E EV

R LA STI NG I L L U ST RATE D C LA SSIC

S

The Adventures of

ROBINSON CRUSOE

DANIEL DEFOE

The Adventures of

ROBINSON CRUSOE by

Daniel De Foe Original Novel abridged for

Modern Readers

LITTLE SCHOLARZ PVT LTD. INDIA

This edition first originated and published in 2019

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© LITTLE SCHOLARZ PVT. LTD. THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE ISBN: 978-93-86063-34-2 HSN Code: 49011010 Book Code: S-424 No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

C ontents  Early Adventures

... 5

 The Shipwreck

... 12

 Beginning A New Life

... 21

 Learning New Skills

... 23

 Making A Canoe

... 26

 The Footprint’s Mystery

... 34

 Fear of Cannibals

... 38

 The Human Voice

... 43

 Meeting Man Friday

... 55

 The Return of Cannibals

... 64

 The New Visitors

... 69

 English Men on the Island

... 74

 Crushing A Mutiny

... 77

 Seizing the Ship

... 83

 Back in England

... 87

 Travelling Across Europe

... 91

 Religion, Marriage & Island

... 95

 Sailing East Indies

... 98

 The Ship on Fire

... 101

 Rescuing Another Ship

... 103

 Reaching Own Island

... 106

 The Island Affairs

... 110

 The Savage Rage

... 116

 The Life on the Island

... 119

 The Fall of Friday

... 124

 The Voyage Moves On

... 127

 New Voyages—New Challenges

... 134

 The New Company—New Lands

... 143

 Glossary (word-meanings)

... 158

 Short and Long Questions

... 159



4

The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE 

1

Early Adventures

I

was born in the year 1632, in the city of York. I derived my surname Crusoe with my name Robinson from my mother’s side. Since childhood I had the inclination of going to sea. My father vainly tried hard to prevent me from going to sea by advancing multiple arguments. Rejecting all proposals for setting to any business, on the first of September, 1651, I went on board a ship bound for London. All this while the storm raged, and the sea, which I had never been upon before, went very high. I resolved that I would, like a true repenting prodigal, go home to my father. Meanwhile, the storm continued. But the next day the wind was abated, and the sea calmer. Then, my companion, who had indeed enticed me away, came to me: “Well, Bob,”  The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE

5

All this while the storm raged and the sea....

said he, “how do you do after it?” Through his words, he enhanced my interest in sea life. By the eighth day it blew a terrible storm again. The sea went mountains high, and broke upon us every three or four minutes. In the middle of the night, and under all the rest of our distresses, one of the men that had been down on purpose to see, cried out, 6

The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE 

we had sprung a leak; another said, there was four foot water in the hold. Then all hands were called to the pump. We worked on; but the water increasing in the hold, it was apparent that the ship would founder. We were soon out of our ship. We were able to reach the shore, past the lighthouse at Winterton. We walked afterwards on foot to Yarmouth. Having some money in my pocket, I travelled to London by land. Then I went on board a vessel bound to the coast of Africa; or, as our sailors vulgarly call it, a voyage to Guinea. It was my great misfortune that in all these adventures I did not ship myself as a sailor. I fell acquainted with the master of a ship who had been on the coast of Guinea; and who, having had very good success there, was resolved to go again. I embraced the offer; and entering into a strict friendship with this captain, who was an honest and plain-dealing man, I went the voyage with him. This was the only voyage which I may say was successful in all my adventures, and  The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE

7

which I owe to the integrity and honesty of my friend the captain, under whom I understood some things that were needful to be understood by a sailor. I was now set up for a Guinea trader; and my friend, to my great misfortune, dying soon after his arrival, I resolved to go the same voyage again, and I embarked in the same vessel with one who was his mate in the former voyage, and had now got the command of the ship. This was the unhappiest voyage that ever a man made. Our ship making her course towards the Canary Islands, was surprised by a Turkish rover. In the fight that ensued, we were obliged to yield, and were carried all prisoners into Sallee, a port belonging to the Moors. I was kept by the captain of the rover as his proper prize, and made his slave, being young and nimble, and fit for his business. I got my chance when my patron sent me fishing with the man and the boy, and I had little ship at my command. I took advantage of the Moor companion to arrange some eatables, water, powder, shot and bullets in the ship. His name was Ismael, whom they call Muly or Moley. I had been sure to have made the 8

The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE 

I tossed him clear overboard into the sea.

coast of Spain, and at last we reached to the bay of Cadiz. I ran the boat out near a league farther. I tossed him clear overboard into the sea. On my suggetion he swam for the shore, and reached it with ease, for he was an excellent swimmer. I could have been content to have taken this Moor with me, but there was no venturing to trust him. When he was gone I turned to  The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE

9

the boy, whom they called Xury, and said to him, “Xury, if you will be faithful to me I’ll make you a great man.” He swore to be faithful to me, and go all over the world with me. As soon as it grew dusk in the evening, I changed my course, and steered directly south and by east, bending my course a little toward the east, that I might keep in with the shore. Then, we made on to the southward continually for ten or twelve days, I continued sailing with the hope to meet some European ship or perish among the Negors. After eleven days, being close to the Cape de Verd and Cape de Vard island, we saw a Portuguese ship, but soon I observed she was bound some other way. I resolved to speak with them if possible. In about three hours time I came up with them. I told them that I was an Englishman, and had made my escape out of slavery from the Moors at Sallee. Then they had me come on board, and very kindly took me in, and all my goods. The captain of the ship, generously told me, he would take nothing from me. As to my boat, he offered me eighty pieces of eight for 10

The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE 

it at Brasils; and also sixty pieces of eight more for my boy Xury. The captain bought almost everthing I was ready to spare and I made about two hundred and twenty pieces of eight of all my cargo; and with this stock I went on shore in the Brasils. On the advice of kind Portuguese captain, I gave him letters to the gentlewoman with whom I had left my money, in England and a procuration to him, as he desired. I wrote the English captain’s widow a full account of all my adventures, my slavery, escape, and how I had met the Portugal captain at sea, the humanity of his behaviour, and what condition I was now in, with all other necessary directions for my supply. Then, through the merchant in London I got all my money safe at Brasils via Lisbon. He had taken care to have all sort of tools, iron work, and utensils necessary for my plantation, and which were of great use to me. When this cargo arrived, I thought my fortune made, for I was surprised with joy of it. 

 The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE

11

2

The Shipwreck

H

aving now lived almost four years in the Brasils, and beginning to thrive and prosper very well upon my plantation, I had not only learnt the language, but had contracted acquaintance and friendship among my fellowplanters, as well as among the merchants at St. Salvadore, which was our port. Some merchants got interested and desired to make but one voyage, to bring the Negroes on shore privately, and divide them among their own plantations; and they offered me that I should have my equal share of the Negroes, without providing any part of the stock. This seemed to me a fair proposal. But for me, to think of such a voyage, was the most preposterous thing that ever man in such circumstances could be guilty of. I could not resist the offer. Accordingly the ship being fitted out, and the cargo furnished, 12

The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE 

and all things done as by agreement, by my partners in the voyage, I went on board in an evil hour, the 1st of September, 1650, being the same day eight years ago that I went away from my father and mother at Hull, in order to act the rebel to their authority. The same day I went on board we set sail, with design to stretch over for the African coast. We were overtaken by a terrible storm. Then a second storm came upon us, which carried us away with the same impetuosity westward, and drove us so out of the very way of all human commerce, as even the ship struck upon a sand, and in a moment, her motion stopped. In this distress, the mate of our vessel lay hold of the boat, and with the help of the rest of the men they got her slung over the ship’s side, and getting all into her, let go, and committed ourselves, being eleven in number, to God’s mercy and the wild sea. After a great struggle in water, I was the only one who had landed safe on shore. I began to look round me, to see what kind of place I was in, and what was next to be done. I had nothing about me but a knife, a tobacco pipe, and a little tobacco in a box.  The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE

13

They got her slung over the ship’s side, and getting all into her.

I spied a small piece of a rope, and by the help of that rope got up into the forecastle of the ship. I went to the bread-room and filled my pockets with biscuit, and ate it as I went about other things. I also found some rum in the great cabin, of which I took a large drain. Now I wanted nothing but a boat to furnish myself with many things which I foresaw would be very necessary to me. 14

The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE 

I prepared a raft and made such arrangement that it was strong enough to bear any reasonable weight; my next care was what to load it with, and how to preserve what I laid upon it from the surf of the sea; I first laid all the planks or boards upon it that I could get, I first got three of the seamen’s chests. The first of these I filled with provisions, viz. bread, rice, three Dutch cheeses, five pieces of dried goat’s flesh, and a little remainder of European corn. As for liquors, I found several cases of bottles belonging to our skipper. My next care was for some ammunition and arms. There were two very good fowling-pieces in the great cabin, and two pistols: these I secured first, with some powder horns, and a small bag of shot, and two old rusty swords. Also there were three barrels of powder in the ship. As I imagined, so it was: there appeared before me a little opening of the land, and I found a strong current of the tide set into it, so I guided my raft as well as I could to keep in the middle of the stream.. My next work was to view the country, and seek a proper place for my habitation, and where to store my goods, to secure them from  The Adventures of ROBINSON CRUSOE

15

The series of “Everlasting Illustrated Classics” is a fabulous collection of the classics retold for modern readers with catchy & lively illustrations. The Adventures of

Robinson crusoe Daniel Defoe Crusoe sets sail from the Queen’s Dockin Hull on a sea voyage in August 1651. After a tumultuous journey where his ship is wrecked in a storm, his lust for the sea remains so strong that he sets out to sea again. This journey, too, ends in disaster as the ship is taken over by pirates and Crusoe is enslaved by a Moor. Two years later, he escapes in a boat with a boy. A captain of a Portuguese ship of the west coast of Africa rescues him. The ship is en route to Brazil. With the captain’s help, Crusoe procures a plantation. Years later, Crusoe joins an expedition to bring slaves from Africa but he is shipwrecked in a storm about forty miles out to sea on an island. As for his arrival there, only he and three animals, the captain’s dog and two cats, survive the shipwreck. Overcoming his despair, he fetches arms, tools, and other supplies from the ship before it breaks apart and sinks.....

CLASSICS

ISBN 978-93-86063-34-2

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Book Code : S-424