught in a storm at sea. So I bought two horses, guns, and other supplies. We joined a small group of merchants who would also be traveling that way. Soon Friday and I were riding north. Our route back to England took us over the Pyrenees Mountains, near the borders of Spain and France. It was the middle of winter. As we got closer to the mountains, a cold wind began to blow. Poor Friday was really frightened when he saw the whitecapped mountains. He had never seen snow or felt the sting of cold weather! In the town of Pampeluna we hired a guide to lead our group over the mountains. This part of our trip proved to be difficult indeed. As we climbed higher and higher, we were caught in a terrible snowstorm. At times, we could hardly see where we were going. I feared for the perishing of our

75 ROBINSON CRUSOE fingers and toes! We were lucky we didn’t freeze to death. We were also lucky that we had guns. As we slowly made our way through the snowstorm, we were attacked by hungry wolves. We shot several of them, and the rest ran away. Finally we reached the other side of the mountains. I said to Friday, “I shall never cross those mountains again. I would rather meet with a storm at sea!” When we arrived in England, I found somebody who wanted to buy my plantation. I sold it to him for 33,000 pieces of gold. Now I was a very rich man, indeed! I went to York, where I settled down and got married. I gave some money to my two sisters. I also found my two nephews and took them into my care. I raised the older one as a gentleman. The other boy was drawn to the sea. I sent him to sea for five years. He proved himself to be a brave lad, so I later made him captain of his own ship. In 1694 my wife died. It was then that I found myself thinking once more of my

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island. My nephew was about to sail to that part of the world on a trading trip. He invited me to come along. So Friday and I went to sea again. Later that year we arrived at the island where I had lived for so long. There we were greeted by the five sailors we had left behind. They seemed in good spirits and were glad to see us. They told us that they had been happy on the island and that living there had made them better men. Then they showed us the work they had

77 ROBINSON CRUSOE done. They had not only taken care of my farm, but built several other farms as well. I left them a supply of many necessary things. Then I divided my island into parts and gave each sailor a part as his own. I kept much of it for myself, thinking that someday I might wish to return. And so, my life of adventure, which had begun so foolishly, ended happily.

78 Saddleback Novel Cover 99 09/16/06 11:50 AM Page 2

ROBINSON ROBINSON CRUSOE DANIEL DEFOE CRUSOE

Alone on a remote island, the world’s DANIEL DEFOE most famous castaway uses courage and imagination to create a new life

“There in the sand was a footprint—a man’s footprint! Could it be that savages had found my island?” Shipwrecked! A young Englishman finds himself stranded on a small island in the middle of nowhere. For 24 years he survives—and even thrives—with only his own thoughts for company. How will his life change now that his island has a visitor?

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