Chapter 7 Chapter VII

Rested overnight in the boat that night.The next morning I resolved to take all the goods I had brought back to the new-found crypt, rather than to the castle.I ate something first, and carried everything ashore, and examined it carefully.The cask I brought back was a cachaça, but not the same as our Brazilian cachaça.In a word, this wine is very bad.However, after I opened the two large chests, I found several things that were very useful to me.In one chest, for example, was a fine wine-chest, with very handsome bottles of fine refreshing liqueur, about three pints each, with silver around the rim; and Two cans of good candied fruit, because the seal is very good, the salt water did not enter.

There are two other cans that have been damaged by seawater.I found some nice shirts again, just what I was looking for.There were also a dozen and a half white linen handkerchiefs and colored cravats.I also need the linen handkerchief very much. There is nothing more refreshing to wipe my face on a hot day.In addition, in the cash box of the suitcase, there are three large bags of Spanish silver coins, about more than one thousand and one hundred pieces. One of the bags contains six Spanish gold coins and some small gold bars, all wrapped in paper, and it is estimated to weigh about one pound.

Some clothes were found in another large trunk, but none of them were of much use to me.Apparently, the box belonged to the ship's second gunner.There was not a great deal of powder in the case, but two pounds of fine powder, in three vials; for the fowling-guns, I suppose.In general, the things I got on this trip to sea are not very useful.As for coins, of course they are of no use to me, they are worse than dung!I would rather have exchanged all my gold and silver for three or four pairs of English socks and shoes, as these are things I most want, and I have had no shoes or stockings for several years.However, I managed to get two pairs of shoes, which I took off the feet of two drowned sailors on board the wreck.In addition, two pairs of shoes were found in this large box, which is of course also a wish.But these two shoes are not as comfortable and durable as the English shoes, because they are not ordinary walking shoes, but just a kind of loafer.In this crew's chest I found another fifty or more Spanish silver coins, but no gold coins.I think the owner of this box must be relatively poor, and the owner of the other box must be a high-ranking seaman.

Anyway, I took all the money back to the cave and kept it safe as before.It was a pity that I had no access to the rest of the wreck; otherwise I should have been able to carry the coins ashore in my canoe boat by boat. If one day I can escape back to the UK, it is very safe to put all the money here, and it will not be too late to come back to collect it when I have a chance in the future. When all our things were brought ashore and settled, we went back to the boat.I paddled along the coast to the port where I had been anchored, and fastened the ropes.Then, I dragged my exhausted body back to my old residence.When we got there, everything was safe and sound.So I took a break, and went about my day as usual, doing housework.For a short period of time I lived very comfortably, only more cautiously than before.I always pay attention to the movement outside, and rarely go out.

Even if I dared to go out sometimes, it was only to the east of the island, because I was sure that the savages had never been there, so I didn't need to be on guard everywhere, and I didn't need to take many weapons and ammunition.If you go to other places, you can't do it with only a few weapons and ammunition. I spent almost another two years in this situation.During those two years my mind was filled with all sorts of plans to escape from the island, even though I knew that my hapless mind seemed designed to torment my body.Sometimes I thought of going aboard the wreck and looking at it, though I knew there was nothing in it worth risking again.Sometimes, I want to go around in a small boat again.I have no doubt that if I had the little boat in which I escaped from Salé, I would have ventured out to sea;

Ordinary people often have a common problem, that is, they are dissatisfied, and they are always dissatisfied with God and nature's arrangements for them.I now realize that at least half of their misery is due to this defect of dissatisfaction.People with this disease can learn from my life experience.Take myself as an example, it is precisely because I am dissatisfied with my original situation and do not listen to my father's advice - I think that I have violated the teachings, which is actually my "original sin", and I later committed The same mistake brought me to such a miserable situation today.At that time, the Creator had arranged for me to be a planter in Brazil.If I hadn't dreamed of getting rich myself, but had been content to get rich gradually, I might have become one of the best planters in Brazil by then, and now I've spent so many years living a miserable and lonely life on this desert island in vain. Life.Also, I haven't been in Brazil for a long time; even in that short time, I've made a lot of money.I am therefore convinced that, if I had continued my business, I would now have a fortune of more than a hundred thousand Portuguese ducats.At that time, my plantation was on track and thriving.However, I chose to abandon all these, willing to be a ship's steward, just to go to Guinea to sell black slaves.Now that I think about it, why would I do this?If I keep the family business, I can amass a great fortune after a while, if I just have patience, and can't I also buy niggers from the nigger dealers at my own doorstep?Although the price is a bit more expensive, the price difference is definitely not worth taking such a big risk!

However, this is the common fate of ordinary young people who don't understand the world.They will not understand their own folly until they have experienced years of training and learned life at great cost.This is my current situation.I am not self-sufficient by nature, and I still cannot be content with the status quo.Therefore, my mind is always thinking about various ways and possibilities to escape from the desert island.In order to make readers more interested in the story I will tell later, I might as well first talk about how my absurd escape plan was first formed, how it was implemented later, and the basis for my implementation of this plan.

After returning from this voyage to the wreck, I returned to my secluded life in the castle.I sank the canoe to the bottom of the water to hide it as usual, and lived a peaceful daily life as before.Now I am richer than I was before, but not for that, because money is of no use to me, as the Indians of Peru were of no use to them before the Spaniards came. I have been on this isolated island for twenty-four years.It's the rainy month of March.One night, I lay in a hammock, tossing and turning, having trouble falling asleep.I am very healthy, no pain, no discomfort, and a very peaceful mood, but I can't close my eyes, just can't sleep.Suffice it to say, I didn't nap the whole night.

That night, my heart was ups and downs, my thoughts were full of thoughts, and it was really hard to say anything. I roughly reviewed the course of my life.I recalled how I was stranded on this desert island, and how I lived a lonely life here for twenty-four years. I thought about how I lived a carefree and happy life in the first few years when I came to the island; later, after I found human footprints on the beach, how I lived a life of anxiety and fear and worry.I also know that over the years, those cannibals have often come to the island, and sometimes even come ashore in thousands.But before that, I didn't know about it, and certainly wasn't frightened.At that time, although I was in danger, I didn't know it, so I lived happily.I think that if you don't know there is danger, it means that there is no danger, and your life will be carefree and happy.From this, I realized many beneficial truths.The Creator rules mankind and confines human cognition and knowledge within a narrow range. This is the wisdom of the Creator.In fact, human beings often live in various dangers. If they are allowed to discover these dangers, it will surely disturb everyone's heart and spirit.But the Creator does not allow human beings to see the truth, so that they are completely ignorant of the dangers around them. In this way, people live a peaceful and peaceful life.

After thinking this way for some time, I began to seriously consider the dangers I had been facing all these years on this desert island.The danger is real, but I used to walk up and down the island quite comfortably.In fact, it might just be a hill, a big tree, or just the fall of night that would have saved me from being killed, and would be killed in the cruelest of ways: by falling into the hands of cannibals.If they had fallen into their hands, they would have caught me right away, as I would have caught a goat or a turtle.At the same time, it was no crime to them to kill and eat me, any more than it was to me to kill and eat a dove or a snipe.I am sincerely grateful to my great Savior, and I would be dishonest if I did not acknowledge my gratitude.I must respectfully confess that it was only by the protection of my Savior that I escaped unconsciously, without which I would have fallen into the hands of the savages.

After thinking about these thoughts, I thought about the nature of those animals—the nature of those cannibals.I thought, how could God, the ruler of all things, allow the creatures he created to degenerate to such an inhumane state, committing such cruel acts as cannibalism and beasts.I thought about it, I thought about it, and I still couldn't figure it out. So, I thought about other questions: where do these animals live?They live on the opposite continent, which is true.But how far from the coast did they live?What is the purpose of running away from home?What was the boat they were on?I thought again, since they can come to me, why can't I try to get to them? But I never considered what I should do once I got there; nor what would happen if I fell into the hands of wild men; nor how I should escape if they hunted me down.Not only that, I didn't even think about it at all, once I landed on the mainland, those cannibals would definitely hunt and kill me, no matter what tribe they came from, so I had absolutely no hope of escape.What's more, even if it doesn't fall into their hands, I have nothing to eat, and I don't know where to go. All in all, I hadn't thought about it.At that time, I just wanted to take a small boat across the strait to the opposite mainland.I think that my present position is the most miserable in the world, and that no other misfortune but death is better than my present position.I thought, as soon as I got to the mainland, I would be saved; or, as I did in Africa, I could drive the boat along the coast until I got to a place where there were inhabitants, and I could be rescued.Moreover, maybe there will be ships from the civilized world, and they will definitely rescue me.The worst outcome would be death, and it would be better if one died, and all kinds of sufferings would come to an end.Attention readers.I was distracted and irritable, and that's why I had all these thoughts.And my distraught and irritable temper was made more irritable by a long period of unhappiness in life, and more recently by the great disappointment I had been in that shipwreck.Because I had hoped to find one or two living people on board, so that I could finally find a companion to talk to and learn some information from them, such as where I am now, whether there is any possibility of escape, and so on.These were objects which I was eager to pursue at the risk of embarking, but in vain.All of this made me dizzy and emotional.Before that, I was already in a calm mood, and I just wanted to resign myself to fate, and everything was up to God; but now, I can't calm down anyway.I can't seem to control my thoughts, I just think about how to cross the sea to the opposite continent all day long.Moreover, this desire grew stronger and stronger, and it was almost irresistible to me. For two or three hours, the intense desire made my heart beat faster and my blood boil like a fever.Of course, that's just my head racing. I just thought about it like this, thinking about it until I was exhausted until I fell asleep.Some people may think that I will also land on the mainland in my sleep.However, instead of having such a dream, I had a dream that had nothing to do with it.I dreamed that I came out of the castle early in the morning as usual, and suddenly saw two canoes on the sea carrying eleven wild men to the island; they also brought another wild man, and they were going to kill and eat him.Suddenly, the wild man they were going to kill jumped up and ran as fast as he could.In my sleep, I vaguely saw him running to hide in the dense grove outside my castle.I found that he was alone, and no other wildlings came after him, so I walked out of the castle, waved and smiled at him, and told him not to be afraid.He hastily knelt down on the ground, as if begging me to save him.So I pointed him to my ladder, bade him climb it, and led him into the cave where I lived.Thus, he became my servant.As soon as I got this man, I thought to myself, now, I can really venture to the mainland.This savage could be my guide, telling me what to do, where to get food and where not to go lest I be eaten by the savage, where to go and where not to go.Just thinking about it, I woke up.At first, I felt that I had great hope of being rescued, and I was so happy that I couldn't describe it; when I woke up, I found that it was just a dream, and I couldn't help being extremely disappointed and depressed. However, this dream gave me a revelation: If I want to get rid of the island life, the only way is to get a savage if possible; captive.But there is a difficult side to carrying out this plan, which is to attack a large group of wildlings and kill them all.This approach can be said to be a desperate move, and there is no guarantee that there will be mistakes; not only that, but on the other hand, whether this approach is legal is also questionable.My heart trembled at the thought of killing so many people and shedding so much blood, even though it was done in order to save myself.I have already talked about the various reasons why I should not take the initiative to attack the wildlings, so I don't need to repeat them here.Besides, I can now give all kinds of other reasons why I should attack these savages.For example, these savages are my sworn enemies, and they will eat me if they can; or, for example, I do this to protect my own life, to save myself, it is an act of self-defense.For, if they attack me, I will have to fight back.And so on, there are a lot of reasons that can be cited.However, when I thought of having to shed other people's blood in order to save myself, I felt terrible, and I couldn't figure it out for a long time. I had a fierce ideological struggle in my heart, and my heart was very contradictory, and I fought repeatedly in my mind for a long time for various reasons.In the end, the desperation to save myself got the better of me, and I resolved to get a wild man at any cost. Now, the second step is how to implement this plan.This is of course difficult to decide at the moment. Since I couldn't think of any proper way, I decided to wait and observe first to see when they would go ashore, and ignore the rest in advance, and play by ear when the time comes. After this decision, I often went out to scout.I'll go out as soon as I'm free.After a long time, I feel bored again.Because this class lasts for more than a year and a half, I have to go to the west or southwest corner of the island almost every day to see if there are any canoes on the sea.However, it is very frustrating and annoying to not see it once in such a long time.But this time I did not completely give up hope like last time. On the contrary, the longer I waited, the more impatient I became.In short, I used to be careful to avoid the wildlings as much as possible; but now I am eager to meet them. Besides, I think I am quite capable of controlling a wild man, or even two or three wild men, if I can get them, I can make them all my slaves, and do what I want them to do, And prevent them from hurting me anytime.I was very proud of myself for this idea.But there was not even a shadow of the matter, everything was just a fantasy, and of course the plan could not be realized, because the savage did not appear for a long time. Since I had these ideas, I often think about this matter, but because I have no chance to put it into practice, it has been fruitless.In this way, about another year and a half passed.One morning, I suddenly discovered that five canoes had landed on the other side of the island. The people on the boat had already landed on the island, but I didn't know where they went.There were so many of them that they broke my plans completely.Because I know that a canoe usually carries five or six people, sometimes even more.Now that there are so many ships coming at once, let alone twenty or thirty people, how can I deal with them alone!Therefore, I had to hide quietly in the castle, restless and helpless.However, I still prepare for the battle according to the past plan, so that I can act as soon as the opportunity arises.I waited a long time, listening to them, and at last, being impatient, I put the gun at the foot of the ladder, and climbed up the hill in two steps, as usual.I stood there, trying not to show my head, for fear of being seen by them.I picked up the binoculars to observe, and found that there were no less than thirty of them, and they had already lit a fire and were cooking meat.As for how they cook and what kind of meat they cook, I don't know.At this time, I saw them dancing around the fire.They made all kinds of wild and ugly postures, and danced happily according to their own steps. While I was watching, I saw through the glass that they were dragging two unfortunate savages out of the boat.These two savages had probably been placed on board by them beforehand, and they were now dragged ashore to be slaughtered.I saw one of them being beaten indiscriminately with a stick or a wooden knife, and immediately fell down.Then two or three savages rushed forward and began to disembowel him and prepare to cook him.The other prisoner was set aside until they began to stab him again.At this time, the poor fellow saw that his hands and feet were untied and no one was watching him, so he couldn't help but hoped to escape.He sprang up suddenly and ran; he ran along the shore towards me with incredible speed.I mean, he's running really fast in the direction of where I live. I must confess that I was rather surprised when I saw him running towards me; for I thought the savages must all be out after him.Then I saw that a part of my dream began to come true: the wild man must hide in the bushes outside my castle.But I couldn't believe the rest of the dream—that the wild men wouldn't come after him, or find him hiding in the bushes.I still stood where I was, motionless.Later, I found out that there were only three people chasing him, so I became more courageous.Especially I found that the savage ran much faster than the three men who pursued him, and left them farther and farther away.If he could run another half hour, he would be free of them all.This can't help but double my courage. Between them and my castle, there is a small river.This little river, I have mentioned many times in the beginning of this book; when I brought down the wreck, it was into the river and carried ashore.I could see clearly that the escaped wild man had to swim across the river, or he would be caught by the river. It was high tide at this time, and as soon as the escaped wild man reached the river, he jumped into the river without hesitation. , I swam across the river after only thirty or so strokes.As soon as he climbed onto the shore, he ran forward quickly.The three savages who followed him reached the river.Only two of them could swim, but the other could not, so we had to stand by the river and watch the other two swim across.After a while, he quietly went back alone.It really saved his life. I noticed that the two savages who could swim swam much more slowly than the savage who got away; it took them at least twice as long to swim across the river.At this moment, a strong and irresistible desire suddenly came to my mind: I want to find a servant, and now is the time; maybe I can find a companion, a helper.This is obviously God calling me to save the life of this poor creature!I immediately ran down the ladder, and took up my two guns, which, as I have mentioned, lay at the foot of the ladder.Then, he quickly climbed up the ladder, climbed over the top of the mountain, and ran to the sea.I took a short cut and ran down the hill, between the pursuers and the fugitives.I called out to the fleeing savage.He looked back, and at first seemed as frightened of me as he was of the savages who pursued him.But I summoned him with gestures, and at the same time I slowly went up to the two savages who were chasing up from behind.As they approached, I rushed up to a savage in front of me, and knocked him down with the barrel of my gun.I didn't want to shoot, lest the rest of the Wildlings hear the sound.In fact, at such a distance, it was difficult to hear the gunfire; even if they heard it faintly, they could not see the gunpowder smoke, so they would certainly not be able to figure out what was going on.After the first savage was knocked down by me, the savage who was chasing with him stopped, as if frightened.So I hurried to meet him again.When I was about to approach him, I saw that he was holding a bow and arrow in his hand, ready to draw the bow and shoot at me.I had to shoot him first, which killed him in one shot.The fleeing savage also stopped at this moment.The poor fellow was terrified by the sound and light of my guns, though he had seen both his enemies fall, and seemed to him certain death.He stood there, dumbstruck, neither advancing nor retreating, it seemed that he wanted to escape so much that he didn't dare to approach me. I shouted hello to him and gestured for him to come.He understood what I meant, took a few steps forward and stopped, and then walked a few steps and stopped.At this time, I saw him standing there, trembling all over.He thought he was my prisoner, to be killed like his two enemies.I waved to him again, telling him to come closer to me, and made various gestures to tell him not to be afraid.Then he walked forward slowly, kneeling down every ten or twenty steps, as if thanking me for saving his life.I smiled at him in an affable manner, and waved to him again and again, telling him to come closer.Finally, he walked up to me, knelt down again, kissed the ground, put his head on the ground again, and put my foot on his head, as if swearing to be my slave for life.I lifted him up, and was very kind to him, and tried to make him not to be afraid.But it's not over yet.I found that the savage I had shot down with the barrel of my gun was not dead.He was knocked unconscious by me just now, and now he is waking up.I pointed to the wild man to show him that he was not dead yet.After he read it, he murmured a few words to me.Although I didn't understand what he meant, it sounded particularly pleasing to me, because it was the first time in twenty-five years that I heard someone talking to me. Before, I could only hear myself talking to myself at most. sound.Of course, now is not the time for sentimentality.The downed savage was fully awake and sat up from the ground. I noticed that the savage I rescued looked a little frightened again, so I raised another gun and was ready to shoot.At this moment my savage (as I now call him) made a sign to lend him the unsheathed knife which hung at my side.So I gave him the knife.As soon as he got the knife, he rushed to his enemy, raised the knife, and cut off the wild man's head in a single stroke, with a crispness and cleanness better than that of a German executioner.This astonished me greatly, since, I can quite believe, the man had never seen a real knife in his life before this, except their own wooden knife.But now it seems that their wooden knives are also fast and sharp, and beheading and killing people can still kill people with one knife.I later learned that this is also true.Their knives are made of very hard wood, heavy and sharp.Besides, my savage cut off his enemy's head, and returned to me with a triumphant laugh.He first gave me back the knife, and then, with many inexplicable gestures, placed the wildling's head which he had decapitated at my feet. But what astonished him most was how I could kill another wildling from such a distance.He pointed to the corpse of the savage, and gestured for me to let him go and have a look.I also gestured, trying to make him understand that I agreed with him to go.He walked up to the dead man, stunned.He stared at the dead man, then turned the body over to see what was going on.He looked at the hole of the gun, and the bullet hit the wild man's chest just right, and made a hole there, but the blood flow was not much, because the man died immediately after being shot, and the blood flowed into the body.He took the savage's bow and came back to me, and I told him to follow me from this place.I told him with gestures that there might be more enemies chasing after him. After he understood what I meant, he gestured to bury the two bodies in sand, so that the savages who pursued them would not find the trace.I gestured to him to do so.He set to work at once, and within a short time he made a hole in the sand with his hands, just enough to bury a wild man.He dragged the body in and covered it with sand.Then it was brewed in the same way, and the body of the second savage was buried.I estimate that it took him only a quarter of an hour to bury the two bodies.Then, I told him to leave here with me.I did not take him to the castle, but to the cave on the other side of the island.I did this on purpose not to let my dream come true, because in the dream he ran and hid in the bushes outside the castle. When we were in the cave, I gave him some bread and a bunch of raisins, and gave him some water to drink.Because I saw him running for a long time, and he was already hungry and thirsty.After he finished eating and drinking, I pointed to another place and gestured for him to lie down and sleep.There was a pile of hay, and on top of it was a blanket on which I sometimes slept myself.So the poor fellow fell asleep as soon as he fell. The savage was handsome and handsome. His figure was short and fit, with straight and strong limbs, but he did not appear to be stout.He was tall and fit, and appeared to be about twenty-six years of age.His features were well-proportioned, and there was nothing hideous in his countenance, but there was a kind of masculine heroism in his face, and he also had the kindness of a European, which was more obvious when he smiled. His hair was black and long, but not curled like wool; his forehead was high and large, and his eyes were sharp and lively.His skin was not very dark, a little brown, but not a repulsive golden-brown like the complexions of Brazilians or Virginians or other natives of America, but a dark tea-blue, oily and smoky, and refreshing. Pleasant to the eye, kalpa is hard to describe in words.His face was round and plump, but his nose was small, but not as flat as the noses of ordinary blacks; his mouth was also well-shaped, with thin lips, and his teeth were flat and white, as white as ivory. .He didn't sleep soundly, in fact he only woke up after a half-hour nap.As soon as he awoke he ran out of the cave to find me, for I was milking the goats and my sheepfold was nearby.As soon as he saw me, he ran towards me, crawled on the ground, and made all kinds of gestures and strange postures to show his surrender and gratitude.Finally, he put his head on the ground again, next to my feet, and then, as before, put my other foot on his head, and after doing so, made various gestures of submission to me. Surrender, willing to be my slave and serve me for the rest of my life.I understand what he means.I told him I was very happy with him.Before long, I was talking to him and teaching him to talk to me.First, I told him that his name was "Friday" and that it was the day I saved his life, named that in honor of the day.I taught him to say "Master" and told him it was my name.I also taught him to say "yes" and "no" and tell him what those words mean.I took out a crock and put some goat's milk in it for him.I drank it first and showed him, and dipped the bread in the goat's milk and ate it.Then, I gave him a piece of bread, and told him to eat like me.He complied immediately and gestured to me that it was delicious. At night, I slept with him in the burrow all night.As soon as it was light, I asked him to go out with me, and told him that I would give him some clothes to wear.He looked very pleased when he understood what I meant, because he was naked and naked the entire time.As we passed the place where he had buried the two bodies, he showed me the place, and told me of the marks he had made.He gestured to me that he would dig up the corpse and eat it!I was very angry about this, and I told him that I hated the cruel behavior of cannibalism.I acted like I'd throw up at the thought of such a crime.Then, I waved to him and told him to go away immediately.He immediately followed me very tamely.I took him to the top of the hill to see if his enemy had gone.I took out the binoculars and saw at a glance where they gathered yesterday.But the savages and the canoes were gone.Evidently they went on board, and left their two companions on the island without even looking for them. I am not satisfied with this discovery.Now, my courage has doubled, and so has my curiosity.So I took Friday, my slave, to go over there to see what happened.I gave him a knife to hold in his hand, and he himself carried the bow and arrows on his back--I have learned that he is a good archer.In addition, I asked him to carry a gun for me, and I carried two guns for myself.Thus armed, we set out for the place where the savages gathered yesterday, as I was eager to obtain sufficient information about them.As soon as I got there, I was presented with a horrific scene. The blood in my veins became cold, and even my heart stopped beating.It was a horrible sight, at least to me, but it was nothing to Friday.There were dead bones and human flesh everywhere, and the blood stained the land; some of the large pieces of human flesh were half-eaten, some were chopped up, some were burnt, and they were scattered here and there.In short, there are traces of their human feast after defeating the enemy everywhere.I saw a total of three skeletons, five human hands, three or four leg and foot bones, and many other parts of the human body.Friday told me with signs that they had brought four captives here for a human feast, and three had been eaten.He is the fourth.Having said that, he also pointed to himself.He also told me that the wild men had had a great war with the new king of their tribe, of whom he himself was a subject.They also took a large number of captives on their side; and these captives were taken to different places to be killed and eaten, just as the wild men brought them here to be killed and eaten. I told Friday to gather all the skeletons, bones and flesh, and what the wildlings ate, and pile them up in a heap, and set them on fire and burn them all to ashes.I found that Friday still coveted those human flesh, and he did not change his cannibalistic nature.But I clearly showed an extreme abhorrence of cannibalism, let alone seeing such a thing, I didn't even want to think about it.I also tried to make him understand that if he dared to eat another bite of human flesh, I would kill him, which made him dare not express himself. When this was done, we went back to the castle.Once there, I get to work on what to wear for Friday.First, I gave him a pair of linen shorts.I found these shorts from the dead gunner's box on the wrecked ship.I have mentioned this matter before.The shorts were changed a little, they just fit him.Then I made him a vest out of sheepskin.I did my best to sew this vest.It should be said that my tailoring skills are quite good now.Also, I gave him a rabbit fur hat, which is very convenient and stylish.Now, his clothes are passable.He was very glad to see himself dressed almost as well as his master.说句实话，开始他刚穿上这些衣服时，深感行动不便；不但裤子穿起来感到很别扭，而且，背心的袖筒磨痛了他的肩膀和胳肢窝。后来我把那使他难受的地方略微放宽了一些，再加上对穿衣服也感到慢慢习惯了，他就喜欢上他的衣着了。 回到家里第二天，我就考虑怎样安置星期五的问题。我又要让他住得好，又要保证自己绝对安全。为此，我在两道围墙之间的空地上，给他搭了一个小小的帐篷，也就是说，这小帐篷搭在内墙之外，外墙之内。在内墙上本来就有一个入口通进山洞。因此，我在入口处做了个门柜和一扇木板门。门是从里面开的。一到晚上，我就把门从里面闩上，同时把梯子也收了进来。这样，如果星期五想通过内墙来到我身边，就必然会弄出许多声响，也就一定会把我惊醒。因为我在内墙和岩壁之间用长木条作椽子搭了一个屋顶，把我的帐篷完全遮盖了起来。椽子上又横搭了许多小木条，上面盖了一层厚厚的、像芦苇一样结实的稻草。在我用梯子爬进爬出的地方，又装了一个后门。从外面把门打开，是绝对不可能的，这样做，活门就会自动落下来，从而发出很大的声响。此外，我每夜都把武器放在身边，以备不时之需。 其实，对星期五，我根本用不着采取任何防范措施。任何其他人都不可能有像星期五这样忠诚老实、听话可爱的仆人。他没有脾气，性格开朗，不怀鬼胎，对我又顺从又热心。 他对我的感情，就像孩子对父亲的感情，一往情深。我可以说，无论何时何地，他都宁愿牺牲自己的生命来保护我。后来，他的许多表现都证明了这一点，并使我对此毫不怀疑。因此，我深信，对他我根本不用防备。 这不由得使我经常想到，上帝对世事的安排，自有其天意，在其对自己所创造的万物的治理中，一方面他剥夺了世界上许多生物的才干和良知，另一方面，他照样赋予他们与我们文明人同样的能力，同样的理性，同样的感情，同样的善心和责任感，也赋予他们同样的嫉恶如仇的心理；他们与我们一样知道感恩图报，诚恳待人，忠贞不渝，相互为善。而且，当上帝给他们机会表现这些才干和良知时，他们和我们一样，立即把上帝赋予他们的才干和良知发挥出来做各种好事，甚至可以说比我们自己发挥得更充分。对此，我不能不感到惊讶。同时，想到这些，我又感到有些悲哀，因为许多事实证明，我们文明人在发挥这些才干和良知方面，反而显得非常卑劣。尽管我们不仅有能力，而且，我们受到上帝的教诲，上帝的圣灵和上帝的语言的启示，这使我们能有更深刻的认识。同时，我也感到奇怪，为什么上帝不给这成千上百万的生灵以同样的教诲和启示，使他们懂得赎罪的道理。我觉得，如果我以这可怜的野人作为判断的依据，那么，他们实在能比我们文明人做得更好。 关于这些问题，我有时甚至会想过头，以至冒犯了上帝的统治权，认为他对世事的安排欠公正，因为他把他的教诲赐予了一部分人，而不赐予另一部分人，但却又要这两部分人负起同样的义务。但我终于打消了这种想法，并得出了以下的结论：第一，我们不知道上帝根据什么神意和律法来给这些人定罪。上帝既然是神，他必然是无限神圣，无限公正的。假如上帝作出判决，不把他的教诲赐给这些人，那一定是因为他们违反了上帝的教诲，也就是违反了《圣经》上所说的他们自己的律法；而上帝的判决，也是以他们的良心所承认的法则为标准的，虽然这些法则所依据的原则还没有被我们了解。第二，上帝就像陶匠，我们都是陶匠手里的陶土；没有一样陶器可以对陶匠说："你为什么把我做成这个样子？"现在再来谈谈我的新伙伴吧。我对他非常满意，并决定教会他做各种各样的事情，使他成为我有用的助手，特别是要教会他说英语，并听懂我说的话。他非常善于学习，尤其是学习时总是兴致勃勃，勤勤恳恳；每当他听懂了我的话，或是我听懂了他的话，他就欢天喜地，十分高兴。因此，与他谈话对我来说实在是一件乐事。现在，我生活变得顺心多了。 我甚至对自己说，只要不再碰到那批食人生番，哪怕永远不离开这个地方，我也不在乎。 回到城堡两三天之后，我觉得应该戒掉星期五那种可怕的吃相，尤其是要戒掉他吃人的习惯。为此，我想应该让他尝尝别的肉类的味道。所以，一天早晨，我带他到树林里去。 我原来想从自己的羊圈里选一只小羊，把它杀了带回家煮了吃。可是，走到半路上，我发现有一只母羊躺在树荫下，身边还有两只小羊坐在那儿。我一把扯住星期五，并对他说："站住别动。"同时打手势，叫他不要动。接着我举起枪，开枪打死了一只小羊。可怜的星期五上次曾看到我用枪打死了他的敌人，但当时他站在远处，弄不清是怎么回事，也想象不出我是怎样把他的敌人打死的。可这一次他看到我开枪，着实吃惊不少；他浑身颤抖，简直吓呆了，差一点瘫倒在地上。 他既没有去看我开枪射击的那只小羊，也没有看到我已把小羊打死了，只顾扯开他自己的背心，在身上摸来摸去，看看自己有没有受伤。原来他以为我要杀死他。他跑到我跟前，扑通一声跪下来抱住我的双腿，嘴里叽哩咕噜说了不少话，我都不懂。但我不难明白他的意思，那就是求我不要杀他。 我马上想出办法使他相信，我决不会伤害他。我一面用手把他从地上扶起来，一面哈哈大笑，并用手指着那打死的小羊，叫他跑过去把它带回来。他马上跑过去了。他在那里查看小山羊是怎样被打死的，并感到百思不得其解。这时我趁此机会重新把枪装上了子弹。不久，我看见一只大鸟，样子像一只苍鹰，正落在我射程内的一棵树上。为了让星期五稍稍明白我是怎样开枪的，就叫他来到我跟前。我用手指了指那只鸟——现在我看清了，其实那是一只鹦鹉，而我原先把它当作苍鹰了。我刚才说了，我用手指了指那只鹦鹉，又指了指自己的枪和鹦鹉身子底下的地方，意思是说，我要开枪把那只鸟打下来。于是，我开了枪了，并叫他仔细看好。他立即看到那鹦鹉掉了下来。他再次吓得站在那里呆住了，尽管我事先已把事情给他交待清楚了。尤其使他感到惊讶的是，他没有看到我事先把弹药装到枪里去，因此就以为枪里一定有什么神奇的致命的东西，可以把人哪，鸟哪，野兽哪，以及远远近近的任何生物都杀死。他这种惊讶好久好久都不能消失。我相信，如果我让他这样下去，他一定会把我和我的枪当神一样来崇拜呢！至于那支枪，事后好几天，他连碰都不敢碰它，还经常一个人唠唠叨叨地跟它说话谈天，仿佛枪会回答他似的。后来我才从他口里知道，他是在祈求那支枪不要杀害他。 当时，我等他的惊讶心情略微平静下来之后，就用手指了指那只鸟掉下去的地方，叫他跑过去把鸟取来。于是他去了好半天才回来。原来那只鹦鹉还没有一下子死掉，落下来之后，又拍着翅膀挣扎了一阵子，扑腾到别处去了。可是星期五还是把它找到了，并取来给了我。我见他对我的枪感到神秘莫测，就趁他去取鸟的机会重新装上弹药，并不让他看见我是怎样装弹药的，以便碰到任何其他目标时可以随时开枪。可是，后来没有碰到任何可以值得开枪的目标，就只把那只小羊带回了家。当晚我就把它剥皮，把肉切好。我本来就有一只专门煮肉的罐子，就把一部分肉放到里面煮起来，做成了鲜美的羊肉汤。我先吃了一点，然后也给了点他吃。他吃了之后，感到非常高兴，并表示很喜欢吃。但最使他感到奇怪的是，他看到我在肉和肉汤里放盐。他向我做手势，表示盐不好吃。他把一点盐放在嘴里，做出作呕的样子，呸呸地吐了一阵子，又赶紧用清水嗽了嗽口。我也拿了一块没有放盐的肉放在嘴里，也假装呸呸地吐了一阵子，表示没有盐肉就吃不下去，正像他有盐吃不下去一样。但这没有用。他就是不喜欢在肉里或汤里放盐。过了很长一段时间之后，他也只是放很少一点盐。 吃过煮羊肉和羊肉汤之后，我决定第二天请他吃烤羊肉。 我按照英国的烤法，在火的两边各插一根有叉的木竿，上面再搭上一根横竿，再用绳子把肉吊在横竿上，让它不断转动。 星期五对我这种烤肉方法十分惊异。但当他尝了烤羊肉的味道后，用各种方法告诉我他是多么爱吃这种味道；我当然不可能不了解他的意思。最后，他告诉我，他从此之后再也不吃人肉了。听到他讲这句话，我感到非常高兴。 第二天，我叫他去打谷，并把谷筛出来。筛谷的办法我前面已提到过了，我让他照着我的办法做。不久，他打谷筛谷就做得和我一样好，尤其是当他懂得这项工作的意义后，干得更卖力。因为我等他打完谷之后，就让他看看我做面包、烤面包。这时，他就明白，打谷是为了做面包用的。没多久，他也能做面包、烤面包了，而且做得和我一样好。 这时，我也考虑到，现在既然添了一张嘴吃饭，就得多开一点地，多种一点粮食。于是，我又划了一块较大的地，像以前一样把地圈起来。星期五对这工作干得又主动，又卖力，而且干起活来总是高高兴兴的。我又把这项工作的意义告诉他，使他知道现在添了他这个人，就得多种些粮食，多做些面包，这样才够我们两个人吃。他似乎很能领会这个意思，并表示他知道，我为他干的活比为我自己干的活还多。所以，只要告诉他怎么干，他一定会尽心竭力地去干。 这是我来到荒岛上度过的最愉快的一年。星期五的英语已说得相当不错了，也差不多完全能明白我要他拿的每一样东西的名称和我差他去的每一个地方，而且，还喜欢一天到晚跟我谈话。以前，我很少有机会说话；现在，我的舌头终于又可以用来说话了。我与他谈话真是快乐无比。不仅如此，我对他的人品也特别满意。相处久了，我越来越感到他是多么地天真诚实，我真的打从心底里喜欢上了他。同时，我也相信，他爱我胜过爱任何人。 有一次，我有心想试试他，看他是否还怀念自己的故乡。 这时，我觉得他英语已讲得相当不错了，几乎能回答我提出的任何问题。我问他，他的部族是否在战争中从不打败仗。听了我的问题，他笑了。他回答说："是的，是的，我们一直打得比人家好。"他的意思是说，在战斗中，他们总是占优势。 由此，我们开始了下面的对话："你们一直打得比人家好，"我说，"那你怎么会被抓住当了俘虏呢，星期五？"星期五：我被抓了，但我的部族打赢了。 主人：怎么打赢的呢？如果你的部族打赢了，你怎么会被他们抓住呢？ 星期五：在我打仗的地方，他们的人比我们多。他们抓住了一个、两个、三个，还有我。在另一个地方，我的部族打败了他们。那儿，我们抓了他们一两千人。 主人：可是，你们的人为什么不把你们救回去呢？ 星期五：他们把一个、两个、三个，还有我，一起放到独木舟上逃跑了。我们的部族那时正好没有独木舟。 主人：那么，星期五，你们的部族怎么处置抓到的人呢？他们是不是也把俘虏带到一个地方，像你的那些敌人那样，把他们杀了吃掉？ 星期五：是的，我们的部族也吃人肉，把他们统统吃光。 主人：他们把人带到哪儿去了？ 星期五：带到别的地方去了，他们想去的地方。 主人：他们到这个岛上来过吗？ 星期五：是的，是的，他们来过。也到别的地方去。 主人：你跟他们来过这儿吗？ 星期五：是的，我来过这儿（他用手指了指岛的西北方。看来，那是他们常去的地方。）。 通过这次谈话，我了解到，我的仆人星期五，以前也经常和那些生番一起，在岛的另一头上岸，干那吃人的勾当，就像他这一次被带到岛上来，差一点也给别的生番吃掉。过了几天后，我鼓起勇气，把他带到岛的那一头，也就是我前面提到过的那地方。他马上认出了那地方。他告诉我，他到过这地方一次，吃了二十个男人、两个女人和一个小孩。他还不会用英语数到二十，所以用了许多石块在地上排成了长长的一行，用手指了指那行石块告诉我这个数字。 我把这一段谈话叙述出来，是因为它与下面的事情有关。 那就是，在我与他谈过这次话之后，我就问他，小岛离大陆究竟有多远，独木舟是否经常出事？他告诉我没有任何危险，独木舟也从未出过事。但在离小岛不远处，有一股急流和风，上午是一个方向，下午又是一个方向。 起初我还以为这不过是潮水的关系，有时往外流，有时往里流。后来我才弄明白，那是由于那条叫作奥里诺科河①的大河倾泻入海，形成回流之故。而我们的岛，刚好是在该河的一处入海口上。我在西面和西北面看到的陆地，正是一个大岛，叫特里尼达岛，正好在河口的北面。我向星期五提出了无数的问题，问到这一带的地形、居民、海洋、海岸，以及附近居住着什么民族。他毫无保留地把他所知道的一切都告诉了我，态度十分坦率。我又问他，他们这个民族分成多少部落，叫什么名字。可问来问去只问出一个名字，就是加勒比人。于是我马上明白，他所说的是加勒比群岛，在我们的地图上，是属于美洲地区；这些群岛从奥里诺科河河口，一直延伸到圭亚那，再延伸到圣马大。他指着我的胡子对我说，在月落的地方，离这儿很远很远，也就是说，在他们国土的西面。住着许多像我这样有胡子的白人。又说，他们在那边杀了很多很多的人。从他的话里，我明白他指的是西班牙人。他们在美洲的杀人暴行在各民族中臭名远扬，并且在这些民族中世代相传。 我问他能不能告诉我怎样才能从这个岛上到那些白人那边去。他对我说："是的，是的，可以坐两只独木船去。"我不明白"坐两只独木舟去"是什么意思，也无法使他说明"两只独木船"的意思。到最后，费了好大的劲，我才弄清楚他的意思。原来是要用一只很大很大的船，要像两只独木船那样大。 星期五的谈话使我很感兴趣。从那时期，我就抱着一种希望，但愿有一天能有机会从这个荒岛上逃出去，并指望这个可怜的野人能帮助我达到目的。 现在，星期五与我在一起生活了相当长一段时间了，他渐渐会和我谈话了，也渐渐听得懂我的话了。在这段时间里，我经常向他灌输一些宗教知识。特别有一次，我问他：他是谁创造出来的？这可怜的家伙一点也不明白我的意思，以为是我在问他谁是他的父亲。我就换一个方法问他：大海，我们行走的大地、高山、树林，都是谁创造出来的？他告诉我，是一位叫贝纳木基的老人创造出来的，这位老人住在很远很远的地方。但无法告诉我这位伟大的老人究竟是怎么样的一个人，只是说他年纪很大很大，比大海和陆地、月亮和星星年纪都大。我又问他："既然这位老人家创造了万物，万物为什么不崇拜他呢？"他脸上马上显出既庄重又天真的神气说："万物都对他说哦。"于是我又问他：在他们国家里，人死之后都到什么地方去了？他说："是的，都到贝纳木基老人那里去了。"接着我又问他：他们吃掉的人是不是也到那里去了？ 他说："是的。" 从这些事情入手，我逐渐教导他，使他认识真正的神是上帝。我指着天空对他说，万物的伟大创造者就住在天上，并告诉他，上帝用神力和神意创造了世界，治理着世界。我还告诉他，上帝是万能的，他能为我们做任何事情，他能把一切都赐予我们，也能把一切从我们手里夺走。就这样，我逐渐使他睁开了眼睛。他专心致志地听我讲，并且很乐意接受我向他灌输的观念：基督是被派来替我们赎罪的。他也乐意学着向上帝祈祷，并知道，上帝在天上能听到他的祈祷。有一天，他对我说，上帝能从比太阳更远的地方听到我们的话，他必然是比贝纳木基更伟大的神。因为贝纳木基住的地方不算太远，可他却听不到他们的话，除非他们到他住的那座山里去向他谈话。我问他：他可曾去过那儿与他谈过话？他说：没有，青年人从来不去，只有那些被称为奥乌卡儿的老人才去。经过他解释，我才知道，所谓奥乌卡儿，就是他们部族的祭司或僧侣。据他说，他们到那儿去说"哦"，（他说，这是他们的祈祷。）然后就回来，把贝纳木基的话告诉他们。从星期五的话里，我可以推断，即使是世界上最盲目无知的邪教徒中，也存在着祭司制度；同时，我也发现，把宗教神秘化，从而使人们能敬仰神职人员，这种做法不仅存在于罗马天主教，也存在于世界上一切宗教，甚至也存在于最残忍、最野蛮的野人中间。 我竭力向我的仆人星期五揭发这一骗局。我告诉他，那些老人假装到山里去对贝纳木基说"哦"，完全是骗人的把戏。 他们说他们把贝纳木基的话带回来，更是骗人的诡计。我对他说，假如他们在那儿真的听到什么，真的在那边同什么人谈过话，那也一定是魔鬼。然后，我用很长的时间跟他谈魔鬼的问题：魔鬼的来历，他对上帝的反叛，他对人类的仇恨及其原因，他怎样统治着世界最黑暗的地方，叫人像礼拜上帝一样礼拜他，以及他怎样用种种阴谋诡计诱惑人类走上绝路，又怎样偷偷潜入我们的情欲和感情，迎合着我们的心理来安排他的陷阱，使我们自己诱惑自己，甘心走上灭亡的道路。 我发现，让他对上帝的存在获得正确的观念还算容易，但要使他对魔鬼有正确的认识，就不那么容易了。我可以根据许多自然现象向他证明，天地间必须要有一个最高的主宰，一种统治一切的力量，一种冥冥中的引导者，并向他证明，崇敬我们自己的创造者，是完全公正合理的，如此等等，不一而足。可是，关于魔鬼的观念，他的起源，他的存在，他的本性，特别是他一心作恶并引诱人类作恶的意图等等，我却找不出现成的证明。因此，有一次，这可怜的家伙向我提出了一个又自然又天真的问题，就一下子把我难住了，简直不知怎样回答他才好。在此以前，我一直跟他谈关于上帝的问题：上帝的权威，上帝的全知全能，上帝嫉恶如仇的本性，以及他怎样用烈火烧死那些奸恶不义之徒。关于这些问题，我同他谈得很多。我还向他谈到，上帝既然创造了万物，他也可以在一刹那间把全世界和我们全人类都毁灭。在我谈话的时候，他总是非常认真地听着。 然后，我又告诉他，在人们心里，魔鬼是上帝的敌人。他一贯心存恶意，使尽阴谋诡计来破坏上帝善良的计划，试图毁灭世界上的基督天国等等。于是，星期五说："你说，上帝是强大的，伟大的，他不是比魔鬼更强大、更有力吗？""是的，是的，"我说，"星期五，上帝比魔鬼更强大，上帝高于魔鬼。因此，我们应该祈祷上帝，使我们有力量把魔鬼踩在我们的脚下，并使我们有力量抵制他的诱惑，扑灭他的火箭。""可是，""星期五又问，"既然上帝比魔鬼更强大、更有力，为什么上帝不把魔鬼杀死，免得他再作恶事呢？"他这个问题大大出乎我意料之外。因为，尽管我现在年纪已很大了，但作为一个教导别人的老师，却资历很浅，我不善于解决道德良心的问题，也不够资格辩难决疑。我一时不知怎么回答他才好，就只好装作没听清他的话，问他说的是什么。可是，星期五是十分认真的，当然不会忘记他的问题，所以又把刚才提的问题用英语结结巴巴地重复了一遍。这时，我已略略恢复了镇静，就回答他说："上帝最终将严惩魔鬼，魔鬼必定受到审判，并将被投入无底的深渊，经受地狱之火的熬炼，永世不得翻身。"这个回答当然不能使星期五满意，他用我的话回问我："最终、必定，我不懂。但是，为什么不现在就把魔鬼杀掉？为什么不老早就把魔鬼杀掉？"我回答说："你这样问我，就等于问为什么上帝不把你和我杀掉，因为，我们也犯了罪，得罪了上帝。上帝留着我们，是让我们自己有机会忏悔，有机会获得赦免。"他把我的话想了好半天，最后，他显得很激动，并对我说："对啦，对啦，你、我、魔鬼都有罪，上帝留着我们，是让我们忏悔，让我们都获得赦免。"谈到这里，我又被他弄得十分尴尬。他的这些话使我充分认识到，虽然天赋的观念可以使一般有理性的人认识上帝，可以使他们自然而然地对至高无上的上帝表示崇拜和敬礼，然而，要认识到耶稣基督，要认识到他曾经替我们赎罪，认识到他是我们同上帝之间所立的新约的中间人，认识到他是我们在上帝宝座前的仲裁者，那就非要神的启示不可。这就是说，只有神的启示，才能使我们在灵魂里形成这些认识。 因此，只有救主耶稣的普渡众生的福音，只有上帝的语言和上帝的圣灵，才能成为人类灵魂绝对不可少的引导者，帮助我们认识上帝拯救人类的道理，以及我们获救的方法。 因此，我马上把我和星期五之间的谈话岔到别的事情上去。我匆匆忙忙站起来，仿佛突然想到一件什么要紧的事情，必须出去一下。同时，我又找了一个借口，把他差到一个相当远的地方去办件什么事。等他走后，我就十分挚诚地祷告上帝，祈求他赐予我教导这个可怜的野人的好方法，祈求他用他的圣灵帮助这可怜无知的人从基督身上接受上帝的真理，和基督结合在一起；同时期求他指导我用上帝的语言同这个野人谈话，以便使这可怜的家伙心悦诚服，睁开眼睛，灵魂得救。当星期五从外面回来时，我又同他进行了长时间的谈话，谈到救世主耶稣代人赎罪的事，谈到从天上来的福音的道理，也就是说，谈到向上帝忏悔、信仰救主耶稣等这一类事情。然后，我又尽可能向他解释，为什么我们的救主不以天使的身份出现，而降世为亚伯拉罕的后代，为什么那些被贬谪的天使不能替人类赎罪，以及耶稣的降生是为了挽救迷途的以色列人等等道理。 事实上，在教导他的时候，我所采用的方法，诚意多于知识。同时，我也必须承认，在向他说明这些道理时，我自己在不少问题上也获得了很多知识；这些问题有的我过去自己也不了解，有的我过去思考得不多，现在因为要教导星期五，自然而然地进行了深入的思考。我想，凡是诚心帮助别人的人，都会有这种边教边学的体会。我感到自己现在探讨这些问题的热情比以前更大了。所以，不管这个可怜的野人将来对我是否有帮助，我也应该感谢他的出现。现在，我不再像以前那样整日愁眉苦脸了，生活也逐渐愉快起来。每当我想到，在这种孤寂的生活中，我不但自己靠近了上帝，靠近了造物主，而且还受到了上帝的启示，去挽救一个可怜的野人的生命和灵魂，使他认识了基督教这一唯一正宗的宗教和基督教义的真谛，使他认识了耶稣基督，而认识耶稣基督就意味着获得永生。每当想到这里，我的灵魂便充满快乐，这是一种真正内心感觉到的欢愉。现在我觉得我能流落到这荒岛上来，实在是一件值得庆幸的事，而在此之前，我却认为是我生平最大的灾难呢！