Chapter 2 Chapter two

Not long after I arrived in Brazil, the captain introduced me to a planter who was as upright and unselfish as the captain.He owned a sugar cane plantation and a sugar factory.I lived in his house for a while and learned some ways of growing sugar cane and making sugar.I saw that these plantation owners in Brazil lived well, and they all became rich in a short period of time.So I thought, if I can get a residence permit in Brazil, I'll be a plantation owner too.Meanwhile, I decided to try to get the money I had deposited in London to be wired to Brazil.I bought some uncultivated land out of my pocket, in order to obtain a certificate of occupancy, and drew up a plan for the management of the plantation and settlement, with the capital I was to receive from London.

I have a neighbor who is Portuguese, born in Lisbon, but his parents are British.His name is Wells.He was in a similar situation to me at the time.I call him a neighbor because our two plantations are so close together and we travel a lot.Both of us had very little capital.For the first two years, we only grew some food for a living.But before long, we began to develop, and the plantation we operated began to get on track.So, in the third year, we planted some tobacco; and at the same time, we each purchased a large piece of land to plant sugar-cane next year.However, we all feel the lack of workforce.At this time, I thought that I really shouldn't have given up Zuo Li to others, so now I regret it.

But, God, I'm a man who always makes things bad and never does a good thing; and that kind of behavior doesn't come as a surprise to me.Now I have no choice but to make ends meet.The present livelihood is completely out of proportion to my nature and talents, and is also very different from the life I aspire to.For the life I longed for, I disobeyed my father's order and left my hometown.I'm now running a plantation and I'm close to the middle-class life my father always told me to live.But if I really want to live a middle-class life, I can stay at home completely, so why go out in the world and toil myself?If I want to live a middle-class life, I can stay in England and live among my relatives and friends. Why do I have to travel thousands of miles to this deserted and remote place where no one knows anyone, and I am in the company of savages?Here, I am far away from the world, and no one knows my news.

Whenever I think about my current situation, I always regret it.There was hardly anyone else to talk to except occasionally with that neighbor of mine.I had no work to do but toil with my hands.I always tell myself that I'm like being abandoned on a deserted island, alone and alone.However, when people compare their present situation with others who are worse off, nature often makes them change the place, so that they can experience the happiness of the past life from their own personal experience.God is very fair in doing so. In this regard, each of us has to reflect on it.I compare my present life to that of loneliness on a desert island, and it turns out that I am really destined to lead it, precisely because I should not be dissatisfied with my present situation.God treats me like this, it's really just and righteous.If I really went on with the life I was living, maybe I could become a millionaire!

When my plan to manage the plantation was beginning to take shape, my friend, the captain who rescued me at sea, returned again.This time his ship stopped here to load the cargo, and then set sail after the cargo was loaded. The voyage will last about three months.I told him that I still had a small fortune in London; and he made me a friendly and cordial suggestion. "Mr. England," he said, as he always called me, "write me a letter and give me a formal power of attorney asking the man who holds your deposit in London to wire the money to Lisbon and deliver it to me. The person appointed, and use that money to buy some useful goods here. When I come back, if God is willing, I can ship it for you. Take half your capital, which is a hundred pounds, and take a risk. If all goes well, you can draw the other half in the same way. Then, if you miss, you can still use the remaining half to support yourself." The Captain's Advice It is indeed a perfect policy, and it is based on sincere friendship.I am convinced that this is simply a foolproof solution.So, as the captain requested, I wrote a letter to the wife who kept my savings, and wrote a power of attorney, and handed it to the Portuguese captain.

In my letters to the widow of the English captain, I gave a detailed account of my adventures.How I became a slave, how I ran away, how I met this Portuguese captain at sea, how generous he was to me, and my present situation.In addition, I have made a detailed list of the goods I need.The honest Portuguese captain, on his arrival in Lisbon, managed to convey my letter, with details of my adventures, to a merchant in London, through an English merchant in Lisbon; He told the widow in detail.When the lady received the letter and learned of what had happened to me, she not only handed over the money in full, but also paid the Portuguese captain out of her private savings for his kindness to me.

With this sum—one hundred pounds—the merchant in London purchased the entire cargo listed by the Portuguese captain, and sent it directly to the captain in Lisbon. The captain transported all the cargo to Brazil safely.Among these goods he brought me all kinds of tools, iron, and utensils; which were very useful in running a plantation.The captain was very considerate of me, for I hadn't thought of taking these things with me.At the time, I was new to running a plantation! When the shipment arrived in Brazil, I thought I had made a fortune and was overjoyed.Meanwhile my able steward, who was the captain, bought me a servant for six years, with a gift of five pounds given to him by the widow; , just give him some of our own tobacco.This bit of tobacco is also what I have to give him before he accepts it.

Nay, my goods, cloths, velvets, tweeds, etc., are all genuinely English; other things are things which are especially valuable and necessary here.I managed to sell it at a high price and ended up making four times the profit.My plantation now far exceeds that of my poor neighbour's in terms of development.Because, the first thing I did was to buy a black slave and a European servant.Also, as mentioned, the Portuguese captain brought me a servant from Lisbon. As the saying goes, rich come quickly, trouble comes.This is exactly the case with me.The following year my plantation was a huge success.I collected fifty bales of tobacco from my own field, and had plenty left over, besides supplying the needs of the country.These fifty bundles weighed more than a hundred pounds each; I dried them and put them away until the merchant ships returned from Lisbon.At this time, the business developed and the money was rich, and my mind began to be filled with all kinds of unrealistic plans and dreams.Such vain notions tend to destroy the most thoughtful businessmen.

If I can live and work in peace and contentment for a long time, my life will be extremely happy.It was in order to obtain these happinesses that my father tried to persuade me to live a peaceful life of self-discipline; moreover, he told me that only in the middle life can I enjoy various happiness.His views are indeed reasonable and practical.However, somewhere else, another fate awaits me.I myself had caused my own unhappiness, and added to my own faults, which in retrospect I doubly regret.All the misfortunes that followed me were due to my obsession with clinging to my foolish desire to travel the world, and deliberately trying to realize it.As a result, I have done infinite harm to myself by renouncing the usual just means of pursuing a happy life, contrary to the will of nature and the Creator, and my vocation.

Just like the last time I ran away from my parents, at this time I began to be dissatisfied with the status quo again.I could have made my fortune by running a plantation, but I have put this prospect of happiness behind me in pursuit of an unrealistic delusion; Accumulate and get rich.In this way, I threw myself into the most unfortunate abyss in the world.If I didn't have all kinds of illusory delusions, my life would be happy and comfortable. Now, let me tell the reader slowly what happened afterwards.As you can imagine, I had been in Brazil for four years at that time, and the plantation I ran was gradually flourishing.Not only did I learn the native language, but I made many acquaintances and friends among planters and town merchants.The city I am talking about is San Salvador, the port city where I landed in Brazil.When I talked to them, I often talked about my two voyages to the coast of Guinea, and told them about doing business with Negroes.I told them that it is so easy to do business with black people, as long as you use some miscellaneous goods, such as fake beads, toys, knives, scissors, axes, and glass products, you can exchange them for gold dust, Valuable items such as Guinea spices and ivory can also be exchanged for black slaves.In Brazil, a large number of black slave labor was needed at that time.

Whenever I talked about these subjects, everyone listened carefully; especially the matter of the slave trade attracted their interest.At that time, the slave trade was just beginning.Merchants engaged in slave trading must sign a contract to guarantee the supply of black slaves to the Spanish colonies and Portuguese colonies, and must obtain the approval of the King of Spain or the King of Portugal.Black slave trafficking is a monopolized trade, so the number of imported black slaves in Brazil is not large, and the price is very expensive. Once again I had a lively discussion of these matters with some planters and merchants I knew well.The next morning, three people came to see me.They told me that they had thought over my conversation last night and had come to me with a proposal.But they said the proposal must be kept secret.So they asked me to keep it a secret.Then they told me they wanted to equip a ship for Guinea.They said they all had plantations like me, but what they lacked the most was labor.It is impossible for them to specialize in black slave trafficking, because they cannot openly sell black slaves after returning to Brazil. Therefore, they plan to go to Guinea only once, and secretly send black slaves ashore after returning to Brazil. to the garden.In short, the question now is whether I would like to manage the cargo on their ships and deal with transactions off the coast of Guinea.They proposed that I should not have to contribute any capital, but that the niggers I brought back would share with me equally. It must be admitted that the proposal would be very tempting if it were made to a man who had not settled here and had no plantation of his own.Because it's very promising to make a lot of money, and besides, they're putting down a lot of money, and I don't have to spend a dime.But my situation is completely different.I have established myself in Brazil, and I only need to manage my plantation for another two or three years and remit the hundred pounds deposited in England. Three or four thousand pounds, and more and more.It would be absurd for a man in my position to attempt this voyage. But I am a man so doomed to doom myself that I cannot resist the temptation of such an offer, any more than I would have wished to travel the world without heeding my father's advice.In a word, I told them that if they promised to take care of my plantation in my absence, and if I were killed in an accident, they would dispose of the plantation according to my instructions, then I would very much like to go to Guinea with them.They all agreed to this one by one, and made a written statement.I made another formal will arranging my plantation and property.I made my saviour, the captain, heir in full power of my plantation and property, but he was to dispose of my property as I directed in my will: half to himself, and half to England. In short, I took every possible step to protect my property and keep the plantation in business.But if I could devote half my mind to my own interests, to judge what should and should not be done, I would never give up my growing business, forget the prospect of getting rich and step on the road. on this voyage.You know, sea voyages are always dangerous and unpredictable, and I know myself that I am always subject to various misfortunes. However, I was driven by fate to blindly follow my own delusions and leave my reason behind.So I fitted out the ship and loaded the cargo; and my companions arranged the things I entrusted to them according to the contract.I embarked on the first day of September, 1659.This is an unlucky day.It was the 1st of September, eight years ago, when I disobeyed the strict orders of my parents, and disregarded my own interests, to leave home on a ship from Hull. Our ship weighed one hundred and twenty tons, was armed with six guns, and had fourteen other persons besides the captain, his servant, and myself.There is no big cargo on board, just some small things suitable for trading with black people, like fake beads, glassware, shells, and other strange odds and ends, like telescopes, knives, scissors, axes Lah wait. The day I got on the boat, the boat sailed.We sailed north along the coast, and planned to sail across the ocean after we reached between ten and twelve degrees north latitude, and went straight to Africa.It was a route that usually traveled from South America to Africa at the time.We head north along the coast of Brazil.The weather was fine along the way, but it was too hot.At last we reached Cape San Agustin, a plateau jutting into the sea in eastern Brazil.After Cape San Agustin, we left the coast and headed out to sea, heading north-northeast, as if we were going to Fernando de Noronha, and beyond those islands to the west. We sailed along this course, and crossed the equator after about twelve days.According to our last observation, we have reached latitude 7° 22' north. Unexpectedly, at this time we were suddenly hit by a strong hurricane.The hurricane began blowing from the southeast, then turned to the northwest, and finally blowing strong northeast winds.For twelve days the gale blew so violently that we could not do anything, but let the ship drift on the wind and the waves, at the mercy of fate and the wind.Needless to say, every day during these twelve days I feared being engulfed by the waves, and none of the others on board could hope to survive. In this critical situation, the storm has terrified us, and at this time a man on board died of a tropical disease, and another man and the little servant were swept overboard by the waves.On the twenty-second day the wind died down; and the captain, making as much observation as he could, found our ship to be about eleven degrees north latitude, but twenty-two degrees west of Cape St. Augustine.The captain found that our ship was now on the coast of northern Brazil or Guyana; we had passed the mouth of the Amazon River, and approached the Orinoco River, which is called "the Great River." So, the captain discussed the sailing route with me.He advocated returning the ship to the coast of Brazil, as it was very leaking and badly damaged. I vehemently opposed driving back to Brazil.I went over the charts of the American coast with him, and came to the conclusion that, unless we sailed to the Caribbean islands, there was no inhabited place to call for help.We therefore decided to sail to the Barbados Islands.According to our estimates, as long as we can avoid the countercurrent of the Gulf of Mexico and sail in the sea, we can reach it within half a month.There it is impossible to reach the shores of Africa if we do not repair the ship and replenish food and men. With the plan in place, we changed course and headed west-northwest in the hope of reaching a British island; there I hoped to be rescued.But the direction of navigation is not up to us to decide.At latitude 12°18' we had a second gale, no less violent than the first, which drove our ship westward, and at last drove us out of the normal trade lanes then, and far from the regions of civilization. .Under such circumstances, even if we are lucky enough not to be buried in the belly of the fish, we will be eaten by savages; as for returning to the country, there is no need to talk about it. The wind kept blowing, and the situation was extremely critical.One morning, someone on the boat suddenly shouted: "Land!" We just wanted to run out of the cabin to see where we were, but the boat suddenly ran aground on a sandy beach and couldn't move. We all felt that death was imminent as the waves kept crashing into the boat.We all hid in the cabin to escape the impact of the waves. Without being there, it is impossible to describe or comprehend the horror and horror we experienced.We did not know where we were, or where the storm had blown: whether it was an island or a continent, whether it was a populated place or a deserted country.At this time, although the wind was slightly weaker than before, it was still fierce and abnormal.We knew that our ship would not last for more than a few minutes, and could be smashed to pieces at any moment, unless by some miracle the wind suddenly died down.In short, we all sit together, looking at each other, waiting for death, ready to go to another world, because in this world, we can do nothing.At this time, the ship was not smashed to pieces as we had feared, and the wind gradually died down, which gave us some comfort. Although the wind eased slightly, the boat was stranded in the sand and could not move, so the situation was still very critical.We can only do our best to save ourselves.Before the storm came, a small boat was towed by the stern.But the strong wind blew the boat against the rudder of the big ship and broke it. Later, it was swept into the sea again, and it was unknown whether it sank or floated away.So we had to give up on that.There was also a dinghy on board, but I didn't know how to get it into the sea.But now we have no time to discuss this issue, because we feel that the big ship will be smashed to pieces at any time.Some even went so far as to say that the ship was actually broken. At this critical moment, the chief mate grabbed the small boat, and everyone worked together to put the small boat beside the big ship.Then eleven of us got into the boat, untied the boat, and left God and wind and waves to control our fate.Although the wind has weakened a lot at this time, the sea is still rough, and mountains and seas rush to the shore.No wonder the Dutch call the sea in the storm the "crazy sea", which is really vivid. Our situation was very dire.We knew that it was impossible for our boat to survive in such a storm, and that we were all drowned.We have no sails, and even if we had, we would not be able to use them.We could only paddle towards the shore, like prisoners going to the execution ground, with a very heavy heart.For we know that as soon as the boat approaches the shore, it will be smashed to pieces by the waves.However, we had no choice but to resign ourselves to the wind and rowed desperately to the shore.In doing so, we are undoubtedly hastening our own demise. Whether the shore that awaits us is rocky or sandy, steep or shallow, we know nothing.Our only remaining hope was to get into a bay or mouth, and get the skiff into it by luck;But we could see neither bays or estuaries, nor steep banks; and, the nearer we came to the shore, the more terrible was the land than the sea. Half paddling, and half driven by the wind, we covered about four nautical miles.Suddenly a huge wave rolled in from behind us, which would undoubtedly deal a fatal blow to our boat.It was too late, but it was so fast, the huge waves immediately knocked our boat upside down; we all fell into the sea, one in the east and one in the west.Before everyone could shout "Oh, God!", they were all swallowed up by the waves. When I sank into the water, I was so upset that I can't express it.Although I am usually good at swimming, it is very difficult for me to even float up to breathe in this kind of stormy sea. At last the waves washed me ashore, and left me on the half-dry shore as the waves gave way.Although the sea water had drowned me half to death, I was still clear-headed. When I saw that I was approaching the land, I immediately got up and ran towards the land with all my might, so as not to drag me into the sea again when the second wave came.However, I immediately found that there was no escape from this situation. I could not resist, and was powerless to resist, seeing the mountain-like waves coming behind me.At this time, I can only try my best to get out of the water, and try my best to swim to the shore.My only hope is that after the waves wash me close to the shore, they don't roll me back out to sea. A huge wave came and buried me twenty or thirty feet deep in the water.I felt the waves push me quickly and hard towards the shore.At the same time, holding my breath, I also swam desperately to the shore.I was holding my breath until my lungs were about to explode.Just then, I felt my head and hands come out of the water. Although only for two seconds, it allowed me to breathe again, greatly increased my courage, and greatly reduced my pain.Immediately afterwards I was buried in the waves again, but this time was not as long as the last time, and I finally survived.When I felt the waves receding, I struggled desperately to move forward in the receding waves.My feet touched the beach again.I stood for a while, took a breath, and as soon as the sea water receded, I immediately ran to the shore desperately.But I still couldn't escape the attack of the huge waves.The big waves came rushing in from behind me again, and twice they rolled me up as before and pushed me to the flat shore. Of these two impacts, the latter almost killed me, for, as the wave pushed me forward, it dashed me against a rock, and rendered me instantly insensible and immobilized.It turned out that the impact hit me right on the chest, making it almost impossible for me to breathe.If there is another wave at this time, I will definitely suffocate in the water. Fortunately, I woke up before the second wave hit. Seeing that the situation was critical and I would be swallowed by the sea, I decided to hold on to the rocks, and when the sea receded, I ran forward for a while, and ran close to the coast.When the last wave came, it just covered my head, unable to engulf me or carry me away.I continued to run, and finally ran to the bank, climbed up the rocks on the bank, and sat down on the grass.At this time, I was finally out of danger, and the waves could no longer attack me, and I felt infinite relief in my heart. Now that I was on land, and safely ashore, I turned my face to heaven, and thanked God that I had been rescued from such an extremity, since a few minutes before I had so little hope of surviving.Now I believe that when a person like me can escape from death, his heart-shattering and overjoyed mood is really indescribable.I also quite understand our English custom, that pardons come when the wicked are put in a noose, and the knots are tightened, and are about to be hung up.In such cases, the surgeon often arrives at the same time as the pardon, in order to bleed the prisoner, lest he be overwhelmed with ecstasy and faint: ecstasy and grief both make the soul go out of his body. I ran frantically up and down the bank, raising my hands in a thousand strange poses.At this time, my whole body and mind were recalling the experience of my escape from death, and I thought that all my companions were buried in the sea, and I was the only one. It was incredible. For afterwards I saw nothing but hats and a cap, and two mismatched shoes, drifting with the stream. I looked at the big ship that had run aground. At this time, the sea was misty and misty, and the ship was far away from the shore, so I could only see it vaguely.I couldn't help sighing: "God, how could I go ashore!" I comforted myself, and I was glad that I came back from the dead.Then, I started looking around to see where the hell I was and figure out what to do next. But if you don't look at it, it's all right. This look made my mood immediately depressed.Although I was rescued, I fell into another desperate situation.I was soaked, but I had no clothes to change; I was hungry and thirsty, but I had nothing to quench my hunger and thirst.I can't see any way out but to die of starvation, which is to be eaten by wild beasts.I had nothing with me but a knife, a pipe, and a small box of tobacco leaves.This worried me so much that for a while I ran wildly up and down the bank like a madman.As night fell, I thought that most of the wild animals came out to look for food at night, and I was even more sad.I thought, if there are really beasts here, what will be my fate? Near me there is a large tree with dense branches, which looks a bit like a vertical tree, but with thorns.The only way I could come up with was to climb up and sit all night and then think about dying the next day, because I couldn't see any way out.I walked tens of meters from the coast, looking for some fresh water to drink, but I found it, which made me overjoyed.After drinking the water, he took some tobacco leaves and put them in his mouth to satisfy his hunger. Then he climbed up the tree and lay down as firmly as possible so as not to fall from the tree after falling asleep.I also cut a branch from the tree beforehand and made a short stick for self-defense.Being so exhausted, I fell asleep at once, and slept soundly and soundly.I don't think anyone, in my current environment, would ever sleep as soundly as I do. When I woke up, it was daylight.At this time, the storm was over, the weather was clear, and the sea was not as rough as before.What surprised me most, however, was that the ship, which had been raised from the sand by the tide during the night, was brought up near the rock on which I had been bruised.Now the boat is only a nautical mile or so from shore and is still well anchored there.I think if I can get on a big boat, I can take out some necessities of daily life. I got down from my sleeping place in the tree, and looking about me, saw the escape boat, which had been washed up on land and lay there about two miles to my right.I approached the boat along the shore, but found that the boat was separated from me by a small inlet, about half a mile wide.So I turned back.Because, the most important thing at present is that I have to try to get on the big ship, and hope to find something for daily use on it. Shortly after noon, the sea was calm and the tide had receded far.I just need to walk down the coast and swim up tens of meters to reach the big ship.At this time, I couldn't help feeling sad again.Because I thought that if all of us in the boat had not disembarked from the boat yesterday, but had stayed in the big boat, everyone would have been safe.Then I'll be safe on land; and I won't be so lonely and lonely as I am now.And now, I have no fun and no partner.Thinking of this, I couldn't help but shed tears.Now, however, grief was of no avail, and I resolved to go on board, if possible.At that time, the weather was hot, so I took off my clothes and jumped into the water.But when I swam to the side of the boat, I could not get up, for the boat was aground, and so high above the water; and there was nothing within my arms to grab hold of.I swam around the boat twice, and suddenly found a very short rope.I was amazed that I hadn't seen the rope before.The rope hung from the bow, and the end of the rope was close to the water; I took hold of the rope without difficulty and climbed up into the forward cabin of the boat.After going up, it was found that the boat was leaking and the bilge was full of water.Because the boat was stranded on a hard sand, the stern was upturned, and the bow was almost submerged in the water, so the rear half of the boat did not enter the water.As you can imagine, I was anxious to see what was broken and what was still intact.First, I found that the provisions of the ship were still dry and unharmed.Then, of course, I wanted something to eat first, so I went to the bakery and filled my pockets with biscuits, while I ate and did other things, because I had to hurry up.I found some more rum in the cabin, and drank a large glass.At this moment, I desperately need a drink to refresh myself.All I wanted at this time was to have a small boat, to carry to shore all the things I thought I would need in the future. It's no use sitting around and trying to get something that doesn't exist.Thinking about it this way gave me the idea to do it myself.There were some spare booms in the ship, and two or three planks, and a spare second-mast or two.I decided to proceed with that, and throw everything I could move overboard.Before throwing these logs into the water, they are all tied with ropes so that they will not be washed away by the sea.Then I drew them one by one nearer to the side of the boat, and tied four logs together, as tight as possible at both ends, into a raft, and laid two or three short planks across it, and I I went up and walked around, but it was still stable, but the wood was too light to bear much weight.So I set to work again with a carpenter's saw, sawing a second spar in three pieces and adding it to the raft. The work was exceedingly demanding, but I was so anxious to get the necessary things ashore that I did it.In normal times, it is impossible for me to complete such a difficult project anyway. The raft was made quite strong, and could bear a considerable weight.Then I thought about what to put on it and keep it from getting wet from the waves.It wasn't long before I figured out a way.I first spread out on the raft all the boards I could find in the boat, and then considered what was needed.I opened and emptied the three crew-boxes, and hoisted them one by one onto the raft.In the first box I mainly packed groceries: grain, bread, rice, three pieces of Dutch cheese, five pieces of mutton jerky, and some leftover wheat from Europe, which was originally used to feed the poultry on board.The poultry are now dead.There was still a little barley and wheat on board, but I was much disappointed to find that all had been eaten or soiled by mice.As for liquor, I also found several cases, which belonged to the captain.There were bottles of rum in it, and five or six gallons of coconut wine.I put the wine aside because there was no need to put it in the case, and the case was full.While I was so busy, I saw the tide start to rise, and although the sea was calm, it still washed away all the jackets, shirts and vests I left on the shore.This much to my dismay, for I swam aboard in only a pair of knee-length linen shorts and a pair of socks.This made me have to find some clothes to wear.There are a lot of clothes in the boat, but I just picked out a few that I will be wearing at the moment, because I think some things are more important, especially woodworking tools.After searching for a long time, I finally found the carpenter's box.Tools are the most important thing to me at this time, even the whole ship of gold is not worth as much as this box of carpenter's tools.I put the box on the raft, not wanting to take the time to open it, for I had an idea of ​​what tools were in it. Next, I must get guns and ammunition.I took two good fowling-guns and two pistols which had been kept in the cabin, and some powder-horns, a small bag of cartridges, and two old rusty knives.I know there are three barrels of powder on board, but where the gunners have put them.I searched for a long time and finally found it.Two barrels are still usable dry, the other has been flooded.I put the two barrels of dry powder on the raft together with the gun.At this time, I found that there were a lot of things on the raft, so I began to think about how to transport it ashore, because without a sail, oars, and rudder, as long as there is a little wind, the raft will be overturned in the sea. At that time, there were three encouraging things: first, the sea was as calm as a mirror; second, it was high tide and the sea was rushing ashore; third, although there was a slight breeze, it was blowing ashore.I found three broken oars from the original boat; and, besides those which were in the tool-box, two saws, an axe, and a head.After the cargo was loaded, I drove the raft to the shore.For the first mile the raft moved fairly steadily, but was a little off where I landed yesterday.So far, I found that the current in this area flows straight to the shore in one direction.I thought, therefore, that there might be a creek or river near by, and if so, I would be able to take the raft into port to unload. As expected, I soon saw a small bay into which the tide was rushing.So I drove the raft as far as possible to the center of the rapids.Here I almost suffered the scourge of a shipwreck again.If that's the case, I'm going to be heartbroken.Because I was not yet familiar with the terrain, one end of the raft suddenly ran aground on the beach, while the other end was still floating in the water.Just a little bit, and the raft's cargo would slide toward the floating end and end up in the water.In this case, I can only do my best to support the boxes with my back and prevent them from sliding down.But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't open the raft, and I could only hold it against it, and couldn't get away to do other things.In this way, I lasted for half an hour.It was not until later that the tide continued to rise that the raft was slightly balanced.After a while, the tide rose higher and higher, and the raft floated up again.我用桨把木排向小河的入海口撑去，终于进入河口。这儿两边是岸，潮水直往里涌。我观察了一下小河两岸的地势，准备找个合适的地方停靠。我不想驶入小河太远的地方，而是想尽量靠近海边的地方上岸，因为我希望能看到海上过往的船只。 最后，我终于在小河的右岸发现一个小湾。我费尽艰辛，好不容易把木排驶到最浅的地方。我用桨抵住河底，尽力把木排撑进去。可是，在这里，我几乎又一次险些把货物全都倒翻在水里。这一带河岸又陡又直，找不到可以登岸的地方。 如果木排一头搁浅在岸上，另一头必定会像前次那样向下倾斜，结果货物又有滑向水里的危险。这时，我只好用桨作锚，把木排一边固定在一片靠近河岸的平坦的沙滩上，以等待潮水涨高，漫过沙滩再说。后来，潮水果然继续上涨，漫上沙滩，等水涨得够高了，我就把木排撑过去，因为木排吃水有一尺多深。到了那儿，我用两支断桨插入沙滩里，前后各一支，把木排停泊好，单等潮水退去，就可把木排和货物品平安安地留在岸上了。 接下来我得观察一下周围的地形，找个合适的地方安置我的住所和贮藏东西，以防发生意外。至今我还不知自己身处何地，在大陆上呢，还是在小岛上，有人烟的地方呢，还是没有人烟的地方，有野兽呢，还是没有野兽。离我不到一英里的地方，有一座小山，高高耸立于北面的山丘之上，看来那是一道山脉。我拿了一支鸟枪、一支手枪和一角筒火药，向那座山的山顶走去。历尽艰辛，总算爬上了山顶；环顾四周，不禁令我悲伤万分。原来我上了一个海岛，四面环海，极目所至，看不见一片陆地，只见远方几块孤岩礁石；再就是西边有两个比本岛还小的岛屿，约在十五海里开外。 我还发现，这个海岛非常荒凉，看来荒无人烟，只有野兽出没其间，但至今我尚未遇见过任何野兽，却看到无数飞禽，可都叫不出是什么飞禽，也不知道打死之后肉好不好吃。 回来路上，见一只大鸟停在大树林旁的一棵树上，就向它开了一枪。我相信，自上帝创造这世界以来，第一次有人在这个岛上开枪。枪声一响，整个森林里飞出无数的飞鸟，各种鸟鸣聒噪而起，呼号交作，乱成一片，但我却叫不出一个来。 我打死的那只鸟，从毛色和嘴看，像是一种老鹰，但没有钩爪，其肉酸腐难吃，毫无用处。 到此时我感到对岛上的环境已了解得差不多了，就回到木排旁，动手把货物搬上岸来。那天剩下的时间全都用在搬物品上了。至于夜间怎么办，在什么地方安息，则还心中无数。我当然不敢睡在地上，怕野兽来把我吃掉。后来才发现，这种担心是多余的。 但我还是尽我所能，把运到岸上的那些箱子和木板，搭成一个像木头房子似的住所，把自己围起来保护自己，以便晚上可睡在里面。至于吃的，我至今还未想出办法如何为自己提供食物。在我打鸟的地方，曾见过两三只野兔似的动物从树林里跑出来。 这时我想到，船上还有许多有用的东西，尤其是那些绳索，帆布以及许多其他东西都可以搬上岸来。我决定只要可能，就再上船去一次。我知道，要是再刮大风暴，船就会彻底毁了。因此，我决定别的事以后再说，先把船上能搬下来的东西通通搬下来。这么一想，我就琢磨再次上船的办法。看来，再把大木排撑回去是不可能了。所以，我只好等潮水退后，像上次那样泅水过去。决心一下，我就立即付诸实施。不过，在我走出木屋之前，先脱掉衣服，只穿一件衬衫、一条短裤和一双薄底鞋。 我像前次那样上了船，并又做了一个木排。有了上次的经验，我不再把木排做得像第一个那么笨重了，也不再装那么多货物了，但还是运回了许多有用的东西。首先，我在木匠舱房里找到了三袋钉子和螺丝钉，一把大钳子，二十来把小斧，尤其有用的是一个磨刀砂轮。我把这些东西都安放在一起，再拿了一些炮手用的物品，特别是两三只起货用的铁钩，两桶枪弹，七支短枪、一支鸟枪，还有一小堆火药，一大袋小子弹，还有一大卷铅皮。可铅皮太重，我无法把它从船上吊到木排上。 此外，我搜集了能找到的所有男人穿的衣服和一个备用樯帆——那是一个前桅中帆，一个吊床和一些被褥。我把这些东西装上我的第二只木排，并平安地运到岸上。这使我深感宽慰。 在我离岸期间，我曾担心岸上的粮食会给什么动物吃掉。 可是回来一看，却不见有任何不速之客来访的迹象，但见一只野猫似的动物站在一只箱子上。我走近它时，它就跑开几步，然后又站在那里一动也不动。这小家伙神态泰然自若，直直地瞅着我的脸，毫无惧色，还好像要与我交个朋友似的。我用枪把它拨了一下，可这小家伙一点都不在乎，根本就没有想跑开的意思，因为它不懂那枪是什么东西。于是，我丢给它一小块饼干。说实在的，我手头并不宽裕，存粮不多，但还是分给它一小块。那家伙走过去闻了闻，就吃下去了，好像吃得很有味，还想向我要。可是，对不起了，我自己实在没有多少了，只能谢绝它的要求。于是，那小家伙就走开了。 第二批货上岸后，我很想把两桶火药打开，分成小包藏起来，因为两大桶的火药份量太重，但我得先用船上的帆布和砍好的支柱做一顶帐篷，把凡是经不起雨打日晒的东西通通搬进去；又把那些空箱子和空桶放在帐篷周围，以防人或野兽的突然袭击。 帐篷搭好，防卫筑好，我又用几块木板把帐篷门从里面堵住，门外再竖上一只空箱子。然后，我在地上搭起一张床，头边放两支手枪，床边再放上一支长枪，总算第一次能上床睡觉了。我整夜睡得很安稳，因为昨天晚上睡得很少，白天又从船上取东西、运东西，辛苦了一整天，实在疲倦极了。 我相信，我现在所拥有的各种武器弹药，其数量对单独一个人来说是空前的。但我并不以此为满足，我想趁那只船还搁浅在那儿时，尽可能把可以搬动的东西弄下来。因此，我每天趁退潮时上船，每次都运回些东西。特别是第三次，我把船上所有的粗细绳子通通取了来，同时又拿了一块备用帆布，那是备着补帆用的；我甚至把那桶受了潮的火药也运了回来，一句话，我把船上的帆都拿了下来，不过我都把它们裁成一块块的，每次能拿多少就拿多少，因为现在，我需要的不是帆，而是帆布。 但最令我快慰的是，在我这样跑了五、六趟之后，满以为船上已没什么东西值得我搜寻了，不料又找到了一大桶面包，三桶甘蔗酒，一箱砂糖和一桶上等面粉。这真是意外的收获，因为我以为除那些已浸水的粮食外，已不会再有什么食品了。我立刻将一大桶面包倒出来，把它们用裁好的一块块帆布包起来，平安地运到岸上。 第二天，我又到船上去了一趟。这时，我看到船上凡是我拿得动而又易于搬运的东西，已被我掠取一空。于是我就动手搬取船上的锚索。我把锚索截成许多小段，以便于搬运。 我把船上两根锚索和一根铁缆以及其他能搬动的铁器都取下来，又把船上的前帆杠和后帆杠，以及所有能找到的其他木料也都砍下来，扎成一个大木排，再把那些东西装上去运回岸。但这次运气不佳。因为木排做得太笨重，载货又多，当木排驶进卸货的小湾后，失去控制。结果木排一翻，连货带人，通通掉进水里去了。人倒没有受伤，因木排离岸已近；可是，我的货物却大部分都损失了。尤其是那些铁器，我本来指望将来会有用处的。不过，退潮后，我还是把大部分锚索和铁器从水里弄了上来；这工作当然十分吃力，我不得不潜入水里把它们一一打捞上来。后来，我照样每天到船上去一次，把能够搬下来的东西都搬下来。 我现在已上岸十三天了，到船上却去了十一次。在这十多天里，我已把我双手拿得动的东西，通通搬了下来。可是，我相信，假如天气好下去，我一定可以把全船拆成一块块的木板搬到岸上。当我正准备第十二次上船时，开始刮起了大风，但我还是在退潮时上了船，尽管我以为我已搜遍了全船，不可能再找到什么有用的东西了，结果还是有新发现。我找到了一个有抽屉的柜子，在一个抽屉里，我找出了两三把剃刀，一把大剪刀，十几副刀叉；在另一个抽屉里，还发现了许多钱币，有欧洲的金币，有巴西的，有西班牙银币，我感到好笑。"噢，你们这些废物！"我大声说，"你们现在还有什么用处呢？对我来说，现在你们的价值还不如粪土。那些刀子，一把就值你们这一大堆，我现在用不着你们，你们就留在老地方沉到海底里去吧，根本不值得救你们的命！"可是，再一想，我还是把钱拿走了。我一边把钱用一块帆布包好，一边考虑再做一只木排，正当我在做木排时，发现天空乌云密布，风也刮得紧起来。不到一刻钟，变成一股狂风从岸上刮来。我马上意识到，风从岸上刮来，做木排就毫无用处了，还不如乘潮水还未上涨，赶快离开，要不可能根本回不到岸上去了。于是我立刻跳下水，游过船和沙滩之间那片狭长的水湾。这一次，由于带的东西太重，再加上风势越刮越强劲，我游得很吃力。当潮水上涨不久后，海面上已刮起了风暴了。 我回到了自己搭的小帐篷，这算是我的家了。我躺下来睡觉。四周是我全部的财产，心中感到安稳踏实。大风整整刮了一夜。第二天早晨，我向外一望，那只船已无影无踪！这使我感到有点意外，但回头一想，我又觉得坦然了。我没有浪费时间，也没有偷懒，把船上一切有用的东西都搬了下来，即使再多留一点时间，船上也已没有多少有用的东西好拿了。 我现在不再去想那只船了，也不去想船上的东西了，只希望船破之后，有什么东西会飘上岸来。后来，船上确实也有一些零零碎碎的东西飘过来，但这些东西对我已没多大用处了。 当时，我的思想完全集中在如何保护自己，防备野人或野兽的袭击，假如岛上有野人或野兽的话。我想了许多办法，考虑造什么样的住所：是在地上掘个洞呢，还是搭个帐篷。最后，我决定两样都要。至于建成什么样子，怎样去做，不妨在这里详细谈谈。