Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe has had a fortunate escape from drowning. The ship he was travelling in was wrecked by a terrible storm in the Caribbean Sea, and he only just managed to reach land. However, quickly realizing that he would need provisions, he swam back to the ship before it sank completely, made a raft and brought some useful things back with him – clothes, food, guns and tools.

Now Crusoe is apparently alone in this strange country, where it seems he will have to work hard in order to survive. My next work was to view the country and seek a proper place for my habitation, and where to stow my goods to secure them from whatever might happen. Where I was, I yet knew not; whether on the continent, or on an island; whether in danger of wild beasts or not.

There was a hill, not above a mile from me, which rose up very steep and high, and which seemed to overtop some other hills, which lay as in a ridge from it, northward. I took out one of the fowling-pieces and one of the pistols, and a horn of powder; and thus armed, I travelled for discovery up to the top of that hill, where, after I had with great labour and difficulty got to the top, I saw my fate to my great affliction, viz., that I was in an island environed every way with the sea, no land to be seen, except some rocks which lay a great way off, and two small islands less than this, which lay about three leagues to the west.

I found also that the island I was in was barren, and, as I saw good reason to believe, uninhabited, except by wild beasts, of whom, however, I saw none; yet I saw an abundance of fowls, but knew not their kinds; neither, when I killed them, could I tell what was fit for food, and whatnot.

At my coming back, I shot at a great bird which I saw sitting upon a tree on the side of a great wood. (line 16) I believe it was the first gun that had been fired there since the creation of the world. I had no sooner fired, but from all the parts of the wood there arose an innumerable number of fowls of many sorts, making a confused screaming, and crying everyone according to his usual note; but not one of them of any kind that I knew. (line 20)

. . . . .

Contented with this discovery, I came back to my raft, and fell to work to bring my cargo on shore, which took me up the rest of that day; and what to do with myself at night I knew not, nor indeed where to rest; for I was afraid to lie down on the ground, not knowing but some wild beast might devour me, though, as I afterwards found, there was really no need for those fears. (line 25) However, as well as I could I barricaded myself round with the chests and boards that I had brought on shore, and made a kind of a hut for that night’s lodging.

Match these words and expressions on the left with their meanings on the right.

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