Chapter 6 Chapter Six

However, I ran to express the milk for two or three days without seeing anything, and I became a little more courageous.I think it's nothing but my imagination.But I still can't convince myself that it must be my own footprint, unless I go to the seaside again, see the footprint for myself, compare it with my own feet, and see if it is the same size; Unexpectedly, as soon as I got there, the first thing I discovered was that it was impossible to go ashore there when I parked the boat; The feet are much smaller.These two circumstances made me immediately cranky, and made me worried and uneasy.As a result, I was shaking with fright, as if I had malaria.I ran home immediately, convinced that at least one person or persons had made it to shore.In short, there are already people on the island, and there may be a sudden attack on me at some point, which will catch me off guard.As for what measures I should take to defend myself, I still have no clue.

well!What absurd decisions man makes when he is in fear!Whatever means of defense their reason offers them, they do not know how to use when fear gets the upper hand.My first idea was to tear down those fences, put all the sheep in the enclosure back into the woods, and let them turn into wild sheep, lest the enemy often go to the island to harass them in order to plunder more sheep after they find out; Now, I plan to simply dig up those two grain fields, lest they often come to the island to plunder after they find this kind of grain there.In the end, I even thought of destroying the cottages and the tents of the seaside dwellings, lest they should find signs of habitation, and search to find out who lived there.

These were the kinds of questions I thought about at night after returning home from the beach where I had found my footprints for the second time.At that time, I was shocked, full of doubts, and depressed, just like after I first discovered the footprints.It can be seen that the fear of danger is a thousand times more terrible than the sight of danger itself; and the burden of anxiety on people's mind is far greater than the bad things we really worry about.What was worse, was that I had always been able to take comfort in resignation; but now that disaster was upon me, I could not bring myself to be resigned, and so could not take any comfort.I feel like Saul in the Bible, not only complaining that the Philistines attacked him, but also that God forsaken him. ①Because I haven’t used proper methods to calm my mood now, I haven’t called out to God loudly in times of crisis, and I haven’t fully entrusted my safety and salvation to God and listened to God’s will as before.If I had done that, I would have at least been more optimistic about this new and unexpected event, and would have had greater determination to get through it.

I was cranky and kept up all night.In the morning, due to excessive thinking and exhaustion, I fell asleep.I slept soundly and woke up feeling more at peace than ever.I began to calmly think about the problem at hand.I had a fierce debate in my heart, and finally came to the conclusion that this small island, with its pleasant scenery, rich products, and not far from the mainland, could not be as uninhabited as I had imagined.Although there are no residents on the island, it is entirely possible for ships from the opposite mainland to come to the island to dock sometimes.Some of those who went to the island may have a certain purpose, and some may be blown by the headwind.

I have lived on this island for fifteen years, but I have never seen a soul.For, even if they were occasionally brought to the island by a head wind, they always left as soon as possible, and it seems that they still considered the isolated island an uninhabitable place so far. Now, the greatest danger to me is only the small and small inhabitants of the other mainland who occasionally land here.They were brought here by the headwind, and they went to the island out of necessity, so they didn't want to stay. They left as soon as possible after going to the island, and rarely spent the night on the island.Otherwise, once the tide recedes and it gets dark, it will be difficult for them to leave the island.So, now I just need to find a safe retreat, and hide when I see the wildlings coming ashore, and I don't have to worry about other things.

At this time, I deeply regretted that I dug the cave too large, and I also opened a door at the junction of the wall and the rock.After much deliberation, I decided to build another semicircular fortification on the outside of the wall, where I had planted the two rows of trees twelve years ago.Those trees were originally planted very densely, so now it is only necessary to drive some wooden stakes between the trunks to make the distance between the trunks very close.I soon had this wall in place. Now, I have two walls.I further strengthened the outer wall with a lot of lumber, old cables, and whatever else I could think of, and made seven small holes in the wall, just big enough to stick out my arms.Inside the wall, I moved a lot of soil from the cave and poured it on the foot of the wall with my feet.In this way, widen the wall to over ten feet wide.These seven little holes are for my short guns.I took seven short guns from the wreck.Now place these guns in seven holes, and support them on stands, like seven cannons.In this way, I can fire seven shots in a row in two minutes.It took me months of hard work to finish the wall, and until it was done I felt insecure.

After the completion of this project, I densely inserted some willow tree stumps or branches around the open space outside the wall. I inserted more than 20,000 branches, because willow trees are particularly easy to grow.Between the willow grove and the fence, I specially left a very wide open space.In this way, if there is an enemy attack, it can be found at once.Because they cannot hide themselves between the outer wall and the small trees, it is difficult to approach the outer wall. In less than two years, I had a dense jungle, and in less than five or six years, there was a forest in front of my house, so thick and thick that it was almost impassable.No one would have thought that there was anything beyond the woods, much less that people lived there.In the woods I had no trails, so my method of getting in and out was by two ladders.A ladder rested on the lower ground of the rock on the side of the wood; there was a recess in the rock for a second ladder.As long as the two ladders are taken away, whoever wants to approach the castle will have difficulty protecting himself from my counterattack; and even if he can pass through the woods, he will only be outside my outer wall and cannot enter it.

Now, I can say that I have exhausted human wisdom and tried every means to protect myself.It will be seen afterwards that I was not unreasonable in doing so, although I had not yet foreseen any danger, nor had any concrete object of fear. In doing the above work, I did not neglect other things.My flocks are still of great concern to me, and they are ready to suffice for my needs, saving me the waste of powder and bullets, and the trouble of chasing wild goats.I certainly don't want to give up the convenience that my own goats provide, lest I have to start all over again. For this reason, I have considered for a long time, and I feel that there are only two ways to save the flock.One is to find another suitable place, dig a hole in the ground, and drive the sheep in every night; another way is to enclose two or three small places, far apart from each other, the more secluded the better, and each place has six or seven sheep. .In case something happens to the big flock, I can spend some time and energy to recover.Although this method will take a lot of time and labor, I think it is the most reasonable plan.

So I spent some time looking for the deepest part of the island.I chose a very secluded place, which was exactly what I wanted.It was a small swamp surrounded by dense forest.This dense forest is where I almost lost my way the last time I came home from the eastern part of the island.Here I found a clearing, about three acres in size, surrounded by dense woods almost like a natural hedge, at least not so laborious and time-consuming as I had in other places. So, I immediately started working on this piece of land.In less than a month, the fence was erected and the sheep could be housed inside.Now that these goats have been domesticated, they are not as wild as before, and they are very safe to put there.Without delay, therefore, I immediately moved ten ewes and two rams there.After the sheep had moved, I continued to strengthen the fence, making it as strong and solid as the fence of the first enclosure.The difference is that I took a lot more time and took a lot more time doing the first fence.

I worked so hard at all kinds of work just because I saw that footprint and I had all kinds of doubts.In fact, until now, I have not seen anyone come to the island.In this way, I passed another two years in this uneasy mood.This uneasiness has made my life far less comfortable than it used to be.This situation anyone can imagine.Just imagine a person living in fear all day long, for fear that someone will harm him. What fun can there be in this kind of life?What hurts me even more is that this uneasiness has greatly affected my religious views.Because I was constantly afraid of falling into the hands of savages or cannibals, I had no heart to pray to God; and even when I prayed, I no longer had the peace and contentment I used to have.

When I prayed, I was troubled and mentally burdened, as if I was in danger, and I worried every night that I might be eaten by wild men.Experience has shown that moods of calm, gratitude, and reverence are better suited to prayer than those of terror and restlessness.A man who prays in fear of impending doom is no less disturbed than a man who prays a prayer of confession on a sickbed.Such times are not suitable for prayer, for such uneasiness affects the mind as sickness affects the body.Anxiety is a defect in the mind, which is as harmful as, or even more than, a defect in the body.And prayer is an act of the heart, not of the flesh. Now, let's talk about what I'm going to do next.After I settled some of my livestock, I traveled all over the island, trying to find another place like this, and set up a similar small pen to raise sheep.I went all the way to the west of the island, and came to a place I had never set foot before.I looked into the sea and seemed to see a ship in the far distance.I once found a telescope or two in a sailor's chest on a wreck, but I did not take them with me.The shadow of the boat was too far away, and I couldn't tell whether it was a boat or not. I kept staring until my eyes hurt too much to look at.When I came down from the mountain, the shadow of the boat had completely disappeared, so I had to let it go. However, I made up my mind that I must carry a pair of binoculars in my pocket when I go out in the future. I walked down the hill to the end of the island.I've never been in this area before. As soon as I arrived here, I realized at once that finding human footprints on the island is not as unusual as I had imagined.It's just that God deliberately arranged for me to drift to the side of the island where savages never reach.Otherwise, I would have known that the canoes from the mainland sometimes went too far at sea, and occasionally crossed the channel to this side of the island to find a port.This is often the case.Moreover, when their canoes meet at sea, they often have to fight. The tribe that wins the battle will bring the captured captives to the island, and according to the habit of their cannibal tribes, kill and eat the captives.I will talk about the cannibalism later. Besides, when I came down from the hill and walked to the southwestern corner of the island, I was immediately panicked and stunned.I saw human skulls, hand bones, foot bones, and bones of other parts of the human body all over the coast. The horror in my heart was simply indescribable.I also saw a place where a fire had been made, and a circle like a cock-pit dug in the ground, where the savages probably sat around, and had cruel feasts, and ate the flesh of their own kind. I was astonished to see this scene.For a long time, I forgot my own danger.I forgot my fears at the thought of this utterly cruel and horrific act, at the thought of how degraded human nature has become.Although I have often heard people talk about cannibalism before, it is the first time I saw the cannibalism with my own eyes today. I turned my face away, unable to bear to see this terrible scene again.I felt the stuff in my stomach go up, and I almost fainted, and finally I was so sick that I vomited out the stuff in my stomach.I vomited so badly that I felt a little relieved when I vomited it all up. But I couldn't bear to stay any longer, so I ran up the hill and headed for my home. After I ran a little far away from the scene of cannibalism, I was still in shock and stood on the road blankly for a while.It wasn't until later that my mood calmed down a little.I looked up to the heavens with tears in my eyes and a heart full of gratitude that God had sent me somewhere else in the world so that I wasn't in the company of these horrible creatures.As miserable as I feel about my current situation, God has provided for me in my life.Not only should I not complain about God, but I should be grateful to him from the bottom of my heart. Above all, it has been a great comfort to me in this unfortunate situation that God directed me to know him and to beg his blessing.This happiness more than compensates for all the misfortunes I have suffered and may suffer. It was with this feeling of gratitude that I returned to my castle.I feel more secure than ever in my place, and I feel more relieved.For I saw that the cruel cannibal tribes did not come to the island to seek what they needed;For there can be no doubt that they generally land in deep woods and woods without ever finding anything they want.I know, I have been on the island for nearly eighteen years, and I have never seen a human footprint here.As long as I don't expose myself, as long as I hide myself as well as before, I can live for another eighteen years.What's more, of course I will never expose myself, because my only purpose is to hide myself well, and unless I find people who are more civilized than cannibals, I dare not associate with them. I really hate this group of savage animals, and their inhuman and criminal custom of devouring each other.So, for almost two years, I was sad and depressed all day long, and I didn't dare to go beyond the scope of my activities.By sphere of activity I mean my three estates—my castle, my villa, and my enclosure in the forest.In the middle, the enclosure in the forest, I only use it to raise sheep, and never send it for other purposes.Because I had a natural abhorrence of those devilish man-eating beasts, I was as afraid of the sight of them as I was of the devil.In the past two years, I have not seen that boat, and I just want to build another one.I didn't even dare to think about getting that boat back from the sea, lest I meet those wild people at sea.At that time, if it falls into their hands, my fate can be imagined. However, despite this, over time, my worries about cannibals gradually disappeared, not to mention that I was sure that I was not in danger of being discovered by them.So, I went back to living my normal life with the same poise as before.The difference is that I am more careful than before, and observe more carefully than before, lest I be seen by the savages on the island.In particular, I was more cautious when using the gun, so as not to hear the gunshots for the wild people on the island. Fortunately, I have tamed a herd of goats long ago, and now I don't have to go hunting in the woods anymore.That is to say, I don't have to shoot.Later, I also caught a wild goat or two, but by the old method, that is, by traps and traps.Therefore, in the next two years, I don't remember firing a gun once, although I always carry it with me when I go out.In addition, I once got three pistols from the wreck, and I always carried at least two of them by a sheepskin belt around my waist whenever I went out.I sharpened a large waist knife that I had taken from the ship, and tied a belt around my waist.In this way, when I go out, I look really terrible.To the attire which I have described, I added two pistols, and a saber without sheath, which hung by a belt at my side. After a time in this way, with the addition of these above-mentioned precautions, I seemed to return to my former stable and peaceful way of life.These experiences have made me realize more and more that my situation is not so unfortunate compared with other people; especially compared with the misfortune that may happen to me, it should be considered lucky.What's more, God can make my fate more miserable.This made me do a little more reflection. I thought if people could compare their situation with people who were worse off instead of people who were better off, they would be thankful to God instead of mumbling. Beep, I'm blaming others.If this could be done, no matter what the situation, people would complain much less. As far as my present situation is concerned, I don't really lack much.However, I always felt that I was always in constant fear for my safety from being frightened by those savage cannibals.In the past, in order to make my life comfortable, I gave full play to my creative talents, but now I can't make full use of them.I had an elaborate plan to test the possibility of malting barley and using the malt to make wine.Now, that plan has also been abandoned.Of course, this is really an absurd idea, and even I often blame myself for thinking things too simply.For I soon saw that I did not have many of the ingredients necessary for brewing beer, nor could I make them myself.First, there are no beer kegs.As I said before, I tried to make a wooden barrel, but I couldn't do it well.I have spent many days, even weeks, and months without success.Second, there are no hops to make the wine last, no yeast to ferment, no copper pots to boil.But, for all that, I firmly believe that I might have set out to do it, and perhaps even have succeeded, had it not been for the horror and terror of the cannibals. Because my temper is that no matter what, once I am determined to do it, I will never give up if I don’t succeed! But now, my ability to invent and create has developed in another direction.I spent days and nights trying to figure out how to kill some of the demon-eating demons while they were feasting on their bloody flesh, and, if possible, rescue the victims they had brought to the island to kill.All sorts of plans came into my mind to kill these savages, or at least to frighten them so that they would never come to the island again.If I really want to record all the plans I have conceived, it will be thicker than this book.However, all of this is unrealistic fantasy; if you just want to do nothing, it will not have any effect.What's more, if they come in groups of twenty or thirty people, how can I deal with them alone?They carry weapons like javelins or bows and arrows, and they can shoot as well as my guns. Sometimes I thought of digging a little pit under where they lit their fire, and putting five or six pounds of powder in it.When they light a fire, the powder is bound to detonate and blow up everything in the vicinity.But first of all I was unwilling to waste so much powder on them, since I had less than a barrel left.Besides, I can't guarantee that the gunpowder will go off at a specific time, giving them a surprise attack.Probably nothing more than splashing sparks in their faces and making them jump, it will never make them abandon this place and never dare to come again.Therefore, I put this plan aside to find another way.Later, it occurred to me that I could find a suitable place to ambush, load three guns with double ammunition, and when they were performing that cruel ceremony with excitement, I would fire at them. Injured two or three. Then I took my three pistols and a waist knife and charged at them. If there were only ten or twenty of them, I could kill them all.This delusion kept me happy for weeks.I thought about this plan all day and all night, and I even dreamed about it, and I dreamed that I shot those wild people. I was so fascinated by the plan that I spent days trying to find a suitable ambush site.I also often go to the places where they cannibalize people, so I already know the terrain well.In particular, I was eager for revenge and wished to kill twenty or thirty of them with one knife; and when I visited the scene again and again, I saw the horrible scene and saw the traces of those savage animals devouring each other, which made me even more angry. At last I found a place on the hillside where I could safely conceal myself and watch their little boat move up to the island.I could hide in the jungle till they came ashore, for there was a little hole just big enough for me to hide in.I can sit there firmly and see their cannibalistic cruelty clearly.When they're all together, shoot them in the head, you'll hit the mark, and you'll wound three or four of them with the first shot. So, I decided to put the plan into practice here.I first loaded two short guns and one shotgun, each with double shot and four or five small cartridges, about the size of pistol bullets;In addition, each pistol is reloaded with four bullets.Before setting off, bring enough ammunition for the second and third shots.In this way, I completed the battle preparation. The plan is laid out, and I execute it again and again in my imagination. At the same time, every morning I have to go to the hillside to inspect, to see if there are boats approaching the island, or approaching the island from a distance.The spot I chose was more than three miles from my castle.After two or three months of continuous watch, I returned home with no results every day, and I began to feel tired of this drudgery.During this time, not only was there no sign of a boat on or near the coast, but even looking in all directions with eyes and binoculars, there was no sign of any ship on the entire ocean. During my daily patrols and lookouts on the hill, I remained in good spirits, high spirits, and determined to carry out my plans.It seemed that at any moment I could perform the astonishing feat of killing twenty or thirty naked savages in one fell swoop.As for what heinous crime they committed, I never seriously considered it. I just instinctively felt disgusted and angry from the bottom of my heart when I saw the outrageous customs of these natives.Of course, the Creator is extremely wise in governing the world, but he seems to have abandoned these natives.Let them act upon their abominable, corrupt impulses, let them practice such monstrous practices and form such horrible customs through the ages.If they had not been abandoned by heaven, if they had not fallen to such inhumanity, they would never have come to where they are now.However, as mentioned earlier, for two or three months in a row, I went out to make inspections every morning, but there was no result.I'm starting to get bored. Then I also changed my mind about my plan, and began to consider my own actions calmly.I thought: For so many centuries, God has allowed these people to kill each other without punishing them, so what right and responsibility do I have to convict them and execute them instead of God?What heinous crime did these people commit against me?What right do I have to participate in their cannibalism?I have often debated with myself: "How do I know what God has said about this koan?" There is no doubt that these people did not know that it was a crime for them to eat each other; They will not be condemned by conscience. They do not know that cannibalism is a crime against the law of nature and willfully commit crimes, just like most of us do crimes. They do not think that killing prisoners of war is a crime, just as we do not think that It's a crime to kill a cow; they don't think it's a crime to eat human flesh any more than we think it's a crime to eat mutton." I thought about it a little bit, and I thought I was wrong.I felt that they were not the murderers I had condemned in my mind.Some Christians routinely put prisoners of war to death in battle, and inhumanely slaughtered groups of enemies even after they had dropped their weapons and surrendered.In this respect, how different were the natives from the Christians who slaughtered captives in battle! Next, it occurred to me that although they killed each other with such inhumanity, I had nothing to do with it.They didn't hurt me.If they want to kill me, it's all right for me to attack them in order to defend myself.But now I haven't fallen into their hands, and they don't know of my existence at all, so they can't murder me.In this case, it would be unreasonable for me to actively attack them.To do so would be to admit that the atrocities committed by the Spaniards in America were justified.Everyone knows that the Spaniards massacred thousands of natives in the Americas.These aborigines worshiped idols, and were indeed barbarians; in their customs some ceremonies were cruel and barbarous, such as the sacrifice of living people to their idols, and so on.However, as far as the Spaniards are concerned, they are all innocent.This kind of killing and genocide of the Spaniards, whether it is discussed among the Spaniards themselves or in various Christian countries in Europe, has aroused extreme hatred and hatred. Cruel and inhumane atrocities. The word "Spanish" has become a dreadful word among all humanistic minds and Christian sympathies, as if only Spain had produced such people who were cruel and cruel to the unfortunate. There is no mercy; and sympathy and pity are the marks of benevolence. In view of the above considerations, I have suspended the execution of the plan to attack the wildlings, or at least in some respects have almost completely ceased operation.Thus, I gradually gave up the plan, because I thought I had made a mistake in deciding to attack the savages. I should not interfere in their internal affairs unless they attack me first.What I should do is, whenever possible, try to prevent them from attacking me.But now I at least know what to do if I'm discovered and attacked. In addition, I also realized that this plan of actively attacking the savages would not only fail to save myself, but would completely and utterly destroy myself.For, unless I am absolutely sure of killing every man who came ashore then, and every man who comes ashore afterward; if one escapes, and tells his fellow-men what has happened here, they will succeed. Tens of thousands of people have come to avenge me, am I not bringing myself to perish?This is something I absolutely should not be doing right now. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I should not mind their own business, either in principle or strategy.My task is to take all possible measures to prevent them from finding me, and not to leave any traces that would make them suspect that someone lives on this small island. This wise approach to life also aroused my religious convictions.Various considerations led me to realize that the cruel plans I had drawn up to exterminate these innocent savages were quite contrary to my own duty, since, at least to me, they were innocent.As for the various crimes they have committed against each other, I have nothing to do with it.The crime they committed was a national act, and I should hand them over to God and let God judge, because God is the ruler of all peoples, and God knows what kind of national punishment to punish the universal Criminal behavior, how to publicly judge these sinners who eat people and drink blood in broad daylight. Now, things seem very clear to me.I feel that God didn't let me do this, which is really the most fortunate thing for me.I realized that I had no reason for doing it; that if I had done it, I would be committing a crime that amounted to willful murder.Then I fell on my knees, and in the most humility I thanked God for delivering me from murder and bloodshed, and prayed that he would protect me from the hands of savages, lest I should do them harm; It's not that Heaven has called me aloud to do this in self-defense. After that, I lived in this mood for nearly another year.During this period, I never went to the hill to check their traces and see if any of them came ashore.Because, on the one hand, I don't want to meet these cruel guys, and I don't want to attack them; Take advantage of the opportunity to surprise them.During this period, I did only one thing: that is to transfer the small boat parked on the other side of the island to the east side of the island.I found a cove under a high rock in which I hid the boat.There's a rapid there, and I know the savages would never dare or care to enter in a boat. At the same time I took down everything I had put on board, as it was generally not needed for short trips, including a mast and sail which I made myself, and an anchor--not at all like an anchor or a hasp, really. , but I did my best to make it that way.I removed all that was on board, lest there should be any sign of a ship or inhabitation. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I'm more reclusive than ever.Apart from my daily tasks of milking goats and tending the flock in the woods, I rarely went out.The sheep are on the other side of the island, so there is little danger.Because the savages who came to the island occasionally never expected to find anything there, they never left the coast to enter the island.Nor do I doubt that they have visited the island several times, as usual, since I have been wary of them.Really, I can't help but shudder when I think about my past outings.I used to take only one gun when I went out, and the gun was loaded with some small bullets.So I walked around the island, looking around, to see if I could get anything to eat.In this case, what should I do if I meet them or be discovered by them?Because, I don't have much ability to defend myself.Or, suppose that instead of the footprint of one man I had seen, I had seen a score or two of savages, running after me as soon as they saw me.They are good at running, if I can't outrun them no matter what, then I will definitely fall into their hands! Sometimes when I think of these things, I will be scared out of my wits and feel extremely sad, and I won't be able to recover for a long time.I could hardly conceive what would have happened, for instead of being able to resist them, I would have been too panic-stricken to deal with them calmly, let alone take the steps I have now considered and prepared for.Indeed, after thinking about these things seriously, I feel depressed, and sometimes I can't get rid of them for a long time.Finally, I always think of God and thank him for having delivered me from so many unseen dangers, and have saved me from disasters from which I myself could not have escaped in any way because it was utterly impossible for me. These disasters were foreseen, and such disasters were not expected at all. In the past, when I faced various difficulties in my life, I came to realize that God is always merciful to us and brings us back to life.Now, this feeling has returned to my heart again.It seems to me that we often get away with miraculous escapes without even knowing how.Sometimes, we get caught in a situation where we don't know what to do, and we hesitate and don't know which way to go.At this time, there is often a hint in our heart, instructing us to take this path, although we originally wanted to take that path.Not only that, sometimes our feelings, desires, or our tasks clearly require us to take that path, but a sudden idea in our hearts tells us to take this path; we don’t know where this idea came from, and we don’t know From what influence, it is to overwhelm all the original feelings and desires, and make us go this way.As a result, the later facts proved that if we had taken the path we wanted to go, or the path we thought we should go, we would have been in a situation beyond redemption.After thinking it over and over, I made a rule for myself: Whenever there is such a mysterious hint or impulse in my mind, instructing me what to do or what not to do, I will resolutely obey this mysterious instruction, even though I don't know it. Why should I do this or should go this way, all I know is this hint or impulse in my heart.在我一生中，可以找出许许多多这样的例子，由于我遵循了这种暗示或冲动而获得了成功，尤其是我流落到这个倒霉的荒岛上以后的生活，更证明了这一点。此外还有许多例子。当时我若能用现在的眼光去看待，是一定会意识到的。但是，世上有许多道理，只要有一天能大彻大悟，就不算太晚。我奉劝那些三思而后行的人，如果在他们的生活里，也像我一样充满了种种出乎寻常的变故，或者即使没有什么出乎寻常的变故，都千万不要忽视这种上天的启示，不管这种启示是什么看不见的神明发出的。关于这一点，我不准备在这里讨论，也无法加以阐明。但这种启示至少可以证明，精神与精神之间是可以交往的，有形的事物和无形的事物之间是有神秘的沟通的。而且，这种证明是永远无法推翻的。关于这一点，我将用我后半生的孤寂生活中一些很重要的例子加以证明。 由于我一直生活在危险之中，因而日夜忧虑，寝食不安，这就扼杀了我为使自己生活舒适方便的发明创造能力。如果我坦诚承认这一点，读者一定不会感到奇怪。我当前最迫切需要解决的是自己的安全问题，而不是食物问题。我连一个钉子都不敢钉，一块木头都不敢劈，生怕声音被别人听见；同样，我更不敢开枪了。尤其叫我担心的是生火这件事，唯恐烟火在白天老远就被人看见而把自己暴露。因此，我把一切需要生火的事，如用锅子烧东西或抽烟斗等都转移到我那林间别墅去做。在那儿，我呆了一段时期之后，发现了一个天然地穴，这使我感到无限的欣慰。地穴很深。我敢保证，即使野人来到洞口，也不敢进去。说实在的，一般人谁都不敢进去，只有像我这样一心一意想寻找安全的藏身之所才会冒险深入。 地穴的洞口在一块大岩石底下。有一天，我正在那儿砍柴，准备用来烧炭，偶然间发现了一个洞口，这一发现我除了归诸天意外，只能说是偶然了。现在，在我继续讲我的发现之前，必须先谈谈我为什么要烧炭。 前面我已经说过，我不敢在我的住所附近生火。可是，那儿是我生活的地方，我不能不烤面包，不能不煮肉。因此，我计划按照我在英国看到的办法，拿一些木头放在草皮泥层下烧，把木头烧成木炭，熄火后再把木炭带回家。这样，如果家里需用火，就可用木炭来烧，省得有冒烟的危险。 烧木炭的事顺便就谈到这里。再说有一天，我正在那里砍柴，忽然发现，在一片浓密的矮丛林后面，好像有一个深坑。我怀着好奇心想进去看看。我费力地走进洞口，发现里面相当大。我在里面站直了还绰绰有余，甚至还能再站一个人。可是说实在的，我一进去就赶快逃出来，因为我朝地穴深处一看，只见里面一片漆黑，在黑暗中，忽然看见有两只发亮的大眼睛，也不知道是魔鬼的眼睛，还是人的眼睛，在洞口射进去的微弱光线的反射下，那对眼睛像两颗星星闪闪发光。 尽管这样，过了一会儿，我又恢复了镇静，连声骂自己是个大傻瓜。我对自己说，谁要是怕魔鬼，谁就不配孤身一人在岛上住二十年了。而且，我敢相信，在这洞里，没有其他东西会比我自己更令人可怕的了。于是，我又鼓起勇气，点燃了一个火把，重新钻进洞去。可是，我刚走出三步，又像第一次那样吓得半死。因为我忽然听到一声很响的叹息声，就像一个人在痛苦中发出的叹息。接着是一阵断断续续的声音，好像是半吞半吐的说话声，然后紧跟着又是一声深深的叹息声。我马上后退，吓出了一身冷汗。要是我当时戴帽子的话，一定会吓得毛发倒竖，把帽子也挤掉。可是，我还是尽量鼓起勇气。而且，我想上帝和上帝的神力是无所不在的，他一定会保护我。这样一想，也稍稍受到了鼓舞。于是，我高举火把，向前走了两步。我借着火光一看，原来地上躺着一只大得吓人的公山羊，正在那里竭力喘气，快要死了。这山羊大概是在这个洞穴里找到了一个老死的地方。 我推了推它，看看能不能把它赶出去；它也动了动，想站起来，可是已经爬不起来了。于是我想，就让他躺在那里吧。既然它把我吓了一大跳，只要它一息尚存，也一定会把胆敢闯进来的野人吓跑。 这时，我从惊恐中恢复过来，开始察看周围的情况。我发现洞不太大，周围不过十二英尺，但这完全是一个天然的洞穴，既不方，也不圆，不成什么形状，没有任何人工斧凿的痕迹。我又发现，在洞的尽头，还有一个更深的地方，但很低，只能俯下身子爬进去。至于这洞通向何处，我当然不得而知。当时我手头没有蜡烛，只好暂时不进去，但我决定第二天带上蜡烛和火绒盒进去。那火绒盒我是用一支短枪上的枪机做成的。另外，我还得带一盘火种。 第二天，我带了六支自己做的大蜡烛去了。我现在已经能用羊脂做出很好的蜡烛。我钻进那低矮的小洞时，不得不俯下身子，这我前面已提过了。我在地上爬了约十来码。说起来，这实在是一个大胆的冒险举动，因为我既不知道要爬多远，也不知道里面究竟有什么东西。钻过这段通道后，洞顶豁然开朗，洞高差不多有数十英尺。我环顾周围上下，只见这地下室或地窟的四壁和顶上，在我两支蜡烛烛光的照耀下，反射出万道霞光，灿烂耀目；这情景是我上岛以来第一次看到的。至于那岩石中是钻石，是宝石，还是金子，我当然不清楚，但我想很可能是这类珍宝。 虽然在洞里没有光线，但这却是一个令人赏心悦目的最美丽的洞穴。地上干燥平坦，表面是一层细碎的沙石，所以不会有令人厌恶的毒蛇爬虫。洞顶和四壁也十分干燥。这个洞穴唯一的缺点是入口太小，然而正是因为进出困难，才使它成为一个安全隐蔽的地方，而这也正是我千方百计寻求的庇护所。所以，这个缺点于我来说反而成了一个优点。我对自己的发现真是欣喜万分，决定立刻把我所最放心不下的一部分东西搬到洞里来，特别是我的火药库和多余的枪支，包括两支鸟枪和三支短枪。因为我一共有三支鸟枪和八支短枪，在城堡里留下五支短枪架在外墙洞里像大炮一样，作战中需要时也可随时拿下来使用。 在这次转移军火时，我也顺便打开了我从海上捞起来的那桶受潮的火药。结果发现，火药四周进了三四寸水，结成了一层坚固的硬壳，可里面部分却完好无损，仿佛壳里的果仁保存得很好。我从桶里弄到了差不多六十磅好火药，这真是一个可喜的收获。不用说，我把全部火药都搬了过去。从此以后，我在城堡里最多只放三磅火药，唯恐发生任何意外。 另外，我又把做子弹的铅也全部搬了过去。 在我自己的想象中，我成了一个古代的巨人，据说这些巨人住在山岩的洞穴里，没有人能攻击他们。我自己想，只要我呆在洞里，即使有五百个野人来追踪我，也不会找到我；就是给他们发现了，也不敢向我进攻。 我发现洞穴的第二天，那只垂死的老山羊就在洞口边死去了。我觉得与其把它拖出去，倒不如就地挖个大坑，用土把它埋起来更省事些。于是我就地把老山羊埋了，免得我鼻子闻到死羊的臭气。 我现在在岛上已经住了二十三年了，对这个地方以及对自己在岛上的生活方式，也已非常适应了。如果我不担心野人袭击的话，我宁愿在此度过我的余生，直到生命的最后一刻，就像洞中的那只老山羊一样无疾而终。同时，我又想出了一些小小的消遣和娱乐，使我的日子过得比以前快活多了。 首先，我前面也提到过，教会了鹦鹉说话。现在，它说得又熟练又清楚，实在令人高兴。这只鹦鹉同我一起生活了二十六年。至于它后来又活了多久，我也不知道了。但巴西人都认为，鹦鹉可以活上一百年，也许我那可怜的鹦鹉至今还活在岛上呢，还在叫着"可怜的鲁滨孙"哩！但愿没有一个英国人会这样倒霉，跑到那里听到它说话。要真的给他听到了，他肯定认为碰上了魔鬼呢！我的狗也讨我欢喜，是个可爱的伴侣，跟我不下十六年，后来终于老死了。至于我的那些猫，前面也已说过，由于繁殖太多，我不得不开枪打死了几只，免得它们把我的东西通通吃光。后来，我从船上带下来的两只老猫都死了，我又不断地驱逐那些小猫，不给它们吃东西，结果它们都跑到树林里去，变成了野猫。只有两三只我喜欢的小猫被我留在家里驯养起来。可是每当它们生出小猫时，我就把小猫投在水里淹死。这些都是我家庭的一部分成员。另外我身边还养了两三只小山羊，教会它们在我手里吃东西。此外，还养了两只鹦鹉，也会说话，也会叫"鲁滨孙"，可都比不上第一只说得那么好；当然，我在它们身上花的功夫也没有第一只那么多。我还养了几只海鸟，究竟是什么鸟，我也不知道。我在海边把它们抓住后，剪去了翅膀养起来。现在，我城堡围墙外打下去的那些小树桩，已长成浓密的丛林。那些鸟就栖息在矮丛中，并生出了小鸟，非常有趣。所以，正如我前面所说的，只要不担心受野人的袭击，我对自己所过的生活，确实感到心满意足了。 可是，事情的发展却与我的愿望相反。这部小说的读者一定会得出这样一个正确的结论：在我们的生活中，我们竭力想躲避的坏事，却往往是我们获得拯救的途径；我们一旦遭到这种恶运，往往会吓得半死，可是，正由于我们陷入了痛苦，才得以解脱痛苦。在我一生离奇的生活中，可以举出许多这一类的例子，尤其是我孤居荒岛最后几年的生活情况更能证明这一点。 前面我已说过，这是我在荒岛上的第二十三个年头了。当时正是十二月冬至前后。当然，这儿的十二月，根本不能算是冬天，但对我来说，这是收获庄稼的特殊季节。我必须经常出门到田里去。一天清晨，天还未大亮，我就出门了。忽然，只见小岛尽头的海岸上一片火光，那儿离我大约有两英里远。这使我惊恐万分。那儿我也发现过野人到过的痕迹。但使我更苦恼的是，火光不是在岛的另一边，而是在我这一边。 看到这个情景，我着实吃惊不校我立即停住脚步，留在小树林里，不敢再往外走，唯恐受到野人的突然袭击。可是，我心里怎么也无法平静了，我怕那些野人万一在岛上走来走去，发现我的庄稼，看到有些已收割了，有些还没有收割，或者发现我其他的一些设施，他们马上会断定岛上有人；那时，他们不把我搜出来是决不会罢休的。在这危险关头，我立即跑回城堡，收起梯子，并把围墙外的一切东西尽量弄成荒芜自然的样子。 然后，我在城堡内做好防御野人袭击的准备。我把手枪和所有的炮全都装好弹药；所谓炮，就是那些架在外墙上的短枪，样子像炮，我就这么叫叫罢了。作好了这些准备，我决心抵抗到最后一口气。同时，我也没有忘记把自己托付给神的保护，挚诚地祈求上帝把我从野蛮人的手里拯救出来。在这种心情和状态下，我大约等了两小时，就又急不可耐地想知道外面的情况，因为我没有探子派出去为我打听消息。 我又在家里坐了一会，琢磨着该怎样应付当前的情况。最后，我实在坐不住了，因为我迫切需要知道外面的情况。于是，我便把梯子搭在山岩旁边。前面我曾提到过，山岩边有一片坡坎，我登上那片坡坎，再把梯子抽上来放在坡坎上，然后登上山顶。我平卧在山顶上，取出我特意带在身边的望远镜，向那一带地方望去。我立即发现，那儿大约有十来个赤身裸体的野人，围着一小堆火坐着。他们生火显然不是为了取暖，因为天气很热，根本用不着取暖。我想，他们一定是带来了战俘在烧烤人肉，至于那些战俘带上岛时是活是死，我就不得而知了。 他们有两只独木舟，已经拉到岸上。那时正好退潮，他们大概要等潮水回来后再走。看到这一情景，我内心慌乱极了；尤其是发现他们到了小岛的这一边，离我住所那么近，很难想象我是多么惊慌失措啊！但我后来注意到，他们一定得趁着潮水上岛。这一发现使我稍稍安心了一点。只要他们不在岸上，我在涨潮期间外出是绝对安全的。知道这一点，我以后就可以外出安安心心地收获我的庄稼了。 事情果然不出我所料，当潮水开始西流时，他们就上船划桨离去了。在离开前，他们还跳了一个多小时的舞。从我的望远镜里，可以清楚地看到他们手舞足蹈的样子。我还可以看到他们都赤身裸体，一丝不挂，可是是男是女，怎么仔细看也分辩不出来。 一见他们上船离开了，我就拿了两支枪背在肩上，两支手枪挂在腰带上，又取了一把没鞘的大刀悬在腰间，尽快向靠海的那座小山上跑去，正是在那儿我第一次发现野人的踪迹。我费了两个多钟头才到达那里，因为我全副武装，负担太重，怎么也走不快。我一上小山就看到，除了我刚才看到的两只独木舟外，还有另外三只在那儿。再往远处看去，只见他们在海面上会合后往大陆方向驶去了。 对我来说，这真是一个可怕的景象。尤其是我走到岸边，看到他们所干的惨绝人寰的残杀所遗留下来的痕迹，更令人可怕！那血迹，那人骨，那一块块人肉！可以想象，那些残忍的家伙一边吞食，一边寻欢作乐。见此情景，我义愤填膺。 这不禁使我重新考虑：下次再碰到他们过来干此罪恶勾当，非把他们宰尽杀绝不可，不管他们是什么部落，也不管他们来多少人。 但我发现，他们显然并不经常到岛上来，我第二次碰到他们在那里登岸，是一年零三个月之后的事。这就是说，一年多时间中，我从未再见到过他们，也没有见过他们的脚印或其他任何上岛的痕迹。看来，在雨季，他们肯定是不会出门的，至少不会跑到这么远的地方来。然而，在这一年多中，我却时刻担心遭到他们的袭击，所以日子过得很不舒畅。由此，我悟出一个道理：等待大难临头比遭难本身更令人痛苦，尤其是无法逃避这种灾难而不得不坐等其降临，更是无法摆脱这种担惊受怕的恐惧。 这段时间里，我只是一心想杀这些野人。大部分时间我不干别的，只是苦思冥想杀人的计划。我设想种种计谋，下次再看到他们时该怎样向他们进攻，尤其是要提防他们像上次那样，分成两股前来。但我完全没有考虑到，即使我把他们一股通通杀光，比如说，杀掉十个或十二个，到第二天，或第二个星期，或第二个月，我还得再杀掉他们另一股。这样一股一股杀下去，永无止境，我自己最后岂不也成了杀人凶手，而且，比那些食人生番也许更残暴！ 我现在每天都在疑虑和焦急中过日子，感到自己总有一天会落入那些残忍无情的家伙手中。即使偶然大着胆子外出，也总是东张西望，极端小心谨慎。我现在发现，我老早驯养了一群羊，这真给了我极大的宽慰，因为我无论如何也不敢再开枪，尤其是在他们常来的一带地方，唯恐惊动了那些野人。我知道，即使我暂时把他们吓跑，不出明天他们就会卷土重来，那时，说不定会来两三百只独木舟，我的结果也就可想而知了。 然而，在一年零三个月中，我从未见到过一个野人。直到后来，才又重新碰到了他们。详细经过，我下面再谈。不错，在这段时期中，他们很可能来过一两次。不过，他们大概没有在岛上逗留多久，要不就是我自己没有听到他们的动静。可是现在，我在岛上已生活了二十四个年头了。估计是这一年的五月份，我又见到了那些食人生番。这可以说是一次奇遇。下面我就讲讲这次不期而遇的经过。 在这十五六个月里，我极度心烦意乱。晚上我睡不着觉，经常做恶梦，并常从梦中惊醒。白天，我心神不定，坐立不安；夜里，我在睡梦中大杀野人，并为自己列举杀害野人的种种理由。所有这一切，现在先不提。且说到了五月中旬，大约是五月十六日。这是根据我刻在柱上的日历计算的，我至今还每天在柱上划刻痕，但已不太准了。五月十六日这一天刮起了暴风雨，整天雷声隆隆，电光闪闪，直至晚上，依然风雨交加，整夜不停。我也说不清事情究竟是什么时候发生的，只记得当时我正在读《圣经》，并认真地考虑着自己当前的处境。忽然，我听到一声枪响，好像是从海上发出的。这真大大出乎我的意料。 这个意外事件与我以前碰到的任何事件完全不一样，因而在我头脑里所产生的反应也完全不一样。听到枪声后，我一跃而起，转眼之间就把梯子竖在半山上，登上半山的坡坎后，又把梯子提起来架在坡坎上，最后爬上了山顶。就在这一刹那，我又看见火光一闪，知道第二枪又要响了；果然不出所料，半分钟之后，又听到了枪声。从那声音判断，知道枪声正是从我上回坐船被急流冲走的那一带海上传来的。 我立即想到，这一定是有船只遇难了，而且，他们一定有其他船只结伴航行，因此放枪发出求救信号。我这时非常镇定，我想，即使我无法救助他们，他们倒可能帮助我。于是，我把附近的干柴通通收集起来，在山上堆成一大堆点起了火。木柴很干，火一下子就烧得很旺。虽然风很大，火势依然不减。我确信，只要海上有船，他们一定看得见。事实是，他们确实也看到了。因为我把火一烧起来，马上又听见一声枪声，接着又是好几声枪响，都是从同一个方向传来的。 我把火烧了一整夜，一直烧到天亮。天大亮后，海上开始晴朗起来。这时，我看到，在远处海面上，在小岛正东方向，仿佛有什么东西，不知是帆，还是船。我怎么看也看不清楚，用望远镜也没有用，因为距离实在太远了，而且，天气还是雾蒙蒙的；至少海面上雾气还很浓。 整整一天，我一直眺望着海面上那东西，不久便发现它一直停在原处，一动也不动。于是我断定，那一定是一条下了锚的大船。可以想象，我多么急于把事情搞个水落石出，所以，就拿起枪向岛的南边跑去，跑到我前次被急流冲走的那些岩石前面。到了那里，天气已完全晴朗了。我一眼就看到，有一只大船昨天夜里撞在暗礁上失事了。这真叫我痛心；事实上，我上次驾舟出游时，就发现了那些暗礁。正是这些暗礁，挡住了急流的冲力，形成了一股逆流，使我那次得以死里逃生。这是我生平从最绝望的险境里逃出性命的经历。 由此可见，同样的险境，对这个人来说是安全的，对另一个人来说则可能意味着毁灭。我想，这些人由于不熟悉地形，那些暗礁又都隐藏在水底下，再加上昨天晚上的东北风很大，所以船触上了暗礁。如果他们发现这个小岛，我想他们一定会用船上的救生艇竭尽全力划到岸上来的。但看来他们一定没有看到小岛，只是鸣枪求救，尤其是他们看到我燃起的火光后，更是多次放枪。由此我头脑里出现了种种设想。 首先，我想到，他们看到我点燃的火光后，必然会下到救生艇里拼命向岸上划来，但由于风急浪高，把他们刮走了。一会儿我又猜想，也许他们的救生艇早就没了，这种情况是经常发生的。当大船遇到惊涛骇浪时，水手们往往不得不把船上的救生艇拆散，甚至干脆扔到海里去。过会儿我又想，也许与他们结伴同行的船只，在见到他们出事的信号后，已把他们救起来带走了。我又想到，说不定他们已经坐上救生艇，可是遇到了我上次自己碰上的那股急流，给冲到大洋里去了。 到了大洋里，他们可就糟了，那是必死无疑的。说不定这会儿他们都快饿死了，甚至可能正在人吃人呢！ 所有这些想法，都仅仅是我自己的猜测罢了。在我目前的处境下，只能眼睁睁地看着这伙可怜的人遭难，并从心里为他们感到难过；除此之外，我毫无办法。可是，这件事在我思想上产生了很好的影响。从这次事件中，我进一步认识到上帝对自己的恩惠，我是多么感激他对我的关怀啊！尽管我处境悲惨，但我的生活还是过得非常舒适，非常幸福。同时，我也要感谢上帝在船难中仅让我一人死里逃生；到目前为止，我至少已亲自见到两艘船只在海上遇难，这两艘船的全体水手无一幸免，唯我独生。此外，从这件事中，我再一次认识到，不管上帝把我们置于何等不幸的境地或何等恶劣的生活环境，我们总会亲眼看到一些使我们感恩的事，看到有些人的处境比自己更不幸。 就拿这伙人来说吧，我简直很难想象他们中间有什么人能死里逃生，也没有任何理由指望他们全体生还。对他们来说，唯一的希望是被结伴同行的船只搭救。可是这种可能性实在太小了，我看不出任何一点被搭救的迹象。 看到这一情景，我心里产生了一种说不出的求伴求友的强烈欲望，有时竟会脱口而出地大声疾呼："啊！哪怕有一两个人——就是只有一个人能从船上逃出性命也好啊！那样他能到我这儿来，与我作伴，我能有人说说话也好啊！"我多年来过着孤寂的生活，可从来没有像今天这样强烈地渴望与人交往，也从来没有像今天这样深切地感到没有伴侣的痛苦。 在人类的感情里，往往有一种隐秘的原动力，这种原动才一旦被某种目标所吸引，就会以一种狂热和冲动驱使我们的灵魂向那目标扑去，不管是看得见的目标，还是自己头脑想象中的看不见的目标；不达目标，我们就会痛苦不堪。 我多么渴望能有一个人逃出性命啊！"啊，哪怕只有一个人也好啊！"这句话我至少重复了上千次。"啊！哪怕只有一个人也好啊！"我的这种愿望是多么急切，因此，每当我咕遖这句话时，不禁会咬紧牙关，半天也张不开来；同时会紧握双拳，如果手里有什么脆软的东西，一定会被捏得粉碎。 关于这种现象及其产生的原因和表现形式，不妨让那些科学家去解释吧。我只能原原本本地把事实讲出来。当我初次发现这一现象时，我着实吃了一惊，尽管我不知道发生这种现象的原因，但是，毫无疑问的是，这是我内心热切的愿望和强烈的思绪所产生的结果。因为我深切地体会到，如果能有一位基督徒与我交谈，这对我实在是一种莫大的安慰。 但他们一个人也没有幸存下来。这也许是他们的命运，也许是我自己的命运，也许是我们双方都命运不济，不让我们能互相交往。直到我在岛上的最后一年，我也不清楚那条船上究竟有没有人生还。更令人痛心的是，过了几天，我在靠近失事船只的岛的那一头，亲眼看到了一个淹死了的青年人的尸体躺在海滩上。他身上只穿了件水手背心，一条开膝麻纱短裤和一件蓝麻纱衬衫。从他的穿着看，我无法判别他是哪个国家的人。他的衣袋里除了两块西班牙金币和一个烟斗外，其他什么也没有。这两样东西，对我来说，烟斗的价值超过西班牙金币十倍。 这时，海面上已风平浪静，我很想冒险坐小船上那失事的船上看看。我相信一定能找到一些对我有用的东西。此外，我还抱着一个更为强烈的愿望，促使我非上那艘破船不可。那就是希望船上还会有活人。这样，我不仅可以救他的命，更重要的是，如果我能救他活命，对我将是一种莫大的安慰。这个念头时刻盘据在我心头，使我日夜不得安宁，只想乘小船上去看看。我想，这种愿望如此强烈，自己已到了无法抵御的地步，那一定是有什么隐秘的神力在驱使我要去。这种时候，我如果不去，那就太愚蠢了。所以，我决意上船探看一番，至于会有什么结果，那就只好听天由命了。 在这种愿望的驱使下，我匆匆跑回城堡作出航的准备。我拿了不少面包，一大罐淡水，一个驾驶用的罗盘，一片甘蔗酒——这种酒我还剩下不少，一满筐葡萄干。我把一切必需品都背在身上，就走到我藏小船的地方。我先把船里的水淘干，让船浮起来；然后把所有的东西都放进船里。接着，我又跑回家去取些其他东西。这一次我拿了一大口袋米，还有那把挡太阳的伞，又取了一大罐淡水，二十多只小面包——实际上是一些大麦饼，这次拿得比上次还多。另外又拿了一瓶羊奶，一块干酪。我费了不少力气，流了不少汗，才把这些东西通通运到小船上。然后，我祈祷上帝保佑我一路平安，就驾船出发了。我沿海岸先把小舟划到小岛的东北角。现在，我得把独木舟驶入大洋中去了；要么冒险前进，要么知难而退。我遥望着远处海岛两边日夜奔腾的两股急流，回想起上次遭到的危险，不由得有点害怕了。因为我可以想见，只要被卷入这两股急流中的任何一股，小舟一定会被冲进外海，到那时，我就再也看不到小岛，再也回不到小岛了。我的船仅仅是一只小小的独木舟，只要大海上稍稍起一阵风，就难免覆没了。 我思想压力很大，不得不考虑放弃原定的计划。我把小船拉进沿岸的一条小河里，自己迈步上岸，在一块小小的高地上坐下来沉思。我心情忧郁，心绪不宁。我害怕死，又想前去探个究竟。正当我沉思默想之际，只见潮流起了变化，潮水开始上涨。这样，我一时肯定走不成了。这时，我忽然想到，应该找一个最高的地方，上去观察一下潮水上涨时那两股急流的流向，从中我可以作出判断，万一我被一股急流冲入大海，是否有可能被另一股急流冲回来。我刚想到这一层，就看见附近有一座小山；从山上可以看到左右两边的海面，并对两股急流的流向可以一目了然，从而可以确定我回来时应走哪一个方向。到了山上，我发现那退潮的急流是沿着小岛的南部往外流的，而那涨潮的急流是沿着小岛的北部往里流的。这样，我回来时，小舟只要沿着北部行驶，自然就可以被涨潮的急流带回来。 经过观察，我大受鼓舞，决定第二天早晨乘第一次潮汐出发。我把水手值夜的大衣盖在身上，在独木舟里过了一夜。 第二天一早，我就驾舟出发了。最初，我一出海就朝正北驶去，走没多远，就进入了那股向东流动的急流；小舟在急流中向前飞驶，可是流速没有上回岛南边那股急流那么大，所以我尚能掌握住小舟。我以桨代舵，使劲掌握航向，朝那失事的大船飞驶过去。不到两小时，我就到了破船跟前。 眼前的景象一片凄凉。从那条船的构造外形来看，是一条西班牙船，船身被紧紧地夹在两块礁石之间。船尾和后舱都被海浪击得粉碎，那搁在礁石中间的前舱，由于猛烈撞去，上面的前桅和主桅都折断倒在了甲板上，但船首的斜桁仍完好无损，船头也还坚固。我靠近破船时，船上出现了一只狗。 它一见到我驶近，就汪汪吠叫起来。我向它一呼唤，它就跳到海里，游到我的小船边来，我把它拖到船上，只见它又饥又渴，快要死了。我给了它一块面包，它就大吃大嚼起来，活像一只在雪地里饿了十天半月的狼。我又给他喝了点淡水，它就猛喝，要是我不制止它的话，真的可以喝得把肚子都涨破。 接着，我就上了大船。我第一眼看到的，是两个淹死的人；他们紧紧地抱在一起，躺在前舱的厨房里。看来，船触礁时，海面上狂风暴雨，海浪接连不断地打在船上，船上的人就像被埋在水里一样，实在受不了最后窒息而死。除了那条狗，船上没有任何其他生还的生物。船上所有的货物，也都让海水给浸坏了，只有舱底下几桶酒因海水已退而露在外面，也不知道是葡萄酒还是白兰地。那些酒桶很大，我没法搬动它们。另外，我还看见几只大箱子，可能是水手的私人财物。我搬了两只到我的小船上，也没有来得及检查一下里面究竟装的是什么东西。 要是触礁的是船尾，撞