August 24, 2025 • 34 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Twenty fight between Friday and a bear. But never was
a fight managed so heartily and in such a surprising
manner as that which followed between Friday and the bear,
which gave us all, though at first we were surprised
(00:23):
and afraid for him, the greatest diversion imaginable. As the
bear is a heavy, clumsy creature and does not gallop
as the wolf does, who is swift and light, so
he has two particular qualities which generally are the rule
of his actions. First, as to men who are not
(00:47):
his proper prey, he does not usually attempt them, except
they first attack him, unless he be excessively hungry, which
it is probable might now be the case the ground
being covered with snow. If you do not meddle with him,
he will not meddle with you. But then you must
(01:09):
take care to be very civil to him and give
him the road, for he is a very nice gentleman.
He will not go a step out of his way
for a prince. Nay, if you are really afraid, your
best way is to look around another way to go,
and keep going. For sometimes if you stop and stand
(01:31):
still and look steadfastly at him, he takes it for
it and affront. But if you throw or toss anything
at him, though it were but a stick as big
as your finger, he thinks himself abused, and sets all
other business aside to pursue his revenge, and will have
(01:53):
his satisfaction in point of honor. That is his first quality.
Is if he be once affronted, he will never leave
you night or day till he has his revenge, but
follows at a good round rate till he overtakes you.
(02:15):
My man Friday had delivered our guide, and when we
came up to him, he was helping him off his horse,
for the man was both hurt and frightened. When on
a sudden we espied the bear come out of the wood,
and a monstrous one. It was the biggest, by far
that ever I saw. We were all a little surprised
(02:38):
when we saw him, but when Friday saw him, it
was easy to see joy and courage in the fellow's countenance.
Oh oh, oh, says Friday, three times, pointing to him,
Oh master, you give me to leave me, shaking a
hand with him, me making you good laugh. I was
(03:00):
surprised to see the fellow so well pleased. You fool,
says I, he will eat you up, eating me up,
eating me up, says Friday, twice over again, Me eating
him up, Me making you good. Laugh you all, stay here,
me show you good laugh. So down he sits and
gets off his boots in a moment, and puts on
(03:23):
a pair of pumps, as we call the flat shoes
they wear, and which he had in his pocket. Gives
my other servant his horse, and with his gun away
he flew swift like the wind. The bear was walking
softly on and offered to meddle with nobody till Friday,
coming pretty near, calls to him as if the bear
(03:46):
could understand him. Harkye, harkye, says Friday, me speaking with you.
He followed at a distance. For now, being down on
the gasconing side of the mountains, we were entered a
vast forest where there was country plain and pretty open,
though it had many trees in it, scattered here and there. Friday,
(04:09):
who had, as we say, the heels of the bear,
came up with him quickly and took up a great
stone and threw it at him and hit him just
on the head, but did him no more harm than
if he had thrown it against a wall. But it,
answered Friday's, and for the rogue was so void of
fear that he did it purely to make the bear
(04:31):
follow him and show us some laugh, as he called it.
As soon as the bear felt the blow and saw him,
he turns about and comes after him, taking very long
strides and shuffling on a strange rate, so as he
would have put a horse to a middling gallop. Away
reigns Friday and takes his course as if he ran
(04:54):
towards us for help. So we all resolved to fire
at once upon the bear and deliver my man. Though
I was angry at him for bringing the bear back
upon us when he was going about his own business
another way, and especially I was angry that he had
turned the bear upon us and then ran away. And
(05:16):
I called out, you dog, is this making us laugh?
Come away and take your horse, that we may shoot
the creature. He heard me and cried out, no shoot,
no shoot, Stand still and you get much laugh. And
as the nimble creature read two feet for the bear's one,
he turned on a sudden on one side of us, and,
(05:39):
seeing a great oak tree fit for his purpose, he
beckoned us to follow, and doubling his pace, he got
nimbly up the tree, laying his gun down upon the
ground at about five or six yards from the bottom
of the tree. The bear soon came to the tree,
and we followed at a distance. The first thing he
(06:00):
did he stopped at the gun, smelt at it, but
let it lie, and up he scrambles into the tree,
climbing like a cat, though so monstrous heavy. I was
amazed at the folly as I thought it of my man,
and could not for my life see anything specially to
(06:22):
laugh at, till seeing the bear get up the tree,
we all rode near to him. When we came to
the tree there was Friday got out on the small
end of a large branch, and the bear got out
about halfway to him. And as soon as the bear
got out to that part where the limb of the
(06:43):
tree was weaker, hah, says he to us. Now you
see me teaching the bear dance. So he began jumping
and shaking the bough, at which the bear began to totter,
but stood still and began to look behind him to
see how he should get back. Then, indeed we did
(07:04):
laugh heartily, but Friday had not done with him. By
a great deal. When seeing him stand still, he called
out to him again, and as if he had supposed
the bear could speak English, what you come no farther? Pray,
you come farther. So he left, jumping and shaking the tree,
(07:25):
and the bear, just as if he understood what he said,
did come a little farther. Then he began jumping again,
and the bear stopped again. We thought now was a
good time to knock him in the head, and called
to Friday to stand still, and we would shoot the bear.
But he cried out earnestly, oh pray, oh pray, no
(07:46):
shoot me, shoot by, and then he would have said,
by and by. However, to shorten the story, Friday danced
so much, and the bear stood so ticklish that we
had laughing enough, but still could not imagine what the
fellow would do. For first we thought he depended upon
(08:07):
shaking the bear off, and we found the bear was
too cunning for that too, for he would not go
out far enough to be thrown down, but clung fast
with his great broad claws and feet, so that we
could not imagine what would be the end of it,
and what the jest of it would be. At last,
(08:29):
but Friday put us out of doubt quickly, for seeing
the bear cling fast to the bow, and that he
would not be persuaded to come any farther. Well, well,
says Friday, you come no farther me go, you know,
come to me, me, come to you. And upon this
he went out to the smaller end where it would
(08:51):
bend with his weight, and gently let himself down by it,
sliding down the bow till he came near enough to
jump down on his feet, and away he ran to
his gun, took it up and stood still. Well, said
I to Friday, What will you do now? Why don't
you shoot him? No? Shoot, says Friday, No yet me
(09:15):
shoot now me? No kill mestay give you one more laugh?
And indeed so he did, For when the bear saw
his enemy gone, he came back from the bow where
he stood, but did it very cautiously, looking behind him
every step, and coming backward till he got on to
(09:35):
the body of the tree. Then, with the same hinder
end foremost, he came down the tree, grasping it with
his claws and moving one foot at a time, very leisurely.
At this juncture, and just before he could set his
hind foot on the ground, Friday stepped up close to him,
clapped the muzzle of his piece into his ear, and
(09:57):
shot him dead. Then the rogue turned about to see
if we did not laugh, and when he saw we
were pleased by our looks, he began to laugh very loud.
So we killed bear in my country, says Friday. So
you kill them, says I. Why you have no guns? No,
says he, no gun, but shoot great, much long arrow.
(10:22):
This was a good diversion to us, but we were
still in a wild place, and our guide very much hurt.
And what to do we hardly knew. The hauling of
wolves ran much in my head, And indeed, except the
noise I once heard on the shore of Africa, of
which I have said something already, I never heard anything
(10:44):
that filled me with such horror. These things, and the
approach of night called us off or else, as Friday
would have had us, we would certainly have taken the
skin of this monstrous creature off, which was worth saving.
But we had near three leagues to go, and our
guide hastened us, so we left him and went forward
(11:06):
on our journey. The ground was still covered with snow,
though not so deep and dangerous as on the mountains,
and the ravenous creatures, as we heard afterwards, were come
down into the plain country, pressed by hunger to seek
for food, and had done a great deal of mischief
(11:27):
in the villages where they surprised the country people, killed
a great many of their sheep and horses, and some
people too. We had one dangerous place to pass, and
our guide told us if there were more wolves in
the country, we should find them there. And this was
a small plain surrounded with woods on every side, and
(11:49):
a long narrow defile or lane, which we were to
pass to get through the wood, and then we were
to come to the village where we were to lodge.
It was within half an hour of sunset when we
entered the wood, and a little after sunset when we
came into the plain. We met with nothing in the
(12:11):
first wood, except that in a little plain within the wood,
which was not above two furlongs over, we saw five
great wolves cross the road full speed, one after another,
as if they had been in chase of some prey
and had it in view. They took no notice of us,
and were gone quite out of sight in a few moments.
(12:35):
Upon this, our guide, who by the way, was but
a faint hearted fellow bid us keep in a ready posture,
for he believed there were more wolves coming. We kept
our arms ready and our eyes about us, but we
saw no more wolves till we came through that wood,
which was near half a league, and entered the plain.
(12:58):
As soon as we came into the plane, we had
occasion enough to look about us. The first object we
met was with a dead horse, that is to say,
a poor horse, which the wolves had killed, and at
least a dozen of them at work. We could not
say eating him, but picking his bones rather, for they
(13:20):
had eaten up all the flesh before. We did not
think fit to disturb them at their feast. Neither did
they take much notice of us. Friday would have let
fly at them, but I would not suffer him by
any means, for I found we were like to have
more business upon our hands than we were aware of.
(13:43):
We had not gone half over the plane when we
began to hear the wolves howl in the wood on
our left in a frightful manner. And presently after we
saw about a hundred coming on directly towards us, all
in a body, and most of them in a line,
as regularly as an army drawn up by experienced officers.
(14:06):
I scarce knew in what manner to receive them, but
found to draw ourselves in a close line was the
only way. So we formed in a moment, But that
we might not have too much interval, I ordered that
only every other man should fire, and that the others
who had not fired should stand ready to give them
(14:28):
a second volley immediately if they continued to advance upon us,
And then that those that had fired at first should
not pretend to load their fuses again, but stand ready
everyone with a pistol. For we were all armed with
a few si and a pair of pistols each man.
So we were by this method able to fire six volleys,
(14:52):
half of us at a time. However, at present we
had no necessity, for upon firing the first folly, the
enemy made a full stop, being so terrified as well
with the noise as with the fire. Four of them
being shot in the head, dropped. Several others were wounded
(15:14):
and went bleeding off, as we could see by the snow.
I they stopped, but did not immediately retreat, Whereupon, remembering
that I had been told that the fiercest creatures were
terrified at the voice of a man. I caused all
the company to hello as loud as they all could,
(15:37):
and I found the notion not altogether mistaken, for upon
our shout they began to retire and turn about. I
then ordered a second volley to be fired in their rear,
which made them to gallop, and away they went to
the woods. This gave us leisure to charge our pieces again,
and that we might lose no time, we kept going.
(16:01):
But we had but little more than loaded our fuss
and put ourselves in readiness when we heard a terrible
noise in the same wood on our left, only that
it was farther onward, the same way we were to go.
The night was coming on, and the light began to
be dusky, which made it worse on our side, but
(16:21):
the noise increasing, we could easily perceive that it was
the howling and yelling of those hellish creatures. And on
a sudden we perceived three troops of wolves, one on
our left, one behind us, and one in our front,
so that we seemed to be surrounded with them. However,
(16:42):
as they did not fall upon us, we kept our
way forward as fast as we could make our horses go,
which the way being very rough, was only a good
hard trot. In this manner. We came in view of
the entrance of a wood through which we were to
pass at the farther side of the plane. But we
(17:02):
were greatly surprised when coming near the lane or pass,
we saw a confused number of wolves standing just at
the entrance. On a sudden at another opening of the wood,
we heard the noise of a gun, and looking that way,
out rushed a horse with a saddle and a bridle
on him, flying like the wind, and sixteen or seventeen
(17:24):
wolves after him full speed. The horse had the advantage
of them, but as we supposed that he could not
hold it at that rate, we doubted not but that
they would get up with him at last, no question,
but they did, and here we had a most horrible sight,
for riding up to the entrance where the horse came out,
(17:46):
we found the carcasses of another horse and of two men,
devoured by the ravenous creatures. And one of the men
was no doubt the same whom we heard fire the gun,
for there lay a gun just by him, fired off.
But as to the man, his head and the upper
part of his body was eaten up. This filled us
(18:08):
with horror, and we knew not what course to take.
But the creatures resolved us soon, for they gathered about
us presently in hopes of prey, and I verily believe
there were three hundred of them. It happened very much
to our advantage that at the entrance into the wood,
but a little way from it, there lay some large
(18:30):
timber trees which had been cut down the summer before,
and I suppose lay there for a carriage. I drew
my little troop in among those trees, and, placing ourselves
in a line behind one long tree, I advised them
all to a light and keep that tree before us
for our breastwork, to stand in a triangle or three fronts,
(18:53):
in closing our horses in the center. We did so,
and it was well we did, for never was a
more furious charge than the creatures made upon us in
this place. They came on with a growling kind of noise,
and mounted the piece of timber, which, as I said,
was our breastwork, as if they were only rushing upon
(19:16):
their prey. And this fury of theirs, it seems, was
principally occasioned by their scene our horses behind us. I
ordered our men to fire, as before every other man,
and they took their aim so sure that they killed
several of the wolves at the first volley. But there
was a necessity to keep a continual firing, for they
(19:37):
came on like devils, those behind, pushing on those before.
When we fired a second volley of our few seas,
we thought they stopped a little, and I hoped they
would have gone off. But it was but a moment,
for others came forward again. So we fired two volleys
of our pistols, and I believe in these four firings
(20:00):
we had killed seventeen or eighteen of them, and lamed
twice as many. Yet they came on again. I was
loath to spend our shot too hastily, so I called
my servant, not my man Friday, for he was better employed,
for with the greatest dexterity imaginable, he had charged Mi
(20:21):
fu See and his own while we were engaged. But
as I said, I called my other man, and giving
him a horn of powder, I had him lay a
trail all along the piece of timber and let it
be a large train. He did so, and had but
just time to get away when the wolves came up
to it, and some got upon it, when I, snapping
(20:46):
an uncharged pistol close to the powder, set it on fire.
Those that were upon the timber were scorched with it,
and six or seven of them fell, or rather jumped
in among us. With the force and fright of the
We dispatched these in an instant, and the rest were
so frightened with the light, which the night it was
(21:08):
now nearly dark, made more terrible, that they drew back
a little, upon which I ordered our last pistols to
be fired off in one volley, and after that we
gave a shout. Upon this the wolves turned tail, and
we sallied immediately upon near twenty lame ones that we
(21:30):
found struggling on the ground, and fell to cutting them
with our sword, which answered our expectation, for the crying
and howling they made was better understood by their fellows,
so that they all fled and left us. We had
first and last killed about three score of them, and
(21:52):
had it been daylight, we had killed many more. The
field of battle being thus cleared, we made forward again,
for we had still near a league to go. We
heard the ravenous creatures howl and yell in the woods
as we went several times, and sometimes we fancied we
saw some of them, but the snow dazzling our eyes,
(22:16):
we were not certain. In about an hour more we
came to the town where we were to lodge, which
we found in a terrible fright, and all in arms,
for it seems the night before the wolves and some
bears had broken into the village and put them in
such terror that they were obliged to keep guard night
and day, but especially in the night, to preserve their
(22:39):
cattle and indeed their people. The next morning, our guide
was so ill, and his limbs swelled so much with
the rankling of his two wounds, that he could not
go further. So we were obliged to take a new
guide here and go to Toulouse, where we found a
warm climate, a fruitful, pleasant country, and no snow, no
(23:04):
wolves nor anything like them. But when we told our
story yet Toulouse, they told us it was nothing but
what was ordinary in the great forest at the foot
of the mountains, especially when the snow lay on the ground.
But they inquired much what kind of guide we had
got who would venture to bring us that way in
such a severe season. He told us it was surprising
(23:28):
we were not all devoured. When we told them how
we placed ourselves and the horses in the middle, they
blamed us exceedingly and told us it was fifty to one,
but we had all been destroyed. For it was the
sight of the horses which made the wolves so furious
seeing their prey, and that at other times they were
(23:49):
really afraid of a gun, but being excessively hungry and
raging on that account, the eagerness to come at the
horses had made them senseless of danger. And that if
we had not, by the continual fire, and at last
by the stratagem of the train of powder, mastered them,
it had been great odds, but that we had been
(24:10):
torn to pieces. Whereas had we been content to have
sat still on horseback and fired as horsemen, they would
not have taken the horses so much for their own
when men were on their backs. As otherwise and withal,
they told us that at last, if we had stood
(24:31):
all together and left our horses, they would have been
so eager to have devoured them, that we might have
come off safe, especially having our firearms in our hands,
being so many in number. For my part, I never
was so sensible of danger in my life. For seeing
(24:52):
above three hundred devils come roaring and open mouthed to
devour us, and having nothing to show shelter us or
to retreat to, I gave myself over for lost. And
as it was, I believe I shall never care to
cross those mountains again. I think I would much rather
(25:13):
go a thousand leagues by sea, though I was sure
to meet with a storm once a week. I have
nothing uncommon to take notice of in my passage through France,
nothing but what other travelers have given an account of.
With much more advantage than I can, I traveled from
(25:33):
Toulouse to Paris, and without any considerable stay, came to
Calais and landed safe at Dover the fourteenth of January.
After having had a severe cold season to travel in.
I was now come to the center of my travels,
and had in a little time all my newly discovered
(25:55):
estate safe about me, the bills of exchange, which I
brought with me, having been currently paid. My principal guide
and privy councilor was my good ancient widow, who, in
gratitude for the money I had sent her, thought no
pains too much nor care too great to employ for me.
(26:18):
And I trusted her so entirely that I was perfectly
easy as to the security of my effects. And indeed
I was very happy from the beginning and now to
the end, in the unspotted integrity of this good gentlewoman.
And now having resolved to dispose of my plantation in
(26:41):
the Brazils, I wrote to my old friend at Lisbon, who,
having offered it to the two merchants the survivors of
my trustees, who lived in the Brazils. They accepted the
offer and remitted thirty three thousand pieces of eight to
a correspondent of Theirs at Lisbon to pay for it.
(27:02):
In return, I signed the instrument of sale in the
form which they sent from Lisbon, and sent it to
my old man, who sent me the bills of exchange
for thirty two thousand, eight hundred pieces of eight for
the estate, reserving the payment of one hundred moidores a
year to him the old man during his life, and
(27:25):
fifty moidores afterwards to his son for his life, which
I had promised them, and which the plantation was to
make good as a rent charge. And thus I have
given the first part of a life of fortune and adventure,
a life of Providence's checker work, and of a variety
(27:51):
which the world will seldom be able to show. The
like of beginning foolishly, but closing much more more happily
than any part of it ever gave me leave so
much as to hope. For anyone would think that, in
this state of complicated good fortune, I was past running
(28:13):
any more hazards, And so indeed I had been if
other circumstances had occurred. But I was inured to a
wandering life. Had no family, nor many relations, nor however rich,
had I contracted fresh acquaintance. And though I had sold
(28:35):
my estate and the Brazils, yet I could not keep
that country out of my head, and had a great
mind to be upon the wing again. Especially, I could
not resist the strong inclination I had to see my island,
and to know if the poor Spaniards were in being there.
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My true friend, the widow, earnestly dissuaded me from it,
and so far prevailed with me that for almost seven
years she prevented my running abroad, during which time I
took my two nephews, the children of one of my brothers,
into my care. The eldest, having something of his own,
(29:20):
I bred up as a gentleman and gave him a
settlement of some addition to his estate after my decease.
The other I placed with the captain of a ship,
and after five years, finding him a sensible, bold, enterprising
young fellow, I put him into a good ship and
(29:40):
sent him to sea. And this young fellow afterwards drew
me in as old as I was, to further adventures myself.
In the meantime, I in part settled myself here. For
first of all, I married, and that not either to
(30:01):
my disadvantage or dissatisfaction, and had three children, two sons
and one daughter. But my wife dying and my nephew
coming home with good success from a voyage to Spain,
my inclination to go abroad, and his importunity prevailed and
(30:24):
engaged me to go in his ship as a private
trader to the East Indies. This was in the year
sixteen ninety four. In this voyage I visited my new
colony in the island, saw my successors. The Spaniards had
the old story of their lives and of the villains
(30:45):
I left there. How at first they insulted the poor Spaniards,
how they afterwards agreed, disagreed, united, separated, and how at
last the Spaniards were obliged to use violence with them,
how they were subjected to the Spaniards, how honestly the
(31:07):
Spaniards used them a history, if it were entered into,
as full of variety and wonderful accidents as my own part,
particularly also as to their battles with the Caribbeans, who
landed several times upon the island, and as to the
improvement they made upon the island itself, and how five
(31:30):
of them made an attempt upon the mainland and brought
away eleven men and five women prisoners, by which at
my coming I found about twenty young children on the island.
Here I stayed about twenty days, left them supplies of
all necessary things, and particularly of arms, powder, shot, clothes, tools,
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and two workmen, which I brought for them from England,
that is, a carpenter and a smith. Besides this, I
shared the land into parts with them, reserved to myself
the property of the whole, but gave them such parts
respectively as they agreed upon. And having settled all things
(32:20):
with them, and engaged them not to leave the place,
I left them there. From thence I touched at the Brazils,
from whence I sent a barque which I bought there
with more people to the island, and in it, besides
other supplies, I sent seven women, beings such as I
(32:43):
found proper for service or for wives, to such as
would take them. As to the Englishmen, I promised to
send them some women from England with a good cargo
of necessaries, if they would apply themselves to planting, which
I afterwards could not perform. The fellows proved very honest
(33:05):
and diligent. After they were mastered and had their properties
set apart for them, I sent them also from the Brazils,
five cows, three of them being big with calf, some sheep,
and some hogs, which when I came again, were considerably increased.
(33:26):
But all these things with an account of how three
hundred Caribees came and invaded them and ruined their plantations,
and how they fought with that whole number twice, and
were at first defeated and one of them killed, but
at last a storm destroying their enemy's canoes, they famished
(33:48):
or destroyed almost all the rest, and renewed and recovered
the possession of their plantation, and still lived upon the island.
All these things, with some very surprising incidents, in some
new adventures of my own for ten years more. I
(34:09):
shall give a farther account in the second part of
my story, end of chapter twenty and of Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
Twenty fight between Friday and a bear. But never was
a fight managed so heartily and in such a surprising
manner as that which followed between Friday and the bear,
which gave us all, though at first we were surprised
(00:23):
and afraid for him, the greatest diversion imaginable. As the
bear is a heavy, clumsy creature and does not gallop
as the wolf does, who is swift and light, so
he has two particular qualities which generally are the rule
of his actions. First, as to men who are not
(00:47):
his proper prey, he does not usually attempt them, except
they first attack him, unless he be excessively hungry, which
it is probable might now be the case the ground
being covered with snow. If you do not meddle with him,
he will not meddle with you. But then you must
(01:09):
take care to be very civil to him and give
him the road, for he is a very nice gentleman.
He will not go a step out of his way
for a prince. Nay, if you are really afraid, your
best way is to look around another way to go,
and keep going. For sometimes if you stop and stand
(01:31):
still and look steadfastly at him, he takes it for
it and affront. But if you throw or toss anything
at him, though it were but a stick as big
as your finger, he thinks himself abused, and sets all
other business aside to pursue his revenge, and will have
(01:53):
his satisfaction in point of honor. That is his first quality.
Is if he be once affronted, he will never leave
you night or day till he has his revenge, but
follows at a good round rate till he overtakes you.
(02:15):
My man Friday had delivered our guide, and when we
came up to him, he was helping him off his horse,
for the man was both hurt and frightened. When on
a sudden we espied the bear come out of the wood,
and a monstrous one. It was the biggest, by far
that ever I saw. We were all a little surprised
(02:38):
when we saw him, but when Friday saw him, it
was easy to see joy and courage in the fellow's countenance.
Oh oh, oh, says Friday, three times, pointing to him,
Oh master, you give me to leave me, shaking a
hand with him, me making you good laugh. I was
(03:00):
surprised to see the fellow so well pleased. You fool,
says I, he will eat you up, eating me up,
eating me up, says Friday, twice over again, Me eating
him up, Me making you good. Laugh you all, stay here,
me show you good laugh. So down he sits and
gets off his boots in a moment, and puts on
(03:23):
a pair of pumps, as we call the flat shoes
they wear, and which he had in his pocket. Gives
my other servant his horse, and with his gun away
he flew swift like the wind. The bear was walking
softly on and offered to meddle with nobody till Friday,
coming pretty near, calls to him as if the bear
(03:46):
could understand him. Harkye, harkye, says Friday, me speaking with you.
He followed at a distance. For now, being down on
the gasconing side of the mountains, we were entered a
vast forest where there was country plain and pretty open,
though it had many trees in it, scattered here and there. Friday,
(04:09):
who had, as we say, the heels of the bear,
came up with him quickly and took up a great
stone and threw it at him and hit him just
on the head, but did him no more harm than
if he had thrown it against a wall. But it,
answered Friday's, and for the rogue was so void of
fear that he did it purely to make the bear
(04:31):
follow him and show us some laugh, as he called it.
As soon as the bear felt the blow and saw him,
he turns about and comes after him, taking very long
strides and shuffling on a strange rate, so as he
would have put a horse to a middling gallop. Away
reigns Friday and takes his course as if he ran
(04:54):
towards us for help. So we all resolved to fire
at once upon the bear and deliver my man. Though
I was angry at him for bringing the bear back
upon us when he was going about his own business
another way, and especially I was angry that he had
turned the bear upon us and then ran away. And
(05:16):
I called out, you dog, is this making us laugh?
Come away and take your horse, that we may shoot
the creature. He heard me and cried out, no shoot,
no shoot, Stand still and you get much laugh. And
as the nimble creature read two feet for the bear's one,
he turned on a sudden on one side of us, and,
(05:39):
seeing a great oak tree fit for his purpose, he
beckoned us to follow, and doubling his pace, he got
nimbly up the tree, laying his gun down upon the
ground at about five or six yards from the bottom
of the tree. The bear soon came to the tree,
and we followed at a distance. The first thing he
(06:00):
did he stopped at the gun, smelt at it, but
let it lie, and up he scrambles into the tree,
climbing like a cat, though so monstrous heavy. I was
amazed at the folly as I thought it of my man,
and could not for my life see anything specially to
(06:22):
laugh at, till seeing the bear get up the tree,
we all rode near to him. When we came to
the tree there was Friday got out on the small
end of a large branch, and the bear got out
about halfway to him. And as soon as the bear
got out to that part where the limb of the
(06:43):
tree was weaker, hah, says he to us. Now you
see me teaching the bear dance. So he began jumping
and shaking the bough, at which the bear began to totter,
but stood still and began to look behind him to
see how he should get back. Then, indeed we did
(07:04):
laugh heartily, but Friday had not done with him. By
a great deal. When seeing him stand still, he called
out to him again, and as if he had supposed
the bear could speak English, what you come no farther? Pray,
you come farther. So he left, jumping and shaking the tree,
(07:25):
and the bear, just as if he understood what he said,
did come a little farther. Then he began jumping again,
and the bear stopped again. We thought now was a
good time to knock him in the head, and called
to Friday to stand still, and we would shoot the bear.
But he cried out earnestly, oh pray, oh pray, no
(07:46):
shoot me, shoot by, and then he would have said,
by and by. However, to shorten the story, Friday danced
so much, and the bear stood so ticklish that we
had laughing enough, but still could not imagine what the
fellow would do. For first we thought he depended upon
(08:07):
shaking the bear off, and we found the bear was
too cunning for that too, for he would not go
out far enough to be thrown down, but clung fast
with his great broad claws and feet, so that we
could not imagine what would be the end of it,
and what the jest of it would be. At last,
(08:29):
but Friday put us out of doubt quickly, for seeing
the bear cling fast to the bow, and that he
would not be persuaded to come any farther. Well, well,
says Friday, you come no farther me go, you know,
come to me, me, come to you. And upon this
he went out to the smaller end where it would
(08:51):
bend with his weight, and gently let himself down by it,
sliding down the bow till he came near enough to
jump down on his feet, and away he ran to
his gun, took it up and stood still. Well, said
I to Friday, What will you do now? Why don't
you shoot him? No? Shoot, says Friday, No yet me
(09:15):
shoot now me? No kill mestay give you one more laugh?
And indeed so he did, For when the bear saw
his enemy gone, he came back from the bow where
he stood, but did it very cautiously, looking behind him
every step, and coming backward till he got on to
(09:35):
the body of the tree. Then, with the same hinder
end foremost, he came down the tree, grasping it with
his claws and moving one foot at a time, very leisurely.
At this juncture, and just before he could set his
hind foot on the ground, Friday stepped up close to him,
clapped the muzzle of his piece into his ear, and
(09:57):
shot him dead. Then the rogue turned about to see
if we did not laugh, and when he saw we
were pleased by our looks, he began to laugh very loud.
So we killed bear in my country, says Friday. So
you kill them, says I. Why you have no guns? No,
says he, no gun, but shoot great, much long arrow.
(10:22):
This was a good diversion to us, but we were
still in a wild place, and our guide very much hurt.
And what to do we hardly knew. The hauling of
wolves ran much in my head, And indeed, except the
noise I once heard on the shore of Africa, of
which I have said something already, I never heard anything
(10:44):
that filled me with such horror. These things, and the
approach of night called us off or else, as Friday
would have had us, we would certainly have taken the
skin of this monstrous creature off, which was worth saving.
But we had near three leagues to go, and our
guide hastened us, so we left him and went forward
(11:06):
on our journey. The ground was still covered with snow,
though not so deep and dangerous as on the mountains,
and the ravenous creatures, as we heard afterwards, were come
down into the plain country, pressed by hunger to seek
for food, and had done a great deal of mischief
(11:27):
in the villages where they surprised the country people, killed
a great many of their sheep and horses, and some
people too. We had one dangerous place to pass, and
our guide told us if there were more wolves in
the country, we should find them there. And this was
a small plain surrounded with woods on every side, and
(11:49):
a long narrow defile or lane, which we were to
pass to get through the wood, and then we were
to come to the village where we were to lodge.
It was within half an hour of sunset when we
entered the wood, and a little after sunset when we
came into the plain. We met with nothing in the
(12:11):
first wood, except that in a little plain within the wood,
which was not above two furlongs over, we saw five
great wolves cross the road full speed, one after another,
as if they had been in chase of some prey
and had it in view. They took no notice of us,
and were gone quite out of sight in a few moments.
(12:35):
Upon this, our guide, who by the way, was but
a faint hearted fellow bid us keep in a ready posture,
for he believed there were more wolves coming. We kept
our arms ready and our eyes about us, but we
saw no more wolves till we came through that wood,
which was near half a league, and entered the plain.
(12:58):
As soon as we came into the plane, we had
occasion enough to look about us. The first object we
met was with a dead horse, that is to say,
a poor horse, which the wolves had killed, and at
least a dozen of them at work. We could not
say eating him, but picking his bones rather, for they
(13:20):
had eaten up all the flesh before. We did not
think fit to disturb them at their feast. Neither did
they take much notice of us. Friday would have let
fly at them, but I would not suffer him by
any means, for I found we were like to have
more business upon our hands than we were aware of.
(13:43):
We had not gone half over the plane when we
began to hear the wolves howl in the wood on
our left in a frightful manner. And presently after we
saw about a hundred coming on directly towards us, all
in a body, and most of them in a line,
as regularly as an army drawn up by experienced officers.
(14:06):
I scarce knew in what manner to receive them, but
found to draw ourselves in a close line was the
only way. So we formed in a moment, But that
we might not have too much interval, I ordered that
only every other man should fire, and that the others
who had not fired should stand ready to give them
(14:28):
a second volley immediately if they continued to advance upon us,
And then that those that had fired at first should
not pretend to load their fuses again, but stand ready
everyone with a pistol. For we were all armed with
a few si and a pair of pistols each man.
So we were by this method able to fire six volleys,
(14:52):
half of us at a time. However, at present we
had no necessity, for upon firing the first folly, the
enemy made a full stop, being so terrified as well
with the noise as with the fire. Four of them
being shot in the head, dropped. Several others were wounded
(15:14):
and went bleeding off, as we could see by the snow.
I they stopped, but did not immediately retreat, Whereupon, remembering
that I had been told that the fiercest creatures were
terrified at the voice of a man. I caused all
the company to hello as loud as they all could,
(15:37):
and I found the notion not altogether mistaken, for upon
our shout they began to retire and turn about. I
then ordered a second volley to be fired in their rear,
which made them to gallop, and away they went to
the woods. This gave us leisure to charge our pieces again,
and that we might lose no time, we kept going.
(16:01):
But we had but little more than loaded our fuss
and put ourselves in readiness when we heard a terrible
noise in the same wood on our left, only that
it was farther onward, the same way we were to go.
The night was coming on, and the light began to
be dusky, which made it worse on our side, but
(16:21):
the noise increasing, we could easily perceive that it was
the howling and yelling of those hellish creatures. And on
a sudden we perceived three troops of wolves, one on
our left, one behind us, and one in our front,
so that we seemed to be surrounded with them. However,
(16:42):
as they did not fall upon us, we kept our
way forward as fast as we could make our horses go,
which the way being very rough, was only a good
hard trot. In this manner. We came in view of
the entrance of a wood through which we were to
pass at the farther side of the plane. But we
(17:02):
were greatly surprised when coming near the lane or pass,
we saw a confused number of wolves standing just at
the entrance. On a sudden at another opening of the wood,
we heard the noise of a gun, and looking that way,
out rushed a horse with a saddle and a bridle
on him, flying like the wind, and sixteen or seventeen
(17:24):
wolves after him full speed. The horse had the advantage
of them, but as we supposed that he could not
hold it at that rate, we doubted not but that
they would get up with him at last, no question,
but they did, and here we had a most horrible sight,
for riding up to the entrance where the horse came out,
(17:46):
we found the carcasses of another horse and of two men,
devoured by the ravenous creatures. And one of the men
was no doubt the same whom we heard fire the gun,
for there lay a gun just by him, fired off.
But as to the man, his head and the upper
part of his body was eaten up. This filled us
(18:08):
with horror, and we knew not what course to take.
But the creatures resolved us soon, for they gathered about
us presently in hopes of prey, and I verily believe
there were three hundred of them. It happened very much
to our advantage that at the entrance into the wood,
but a little way from it, there lay some large
(18:30):
timber trees which had been cut down the summer before,
and I suppose lay there for a carriage. I drew
my little troop in among those trees, and, placing ourselves
in a line behind one long tree, I advised them
all to a light and keep that tree before us
for our breastwork, to stand in a triangle or three fronts,
(18:53):
in closing our horses in the center. We did so,
and it was well we did, for never was a
more furious charge than the creatures made upon us in
this place. They came on with a growling kind of noise,
and mounted the piece of timber, which, as I said,
was our breastwork, as if they were only rushing upon
(19:16):
their prey. And this fury of theirs, it seems, was
principally occasioned by their scene our horses behind us. I
ordered our men to fire, as before every other man,
and they took their aim so sure that they killed
several of the wolves at the first volley. But there
was a necessity to keep a continual firing, for they
(19:37):
came on like devils, those behind, pushing on those before.
When we fired a second volley of our few seas,
we thought they stopped a little, and I hoped they
would have gone off. But it was but a moment,
for others came forward again. So we fired two volleys
of our pistols, and I believe in these four firings
(20:00):
we had killed seventeen or eighteen of them, and lamed
twice as many. Yet they came on again. I was
loath to spend our shot too hastily, so I called
my servant, not my man Friday, for he was better employed,
for with the greatest dexterity imaginable, he had charged Mi
(20:21):
fu See and his own while we were engaged. But
as I said, I called my other man, and giving
him a horn of powder, I had him lay a
trail all along the piece of timber and let it
be a large train. He did so, and had but
just time to get away when the wolves came up
to it, and some got upon it, when I, snapping
(20:46):
an uncharged pistol close to the powder, set it on fire.
Those that were upon the timber were scorched with it,
and six or seven of them fell, or rather jumped
in among us. With the force and fright of the
We dispatched these in an instant, and the rest were
so frightened with the light, which the night it was
(21:08):
now nearly dark, made more terrible, that they drew back
a little, upon which I ordered our last pistols to
be fired off in one volley, and after that we
gave a shout. Upon this the wolves turned tail, and
we sallied immediately upon near twenty lame ones that we
(21:30):
found struggling on the ground, and fell to cutting them
with our sword, which answered our expectation, for the crying
and howling they made was better understood by their fellows,
so that they all fled and left us. We had
first and last killed about three score of them, and
(21:52):
had it been daylight, we had killed many more. The
field of battle being thus cleared, we made forward again,
for we had still near a league to go. We
heard the ravenous creatures howl and yell in the woods
as we went several times, and sometimes we fancied we
saw some of them, but the snow dazzling our eyes,
(22:16):
we were not certain. In about an hour more we
came to the town where we were to lodge, which
we found in a terrible fright, and all in arms,
for it seems the night before the wolves and some
bears had broken into the village and put them in
such terror that they were obliged to keep guard night
and day, but especially in the night, to preserve their
(22:39):
cattle and indeed their people. The next morning, our guide
was so ill, and his limbs swelled so much with
the rankling of his two wounds, that he could not
go further. So we were obliged to take a new
guide here and go to Toulouse, where we found a
warm climate, a fruitful, pleasant country, and no snow, no
(23:04):
wolves nor anything like them. But when we told our
story yet Toulouse, they told us it was nothing but
what was ordinary in the great forest at the foot
of the mountains, especially when the snow lay on the ground.
But they inquired much what kind of guide we had
got who would venture to bring us that way in
such a severe season. He told us it was surprising
(23:28):
we were not all devoured. When we told them how
we placed ourselves and the horses in the middle, they
blamed us exceedingly and told us it was fifty to one,
but we had all been destroyed. For it was the
sight of the horses which made the wolves so furious
seeing their prey, and that at other times they were
(23:49):
really afraid of a gun, but being excessively hungry and
raging on that account, the eagerness to come at the
horses had made them senseless of danger. And that if
we had not, by the continual fire, and at last
by the stratagem of the train of powder, mastered them,
it had been great odds, but that we had been
(24:10):
torn to pieces. Whereas had we been content to have
sat still on horseback and fired as horsemen, they would
not have taken the horses so much for their own
when men were on their backs. As otherwise and withal,
they told us that at last, if we had stood
(24:31):
all together and left our horses, they would have been
so eager to have devoured them, that we might have
come off safe, especially having our firearms in our hands,
being so many in number. For my part, I never
was so sensible of danger in my life. For seeing
(24:52):
above three hundred devils come roaring and open mouthed to
devour us, and having nothing to show shelter us or
to retreat to, I gave myself over for lost. And
as it was, I believe I shall never care to
cross those mountains again. I think I would much rather
(25:13):
go a thousand leagues by sea, though I was sure
to meet with a storm once a week. I have
nothing uncommon to take notice of in my passage through France,
nothing but what other travelers have given an account of.
With much more advantage than I can, I traveled from
(25:33):
Toulouse to Paris, and without any considerable stay, came to
Calais and landed safe at Dover the fourteenth of January.
After having had a severe cold season to travel in.
I was now come to the center of my travels,
and had in a little time all my newly discovered
(25:55):
estate safe about me, the bills of exchange, which I
brought with me, having been currently paid. My principal guide
and privy councilor was my good ancient widow, who, in
gratitude for the money I had sent her, thought no
pains too much nor care too great to employ for me.
(26:18):
And I trusted her so entirely that I was perfectly
easy as to the security of my effects. And indeed
I was very happy from the beginning and now to
the end, in the unspotted integrity of this good gentlewoman.
And now having resolved to dispose of my plantation in
(26:41):
the Brazils, I wrote to my old friend at Lisbon, who,
having offered it to the two merchants the survivors of
my trustees, who lived in the Brazils. They accepted the
offer and remitted thirty three thousand pieces of eight to
a correspondent of Theirs at Lisbon to pay for it.
(27:02):
In return, I signed the instrument of sale in the
form which they sent from Lisbon, and sent it to
my old man, who sent me the bills of exchange
for thirty two thousand, eight hundred pieces of eight for
the estate, reserving the payment of one hundred moidores a
year to him the old man during his life, and
(27:25):
fifty moidores afterwards to his son for his life, which
I had promised them, and which the plantation was to
make good as a rent charge. And thus I have
given the first part of a life of fortune and adventure,
a life of Providence's checker work, and of a variety
(27:51):
which the world will seldom be able to show. The
like of beginning foolishly, but closing much more more happily
than any part of it ever gave me leave so
much as to hope. For anyone would think that, in
this state of complicated good fortune, I was past running
(28:13):
any more hazards, And so indeed I had been if
other circumstances had occurred. But I was inured to a
wandering life. Had no family, nor many relations, nor however rich,
had I contracted fresh acquaintance. And though I had sold
(28:35):
my estate and the Brazils, yet I could not keep
that country out of my head, and had a great
mind to be upon the wing again. Especially, I could
not resist the strong inclination I had to see my island,
and to know if the poor Spaniards were in being there.
(28:59):
My true friend, the widow, earnestly dissuaded me from it,
and so far prevailed with me that for almost seven
years she prevented my running abroad, during which time I
took my two nephews, the children of one of my brothers,
into my care. The eldest, having something of his own,
(29:20):
I bred up as a gentleman and gave him a
settlement of some addition to his estate after my decease.
The other I placed with the captain of a ship,
and after five years, finding him a sensible, bold, enterprising
young fellow, I put him into a good ship and
(29:40):
sent him to sea. And this young fellow afterwards drew
me in as old as I was, to further adventures myself.
In the meantime, I in part settled myself here. For
first of all, I married, and that not either to
(30:01):
my disadvantage or dissatisfaction, and had three children, two sons
and one daughter. But my wife dying and my nephew
coming home with good success from a voyage to Spain,
my inclination to go abroad, and his importunity prevailed and
(30:24):
engaged me to go in his ship as a private
trader to the East Indies. This was in the year
sixteen ninety four. In this voyage I visited my new
colony in the island, saw my successors. The Spaniards had
the old story of their lives and of the villains
(30:45):
I left there. How at first they insulted the poor Spaniards,
how they afterwards agreed, disagreed, united, separated, and how at
last the Spaniards were obliged to use violence with them,
how they were subjected to the Spaniards, how honestly the
(31:07):
Spaniards used them a history, if it were entered into,
as full of variety and wonderful accidents as my own part,
particularly also as to their battles with the Caribbeans, who
landed several times upon the island, and as to the
improvement they made upon the island itself, and how five
(31:30):
of them made an attempt upon the mainland and brought
away eleven men and five women prisoners, by which at
my coming I found about twenty young children on the island.
Here I stayed about twenty days, left them supplies of
all necessary things, and particularly of arms, powder, shot, clothes, tools,
(31:57):
and two workmen, which I brought for them from England,
that is, a carpenter and a smith. Besides this, I
shared the land into parts with them, reserved to myself
the property of the whole, but gave them such parts
respectively as they agreed upon. And having settled all things
(32:20):
with them, and engaged them not to leave the place,
I left them there. From thence I touched at the Brazils,
from whence I sent a barque which I bought there
with more people to the island, and in it, besides
other supplies, I sent seven women, beings such as I
(32:43):
found proper for service or for wives, to such as
would take them. As to the Englishmen, I promised to
send them some women from England with a good cargo
of necessaries, if they would apply themselves to planting, which
I afterwards could not perform. The fellows proved very honest
(33:05):
and diligent. After they were mastered and had their properties
set apart for them, I sent them also from the Brazils,
five cows, three of them being big with calf, some sheep,
and some hogs, which when I came again, were considerably increased.
(33:26):
But all these things with an account of how three
hundred Caribees came and invaded them and ruined their plantations,
and how they fought with that whole number twice, and
were at first defeated and one of them killed, but
at last a storm destroying their enemy's canoes, they famished
(33:48):
or destroyed almost all the rest, and renewed and recovered
the possession of their plantation, and still lived upon the island.
All these things, with some very surprising incidents, in some
new adventures of my own for ten years more. I
(34:09):
shall give a farther account in the second part of
my story, end of chapter twenty and of Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
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