An American Robinson Crusoe for American Boys and Girls Part 10

He slept about an hour; when he awoke he came running to Robinson and again made signs to him that he was his slave. "You saved my life," he seemed to say, "and now I will serve you." Robinson named him Friday at once, for that was the day on which the great event of his escape had taken place.

Robinson's next care was to fit him out with some clothing. He had by this time several suits made of his coa.r.s.e cloth. He soon had Friday dressed in one of the old ones, with a straw or braided hat on his head.

He did not think it safe to allow Friday to sleep with him in the bower.

He made a little tent for him inside the enclosure. This was covered with goatskins and made a very good protection from both heat and rain.

Robinson took care to keep all his knives and weapons near him in the bower. But his fears that Friday might harm him were unfounded. Friday from the first was faithful to his master. He was sweet and obedient in all things. He seemed to look upon Robinson with the love of a child for its father and never tired of serving him.

x.x.xVII

ROBINSON AS A TEACHER

(From Robinson's Diary)

"I began to consider that having now two mouths to feed instead of one, I must provide more ground for my harvest and plant a larger quant.i.ty of corn than I used to plant. So I marked out a larger piece of land and began to fence it in. Friday worked not only very willingly but very hard. I told him that it was for corn to make more bread because he was now with me. He let me know that he was grateful for my kindness and would work much harder if I would tell him what to do.

"This was the pleasantest year of all the life I led in this place.

Friday began to talk pretty well and understood the names of almost all the things that I called for and of all the places which I wished to send him. I was careful to teach him all the things I knew. I showed him how to plant and harvest corn, how to gather fibre, spin yarn and to weave it into cloth. He learned these things quickly and became very skillful in making pots. He knew something about this because at home he had seen the women make them. He ornamented them with figures of birds and flowers. I taught him about the true G.o.d. But as for writing he could never do much with this. I had no books and could not make him understand the importance of writing. He began to talk a great deal to me. This delighted me very much. I began to love him exceedingly. He was so very honest and faithful.

"After I had taught him English I tried one day to find out whether he had any wish to return to his own country and as I talked to him about it I saw his face light up with joy and his eye sparkle. From this I had no doubt but that Friday would like to be in his own country again. This for a time made me sad, to think how eagerly he would leave me to be among his savage friends. 'Do you not wish you were back in your own country, Friday?' I said to him one day. 'Yes,' he said, 'I be much O glad to be back in my country.' 'What would you do there,' said I?

'Would you turn wild again and do as the savages do?' He shook his head and said very gravely, 'No, no, Friday tell them to live good. He tell them to plant corn and live like white mans.'

"One day when we were on the top of a hill on the west side of the island, Friday suddenly began to jump and dance about in great glee. I asked him what the matter was. 'O, joy, O glad,' he said; 'there my country!' The air was so clear that from this place, as I had before discovered, land could be distinctly seen looking westward.

"I asked him how far it was from our island to his country and whether their canoes were ever lost in coming and going. He said that there was no danger. No canoes were ever wrecked and that it was easy to get back and forth. I asked him many things about his people and country. He told me that away to the west of his country there lived 'white mans like you.' I thought these must be the people of Central America, and asked him how I might come from this island and get among these white men. He made me understand that I must have a large boat as big as two canoes.

"I resolved at once to begin to make a boat large enough for us to pa.s.s over to the land we could see lying to the west and if possible to go on to the white man's country Friday told me about. It took us nearly two months to make our boat and rig her out with sails, masts, rudder, and anchor. We had to weave our sails and twist our rope. We burned out the canoe from a large fallen log. We used a great stone tied securely to the end of a strong rope for an anchor.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ROBINSON AND FRIDAY SAILING THE BOAT]

"When we had the boat in the water, Friday showed great skill in rowing or paddling it. He had managed boats ever since he was old enough, but he did not know how to handle a sail or rudder. He learned very quickly, however, to sail and steer the boat and soon was perfectly at home in it.

"We made our boat safe by keeping it in the little cove at the mouth of the creek. I had Friday to fetch rocks and build a dock or place for landing. But the rainy season was now coming on and we must wait for fair weather. In the meantime I planned to lay by such quant.i.ties of food as we would need to take along."

x.x.xVIII

ANOTHER s.h.i.+PWRECK

One evening Robinson sat in his shelter thinking of his plans to escape to Friday's country. He was sad. For, after all, this place was very dear to him. It was the only home he had. Had he not made everything with his own hands? It was doubly dear to him on this account. He thought how it would grieve him to leave his goats, his fields, and the many comforts he had here.

He had been telling Friday of his home in New York. He told him of the great city, and of its many wonderful sights. He told him of his country and people, of his flag and its history. All these things brought back memories of his boyhood and he wondered what changes had come in his long absence. Friday, with wonderful intelligence, listened to all Robinson told him. He was delighted in hearing Robinson tell of the wonders of the great world, for he had never known anything about it. As they talked Robinson noticed the approach of a storm. The sky was getting black with clouds. The winds were blowing a hurricane. The waves were coming in mountain high. It reminded him of the eventful night now twenty-five years ago when his s.h.i.+p was tossed up on the sh.o.r.e like an egg sh.e.l.l and broken to pieces.

Suddenly there was a sound that made Robinson start from his seat with the wildest alarm. Was it the sound of a cannon from the ocean or the terrible crash and roar of the water on the rocks of the coast? There it is again; it is a cannon! Some s.h.i.+p is in distress! This is its signal!

Robinson ran out and down to the sh.o.r.e with Friday at his heels.

"O master!" said Friday, "can we not help? If they only knew the island was here and how to steer into the harbor beyond the point of land on the south."

Robinson was so excited that he scarcely knew what he was doing. He ran up and down the sh.o.r.e calling wildly, but the awful roar of the sea and wind drowned his cries. Suddenly his thoughts came to him. "Quick, Friday, get some fire in a pot. We will run to the point, gather gra.s.s and wood, and make a fire there. Maybe we can guide them into the harbor."

They soon had a great beacon light sending its welcome greeting far over the sea. The pilot of the s.h.i.+p saw it and steered his s.h.i.+p nearer and nearer. Robinson was ready to shout for joy as the s.h.i.+p seemed about to make the harbor. The s.h.i.+p had her sails torn in shreds and her rudder broken. It was hard to steer her in such a gale. On rounding the point, she was blown on the rocks. With a frightful crash which could be heard above the din of the storm she struck and held fast. Robinson could hear the cries of the men and the orders of the officers. They were trying to get boats ready to put off, but such was the confusion of the storm and the enormous waves breaking over the deck that it could not be done quickly. Before the men could get a boat into the sea, and get into it, the s.h.i.+p gave a lurch to one side as though about to sink. All the men jumped for one boat. It was overburdened. The wind tossed it about. The sea soon filled it and it went down and all were lost.

Robinson and Friday remained on the sh.o.r.e all night. They watched to see if they could not help some poor sailor that might cling to a plank and be blown on sh.o.r.e. They saw no one.

At last they lay down, but they could not sleep. Many times they sprang up and ran about for fear that some poor fellow would need their help.

At last morning came. The storm ceased. Robinson and Friday searched everywhere for the bodies of the sailors, but could find none. But the wind had blown the s.h.i.+p in plain view, and into shallow waters. It was lying on the bottom with more than half its bulk out of the water. The masts were gone. It was a sad sight. No human being could be seen on it.

They were now rejoiced that they had their boat ready. "Let us take it,"

said Robinson "and go out to the s.h.i.+p. It may be some person is still on the unfortunate s.h.i.+p." They were soon by the s.h.i.+p's side. They rowed around it until they saw a rope hanging down from the deck. Robinson seized this and clambered up. Friday tied the boat fast, and followed.

Robinson opened the door leading from the deck into the s.h.i.+p and went down. He searched in all the cabins, and knocked at all the doors. He called, but all was still. When he was satisfied that every person on board had been drowned he wept bitterly.

Friday stood there with open and staring eyes. He looked and looked. He was astonished at the large s.h.i.+p and at the wonderful things before him.

They were in the cabin where the pa.s.sengers had been. There stood trunks under the benches and clothes hung on the hooks on the wall. One trunk was open. In it were telescopes through which the travelers had looked at the land. Robinson saw also paper, pens, pen-holders and ink.

Books were also near by. Robinson first took a thick book. It was the Bible, out of which his mother had so often taught him. Then they came to the sailors' cabin. There hung muskets and swords and bags of shot and cartridges. Then they went to the work-room. There were saws, hammers, spades, shovels, chisels, nails, bottles, and pails, knives and forks. And something more, over which Robinson was most glad, matches.

At last they came into the store-room. There lay bags of flour and barley, teas, lentils, beans and sugar. Then Robinson embraced Friday in his great joy and said to him, "How rich we are!"

x.x.xIX

SAVING THINGS FROM THE s.h.i.+P

After Robinson had looked through the s.h.i.+p he began to plan the way to get the tools and things he most wanted on sh.o.r.e. He and Friday first carried everything together that he wanted to take on sh.o.r.e. When they had done this, he found he had the following things. Robinson stood everything together that he needed most.

1. A case of nails and screws.

2. Two iron axes and several hatchets.

3. A saw.

4. A small case of planes, tongs, augers, files, chisels, etc.

5. A third case with iron brackets, hooks, hinges, etc.

6. A case of matches.

7. A barrel of gunpowder.

8. Two muskets and a pistol.

9. Several swords.

10. A bag of cartridges.

11. A large sail cloth and some rope.

12. A telescope.

By means of the s.h.i.+p's ropes, Robinson let everything down into his boat. He himself took the Bible and then they rowed to the sh.o.r.e, and unloaded the boat. Everything was put into the bower where rain could not harm it. By the time they had this done, night was coming on and they decided to do no more that day, but wait until the next day.

"We must work fast," said Robinson. "The first storm is likely to break the s.h.i.+p in pieces and destroy everything in it."