Robinson Crusoe — in Words of One Syllable Read online

  Produced by Bruce W. Miller

  ROBINSON CRUSOE

  IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE

  By Mary Godolphin

  PREFACE.

  The production of a book which is adapted to the use of the youngestreaders needs but few words of excuse or apology. The nature of the workseems to be sufficiently explained by the title itself, and the author'stask has been chiefly to reduce the ordinary language into words of onesyllable. But although, as far as the subject matter is concerned, thebook can lay no claims to originality, it is believed that the ideaand scope of its construction are entirely novel, for the One Syllableliterature of the present day furnishes little more than a few short,unconnected sentences, and those chiefly in spelling books.

  The deep interest which De Foe's story has never failed to arouse in theminds of the young, induces the author to hope that it may be acceptablein its present form.

  It should be stated that exceptions to the rule of using words of onesyllable exclusively have been made in the case of the proper namesof the boy Xury and of the man Friday, and in the titles of theillustrations that accompany this work.

  ROBINSON CRUSOE.

  IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE.

  I was born at York on the first of March in the sixth year of the reignof King Charles the First. From the time when I was quite a young child,I had felt a great wish to spend my life at sea, and as I grew, so didthis taste grow more and more strong; till at last I broke loose frommy school and home, and found my way on foot to Hull, where I soon got aplace on board a ship.

  When we had set sail but a few days, a squall of wind came on, and onthe fifth night we sprang a leak. All hands were sent to the pumps, butwe felt the ship groan in all her planks, and her beams quake from stemto stern; so that it was soon quite clear there was no hope for her, andthat all we could do was to save our lives.

  The first thing was to fire off guns, to show that we were in need ofhelp, and at length a ship, which lay not far from us, sent a boat toour aid. But the sea was too rough for it to lie near our ship's side,so we threw out a rope, which the men in the boat caught, and made fast,and by this means we all got in. Still in so wild a sea it was in vainto try to get on board the ship which had sent out the men, or to useour oars in the boat, and all we could do was to let it drive to shore.

  In the space of half an hour our own ship struck on a rock and wentdown, and we saw her no more. We made but slow way to the land, which wecaught sight of now and then when the boat rose to the top of some highwave, and there we saw men who ran in crowds, to and fro, all bent onone thing, and that was to save us.

  At last to our great joy we got on shore, where we had the luck to meetwith friends who gave us the means to get back to Hull; and if I had nowhad the good sense to go home, it would have been well for me.

  The man whose ship had gone down said with a grave look, "Young lad, youought to go to sea no more, it is not the kind, of life for you." "WhySir, will you go to sea no more then?" "That is not the same kind ofthing; I was bred to the sea, but you were not, and came on board myship just to find out what a life at sea was like, and you may guesswhat you will come to if you do not go back to your home. God will notbless you, and it may be that you have brought all this woe on us."

  I spoke not a word more to him; which way he went I knew not, nor didI care to know, for I was hurt at this rude speech. Shall I go homethought I, or shall I go to sea? Shame kept me from home, and I couldnot make up my mind what course of life to take.

  As it has been my fate through life to choose for the worst, so I didnow. I had gold in my purse, and good clothes on my back, and to sea Iwent once more.

  But I had worse luck this time than the last, for when we were far outat sea, some Turks in a small ship came on our track in full chase. Weset as much sail as our yards would bear, so as to get clear from them.But in spite of this, we saw our foes gain on us, and we felt sure thatthey would come up with our ship in a few hours' time.

  At last they caught us, but we brought our guns to bear on them, whichmade them shear off for a time, yet they kept up a fire at us as long asthey were in range. The next time the Turks came up, some of their mengot on board our ship, and set to work to cut the sails, and do us allkinds of harm. So, as ten of our men lay dead, and most of the rest hadwounds, we gave in.

  The chief of the Turks took me as his prize to a port which was held bythe Moors. He did not use me so ill as at first I thought he would havedone, but he set me to work with the rest of his slaves. This was achange in my life which I did not think had been in store for me. How myheart sank with grief at the thought of those whom I had left at home,nay, to whom I had not had the grace so much as to say "Good bye" when Iwent to sea, nor to give a hint of what I meant to do!

  Yet all that I went through at this time was but a taste of the toilsand cares which it has since been my lot to bear.

  I thought at first that the Turk might take me with him when next hewent to sea, and so I should find some way to get free; but the hopedid not last long, for at such times he left me on shore to see to hiscrops. This kind of life I led for two years, and as the Turk knew andsaw more of me, he made me more and more free. He went out in his boatonce or twice a week to catch a kind of flat fish, and now and then hetook me and a boy with him, for we were quick at this kind of sport, andhe grew quite fond of me.

  One day the Turk sent me in the boat to catch some fish, with no oneelse but a man and a boy. While we were out so thick a fog came on thatthough we were out not half a mile from the shore, we quite lost sightof it for twelve hours; and when the sun rose the next day, our boat wasat least ten miles out at sea. The wind blew fresh, and we were all muchin want of food, but at last, with the help of our oars and sail, we gotback safe to land.

  When the Turk heard how we had lost our way, he said that the next timehe went out, he would take a boat that would hold all we could want ifwe were kept out at sea. So he had quite a state room built in the longboat of his ship, as well as a room for us slaves. One day he sent meto trim the boat, as he had two friends who would go in it to fish withhim. But when the time came they did not go, so he sent me with the manand the boy--whose name was Xury--to catch some fish for the guests thatwere to sup with him.

  Now the thought struck me all at once that this would be a good chanceto set off with the boat, and get free. So in the first place, I tookall the food that I could lay my hands on, and I told the man that itwould be too bold of us to eat of the bread that had been put in theboat for the Turk. He said he thought so too, and he brought down asmall sack of rice and some rusks.

  While the man was on shore I put up some wine, a large lump of wax, asaw, an axe, a spade, some rope, and all sorts of things that might beof use to us. I knew where the Turk's case of wine was, and I put thatin the boat while the man was on shore. By one more trick I got all thatI had need of. I said to the boy, "the Turk's guns are in the boat, butthere is no shot. Do you think you could get some? You know where it iskept, and we may want to shoot a fowl or two." So he brought a case anda pouch which held all that we could want for the guns. These I put inthe boat, and then set sail out of the port to fish.

  The wind blew, from the North, or North West, which was a bad wind forme; for had it been South I could have made for the coast of Spain. But,blow which way it might, my mind was made up to get off, and to leavethe rest to fate. I then let down my lines to fish, but I took care tohave bad sport; and when the fish bit, I would not pull them up, forthe Moor was not to see them. I said to him, "This will not do, we shallcatch no fish here, we ought to sail on a bit." Well, the Moor thoughtthere was no harm in this. He set the sails, and, as t
he helm was in myhands, I ran the boat out a mile or more, and then brought her to, as ifI meant to fish.

  Now, thought I, the time has come for me to get free! I gave the helmto the boy, and then took the Moor round the waist, and threw him out ofthe boat.

  Down he went! but soon rose up, for he swam like a duck. He said hewould go all round the world with me, if I would but take him in.

  I had some fear lest he should climb up the boat's side, and force hisway back; so I brought my gun to point at him, and said, "You can swimto land with ease if you choose, make haste then to get there; but ifyou come near the boat you shall have a shot through the head, for Imean to be a free man from this hour."

  He then swam for the shore, and no doubt got safe there, as the sea wasso calm.

  At first I thought I would take the Moor with me, and let Xury swim toland; but the Moor was not a man that I could trust. When he was gone Isaid to Xury, "If you will swear to be true to me, you shall be a greatman in time; if not, I