Daniel Defoe - The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)

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 home five pounds nine ounces of gold-dust for my adventure which produced, at my return to London, almost three hundred pounds. But in this voyage I was extremely sick, being thrown into a violent calenture through the excessive heat, trading upon the coast from the latitude of fifteen degrees north, even to the line itself.

But alas! my dear friend the captain soon departed this life after his arrival. This was a sensible grief to me; yet I resolved to go another with his mate, who had now got command of the ship. This proved a very unsuccessful one; for though I did not carry quite a hundred pounds of my late acquired wealth, (so that I had two hundred pounds left, which I reposed with the captain's widow, who was an honest gentlewoman) yet my misfortunes in this unhappy voyage were very great. For our ship sailing towards the Canary islands, we were chased by a Salee rover; and in spite of all the haste we could make by crowding as much canvas as our yards could spread, or our masts carry, the pirate gained upon us, to that we prepared ourselves to fight. They had eighteen guns, and we had but twelve. About three in the afternoon there was a desperate engagement, wherein many were killed and wounded on both sides; but finding ourselves overpowered with numbers, our ship disabled and ourselves too impotent to have the least hopes of success, we were forced to surrender; and accordingly were all carried prisoners into the port of Salee. Our men were sent to the Emperor's court to be sold there, but the pirate captain taking notice of me, kept me to be his own slave.

In this condition, I thought myself the most miserable creature on earth, and the prophecy of my father came afresh into my thoughts. However, my condition was better than I thought it to be, as will soon appear. Some hopes indeed I had that my new patron would go to sea again, where he might be taken by a Spanish or Portuguese man of war, and then I should be set at liberty. But in this I was mistaken; for he never took me with him, but left me to look after his little garden, and do the drudgery of his house, and when he returned from sea, would make, me lie in the cabin, and look after the ship. I had no one that I could communicate my thoughts to, which were continually meditating my escape; no Englishman, Irishman, or Scotchman here but myself; and for two years I could see nothing practicable, but only pleased myself with the imagination.

After some length of time, my patron, as I found, grew; so poor that he could not fit out his ship as usual; and then he used constantly, once or twice a week, if the weather was fair, to go out a fishing, taking me and a young Moresco Boy to row the boat; and to much pleased was he with me for my dexterity in catching the fish, that he would often send me with a Moor, who was one of his kinsemen, and the Moresco youth, to catch a dish of fish for him.

One morning, as we were at the sport, there arose such a thick fog that we lost sight of the shore; and rowing we knew not which way, we laboured all the night, and in the morning found ourselves in the ocean, two leagues from land. However, we attained there at length, and made the greater haste, because our stomachs were exceedingly sharp and hungry. In order to prevent such disasters for the future, my patron ordered a carpenter to build a little state room or cabin in the middle of the long-boat, with a place behind it to steer and hale home the main-sheet, with other conveniences to keep him from the weather, as also lockers to put in all manner of provisions, with a handsome shoulder of mutton sail, gibing over the cabin.

In this he frequently took us out a fishing: and one time inviting two or three persons of distinction to go with him, made provision extraordinary, providing also three fusees with powder and shot, that they might have some sport at fowling along the sea-coast. The next morning the boat was made clean, her ancient and pendants on, and every thing ready: but their minds altering, my patron ordered us to go a fishing, for that his guests would certainly sup with him that night.