The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801). Даниэль Дефо

I command you, (says he) to desist from these intentions. Consider your elder brother, who laid down his life for his honour, or rather lost it for his disobedience to my will. If you will go (added he) my prayers shall however be offered for your preservation; but a time may come, when, desolate, oppressed, or forsaken, you may wish you had taken your poor despised father's counsel.--He pronounced these words with such a moving and paternal eloquence, while floods of tears ran down his aged cheeks, that it seemed to stem the torrent of my resolutions. But this soon wore, off, and a little after I informed my mother, that I could not settle to any business, my resolutions were so strong to see the world; and begged she would gain my father's consent only to go one voyage; which, if I did not prove prosperous, I would never attempt a second. But my desire was as vain as my folly in making. My mother passionately expressed her dislike of this, proposal, telling me, "That as she saw I was bent upon my own destruction, contrary to their will and my duty, she would say no more; but leave me to do whatever I pleased."

      I was then, I think, nineteen years old, when one time being Hull; I met a school-fellow of mine, going along with his father, who was master of a ship, to London; and acquainted him with my wandering desires; he assured me of a free passage, and a plentiful share of what was necessary. Thus, without imploring a blessing, or taking farewell of my parents, I took shipping on the first of September 1651. We set sail soon after, and our ship had scarce left the Humber astern, when there arose so violent a storm, that, being extremely sea-sick, I concluded the judgment of God deservedly followed me for my disobedience to my dear parents. It was then I called to mind, the good advice of my father; how easy and comfortable was a middle state of life; and I firmly resolved, if it pleased God to set me on dry land once more, I would return to my parents, implore their forgiveness, and bid a final adieu to my wandering inclinations.

      Such were my thoughts while the storm continued: but these good resolutions decreased with the danger; more especially when my companion came to me, clapping me on the shoulder: "What, Bob!" said he, "sure you was not frightened last night with scarce a capful of wind?"--"And do you" cried I, "call such a violent storm a capful of wind?"--"A storm, you fool you," said he, "this is nothing; a good ship and sea-room always baffles such a foolish squall of wind as that: But you're a fresh water sailor: Come boy, turn out, see what fine weather we have now, and a good bowl of punch will drown all your past sorrows." In short, the punch was made, I was drunk and in one night's time drowned both my repentance and my good resolutions, forgetting entirely the vows and promises I made in my distress: and whenever any reflections would return on me, what by company, and what by drinking, I soon mastered those fits, as I deridingly called them. But this only made way for another trial, whereby I could not but see how much I was beholden to kind Providence.

      Upon the sixth day we came to an anchor in Harwich road, where we lay wind bound with some Newcastle ships; and there being good anchorage, and our cables found, the seamen forgot their late toil and danger, and spent the time as merry as if they had been on shore. But on the eight day there arose a brisk gale of wind, which prevented our tiding it up the river; and still increasing, our ship rode forecastle in, and shipped several large seas.

      It was not long before horror seized the seamen themselves, and I heard the master express this melancholy ejaculation, "Lord have mercy upon us, we shall be all, lost and undone!" For my part, sick unto death, I kept my cabin till the universal and terribly dreadful apprehensions of our speedy fate made me get upon deck; and there I was affrighted indeed. The sea went mountains high: I could see nothing but distress around us; two ships had cut their masts on board, and another was foundered; two more that had lost their anchors, were forced out to the mercy of the ocean; and to save our lives we were forced to cut our foremast and mainmast quite away.

      Who is their so ignorant as not to judge of my dreadful condition? I was but a fresh-water sailor and therefore it seemed more terrible. Our ship was very good, but over-loaded; which made the sailors often cry out, "She would founder!" Words I then was ignorant of. All this while the storm continuing, and rather increasing, the master and the most sober part of his men went to prayers, expecting death every moment. In the middle of the night one cried out, "We had sprung a leak;" another, "That there was four feet water in the hold." I was just ready to expire with fear, when immediately all hands were called to the pump; and the men forced me also in that extremity to share with them in their labour. While thus employed, the master espying some light colliers, fired a gun as a signal of distress; and I, not understanding what it meant, and thinking that either the ship broke, or some dreadful thing happened, fell into a swoon. Even in that common condition of woe, nobody minded me, excepting to thrust me aside with their feet, thinking me dead, and it was a great while before I recovered.

      Happy it was for us, when, upon the signal given, they ventured out their boats to save our lives. All our pumping had been in vain, and vain had all our attempts been, had they not come to our ship's side, and our men cast them a rope over the stern with a buoy to it, which after great labour they got hold of, and we hauling them up to us got into their boat, and left our ship which we perceived sink within less than a quarter of an hour; and thus I learned what was meant by foundering at sea. And now the men incessantly laboured to recover their, own ship; but the sea ran so high, and the wind blew so hard, that they thought it convenient to hale within shore; which, with great difficulty and danger, at last we happily effected landing at a place called Cromer, not far from Winterton lighthouse; from whence we all walked to Yarmouth, where, as objects of pity, many good people furnished us with necessaries to carry us either to Hull or London.

      Strange, after all this, like the prodigal son, I did not return to my father; who hearing of the ship's calamity, for a long time thought me entombed in the deep. No doubt but I should have shared on his fatted calf, as the scripture expresseth it; but my ill fate still pusheth me on, in spite of the powerful convictions of reason and conscience.

      When we had been at Yarmouth three days, I met my old companion, who had given me the invitation to go on board along with his father. His behaviour and speech were altered, and in a melancholy manner asked me how I did, telling his father who I was, & how I had made this voyage only for a trial to proceed further abroad. Upon which the old gentleman turning to me gravely, said, "Young man, you ought never to go to sea any more, but to take this for a certain sign that you never will prosper in a sea-faring condition." "Sir" answered I, "will you take the same resolution?" "It is a different case," said he, "it is my calling, and consequently my duty; but as you have made this voyage for a trial, you see what ill success heaven has set before your eyes; and perhaps our miseries have been on your account, like Jonah in the ship of Tarshish. But pray what are you, and on what account did you go to sea?" Upon which I very freely declared my whole story: at the end of which he made this exclamation: "Ye sacred powers: what had I committed, that such a wretch should enter into my ship to heap upon me such a deluge of miseries!" But soon recollecting his passion, "Young man" said he, "if you do not go back, depend upon it, wherever you go, you will meet with disasters and disappointments till your father's words are fulfilled upon you." And so we parted.

      I thought at first to return home; but shame opposed that good motion, as thinking I should be laughed at by my neighbours and acquaintance. So strange is the nature of youth, who are not ashamed to sin, but yet ashamed to repent; and so far from being ashamed of those actions for which they may be acounted fools, they think it folly to return to their duty, which is the principal mark of wisdom. In short I travelled up to London, resolving upon a voyage, and a voyage I soon heard of, by my acquaintance with a captain who took a fancy to me, to go to the coast of Guinea. Having some money, and appearing like a gentleman, I went on board, not as a common sailor or foremast man; nay, the commander agreed I should go that voyage with him without any expence; that I should be his messmate and companion, and I was very welcome to carry any thing with me, and make the best merchandise I could.

      I blessed my happy fortune, and humbly thanked my captain for this offer; and acquainting my friends in Yorkshire, forty pounds were sent me, the greatest part of which my dear father and mother contributed to, with which I bought toys and trifles, as the captain directed me. My captain also taught me navigation, how to keep an account of the ship's course, take an observation, and led me into the knowledge of several useful branches of the mathematics. And indeed this voyage made me both a sailor and a merchant; for I brought