Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - Chapter 20 – Fight Between Friday and a Bear

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Dennis Sayers in Modesto, California,
Winter two thousand and six. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
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,

(00:52):
which gave us all, though at first we were surprised
and afraid for him. The greatest diversion em 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

(01:15):
of his actions. First, as to men who are not
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,

(01:38):
he will not meddle with you. But then you must
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,

(01:59):
and keep going. For sometimes if you stop and stand
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

(02:19):
other business aside to pursue his revenge, and will have
his satisfaction in point of honor. That is his first quality.
The next is if he be once affronted, he will
never leave you night or day till he has his revenge,

(02:41):
but follows at a good round rate till he overtakes you.
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,

(03:03):
and a monstrous one. It was the biggest by far
that ever I saw. We were all a little surprised
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.

(03:23):
Oh master, you give me to leave me shaking a
hand with him, me making you good laugh. I was
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

(03:44):
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
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,

(04:05):
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
could understand him. Hark ye, hark ye, says Friday, me
speaking with you. He followed at a distance. For now

(04:28):
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, 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

(04:49):
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 o void of fear that he did
it purely to make the bear follow him and show
us some laugh, as he called it. As soon as
the bear felt the blow and saw him, he turns

(05:13):
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 towards us
for help. So we all resolved to fire at once
upon the bear and deliver my man. Though I was

(05:35):
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 I called out,
you dog, is this making us laugh? Come away and
take your horse, that we may shoot the creature. He

(05:56):
heard me and cried out, no shoot, no shoot, Stand
and 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,
seeing a great oak tree fit for his purpose, he
beckoned us to follow, and, doubling his pace, he got

(06:18):
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
did he stopped at the gun, smelt at it, but
let it lie, and up he scrambles into the tree,

(06:41):
climbing like a cat, though so monstrous heavy. I was
amazed at the folley, as I thought it of my man,
and could not for my life see anything specially to
laugh at, till seeing the bear get up the tree,
we all rode near to him. When we came to

(07:02):
the tree there was Friday got out on the small
end of a large branch, and the bear got out
about half way to him. And as soon as the
bear got out to that part where the limb of
the tree was weaker, ha says he to us. Now
you see me teachee the bear dance. So he began

(07:24):
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 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

(07:47):
had supposed the bear could speak English, what you come
no farther? Pray you come farther. So he left jumping
and shaking the tree, 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.

(08:08):
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 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

(08:30):
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 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

(08:52):
and feet, so that we could not imagine what would
be the end of it, and what the jest of
it would be at length last. 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

(09:14):
no farther me go? You no come to me? Me
come to you. And upon this he went out to
the smaller end, where it would 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

(09:35):
it up and stood still. Well, said I to Friday,
what will you do now? Why don't you shoot him?

Speaker 1 (09:44):
No?

Speaker 2 (09:44):
Shoot, says Friday, No yet me 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

(10:05):
coming backward till he got on to 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

(10:27):
muzzle of his piece into his ear, and 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,

(10:49):
no gun, but shoot great much long arrow. This was
a good diversion to us, But we were still in
a wild place, and our guy 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

(11:12):
I have said something already, I never heard anything 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

(11:32):
we had near three leagues to go, and our guide
hastened us, so we left him and went forward 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,

(11:57):
and had done a great deal of mischief 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

(12:18):
plain surrounded with woods on every side, and 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,

(12:38):
and a little after sunset when we came into the plain.
We met with nothing in the 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.

(13:02):
They took no notice of us, and were gone quite
out of sight in a few moments. 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 a coming. We kept our arms
ready and our eyes about us, but we saw no

(13:24):
more wolves till we came through that wood, which was
near half a league, and entered the plain. As soon
as we came into the plain, 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

(13:46):
of them at work. We could not say eating him,
but picking his bones rather, for they 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,

(14:06):
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 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

(14:26):
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. I scarce knew
in what manner to receive them, but found to draw
ourselves in a close line was the only way. So

(14:47):
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 a second volley
immediately if they continued to advance upon us, And then
that those that had fired at first should not pretend

(15:10):
to load their fuses again, but stand ready everyone with
a pistol, For we were all armed with a few
sea and a pair of pistols each man. So we
were by this method able to fire six folleys half
of us at a time. However, at present we had
no necessity, for upon firing the first folly, the enemy

(15:33):
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 and
went bleeding off. As we could see by the snow,
I found they stopped, but did not immediately retreat. Whereupon,

(15:56):
remembering that I had been told that the fiercest creatures
were terrified at the voice of a man, I caused
all the company to helloa as loud as they all could,
and I found the notion not altogether mistaken, for upon
our shout they began to retire and turn about. I

(16:18):
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,
but we had but little more than loaded our fusees
and put ourselves in readiness when we heard a terrible

(16:39):
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
the noise increasing, we could easily perceive that it was
the howling and yelling of those hellish creature, and on

(17:01):
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,
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

(17:25):
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 plain. But we
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,

(17:46):
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
wolves after him full speed. The horse had the advance them,
but as we supposed that he could not hold it
at that rate, we doubted not but that they would

(18:07):
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, 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,

(18:30):
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
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

(18:52):
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
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

(19:14):
in a line behind one long tree, I advised them
all to a light and keep that tree before us
for a breastwork. To stand in a triangle or three fronts,
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

(19:37):
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
their prey. And this fury of theirs, it seems, was
principally occasioned by their seeing our horses behind us. I
ordered our men to fire, as before every other man,

(20:00):
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
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

(20:22):
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
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

(20:44):
my servant, not my man Friday, for he was better employed,
for with the greatest dexterity imaginable. He had charged my
fusee 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

(21:06):
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 an uncharged
pistol close to the powder, set it on fire. Those
that were upon the timber were scorched with it, and

(21:27):
six or seven of them fell, or rather jumped in
among us. With the force and fright of the fire.
We dispatched these in an instant, and the rest were
so frightened with the light, which the night it was
now nearly dark, made more terrible, that they drew back
a little, upon which I ordered our last pistols to

(21:49):
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
found struggling on the ground, and fell to cutting them
with our sword, which answered our expectation for the crying

(22:11):
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
had it been daylight, we had killed many more. The
field of battle being thus cleared, we made forward again,

(22:32):
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,
we were not certain. In about an hour more we
came to the town where we were to lodge, which

(22:54):
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
cattle and indeed their people. The next morning, our guide

(23:18):
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
wolves nor anything like them. But when we told our

(23:40):
story at 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 surprise we
were not all devoured. When we told them how we

(24:04):
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
really afraid of a gun, but being excessively hungry and

(24:25):
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
torn to pieces, whereas had we been content to have

(24:47):
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
altogether and left our horses, they would have been so
eager to have devoured them, that we might have come

(25:10):
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 above
three hundred devils come roaring and open mouthed to devour us,

(25:30):
and having nothing to 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 go a thousand leagues
by sea, though I was sure to meet with a
storm once a week. I have nothing uncommon to take

(25:55):
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 Toulouse to Paris,
and without any considerable stay, came to Calais and landed
safe at Dover the fourteenth of January. After having had

(26:17):
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 estate safe about me,
the bills of exchange, which I brought with me, having
been currently paid. My principal guide and privy councilor was

(26:40):
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. And I trusted
her so entirely that I was perfectly easy as to
the security of my effects. And indeed I was very

(27:00):
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 the Brazils, I
wrote to my old friend at Lisbon, who, having offered
it to the two merchants the survivors of my trustees,

(27:21):
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. In return,
I signed the instrument of sale in the form which
they sent from Lisbon, and sent it to my old man,

(27:42):
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 fifty moidores to his
son for his life, which I had promised them, and

(28:05):
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 which the world will seldom be

(28:25):
able to show the like of, beginning foolishly, but closing
much 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 any more hazards, And so indeed I

(28:49):
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 my estate and the Brazils, yet I

(29:09):
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. My true friend, the widow earnestly

(29:34):
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, I bred up as a gentleman,

(29:55):
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 sent him to sea. And this

(30:15):
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 my disadvantage or dissatisfaction, and had

(30:38):
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 engaged me to go in his ship

(30:58):
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 I left there. How at first they

(31:21):
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 Spaniards used them a history, if it

(31:43):
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 of them made an attempt upon the

(32:04):
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,

(32:29):
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

(32:52):
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 to bark which I bought there
with more people, to the island, and in it, besides
other supplies, I sent seven women, being such as I

(33:15):
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

(33:37):
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.

(33:58):
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

(34:20):
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

(34:41):
shall give a farther account in the second part of
my story end of chapter twenty and of Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe. Yes