by Daniel Defoe
After this communication was at an end, I carry’d him and his two men into my apartment, leading them in, just where I came out, viz. at the top of the house, where I refresh’d them with such provisions as I had, and shew’d them all the contrivances I had made, during my long, long, inhabiting that place.
All I shew’d them, all I said to them, was perfectly amazing; but above all, the Captain admir’d my fortification, and how perfectly I had conceal’d my retreat with a grove of trees, which having been now planted near twenty years, and the trees growing much faster than in England, was become a little wood, and so thick, that it was unpassable in any part of it, but at that one side, where I had reserv’d my little winding passage into it: I told him, this was my castle, and my residence; but that I had a seat in the country, as most princes have, whither I could retreat upon occasion, and I would shew him that too another time; but at present, our business was to consider how to recover the ship: He agreed with me as to that; but told me, he was perfectly at a loss what measures to take; for that there were still six and twenty hands on board, who having entred into a cursed conspiracy, by which they had all forfeited their lives to the law, would be harden’d in it now by desperation; and would carry it on, knowing that if they were reduc’d, they should be brought to the gallows, as soon as they came to England, or to any of the English colonies; and that therefore there would be no attacking them with so small a number as we were.
I mus’d for some time upon what he had said, and found it was a very rational conclusion; and that therefore something was to be resolv’d on very speedily, as well to draw the men on board into some snare for their surprise, as to prevent their landing upon us, and destroying us; upon this it presently occurr’d to me, that in a little while the ship’s crew wondring what was become of their comrades, and of the boat, would certainly come on shore in their other boat, to see for them, and that then perhaps they might come arm’d, and be too strong for us; this he allow’d was rational.
Upon this, I told him the first thing we had to do, was to stave the boat, which lay upon the beach, so that they might not carry her off; and taking every thing out of her, leave her so far useless as not to be fit to swim; accordingly we went on board, took the arms which were left on board, out of her, and whatever else we found there, which was a bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a few bisket cakes, a horn of powder, and a great lump of sugar, in a piece of canvas; the sugar was five or six pounds; all which was very welcome to me, especially the brandy and sugar, of which I had had none left for many years.
When we had carry’d all these things on shore (the oars, mast, sail, and rudder of the boat, were carry’d away before, as above) we knock’d a great hole in her bottom, that if they had come strong enough to master us, yet they could not carry off the boat.
Indeed, it was not much in my thoughts, that we could be able to recover the ship; but my view was that if they went away without the boat, I did not much question to make her sit again, to carry us away to the Leeward Islands, and call upon our friends, the Spaniards, in my way, for I had them still in my thoughts.
While we were thus preparing our designs, and had first, by main strength, heav’d the boat up upon the beach, so high that the tide would not fleet her off at high-water-mark; and besides, had broke a hole in her bottom, too big to be quickly stopp’d, and were sat down musing what we should do; we heard the ship fire a gun, and saw her make a waft with her antient, as a signal for the boat to come on board; but no boat stirr’d; and they fir’d several times, making other signals for the boat.
At last, when all their signals and firings prov’d fruitless, and they found the boat did not stir, we saw them by the help of my glasses, hoist another boat out, and row towards the shore; and we found as they approach’d, that there was no less than ten men in her, and that they had fire-arms with them.
As the ship lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had a full view of them as they came, and a plain sight of the men, even of their faces, because the tide having set them a little to the east of the other boat, they row’d up under shore, to come to the same place, where the other had landed, and where the boat lay.
By this means, I say, we had a full view of them, and the Captain knew the persons and characters of all the men in the boat, of whom he said, that there were three very honest fellows, who he was sure were led into this conspiracy by the rest, being over-power’d and frighted.
But that as for the Boat-swain, who it seem was the chief officer among them, and all the rest, they were as outragious as any of the ship’s crew, and were no doubt made desperate in their new enterprize, and terribly apprehensive he was, that they would be too powerful for us.
I smil’d at him, and told him, that men in our circumstances were past the operation of fear: That seeing almost every condition that could be was better than that which we were suppos’d to be in, we ought to expect that the consequence, whether death or life, would be sure to be a deliverance: I ask’d him, what he thought of the circumstances of my life? And, whether a deliverance were not worth venturing for? And where, sir, said I, is your belief of my being preserv’d here on purpose to save your life, which elevated you a little while ago? For my part, said I, there seems to be but one thing amiss in all the prospect of it; What’s that? says he; why, said I, ’tis, that as you say, there are three or four honest fellows among them, which should be spar’d; had they been all of the wicked part of the crew, I should have thought God’s Providence had singled them out to deliver them into your hands; for depend upon it, every man of them that comes a-shore are our own, and shall die, or live, as they behave to us.
As I spoke this with a rais’d voice and cheerful countenance, I found it greatly encourag’d him; so we set vigorously to our business: We had upon the first appearance of the boat’s coming from the ship, consider’d of separating our prisoners, and had indeed secur’d them effectually.
Two of them, of whom the Captain was less assur’d than ordinary, I sent with Friday, and one of the three (deliver’d men) to my cave, where they were remote enough, and out of danger of being heard or discover’d, or of finding their way out of the woods, if they could have deliver’d themselves: Here they left them bound, but gave them provisions, and promis’d them if they continued there quietly, to give them their liberty in a day or two; but that if they attempted their escape, they should be put to death without mercy: They promis’d faithfully to bear their confinement with patience, and were very thankful that they had such good usage, as to have provisions, and a light left them; for Friday gave them candles (such as we made our selves) for their comfort; and they did not know but that he stood sentinel over them at the entrance.
The other prisoners had better usage; two of them were kept pinion’d indeed, because the Captain was not free to trust them; but the other two were taken into my service upon their Captain’s recommendation, and upon their solemnly engaging to live and die with us; so with them and the three honest men, we were seven men, well arm’d; and I made no doubt we shou’d be able to deal well enough with the ten that were a coming, considering that the Captain had said, there were three or four honest men among them also.
As soon as they got to the place where their other boat lay, they run their boat in to the beach, and came all on shore, hailing the boat up after them, which I was glad to see; for I was afraid they would rather have left the boat at an anchor, some distance from the shore, with some hands in her, to guard her; and so we should not be able to seize the boat.
Being on shore, the first thing they did, they ran all to their other boat, and it was easy to see that they were under a great surprise, to find her stripp’d as above, of all that was in her, and a great hole in her bottom.
After they had mus’d a while upon this, they set up two or three great shouts, hollowing with all their might, to try if they could make their companions hear; but all was to no purpose: Then they came all close in a ring, and fir’d a volley of their small
arms, which indeed we heard, and the echoes made the woods ring; but it was all one, those in the cave we were sure could not hear, and those in our keeping, though they heard it well enough, yet durst give no answer to them.
They were so astonish’d at the surprise of this, that as they told us afterwards, they resolv’d to go all on board again to their ship, and let them know there, that the men were all murther’d, and the long-boat stav’d; accordingly they immediately launch’d their boat again, and gat all of them on board.
The Captain was terribly amaz’d, and even confounded at this, believing they would go on board the ship again, and set sail, giving their comrades for lost, and so he should still lose the ship, which he was in hopes we should have recover’d; but he was quickly as much frighted the other way.
They had not been long put off with the boat, but we perceiv’d them all coming on shore again; but with this new measure in their conduct, which it seems they consulted together upon, viz. to leave three men in the boat, and the rest to go on shore, and go up into the country to look for their fellows.
This was a great disappointment to us; for now we were at a loss what to do; for our seizing those seven men on shore would be no advantage to us, if we let the boat escape; because they would then row away to the ship, and then the rest of them would be sure to weigh and set sail, and so our recovering the ship would be lost.
However, we had no remedy, but to wait and see what the issue of things might present; the seven men came on shore, and the three who remain’d in the boat, put her off to a good distance from the shore, and came to an anchor to wait for them; so that it was impossible for us to come at them in the boat.
Those that came on shore, kept close together, marching towards the top of the little hill, under which my habitation lay; and we could see them plainly, though they could not perceive us: We could have been very glad they would have come nearer to us, so that we might have fir’d at them, or that they would have gone farther off, that we might have come abroad.
But when they were come to the brow of the hill, where they could see a great way into the valleys and woods, which lay towards the north-east part, and where the island lay lowest, they shouted, and hollow’d till they were weary; and not caring it seems to venture far from the shore, nor far from one another, they sat down together under a tree, to consider of it: Had they thought fit to have gone to sleep there, as the other party of them had done, they had done the jobb for us; but they were too full of apprehensions of danger, to venture to go to sleep, tho’ they could not tell what the danger was they had to fear neither.
The Captain made a very just proposal to me, upon this consultation of theirs, viz. that perhaps they would all fire a volley again, to endeavour to make their fellows hear, and that we should all sally upon them, just at the juncture when their pieces were all discharg’d, and they would certainly yield, and we should have them without blood-shed: I lik’d the proposal, provided it was done while we were near enough to come up to them, before they could load their pieces again.
But this event did not happen, and we lay still a long time, very irresolute what course to take; at length I told them, there would be nothing to be done in my opinion till night, and then if they did not return to the boat, perhaps we might find a way to get between them and the shore, and so might use some stratagem with them in the boat to get them on shore.
We waited a great while, though very impatient for their removing; and were very uneasy, when, after long consultations, we saw them start all up, and march down toward the sea: It seems they had such dreadful apprehensions upon them of the danger of the place, that they resolv’d to go on board the ship again, give their companions over for lost, and so go on with their intended voyage with the ship.
As soon as I perceiv’d them go towards the shore, I imagin’d it to be as it really was, that they had given over their search, and were for going back again; and the Captain, as soon as I told him my thoughts, was ready to sink at the apprehensions of it; but I presently thought of a stratagem to fetch them back again, and which answer’d my end to a tittle.
I order’d Friday, and the Captain’s Mate, to go over the little creek westward, towards the place where the savages came on shore, when Friday was rescu’d; and as soon as they came to a little rising ground, at about half a mile distance, I bad them hollow, as loud as they could, and wait till they found the seamen heard them; that as soon as ever they heard the seamen answer them, they should return it again, and then keeping out of sight, take a round, always answering when the other hollow’d, to draw them as far into the island, and among the woods, as possible, and then wheel about again to me, by such ways as I directed them.
They were just going into the boat, when Friday and the Mate hollow’d, and they presently heard them, and answering, run along the shore westward, towards the voice they heard, when they were presently stopp’d by the creek, where the water being up, they could not get over, and call’d for the boat to come up, and set them over, as indeed I expected.
When they had set themselves over, I observ’d, that the boat being gone up a good way into the creek, and as it were, in a harbour within the land, they took one of the three men out of her to go along with them, and left only two in the boat, having fastned her to the stump of a little tree on the shore.
This was what I wish’d for, and immediately leaving Friday and the Captain’s Mate to their business, I took the rest with me, and crossing the creek out of their sight, we surpris’d the two men before they were aware; one of them lying on shore, and the other being in the boat; the fellow on shore, was between sleeping and waking, and going to start up, the Captain who was foremost, ran in upon him, and knock’d him down, and then call’d out to him in the boat to yield, or he was a dead man.
There needed very few arguments to perswade a single man to yield, when he saw five men upon him, and his comrade knock’d down; besides, this was it seems one of the three who were not so hearty in the mutiny as the rest of the crew, and therefore was easily perswaded, not only to yield, but afterwards to joyn very sincerely with us.
In the mean time, Friday and the Captain’s Mate so well manag’d their business with the rest, that they drew them by hollowing and answering, from one hill to another; and from one wood to another, till they not only heartily tyr’d them, but left them, where they were very sure they could not reach back to the boat, before it was dark; and indeed they were heartily tyr’d themselves also by the time they came back to us.
We had nothing now to do, but to watch for them, in the dark, and to fall upon them, so as to make sure work with them.
It was several hours after Friday came back to me, before they came back to their boat; and we could hear the foremost of them long before they came quite up, calling to those behind to come along, and could also hear them answer and complain how lame and tyr’d they were, and not able to come any faster, which was very welcome news to us.
At length they came up to the boat; but ’tis impossible to express their confusion, when they found the boat fast a-ground in the creek, the tide ebb’d out, and their two men gone: We could hear them call to one another in a most lamentable manner, telling one another they were gotten into an inchanted island; that either there were inhabitants in it, and they should all be murther’d, or else there were devils and spirits in it, and they should be all carry’d away, and devour’d.
They hollow’d again, and call’d their two comrades by their names, a great many times, but no answer. After some time, we could see them, by the little light there was, run about wringing their hands like men in despair; and that sometimes they would go and sit down in the boat to rest themselves, then come ashore again, and walk about again, and so over the same thing again.
My men would fain have me given them leave to fall upon them at once in the dark; but I was willing to take them at some advantage, so to spare them, and kill as few of them as I could; and especially I was unwilling to hazard the killing any
of our own men, knowing the other were very well armed. I resolved to wait to see if they did not separate; and therefore to make sure of them, I drew my ambuscade nearer, and order’d Friday and the Captain, to creep upon their hands and feet as close to the ground as they could, that they might not be discover’d, and get as near them as they could possibly, before they offered to fire.
They had not been long in that posture, but that the Boat-swain, who was the principal ringleader of the mutiny, and had now shewn himself the most dejected and dispirited of all the rest, came walking towards them with two more of their crew; the Captain was so eager, as having this principal rogue so much in his power, that he could hardly have patience to let him come so near, as to be sure of him; for they only heard his tongue before: But when they came nearer, the Captain and Friday starting up on their feet, let fly at them.
The Boat-swain was kill’d upon the spot, the next man was shot into the body, and fell just by him, tho’ he did not die till an hour or two after; and the third run for it.
At the noise of the fire, I immediately advanc’d with my whole army, which was now 8 men, viz. my self Generalissimo, Friday my Lieutenant-General, the Captain and his two men, and the three prisoners of war, who we had trusted with arms.
We came upon them indeed in the dark, so that they could not see our number; and I made the man we had left in the boat, who was now one of us, call to them by name, to try if I could bring them to a parly, and so might perhaps reduce them to terms, which fell out just as we desir’d: For indeed it was easy to think, as their condition then was, they would be very willing to capitulate; so he calls out as loud as he could, to one of them, Tom Smith, Tom Smith; Tom Smith answer’d immediately, Who’s that, Robinson? for it seems he knew his voice: T’other answer’d, Ay, ay; for God’s sake, Tom Smith, throw down your arms, and yield, or, you are all dead men this moment.