About the product
Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe was first published in April 1719. The work gave rise to the development of the classic English novel and made the pseudo-documentary genre of fiction popular.
The plot of The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is based on the true story of boatswain Alexander Selkirk, who lived on a desert island for four years. Defoe rewrote the book many times, giving its final version a philosophical meaning - Robinson's story became an allegorical depiction of human life as such.
On our website you can read a chapter-by-chapter summary of Robinson Crusoe, compiled from the edition translated by Korney Chukovsky.
The material was prepared jointly with the highest category teacher Lyubov Alexandrovna Koroshchup.
Experience as a teacher of Russian language and literature - 30 years.
Where did Robinson come from?
The plot of “Robinson Crusoe” fell on prepared ground. During Defoe's lifetime, the story of the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was widely known, who, after a quarrel with his captain, spent just over four years on the island of Mas a Tierra in the Pacific Ocean, 640 km from the coast of Chile (now this island is called Robinson Crusoe). Returning to England, he repeatedly spoke in pubs about his adventures and eventually became the subject of a sensational essay by Richard Steele (who, in particular, noted that Selkirk was a good storyteller). Taking a closer look at the history of Selkirk, Defoe, however, replaced the island in the Pacific Ocean with an island in the Caribbean Sea, since there was much more information about this region in the sources available to him.
Engraving. Jean Granville
The second probable source of the plot is “The Tale of Haya, son of Yakzan...” by the 12th century Arab author Ibn Tufail. This is a philosophical novel (again, as far as this term can be applied to a medieval Arabic book) about a hero who has lived on an island since infancy. Either he was sent by his sinful mother across the sea in a chest and thrown onto the island (an obvious allusion to stories from the Old Testament and the Koran), or he “spontaneously generated” from clay already there (both versions are given in the book). Then the hero was fed by a gazelle, learned everything on his own, subjugated the world around him and learned to think abstractly. The book was translated into Latin in 1671 (as “The Self-Taught Philosopher”), and in 1708 into English (as “The Improvement of the Human Mind”). This novel influenced European philosophy (for example, J. Locke) and literature (the type of narrative that the Germans in the 19th century would call the “novel of education”).
Defoe also saw a lot of interesting things in him. The plot of understanding the surrounding world and conquering nature went well with the new Enlightenment idea of a person who intelligently arranges his life. True, the hero of Ibn Tufail acts without knowing anything about civilization; Robinson, on the contrary, being a civilized person, reproduces the signs of civilization in his own country. From the half-sunken ship, he takes three Bibles, navigational instruments, weapons, gunpowder, clothes, a dog and even money (though they were useful only at the end of the novel). He did not forget the language, prayed daily and consistently observed religious holidays, built a fortress house, a fence, made furniture, a tobacco pipe, began to sew clothes, keep a diary, started a calendar, began to use the usual measures of weight, length, volume, and established a daily routine : “In the foreground were religious duties and the reading of the Holy Scriptures... The second of the daily tasks was hunting... The third was the sorting, drying and cooking of killed or caught game.”
Here, perhaps, you can see Defoe’s main ideological message (it exists, despite the fact that the book about Robinson was clearly written and published as a commercial, sensational one): a modern man of the third estate, relying on his reason and experience, is able to independently arrange his life in complete harmony with the achievements of civilization. This author’s idea fits well with the ideology of the Age of Enlightenment with its acceptance of Cartesian epistemology (“I think, therefore I am”), Lockean empiricism (a person receives all the material of reasoning and knowledge from experience) and a new idea of the active personality, rooted in Protestant ethics. The latter is worth looking into in more detail.
Summary
Chapter 1
From early childhood, Robinson loved the sea more than anything in the world and dreamed of long voyages. The boy's parents did not like this very much, as they wanted a calmer, happier life for their son. His father wanted him to become an important official.
However, the thirst for adventure was stronger, so on September 1, 1651, Robinson, who was eighteen years old at that time, without asking permission from his parents, and a friend boarded a ship departing from Hull to London.
Chapter 2
On the first day the ship was caught in a strong storm. Robinson felt bad and scared from the strong motion. He swore a thousand times that if everything worked out, he would return to his father and never swim in the sea again. However, the ensuing calm and a glass of punch helped Robinson quickly forget about all the “good intentions.”
The sailors were confident in the reliability of their ship, so they spent all their days having fun. On the ninth day of the voyage, a terrible storm broke out in the morning and the ship began to leak. A passing ship threw a boat at them, and in the evening they managed to escape. Robinson was ashamed to return home, so he decided to set sail again.
Chapter 3
In London, Robinson met a respectable elderly captain. A new acquaintance invited Crusoe to go with him to Guinea. During the journey, the captain taught Robinson shipbuilding, which was very useful for the hero in the future. In Guinea, Crusoe managed to profitably exchange the trinkets he brought for gold sand.
After the captain's death, Robinson went to Africa again. This time the journey was less successful: on the way, their ship was attacked by pirates - Turks from Saleh. Robinson was captured by the captain of a robber ship, where he remained for almost three years. Finally, he had a chance to escape - the robber sent Crusoe, the boy Xuri and the Moor to fish in the sea. Robinson took with him everything he needed for a long voyage and on the way threw the Moor into the sea.
Robinson was on his way to Cape Verde, hoping to meet a European ship.
Chapter 4
After many days of sailing, Robinson had to go ashore and ask the savages for food. The man thanked them by killing a leopard with a gun. The savages gave him the skin of the animal.
Soon the travelers met a Portuguese ship. On it Robinson reached Brazil.
Chapter 5
The captain of the Portuguese ship kept Xuri with him, promising to make him a sailor. Robinson lived in Brazil for four years, farming sugar cane and producing sugar. Somehow, familiar merchants suggested that Robinson travel to Guinea again.
“In an evil hour” - on September 1, 1659, he stepped onto the deck of the ship. “It was the same day on which eight years ago I ran away from my father’s house and so madly ruined my youth.”
On the twelfth day, a strong squall hit the ship. The bad weather lasted twelve days, their ship sailed wherever the waves drove it. When the ship ran aground, the sailors had to transfer to a boat. However, four miles later, an “angry wave” capsized their ship.
Robinson was washed ashore by a wave. He was the only one of the crew to survive. The hero spent the night on a tall tree.
Chapter 6
In the morning Robinson saw that their ship had washed closer to the shore. Using spare masts, topmasts and yards, the hero made a raft, on which he transported planks, chests, food supplies, a box of carpentry tools, weapons, gunpowder and other necessary things to the shore.
Returning to land, Robinson realized that he was on a desert island. He built himself a tent from sails and poles, surrounding it with empty boxes and chests for protection from wild animals. Every day Robinson swam to the ship, taking things that he might need. At first Crusoe wanted to throw away the money he found, but then, after thinking about it, he left it. After Robinson visited the ship for the twelfth time, a storm carried the ship out to sea.
Soon Crusoe found a convenient place to live - in a small smooth clearing on the slope of a high hill. Here the hero pitched a tent, surrounding it with a fence of high stakes, which could only be overcome with the help of a ladder.
Chapter 7
Behind the tent, Robinson dug a cave in the hill that served as his cellar. Once, during a severe thunderstorm, the hero was afraid that one lightning strike could destroy all his gunpowder, and after that he put it into different bags and stored it separately. Robinson discovers that there are goats on the island and begins to hunt them.
Chapter 8
In order not to lose track of time, Crusoe created a simulated calendar - he drove a large log into the sand, on which he marked the days with notches. Along with his things, the hero transported two cats and a dog that lived with him from the ship.
Among other things, Robinson found ink and paper and took notes for some time. “At times I was attacked by despair, I experienced mortal melancholy, in order to overcome these bitter feelings, I took up a pen and tried to prove to myself that there was still a lot of good in my plight.”
Over time, Crusoe dug a back door in the hill and made furniture for himself.
Chapter 9
From September 30, 1659, Robinson kept a diary, describing everything that happened to him on the island after the shipwreck.
To dig the cellar, the hero made a shovel from “iron” wood. One day there was a collapse in his “cellar”, and Robinson began to firmly strengthen the walls and ceiling of the recess.
Soon Crusoe managed to tame the kid. While wandering around the island, the hero discovered wild pigeons. He tried to tame them, but as soon as the chicks' wings became stronger, they flew away. Robinson made a lamp from goat fat, which, unfortunately, burned very dimly.
After the rains, Crusoe discovered seedlings of barley and rice (shaking bird food onto the ground, he thought that all the grains had been eaten by rats). The hero carefully collected the harvest, deciding to leave it for sowing. Only in the fourth year could he afford to separate some of the grain for food.
After a strong earthquake, Robinson realizes that he needs to find another place to live, away from the cliff.
Chapter 10
The waves washed the wreckage of the ship onto the island, and Robinson gained access to its hold. On the shore, the hero discovered a large turtle, whose meat replenished his diet.
When the rains began, Crusoe fell ill and developed a severe fever. I was able to recover with tobacco tincture and rum.
While exploring the island, the hero finds sugar cane, melons, wild lemons, and grapes. He dried the latter in the sun to prepare raisins for future use. In a blooming green valley, Robinson arranges a second home for himself - a “dacha in the forest.” Soon one of the cats brought three kittens.
Robinson learned to accurately divide the seasons into rainy and dry. During rainy periods he tried to stay at home.
Chapter 11
During one of the rainy periods, Robinson learned to weave baskets, which he really missed. Crusoe decided to explore the entire island and discovered a strip of land on the horizon. He realized that this was a part of South America where wild cannibals probably lived, and he was glad that he was on a desert island. Along the way, Crusoe caught a young parrot, which he later taught to speak some words. There were many turtles and birds on the island, even penguins were found here.
Chapter 12
To preserve the grain harvest, Crusoe fenced the field with wattle fence. The birds that were pecking at the ripe ears were scared away by their dead relatives.
Chapter 13
Robinson got hold of good pottery clay, from which he made dishes and dried them in the sun. Once the hero discovered that pots could be fired in a fire - this became a pleasant discovery for him, since now he could store water in the pot and cook food in it.
To bake the bread, Robinson made a wooden mortar and a makeshift oven out of clay tablets. Thus passed his third year on the island.
Chapter 14
All this time, Robinson was haunted by thoughts about the land he saw from the shore. The hero decides to repair the boat, which was thrown ashore during the shipwreck. The updated boat sank to the bottom, but he could not launch it. Then Robinson set about making a pirogue from a cedar tree trunk. He managed to make an excellent boat, however, just like the boat, he could not launch it.
The fourth year of Crusoe's stay on the island has ended. His ink had run out and his clothes were worn out. Robinson sewed three jackets from sailor peacoats, a hat, jacket and pants from the skins of killed animals, and made an umbrella from the sun and rain.
Chapter 15
Robinson built a small boat to go around the island by sea. Rounding the underwater rocks, Crusoe swam far from the shore and fell into the current of the sea, which carried him further and further. However, soon the current weakened and Robinson managed to return to the island, which he was infinitely happy about.
Chapter 16
In the eleventh year of Robinson's stay on the island, his supplies of gunpowder began to deplete. Not wanting to give up meat, the hero decided to come up with a way to catch wild goats alive. With the help of "wolf pits" Crusoe managed to catch an old goat and three kids. Since then he started raising goats.
“I lived like a real king, not needing anything; Next to me there was always a whole staff of courtiers [tamed animals] devoted to me - not only people.”
Chapter 17
Once Robinson discovered a human footprint on the shore. “In terrible anxiety, not feeling the ground under my feet, I hurried home, to my fortress.” Crusoe hid at home and spent the whole night thinking about how a man ended up on the island. Calming himself, Robinson even began to think that it was his own trail. However, when he returned to the same place, he saw that the footprint was much larger than his foot.
In fear, Crusoe wanted to loose all the cattle and dig up both fields, but then he calmed down and changed his mind. Robinson realized that savages come to the island only sometimes, so it is important for him to simply not catch their eye. For additional security, Crusoe drove stakes into the gaps between the previously densely planted trees, thus creating a second wall around his home. He planted the entire area behind the outer wall with willow-like trees. Two years later, a grove grew green around his house.
Chapter 18
Two years later, on the western part of the island, Robinson discovered that savages regularly sailed here and held cruel feasts, eating people. Fearing that he might be discovered, Crusoe tried not to shoot, began to light the fire with caution, and acquired charcoal, which produces almost no smoke when burning.
While searching for coal, Robinson found a vast grotto, which he made his new storeroom. “It was already the twenty-third year of my stay on the island.”
Chapter 19
One day in December, leaving the house at dawn, Robinson noticed the flames of a fire on the shore - the savages had staged a bloody feast. Watching the cannibals from a telescope, he saw that with the tide they sailed from the island.
Fifteen months later, a ship sailed near the island. Robinson burned a fire all night, but in the morning he discovered that the ship had been wrecked.
Chapter 20
Robinson took a boat to the wrecked ship, where he found a dog, gunpowder and some necessary things.
Crusoe lived for two more years “in complete contentment, without knowing hardship.” “But all these two years I only thought about how I could leave my island.” Robinson decided to save one of those whom the cannibals brought to the island as a sacrifice, so that the two of them could escape to freedom. However, the savages appeared again only a year and a half later.
Chapter 21
Six Indian pirogues landed on the island. The savages brought with them two prisoners. While they were busy with the first one, the second one started to run away. Three people were chasing the fugitive, Robinson shot two with a gun, and the third was killed by the fugitive himself with a saber. Crusoe beckoned the frightened fugitive to him.
Robinson took the savage to the grotto and fed him. “He was a handsome young man, tall, well-built, his arms and legs were muscular, strong and at the same time extremely graceful; He looked about twenty-six years old.” The savage showed Robinson with all possible signs that from that day on he would serve him all his life.
Crusoe began to gradually teach him the necessary words. First of all, he said that he would call him Friday (in memory of the day on which he saved his life), taught him the words “yes” and “no”. The savage offered to eat his killed enemies, but Crusoe showed that he was terribly angry at this desire.
Friday became a real comrade for Robinson - “never has a single person had such a loving, such a faithful and devoted friend.”
Chapter 22
Robinson took Friday with him hunting as an assistant, teaching the savage to eat animal meat. Friday began helping Crusoe with the housework. When the savage learned the basics of English, he told Robinson about his tribe. The Indians, from whom he managed to escape, defeated Friday's native tribe.
Crusoe asked his friend about the surrounding lands and their inhabitants - the peoples who live on the neighboring islands. As it turns out, the neighboring land is the island of Trinidad, where wild Carib tribes live. The savage explained that the “white people” could be reached by a large boat, this gave Crusoe hope.
Chapter 23
Robinson taught Friday to shoot a gun. When the savage mastered English well, Crusoe shared his story with him.
Friday said that once a ship with “white people” crashed near their island. They were rescued by the natives and remained to live on the island, becoming “brothers” for the savages.
Crusoe begins to suspect Friday of wanting to escape from the island, but the native proves his loyalty to Robinson. The savage himself offers to help Crusoe return home. The men took a month to make a pirogue from a tree trunk. Crusoe placed a mast with a sail in the boat.
“This is the twenty-seventh year of my imprisonment in this prison.”
Chapter 24
After waiting out the rainy season, Robinson and Friday began to prepare for the upcoming voyage. One day, savages with more captives landed on the shore. Robinson and Friday dealt with the cannibals. The rescued prisoners turned out to be the Spaniard and Friday's father.
The men built a canvas tent especially for the weakened European and the savage’s father.
Chapter 25
The Spaniard said that the savages sheltered seventeen Spaniards, whose ship was wrecked on a neighboring island, but those rescued were in dire need. Robinson agrees with the Spaniard that his comrades will help him build a ship.
The men prepared all the necessary supplies for the "white people", and the Spaniard and Friday's father went after the Europeans. While Crusoe and Friday were waiting for guests, an English ship approached the island. The British on the boat moored to the shore, Crusoe counted eleven people, three of whom were prisoners.
Chapter 26
The robbers' boat ran aground with the tide, so the sailors went for a walk around the island. At this time Robinson was preparing his guns. At night, when the sailors fell asleep, Crusoe approached their captives. One of them, the captain of the ship, said that his crew rebelled and went over to the side of the “gang of scoundrels.” He and his two comrades barely convinced the robbers not to kill them, but to land them on a deserted shore. Crusoe and Friday helped kill the instigators of the riot, and tied up the rest of the sailors.
Chapter 27
To capture the ship, the men broke through the bottom of the longboat and prepared for the next boat to meet the robbers. The pirates, seeing the hole in the ship and the fact that their comrades were missing, got scared and were going to return to the ship. Then Robinson came up with a trick - Friday and the captain's assistant lured eight pirates into the depths of the island. The two robbers, who remained waiting for their comrades, unconditionally surrendered. At night, the captain kills the boatswain who started a riot. Five robbers surrender.
Chapter 28
Robinson orders to put the rebels in a dungeon and take the ship with the help of the sailors who sided with the captain. At night, the crew swam to the ship and the sailors defeated the robbers on board. In the morning, the captain sincerely thanked Robinson for helping to return the ship.
By order of Crusoe, the rebels were untied and sent into the interior of the island. Robinson promised that they would be left with everything they needed to live on the island.
“As I later established from the ship’s log, my departure took place on December 19, 1686. Thus, I lived on the island for twenty-eight years, two months and nineteen days.”
Soon Robinson returned to his homeland. By that time, his parents had died, and his sisters with their children and other relatives met him at home. Everyone listened with great enthusiasm to Robinson's incredible story, which he told from morning until evening.
Tables of Protestant Ethics
Robinson's life consists of rules and traditions defined by his native culture. Robinson's father, an honest representative of the middle class, extols the “middle state” (that is, the Aristotelian golden mean), which in this case consists of a reasonable acceptance of one’s lot in life: Crusoe’s family is relatively wealthy and there is no point in refusing “the position occupied by birth in the world.” Having cited his father’s apology for the average state, Robinson continues: “And although (this is how the father ended his speech) he will never stop praying for me, he declares to me directly that if I do not give up my crazy idea, I will not have the blessing of God.” . Judging by the plot of the novel, it took Robinson many years and trials to understand the essence of his father’s warning.
Engraving. Jean Granville
On the island, he retraced the path of human development - from gathering to colonialism. Leaving the island at the end of the novel, he positions himself as its owner (and in the second book, returning to the island, he behaves like the local viceroy).
The notorious “middle state” and burgher morality in this case are completely combined with the bad idea of the 18th century about the inequality of races and the admissibility of the slave trade and slavery. At the beginning of the novel, Robinson found it possible to sell the boy Xuri, with whom he escaped from Turkish captivity; Afterwards, if not for the shipwreck, he planned to engage in the slave trade. The first three words Robinson taught Friday were “yes,” “no,” and “master.”
Whether Defoe wanted it consciously or not, his hero turned out to be an excellent portrait of a man of the third estate in the 18th century, with his support for colonialism and slavery, a rational business approach to life, and religious restrictions. Most likely, Robinson is what Defoe himself was. Robinson doesn't even try to find out Friday's real name; The author is also not very interested in it.
Robinson is a Protestant. In the text of the novel, his exact religious affiliation is not indicated, but since Defoe himself (like his father) was a Presbyterian, it is logical to assume that his hero, Robinson, also belongs to the Presbyterian church. Presbyterianism is one of the directions of Protestantism, based on the teachings of John Calvin; in fact, it is a type of Calvinism. Robinson inherited this belief from his German father, an emigrant from Bremen who once bore the name Kreuzner.
Protestants insist that there is no need for priests as intermediaries to communicate with God. So the Protestant Robinson believed that he communicated with God directly. By communication with God, as a Presbyterian, he meant only prayer; he did not believe in the sacraments.
Without mental communication with God, Robinson would quickly go crazy. He prays and reads the Holy Scriptures every day. With God he does not feel alone even in the most extreme circumstances.
This, by the way, correlates well with the story of Alexander Selkirk, who, in order not to go crazy from loneliness on the island, read the Bible aloud every day and sang psalms loudly.
One of the restrictions that Robinson religiously observes looks curious (Defoe does not specifically dwell on this point, but it is clearly visible from the text) - this is the habit of always walking dressed on a desert tropical island. Apparently, the hero cannot bare himself before God, constantly feeling his presence nearby. In one scene - where Robinson swims to a half-sunken ship near the island - he entered the water “undressed”, and then, while on the ship, he was able to use his pockets, which means he still did not completely undress.
Protestants - Calvinists, Presbyterians - were confident that it was possible to determine which people were loved by God and which were not. This can be seen from the signs that you need to be able to observe. One of the most important is luck in business, which greatly increases the value of work and its material results. Once on the island, Robinson tries to understand his situation with the help of a table in which he carefully writes down all the pros and cons. Their number is equal, but this gives Robinson hope. Further, Robinson works hard and through the results of his work he feels the mercy of the Lord.
Equally important are the numerous warning signs that do not stop young Robinson. The first ship on which he set off sank (“Conscience, which at that time had not yet completely hardened in me,” says Robinson, “severely reproached me for neglecting my parents’ admonitions and for violating my duties to God and my father,” - this means neglect of the given lot in life and father’s admonitions). Another ship was captured by Turkish pirates. Robinson set off on the most ill-fated of his journeys exactly eight years later, to the day after escaping from his father, who warned him against unwise steps. Already on the island, he sees a dream: a terrible man, engulfed in flames, descends from the sky towards him and wants to hit him with a spear for his wickedness.
Defoe persistently conveys the idea that one should not commit daring acts and radically change one’s life without special signs from above, that is, in essence, he constantly condemns pride (despite the fact that he most likely does not consider Robinson’s colonialist habits to be pride).
Gradually, Robinson becomes more and more inclined towards religious thoughts. At the same time, he clearly separates the spheres of the miraculous and the everyday. Seeing ears of barley and rice on the island, he gives thanks to God; then he remembers that he himself shook out a bag of bird food at this place: “The miracle disappeared, and along with the discovery that all this was the most natural thing, I must admit, my gratitude to Providence cooled significantly.”
When Friday appears on the island, the main character tries to instill in him his own religious ideas. He is baffled by the natural question about the origin and essence of evil, the most difficult for most believers: why does God tolerate the devil? Robinson does not give a direct answer; after thinking for a while, he suddenly likens the devil to a man: “You better ask why God didn’t kill you or me when we did bad things that offended Him; we were spared so that we would repent and receive forgiveness.”
The main character himself was dissatisfied with his answer - nothing else came to his mind. In general, Robinson eventually comes to the conclusion that he is not very successful in interpreting complex theological issues.
In the last years of his life on the island, something else brought him sincere joy: prayer together with Friday, a joint feeling of the presence of God on the island.
First adventures at sea
No sooner had our ship left the mouth of the Humber than a cold wind blew from the north. The sky was covered with clouds. A strong rocking motion began. I had never been to sea before, and I felt bad. My head began to spin, my legs began to tremble, I felt nauseous, and I almost fell. Every time a big wave hit the ship, it seemed to me that we would drown right away. Every time a ship fell from a high crest of a wave, I was sure that it would never rise again. A thousand times I swore that if I remained alive, if my foot set foot on solid ground again, I would immediately return home to my father and never in my entire life would set foot on the deck of a ship again. These prudent thoughts lasted only as long as the storm raged. But the wind died down, the excitement subsided, and I felt much better. Little by little I began to get used to the sea. True, I had not yet completely recovered from seasickness, but by the end of the day the weather had cleared up, the wind had completely died down, and a delightful evening had arrived. I slept soundly all night. The next day the sky was just as clear. The calm sea with complete calm, all illuminated by the sun, presented such a beautiful picture as I had never seen before. There was no trace left of my seasickness. I immediately calmed down and felt happy. With surprise, I looked around the sea, which just yesterday seemed violent, cruel and menacing, but today it was so meek and gentle. Then, as if on purpose, my friend, who tempted me to go with him, comes up to me, pats me on the shoulder and says: “Well, how are you feeling, Bob?” I bet you were scared. Admit it: you were very scared yesterday when the breeze blew? - Is there a breeze? Nice breeze! It was a mad squall. I could not even imagine such a terrible storm!
- Storms? Oh, you fool! Do you think this is a storm? Well, you’re still new to the sea: no wonder you’re scared... Let’s go, let’s order some punch, drink a glass and forget about the storm. Look how clear the day is! Wonderful weather, isn't it? To shorten this sad part of my story, I will only say that things went as usual with sailors: I got drunk and drowned in wine all my promises and oaths, all my laudable thoughts about immediately returning home. As soon as the calm came and I stopped being afraid that the waves would swallow me, I immediately forgot all my good intentions. On the sixth day we saw the town of Yarmouth in the distance. The wind was headwind after the storm, so we moved forward very slowly. At Yarmouth we had to drop anchor. We stood waiting for a fair wind for seven or eight days. During this time, many ships from Newcastle came here. We, however, would not have stood that long and would have entered the river with the tide, but the wind became fresher, and after five days it blew with all its might. Since the anchors and anchor ropes on our ship were strong, our sailors did not show the slightest alarm. They were confident that the ship was completely safe, and, according to the custom of sailors, they devoted all their free time to fun activities and amusements. However, on the ninth day in the morning the wind became even fresher, and soon a terrible storm broke out. Even the experienced sailors were greatly frightened. Several times I heard our captain, passing me in and out of the cabin, muttering in a low voice: “We are lost! We're lost! End!" Still, he did not lose his head, vigilantly observed the work of the sailors and took all measures to save his ship. Until now I had not felt fear: I was sure that this storm would pass just as safely as the first. But when the captain himself announced that the end had come for all of us, I was terribly scared and ran out of the cabin onto the deck. Never in my life have I seen such a terrible sight. Huge waves moved across the sea like high mountains, and every three or four minutes such a mountain would fall on us. At first I was numb with fear and could not look around. When at last I dared to look back, I realized what a disaster had broken out over us. On two heavily laden ships that were anchored nearby, the sailors cut down the masts so that the ships would be at least a little relieved of their weight. Someone shouted in a desperate voice that the ship, standing in front, half a mile from us, had just disappeared under water. Two more ships lost their anchors and the storm carried them out to sea. What was waiting for them there? All their masts were knocked down by the hurricane. Small ships held up better, but some of them also had to suffer: two or three boats carried past our sides straight into the open sea. In the evening, the navigator and boatswain came to the captain and told him that to save the ship it was necessary to cut down the foremast. [Foremast is the front mast.] - You can’t hesitate for a minute! - they said. - Order it, and we will cut it down. “Let’s wait a little longer,” the captain objected. “Maybe the storm will subside.” He really didn’t want to cut the mast, but the boatswain began to argue that if the mast was left, the ship would sink, and the captain reluctantly agreed. And when the foremast was cut down, the mainmast [Mainmast - middle mast.] began to sway and sway the ship so much that they had to cut it down too. Night fell, and suddenly one of the sailors, going down into the hold, shouted that the ship had sprung a leak. Another sailor was sent into the hold, and he reported that the water had already risen by four feet. [A foot is an English unit of length, about a third of a meter] Then the captain commanded: “Pump out the water!” All to the pumps! [Pump - a pump for pumping out water] When I heard this command, my heart sank in horror: it seemed to me that I was dying, my legs gave way, and I fell backwards on the bed. But the sailors pushed me aside and demanded that I not shirk my work. - You've been idle enough, it's time to work! - they said. There was nothing to do, I went to the pump and began to diligently pump out water. At this time, small cargo ships, which could not resist the wind, raised their anchors and went out to the open sea. Seeing them, our captain ordered the cannon to be fired to let them know that we were in mortal danger. Hearing a cannon salvo and not understanding what was happening, I imagined that our ship had crashed. I became so scared that I fainted and fell. But at that time everyone was concerned about saving their own lives, and they did not pay attention to me. Nobody was interested in finding out what happened to me. One of the sailors took my place at the pump, pushing me aside with his foot. Everyone was sure that I was already dead. I lay there like that for a very long time. When I woke up, I got back to work. We worked tirelessly, but the water in the hold rose higher and higher. It was obvious that the ship was going to sink. True, the storm was beginning to subside a little, but there was not the slightest possibility for us to stay on the water until we entered the harbor. Therefore, the captain did not stop firing his cannons, hoping that someone would save us from death. Finally, the small ship closest to us risked lowering a boat to give us help. The boat could have capsized every minute, but it still approached us. Alas, we could not get into it, since there was no way to moor to our ship, although people rowed with all their might, risking their lives to save ours. We threw them a rope. They were unable to catch him for a long time, as the storm carried him to the side. But, fortunately, one of the daredevils contrived and, after many unsuccessful attempts, grabbed the rope by the very end. Then we pulled the boat under our stern and every single one of us went down into it. We wanted to get to their ship, but we could not resist the waves, and the waves carried us to the shore. It turned out that this was the only direction one could row. Less than a quarter of an hour had passed before our ship began to sink into the water. The waves that tossed our boat were so high that because of them we could not see the shore. Only in the briefest moment, when our boat was thrown onto the crest of a wave, could we see that a large crowd had gathered on the shore: people were running back and forth, preparing to give us help when we came closer. But we moved towards the shore very slowly. Only in the evening did we manage to get to land, and even then with the greatest difficulties.
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Robinson family. — His escape from his parents' house
From early childhood I loved the sea more than anything in the world. I envied every sailor who set off on a long voyage. For hours at a time I stood on the seashore and without taking my eyes off the ships passing by. My parents didn't like it very much. My father, an old, sick man, wanted me to become an important official, serve in the royal court and receive a large salary. But I dreamed of sea voyages. It seemed to me the greatest happiness to wander the seas and oceans. My father guessed what was on my mind. One day he called me over and said angrily: “I know: you want to run away from your home.” This is crazy. You must stay. If you stay, I will be a good father to you, but woe to you if you run away! “Here his voice trembled, and he quietly added: “Think about your sick mother... She won’t bear being separated from you.” Tears sparkled in his eyes. He loved me and wanted the best for me. I felt sorry for the old man, I firmly decided to stay in my parents’ house and not think about sea voyages anymore. But alas! - Several days passed, and nothing remained of my good intentions. I was again drawn to the sea shores. I began to dream of masts, waves, sails, seagulls, unknown countries, lights of lighthouses. Two or three weeks after my conversation with my father, I finally decided to run away. Choosing a time when my mother was cheerful and calm, I approached her and respectfully said: “I’m already eighteen years old, and at these years it’s too late to study judging.” Even if I entered the service somewhere, I would still run away to distant countries after a few years. I so want to see foreign lands, to visit both Africa and Asia! Even if I get attached to something, I still don’t have the patience to see it through to the end. I ask you, persuade my father to let me go to sea at least for a short time, for a test; If I don’t like the life of a sailor, I will return home and never go anywhere else. Let my father let me go voluntarily, otherwise I will be forced to leave home without his permission. My mother got very angry with me and said: “I’m surprised how you can think about sea voyages after your conversation with your father!” After all, your father demanded that you forget about foreign lands once and for all. And he understands better than you what business you should do. Of course, if you want to destroy yourself, leave even this minute, but you can be sure that your father and I will never give consent to your journey. And in vain you hoped that I would help you. No, I won't say a word to my father about your meaningless dreams. I don’t want that later, when life at sea brings you to poverty and suffering, you could reproach your mother for indulging you. Then, many years later, I found out that my mother nevertheless conveyed to my father our entire conversation, from word to word. The father was saddened and said to her with a sigh: “I don’t understand what he needs?” In his homeland, he could easily achieve success and happiness. We are not rich people, but we have some means. He can live with us without needing anything. If he goes on a journey, he will experience great hardships and regret that he did not listen to his father. No, I can't let him go to sea. Far from his homeland, he will be lonely, and if trouble happens to him, he will not have a friend who could console him. And then he will repent of his recklessness, but it will be too late! And yet, after a few months, I fled from my home. It happened like this. One day I went to the city of Gull for several days. There I met a friend who was about to go to London on his father's ship. He began to persuade me to go with him, tempting me with the fact that travel on the ship would be free. And so, without asking either father or mother, at an unkind hour! - On September 1, 1651, in the nineteenth year of my life, I boarded a ship bound for London. It was a bad act: I shamelessly abandoned my elderly parents, neglected their advice and violated my filial duty. And I very soon had to repent of what I had done.
